"While certainly possible, it's a logistical nightmare. Without Domicile and her farms, there's no way to feed them."
"That's what I said."
Tawn gestured toward the underwater facility. "Too bad we don't have a few million stasis pods like they have on the Grindle. We could put everyone into hibernation until we were able to feed them."
Harris opened a comm. "Alex? What do you know about the stasis pods on the Grindle? Could we manufacture those and could we put Humans in them? I know we had our own, like the one you came out of, but didn't that draw a lot of power?"
"I've had little chance to study them. Is this a new priority?"
"Only if you tell me there's a quick answer."
Alex smiled. "Let me ask the AI for an evaluation. And yes, our pods required continuous power. Should that power be lost, so is the occupant. May I ask what our need is?"
Tawn said, "If we manage to bring back the Human fleet the Frizoid are about to send out, how do we feed or care for them after?"
"I see. Give me some time to evaluate the possibilities."
Harris said, "We expect them to be leaving in the next hour."
Alex slowly shook his head. "I wouldn't expect a solution to be available to us by then."
"We figure it's sixty-six days to the Burrell colony they plan to attack. And we'll have to travel that same length of time to get back from there."
"Possibly not. I may be close to a breakthrough on the hop-drive updates I've been simulating. I'm attempting to use the same energy-focusing technology we employ with the warhead of the gamma missiles. If this works, we may be able to cut your travel time in half."
"While that would be fantastic, it doesn't solve our current problem."
A comm came in from Idiot. "Sir, I've performed an analysis of the stasis pods on the Grindle. They can be reproduced. However, I cannot guarantee Human safety. Simulations appear to show an acceptable level of risk, but that risk may be amplified in a real-world situation."
"You have anything more specific than that?" Harris asked.
"No sir. Just informing you of the fact there may be unknowns until Human testing has been conducted. I would recommend stays of at least ninety days initially."
"We don't have ninety days. When can you have one that's ready for testing?"
"We have the design, materials, and the milling equipment required. Our chemical stockpiles hold the supplies necessary for the filling of several hundred chambers."
Harris sighed. "Several hundred? Unfortunately we need several million. At least two million to be somewhat exact."
"One moment, sir... the chemical compounds required for the suspension liquid, a sort of Human antifreeze if you will, are readily available on New Earth."
"New Earth? Great. So we only need risk our necks to the Frizoid patrols."
"I believe the stealth nature of the Bangor to be adequate, sir."
"The Bangor? And just how many trips would we have to make in that ship to move the volume of material we need?"
"One moment... one thousand three hundred and sixty-eight. That would appear to be a problem."
"If we still had the Hailstorm, how many trips would it take?"
"Eight."
"So we need a ship of equivalent or larger size. If we swipe a freighter from Domicile or one of the free colonies, how long would it take to add an active skin and the interference emitter? How long to make it stealth?"
"Depending on the size of the vessel, approximately eight to ten days."
Harris walked toward the door and stopped. "Freely? You coming or you just gonna stand there holding up that wall?"
"We stealing a freighter?"
"That's the plan. Idiot, send a half dozen bots to the Bangor. We're gonna need a crew."
Tawn followed as they walked toward the ship. "You really thinking of trying to put two million people in stasis?"
"I don't see where we have a choice. If we manage to somehow win their freedom we have no way to care for or support them."
"And what happens to the next two million?"
"I guess we build more pods. Look. We've already seen that this planet, this island, has as much power as we would need for any project. Those reactors buried in the cave over there will provide all the energy we could want. Whether we build two million or ten million pods, doesn't matter."
"And just where are we gonna put these two million pods? Not like we have a ton of open land here."
Harris opened a comm. "Idiot? The west end of the island has somewhat shallow waters. If we sink foundation pillars, could we construct a building large enough to house and power the two million pods we're planning to build?"
"Yes."
"And do we have the resources to do that?"
"Yes."
"And how long would it take?"
"Such a building would be little more than a warehouse, sir. With a full commitment from the bots... perhaps a week at most?"
"And our two million pods? If we have the materials, how long to put those together?"
"What percentage of utilization of our workers is desired for such?"
"All of them. It would be a priority."
"At best, forty-one days, sir."
Tawn tilted head to one side. "Forty-one days? That seems incredibly fast."
"We have a hundred thousand bots that can all receive precision directions in under a second. They work continuously and never complain."
Harris stepped up into the Bangor's cabin, with Tawn just behind.
"I know," Tawn said. "I still find it hard to believe we can turn out what we do in such a short period of time."
The bot team boarded, the hatch was closed, and the ship lifted up through the atmosphere. Twenty minutes later they were staring at the nav display in Domicile space.
Tawn pointed. "Used to be this traffic lane was full of ships heading to the outer colonies. I have to wonder how they're faring out there."
"My guess is all travel has been suspended. Probably all comms as well. Look at the sensor readings for that. No wormholes open at the moment."
"They're still making flights up to Chicago Port."
Harris crossed his arms as he leaned back in his chair. "Yep. Still have to feed the hundred thousand people up there."
