OMEGA Allegiance

by Stephen Arseneault

  Garrett winced as he shook his head. "I want to say this is all too sketchy, too farfetched to work, but … we seem to achieve the impossible on a regular basis."

  "I believe that too often people just don't try. I believe we can do these things if we put forth a good effort."

  A voice could be heard from behind Garrett. "Please, sir. I have no one here. Take me anywhere."

  Garrett turned back towards the Adican. "What's your name?"

  The Adican replied, "Jontik Bahnhos."

  Garrett gestured. "Well, Jontik, this is your lucky day. Welcome to the Jealousy. Have you ever been to Alpha Prime?"

  "No."

  Garrett laughed as he slapped him on the shoulder. "Well, you have an hour to get whatever you need. After that, I am leaving with or without you."

  Jontik nodded and hurried away.

  Garrett turned back to face the comm camera. "Well, now I have a passenger. I have the feeling he won't be staying on Alpha Prime after they just conscripted all his people. Maybe I can drop him somewhere when I get out to Orwall for those blasters."

  I nodded. "I am certain that after the uprising, the Adicans are welcome on Orwall. While on your journey, see if he has any information related to the revolt. Perhaps there was word of an injured Human."

  "Good idea."

  Garrett looked at the time clock on his arm pad. "Hmm. 4:00 p.m. standard time, don't you have patrol coming up?"

  I shook my head. "I took the week off."

  Garrett pointed and laughed as he flipped off the comm. We had six months to come up with a small but capable fleet to possibly take to Andromeda.

  After a trip to Alpha Prime and a heated negotiation, one hundred Centari computers were purchased and shipped to the Omega sector. Garrett, along with Jontik, headed to Orwall. With luck, a shipment of blaster tips would be sent our way soon after their arrival.

  When questioned about Joni Salton, Jontik didn't have any direct information. He did, however, state that a Human female had been working closely with the new Adican government. Who she was or what she was doing, he didn't know.

  He had been a member of the rebellion, but the higher-ups maintained a level of secrecy when it came to government activities. They didn't trust the common citizen, whose information could be purchased with a minimum of credits. The Adican economy had remained in shambles since the rebellion. It seemed the new boss was the same as the old boss.

  When I heard the news of the Human, I had hope it would be her. If there was anyone I knew, who would be capable of making deals with the Adicans, it would be Joni Salton.

  Chapter 2

  The Orwallians received Garrett with a warm greeting. The simple blaster tips that he sought were shipped immediately, but the Orwallians went one step further. Garrett was given a dozen of the newest, most powerful, pre-combined blaster tips that offered nearly triple the power output of the blaster tips we had thrown together. At just over forty megajoules, they were beyond anything the New Alliance currently had. Our only issue would be feeding them the power they could expel.

  After a long discussion with Jontik, he decided to stay on with Garrett. Since we were going after the Adicans, he saw it as a chance to reunite with his people. Even if that meant going into war with them, he considered it better than his current situation.

  With the computer and blaster acquisitions out of the way, Garrett set out for the Theta sector.

  Two days after his arrival I received a comm hail. "Knog, I just thought you might want to know. The shipyard resource managers welcomed me with open arms. They are ready to sign contracts for all of the ore we can deliver. I think they are ramping up of their fleet, which is causing shortages. Can we even deliver any ores?"

  "I'll have to check on that, Garrett. The Talisans are working on mining automation equipment, but I don't think any of the mines are operational. The Feldons that returned to Krakus and those who moved on to Effica are busy rebuilding. Unless we can automate, we don't have any way to deliver product."

  Garrett said, "How about your prisoner worker idea? Any chance of bringing that online?"

  I shook my head. "That was an attempt to replace slavery. Now that slavery is not an issue, I don't think most of these colonies would be willing to step over that line. While our intent was to make it optional for the prisoners, I think it could easily be misused by the politicians. Although, it might still be an option for the more hardcore criminals. On many colonies the death penalty is enforced. It might be an option for them, but I can't believe there would be enough of them, and it would take that many people again to just watch over them. I think the prisoner option has come and gone."

  Garrett replied, "I can't say I was fond of it anyway, although, I don't think the current system of sitting in prison with a bunch of other criminals is rehabilitative. But we aren't here to solve prison reform today. What do I do with regards to contracts?"

  "What are they offering?"

  Garrett pulled up a sheet of current tonnage rates for the different ores in short supply. "If we were actually in business, I think this would be a great opportunity. I also think I would try to negotiate a better rate on most of these. These ores are critical if they want to keep building ships."

  I thought for a moment. "You said they are ramping up ship production. They will be needing soldiers to man those ships. We just saw them harvest Adicus. I wonder what other colonies they have in mind."

  Garrett pulled Orwall up on a star chart. "You would have to think they would love to go after Zanus and Cardello since they have allied with Orwall. Only problem there is that both of those planets are heavily armed and are under the protection of Orwallian ships. Given the power of the blasters they just sold us, I would bet the Saltons don't want to tangle with them. Too many remote or rebellious colonies still out there to conscript."

