“This is so incredibly short sighted,” Jack sighed. “But I suppose we should have anticipated it, in retrospect. What about the tissue samples we sent with some of the information packages? If they analyzed those someone must have raised an alarm.”
“Not a peep in the media,” TK replied. “But I did get some back channel info from a contact I have in the pharmaceutical industry. He said the EU government wanted them to check the samples to make sure they weren’t some kind a biological weapon.”
“I am afraid that we have to face facts,” Jack said, grim faced. “Our efforts to enlist the nations of the world in the coming struggle has failed.”
“It was to be expected,” said Ludmilla. “All governments care about one thing above all else: staying in power. Asking them to cooperate on a world wide basis means a loss of power for national governments. Of course they reject our warnings.”
“I say we give up on trying to win them over. Cut our losses and move on to plan B,” Gretchen added.
“Agreed,” said Jack and TK at the same time. Then Jack continued. “Fortunately we have some good news. Both Dr. Tropsha and the Chief are safely back on board, as are Dr. Saito and his assistant Dr. Ogawa, who has decided to join the science staff.”
“What about those Marines the government is holding illegally?” asked TK.
“We are about to get them back, Sir,” Jack answered. “After all, if a handful of us can’t rescue a squad of Marines from one of the largest military installations in the continental US, how can we hope to defeat a galaxy full of hostile aliens?”
Camp Lejeune, North Carolina
The four special operators were hidden in camouflaged positions for the ambush, two on either side of the rutted trail. The plan was for the two on the right side of the trail to open the bus door and take out the driver and guard. The other two were to open the rear door and zap the rear guard. JT’s comm pip chirped, signaling a call from Billy Ray in the shuttle. “Go,” he responded.
“I’ve got a positive visual on the bus heading your way on Mockup Road,” came Billy Ray’s reply. He had set the surveillance drone to orbit along the roadway at 30 meters and keep a lookout for the prison bus. The soccer ball sized robot moved silently on gravitonic repulsors like the much larger shuttle and had adaptive surface coloration that made it almost impossible to spot from the ground. Billy Ray planned to retrieve the drone once the trap was sprung.
“Roger that, we are in position,” JT replied. “Just make sure you get here as soon as we disable the target.”
The two sets of ambushers were in staggered positions along the bus trail, with JT and Kowalski about a bus length closer to the main road than Morgan and Jones. Hopefully, when the charges buried in the rutted trail went off, those in the bus would think they had blown the front tires and stop. If everything went according to plan it would all be over in 30 seconds or less, then the shuttle would land and they would head back to the ship.
From down the trail came the unmistakable sound of an internal combustion engine and the whine of transmission gears. Bouncing along the uneven trail, the prison bus appeared grinding along at maybe 10 mph. The front tires rolled over the two small shaped charges buried in the old tire ruts and there was a single loud popping sound.
A cloud of dust enveloped the front of the bus as the shredded carcasses of both tires attempted to run off their rims. With a squeal of brakes the bus lurched to a halt. Morgan touched Jones with a restraining hand, in his head thinking,
wait for it.
Sure enough, the bifold door on the side of the bus opened and a guard got out to see what had happened.
“What the fuck was that?” the driver called to the guard, who moved forward to look at the front tire. “Beats the shit outta me,” he called back. The two SEALs stood up from cover and shot both the guard and the driver, who was still seated in the bus. Both spasmed and fell.
On board the bus itself, LCpl. Washington saw the flicker of blue light at the front of the bus and thought to himself,
now don’t that look real familiar.
He nudged PFC Sanchez sitting next to him and whispered, “I think the cavalry has arrived.”
The inside guard had been standing at the rear of the bus, but he started forward to see what was happening up front. Behind the bus, Kowalski jumped up and pulled the emergency handle on the bus’s rear door, swinging it open. JT stepped up to the opening and shot the guard in the back with a bolt of blue light.
JT pulled himself up into the bus and said, “somebody here call for a cab?”
“It’s about damn time you got here, snake eater,” replied Washington, “we were starting to get bored.” The big grin on Washington’s face showed his friend he really was happy to see him. JT took out a spring loaded knife and cut Washington’s tie-cuffs. A few rows forward the Gunny stood up and said, “It is really good to see you, Army.”
