Guardian Stone 1: Stone Genesis (23 page)

### Blint – January 11 – C Day 134 ###

A short while later Station 8 departed for their last stop, the planet Blint. Having reviewed General Alexander Zharkoff's reports and recommendations, He decided on an identical approach to that used on Gella. Blint has 25 geopolitical divisions. When General Zharkoff heard the proposed approach, he smiled and agreed that it suited him fine. Hank suggested the launch of a full wing of warships and just to make the presence more convincing, also launched 100 of the largest commercial vessels, knowing that the people on the planet would not know the difference between a warship and a commercial ship. When all ships were in position, he then ordered all vessels to uncloaked mode. The sudden appearance of so many vessels had the desired effect on the planet. Hank again suggested a meeting on station using the same conditions as those on Gella with essentially the same results. After the meeting and return of the ships to their stations, the ships returned to cloaked mode. During the departure brief, General Zharkoff asked Hank to give his regards to General Baranof. He also told Hank that he was extremely thankful for Hank's persistence in regard to his efforts in encouraging Baranof to join the fleet. After that Station 8 set course for Earth.

Station 1 in Earth Orbit –

January 13 – C Day 136

After arriving back from the tour of inhabited planets protected by the fleet, Hank updated his staff, Fador and his staff as well as Vassim on what he had encountered. It was clear that the correct path had been taken in drawing most of the fleet personnel resources from Earth.  Hank and Sam then had a meeting with Josh, Rose and Barana to discuss the progress of their project to explore the potential uses of the telepathic rapport talent.  Josh started the meeting with obvious excitement, "Boss, you are not going to believe what this project has discovered or uncovered in the past week. The use of telepathic rapport teams is going to save a lot of lives. We started exploring what was possible the day you left. By the following day we had teams formed and functioning. We found that our AI's can boost the range of our teams. With Barana providing a boost, my team has a range up to about 1000 light years. However as a practical matter our best operating distance with a team of two humans, two Glarin and an AI is about 400 light years. Range without an AI is about 25 light years. Not only can we communicate but we can also manipulate objects at that distance. We can appear as ghosts, solid figures or remain invisible. We can operate devices at that distance. We can wander about an enemy warship undetected and more. The really cool thing is that our teams cannot be penetrated by the Gar. There is no two way street with this capability. When we realized this, I prepared ten teams and had them report to General Dresser for his Operation Buster that left two hours ago. We are calling the teams, T Raptor teams."

"Oho, Josh, that's cute," said Hank, "T Raptor indeed. There is nothing little about the bite such teams can take. This is a new element to warfare. Good thinking on sending teams on Operation Buster. I suppose that we will be seeing unit patches with a T Raptor head on it,"

Josh looked embarrassed and said, "Well, yes, they are already out there."

Hank laughed and said, "Relax Josh, I was pulling your chain. Patches contribute to unit morale and this is too good to pass up. Good thinking."

Josh went on, "It gets better, individual team members are essentially invulnerable while in projection mode. They can have a squad of troops beating and firing on them and nothing harmful happens. It is tiring when that happens so stamina and duration of activity are hampered but with Barana or an AI boosting the condition is neutralized. I think this will be the way we deactivate the self-destruct devices on those ships and the Gar will not have a clue that the devices will no longer operate. Plus, we do not expose our troops to a potentially fatal result. I think that will come as a bit of a surprise the first time the Gar try to use it. I admit to a temptation to put some sound effects in there like what we saw as kids in the Saturday morning cartoons."

"General David intends to analyze the missiles, and then destroy them all. There are a total of 900 missiles in the three groups. He intends to make this a simultaneous event to see if the Gar can detect it. At the same time he will surreptitiously extract the Glarin telepaths, Gambel, Hanser, Abgar and Dinan. If that is not detected he then intends to 'haunt' the Gar fleet using the T Raptor teams in invisible mode to gather as much intelligence as we can and try to spook the Gar while we are at it. It will be interesting to see how badly we can shake them up in this way or not. If this works, and I am convinced it will, we will not only have an incredible intelligence gathering tool but an additional offensive tool in our armory. The enemy cannot hurt us in this mode. Since you and Sam are our strongest telepaths, Barana has set up a special training regimen for you. I think you are both going to enjoy this."

