The team’s faces turned red as The Operative finished his speech. They heard about the outcry from the public after the last mission.
The Operative and his team boarded the plane and went to the spaceport in the New Mexico desert. The plane was large, but very quiet for its size. It had been designed to attract as little attention to itself as possible so that it could carry out covert operations with the smallest chance of detection by enemy forces.
Jordan called Scott and said, “Hey, where are you?”
Scott answered, “I’m still in Portland, but I’m about to go to the airport and head to Albuquerque.”
Jordan asked, “Where are the supplies?”
Scott replied, “They’re in the storage locker in Santa Fe.”
Jordan said, “Do you have any reason to believe that either General Rich or his goons know who you are or that they know about the storage locker?”
Scott said, “I don’t think so. Why do you ask?”
Jordan answered, “Because I have intelligence that tells me that one of Rich’s operatives just left for Albuquerque from Eugene a couple of minutes ago.”
Scott asked, “How the hell do you gather all of this intelligence?”
Jordan answered, “That’s not important. Not even Scout knows how I know what I know. What is important is that you do not, under any circumstances, take the supplies to the spaceport in New Mexico. A highly trained team will be waiting to ambush you there.”
Scott asked, “Then how am I supposed to get the supplies to you?”
Jordan answered, “There is a former military base in Albuquerque that has been closed for a few years. No one knows that it still has functional facilities for a ship the size of ours.”
Scott said, “So you want me to take them to the base that you told me to avoid the last time?”
Jordan answered, “That’s the only way to outmaneuver the General’s team. You need to assemble your team and head to Santa Fe as soon as you get to Albuquerque. Then head back to Albuquerque once you gather all the supplies.”
Scott said, “So just a quick up and down on I-25.”
Jordan said, “No, I want you to use the back road on the way back.”
Scott said, “What back road?”
Jordan said, “There’s a road that very few people who aren’t from New Mexico have ever heard of .It’s called the ‘Turquoise Trail.’ If you travel to the far east side of Santa Fe, by the old prison, you’ll come across state road 14. Take that road until you come to the junction with I-40, then head west back to Albuquerque. But don’t do any of this until the ship is already on its way from the moon. You and your team will need to work very quickly to load the ship before the General’s team realizes that they’ve been outsmarted.”
Scott said, “I knew there’d be a fair amount of stress when I signed up for this job, but this is getting to be a pain in my ass.”
Jordan said, “It’ll be worth all of the stress once you join us. We’re building a great society, and that takes a lot of hard work. Nothing worth doing is ever easy.”
Scott said, “Thanks for the encouragement. I’ll inform the crew as soon as I get off the phone.”
Jordan said, “Keep up the good work on that end. Bye now.”
Scott hung up the phone, and started dialing every member of his support team. He relayed the plan to them, and arranged to keep a watch on the ship’s position.
The Operative and his team landed in Albuquerque and then headed to the spaceport in normal military vehicles. They didn’t want to repeat the fiasco they created the last time with the armored vehicle parade down the interstate. Once at the spaceport, they parked their vehicles and headed to their assigned positions to await the ship.
Three days later, the Renaissance passed the moon. Scott and his team headed to Albuquerque from the Eugene airport via a commercial flight. Once they arrived in Albuquerque, they put their plan into motion. They headed to Santa Fe to gather the supplies and take them back to Albuquerque.
The Operative and his crew kept an eye on the ship. It got closer, and their tracking devices showed its approach. They saw it approach the atmosphere, and begin its entry into the airspace over New Mexico.
The Operative said, “Okay men, this is where we win. They’ll never see us coming.”
The ship continued north, past the spaceport, and didn’t slow down. The Operative and his crew took this to mean that the ship had malfunctioned.
The operative said, “Looks like they overshot the target. They’ll have to circle back and come around.”
Scott and his team were waiting at the former military base in Albuquerque when the ship arrived. They had everything already stacked on pallets and ready to be loaded onto the ship.
The Operative watched the ship’s position closely on his tracking device to be ready when the ship returned to the spaceport. When he saw it slowing down near the south side of Albuquerque, he became concerned.
He said, “Is that android going to land in Albuquerque?”
One of his team said, “Why would they do that?”
The Operative replied, “Because there’s a problem with the ship. Or did they change their plans?”
The same team member asked, “Why would they change their plans?”
The Operative answered, “Because we’ve been had! They’re going to load in Albuquerque!”
He motioned for the team to go to their vehicles. Everyone obeyed and ran toward their vehicle.
He said, “Damnit! Why?”
The group drove as quickly as their vehicles could carry them toward Albuquerque on I-25. They had to avoid the other vehicles on the road, because they were travelling at three times the speed limit.
Two hours after the ship arrived, Heath Goodbar closed the hatches and took the helm. The ship took off into space well before The Operative and his team could reach the Sunport in Albuquerque.
