by Chris Hechtl
The delegation had a tight timeline. Congress was not in session, but they had to be back before it gaveled in. Many of them were not happy about being stuck in the close confines of the ship even if it was very fast. They were even less happy that their families and staff who had chosen to go with them were all in stasis.
The stated reason was for life support concerns. The real reason was security.
Near the end of the trip Senator Mayfair mused about being worried about being “disappeared” since they were such an inconvenience to the administration. Everyone knew that she and Admiral Irons had something of a history. Senator Merkoski shot that down with a shake of his head. "Irons is a straight shooter. Unless something actually happens to our ship, we've got no reason to worry about that nonsense."
"Says you."
"Yes, says you. Besides, we're guests, what do you propose we do about it?" Senator Merkoski shook his head. "Even if we knew it was coming, we couldn't do a damn thing about it to stop it, right? So, whatever happens, and I prefer to take the light side, we go with it."
"Roll with the punches."
"If there are any."
"I think Cheyenne will take her paranoia and cynicism to the grave."
"Hey, give me some credit; if you are in our line of work, you make real enemies. Paranoia is a survival trait."
"True. But we don't have to get carried away with it."
"Maybe."
-~~~///^\~~~-
"They are through the security check point and en route to the station, sir. ETA two days," the station's A.I. Lieutenant Genghis stated.
"Very well," Captain Senior Grade Xiaoling Zheng replied as he looked up from the report on his blotter. He was not thrilled about hosting high-level brass. He'd thought that the first brass he'd see would be Admiral Irons himself. Apparently, that wasn't the case, the admiral was too high level to nip away from the capital these days.
He had thought he would have been building ships or hell, even shipyards and forts. Apparently not. He'd taken the Spacebee course, but it hadn't been challenging. Apparently, the brass in the form of Captain Sprite and Admiral Irons had taken note of that and had assigned him this little task.
Which was fun. It had no end of challenges and frustrations, but it was definitely not boring. Not in the slightest now that the pace was picking up.
"Great, here we go, our very own and very first dog and pony show," he said, letting out a long suffering sigh. They'd spent the past week shining up the silverware and even fabricating better VIP quarters and gear.
"I know. They aren't going to be happy about this. From what I've heard, they are not thrilled by the diversion of resources and are looking for a way to stick a knife in the admiral's back."
"Well, let's hope I don't give them one."
-~~~///^\~~~-
Since their ship was not scheduled to be in the star system long, the delegation boarded a shuttle to cross the void to the space station. When they boarded Captain Zheng and his senior staff were on hand in their formal uniforms to greet them.
He shook hands or indicated greetings to each senator and delegate during the introductions. Fortunately, there was just the twelve in the highly classified visit; their staff were in stasis on the ship. "My staff can attend to your luggage, though I understand you won't have long to settle in."
"In again, out again, Finnegan," one of the senators quipped.
"Exactly, sir. So, if you'd like to refresh yourselves …?"
Senator Merkoski looked at his fellows and then back to the captain. "I think we've all gotten tired of staring at cabin walls, Captain. Why don't we begin the tour now?"
"Very well, sir. An overview perhaps or would you like to get on a shuttle to see something specific?"
Senator Alicia Potts groaned. "Not another shuttle ride!" she protested.
Senator Merkoski turned to her and then back to the captain. "What my learned colleague would prefer to say is that she's got travel fatigue. Perhaps an overview? We haven't seen much of this place, and we barely know where to start."
"Very well, sir. We have a conference room for you, this way please?" The captain said, indicating the direction they were to go with a sweep of his hands.
Once they were settled in with refreshments, the captain took one end of the table and began the show. The lights dimmed as the holographic projects came online. Video screens behind him and around the room came to life with images of the star system and specific images of infrastructure.
"First up, we have an ansible platform in the star system of course, so you can get news updates and communicate with your staff. You can get updates but can't transmit since you are supposed to be in transit to your next port of call." A few of the senators nodded. "For obvious reasons the transmissions will not have a header, and they will be monitored by Lieutenant Enki and ONI for security reasons. They will be delayed being sent to their intended recipients until you reach your next port of call," the captain stated.
"Well, it's good to know we're not completely out in the dark here," Senator Potts stated, looking at her colleagues.
"No. I will warn you that you'll take a more roundabout route back to your tour to disguise exactly where this place is. For the time being, no one needs to know our location or that we even exist."
"Ah."
"So, do you want the tour in a shuttle or …?"
"Let's start with the overview again. We can look later. We're here twenty-four hours, correct?"
"Yes, Senator."
"All right, lay it on us, Captain," the senator said, taking a seat.
"Very well, sir. The project started with a seed industry, a mostly automated industrial plant on two of the planets in the star system. Each industrial plant is set to grow exponentially. That is, the first, second, and third generation build Dyson Sphere solar satellites factories and supporting industry. The fourth generation and so on makes the actual solar satellites. Tugs then move them out to the star."
"So … that means what exactly?"
