And, of course, build our own weapons systems based on alien knowhow. Because that was so likely to end well. Not that Young was opposed to the prospect of getting better protection for his men, but armor this sophisticated wasn’t possible without a computer system to match…

and a computer this clever scared the crap out of him. The thing would have to be capable of learning and adapting, which made it an AI, and Young had never liked the idea of those. Never make a tool smarter than its creator.

That was just plain common sense.

“You want me to capture the entity,” Young said slowly, letting his disbelief ring through loud and clear.

The president didn’t back down from the icy stare leveled at him through the camera. “Yes,” he confirmed, “I do. Do you have a problem with that, General?”

Young’s right jaw muscle twitched. He’d been a soldier for most of his life and was used to following orders, but he had to admit it was

somewhat harder now that he was one of the top dogs himself. Nowadays, not many people told him what to do, and those who did usually listened to his advice first.

“No, sir,” he lied, careful to keep his face impassive. “No problem.”

The president let out a snort, not fooled in the slightest. “I’m not an idiot, Nick. I know this is a fucking mess already and keeping the thing alive isn’t going to simplify it.” He rubbed his forehead briefly, his first and only concession to the hours they’d both been working since the first reports about the crash in Texas had come through. “This might be our only chance to find out more about these creatures,” he said quietly. “The ship’s gone. The bodies are too badly damaged for complete reconstruction. We have no idea if there are more of these things coming. We need intel.”

There weren’t many people close enough to the president to warrant an explanation after an order had been given, so Young kept his yap shut and listened, still doubtful, but willing to be convinced. The trust thing went both ways; Young had known the man for years, had seen firsthand how he held up under pressure. Both of them younger then, the man who was president now a senator then, trapped in an embassy under siege. Young had led the team that had freed the hostages. One of his men would’ve died if not for that one senator, too ballsy for his own good, unable to sit back and watch a soldier be slain. Hard not to respect a person for that kind of courage. Hard not to like someone who’d stayed mostly honorable in this kind of job.

“We fired the first shot,” the president continued ruefully. “No use denying it. It’s done. We won’t ever admit to it, but yes, we fucked up. I don’t think the entity’s going to come quietly, so you’re authorized to use whatever means necessary to secure it.” He leaned forward, gaze intense.