"I see four freighters moving supplies up to her, all smaller than the Hailstorm. We need something bigger."
Harris leaned forward as a new ship showed on the display. "How about this one? Plenty big."
"What would they be taking up there in that?"
Tawn sat forward, punching buttons on the console.
"What you doing?"
Tawn turned. "What are the chances we get picked up if we do a bioscan of that station?"
"Probably pretty good. Why?"
"I have to wonder if they're about to move the people from the station down to the surface."
"That fleet is in a standoff position. We can outrun them from here to free space. If you really want to know who's on that station we can risk it, but we won't be stealing a ship if we get detected. Everyone would be on high-alert from that point on."
"If we want that freighter, we need to know the situation. I'm running this, so get us ready to bolt if we're noticed."
— Chapter 9 —
* * *
The scan was performed with no indication of movement by the Frizoid warships.
"What do we have?"
Tawn perused the data. "They've already cleaned it out. Sixteen Humans aboard the station. About nine hundred Frizoid up there. And another thirty thousand on that freighter. I'd say they're in the process of taking it over."
Harris began to grin.
"What's going on in that pea-brain of yours?"
He gestured toward the freighter. "We take that ship and we have thirty thousand hostages. Might be something worth trading for."
"Trading for what? We don't want the Frizoid to even know we're here."
"We're stealing a ship and we just destroyed an outpost. P
opulated or not, they know we exist. I say we hit them now and take that cargo of Frizoid."
"That doesn't seem like the wisest of moves. Might do nothing but piss them off. But we do need that freighter, and the hostages might give us some leverage for making a getaway. So..."
Harris pushed the throttle forward. "Let's do it, then."
Tawn pulled and checked her Fox-40. Harris did the same. The six bots standing in the cabin followed suit with their Saxon rifles. The Bangor raced up to the side of the freighter. Harris attached to the outer hull and the bots slipped out through the airlock. Making use of their magnetic boots, they headed toward the nearest docking bay and its gravity wall. Harris released, turned the ship, and raced back out to a safe distance.
"No turning back now. Let's just hope they get control before it docks."
Tawn replied, "They have another four to five minutes."
A comm came in from the lead bot. "I'm enabling my video feed, sir. We are available for revised commands if needed."
"Just get to the bridge and take control. We need that ship out of this space as soon as possible."
Tawn split the display and looked over the nav map. "I can't believe they don't have a few ships dispersed around this planet. Sloppy defense on their part."
Harris chuckled. "Well, I'll take all the dumb moves they want to give us."
From the docking bay on the freighter, a main hall ran up the left side of the inner hull. Two hundred fifty meters separated the bay from the bridge. The hall was empty. The bots ran the length of the hall at full speed, forty-eight kilometers per hour, entering the bridge without detection.
The comm console was the first to be captured. The Frizoid crew, outgunned and caught by surprise, quickly and quietly surrendered. The freighter's course was altered.
Nearly a minute passed before the first hail came in from the Frizoid command ship. "Freighter Grazit, you've veered off course. Are you having navigation issues?"
No reply was given.
Again a hail was broadcast. Again there was no answer.
Tawn pointed. "We have a warship moving in this direction."
"Time for us to go, then. How far to free space?"
"Six minutes. Given the speed and angle, the freighter should just make it. That's if there aren't any complications."
Harris chuckled. "There always seem to be complications. You probably just jinxed the mission."
"Jinxed? Really? That the best you got?"
"Yeah. I've been out of practice lately. Too many serious things going on I guess."
"We always have serious things going on."
"I suppose we do. We have a pair of gamma missiles on here. You should prep them for possible use."
"OK. Missiles armed. What else you got?"
A comm came in from one of the bots. "Sir, the logs show a contingent of forty Frizoid Marines aboard. We've taken the initiative to quiet all incoming or internal comms, excluding our feed to you. Should we engage and disarm this force?"
"Do you have camera access showing their position?"
"We do. Rear deck storeroom. They appear to not be aware of the situation, sir."
"Send four back and secure that room. We have three minutes to free space."
"Will be there in one, sir."
The image on the display showed the same hall the team had traversed minutes before. At the end of the hall a turn was taken; a door was shoved open and the bots quickly took control. Thirty-nine rifles were laid on the floor. A fortieth fell after a plasma round entered the chest of the Frizoid Marine who refused to yield.
The arms were gathered and the Marines marched out into the docking bay.
"All secure, sir."
"Any other personnel that are not there, in the hold, or on the bridge, showing from a bioscan?"
"One moment... the remaining decks appear to be clear."
Tawn said, "Everyone on the bridge? Don't know if I like that. Where are the maintenance people?"
Harris said, "Team lead, check the camera logs for any external hatches or that gravity wall. Did anyone go outside?"
"One moment... we have a breach, sir. Four crewmen are on the outer hull. Cameras coming online... they appear to be headed for a hatch leading into the ship's power room. That hatch has just opened, sir."
