The Origin of F.O.R.C.E.

Seated at the conference table in the Commander’s Ready Room off the main control deck of the VrrSilliac Xur, the five sub-commanders of the mother ship fleet waited for the arrival of Fleet General Hisspat Zeck. The ready room was a compact rectangular space just wide enough for them to pull their chairs back from the table and stand up to enter or exit. Light from recessed bulbs in the ceiling illuminated only the tabletop and the end of the room where a flat screen monitor dominated the bulkhead. Each Chrysallaman at the table had been handpicked by Zeck based upon no less and no more than three qualities. Loyalty to Hisspat Zeck, unquestioning obedience to his orders and complete and unadulterated ruthlessness.

Tuurket Axxdo was commander of SSizz Group. He was short for a Chrysallaman, standing only 5 feet tall. Even when he wore vanity lifts in the heels of his combat boots, he was never able to increase his height by more than 2 inches. What he lacked in height, however, he more than made up for in hypertensive impatience. If impatience was defined by pictures in a dictionary, Axxdo’s image would be used as the definition. Even now, waiting for the arrival of his General, Axxdo was drumming his fingers and fidgeting in his seat.

A master strategist, Axxdo was known throughout the military for his defeat of the Cuddlur uprising on planet YG-15. The Cuddlur race had rebelled against the colonization of their planet by the Chrysallaman Empire and had attacked one of the settlements. Tuurket Axxdo had quelled the uprising and killed so many Cuddlurs, the race was extinct. Cuddlur meat had a vile, oily taste anyway, and their loss to the universe wouldn’t be missed by any hungry Chrysallamans.

Rasshur Grr commanded the Whegg Group. Of all the sub-commanders, Grr was the one most prone to physical violence. He was the largest Chrysallaman in the room and perhaps in the entire fleet, standing over 6 feet 6 inches tall. His skin was not smooth like most Chrysallamans, but resembled a mat of small, knarled bumps looking like cancerous growths aggravated by constant exposure to sunlight. His angry responses to perceived criticism were legendary. No one ever questioned his orders, and most of his crew avoided eye contact for fear he would somehow sense defiance in their gaze. He had once backhanded an insubordinate crewman so violently, the Chrysallaman’s head had popped off his neck and rolled to the far end of the control deck.

The Cherx Group was commanded by VunnRer Slizzt, a sadist with a penchant for torturing animals. As a youth, Slizzt had once captured a rabbit-sized queller in his parent’s backyard, buried it so only its head was above ground and proceeded to bludgeon the helpless animal to death with a wooden mallet. His parents had shipped him off to military school the following week. Slizzt had no conscience. His eyes were like black pools of emotionless emptiness, promising death to every lifeform unfortunate enough to get in his way.

Commanding the Rryys Group was Gwess Hakwerr, a former professor of military strategy at the Trissalic School for the Gifted. Zeck had wanted an advisor educated in the history of successful colonizations, and Hakwerr was his choice. Calm and deliberate in his decision making, Hakwerr never ventured an opinion until he felt he had been apprised of all the facts. He steadfastly believed Chrysallamans were the superior life form in the Galaxy and destined to dominate all habitable planets, bringing peace through enslavement to all sentient races.

The last Chrysallaman at the table was Shurryek Jorrin. He commanded the Zyrtzz Group. A consummate braggart, Jorrin never ceased to amaze himself with his tales of bravado in the face of an enemy. To hear Jorrin talk, you would think he was the bravest, most experienced soldier who ever graced Chrysalis with the imprint of his foot. Even so, Jorrin was probably the shrewdest military planner Zeck had in his command structure. Shurryek Jorrin always considered multiple ways of approaching a problem, and his final decision was usually based on violent, murderous, overwhelming mayhem.

The general murmuring in the room died away as Zeck entered and sat at the head of the table. Without saying a word, he pressed a stud on his control console and an image of a metallic box with two dish antennas and an array of dark, glassine panels attached to it like wings, filled the monitor at the end of the table.

