The Booby Prize

By J. Robert VanSickle

When the aliens first landed in Kansas, everyone knew that Earth was in for major changes. It was a relief to hear that they had come in peace. There was no reason to rob, murder, or enslave the people of Earth; the aliens technology was advanced enough that they simply didn't need to. But there was a condition that had to be met before the people of Earth could enter the Galactic Confederacy: The Christians had to be removed first.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. Robert VanSickle
• Release date: Oct 21, 2020
• ISBN: 9781005948238

J. Robert VanSickle

After twenty years of fixing electronics gear for the US Air Force, John now writes software in the Houston area.His pastimes include cycling and receiving compliments on his magnificent beard.

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The Booby Prize

by J. Robert VanSickle

Smashwords Edition

Copyright 2020 by John VanSickle

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Chapter 1: Visitation

One of the first things Jim Sathers had learned about the Situation Room was that he could always gauge the gravity of the unfolding events by how tense everybody was. The tension was never zero; the presence of people who could fire them with a word tended to make everyone a bit nervous, and there was always a bit of rivalry as different people and factions jockeyed for influence and favor, but major events would magnify this.

As he went in he could feel that the tension was at its limit.

The president arrived to be briefed. He told everyone who keep their seats and turned to the Watch leader. What's the status, Brian?

Mr. President, an unidentified craft has landed in central Kansas.

Where did it come from?

We have not ascertained its origin, sir. It does not match any known design, and bears no identifying marks. He used a remote to bring up and image on the largest monitor; atop a small rise in the middle of a grassy field rested a large craft whose fuselage was about the size of a city bus. It had two pairs of wings on each side, each pair supporting a thruster, giving the craft VTOL capability. The craft was detected by air control at Selina, Ellsworth, and McPherson, at maximum detectable altitude over its present location. We have not been able to examine the craft closely. Everyone who comes within a hundred yards falls immediately unconscious.

Are they harmed?

No, sir, and if we are careful we can move them away. Once that is done they come to in a minute or so. We're having the affected people examined for any lingering effects.

Have we secured the area?

Yes, sir. The landing site is a cattle pasture roughly two and a half miles west of Falun, Kansas. There are only a handful of residences in the immediate vicinity. We have blocked the local roads to all non-local traffic. That's not going to keep the site under control once word gets out, so we are arranging for the National Guard to provide a more effective perimeter.

Has there been any indication that word has gotten out?

Nothing overt, sir.

What attempts have been made to communicate with whoever is in that thing?

We've tried raising them on all of the commonly-used channels, but there has been no response.

He was looking at the imagery, and raised a finger towards the monitor. Are the cows still roaming the field?

Yes, sir. They are not affected by whatever is causing our people to fall unconscious. We've requested that their owner move them to another pasture, but he's not able to get at the handful that are lingering near the craft.

The president regarded the image for another moment and then turned to Jim. What do you think, Jim?

Jim continued staring at the screen while slowly shaking his head. I'm not sure what to make of it, sir, but I am very worried about their ability to knock people out remotely.

The president nodded. There was a DOD laboratory working on something much like it; if a hostile nation had succeeded in developing the ability, they would have an advantage that would be hard to beat.

Jim turned to Brian. Does SPACECOM have any input on this?

Only that they have not detected any landings anywhere else. They are unable to explain how the ship evaded detection until it was within range of the local air control.

I can't see us missing a launch, the president said. They would have seen the site preparations, wouldn't they?

Without a doubt, Jim said. But if we establish that it was not launched from Earth, what remains?

Meaning?

Jim looked sheepish. Maybe that thing's not from Earth.

The president regarded him for a long moment. How do we know that?

We don't know that it's not from Earth, but it's getting harder to prove that it is.

Well, I'm not going to announce there's little green men until I see little green men.

Of course, sir.

Any possibility that this is a hoax of some kind?

Without the knock-out effect that would remain a possibility, but with it, no. This is something serious.

The president grimaced. I almost hope it's another country that's got a leg up on us. Otherwise, the tin-foil-hat crowd is right.

Jim showed a thoughtful expression, but kept silent. After a moment of this tableau, one of the watch members said, We've got something.

What is it? Brian said.

It's transmitting a message.

Details!

AM radio, eleven hundred. They first detected it five minutes ago.

Can we jam it? the president asked.

It will take time to get the right equipment in place, Jim said.

I want to hear that message, the president said.

Have them patch through an audio feed, Brian said.

The crew member conferred with his contact, and after a half minute of work a voice spoke from the audio monitor. The speech was disjointed, consisting of discrete samples of individual spoken words, strung together to form sentences. This stripped the message of all nuance and tone, leaving the words themselves to carry all of the meaning.

—And be joined to the larger galactic community. We shall confer with your leaders to expedite this union. Attention people of Earth. We bring greetings from the galactic community. We have observed Earth and its people for many years. The time has come for Earth to leave its isolation and be joined to the larger galactic community. We shall confer with your leaders to expedite this union.

