Stepping Stones (Founding of the Federation Short Stories Book 1)

by Chris Hechtl

  “Gotcha. But I don't have a reputation yet.”

  “Everyone has to start somewhere. From the look of their budget, I'm betting they are cutting corners, so it follows that they are willing to take risks. I'm betting their insurance premiums are through the roof.”

  “That and the production company's,” Jack agreed with a nod as he checked his tablet. The local server was slow; he hadn't gotten the email yet. There it was, he noted as it blinked into life in his inbox. “Got the email.”

  “Good. Hit the ground running. Don't sell them anything you can't replace. But we can make some stuff here on Mars and shipping it up to the station is easy with our shuttles and cheaper than Earth. But you'll have to work on the rest.”

  “Understood. And I'll have a budget for you and for them shortly. I'll email both groups and let them know I am interested in supplying them. I have two Pam rockets we can use to kick gear to them, but it depends on the orbits and timeline. “

  “Better get started on that now then,” Luigi urged. “I'll find you some place to set up groundside so you can work. Interior space is at a premium you know.”

  “Roger,” Jack replied with a nod as he headed for the door, head down as he tapped at his tablet.

  => o

  Luigi was right; 360 Mining was concentrated on the bare bones of a resupply. That meant fuel, oxygen …. Jack shook his head. They could do better with water, or even better, ice. If they were smart, they would live off the land, sucking up water ice, processing it for their own needs first, then for fuel to ship back materials second or even sell it to the other miners. Stockpiling it too, he thought.

  If they didn't have money … he tapped his chin with his stylus thoughtfully then nodded. He wrote the proposal with a pitch that he would accept raw material as a part of the payment. He also threw in a bit about how he could make plastic and metal components. Shipping, however, would be at a premium. He winced. Without another PAM, a Payload Assist Module, technically a glorified rocket pack he'd picked up off the NASA shelf, he'd be out of the supply business after his second shot. And if either of them failed, he'd be screwed.

  The Houffmans weren't the only ones riding on a hope and a prayer. If he did fail, they could die. Probably would die if he failed. Best he didn't then, he thought firmly.

  One thing though, he had to either make or buy more PAMS. Make better ones if possible he thought with a pang, at least until there was regular shipping to the belt from Mars.

  That was one thing he'd overlooked in his zeal to come out to Mars he thought. Just about everything was shipped from Earth orbit. Could he borrow one of the supply ships? Or hire them to launch a PAM supply rocket? The fusion drive supply ships plying space between Mars and Earth could handle it. There wasn't a lot of return cargo to Earth. He frowned pensively and threw the idea into his idea box for later review.

  There was one family out in the belt currently. Where all others had come, made their fortune, and returned home, the Schnauvel Mining outfit was still holding on. Two generations of the family were out there, the grandfather and his grandson. The father was in the space industry on Earth. They were barely breaking even he knew.

  He also knew that the Irons family had been one of the many groups that had acted as their first investors to get them the start-up capital. They had yet to pay back that initial investment. He had done his research; he was fairly confident the old man was ready to retire, quite possibly to Mars. If he did he would turn the business over to his grandson. When he did, his son might even follow him out to Mars with the rest of his family. He frowned thoughtfully and typed that note to himself and threw it in the intel and idea box as well. It might come in handy sometime in the future

  As he had noted before, the Irons family had been one of many groups to act as investors in the first asteroid mining projects. He was fairly confident that many of the other colonists who had free money had followed suit as well. If they ever got the Mars government off the ground, they would as well. A part of his future predictions hinged on the Mars government putting out a bounty on rocks to hit the Martian poles on specific trajectories to not only accelerate the planet's greenhouse system but also to move the planet as Luigi Irons had pointed out in a testimony years ago. But they had to get things moving faster first.

  His plan hinged on the exponential potential of his equipment and the raw materials out in space. With both fuel and power, he could grow his seed into a massive industrial complex. The more he fed the machine, the faster and smoother it would grow.

