{"id":1524,"date":"2016-06-25T07:26:34","date_gmt":"2016-06-25T12:26:34","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=1524"},"modified":"2016-06-29T07:18:39","modified_gmt":"2016-06-29T12:18:39","slug":"buck-rogers-part-9","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/ajscifistories.com\/?p=1524","title":{"rendered":"Buck Rogers – Part 9"},"content":{"rendered":"

Buck Rogers<\/span><\/strong><\/h2>\n

by AJ Marks<\/span><\/p>\n

Part 9<\/strong><\/span><\/p>\n

Buck felt relieved at being back on Earth after his trip to the Draconian Empire. The trip opened his eyes a bit to current politics, and that the two empires were not really that friendly.\u00a0 The few people he asked about the NAA he received answers that they were full of dumb, oppressed people who could not speak for themselves, yet at the same time he had a feeling they were unable to freely speak either.\u00a0 It would be a difficult adjustment for him, used to being able to speak freely if he was suddenly gagged in what he could, and could not say.<\/p>\n

Standing beside Wilma he felt a bit better around her than he had around Ardala, who seemed to want to jump him at every opportunity. She was attractive, it did become tiresome after a while and he wondered if she ever relaxed.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, the trip was all right?\u201d Wilma asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, most of the same of what I was doing here, talking on shows and such,\u201d Buck replied. \u201cThe people were a bit nicer in their questions.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNot something I can help with there,\u201d Wilma replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, you\u2019re not in the press,\u201d Buck said, then again it was something he had been used to back in his time as well, the press were highly biased with their opinions. In a way it was refreshing to be in the Draconian Empire, their reporters were much more of a journalist than anyone he had encountered so far.<\/p>\n

\u201cWouldn\u2019t want to be in the press, they can\u2019t think for themselves,\u201d she replied back to him as a transport arrived.<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing\u2019s changed there then,\u201d Buck answered getting into the transport. \u201cSo, where are we headed?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cChancellor\u2019s office, he wanted to speak with you upon your arrival,\u201d Wilma replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cSomehow, I thought so,\u201d Buck said as Wilma input the directions and they took off to the government building.<\/p>\n

He looked out seeing the city comparing it to the cities in the Draconian Empire. While the cities there were more familiar, this city he thought was better designed, more functional and, in a way, personal.\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 He already had made several friends in the market floors, who recognized him, and places to eat, the grocery store and on the elevator.\u00a0 Of course people would start talking to him in the elevator having seen him on the TV.\u00a0 In a way it reminded him of the way he saw the US back in the early 1900s.\u00a0 People knowing their neighbors.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, you and the princess have a history?\u201d Buck asked, watching as she looked over at him.<\/p>\n

\u201cShe mention anything?\u201d Wilma asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it was the way you two interacted, just curious,\u201d he said before quickly continuing, \u201cyou don\u2019t\u2019 have to mention what it was.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s really nothing, a passing comet if you will,\u201d Wilma said. \u201cShe went after a guy I was dating at the time, used him to get information from me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cPolitics,\u201d Buck said, wondering if her actions were to have a result for something down the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cInternal defense information,\u201d Wilma said. \u201cI learned quickly not to trust others with such information, fortunately we discovered it in time, and managed to defuse the situation quickly.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cSounds like a real sticky situation,\u201d Buck replied back, as they arrived at the building and climbed out and made their way to the office. He noticed they were already waiting for him and inside the office were a few more people, including one he thought he recognized when he first arrived in the future.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain, glad you made it back,\u201d Chancellor Elias said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s good to be back,\u201d Buck said, having a seat and looking around as Wilma joined them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m sure you remember Senator Mark Gonzalez,\u201d Elias said, motioning to the man sitting down across from him.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah,\u201d Buck said, trying to recall if he was the one who was the most hostile towards him or not, but his gut said he was.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd Doctor Thopolis and Twiki,\u201d Elias said nodding towards the two robots.<\/p>\n

