ARMS War for Eden

by Arseneault, Stephen

  Harris said, “Where’d that taxi driver say he picked him up? Del something?”

  Tawn pulled up a nav map. “A hundred twelve habitable worlds. None with names like that.”

  Gandy asked, “Is there a center to the field of travel? I would think it would extend out in all directions for an equal distance.”

  Tawn looked over the maps. “Our known space is actually a long, thin region. Same for the New Earthers. They overlap from here to here. The centers of those spaces are Domicile and New Earth.”

  Harris said, “Maybe the facility is back home.”

  Tawn shook her head. “Why would Cletus say he found him elsewhere?”

  Harris asked, “Farker, do you know the location of where Cletus Dodger found you?”

  Yes.

  “Can you tell us?”

  The location of the field generators is held in confidence by the science community who created these fields. Attempted facility access may result in the collapse of the fields for both worlds. Maintenance —

  Harris held up a hand. “Save it. We know what you’re gonna say.”

  Trish crossed her arms. “Looks like we’ve got a mystery on our hands.”

  Chapter 16

  _______________________

  Tawn opened the hatch and flipped off the inertial dampeners. The heavy gravity of the colony planet took hold.

  Gandy remarked as he stood. “Wow. I feel like I’m carrying a thirty-kilo pack. It like this all the time?”

  Harris smirked. “Yeah, it’s called gravity.”

  Gandy frowned. “And you people are OK with this?”

  “It takes a bit of getting used to.” Harris replied. “Couple days of dragging around and you’ll start to get your legs back.”

  Trish stood and then sat. “Maybe for you. This is horrible. Can we turn the dampening field back on?”

  Tawn flipped a switch. Gandy shook his shoulders in an attempt to relax as the dampener field again surrounded them, bringing the gravity back to standard.

  Trish said, “Thank you. It was getting hard to breathe.”

  Harris laughed. “Hard to breathe? That was like two seconds. You two need to bulk up a bit. You’re too soft.”

  Tawn sat back in her chair. “That’s the first time either of you have been off Domicile, isn’t it? Aside from Chicago, you two haven’t been anywhere.”

  Trish returned a half smile. “Was hoping to at my job, but it never came up.”

  Gandy shrugged. “I sold ships. Didn’t get to ride in them.”

  Harris said, “You do realize about a third of the colonies have at least a slightly higher grav, right?”

  Gandy gestured by pointing his thumb over his shoulder toward the door. “Nothing like that, though. What is that? Twenty percent over?”

  Harris laughed. “Twelve. Guess that means the two of you will be staying on the ships when you come out here.”

  Trish said, “Farker, what is the gravity level where Mr. Dodger found you?”

  It is 4 percent above standard.

  Trish grinned. “Now you can’t tell me we can’t find that. How many one-oh-fours can there be?”

  Tawn looked back at the nav display. “Six. Good job.”

  Gandy said, “Mr. Gaerten’s algorithms must not be all that good. Should have screened that question out.”

  Harris sat back on the bench. “Since these two have no interest in seeing the Retreat, why don’t we head back and grab the Bangor. We can split the planet list between us and find out where our little buddy came from.”

  Harris looked down at his dog with its wide open chassis. “Farker, close yourself up.”

  The panels and doors flipped and slid shut, returning the pet’s exterior to one of a friendly and familiar dog. The unnatural grin returned to his face.

  A jump was made back to Chicago Port Station where Harris and Trish walked aboard the Bangor. A comm was opened.

  “Give us three coordinates.” Harris said as the retros for the ship were initiated and control was turned over to the automated exit system.

  Tawn pushed over the coordinates. “I’m sending you Imedia, Grytus and Wet Blanket.”

  Harris laughed. “Wet Blanket? I don’t remember ever hearing about that one.”

  “It’s out on the edge like the Rabid system, only on the other end. The other two are on your way out to it.”

  ***

  The Bangor was soon out into free space.

