Hello, my name is Jack.\u00a0 When the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 112 left Earth, there were ten of us Cowboys.\u00a0 Twenty years later, ten Cowboys came back to Earth.\u00a0 We\u2019d lost some along the way, and some new ones came along.\u00a0 New and old alike, we all looked forward to an end to the fighting.\u00a0 Unfortunately while Wars may end, an end to conflict is a lot harder to find.\u00a0 And it is a rare aggressor that is honorable enough to declare war.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Jack straightened the white tie and pulled the white sleeves of his suit tight, making certain he looked presentable.\u00a0 He\u2019d never been one for suits, but he had to admit that this one looked good.\u00a0 It was comfortable too, and he\u2019d run through his morning exercise wearing it to make certain he had a full range of motion.\u00a0 He had to hand it to the girl.\u00a0 She sure did know how to design outfits that looked good, and were actually wearable in normal life as well.\u00a0 Assuming flexible definitions of normal.<\/p>\n
Jack took a deep breath, and let it out again, feeling the stress of the last few days fade into the background.\u00a0 He even felt the stress of twenty years of War fade with it.\u00a0 None of it was gone of course, but it took a step back and he felt lighter than he had in years.\u00a0 It really was an amazing suit.\u00a0 Jack stepped back from the mirror with a smile and a tip of a cowboy hat to the handsome devil in the mirror.\u00a0 Then he walked out of the men\u2019s room, straightening his tie as he went.<\/p>\n
He sauntered into the main hall of the Cybernetic Embassy to the Western Alliance, his jaunty gait proclaiming no worries to any who saw him.\u00a0 He hated to let people in authority think he was impressed by mere power.\u00a0 Especially when that power was as real as that the cyber families wielded.\u00a0 Every cyber family represented here had given birth to children who chose to make warships and fighters their bodies, and swore oaths to the member nations of the Western Alliance.\u00a0 The cybers gave those ships the reaction times of light speed computer hardware and the adaptability of true living beings that allowed them to outfight the dumb ship AIs of the Shang and their allies.<\/p>\n
Betty moved away from the wall with a smile, and moved down the hall at his side.\u00a0 \u201cYou ready?\u201d\u00a0 Her light tone covered the serious words with a tinge of humor, but he could hear the true concern under it.<\/p>\n
\u201cAbsolutely,\u201d he answered with an amused smile, acting like they both knew was right as rain on a spring day.<\/p>\n
She held his gaze for a moment, before nodding with a smile that said she was fine with pretending.\u00a0 \u201cThen let\u2019s rock and roll.\u201d<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, Ma\u2019am.\u201d\u00a0 Jack turned the corner and sauntered towards the briefing room with a smile.<\/p>\n
Two women flanking a door ahead shook their heads in shared amusement at his arrival.\u00a0 \u201cWow,\u201d the closer one said, an urchin\u2019s smile twisting a heart-shaped face under short auburn hair.\u00a0 \u201cI see someone got a makeover.\u201d\u00a0 This was the first time he\u2019d seen her out of uniform, and he had to admit that if this was any indication, civilian life suited her.<\/p>\n
\u201cThat\u2019s\u2026actually a good look,\u201d the cyber next to her said in surprise, looking at Jessica\u2019s blouse and trousers with an appraising eye.\u00a0 Angela was one of the cybers who liked to experiment with her appearance, usually on a daily basis, and today hot pink wavy hair reached down to her shoulders.<\/p>\n
\u201cGee, thanks,\u201d Jack snorted back at the cyber.\u00a0 Angela just smiled back, looking innocent as the driven snow.\u00a0 Of course he\u2019d seen a lot of driven snow, and he didn\u2019t let her fool him one bit.<\/p>\n
