Rev revolution, p.12
REV- Revolution, page 12
part #4 of REV Warriors Series
“We can’t make it a formal reassignment; that would involve going through General Diamond. But these guys have nothing to do until the trials with the AC-3s begin.”
“I…I thank you, lieutenant. I really wasn’t expecting this,” Coates stammered.
“Then why did you ask?”
The scientist opened his mouth to speak.
“Never mind,” Zac said, saving the man any further embarrassment. “I’ll send the men to your lab this afternoon. Keep this between the two of us. And be aware, I may have to pull them at a moment’s notice, depending on how the other part of the program goes.”
“I understand! Thank you, Lt. Murphy. Thank you.”
The man rushed off. Zac smiled. Kyle and Donovan are going to love this.
17
“You want us to do what?”
Kyle Johnson looked down into the tiny, five-meter long capsule and grimaced.
“It’s perfectly safe,” replied Dr. Coates. “You’ll be strapped in and the cushion can rotate so you won’t have to roll over when you access the vessel. You’ll be under the influence of the ship’s gravity at the time. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“That’s not what I’m asking. You say we’re going to be traveling just under light speed in this thing? How is that even possible?”
“Miniaturization has advanced considerably. There’s a single focusing ring and grav-generator built into the pod. It can’t get you to light speed, but close.”
“I’m going to have a gravity generator operating a couple of feet from my head?”
“It’s safe. All those stories of grav-gens causing cancer are not true. Besides, you won’t be exposed long enough for any effects to take place.”
“That’s what you say. Just remember, doc, if I get cancer in twenty years, I’m going to track you down and kick your ass.”
Dr. Coates turned to his assistants, motioning for them to begin hoisting the pods above the floor of the huge auditorium the scientist had appropriated for his test runs. There were cranes and winches and thick metal chains.
“Since the boarding crews will be operating in simulated gravity during the event, we can run this simulations on the ground and not in space. That makes it easier.”
Donovan Ross stood next to another of the pods, a sour look on his face. “That’s why I signed up for this thing, so I could fly these things in space. Now you say we can do everything at the base? What’s the fun in that?”
“You’ll get the same sensation in the simulator, gunnery sergeant. Now, if the two of you kindly board your pods we’ll get this run underway.”
Seeing they were in a granite cavern, hooked to a myriad of safety features, the men climbed into their vehicles without an ounce of trepidation, but with a lot of disappointment. Of course, Kyle was still worried about the gravity-generator, but it wouldn’t be activated on the ground.
They laid in the padded, full-body cushions, beds that reminded them of the old insertion capsules from their NT-4 days. What was missing were the maintenance crews moving it to fasten a five hundred pound suit of armor around them. For this experience—as well as the actual operation—they wouldn’t be dressed in armor. That was something they’d have to address if they were ever part of a real boarding party.
They strapped in, starting at their legs and then moving up. The bed could rotate, allowing the occupants to look either out through what was the top of the pod, or through the bottom, the docking part. The top lid was closed and locked into place. There was also a docking mechanism on this side of the pod, as well as the bottom. That was one of the things they would be testing today.
The cranes lifted the pods twenty meters into the air. The controls were tied to a computer that would move the capsules according to commands. This first run would be managed by the shipboard computers.
“So what do we do, just go along for the ride?” Kyle asked through the pod’s comm.
Coates and his crew had moved away to a table with a series of control units tied together with a mess of wires and cables running out their backsides. It looked very crude and disorganized.
“We’re testing the stacking program,” replied the scientist.
Kyle’s pod was hovering in the air, a thick metal arm holding it, leaving the top and bottom free to be approached by Donovan’s pod. Kyle watched as the huge sucker on the bottom of Don’s capsule closed on his. It was an odd sensation. The thing was made of rubber, but there was also a ring of deadly-looking laser points aimed at him. The pod kept coming until it made contact with Kyle’s, blocking out much of the light from outside. Then he heard a whirling sound and the entrance hatch a foot from his face slid aside.
The pods were connected and both the REVs lay strapped in their seats, staring at each other, Donovan hanging upside down, Kyle on his back.
“Now what?” Donovan asked.
“The seat will rotate halfway, allowing you to unbuckle. Kyle, you will do the same. It may get a little cramped in there, but this will allow Don to transfer to your unit. Theoretically, we can link nine pods together without loosing integrity. Now hold on. Kyle’s pod will now be docking with the mock-up starship.”
