Once Upon The Stars (old thread)

[Atrocities]

Part VIII (Alternate Course)

Green entered his office and it was clear to all that he was not in a good mood. He walked by his aid Lieutenant Elise and slammed his office door closed behind him as entered his office. Elise felt a shiver run up his spine. He had seen the General angry before, furious on many occasions, and even down right hostile once or twice, but never before had he ever seen him this angry.

Green wasted no time; he pressed his COM send button and ordered it to contact Senator Caparo Kordesh. Within a few seconds, the Senator came on the line.
“This is Caparo, what do you need General?”
“It would appear that we have something in common Senator.”
“And that is what General?” Kordesh was a man who feared no one, but is feared by many. He is the oversight chairman for the Special Investigations Division of the UGA. He has officers in each department, division, and administration of the UGA that answer directly to him. Not even the Director of the S.I.D. fears him. If Green can convince him that he is an ally, perhaps together they can both obtain what it is they seek.

“The desire to see Benton removed from office.”
“What makes you think I would want such a thing?”
“Let’s not mince words Senator, you and I want the same thing, so let us meet and discuss how we can work together to obtain it.” There was a brief pause before Kordesh responded.
“Very well General. We can meet at the Aries Club for drinks.”
“Too public Senator, I propose we meet privately.”
“As you wish. I will be attending a conference in Vanalder the day after tomorrow. We can meet in my suite at the Paradise.”
“That will be fine.” Green said and pressed the disconnect button. He immediately pressed the contact button and order the COM to contact Carl Wilhelm.

“This is Carl.”
“Carl, are you aware that Tom Christopher is going to fly up to a science base on the Victorian Glacier?” Green asked.
“Yes, he had mentioned it in a meeting today.”
“I need for you to tag along with him.”
“What makes you think he will want or allow me to go?”
“I don’t care what you have to do Carl, but I want you going with him.” Green commented a bit angrily.
“Relax General, I will think of something.”
This appeased Green.
“Why do you need me to tag alone with him?”
It was a fair question, and Green had expected it.
“He is going to investigate an object discovered by the scientists. I need for you to report back to me what he finds.”
“Consider it a done General.”
“Carl, I have men up there now, but they will be under Christopher’s command, and my not be able to offer you support.”
“Understood.”

Green pressed the disconnect switch again and then paged Elise. “Elise get in here.”
A moment later Elise entered the room.
“Yes General?”
“Elise, I need you to send a message to Commanding Officer of operation Discovery, and advise him that General Tom Christopher will be arriving later today and that he will be assuming command.”
Green was sitting down behind his desk and had not looked up. He was busy thumbing through some paper work on his desk.
“Yes sir.” Elise started to leave when Green looked up and said.
“And send in Sergeant Arnold.” Elise’s blood pressure spiked a bit at this, but said nothing and left the Generals office.

Twenty minutes later Greens COM chirped. “General Sergeant Arnold is here as ordered.”
“Send him in Elise, and bring us some hot lacto berry juice.”
A moment later Sergeant Ruddy Arnold entered the Generals office followed by Elise caring a couple of steaming cups of lacto berry juice.
“The General sent for me?” Said Arnold as he came to attention.
“At easy Sergeant.” Said Green as he accepted a cup from Elise. “Elise, I want no interruptions for the next twenty minutes.” Elise nodded his acknowledgement and left the office. Arnold was standing at ease holding a cup of hot lacto berry juice.
“Sit down Ruddy.”
“Thank you sir.” Replied Arnold as he sat down in one of the guest chairs facing the Generals desk.
“I have a mission for you.” Green said as he took a sip of his lacto berry juice. “A very important one.”

[Atrocities]

Part IX (Spies)

The Senate Complex was one of the oldest buildings on Pandora. It was built when the Capitol city was founded nearly a thousand years ago. It had escaped destruction by fire, bombing, terrorism, and civil war. The building had endured because it was designed too. With each new renovation, something extra was added, and something was taken away. The Complex had been modified so many times that no one could possibly know all of the hidden chambers, corridors, or passageways that have been created, blocked off, or forgotten about over the years.

Senator Owen Cassady had walked the corridors, hallways, and passages of this building for over a hundred years and in all of that time he had only been able to explored about a third of the entire complex. He speculated to himself, as he walked alone in the silence of the lower levels, that he had only discovered about a tenth of all of the hidden areas of the vast complex.

