recruits will be active military, but many can come from those who have retired. Mike tells me that we’re not looking for quick, young reflexes here as much as we are for cool heads, individuals that will at all times also have to be diplomats. I’ve spent a career getting to know people from all over the planet, and the assignment you gave me a year and a half ago, to bring word to certain national leaders that we are not alone, has opened many doors. I’m certain I can network these resources to come up with the people we need, and it can be done quietly.”
“Very well. Find an office somewhere and get moving on it. Mike and I will focus on the political end of things while you and Lady Rebecca do the legwork.”
Two months later they were ready to go. Mike had traveled much of the globe in order to convince political leaders it was in their best interest to allow some of their best people to leave the planet. Admiral Trexler and Reba had spent innumerable hours interviewing candidates. About half of those selected were pulled from retirement, and some were senior officers on active duty. Surprisingly, they acquired a number of very senior officers, individuals who were willing to give up lucrative commands in order to go into space where they would simply be crewmembers with no command authority at all until, and unless, they came under attack by the Chessori.
Mike was home visiting his parents when he was approached by Colonel Dace, the officer in charge of the Delta Force soldiers guarding Alexis. One of the Greats Cats accompanied him.
Dace had impressed Mike on the day he arrived. Whereas most of his troops tended to be large, husky men, Dace was wire thin and of medium height, and Mike had been surprised that a person of average size could pass all the grueling training required of these very special soldiers. Dace had not only passed, he had come up through the ranks the hard way, having entered the Army as a private. He did not have the hardened look of a professional killer as many of his men did. Instead, he frequently smiled, even cracked jokes from time to time, and he seemed completely at ease with the responsibilities thrust on him by the strange assignment. Mike had quickly discovered that he was not an armchair officer. He was a natural leader and accepted no less from himself than he required of his men.
Dace saluted him. “Sir, I respectfully request that my men and I accompany you on your mission. We’re prepared to ship out as soon as we train our replacements.”
The request caught Mike completely off guard. “Colonel, I was told you and your men are the best the Army has. You’re needed here.”
“Agreed, sir, but we’re needed even more where you’re going. We have a two month jump on learning how to work with the Protectors, and we can speed up the process for the rest of the men that go with us. From what I hear, the mission you have in mind for your men is more critical than the mission here. I will personally guarantee you that our replacements are up to the task before we leave.”
“How much do you know about the mission out there?” Mike asked.
“I know what you told us, and I’ve had further conversations with Lady Rebecca. Horth here has filled in a few blanks, as well.”
“I don’t see you wearing the translating device, Colonel.”
“We use it occasionally, sir. All my men are multilingual. It’s one of the requirements of every special operations soldier. We’ve managed to pick up a little of the lingo. Not much, but a little. We learn faster without the device.”
Mike turned to Horth, speaking in Galactic High Standard. “Do you know what’s going on here, Horth?”
“I do, Sire, and I support his request. Under his leadership, his men have learned to coordinate their activities very well with our own.” He awarded Mike with the toothy grin favored so much by the Great Cats. “Just like you, Sire, they are quick to learn. Colonel Dace and Otis will function well together to prepare the rest of the men for their duties.”
“But you have little support here. If it comes to a fight, you need the very best.”
“I am assured by Joshua that his replacements will be up to the task. Great fighters can be provided, but I have watched Joshua and his men carefully. They are all leaders. Each one functions efficiently with the rest of the team, but also on his own, needing no guidance, an important quality for Protectors. I can’t say Joshua and his men are the best your planet has to offer, but I doubt if anyone is better. Most important, I believe they will fit well with my brothers. His request is more specific than simply accompanying you to train the rest of the men. Has he informed you of his plans?”
Mike turned back to Josh. “Horth says there’s more to your request.”
“There is, sir. I’d like me and my men to be assigned to the Queen’s personal guard.”
“All of you?” Mike asked in surprise.
“However many it takes, but definitely led by me,” Josh answered.
“I don’t think you know what you’re letting yourself in for,” Mike replied grimly. “While I can’t say exactly how all this will play out, I can tell you that we anticipate having to smuggle the Queen into a Senate meeting hosted by the enemy. She will have to speak, and depending on the outcome, we may have a real firefight on our hands, both coming and going. All that in addition to potential assassins more hideous than you can imagine striking at any moment. There will be losses, Colonel.”
Josh pursed his lips. “About what we thought. We’ve discussed this, sir. My guys are willing to commit for the duration. I’ve selected men from all over the planet: Delta Force, Green Berets, Navy Seals, British SAS, and others. My guys in particular have been together for some years now. We’ve been an elite group within a larger elite group and have been tasked by the White House on a number of occasions for special missions. We’ve seen combat, we’ve rescued hostages, and we’ve provided personal protection to VIP’s. We’re mature, we’re effective, and just as important, we can be counted on to not betray a confidence. The Queen will need us near her at all times. We’ll be right there in meetings at the highest level and there won’t be many secrets kept from us. She and her staff can feel comfortable discussing things in front of us that will go no further, guaranteed.”
Josh paused for a moment before continuing, looking Mike straight in the eyes. “You see my men as trained killers, sir. What you don’t see and may not know is that every single one of them functions as an executive. Every one of them is a college graduate, each of them has had to demonstrate high intelligence, they’re good planners, and every one of them is a leader.”
“What about families?”
Josh rubbed his hand along his jaw as he considered. “That’s the tough part, isn’t it? There’s no good way to leave families behind, though we’ve done it before for shorter periods of time. It’s a terrible sacrifice, more so for our families than ourselves. My wife will skin me alive, but she’ll also be proud if she’s ever allowed to know what we’ve done. My men are pretty much all in the same boat there.”
“We’re not asking anyone to keep this a secret from their spouses, Josh. We just don’t want it going any further than that.” He took Josh’s hand and shook it. “You’re in, if Admiral Trexler agrees. You realize that the Queen’s security detail answers to me?”
Josh smiled. “You I can handle, sir. It’s this Otis guy I’ve heard about that concerns me.”
“We’ll see about getting you a few days off before we ship out. I’ll talk to the admiral, but you’d better get started on finding your replacements.”
“Already done, sir. I just need the go ahead. If you’re willing, I’ll make the call to Admiral Trexler.”
Mike nodded and Josh saluted him, then at a hand signal from Josh, he and Horth turned away.
A week before the anticipated departure from Earth, two freighters from Serge arrived in orbit with the message Val had sent via drone to Parsons World. Colonel Dace arrived in Washington, DC with the message, joining Mike, Reba, and Admiral Trexler in their hotel.
Val’s message explained that, though he had not yet reached Orion III, he believed Admiral Korban had bowed to pressure from above to place Chessori observers aboard some or all of his ships. Val believed the Chessori’s purpose was identical to what he had experienced aboard his own cruiser, Beta IV. The Chessori would be held in reserve until needed, then simply take over Empire ships at will. Orion Sector could well be lost if the Chessori were not rooted out from the ships and from sector headquarters. Was it possible for Earth to supply soldiers specifically for this job? Just a few per ship would be a huge help, though more would be better. He couldn’t know for certain how entrenched the Chessori were on Orion III, and other sectors might be at risk as well.
Val appended a couple of important pieces of intelligence. He believed the Chessori communicated telepathically. The range of this communication was unknown. It might be the interstellar communications system they had heard about, though that seemed farfetched to him. Because of this telepathic ability, all ships within a squadron would have to deal with the Chessori at the same instant and from an isolated position far out in space between worlds. If they didn’t, the Chessori would have the ability to warn Chessori in other ships. If the range of