Kyle’s bed rotated, allowing him to look sideways through the clear hatch at the bottom of his pod. A flat grey metal surface was approaching. In reality, the joined pods were moving down to the mock hull. A moment later a near-silent docking was made.
“Watch your eyes. We’re going to cut a hole in the hull before we open the access port.”
The REVs squinted as a brilliant ring of light came through the bottom of Kyle’s pod. It only lasted a couple of seconds before the perfectly round piece of cut metal fell from the hull. Kyle could see how Coates and crew had built a mock-up starship in the cavern. The bottom hatch cycled open.
“Be careful, Kyle,” said Coates’ voice in the pod. You need to stand up the best you can so you can drop through the opening. It’s about four meters to the deck.”
Kyle unbuckled then twisted confidently in the tight quarters. He let loose and fell cleanly through the one-meter-in-diameter opening, landing on his REV enhanced legs without so much as a grunt. He stood for a moment surveying the inside of the fake ship. He was in a decent-size compartment near a mock galley. He wondered if the food processor was working; he was hungry.
Then Donovan dropped on top of him. Both men tumbled to the deck.
“Yes, you should step out of the way,” the voice of Dr. Coates told Kyle. “There will be a team coming in after you.”
Donovan stood up, smiling. “I like that. Let’s do it again. And thanks for breaking my fall, buddy.”
Kyle flipped him off. “Now that we’re inside, what do we do?”
“We’ll provide the assault teams with specialized weapons better suited for close-quarters-combat within ships. You’ll get training in those.”
“I thought we’re just here to test the equipment and procedures. No one said we’d be part of an actual team.”
“I was speaking figuratively. Now, please exit the ship and prepare to enter the pods again. This time we’ll let you link with the mock-up manually. There are a number of factors to consider. And Mr. Ross, you will be happy to learn, we will be moving into space for the approach trials. You will need to show the effectiveness of the grav-drive and the maneuvering controls. We also need to measure assault timing with semi-activated REVs. You can do that, can’t you, activate at will?”
“To a degree,” said Donovan. “A lot of that depends on the situation. We probably won’t be a peak efficiency during testing; they’ll be no real danger.”
“Oh, there will be some danger, I assure you,” said Coates. “We’ve never actually tested the pods in space. A lot of things could go wrong with the miniature gravity drives, plus the pressure seals and the docking procedures. A blowout here on the surface won’t result in a catastrophic loss of air pressure and atmosphere, like could happen in space. And we can’t test for generator overloads and sparking until we fire up the engines. And then the REV pilots will have to do actual maneuvering to approach an enemy warship without being noticed. Fortunately, the pods are designed to operate within star systems, when the enemy would be dropping out of deep wells and approaching at sub-light speed. All these things you will have to be aware of.”
Kyle felt his body cascading some, just from the litany of potential dangers in the space trials. “And how will we be able to approach a warship going at nearly the speed of light without being noticed?”
“We have a few tricks up our sleeves.”
Kyle and Donovan exited the mock-up starship, noticing how the hull was full of perfectly round cut out holes, indicating the docking procedure they’d just run had been done several times before. Coates met them near the exit hatch, continuing with the conversation.
“We will be going into space tomorrow. I just wanted you to get a feel for the pods before we do so. So what did you think?”
“Not much to them,” said Donovan. “But it sounds like this wasn’t a real test. Besides, you’ve done this several times before, and without REVs. When do we come into play?”
“In space. It’s a whole other ballgame up there. And according to Lieutenant Murphy, the two of you have piloting experience. We have an old DN-class starship available for us. We’ll work up to actual boarding of the vessel and then the overriding of piloting commands, allowing you to take over the ship. Once we have this down, we’ll produce a video detailing the entire operation from beginning to end. The two of you will be the stars.”
Donovan was beaming; not so Kyle. “And we’ll be using unproven space pods during all these trials. Have any of your test pods exploded?”
“Not from the gravity drives, gunny.”
“But they have exploded?” Kyle asked.
“A little.”
“And what does that mean? A little?”
Coates tried to smile, something he didn’t seem comfortable doing, even in the best of times. “As with all new technology, accidents happen. Hopefully, we’ve worked out most of the bugs.”
“Most?”
Coates shrugged.
18
Zac cascaded a little when he ran into the Antaere coming out of an elevator at the Vi-Cor REV base. Actually, there were two of them, and they dismissed him without a second glance, obviously not recognizing him as a former guest of the Qwin Hilton courtesy of Congin Bornak. He watched them walk away down the corridor as if they were taking a pleasant stroll back on Antara. They apparently belonged here, and they knew it.