"It means we've got some plants that are making plants to make solar satellites, and some that are making the actual satellites. It took a small investment in power and industry to get it started. Once started the process is mostly self-sustaining."
"Mostly self-sustaining?"
"Yes. It was set up that way by design. We oversee the work and intervene when necessary. We have teams running regular inspections."
"So how much did this phase cost again?"
"I don't have the hard numbers offhand. I know we're well under budget."
"Under budget?" the senator asked in disbelief.
"Yes, Senator. The actual cost is the industrial ship, support ship, escort, the crew, and the initial plant. After that it is just maintenance and the cost of payroll and supplies for the crew."
Senator Mayfair scowled. "Wait, what about startup power? And the power to run the thing? It's got to take a lot, right?"
"It's a solar panel factory," Senator Merkoski said tolerantly.
She blinked and then felt her cheeks heat slightly in embarrassment. "Oh, okay, stupid question."
"No, you aren't wrong, sir," Captain Zheng stated. All eyes turned to him. "Initially, there were only a few solar panels, enough to supplement the fusion reactor we had on site. But once we started producing solar panel satellite farms, we could put the reactor on standby. Eventually we shifted it to emergency use only."
"Ah."
"Eventually it and some of our other equipment will be shifted out to be refurbished and reused in other projects."
"And the tugs? Tell us about them?"
"The support ship brought them. They are telepresence or fully automated. They pick the folded satellites up and move them to their designated orbits around the star and then release them. The satellites unfurl their solar panels and then begin to collect and beam energy to the collection grid."
"Ah."
"As you can see, we have more than one Dyson Sphere under con
struction," Ghengis stated, showing them a hologram of the three stars. "There are three stars in the system. We're going to need them all eventually since we're planning to have three gates here. As a smart A.I. I'll be running the traffic as well as Gateway station for a while before another A.I. is required."
"Three? Did I just hear you correctly? Did you say three gates? I thought there was just the one?" Senator Mayfair demanded.
"Yes Senator. One to Tau, one to Pi, and one to Sigma."
"Ah. Okay, continue."
"Once we had surplus power, we moved into phase two. Additional support vessels arrived with antimatter production facilities built in Pyrax and Antigua. Those were set up, and we're now producing antimatter."
"Antimatter?"
"For everything. We're exporting it too now. That just started this quarter."
"For the war effort."
"Yes, for the time being I'm afraid so," Captain Zheng replied as he nodded slightly for the A.I. to continue.
Ghengis nodded back. "For phase three factory ships came as did other freighters. They built the factories that are building the gate components. As you can see, we've got multiple gates being built at the same time," he stated proudly, showing them images and holograms of the projects.
They studied the holograms and images for a few minutes. It was clear they were just starting but were well on their way to build the gates.
"How much did this take? I mean industrial wise," a congressman asked slowly.
Captain Zheng grimaced internally. That was a loaded question, and he was pretty sure they weren't going to like the answer. "Half of our mobile industrial capacity was diverted to this project."
"Half!" Senator Mayfair protested instantly, aghast. She wasn't the only one.
"Yes, Senator, half. Now that we've got the industry built here, we've begun moving the factory ships out to work on the defenses for phase four, and then we will release them to leave the star system for other projects in the Federation. Obviously, everyone is tight lipped about this."
"I'll say. This is the first we've heard of this."
Captain Zheng cracked a smile and nodded to his A.I. "That's good then. Security held tight. Awesome."
"So, where are these gates going to go again? Sorry, I missed that part," Senator Potts said when another senator gave her a dirty look for not paying attention.
"The gates will remain here. It's actually better if they remain on the outskirts of the solar system, less gravitational interactions to deal with. But it is a security concern since anyone can jump in. That's why we're pushing security. It's also why we have massive beam systems to beam power from the Dsyon Sphere to the gates."
They nodded.
"One gate will eventually connect to Pi sector, another to Tau, and so on as we expand into other sectors. Once they are setup, we can move forces, personnel, or goods almost instantly, bypassing the long transit times between sectors."
"I gathered that," Senator Merkoski said dryly.
"And this is to be kept classified?" Senator V's'k'll asked.
"For the moment yes. Once it is complete and the defenses are set, the government will be able to open it to the public."
"Open it to the public?" a congressman asked. "Why?"
"The existence of the project will be declassified. It was never intended to remain secret forever, nor the ones in neighboring sectors," Captain Zheng stated. "Full briefings and tours for the public will be held. Congress," he motioned to the team of senators and delegates, "will be able to set transit fees for civilian traffic as they see fit. Civilian traffic will be prioritized behind fleet and government transits of course."
"Transit fees?" Senator V's'k'll asked, perking up at that news. He had read about that as an alternative form to taxation. "What sort of fees are we talking? This is going to cost us more money?" The captain shook his head and made a hand motion with both hands to show the reverse was true. "Oh, they'll pay us fees?" The captain nodded. "This is costing a fortune I assume. Is that a way to recoup that investment?"