  I said, "That's another reason I don't want to draw attention to the Omega sector. They have pulled a colony or two from here before. If they get desperate, this is one place that could easily be abused. I would guess the only thing preventing that right now is the remoteness of those planets. It probably took them months to grab those colonies and then get the people all the way back to Theta. Remember, they don't want word leaking out about the conscription. They can't use the portals for their dirty work or everyone would know."

  Garrett replied, "Well, just get those ships built for us. I'll sign their contracts and then see if I can nose around out here for the Adicans. The nearest planet to this shipyard is Contonal. If they are training conscripts it would probably be there. Contonal doesn't have any shipping lanes that run past it and it's near their portal to Andromeda."

  Garrett leaned his head to one side. "Speaking of the Andromeda portal, how is it that they have that? It isn't listed on any portal information, and all of the gates have always been listed. I wish I had the Jess out here for some of this sneaking around."

  I patched Go in on the comm call. "Go, Garrett needs the Jess. If Layda gives her signature, could you make a run to Theta and then leave the Jess with him?"

  Go smiled. "Oh, thank you, Mr. Beutcher. I would do that in an instant. Anything to break the monotony of watching the Talisans. They are just in the beginning stages of welding up frameworks. Nothing interesting for me to see or do."

  "I'll talk to Layda and get everything set up. Just bring enough clothes for the journey. You'll have to walk the entire way on your hops coming back. I'll be coming out there to talk with the Talisans about mining. Garrett's starting to sell ore, so we'll need to somehow provide it."

  Go replied, "Since we had the Talisans looking at mining automation, I took the liberty of doing some research. We think we have some good designs that should allow a minimal crew in the mines while pushing production well above what it was before. It's also been centuries since this sector had much mining activity, and some of the detectors that are now used in the business are much better at mapping ore veins. I ordered one of those detectors. It should be com
ing through portal cargo in the next few days."

  I laughed. "And you were worried about being a leader. I will happily take on overseeing the mine work while you are delivering the Jess."

  With Go on his way to Theta I made a portal hop to Dallex. As Go had stated, our ship production was moving along. The shipyards had twenty frames under construction for the escort fighters that would accompany our larger ships. Two of the larger ships were in the initial stages of frame assembly as well.

  The Talisan mining engineers were putting together a prototype ore excavator. If the detector Go had ordered functioned as desired, the excavator would identify a vein, tunnel to it, and begin the extraction process. Initial estimates by the mining engineers placed the production capability of the ore extractor for a single day at the equivalent of five hundred slave miners working for a month. A single extractor would be able to produce more in a day than the two thousand odd slaves who'd accompanied us in the A44 Telfor mine could produce in a week. The engineers expected to have the prototype operational within hours after the arrival of the detector.

  With our mining interests in good hands, I took a trip out to Krakus to visit with Jallis. The majority of the population had been moved to their desired destinations. Now came the task of rebuilding what had been disrupted or destroyed.

  As I sat in a chair in front of his desk, Jallis said, "Everything is a fire around here. As soon as you put one out, four people come through that door with something new that is critical to our survival. I wish people had more patience. The potential for what we are doing here should be easily seen, and yet it seems all I get are complaints."

  I smiled. "This is why I would not make a good politician. I don't have empathy for those who exaggerate their condition to win favor. And yet I see you here doing just that for not only one colony but three. How are things on Telfor and Effica?"

  Jallis half smiled. "Well, considering what we are doing, I guess it's not all bad. On Effica they have a commission set up that is approving homesteading claims. Only thirty thousand out of three million Effican Feldons came back from the slave mines. They have been given first priority. After the property claims are settled, they will open for business expansion. The Talisan banks are loaded with credits to make cheap loans and grants available for getting self sustaining businesses up and running."

  Jallis chuckled. "It's funny. You don't think about things such as utilities and infrastructure when resettling populations, but those things have to be brought online and maintained in order for everything else to happen. I have to say that I wish this first year was already over. There is so much work to be done that it's often overwhelming. I'm currently in fear of losing large parts of my staff. Everyone wants to go take care of their own business, their own homes, to establish their own claims.

  "Telfor, that is easy in comparison. The only people who stayed there were the ones working the farms anyway. The soil is rich, and with the shipping lanes opening back up they will have good markets to sell their produce into. My biggest worry is right here on Krakus. We've lost about 10 percent of the population. Another 5 percent have decided to try their luck on Effica. Some of the major businesses are having a hard time with labor shortages. I have business leaders breathing down my neck to do something about it."

  I said, "It sounds like you have most everything under control. As you said, in another year, life will begin to normalize. Hopefully, the time just prior to our freeing ourselves was the low point for this sector. Things won't be the same as they were before, but with the changes we have going on, maybe they will be better."

