Galactic Assimilation 2:: Empire Rising

by J. K. Mabrey

  A thousand years later, you could never tell that the colony suffered so much. Only the great crater hints at the horrible past event, but it too was now covered with vegetation, and slowly sinking into legend.

  Garos wouldn't have to face something like that, he thought. The protocols in place to protect a colony would prevent disasters of that type. Still, weather can be unpredictable, and all the studying in the world can never prepare you for what a strange place could throw at you. The first settlement on Jyunga was hit with a hurricane six months after being settled. Five years of surveying the planet and not once did a hurricane materialize. Then, bam, one throwing out wind speeds over one hundred sixty miles an hour slammed right into the settlement.

  Pirates raided Rili-del only one month after a new settlement arrived. Their food, weapons, and equipment were all stolen in the blink of an eye. The Council did not take that lightly at all. They sent a whole squad of Quantum soldiers to hunt down the pirates and eliminate them. They did too. It only took the elite soldiers three days to find the pirates hiding out on Candor. They were quickly and publicly dealt with. The Council wanted to send a message to anyone who might think such actions against a new colony was acceptable. The fact that it was a Chokmnd colony helped. Zavik doubted there would be such outrage for Earth's colony. He was confident they were prepared for all likely scenarios. But it's impossible to prepare for all, so the unlikely inevitably get forgotten about.

  They would be even more prepared if he could finish his job quickly. That was where his mind was. These people were nice and kind, but he needed to be focused on the job. If he did it well, it would be good for his career. He could buy a lightdrive and start getting those elusive contracts again. He hungered to get started. Why did he agree to stay? Every minute they delayed was a wasted opportunity. Garos was fine. Earth was ready for a colony and these people knew what they were getting into when they signed up. Why should he feel sorry for them?

  Dani tapped him on the shoulder. "Hi," he said, a little startled from his thoughts.

  "Officer Stevens's going to take us to Raven camp now," she said.

  "Now?" He meant to only think it.

  "Yes, what's wrong with that?"

  "Nothing. I guess I’m just anxious to get started."

  She placed a hand on his chest. “We’ll get there. Don’t worry.”

  “It’s my job to worry,” he said.

  She smiled. “I know, and you do a good job of that. But I think it gives one perspective to meet the people we’re helping.

  "I have all the perspective I need," he said. A growing harshness laid in his words. "I know these people need supplies, and I know it's my job to get them supplies. It's what I'm paid to do."

  "I'm going to Raven camp," she said. "You can stay with the Rinada if you want or walk around here by yourself, or whatever you care to do. I don't care." A tear swelled up in her right eye, but she refused to let it fall. He noticed that she was about to cry and wished he hadn't. It would have been easier to say no that way. It didn't touch his heart or make him feel like he was wrong, he just didn't want to fight about it. He could have said, 'Fine, go have fun, I'll be preparing for our job,' but that would have lead to a big fight later on. If there was one thing Zavik hated it was a lingering fight on the horizon with Dani. They always loomed over him like a full moon stubbornly stuck behind a thick layer of cloud. Peaking through when it could, looking for any sign of weakness, for that moment when it could show itself in all its glory. He couldn't outrun them, no matter how hard he tried, and there was no avoiding them when they came crashing down. He could apologize till he was blue in the face, but if she wanted to get something off her chest, there was no stopping it.

  He bit his tongue and said, "I'll go with you."

  She faked a smile and said, "Good, Officer Stevens is waiting with Brax and Charra."

  They walked to the group of hoverbikes. Officer Stevens had been prepping four for the trip, topping them off with fuel and letting them warm up. "Raven camp is the closest camp to us, it's also the newest," he said, not noticing the tear that ran down Dani's face. She wiped it away quickly. "It just started setting up two weeks ago."