“What you see is a mechanism built by the bipedal animals infesting planet HG-281. The animals refer to themselves as Humans. It appears, from the extent of meteorite damage and cosmic dust accumulated on the box, they launched it over 30 years ago. My scientists have just retrieved the mechanism and are in the process of analyzing the technological level of its construction. There is nothing onboard the box other than primitive cameras and communication gear. The mechanism has no offensive or defensive weaponry, and its propulsive systems are chemical based and of such primitive design my people are surprised it functions at all. The box is powered by four radioisotope thermoelectric generators so weak they couldn’t power one of the ceiling lights in this room.”

Zeck grinned and said, “The fleet will reach the outer edges of the solar system in one hour. At lightspeed, your mother ships will be only 4 hours from final approach to HG-281. I see no need for delay, but I want to get your input before I make the decision to begin the process of subduing the vermin infesting our new home. What say you?”

Jorrin interlocked his fingers and replied, “I think the approach to the Planet should be slow and deliberate. If the bipedal Humans have any means of planetary defense, it would be wise to force them to reveal those defenses before we commit to a planet-based air/ground assault. We should have unquestioned superiority in space where we have unlimited room to maneuver. Let the Humans flail at us all they want from their locked position on the planet while our fleet bats away their defenses as we would any annoying insect. Once we know what their defenses are, we can attack them at our leisure.”

“I must agree with the astute analysis of Shurryek Jorrin,” Hakwerr said. “If, several decades ago, the Humans launched the exploratory probe shown on the monitor, they could have made significant progress in technological development since then. It would be foolhardy to assume they haven’t developed some form of spaceflight capability which could pose a minor threat to less studious and patient military officers.”

Opening a folder he pulled from his jacket pocket, Hakwerr briefly skimmed its contents and continued, “The initial power source survey of the solar system by our esteemed leader, General Zeck, indicated a power source on the fourth planet called Mars. Since that time, two other power sources have been located on Mars, and all of the sources are mobile. My experience tells me the mobile power sources on the fourth planet are robotic exploration probes. It’s obvious the Humans have developed some form of space vehicle capable of in-system flight. I believe there is no doubt we will encounter some form of spaceborne resistance.”

Slapping his big hand on the tabletop with a resounding smack, Rasshur Grr sneered, “I can’t believe the temerity I’m seeing and hearing around this table. The Chrysallaman military has never lost a battle, let alone a skirmish with a physically and mentally weak race like these bipedal vermin. We should attack swiftly and decisively, wiping out any puny resistance with our vastly superior military.”

“Enough!” Zeck said, ending the verbal tongue lashing by Grr. “Let me remind you that almost 70 years ago, this inferior race of Humans somehow destroyed one of our scouts and killed its crew. An unprecedented act of violence never before encountered in the long history of the Chrysallaman Empire. Whether it was the result of foolhardiness on the part of the captain of the scout ship or sheer luck favoring the ever-to-be-damned Humans, one of our scouts was destroyed. I can assure you I won’t tolerate the loss of a single one of our ships. Any one of you who suffers such a loss will have his life functions terminated with extreme pain and anguish. Do I make myself clear?”

The nervous nods around the table confirmed they had distinctly heard his warning. Even surly Rasshur Grr appeared subdued.

Satisfied he’d made his point, Zeck ordered, “We will use the slow and deliberate approach to the planet as Sub-Commander Jorrin suggested. Let us first draw out the defenses the Humans may have developed and destroy them before we begin cleanup operations to prepare the planet for colonization.”

Pressing a stud on his control panel, Zeck pointed to the display of planet number five with its many moons and said, “I have programmed the master computers aboard all the mega-liners to place their ships in a parking orbit around the largest moon of the fifth planet from the sun. No one aboard those ships will be awakened from stasis until I so order. Once we have subdued the general population of HG-281, I’ll decide how quickly the mega-liners will be landed for debarkation.”

