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

Harrier’s vehicle swooped to a stop near the huge folding doors of the warehouse concealing his battleship. The Thorncutter looked like any other Asiddian warship, but the similarity ended once you set foot inside it. The Absorbisteel shell was one foot thicker than normal, and the ship boasted five more fusion power systems than its sister ships. Its available weaponry included the one remaining Pile-Driving Booby and the fastest clock-speed computer ever designed by Asiddian scientists. Unlike the other ships in the once proud fleet, the Thorncutter set aside opulent quarters for the Royal Princess and her entourage.

“What is the status of the weaponry modifications?” Harrier demanded.

“Installed and ready for testing,” Vultura answered. “As a precaution, I’ve scattered the fusion generators in different areas of the ship. There’s no use taking a chance a lucky shot would take them all out at once.”

“I want a test,” Harrier mused. “If the ray performs against their shield, I see no reason to retreat.”

“I was hoping you had that on your wish list,” Vultura replied. “There are scout saucers shuttling fighters to the planet’s surface on a regular basis. Select your target, and let me take care of the rest.”

***

Jesús Martínez scanned the Trissalic landscape for a suitable landing spot. It was his fifth trip ferrying platoons of Human and Chrysallaman warriors to the planet’s surface, and he had learned to change his touchdown location each trip to avoid giving the Assids an easy target.

His second trip had almost ended in disaster, and the memory was still fresh. Landing in the same office plaza as he had on the first trip, he had delivered his platoon and rose to a 1,000-foot hover to provide air support in the event they were ambushed. Without warning, a 50-story office tower on the edge of the plaza began to topple toward them. Assid troops had used their disintegrator beams to cut a wedge out of the building like they were lumberjacks felling a giant redwood. The intention was clear. A PDS could not protect its user from hundreds of tons of crashing building. Reacting on impulse, Martínez had dived and covered his troops with the larger shield encompassing his scout saucer Daart. The platoon, protected by the hovering body of the saucer, had re-boarded the saucer and FLITed to safety. Since that incident, Jesús always chose a different landing site far from towering buildings.

“I thought flying a scout saucer would be more exciting than jockeying a Bowler,” Josh King grumbled. “After the first couple of trips, I find this new duty dull - too repetitious.”

I don’t define dull as having an office building thrown at you,” Jesús responded. “I much prefer flying this race car to sitting in front of a computer screen all day. No comparison.”

Pointing toward the view screen, Josh said, “I like the looks of that park. No tall buildings nearby - plenty of tree cover.”

At that moment, a red blinking token appeared in the upper side of the screen. Objects too far away to be identified by the optical recognition software were displayed as general aircraft icons. One of the icons made a sudden leap toward the center of the monitor and transformed into an Asiddian Talon fighter as the video algorithms identified it. The fighter activated a disintegrator beam as it dived past them. The reddish-yellow halo of the Daart shield appeared and neutralized the attack.

“Josh, target and destroy. I don’t get why they waste their time firing on us.”

“It is rather strange,” Josh responded as he typed instructions into his fire control keyboard. “Wait. The pilot’s coming around for another pass . . .”

His words were cut short as a white, sparkling ray shot from the fighter. It lanced through the Daart’s shield and melted a wide hole in the side of the saucer.

Gripping the flight controls, Jesús fought to keep the saucer level as it lost aerodynamics. Vibrations shook the control room, and the thunder of rushing air made hearing difficult.

“What was that?” Jesús yelled over the noise.

“I don’t know, but we’ve got to warn Destinnee,” Josh howled as he flipped new switches. “Destinnee control. Destinnee control. Assids have new ray weapon. Shield ineffectual. Shield ...”

A new sight rising on the screen silenced him. Jesús put the Daart into a hover and looked to see what had Josh’s attention.

An Assid battleship with all spines aiming toward them rose into view. It had been hidden in some kind of underground lair that their sensors hadn’t detected. Its massive size already dwarfed the Daart, and it had only cleared a third of its bulk from the shelter.

