Chapter Six
Hacked News
Kevin, Grace, and Leona ran across the sand carrying the communications equipment as soon as the Admiral signaled them. They skidded to a stop in front of the Admiral and the delfinians then ducked as low among the lava ledges as possible without actually getting in the water. Grace handed the Admiral a bag of ripe bananas and some shelled macadamia nuts. Everyone held their breath watching the submarine break through and then float on the ocean surface. It was so big it didn't seem very far out at all.
"Eddy, can you see the sub?" the Admiral asked over a small radio which linked them to the space ship.
"Clear as a bell. The sensors are on it now."
"Is the ship ready for take off?"
"Yep."
"I don't want to see anyone hurt but, if that sub gets mean, burn some holes in it at the water line. Don't sink it right off, give them time to abandon ship."
"Yes, sir."
"Set the beam pulse short enough to just barely burn through the hull. I don't want people inside fried if the beam goes right through and out the other side."
"Understood."
"Rima?"
"Yes, Grandpa."
"Can you substitute broadcasts from Nation Pacifica's communication satellites with this first contact between aliens and the United States of Earth? Something like, 'We interrupt this broadcast to bring you an important announcement, please stay tuned'."
"It's possible, Grandpa. I never tried anything quite like that in my computer science classes but once the satellite operating system is downloaded, I should be able to figure out where to hack in and send our broadcast."
"Thank you good grand daughter; Get on it."
The Admiral turned to the group on the beach and looked at Grace with a sly grin. "Are you willing to go on nationwide TV and help interview the submarine commander and the delfinians wearing your little lavender bikini?" He held out a microphone toward her. "I don't make any money in this deal."
Grace froze in her tracks. Her face went through a series of rapid expression changes, then she blushed. "Inocente!" She exclaimed. "You're nasty."
He laughed, raised one eyebrow, and handed the microphone to her. She looked at it for a pensive moment, grinned, opened her arms with a sexy little hula shimmy, and took the microphone. "Can I put on my shirt?" She asked, glancing at him coyly as she finished her dance.
"If you leave it unbuttoned."
"Okay. I get the picture. This could actually be fun. What am I supposed to do?"
"You hold the microphone like a TV news person. It's just for effect because the camera microphone will actually be picking up the sound. I'll coach you with points we need to cover when you are off camera. Everyone will be curious about Kevin and Leona, too. We'll lead off with a quick description of how you readied the boat and the three of you escaped to here. Then film the meeting and interview the Commander. Perhaps we'll close with a stern warning from your 'nasty' admiral and a quick recap from you. You won't need to dance for the camera in your bikini," he concluded with a shy grin.
Grace reached out and grabbed Leona's wrist, pulling her into another hula dance. Leona laughed and wholeheartedly joined the duet. The Admiral watched two of the most beautiful young women he'd ever seen clown with an impromptu beauty show. Then they made him laugh. "Stop!" He pleaded; "Two of you might be too much for my old heart."
"Am I supposed to stay in my bikini, too?" Leona asked placing her hands on her hips and tossing her long black hair so it glistened with reflected blue sunlight sparks. She stood looking into Inocente's eyes with an expression on her face that was definitely not the one she wore during academic discussions about economics.
He slapped one hand over his eyes and the peeked out between his fingers with one eye, "I think that's a great idea, but no more dancing, puhleez." Two suddenly mysterious and beautiful babes instantly turned back into pretty young women. They hugged the Admiral, both of them were giggling.
"Armed soldiers have come onto the deck of the submarine!" Sudor interjected. "Cecric and the others are staying underwater for awhile."
The Admiral quickly turned the radio to a Use military frequency. "Banana Republic calling Submarine. Can you hear me? Repeat. Banana to Sub, can you hear me?" the Admiral, grinning, pointed to the bananas in his lunch.
"We hear you. Who are you?"
"We are pioneers guarding intergalactic colonists who contacted you using Morse code. Over." "You are in big trouble fooling around with the United States of Earth Navy. Repeat. Who are you and where are you? Over."
"This is not a game or a joke. A peaceful delegation has taken cover under your ship because you have guns at ready, there is nothing funny about that. Lower your guns so you can be formally welcomed as a Use Ambassador. Over."
"Admiral," Sudor called out. "Perko says the buoy cable gathered into a big knot between the rudder and the hull. I'm going to wedge some hard lava rocks in the knot. The submarine can't steer."
The Admiral winked at Sudor and switched the radio back to transmit. "We have a report that your communication buoy cable is entangle in the rudder so badly you can't maneuver. Over." The sub commander turned to his first mate. "Have you been able to move it yet?"
"No, sir. She won't answer the helm."