  Several days later Go returned from dropping off the Jess. Garrett put the sleek personal cruiser to work with a trip to the Contonal system. Our hunch was right, the Saltons were using Contonal for conscript training. The Jess clung to a freighter that stopped in high orbit. Smaller shuttles were used to ferry the freighter's contents to the surface. Garrett made good use of the Jess's stealth abilities.

  A comm call came in. "Knog, the Adicans are here. I can only run passive scans, which limits what I can detect, but I am certain it is them. Contonal has a continent with a large flat plain area. There are two dozen large camps down there that are each housing several hundred thousand conscripts."

  I said, "Can you distinguish individuals on the ground from your position?"

  Garrett nodded. "I can, but they are mostly housed in buildings with metal roofs. The passive scanners aren't picking anything up from the buildings. I have to go optical when they are being moved between buildings. I can scan those images for Humans, but it will take some time. I don't think this freighter will be here for more than half a day."

  I sat back in my chair, attempting to think on what we might do to speed our search. "Garrett, how is it that you are transmitting to me from there?"

  "I patched into the comms of the freighter, which has access to the surface. They have a portal gate on Contonal. Otherwise you would have to wait for me to get back to the shipyards and the security station there."

  I leaned forward towards the comm. "I need to come out there."

  Garrett shook his head. "Don't waste your time. You can't do anything that I can't do from this ship. You can't even show yourself out here; a Grunta would stand out. Humans, not so much. Focus your energies on making Omega as productive as you can. That is our home base now. The stronger it is, the more we can do away from it. I mean, think about it. I have been at the Theta shipyards negotiating contracts. They do a thorough background on anyone who comes out this way, especially before allowing access to get near that place. Without our firm position in Omega, I wouldn't be out here."

  I sighed. "I suppose you are right. I will continue my work here. Let me know immediately if you come up with anything out there."

  Garrett nodded. "Will do."

  Over the next several weeks Garrett continued to report back each time he was able to slip in close to Contonal. Only a handful of Humans had been seen in the imagery the sensors had gathered. They were identified as guards or instructors. No sign of a Human female had come to light. That all changed after he piggybacked in on a new freighter loaded with simulation gear for a camp that was being constructed.

  Garrett said, "I wasn't sure if it was her until I saw Raptor run through the video image. I doubt anyone else would be here with a Human dog. I'm also a bit stunned that they allowed anyone to keep a dog, given the circumstances."

  I was displaying as close to a grin as a Grunta could have. "She is alive! This is tremendous news! How do we get her out of there?"

  Garrett shook his head. "I don't know that we can. They have that place buttoned up pretty tight. There is no way I could get near the surface with the Jess. There aren't any ships that visit the camps. Everything is brought in by ground transport from a central space port. Also, with only one sighting to go by, I don't know where she is at any given time. I can't even say that they aren't moving people between those camps. I suspect there may be a large number of underground tunnels connecting them. Without an active scan I have no way of knowing."

  I asked, "What about Jontik? He is Adican. Is there any way we could exploit that to get him in there?"

  Garrett turned to the Adican. "Would you be interested in going down there if we could figure out how to get you in?"

  Jontik replied, "I would. Just tell me what you want me to do. I have already expressed my desire to be back with my family."

  Garrett looked back into the comm video. "We have Jontik to work with. We just have to get him down to the surface. I still have a handful of stealth sensors that I used to deploy while tailing Joni. If we can get one of those on his person we can see and hear everything he does."

  I shook my head. "Even if we can get him to where she is, that won't do us much good other than knowing her location."

  Garrett replied, "I could make a drop and run at the point where I saw her. I don't know how we could do much better than that. I could continue to observe, but that is no guarant
ee that we will see her again. We also run the risk of me being detected every time I come out here. The shipyard resource managers have surprised me with a couple meetings that I wasn't expecting. If they suspect me of being out here spying because I'm not on the Jealousy, then all our efforts out here will be wasted."

  I mulled over the information. If we dropped Jontik off, the Jess would be compromised and unable to return to monitor him. If the Jess was discovered, we would also have no way of gathering intel on the portal gate to Andromeda. There were just too many unknowns for a viable strategy to be planned out.

  Without a plan in place, I felt uncomfortable making a decision. "See if on your next run you can follow a ship out to the portal gate. I would be interested to know how they got one working that was also powerful enough to reach another galaxy. Everything I know about these portals says they are tamper-proof. If Harden Salton has figured out how to control them, that would have huge implications for the stability of the New Alliance. None of the other ruling families would allow one of the others to have that kind of power."

  Garrett replied, "I've been wondering about that myself. One other thing that occurred to me when I saw Joni. We could alert the Salton security forces and they would just go out and pick her up."

  I shook my head. "If we were to do that, we would forever seal our fate. If we contacted the Salton's organization directly, they would want to know how we came about this information. If we did it anonymously, we would not get credit for freeing her. Besides, if she is walking around down there with the Adicans, she must be doing it for a reason. She would otherwise just turn herself in."