\u201cDoctor, Twiki,\u201d Buck said at the two robots, probably the two he knew the best, not including Wilma.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd this is Eric Jackson, head of our intelligence agency,\u201d Elias said indicating the bald man off to the side.<\/p>\n

\u201cCaptain,\u201d Eric said. \u201cHeard much about you.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cAll good things I hope,\u201d Buck said with a smile, but knew why the man was there.<\/p>\n

\u201cI won\u2019t lie to you, we are curious to what you saw, our spies are usually discovered rather quickly,\u201d Eric said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYeah, they did say they could catch your spies rather easily,\u201d Buck said recalling that statement. \u201cBut how they do it, they didn\u2019t give that away.\u00a0 Mentioned it when they were talking about me being a spy, somehow they didn\u2019t think I was a threat to anything they showed me.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cInteresting,\u201d Eric said, rubbing his chin in thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cDid you discover anything?\u201d Elias asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNot much, only saw a part of their society, it seems to be very contradictory,\u201d Buck said giving it some thought as he tried to form words to describe it. \u201cThey want to show off how open they are, yet I got the impression that everywhere was bugged, and they were being watched, even in my room.\u00a0 Reminded me of a Communist country.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cThat would make it difficult for our spies to get in, perhaps we are too hasty in our work,\u201d Eric said.<\/p>\n

\u201cBut we need information, if we wait too long events will pass us by,\u201d Mark said speaking up. \u201cIs there anything you can tell us worth anything?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cConsidering I went as a guest, not as a spy, not a lot. It\u2019s not like they were going to let me in on any of their plans or military forces,\u201d Buck said.<\/p>\n

\u201cYet you were given access to ours,\u201d Mark said. \u201cYou could have given them some information.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat Buck knows you could find on the internet,\u201d Wilma replied back.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo you say, we already know how things are with you,\u201d Mark said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf a simulation is enough to compromise your security, then is probably already compromised,\u201d Buck replied back to Mark.<\/p>\n

Anything else was cut off by an alarm causing everyone to scramble. Buck wondered what happened but could not say anything as Wilma raced out the door followed closely by Eric and the others leaving Buck alone with Theopolis and Twiki.<\/p>\n

\u201cBiggy, biggy, this isn\u2019t good,\u201d Twiki said.<\/p>\n

\u201cSo, what\u2019s going on,\u201d Buck said, not that it was just the two of them.<\/p>\n

\u201cInvaders have been spotted in Earth\u2019s system,\u201d Theopolis said. \u201cTwiki, see if you can see what is going on?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cYou\u2019re not connected to some wi-fi system?\u201d Buck asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cNo, it makes it harder for us to be infected,\u201d Theopolis replied back to him, and to Buck it made a bit of sense. If the government relied heavily on their opinions then they needed to be free of any influences.<\/p>\n

\u201cBiggy, okay,\u201d Twiki said, heading over to a small computer and activating it.<\/p>\n

Buck watched as Twiki worked the controls much more nimbly than he expected.<\/p>\n

\u201cUh-oh,\u201d Twiki stated.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat\u2019s wrong?\u201d Theopolis asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt\u2019s an attack force from the Draconian Empire,\u201d Twiki said, shocking Buck.<\/p>\n

\u201cSenator Gonzalez won\u2019t like this one,\u201d Theopolis said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe doesn\u2019t like me much, does he,\u201d Buck said.<\/p>\n

\u201cHe takes his job very seriously, but the timing of the attack is strange,\u201d Theopolis stated logically, and Buck had to admit, he returns and they attack.<\/p>\n

He figured he would have to wait to see what happened next.<\/p>\n

*****<\/p>\n

Buck was sitting down when the door opened allowing Senator Gonzalez to enter the room, and by the look in his face Buck had an idea what he was thinking.<\/p>\n

\u201cWhat information did you tell them?\u201d Mark spat out. \u201cYou go there, come back and we\u2019re attacked!\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cNothing,\u201d Buck said. \u201cI don\u2019t even know enough to say anything.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly senator, think about your accusations first,\u201d Theopolois stated calmly.<\/p>\n