  Harris said, “OK, Kingflusher, we’ll meet you back here when we have the data.”

  Tawn scowled. “It’s Fisher. Now cut it out or I’ll start calling yours the Bummer.”

  “Roger that, Flasher. We’ll see you shortly.”

  The comm was closed.

  Harris said, “Miss Boleman, would you like to do the honors?”

  Trish nodded. “I would. You think we’ll find anything?”

  “Couldn’t say. Who knew a blossom field or whatever it’s called even existed?”

  “Boson field. And yeah, they kind of left that important fact out of our schooling. Weird that we have a confined space we can travel in because of it. I always wondered why, but nobody had a good answer. You have to wonder how something so crucial to our existence remains an unknown to the populace. Someone has to be studying that stuff.”

  Harris propped his feet up on the console. Trish returned an angry stare.

  Harris chuckled. “What? It’s my ship. If the captain wants to prop his feet up, he can.”

  “And if the first mate wants to maintain a properly functioning vessel, she’ll complain. You scrape over those buttons and dials with that fat boot and we won’t be able to read them.”

  Harris sighed as he pulled his feet down. “Fine. Once we jump we’ll have an hour to reach… Imedia. You can take the time to install our new gauge.”

  Trish smiled. “I could do that.”

  ***

  “I don’t get it. Four. That’s exactly what it said before I hooked it up. What’s it even mean? Could be that it’s broken, but we don’t know because we don’t know what it is.”

  Harris replied, “I’d say you have a research project waiting when we get back to port. It had to do something or they wouldn’t have put it in here.”

  Trish scowled. “I don’t like it. Think I’d rather just look at the hole.”

  Harris leaned forward. “Sorry, but it stays. I made a big deal about it to Tawn and I’d like her to think she’s missing out on something.”

  Trish replied, “What’s with you two, anyway? You fight like you’re a couple.”

  Harris grimaced. “That’s just disgusting.”

  “Why? She seems like a reasonable person.”

  Harris chuckled. “Yeah, she’s tolerable. It’s slugs and stumps. We all came from the same base DNA. It would be like getting together with my sister. Kind of like you and Gandy.”

  Trish frowned. “Eww. I see what you mean.”

  “Yeah. The designers did all they could to design out fraternization among us. Sterile and the same base DNA. Not that we don’t have urges or anything, but—”

  Trish held up her hand with a scowl. “OK, not really a conversation I was looking to have with my new boss.”

  Harris laughed. “I take it there’s no boy back home?”

  “I just said I’m not comfortable with this.”

  Harris shook his head. “One thing you’ll have to learn about Miss Freely and me, we’ve been through massive amounts of psychological training. You’re gonna have a tough time hurting our feelings or shocking us. Thick skin, you might say.

  “As a consequence, though, we can be a bit blunt. One of the reasons some regulars don’t care to have us around. I mean, we desperately want to be liked, but… hahaha! I can’t even say that with a straight face.”

  Trish half smiled. “I think there’s feeling buried in there somewhere. Even with your alterations, you’re still Human.”

  Harris smirked. “Stop it. Before you make me tear up.�
�

  The Bangor dropped into the atmosphere of Imedia. The retrojets were flipped on, slowing the ship as she fell.

  Harris said, “Want to have some fun?”

  “Depends.”

  “Flip off the auto-descent switch. Let’s see if you can pilot this pup manually.”

  Trish sat forward. “I take that as a challenge. Can’t be that tough. I’ve done it in a simulator a hundred times.”

  Harris grinned. “Not in this ship you haven’t. And you might want to cinch up that lap belt.”

  Trish returned an arrogant smile. “I’m fine.”

  The button was pressed and unlocked. Immediately the ship began to buck and rock before rolling into a spin. Trish jerked the controls one way and then the other in an attempt to correct the unruly flight of the craft.

  “Grrr! Why is this so hard? What’s wrong with this thing?” she exclaimed.