"Send some divers over the side to see what's going on. And have the troops stand at ease with their weapons at their side." The sub commander slowly reached for the radio. He had always controlled what was going on around him and was unsure what to say in order to buy time and gather information. He thought a minute and then clicked the transmit button on his radio. "I have to believe a little of what you say. What is it that you want?"
The Admiral watched through the binoculars as divers went over the side and the soldiers lowered their weapons to a less aggressive position. He then climbed up on the lava ledge he had been crouching behind, "I am now out in the open. You can see me at the west cove point standing on the rocks between the sand and the water. Over."
The sub commander looked through his binoculars and saw a man wearing a khaki uniform. "Have you got him on the scope?" He asked his first mate.
"Yes, sir."
"Run an identity check."
"It's coming up know. The man's name is Admiral Inocente Castro."
"Oh. We've got the big cheese of the renegade pioneers here."
"Yes, sir."
The sub commander clicked his radio button. "Admiral Castro. I am very pleased to meet you at last. Are you suggesting a conference? Over." He turned to the first mate again, "Have the divers come back with a report?"
"Yes, sir."
"Not yet, sir."
"Yes, sir."
The divers had slowly worked their way to the stern of the sub wondering what they were going to encounter. They saw the cable wedged into a tight tangle between the hull and the rudder just as the radio communiqué had predicted. It was jammed in far too tight to pull out by hand. The lead diver pointed upward and they turned back toward the ladder at the center of the sub. As they did, they stopped mid-turn and froze. Three delfinians were positioned directly between them and the ladder. Their hands were held outward, palms up, empty; no weapons of any kind. Perko tapped out "hi" with the shell he still held. The lead diver returned his greeting with a hesitant wave. The delfinians swam up to them with their hands out for a handshake. The underwater handshakes with common sailors deprived the sub commander of his chance to be the first Use diplomat to greet a totally friendly alien life form. Cecric pointed up. The human divers readily nodded in happy agreement. They all swam together toward the ladder.
Cecric switched on her translation collar when they surfaced. "Would one of you go up first and try to explain that you have visitors who come in peace and wish to meet all of you." One diver volunteered, climbed up onto the ship, and signaled the first mate to come look over the edge.
"There's one of the divers now," said the mate to the commander.
"Good. Go find out what's happened."
The diver waited for the first mate at the edge of the deck pointing downward. When the mate reached the ladder and looked into the water she gasped in dismay, "Who are you?"
"We are travelers from beyond where your science knows is possible," Perko answered calmly.
"We are here to assist our cousins in the Cetacean Family," Cecric said.
"We wish to escort your ship captain to shore for a meeting with our President," Dawn concluded.
"Commander!" The first mate shouted. "You'd better come over here and see this."
The Commander hurried to the ladder and looked over the edge. The soldiers crowded around to see, as well. Everyone breathed a collective "Wow" and stood gaping in shock.
"Our President wishes you to meet with us on shore."
The Commander didn't move, nobody else moved either. They all stood staring at the shapely heads and shoulders of the most beautiful people they had ever seen. Delfinian intelligence is something any human can instantly detect from close-up. Eyes are a window into the brain. Three pairs of delfinian eyes returned the submarine crew's silent stare with a serenely confident gaze that communicated peaceful intentions as clearly as spoken words.
The Commander pulled his gaze from the delfinians and turned to the crew. "We're going ashore. I want a shore boat inflated on the double."
The Admiral watched all this happen through binoculars. He saw the submarine crew break out a rubber boat and inflate it before turning back to his own small group. Delfinians had their ears to the water and already knew what was going on.
"You can stand up and stretch now," he said as he turned on the radio to the space ship. "Eddy. You and Liz, can relax a bit, too. Can you see what's happening on the submarine? Has Rima patched us in to the communication satellite?"
"Yes to both questions," Eddy answered.
"Are you still with us Liz?"
"Completely."
"Okay. Eddy, fly the ship slowly out and around the submarine so Liz can operate a camera from the cargo bay door, get some close up shots of the sub. Don't show broad views of the island which someone might recognize. Then come back in and land so you can keep the submarine covered, land close enough for us to film your approach. Make sure Liz has a good second camera angle. Rima, can you hear me?"
"Yes, grandpa."
"You occasionally switch back and forth from Liz's camera to ours here on the beach, depending on which shots look best to you in the context of the meeting. Have you jammed the submarine radio so it can't call for help?"
"Okay and yes."
"Take-off now, Eddy. Remember that Liz will be working from an open door so keep a sharp eye on that sub. If anything looks suspicious, back away slowly while Liz shuts the door, then burn a few holes in it at the water line."
"All ready here," Eddy responded. "Five, four, three, two, one, lift-off." Kevin followed the space ship with the camera as it slowly left the cove and moved out to sea toward the submarine.