\u201cI have thought about it, it\u2019s a logical path,\u201d Mark replied back to them. \u201cWhat did you tell them?\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cHonestly, nothing that you haven\u2019t seen on my interviews already,\u201d Buck replied back to him unsure what he could say to calm the man down at all.<\/p>\n

The Chancellor entered next followed by the intelligence officer who both looked at the senator then at Buck before sitting down. The Chancellor looked over at Buck then Mark before finally over at Theopolis.<\/p>\n

\u201cWell, this is a mess,\u201d he stated with a sigh. \u201cThe timing of this attack couldn\u2019t be worse.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cI told you letting him go to the Draconian Empire was a mistake,\u201d Mark said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd as I told you, Captain Rogers is not a citizen of our nation,\u201d Theopolis stated. \u201cPerhaps we can use this to our advantage.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cGood luck there,\u201d Mark said.<\/p>\n

Buck leaned forward wondering what Theopolis meant by his words, and so too did the Chancellor.<\/p>\n

\u201cFirst off, we have to make the captain feel at home, which means tossing false accusations is hardly the appropriate thing. As for spying, I fear the true spies have been here longer than the captain has been among us,\u201d Theopolis said.\u00a0 \u201cAny information they had was given long before such an attack was developed, and such an attack would require more planning than a few days.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019re just to ignore the obvious?\u201d Mark said, either unwilling to accept what Doctor Theopolis said or wanting an explanation Buck was unable to give him.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd how would I be able to prove I had nothing to do with this?\u201d Buck asked, speaking up for himself watching as Mark opened and then closed his mouth a few times before finally answering.<\/p>\n

\u201cHow do we know you\u2019re really this Captain Rogers from the twenty-first century?\u201d Mark replied.<\/p>\n

\u201cSenator, that\u2019s enough,\u201d the Chancellor said sharply. \u201cThis line of questioning is beyond normal.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is highly unlikely that the Draconian Empire could develop a Thu\u2019lie drive which could actually perform as it did, and come out of warp right by the Rizonian homeworld, and make the assumption that the person would not be killed on sight,\u201d Theopolis said. \u201cit\u2019s too many possibilities to happen at once to be accounted for.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cMaybe they were hoping for a war to start,\u201d Mark said.<\/p>\n

\u201cIt is an illogical assumption,\u201d Theopolis said.<\/p>\n

\u201cAnd even if I was from the Draconian Empire, as you say, I would have some knowledge of history and technology,\u201d Buck said.<\/p>\n

\u201cActing, and a good one at that,\u201d Mark said, storming out of the room leaving them in silence for several seconds.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe defense force was able to beat back the invaders?\u201d Theopolis asked.<\/p>\n

\u201cYes, we lost several good men and women, but I think things will be stable enough for now,\u201d the Chancellor said, then looked a bit uncomfortable. \u201cUm, if you don\u2019t mind captain, there is some work I need to do.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buck looked confused for a second before it donned on him, the Chancellor did not want him here to watch him work despite what he thought.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019ll just, well, head on out,\u201d Buck said, unsure where to go next.<\/p>\n

\u201cWe\u2019ll make sure the captain gets back to his apartment,\u201d Theopolis said. \u201cTwiki.\u201d<\/p>\n

\u201cBiggy, biggy, no problem,\u201d Twiki said, walking over and picking up the doctor before walking over. \u201cC\u2019mon Buck.\u201d<\/p>\n

Buck looked one last time at the Chancellor before heading out the door following Twiki, hoping he didn\u2019t have to try and defend himself again for something he didn\u2019t do.<\/p>\n

End part 9<\/p>\n

Continued in part 10<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Buck Rogers by AJ Marks Part 9 Buck felt relieved at being back on Earth after his trip to the Draconian Empire. The trip opened his eyes a bit to current politics, and that the two empires were not really that friendly.\u00a0 The few people he asked about the NAA he received answers that they […]
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