\u201cBe nice,\u201d Jessica scolded her cyber, but her wink spoiled the words.\u00a0 \u201cAt least this time he\u2019s fashionably<\/em> late.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack snorted and shook his head.\u00a0 \u201cAnd here I was, thinking of actually giving you the number of my tailor,\u201d he said in a hurt tone.\u00a0 He smiled as her eyes sparkled in interest.\u00a0 \u201cBut I suppose if you wanted to be nicer to me, I could have my people talk to your people.\u201d\u00a0 He finished with a regretful shrug and a wink.<\/p>\n Jessica pantomimed zipping her lips shut, forcing another laugh out of Jack.\u00a0 Then she nodded towards the door.\u00a0 \u201cWe really should be getting. \u00a0You\u2019re the last to arrive.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGot it,\u201d Jack returned and sketched out a quick half bow.\u00a0 \u201cLadies first.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWhy, thank you, sir,\u201d Jessica said with a quick bow of her own, and turned as the door slid open.<\/p>\n Jack followed her and Angela into the briefing room to see the other Cowboys who\u2019d arrived at Earth in the last few days.\u00a0 Of the ten pilots in the room, including himself, half still wore their uniforms.\u00a0 That was good.\u00a0 The young pilots needed some old hands to run herd on them.\u00a0 Jack smiled at a uniformed-Jesse and stepped forward, arms out wide.\u00a0 Jesse answered in kind and they locked in matching bear hugs, thumping each other on the backs.\u00a0 \u201cHow you doing, old man?\u201d Jack managed through the thumping.<\/p>\n \u201cStill ready to beat anyone that calls me old,\u201d Jesse returned, giving him a final thump for good measure.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m hurt!\u201d Jack pronounced with feigned dignity.\u00a0 \u201cFirst time we meet in years, and the first thing out of your mouth is a threat!\u201d<\/p>\n Jesse aimed an evil smile at him.\u00a0 \u201cA promise,\u201d he said and thumped Jack one more time for good measure.\u00a0 Thank God Jesse was missing the left shoulder.<\/p>\n \u201cOh\u2026well\u2026that\u2019s much<\/em> better!\u201d Jack returned with a smile, and another thump.\u00a0 Then he saw another uniform coming around the table at a dead run.\u00a0 \u201cExcuse me,\u201d he said and stepped back.\u00a0 Jesse chuckled and stepped out of the way just in time to let a blonde-haired Cowboy fly by.<\/p>\n \u201cJack!\u201d Kathleen crowed as she tackled him hard enough to drive him into the wall.\u00a0 He winced as his left shoulder protested the assault, but answered her rib-crushing hug with a vengeance.<\/p>\n \u201cWell, looks like someone\u2019s planning some Mischief<\/em> for me,\u201d he grunted, emphasizing her callsign with a smile.<\/p>\n She punched him in the ribs for that.\u00a0 Hard.\u00a0 But she smiled.\u00a0 \u201cVery funny, Jester.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cI always try.\u201d\u00a0 He managed a wink.<\/p>\n She snorted and stepped away with a shake of her head.\u00a0 \u201cYou know there\u2019s a saying about doing versus trying.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYeah, I think I heard that before,\u201d Jack whispered and turned to tip his hat, which had somehow remained on through Katy\u2019s assault, to the other ladies in the room.\u00a0 \u201cI really wish I could remember who told it to me.\u201d<\/p>\n She laughed at his wink.\u00a0 \u201cJust you wait,\u201d she said with a warning finger, but stepped out of the way as a wall walked up behind her.<\/p>\n The massive Navajo Indian everybody called Bull stopped before him and engulfed Jack\u2019s right hand in a paw that made him feel tiny.\u00a0 And when Jay shook his hand, Jack felt his whole body rise and fall in time to the heroically muscled arm.\u00a0 Thank God he\u2019d given the man his right hand.\u00a0 Jay let him go with a nod of approval and stepped away, careful not to hurt the lesser humans in his midst.\u00a0 Jack shook his head, thinking again that Jay really had missed his calling.\u00a0 He should be playing the Indian god of war in movies.\u00a0 Not a soul would question the casting director on that call.<\/p>\n He turned then and saluted Christian, the Cowboy\u2019s newest Major.\u00a0 Christian was an old hand in Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 112.