Rising, Zeck ordered, “Prepare your ships for immediate travel to HG-281. Hold your approaches at an orbital distance of 230,000 miles. Once I’m sure the mega-liners are in orbit around the moon of the fifth planet, I will join you and determine how I want to proceed. Dismissed.”

***

The atmosphere was tense in the Staff Conference room as everyone studied the top-secret briefing reports Tom passed around. Waiting for everyone to absorb the information in the summary, Tom considered the loss of Pioneer 10. The datastream from the probe had ceased. Imaging from the Voyagers indicated the Chrysallamans either captured or destroyed it. Odds favored the capture and later destruction of the probe. Tom knew if he was in charge of the incoming fleet, he would have seized the probe to study its technology and capabilities in hopes of learning more about the beings who created it.

The scary part for Earth’s defenders was the certainty the Chrysallamans were now on the outskirts of the solar system, a mere 4 hours away from Earth if they continued on at lightspeed. The battle for possession of Earth was only hours away.

“What a way to have to spend Halloween,” Tom wryly thought, chuckling as he considered the irony of an alien attack occurring on the day many people dressed up like monsters.

Shaking his head to clear out the cobwebs of daydreaming, Tom saw everyone was looking to him for guidance and said, “Major Kurstow, please report on land-based ballistic missiles.”

Kurstow leaned into the table, “All land-based missiles are ready for launch in the U.S., Russia and China. There are a total of 6,000 missiles available, but only 50% of them will be launched at the incoming alien ships. Every missile has been retrofitted with a guidance system tuned to the harmonics of the gravity drive that powered the scout craft captured at Roswell in 1947. The launch codes will be controlled from our servers here in Nevada so all missiles will be fired simultaneously. Their range is only 9,000 miles, so to make use of the weapons appear realistic, we’re going to have to hold launch until the enemy fleet is almost upon us. I believe the launch should be held until the enemy is around 5,000 miles away.”

Recognizing the uncomfortable expressions around the table, Kurstow explained, “I realize the missiles’ range is short, but frankly it helps feed the idea our defense against space invaders is non-existent. There is little likelihood any of the missiles will strike a target. In fact, we’re hoping the Chrysallamans will use the missiles as target practice which will enable us to monitor and analyze their weapons and the ability of their spacecraft to maneuver. At least we will get some idea of what we’re up against.”

Stoneman had been taking notes as Kurstow spoke. When she paused, he said, “So we have 50 mother ships with 5 scouts each. A launch of 3,000 missiles calculates to 60 missiles per mother ship or 12 missiles per scout. Surely we ought to get a couple of hits from all that hardware.”

Kurstow shrugged and replied, “We can’t be confident of any direct hit. The alien ships are equipped with gravity drives and lightspeed capability. They can literally jump their saucers 186,000 miles away from one of our missiles in one second. That’s why all the warheads in the missiles are fitted with proximity detonators. Any missile coming within 1,000 feet of a gravity drive harmonic will automatically detonate. We’re hoping, at the very least, the electromagnetic pulses emitted by the nuclear explosions will have as much effect on the saucer electronics as they would have on Earth-bound electronics.”

“Okay, Alex, your turn. What is the status of the F-35 Lightning fighters?” Tom asked.

Looking at his keyboard, Fields opened a file folder and clicked to display an image on the overhead monitors. A photo of an F-35 Lightning aircraft in flight appeared on the screens.

“Looks like an ordinary fighter jet, right?”

Heads nodded, and he continued, “Well it’s not. What you are seeing is an advanced aircraft powered by Heinbaum Kinetic Generators. Every offensive and defensive weapon is likewise powered. This baby is designed to fly at Mach 12 but also hover like a helicopter. It can maneuver so fast we had to design special flight suits for the pilots to protect them from the G-forces generated during flight.”

