It Came About Because.....
nooby
Join Date: 2003-04-21 Member: 15717Members
Join Date: 2003-04-21 Member: 15717Members
<div class="IPBDescription">A telling tale.</div> I tender this, my first attempt, for your perusal and comments, kindness is along with constructive comments always appreciated.
It came about because we were the best! Ha, what a joke. That was the official explanation given but I knew the truth, we were the best because the best had all been wiped out. We were only second best or third best or lower. Our battalion had taken so many losses taking this piece of rock that now it was our turn. I wasn't fooled and the uncertainty was eating at my morale, what had happened, what would we find, endless questions fueled by the standard answer (on a need to know basis). WE NEEDED TO KNOW.
The brass weren't saying anything, the officers just looked at us with sadness and something else in their eyes, I puzzled away at it until with dread I stumbled upon the only explanation possible, FEAR. Fear is a destructive emotion as it multiplies all out of proportion, and the brass added to the problem by telling us nothing. By now I realised that the under officers didn't know either, and this is what was causing all the dread in the place.
As I was about to talk to my squad mates about it we were summoned to a briefing. I worried at my discovery from every angle and the evidence always pointed to the same conclusion, something was very wrong here. When we entered we were instructed to sit and to make ourselves comfortable.This also was so unusual that my original train of thought begin again, while the general strode to the front and began the briefing.
As a briefing it was a political speech, full of "we are sending our best" etc. It occurred to me that it was so out of character for the service, so I had a discreet look around and then noticed the media sitting at the back of the room. When the briefing ended, we were bombarded by questions and I made a point of not answering as I didn't trust myself to say the right things, the others answered all questions with confidence and spirit, and as they didn't know anything they gave nothing way. As I watched everything going on, I realized, that was partly the reason we were there. You can't give away what you don't know. The briefing was adjourned and we were instructed to follow an aide to our quarters, this was very strange indeed, we were being led away from where we would normally bunk, and away from the rest of the base.
Then I stopped thinking, because I spied the most amazing woman I had seen in my whole short life. This was no disrespect for the female members of the service, just that you looked at most of your team and fellow soldiers as sisters and brothers.My squadies just chuckled at the glazed look on my face and led me away with ribald comments, none of which I really heard as I was lost in a dazed world of my own. That is until the Aide came and stood in front of me and shouted attention. I very quickly came to my senses then, (training had it's advantages), The others were too busy ribbing me, talking about being on the holovision and how they were going to be stars, to notice their surroundings.
We arrived at what was decidedly a remote part of the base, how did I know? the first clue was the lack of the sounds made by lots of soldiers close together, the next clue was the lack of smells that training leaves, the sweat/oil, the everyday odours of a base. This part of the base hadn't been in use for quite a while. We were dismissed by the aide and told to pick our bunks and settle in.
A short while later an engineering officer arrived and started the food replicator, as he was leaving I asked him what was going on, his reply, "I'm doing my job". As he marched away, my squad mates noticed my look of distraction, and started to rib me about the incident with the woman at the briefing, that was when I told them about my suspicions.
"What do you mean there is something wrong", they asked. After many battles survived together, we knew that I was the strategist. My strength, was the ability to put together facts, and to formulate strategies and tactics from very little information, and that more than once we had all survived by this uncanny ability to know a solution without knowing how I knew. We accepted this ability because we had survived by it.
It came about because we were the best! Ha, what a joke. That was the official explanation given but I knew the truth, we were the best because the best had all been wiped out. We were only second best or third best or lower. Our battalion had taken so many losses taking this piece of rock that now it was our turn. I wasn't fooled and the uncertainty was eating at my morale, what had happened, what would we find, endless questions fueled by the standard answer (on a need to know basis). WE NEEDED TO KNOW.
The brass weren't saying anything, the officers just looked at us with sadness and something else in their eyes, I puzzled away at it until with dread I stumbled upon the only explanation possible, FEAR. Fear is a destructive emotion as it multiplies all out of proportion, and the brass added to the problem by telling us nothing. By now I realised that the under officers didn't know either, and this is what was causing all the dread in the place.
As I was about to talk to my squad mates about it we were summoned to a briefing. I worried at my discovery from every angle and the evidence always pointed to the same conclusion, something was very wrong here. When we entered we were instructed to sit and to make ourselves comfortable.This also was so unusual that my original train of thought begin again, while the general strode to the front and began the briefing.
As a briefing it was a political speech, full of "we are sending our best" etc. It occurred to me that it was so out of character for the service, so I had a discreet look around and then noticed the media sitting at the back of the room. When the briefing ended, we were bombarded by questions and I made a point of not answering as I didn't trust myself to say the right things, the others answered all questions with confidence and spirit, and as they didn't know anything they gave nothing way. As I watched everything going on, I realized, that was partly the reason we were there. You can't give away what you don't know. The briefing was adjourned and we were instructed to follow an aide to our quarters, this was very strange indeed, we were being led away from where we would normally bunk, and away from the rest of the base.
Then I stopped thinking, because I spied the most amazing woman I had seen in my whole short life. This was no disrespect for the female members of the service, just that you looked at most of your team and fellow soldiers as sisters and brothers.My squadies just chuckled at the glazed look on my face and led me away with ribald comments, none of which I really heard as I was lost in a dazed world of my own. That is until the Aide came and stood in front of me and shouted attention. I very quickly came to my senses then, (training had it's advantages), The others were too busy ribbing me, talking about being on the holovision and how they were going to be stars, to notice their surroundings.
We arrived at what was decidedly a remote part of the base, how did I know? the first clue was the lack of the sounds made by lots of soldiers close together, the next clue was the lack of smells that training leaves, the sweat/oil, the everyday odours of a base. This part of the base hadn't been in use for quite a while. We were dismissed by the aide and told to pick our bunks and settle in.
A short while later an engineering officer arrived and started the food replicator, as he was leaving I asked him what was going on, his reply, "I'm doing my job". As he marched away, my squad mates noticed my look of distraction, and started to rib me about the incident with the woman at the briefing, that was when I told them about my suspicions.
"What do you mean there is something wrong", they asked. After many battles survived together, we knew that I was the strategist. My strength, was the ability to put together facts, and to formulate strategies and tactics from very little information, and that more than once we had all survived by this uncanny ability to know a solution without knowing how I knew. We accepted this ability because we had survived by it.
Comments
More -------------------
A new part for you Deep Shadows, thanks for the enthusiasm.
I placed all the facts I knew and had surmised before them and they saw it just as I did, but to make sure we decided on a stroll. We had gone to the end of the corridor where we were stopped by not less than two military officers, not lower ranks but OFFICERS. When we got back we started talking and the squad looked to me for an explanation.
