by Chris Hechtl
“Great, there goes the neighborhood,” Max said over the link to him.
Jack shook his head again. “She's trying to bury me in people I think,” he said. He shrugged. “Won't work.”
“Better not. Or I'm headed for the hills and staying there,” Max growled as he laid down again and went back to his tablet.
~~*^*~~
Jack wasn't surprised to see a bemused looking and rather gravid Menolly on the front porch of their townhouse. She shook her head at him as he parked the truck. Max jumped out and went to the back to do his own business.
Jack climbed the steps and bowed slightly to her. “I return to our humble abode,” he quipped. A smile tugged at her lips, threatening to overtake her mock stern expression at his late homecoming.
He liked how he was met by his lovely wife at the door, even in her current condition. They exchanged a kiss and then he knelt. She gasped as he pulled her shirt up and kissed her belly. She stroked his hair gently amused by his antics. He looked up to see a smile tugging at her lips, trying to break free.
“You are late, old man,” She scolded, shaking a finger at him as he impishly looked up at her.
“I know. But that is what microwaves are for,” he said with an indifferent shrug.
“If I let you. Letting my cooking go cold,” she mock grumbled. He snorted as he got to his feet. She squeaked in protest as he swept her off her feet. He just smirked at her as he carried her across the threshold.
“Oh, you. Put me down, you oaf!”
“I'd toss you, but I don't want to addle the contents,” he teased, swinging her about.
“If you don't want my dinner all over you …,” he chuckled and stopped to cuddle with her a bit. When the kissing started, she responded as expected. After a moment though, she broke off and looked into his eyes. “What about dinner?” she asked softly.
“Like I said, there is always the microwave,” he said as he carried her to the bedroom.
~~*^*~~
It looked like Pyrax would be getting brisk trade with ships that came direct to the planet as well as to those just passing through in the near future, Jack thought, as he kicked back on the porch with a beer. Saturdays were what they should be, time off. Now if they could just get some sports going for Sundays …
He shook himself. He had other things to think about he reminded himself. And, with Max off with the other veterans and Menolly picking baby outfits and taking a sewing class, he had time to just brainstorm he thought.
His long-term plan to turn Pyrax into a hub was about to pay off, Jack thought complacently. It should; he'd invested heavily in space engineering to make it so. The fuel being mined from the gas giant made his star system a worthy stop all on its own he knew.
When one threw in the provisions and parts, well, Pyrax was a rising star. Food could be picked up at many of the colonies he knew but not a lot. Many weren't as well off as Pyrax was, they could barely feed themselves! Or they had to trade the food to pay off their debt. Well, Pyrax had no debt.
Ships headed to Janus inevitably stopped in Pyrax on their way to the small agro world or on their way back for fuel. When other star systems beyond Pyrax were explored and their planets terraformed, it would make stops in Pyrax even more of an incentive. However, he didn't want the colony ships to dump their cargo on him expecting them to find their own way to their final destinations.
Janus was only a few light years away; Jack eventually wanted to set up regular trade and mail service between their two star systems. Heaven forbid he go visit; Menolly would never allow it he knew. But regular trade meant freighters and other commercial ships. To date Wendy had only allowed three classes of ships into the area: explorers, terraforming ships, and the colony ships. Undoubtedly, she'd allow freighters in … if only to collect on the debt the colonies had racked up.
It was a pity the area was so far out. It served the function of being well beyond the thousand-light year limit that the UN had leveled on him and other explorer's decades ago, but it also meant some of the small starships being built didn't have the legs to get to them even if they did know where to look, which also meant he couldn't send someone to go buy a ship and come back with it.
Not that he'd buy anything less than a Lagroose ship despite the peccadillo between himself and his eldest children.
The space station, satellites, gas refinery, automated tugs, refinery, orbital industrial plant that was growing … he picked at his lower lip as he tried to think of what else to add. They didn't need a habitat; the planet was fine as it was. Perhaps another station near the belt? An orbital smelting or presmelting facility? Some place big enough to handle the load and a belter population as it grew into the area? He frowned thoughtfully as he pulled up his database of station blueprints.