\u00a0 He\u2019d been there the day they all saved a Peloran Battle Squadron from a Shang flank attack.\u00a0 Or so the official record went.\u00a0 Jack knew that the Peloran had been in better shape than that, but when the President herself ordered you to play up the \u201cGreat American Victory at Fort Wichita\u201d you played ball or sat in the dugout.\u00a0 Unfortunately, Colonel Johanson died in the battle, along with his second in command.<\/p>\n The Peloran had asked for American reinforcements after that, starfighter squadrons to make up their heavy fighter losses.\u00a0 They offered to upgrade all the fighters on their ships with full Peloran technology, and to give full access to that same technology to the American government for the first time.\u00a0 Their price was the Cowboys, permanently based on the Peloran warships, and acting commander Lieutenant Charles Hurst remaining in permanent command of the formation.<\/p>\n It was an offer the American government couldn\u2019t refuse.\u00a0 They\u2019d jumped Charles two full ranks to Major, to give him a rank that matched his command.\u00a0 They\u2019d jumped Jack and big old Jay two ranks to Captain at the same time, and that had been the death knell for all of their careers.\u00a0 The Pentagon didn\u2019t like it when the President herself interfered in the natural order of promotions, especially to pilots that would almost never fly on an American ship ever again.\u00a0 And the Pentagon had a long memory.<\/p>\n So they had been Major and Captains for twenty years, with every promotion opportunity summarily rejected.\u00a0 It was the little things that counted when superiors wanted to show their displeasure.\u00a0 In response, as captains and majors and even some higher ranked officers joined the expanding Cowboy detachment over the years, the Cowboys had taken to verbally capitalizing Major and Captain for those who actually commanded the entire force or the detached squadrons.\u00a0 There might be many majors, but only one Major.<\/p>\n So Jack saluted the second Major the Cowboys had ever had and Christian returned the salute.\u00a0 It probably wasn\u2019t entirely proper.\u00a0 Jack was a civilian now, just like Charles.\u00a0 But he\u2019d never been one to care about being proper, and he\u2019d fought with Christian long enough to know that the man deserved his respect.\u00a0 And so Jack held the salute until Christian released his and they shared a smile.<\/p>\n Then he finally turned to where Charles and Ken stood side by side, whispering to each other too quietly to hear.\u00a0 Jack waved at Ken.\u00a0 He normally would have hugged the man as energetically as he and Jessed had assaulted each other, but Ken was the reason for this meeting.\u00a0 Jack didn\u2019t know why.\u00a0 Charles was playing that awful close to the vest, but something was wrong.\u00a0 Very wrong.\u00a0 So he waved, and Ken forced a smile to wave back.\u00a0 It wasn\u2019t a happy smile.<\/p>\n Charles and Jack exchanged nods, and Charles cleared his throat to pull the attention of every Cowboy to him.\u00a0 \u201cWell, now that we are all here, let us take our seats and commence.\u201d\u00a0 The Cowboys followed the order without hesitation.\u00a0 It didn\u2019t matter to any of them that Charles was a civilian now, with no legal authority to order any of them.\u00a0 All that mattered was that The Chief told them to sit, so uniformed and civilian alike, the Cowboys sat with their cybernetic partners arrayed behind them to watch everything.\u00a0 Everyone except Ken and his partner.\u00a0 Charles nodded at the Captain, now retired too, with a wane smile, and sat down.\u00a0 \u201cPlease relay your report, Ken.\u201d<\/p>\n Ken hesitated for a moment, and Sara placed a hand on his shoulder.\u00a0 Usually, a cyber\u2019s holoform could do little more than a feathery touch, a slight gravitic fluctuation caused by the holoemitters in the clothing of their partner.\u00a0 But here in the seat of cybernetic power, full hardlight emitters granted the cybers bodies as solid as any physical avatar could match.\u00a0 The power costs to do it on the city block scale that was the embassy were literally astronomical, but the cybernetic families had the power to burn.