"Two of you cover the Marines. The other two go secure that room. They shut down those reactors and we don't make free space and we don't jump."
The camera image again showed the long hall as the two-bot mission team raced forward. As they entered the power facility, four Frizoid crewmen were hard at work on three consoles. In less than a second, all four exploded, slinging guts and body parts across the consoles in front of them. A flashing yellow light told of their effort.
Tawn said, "Sixty seconds to free space."
Bot 101244 reported: "Two of the four reactors will be going offline in five seconds. The controls are currently unreadable. Expect a slowing as we close on free space."
Harris growled. "Thirty seconds more is all we needed. That warship is closing fast."
Tawn entered a targeting command and fired their two gamma missiles. The display indicator showed their release. "Twelve seconds to detonation. This is gonna be close."
A set of bright flashes emanated from the Frizoid cruiser as it fired its laser cannons. Harris pushed the control stick hard left and the Bangor shot to the side of the approaching invisible beams. A second maneuver, again turning toward the jump barrier, had a sensor alert telling them free space had been reached.
The small freight-shuttle again jinked, this time bringing itself close to the stolen freighter as the commands were entered to open a wormhole.
"We have detonation. Can't confirm a hit, but we have to be close. They're coming hard at us."
The Biomarine pair stared at the sensor display as they followed the freighter into the wormhole. The telltale bright flashes from the Frizoid weapons never happened. The wormhole closed behind them.
Harris stood from his chair as he raised a clenched fist. "Yes!"
Tawn let out a deep breath. "They had us. That gamma strike must have worked."
"We might just get a bonus score from this."
Harris sat as he grabbed the controls. "Bot team, I need two of you in the landing bay immediately. We'll be picking you up in a few seconds, so be there and be ready."
The Bangor moved laterally, lining up with the docking bay of the slower freighter. The smaller ship came to a stop and settled on the deck as the hatch opened. Two bots jumped up into the cabin just as the hatch began to close. Seconds later, they were speeding back out into the dead of space as the freighter continued to move toward Midelon.
"What are you doing?" Tawn asked.
"Going back for that warship. It didn't fire on us. That crew is probably dead."
As Harris reached for the wormhole controls, Tawn grabbed his forearm. "You sure about this? Could be they thought we were too close to their ship to fire at us."
"Good point."
Coordinates were entered, opening a wormhole at a safe distance from where they had previously jumped. The rip in space-time was revealed and the Bangor slipped through. The Frizoid cruiser was continuing on its prior path.
Harris grinned. "Perfect. You nailed 'em. Let's get us a new warship."
"I have four others on approach."
Harris shook his head. "They won't get here in time. Bots, prepare to transfer. We'll be bringing home a trophy."
After a short pursuit, as the Bangor moved through a gravity wall into an open bay, they faced a larger mobile laser sitting on a trolley, taking aim. Several hundred Frizoid Marines were standing at the ready, their weapons aimed.
Tawn sighed. "Who's the trophy now? They were waiting for us."
Harris typed away on the console, enabling the railgun circuits.
"And what is it you’re planning?"
"We take out that laser and leave, our fight with the Frizoid is over."
&nbs
p; A hail came in on the general comm.
Harris answered. "What?"
A Frizoid commander replied, "Ah, Mr. Gruberg. I was hoping it was you who would return."
"If you're looking for a surrender, it's not happening."
"I only desire to speak with you. If you don't like what I have to say, you are free to leave."
The approaching Frizoid warships were slowing.
"I'm free to leave either way."
"If that's a reference to the fact you have your weapons armed and are ready to wreak havoc upon this ship... keep this in mind: any attempt at firing those weapons while in this bay will result in an instant detonation of our self-destruct. I can assure you that event would end with your annihilation as well as ours."
Harris let out a long breath. "OK. What is it you want?"
"As I'm certain you are aware, the trained Human fleet is preparing to depart for Burrell space. The fight they will be dropped into should be a short and easy victory."
"And they'll be left as bait for the Burrell. I can't see that going well."
Tawn hit a mute button before grabbing his arm. The display turned black. "You just told him we know of their plans."
"So? He seemed to already know that."
"I guess it didn't cross your mind that he might be fishing? He now knows for certain we have spies on Domicile. You think this will make their jobs of collecting data easier?"
"OK. I see your point. Enable the comm. I'll be careful."
The image of the commander reappeared.
Harris said. "Sorry for the short outage. I again have to ask, is the plan to use our people as bait?"
"In a way, but not directly. Your fleet will assault and take the outpost. Any Burrell captured will be turned over to us. Word of a Human invasion will of course be sent to their command. In response, they will likely be diverting resources from our true target. By the time those forces reach the overrun outpost, your Humans will have fully withdrawn."
"OK. So why is it you want to talk to me?"
"Our interrogations of your citizens on Domicile have repeatedly identified you, and your associate Miss Freely, as great warriors. We would like the two of you and your fellow Biomarines to join not only the fight, but in its planning."
ARMS For Eternity: (Book 8) Page 8