We had this arrangement when we were unsure on things, I would start by laying out a theory of what was going on and they would throw in their views as they saw or thought of them, we usually found that we were pretty accurate in our final analysis, and only let down when we had no facts . We had found this worked so well in the past, we always did it now as second nature.
I started off by telling them we had been isolated right from the start. Deadeye objected right away, I reminded him about his comment. "Gee if I didn't know better I would swear we were in officer country". We had been, I told them. "Why"?, they all asked at once. "So we wouldn't pick up on the scuttlebutt, no one came near us because of all the officers", I replied. "But why Thinker, it doesn't make sense"? asked Maker.
"Yes it does, when we went to that press conference/briefing, think of the questions they asked" I said. "How is the war going", our reply, "Just great", and said with honesty and confidence because we didn't know any different. "What about the last big battle and how bad was it", reply "It was messy and we lost some troops but we did our job, we did our job".
We spoke with confidence and bravado, we would/could only talk from knowledge of OUR last mission and previous missions. Their questions were asked about something else entirely and we didn't give them the answers they expected. Think how they kept asking the same questions in different ways until the admiral stepped in and asked them, ASKED them to finish up so we could have some time to wind down.
"Wind down, a rine allowed to wind down", I said, that set them to chuckling, and then they started to think and voice all the things they now saw as wrong in the way things were usually run. After everyone had had their say they waited expectantly for my updated view on the matter. "As I see it", I said, "we were ambushed, but it was done to achieve a positive result".
"We were there to stop the rumours from flowing, something bad has happened and we are now in the deep end of it".
"How do you mean" asked Finder.
"Remember all the times we kept hearing, [here come the best] I think we can now say we are the best, why? because the teams we always thought of as better for whatever reasons are now dead or injured and no longer teams". "A major setback has happened and we have been called in because we are NOW the best".
Just after I made this statement the tannoy bleeped and we were called to another briefing. We had twenty minutes to get there and not knowing the layout we decided we had better look for the briefing room straight away.
Finder went first and as usual he lived up to his name. Although we were fifteen seconds late the admiral had a smile on his face, we entered came to attention with a salute, and waited for the rollicking we thought was coming, only to be surprised again when the admiral told us to sit down.
The next minute we were astounded to hear laughter coming from the admiral, a deep laugh all the way from his shoes, we were stunned and our faces must have shown it because the admirals staff were laughing just as loud, soon we were laughing as well so infectious was the admirals mirth.
They were NAKED!
<!--emo&::nerdy::--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/nerd.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='nerd.gif'><!--endemo-->
Sorry life got in the way so here's two more bits.
The reason for the mirth, the general had bet we would find the briefing room within a minute of the stated time, the admiral had taken the bet. Shortly after that the briefing started. The admiral started the briefing by asking how we came by our nicks. I realised, as did my squad mates that this was a tactic to put us at our ease and to settle things down.
Maker went first as she was the closest to the admiral. "I got it at training sir", she replied, "because every time we had building practice, I always seemed to finish first for some reason, it seems as though the nanobots and machines like me". The admiral nodded.
Deadeye came next. "Mine was given to me by my gunnery instructor sir, and came about because I hit every taget with the least amount of shots of anyone who has ever trained, or so she said sir". Again the admiral nodded.
Mule came next. "Well sir, I got mine after an incident at gobble".
"Gobble? Lance Corporal", asked the admiral. The promotion was not lost on the rest of us.
"Ahh! sorry sir, it was a nick for Gobang sir, cause everything goes in and gets gobbled up or did until we got there', said Mule.
After a burst of laughter the admiral said, "A very apt description I must say".
Mule continued, "We were mopping up or so we thought when all hell broke loose, our CO, sergeant, and most of the other squads in quick succession were killed, our squad was down a few levels was how we survived. We went back to base asap but they were nearly all dead. Then Thinker jumped in the comm and it all went right after that. He turned the whole situation around as quick as a wink".
The admiral gave me a look of appraisal that said he knew all about us but lacked a few details, and it was finally coming together for him.
"My nick came about because I saw a rine move down the corridor, and without thinking I grabbed a heavy machine gun and raced down the corridor, and I refused to move but stood there firing until they took the rine to safety. Thinker kept me supplied with ammo, and new weapons when the barrels got hot, but when we and all the weapons were back at the base, he raved on about how I was as stubborn as a Mule and twice as thick, but he was only letting off steam, he worries about all of us like a mother hen". This was followed by peals of laughter from everyone in the room. "Since that time the nick has stuck, and truth be told, I like it".
Again peels of laughter ran out.
The next in line was Apache. "My nick came about at training sir. We were training squad on squad, the winner was last man standing. Part of our squad and some of the instructors were the last left. Then I was the last member of our squad and there was only one instructor. I have always been blessed with the ability to move silently, and when Eagle went into the bush to find me, I found him first".
"Do you mean general Eagle Claw, corporal" asked the admiral. Again, we made note of the promotion.
"Yes sir, sorry sir", replied Apache looking distraught at his lack of protocol. The admiral waved away any disrespect and said, "So, I finally meet the only man who has beaten Eagle Claw at his own game, and given me something to keep him on his toes". With that the admiral saluted him. Before any of us could react he told us to stay seated. He then asked Apache just how good he was, and knowing Apache didn't like to boast or be seen to boast, I chipped in that maybe the admiral would like a demonstration. He agreed.
I asked for and got a sticky pad and gave it to Apache to be used as the demo. He looked at me and I nodded at him to go ahead. His face went red for a second then he nodded back. He spent a moment doodling on the stickies, and when he was ready he asked Mule to turn the light out. Before Mule could move however I asked for the admirals permission which was granted with a questioning look at me.
"You will see admiral, it will explain it better than words", I said in answer.
Mule got up, walked to the light switch and look at Apache for his signal. Suddenly the room went dark and not a sound was heard except the forced light breathing of the brass. We were well accustomed to Apaches games as he was constantly testing us and sharpening his skills at our expense. A minute came and went and then another, by this time the brass began to fidget when a voice out of the darkness told Mule to turn the lights on.
In the sudden wash of bright white light the brass saw Apache sitting down at the end of the table. A harsh sibilant voice (not in anger, but because the owner had been slashed across the throat, a lot earlier in his career by a skulk), asked if that was all he could do. To forestall any embarrassment for Apache, I spoke to the general and asked him to check the back of everyone there on the stage.
The next moment, I knew I had found an officer to follow.
The general burst into laughter and asked the officer next to him if he had a sign on his back, the officer replied in the affirmative and the generals response was, "He's the best I have ever seen or to put it correctly the best I have never seen". It took a moment for them to realise what had happened, the general had seen it in a split second.
The general walked over to the admiral and handed him the sticky from his back. The admiral took a quick glance and then roared with laughter, the sticky said "FOO WAS HERE". Then the general turned to allow the admiral to take the one from his back which read "MURPHY RULES".