\u00a0 So when Sara placed her hand on his shoulder, Jack saw the shoulder sag under her pressure, and then rise back into place as Ken collected himself.<\/p>\n \u201cWe were coming in on the New Earth run,\u201d Ken began to explain.\u00a0 And as he continued, Jack truly realized for the first time that the President had to have been right.\u00a0 He looked around at the other Cowboys, and saw the worry in their eyes too.\u00a0 The report went on and on, complete with visuals in the holofield over the table, and Jack couldn\u2019t hide how impressed he was that Ken made it out of that at all.<\/p>\n \u201cIt was a long flight in after that,\u201d Ken finished with a shrug.<\/p>\n Charles cleared his throat, pulling all attention down to him.\u00a0 \u201cThank you, Ken.\u201d\u00a0 He motioned for Ken to take the open chair on Jack\u2019s left and Ken sat with seeming relief.\u00a0 \u201cAny input?\u201d<\/p>\n Jack sent a questioning look towards Charles.\u00a0 \u201cIs that what happened to you?\u201d<\/p>\n Charles paused for a second before answering.\u00a0 \u201cNot exactly.\u00a0 But there were similarities.\u201d<\/p>\n The slow shuffling of cards from Jack\u2019s right and Jesse raised a hand to Ken.\u00a0 \u201cWe hit nothing strange.\u00a0 Of course, we were scheduled to come in after you.\u201d\u00a0 He shrugged.\u00a0 \u201cMaybe they weren\u2019t expecting you to burn merry hell out of their little ambush.\u201d<\/p>\n Ken nodded slowly.\u00a0 \u201cThat\u2026makes sense.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack turned to Charles again.\u00a0 \u201cHow many others?\u201d<\/p>\n Charles pursed his lips.\u00a0 \u201cTen others are\u2026late for their scheduled arrival.\u201d<\/p>\n Katy shook her head from the uniformed end of the table.\u00a0 \u201cOnly half of us made it?\u00a0 That\u2019s not good.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut of the rest of us, they only hit two?\u201d Jesse said with a dissatisfied frown.\u00a0 \u201cThat seems awful sloppy of someone to miss so many of us,\u201d he added with a nod towards the other Cowboys, and then went back to the slow shuffling of cards that helped him keep his mind from wandering.<\/p>\n \u201cWell.\u201d\u00a0 The rumbling sound came from Jay\u2019s hulking chest cavity.\u00a0 \u201cWe at least didn\u2019t come in on any of the primary routes.\u00a0 We had a\u2026problem.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOur grav sensors broke down,\u201d Winona whispered with a blush from behind her partner.\u00a0 \u201cI actually had to revert to normalspace and calculate our position by starlight<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n Jack forced a chuckle at her distaste, deciding it was time to lighten the gloomy atmosphere a bit.\u00a0 \u201cYou know mankind has been doing that for thousands of years now?\u201d<\/p>\n Winona sniffed at him, but the sly look she gave him said she knew exactly what he was doing.\u00a0 And she was willing to play along.\u00a0 \u201cWell, when you want to set sail in a rickety old leaky wooden boat with the twin pleasures of syphilis and scurvy to accompany you, just ask.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack winced at her riposte, making certain everybody could see it.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll pass.\u00a0 And such a low blow for someone like you as don\u2019t need to worry about getting sick,\u201d Jack volleyed back at the cyber.<\/p>\n Winona snorted and shook her head.\u00a0 \u201cOh, you\u2019ve never had the joy of catching a Chinese cyberbomb.\u201d\u00a0 She shuddered.\u00a0 \u201cThat Wang code makes me feel dirty just thinking<\/em> about it.\u00a0 Thank God I keep backups<\/em>!\u201d<\/p>\n A shudder ran though the assembled cybers and Jack extended a single finger at her in the age-old gesture of awarding her a point in their verbal sparring match.\u00a0 A wave of chuckles ran around the table, and Jack could feel the mood of the room lighten.<\/p>\n Charles raised a hand in the midst of the chuckling to recapture the floor, and the Cowboys gave him their serious attention again, but the gloom of moments before didn\u2019t return.