But Zac didn’t. He raced down the passageway until he came to the executive offices where the generals were to be found. He entered General Powell’s office and approached the secretary, an E-7 named Randall Kenyon.
“Good afternoon, lieutenant,” said the man. Zac was a frequent visitor to the office, so Kenyon knew him well. “Are you here to see the general?”
“Is he in?”
“He is.” Kenyon looked at a computer screen. “He has about fifteen minutes before his appointment with General Diamond. Shall I see if he’s available?”
“Please, thanks.”
A moment later Zac rushed into the spacious office of the senior officer on the base. This wasn’t his command; however, his three stars gave him a lot of clout.
“Lieutenant, what’s wrong?” said the tough-as-nails field commander, reading Zac’s expression.
“Qwin…here in the base?”
After shaking Zac’s hand, the general sat back down in his chair, grinning.
“You saw them,” he stated. “I guess we should have made an announcement. I’ve been getting calls all morning.” He indicated for Zac to take a seat on the other side of the desk. “They’re hear to talk peace, Zac. It seems word of the Ha’curn attack on the base has gotten back to Antara, and the fact that the ‘Curn were able to jam our AC signals has them in a panic.”
“Panic? Why?”
“It seems our yellow-skin friends had been expecting us to solve the Ha’curn problem by ourselves…with the help of the REVs, of course. Now they see how the REVs have been essentially castrated and this is making them doubt we can take on these new aliens alone. If our most-elite troops are sitting on the sidelines, it’s anyone’s game at this point.”
“And they want to help shift the odds.”
“As much as they can. We haven’t told them about the Deltas yet, and even if we did, there’s no guarantee you’ll have much of an impact on large-scale operations. Maybe a few commando raids, that sort of thing. But this looks to be shaping up to be a space war, not a ground operation. Even if the ACs were still active, they’d only come into play with a major invasion by the Ha’curn involving attacking and the holding of ground positions. The Antaere are hoping adding their fleet strength to ours will keep the ‘Curn off the planets.”
“Do they have enough ships to make a difference?” Zac asked.
“No matter what they have, it can’t hurt. It would also take their threat off the table. Right now we have a very shaky ceasefire going, but we’re still looking over our shoulders at the Qwin. I’d rather have them on our flanks rather than lurking somewhere behind us.”
“And that’s why there are Antaere here, to negotiate this kumbaya moment between our two races?”
“Something like that. But it’s happening not only here, but other places as well. Once the details are worked out, we’ll all meet to hold hands around the campfire and sing happy little hippie songs. Which brings me to a point. I was going to call you in once we got further along with the negotiations, but the President has requested that the REVs be the formal security guard for the Human delegation.”
“The Deltas or the ACs?”
“Both, from what I understand. But he specifically requested that you lead the security detail.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, he seems to think he’ll be safe with the great Zac Murphy watching his ass.” Powell grinned. “It will look good in your service jacket.”
“Does Diamond—General Diamond—know about this?”
Now the grin grew wider. “He does indeed. He protested, saying it wouldn’t be safe for you to be around the President.”
“How did that go over?”
“Like a lead balloon. The President heard what you did here. He insisted.”
“Can I pick my own team?”
“Of course. We’re still a couple of weeks away from getting the details worked out, and then a three week journey to Enif.”
“Enif?” Zac cringed at the word. His memories of the planet weren’t the most pleasant.
Powell nodded. “As a concession to the Colony Worlds, we’re having the official signing ceremony on Enif. We’re firmly in control of the planet, but the Antaere insist on having a fleet present to counter ours.” Powell laughed. “We’ll still have twice the ships there, so it will only make the Qwin look less intimidating. But they still want a show of military strength in the system.”
“It makes sense,” said Zac. “I’m sure the Antaere will try to spin this as anything but a surrender.”
“You know your Antaere, lieutenant. They are a bunch of slimy bastards. So you’ll accept the assignment?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Not at all.”
Zac smiled and shrugged.
“Then count me in.”
