Scout said, “We need to find out what they have. That could be very bad for us if we don’t adapt.”
Kathy said, “The good news is that we only had the damage to the ship. No ground support crew members were injured, and no cargo was lost.”
Scout asked, “So what’s the rest of the bad news?”
Kathy answered, “Heath killed one of the soldiers. It was a female NASA officer, and Heath killed her in space while defending the ship.”
Scout said, “Great, that might be construed as an act of war if no one saw the whole battle. People are going to think that we attacked, and we’re going to be in deep trouble.”
Kathy said, “Fortunately, there were satellites recording the action, and they saw the attack on our ship. One of the satellites was destroyed, again by our ship.”
Scout said, “But there’s still surviving proof that we didn’t provoke the attack?”
Kathy said, “Yes, so we should be in the clear while the colonists arrive.”
Scout said, “We need one of those super-fast engines. I’ll have Jordan get to work gathering intelligence on that.”
Kathy said, “Okay, now we’d better get to work repairing the ship. Is it fully unloaded?”
Scout said, “Very nearly. Once it’s finished, I’ll have Becky and Lane get to work repairing the ship.”
Kathy said, “What about me and Jordan?”
Scout said, “It won’t take all four of you. Besides, I need Jordan working on the intelligence gathering right away, and I have plans for you tonight.”
Kathy said, “Our sex life is not more important than the success of the colony.”
Scout said, “No, it’s not, but the ship has enough skilled people repairing it with Becky and Lane.”
Kathy said, “Fine, I’ll spend the evening with you.”
She hung up her phone and got to work reprogramming Heath to assist the colonists on their long journey from Earth. She spent the next three hours in front of a display screen.
Becky and John arrived at the refinery, and they went inside to get the sheet metal. John held Becky’s hand the whole time they were looking for the metal, and he only let go when it was time to gather the metal. They put the metal in the back of the truck and headed back to the spaceport.
John said, “Why are we in such a hurry?”
Becky said, “Because we need to get the ship repaired so it can return to Earth and pick up the colonists.”
John said, “We have to wait for a month anyway to allow the orbits to line up in their close pattern, so we have time.”
Becky said, “What are you getting at?”
John said, “We’re so busy working that I barely get to spend any time with you. On the ship we were nearly inseparable, but now we only cross paths at meals.”
Becky asked, “How do you propose to spend more time together?”
John answered, “Funny that you should choose to say propose.”
Becky said, “Are you…”
She pulled the truck to the side of the road and took her hands off of the steering wheel. She was suddenly very nervous about what was going to happen.
John said, “I love you more than you could ever know. I’m dying when we’re apart, and even the constant work of building a new society can’t make me forget about how much I want to be with you. You’re my first thought in the morning; I think of seeing you when I need a reason to continue working. You’re the constant motivation of my life. Will you be my wife for the rest of our journey in this life?”
Becky was crying a river of tears. She had trouble speaking after the speech that John gave. She was so moved that she could barely breathe, even with the truck’s environmental enhancement feature set to its maximum setting.
She said, “Yes, I will,” as tears continued to stream down her cheeks.
John hugged his new fiancée, and allowed her to catch her breath before passionately kissing her lips. Then they headed back to the spaceport to repair the ship. Both of them were in shock, so they didn’t speak to each other for the remainder of the trip. John was in shock that Becky agreed to marry him, and Becky was in shock that John had even asked.
Once they arrived at the hangar, they sought out Scout and Kathy to get their orders. Kathy was nowhere to be found, and Scout was busy assessing the damage to the ship.
John asked Scout, “Where do you want us?”
Scout answered, “I need Becky to work on the repairs with Lane. Is the ship already unloaded?”
John answered, “The ship is empty, so the repairs can be done now. Do you mind if I assist my fiancée?”
Scout gasped, “Fiancée?”
John said, “I asked her to marry me and she agreed.”
Scout asked, “When did this happen?”
John said, “About half an hour ago, on the way back from the refinery.”
Scout said, “Well, congratulations. Yes, you may assist Becky with the repairs.”
John said, “Thanks, Scout.”
John ran to his fiancée’s side to assist her in performing the repairs to the ship. They bolted the sheet metal to the ship from the bottom, and then welded the new hull to the old hull. Once the welds were complete, they sprayed more Sta-Kul on the new hull and overlapped with the existing hull’s spray coating to ensure that the ship could absorb as much heat as it could before the damage.
John called Scout the next morning and told him, “We’re done with the repairs. If you don’t mind, Becky and I won’t be in to work today. We’re going to rest after the long night we had last night.”
Scout said, “Go and celebrate or get some rest. Hell, do both! Take the day off. Actually, I’m going to give the whole crew the day off while I go over these plans for a super-fast ship. The Renaissance needs some major upgrades if we want it to bring us our colonists.”
John said, “Thank you, boss.”
He hung up the phone and laid in bed next to his fiancée. They spent the morning resting from the hard work of the previous day, and they spent the afternoon and evening celebrating their engagement. They took full advantage of the time, because the next day there would be more work to do.
