Kurt nodded, though he strongly suspected that Grantz was working some angle to get his hands on more gold. “We’ll see,” he replied.
“Admiral Vickers,” Lomatz said, as he rose and nodded toward Kurt. He gestured toward the Controller next to him. “This is Controller Nirron.”
The Controller nodded his head. In front of him were several paper documents and the normal computer pad that all Controllers always carried with them.
“What can I do for you?” asked Kurt, speaking to Lomatz. “I wasn’t aware that you would be involved in delivering the defense grid.”
Lomatz smiled widely. “After you left Kubitz, I got to thinking of other items that might interest you. I’ve brought a few samples along on one of our cargo ships.”
“I’ll take a look,” Kurt promised, as he walked over and took his seat. “How soon before we can begin installation of the defense grid?”
“We have a full Class Two defense system on board the cargo ships,” Lomatz said. “We can begin installation tomorrow, if you so desire. On board the ships are sixteen Class Two Orbital Defense Platforms, sixty-four satellites with dual-firing energy turrets, a Class Two Command and Control Center, and eight Planetary Defense Centers with top-of-the-line direct-energy cannons that can hit anything in orbit or shoot anything down that enters your colony’s atmosphere. With this system you have complete space control of all that comes within forty thousand kilometers of your planet’s atmosphere.”
“That’s a little bit more than what I agreed to,” Kurt pointed out, cocking an eyebrow. He wondered what Lomatz was up to.
“It seems you’ve made some powerful enemies on Kubitz,” Lomatz responded calmly. “Both the Profiteers from Marsten as well as the Dacroni are very displeased with you. There is also the matter of the supposed rescue of a human woman from the Brollen Pleasure House by your friend Grantz here with assistance from Avery Dolman.”
Kurt kept an impassive look on his face, as he listened to Lomatz. He didn’t know if Lomatz was speaking the truth or if this was just idle speculation.
“Considering the enemies you’ve potentially made, I took it upon myself to bring the extra units for the defense grid. I can promise you that, with this system in place, your world will be 100 percent safe from attack.”
“How much?” Kurt demanded with an icy stare.
“Forty-eight million additional credits,” Lomatz replied with a smile. “Controller Nirron has the new contract ready for you to sign.”
“If I agree to this, how soon can you have the grid ready for full activation?”
“Five days,” Lomatz answered promptly. “My people on the cargo ships are very good at what they do. I also have two construction ships that can make any modifications that might be needed.”
“How did you finish the warships so quickly?”
“Ah, I was hoping you would ask that,” Lomatz said with a pleased grin. “Since I knew you would want a stronger defense grid, I assumed you would want the ships as quickly as possible as well. I arranged for extra shifts and crews to hurry the construction.”
“How much?” asked Kurt, suspecting there was a price involved.
“Not that bad,” Lomatz answered, his eyes meeting Kurt’s. “Only an additional twelve million credits.”
Kurt groaned softly to himself. This man was a scoundrel, but, thanks to his greed, he might have solved several of Kurt’s pressing problems.
“Is there anything else that we can do for you?”
“I noticed a lot of work being done on this shipyard. Am I correct in assuming you’re installing weapons systems and other crucial elements to help in this system’s defense?”
“Yes,” answered Kurt in an even voice, almost dreading what he knew would come next. “We’re upgrading the station to better suit our needs.”
“My cargo ship engineers can help complete this station,” offered Lomatz with a crafty gleam in his eyes. “We can offer construction methods far in advance of what you’re currently using, plus several advanced power systems. On the same cargo ship carrying the samples that I wish to show you are additional defensive energy beam turrets, long-range energy projectors, and ion cannons. I’m willing to place my engineers under your command and provide whatever assistance you may need to complete this shipyard.”
“Careful,” cautioned Grantz, gazing angrily at Lomatz. “He wants all your gold.”
“What would it cost to complete the shipyard as you suggested?” asked Kurt.
“Twenty-two million credits?”