  Luigi had found him a small closet to work in. It was enough to set up one of his machines, though he had found he had to use the power sparingly. The computer had already cut the power to the room once and warned him not to draw so much for so long. He was on a strict energy budget too he noted.

  He had solar panels, but he hadn't a place to set them up. He too was on a learning curve it seemed. Hopefully, the Houffmans would have it easier. He snorted at his thoughts. Who was he kidding? Hopefully they would survive their own learning curve. Theirs had a hell of a cliff if they didn't.

  => o

  The Houffman families suffered under increasing financial hardship as their patriarchs went from earning a living to getting their new venture off the ground. They were strapped for money having borrowed from every source to make their scheme a reality, and since they weren't bringing in money, the bills piled up. The greenhorns they had signed on had also liquidated their savings and borrowed from banks and friends to invest as well.

  All that was on the back of their minds, as well as the threat of something going wrong, as the families saw the adventurers off.

  “You think it'll work?”

  “I think we can swing it with a bit of luck and the Lord's blessings. We've got to,” Todd insisted. He'd read the proposal from Lagroose Industries on Mars. They were undercutting Deep Space Industry's supply bid by half, and he hadn't solicited them. That was a pleasant and surprising twist. He had considered using it as leverage to get them to come down on their bid, but the idea of selling Lagroose his tailings as a part of the bid was rather appealing to him.

  He was after the rare metals like Planetary Resources. He knew the Schnauvels were too, though they sold other materials to the various groups in order to make ends meet as they tried to find the mother lode. Well, he could do the same he mused. And he'd use Lagroose's own supply rocket to send back their payment. It was only fitting, right? Before he boarded the shuttle, he shot an email off with his signature on the contract. There, they were committed he thought as he hugged his wife for perhaps the last time.

  He nodded to the camera crew as they did their business, hovering in the background. Hopefully, they wouldn't get underfoot up there.

  => o

  Jack grinned when he got the email in. He was committed now. The deposit hadn't followed as of yet, but that was fine. He had his show of good faith; now he had to return the favor and give them a status update.

  He had his own Sabatier reactor to suck the Martian atmosphere and convert it for fuel and chemicals, but it was only a small thing. He needed water ice like everyone else. That was going at a premium too, but with his ties to Luigi, it should be easier.

  With the contract had come the full list of parts required as well as a request for a price list for parts that may be needed for specific machinery. He did his research and noted they had common and uncommon parts there. He whistled softly at some of the masses involved. That would be tough under the business model he currently had set up. The rates … he winced but then nodded. He'd make it work.

  He'd have to set everything up in orbit aboard the station, then kick the PAM off to them. That meant staging everything in one or two flights. He pursed his lips and made a soft puttering sound as he worked out the details of his plan before he shot it off in an email to the Mario brothers for final approval.

  => o

  Todd gleefully led his team and the film crew through the cramped station to the
Hermes craft. He did his best to ignore the gasps of dismay when they got on board. It was tight quarters, and it would only get tighter the longer the journey.

  “Well! I'm starting to regret that second course now,” he said, patting his ample belly. He would have nothing but time to sweat and worry the weight off he reasoned. They were on a strict diet, rationing was required if they were to have enough food for the entire journey.

  Unlike the Schnauvels and others, he'd opted to go with just packaged MREs he'd bought over a mix of space meals and growing supplementals. They didn't have the room for the plants anyway.

  “The good news is, we're only in this thing for the next eighty-four days,” he said, eying Dave as the other man pushed the gear into place and strapped it down. “Once we get to where we're going, we can inflate some tents and get out of here,” Todd said.

  “It's tighter than you said, Todd,” Mitch said.

  “It's all the gear,” Todd replied, looking at the engineer. It was too late to back out now; they all knew that. “We'll use a bit of it up on the journey out, so that will free up a little space,” he said.