"Vassim was a bit surprised to learn that he and his mate, Villa, are telepaths. It turns out he is fairly strong and has been pairing with Rose and I. I asked him if he would be willing to partner with the two of you during your training. Hank, you and Sam are our strongest telepaths. He said he would be honored and is ready when you are. I suspect that you will find capabilities to this that we have not yet found or suspected. Some of that may be something others can be taught to do with Barana's aid. We also found that we can expand the size of any one team making the resultant team even stronger. I would like to suggest several phases to your exploration of this capability. The first is to acclimate you to the experience and that would be with you and Sam joining a basic team, in this instance, Barana, Vassim, Villa, Rose and I. Next would be with you leading a basic team followed by an expanded team. When would you like to start?"

Hank looked at Sam and she raised her eyebrows to indicate readiness and he said, "How about now."

"Outstanding, Barana we are ready when you are. We are going to do this the same place you demonstrated the enhancement package six months ago."

A few seconds latter, they were all at RM 3 on deck 22 in the Military Sector. A number of comfortable recliners in a circle were the only furnishings in sight. Josh invited Hank and Sam to the recliners and then Josh, Rose, Vassim and Villa joined them. Josh then invited the entire group to join him in rapport indicating that it was the same as when Hank and Sam had done so previously, and they did.

Hank's first reaction was <
AWESOME, This is very heady stuff
.> The others agreed.

Barana noted that their range was more than triple that previously encountered. Josh then demonstrated the things they had discovered and explored the various capabilities. Josh explained that usually the telepath posing the invitation led the effort and determined when to terminate the event. That leader also provided the destination for the group. Invisibly they visited a number of locations on Earth and in the solar system including Jupiter without experiencing the gravity there. It was clear that the T Raptor teams would be an important element in general exploration as well as the military capabilities they were now reviewing. They then projected to another section of the military sector where combat scenarios were underway. The troops there were instructed to attack the team to see if they could do any damage. This was done with firearms, clubs, swords, etc. In each case it was as though they were not there. Bullets, clubs, swords merely passed through them. Hank decided to try an experiment and willed that his projection become an impenetrable solid.  A soldier wielding a club took a swing at Hank and on contact, the club shattered into hundreds of pieces. Hank then willed all of the pieces back together and handed the club back to the soldier saying, "take this club back to your commander and have it analyzed along with another of like manufacture and have the findings reported to me."

Josh then terminated the exercise and said, "Well boss, I expected that you would find some new wrinkles in this capability, but honestly, not that quickly. What did you do?"

"Well, I was thinking that we might be looking at this with too narrow a focus so I started thinking about what we were playing with. It reminded me of one of my favorite comic book characters when I was growing up who had this thing about green. His powers were based on will power and determination and powered by a ring and a lantern. It occurred to me that this situation was strikingly similar. I thought, what if there is a relationship and I decided to test it. It is not exactly the same but there are similarities that we should set about exploring. I think it would have eventually become apparent. The capability is so new that we will be in discovery mode for some time."

Hank then started to laugh and Sam asked what was so funny. Hank replied, "I was just thinking that the last thing I wanted to see is all of us dressed in some kind of superhero outfit. Don't even think about it Josh." And they all joined in the laughter. Hank went on, I would like to explore this some more from a lead position in a basic team structure and see where that takes us. Lets postpone phase 3 for a bit until Sam and I are fully satisfied that we have mastered this much. I think we need to find some way to measure energy depletion so we don't get caught having to terminate an operation in the middle for lack of energy."

" Works for me, you have certainly given me some more to work with."

"Josh, once again you have come through with a super response to a difficult assignment given and in a very short time frame. No wonder you were on the fast track for General in the Marines. You have again confirmed my choice. Thanks for a job well done."

### January 14 – C Day 137 with Sgt. Major Wall ###

"Well Top how is it shaping up from your end."

"Really well, thanks in no small part to Staff Sergeant Pine."

"Funny you should say that, it is part of the reason I am here. He impressed me when I met him as he did General Joe. I took a peek at his evaluations for his telepathic abilities and he is head and shoulders above the rest. I want to brevet him to Lieutenant and put him in charge of one of our T Raptor teams. I think he would be a natural but I wanted to talk to you first."

"As much as I hate to lose him, I think you are right on the green with this one. But, I would also suggest you brevet him to Captain because he has been taking OCS courses on his own since he got here and is ready for the responsibility. He is a natural leader and has organized my staff so that he has built in his own replacements. He won't stay long at the Captain rank, mark my words. My one request is that you do it now and here so I can give him his first salute from an enlisted."

"That sounds like a plan, Barana, please, a set of Captains bars if you will and ask Joe Carson to join us, he will enjoy seeing this. Also see if our wives can join us."

