by Chris Hechtl
“As a heart attack. Or the spousal murder you are contemplating by eating that greasy thing,” Elliot replied with a snort.
“It's beef!” Jack protested as he put the sandwich down and dusted his hands off for a moment. “I didn't see that on any of the manifests …”
“It's there. It probably hasn't been offloaded yet. I don't think the idiot thought it through of course,” Elliot said with a shake of his head.
Jack snorted as he sipped his water. “Given that we don't have any petroleum, no,” he said, shaking his head. “I think we could come up with a half-ass biodiesel, but why?”
“Yeah, I getcha. The thing I got stuck on wasn't just the fuel; it was the lack of another critical thing. Roads,” Elliot said.
Jack stared at him again, then snorted and started to chuckle. Elliot had a point; there were roads inside the towns and cities, but few connecting routes. You either went by air or shipped things on a boat he knew.
“I have got to see this guy's face when he finds this out. Could it be he found out and is trying to get the captain to return him and his precious cargo?” Jack asked.
“Won't work. One-way trip,” Elliot said with a shake of his head. “Beware this guy. He's got a wife with him. Retired, some sort of investor. I bet he traded a lot for a ticket.”
“Right,” Jack drawled as he made a note in his implants to look into the situation at a later time. “So, you explored the outback?”
“Yeah, thanks for the use of your cabin. It's allowed me to save a bit of money and test myself living like that. I have to admit … I like the peace and quiet but …”
“But too much of a good thing?” Jack asked.
Elliot grunted as he picked up his sandwich for another bite. “Yeah. I guess I'm too much of a spacer. City guy. It's also a lot of work like you said. I checked out the chore list,” he said with a shake of his head.
Jack snorted. “And that's the easy stuff. I've got solar panels, pumps, and motors to do stuff. Some of our homesteads have no electricity, so no running water. They have to run it in by hand or pipe it in from a stream if there is one handy.”
“Yeah, I'm not sure that is for me. So, I might be looking Alan up sooner rather than later,” Elliot admitted.
“What about your friends? Maltese and family? Your plan to take them on as hands?” Jack asked.
“They'll have to make due I guess,” Elliot said with a shake of his head. “Won't be the first time I suppose,” he said.
“Right,” Jack said. “Well, I'll see what I can do,” he said.
“Thanks,” Elliot said as Jack lifted up his own sandwich to finish it off. He just shook his head. Jack ignored him as he took a bite.
~~*^*~~
One day away from the completion of the passenger unloading, Jack reluctantly acquiesced to dinner with the captain on his new ship. Menolly couldn't come, doctor's orders. She had no interest in going into space while pregnant anyway. Zero G and pregnancy didn't mix.
They took a quick tour of the ship. Jack was suitably impressed and said so, though he was privately aware that little had changed in technology on the ship. It was bigger, more refined but didn't have anything truly new. The engines, electronics, and force emitters were almost the same as they had been when he'd run the company.
He wondered briefly what Wendy had been thinking shutting down the R&D departments. He shook his head and did his best to put such thoughts out of his head as they wrapped up the tour in the dining room.
The captain and officers had a table at the head of the room. It was rather busy; there were dozens of colonists on board eating before the shuttle ride down to the surface. Jack kept his meal light, just tasting a few dishes but not digging in. He knew what a full stomach and a shuttle drop could do from decades of experience.
“Well! This is certainly something for my memoirs,” the captain said as they chatted. “Dinner with the great Jack Lagroose!”
“I still put on my pants one leg at a time—usually hopping and ready to fall over,” Jack said disarmingly. “Believe me, Menolly will be the first to pop my bubble if I get a swelled head,” he said with a smile to the captain and his officers.
“True. But also with the legendary Max!” Captain Siever said, nodding to the canine. “I've heard stories, undoubtedly grown a bit in the telling since they were second and third hand. You are the only known survivor of your unit,” he said. “For anyone to come back from those missions …,” he shook his head as Jack stiffened slightly in indignation at rubbing Max's nose in his own past. “I just wanted to thank you for your sacrifice. Thank you, sir,” the captain said in a humbled tone of voice.