\u00a0 He smiled at Jack and gave him a slight nod before speaking again.\u00a0 \u201cOf the ten of us that arrived, only three of us have been hit if you count the attack at his homestead.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed at Jack.\u00a0 \u201cThat does<\/em> seem sloppy.\u00a0 Assuming they have the ability to create a rogue grav wave on command, why would they not have attacked more of us?\u201d\u00a0 He paused, his eyes unfocused, but no one spoke.\u00a0 They\u2019d known him long enough to know when he was thinking on his feet.\u00a0 Or when he was acting like he was so he could get to something he\u2019d already thought out.\u00a0 He focused his eyes on the room again and pursed his lips.\u00a0 \u201cHow many of you were late?\u201d<\/p>\n Katy waved a finger first, without hesitation.\u00a0 Jay, Virginia, and Dawn followed her example within a second, eyes scanning to see if anyone else would move.\u00a0 No one did.<\/p>\n Jack barely suppressed a giggle.\u00a0 It was too big an opening to resist though.\u00a0 \u201cGone shopping?\u201d he asked with his best wry grin.<\/p>\n The ladies across the table glared at him, and then Jesse jerked as if Virginia had kicked him.\u00a0 Knowing her, she probably had.\u00a0 And it was probably a hint.<\/p>\n Jesse turned to Jack with a smile.\u00a0 \u201cSorry, boss.\u201d\u00a0 And with no more warning than that, his old friend knuckle-punched him in the shoulder.\u00a0 Hard.\u00a0 Yes.\u00a0 It had been a hint, alright.<\/p>\n Jack winced but held onto his smile.\u00a0 Jay aimed an amused harrumph at Jack for obviously getting what was coming to him.<\/p>\n \u201cYou know, I\u2019m glad you sat on my right side,\u201d Jack returned and rubbed the offended shoulder.<\/p>\n Then Ken jerked, suggesting Dawn kicked him, and Jack\u2019s eyes opened in alarm.\u00a0 Ken cleared his throat and glanced at the shoulder that was still healing.\u00a0 Jack raised his arms in surrender to the other side of the table.\u00a0 \u201cWhoa, whoa, whoa.\u00a0 I apologize for any insult yah might have taken at my remark,\u201d he said, filling his voice with sincerity.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd they say corporal punishment doesn\u2019t work,\u201d Katy whispered with a profound shake of her head as the other women chuckled at Jack\u2019s expense.\u00a0 For that matter, the guys joined them and Jack felt supremely outnumbered at the moment.\u00a0 On the bright side, they were truly amused, a much better situation than mere minutes ago.<\/p>\n Of course, a Jester\u2019s work was never done.\u00a0 \u201cJust you wait, my pretties,\u201d he cackled back, his voice shrill, and waved an accusing finger at them.\u00a0 \u201cI\u2019ll get you yet.\u201d<\/p>\n The men brought hands up to cover their mouths, probably to cover genuine smiles that would have gotten them in trouble, but the ladies narrowed their eyes at him.\u00a0 And finally, Jessica leaned forward to aim an impish smile at him from directly across the table.\u00a0 \u201cIt occurs to me that I haven\u2019t kicked anyone today,\u201d she said in a sweet voice.\u00a0 \u201cIt might take some practice to get the hang of it back,\u201d she threatened before turning to exchange looks with the other women.\u00a0 \u201cWhat do you think, girls?\u00a0 Three?\u00a0 Four times to get it right?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOh at least,\u201d Katy returned with an approving smile and the other two nodded.<\/p>\n Jack saw Ken and Jesse push themselves back from the table and knew there was no way they were going to get involved.\u00a0 Not that he had expected it.\u00a0 Still, he had fought well.\u00a0 He brought both hands back up to stall them.\u00a0 \u201cOkay, okay.\u00a0 Due to the overwhelming odds I face, and the sure defeat<\/em> I would suffer, I surrender with abject humiliation.\u201d\u00a0 It was over the top, and the guys snickered around him, unable to keep their mirth under control.\u00a0 The ladies just glared at him, but the amusement in their eyes suggested that they hadn\u2019t had time yet to decide if he deserved more serious punishment or not.