he's brown all over, fit him with a silver jump suit. Meanwhile, I want you to find where they're training the Beta 4 humanoids. This shouldn't be too hard for Marge. Tell her they're calling them 'livestock.' No doubt they realize that we can tap into any of their communications and have made sure that no red flags would pop up.
"Next, I want you to have our people sneak John Henry in to the Beta 4 training facility. If he's painted brown and wearing his prostheses, it shouldn't be too hard to make the guards think he's one of the Beta 4 humanoids. He'll have the silver jump suit under his clothes, and when night comes and the guards aren't in sight, he's to take off his prostheses and his outer clothing, leaving him clothed only in the jump suit. Make sure he knows not to let the Beta 4 humanoids see him do this. Then he should go to the Beta 4's, being careful not to be caught by the guards, and he should say this to them, My children the time has come to fight. You must cleanse the Earth with the blood of the Reliance people. Rise up and smite your oppressor
.
If he says this exactly – or at least close enough, they will listen to him and do exactly as he says, so you have to make sure that nothing happens to him until they have successfully joined with our people in Zone 2-A."
"Are you alright, RJ?" Mickey asked looking at the list he held in his hands.
"It sounds crazy, but it's a good sound plan, Mickey. So just do it," RJ ordered.
"Okay, RJ," Mickey said. "If you say so."
"Alright, tell me what you're supposed to do."
"Take a handless man, paint him brown, put him in a silver jump suit. Sneak him into the camp where they are training the Beta 4 humanoids, and have him tell them that they have to cleanse the earth with the blood of the Reliance. Don't worry; I wrote it all down," Mickey said.
"You have a super computer, and you wrote it down!" RJ laughed.
Mickey looked at Diana and shrugged, then said more to her than to RJ, "It helps me remember."
"And a super computer can't?" RJ asked.
Mickey smiled in spite of himself. "Is that all RJ?"
"No. One more thing," RJ said. "Tell John Henry try to sound like a god."
"Is this a joke, RJ?" Mickey asked.
"Would I call you across the vastness of space to play a joke on you?" RJ replied.
Mickey thought about it for a moment. "Yes, I think you would."
"Well, I'm not. Now just do it. Believe me, you want these people on your side."
Chapter Six
Smoke and flames and screams. Levits found himself on the bridge of the ship screaming into the com-link. "Abandon ship! Abandon ship!"
What the hell had happened? He had been farting around when he should have been on the bridge. He had thought they were safe; he hadn't realized they were in any danger until they'd been hit. They'd spit back a long stream of return fire on the alien ship, but it was too little too late. One of the hits had caused a fire, and that fire was running through the ship unchecked because for some reason the extinguishing system wasn't working. He got hit full in the face with the smell of burning flesh and when he rounded the corner he stepped on the corpse of one of his friends.
It was all over now, they were all going to die, and it was his fault. His fault because he had been lax. His fault because he hadn't given the order to evacuate till it was too late, and his fault that he didn't go down with the ship.
Levits woke up screaming and was glad to see RJ sitting on the bed beside him. She must have shaken him awake. He drew a deep, shuddering breath and let it out. "What are you doing here?" he asked when his mind cleared. "Is something wrong with the ship? Who's at the helm?"
"Relax. Nothing's wrong with the ship, and Poley is at the helm," RJ said. She rubbed a hand down his shoulder. "Everyone's asleep. I felt your distress. Must have been one hell of a dream."
"You wouldn't
"Next, I want you to have our people sneak John Henry in to the Beta 4 training facility. If he's painted brown and wearing his prostheses, it shouldn't be too hard to make the guards think he's one of the Beta 4 humanoids. He'll have the silver jump suit under his clothes, and when night comes and the guards aren't in sight, he's to take off his prostheses and his outer clothing, leaving him clothed only in the jump suit. Make sure he knows not to let the Beta 4 humanoids see him do this. Then he should go to the Beta 4's, being careful not to be caught by the guards, and he should say this to them, My children the time has come to fight. You must cleanse the Earth with the blood of the Reliance people. Rise up and smite your oppressor
.
If he says this exactly – or at least close enough, they will listen to him and do exactly as he says, so you have to make sure that nothing happens to him until they have successfully joined with our people in Zone 2-A."
"Are you alright, RJ?" Mickey asked looking at the list he held in his hands.
"It sounds crazy, but it's a good sound plan, Mickey. So just do it," RJ ordered.
"Okay, RJ," Mickey said. "If you say so."
"Alright, tell me what you're supposed to do."
"Take a handless man, paint him brown, put him in a silver jump suit. Sneak him into the camp where they are training the Beta 4 humanoids, and have him tell them that they have to cleanse the earth with the blood of the Reliance. Don't worry; I wrote it all down," Mickey said.
"You have a super computer, and you wrote it down!" RJ laughed.
Mickey looked at Diana and shrugged, then said more to her than to RJ, "It helps me remember."
"And a super computer can't?" RJ asked.
Mickey smiled in spite of himself. "Is that all RJ?"
"No. One more thing," RJ said. "Tell John Henry try to sound like a god."
"Is this a joke, RJ?" Mickey asked.
"Would I call you across the vastness of space to play a joke on you?" RJ replied.
Mickey thought about it for a moment. "Yes, I think you would."
"Well, I'm not. Now just do it. Believe me, you want these people on your side."
Chapter Six
Smoke and flames and screams. Levits found himself on the bridge of the ship screaming into the com-link. "Abandon ship! Abandon ship!"
What the hell had happened? He had been farting around when he should have been on the bridge. He had thought they were safe; he hadn't realized they were in any danger until they'd been hit. They'd spit back a long stream of return fire on the alien ship, but it was too little too late. One of the hits had caused a fire, and that fire was running through the ship unchecked because for some reason the extinguishing system wasn't working. He got hit full in the face with the smell of burning flesh and when he rounded the corner he stepped on the corpse of one of his friends.
It was all over now, they were all going to die, and it was his fault. His fault because he had been lax. His fault because he hadn't given the order to evacuate till it was too late, and his fault that he didn't go down with the ship.
Levits woke up screaming and was glad to see RJ sitting on the bed beside him. She must have shaken him awake. He drew a deep, shuddering breath and let it out. "What are you doing here?" he asked when his mind cleared. "Is something wrong with the ship? Who's at the helm?"
"Relax. Nothing's wrong with the ship, and Poley is at the helm," RJ said. She rubbed a hand down his shoulder. "Everyone's asleep. I felt your distress. Must have been one hell of a dream."
"You wouldn't
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