The admiral and general howled with glee.
It was the next thing that happened that convinced me I could go to this man with anything, and that not only was he an officer to follow, but was a man who I could trust with any secret or even my life.. He walked over to the other officers who were beginning to feel insulted and said, "Imagine if we had asked for a live demo, we would all be dead". The officers looked at Apache again with a mixture of relief and fear. And then the tension and outrage disappeared from them as they realised just how good he was/is.
When the room settled with Apache back in his place, the admiral looked at the next in line and his look said continue. Finder stood and said. "My nick came about at our first toughening up course sir". We had been told we had to defend ourselves from the enemy, who would be harrassing us all day/night until the training was over.
Now Thinker, who was already our squad leader, turned to me and said, "Find us a defensible spot". No messing about just do this, all the time he would just pick the right person for the job and bingo it was always right".
Out of the corner of my eye I caught the admiral looking at me with the same questioning look in his eye he had earlier.
Finder then continued, "I found our spot, it was a cave about two klicks away. Just as we were about to move in, Apache had the feeling that we weren't alone, he disappeared and came back with two of the enemy out cold, we spent the rest of the night taking prisoners and getting some sleep in turns".
Next bit for you to enjoy.
Finder continued, "At dawn we released our prisoners who went back to base and sat out the rest of the training/exercise as they were dead. Thinker said we had better move, as it would be about now that someone would put two and two together, and come looking at this spot. I was then told to find a wet spot by Thinker, sounded silly, but I knew there was a reason. Again I found a spot and as we settled in, Thinker told us they would now use dogs, which again was accurate".
"As we settled in we heard our opponents coming, we slipped further into the water and waited. They were thorough but Apache had trained us and we were better. This happened three more times. After the training was finished and we had settled back in base we were having our team chat when Maker said you could find anything, Mule looked at me, said Finder and so it stuck", finished Finder.
Once more the admiral nodded. He then looked at the next in line who was Scout.
Scout stood and said without any embarrassment, "I came to the team with the nick, it was given to me by a Scandinavian born captain in derision, I had been rejected by two other sargeants and captains and he wanted rid of me. I came to the team as they were one short and there were no other replacements, the term is derogatory in Scandinavia. It means, reject with scorn/ridicule", he explained without any show of embarrassment.
"Thinker took me aside, and in private where the others couldn't hear asked all sorts of questions, (some of these were really weird in my opinion at the time), and then he ups and hauls me and the team in front of the captain and bless him, said the words I wanted to hear most, Captain we have the final member of our team".
Of course, the captain reminded the team truthfully about my past reputation, but they all replied if Thinker vouchers for him, we want him .
"I wear the name proudly now, because not only am I wanted, but I'm part of this team. Thinker had Apache take me out for training, where it was found that I had some little skill, and I learnt extra skills that Apache possesses, but it wasn't just me, Thinker had all the team do the same extra training, by which we bonded as the team we are. It was only after basic training, that I saw the questions Thinker had asked were very appropiate".
The admiral nodded once more and then turned to me, and said "Now we come to you".
I stood and said, "My nick came about in basic camp as I was always saying I THINK and one of the other recruits said, [a thinker oh no], it stuck and has followed me everywhere. I always seem to run into that recruit where-ever I go, and it has become a joke because I took it as my own". "Also it accurately labels me, I can't help thinking, all the time, about all the angles".I added.
The admiral nodded and then asked how I became squad leader, and why everyone let me get in the commanders chair without a mumble or groan.
I told the brass this was early in training and before Scout had joined us. I related how our then, squad leader, had decided that we would take a short cut across a field to win an endurance race, I asked him to reconsider as an accident was bound to happen, also it was illegal and unethical. He screamed at me to do as I was told and obey orders, which I couldn't refuse.
"Near a tree that you have to pass to get to the track on the other side I stopped, I couldn't go on, Apache saw me stop and also stopped, as did the rest of the team, just as he was about to ask we heard a scream and running up saw the squad leader writhing in absolute pain on the ground, it was over in less than a minute. He had been bitten by a widow adder, a genetic mutation that had escaped from a nearby lab", I said.
As I received no feedback from the last entry I thought no-one was interested, I"ll try again, if no feedback I will let it go.
"It was the reason the field was out of bounds. It had all the features that this new spider liked, and the spider had not been found in any other likely spot. The only good thing to happen from this episode was they found and killed the mutation. At the enquiry I was asked time and time again how I knew it was going to happen, and the only answer I could give was that I went by gut instinct".
"Growing up, I found that I became good at working out solutions to problems, and knowing something was going to happen before it did. I would tell whoever was the squad leader my thoughts, and as they always kept happening, the team told me outright that they were going to ask for me to be put permanently as squad leader. I could then give the orders as I was rarely wrong, and because it took too long to explain all the reasons for my thinking".
"I asked them what happens if I fall, if no one has had any experience at becoming squad leader then they will be in trouble, and they replied if you fall we are all dead anyway, so stop fussing and do the job you're good at, and we will do what we are good at".
"The incident with the first comm chair was just more of the same, I went into the chair without thinking about it", I said to the admiral. He nodded and then looked at each person, before he asked, "Well why didn't you get into the chair". One by one they answered the same, they knew I could do the best job in there so they left it for me.
We let the admiral know, that we each knew our jobs, and the jobs we could do best, and we did them. There was never any conflict because we were a team, and each knew their own strengths and weaknesses. We had worked it all out while still in training, and honed further by battle, and the only times we failed, were when someone from outside the team imposed their ideas on us.
Whether it was a trick of the accoustics, or something else I don't know, but I heard the general say to the admiral, "Why weren't we sent this team in the first place". The admiral nodded and smiling replied, "Better late than never", this raised a smile on the generals face as he said "That's true, we have them now".
The hackles on the back of my neck were standing straight to attention, and a cold breeze ran down my spine. I knew we were being given a suicide mission. The general looked at me then as though he could read my mind and nodded.
The briefing went downhill fast after that, the aides were shuffling/fidgeting as we were told that this mission was purely voluntary, and there was no compulsion for any one of us to volunteer. The facts were laid out before us and we were told to rest and talk amongst ourselves, and then tell the admiral our choice two days from now at dusk.
Back at our quarters I spoke to the team as I always did, and then left it open for their turn to talk and ask questions. It was Scout who caught it first and asked the question I was waiting for.
"You know this is a suicide mission?", he asked, "Yes", I replied. "When did you first know?", he asked, "After the admiral asked you why you didn't get in the chair, I heard a little byplay about why hadn't we been sent to them first, I take it they now think we were/are the best team they have, and the results would have been different if we had gone in first".