One of The Operative’s team had stayed behind at the spaceport so that she could pilot the super-fast ship. She took off into space and was even with the Renaissance in just seconds once she escaped Earth’s gravity.
She said, “Let’s see if this damn machine can outdo a living woman. It has no problems with men, but it’s programmed for them.”
Heath took the ship straight past the space stations in low orbit around the Earth while the NASA pilot gave chase. She was in weapons range in just a few seconds, and she took aim. Heath detected her presence and took evasive action. He moved the ship out of the path of her straight-line weapons, forcing her to use smart weapons that could track their target.
She said, “That damn tin robot takes lasers and bullets out of the question. I’ll have to use the tracer missiles.”
She fired the first of her three tracer missiles. It traveled toward the Renaissance and forced Heath to take evasive action. He moved the ship toward a satellite used for global positioning, and the tracer missile struck the satellite. The satellite exploded and several people on Earth saw the explosion from the ground.
The woman piloting The Operative’s ship said, “Piece of garbage! Now we have to replace that damn thing. You just cost us almost a million dollars. I’ll get you before you get free.”
She accelerated the ship toward the moon at full speed. Once she arrived, she took up an orbit and waited for the Renaissance to arrive.
She said, “I’ll put an end to this. I’ll destroy him as he passes the moon, just before I have to let him go.”
Heath recognized the threat posed by the enemy ship orbiting the moon. He quickly devised a plan to avoid damage to his ship. After three seconds of processing the possible scenarios, he decided that the only tactic that avoided the destruction of the Renaissance was for him to attack her ship. As he approached her position, he prepared the weapons systems to fire simultaneously once the ship was in weapons range.
The ships were growing closer to one another. Both fired on the other. The NASA ship fired the second and third tracer missiles as the R
enaissance fired every weapon in its arsenal. The second tracer struck the ship but failed to detonate, causing only minor damage. The NASA ship was completely destroyed as lasers, bullets, and an electromagnetic pulse hit it simultaneously. The woman piloting the NASA ship was killed instantly by the onslaught of bullets penetrating the hull of the ship. The third tracer missile heavily damaged the Renaissance. A large hole had been exposed on the underside of the ship, but only the first two layers of the hull were damaged. None of the cargo was damaged, but the ship would need major repairs once it arrived on Mars.
Chapter Forty-Four
Stockpile
The colony’s mining had three purposes during the terraforming phase. The first purpose was to build infrastructure, the most important of which was the railroad. The railroad reached from the mine to the refinery, and now that the supply ship had arrived, the construction would hasten. The second purpose was making tools. These included shovels, hoes, rakes, hammers, and other metal tools. The final purpose was to create weapons and other instruments of war. The team believed they might be attacked when they made it clear that they claimed Mars for themselves. They made bullets out of iron and titanium because lead wasn’t easy to find or process. They made the hulls of ships that would later be used to defend the planet in space. They also made ground based military vehicles that would be used to defend the colony on the ground.
As Scout stood near a row of ship’s hulls, he held his hands on his head.
He shook his head and thought, “I wish we didn’t have to waste our resources making these instruments of destruction. We’re trying to build a peaceful society, and here we are preparing for war. It just proves that humans don’t want to live in peace with people who disagree with them.”
Becky walked over to Scout and asked, “Something bothering you, boss?”
Scout answered, “This is just so annoying. All of these weapons could’ve been something else.”
Becky said, “Once the war is over, we’ll melt the weapons and war machines to make more creative things.”
Scout said, “Then we’ll be completely vulnerable and open to attack from anyone who wants our resources. It’s unfortunate that we have to keep a standing military force. We must defend ourselves, and that requires a well-trained army.”
Becky said, “So you lament the creation of weapons, but don’t want to give in to a totally peaceful society.”
Scout replied, “I’m just being pragmatic. I would love a totally peaceful society, but it’s not possible with people.”
Becky said, “Maybe we can just have a society with a military that never has to fight.”
Scout said, “That’s been mankind’s dream for all of history, but it’s not going to happen. People are just too evil and hateful to each other by nature.”
Becky said, “So you’re really saying that the human race is ignorant.”
Scout said, “That’s exactly what I’m saying. One person can think rationally, but if you introduce a group, then a Borg mentality takes over.”
Becky said, “I thought you didn’t like Star Trek.”
Scout replied, “I love Star Trek, I just don’t think that we should be naming our stuff after a television show.”
Becky asked, “So you think that people are like sheep, following the herd’s thoughts when they’re in a group?”
Scout said, “I’m saying that people think what the people they choose to follow tell them to think. Television and other media let this happen. There’s some talking head telling you what to think and how to feel, to the point that people can no longer think for themselves.”
Becky said, “I saw it all the time back on Earth. People would just echo what some pundit said without any kind of critical thought.”
Scout said, “That’s because critical thinking isn’t required on Earth. You don’t need to think to make money; you only need to know your job. People study a specialty, and they know absolutely nothing else.”