“Twenty-two million credits,” roared Grantz, standing up and glaring at Lomatz. “What’s the entire cost of what you’re offering?”
“Eighty-two million,” answered Lomatz. “That includes the overtime for finishing the ships, the extra units for the defense grid, and completing this shipyard.”
“Sixty,” roared Grantz.
“Eighty,” countered Lomatz.
“Seventy-five and not a credit more,” snarled Grantz.
“Seventy-eight and we have a deal,” Lomatz responded.
“Done,” said Grantz, nodding his head in agreement.
“Wait a minute,” interrupted Kurt, shaking his head. “I’ll decide if we have an agreement or not.”
“Seventy-eight million and, when my ships leave here, this system will never have to fear the Profiteers or anyone else from the Gothan Empire bothering you again,” promised Lomatz. “I’ll spread the word that your system is so heavily defended that it would be tantamount to suicide to attack it.”
Kurt looked over at Controller Nirron, who had remained silent during this entire exchange. “Will he do as he says?”
“Yes,” Nirron answered passively. “It will be entered into the contract.”
With a deep sigh of resignation, Kurt turned back toward Lomatz. “Agreed.”
Lomatz’s mouth turned up in a wide and satisfied smile. “As soon as the contract is signed, I’ll give the orders to begin the work.”
“Prepare it,” Kurt told Nirron. “Do we need to pay the credits now or from our account on Kubitz?”
“Forty percent now, and the rest from your account on Kubitz,” Nirron answered. “I can calculate the weight in gold needed for the payment. Tell me when, and I can come to this station and collect it, and I’ll bring you the updated contract to sign at the same time.”
“I’ll make the arrangements,” Kurt answered.
Part of the gold he had taken from the Profiteer cargo ship would be used to make that payment. He found it slightly humorous that the gold that High Profiteer Creed had stolen from Earth would now be used to make Newton impervious to any future attacks from the Profiteers.
-
For the next several hours, Controller Nirron watched silently, while Lomatz, Kurt, General Mclusky, Colonel Hayworth, Captain Simms, and even Grantz discussed their different needs and what was to be done. They made up a list of priorities and set up a time schedule. When they finished, Kurt felt drained of energy. Between Lomatz and Grantz, Kurt had to stay on his toes and guide the conversation in the direction he wanted. The others in the room had numerous questions about the defense grid and what would be done to the station. General Mclusky, Colonel Hayworth, and Captain Simms asked detailed questions about the systems to be installed and what they were capable of.
When it was finally over, Kurt left the conference room, intending to take a shuttle to Newton to brief Governor Spalding.
“I did good in there, didn’t I?” said Grantz, as he followed Kurt into the corridor. “I saved you millions of credits with my negotiating skills.”
Kurt wasn’t so sure of that. “I do want to thank you for rescuing Private Dulcet.”
“It was the least I could do,” Grantz responded, as the two walked down the corridor.
“I suppose you want a reward?”
“I wasn’t expecting one,” Grantz answered with a gleam in his eyes. “Why did you not mention the fleet you purchased? With my negotiating ski
lls, I could have saved you millions of credits.”
“Keep an eye on Lomatz. I’m not certain he’s completely honest about why he’s here.”
“A Controller is here,” Grantz quickly pointed out. “Lomatz wouldn’t dare try anything with him around.”
“I know that’s what you think,” Kurt answered, “but keep an eye on him nevertheless.”
“All right,” Grantz agreed huffily. “I’ll do it.”
-
Kurt took his shuttle and flew to Newton to meet with Governor Spalding. For nearly three hours, he described to the governor his battle with the enemy convoy fleet and his meeting with Lomatz on board the shipyard.
“I’ll be glad when the defense grid is operational,” Spalding said, as he walked over to the large window in his office and gazed out at the city. “It will ease a lot of people’s minds. When the cargo ships and your new warships arrived, it nearly caused a panic. I had to go on all the airwaves and explain who they were. Hell, I nearly panicked when Rear Admiral Wilson told me the size of some of those ships. Two thousand meters!”