“From my family as well,” the XO murmured with a nod to Max.
“We did what we had to do,” Max said through the speech medallion. The voice was artificial and surprised the crew.
“Max is a special breed of Neo. As you said, he's now one of a kind,” Jack murmured to cover his friend.
“Ah,” the captain murmured with a nod. “The historians said you were bonded to a human partner?”
“My eldest son, Zack,” Jack intercepted smoothly as Max's ears flattened and he took on a sad look. “They were bonded through a complex experimental cybernetic setup. A mind meld some called it.”
“Oh.”
The XO coughed in her fist and turned to the captain. “You said he's the only survivor,” the XO reminded the captain gently.
The captain blinked. “Oh,” he said in a different tone of voice. “My condolences on your loss, Governor. And to you, Max,” he said with a nod to Jack.
“Thank you,” Jack and Max said simultaneously.
~~*^*~~
On the shuttle ride home, Jack looked out the porthole and then shook his head. The shuttle was crowded with eager colonists ready to see the new world. None had recognized him of course; otherwise, he would have been inundated with well-wishers and eager beavers asking all sorts of questions. He was just as glad they were chattering to themselves.
Besides, the baby ten rows back was ready to make him scream or at least grind his teeth into powder. He knew the parents couldn't control the tyke but damn! Stick a binky in his mouth or something to shut him up!
“Ah, blessed silence,” he said, loud enough for the people around them to chuckle and for Max to waggle his ears. “Twenty-two years and it's like ripping a band-aid off a fresh wound in some ways,” Jack said softly with a shake of his head when the baby finally quieted. Max whined softly. “Sorry partner,” he murmured.
“It is okay. They say time heals all wounds. But it leaves scars for some,” Max said.
“I know. But …,” Jack looked out the window to the horizon of the planet below. It was nighttime, getting close to morning. He knew Menolly would be asleep. At least, he hoped she would be. “Sometimes the best way to mourn is to live well and honor his sacrifice. I'm sorry we couldn't get you a proper dance partner though,” Jack said.
It wasn't quite true. There were plenty of Neodogs on the planet now, but Max disdained all of them. Jack secretly believed that it was due to the link the dog had shared with Zack. Having that sort of partnership, someone who was literally in your mind wasn't something you could replace. And there was no way he or Menolly could help Max do that. Menolly still tried to set Max up on one of her “play dates,” but Max knew the game by now.
“A lot of people,” Max murmured, sniffing the air. “Strange smells,” he said, ears back.
“Miss the woods and the cabin?”
“Definitely. We go back when?” Max asked as he heard the baby in the back squall at the top of his lungs.
Jack laughed and ruffled the dog's fur in response.
~~*^*~~
Nine days after the ship made orbit, the final shipment of provisions had lifted off with the last shuttle. Jack had relented on some things the ship's purser had wanted, but the local farmers had noted the uptick in demand for their goods and had raised the price. Supply and demand he knew, Economics 1
01, but he didn't have to like it. He made a mental note to try to pre-purchase some goods ahead of time to shave the prices.
Or, better yet, hand the job off to a company and let them deal with the supply issues. As governor, he really shouldn't have to handle trading with the ship. But with banking the way things were currently situated …
He shook his head mentally as he waited for the captain to return. He did a quick check of his inbox and then went back to ruminating.
If all went as planned Trevor and his agents in Sol would use the funds from this recent visit to purchase a little more tech and medical supplies for the colony. He'd opted for more 3D printers, CNC machines, and asteroid mining equipment. Used of course, they couldn't afford new prices. Not with what Wendy was charging him for shipping and handling to get the freight back to Pyrax he thought sourly. They really needed a couple of freighters as competition he thought.
