The adventures of the Star Traveler Andromeda that started in Among the Stars, Beyond the Farthest Planet, So Far From Home and The Voyage Home continues in Earth in Turmoil.
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Chapter 6
Kate and Rhea waited for Kacey to meet them at the gate to the base. She arrived and escorted them to her office. Kate handed her the first set of files. Kacey locked them in her desk before she poured them each a coffee from the carafe Mike carried in.
"What is with all the secrecy?" Kate asked.
Kacey held up her hand. "Mike was the sweep done this morning?"
"Just before you left for the gate. The office is clean."
"Thanks Mike. Have a seat." Kacey leaned against the front of her desk and crossed her long legs at the ankles. "What you will be seeing shortly is top secret. I ask that you do not mention it off base. Not even in your offices until they add your areas to the security sweeps."
"That is very cloak and daggery?" Rhea stated.
"It has to be, considering what is at stake. I am going to assume that Admiral Tacher brought you up to speed on the factions problems that came into being while we were gone."
"He did."
"The reason for the secrecy is that we are building new flyers to seek out and destroy these factions if necessary."
"Destroy? That sounds drastic." Kate said.
"It has to be drastic Kate. Some of the leaders of these factions are related to the racist bastards of the twenty first century. Those who decided that women and minorities only live for one purpose to serve white males. These factions, if left alone to grow and spread their dissention around the world, could destroy every advancement we have attained since the last war. They are anti women, anti minorities, anti same sex pairings. Those republicans who wanted only the rich white males to have any power and say in the laws that were handed down."
"I told Admiral Tacher you would bring them into the mix."
"It is true Kate. As I said many of the leaders are direct descendants to those same politicians. The worst and biggest of the factions are led by our two friends."
"What exactly will these ships do?" Rhea asked.
"According to the specs, the ships will be able to get close enough to their strongholds to, deal them a crippling blow or for lack of a better word, take them out.
"How?"
"Finish your coffee and we will go to the hanger." Kacey handed them each a badge that she took from her desk. "Where we are going, you must wear these special badges at all times."
They drained their cups and placed them on the tray. Mike set the alarm as they walked out of the office. A rover was parked outside waiting for them. Mike jumped into the driver's seat with Kacey next to him. Kate and Rhea sat in the back.
"Are you feeling all right?" Kate asked.
"Never better. Why?"
"You never let anyone drive if you are one hundred percent." Kate joked.
"Yeah, well according to unofficial protocol, Generals do not drive themselves. Don't you get a driver?" Kacey joked back.
"Not really, but all our buildings are together and not spread out like here." Kate answered.
"Just how big is this place?"
"One hundred square kilometers. That is why we travel in style. There are thirty seven hangers, fifty two storage and parts warehouses, two dorms that house forty pilots each, seven simulators, twelve Virtual Reality suites, three officers clubs, offices, mess hall and the special area we are going to now. You have to show those special badges I just gave you, at the gate and also before we enter the hanger. There is also room for seven hundred fifty flyers."
"This must be some flyer." Rhea stated.
"It is. We will be there in about twenty minutes. Is there anything about the base you would like to know?"
"What will the pilots do for fun? Or are out a hard task master?"
"There are two pools, six rec centers, a movie theater, and a six lane bowling alley. There are also base stores, apartments buildings for the rank and file that live on base. Anyone over the rank of Captain can live off base or in one of the officer's houses that are on the outskirts of the base. There is a small school for those officers with children so that they don't have to go off base for their education. There are even guest cottages for visiting dignitaries or in the event we are unable to leave the base."
"It is a small city." Rhea exclaimed.
You could say that. It is self contained."
"What are those large tanks?"
"Three are water tanks. The one that is separated from the rest is a containment tank for waste. It processes all contaminated water from latrines, showers, laundry, hangers or what ever. The water tanks have desalinators which can process a million gallons a day."
"Damn that is one hell of a domain you have here little sister."
"I have not seen the whole base yet. Once the base is fully operational many of the new flyers will first be built and tested here before they are mass produced. The pilots who will be coming here will all do their time in building the flyers for the first two months they are here, before they even get into the cockpits. Then they get one month of classroom, simulator and V R training before they even get behind the controls. Their final three months they will be in the air seven to eight hours a day."
The rover stopped at the gate. Armed sentries met them as saluted, before taking their credentials to check against the list of approved personnel allowed to proceed. He handed their badges back.
"You are cleared to enter." He said then saluted again. "Open the shield."
"After eighteen hundred hours no one is allowed past this point. The shield can be lowered in only four areas. This gate, the gate where the supplies enter and over the take off and landing areas. In addition the fence around this area is electrified with alternating currents."
"Bella said this place was big, I didn't believe just how big."
"Right now she is mostly working in the hanger. Eventually they will be other ships built here."
"That sounds like I will not be seeing a whole lot of my wife."
"Not at all Rhea. I have already given the order that no one can work more than ten hours a day."