  “We'll make it work. Hell, we've got to,” Dave said, shaking his head. “Stow the gear, folks; we've got to get this bus moving.”

  “You heard the man,” Todd said, holding on to a strap to keep from drifting. “Stow the gear.”

  “Tote that bail, move that barge,” Mitch muttered but he got to work anyway.

  => o

  Paul looked around the interior and nodded to Brandy. It was white, festooned with cargo nets, straps, and gear everywhere. Not a lot of places for people to just have space. It did have portholes to look out though.

  The center of the habitat had an airlock with a water jacket wrapped around it. That was supposed to protect them against cosmic radiation and solar flares. A thinner water jacket was wrapped around the exterior, sandwiched between the hulls.

  Paul knew the Hermes craft was leased from Deep Space Industries. It had cost Todd a fortune, nearly two-thirds of the man's budget, even with the hefty discount he'd gotten out of the company. He wondered briefly if it would be their tomb.

  Brandy and Heather were the only two females on the craft. He knew Heather was a lesbian, and Brandy was his wife. It didn't matter anyway; all of the men, except Mitch the engineer, were in committed relationships or marriages, many with children. They were devoted to their families back home.

  “Bring it in, guys. Dad's going to do a prayer before we strap in and take off,” Todd urged. Paul pulled his hand camera out to document the event.

  => o

  Jack watched the updates, but they were thin. There wasn't a lot to cover in the journey out; Jack Houffman's daily sermons were about the only spicy time they had. The crew either read, slept, played games, or worked on their plans.

  Dave and Todd stuck to staring at maps until they said their eyes were ready to bleed. He snorted. He could imagine that. He shook his head. Well, the gear was almost ready. Fortunately, trading some time on his equipment to the colony for the raw material, power, and space had gotten him most of what he'd needed.

  He'd even gone out and hooked his solar panels up nearby. Mario had worked out a program to credit him for the power the panels provided. It had offset some of the cost of power by a third.

  The Houffmans were supposed to send him a part of their payload back. He'd chosen to accept it on Mars, though he didn't intend to be on Mars for more than eighteen months if he could help it. He was already itching to get back to Earth orbit where the real action was.

  While his machinery worked, he helped out where he could to offset his own living expenses. Mario was a nice sort but busy. Luigi had put him to work handling some of the paperwork as well as minor repairs around the base and town. He shuddered at the idea of taking on the thundering herd again.

  => o

  Transit to the belt was rough for the Houffmans. The eagerness wore off quickly into a thinly veiled tension and the miasma of boredom. Everyone was ready and heartily sick of their cabin, each other, the smells, and the feeling of being trapped with nowhere to go. Which was too bad, since they were going to be living in it for the year or so they would be out there Todd thought. They had to sit and watch movies or play games or whatever until they got to where they were going.

  The good news was that once they were out there, most of the crew would be out working the claim while the second shift rested. So they'd have elbow room. And as their gear was used up, they'd store their trash outside or eject it.

  He went over Lagroose's proposal again and teased a few nuggets of hints out. The proposal was solid, and backed by the Irons brothers, which was why he'd gone along with it. He frowned as he read the ideas that were broadly implied. Recycling he got; they could do that. The Klondike maxim of not throwing anything out too and living off the land; that was very appealing. If they did find a pocket of water ice, he planned on using it. It would also mean he'd need less supply from them, which would cut into their profits. Tough for them, but he'd work it out with them to keep them happy. At least until he didn't need them anymore.

  => o

  Jack assembled the materials on the ground and shipped it to orbit in two flights while the Houffman's rocket sped to the belt. He was on schedule, which was good, but he had expected to be well ahead of schedule by the time they got there. He'd also expected feelers from other interested parties but so far, nothing. Apparently everyone was waiting and watching to see how well he performed.

  The funny thing to him was that Todd had set up the contract after he'd lifted off. That told him all sorts of interesting things about Todd's financials and his planning skills … or lack thereof.