Chapter Forty-Seven
New Arrivals
The super-fast ship that the Martian colony envisioned would take resources than the Martian colony had on hand, so modifications would need to be made to the Renaissance on Earth. This was very dangerous, because the ship would be visible to General Rich’s satellites in space. The colony had escaped his attempts to destroy them every time before, although the last time was nearly a tragedy. They needed to get the ship upgraded as soon as possible.
Scout looked at the plans and said, “Well, it’s not very hard to build. The problem is that the materials are very expensive, and we need more money.”
Kathy asked, “Don’t we still have a small reserve of cash for just such an occasion?”
Scout answered, “Yes, but it’s not very significant anymore. We only have five million dollars remaining. The materials alone for this project will cost nearly 15 million.”
Kathy said, “Then we need to have the colonists help with those expenses. They can prove that they’re committed to our goal by giving more cash to the group.”
Scout said, “I didn’t want to do that. I wanted the surrender of cash to be voluntary.”
Kathy said, “But we already have a law declaring that the mere possession of off world currency is forbidden.”
Scout said, “But I hoped that the colonists would use that law to give them an excuse to help people around them.”
Kathy said, “Well, in a perfect world that would work, but I don’t see a way to upgrade the ship without asking them to make this small sacrifice.”
Scout said, “I hope this is the last time I have to compromise like this.”
Kathy said, “We’ll make a perfect world, and then everything will be the way it should be.”
Scout said, “If only that were possible. We might come
close, but perfection might be out of reach.”
Scout and Kathy left the ship and activated Heath Goodbar. Heath activated the ship and returned to Earth. Scout went to the biodome and called Scott.
Scott answered the phone and said, “Hey Scout, what can I do for you?”
Scout said, “I need for you to ask the first group of colonists to donate more cash to the group. We need a major ship upgrade, and it’s going to cost 10 million more than we have.”
Scott said, “I thought you didn’t want to come across as a cult leader.”
Scout said, “Then tell them why we need the money. Their safety is very much in question without the upgrade to the Renaissance.”
Scott asked, “How long do you have to gather the money?”
Scout replied, “The ship will arrive in about four months. We finished repairs from the last attack yesterday.”
Scott asked, “What attack?”
Scout answered, “The one that happened the last time the ship was loaded.”
Scott said, “That loading part went off without a hitch. We loaded the ship in Santa Fe so that Rich wouldn’t find us, and then we sent he ship to you. We had no problems.
Scout said, “That’s not the whole story. A super-fast ship controlled by one of Rich’s cronies attacked our ship. A NASA officer piloted it. The ship was seen going nearly eight million kilometers per hour.”
Scott said, “That’s impossible. No ship has ever gone faster than one million kilometers per hour.”
Scout said, “I’ve seen the schematic for the propulsion system, and this thing is no joke. It has gold and platinum parts, and it’s super-fast. It has ion propulsion and solar sails, and the greatest fuel delivery system that I’ve ever seen. We can’t build a similar ship here because we don’t have the resources.”
Scott asked, “Do you need us to build the upgrades?”
Scout answered, “No, there are some parts on the market. I need you to buy and install them. They’re very expensive, though. We’ve burned through our cash reserves because we needed a lot to begin our colony.”
Scott said, “So this is another covert mission?”
Scout said, “No, the engine is perfectly legal. I don’t even care if Rich knows that we have it. It may deter him from attacking us again.”
Scott said, “I don’t think anything can deter that idiot.”
Scout asked, “So can you ask the colonists to give us cash?”
Scott said, “I’ll do it. See you in a few months.”
Scott hung up the phone and began going through the phone numbers of the other colonists. He called every one of them and asked them to donate more cash to the colony for the ship’s upgrade. Some people didn’t have any extra cash, but most of the people he asked were willing to help the colony. Most of them were hoping the faster ship would allow them to get to Mars faster than the ship in its current condition.
The ship’s new engine would need to be modified to use both the energy sources that the ship used before the upgrade and the new ones. The support team decided on a plan to allow the ship to use many different types of fuel. It would still use photovoltaic power and cosmic electric, but it would also use liquid oxygen to allow small bursts of speed. The liquid oxygen portion of the engine would allow the ship to evade attackers more efficiently than the other fuel sources allowed. The super-fast portion of the ship would be powered by controlled nuclear explosions. These explosions would propel the ship forward at about ten million kilometers per hour, but only for about two hours per detonation.
The Renaissance arrived on Earth just a few months after it left Mars. The first wave of colonists was eager to head for Mars, but the ship needed a major upgrade to its engines. Scott and several other members of the support crew hoped they had collected enough money to complete the upgrade to the ship.
Scott said, “Okay, we’ve got three million in cash. Now to head down to the bank and see how much we’ve got.”
The bank teller handed him a reader. The display read, “14,589,752.61.” He was a little disappointed that they did not have 15 million dollars. Then he realized that he had three million in cash. He deposited the money and left the bank.