“I thought all those ships were destroyed,” Josh whispered.

“Obviously not,” Jesús responded as he flicked the switch to open the channel to Destinnee. “Destinnee control. There is a surviving Assid battleship . . .”

His last words died with the saucer and everyone on board. A white, sparkling ray blasted from the battleship’s spines through the Daart’s midsection and dissolved it. The hollowed-out disc crashed to the planet’s surface and bounced like a penny dropped on a sidewalk. Nothing was left except a smoking ruin with the shadow of the Asiddian battleship hovering nearby.

***

“Enemy saucer just entered our air space,” the technician announced.

“On screen. Vultura. Prepare the ray,” Harrier ordered.

The Thorncutter sensors had monitored several scout saucers making repeated landings. Analysis indicated they were being used for troop movements. One of the saucers consistently avoided landing near tall buildings which made it the ideal candidate for testing Vultura’s new energy ray.

“You’re sure the new ray will penetrate their shield?”

“I have a high degree of confidence, but the only way to test my hypothesis is to shoot at an active shield. I have taken the liberty of installing a smaller version of the weapon on a Talon fighter. In the off chance it is ineffectual, better to risk the loss of a fighter than our only surviving battleship.”

“I agree the prudent approach is best,” Harrier responded as he thought back to his encounter with Miguel. “Get on with it.”

Flipping the transmit toggle, Vultura said, “Talon Claw, initiate attack vector Alpha.”

Vultura had given explicit orders to the fighter pilot. She was to make a first pass on the enemy saucer firing a disintegrator to force the shield into activation. When she was sure the protective bubble was in operation, she was authorized to fire the new weapon.

Harrier watched with eager anticipation as the first shot activated the protective screen. He felt jumpy and out of sorts after his confrontation with the Princess and her Human lover. His run of losses was growing longer, and he yearned for a win. He hated to put his reliance on science rather than the physical pleasure of combat, but with these Humans he had no choice. Like it or not, their overwhelming physicality made better technology the only viable option.

The Talon made a turn and darted back for its second run. The new white, sparkling ray lanced toward the saucer, burned a hole through the shield and through its fuselage. It was obvious the saucer pilot was fighting his controls as the craft wobbled and vibrated from the impact and damage.

A whoop of joy burst from Harrier, and he slammed his fist on his armrest. “Navigator, take us toward the enemy ship. Dr. Vultura. Ready my weapons. The Chrysallamans and their Human friends are going to feel my wrath.”

The Thorncutter shuddered and rose from its underground shelter. The new weapon spines twisted toward the damaged saucer. A vapor mist swirled in the air around the hole torn open by the Talon attack.

“Target the center and take it out,” Harrier ordered.

They were still a quarter mile away when the weapons fired. The entire center of the saucer dissolved into nothingness as the white ray tore through it. With its power systems destroyed and crew dead, what was left of the saucer plummeted to the ground, bouncing and flipping several times before it came to rest.

Silence filled the control room until one of the crew began screaming victory. Even Harrier joined in the celebration for a brief moment. The shield was no longer a factor. The killing field had been leveled.

Staring around the control room with an evil smile, Harrier said, “Let’s go hunting bigger game.”

As the shouts of agreement echoed around him, his smile widened. He didn’t notice the worried look on Vultura’s face.

***

Tom was conferring with Hisspat Zeck about the ground offensive when Janniss Whirrnigg interrupted. “General Blunt, scout saucer Daart has been destroyed. I have their last transmissions.”

“Play them.”

“The first transmission came approximately 15 seconds before the last. I’ll play them as received.”

Josh King’s voice was stressed and air noise made it difficult to hear, “Destinnee control. Destinnee control. Assids have new ray weapon. Shield ineffectual. Shield . . .”

The last FLR was even more ominous, “Destinnee control. There is a surviving Assid battleship . . .”