  Harris reached over, re-engaging the auto-descent control system. “Not the picnic you thought it would be, huh? Ever tried to pilot an oversize refrigerator as it plummeted toward a planet? Didn’t think so.”

  Harris took the controls, again flipping the button to off. Repeated jerks of his hand kept the decent smooth and easy.

  “How are you doing that?”

  “Practice. I’ll take us in. Once we’ve leveled-off you can take over and learn how to drive this box.”

  Trish shook her head as she watched the constant maneuvering of the controls. “How’s that possible?”

  Harris grinned. “Skill. Actually, it’s just practice. Took me a half dozen tries to get the hang of it. You get forced feedback through the stick. You just have to learn how to react to it. Not so bad once you figure it out.”

  “Why are we doing this in the first place?”

  Harris held up a finger on his free hand. “The million-credit question. Now let’s suppose an enemy ship has decided to chase you. Are you going to do whatever it takes to get away? Or are you planning to just set the autopilot and let the ship’s computer fly you to safety?”

  Trish shrugged. “I kind of like the second one.”

  Harris shook his head. “That leaves you dead. Let’s reverse the roles. If you were chasing someone, would you rather they were flying straight and level for you to follow? Or would you want them dipping and swerving and making every turn or change in speed they could to get away?”

  Trish slowly nodded. “I see. Guess I never thought about it. Besides, we don’t have an enemy.”

  Harris winced. “Hate to burst your bubble, but the truce didn’t make us instant friends with the New Earthers. They still hate us and want control of what we have. Out here on the frontiers, where no one is watching, things can get nasty. The war may be at a stop, but it’s not over.”

  Harris pulled the ship to level before bringing it to a stop at five kilometers from the surface. “Before we get started with your flight lessons, why don’t you tell me what you know about the truce?”

  Trish shrugged. “It was signed? We quit fighting and everyone came home?”

  “Do you know why we quit fighting?”

  Trish shook her head.

  “The New Earthers were in trouble. They had exhausted their supply of titanium. For every five ships they lost in battle, they could only replace four. Their navy was getting thin and they knew it. There’s sixteen star systems in the truce zone. They controlled twelve of those before the truce was signed. We gave up four of ours.

  “Had we pushed ahead with the war I believe we could have defeated them once and for all. Our politicians thought it best not to risk any more lives. If you ask me, all they did was postpone the war for as long as it takes for the NEs to gain a new titanium supply.”

  Trish nodded. “Well no fighting is better than fighting. I think they did the right thing by ending it. Besides, if the NEs had any titanium available, they would have found it by now, wouldn’t they?”

  Harris scratched the back of his head. “That’s where the problem lies. They were smart enough to negotiate putting Eden into that truce zone. Our people didn’t care. To them it was just a hot, hostile desert planet. But I’ve heard rumors it’s loaded with titanium. If the NE people can mine that supply, this war kicks back on.”

  Trish asked, “Is that the one that’s been in the news lately? Some escalating violence or something?”

  Harris smiled. “Wow. An informed youth. I’m impressed.”

  “Don’t be. One of my friends is a devout pacifist. Eden is like some kind of cult shrine to her.”

  Harris nodded. “That’s the main colony there. They just want to be left alone and have no interest in mining or trade. However, if the rumors about titanium are true, NE could be meddling in their affairs.”

  Trish frowned. “Well, now you’ve got me all depressed.”

  Harris laughed. “OK then, I guess it’s time we occupied your mind. Set us a nav pattern to circle this planet while I scan for structures. Will take us a couple hours, but we’ll know if there’s a facility down there. And in the meantime, you’ll be getting practice.”

  Harris programmed in the waypoints for the flight. “We’re flying level, which should make it a bit easier on you. Just remember what I said about the feedback through the stick. Don’t fight it. Use it. You ready?”

  Trish nodded as she cinched her belt. “Ready as I’ll ever be.”

  The Bangor began to move forward and immediately dropped by fifty meters as the front nosed over. Several hasty stops and restarts saw a ship that was moving, but rocking and jerking as it went.