  "I guess that'll be good to see," Zavik said. Zavik took control of one of the bikes, while Brax, Charra, and Officer Stevens climbed on the others. Dani sat on the rear of his, her arms wrapped around him loosely, barely enough to hold her steady as the bike rushed forward. She buried her head behind his back to block the wind. The camp was only a five-minute ride away. Dani never looked up, only glancing to the sides once or twice.

  Raven camp was small, about a quarter the size of the main settlement. There was no tall Command Center or a landing pad for supplies. There were three shelters, similar to what Mrs. Talegra was forced to live in, a small structure to the north, and a plot of land with a dozen colonists and one robot hacking away at it.

  Zavik shut the bike down. "This is one of the four camps?" he asked. "There's hardly anything here."

  "It's new," Stevens said. "We took about a hundred people from the main camp and split them off to come here. This land reports to be very fertile, and there are no predators. Even the deterans haven't shown up out this way. Most of those here are colonists, only about twenty soldiers joined this group."

  "Are they getting ready to plant?" Brax asked, pointing to the laborers in the field.

  "Yes, until we get the proper equipment, we have to do it the old fashioned way. Well, they have to do it. Our projections suggest that we'll need a lot of supplement from the harvest to cover our needs on top of what Earth is sending. Factoring in what you're scheduled to bring, we'd still need some additional food from our own harvesting."

  Zavik wanted to say something about the sooner he got started the sooner they'd have their supplies but thought better of it. He didn't even look at Dani. "Are you going to add to this camp when the new colonists arrive?"

  "Most will go here," Stevens said. "The rest will be spread out over the other three sites."

  Zavik watched the men at work, hacking away at the unspoiled land. Another robot, a motorized tiller in front, was sweeping back and forth, back and forth, over the ground. He watched as a pick was lifted high in the air, the sunlight glistening off the tip as it hovered in midair. At once he thought, how peaceful, to be out in fresh air, an opportunity to really enjoy oneself, and yet how terrifying. Not knowing what was going to happen. Not being in control of your life or circumstances. The colonists had not a care off of this world. No debts to square away, no bounties for mistakenly getting involved in conflicts that were never their business to get involved in. No dealings with politicians that would say one thing to your face and then the opposite behind closed doors. No worry of money. After all, there wasn’t anything to buy here. You worked for your survival, he liked that. The land was fresh and new, for now. Only a faint smell of burned fuel lingered in the air, and that was when you were downwind. Not like Earth or most other systems where the air would constantly remind you of the destructive industrial processes that naturally comes with advancing civilizations. There was no 'fresh air' on Earth anymore. Not like here. This was crisp and pure. He felt like he could lay down in a field and sleep for days, nothing was here to disturb him.

  But it was not like that for the colonists. They were busy, fighting for their survival. This colony wasn't just handed to them because they were the brightest or strongest candidates Earth found. No, they were survivalists, put up against odds even Zavik wasn't sure he'd take. This was their home, their world. If they were going to make it, it would be off the backs of their own labor. Zavik thought there was something poetic about that. No one survived anymore off their own labor alone. Sure people had jobs to survive, but then they bought other people's labor to fulfill their voids. These colonists were more responsible for their own survival than any human had been in at least two centuries. It took a certain type of person to volunteer for that responsibility. He could respect that, and he could help
them.

  Officer Stevens waived someone working in the field over. A man, mid-thirties looking, jogged over. Beads of sweat were plastered to his face. His shirt, once white, now resembled an abstract work of art where the only two colors available were dark brown and maroon. Only a little white, around the collar, could still be seen.

  "Bernard," Stevens said as he stopped, "this is the crew in charge of getting our Class A supplies."

  He nodded, quietly trying to catch his breath. "Oh, good. I'd offer to shake your hand, but, well." He held them up, proudly displaying the filth they were covered in. "You know those supplies will be much appreciated. Those power cores'll sure make this tilling go faster."

  "Bernard is the leader of Raven Camp," Stevens said.

  "I don't know if 'leader' is the right word," Bernard said. "I thought the leader got to sit back in an air-conditioned room tellin everyone else what to do."

