The Commander Read online

  “Just remember what you told me. Big government will hate us, but the public will eat it up.”

  # # #

  Sadie gently settled onto the Baggs tarmac. Linda was on the ramp in Luke’s pickup. When the PR team got out of the shuttle, Luke had them pile into the back of the pickup. He told Linda to get them checked into rooms at the convention center. Annie was pacing on the flightline and she looked upset.

  “We don’t have enough security guards,” she said. “People are starting to show up all along the fence line.”

  Luke gave her a quick hug. “Okay, don’t worry about it. We can call Wehrlite to send more.”

  “I just did. You were right to hire a big international firm. We’re going to need everything they have.”

  “They used to do a lot of government work,” Luke said. “George did his own background on them and they’re solid.”

  “If George recommended them, it’s probably a good choice.”

  “We’ll find out tonight,” Luke predicted.

  “I told them who I am when I called,” Annie said. “I suggested they look at CNN, that we were the group rescuing the space station people. They’re probably just now realizing that we’re not simply a little airport.”

  “When are they arriving?”

  “They should be here now. I told them to come with the biggest damn team they could.”

  Their chartered aircraft is approaching now, George told them.

  Luke and Annie gazed toward the end of the runway. Bright landing lights could be seen in the distance.

  “What about the lawyers?” Luke asked.

  “I fired them just before you landed. Some idiot attorney told me they couldn’t get here until next week so I said don’t bother.” Annie’s cell phone rang. “Just a second,” she muttered. Then she smiled. “It’s them. Maybe they had a change of heart.”

  Luke walked out onto the aircraft ramp to greet the security team and to give Annie a chance to work things out with the law firm. They would be crazy not to jump through hoops. How many law firms had the moon as a client?

  Annie tugged on his sleeve. “Now they’re bending over backward. They’re trying to get a charter aircraft to get here tonight. I told them I’d pick them up at their office in five minutes. I’m going to take Sadie, you okay with that?”

  “Yep. Go ahead, and I’ll see you when you get back.” As she hurried toward their shuttle he called after her. “Annie! You might want to bring back a news crew.” She gave him a thumbs-up and disappeared inside Sadie. The shuttle rose quietly into the sky and one second later disappeared in the distance, accelerating toward Seattle.

  Moments later the Wehrlite Security aircraft landed. Luke was pleasantly surprised that it was a C-130 Hercules, painted in a white, gray and black camouflage scheme. The venerable aircraft pulled onto the ramp, the rear clamshell doors opening even before it came to a stop. Three military grade Humvees rolled onto the tarmac and thirty men in combat gear poured out behind.

  A tall, rugged-looking man approached. “Hubert Sheppard,” he said shortly. “I’m looking for Annie Daniels.”

  “Annie is in Seattle at the moment. She’ll be back in a few minutes. She asked me to get you started. I’m Luke Blackburn.”

  Sheppard gave a curt nod. “Orders?”

  Luke smiled inwardly. Mr. Hubert didn’t suffer from verbosity; he was a no-nonsense kind of guy. Luke pointed to the fence line. “Keep sightseers from coming over the fence. Also, at eight this evening we’re expecting several buses from Reno. I want them admitted through the security gate without delay.”

  “Got it.”

  A couple of V-22 Ospreys flew over the runway at a thousand feet and circled to downwind. “Are those yours?” he asked Sheppard.

  “Not mine. Looks like the Nevada Guard.”

  Luke wondered why the Guard was here. He didn’t imagine it was a good thing.

  Sheppard was evidently wondering the same thing. “I know the feces hit the fan over this space station thing but I can’t go up against the military. Are you on their bad side?”

  “I really don’t know,” Luke said as the lead Osprey turned to base from downwind. It rolled out on a final approach for landing. “But it looks like we’re going to find out. George, put me through to Roth, he said mentally.

  Connected, Commander.

  “Higgins, here.”

  “Roth. The Nevada Guard just showed up. I’m not sure what this means, but it would be nice to have some backup handy.”