"The difference is, that because we work as a team without conflicts we are now considered the best for this job, and should have been the first in. I'm glad we weren't because as bad as this sounds we know something the first lot didn't, and they paid with their lives to give us the most valuable piece of intel that anyone can get. Because of the lack of this intel they died. But the thing is, their deaths may just have saved us", I said.
"How come", asked Maker.
I've gotta have the rest of this story.
Keep up the good work. Great story! <!--emo&:)--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/smile.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='smile.gif'><!--endemo-->
Apache is teh pwnz <!--emo&:p--><img src='http://www.unknownworlds.com/forums/html/emoticons/tounge.gif' border='0' style='vertical-align:middle' alt='tounge.gif'><!--endemo-->
"No-one could have known that the mine is completely overrun until the first team either died or succeeded in making a stand ", I replied. It was then Mule spoke and we all listened because he didn't always say much but when he did it was usually profound. "No that's not true Thinker, I bet the brass don't even know the mine is overrun, we know because you worked it out, and we know you".
I asked the team their opinion, and they said lay it out for us as you see it, then we will make our decision. I then laid out every side of the mission as I saw it, and finished with the opinion that sealed it for us as the team to go. My last words were, "If we don't do it, no one other team stands a chance, as they don't work together well enough to survive".
The team agreed without hesitation. I reminded them, that possibly none of us would return and Scout, (always the first) said that's why we have to do it, and they all agreed and told me to tell the admiral our decision.
I went to the admirals quarters and found the door open with the general beside it with a smile on his face. He then re-enforced my opinion of him by saying, "Yes, we listened to your conversation as we had to be prepared for every scenario, and we would be bad planners if we didn't have a backup, if you had decided not to go".
The admiral then agreed that they had never thought of the possibility of the mine being completely overrun, which let me know that they were would listen and learn from others whoever they were, and they would listen to other plans besides their own. I asked the admiral if they had done a seismic scan around the elevator and he said no, would I like one done, and what else would I like. I liked these two, they had a no nonsense, give the team the tools to get the job done attitude.
I asked for and received (a light analyser, gas sniffer, noise amplifier, uv lamp, night vision goggles, uv goggles, infra-red light and goggles, seige guns set up in the lift and operating with a remote control by me and four turrets also). They also supplied a comm chair, extra turrets, and lots of ammo. I asked that cameras able to pick up sound, be put in the lift for those topside to have an idea what was going on, and ongoing seismic scans as an added precaution, all was done as I requested. I also asked for a tranquilliser gun and lots of darts.
I asked them to set up turrets and seige guns around the mine entrance, and to use triple the standard deployment, I explained that if the aliens came out of the mine somehow, it is better to defeat them at the entrance than try to beat them back. To my pleasure, the general tripled the deployment of my estimates. The last thing I asked for was a cage that fitted partly opened doors in the lift. This puzzled everyone including myself but I went with my gut feeling. I also asked that the lift be made to operate manually.
The next day we entered the lift and began our preparations for our entrance into hell. I started by closing the doors of the lift until the cage was securely fixed in place between them. Everyone still wondered why I did that and all I would say was precautions, it turned out to be one of the best hunches I had ever had.
As the lift was for freight it was slow and steady, but as we went past the roof of the first floor a skulk came out from under the lift straight into the cage, the team pushed the door of the cage shut while I hit the skulk with about five darts. I stopped the lift about a third of the way down. We waited patiently for the drugs to work and to see if any more aliens would arrive. The tranqs were made for the alien biology and worked so quick we were stunned.
I opened the doors about three inches, and lowered a movement sensor that was attached to a cable onto the floor. We proceeded to the entrance where I knew the brass and scientists were eagerly awaiting our prisoner. At the top I asked for and received, another cage without delay.
As we descended again I heard a scientist ask the general how I knew, his reply was, "That's what separates the good and the best". I went slower this time in case of any more surprises but felt we were alright, still caution was second nature to me, that was why we had survived so far. When we arrived the second time I told the team to stand ready, and slowly lowered the lift until the floors were even, but Apache wouldn't let me open the doors. The admiral asked me what was wrong, and I told him we didn't know. While Apache was scanning the immediate area for the reason he felt uneasy, I had the team take a bite, and check every piece of equipment.
We heard one of the aides up in the command bunker, who was still coming down from an adrenaline high, ask what was taking so long. The general turned to him, and asked if he had forseen the skulk under the floor, and sheepishly the aide realised that I and my team were working on instinct. Never having been in combat, most of them knew it only from others accounts.
Having honed our instincts and ability to work with one another, we accepted each others expertise, I was about to open the door, Apache said no. Apache voiced his misgivings, and said outright that he didn't know what was bothering him, Scout seconded that, and then Finder said the same thing. I had everyone use different scanners searching to find what was wrong.
Finder who was using the uv lamp and goggles said, "There is a fine lattice across the hallway that looks like a spiders web, the previous team broke it, I guess that's how the aliens knew they were here. It starts about a foot from the right side of the lift and spreads as far back as I can see. We can easily move to the left, but we will have trouble going to the right, especially with any bulky equipment.
To show the watching brass, Finder put the goggles over the camera lens and panned the camera. "We see it", came the admirals voice. The general turned to the aide he had spoken to earlier and said, "That was why it took so long, don't rush and use your instincts, they will keep you alive every time". The aide involuntarily looked to the generals throat, and blushed when the general confirmed, that had he not fallen backwards when his little voice told him to he would have been dead.
I sent Apache and Scout to the left with uv lights and goggles, they were to check the area to find the best place to set up a base. They were gone an hour, and I was just about to check when Apache called and said we have an area for a base, but it will take a long time to set up, and we would know why when we got there. I bid the admiral and staff goodbye and switched off the network.
As soon as I saw it I realised what Apache had meant. The area was rectangular in shape with the front opening, one hundred yards wide and totally open, a nightmare to defend. The only consolation was that there were no vents anywhere, the aliens would have to come from the Well to our front. We began moving everything except the four sentry guns to our new home/base. We set up some portable floods to see our new home.
With the lights now working I was surprised to see a comm chair already placed. The last team had at least one smart rine. If they had known the extent of the aliens, and had worked together better, they might possibly have survived. I had Scout turn the sentry guns off, and send the lift to the top, I didn't want our position given away before we were ready.
With that thought, I asked the admiral to send us down the modules we had seen topside. Earlier when I asked the Engineer about the stacked material, he explained that the corporation had been about to expand its' operations when everthing went pearshaped, the modules could be used to make any shape desired. The units were to have been houses and workshops. I requested the workshop units as they were soundproofed. This puzzled everyone until I explained they were for hiding and living in until we were ready to go on the offensive.
I had one set of workshop units built first, the rest would be built as necessary. I had them made with all the comforts. If any prolonged stay had to be endured, the troops were going to be comfortable. I silently thanked the corporate person who thought to have the workshop units soundproofed, it meant that people could move around and make small noises without the constant fear of discovery.