  He, on the other hand, had taken courses on aerospace engineering in college and signed up for a tech school to run him through space and Mars training. He'd selected it because it had a vomit comet as a part of its climatizing sales pitch and practice EVA training in a pool. Both had been low budget affairs, but they'd allowed him to get the gist of things. He'd kept note of his classmates; they might be handy contacts, potential employees, or rivals. He had judged about half his class would never get into space. Some though, some had vision. Reg Pruitt he still chatted with from time to time.

  Instead of going through the school's suppliers for his equipment he'd done the bold thing and had his Mars skinsuit custom made. He'd thought he could get away with using it in space but that had turned into a nonstarter, so he'd rearranged his budget to pick up an off-the-shelf Russian design.

  He'd brought two EVA robots to handle the exterior work through telepresence, but their slow moves had driven him virtually insane. He'd had to go out and fix them a time or two, much to Captain Longfeather's annoyance. He hadn't had a ground control like they had on Earth, but he still had Longfeather and Luigi breathing down his neck each time he performed an EVA anyway.

  He'd found going EVA was a bit eerie. Quiet, the only thing he could hear was the sound of the fans in his suit and his own breath. He'd played music to help motivate him, but he'd had to turn it off a few times when he moved too fast and gotten himself into trouble.

  He'd also had to quit a few times because he'd gotten his respiration up and saturated his CO2 scrubber. Longfeather hadn't been happy with him, but he hadn't gotten the bends and he had gone out the next shift to complete the job.

  Under Luigi's prodding he'd set up a reserve pool of supplies and a fallback option in case something went wrong. Murphy wasn't something you didn't plan for, as a good engineering professor had noted. Luigi had reminded him of that bit, and he'd taken the guidance under thoughtful consideration. Hopefully, it wouldn't come to that he thought. But if it did, he'd have it waiting in a hurry. And if it didn't, well, he had a jump on the next contract order.

  Speaking of prodding, the check had finally cleared from Todd. Houffman had dragged his heels on making the deposit, but he'd sure as shit bugged the piss out of Jack for daily and sometimes hourly updates on his progre
ss! He shook his head in disgust.

  => o

  Paul grimaced as he read another not-so-polite hint from Robert. He'd have to wait; he'd told him that already. Told him and told him, over and over. Watching the crews interact in the habitat wasn't what the viewers wanted. They'd had their fill of it with the Mars program. People who were into soap opera crap were following along with the daily feed sure, but it wasn't big. Nor what they were paying to watch, which they weren't anyway since the studio was streaming it free to drum up publicity and get the word out.

  He'd had to sit on a couple of fights between the crew—mainly because his own people had gotten involved. The film crew was supposed to be behind the scenes, not in the thick of things. Fortunately, they had another week before they got to the belt.

  Todd had assured him that they had enough fuel for several rock claims as well as to get back or even abort to Mars if necessary. He'd finally looked into the belt more thoroughly and had been appalled by the vast distance between rocks. He, like many people, had been fooled by mainstream memes of rocks all clustered together like gravel, bouncing off each other and drifting helplessly through space like a river around the sun. Apparently it was something like that but not quite. They were far apart, thousands of kilometers. Most rocks were fairly small too, another oversight.

  According to Todd's breezy reassurances, that was all planned for. He had a dozen potential claims planned out. One was on Ceres, the dwarf planet. His renewed interest in research had shown him something he'd overlooked previously, that half of the main belt's mass was made up in four large rocks: Vesta, Pallas, Hygiea, and Ceres. Pallas was a silica asteroid high off the plane of the belt and thus inaccessible. Hygiea was a carbonaceous rock but had an odd orbit. The Schnauvels had set up shop on Vesta, the second largest rock in the belt, 2.5 AU from the sun in the Alinda family of asteroids. It had enough resources for them to not only survive on the rock for extended periods, but also provide fuel to supply their shipments back to Earth.