  “Understood, boss. I already asked our new navy CO to be on standby. Give him another ten minutes and he’ll have all five of our new warships in orbit over you. From there he can be on station in seconds if you want him.”

  “Good plan. Thanks, Roth. You’re earning your keep today, that’s for sure.”

  “We’re trying. By the way, Annie called. She’s picking up a news crew in Seattle. I sent Amanda down after all. She’s better at handling that kind of thing.”

  “Yeah, bringing a TV station here was my fault,” Luke confessed. “Just a spur of the moment idea.”

  “Well, if the military is there, it may be a good idea to have a news camera on the scene. Might keep people from making bad decisions. Our media support team here is doing a great job. I keep watching CNN and the other news channels. So far everything is staying positive. I never knew we had such great bullshitters. But a few of the politicos are starting to make grumbling noises.”

  “I don’t like the sound of that. We need to counter it, and do it quickly.”

  “Already started,” Roth replied. “I’m reaching out to a couple of K-Street firms that I’ve dealt with in the past. I’ll make sure we sic them on anyone who steps out of line. Anything else?”

  “Not at the moment. Stay close to the phone.”

  “Will do.”

  Hubert Sheppard stood quietly while Luke was talking. If Sheppard wondered why Luke appeared to be speaking only to himself, he gave no indication. Once Luke turned to him, Sheppard spoke up.

  “Guard is landing.” He pointed further down the aircraft parking ramp.

  The two Ospreys taxied off the runway, their giant propellers blowing desert sand everywhere. The connecting taxiways were too narrow for the Ospreys and their eighty-five-foot-wide rotors, canted forward at a forty-five-degree angle, kicked up dust devils and sent swirls of dirt and rocks across the tarmac. The Ospreys pulled onto the parking ramp two thousand feet down from the Wehrlite Security Hercules. A dozen men jumped out of each of the Ospreys and set up a perimeter around their aircraft.

  One of them, flanked by two heavily armed soldiers, headed in their direction.

  Sheppard responded with silent hand signals of his own, and four of his men took up positions around Luke.

  Maybe we could have done this better, Luke thought.

  Instead of trying to get the NASA people back in a methodical orderly fashion, maybe he should have taken them back right away. We could have just dropped them off in the parking lot at Houston’s Mission Control Center. Too late now.

  For a brief moment, Luke hoped that since it was the Guard, maybe the guy in charge would be a dentist in real life. Sort of an overweight weekend warrior.

  No such luck. The guy walking toward him looked as no-nonsense as Sheppard. He came to a stop about five feet away. Luke looked him over. A gold embroidered oak leaf was visible on his chest.

  “You look like that Lucas Blackburn guy on TV.”

  Luke stepped forward and stuck out his hand. “I prefer Luke. Major…?”

  The man evaluated Luke’s hand for a moment before giving it one firm shake in return. “Nick Key,” he said. “You’re trespassing on federal property. I need you to come with me.”

  Luke stepped back and smiled. “Nice to meet you Major Key. This is my associate, Hubert Sheppard. I have to say, Major, I think you’re misinformed.” Luke made a show of pulling his wallet out of his back pocket. He took out one of his business cards and handed it t
o the officer. “I’m the airport director here, as you can see. The airport is not federal property; it’s owned by Nye County. My office is in the terminal building. In fact, that’s my secretary standing there. Linda Cummings.”

  Linda, bless her heart, had returned from delivering the PR team to the hotel and was standing outside the back door of the terminal. She was holding one of her knitting balls. Luke gave her a big wave and she grinned hugely and waved back. She pointed to her chest and walked her fingers toward Luke. He held one hand straight out to tell her no.

  Major Key watched the exchange suspiciously, his eyes darting back and forth from the business card to Linda to Luke.

  “Sir,” Sheppard said quietly. He flicked a glance into the sky. Luke followed his gaze. It was one of the Moonbase shuttles.

  Crap. Luke felt he’d almost had the guardsman bamboozled but now a space ship, looking very much like the one that was at the space station, was about to land. He wasn’t sure what would happen next. The shuttle touched down a dozen feet behind Luke and the side door opened.