19
The planet Enif (ES-8)
Zac Murphy’s memories of the planet Enif were horrific. It was here that he’d been placed in a three-section maze by the insane Antaerean Congin Bornak and made to fight a trio of alien REVs in a battle royale on live TV. He was carrying three varieties of Rev in his system at the time, which messed him up quite a bit. But he survived, and the show had incredible ratings throughout the Grid, but not the kind Bornak was hoping for. And then that show was quickly eclipsed by his surreptitiously-recorded confession as the mastermind behind the destruction of the Temple of Light on Iz’zar. The power structure in the Grid shifted again after the confession, leading eventually back to the planet Enif and the Peace Conference about to get underway.
The truth, the negotiations between the Humans and the Antaere had been going on for months already, but behind the scenes. The conference was just for show, a glorious event publicized as the end of hostilities between the warring parties. The details had already been worked out. The events taking place over the next five days were pure theater, and everyone knew it. Peace was coming to the Grid, if only between the inhabitants of the Grid. The outsiders had other ideas.
“Don’t we look pretty,” whispered Angus Price.
Zac pursed his lips, feeling awkward in the maroon-colored, high-collar uniforms that had been designed specifically to represent the Running Man Brigade at the conference. He and the others had a new identity, a more civilized persona, so a new identity was needed, or so the reasoning went. Gone was the savage beast of the NT-4 days, replaced now by the more refined and dignified AC-3 REVs. The problem, the ACs were useless without dependable comm links with their masters back at control central. So far, the effort to secure the links was still wanting. Every time General Diamond’s techs came up with a solution, another team of experts was tasked with finding a way to circumvent the fix. The counter-techs had been successful one hundred percent of the time. This was unacceptable to the higher-ups, especially when it was shown how the signal could not only be jammed but intercepted as well, turning the REVs against their masters.
This was unfortunate for the ACs, but a boom for Zac and his Deltas. It also meant he and his men were the official security detail for the Human delegation at the conference. And although most of the Deltas were on station in less-obvious ways, it left Zac and Angus as the public faces of the REVs, more for show than effectiveness.
A long and narrow stone table was set at one end of a grand ballroom, within the two-hundred-year-old former Temple of Light on Enif. This temple had been replaced twenty years before by another imposing structure over twice the size and located about two kilometers away. The old temple hadn’t had much use since then, not until the peace talks came up and Enif was chosen as the neutral meeting ground. The Humans had protested at first, not wanting to hold the talks in an Antaere temple to the Order, even if it was no longer used for that purpose. But out of respect for the Colony Worlds, the Humans relented.
“I…I thank you, lieutenant. I really wasn’t expecting this,” Coates stammered.
“Then why did you ask?”
The scientist opened his mouth to speak.
“Never mind,” Zac said, saving the man any further embarrassment. “I’ll send the men to your lab this afternoon. Keep this between the two of us. And be aware, I may have to pull them at a moment’s notice, depending on how the other part of the program goes.”
“I understand! Thank you, Lt. Murphy. Thank you.”
The man rushed off. Zac smiled. Kyle and Donovan are going to love this.
17
“You want us to do what?”
Kyle Johnson looked down into the tiny, five-meter long capsule and grimaced.
“It’s perfectly safe,” replied Dr. Coates. “You’ll be strapped in and the cushion can rotate so you won’t have to roll over when you access the vessel. You’ll be under the influence of the ship’s gravity at the time. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“That’s not what I’m asking. You say we’re going to be traveling just under light speed in this thing? How is that even possible?”
“Miniaturization has advanced considerably. There’s a single focusing ring and grav-generator built into the pod. It can’t get you to light speed, but close.”
“I’m going to have a gravity generator operating a couple of feet from my head?”
“It’s safe. All those stories of grav-gens causing cancer are not true. Besides, you won’t be exposed long enough for any effects to take place.”
“That’s what you say. Just remember, doc, if I get cancer in twenty years, I’m going to track you down and kick your ass.”
Dr. Coates turned to his assistants, motioning for them to begin hoisting the pods above the floor of the huge auditorium the scientist had appropriated for his test runs. There were cranes and winches and thick metal chains.
“Since the boarding crews will be operating in simulated gravity during the event, we can run this simulations on the ground and not in space. That makes it easier.”
Donovan Ross stood next to another of the pods, a sour look on his face. “That’s why I signed up for this thing, so I could fly these things in space. Now you say we can do everything at the base? What’s the fun in that?”
“You’ll get the same sensation in the simulator, gunnery sergeant. Now, if the two of you kindly board your pods we’ll get this run underway.”
