The Monkey and Squirrel fight for freedom. (19 page)

The bombers would be carrying twenty armour penetrating missiles armed with a very effective low cost nerve gas. It would be cleared afterwards by pumping the habitat's atmosphere though heated catalysts. Given the volume it would take over a year to clear each habitat sufficiently to avoid poisoning the prize crew. The control room,a hydroponics unit, a suitable area for accommodation and the connecting corridors. Would be sealed off from the rest, then sanitised first to make a safe living zone.

The remaining habitat would be accessible through a double air lock with a decontamination room in between them. This greater part would be cleaned and the air decontaminated gradually, the victims bodies gathered up and dumped out an air lock. Once this had been done the habitat would be moved, so the bodies wouldn't get in the way.

The force they believed would provid a reasonable margin for success was a hundred fighters and twenty bombers. The Chinese promised a carrier for them, they estimated a year, but Jimmy and his best crews refuse to work on it. The Chinese informed the group, it will have to be our second best team, but even they are very good at their jobs.

An amazed Euro politician asked ' you let them get away with refusing?'

'Yes was the reply, as it was a matter of conscience, we would not compel them over such a minor inconvenience.'

The politician was speechless with shock, which had been the idea.'

On the plan the carrier look like a drum, with ten rows of sixteen hatches around the sides, behind each hatch could sit a fighter or bomber. The bays being half as big again as the hold on the mega shuttle, accommodation for the crew and maintenance crew was between rows. Those bays would normally be at vacuum with the external hatch closed, they could be pressurised individually, if required for maintenance or repair. The vessels docked in the bay, accessible though a hatch into the crew quarters, interlocked so the hatch had to be sealed before undocking was possible.

The drum would rotate to simulate gravity; this also facilitated rapid launch of the combat vessels, rotation would have to be stopped for recovery. The carrier crew, all control runs and life support would all be in the core, they would have their own small craft and long range escape craft behind a separate set of hatches.

A very straight forward design, and could be built quickly. The design of the fighters was basically what the mercenaries had asked for, needed a crew of three like the bombers, pilot, navigator, and weapons specialist.

High command believed them to be fast, powerful , armed with two big lasers and four rail guns. Driven from super-capacitors powered by four one megawatt fuel cells, very nasty while the fuel lasted. But they didn't to know, they would effectively be target practice for the opposition they were so out ranged, by the time they could fight back they would have been hammered.

When Sparks, read the e-mail, he thought that sounds a bit grim, I wish it could have been different. Well a mixed bag of news, Lad has changed, more confident, proud even, but meeting humans as equals. He must know it’ll be a cold day in hell, before the majority will be prepared for that. If only they could know them like we do, if we try to get our version of these New People in the media it could help. Maybe Jimmy would be supportive to, I apparently have his e-mail address. Sparks e-mailed his friends, including Plumber on the off chance he'd check his e-mail for the first time in nearly three years.

Knowledge readily agreed, it was something he could do, all this threat of space warfare was just wrong. He knew what excellent engineers the New People were, if they built a defence it would be deadly. All peoples would lose, dying pointlessly because of a guilt laden baseless fear.

He included lad in his reply, with a post script,

'good to know you're getting better, we'll just have to limit ourselves to social chit chat. I think those pictures of your homes have made them politicians green with envy. If you were huddled in cramped conditions, only just getting by they'd of left you alone. But when they became aware of the magnificence of your habitats, it triggered the politicians greed. It has been rationalised as you have become powerful, and now automatically a threat. Knowing you, those poor chaps they send to do their dirty work are going to run into a mincer. I can't ask you not to defend yourself, get well soon', my friend.

Elf was surprised about the pact with the Chinese, he'd bumped in to Torquay last week, Torquay had been worried about a potential conflict with the Chinese. He knew which beer festivals they'd both be at, so knew he could catch Torquay, middle of next month at Somerset real cider and beer. Should be a good one, the beer list was superb and no professional security to kill the buzz. Best get a room booked for all three nights, I hope  remember what I want to talk to him about, he won't be there until the Saturday.    

A few days later Major Johnson, met an ashen looking John Smith for his report on the woman Charlotte Thatcher,

“Can you sign off for a mind wash, I don't want to keep this in my head, I'll end up warped!” was the first thing John said.

“Was it worse than I feared?”  Major Johnson asked.

“Unbelievable does not cover it sir, sick, twisted and perverse, she was just a young teen when she did those things, I, I, just don't want to talk about it!” John whispered.

“Are all the relevant details in your report?” asked Major Johnson ignoring the pleading eyes.

“Yes, I had to keep playing the recording, to make sure I'd not had a sick weird dream, it made it worse, and going over it several times just imprinted it on my mind. You're going to make me do again it now you ba.” John said only just managing to stop.

“Afraid so, I take it you discovered the trauma that broke her monkeys programming?” continued Major Johnson.

“It's all in my report. You’re not going to let me get away with it are you?” asked John weakly.

“No, I don't want to do this either, I have a teenage daughter myself, but I have to, so give.” demanded  Major Johnson.

“The first thing that put me off balance was her file says Charlotte is forty seven years old, she looks under twenty five.” replied John.

“That's just a medical treatment the likes of us can't afford or have access to.” commented  Major Johnson.

“I thought that was a myth. Well it didn't start too badly she dyed his fur pink, called him cuddles, made him do her home work, that sort of thing. It wasn't long before she started experimenting, on the depth and reach of her control, then she expanded the scope of the experiments. Between Charlotte's imagination and the internet, things progressively became darker becoming perverse.