  Amanda and five others stepped out; one of them was carrying a large video camera. Amanda was wearing what Luke thought of as one of her power suits. It was a business-like wrap-around dress, but it emphasized her curves and the material had a Gucci look to it, lots of color and pattern.

  “Hi, Luke,” she called out cheerily, sounding as American as apple pie. She hurried over and grasped Luke’s arm with both hands. “Sorry I’m so late. Those CNN reporters want so many details and sometimes it’s just hard to get away. Who’s this?” She saw his nametag and rank insignia. “Major Key? Hi, I’m Amanda Carlson. I handle all of Luke’s public relations and his media requests.”

  Amanda held out her hand to the major, palm down as though she expected him to just wiggle the tips of her fingers, which he did.

  “Ma’am…” The major was a bit startled. “Ma’am… I… What did you say your name was?”

  Luke was a bit sympathetic. When Amanda went into overdrive she could be a real force.

  “Amanda. Amanda Carlson. Just call me Mandy, though. No need to be formal.”

  “Miss Carlson. I was just saying that Mr. Blackburn needs to come with me.”

  “Really? Governor Norris said that? How odd. Oh, look. This must be Annie and Luke’s legal team from Seattle.”

  A second shuttle was descending rapidly and touched down next to the first one. Annie and half a dozen business suits got out and headed toward Luke. All of the suits were carrying bulky briefcases.

  Amanda moved away from Luke and wrapped herself around one of the Major’s arms. “Let’s give these guys a chance to catch up for a second. Is that your airplane?” She looked past the major at the two Ospreys down the ramp. “Those are such cool, helicopter kind of things. I love that whop-whop sound that they make, don’t you, with those great big propellers? One of these days you have to let me take a ride in one, okay?”

  “Ma’am,” The major tried to take a step back but Amanda had him in her grip.

  “Did you know that Luke has other kinds of aircraft?” She turned her face toward Luke, away from the major, and gave him a frantic wide-eyed glance, nodding her head toward the open flight line. “I would love it if you would let me show you what those are like inside,” she finished, turning back to the Major.

  Luke gave her a quick nod. Get down here, he told George. Just one. A loud thunderclap split the sky, and hovering over the flight line was one of the warships. Slowly it descended, settling in the open space between Sheppard’s C-130 and the Guard’s Ospreys.

  The huge disc made everything else on the flight line look minuscule by comparison. The twin cannons on the shoulders indicated its deadly capability. For the first time, Luke appreciated the design work that the engineers had put into it. It was unquestionably clear to everyone on the tarmac that this was a warship from outer space and had more power under the hood than anyone could possibly dream.

  Amanda pressed her advantage with the Major. “Did you know that Luke’s team rescued those people from the space station? Don’t you think the governor would like it if the Nevada Guard were the first ones in the country to be seen on television working hand-in-hand with all those nice people from the moon?” She twisted the major around so they were both facing her camera team. One of her assistants stepped forward and held out a cell phone. “Or do you want to call the governor first?”

  Luke watched Major Key take a deep breath. The odds were high that the Nevada governor was watching this in real time. The major had been outmaneuvered and was now outnumbered. In the space of five minutes, his initial advantage had slipped away.

  Luke suspected that the major’s boss had told him to fly up here and bring this Luke guy in quietly. It was a dumb idea. One of those ideas that middle managers come up with to impress bosses with their initiative. The kind of ideas that don’t do well in the limelight.

  In this case, the entire nation had watched the space station rescue on TV. Luke had been floating around in space without a helmet. Carrie and her ponytail was cuter than a bug, riding that scooter and lassoing the ruined station.

  When they broadcast the reunion of the ISS crew on the moon talking to mission control, Luke told the entire world that NASA could pick up their people at the Baggs Spaceport in Nevada. A month ago, even a week ago, everyone would have laughed at the “spaceport” designation on the airport’s name. Just like they did all the other airports around the country that had tried it. Except it wasn’t a joke now.