Seeing they were in a granite cavern, hooked to a myriad of safety features, the men climbed into their vehicles without an ounce of trepidation, but with a lot of disappointment. Of course, Kyle was still worried about the gravity-generator, but it wouldn’t be activated on the ground.
They laid in the padded, full-body cushions, beds that reminded them of the old insertion capsules from their NT-4 days. What was missing were the maintenance crews moving it to fasten a five hundred pound suit of armor around them. For this experience—as well as the actual operation—they wouldn’t be dressed in armor. That was something they’d have to address if they were ever part of a real boarding party.
They strapped in, starting at their legs and then moving up. The bed could rotate, allowing the occupants to look either out through what was the top of the pod, or through the bottom, the docking part. The top lid was closed and locked into place. There was also a docking mechanism on this side of the pod, as well as the bottom. That was one of the things they would be testing today.
The cranes lifted the pods twenty meters into the air. The controls were tied to a computer that would move the capsules according to commands. This first run would be managed by the shipboard computers.
“So what do we do, just go along for the ride?” Kyle asked through the pod’s comm.
Coates and his crew had moved away to a table with a series of control units tied together with a mess of wires and cables running out their backsides. It looked very crude and disorganized.
“We’re testing the stacking program,” replied the scientist.
Kyle’s pod was hovering in the air, a thick metal arm holding it, leaving the top and bottom free to be approached by Donovan’s pod. Kyle watched as the huge sucker on the bottom of Don’s capsule closed on his. It was an odd sensation. The thing was made of rubber, but there was also a ring of deadly-looking laser points aimed at him. The pod kept coming until it made contact with Kyle’s, blocking out much of the light from outside. Then he heard a whirling sound and the entrance hatch a foot from his face slid aside.
The pods were connected and both the REVs lay strapped in their seats, staring at each other, Donovan hanging upside down, Kyle on his back.
“Now what?” Donovan asked.
“The seat will rotate halfway, allowing you to unbuckle. Kyle, you will do the same. It may get a little cramped in there, but this will allow Don to transfer to your unit. Theoretically, we can link nine pods together without loosing integrity. Now hold on. Kyle’s pod will now be docking with the mock-up starship.”
Kyle’s bed rotated, allowing him to look sideways through the clear hatch at the bottom of his pod. A flat grey metal surface was approaching. In reality, the joined pods were moving down to the mock hull. A moment later a near-silent docking was made.
“Watch your eyes. We’re going to cut a hole in the hull before we open the access port.”
The REVs squinted as a brilliant ring of light came through the bottom of Kyle’s pod. It only lasted a couple of seconds before the perfectly round piece of cut metal fell from the hull. Kyle could see how Coates and crew had built a mock-up starship in the cavern. The bottom hatch cycled open.
“Be careful, Kyle,” said Coates’ voice in the pod. You need to stand up the best you can so you can drop through the opening. It’s about four meters to the deck.”
Kyle unbuckled then twisted confidently in the tight quarters. He let loose and fell cleanly through the one-meter-in-diameter opening, landing on his REV enhanced legs without so much as a grunt. He stood for a moment surveying the inside of the fake ship. He was in a decent-size compartment near a mock galley. He wondered if the food processor was working; he was hungry.
Then Donovan dropped on top of him. Both men tumbled to the deck.
“Yes, you should step out of the way,” the voice of Dr. Coates told Kyle. “There will be a team coming in after you.”
Donovan stood up, smiling. “I like that. Let’s do it again. And thanks for breaking my fall, buddy.”
Kyle flipped him off. “Now that we’re inside, what do we do?”
“We’ll provide the assault teams with specialized weapons better suited for close-quarters-combat within ships. You’ll get training in those.”
“I thought we’re just here to test the equipment and procedures. No one said we’d be part of an actual team.”
“I was speaking figuratively. Now, please exit the ship and prepare to enter the pods again. This time we’ll let you link with the mock-up manually. There are a number of factors to consider. And Mr. Ross, you will be happy to learn, we will be moving into space for the approach trials. You will need to show the effectiveness of the grav-drive and the maneuvering controls. We also need to measure assault timing with semi-activated REVs. You can do that, can’t you, activate at will?”
“To a degree,” said Donovan. “A lot of that depends on the situation. We probably won’t be a peak efficiency during testing; they’ll be no real danger.”