As soon as the first unit was completed I had the team set about the slow but steady job of making our base. Asked why I built the way I did, I told the brass that we would have all the time in the world to build a base if we were undiscovered. The hiding places were needed ASAP, for safety. The next thing I had them build were three observatories, one at the rear of the base as back up, one near the lift and one near the wall opposite the lift. Apache went on lookout at the Well whilst all was being built.
Before long Apache reported movement. I ordered all work to stop, all lights out and told the team to enter the club (as they dubbed the structures). Asked why "the club", they said they were the best living quarters they had seen, with more luxury than a club. It was a pleasure to be able to spoil them for a change, everyone was happy to have the comforts of home. I had had the comm chair relocated into a soundproofed structure also.
I activated the observatories in passive mode , remembering the echo sense the aliens had developed. It was well we stopped work and turned all lights out, because four skulks arrived. They came right into the base running on the ceiling. I worried about whether the aliens reported the changes we had made. To my immense relief they only stayed a short while, then left. I had the team wait for twenty minutes to be sure, then had them continue. The team as expected, emerged relaxed but alert, with their weapons ready. A sight all commanders are happy to see. I had Apache return to the edge of the Well.
When Apache said all was clear, work resumed. I had Scout bring the lift back, as I had a few more requests to make to the admiral. I left them setting up the base, with all systems tripled for security reasons. I then went up to the command bunker to speak with the admiral and the general.
The first thing I asked for was a permanent feed from the base to the command bunker. This was to be accomplished by means of several lines connected to several cameras with sound pickups. When I asked for a kill switch on my end, the aide started to dress me down, but the general put him straight. He asked the aide what he would do if he was watching the scene and he saw an alien, the aide promptly replied he would warn us about it. The general then told him that he had just killed us all.
"Why", asked the aide. The general looked at me as if asking my permission to answer. I nodded. The general then asked the aide, "If you have seen it, do you think the commander or the sentries will have seen it too, and do you know how good the aliens' hearing is".
The aide had the decency to blush, before answering that he understood. The general then went on to explain that no sound being sent from this end meant :- 1. no interruptions at the wrong time. 2. no accidents with sound. 3. no person giving orders who didn't know the situation, 4. there should and would be only one comm during any battle.
Again the aide asked a question. "Why is there a feed then sir"? The general answered by asking him another question, "Which would you prefer, a constant feed of information and the reasons why things were being done, or to go down there not knowing anything about the situation". The aide again nodded his understanding.
I then explained to him the ease and efficiency of being able to ask for things I need with a flick of a switch and a pan of the camera, than having to come to the surface to draw and explain, and that our discovery by aliens increased with every trip back to the surface. Again he nodded understanding.
I asked the general for some guidance (this appeased the stuffy aide) and gained an approving nod from the admiral. I asked him for advice on setting up barricades for defence, "PCMP beams welded to the floor", he replied, "twelve layers high and twelve layers deep, a gap of fifty yards with soundproofed hiding rooms, then repeat. This would slow any Fades and stop any Onos. On top of the beams weld sentry, flame and grenade turrets, or any other weapons we wanted. On the second layer of beams we should repeat the layer of defenses".
I realised immediately we would need to place these walls closer to the Well so we could have access to the lift. Which meant we had to remove the webs. I had a small hiding structure built inside the lift, so Apache who had volunteered as he was fastest would have some security if hell broke loose. I had everyone hide and gave Apache a welder, he moved ten yards out and chose a thick crisscrossed bundle of webbing. A couple of swipes and he sprinted for the lift, hitting the up button as he dived into his hide.
We waited thirty minutes with no reaction from the aliens. I had Apache return to the Well and issued welders for everyone. The removal process took an hour. When it was completed I asked the admiral to begin sending PCMP beams down.To speed the process the general suggested sending all troops down, I agreed and thanked him for the idea. We had the troops bring the beams and place them in position. Whilst the beams were being welded I had spare troops go to the rear building more "living quarters".
The general then asked what else I wanted or needed. I asked for larger uv lamps as the ones we had were useless for long range illumination. The stuffy aide then suggested an idea that turned out to be absolutely brilliant. He suggested the lights be mounted on wheeled trolleys with the ability to be tilted in any direction. The idea was so good I thanked him, and was the turning point in our relationship. The added benefit of the trolleys was that batteries could be put on them so we could power the lamps when we were away from a permanent power source. This was the aides idea also. I also asked for a spare comm chair.
With the extra manpower, I had my team stand down for chow. The aide meanwhile had asked for and received permission to join us. He was told that for the duration of the mission I was in charge, he suggested to the admiral I be made major. The admiral accepted his advice. Later when I asked him why, he replied that the increased rank was necessary to make it easier to command.
When the first layer was completed, ramps were welded in place at the back for easy access. In front of the first barricade I had them build small house for whoever was out front on guard at the Well. I issued strict instructions that no firing was to occur, unless the aliens attacked. The new lamps were positioned and the troops issued with uv goggles. An advanced turret, flamethrower, grenade and advanced turret were positioned every ten yards, with backups in the spaces between groups set back ten feet.
As work was progressing well, I set everyone to a rolling meal break, which consists of two team members eating at a time while the rest were guard or worked. I stood my team down for sleep, and set Major Olsen the task of setting sentries and rosters, with the order to wake us if anything happened, and warned him to turn all lights out, and to "club" the men in the event that they saw an alien, and to do nothing unless they were attacked. I explained that the aliens came for a look occasionally and that we were not yet ready for a firefight. Olsen nodded, he was a quick learner and thought before he acted.
My team and I slept six solid hours, this was simply amazing. I had Maker ask a rine what happened. We learned Olsen had refused to let anyone wake us, on fear of being shot. He had told the general that he had issued this instruction, and he would be court marshalled before he would let anyone near us, cause we were running on reserves from lack of a solid rest. The general informed him he was the officer in charge and it was his decision. The rine told Maker he had heard the general tell the major he had the makings of a good tactician, officer and soldier. The rine also told Maker, this had changed the major into a line soldier, high praise from a veteran.
Intrigued I sought out the major. As I neared his position, I heard him tell the gathered rines that they would all have a time in the third comm chair. He had a veteran nco set a roster for the comm duty. He said all this with authority in his voice. I was pleased as this was what had been lacking in the man when I first met him. He had seemed to be nothing but a toady. Combat like conditions and a stint at authority had brought out the man and soldier in him.
When the major saw me he promptly saluted and asked what I wanted done. I asked him to appoint a replacement for himself as I wanted to speak to him. I saw a flash of disappointment cross his face, until he realised I wished to discuss the situation with him. The first thing I told him, was that he had better practice hiding his emotions, because brass would use that to their advantage. I gave him some examples that I had experienced. He listened carefully and soon was nodding, he too had experienced some of the same.