“They’re big,” admitted Kurt, watching the governor. “They have to be, considering what they’re carrying.”
“It’s so hard to imagine the ship manufacturing capability that’s available at Kubitz. I don’t know if we could ever build something like that.”
“It’s just a difference in needs and technology,” Kurt explained. “I suspect, if we ever decide we need really big ships, we’ll find a way to build them.”
“Or just order them from Kubitz,” Spalding said with a grim laugh. “I know you told me anything could be bought on Kubitz for the right price. I guess I didn’t really believe you until those ships arrived.”
“I’ll sign the contract in the morning and deliver the necessary amount of gold to Controller Nirron. Within five days the defense grid will be operational.”
Spalding nodded. He left the window and walked to his desk. “With the defense grid up, Newton Station being finished, and your new ships, we have only one more thing to worry about.”
“Earth,” Kurt said evenly. “We need to decide how to go about freeing our home planet from the Profiteers.”
“We have a lot of refugees who would like to return home someday.”
“Also a few are building good lives here,” Kurt reminded the governor. “More may want to stay than you think.”
“I hope so,” Spalding replied. “We have a good world here. I just want it to stay that way.”
“It will,” promised Kurt. It would be expensive, but Newton would continue to be the pristine and peaceful planet it had always been.
-
Kurt had called Denise and told her that he would stop by for a few minutes. She had been excited to hear his voice and promised to cook him a quick meal. He also tried to reach Keera, but the staff at the medical center informed him that she had already left for the day. Disappointed, he had his driver drop him off at his sister’s with instructions to return for him in two hours. He needed to return to the Star Cross and arrange for the gold transaction, plus monitor the installation of the new defense grid. Kurt also wanted to get some crews on the new warships, so they could start becoming familiar with them.
As Kurt walked up to the door to Denise’s house, he couldn’t help chuckling to himself. Denise’s home had everything but the white picket fence. He could remember when, as kids, she had always dreamed of living in a big fancy mansion with servants and everything. Now, here she was, living in a modest home with her son and husband.
He wasn’t quite to the door when it was flung open, and Bryan ran out.
“Uncle Kurt!” yelled Bryan, his face lit up with joy. He launched himself and wrapped his arms around Kurt’s waist, giving him a big hug. “Mom said you were coming. She’s making meat loaf with mashed potatoes and gravy!”
Sounds great,” said Kurt, laughing as he untangled himself from Bryan’s grasp. “Let’s go inside and help.”
“Keera’s here too,” Bryan said, as he took Kurt’s hand and led him inside the house.
Entering the living room, Kurt saw Keera, sitting on the sofa, talking to Alex.
“Hello, Kurt,” Alex said, standing up and shaking his hand. “I’m glad you could come by.”
Keera stood up and came over and gave Kurt a hug with a big smile. “I hear you have some visitors up in orbit.”
Kurt sat down next to Keera with Bryan coming to sit on his lap. “Yes, the ships from Kubitz brought the defense grid and my new warships. Lomatz even showed up.”
“The arms dealer,” said Keera with a distasteful frown. “He only shows up when there are credits to be made. How much did it cost you?”
“A lot,” Kurt confessed. “But if he carries through with what he has promised, it’ll be worth it.”
“Is there a Controller with him?”
“Yes,” Kurt answered. “Controller Nirron came on board one of the cargo ships. I met him earlier today.”
“Good,” Keera said with relief in her eyes. “That will keep him honest.”
“More aliens,” Bryan said with wide eyes. “Can I meet them?”
“When you’re older,” promised Kurt.
“Are these Controllers really that powerful?” asked Alex, looking over at Keera.
“They are,” Keera said, nodding her head. “You have to realize the entire economy in the Gothan Empire and particularly on Kubitz is based on these signed contracts the Controllers oversee. They also control all the credit accounts and have a vast amount of resources available to them. No one dares break a contract for fear of the consequences.”
“How is Lucy doing?” asked Kurt.
“Better,” Keera said with a gentle smile. “She’s gradually getting more of her memory back. She has had several breakdowns over the realization of what she did at the pleasure house.”