“Oh, there will be some danger, I assure you,” said Coates. “We’ve never actually tested the pods in space. A lot of things could go wrong with the miniature gravity drives, plus the pressure seals and the docking procedures. A blowout here on the surface won’t result in a catastrophic loss of air pressure and atmosphere, like could happen in space. And we can’t test for generator overloads and sparking until we fire up the engines. And then the REV pilots will have to do actual maneuvering to approach an enemy warship without being noticed. Fortunately, the pods are designed to operate within star systems, when the enemy would be dropping out of deep wells and approaching at sub-light speed. All these things you will have to be aware of.”
Kyle felt his body cascading some, just from the litany of potential dangers in the space trials. “And how will we be able to approach a warship going at nearly the speed of light without being noticed?”
“We have a few tricks up our sleeves.”
Kyle and Donovan exited the mock-up starship, noticing how the hull was full of perfectly round cut out holes, indicating the docking procedure they’d just run had been done several times before. Coates met them near the exit hatch, continuing with the conversation.
“We will be going into space tomorrow. I just wanted you to get a feel for the pods before we do so. So what did you think?”
“Not much to them,” said Donovan. “But it sounds like this wasn’t a real test. Besides, you’ve done this several times before, and without REVs. When do we come into play?”
“In space. It’s a whole other ballgame up there. And according to Lieutenant Murphy, the two of you have piloting experience. We have an old DN-class starship available for us. We’ll work up to actual boarding of the vessel and then the overriding of piloting commands, allowing you to take over the ship. Once we have this down, we’ll produce a video detailing the entire operation from beginning to end. The two of you will be the stars.”
Donovan was beaming; not so Kyle. “And we’ll be using unproven space pods during all these trials. Have any of your test pods exploded?”
“Not from the gravity drives, gunny.”
“But they have exploded?” Kyle asked.
“A little.”
“And what does that mean? A little?”
Coates tried to smile, something he didn’t seem comfortable doing, even in the best of times. “As with all new technology, accidents happen. Hopefully, we’ve worked out most of the bugs.”
“Most?”
Coates shrugged.
18
Zac cascaded a little when he ran into the Antaere coming out of an elevator at the Vi-Cor REV base. Actually, there were two of them, and they dismissed him without a second glance, obviously not recognizing him as a former guest of the Qwin Hilton courtesy of Congin Bornak. He watched them walk away down the corridor as if they were taking a pleasant stroll back on Antara. They apparently belonged here, and they knew it.
But Zac didn’t. He raced down the passageway until he came to the executive offices where the generals were to be found. He entered General Powell’s office and approached the secretary, an E-7 named Randall Kenyon.
“Good afternoon, lieutenant,” said the man. Zac was a frequent visitor to the office, so Kenyon knew him well. “Are you here to see the general?”
“Is he in?”
“He is.” Kenyon looked at a computer screen. “He has about fifteen minutes before his appointment with General Diamond. Shall I see if he’s available?”
“Please, thanks.”
A moment later Zac rushed into the spacious office of the senior officer on the base. This wasn’t his command; however, his three stars gave him a lot of clout.
“Lieutenant, what’s wrong?” said the tough-as-nails field commander, reading Zac’s expression.
“Qwin…here in the base?”
After shaking Zac’s hand, the general sat back down in his chair, grinning.
“You saw them,” he stated. “I guess we should have made an announcement. I’ve been getting calls all morning.” He indicated for Zac to take a seat on the other side of the desk. “They’re hear to talk peace, Zac. It seems word of the Ha’curn attack on the base has gotten back to Antara, and the fact that the ‘Curn were able to jam our AC signals has them in a panic.”
“Panic? Why?”
“It seems our yellow-skin friends had been expecting us to solve the Ha’curn problem by ourselves…with the help of the REVs, of course. Now they see how the REVs have been essentially castrated and this is making them doubt we can take on these new aliens alone. If our most-elite troops are sitting on the sidelines, it’s anyone’s game at this point.”
“And they want to help shift the odds.”
“As much as they can. We haven’t told them about the Deltas yet, and even if we did, there’s no guarantee you’ll have much of an impact on large-scale operations. Maybe a few commando raids, that sort of thing. But this looks to be shaping up to be a space war, not a ground operation. Even if the ACs were still active, they’d only come into play with a major invasion by the Ha’curn involving attacking and the holding of ground positions. The Antaere are hoping adding their fleet strength to ours will keep the ‘Curn off the planets.”
“Do they have enough ships to make a difference?” Zac asked.
“No matter what they have, it can’t hurt. It would also take their threat off the table. Right now we have a very shaky ceasefire going, but we’re still looking over our shoulders at the Qwin. I’d rather have them on our flanks rather than lurking somewhere behind us.”
