Free Legend of Oria 1: Initial Contact by James Campbell

failed.  Azortec needs more of this attitude to defeat the Creytes!  I believe that you will still find this desired trait in the American people!”
    “Aye sir, even though I have served you for many years, it is still hard to remember where we have all come from.  I apologize.  I meant no offense”, while in his thoughts he continued not wanting to accept anything less than the highest level of Azortec morality.  After all, he aspired to be a great Admiral as his father was before him. 
    “Agustonson, there is no need to apologize.  These are difficult times for Azortec.  Azortec has existed with advanced technologies for thousands and thousands of years without battle and virtually no crime.  I also wish there was no need for warriors and that the universe was peaceful.  Unfortunately, that is not the reality.  Let's move on with your report, we can save the less savory political problems for others once we have accomplished our primary objective.”  Oria knew deep down many of his crew still had a hard time accepting the realities of war and the mindset required to win.
    “Thank you Admiral.  We think our initial contact should be indirect.  Upon your arrival on Earth, you need connect with the scientific community.  Our strategy is to have you present technology that’s far beyond anything currently available on Earth.  This technology should have military potential.  In that way, you should catch the interest of the U.S. military.  Hopefully, our technology will spur interest in the Pentagon, the United States military command center, to meet with you.  This should provide the opportunity to make our case.”
    “Good idea Lieutenant, what information do you have on the U.S. military and their political structures?”
    “The U.S. command center appears to be run out of a building known as the Pentagon.   As you can see on this chart, the top leadership is comprised of civilians.  There are two basic groups.  The Secretary of Defense heads the controlling group.  His organization is the Office of the Secretary of Defense, or OSD.  A second group is the Joint Chiefs.  This is primarily comprised of military personnel.  The groups have representatives in each other’s groups.”
    “Sounds good so far, please continue.”
    “The U.S. military divided into several basic groups: the Army, Air Force, Navy, and Marines.  There is yet another group known as the Coast Guard.  I’m not quite sure where and how they report in the US government system.”
    “Ok Lieutenant, so where do we start?”
    “The Air Force has a small unit called STAR Hawks.  The STAR stands for Space Tactical Attack and Rescue.  I believe the term hawk is a predatory bird.”
    “Yes Agustonson, I know what a hawk is, continue.” This remark invoked Oria to reflect back on his youth with the Nanticoke.  He caught his thoughts and forced himself to focus on the briefing.
    “Yes that's right sir, you were originally from this planet.  It seems that most of Earth's space operations are oriented towards using space as a means of defense or offense against other nations also on Earth.  None of their space oriented technologies pose a threat to our mission provided we remain in stealth mode.”
    Oria was pleased with the young Lieutenant’s report so far.  “I'd be surprised if they did, however, Captain Borella, please make sure all crew members are aware that we must remain in stealth mode.”
    Lt. Agustonson continued.  “The U.S. is pursuing several new technologies.  The army in particular, is developing this concept they've termed situational awareness.  This concept is based on three pillars, namely, where am I, where are my buddies, and finally where is the enemy? “
    “Lieutenant, that concept sounds very interesting, where do you see it fitting into our mission?”
    “This overall strategy is resulting in the development of specific technologies.  One area of interest common to all military