Whirrnigg answered Tom’s next question without prompting, “Scans of the Daart’s landing zone reveal no active FLIT generators. There are no signs of Human or Chrysallaman survivors.”

Tom’s gut wrenched. Stabbing the ‘General Quarters’ alarm, he said, “Captain McPherson, ready all weaponry. Lloyd, give me VIEW mode. Colonel Stoneman, back us away from Chrysalis at one-half lightspeed. I want some room to maneuver. Lieutenant O’Connell, recall all saucers.”

Whatsit trotted through the hatch just as O’Connell said, “Sir, look.”

An Asiddian battleship emerged from a dense cloud bank in the planet’s upper atmosphere and hurtled toward them. A white, sparkling ray leaped from it and damage alarms began wailing.

With the VIEW mode in operation, the damaged area on Destinnee appeared first as a blank spot in the port side and then as the hatchway leading to the Bridge cafeteria as the cameras feeding the bulkhead display failed.

Punch us out of here, Jason!” Tom screamed as a second ray lanced at Destinnee.

The ship jumped five light years as Lloyd took the initiative. His picosecond reaction prevented an amidship hit that would have crippled the Destinnee and obliterated over half its crew.

As detailed damage reports began filtering into control, McPherson thumbed the ship intercom and said, “Drs. Heinbaum and GooYee to the control room. On the double.”

***

As the Thorncutter climbed into the thick clouds, Harrier said, “The moment sensors detect the Chrysallaman craft, we attack.”

“I urge caution, General,” Vultura responded. “They may have protections we’re not prepared to undertake. I don’t trust their scientists.”

“Have you no confidence about your discovery?”

“Of course. Its efficacy against a saucer has been tested, but their main warship may have other defenses.”

“My aggressive response to their destruction of my fleet is the only positive outcome I see,” Harrier growled. “I will strike while the advantage is mine.”

Science Officer Skua broke into their discussion, “Sir, sensors have detected a large mass moving away from the planet at half lightspeed.”

“That’s it”, Harrier said. “Navigator, plot an intercept course. Weapons master, the moment we are in range, activate the new ray.”

Despite his doubts, Vultura stared at the view screen. Keeping his hands concealed in his jacket pockets to hide their shaking, he tried his best to appear nonchalant as the Thorncutter broke through the cloud bank and arrowed toward its target.

Even though the Destinnee was moving away from Chrysalis, it was clear she was not in full retreat because the gap between the ships closed. The targeting software locked onto the Destinnee and Vultura’s white ray erupted from the spines.

The protective bubble that blocked the Asiddian laser didn’t activate. Unimpeded, the white, sparkling ray drilled a hole through one of the FORCE icon displays. Debris exploded from the rupture, and the great ship wobbled.

“Fire again amidship,” Harrier ordered with a smile.

Just as the Weapons Master pushed the firing button, the Destinnee disappeared, and the white ray bored through empty space.

For a few seconds, Harrier stared at the empty screen. The debris from the first shot floated into ever widening arcs.

“Next time, I’ll crack you open like an egg,” he muttered.

***

“We lost a quarter of our sensor arrays, one FLIT Gen, and we’ll be on water rations for the duration,” Doug said as he reviewed damage reports.

“Fortunately, personnel losses were minimal,” Becky added. “Twenty-eight Humans and twelve Chrysallamans were in the target area.”

“Where’s Heinbaum?” Tom asked. “I need answers.”

“Heiny and Gooey are acting strange,” McPherson replied. “When I told them to come here on the double, they said they’d be along in a minute. When I said they didn’t have a minute, they said it didn’t matter.”

Tom was upset. His ship was compromised, and his top science team wasn’t responding. His finger was hovering over the FLR intercom link to Heinbaum’s labs when a breeze fluttered his hair.

Absently rubbing his neck where the draft tickled his skin, Tom was about to push the button when he noticed his staff staring at him like he had suddenly grown a tail.

