Wine of the Gods 05: Spy Wars Read Online Free Page B

pass. "
    A long staticy silence.
    "Our position here is in . . . sible, given the tech we've already seen."
    "Colonel, you and I are going . . . " Static drowned out the words altogether.
    The tech beamed. "Got 'em. They're well north of us, just on the east side of the Rocky mountain equivalent. So they've encountered the Kingdom of the West."
    The ambassador curled an amused lip. "And we're getting the blame? Or is that, the credit? Not really funny, though. We need to be alert, the Earthers military is already engaged, and they aren't going to take a defeat well. They could do something drastic."
    "Nuclear? Do they have the ability?" Idre scowled at the recorder.
    "They have the tech level, but frankly we don't know as much about them as we'd like. We know a little, from the few captives we took before we had to close the gate to Granite Peak. Our lost colonists will have suicided, rather than give the enemy any information. So they should know even less about us. And they don't know we're here." The Ambassador paced.
    General Ifge scowled. "L et's keep it that way. No radio frequency communications, from here out. We don't want Fascia to be the target of a nuclear missile."
    The Ambassador bit his lip. "I'm more worried about biological weapons. We need to be prepared to evacuate on a moments notice."
    Ajha shivered. "The Post Head in Karista, the capital of the Kingdom would be in a position to see the effects early. But not in time to safely withdraw."
    The Ambassador nodded. "Like all of us, he is prepared to send himself to the One, if that is what is needed to keep our world safe. He might give the rest of us enough time to evacuate. If we could be sure the contagion hadn't reached here."
    "Do you suppose they'll do something sensible, like send in their version of Info Agents, to infiltrate?"
    "Earthers? Sensible? Admittedly our sample size is small, but 'sensible' doesn't seem like something they do."

Chapter Four
    10 December 3478ce /Late Fall 1360 local
    Asia, Comet Fall
     
    "We have orders to infiltrate?" Sergeant Damien Malder didn't even try to control his grin. He'd been guarding this side of Earth's transdimensional gate for months. Hoping for just this opportunity. This world had so many oddities, so much potential . . . .
    "Apparently the Council Committee on Military Affairs had enough common sense to realize they needed information. Or maybe they just couldn't stomach a war with the One World. In any case, we've got orders to infiltrate the native society, and get into position to spy on the Oners." Lieutenant Mike Alton looked over at him. "So, how are we going to do this? After what I saw in the battle, I'm not at all certain of what we're going to be facing."
    Damien nodded. Command's first inclination had been a straightforward invasion. They'd been defeated by a combination of terrain factors and . . . really strange stuff. Pity they hadn't realized they needed info first, but better late than never.
    "Speculation later. First, what we have data on. We've worked out the Oner's signal protocol, so we understand the data we're collecting from the Oner's satellites. They have three currently in a low orbit. Mapping and message relay. These are the latest updates on the maps we're making from their data. The natives have got dozens of good sized cities, four approaching half a million people each. There's some very odd terrain, I'm not sure what to make of it. We've estimated a world population of half a billion max. They still haven't recovered from what they call the comet fall."
    The lieutenant looked back and forth, map to satellite pictures. "That looks like a mid oceanic spreading ridge. Right up the middle of North America."
    "And right into the ice cap. Hence the canyon all the way through the ice cap."
    "Damn. It was weird, but I hadn't realized we were crossing the Pole. I figured we were crossing the Bering Straits and coming down through Alaska."
    " Nyet. More like Montana or Wyoming. With