Guardian Stone 2: Stone and the T-Raptors

by Don Koch

  Philip Montand was surprised at the results of the first two upgrade sessions. Both sessions had been at capacity and roughly 65% wanted to return to Earth. This was 15% higher than the first program. Apparently they were excited about their prospects now that the worldwide economy had picked up with the activities driven by Space, Inc. More jobs were coming on line and there was a level of excitement not seen since the boom following World War II. Many wanted to be prepared for the opportunities that would be opening up with the operations in space. While there were still some individuals seeking the basic education package, many were seeking advanced degree type learning in science and engineering. A surprising number of persons, after finishing the basic course, immediately applied for another session in more advanced work. Earth was going to have its hands full meeting the renewed vigor seen with the individuals electing to stay on Earth.

  This is just what President Dean Johnson had been hoping would happen. The program had reinvigorated the work ethic. People were doing amazing things with little capital. They were finding creative ways to do things. The removal of the fear of war and strife had the whole planet motivated. Some examples of the impact of the previous upgrade was the invention of a new road surfacing method that was not as subject to wear as previous materials. It was 250 times more durable than current conventional materials. In addition, ice and snow would not stick to its surface. Braking on the material was 300% more efficient than previous materials. The new material cost about the same as conventional materials so the cost of road building, particularly the maintenance component had taken a dramatic drop. This worked very nicely with the development of an automotive motor that ran on the power now coming on line from Antoran technology. This had a huge impact on the need for gasoline and diesel fuel. This was going to cause some dramatic realignment in the oil industry but that would not be overnight. New technologies coming on line would allow individuals reasonable time to shift to new and marketable skill sets and the Antoran fleet was willing to help with the necessary retraining.

  The largest demand was for specific training in new skill sets. Most of these related to the myriad new opportunities arising from the sudden access to the resources available in space. The workforce electing to stay on Earth would be formidable. New inventions were coming out daily and the technological leap was causing individual and international collaborations that previously were unimagined. One analyst suggested that the technological leap being taken by the planet over the next 25 years would be equivalent to what might have been expected over the next 250 years.

  People applying for second rounds of education or training were aware that their application went to the end of the current line so that they were not bumping persons that had not yet had the basic course or the first advanced course. All were patient enough to understand this so no ill will was evolving. Many employers were clamoring for station-trained persons. Colleges and universities were trying to adjust to the stations. Some determined that they might best fit in by providing evaluative measures for the station training and providing degrees based on the knowledge acquired and pointing out where deficiencies might exist. This was somewhat similar to GED testing. Some colleges and universities developed programs that allowed station trained individuals to prepare papers, treatises, and dissertations that led to degrees based on that knowledge base. Some colleges suggested specific station coursework for its students that would result in an accelerated diploma or even multiple diplomas. Nevertheless, some displacements were occurring in academia.

  The coming sessions would suggest how that might develop. The next 4 sessions were fully subscribed. That would be a greater number than the first 'Upgrade' Program and it did not appear to be slowing down. It was clear that this was a program that would continue for some time. Montand suggested that the advanced program should at some point be offered to all worlds in the Antoran sphere of influence. He indicated that he would report in after two more sessions had been completed. With two of the six subscribed sessions completed, the direction was encouraging.

  Chapter 20: A New Development

  On Station 1 in Gar orbit – November 19 – C Day 446

  Hank's requested meeting started on time. The meeting began with a replay of General Sean O'Connor's briefing followed by the short interview with Artus Brondin.

  Josh said, "Wow, that guy is so wrapped up in his own ego that he gave you everything you wanted and more, in record time. You played him like strumming a guitar. That is amazing."

  Hank admitted, "I got more than I bargained for or expected. We also have some new developments to address. These include:

  The trial of Brondin and crew turns out to be a kangaroo court intended to keep some culpable individuals hidden from view. Sean O'Connor and Maudie are on that already.

  The ruling body of Arber is tainted. Two of the leaders of the Ruling Council are essentially partners with Brondin. They are now under arrest. Sean and Maudie are likewise on top of that one as well and are securing the evidence. Sean has also ordered a search for similar caches of data of information throughout the system so that we have the most complete picture of what went on in that crazy place. He is also going to conduct interviews of the rest of Brondin's staff.

  The big surprise is that Brondin is not originally an Arberite but rather is from the Yannar system. I do not want to go out of my way to find trouble but this sounds like a case of finding it before it finds us and see what can be done to diffuse the situation."

  "This last item is the reason for this meeting. I do not intend to wait around and be blindsided by a group we now have reason to believe represents a threat. That goes counter to our reason for being. So we now need to consider what we know and decide on a course of action."

  "During our discussion with Brondin, Barana made a few intuitive leaps and apparently, judging from Brondin's reaction, hit pay dirt. We now know the approximate location of Yannar but there is more going on that we need to know about. Barana told me that she is cloned from Acarma, the AI of the Acar Orbital Station near Yannar. I am hoping that Fador and Barana can shed some light on the situation so we can start to develop a plan of action."

  Fador said, "Henry, if you would allow, I would like to start this process with the information you have requested and then ask Barana to supplement that with what she knows or has determined from the information we now have." Hank nodded agreement. "As you have probably figured out by now, I was not the inventor or creator of Barana nor was she the first of her kind. This was a subterfuge that I promised my father I would use until an appropriate time. I am relieved to say, that time is now. My father was Ardan Fann of Yannar and he arrived on Antor in July 1390 by your calendar reckoning. He carried with him the plans for a prototype station, somewhat smaller than that we eventually built, but that was driven by need since the Glarin invasion was underway. He also carried the clone of Acarma aboard and she had already selected the name Barana while operating his vessel. On entering the system in cloaked mode she reconfigured the ship to look like one of Linan construction. She also prepared a fake background for him so that he would fit in to his new home. In fact it was she that navigated his ship while he was in stasis. Father felt that he needed to leave Yannar because it had become clear that the despots controlling Yannar were intending to use his station for methods he could not sanction. He managed to hide the presence and many of the capabilities of the station to protect Acarma and the people of Yannar. He falsified plans of the station so that there are many places on the station that do not appear in the plans. He led the despots to believe that Acar was an orbital station incapable of space flight while in fact she was faster than anything they possessed. He had hoped to send help at some time to rescue Acarma and the people of Yannar but the opportunity and the means did not present itself. In addition the exact location of Yannar was lost to him and Barana. When he left Yannar, it was with a deception that led the despots to believe that he had died in an explosion. That explosion hid his exit
but damaged some of the core information that provided a specific location for Yannar. Father filed everything he knew about Yannar and its political system, technological capabilities, the systems under its influence, etc. He had quite a library. Now thanks to Brondin's arrogance we have a pretty good indication of where the Yannar system lies. Yannar is the very kind of structure that the Antoran fleet is designed to address. My father died about 200 years ago and was saddened that he could do nothing about the system from which he had escaped. When he arrived at Antor, there were 13 systems under Yannarian control and now there are undoubtedly more. I also noted that Brondin was bragging about a Starkiller weapon. Barana's records show that there was an unusual nova about 220 years ago in a system that is close to the assumed position for Yannar. It sounds like they might indeed have a weapon capable of destroying a star and may have used it. That means that a lot of innocent people may have died from use of a weapon that should not exist. We have to know. We cannot allow such a weapon to exist let alone be used. I think Barana may have some more to add."

  "Thank you Fador, that is a pretty grim tale. Barana, what more can you tell us."