Shaking his head, he said, “The weapons are nothing short of amazing. There’re three high-powered cutter rays installed on the craft. In fact, the scientists don’t call them cutter rays anymore because they’re so powerful. The official name is now the McPherson Atomizer or MA. Each MA can slice through the center of an aircraft carrier as fast as the F-35 can fly over the ship.”

“You said it also has defensive capability?” Jason asked.

“Yes, if you look closely at the image on your screens - - Here, let me magnify the photo so you can see the small details.”

“Now look for the thin wire-like structure encircling the aircraft from nose to wingtip to tail.”

Everyone peered at the screen image and began nodding. Alex continued, “That thin wire is a continuous loop of the ceramic composite material created by Dr. Heinbaum. The wire loop acts like a super-powered electromagnet. The kinetic generator feeds so much energy into the loop it creates a magnetic envelope or bubble around the aircraft. In tests, the bubble is so powerful it repels all known projectile weapons including air-to-air missiles. The bubble also provides complete protection from Chrysallaman cutter and heat rays. The kinetic generator on the aircraft simply absorbs the energy from the rays and uses it to strengthen the protective bubble.”

The mood around the table had brightened, but he tossed cold water on everyone.

“Problem is there are only fifty F-35′s in service,” he said with a frown. “Lockheed Martin has ten more under development but they won’t be ready in time for the arrival of the Chrysallaman fleet.”

Smiles were replaced by glum stares. Fifty F-35′s against the incoming horde of 300 spacecraft.

Recognizing he needed to change the subject, Tom tapped his pen on the table for attention and said, “Doug, why don’t you bring us up to date on the activation of our civilians?”

The reports presented so far by Amanda and Alex had driven Doug into a gray funk. It was hard to maintain a positive outlook when the odds seemed so stacked in favor of the lizards. Glancing sideways at Becky, Doug saw her grin and motion for him to begin his report.

Doug entered some commands and a map of the world with its continents appeared on the overhead monitors. A light-red color covered North America, most of South America, Europe, Australia, India, China and Russia. Only South Africa and a few small spots in Turkey and Saudi Arabia were shaded in red.

“Major Chang’s idea of promoting the vitamin elixir as the cover story for the activation has proved brilliant. Seems like Humans just love the idea of greater muscular strength, sharper eyesight and enhanced hearing. Heck, the promise of a 30% longer lifespan was enough to get most people willing to take the treatment.”

“What about the flu-like symptoms from activation? Did the public buy the President’s assurances about the harmless adjustments everyone would feel during the first night after taking the pill?” Amanda asked.

“They did. Right after the President announced the Feds were going to give out the elixir for free, he and the First Family took the elixir on live TV. CNN, FOX and all the major networks carried the show non-stop. I’ll have to admit the President took the flu symptoms with stoic determination. The next morning, the President demonstrated on live TV he could do 50 one-handed pullups without breaking a sweat. After that, the elixir flew off the drug store shelves.”

“The temporary increase of fluoride in the public drinking water supply was hardly noticed. There was so much hullabaloo in the media about the vitamin elixir, the fluoride increase went unreported.”

“What’s the significance of the red colored areas on the global map?” Jason asked.

“The red color indicates the areas where the majority of the population has been activated. The Middle East and Northern Africa pose a problem because many Muslims believe vaccines are made of harmful substances. As a result, the polio vaccine was never accepted by many of the people in those areas, and we can’t activate a person who isn’t carrying the dormant virus.”

At that moment, the intercom speaker beeped and Tom tapped the key to accept the caller. The voice on the other end of the line was Beale.

“Sir, we have a feed from the Hubble I need to display on your monitors.”

“What key do I need to press to get the picture?” Tom asked.

“F7, Sir. Press F7.”

An image of the moon appeared on the overhead monitors; however, it was the other objects near the moon that grabbed everyone’s attention.

“I’m going to pan the Hubble hi-rez camera,” Beale said.

The picture began moving to the left. The mother ships of the Chrysallaman fleet swung into view, one after the other as Beale turned the camera.