Owen was one of the oldest and most senior Senators of the Alliance, and had seen many administrations come and go in his one hundred and ten years of public service. In all that time he had seldom if ever entered the great hidden library of the Senator Complex. It was a foreboding place first kept secret from the population of Mecca, and then later the entire population of the world. It was a magnificent great hall filled with antiques and old world sculptures. The books, files, and writings contained within these great walls were as old as the Mecca civilizations itself.

Mecca was one of the first and considered the oldest of all of the great civilization of the planet. Eighty years ago King Chandler Gore the fifth, founded the Global Alliance and began the great holly war to unite the peoples of Pandora under his leadership. Gore was an insane man who believed that his religion and birth right as the crown prince of Mecca, entitled him to the right of rulership over the entire planet. A costly mistake that resulted in billions of deaths, decades of war, and the near destruction of all life on the planet. Eventually he was assonated by his son Devon who nearly succeeded in conquering the planet but was killed at the battle of Camellia thus ending the Global Alliances quest for ultimate power.

Today was the first time in his life that he had ever given any thought to the idea that it was possible for life to exist anywhere other than on Pandora. It had been written in the ancient Salideen text that the great creator created the planet of Pandora for the Pandoran people. It was also written that there was no other life in the entirety of the universe more honorable than the people of Pandora. Owen wanted to consult the great Salideen writings and the ancient Salideen text about this new revelation, for he had dedicated his life to the Salideen Religion.

About two billion people, nearly third of the planets population also Subscribe to the Salideen Religion. If life were to exist on other planets, it would destroy the very fabric of the Salideen Religion, and thrust the whole of the population into chaos. The followers of Salideen would be humiliated and rebuked. This was something that he himself could not allow to happen. There had to be information about other life somewhere in the ancient text. The thought that life exist on other worlds must be mentioned somewhere within the old writings, and Owen was determined to find it. It was the only way he could save the Salideen religion. If it was mentioned that life did exist elsewhere anywhere within the great text or writings, then salvation was at hand. Owen knew that discovering this information was the only way to save off another devastating world war.

Senator Kordesh was not a man who enjoyed playing second to anyone, especially someone such as Robert Benton. He had just entered his office when General Green COM’ed him, and despite the surprise he displayed to Green, he had expected his call.

Kordesh knew that Green was a determined man who sought the Prime Ministership for himself. This clashed with Kordesh’s own ambitions for the office. He understood the nature of politics and power, and knew that his best weapon against those who would challenge him was information and deception. If General Green wanted his help then by all means, he would get it. Eventually Green’s own greed for power will lead to his downfall.

“Trax, come out here.” He said to no one. A second later a wall slid to the side and a tall and physically impressive person dressed all in black with a hooded hiding his head stepped out from the darkness of a hidden room. “You summoned.” It said in a slow raspy lowered voice. Kordesh looked at him briefly as he spoke.
“I have a new assignment for you.”
“We have not completed our current assignment.”
“Never mind that, I need for you to watch a General Tom Allen Christopher.” He said. “He is the new Director of the Space Exploration Division.”
“We are familiar with him.”
“He will be leaving for the continent of Bastion later today, his destination is a small scientific research site on the Northern Victorian Glacier.”
“Do you wish him eliminated?”
“No, just monitor his activities. Also assign an agent to watch General Green.”
“What of the Prime Minister then?”
“I will assign someone from SID to handle that.”
“As you wish. With there be anything more?”
“No. However, if General Christopher, discovers any of the artifacts, you know what must be done.” It was statement and not a question.
“He will dealt with as where the others.”
“Very good. That will be all.”
The man nodded his understanding and then stepped back into the darkness of the hidden room, and the wall closed.
Kordesh returned his nodded and watched him leave before leaving himself.

[ February 24, 2003, 15:52: Message edited by: Atrocities ]

[Atrocities]

Anyone still reading this?

[Crazy_Dog]

Me,

[Ruatha]

Reading every word, and enjoying it!

[mlmbd]

Atrocities , I am too. I was on yesterday, before you posted all those lovely additions to your story. They are excellent!!

I hope you are feeling well. If not well. at least better!

mlmbd

[Atrocities]

Thanks guys. I feel better, but still weak. I had uploaded them to the ast.com site Last saturday. I was planning on posting them here, but found some errors.

I feel horribly about the loss of the Columbia and her crew. I had written a chapter dealing with why the Pratorian people abandond space exploration, following a horrible tragady, and now, I had reservations about posting it, so I dropped it from the story. I may re-include it else where later on.

Who would have thought that the Columbia would be lost. What a truly sad historical week Last week has been. All three NASA trajodies occured in that week from Apolo I, the Challenger, and now the Columbia. If NASA does anything, they should never send up or recover a shuttle or rocket in the Last week of January ever again.