"That goes for Generals also?" Kate asked.
"It does. Everything that goes on here needs a mind that is alert. Especially when the time comes to test the new flyers. Here we are."The guards snapped to attention when the rover stopped. They saluted when Kacey stepped out of the rover. "As you were," she said as she handed her badge for the guard to check. The guard checked the I.D's of the others and stepped back. He opened the door for them.
All work stopped as they stepped inside the hanger. The service people snapped to attention. "As you were." She said again. Bella hurried to them.
"Good morning General, Admiral. Come to inspect the new flyer?"
"That we are, Commander Torino." Kacey stated with a smile. "Shall we go to your office first?"
Bella led the way past the workers from all branches of the service who returned to work. "I just started a fresh pot of coffee." She said. "The office replicator has not been brought on line yet so we have to make do with coffee made the old fashioned way." She filled cups and handed them out. The walls of the large office were covered with diagrams and designs. "The office was swept this morning so we can talk freely." Bella went to the desk, put in a code which opened a panel. She pressed the button and another panel opened behind her desk. She opened the safe and pulled out the files that she handed to Kate and Rhea.
"The craft we are building cannot be tracked by radar, sonar, sensors, or scanners. It also has cloaking technology and quite possible the best invention I have ever seen been. The metal alloy that makes up the hull is infused with thousands of tiny sensors and will adapt it's color to it's surroundings. It is a chameleon effect. You will have a chance to see it yourselves shortly."
"She has a very sophisticated listening device that can pick up a whisper two kilometers away." Bella continued. "She can carry a crew of six or be operated by one or two people."
"It can go into deep space or underwater. Also it is capable of attaining and holding warp nine point five for an hour. Weapons include four electron charged pulse cannons, six photon torpedo tubes as well as phasic guns. The shields can handle a direct hit of twenty two fifty KPS."
"How did you manage that?" Rhea asked.
"They used my idea of using diamonds to enhance the shields." Kacey said.
"She holds the patent and will be an extremely wealthy woman." Bella stated. Kacey blushed.
"Really?"
"Yeah, so far the government has paid me almost four million credits to use my design."
"She also has enhanced sensors, scanners and sonar. The extensive star charts cover from Earth to Terra and are updated weekly as the Artemis sends back information."
"When will she be ready for a test drive?" Kate asked.
"We are looking at a time frame for the prototype of six to eight weeks. As soon as Mike and I get up to speed on it." Kate looked up quickly from the file she was reading. "Whoa there Kate, don't give your self whiplash. Remember this is my job."
"All right but I do have one question."
Kacey looked at her. "I may regret this, but ask away."
"After you 'get up to speed' as you put it, on this wonder ship and before you deliver it to where ever you need to deliver it, any chance I can get a ride on it?"
Kacey laughed. "Sure Kate. We have to take it on a shake down flight before it is delivered."
"I don't think it is against any regulations to give an Admiral a joy ride." Bella stated.
"Will the pilots coming here also be working on these flyers?"
"No The need to keep this secret will become harder when the pilots arrive. That is why this hanger is in a separate compound. Those that work here live here. Their homes are inside the fence. There is also a separate mess hall, rec center, pool, officer's club and store. There is no interaction between the two sections. Even supplies come in a different gate and scanned to assure there are no listening devices smuggled in." Kacey drained her cup. "Kate there are forces who have tried to breech the hanger but have been rebuffed each time. When we go in to look at the flyer I will show a few of the precautions that are in place." She added.
"Precautions that were put into place after that first meeting we had. Kacey took one look at the place and suggested the additional measures." Bella stated. Kacey felt her face warm as she blushed again. "Hey kiddo, you won't brag about yourself, so someone has to."
"Let's continue shall we?" Kacey said.
"You said it can go underwater?"
"Yes she can handle a depth of four thousand meters for an unlimited time and can sink to a depth of sixty five hundred meters for thirty minutes. Let's see what else." Kacey thought. Oh yes she has a small desalinator which can produce ten gallons of drinking water a day."
"Impressive. How many of these wonder flyers do they want?"
"Two dozen. The brass want one or two every four months."
"With just the crew that you have? That is an impossible task"
"I am hoping for additional workers as soon as they pass security clearance. We have three additional flyers in various stages. That is part of the tour."
"Why so many flyers? Are there that many factions that need to be put down?" Rhea asked.
"The exact number is not known at this time, but if they do what we are hoping they do, each star traveler will have at least one on board. As well as every large ship that will be launched."
"From what we have been told, the first of all the new ships will be built right here." Bella added.
"That sounds as if it was not well thought out not to mention dangerous." Kate stated.
"What do you mean?"
"Having this the only manufacturing area seems fool hardy. If the future brings any attacks, having all the flyers in one area, they could all be wiped out with a few well placed hits."