If Wendy wasn't too careful, he might find a way to set that competition up or her future sibling might he thought mildly. He wondered briefly if she knew or cared that he'd remarried. Oh, she probably knew he thought to himself; undoubtedly, she had spies or got a report from the captain or a member of the crew. Would she take an interest in a future sibling? He'd already written her and Yorrick out of his will and had made certain he had an iron clad one she couldn't touch or breech. Not that she hadn't tried three times before, he thought acidly.
His thoughts changed when the Susan Constant's wallpaper blinked to an image of the captain, then went back up. Apparently, he wasn't quite ready, Jack thought with a snort.
Or not, he corrected himself when Captain Siever's image came up on the screen a few seconds later.
They didn't quite make the one week turn around the captain had wanted, but that was fine with Jack. Captain Siever had been grudgingly pleased by the turnover though he made noises about how it could have gone smoother and quicker in his last call to Jack as his ship prepared to get underway.
“There is room for improvement everywhere I suppose. We all know that perfection is unattainable, but we still strive to achieve it. Just don't get too carried away,” Jack scolded mildly.
“Sorry. I know you are a new colony and all …”
“You mean we're on the butt end of knowing where and doing what we've done with what we can scratch together,” Jack retorted. “No offense taken. We'll get there eventually.”
“I'd really love to see that station take off. If it was a bit bigger …,” the captain said wistfully.
“Give us time and we'll get it done. Sure you don't want to stick around for the anniversary party?” Jack teased.
“Pass. By the time you folks are doing that, I want to be halfway home,” Captain Siever demurred politely.
“Your loss,” Jack replied with a shrug.
“It was an honor to meet you, sir,” the captain said formally, with a nod to Jack's image on the screen.
“The honor was mine. You do good work, Captain, you and your crew. Take care of them and that beautiful ship,” Jack said with a small smile.
That sparked a smile on the captain. “Thank you, Governor. Until we see each other again in, oh, three years?” he asked.
“Pretty much,” Jack said with a nod. “I'm surprised by your report that ships will come every three to four months though. That's a lot of ships,” he said.
“It's the new thing, the new economy. Everyone is shipping out to new worlds to get away from Earth. It's all about second chances I guess,” the captain said. “Until then.”
“I won't keep you then, Captain. Safe sailing,” Jack said with a nod.
“Thank you, sir. Enjoy the party,” the captain replied as he signed off.
Chapter 3
Fifteen days after the departure of the Susan Constant, another ship jumped unexpectedly into the star system. Paul Aguilera had set up a sky watch program several years ago. The automated system had missed Susan Constant's arrival, but his techs had made corrections to watch that section of space in the future.
It was pure luck that they'd caught the arrival of the new ship at all. The system had been running through its paces when a sharp-eyed intern had caught the flash of the arrival where one shouldn't be. Running back the footage had confirmed that a ship had jumped into the star system.
Jack and the population were curious and a bit excited about the unexpected arrival. Their curiosity changed to something else when they received the first hail from Magellan. The ship called with an urgent warning.
“Governor, the hail from the survey ship Magellan comes with an urgent warning,” Jeeves stated, breaking through Jack's concentration on a briefing paper.
Jack looked up in surprise. Trust Jeeves to have scanned the incoming message first. “Let's hear it.”
“This is Captain Sean Cooley, captain of the survey ship Magellan to Eden colony. Urgent warning. We have encountered a hostile alien vessel recently. Repeat, a hostile alien vessel. I don't think I can stress that last enough. This is not a trick or prank. The ship chased us out of the star system we were surveying. We are attaching our data to this transmission. Due to the jump straight here, we have run ourselves dry on fuel and need replenishment,” the captain said.
Jack frowned as he studied the image of the human captain. He hit the pause button when the message went into a loop. “Do we have anything on this?”
“Captain Sean Cooley. I've verified that he is who he says he is. He is an adult male human, married with adult children. Do you wish to hear more of his bio or Magellan's projected itinerary?” Jeeves asked.
“Spare me his bio. He's not the type to cry wolf, right?”
“No, sir.”
“Okay.”
