Trish glanced back at her brother. “Yikes. That has to hurt.”
Gandy replied, “You have no idea.”
Harris sat beside him as the APC turned back toward the Bangor. “We’ll get you patched up and something for the pain.”
Gandy winced as he attempted to laugh. “Not in that order I hope.”
“Trish, thanks for the pickup, but why didn’t you just use the Bangor?”
The young first mate shrugged. “You said to not get it involved.”
Harris smirked. “Not involved in any shooting. You did good though. That move took some guts. Glad to see you taking the initiative.”
Trish smiled. “Can’t leave my bro and my captain hanging out there.”
The APC pulled to a stop beside the Bangor. A flight was made to ensure the Earther force was indeed in full retreat.
Tawn was fetched from the roof before the small ship settled back into the north docking bay.
Chapter 6
_______________________
Gandy was given a shot for his pain before a med-tech began the chore of picking black-glass shards from his upper chest and upper left arm.
“I’ve seen this before. Poor guy took it in the face. You’ll have some nasty scaring, but it will heal.”
Gandy replied, “Just keep that painkiller coming and I’ll be fine.”
A headcount was performed. Sixteen Biomarines had taken their final tour of duty. Ninety-eight of the Earther force lay dead on the sand surrounding the great dome structure. The bodies were collected, stacked together, and buried in a single mound.
The south, east, and west dome entrance areas had taken extensive plasma round damage. Hundreds of roofing plates would have to be replaced. The climate system worked to maintain the current interior temperature as doors were repeatedly opened and closed for workers moving in and out. Within hours after the assault had ended, the construction work was again getting underway.
Trish shook her head as she watched the slugs and stumps moving about as if nothing had happened. “How do they do it?”
Tawn asked, “Do what?”
“Just go back to work like that. I’m still shaking.”
Tawn chuckled. “Hon, we’ve done this so many times it’s like second nature to us. Some will be a little edgy from it for a few hours, but most will move right back to whatever they were doing. It’s called a lifetime of training and experience.”
“Did you ever want to be somebody else?”
Tawn smiled. “I’m sure we all have at some point in our lives. I wanted to be a farmer once. Got over that notion a few weeks later after going back into battle.”
“You never wanted to run?”
Tawn half smiled. “I’ve had plenty of situations where my brain was screaming to run. But that wouldn’t be fair to the others I was fighting beside. So I shoved those notions back to where they had come from and just powered my way through it. Just like you did with that APC.”
Trish let out a long breath. “I guess. Does it get any easier?”
Tawn shook her head. “Never easier. You do get used to dealing with it though. I had one fight where we were storming a New Earth destroyer. Just when I thought my team had cleared the last deck, Earthers began popping up everywhere. The ship had dozens of emergency hatches on every level.
“We thought we had them boxed into the lowest deck, but they had been sneaking back above us. What began as a one hour raid ended up taking nine. For a while I thought they were re-spawning after we had them dead. It didn’t get any easier, and we forced ourselves to power through it.”
Harris sat beside them. “Patching should be finished up in about three hours. The colonel has asked that we fly the fallen back to the Retreat for burial. We’ll be flying the freighter back. Afterwards we have a load of supplies to pick up on Domicile.”
Trish asked, “The crew can’t fly the freighter?”
Harris shook his head. “Nine of the sixteen casualties were the freighter crew. We’ll be picking up another dozen Biomarines from Domicile when we get there. Colonel says the new crew will be selected from them. He doesn’t want to move any of his other workers from the tasks they are currently doing.”
The fallen were collected and a jump made to the Retreat. A makeshift morgue had been set up to house their bodies until internment. A second hop had the freighter landing at Juniper City. Harris and Tawn walked into the Hosh-Morgan offices.
Bannis Morgan came out to greet them. “Miss Freely, Mr. Gruberg, I just heard about the attack. I’m sorry for your losses.”
Harris gestured toward the door. “We have one of the armored vehicles out there. They came in handy. This one took a missile to the right front. It’s in need of repairs.”
Bannis nodded. “I’ll have a team take care of it. I would like to talk finances with the two of you while you are here. I’ve been getting grumblings from my group of patriots who have been assisting. They would like to see that real progress is being made. Perhaps a tour would be in order?”
“We would have no issue with that,” Tawn replied. “Your people need to understand this is Eden and it’s dangerous out there. As evidenced by yesterday’s attack.”
“How is the dome coming?”
“The enclosure is complete. Power is in. Base plumbing is being worked. Buildout of the housing section should be starting in a few days. Once the first units of that are complete, we can bring out our first recruits.”
Harris added, “If we stay on schedule, mining will begin in two months. How is the equipment coming?”
Bannis smiled. “Excellent. The feedback modifications have been designed in. The first units will be ready for transport in the coming days. It sounds as though the timing will be perfect.”
The threesome moved into Bannis Morgan’s office.
Harris asked, “Have you noticed the DDI following you around?”
“Yes. And they are persistent. I’ve had three bugs removed from this office. My security team is on top of it though. They’ve tapped my car. My home. I have new clients who are forever asking questions but never making a purchase. Too bad our resources aren’t being used on those who would subvert us.”
