Warzone: Nemesis: A Novel of Mars (6 page)

“I am your servant, Mr. President.”

“Good. Keep me informed. You don’t have to call or come to Washington. Ike used couriers, so will we. I have the locked attaché case you and Ike used, and the key.”

The two men finalized the details and GEN Colson returned back to Utah to begin work.

June 16, 1961

President Kennedy admitted the courier into his office. The president rose from the resolute desk and moved forward onto the Truman carpet. He had always admired how the presidential seal was represented monochromatically in the varying depths of cut pile. The young officer saluted the President. Kennedy said “at ease” and motioned for the attaché case. The young man waited without speaking until the president opened the locked bag and retrieved the letter. It read…

From GEN Carter F. Colson, Alpha One Test Center

To the President of the United States

Mr. President, I’ve transported all of the alloy-x to the secret test facility. We will attempt to repair the disc and conduct flight tests.

GEN Carter F. Colson,

Alpha One Test Center

The president sent a note back saying he’d received the letter, locked the attaché case and handed it back to the courier. The young man stood to attention, saluted the president, and after being dismissed, returned to Utah.

The president received another courier the following week.

From GEN Carter F. Colson, Alpha One Test Center

To the President of the United States

July 25, 1961

Mr. President, we’ve been able to fix the disc and have conducted flight tests with it. In our first test flight, the disc’s antigravity drive worked flawlessly. The antigravity drive is too large to be used for smaller fighting craft. A smaller scale of the antigravity device along with some conventional fuels can power hovercraft vehicles for exploration and combat on Luna or Mars. We found that small hovercraft ships made of the alloy-x run very well with a scaled down antigravity unit and a carbon based liquid fuel. However, it is limited to maximum speeds of thirty-five meters per second, with limited lift from jump jets. We were also able to manufacture amazing weapons for these small vessels out of the alien technology and alloy-x. We will have transport vessels with troops and supplies ready to launch for the moon soon.

GEN Carter F. Colson,

Alpha One Test Center

The president asked the courier to remain at the white House in one of the guest bedrooms until the next morning while he wrote an answer. Before lunch the next day the president had crafted his response and sent for the courier. He placed the letter in the attaché case and locked it securely. The courier left Washington that afternoon post-haste to return the message. Upon arriving at Alpha One Test Center in Utah, he was ushered into GEN Colson’s office. The courier surrendered the attaché case and the general unlocked it. The letter read as follows…

From the President of the United States

To GEN Carter F. Colson, Alpha One Test Center

July 28, 1961

I’m commissioning the creation of a secret agency known as the American Space Defense Corps, which will be responsible for building posts on Earth’s moon and anywhere in our solar system alloy-x may be found. I’m shifting enough funds from NASA, the CIA, and other government agencies to your new organization, which is enough to get you started. I advise you to develop a network of operatives within other agencies to be able to share intelligence and resources without undue scrutiny of future government investigators. You will need to develop an independent financial structure to safeguard the ASDC from undue government interference.

For security reasons, you should seek to have staff members who’re willing to make long-term commitments. Only those who are working on the disc project should ever see it. This must be kept strictly on a
need-to-know
basis. All personnel including you, who’ve seen the disc or have knowledge of the center’s true purpose should leave the army to join your new organization. Upon your retirement, you’ll head the military and research part of the organization as the ASDC’s first commanding officer. You’ll need to recruit ex-military personnel to fill the vacancies with men whom you can trust. Ike had Nuclear Command Center Four decommissioned and records of its existence destroyed. The post has existed as private property on former public lands in southern Utah. That property will be deeded over to you to ensure the organization’s full independence. You will also be responsible to provide checks and balances within your organization to prevent it from becoming a monster more hideous than communism.

As for the citizenry, my greatest concern is that traitors to our country, and those with less wisdom who do not see the need to win this conflict in the solar system. And then, of course, every war produces
conscientious objectors
, who believe they’re doing our country a service by opposing any armed struggle. You’re well aware the space race with the Soviets has become very competitive, and the nation’s eyes are on its every development. We’re engaged in a public space race to the moon with a goal of having a man there by the end of the decade. I want you to use the alien technology and the alloy-x to land an exploratory team on the moon to search for alloy-x. If you find any, build an American post there and begin salvage operations for the material. This is very important. It is imperative that if any alloy-x exists, the Soviets get none of it.

Future presidents and government officials will know nothing of the existence of the ASDC. You’ll be on your own. May God be with you.

President John Fitzgerald Kennedy

The general digested the order, took the letter and locked it in his safe. His orders were clear. This would be the beginning of a new military organization.

The Kremlin: Moscow, Russia USSR

In a meeting between GEN Mikhail Andropov, Army of the USSR and Nikita Khrushchev, First Secretary of the Communist Party of the Soviet Union.

“Comrade General, please sit down.” The general complied, removing his fur hat and holding it in his hands. “Would you like some tea?”

“Yes, Comrade First Secretary, thank you.” The first secretary’s aide poured the general a hot cup of tea spiced with oranges, cinnamon and cloves. The general blew the hot tea to cool it, and inhaled the fragrance from the citrus and spices. He took a sip of the hot liquid and held the cup in his hands to chase Moscow’s winter from his cold fingers.

“We have good news,” the first secretary began, “our infiltration of the secret American facility where the disc is being studied is complete. An American scientist on their research team is willing to sell us information. He’ll give the information in the form of microdots to a security guard at the facility. The guard will smuggle the information off of the post and to our agents. The Americans are using the public space race as a ruse to build on the alien technology for the real race. Their goal is to be the first to harvest the precious alloy-x in the solar system. This must not be allowed to happen. We have enough alloy-x to build what we need to compete with the Americans once we have the technology to do it.”

“Excellent! I have always believed greed is the weakness at the very core of capitalism. We can buy anything we want for a price.”

“Yes, for a price, but his betrayal did not come cheap. However, combined with the equipment from the crash site in the Urals of the alien vessel, we should be able to get the disc flying again. Too bad the computer’s hard drive of the alien vessel was wiped clean in the crash. The aliens no doubt had the presence of mind before dying to format the hard drives of the ship’s computers.”

Conversation between COL Wilson Edwards, Chief of Security, and GEN Carter F. Colson, ASDC

“GEN Colson, we found a leak at the facility. Dr. Arlen Stafford and one of the security guards were working for the Soviets. We can only assume most of the technology we’ve gotten from the alien craft has been sold to the Soviets. We found the guard with a microdot containing information we got from the disc project and interrupted a meeting with his contact. Under interrogation, he implicated Dr. Stafford, and we found incriminating evidence in his quarters. Both of them have been discreetly removed from service here. I’m sorry to report Dr. Stafford had a heart attack and died this morning and is being replaced as department head by Dr. Jan Eichmann. The guard died in an accident while on patrol in the desert.”

The general’s eyes widened. “How much information was compromised?”

“We can only assume he’s been able to smuggle information out for the last two years. All of it, I assume.”

The general swore under his breath. Pandora’s Box had been opened wide.

To GEN Carter F. Colson, Commander

From Dr. Jan Eichmann

August 7, 1961

“GEN Colson, let NASA have their public space race. They offered me the position of chief aerospace engineer, but I turned them down when you made me a better offer. While the eyes of the world are focused on this charade, I’ll be coordinating the real space race. By the end of the decade, we will have an American post on every rock in the solar system. Before others go down in history as being the first to fly into space, I’ll be standing on Olympus Mons. Theirs is a “dog and pony show.” We will see about the real business of colonizing the solar system.”