“And that’s why there are Antaere here, to negotiate this kumbaya moment between our two races?”
“Something like that. But it’s happening not only here, but other places as well. Once the details are worked out, we’ll all meet to hold hands around the campfire and sing happy little hippie songs. Which brings me to a point. I was going to call you in once we got further along with the negotiations, but the President has requested that the REVs be the formal security guard for the Human delegation.”
“The Deltas or the ACs?”
“Both, from what I understand. But he specifically requested that you lead the security detail.”
“Me?”
“Yeah, he seems to think he’ll be safe with the great Zac Murphy watching his ass.” Powell grinned. “It will look good in your service jacket.”
“Does Diamond—General Diamond—know about this?”
Now the grin grew wider. “He does indeed. He protested, saying it wouldn’t be safe for you to be around the President.”
“How did that go over?”
“Like a lead balloon. The President heard what you did here. He insisted.”
“Can I pick my own team?”
“Of course. We’re still a couple of weeks away from getting the details worked out, and then a three week journey to Enif.”
“Enif?” Zac cringed at the word. His memories of the planet weren’t the most pleasant.
Powell nodded. “As a concession to the Colony Worlds, we’re having the official signing ceremony on Enif. We’re firmly in control of the planet, but the Antaere insist on having a fleet present to counter ours.” Powell laughed. “We’ll still have twice the ships there, so it will only make the Qwin look less intimidating. But they still want a show of military strength in the system.”
“It makes sense,” said Zac. “I’m sure the Antaere will try to spin this as anything but a surrender.”
“You know your Antaere, lieutenant. They are a bunch of slimy bastards. So you’ll accept the assignment?”
“Do I have a choice?”
“Not at all.”
Zac smiled and shrugged.
“Then count me in.”
19
The planet Enif (ES-8)
Zac Murphy’s memories of the planet Enif were horrific. It was here that he’d been placed in a three-section maze by the insane Antaerean Congin Bornak and made to fight a trio of alien REVs in a battle royale on live TV. He was carrying three varieties of Rev in his system at the time, which messed him up quite a bit. But he survived, and the show had incredible ratings throughout the Grid, but not the kind Bornak was hoping for. And then that show was quickly eclipsed by his surreptitiously-recorded confession as the mastermind behind the destruction of the Temple of Light on Iz’zar. The power structure in the Grid shifted again after the confession, leading eventually back to the planet Enif and the Peace Conference about to get underway.
The truth, the negotiations between the Humans and the Antaere had been going on for months already, but behind the scenes. The conference was just for show, a glorious event publicized as the end of hostilities between the warring parties. The details had already been worked out. The events taking place over the next five days were pure theater, and everyone knew it. Peace was coming to the Grid, if only between the inhabitants of the Grid. The outsiders had other ideas.
“Don’t we look pretty,” whispered Angus Price.
Zac pursed his lips, feeling awkward in the maroon-colored, high-collar uniforms that had been designed specifically to represent the Running Man Brigade at the conference. He and the others had a new identity, a more civilized persona, so a new identity was needed, or so the reasoning went. Gone was the savage beast of the NT-4 days, replaced now by the more refined and dignified AC-3 REVs. The problem, the ACs were useless without dependable comm links with their masters back at control central. So far, the effort to secure the links was still wanting. Every time General Diamond’s techs came up with a solution, another team of experts was tasked with finding a way to circumvent the fix. The counter-techs had been successful one hundred percent of the time. This was unacceptable to the higher-ups, especially when it was shown how the signal could not only be jammed but intercepted as well, turning the REVs against their masters.
This was unfortunate for the ACs, but a boom for Zac and his Deltas. It also meant he and his men were the official security detail for the Human delegation at the conference. And although most of the Deltas were on station in less-obvious ways, it left Zac and Angus as the public faces of the REVs, more for show than effectiveness.
A long and narrow stone table was set at one end of a grand ballroom, within the two-hundred-year-old former Temple of Light on Enif. This temple had been replaced twenty years before by another imposing structure over twice the size and located about two kilometers away. The old temple hadn’t had much use since then, not until the peace talks came up and Enif was chosen as the neutral meeting ground. The Humans had protested at first, not wanting to hold the talks in an Antaere temple to the Order, even if it was no longer used for that purpose. But out of respect for the Colony Worlds, the Humans relented.