~~*^*~~
Two days from completing the unloading Jack waded through the rest of the news reports in between his work and family. He wasn't happy to read about the reduction in the Space Marines. That sucked. He sent off a note to Roman with his condolences.
Just as he finished that, he had an unexpected visitor. He heard a familiar gruff voice out in the outer room, a male talking with Jasmine. Her voice started to rise, a sure indication that she was ready to call security. Jack tapped the video feed of the outer office and rose from behind his desk instantly, making Max look up.
“Elliot! Get your hairy ass in here!” he bellowed.
“You hear that?” Elliot said with a grin as the door opened. He grinned at Jack as he came in and closed the door. “Damn good to see you, boss!” he said as Jack got around the desk to hug and thump the Neochimp.
“What the hell? I just finished reading about the Marines and here you show up?” Jack said with a shake of his head.
“I had to retire. We lost a good chunk of the senior leadership to make room for someone else and to save money. I thought you needed looking after and since I am a former Lagroose employee …,” Elliot waved his hands as he turned to see Max getting up. “Hey pooch!” he said, going over to ruffle the dog's fur and rub his ears. “Long time no see!”
Max whined and then started licking Elliot's face, making the Neochimp sputter and look away chuckling. Jack chuckled as well.
“Alan's around somewhere; you can catch up with him if you can catch him. Have you got a place to stay yet?” Jack asked.
“They put us … okay, Max!” Elliot said, fending the dog off. He hugged the dog. “I missed you too, old friend,” he murmured before he looked up to Jack. “They put us up at the local Hilton or whatever you're calling it,” he said. “I'm good.”
“Okay,” Jack said with a nod.
“I wanted to check in. I'm not quite to the point where I've got my hand out, but there is no way I'm going to be sitting in a rocking chair getting old,” Elliot said as Max disengaged and Jack indicated they should take a seat. “No,” Elliot said, waving a hand. “Your dragon lady outside was clear that you are busy,” he said.
“For an old friend, I'll damn well make time,” Jack mock growled.
“Yeah, then she'll be insufferable. No, I just wanted to check in for the moment. I'd like to borrow Max and some old friends sometime though. Get together for beers and catch up.”
“A barbecue. As soon as we get sorted out with the unloading, I'll get with Menolly, and we'll set it up,” he said with a nod.
“Cool!” Elliot agreed with a nod. “That'll give me some time to get lost exploring this planet. Boss, I've got to admit, you know how to pick them! The air is thinner than Earth's but damn good!” he made a show of sniffing the air.
Jack snorted.
“No, I'm serious. The Earth First idiots hogtied the people trying to clean up the damage on Earth so bad they can only make small steps. No genetically-engineered plants, everything in its proper place, no nanotech of course …” he shook his head.
“Your two o'clock is here, sir,” Jasmine interrupted over the intercom.
“Whoops! There is my cue!” Elliot s
aid with a grin. Max cocked his head at him. “What, you wanna give me a tour, buddy?”
Max turned to Jack. Jack nodded. “Good. Go stretch your legs. You know when dinner is. Both of you be here if you want a ride to the house,” he said. Both Neos nodded and took themselves off as Jasmine escorted Paul in.
“Paul, nice to see you. Sorry about the wait; an old friend dropped in. Now, you wanted to go over the numbers for the next township?”
“I wanted to get it set up so we can expand like you did here in Landing. The problem is we've only got so much resources and some of the land isn't quite set up the way it is here. So, I was informed we've got engineering issues with the water filtering buildings and such. I was wondering if we need a variance or some different tech?”
“Well, let's take a look at what you are talking about and see, shall we?” Jack said as the door shut behind Elliot and Max.
~~*^*~~
Elliot shook his head to Max then looked over to the personal assistant. “Just as busy as ever I see.”