"Yes, Senator. I'm not well versed on the financial side, but you'll be able to set transit fees for shipping at whatever level you desire. By the gross ton, per passenger, whatever. So, you can charge for a ship to go to Tau or from there to here." He cocked his head. "I'm accessing my implants. There are some historical references."
"Wait, so, we can send ships instantly to another sector. There will be no long convoys?" A congressman asked carefully. "We'll save on that?"
"Exactly, sir. That will reduce the costs significantly. The military and by extension the government will recoup the initial startup investment just from those savings alone. You'll also be able to dispatch forces or extend your oversight into other sectors. Senators and delegates from other sectors will be able to transit to and from home and the capital faster."
"So, we can what, move people and goods around more efficiently? Is that his ultimate goal?"
"Exactly. Goods from, let's say, Protodon can come here in a freighter and go to somewhere in Pi. They will come out at the gate there and then the ship can move to its eventual destination and offload her cargo. Cargo, let's say a cargo of exotic wood can be shipped from Delos in Tau to the gate then to here and to somewhere else. Or, hospital ships and medical supplies to the other sectors that need them. I believe that the pirates are intentionally spreading plagues? When time is of the essence, a gate is a sure fire time saver."
Senator Merkoski nodded, eyes gleaming. "This definitely bears thinking about. Can you send me those historical references?"
"Of course, Senator. Anything you need. Those aren't classified."
"I'm glad something isn't," the senator grumbled.
"What gets me is he diverted all this funding and industry while we're at war. Those reversals we faced …," Senator Mayfair turned to address her colleagues. "Reckless, very reckless," she said with a theatrical shake of her head for emphasis.
"Classified," Senator Potts scoffed.
"Not everything will need to be classified forever," Senator Merkoski stated. "And the fringe benefits are something we need to consider carefully," he said, shooting a meaningful look to some of his allies.
"Lunch isn't either, sir. If you folks will come this way, we can get your orders and get you fed," Ghengis stated after detecting the sound of a stomach rumbling.
"That might help with some tempers," Senator Potts quipped.
"I'm still in awe that Irons did all this. And my question is why? Why take all this on while we're fighting for our lives with the damn pirates? The man needs to get his priorities straight!"
The captain hesitated. "Yes? You have something to say, Captain?"
"It isn't my place, Senator. But I can say that most of this is only recent. The Dyson Sphere was the first step. The rest is exponential expansion from the initial seed. It had only minimal impact on the war effort. In fact, the antimatter we're producing now is being exported back to the capital. So that is an early return on investment. Those facilities will shut down when the gates start up, but it's a start."
"Ah. I need to go over your books."
"Yes, sir." Captain Zheng grimaced then took the plunge. "Sir, we only started this project from scratch four years ago," the captain replied, "after contacting Bek and we were winning the offense."
"Four years …," the delegation stared at him. "Are you serious? You did all this in that short a time period?"
"Yes, Senator," the captain said. "I thought you saw that."
"I must have missed it. They had a lot of redacted parts and classified labels," the senator grumbled.
"I don't think the start date would be redacted. I don't see why," the captain frowned.
The senator waved a hand. "It may not have been. I'm being facetious."
"Oh."
"I think we'll take that lunch, Captain. And I think we'll make it a working lunch," Senator Merkoski stated.
-~~~///^\~~~-
"Okay, this situatio
n well and truly sucks," Senator Mayfair said sourly as she crossed her arms in the ship the following day. They were on their way back to the jump point after a hectic twenty-four hours. They had only been able to see the high points of the gateway station and the assembly centers in easy transit of their shuttle.
"How is that? I thought they gave a good explanation as to how the Xenos can't tap in. Given that the Xenos would have to know about this first, it makes perfect sense," Senator Potts argued. "They showed us all of the new bells and whistles to shut it down."
"Not that! Us! We know this, and we can't use it to our own advantage!" Senator Merkoski growled. The other senator just looked at him. He rolled his eyes. "We can't debate the transit fees for one, not in congress! Not now! That means we can't earmark them for our own purposes!"
Senator Potts nodded. "No, not now, but later we can."
"Exactly. Later. We can't leak this or use it to our advantage for leverage. This has been established to the point it's self-sufficient. We can't stop it. We can't sue to stop it without the implants shutting us down!" Senator Mayfair said, clearly aggrieved by that concept.
"Point …"
"We can't use it to our advantage by quietly alerting our constituents or supporters either!" Senator Merkoski said in exasperation. "We can't quietly point them to build infrastructure with an eye towards this without getting our hands slapped," he said sourly.
Senator V's'k'll caught on and signaled first-degree assent. The windfall was expected to be huge. It would change the market and economy over night. Major industrial concerns had been trying to find a better way to exploit untapped markets. Well, the gates were the portal to do so. "That's certainly true. We can't let the merchant houses quietly know. And we can't stop the investments or take advantage of those who will lose from them once this is announced," he said sourly.
"Exactly!"
"Well played, Irons, well played," Senator Potts murmured in amused respect.
Chapter 53