Byrd interrupted, “That brings me to my next point. As the Impegi was crashing, I launched six nuclear missiles at Russia in an effort to distract them from the crashed ship.”
“Holy shit, you did what?” That outburst was by Fleet Admiral Kevin Butler, MJ-2, the only person that would dare challenge MJ-1 in such a manner. “You could have moved up our extinction event by nine years!”
“I used our new TEPNOS missiles. They are invisible until impact, and they came from space. They were not launched from one of our silos,” Byrd said calmly. “I had to make a quick decision, and it is done.”
“God dammit; I always wanted to nuke Russia. When it comes time for the job, the space cadets get the honors! It just does not pay to be in the Army.” General Barnes slammed his fist on the table. “Next time Russia gets nuked, I got dibs on the trigger.”
“No one is nuking Russia anymore,” the Fleet Admiral said. “What next?”
“I sent an elite team into Russia to recover the Element 115. They should be on the ground any minute,” Byrd said.
“Dammit, once again, I’m out of the loop. My special forces can run circles around your space cadets,” General Barnes said.
“So, let me get this straight. You nuked, and then invaded Russia, without consulting us or the President?” Lisa said in disbelief.
“In a word, yes. But, we are an hour into the mission, and Russia has not blamed anyone. I used low-yield nukes and hit low population areas. Russia is moving assets into the area to investigate, but our men should be able to get in and out before the Russians are fully aware of the true situation.”
Lisa said, “How many assets are the Russians moving to the crash site?”
“It looks like all of them.”
“How many is that?”
“Best we can tell, couple hundred fighters, two carrier groups, three armored divisions, artillery and ground troops. But they are moving very slowly. The roads are impassable due to the weather,” Byrd said.
“They will have air superiority soon,” the Fleet Admiral said. “We have a very short window of time.”
“I agree,” Byrd said. “But, that is not why you are here. Part of the reason I brought you here is to inform you of what happened. The main reason you are here today is to help decide what to do next.”
“What’s that?” Barnes asked.
“Well, there’s trillions of dollars’ worth of cargo sitting in Russia. That cargo, aside from its immense value, is the only way we will be able to defend ourselves in the suspected alien invasion. What are we willing to do to protect it?” Byrd paused for effect. “WWII was fought over far less.”
Barnes said, “You are asking us for a full-scale invasion into Russia? The consequences would be nothing less than World War Three, maybe a nuclear holocaust. The dead would be measured in the billions. It would make WWII look like a walk in the park. But, if you are asking me if we would win? Then, yes, we would. Even if China stepped up, it would be tough; we would take millions of casualties at home, but we would win.” Barnes had a certain glee in his eye, like a kid on Christmas Eve.
Lisa, the newest member, clinching her fists, said, “I can’t believe I am hearing this. You guys are seriously discussing going to war with a nuclear super power over an element used to build air planes. Who cares if we get the element, if half the world is uninhabitable for a thousand years because we started a nuclear war?”
“The mission must be clandestine. We need a backup plan to our backup plan. We need all our assets in the area operational and prepared for action. How do we air lift the cargo out of there?”
“Our latest Aurora project, call name Flying City, is a massive cargo craft capable of transporting 750,000 pounds of cargo. Officially, the plane is designated a Nuclear Powered Antigravity Tactical Transport, or NATT for short. It was designed for delivering heavy cargo directly to the battlefield undetected. Think of the TR-3B, only much larger. It is enrooted to the target destination to retrieve the men and cargo.” Byrd explained.
“Ha. That’s not impressive. The Russians had a cargo plane that could carry almost 600,000 pounds of cargo over 20 years ago,” Donald Barnes said.
“It is impressive. Trust me, this is no An-225 Mriya. While that was impressive for its day, the Flying City carries 200,000 pounds more cargo and has stealth features, including invisibility. But that’s not the special part, this plane uses our latest antigravity technology and flies at Mach Two.”
“Wow. Now that is impressive. You have a plane that can carry over a half million pounds of cargo at 1,500 miles per hour? All while being invisible?”
“That’s right. The antigravity technology means we don’t have to fight gravity for takeoff or while in flight. All power is directed toward directional thrust. If you think that is impressive, we are damn near having an electromagnetic pulse drive that when combined with the antigravity technology, will more than double our speed capabilities.”
Donald Barnes stood up and straightened out his ACU, adjusted his belt, and said, “Gentlemen, this is a good plan, but those Russians are sneaky bastards. This plane may be the answer, but we need a backup plan. We need to have other planes and assets available in the region in case something goes wrong and our boys need back up.”
The group stayed for a few minutes later discussing the plan, then dispersed.
The Governor’s personal cell phone rang again as he walked out of the conference room. He looked down at the number; it was one he recognized.
He swiped the glowing screen and put it to his ear. “Hello Mr. President; this is Governor Robert Fisher.”
“Robert, I have something really important to discuss with you. Do you have a minute?”
“Yes, Sir. I was just sitting here going over some paperwork; I could use the distraction,” Robert lied.
“So, you know, Virginia will have an open Senate seat coming up in a couple of years.”
“Yes, looks like Chuck is looking to retire soon. I heard the party chairman was considering a run?” the Governor replied.
“Yes, but some of us think there is just too much controversy surrounding the chairman. We need a good, middle of the road, populist. Somebody like you, Robert. We have to watch out for our friends in the progressive wing of the party; they seem to be gaining momentum.”
“Thank you, Mr. President. It seems a bit early to start a campaign, but, I would be happy to serve in whatever capacity I can.”
“It’s never too early to start laying the ground work. So, it would be okay for me to float your name as a possible candidate?”
“It would be my honor, Mr. President.”
“Excellent. Let me make a few phone calls. I’ll get back to you in a week or so.” The call ended.
CHAPTER THIRTY-FIVE
Magadan Oblast
Gliding over the crash site at 125 miles per hour, Snap was in awe at the sight of the massive debris field. The sunless sky reflected enough light to clearly make out large sections of the once great interstellar ship. The ship had broken into three large sections, and all were lying in a long, deep trench that had been dug out as the ship crashed into the ground.
“West, I’m surprised that the ship is this much intact,” Snap said into his COM system.
“Yeah, it’s like a fifty-story building toppled over. If it’ superstructure had collapsed anymore, I’m not sure we would able to locate the cargo.”