I then told him of my plans to send my team down into the mine. He asked some very well thought out questions and then asked to go with them. He was disappointed when I refused, but accepted my reasons for not allowing him to go. I merely pointed out that if he was with them, they would lose the edge of team cohesion they needed, as they would be looking after him. He immediately understood that, as he knew they worked instinctively and that this would not happen if he was along.
I then told him that we were going to set up the second and third comm chairs as slaves to the one I was using, and that he was going to be in the second chair, he was to watch and learn, his advice would be welcome if he saw something I missed, and if he had questions he was to ask, unless the situation was frantic. He nodded his understanding, with a wide smile on his face. I asked him why he had volunteered, and why he didn't follow the instruction that every training rine gets, "don't volunteer for anything".
From his straight answer with no toadying I knew we were becoming very good friends. He replied that in the command bunker he had assumed the superior attitude of most officers, but he soon realised that he knew practically nothing about real combat, and that the only way to learn was to be here. He then said without any hesitation, that he knew he would learn more from serving under me than any amount of textbook learning.
It was at this moment that the general said, "That was why I gave you permission to join Thinker, soldier. I knew that you were one of the few who could and would learn quicker and better from experience. I also knew, that you would allow yourself to be placed under the authority of a lower rank, in order to learn without damage to your ego. You then surprised even me when you suggested that Thinker should be given rank. This was the best piece of advice I have been given for a long time. Keep up the good work".
Again before I could ask the question, the general confirmed we were talking on a new secure command channel, which was controlled by the top brass, used to talk to comms in the field in private. They found that commanders in the field needed this link sometimes, to get around aides who had no practical experience, as they worked in too rigid a fashion and went through channels. This they had analysed had caused losses in battle that should never have occurred.
The general then asked if we needed anything, I replied we could use some smaller uv lamps for our helmets, it was blacker than midnight down the well, (as the round shaft 1000 yards from the lift came to be called). "I will get back to you", he said. With an audible click he was gone.
Olsen and I, continued our discussion on our normal comm channel. I found him an avid listener, and also a sound strategist. He asked very astute questions, and came up with good ideas when given enough data. He then surprised me by admitting, that he could see why I was so good at what I did. He said that the general had allowed him to listen to the tapes of our team discussions, and until I had pointed out answers, he hadn't been able to see them because he lacked the data. He said he was surprised by the accuracy of my theories.
Before he could ask, I told him I didn't know, and that I had always been able to do so. His next question was also heard by my team (I had their radios changed during basic training, this had been done because we found we needed to talk away from everyone else, and the useless chatter that went on. It had been the difference in many a battle). "How come everyone else missed your ability. It should have stood out like a spotlight".
It was Scout who answered, "We all helped keep it quiet sir, because Thinker asked us to". The sudden answer made the major jump, "Sorry sir", Scout said. I explained why the team could hear this channel, the major replied, "My opinion of you Thinker, I hope you will let me call you Thinker, just keeps rising, and soldier that is quite alright". I told him I would prefer him to call me Thinker, as it was the name I answered to WITHOUT thinking. The team chuckled.
When Mule told him they had given him the name Learner he smiled, and visibly swelled. It was a very apt name from what we knew of him. We knew it also sat well with the general, because he asked if the major wanted to stay, when the major answered yes the general switched off. Learner then thanked the team for accepting him.
The team by this time had fully prepared themselves and turned up with two trays of chow. Learner looked at them with a puzzled look on his face, at which the team laughed softly. Maker told him it was also a habit from training school, as I was always too busy thinking to remember food, and they took it upon themselves to make sure I also got fed.
This raised a quiet chuckle from the team. At the frown on Learners face, Scout asked if he remembered what Mule had said at the briefing about me being like a mother hen, Learner nodded yes, and Scout told him that even though I always looked after them, I sometimes forgot to look after myself. So they made sure I always had food and drink.
Learner had a quiet chuckle with them. The team settled into silent companionship around us while we had our chow. As we finished, Scout rose and put his hand out for the utensils, Learner looked at him in amazement, Scout told him they took it in turns to also remove all traces of our feed.
This he explained, was because I was usually so engrossed with the problem at hand, that I usually just put the utensils beside myself whilst thinking. They knew from experience, that I would check the place thoroughly before leaving, but it saved time and effort if they cleaned the area, and they were usually just waiting while I planned the next moves. At this Learner nodded his understanding.
It wasn't long before I thought out my tactics and put it before the team. Learner again was surprised, I saw the surprise and explained that again it was a tactic from training. This showed the team the plan and allowed them input in case I had missed something. It also helped the team bind together and showed that I figured them in my plans.
The telling point was that each knew what to do, and what the others would be doing. If things went belly up (as they nearly always did in combat), they could improvise in the knowledge that the others were doing the same, and could more easily adapt and predict what the others would most likely do. The plan was to do a "simple" recce down to the first level, I wanted and needed more information about the layout and setup of the place.
I entered the comm and waited for Learner to enter his unit. When he was ready I went through the whole system with him, and had him place units on the overhead map around the base. I asked him to explain why he placed what he did, and why he put them where he did. I didn't interfere except when experience said he placed something wrong. I shared my knowledge with him, he was very quick to learn and was eager to pick up the difference from combat to the book learning he had received. For once it was a pleasure to teach an officer. The only thing he lacked (which he pointed out), was the intuitive grasp that I was blessed with.
I need more. This is such a great story, I must have the rest of it.
Keep writing, i'ts a fantasticly catching story.
This I told him could be covered by solid experience, and that I knew he would gain some measure of intuition from being in combat. Most soldiers gain a sixth sense from combat I assured him. He came back with the notion, it was the gaining of experience that helped make the decisions, to which I agreed.
The general came online, and told us that the helmet lamps were on their way, he explained that the engineers they had found when they arrived had modified miners lamps for the team. He said eight were on their way. Learner asked why eight, then realized the implication, he knew then he was part of the team, at least for now.
As it was going to be a stealthy operation, old fashioned ropes were to be used. No jet-packs for now. The team knew from experience, the aliens saw the trail from a jet-pack a long way away. The team moved to the edge of the well. At the edge they took long slow looks around the walls of the well. With the combination of the lamps and cameras I could see what the team saw.
I noticed something strange straight away, and told the others. Learner and Scout both saw the truth quickly. The walls were mirror smooth and had been made by intense heat. These were either man made or alien artifacts. I used the private line to the general and asked if he knew the answer. He said no but would get back to me. I had the team observe for a time, asking them to note any thing else peculiar. Apache then said we were about to have some visitors. I had the team go to the hide we had specially built on the Well side, and had all the troops enter the "clubs" we had made.
