Read Looking Glass 4 - Claws That Catch for Free Online

jokes,” Brooke said. “Can you at least explain that one? And why people call him Two-Gun?”
     
    “Gentlemen,” the President said, shaking the admirals' and generals' hands. “Thank you for coming. Some introductions are in order. Bob?”
    “Gentlemen, General Wang Zhenou, Army of the People's Republic of China,” the national security advisor said, gesturing to an Asian gentleman in a polo shirt and jeans. “General Anatoly Karmasov, Russian Army,” a short, heavyset man in country and western wear that looked a tad ludicrous, “and General Amjit Meennav,” a tall, slender and dark skinned man in Sikh dress.
    “Admiral Townsend, Chief of Astronautic Operations, and Admiral Blankemeier, Director of Astronautic Operations. General Holberg, Commandant of the Marine Corps. Captain Weaver, Executive Officer of the Alliance Space Ship Vorpal Blade. And, of course, Colonel Fordham-Witherspoon, of Her Majesty's British Government.”
    “And so we are gathered,” the President said as a steward served coffee. “General Wang, would you care to lay out your initial statement?”
    “The People's Government finds it unacceptable that the United States has concealed the ability to not only defy gravity but fly into space from the peoples of the world,” the general said, gruffly. “This is a direct insult to the People's government and all governments who believe in sovereignty and respect between nations.”
    “If you truly believed in sovereignty then you would not raise an issue with another country concealing such a thing,” the Indian said in an Oxford accent. “So your response seems somewhat hypocritical. What you really mean is you want it and you're trying to pressure the Americans to give it to you.”
    “I have a point of order,” the Russian general said in a thick accent. “The Motherland's government has had knowledge, for some time, that our dear neighbors to the south were aware of the dastardly experiments on the part of the Americans. However, I am wondering why my esteemed colleague from the sub-continent is present.”
    “In other words, our subs weren't chasing the Americans so how could we know?” the Sikh asked. “At the insistence of their British 'colleagues,' the Americans brought us in on the secret some two months ago. And it's a bit broader than you're aware. So I would suggest you hold all your bluster and opening arguments for a later time, because, in the Adar vernacular, we are seriously grapped.”
    “Captain Weaver?” the President said. “I understand you prepared a briefing?”
    “Actually, an overworked lieutenant commander in AstroOps prepared it, sir,” Bill said, standing up. “I'm just giving it. Gentlemen, I give you the Alliance Space Ship Vorpal Blade Mod One,” Weaver said, keying on the screen.
    “One?” the Russian asked, sitting up.
    “Oh, don't tell me you haven't noticed the changes,” Bill said. “Your intel corps is better than that. The Vorpal Blade One was designed around the former USS Nebraska. The engine, which I'm sure you're all itching to study, was an artifact the Adar found and we Americans got tinkered into a drive. Were we actually to release it for study, which we're not, trust me and my professional background when I say that you would find it as baffling and enigmatic as we have. It is so far ahead of our technology, it is not even funny. Magic is a better description. It is not only capable of normal space flight, but of warp flight.”
    He stared at the Chinese delegate as he said that and couldn't get anything from him. If the Chinese knew about the warp capability, the general wasn't letting on.
    “Using it, we have accomplished two separate deep-space missions,” Bill continued. “The first was a local area survey during which we encountered several astronomical issues, landed on a few planets, got ourselves beaten up thoroughly, encountered another friendly alien race and got ourselves beaten up even more thoroughly by a