Something tapped his shoulder. Turning, Tom gaped. Heinbaum and GooYee stood smiling at him, and he hadn’t heard them enter the room.

“Glad to see you took time from your busy . . .”

Heinbaum disappeared, and a soft thump sounded from where he had been standing. Then GooYee disappeared with a thump. Whirling to see if his staff was watching, Tom saw Heinbaum pop into existence beside Whatsit.

A breeze seemed to flow across the room from Heinbaum’s position. The skinny scientist placed his hand on Whatsit’s shoulder, and they both disappeared with a thump. Loose papers on the desk whipped into the empty spot where Whatsit had been sitting.

Doug went to Whatsit’s chair and ran his hands through the empty space.

There came a muffled snick and McPherson’s Microtec Halo OTF knife slid into his palm from his sleeve holster. Poising his thumb on the blade release as he looked warily around the room, he said, “Try that trick on me, Heiny, and you won’t be happy with the new arrangement of your face”

The conference room door opened, and in walked Heinbaum, GooYee and Whatsit.

“Oh, put the knife away and sit down,” Heinbaum blustered. “I didn’t realize you’d react like some Nervous Nellie to more of my magic.”

“What the Hell,” McPherson mumbled as he slid his knife back into his holster.

“Glad you asked,” Heinbaum replied as he wrapped his arm around GooYee’s shoulders. “My collaboration with Dr. GooYee has resulted in one of my greatest achievements.”

Opening his lab coat, Heinbaum pointed to a miniature FLIT drive embedded in his belt buckle. The clear glass globe was marble sized and if you casually glanced at the mechanism, it looked like a buckle decoration. A thin wire from the device trailed up his shirt and down his sleeve to a handheld box with one button. The light in the button was currently yellow.

“I call it the I-FLIT for Individual Folded Link Instantaneous Travel. A spaceship is no longer needed for travel to designated coordinates.

Holding up the box in his hand, he explained, “This box is a telepathic token similar to the ones all over this ship. It’s connected to Lloyd by FLR. I simply think of where I want to travel. Lloyd receives my thoughts, calculates the spatial coordinates of the destination and feeds them into my I-FLIT. When the light is green, I activate and presto, I am transported to my desired destination.”

GooYee broke into the explanation, “The field of operation will encompass any living being the user touches during transport. We demonstrated the effect on Whatsit.”

Slapping Heinbaum on the back with a friendly thump that caused the skinny scientist’s glasses to almost leap off his face, GooYee said, “I never thought of using the FLIT Drive for anything but spaceships; however, when you think about it, a body is nothing but a structure built of water, a few metals and various kinds of salts.”

Rolling his shoulders to ease the shock of GooYee’s backslap, Heinbaum said, “Using the device causes disturbances in the air. Arrival displaces it causing a slight breeze. Departure creates a vacuum which the surrounding air rushes to fill with a thumping sound. I predict my device will be useful for guerrilla war tactics.

Looking at McPherson, he continued with a sarcastic smile, “I dare say McPherson will do quite well with the new technology given he’s half ape.”

If the look in McPherson’s eyes turned real, Heinbaum would have disappeared in a fireball. It was a good thing the snide weasel was out of reach on the opposite side of the cabin, or he would have spent the next few weeks in a body cast.

“To say I’m impressed is an understatement,” Tom said in an effort to avoid the brewing fight. “But I’m concerned about their new white ray. Our shield is useless.”

“I have worked out a new geometric algorithm for the shield,” GooYee responded with a dismissive wave. “The configuration is similar to the mirror effect I used during our first encounter with Winged Death.

“Will it protect us or just overheat the FLIT Gens?” Becky asked.

“Yes and no. It is designed to stop the ray, but we must be within 1,000 miles of the Asiddian ship before my solution will work.”

“I don’t understand,” Doug said. “A shield is a shield. It either works at all times or it’s impractical. Why do we have to be so close to the enemy before we can use it?”

“The shield isn’t for us, it’s for them,” GooYee said.