When the troops had seen these being set up, they were concerned about being trapped, I put their minds at ease when I told and showed them that comm screens had been set up in all of the clubs. I then made the observation that we would come out fighting from hiding, and knowing where all the aliens were and they wouldn't know we were there. They actually hoped I would let them loose.
I assurred them they would get the chance but now wasn't the time. I saw this puzzled Learner, so I explained that something was not right here. Learner knew by now not to ask questions, I would let them know when I knew myself. I was looking around when I noticed that the uv lamps had been left on, I groaned, immediately the team asked what was wrong. I pointed this out and Apache volunteered to turn them off. I refused saying it was too late and besides now we would find out if the aliens could see in the uv spectrum.
As we waited, I called each man individually, taking their names from a list I had the general send me. When I was finished, Learner made the point he wouldn't have thought of it. I then told him that the waiting makes a lot of people nervous, and nerves can cause accidents. This I had been told and shown by our first captain and had seen personally, I explained.The list was another of those intuitive things I said. The general came online, and said, they had found an engineer who could and would answer questions. He told me to go ahead, as we had a tight beam communication to the engineer.
I asked who had made the well, the engineer asked what well. He laughed when I told him it was the name we gave the hole. He told us it was discovered by an exploration team. The company told no-one about it, and made each employee sign a non-disclosure form about it. I asked if he would suffer for telling us about it, his reply was he had lost his wife and sister in the attack and didn't care anymore.
I asked what they were doing here, and he said they had gotten hold of alien spores, material and a dormant alien, and had been doing secret experiments, and observations on the aliens species. He had been with the corporation R&D staff he said, before I had a chance to ask. Then one night he was topside in his living quarters waiting for his wife, her shift was due to finish, when the alarms went off and the emergency lockdown engaged. I asked him to explain the lockdown procedure and his next words sent the staff topside scurrying to check the override controls.
He explained that when they were setting up security they went all out. They knew the aliens were adept at fighting, and would attack any humans. They knew this because they had copies of information about all alien encounters to date. "All"? asked the general. "Yes", replied the engineer.
Before the general could ask, the engineer volunteered the info that the computers at HQ had been hacked, and all info had been copied. The admiral stepped in, and asked the engineer if he would like to use his knowledge to stop the alien menace, stating that by joining the TSA he would gain immunity from prosecution. The Engineer joined there and then.
I was then given control of the questioning. I asked and was told that nearly all alien information was at the bottom of the well. But that the layout was still on his laptop. The admiral asked him to send all details which he was only too happy to comply with.
The admiral informed him he would be visited shortly by an armed guard, which would bring him here if he desired. While they were talking we heard a knock on the door, the admiral told him to ask for a password, the correct password was delivered and the rines entered.
The rine major and a soldier helped him into heavy armour, just as they were finished a squad of soldiers blew their way in.The battle was short but swift, the rines had all come equipped with heavy armour and heavy weapons. The unlucky soldiers wore light armour and had light weapons.
We heard the admiral swearing vengeance on the ungodly. Learner quipped on our private channel he didn't want to be on the end of that statement. The admiral sent a string of orders that sent soldiers and civilians alike scurrying around. The orders, I found out, mobilised battle units in heavy armour equipped with heavy weapons to every TSA facility and base, and put the fleets to battle alert.
The admiral then ordered a full battle fleet to make sure the engineer got here. His orders were to shoot first and ask questions later. This he informed us all was going out in plain language, so the corporations would know, all worlds would hear of the attack on our personnel, and that the TSA was not going to let it's personnel be killed to shut them up. "Told you"' said Learner on our private channel.
The admiral then told us to carry on. I asked Bui Lder if any new info had been gained about the aliens. He stated that the aliens adapted to attack by evolving into different creatures as necessary. Yes I said we knew that. His next reply caused me some concern.
"Did you know that they can evolve into a creature able to blink out of sight and into another spot usually behind or among you"?
"No", I replied honestly.
"They are only stopped by not being able to see where you are", he said.
"Which creature can do this", I asked.
"The one that stands on two legs, with two claws on the end of it's arms", he said. Before I could reply he asked, "You know about the onos, but do you know it now stamps it's feet which stuns everyone nearby, it can then rush up and swallow a person whole and gains health when it does so"?
"Oh no", my team and I said at the same time. Learner asked me what the problem was. I then told him about the lerk/s that we had encountered, and how they would spray a cloud of spores which slowed our ammunition down. We could fire everything into the spores, and very little damage occurred from bullets whilst the aliens or structures were in that cloud.
Bui Lder said they hadn't seen that one yet. We hoped they hadn't made that evolution yet also.Bui Lder then gave us some very valuable advice, he told us that the onos was vulnerable from the side, and died very quick if grenades were fired from the side. They had used the tactic successfully. I asked who had fired the grenades, and he said the automatic defenses.
I asked if they were still working and he said "no". I asked how he knew, he replied he had watched an onos slam into a wall so hard it had gone straight through, smashing the unit that controlled the defenses at the same time.
He explained that the cameras would still be working because they were passive, set into the ceiling, and with a seperate cicuit that was powered by a fusion reactor. I knew he was struggling to answer, but I told him I needed everything he could give me. He nodded his understanding and continued to tell everthing he knew.
His account of the layout, with the help of his laptop was comprehensive and daunting. The actual size was immense, and had been made habitable for humans by putting twenty floors inside each of the lowest spokes. "How many levels are there"? I asked. "Five and they go back over a mile", he answered. The schematics started to come in and I saw they were all twenty stories high, twenty stories between levels and set evenly around the well like spokes.
I asked if the spokes arrangement had any meaning, and he said the scientists had been arguing about it when all hell broke loose, no meaning had been found so far. As it wasn't his field he didn't know. He then told us that we would find structures for humans, only on the lowest floor, the other floors were as the alien builders had left them.
I asked how they got from one floor to the next, as the lift ended at this floor. He told us there had been walkways around the wall, but the soldiers had blown them as they raced topside, trapping everyone else below. It was company policy he found out, to not only keep the aliens trapped but to keep the knowledge from the public.The other security measures had been a security and publicity lockdown.
"How would we get to the floors on the lowest levels"? I asked.
"By making ramps or some form of access, you will then have to open each floor and door one by one", he replied. Before I asked, he volunteered the information that he had been speaking to his wife when everything went black. Moments later he had heard screams and then silence. He feared the worse, and had mourned his wife. He turned away for a moment of grief, then turned back and continued his briefing.
He told us of a Dr. Phind Oute whose relatives had also died, and said if we could get him to talk he would be invaluable, as he had been the chief scientist in the experiments on the aliens. The admiral dispatched a full marine company to protect Dr. Phind from the corporation.
