Operation: Pacifica, Mr. Geier goes to San Francisco
by Lieutenant Geier, TRES Corps (aka Sir Timothy)

Music - "Fanfare for the Common Man" Aaron Copland

        The hours wore on relentlessly.  And yet Ensign Geier was
  still sleepless.  It was about 5:30 in the morning when he looked up for the
  first time in a long while and realized that this turtle-like caravan was
  finally in California, and they were not far at all from the gates of San
  Francisco.  A faint smile crept over Tim's face as he realized this.  [About
  time...] he thought.  He stood up straight in his seat, taking in all he
  could see.  The others in the TARAV were still fast asleep, snoring away.
  Only the driver remained awake, and he was starting to feel the effects of
  fatigue.

        "Ensign?"

        "Yes, driver?" replied Tim to the sudden question.

        "Could you take this TARAV on in?  I'm going to run us off
  the road if I don't crash in a bed soon."

        "No problem."

        The driver set the TARAV on auto while Tim got up and moved
  into the drivers seat, as the driver slipped behind and threw himself into a
  bunk and was asleep in an instant.

        [Time to drive....*my* style] Tim thought with a wicked grin
  suddenly appearing on his face.

Music - "Never the Machine Forever" Soundgarden _Down on the Upside_

        Tim plunged the pedal to the floor, steering expertly out of
  the caravan.   As he sped away, he suddenly remembered that he had not asked
  permission of Admiral J. FoxGlov to break away.  His comlink remained
  silent, however, so he continued on.

        The TARAV was going at 120 mph and climbing.  He pushed the
  gas pedal even further down, sending the speed skyrocketing to 170.  As he
  approached the city, traffic was sparse, so he was able to maintain a good
  speed as he entered the city limits.

        [Oh shit, where's the Naval Yards?] he thought suddenly,
  becoming panic-stricken.  [Umm...ummm...ok..I head for the Bay and cruise
  along it until I see some Dobermensch insignia or something to that effect.
  That should do it.]  It didn't take as much difficulty as he thought it
  would to find it, and thus he pulled into the Yards, where he was stopped by
  a Doberman Trooper.

        "I'm not going to waste time with the formalities, Trooper."
  Tim stated bluntly as he rolled down the window.  "I'm Ensign Geier, TRES
  Corps, and I'm reporting as ordered to the Doberman Empire Naval Yards."

        "How do I know you're Ensign.." the Trooper faltered with
  the pronunciation, "Geer?"

        With a great effort, Tim held his temper in check.
  Ordinarily, the mispronunciations of his name sent him into a great rage.
  But this time he merely said in a slightly peeved tone of voice, "Geier.
  Here's my ID card," handing it to the Trooper.

        "Ok, access granted.  Welcome to the Doberman Empire Naval
  Yards," replied the Trooper after looking the card over.

        "Thank you," Tim muttered as he drove into the compound.

        He slowly drove the TARAV into the massive structure, until
  he was stopped by a Dobermensch.  [A Warrior, by the look of him] Tim
  silently mused.  Tim threw the transmission into park, then went into the
  back to get his gear.  He stepped down out of the TARAV and looked down at
  the Warrior.  The Warrior looked up at the 6'7" frame of the Ensign, nearly
  a foot taller than he.  Tim's dark green eyes had dark circles under them
  from the lack of sleep.  He was wearing a TRES Corps duty uniform, along
  with his weapons belt sporting his massive Lochaber axe, .357 Magnum, and
  throwing daggers.   His hair was closely cropped in a military-style cut,
  and his expression was intense.    The Warrior judged he weighed about 200
  pounds, give or take a few.

        "Ah, Ensign Geier," began the Warrior.  "We've been
  expecting you."

        "Cut the cliches," Tim growled.  "Tell me, how many of the
  others have arrived here?"

        "Well, Grand Admiral Marburger and Fleet Commander Samhain
  arrived quite some time ago, as did Commander Felton, Trooper Aphrodite,
  Warrior Perazim..."

        "I get the picture.  I need some rest.  Do you have any
  "guest" quarters here where I could take a snooze?"

        "Certainly, Ensign.  Right this way," said the Warrior,
  gesturing to his right.

        Tim followed him to some fairly standard quarters, with one
  bed and a bathroom.

        "Adequate," Tim mused in his deep voice.  "All right, wake
  me up around noon.  Thank you, Warrior," he said as a means of dismissal.

        "Ensign," returned the Warrior as he saluted and handed Tim
  the keys to his room, then turned and walked away.

        "I'm so sleepy I can hardly seem to keep awake," Tim quipped
  as he entered the quarters.  After showering, (and having to stoop slightly
  because of the showerhead), he threw himself into bed, and was asleep a few
  moments later.

Music - weird dream music

        Tim looked up and he was in this reality no longer.  The sky
  had turned dark blue, almost black, and the clouds were a mute blue.
  Thunder and lightning raged without end.  There seemed to be a mysterious
  fog that was insinuating itself into the scene.  He was standing in an
  amphitheater that circled entirely around a large center stage.  [Great, I'm
  in a lucid dream.] he griped as he started walking forward without even
  thinking about it.

        "Sir Timothy." said a voice from nowhere.

        "What the?!" Tim gasped as he looked in all directions.

        "Know that thy path is aright.  Continue thy quest and thou
  shalt find what thou hast been destined to find."

        "What is it?" Tim demanded of the voice.  "What is it I'm
  supposed to find, dammit!"

        "Thou shalt find it when thou shalt least expect it."

        "Oh lovely," Tim snorted.  "You're not even listening to me,
  are you?  Whoever or whatever you are..." he stated, waving his arms
  dramatically.

        "Follow the path...follow the path..." the voice repeated.
  And continued repeating, right up until Tim threw himself out of bed with a
  loud

(end Dream Music)

        "AHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!" yelled Tim as he came back into
  wakefulness.

        "Is there a problem, sir?" questioned the quarter's AI.

        "No, I'm perfectly fine," Tim retorted sarcastically.  "Do
  you know where the last AI is that ticked me off?" he asked.

        "No, I do not."

        "It's rotting in a landfill in Cleveland.  And I put it
  there because it was being a smartass.  Do I have to do the same to you?"

        "Ummm...no," said the AI in a slightly bemused voice.

        "Good, I'm glad we understand each other," Tim intoned.

        "Would you like some breakfast, sir?" the AI asked in a
  submissive tone.

        "Yes, I would...send up some Jolt, Doritos, and Oreos."

        "That's hardly what I'd call a hearty breakfast," the AI
  remarked dryly.

        "I wasn't kidding about the AI in Cleveland..." Tim said in
  a deadly monotone.

        "Ok, ok, coming right up."  Soon, the Good Food[tm] was
  delivered to Tim's room, and so he chowed down.  After he finished eating,
  he tried to rest some more, but it was impossible after a 2-liter of Jolt.

        "I need to go for a nice long walk." he muttered, going to
  his gear to get his civvies, which consisted of a white polo shirt with blue
  trim on the collar, navy blue Dockers shorts, white athletic socks, and
  black Nike basketball shoes.

        He didn't leave unarmed, however, his .357 Magnum and
  daggers artfully concealed under his clothes, which had a good sag to them.
  He regretfully could not conceal his Lochaber, so that had to be left in the
  quarters.  In his pockets he had his wallet, lockpicks, and a few 17-stick
  packs of gum.  He slipped on his sunglasses and left out the front gate of
  the Naval Yards.  He had no particular goal in mind, just to wander the
  city, gathering information.

        He soon disappeared into the city.

--ST