A few seconds later, Joe Carson appeared and Hank briefed him on what was to follow. Joe had a huge grin and said he fully agreed. Hank then asked Mary Pine to join then and he explained what they were up to because she would need to be a part of it. She said she would be delighted to be part of the team. Hank then asked Wall to have SSgt Pine report to his office. A minute later, Pine reported as instructed and when he saw the two generals he came to attention. Hank said, "At ease Ben, it is good to see you again. We asked you in here to offer you a new job that I think is right up your alley. You are probably aware that we have a new unit on board that we are calling the T Raptors. We think you would do well in this unit and if you are willing we would be happy to have you aboard. Mary says that if you are willing, so is she." At that Mary stepped out from behind the curtain that covered another entrance with a big grin.

"Yes sir, I would like that very much."

Hank, handing the box with the Captains bars to Joe said, "In that case, you will be needing these. Sergeant Pine, Attention! By the authority granted me as Commanding General of the Antoran Fleet, I am hereby appointing you to the rank of Captain. General Carson, would you do the honors please. Ben, I hope you have a dollar bill on you, and if not, I will lend you one, because the tradition in our service is that a newly commissioned officer pays one dollar to the first enlisted man to salute him and Sergeant Major Wall insisted that he should have that honor and you know how insistent he can be."

Sergeant Major Wall came to attention and delivered a sharp and snappy salute to the new Captain saying, "Sir, it is my honor and privilege to deliver the first of many salutes like this."

"Barana, please set up a reception at one of the lodges for 20 to 30 persons and invite Captain Pine's friends to join us. Bill, why don't you invite your staff in and you can make the announcement before we move the celebration to the lodge. Ben and Mary, don't forget to bring Ben Junior."

Station 9 adjacent to the Gar Fleet –

January 19 – C Day 142

"Execution of Operation Buster to commence in 30 seconds." announced General Isaac David. The missiles nearest Earth are all warheads, rather large ones. Their sensors are set for nearest radio broadcasts. There are no symbiote missiles in the group of 100 missiles. The next group is 30 light years towards Antor. It consists of 50 missiles, ten of which are symbiote missiles and the remainder, warheads. The warheads will be destroyed and several of the payloads on the symbiote missiles will be tested the same as were those in the first encounter. The last batch is a puzzle. There are more that 800 missiles in that group and all of them are warheads targeted against the Gar Fleet. In fact five of those missiles are specifically targeted for the Gar Flag-ship. Why are they targeting their own vessels?  Operation Buster in 5 – 4 – 3 – 2 – 1 – mark! Flametta, Any reaction?"

<
Not even a flicker.
>

"That is a good sign. Do you still have a lock on Gambel, Hanser, Abgar and  Dinan?"

<
Extraction and decontamination complete. Gambel's vital signs are stable. I will keep him under for the next hour, but his mental signs appear good. Also all warheads have been destroyed as instructed. Scans reveal no further indication of more missiles. The scans and analysis of the captured missiles reveal no additional symbiotes in fact only two types were found this time and the code sequences are the same. The same deactivation codes worked on these. All have now been destroyed.
>

"Good, awaken the three sleepers and have a T Raptor team there when you do. The presence of their own kind may have a calming effect on them. Has their absence been noted?"

<
Apparently not, at least not yet
.>

"Please continue to monitor and report results so far back to command. Please transport me to the rescued Glarin." Flametta transported Isaac David to the room in which the four Glarin were temporarily housed. Hanser was attending Gambel who was still sleeping. Abgar and Dinan are a mated pair.

Abgar spoke first, "You must be the Earthians of whom Gambel spoke. I am amazed that we are here and alive. You have our sincere gratitude. I am truly surprised that you have managed to extricate Gambel and his mate."

David smiled and responded, "They do not appear to be aware that you are missing. We expect that the absence of Gambel will be the first to be noticed. We have installed a false reading in the stasis units you and your friends occupied so it may take a long time before they discover your absence. I suspect that all Glarin look alike to the Gar so that too will work to some advantage. We are hopeful that very soon we will be able to rescue all of your people. In the meantime we have some unpleasant surprises ready for the Gar. We will also have a role for you if you are interested."

"We would be honored to assist. Is the star person on board this vessel that we may pay him homage?"

"You mean General Stone. He would not appreciate you doing that. He is not a god and that sort of treatment would make him most uncomfortable."

"But he has done so much for us as have you!"