“You too, Gunny,” JT grinned, then turning serious, “you know that this is definitely the end of your Marine Corps career? You let us bust you out and you can never come back.”
“Yeah, like coming back worked out so well the last time,” said LCpl. Reagan, holding his cuffs up to be cut. A dark shadow passed overhead and in the clearing in front of the bus a violent windstorm blew scrub and sand in all directions. The shuttle had arrived.
“Come on you jar heads, your chariot awaits,” JT yelled over the noise. “We gotta hustle before the guards at the compound come to see what the fuss is all about.”
“You don’t have to ask me twice,” Sanchez said and hopped out the rear door. He found himself staring at a man in camo gear holding a stunner. “Hey, JT! I hope this guy is a friend of yours.”
“Yes indeed. Joey, say hello to Petty Officer Phil Kowalski. Phil and his two buddies at the front of the bus are underemployed SEALs. They thought that coming along on this little jaunt sounded like an excellent way of spending a Friday afternoon. Now stop jawing and start moving.”
More formal introductions would have to wait as the squad of now ex-Marines jumped off the end of the bus one by one. Next to the last to exit was HC2 White. As she moved past the guard, who was still twitching on the floor, she turned and delivered a solid kick in the balls. “That is for grabbing my ass each time I got off this damn bus, you shithead.”
The Gunny looked at JT and shrugged. “Payback’s a bitch,” she said, smiling.
“Man, is he going to feel that in the morning,” JT said, retrieving the guard’s weapon. “After you Gunny, we need to be elsewhere.”
* * * * *
The last of the rescued Marines were on board, the ramp secured and the surveillance drone was just snuggling into an opening on the top rear of the shuttle. Over the cabin PA, Billy Ray announced, “Welcome aboard Peggy Sue Airlines, now departing for High Earth Orbit and points beyond. Please be seated and enjoy the flight.”
The shuttle rose from the clearing, blowing more brush and debris in all directions. Its nose swung toward the Atlantic and the scenery below became a green blur. The rapidly accelerating craft flashed over the Intracoastal waterway, the barrier islands and out to sea, leaving behind only a sonic boom that could be heard for miles.
As introductions were being made in the passenger cabin, the SEALs brought out a cooler filled with iced down beer—ostensibly to promote inter-service cooperation. The freed Marines had to admit that the SEALs seemed like splendid fellows and, after all, they had already accepted a Green Beret and a polar bear as their own. So the Marines welcomed the SEALs to the ranks of Captain Jack’s buccaneers.
By then, the guards at the prison camp had figured out that there had been a hostage rescue and that their former inmates were headed out to sea in some form of aircraft. In response to their frantic calls, base ops relayed instructions to a flight of F-35s that were doing live fire exercises offshore, ordering them to intercept the fleeing shuttle.
As the fighters turned on target, Billy Ray pulled the shuttle’s nose up and gave it full throttle. When asked later, why they had not launched a single air-to-air missile at the escaping craft, the flight leader replied, “Sir, by the time we were vectored on target, the bogie was already going faster than our missiles can fly.”
On board the shuttle, the sky outside the cabin quickly turned from blue to black and the world fell away, turning into a blue and white laced ball. Over the radio, Billy Ray called the ship. “Peggy Sue, this is Shuttle One. All the misplaced Marines have been rounded up and we are returning to the ship. We have no casualties and no one unaccounted for.”
“Roger that, Shuttle One. Welcome home.”
Chapter 8
Arctic Pack Ice, North Of Svalbard
Bear’s band of followers had grown to include several more members since the addition of Tornassuk and Snowflake. Inuksuk, another large male, Imik and Aput, a pair of adolescent males, Aurora, an adult female and Siku an adolescent female. Winter was starting to close in and Bear had a decision to make: he could either call for a shuttle and take the bears he had to the new base on the Moon, or he could keep searching for more recruits. Trouble was, as winter progressed his band would have to disperse to find food. Since they had not sighted another talking bear in days, he decided to make the call.
“OK, my friends. I think we should call for transport to the ship.” The bears formed a loose circle in front of Bear, and sat on their haunches.
