Colony (Terran Chronicles Book 3)

by James Jackson

  George looks at Johnny and says sternly, “Stay out of the way young man, or I will never hear the end of it.”

  Robert glances from Johnny to George, then says, “I will watch him, besides, he can help me.”

  Patrick is already in his suit and standing outside at the rear hatch. He begins to chuckle, then whole heartedly laughs, “John, you have to see this.”

  Everyone makes their way to Patrick. There before them, attached to almost half of the long supports inside the cargo bay are the notes, ‘remove prior to launch’.

  John closes his eyes and shakes his head, “A note on the pilot’s console would have been handy!” His voice picks up in volume for the last few words. Still shaking his head, he walks away. Stupid, stupid.

  Inside the lengthy cargo area rest fifteen long, round, steel poles. Each one is longer than a football field, and as wide as a small car. Combined, they will make five tall towers.

  A strong gust of wind blows Johnny’s hair straight back, making him stagger as if he were drunk. Robert quickly grabs his camera, then turns to face the strong breeze, “Wow. This is going to be a great place for these turbines.” He suddenly has an idea, “Hey Johnny,” he says, getting the boy’s attention. “How about you and I start documenting this? You can use this camera, while I set up the video equipment.” He pats his small backpack, then takes it off.

  Johnny is stunned by the offer. After a few seconds he finds his voice and answers, “That would be awesome! Thank you, Sir.”

  Robert grins at the young boy’s obvious enthusiasm, “No need to call me Sir, young man, Robert is just fine.”

  While the pair sets up the video camera, Patrick gets to work removing the sections. His bodysuit is the only reason he is even able to budge the heavy cargo. He stands and looks at the base of the largest component, easily taller than him, and though it tapers, it does not narrow much.

  Meanwhile, George strides purposefully along the top of the mountain ridge. With his suit’s visor down, he is able to pinpoint the exact location that Emma has selected for the first wind generator. He immediately gets to work absorbing the ground material. In doing so, he creates a very deep hole that is wide enough to accommodate the base of a tower.

  Patrick, with the assistance of a gravity sled, transports the first section to George. This section, like a number of others, has a hollow core. Patrick stares at the base, then the hole, “Good job,” he says, “let’s get the next two pieces.”

  George lifts his visor, “It will be interesting to see if these towers are as easy to assemble as the designers say.”

  Next, the two men bring over a long, thin, segment which they slide inside the base. Once half way inside, it locks into place with a loud clunk. Patrick gazes at their handiwork, “I am glad we’re putting these things together on the ground. It’s going to be a real pain standing them up, and getting them into the holes.”

  George nods in agreement, “Yeah, we’re going to have to use a shuttle to get them vertical, and that will be tricky.”

  Robert stands well back, his video equipment rests upon a tripod and records the construction for posterity’s sake. The third piece of the tower, the top, slides over the stabilizing core, then it too, audibly clicks into place. George gets to work sealing the joint with his suit.

  Johnny stands near Robert, taking his role of photographer very seriously. He points his digital camera at the tip of the tower and asks, “Why is it like that? It’s not even finished.”

  Robert looks at what will eventually be the tower’s top, then replies, “Once the towers are standing upright, the generator will be installed, after that, the blades can be attached.”

  Johnny casts his gaze down the length of the tower, “It’s very big!” he exclaims.

  “They have bigger in Texas,” Robert replies, “but yes, these are still quite impressive.”

  Johnny’s eyes go wide, “Bigger in Texas, wow!”

  Robert nods his head, then says, “Yes, I did a report on wind farms a while back.”

  Robert and Johnny continue to watch and record as the process is repeated, until there are five very long towers laying on the mountain top. Each one rests near a large hole. Finally, under the fading light of the setting sun, they pack up their equipment, and then join the others on the shuttle.

  Johnny peeks into the cavernous cargo area, then calls out, “Hello!” The sound rings out hollow, and echoes loudly. Scaring himself, he quickly runs to the side ramp, then sits in his chair as if nothing happened.