She was quite up front about it, explaining her curiosity, excitement, incredible pleasures, all driving her onward and feeding off each other, giving her incredible highs. She kept on experimenting and pushing boundaries, quickly involved in the realm of perversion and her role of dominatrix. Charlotte was enjoying herself as she told me everything, getting off on watching me squirm. While she detailed her disgusting behaviour, relishing it all, lingering over things I found particularly revolting. I wanted to be sick in the first hour, but she went on for nearly four hours.” John explained forcing himself to breathe deeply.                                   

“Although that is already more than I want to know, I need you to go into the details, I have to quote examples, give me the five worst examples from the monkey’s point of view.” demanded Major Johnson.

“Starting from before she got some of her school friends involved, and four from afterwards. How she got them involved I don't know, she must of manipulated them somehow. Recruiting them as participants in her sick games, straight from school to the world of S&M, unbelievable.”

John then went on to detail the incidents, afterwards Johnson approved John's application for mind wash. A drug that interrupted the transfer of short term memories to long term, if the memory was too old it was too late to block. When used on someone who had accidentally discovered something they shouldn't know, replacement memories were installed hypnotically. In this instance John left himself a note, with just an outline of what and why he was forgetting.

Major Johnson passed a copy of the report to the top boffin in the psychiatry section briefing her in the process. She managed a raised eye brow, when he asked is it possible for a teenage girl to behave like that,

She replied “It’s a bit extreme but quite possible” with a smile, that made him feel unclean. The oversight committee was easer to deal with, as soon as he started on the details they didn't want to know. That's one report I doubt they'll read, he thought to himself.

The command group of politicians and generals never a healthy mix at the best of times, made him feel unclean again, as they wanted to know all the grisly details. Revolted he told them it was all in their individual copies of the report, enjoy yourselves I'm booking myself into mind wash. He left himself notes in his diary and a list of reports he'd need to read, and one he definitely didn’t.

Tman looked at the replies to his e-mail; the surprise was from Charlotte Thatcher, 'Cuddles so nice to hear from you after all this time. It is good to know I helped you, surprising how things turn out isn't it, but you freed me too. I had a very nice young man visit me and demanded to know about all the things we did together. I had such fun telling him, and watching how he squirmed it was delicious. I happily went through every nuance blatantly savouring every second, the icing on my cake was his reaction to my pleasure in the revelations.

The experience added a new flavour to the dish it was so exciting, just like the days we used to play together with my friends. I still play frequently with my special friends, but it isn't as intense a rush these days, but my visitor has given me a few new ideas to get that intensity back. By all means keep in touch, we can talk about old times, do you remember them as well as me? Happy days Charlotte.'

Tman was shivering as he finished reading, the memory was that powerful.

Well that backfired spectacularly, not only was she not embarrassed, she was worse, enjoying the revelation of every disgusting detail. And now thinks she can play mind games with me, the only way to win is not to play against such an expert manipulator. The things she got her friends to do and still does by her account, at least I had no choice. Tman thought to himself.

He updated himself with current projects while he calmed himself down and stopped shivering. Everything was coming along quickly, the sixty fifth of the new fighter design had just been completed, none of the old ones would be withdrawn for upgrade yet. The fusion reactor was on target to be finished in seven months time, the compact version was still in the design stage.

All the required types of small craft were available in sufficient numbers to support all requirements for them. Enough drones to equip a hundred fighters had been produced; continuously production would continue to equip all habitats and large craft with them. Work had started on his first high speed test bed vehicle, work on the second would start once the first passed Neptune’s orbit or failed which ever happen first. The telemetry data and observations would be used to improve the next one and so on.

Different versions of the experiments would be flown along with new ones, aiming to evolve a design far past the point anyone had done before. The resource mapping team expected to be finished in another eleven months. All the core projects were going well, particularly the park-lands and forests, soil production still couldn't keep pace with planting. The tallest trees were just over six meters, the invertebrates and insects were improving the soil. The chickens that started out from earth as eggs had arrived at Mars as hens and two cockerels, it had been the last shipment before Day One. The descendants of those chickens were now providing enough eggs to keep the cooks happy bakers.

Tman now felt calm enough to look at his other e-mails. It was very good of the old guys to try to change the general public’s perception of the New People. They had recruited a fair few high profile people to their cause including Jimmy. Who told of how the monkeys had warned him of potential problems with his habitats, thus prevented a possibly dangerous incident. This statement made with blessing of the Chinese.

Immediately incensed Humans Supreme, their rambling message of hate was about the unbearable arrogance and contempt of a bunch of monkeys. Dispensing advice to the top human space engineer like he was an incompetent. Most people when confronted with an HS press statement went to the next page thinking it must be as slow news day.

The effect on public opinion was negligible at the time. But it was noted for use when the planned campaign of support for military action was launched. It would start about six months before actual combat was expected. So despite HS, and their kindred, the 'lets be friends with the New People' message slowly spread. At first it was just amongst like minded people, then started to slowly seep into the general media.

Once it started to receive a wider audience and support. Politicians became aware of the campaign spreading the, don't be afraid, they are nice people message', supported by peoples personal anecdotes and Jimmy's statements.

This didn't suit the governments at all, they applied pressure to starve the campaign of media access and improve access for HS and their kindred. Prepare the right atmosphere for when the government sponsored, but unofficial campaign began. The government efforts received something of a setback when Charlotte Thatcher, published her book, 'How I enjoyed my monkey', a sickeningly detailed revelation of her experiences. In the epilogue Charlotte revealed that she had been told this could have been what had broken the monkeys programming.