“There is something else you should know. Magellan transmitted that message in the clear on all frequencies. I am already picking up mention of it on the social media sites,” Jeeves warned.
“Frack,” Jack muttered as Jeeves silently showed him his inbox and call list lighting up.
“Boss?” Jasmine asked, tapping on his door worriedly. “Just about everyone on the planet just called!”
“I know. Get me Alan, Debbie, and the rest. No, wait, start with General Elliot. Find him and get him in here pronto,” he said. “Pass on a message to Alan to step on any panic. We need to be clear headed about this and not into hysterics,” he growled.
“Um, this?” Jasmine asked.
“Short answer Magellan just jumped in warning of hostile aliens. They ran into trouble, a hostile alien vessel. Jeeves is getting their telemetry and log now.”
“I already did. They compressed it. I have sent a confirmation signal and am processing the files as we speak. So far it looks legitimate.”
“Lovely,” Jack said as Jasmine stared wide-eyed. “Shoo. Get a basic message out to not panic and we're on it,” he said. “Update our website too.”
“Yes, sir,” Jasmine said dubiously as she retreated to the outer office.
“Jeeves, open a channel to Magellan,” Jack ordered as he squared his shoulders. He had a brief errant thought, regret over the stain on his lapel from breakfast but Jeeves was quick.
“Recording,” the A.I. replied as Max cocked his head at him.
Jack looked over to the Neodog and then into the camera. “This is Governor Jack Lagroose. We have received your warning Magellan and thank you, though I wish you'd been a tad bit more discrete. I'm being flooded by people in a panic. But some warning is better than none, I'm not complaining. We are processing your data now. We obviously need to talk when the time lag is less. Clearance to enter planetary orbit is hereby granted,” he said.
He inhaled and exhaled, trying to think of what he'd missed. When he didn't, he shrugged mentally. “As I said, we'll talk later. Eden out,” he said.
“Recording complete,” Jeeves reported after a moment. He waited a bit, then reported the copy was clean.
“Then transmit it,” Jack ordered. “Once you've done that, get the data on the ship to Sharif and the
sky watch shift. I want double coverage on the space that Magellan just came in.”
“Yes, sir,” Jeeves replied. “The call center is being overloaded.
“Okay, I'll make a short address for people to remain calm while we process what we know.”
“That would be good, sir.”
~~*^*~~
Once Jack finished the address, his first instinct was to round up the troops. That started when he called Elliot in. The Neochimp met him in his office within an hour.
“You heard?” Jack asked, opening the discussion without preamble.
“Half the planet is talking about it. Not really a secret I guess. A lot of people are spooked. I can't blame them.”
“Well, we'll do something about that. Get them organized. You're going to lead by example. I'm hereby appointing you head of the Eden planetary militia with the rank of general. We'll discuss pay and perks later,” Jack said.
Elliot cracked a smile, showing his canines. “Pay me in beer and bullets and I'll be happy.”
“Sure you will,” Max drawled from his seat.
“Max, you can help,” Jack said, turning his head to the Neodog.
“Pass,” the Neodog said. “I never got into the full military,” Max replied.
“You can still help scout hiding spots, places for caches, that sort of thing. You know the area,” Jack said. “You and that schnoz,” he teased.
Max perked up. “Okay, that I can do. Just don't expect paperwork,” Max said.
Jack nodded. Elliot snorted.
“So, are you in? This is on the record,” Jack asked, turning to Elliot.
“Oh, I'm in. No way I'm sitting this one out,” Elliot growled.
“Good.”
“So, let me guess what you have in mind for me … a forlorn hope?”
“Hopefully not. You are going to have your hands full organizing a planetary militia though,” Jack said. Elliot grimaced. They both knew there was a finite man-pool to draw from. “Start with Alan and his deputies. Expand to the search and rescue people. Draft any volunteers you can find, especially veterans. That gorilla family for starters. Jeeves has culled a list of all veterans. Not all will step up but enough should give you a good core to build off of.”