“What’s a pleasure house?” asked Bryan, his ears perking up at the unfamiliar term.
“It’s nothing,” said Alex hastily. “Why don’t you see how close supper is to being ready?”
“All right,” Bryan said, sliding off Kurt’s lap and vanishing into the kitchen.
“Does she remember any of her military career?”
“Some,” Keera answered. “Bits and pieces. Her memories are still pretty jumbled up. She vaguely recalls the attack, being on board the Dacroni battleship, and part of what happened at the pleasure house. As the weeks go by, she’ll remember more. It’s important right now that her family stays close by. They’re her anchor to sanity.”
“Supper’s ready,” called out Denise, as she stepped from the kitchen. “I hope everyone’s hungry.”
“I know I am,” Kurt said, as he stood up and took Keera’s hand, helping her up off the sofa. He held it longer than necessary, before letting go.
Keera looked at him with a timid smile. “What’s meat loaf?”
“You’ll love it,” Kurt promised.
“Denise makes a great meat loaf,” Alex added, as he headed for the kitchen.
“I wish you didn’t have to return to your ship so soon,” Keera said in a suggestive voice.
Kurt felt his heart flutter. “I do too, but someone has to keep an eye on Lomatz.”
“We’ll have time later,” Keera said with a smile. “Let’s eat. I’m sure Bryan is full of a thousand questions he wants to ask you.”
Kurt nodded, as he led her into the kitchen with its wonderful smells. He wished he could stay longer, but he knew that, as fleet admiral, he had to put his job first and his personal life second, at least for now.
Chapter Twenty-Two
Kurt stood in the Command Center of the Star Cross, watching as another of the large Class Two Orbital Defense Platforms was put together directly over the north pole of Newton. The platform was one hundred meters across and twenty meters thick. On top sat a massive ion cannon, four large energy projectors, and eight smaller defensive energy turrets. There were four pods containing six hypermissil
es with an automatic reloading system. Everything was computer-controlled, and a crew of six could operate the entire platform. However, the living quarters were set up to hold a crew of twenty, to allow for routine maintenance and crew rotation in the small Command and Control Center.
“That’s the last one,” Andrew said, as he stepped to Kurt’s side. “All sixteen ODPs are finished, and the sixty-four defensive satellites have been deployed.”
“The Command and Control Center should be finished tomorrow,” added Kurt, drawing in a deep breath.
He was glad everything was going so smoothly. For the first time in a long while, he felt the pressure of command recede, as he knew now than Newton would shortly be safe from attack. His sister and her family would be protected, as well as the other eight million people who called Newton their home.
“How are the Planetary Defense Centers coming along?”
“Nearly done,” Kurt answered. “General Mclusky is very satisfied with what he’s getting to defend the planet with. He seems quite excited at the weapons he’ll now have at his disposal.” Kurt had spoken to Mclusky earlier, allowing the general to give him a detailed report of the progress being made on the surface of Newton.
“What about the station?” Andrew asked.
“That’s a little different,” replied Kurt, sounding a little perplexed. “Lomatz is becoming more insistent that we turn over to them the designs for our particle beam weapons.”
“Why?” asked Andrew, sounding confused. “Surely they have particle beams of their own.”
“Not in operation,” replied Kurt, turning from the viewscreen. “I think the problem once again is costs. An ion cannon or a large energy projector is much cheaper to operate than a particle beam cannon. Also our recharge time is quicker than what they’re used to. Lomatz thinks it’s some quirk in the technology we’re using and so is highly interested in obtaining it.”
“What’s he offering in return?”
“That’s the interesting part,” Kurt answered. “Lomatz said, if we give him an operational cannon and the schematics to build more, that he would be willing to complete the flight bay on the shipyard free of charge. He’s also offering to revamp our ship construction bay to decrease the time to build a battlecruiser by nearly 70 percent. Of course, for that, there would be a charge. And we’d make sure the contract states he can’t use our technology against us, anywhere in the universe.”
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