  Trish frowned. “I think this is gonna make me sick.”

  Harris reached to the console, depressing a button. The visual display in front of them, the view in front of the ship, became steady.

  Trish let out a deep breath. “That’s much better.”

  “That mode has its own problems. Like you might be flying upside down right now. You just have to keep watch on your instruments and don’t try to make adjustments by what you’re seeing on the viewscreen. Such as, right now you’re down a kilometer from target.”

  Trish reached up and flipped off the view stabilization. The image flipped upside down and began to jerk back and forth.

  “I see what you mean. That can be disorienting.”

  Harris propped his leg up on the console. “Just give this mode a little more time. And if you feel you’re losing it, reach up and press the button. You don’t have to learn it all today.”

  The bumpy ride went on for forty-five minutes before the young first mate threw in the towel. “I’m done. I think I hurt my brain. My eyes are shaking.”

  Harris laughed. “As I said, you’ll get used to it. It gets a lot better with time.”

  “We see anything down there?”

  “Two small colonies and their associated buildings. All registered in the property database we brought. We have… about an hour twenty before we’re done here.”

  Trish sat back, propping her legs up on the corner of the console.

  Harris shook his head. “So, Miss Boleman, what do you think of your new job?”

  “It’s interesting. I’ve traveled to the far reaches of known space… bought a ship… flown a ship. And I got paid a fat commission before even starting. So far I like it. What do you think of your new hire?”

  Harris crossed his arms. “I guess I can’t complain too much so far. You seem competent and willing to learn. I’m sure given time I’ll find out what your annoying habits are.”

  Trish smirked. “Yeah. You’ll find out. When I get my mind set I can be stubborn. I don’t like to give up and I don’t like to lose.”

  Harris smiled. “I think we’re gonna get along just fine.”

  Silence permeated the cockpit for fifteen minutes as the pair watched the terrain below going by.

  Trish asked, “You said before this ship can take a plasma cannon round. If it was built and in service before those cannons came about, how do you know?”

  Harris cleared his
throat. “I’m probably jumping the gun on this and Tawn will be pissed, but if we’re gonna be a team we have to be able to trust one another. Can I trust you, Trish Boleman?”

  “You’re not a pirate, are you?”

  Harris laughed. “No. Not exactly. You and your brother asked before how we made our money? Well, we sort of did a bit of gun-running to the outer colonies.”

  “Illegal like?”

  Harris tilted his hand back and forth. “Some of it at least is a gray area, but yeah, I think you’d have to say illegal. But we aren’t doing it anymore. Those days are over. We’re all legit now. We run supplies out to the Retreat.”

  Trish said, “As long as we’re confessing… I have a sordid past of my own.”

  Harris set his feet on the deck. “Do tell.”

  “When I was sixteen, I might have borrowed my neighbor’s flyer without permission. Went for a little joyride. And I might have managed to put a small little dent in the passenger side. And I might have let my friend Randall take the fall for it. He didn’t go or anything, or know anything about it, but he did ride his heloscooter into their garage after being asked not to. I’ve felt bad about that for the last five years now.”

  “Flyer theft is a felony. I had no idea I was taking on such a hardened criminal. You have chosen to stay on a path of the straight and narrow now though, right?”

  Trish half smiled. “I’ll have to let you know on that one. All I can say is that so far I have.”

  Chapter 17

  _______________________

  The Imedia colony offered no data leading to the possibility of an isolated facility. The Grytus and Wet Blanket colonies yielded the same. A jump was made back to Chicago Port Station where The Kingfisher and her crew were waiting.

  Harris stepped up through the hatch. “No luck, huh?”

  Tawn tilted her head back and forth. “Well… Durodurn was a bust as well as was Context. We then ran into an issue that you might find interesting. The Midelon system, which sounds surprisingly like the Del-whatever system mentioned by Cletus Dodger, doesn’t allow jumps. We just happen to fall a couple years short when we entered the coordinates.