<\/p>\n Then Charles cleared his throat and took the decision from them.\u00a0 \u201cWe have actual business here you know,\u201d he said and everybody turned to face him, the mirth of the moment fading.\u00a0 But once again, the room felt lighter, the Cowboys recovering from their collective shock.\u00a0 The major turned to Ken.\u00a0 \u201cI and you were hit on time\u2026but Jesse was missed while on schedule.\u201d\u00a0 He pointed out Christian, and Jessica.\u00a0 \u201cOn time?\u201d\u00a0 They nodded.\u00a0 \u201cWhere from?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cNew Earth,\u201d Christian answered quickly.\u00a0 Jesse and Jessica frowned as they looked at him, and then nodded.<\/p>\n \u201cInteresting,\u201d Charles said slowly.\u00a0 \u201cAnd all of you after Ken.\u201d\u00a0 Then he turned to Dawn, who\u2019d arrived only minutes before Ken.\u00a0 \u201cWhere are you from?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cParadisia.\u201d<\/p>\n Charles frowned for a long, long series of seconds, before turning to Dorothy.\u00a0 \u201cDisplay the full schedule for all of us, and the\u2026delayed\u2026Cowboys, with points of origin and times.\u201d<\/p>\n Dorothy nodded and a display came to life in thin air, showing a three-dimensional map of nearby space.\u00a0 Earth glowed in the center, New Earth nearby in the Alpha Centauri binary star system.\u00a0 Further away, the Chinese colonies at Epsilon Eridani and Cygni, and the Russian system of Procyon, glowed an angry red.\u00a0 No one but the Scout Service went in those areas if they valued their lives.\u00a0 Pacifica in Epsilon Indi and Paradisia in Tau Ceti glowed the green of friendly, while the South American colony at Groombridge glowed the sullen grey of a neutral polity.\u00a0 Finally, the British colony of Albion in the Keid system glowed green as well.<\/p>\n Space between the systems filled with pulsing lines denoting the hyperspace routes that all ships took when traveling between them.\u00a0 They weren\u2019t as straight as they looked due to the currents of gravity that flowed through hyperspace, and there was often a great deal of twisting and turning before anyone got to their destination.\u00a0 But at the scale of the map, it was accurate enough for their purposes.<\/p>\n Numbers began to come to life in a bright vibrant green around each star, and Jack recognized his number Five near New Earth.\u00a0 Charles\u2019 One hovered over Albion.\u00a0 Other numbers came to life as well, referencing the other Cowboys in the room.\u00a0 Finally other numbers appeared, dim and grey, that belonged to no one here.\u00a0 Another display came to life above the map, showing the flight information of every Cowboy.\u00a0 It was a sobering display of information, and Jack let out a long breath.\u00a0 He knew every single one of them.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m the only one to arrive from Pacifica?\u201d Virginia asked, her jaw slack.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd I from Albion,\u201d Charles said in cold acceptance as he nodded at her.<\/p>\n \u201cI and Dawn came from Paradisia,\u201d Jay rumbled, his voice flat.<\/p>\n \u201cAh hell,\u201d Jack whispered as his mind clicked like the proverbial light bulb.\u00a0 \u201cThey\u2019re blockading all the approaches.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cIndeed,\u201d Charles whispered with a slow nod.\u00a0 \u201cI believe you are right.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cBut\u2026how?\u201d Katy asked.\u00a0 Then she winced.\u00a0 \u201cNot the grav wave.\u00a0 That can\u2019t be rogue if all of this is true, no matter what<\/em> it looks like.\u201d\u00a0 The other Cowboys nodded in agreement.\u00a0 They\u2019d all seen gravity scramblers used to destabilize hyperspace enough to keep enemies from escaping a battle, but the waves looked artificial.\u00a0 The grav wave around Earth was an example of that.\u00a0 But Ken had reported a wave that looked like a natural rogue wave.\u00a0 \u201cWhat I mean is, how did they know when<\/em> to do it?\u00a0 There\u2019s a lot of traffic coming in.