“The mother ships have formed a ring around Earth at a distance of 230,000 miles, which happens to almost coincide with the Moon’s orbital path. None of the mother ship scouts have been released from their berths. We’ve counted 49 mother ships. After establishing orbit, they haven’t changed position. That’s not all. The Opportunity rover on Mars has spotted a new formation in orbit around Jupiter’s moon, Ganymede. The Chrysallamans have put the craft from the shaft of the arrow in orbit around it.”

Tom steepled his fingers. “Looks like the Kurstow-Fields theory about the nature of the vessels forming the shaft of the arrow was correct. The ships in orbit around Ganymede are colony ships.”

Thinking quickly, Tom said, “Sergeant Beale, keep me posted about the ships in orbit around Earth. If there is any change, notify me immediately. Blunt out.”

Tom smiled, “Well, we’ve had almost 70 years to prepare for the return. Let’s hope it’s enough. Gather your forces for imminent battle. Major Kurstow, you are authorized to fire the missiles when the enemy ships reach the 5,000 mile mark. Remember people, we have to let them get comfortable. Just enough resistance to show we’re trying to defend our world as best we’re able. If the Chrysallamans get the slightest idea we have weapons that could annihilate them on the ground, they’ll pack up and leisurely dispose of us from the safety of high orbit. We won’t get a second chance to get them in close. Dismissed!”

***

As the colossal mega-liners slipped into orbit around the largest moon of the fifth planet, Zeck breathed a sigh of relief. He double-checked the master computer’s instructions to make sure all their stasis pods would remain active. His military force had to subdue the planetary vermin before he could allow the release of any civilians. Not only was it protocol, it was also the most convenient for him. Civilians always had weak-minded, emotional do-gooders scattered amongst them who might take offense at the slaughter of innocent inhabitants of colonization planets.

He could hear the whiners even now. “Live and let live. Spare the children. Spare the elderly. Blah. Blah.”

Shaking his head at the stupidity of civilians, Zeck reclined in his couch before the master control panel and keyed the toggle activating his gravity drive. As the VrrSilliac Xur sped toward HG-281, he hummed a little tune of happiness.

***

Approximately 45 minutes later, the VrrSilliac Xur coasted into position behind his orbiting fleet of mother ships, and Zeck pushed the stud putting him into communication with his Group Leaders.

“Is everything in readiness?” he queried imperiously.

All five groups responded affirmatively. Zeck imagined he could hear a low, humming growl from the mother ships as they prepared to move toward their target.

“Each of you has a copy of my survey mapping of HG-281. I have clearly marked the territories assigned to each of you. For confirmation, I’ve projected a copy of the world map on each of your control room monitors. Cherx Group, your assignment is North and South America. Commander VunnRer Slizzt, remember the western region of North America was where the scout was crippled. Don’t underestimate the defensive capability of the vermin of North America.”

“Acknowledged.”

“SSizz Group is assigned to the area marked Western Europe. Commander Tuurket Axxdo, that area has a large population in dense, urban buildings. It should be just to your liking,” Zeck said with an evil sneer.

“They will feel the heavy weight of my boot on their necks.”

“Commander Rasshur Grr, your Whegg Group and the Rryys Group are assigned to the Eastern European and Russian land areas. You and Commander Hakwerr will work cooperatively. This is a large area with a sizeable population concentrated in the Central and Desert regions. If necessary, you will provide limited backup for SSizz Group.”

“Understood,” Rasshur Grr and Gwess Hakwerr replied.

“Commander Shurryek Jorrin with his Zyrtzz Group is assigned to the China and India corridor. This land is the most densely populated on the planet.”

“My ships are at the ready.”

All the indicators on his master control panel glowed green. Grinning broadly as he imagined how the Chrysallaman history books would favor him as they regaled his adventures subduing and capturing the jewel-like planet HG-281, Zeck said, “You are free to attack. Good hunting.”

With those words, 49 mother ships began moving toward Earth.