  The three men glance at Johnny, his youthful antics make them smile. The return trip to the Terran is uneventful, John’s fears of burned out thrusters prove to be unfounded.

  The next day Johnny travels with them again, but this time they only load the shuttle with enough parts for four towers. This second trip is nowhere near as hard on the shuttle, or John’s piloting skills.

  By the third day, Johnny is bored, so he stays on the Terran with his mom. Robert also decides to stay on the ship, for now anyway. He plans to return at various times to capture the progress.

  The loading crews on the Terran are surprised on John’s third trip. He pilots the long shuttle partially inside the Terran. With only its rear loading ramp inside, he parks. The Terran’s dampening shields shimmer around the hull. The bulk of the transport hangs out in space. Though slightly unnerved, the crews begin loading the shuttle.

  John, George, and Patrick, cannot exit the shuttle, because its side ramp is still in space. Instead, the three men wait and discuss their plans. George and Patrick have stowed their suits and are resting. John listens to a report from the loading crew, then smiles, “They tell me that loading like this will be much easier and quicker.”

  Patrick frowns at a thought that has been bothering him. “Guys, there is no way that these wind generators will be able to power everything.”

  George’s brow creases, as he had not even considered this.

  John turns to both men, “That’s what you get for missing out on some of the mission briefs,” he says jovially. Continuing on, he explains, “The wind generators will provide power for the settlement’s basic infrastructure. Once the grid is in place, we can start landing Patrick’s construction crews. They will put together the prefabricated mini-steel mill, and the sawmill.”

  George nods and exclaims, “Right! That’s why the Liberty has to land on the field that Emma has selected, so we can hook its power up to the grid.”

  John replies, “And that’s another reason we’re running power lines down both sides of the mountain.”

  Patrick is still perplexed, and says, “I still don’t get why we’re installing these wind generators along both mountain ridges though.”

  John answers, “Hopefully, before the Liberty arrives, we will locate a decent mining site for raw materials. That way, once the Liberty does arrive, we can get to work making more generators using the mini-steel mill.”

  George sits back in his chair, “We will need to add more towers, enough so that when the Liberty leaves, the colony will be self sufficient.”

  Patrick nods as he imagines hundreds of wind generators lining the mountain tops. Each with their blades slowly spinning in the planet’s breeze.

  The days begin to blend together, as tower after tower is pieced together, then left laying on the ground. The twenty-six hour days allow the three men to work long and hard. Each night, George climbs into bed, exhausted. Each morning he rises, kisses his sleepy wife, then gets back to work.

  Patrick’s workforce is not slacking either. They deliver tools, generators, and minor equipment, using the smaller shuttles.

  While everyone else is busy, Joe uses his time trying to get the Gamin communications console they brought from Earth’s moon to work. Finally exasperated, he has to report his findings to Cindy. He feels a little defeated as he walks slowly to the bridge.

  Joe finds Cindy in the command chair viewing something on her small consoles. He shakes his head as he approach
es her, “That module is indeed a control interface, but we have two problems. First, the actual antenna is the Gamin satellite grid, and secondly, each console is encoded to the grid it belongs to. Basically it’s a complex security feature that prevents anyone doing what we tried to do.”

  Cindy replies, “But we can talk with Regent Voknor using the console we took from the damaged ship.”

  Joe nods, “Yes, but that console uses this ship’s communications array, which somehow utilizes the main drive to send transmissions.”

  Cindy puts a hand to her forehead and thinks for a moment, “So we basically have a remote, but no device.”

  “Yes,” Joe replies, “that’s a good analogy.”

  Cindy stares at Joe, then frowns in confusion and shakes her head. She lifts up a hand and says, “Hang on a sec, the Regent spoke to George. How?”

  Joe also frowns, “I am not sure, but this ship was in orbit at the time.”

  Expecting Joe to be finished she looks down at her console again, then when Joe does not leave, she glances at him, “there is more?”

  Joe fidgets, then says, “This means that Barbara’s radio telescope is going to be useless as a means of communicating with Earth.”