Harris frowned. “Just be careful what you say and who you say it to. We both know the DDI agents aren’t supposed to have this kind of power without judicial oversight, but they don’t seem to have issue with ignoring that.”
Bannis leaned forward onto his desk. “Just so you know, our government is split into three factions right now. One, as you know, is the current pacifist party with their ‘no war at any cost’ mantra. Next is the faction who think we should restart the war, the patriots. They think we should finish off the other side. And then there are the ‘don’t cares,’ who have no position one way or the other.
“The pacifists have control of our military, and have been doing their best to gut it by moving assigned monies to social projects. The patriots have a hold on the intel services, but that hold is slipping. The ‘don’t cares’ are bouncing along with their own priorities. Should the Earthers acquire titanium, and should they be able to build up their fleets, we may no longer have the mechanisms in place to stop them.”
Tawn nodded. “We’re warriors, Mr. Morgan. There’s not one among us that would prefer war over peace. But if war comes, there won’t be anyone else standing in line in front of us.”
“I realize that, Miss Freely. It’s one of the reasons I’m still connected to this project. You’re committed to keeping the rest of us safe. Not many out there are looking out for everyone. I’ve seen to it that my family legacy with the business will continue. I’m now committing my efforts to the same cause as you.
“I’ve made arrangements to build three ore freighters to be used exclusively for moving that titanium back here to Domicile. They won’t be available for at least five months. We’ll have to make do with leased vessels until then.”
Harris said, “Those were on our list of needs, Mr. Morgan. Thank you for
initiating that. Have you thought about what you’ll be doing with the refined ore when you get it back here? Can’t move that much into the market without crashing prices.”
Bannis tapped his fingers on his desktop. “We’ll have to store it. Along with the freighters, I have several friends that might be interested in building trade ships. If not for trade with the outer colonies, then for trade with New Earth. Transport prices are at a bit of a premium right now. And the fleet currently consists of mostly surplus military units that weren’t designed for civilian cargoes and are otherwise very inefficient.”
Tawn asked, “You thinking a low cost titanium source might make that venture worthwhile?”
Bannis nodded. “I am… so long as our consortium has exclusive rights to purchase that ore. I was also attempting to think along bigger lines. What if we expanded the Fireburg colony to also process the titanium into hull plates or other parts? If we grow the population out there to the point we’re able to take control of their government, we might just be able to get around the government regs, taxes, and fees that make building ships on Domicile cost prohibitive.”
Tawn crossed her arms. “This expedition just gets bigger and bigger. Building a colony is already overwhelming.”
Bannis smiled. “That’s where industrialists like myself come in. We have the planning staff and designers already in place to bring something like this together. Won’t add anything to your burden pile. We’ll be handling all personnel needs, resource needs, expenses… basically everything. And with the ships being commercial units, the military shouldn’t bother us or feel threatened.”
Harris asked, “Won’t you have to build an orbital shipyard somewhere?”
Bannis nodded. “We would. It would only be for assembly. And placing that beside Chicago Port Station may be advantageous for garnering support with our politicians. As a group we have the financial capital and expertise to do this. We only need the will.”
The meeting with Bannis Morgan was productive. In the two months that followed, the dome was completed, including housing, warehouses, and an entertainment complex to keep miners occupied during off hours. The first three hundred miners had arrived and were settling in.
A wheeled transport pulled up under the overhang at the south entrance to the dome. Four government officials from the colony at Dove emerged and hurried inside. Harris and Tawn met them at the entryway.
Bizzy Mister stood in his robe. “Impressive structure, Mr. Gruberg. How many colonists do you expect it will hold?”
“Up to five thousand when it’s fully operational. What is it you are out here for, Mr. Mister. I would think this is cutting into your contemplation time… or whatever it is you do.”
Bizzy sighed. “We’ve had to return to our arts and crafts with the loss of the water income. But everyone is happy to pitch in. We’ve come here today because of a much graver concern. We’ve heard rumors of violence. I’m sincerely hoping you have not seen to it to bring any weapons to this planet. Should we have concerns?”
Harris gestured toward the interior of the dome. “Please, have a look around. Go wherever you like. If I were you, I’d be more concerned with the hooligans at Boxton. Have you checked there?”
Bizzy waved to the others to begin looking around. “We have. There were no signs of any weapons and the Earthers residing there were very friendly. They are concerned over your exercising of claim rights for mining. There is a rumor floating around that in addition to the weapons, you are hoarding potential mining sites.”
Harris nodded. “We will freely admit to doing that. As I tried to state before, the Earthers want titanium so they can rebuild their war fleets.”
“And why is it you want titanium, Mr. Gruberg?”
“To keep it out of the Earthers’ hands.”
Bizzy crossed his arms. “Is it not being used by the Domers to build up their own fleets?”
“Domicile has a ready supply of titanium, Mr. Mister. You should consider our move here an effort to peacefully keep the status quo. Our methods are non-violent, which I would think is what you desire.”