"Very true, but you have to take into consideration that only the first of the flyers will be built here. After the ships are tested then the manufacturing will be done at other locations. Even if this were the only place, one of the hidden gems here is that the hangers where the ships are built and stored have many stories. You only see this one. The floor can be lowered to a depth of seventeen hundred meters below the surface. Plus there is a shield surrounding the entire base and the section above us can be opened to allow flyers to launch. If the floor is lowered, the flyers can still launch using a series of large tunnels that will open several kilometers from here." Kacey informed them.
"Shall we get on with the tour?" Bella asked.
"Every person here has passed a very stringent security check."
"Speaking of which, I signed off on twelve of the files I received. I need to speak to you about the other three before I make any sort of decision."
"Sure, once we have finished here." Kacey said.
They headed to the first room where hulls of three flyers were in various stages of assembly. They walked around the empty hulls in silence. Kate waved down those who started to salute and returned to their tasks.
"Commander Torino, ship three will be ready to move into the next phase by Monday."
"Excellent, Captain." Bella replied. "The hulls take the least amount of time to assemble. Once that is completed, the hulls are sent to the next room where all the insides are installed. That part takes the longest, at least a month to get all the systems installed. Then the flyers are once again moved into a third room where everything is brought on line and synched up to the computers. After that the ships are moved for a fourth time to test all the systems for problems before the test flights inside the shields. Then comes the real test, the shake down flight. If all goes well that is approximately five months from now."
"That is quite a lot of work for the crew that you have. How many workers are here?" Kate asked.
"Right now we have twenty three. I received word that I can bring in as many workers as I need. Before you leave I want to submit the names of several qualified people."
"I will start on them Monday." Rhea stated.
"Great. Shall we move on?" Bella asked and they left the first room. The entered the second where the systems were being installed. "Would you like to go in?"
Kacey led to way inside. Like Kate she waved the workers back down as they jumped to attention.
"Very roomy." Rhea observed.
"This ship is designed to accommodate six people. With all the systems running six people could live quite comfortably in here for long stretches of time. That is geared towards space travel rather than here on Earth." Kacey explained. She opened a hatch. "The crew will all have their own E.V.A suits with oxygen supply for twelve hours. There is plenty of storage space both above and below the bunks and under the deck."
"It can hold a metric ton of supplies or cargo. The engines are protected from all types of outside interference such as electro magnetic fields or percussion waves. The shields cover the exhaust ports with minute openings to keep the air flowing and stop the engines from seizing up. Each ship will have exhaust scrubbers so that enemies cannot track the ships using propulsion trails." Bella continued.
"Did you hear about the new shield generators that are being built?" Kate asked.
"I read the news bulletin this morning. Each one will cover an area of one thousand kilometers and three kilometers up. From what I have read, it sounds like they are trying to find a way to completely enclose the whole planet under the shield." Kacey said.
"That was my understanding also." Kate agreed.
"Do you have any question ns or concerns about the ship?" Bella asked. "If not then we can move on." They left the ship and went into the third room which was empty. Large computers lined the walls. Their screens dark. "As the first ship is not ready for this phase, the computers are not turned on, but this is where all the systems will be brought on line and synched up."
"That brings us to the end of the tour, unless you want a demonstration on how the floor drops." Kacey stated. Kate held up her hands and shook her head. "Then how about we break for lunch."
"That sounds like a plan."
They left the hanger and headed for the Mess Hall.
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The compound was buried deep inside the mountain fortress to hide it from prying eyes and ears. The men walked through the dimly lit corridor to the large room. The chairs around the table were filled. All talk stopped as they entered.
"When will we be able to move out of this mountain?" One man asked.
"Soon. Our people are almost in position. We are working to get those loyal to us inside the hanger. We must find out what they are hiding in there before we leave the safety of this fortress."
"All the reports that we are receiving tell of white men being ousted for women, blacks and other low lifes. We have to reign them in now before we have no chance to regain what we have lost."
"The fucking president is a God Damn dyke. She needs to be taken out before those degenerates get any stronger." Another shouted. "Kill the leader and the rest will crawl back into the ground where they belong."
'You must be patient. Our day will come." Wilhelm shouted. "If we show our hand too soon, all the work we have done will be for nothing."
"Soon the world will realize that we white men are superior in every way. We will be back in power where we belong. When that day comes, we will undo the laws that put the power into the unworthy hands of the lower life forms. We cannot be careless now." Wilson shouted. "Keep your heads down and continue to recruit members so that we can grow stronger."
"Why not take out that dyke General?"
"That woman has more lives than several cats. Taking her out will not be an easy task."
"Then why not capture her. She might be persuaded to tell us what is in that hanger."
"You are talking torture."
"Among other things, We were able to get information using those methods in the past. Our scientists are working on ways to be able to extract the information we need."
"How do you suggest we take her?"
"It could be done with the right planning."
"That could be worth looking into." Wilhelm whispered.
"How?" Wilson responded.
"Leave that to me. The bitch won't know what hit her."