“We’ve seen that kind of fast tracking before. Not with aliens, granted, but in our past. Remember the old nations? United States, Germany, Britain? Did you ever read about World War Two?”
“In the Academy,” Titus said. “The first time I visited Earth we toured some of the old museums for that conflict.”
“And so you know about the rapid change of industry. How one country managed to turn all their factories to munitions and essentially pump out an army’s worth of equipment to fight a massive war. Even after losing far more than we did today. No, this definitely feels like a prequel to our version of Pearl Harbor. We need to act now.”
“Our intelligence department didn’t even have the Kahls on a watch list.” Titus huffed. “God, I don’t look forward to this.”
“A British diplomat once suggested the Chinese had a curse they’d leverage at enemies. May you live in interesting times. The idea is that you’re dealing with some kind of strife or chaos in such ages. I’m afraid we’re entering such a period now ourselves and like it or not, we’ll have to contend with it.”
“You reading my mind?” Titus asked. “I was just thinking I wish this hadn’t happened on my watch.”
“Oh, trust me. If you had been in the medical bay during the fighting, you’d know I felt the same way.” Anders shook his hand firmly. “I believe in you, Commander Barnes. And I’m certain you’ll get our point across to high command. If you need my help, my testimony or anything of that nature, please don’t hesitate to ask. I’ll be happy to speak to them.”
“I appreciate that. I’m going to take reports from everyone involved that can help express the gravity of this situation.” Titus saw him to the door. “Now I’m going to speak to our new guests. See what they have for our Engineering team. On the bright side, at least we’ll receive the benefits of their tech.”
“Such things generally come with a heavy cost,” Anders said. “One paid for with blood or the soul.”
Titus smirked. “Now you’re being an ass. First you bolster my confidence about the situation then you throw that out there. Do they train you to be the devil’s advocate multiple times in the same conversation?”
“Nah, I come by that honestly.” Anders headed out. “I’ll be in Medical if you need me.”
I’m lucky to have that maniac. Anders might’ve been a touch strange but also had a lot of experience. People back at HQ respected him. Rudy requested him specifically though Titus wasn’t sure why. They weren’t acquainted before boarding the ship. Apparently he knew he was a good doctor… I guess.
Titus felt an urge to visit Ronin, to check on the people in medical. That would have to wait. His guests took priority over all else. Until he wrapped that part of things up and got them underway, he needed to put all his effort into getting a leg up in the pending conflict with the Kahls.
I have to sell this to high command like nothing I’ve ever done before.
It scared him. All his presentations leading up to that point felt pointless. They were child’s play. Tactical briefings, combat missions, and performance evaluations. Now, somehow he became the harbinger of a new age. The man to tell humanity that aliens not only existed but that some of them planned to attack them soon.
Blessing and a curse. Interesting times indeed. Well. I guess this is my time to shine. I won’t blow it. I can’t.
Chapter 5
Two Months Later
Kyle Burgess stood at the edge of base camp to watch the sun break the horizon. Off in the distance, far to the east, a forest stretched from north to south for as far as the eye could see. As the first rays of dawn came through the unusually twisted branches, filled with square leaves, the silhouette struck him with awe.
Every morning he rose specifically to take in the sight. Most of the worlds they visited fascinated him in some manner. Traveling to new planets partially drove his work. The discoveries took precedence but the more beautiful the locale, the better. Vargas Three wasn’t the strangest place they ever visited though it made up for it in splendor.
They found themselves in a dusty, rocky section near some foothills leading toward a mountain. If someone deemed the place worthy of colonization, it would make an excellent quarry. Thus far, the Republic had yet to send anyone out to even survey the place let alone establish a foothold.
Which suited Kyle just fine. It meant no one getting underfoot while they worked, no one to bother them as they hunted for relics. Most people, especially colonists, thought he was insane. After all the worlds claimed by humanity, none of them had encountered alien life to that point.
So a couple archaeologists intent on proving the existence of non-human life tended to be the recipients of ridicule and some outward disdain. Kyle didn’t care, and fortunately, his partner shared his attitude. Both had served two tours in the military before going back to school to finish their degrees.
They’d met as a couple of soldiers with similar interests then decided to become partners in their quest for evidence of extraterrestrial life. Partially because they worked so well together but also due to the fact they had precious few allies. Those that did believe in them provided grants for their work.
But those hadn’t been enough to maintain their ship while keeping them fed and in equipment. That came from prospecting and surveying star systems. They sold data on uncharted worlds, making enough to keep going. If they focused solely on gathering what others called practical data, they might’ve made a good living.
The thought of giving up the quest never entered Kyle’s mind. He’d believed in aliens since he’d turned