"It is not the way of our peoples. It makes us most uncomfortable. A simple thank you is all that he would appreciate. He also appreciates when a good deed is passed on to another. We call the concept, 'pay it forward.' It means that the best way to thank someone for a good deed is to do a good deed for someone else, even a total stranger. Imagine the impact of this attitude on an entire civilization. It would be a nice place to live. I think it is time to let your friend wake up and see how he is. I suspect his mate is anxious. Flametta, Can we allow him to awake now?"

<
I believe that he is ready
.>

With that, Gambel stirred and awoke. On seeing his mate, he smiled and said, "The Earthians were our salvation after all. I would not wish to repeat the experience with the Gar again. On seeing Isaac he continued without having been introduced or informed of the situation, "General Isaac David, my humble thank you for my delivery from Hell. I think there are some things where we can help the furtherance of the common good. Your plan to use your T Raptor teams to 'haunt' the Gar will indeed have the desired effect. I look forward to assisting you in this effort in fact with some glee."

"I can see why General Stone wanted you extricated if it were possible. I suspect things are about to get interesting. Well shall we see what we can do to make the Gar uncomfortable? I must say, I hope all Glarin that are under Gar symbiote control are as resilient as you appear to be. Flametta, would you ask T Raptor teams D and J to join us here please." Shortly the two teams requested appeared. Isaac explained what he wanted done and told them to proceed when ready. Team D's assignment commanded by Captain Hanson, was to wander about the Flag ship bridge and learn what they could. Their manipulative capabilities were still somewhat limited but they could turn things on and off.  They could also be heard when they wanted to. Captain Hanson reported back, <
Good Lord, these people look like lions, they are upright with short tails and the snout is shorter than what we are used to seeing but they are unmistakably similar to the African Lion
.> One team individual was moving around from station to station on the bridge looking at things moving switches on and off. Turning on video libraries from the ships computer and one item that had a profound effect was the activation of several of the high speed maneuvering restraints built into each station. The individuals so restrained went into a panic attack and their own crews had to calm them down.

The T Raptor Team's Captain Hanson elected to use a nebulous appearance. Finally he stood in front of the commander of the vessel and allowed his form to have what appeared to be more solidity and spoke clearly, "Commander, why are your leaders sending these to destroy you." He then pointed at a monitor to show an image of the missiles that another Division had destroyed a short while ago. The image went to a cross section of the payload to show its contents. The visitor then said, "There are over 800 of them and five of them target this ship. Have you done something to arouse the ire of your leaders. I will leave this image with you so you can ponder what is going on." The leader drew a blade and took a swipe at the visitor that, of course had no effect on the visitor. Captain Hanson walked up to the commander, took the blade from his grasp and threw it with considerable force against a steel bulkhead where the blade was embedded to its hilt. The visitor then said, "Really Commander, that is not a game you want to play with me." With that he pointed at the Commander who was hurled back into his command chair where the restraints all engaged. The visitor then said, "My people are so looking forward to your coming to play with us. We will see you again, soon." With that, he disappeared.

Meanwhile, Team J had located all data on the symbiotes and transferred that back to Station 9. It had also placed a block on the Flagship's communication capability and inserted a programmable destruction trigger for all of the Gar Fleets symbiotes. Flametta installed shields on every stasis bay throughout the fleet so that no Gar or infected Glarin could enter the bay. Team J also found a considerable library on the Gar, their history, their culture and technology.

Similar incursions were made on all ships in the Gar fleet. All Gar long-range communications were impaired.

Later that day, Isaac reported the exercise to Hank. He noted that the actions taken were somewhat beyond what they had discussed and sent full copies of the recordings made of the T Raptor teams.

As Hank was reviewing the recordings, his grin grew. Sam suggested that he looked like the cat that swallowed the canary. "I am ordering the 5
th
, 15
th
, and 17
th
to join you with the Gar fleet. Fully brief them about what has occurred. Do not let them know you are there yet. I will be joining you with the ten remaining available Divisions. That is distinctly overkill but they deserve to be in on the finish, or at least this phase of it. Operation Sweep will commence shortly after my arrival. We will all be on location in seven days. In the meantime, continue to harass them with the T Raptor incursions. Don't let them overdo things. Tired minds make mistakes. The rest of the cavalry is on the way. Now as I understand it the Gar ships cannot communicate with one another. Since that is the case, remove and decontaminate every Glarin not in stasis. Make sure they get appropriate medical attention. Let your AI's assure that decontamination is complete before any of them come on board. There is going to be a bunch of them, close to 12,000 in all. When they are all removed, trigger the self-destruct codes for all the symbiotes and clean their computers of all references to the symbiotes. I suspect that will give you a pretty busy week. Oh, and General, well done, Mazel Tov. See you in a week."