Scott headed to the spaceport to meet with a potential seller of the upgraded engine parts. He did not know who this person was, but the engine was far too important. When he arrived at the spaceport, he had a full entourage to ensure his own safety. He did not want to be caught in an ambush if this was a setup by one of General Rich’s operatives.
The man, who spoke in a thick French accent, said, “I understand you’re interested in my super-fast engine parts.”
Scott said, “Yes, that’s why I came here today. My ship is fast, but I want to be even faster.”
The seller then said, “The price for all the parts is 15 million. That does not include installation. That would be another five.”
Scott said, “We have plenty of qualified ship mechanics who are perfectly capable of installing the parts.”
The seller said, “But these are very complicated. It took my people years of study to understand it.”
Scott said, “My people know how to read.”
The seller said, “The instruction manual is only available in French, as it is our invention.”
Scott said, “There’s wonderful translation software available. Even without it, though, we have some French speakers among us.”
The seller then said, “Then it looks as though all we need to do is exchange the money for the merchandise.”
Scott said, “Show me the parts.”
The man then signaled to one of his assistants to fetch the parts. The man obeyed his boss and brought the parts to Scott.
The seller said, “Here they are. You can have it once the bank transfer is complete.”
Scott handed the man his bankcard and the man processed the transaction. He handed Scott the receipt once the transaction was complete.
He said, “It’s been a pleasure doing business with you. Enjoy your new parts. Good luck putting them together.”
The seller and his entourage walked away from Scott and his team. He got into his car and drove away. Scott was happy that the sale was complete, and he ordered the support team to get to work installing the parts on the ship.
The men worked both day and night for two weeks preparing the ship’s fuel systems for the new energy sources and installing the new engine. They read the instruction manual to Heath, who translated the instructions into English. His display screen also took pictures of the work and compared it to the pictures of complete engines. The crew used this information to make sure that they were putting the parts together correctly. Most of the work went smoothly once the instructions were made clear. On the fifteenth day, the ship was ready to be tested. Scott had Heath Goodbar start the engines. They fired perfectly. Then he had the android perform a test orbit around the Earth. The super-fast engine was in perfect working order.
Scott said, “The only thing we need to do now is have everyone load their cargo for the journey. Then we’ll be on our way. I’m a little surprised that the General hasn’t tried to stop us yet.”
General Rich was aware of the ship’s upgrade and the tests that were being conducted. He wanted to lull the colonists into a false sense of security so that they would feel comfortable leaving Earth. His plan was to catch them at the moon with a whole fleet of ships when they left for Mars. The fleet would launch from Eugene as the colonists prepared to leave from New Mexico.
The colonists loaded their belongings into trailers that were vignetted the same way that the terraforming team’s trailers were set up. These trailers would be their quarters on the ship for the next few months. Once everything and everyone was loaded on the ship, Heath took off into space. He had intended to use the super-fast engine to get free of the Earth’s borders in space.
The fleet of General Rich’s ships landed on the moon. It was lying in wait for the colonists to get within striking range.
There was one super-fast ship, and six ships with extended weapons range. Rich figured that if the Renaissance got passed the extended weapons range ships with its new super-fast engine, then the super-fast ship could catch and destroy it before it passed the moon.
The colonists were nervous as the ship climbed out of the Earth’s atmosphere. They did not know what to expect once they were in space, and they were apprehensive about the possibility of an attack by General Rich’s forces. The ship escaped Earth’s gravity and the sky turned black. The stars were so clearly visible now that the crew was astonished by their clarity. Heath Goodbar activated the super-fast engine and the ship shot forward, knocking several of the crew off their feet. The rest of the crew buckled their restraints while those on the floor climbed back into their seats.
General Rich’s fleet of ships on the moon took off and moved toward the Renaissance. Heath and the human pilots of the Renaissance saw the threat and tried to escape. The enemy’s super-fast ship was moving very quickly toward the Renaissance, so Heath slowed down and veered to the right. The other ship passed the Renaissance and continued in a straight line. It flew past the colonists, and was no longer a threat. This left only the heavily armed but slower ships in the Renaissance’s path. Heath very quickly reactivated the super-fast engine as the enemy ships fired a volley of bullets, missiles, and lasers toward the ship. Several bullets hit the Renaissance and penetrated the first layer of the hull. The lasers did almost no damage as the Sta-Kul was working perfectly to deflect their heat. The missiles, however, were going to be a problem if the ship did not get out of their range very quickly. To make things worse, the enemy’s super-fast ship had turned about and was now bearing down on their location at top speed. Just as a missile neared the hull of the Renaissance, the super-fast engine activated and shot the ship forward at top speed. It was now a race between the Renaissance and the enemy ship to the moon. The enemy ship fired another tracer missile at the Renaissance, but Scott had equipped the ship with an anti-missile bombing system. The Renaissance fired its bombs as the missiles left the enemy’s ship. The bomb exploded and destroyed the missile. The explosions scorched the outer hull of the ship. The first layer of the hull would certainly need repairs once the Renaissance arrived on Mars, but he colonists were all still alive. Heath passed the moon, and the ship was free to continue its journey to Mars without any hindrance.
MARS: Renaissance Page 34