The president listened to the message repeat a couple times and then signaled for the volume to be cut. Let me know the moment that message changes, he said. He turned to Jim. Thoughts?

Two possibilities, sir. One of our enemies has a leg up on us, and this message is is to keep us distracted. The other possibility is that the tin-foil-hat crowd is right. He paused. And the broadcast will make it impossible to keep this quiet. We need to get forces in the area as quickly as possible, and get ready for the blizzard that's about to hit us. Everybody and his brother is going to want access.

Major Eric Stanton stepped out of the mobile shelter that was his team's office at the deployment site, took a look up towards the craft that was at the center of it all, and then turned and made the quick walk to the command tent. He found Staff Sergeant Calderon and Specialist Bryan at the monitors. How's it running?

All fivers, sir, the NCO said.

Good. He went to the meeting table—formed by three folding tables set end-to-end—and sat down. He felt his chair sink a bit into the ground. A minute later the tent was called to attention and the general came in.

As you were, the general said. Let's make this quick. There's nothing new from higher up. He turned to the light colonel in the seat to his right.

We have all the through traffic diverted, the colonel reported, and we finally have enough men to have eyes on at every point of our perimeter. If this goes on much longer we're going to need more depth for rotation. We are starting to get more sight-seers. Some of them are turning back, but some have showed up ready to camp out, and some have showed up not ready to camp out, but trying to do it anyway. We're posting notices that there are no facilities, but there are going to be people who just don't listen.

What I am about to say is not going to be popular, but it needs doing, the general said. All site personnel will be in uniform whenever they are not in their quarters. Even if they're just going to the latrine. I want everyone who doesn't belong here to stand out so that they can be identified and challenged as soon as possible.

There were nods from around the table, after which the colonel continued. There's also another issue that's come up. Our firearms are inoperative.

And how did you learn this?

The colonel was briefly sheepish. One of my platoon sergeants told me.

And how did he learn this?

I'm still getting to the bottom of it, sir. I don't know who or why just yet, but someone tried firing their weapon and it didn't function.

And naturally the other meatballs in his squad tried it, too, the general said. Please tell me that they weren't pointing their guns at each other when they did this.

The platoon sergeant says that they weren't.

Make sure it stays that way. The general thought for a moment. But now we need to check to see how widespread the problem is.

The colonel nodded. It should take only an hour, tops, to check each weapon on site.

Do it, the general said. And this is not to be discussed outside of command channels.

Yes, sir.

Anything else?

That's all I had, sir.

The general turned to Eric.

Comm has a couple things, sir. First, we had another security incident.

The general rolled his eyes. Personal cell phone for official business?

Yes, sir.

Everyone, put the word out to your people, the general said. If this happens again I am going to pack up every cell phone on site and keep them until this is all over. Don't think I won't. Major, see if you can source some more secure voice so that everyone who needs to discuss official business doesn't have to stand in line.

Yes, sir. He made a note.

What's the other thing?

The jamming team from the FCC are on site. They're setting up right now.

Estimated time?

They say it will be ready within the hour.

Good. Is that their generator right there next to us?

Eric nodded.

Tell them not to start until I give the go-ahead. I don't want the extra noise interrupting anything important.

Will do, sir. That's all I had.

Head on over and let them know to wait. They may be ready to go already.

Eric rose and stood at attention until the general told him to carry on, and then left the tent and walked out to where the jamming crew was set up. Status?

Ready to go, said the team lead.

The general wants you to wait until he gives the go-ahead.

What for?

The noise from your generator. You parked it right next to his command tent, there.

The team lead rolled his eyes and shook his head, and they waited. After another twenty minutes a lieutenant—the general's aide—appeared at the entrance. The general says you can start when you're ready.

The team lead put his ear plugs into his ears and shouted hit it! at one of his team. He turned a lever on the generators and punched large, green button and the generator roared to life, drowning out the noise from the other generator fifty yards away that supplied the task force. After the new generator had come to full power, the team lead threw a large switch on his equipment, causing the generator to briefly slow down against the sudden new load.

For a half minute, the team lead and his other technician monitored their equipment, but the technician saw something on one of the gauges and nudged the team lead. After looking at the gauge for a moment, he flipped some switches, looked at another gauge, then then shook his head. He made a cut gesture to the technician next to him, and to the technician by the generator as well, and a moment later the generator was winding down again.

What happened? Eric asked.

It's not going to work, the team lead said. They were pushing a hundred kilowatts as it was, but when we started jamming they stepped it up to a full megawatt.

How?

That's what I'd like to know. We can't match that kind of power with what we've got here.

We don't have anything more powerful?

Mobile? Not that I've heard about.

So what now?

I'll be reporting back. They're probably going to have us pack up and go home.

All right, keep us posted.

Eric turned away and stalked towards the command tent; the general was coming out already and they met halfway. It sounds to me like they shut down, Major.

It's not working at all, sir.

"What