“So we are finally going to meet this Captain Jack character? I was starting to think you were pulling some kind of joke on us all,” said Inuksuk. Grumbling in the ranks was another reason that Bear wanted to wrap things up and get back to the spaceship.
“You’ll see,” Bear replied. “You will meet the Captain soon enough.” He then reached across his chest with his right paw and activated the communicator mounted on the equipment harness he wore. White and nearly invisible against his coat, it held his only way of signaling his human companions. “Peggy Sue, this is Bear, over.”
Nothing but silence.
“See, I told you he was putting us on,” growled Inuksuk. “It was a good story, but I think he’s starting to believe his own seal shit.”
“Peggy Sue, Peggy Sue, this is Bear, come in,” Bear repeated.
“Bear, this is Peggy Sue. Longtime no contact, Lieutenant.”
Around the circle of bears jaws dropped simultaneously. Bear grinned at his little band and said, “Peggy Sue, it’s good to hear you as well. Could I please speak to the Captain?”
“Wait one.”
“What does that mean?” asked Siku. Of all the youngsters she was the most inquisitive. “It means that they have to find the Captain and tell him he has a call,” Bear told her. “The Captain is a very busy man and doesn’t just sit around waiting for someone to call, even me.”
“Bear, this is the Captain. It’s good to hear from you old friend.”
“You too, Captain. I’ve got a gang of curious polar bears down hear anxious to meet Captain Jack. I was wondering if you could pick us up in a shuttle?”
“That’s great, Lieutenant. How many and how big?”
“Two other males about my size, three adult females about half that size and four adolescents of similar size or smaller. I think we can all fit in one of the large shuttles with the seats stowed.”
“Roger that. We’ll be planetside in around three hours. See you then.”
“Aye, Captain. We’ll be waiting.”
Peggy Sue, High Earth Orbit
The Captain stepped onto the bridge from his sea cabin and announced, “It looks like Lieutenant Bear has rounded up some new ursine recruits for us. Mr. Lewis, you’ve been asking for more shuttle time, ready the large shuttle and stow all of the seating. There are ten bears of varying size waiting for us on the Arctic pack ice.”
“Aye aye, Sir,” Lt. Lewis responded and immediately headed aft to make preparations.
“Mr. Vincent, you have the Conn. Please notify Lcdr. Curtis that I will be away from the ship for around eight hours.”
“Aye Sir, I have the Conn.”
* * * * *
Before leaving the ship, the Captain dropped by sickbay to tell Ludmilla he was going planetside. Not that a ship’s captain normally informs his doctor of his movements, but his relationship with Ludmilla was far from normal. As he entered the medical section he saw her talking to another man. It took the Captain a minute to identify him as the new veterinarian. “Good afternoon, Doctors,” he said.
“Good afternoon, Captain,” replied Ludmilla. “Have you meet Dr. Gene Hofstadter yet?”
“Only briefly during the welcome aboard party, I’m afraid. How do you do, Doctor?” Jack said, shaking hands. He seemed like a pleasant enough fellow, medium height with regular features, not someone who would stand out in a crowd.
“How are you, Captain?” the man responded.
“Dr. Hofstadter was just complaining to me about his lack of patients,” Ludmilla informed the Captain with a mischievous smile. “I think he is beginning to doubt that we have need of his services on board.”
“Really?” Jack responded. “Well today is your lucky day, Doctor. I was just about to make a run to the Arctic to pick up a load of polar bears. Grab your kit and let’s go.”
“Really?”
“Doctor, I never joke about polar bears,” Jack replied solemnly.
Arctic Pack Ice, North Of Svalbard
Bear’s party continued to ramble north, simply because polar bears are too enterprising to simply set on their butts for three hours. In retrospect, it might have been better if they had just lounged about where they were when Bear made the call to the Captain. They were cresting a pressure ridge when Tornassuk jerked and tumbled over the other side. A few seconds later the crack of a high-powered rifle was heard.
“Hunters!” Bear growled. “Everyone back behind the ridge.”
“What about Tornassuk!” cried Snowflake. They were not mates but they had developed a friendship over the summer. She moved toward the crest of the ridge and Bear knocked her backward. She snarled at him in response.