  Cindy shrugs her shoulders, “Well, she may as well build it anyway. We have all the components onboard, and at the very least, she and her team can conduct research.”

  John, George, and Patrick, break their routine so they can transport the heavy earth moving equipment. Everything on the Terran is stored in crates. This is in case the ship should lose gravity, both people and equipment would be safer. It takes almost all morning before the long shuttle is loaded. As if on cue, Johnny comes running toward his father. A camera dangles from his neck, while his face carries a broad grin.

  Robert walks casually toward the group, “thought I had better be on hand to capture the unloading.”

  Johnny glances up at George, “I can come, can’t I?” Before George can answer, he adds excitedly, “Robert said I could take pictures.” He holds up the camera, as if to add credibility to his request.

  George glances from Patrick to John, since they remain silent, he sighs slightly. “Okay, but you have to stay out of everyone’s way.”

  The group enters the shuttle, then makes the relatively short journey to the valley. A member of Patrick’s crews waits with a stockpile of supplies. John lands the shuttle nearby, opens the rear ramp, and heads out to watch.

  Robert points to Johnny, “I want you to take photos of every crate that comes off the shuttle.”

  Johnny nods eagerly, “Yes Sir!” he replies excitedly.

  George and Patrick wear their suits, and still have to use gravity plates to unload the larger crates, some of which are huge. As soon each crate is unloaded, a group of men armed with crowbars pry it open.

  Johnny is surprised by the contents of the load. A large six wheel grader, two bulldozers, three heavy rollers, and a dozen dump trucks all rest before him. They are all painted a bright yellow, and appear to be brand new. Johnny glances into the shuttle’s cargo area, then back at the assortment of vehicles. He scratches his head in confusion, they do not look as though they would have all fit.

  Robert smiles when he sees Johnny’s confused expression, then says “Remind you of a clown car?”

  Johnny turns to look at Robert, even more perplexed, “A clown car?” he says, baffled.

  Robert opens his mouth to reply, then shuts it. After a few seconds he says, “Never mind, just showing my age.”

  Patrick steps from his suit, and walks over to a grader; their only one. Its cab is designed for a single occupant. The crew has already decided that since Patrick is the crew’s foreman, it falls on him as a symbolic gesture to start the engine of the first vehicle. Patrick is well aware that if the engine should fail to start and run, it would be his fault in their eyes.

  Patrick stares at the dash and notices that the dozer does not require a key to operate. He pushes the start button, then waits. To his surprise, a small screen lights up on the dash, the words ‘engine sequence start’ are emblazoned on the display. These words change to say ‘engine prestart’. A few seconds later, he notices a small flashing symbol which indicates the engine’s preheat chamber is warming up. He jumps when the engine begins to turn over. Much to his relief, the diesel engine starts seconds later. It sounds loud and choppy, but soon evens out.

  Making sure the grader’s parking brake is engaged, he steps from the rumbling machine. As the minutes pass, the engine begins to run smoother and quieter as its rpms drop.

  Robert is busy recording the entire event when one of Patrick’s men walks over to him. Robert glances up, then says, “I am surprised that engine started, I mean we’re on a different planet.”

  The workman puts his hands in his overalls and replies, “Whatever you can breathe, so can a diesel.” He shrugs his shoulders, “I figured they would.” He grins at Robert as though he never had any doubt, then adds, “I am going to make a mint from the betting pool on this one.”

  Robert stares at the man, then smiles, “I had no idea there was a betting pool on this.”

  The man nods, “We have pools on just about everything, but the biggest one is the day and hour that the Liberty will show up.”

  Robert nods, then opens his mouth to speak. Before he can, the man before him lifts a hand, then while shaking his head, says, “You officer types can’t enter the pools, you all know too much.”

  Eager drivers jump up into the cabs of the other vehicles and start them up. The valley soon reverberates with the sound of diesel engines. Flying creatures take off from distant trees. They squawk as they put even farther distance between them and the alien sounds.