Bizzy frowned. “Non-violent? Really, Mr. Gruberg? After the slaughter of the Boxton colonists and then the attempted raid on Dove? I would hardly classify your methods as non-violent.”
Harris shook his head. “Those weren’t colonists, those were paid mercenaries who were sent here to annihilate your colony at Dove—at first through intimidation and then through an assault. Those bodies you found in the desert were coming to murder all of you.”
Bizzy sighed. “There were no weapons found at the site, Mr. Gruberg, only bodies. The Earthers said they were coming in a peaceful protest to ask for expanded water rights. Are we to believe those who would march a hundred fifty kilometers across the desert to push for ideals or those who would mercilessly butcher them? That incident remains under investigation, by the way. Are you certain you and Miss Freely didn’t see anything during your stay at Boxton?”
Harris scowled. “We already gave our statements, Mr. Mister. Now, if you want to continue your check here, I would advise you to be cautious. We have industrial equipment moving around and I wouldn’t want to have anyone get run over. And if you want to look in any building or rooms, just ask. We have nothing to hide.”
Bizzy nodded as he began to walk away. “Thank you. We will be careful.”
“Good thing we got rid of that burial pile,” Tawn whispered.
Harris winced. “That would be all we would need. The colonel moved them three hundred kilometers out. Doubtful they’ll be found anytime soon. I’m actually surprised by the Earthers.”
“How so?”
“They could have asked for their dead. We would have given them over. They could have then dumped those bodies out here just before the pacies checked Boxton. Would have shut down this whole operation.”
Tawn smiled. “I guess they aren’t as smart as you, then.”
Harris shook his head. “They have plenty of smart people. And if this occurred to me it would have occurred to at least one of them. I have to wonder if they have reasons for keeping us going.”
Tawn laughed. “What kind of bizarro conspiracy theory you got cooking up there?”
Harris gestured at the dome surrounding them. “You and I built this. That doesn’t strike you as extraordinary? We don’t have the smarts needed to cover all our bases with this effort. I feel like someone is helping behind the scenes.”
“Warmouth?”
Harris half scowled. “Could be. But other than that lame attempt at an attack, why have the Earthers not done more?”
Tawn patted Harris on the back. “Come on. I think I know what you need to put all these conspiracies to rest.”
“And what would that be?”
Tawn chuckled. “Lunch. You can’t tell me you aren’t hungry.”
Harris shrugged. “You got me. I can’t deny that.”
The newly constructed cafeteria was full of workers. Plates were piled high as all food for the colony was provided free. Harris and Tawn stacked their own plates as well. Once finished, and when the lunch shift had ended, the cafeteria cleared out.
Four hours later, Bizzy Mister and the other pacifists returned to their transport and departed. No evidence of weapons of any kind was found. A Biomarine ready-team, with weapons, remained on the freighter hovering a kilometer above the colony, out of sight of the government of Eden’s eyes.
Chapter 7
_______________________
The first of the giant, climatized earth movers from Hosh-Morgan were loaded onto the freighter. Crews had been training for days on simulators. The three immense vehicles would bring with them the first ground breaking ceremony for the Fireburg mine. Tawn and Harris waited anxiously for their arrival, joining Trish and Gandy in the cabin of the Bangor.
“This is exciting,” Gandy said. “How many people does it take to operate one?”
Harris replied, “From what I heard, only one. That operator steers
and sets the pace. Everything from there is automated. The grinders loosen the ore, filling up one of four hoppers. The ore in that hopper is then run through an initial refining stage where the output goes into two other hoppers, one for waste product and the other for ore. The fourth hopper can be filled as the contents of the first is being refined.
“When the refined hopper is full, a vehicle pulls alongside and the hopper is picked up and dropped onto its chassis. The full hopper is then brought into the dome for further refining.”
Gandy grinned. “I can’t wait to see the whole operation in action.”
Tawn pulled up a camera view of the mine below. “In six months this whole area will be the beginnings of a giant pit.”
“How deep will we go?” Trish asked.
“At the moment,” said Harris, “half a kilometer. As we dig, if the depth proves there is more ore down there, we’ll go deeper.”
An alert came over the nav display.
Trish said, “Two ships just jumped into free space out there.”
“Warships? Anything we should be concerned with?”
Trish shrugged. “Don’t know what they are. I wouldn’t have mentioned it, but they’re in the area the freighter usually jumps through.”
“Well, let’s go check it out,” said Tawn. “Won’t hurt to know who they are.”
The Bangor moved up through the atmosphere as a fireball. Twenty minutes later they were approaching the two mysterious ships.
A hail came over the general comm. “Approaching ship, identify yourself.”
Harris pressed the connect button. “This is the Bangor from the Fireburg colony. With whom are we talking?”
The video connection remained blank.
“We are private citizens. Our business is not your business. Turn away or we will be forced to take defensive action.”
Gandy said to Harris, “Defensive action, that doesn’t sound all-too friendly.”
Harris glanced at Trish. Bring us to a stop and hold this position.”
Harris said into the comm, “We only question your presence because this location is a trade route we frequent and we’re expecting a cargo delivery anytime now.”
ARMS Harris' Revenge Page 6