\u00a0 I don\u2019t think they\u2019d want to stop all the civilian traffic just to get us.\u201d<\/p>\n Charles smiled at her.\u00a0 \u201cI think you are right there.\u00a0 That would be too visible and liable to catch attention.\u201d\u00a0 Then he looked at Jack.\u00a0 \u201cBut they did not need to.\u00a0 All they needed was the information in your<\/em> databanks to find out when the rest of us would arrive.\u00a0 Then they could time their ambushes.\u201d<\/p>\n Jack blinked as his mind skipped over that thought.\u00a0 That information was too secure for anybody to get it.<\/p>\n But Betty had gotten where Charles was suggesting already.\u00a0 \u201cI forwarded the information to the Pentagon.\u201d\u00a0 She looked at the other cybers and they nodded back in agreement.<\/p>\n Charles pursed his lips and considered his next question carefully.\u00a0 \u201cDid you transmit over the air or by physical transfer?\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cPhysical transfer.\u201d<\/p>\n Charles rubbed his chin and scanned his eyes across the other Cowboys.\u00a0 They all nodded in agreement and Charles sighed.\u00a0 \u201cDamn.\u00a0 That means the security leak is in the Pentagon.\u00a0 Dorothy.\u201d Charles turned to his cybernetic partner, his voice the calm one of command.\u00a0 \u201cSend three Avengers each to New Earth, Pacifica, Paradisia, and Albion.\u00a0 Give them all the information we have.\u00a0 Tell them the routes to Earth are not safe and to transmit the information to further bases.\u00a0 All Cowboys are to stop where they are, gather their strength, and hold positions until this is dealt with.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cYes, Charles,\u201d Dorothy acknowledged the order with a nod, but Charles smiled and raised a single hand.<\/p>\n \u201cAnd contact our friends in the Scout Service.\u00a0 Ask them to send some boats with the same<\/em> messages.\u201d<\/p>\n Dorothy froze for a moment, before nodding.\u00a0 \u201cIn case the attackers are watching us for our reaction.\u201d<\/p>\n Charles\u2019 face took on the smile of a predator.\u00a0 \u201cWell, if they really are<\/em>, and if they really do<\/em> stop our couriers from arriving, would it not be fair of us to let them think they had stopped all<\/em> of our messages?\u201d\u00a0 He turned to the other Cowboys with a conspiratorial smile.\u00a0 \u201cI think it only neighborly that we allow them to think<\/em> they have succeeded.\u00a0 Give them a sense of accomplishment,\u201d he finished with a shrug.<\/p>\n The Cowboys chuckled around the briefing table, each one imagining how much fun it would be disabuse their enemies of that particular notion.\u00a0 Jack imagined a grand old party, with fireworks and music and dancing girls.\u00a0 Well, the fireworks at least.\u00a0 He might have to bring his own music.\u00a0 He\u2019d probably have to leave the dancing girls out, at least until the after party.\u00a0 But the fireworks he was certain they could arrange would probably make it about the most satisfying party he\u2019d ever been to in his life.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Hello, my name is Jack.\u00a0 When the Marine Fighter Attack Squadron 112 left Earth, there were ten of us Cowboys.\u00a0 Twenty years later, ten Cowboys came back to Earth.\u00a0 We\u2019d lost some along the way, and some new ones came[…]↓ Read the rest of this entry…<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[7],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1912","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-2325-a-family-affair-1stdraft","uentry","postonpage-1","odd","post-author-jack"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=1912"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1913,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1912\/revisions\/1913"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=1912"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=1912"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/jackofharts.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=1912"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}