  Patrick walks over to George and says, “Did you know that they don’t need keys to start?”

  George tilts his head, then looks at Joe, “Uh no, Joe?” he says passing the question.

  Joe nods, “Sure, I thought you guys had read all the mission briefs.” He stares at the blank expressions on George and Patrick’s faces, then says, “Keys can be lost. Besides, it’s not as if anyone’s going to steal them.”

  With the entire load of earth moving equipment on the planet, work on the city can really begin.

  Patrick tosses a thumb over his shoulder at the vehicles, and says, “We’d better set up the fuel storage tanks next. They’re thirsty beasts.”

  George checks his suit’s storage, and is pleasantly surprised to see that all the material he had absorbed when making the holes is still stored. Nodding, he says, “Tell me where you want a concrete foundation, this suit is loaded.”

  Close Call

  Two days later, a pair of long round storage tanks sit side by side on a large expanse of concrete. Each tank holds enough fuel to run every diesel engine for three months straight.

  John stares at the massive storage tanks and whistles, “to think, there are still two more on the Terran.”

  Patrick replies, “We won’t bring those down until we have a separate area prepared for them.”

  Joe, who is resting nearby, nods, “Always safety first, hey?”

  Patrick replies, “Well, I really wanted each tank in its own area,” he sighs. “But Emma did not want what she calls, ‘four ticking bombs’, spread throughout her city.”

  John laughs, “Make that five. I have another, smaller tank to bring down as well, just tell me where you want me to put it.”

  Patrick frowns, then looks at his manifest, “I don’t see a fifth listed.”

  Joe walks over, glances at the list, then laughs, “Well, you’re looking in the wrong spot. Go to the section that lists General Walker’s stuff.”

  Patrick finds the section, then whistles as he glances at page upon page of items. Many of the crates are simply labeled as ‘classified equipment.’ “Where the blazes did you put all of this?” He inquires.

  Joe shrugs his shoulders, before replying, “You do know that Walker has a detachment of around three hundred men? W
ell, they loaded everything.”

  “Soldiers?” Patrick says a little perplexed. “First time I’ve heard anything about soldiers,” then after a pause he asks, “Where are they hiding?”

  Joe laughs, “They aren’t hiding! It’s all in the mission brief.” He shakes his head, “Am I the only one who read that thing?”

  Patrick scowls, “Quit rubbing it in, will ya?” He glances up at the mountain tops, and changes the subject, “George and I need to finish those wind turbines so we can stop using the generators for everything. We have a lot of fuel, but should conserve it.”

  John gazes at the mountain top as well, “Yeah, that’s a good idea actually, ‘cause everywhere I look there’s a generator running, and it’s not as if we can just fill up anywhere.”

  Patrick looks around and says, “Tomorrow then?”

  George is on the Terran spending a day with his family. The three of them are enjoying a meal in the mess hall. There is a smattering of other crew members sitting at other tables. Lisa is feeling the best she has since they left Earth, and eats heartily. “I am looking forward to stepping on an alien world too, you know,” she says, casting her husband and son reproachful looks.

  While the three of them are still relaxing, Patrick walks up to the table, “I hate to bother you all.”

  George looks up, “What’s up?” he asks casually.

  Patrick really does not want to intrude, but replies anyway, “Two of the fuel tanks are installed.” He pauses then says. “And I was thinking we should raise the towers tomorrow.”

  “Sure,” George replies, “they won’t take long.”

  Johnny’s eyes go wide with excitement, but quickly fade when George says, “No son, it’s far too dangerous for you to come with me.”

  Lisa tilts her head, dangerous! She does not like the sound of that, but remains quiet, for now. Patrick dips his head, then leaves hastily.

  George smiles at Lisa, “Now, where were we?”

  Lisa’s eyes narrow, then she realizes that George is trying his best, as he always does. She relaxes and smiles, what am I thinking? The whole damned expedition is dangerous, and my man is needed. The family spends the rest of the night chatting, and for the first time in a long time, forgets about everything else.