“Pretty much,” the woman said, still clearly nettled by his getting past her.
“So, um, he said to be back here before dinner. When is that?” he asked. Jasmine sniffed, clearly still being obstructive. “Oh well, Max, you know, right?” Max nodded. “Okay then, lead on Mc'mutt, let's go explore,” the retired general said.
Max wagged his tail, knocking a few things around and creating a breeze that fluttered Jasmine's papers. She gasped in dismay. Elliot chuckled as they got out of there fast.
“You did that on purpose,” he teasingly accused as they got out of the building. Max just flicked his ears and gave him a brief sidelong look.
~~*^*~~
Jack managed to remember to let Menolly know they were having company over so he wouldn't end up on the couch or sharing Max's doghouse later that evening. Dinner with Elliot was a great experience, having an old friend there to catch up with made Jack feel tremendously better.
It was a bit disappointing to find out Elliot had come alone however. Elliot shook his head with a brief flash of pain as he sipped his beer. “My wives divorced me over a decade ago. A man can only have so many mistresses and my love of the Marines sort of took over and didn't leave enough room for them, or so they said,” Elliot admitted. “Besides, all the kids had grown up and well …,” he shrugged again.
“I'm sorry,” Jack said.
“I know,” Elliot replied. “But hey, I get to catch up with old friends on a new planet. Their loss!” he grinned. “Besides, I happen to know there were six or seven other retired Marines on Susan Constant,” he said.
Jack blinked then sat back and wrapped an arm over the armrest of the couch. “Well, damn!” he said.
“I think they were in steerage so they haven't been dethawed yet,” Elliot said after another sip of his beer. “Most are noncoms like Benny.”
“Benny …”
“Maltese.” Max looked up curiously.
“No, not a dog. He's an albino silverback. He brought his family with him, the entire troop, which is why they had to travel in steerage. He came with just a couple kilos of clothes though, no land or anything,” Elliot explained with a shake of his head. “At least I can trade my Lagroose retirement fund for land. What's left of it,” Elliot said ruefully.
“They don't leave you a hell of a lot after charging for the trip out I know,” Jack said with a nod. “We're still sorting that all out. It will be a week or so I'm afraid.”
“I'm in no hurry,” Elliot said with a shrug as he took another pull of his beer. “I can go scout locations for land I'd like to have. A nice homestead …” he shook his head. “Honestly, I never thought of myself as a farmer or rancher. I don't know if it will work out.”
“I doubt it. It's a lot of work,” Jack said. “Very rustic, we've got a vacation cabin a short distance away. Keeping up with the maintenance on it is a pain,” he said. Menolly grimaced but then nodded. Once their child was born, they'd be stuck in the capital with few chances to travel. “You were considering what?”
“To be honest, I had no idea,” Elliot said with a shake of his head. “I'd like to take on Benny and others as … hands I guess you'd call it. Let them get their feet under them; give them a place to stay. Not a handout, they'd have to work and they'd know it. But …”
“One old soldier looking out for others and their family. Got it. I'll lend a hand too,” Jack said.
“You mean we will,” his wife said, putting her hand in his and squeezing it. He looked at her with a brief smile and then brought their collective hands up to kiss hers. She smiled at him.
“You two are good for each other. But if you two get any more hot and bothered, I'm gonna go nuts. So, I'll toddle on off. Be seeing you around?” Elliot asked as he got up and knocked the last of his beer back.
“You've got my contact information. The same for Max and Alan. Don't be a stranger,” Jack said as he rose hastily and shook hands with Elliot. Menolly rose as well, but a bit more judiciously as she used one hand on the armrest for support.
“Max, mind if I borrow you some more as a local guide?” Elliot asked on his way out. Max barked once. “Okay then. Stay out of trouble,” Elliot said as he shot a jaunty salute and walked out onto the porch into the evening air.
“To you too. I'll talk to Alan about hiring some people. He's always chronically short of deputies, so make sure anyone of interest knows that,” Jack said as they shook hands again.