Becky said, “You mean they’re one dimensional. One dimensional people are so annoying, because you can’t talk to them about anything other than their particular specialty.”
Scout said, “Unfortunately, even people whose specialties are very closely related aren’t able to communicate. Doctors can’t talk to other doctors who have different specialties.”
Becky said, “I’ve noticed that. Last time I went to my doctor, the cardiologist had no clue what the neurologist was talking about, even though both my brain and heart caused the problem. It’s a little scary to think that people who are there to help me can’t do their job without help.”
Scout said, “I agree. Thanks for the diversion. How’s the progress coming with the weapons?”
Becky answered, “I made ten million bullets, and they’re in buckets in the back of the refinery. I hope that the armory is finished soon.”
Scout said, “It should be ready by the end of the month. Snicker and Skittle are working diligently, but we keep interrupting them.”
Becky said, “Okay. We also have twelve Star Brigade ship hulls, and five tank shells.”
Scout said, ‘But no innards for the ships or tanks?”
Becky said, “I’m making things part by part. First I make hulls, then the innards, next the weapons, and finally the seating and controls.”
Scout said, “Speaking of weapons, I don’t see any guns out here.”
Becky said, “That’s because I’m going to make them at the same time as the ship and tank weapons.”
Scout asked, “What’s your timeline?”
Becky said, “John and I are working as quickly as we can, but it’s going to take a few more months. I really think we need to continue work on the railroad. That’ll be our key to supplies if a war begins.”
Scout said, “Once you get the innards on the ships and tanks, then you can take a break from weapons and make railroad tracks again. How do you want to build the railroad?”
Becky said, “I want to build a line in the median of Main Street, then a loop around the town. I want a spur to the hangar, and I want to join that to the mine line.”
Scout asked, “And how long do you think that will take to build?”
Becky replied, “It depends on how much help I get. If I have just John, it’ll take a couple years. If I get some help, just a few months.”
Scout said, “I’ll get you at least the robots, maybe one or two of the others.”
Scout turned and walked toward the refinery. He wanted to see what Becky had been working on for the past weeks. He found very sturdy designs in the compact spaceships. They were only two meters tall, and three meters wide. The ships were rounded and had an opening for a window and one for entry. The rest of the ship’s hull was ten-centimeter thick solid titanium. The tanks were also small. They were three meters tall and two meters wide. There was a hole in the top for entry, and no other openings. They were designed to be guided by instruments only. The shell was thirty-centimeter thick solid iron. It had a place for a cannon on top of the tank, and several places for guns to be attached to the sides of the tank. Scout was satisfied that Becky had a solid plan for building the military’s weapons, so he left the refinery to inspect other parts of the colony’s construction.
Becky got back to work as soon as Scout left. She continued building the military vehicles and weapons for the next nine weeks, and then she assembled the parts into whole vehicles. The colony had twenty Star Brigade ships, two warplanes, and ten tanks. They had guns for every member of the terraforming crew, and enough ammunition to defend themselves for a few months. The coming colonists would bring their own weapons when they arrived in a few months.
The armory was completed by the time that the military vehicles and weapons were prepared. The armory was located at the corner of West 3rd and Moon. The building was eight meters tall, five hundred meters wide and four hundred meters long. All the military vehicles were either placed inside the armory or placed in the fenced yard just outside of the arm
ory. Weapons were issued to each person, so they were stored in the colonists’ quarters. There were a few spare weapons kept in the armory, just in case they were ever needed.
Chapter Forty-Five
Algae
The oxygen levels on the planet had steadily risen since the group arrived. They were astonished by the double-digit percentage of oxygen in the atmosphere when they first arrived. Since that time, the amount of oxygen in the atmosphere reached 21%. This was not expected, but welcome. The crew could almost breathe the air, and they wanted to know why. They assumed that the changes to the air would take years to fix. It took just a little over a year.
When the old NASA probes and missions to Mars were conducted, the primary gas in Mars’ atmosphere was carbon dioxide. The air was still 60% carbon dioxide, but this was a significant reduction from the 95% that it was. The oxygen level was originally .2%, but now it was 21%. Nitrogen had been a very small portion of the air, but now it was 15%. The crew had to know what had changed their environment so drastically. They looked at the satellite images.
Scout said, “We need to see what’s causing these changes. If we know what it is, we can manipulate the changes.”
Jordan said, “We can even accelerate them.”
Scout said, “I think that accelerating the changes is a way to manipulate it.”
Jordan said, “Okay, you smart ass. I know that, and I was just making a point.”
Kathy said, “Settle down boys. Let’s be civil here.”
Scout said, “Okay, let’s take a look at the data.”
The screen showed large areas of green near the northern and southern rivers. The poles were largely unaffected. There was another area of dark green on the satellite map. It was right in the center of the town.
MARS: Renaissance Page 32