  "Maybe that comes later," Zavik joked.

  "One can dream," Bernard said. He took out a towel from his back pocket and began scrunching it between his hands. It too was once white, but now was a dull gray. "When do you folks plan on getting started?"

  If it were up to Zavik they already would have. Unfortunately, it wasn’t up to him. "I want to start right away," Zavik said.

  "But we're staying the night," Dani added.

  "Oh, I see," he said. "Food first on your list?"

  "Yeah," Zavik said. "General Walters says that's most important."

  "Well, it can be. I mean, it is, but these crops aren't going to plant themselves. It's hard work for the remote camps. The four of us are all in place to grow crops. We're supposed to supply enough grain for the colony. Hawthorne Camp's got meats and dairy, Kippling Camp and Williams Camp's got vegetation covered. Only a few weeks to go before a lot of this needs to be put in the ground. Even if we had equipment and power for them it would be a tough task. My men have been working overtime just to get the soil ready."

  "I promise you, we'll work as quick as we can to get the supplies you needs," Zavik said.

  "Well, I appreciate it," he said. "I ain't tryin to sound ungrateful or anything like that. I know it's a dangerous job and there are a lot of unsavory characters to deal with out there." He tilted his head up to the sky and rolled it from one side to the other, being careful to not look at Brax or Charra directly.

  "I'm sure we won't run into anything worse than we've dealt with in the past," Zavik said.

  "You know better than me," Bernard said.

  Just then a small girl started running towards them.

  “Tracy, no, stay there, honey,” Bernard said. She continued to run and he let out a slight sigh.

  He walked over to meet her and picked her up.

  “Your daughter,” Zavik asked.

  “Yeah,” he said. “You must think I’m crazy bringing my family here.”

  Zavik shook his head. “Not at all. It takes a lot of courage to do this. It’s noble, really.”

  “What are you doing out here?” Bernard asked.

  “Mommy wanted to know when you’d be done,” she said.

  “Hmm…tell her I’ll be done in two hours. You got that? Two hours.” He held up two fingers.

  “Got it,” she said with a large smile on her face.

  He put her down and pointed her back towards the shelters. He patted her back and said, “Go on, get back inside.”

  She took off running for the shelters.

  “She’s very cute,” Dani said.

  Bernard smiled and said, “Thank you. I just hope she’ll be happy here.”

  “I’m sure she will be,” Zavik said. “Especially if we can make your job easier.”

  “That equipment would help,” Bernard said.

  Zavik nodded. “I see that.”

  "Until then, if you don't mind, I need to get back to work."

  "Of course," Zavik said. "Nice to meet you."

  "Yeah, you too," he said as he began to walk away. "Good luck!"

  "Yeah, you too," Zavik said softly. "Are the other camps like this?" he asked Stevens.

  "Pretty much," he replied. "A little bigger. Hawthorne's about a thirty-minute ride north, Kippling's about twenty minute's west of here, and Williams's about an hour west of here."

  "I think we've seen enough," he said looking at the sky. The sun had begun its descent below the horizon. Fiery red and deep yellow rays streamed across the horizon as if battling for control of the darkening sky. A thick band of clouds cut the sun in half, masking its true shape. The burning bulb that normally had a bluer tint than Earth's sun was now a blazing orange wheel. The sky above them slowly lost color and grew gray and black. Zavik wanted to leave and get started. He wasn't tired. How could he be, it was almost noon to him. They headed back to the main camp as the sun completed its fall. The sky was dark and the land even darker. Garos had no moon, the only light shining on its surface came from the stars, and they were magnificent. Zavik thought, there was always something special about looking at the stars on a new planet. The old constellations you knew were gone, the stars rearranged to form new images. Sometimes you could find yourself embedded in one of the constellations or even, as was the case for Seweza, the planet you were on was revolving around a star in the constellation.