Elliot snorted when he realized he had something still in his hand. “Almost forgot,” he handed Jack his empty beer bottle. Jack snorted. “Not too shabby,” the chimp said.
“We brew our own. Wait until harvest time. Yee gods, the food!” Jack said, rolling his eyes. Elliot grinned and patted his belly as he walked down the steps and into the night.
Chapter 2
The following day Jack did his best to sign off on Sharif's final trade deals and watched the last loads arrive at the port for processing. With the provisioning under control, he turned to other matters.
He took the time to look into the passenger manifest and had Jeeves check it for people he knew. There were a few, most of them minor players in the company that he had seen or talked to at some point. He flagged them and then had the A.I. flag anyone who was ex-military. There were a few doubles that showed up on the lists. All too many of them had come with just the shirt on their back.
Well, if they'd been in the military, they knew how to work he thought. He had Jeeves update the job-listing board for them to include jobs in the port, moving freight around the planet and any farm and ranch hand positions that were available.
All of that plus his usual morning schedule took up a bit more time than he'd planned on. He was about to duck out for a late lunch when Alan called to give him a report on Susan Constant's crew and their shore leave. Jack's growling stomach interrupted Alan's small talk.
“Okay, okay, I won't keep you much longer,” Alan teased. “Geesh!”
“Good. I wasn't sure if that came from me or Max,” Jack said. Max rolled his eyes. Jack cracked a smile at the Neodog and then turned to the window.
“Okay, so, to recap, so far so good. The crew is out seeing the sights and visiting the restaurants and bars. Quite a few are interested in the beach and exploring the outback,” Alan reported. “No fights reported, no problems with theft. No problems with banking this time.”
“Good,” Jack said as he rose from his chair. Max flopped his tail. “Come on, yes its lunch time,” Jack said. Max barked once and then headed out, practically knocking Jack over in his haste to be first.
Jack shook his head. “Later Alan,” he said as he cut the channel.
After lunch Jack returned to his office to work on plans for the colony's first Thanksgiving festival and carnival. Every year it got bigger and bigger. The main event was in Landing with concerts and other stage events around the city. The carnival was a new thing for them to try, something Debby and Sharif were overseeing s
ince it was their twentieth anniversary. Sharif Rolfe had promised a basic carnival experience and was working with some of the engineers in their off time to try to put together rides. Paul Aguilera was involved as well and had a history of cutting corners and pushing the envelope. Paul wanted a lot of rides and had playfully bribed or bullied a lot of people into helping in their off time. Alan and an inspector was going to inspect and sign off on them before anyone got on board though, Jack vowed.
He knew Menolly was wistful for a roller coaster and a carousel, not that she was going to get anywhere near the roller coaster in her present condition. By the time of the carnival, she should have popped he reminded himself. He wouldn't mind bumper cars or even bumper boats but would settle for basic carnival experiences, games, contests, and such. He knew Menolly would have a ball teasing him unmercifully about playing ring toss or some other game. They could and would build off such small experiences over time he vowed, though he wasn't looking forward to the dunk booth some smartass had thought up. He knew Alan was interested in marksmanship booths and was working with his deputies to set one up.
Menolly had mentioned entering the baking contest. One thing Jack hadn't signed off on was the eating contests. Bobbing for apples was one thing, eating hot dogs or pies until you barfed was something else. He didn't condone the waste of food and had been firmly lectured by his wife about not allowing it. Other community contests had been mentioned however. He was a bit dubious about finding a judging panel to judge the stock and animals. He had no intention of doing so; he didn't have an eye for that sort of thing.
The only flesh he longed to look at belonged to his wife he thought with a slight trace of a smile.
~~*^*~~
“You hear about the idjet who shipped his entire car collection?” Elliot asked Jack during lunch the following day.
Jack stopped midbite to stare at the chimp. “You aren't serious,” he said in disbelief.