in DC as soon as Air Force One can get here, Colonel.”
Colonel Force replied, “Yes, boss. On the way now.”
The congressional commander said, “And by the way, Colonel Force, you just got another congressional medal of honor for that one. Congratulations.” The commander smiled and cut the transmission to prepare for Star Gazer’s DC inbound arrival.
Colonel Force rallied the Ghost Recon Marines and addressed them to the fact that they were moving baby Star Gazer to a more secure Marine hybrid containment in Washington, DC. The older hybrids went to Star Gazer’s room and got their baby brother ready for transport to the presidential Marine One hybrid containment base in Washington, DC. They told Star Gazer that he was going before the council in a few days, and Star Gazer nodded yes and replied, “I know.”
They got Star Gazer dressed in his presidential hybrid body armor and walked him to the Marine One Hummer motorcade, lead Hummer with Star Gazer’s presidential flag flying from the tailgate. They drove Star Gazer across Mexico, United States, border straight to the San Diego International Airport nonstop and fully unrestrained. They went through gate 5, boarded Air Force One, and seat belted up and had an immediate priority one clearance. Star Gazer sat in front of the plane next to Grandfather Force and cried softly, knowing he was finally home with family.
Chapter 9
Ghost Recon Base One
The entire Marine One base was closed on full security Zebra one lockdown. The off duty Marines were called in for security force service immediately. The Marine One hybrid medics were there and waited to do a full medical workup on baby Star Gazer. It was a very excited and very tense four-hour wait before the call came in. That Air Force One was in final descent inbound runway one standby to receive baby Star Gazer. The entire Marine Force One was in presence, waiting to receive Star Gazer’s full hybrid medical retrieval unit in rank on the runway by the airport’s back door, of door one. The hybrid medical Hummer was parked and idling, and the back door was open to receive baby Star Gazer.
Air Force One landed and hit the brakes and rolled to close stop by the Marine One hybrid medical team and Hummer. The Force One Marines rushed the ladder up to the plane door and rushed in. They picked Star Gazer up and rushed him to the Marine hybrid medical Hummer. They strapped Star Gazer down on a stretcher, loaded him in the back of the Hummer, and rushed him to the hybrid medical center on the Marine base. The medical center was on full alert that Star Gazer was coming in code one medical alert. The medical Hummer raced across the base lights flashing and sirens on. The hybrid medics were preparing Star Gazer for treatment during this high-speed medical transport.
The Hummer came racing into the parking lot, tires smoking and squealing, and the Hummer slid sideways to a stop. Star Gazer was pulled out and rushed into the hybrid medical suite one for any treatments he may need. Star Gazer’s pulse was very low, and he was having a hard time catching his breath. He was listed in critical condition until further notice. The medics got Star Gazer stabilized with several hybrid injections, and he was groggy and in and out of consciousness. The medics gave him full-body x-rays and CAT scans to see if he was internally all right. He passed the test okay—no seen problems. They rolled Star Gazer back to his hybrid medical suite and watched closely as he slept soundly.
Chapter 10
Washington, DC
Star Gazer came fully awake eight hours later and was put through medical mobility tests, which he passed. Star Gazer was taken out of critical condition and put in medical watch alert. The hybrid medical team was placed on watch, and they stayed with Star Gazer another three days in the medical suite, and he turned out to be fine. Star Gazer was cleared for full active duty three days later and was sent to the MI-45 congressional council debriefs. Star Gazer was called into the congressional building in Washington, DC, to declare his whereabouts for the past nine years and six months. Star Gazer sat at the table and answered the congressional council’s questions for three days—starting at nine in the morning with a lunch break from noon to one and sessional debrief from one to four in the afternoon.
After three days, the congressional council retired for review. The council took two weeks to reconvene and recall Star Gazer for disposition. During the two weeks’ wait for disposition from the MI-45 council, they held Star Gazer at the Marine hybrid containment building at the Ghost Recon Marine base in Washington, DC. After hearing what Star Gazer had been through for nine and a half years, they decided to give him his own Marine One Ghost Recon Unit 5 command in San Diego, California—basically, a trade offer that Star Gazer cleans up the San Diego naval basin to receive full power command of his own unit of his choice.
Star Gazer accepted, and he was fully funded by the MI-45 congressional council. They made Star Gazer a four-star Marine One colonel of Ghost Recon Marine One Unit 5, which was, in fact, San Diego’s basin command. The congressional council mandated Star Gazer to take over the seventh floor of San Diego’s federal building, which was the Defense Intelligence Agency command headquarters. The president acknowledged this event and fully approved the congressional action for funding Star Gazer’s unit. Star Gazer walked out of the congressional council and got what he wanted, and so did congressional council MI-45. It was a fair deal.
Chapter 11
San Diego Station
Star Gazer was driven from Washington, DC, back to San Diego cross country by the congressional council, giving the president time to prepare Star Gazer’s new command on the seventh floor of the federal building. Star Gazer was in his black battle-dress uniform, and his body armor was printed with the presidential seal on the front center of his bulletproof vest. The back was printed MI-45 Combat Assassin, with the presidential seal in the back center—under the seal was Hybrid, and bottom on the back was Star Gazer.
Star Gazer was transported in the back of the lead Chevy Suburban. There were fifteen vehicles in the presidentially tagged motorcade. The lead Suburban was flying Star Gazer’s presidential combat assassin flag from the rear roof of the vehicle. Star Gazer mostly slept on the way to San Diego, but he was up several hours at a time, being briefed by congressional oversight as to the new job and rank and position on San Diego.
The presidential motorcade stopped for fuel and food and, occasionally, the presidential suite at the motel to get some rest. Star Gazer stayed completely compliant through the entire transport. He was subdued to himself and quiet. Star Gazer was quiet and calm because he felt at peace. He was with his commanders, going out on another job for them. They were his family as far as he knew.
It took seven days for the president and federal agents to prepare Star Gazer’s command office on the seventh floor of the San Diego federal building. The presidential motorcade bringing Star Gazer into San Diego stayed in a suite at the Hampton motel on the north side of San Diego until the federal agents were done remodeling Star Gazer’s office. Star Gazer slept and was briefed on the situational targets in the area. Star Gazer was driven around town by the congressional commanders, and they showed him the who’s who of San Diego. When Star Gazer’s seventh-floor federal office was ready, they took him to the federal building and gave him the keys to his motor pool in the federal yard. And they gave him the keys to his office complex.
Chapter 12
The Calling
Star Gazer was at the federal building in the parking lot, looking at his motor pool. He chose the emerald-green Mercedes Benz, twin-turbo eight-cylinder E-55 four-door sedan. He got in, started the car, let it warm up for a minute, then drove to the Navy base. Star Gazer showed his Marine identification card at the gate, and the Navy SEAL security team let him on the base. He drove to the pier 7 parking lot and parked where he could view the Acadia ship, without being seen by the Acadia command or the crew.
Star Gazer sat there for three hours, and then the Acadia crew had shift change at five in the evening. That’s when Star Gazer spotted his missing brother Tail Gunner exiting the pier 7 gate into the same parking lot Star Gazer was sitting in. Star Gazer sat straight up in