  The Milky Way band streaked across the sky. A thick wall of stars and gasses reached from the setting sun back across to the other horizon. The Outer Spiral was the furthest inhabited section from the Galaxy’s Center. The entire Galaxy was stretched out before them. It was calm and peaceful. Zavik knew it wouldn't always be that way on Garos. Soon they would be building on the planet, setting up permanent structures. Lights would flood the skies, and eventually the only way to see the beauty of the stars would be in space. Such was the price of progress.

  "We'll be having dinner in the mess hall," Stevens said. "General Walters wanted me to tell you that you are welcome to join us."

  "Thanks, but-"

  "We'll be delighted," Dani said.

  "Ah, good," Stevens said. "Dinner is in an hour."

  "Enough time for my mid-afternoon nap," Brax said. They went back to the Rinada to freshen up.

  "We could've eaten here, you know," Zavik said.

  "I like that idea better," Brax said. "No, offense, but I've had enough mingling with humans for one day."

  “We’re that bad?” Dani asked.

  “Well, you’re not,” he said, “but a whole group of you, together,” his hands flailed. “It’s a lot of order.”

  "You’re not fond of order?”

  “Not particularly your kind. Like I said, no offense.”

  "No offense taken, Brax," Dani said, "but I wouldn't say that to the General."

  "Wouldn't dream of it," he said.

  "You can stay here if you'd like," she said to Brax, "but I thought it would be nice to accept their invitation."

  Zavik sat at the table on the Rinada, he rubbed his temples to ease a headache that had been creeping up on him throughout the day. "I guess so," he finally said.

  "These people are desperate," she said, "more so than I thought."

  "What did you think?"

  "I thought Earth would help more," she said. "It seems like they sent them off with the bare minimum instead. It's a little ambitious, don't you think? They just stabilized their own population problems, and now they have to worry about a colony. Why now?"

  "I’m not sure I care what their reasons are," Zavik said. "It's good timing for us, even if it's not so good for the colonists. Perhaps Earth should have waited until they could supply all the needs, but that would leave us without any work."

  "Still just a job to you?" she asked, not the least bit surprised.

  "No," he said, his voice rising in that way that made her think he was yelling, but he was just trying to be clear. "It's not just a job. I get that these people need our help. That without those supplies they might suffer. That the quicker we can get supplies back here, the better off they will be. I don’t
know why Earth chose here, or why they chose now, but they did and that can’t be changed. They need us. I understand that, and I want to help them. At the same time, I am well aware that this job pays well. We need this job, and we need it to be a success. Otherwise, I'm not sure what I'll do."

  "Don't you mean 'we'?" she asked. "What 'we'll' do?"

  He let out a long breath. Charra sat across from him and Brax was leaned up against the wall near the cockpit, his arms folded.

  "Of course, I mean 'we'." He stood and went to hug her. She recoiled a little but relented and embraced him. "This job is all for us, for all of us. To get my debts paid because they are my debts. They're not Brax, Charra, or even yours," he said as she looked past him.

  "They are our debts," Brax said. "We're a part of this crew and any debts you have we have."

  "Brax is right," Charra added. "We all agreed to go to Telamere. That's all on us. Rodderick might hold you responsible, but we can't just abandon you. That's not the Rovun way."

  "You know, I've been with you for so long, that I don't know what else I would do," Brax said letting his eyes drift from Zavik to Charra. "We understand how important this job is to settle our debt, but I think this might be one of those times where the outcome is more important for the client than for us."

  "He's right," Dani said. "What we're doing for the colony is bigger than just paying off Rodderick. It's making a difference in real lives, innocent lives."

  "You're right, "Zavik said. "I just thought it would be easier by now. I'm tired of the struggle and the fear."

  "It'll always be a struggle, Zavik," she said. "It's our lot in life. Nothing comes easy. It never has. We just have to go with the flow, and take it as best we can."

  "You’re right. There must be some reason they moved ahead with it. We just have to trust that the military knows what they're doing."

  "You can trust'em," Charra said, "but I wouldn't turn your back to'em."