  Luke relaxed when he saw the officer sigh.

  “Mandy,” Major Key said, smiling, “I’d love to see the inside of that spaceship.”

  # # #

  After a quick discussion, Major Key and his two NCOs, along with Sheppard and two of his security team, accompanied Amanda and Luke to the warship. And of course, the Seattle news crew and Amanda’s cameraman tagged along to record the event. The warship’s captain, Joe Brady, waited for them at the bottom of the boarding ramp.

  “Good to see you again, Commander,” Brady said.

  “Thanks, Joe. We have quite a few visitors. Can you give us a quick tour?”

  “Of course, Commander.” Brady then looked at the military escorts. “No weapons aboard, however.”

  There was a tense moment while Major Key mentally struggled with the restriction. Then he shrugged. “FAA regulations I guess.”

  No one corrected his statement, but the idea gave everyone an excuse to comply without losing face. Major Key waved toward the Ospreys for one of his troops to come over. It took several minutes for everyone to divest themselves of all armaments.

  Brady gave everyone a big smile. “Please come aboard.” He gestured toward the ship’s interior. “Commander.”

  Luke suspected that Brady’s repeated use of the Commander title would eventually prompt the Seattle newswoman to question why that was so. Fortunately, Brady gave a running commentary as they walked through the ship. There was surprisingly little to see. Lots of corridors, a gymnasium, galley, break room. He spoke in general terms about the warship’s firepower but there was nothing to really show.

  Finally, they stopped before a set of double doors. He explained the doors led to the bridge and asked them not to touch anything while inside. Brady looked at the group for acknowledgement. It was the opening that the news woman was waiting for.

  She turned to Luke and in an innocent voice asked, “Why does Captain Brady keep calling you Commander? I’m Leslie Boyle, by the way, Channel 5 News.”

  # # #

  It was an answer that Luke was well prepared for. It was also one that he didn’t want to give personally and yet had insisted that it not be glossed over. After many long discussions between Luke, Roth, and Amanda, Luke was adamant. They would be open and honest about the alien threat.

  His argument was, “If we hold back anything, someone will say that we lied. And that’s a break of trust we can never get back.”

  Roth contended that a
ll governments lied. It was expected; Luke had no obligation to spill everything. Amanda tended to agree with Roth.

  “The threat affects everyone on the planet,” Luke countered. “That gives them an inherent right to know what’s going on in this solar system.

  Just as important, in Luke’s mind, it also gave Moonbase an effective recruiting tool. “Everyone wants to be a hero in their hometown. History proves that nationalism is a powerful force. Don’t you think that applies on a planetary level?”

  Roth didn’t think so at all. “Politicians around the world will use that same nationalism to incite resistance to you and what you’re trying to do. They’ll use fear of aliens. You ever see a politician who didn’t use racism and bigotry to instill fear? That xenophobic panic will be aimed right at you.”

  “And what if the aliens never show?” Amanda chimed in. “Don’t you think people will see that as a betrayal? They’ll say you used the bogeyman to keep all this wonderful technology to yourself. Luke the Czar. That will be your title then.”

  “If that day comes, Amanda, it will be the happiest day of my life. If that happens, Annie and I will move to Kepler-22, change our name to Farmer and Mrs. Jones, and grow little green sheep with splotchy fur.”

  In the end Luke laid down the law. When the time came, they would be honest about the encroaching threat. It wasn’t as if anyone on Earth could do anything about it.

  “What are we going to call ourselves?” Amanda wanted to know. “We need a name that sounds big. I like PDEF, but that sounds too corporate.”

  “How big?” Luke asked.

  “As big as the Milky Way?” Roth suggested.

  “Yes, exactly.” Amanda said. “We need a name for this alliance that you want to create that’s just that big.”

  # # #

  Amanda stepped smoothly between Luke and Boyle’s news camera. “Let me answer that, Commander. You’re too shy about your accomplishments. Leslie, Commander Blackburn is the Supreme Commander of the Milky Way Alliance. He protects our solar system from the invaders which threaten us.”