They arrived just in time, this time the corporation didn't try any funny stuff, or sneaky tactics, maybe the media that went with the marines had something to do with it. All the networks for a thousand star systems were there, an anonymous tip? Dr. Phind readily joined the TSA, he was bitter about the corporation allowing his family to die, he had only escaped because he was briefing the bosses with the lastest results.
The bonus came when he showed us a copy of all his research. The corporations tried to bluff, they claimed they were stolen corporation secrets, and that he was obliged to hand it back to the corporation employees who were there. At this, Dr. Phind turned to the media and asked if they had any corporate legal expertise among them. It turned out one of the media reporters was an expert on corporation law, Dr. Phind asked if experimenting on alien material and a live alien was allowed, the crowd gasped and waited expectantly for a reply.
"No", was the reply from the law reporter, "it is a major crime punishable by life imprisonment, with fines and penalties to be passed down by a tribunal". At which Dr. Phind replayed a video showing the two top members of the corporation shaking hands with the president of the world they were on, and in the forefront was an alien being, in a stasis chamber, it was a gorge.
"This is why they didn't want me to speak to anyone, and why they sent their troops here, they would have shot me to shut me up, then claimed it was an accident. When the TSA has seen these files, I promise I will show you more of the corruption that has taken place".
"Also ask them why they needed to send armed and armoured personnel, to the residence of a person who all his life has spoken out in public forums, against the rising number of guns owned by the public. They know I hate guns and all they stand for, except in the defeat of the aliens", he stated. The networks meanwhile had pulled all the information from their databanks and found that what Dr. Phind had said was true.They transmitted scene after scene of Dr. Phind in the front ranks of protest after protest against weapons and guns.
All the time he had been talking, the data had been sent by tight beam to the admiral and we awaited Dr. Phind to finish so he could brief us on its contents. The moment the data had finished Dr. Phind entered one of our APCs and was driven straight to the spacefield for delivery to us at Wellworld.
After this incident, one of our admirals gave an interview, disclosing why the actions had been taken and what had happened on Wellworld. The media lapped it up, and asked if any representatives would be allowed to go to Wellworld. The admiral agreed that one representative would be allowed, but the media had to choose the person, the only stipulation being the representative had to have had combat experience. When asked why, the admiral said truthfully, that it was a war zone, and that the TSA didn't have the personnel, the time, or the materiel, to waste looking after someone who would insist on getting in the way at the wrong time.
The media voted unaminously, they chose a veteran who had fought with the TSA in over 50 alien battles, he was acceptable to all concerned. He had resigned on compassionate grounds, and was too old for the service when his circumstances changed. Unable to join the TSA, he had become a reporter, and had followed, or been close to, almost every major conflict since, and was highly respected. It was known that he would report the events as they happened, without embellishments, and he didn't and wouldn't hide the truth for anyone. He also joined the fleet sailing to Wellworld.
The brass allowed the reporter, Adrian Stone, to sit in on the debriefing of Dr. Phind, with unlimited access to all evidence. When Stone filed his first report, the outcry was so fierce, it gave governments the power to take back the power they had lost.The first report, sent twenty five chief executives of twenty corporations, and seventy two government officials, of thirty worlds, to jail for life. The Tribunal stripped all assets from the families as well. The reason, the families knew what was going on and none stepped forward.
This was considered overly harsh by a lot of people, until Stone reminded people, that soldiers (fathers, mothers, sons and daughters), were going to lose their lives to stop the aliens, and the guilty had, and were, showning no remorse. He backed his statements with facts, figures and even holovision, taken from the corporations own research departments.These stories, backed with the corporations own evidence, created another uprising of even greater horror and resentment, these protests gathered such force, that the governments of all worlds voted overwhelmingly, to expand the power and scope of the Tribunal.
They were determined to show that greed can not, and would not, replace the law. They stripped the corporations of all the powers they had accumulated over time.
Is there a limit that I haven't adhered to?, I didn't see a guide on size.
When Stone aired the filming of the aliens being deliberately subjected to experimentation, by a variety of means, just to see what shape they would take, it was the beginning of the final blow. People watched the experiments going belly up, and heard the order given for total lockdown. They watched as people died because they were trapped, and they heard that no evacuation plans had been made. But the final nail, was the report that corporate flunkies were either topside or offworld, and so all escaped.
This set up a backlash so fierce against the corporations, that people came forward with evidence that the corporation heads had thought hidden forever or destroyed. It was the ending of the unlimited power and corruption of the corporations, and the beginning of a new era for the TSA.
As the scandals became greater, and the extent of the corruption became known, people from across the known universe took up the cry, which forced the powers that be to make the TSA an autonomous authority with a budget that befitted the force.
All corporation fleets and forces were ordered to stand down or be destroyed. There were a few sub fleets who thought they could grab power, only to discover that the rest banded together with the TSA and governments to destroy the ones who refused to surrender or stand down.
The TSA gladly accepted any forces who wished to join, and gave a guarantee, that for loyal service they were given pardons for any previous wrongdoing. The service gained powerful ships, weapons and crews, and the personnel could make a life for themslves without looking over their shoulders. The research gained was of immense help and benefit to all concerned. A happy result all round. People held parties, rallies and services to celebrate.
Then Stone went on air and reminded people, there were soldiers who were about to lose their lives, and that people had already died for all these abuses. A public rally started for a memorial to be built to honour ALL people who had lost their lives because of the aliens. The rally was so successful, and gained so much support, a moon was selected and a memorial was planned to be built, funds were also raised and allocated to the upkeep for 1000 years.Free travel for the victims relatives and love ones was also provided.
In the meantime, on board the fleet and at Wellworld the conference was still going on. The head research scientist Dr.Phind turned out to be a windfall. He knew so much about the aliens, he became invaluable. He also told us abourt the stomp and devour tactics of the onos. The only downside to having this mine of information was it got worse not better. We took it in turns to swap information and it was comforting to know they hadn't seen the lerk.
For once we had an understanding of the aliens, with a reasonably accurate picture of their capabilities. We didn't kid ourselves we knew them totally, and the good Dr. Phind loved to remind us, that the aliens adapted to imput also. He was deeply disturb upon hearing about the umbra and its effects of slowing projectiles. We held a very informative session of show and tell.
Armed with the new information from the good doctor, we felt we stood a better chance of winning. I then asked for, and was assured delivery of five hundred flame throwers, with three thousand cannisters of fuel for them. This turned out to be a problem until the owner/manufacturer heard of our plight, he called and informed the admiral he would personally deliver them.
Upon delivery to Wellworld he was asked why, and he told the admiral his son had died because his platoon had run out of ammo, he swore it would never happen again. The manufacturer used the base facilities to arrange a small fleet to be made available, whenever the TSA needed materiel or equipment transported urgently.