Colony (Terran Chronicles Book 3)

by James Jackson

  The next morning George, Patrick, and John, depart the Terran in a small shuttle. John lands them near the top of the first tower they assembled. George gets into his suit and attaches a purpose built assembly to the top of the tower. Patrick, also in his suit, makes sure the cable that leads from the assembly to the shuttle is secure. John rechecks the shuttle’s systems then says, “Okay, all is good here.”

  George walks to the tower’s base, checks the clearance from the base to the hole, then shuts the suit’s visor and asks, “Ready?”

  Patrick stands on the open ramp and checks the cable that runs along the shuttle’s roof once more, “All good here,” he reports.

  John takes a deep breath, then slowly lifts off. Patrick watches the cable’s slack slowly get taken up. Once it is taut, the tip of the tower begins to lift off the ground. It tries to swing, but George holds it steady. His suit’s power levels drop fast as he keeps the tower from swinging.

  Between the three men, they get the tower vertical, then begin the slow task of moving it toward the hole. John moves the shuttle as slowly as he can. The cable creaks and groans, but holds. Ever so gradually, the tower moves toward the hole. George steers the base, and announces, “It’s over the hole.”

  Patrick begins to lower the tower via the cable, while John keeps the shuttle as stationary as possible. Fifteen minutes later, the tower’s base touches the bottom. One quarter of the tower’s length now rests underground, while an access hatch to the tower’s core stands waist high. George uses his suit to fill in the gaps with a special compound. The material will hold the tower firm, while at the same time, allow a little flex.

  George grins as he finishes his work, it will bend in the wind like a reed, he thinks. He gazes upward, then says, “Disconnect the cap, let’s see what happens.”

  Patrick waits for George to move clear, then releases the cap. The tower stands tall and firm. Each tower takes less and less time, as the three men gain confidence, becoming more proficient with every success.

  Unbeknownst to Johnny, Robert joins the men on the second day and records the raising of the towers. It takes the men two full days to raise all thirty towers. Once done, they stand in the fading light and gaze at their achievement.

  The debate still rages between the contractors about the efficiency of installing fifteen towers per mountain top. Even though Emma’s plan for total power redundancy won out, many feel that it is a waste of effort and resources. However, to the three men who raised the towers, there is no doubt about the impressive image created.

  The days begin to blur as George, Patrick, and John, patiently install the generators by lowering them onto the top of each tower. The installation is another marvel of engineering. As each assembly is lowered, it locks firmly into place. Patrick tests the swivel, and rotates the generator a full three hundred-sixty degrees. Finally, the three men begin transporting the last component of each wind generator, their blades. These blades are so long that once again, the largest shuttle is required to transport them to the surface. Patrick and George leave three of these at the base of each tower.

  While this is happening, Patrick’s work crews have been very busy. The mountainside near the first tower has a rough path carved into its side, alongside which, stand metallic towers. These smaller towers are also being pieced together from prefabricated sections, and will eventually carry the power lines from the wind generators to the settlement.

  While John and Patrick work on installing the blades, George assists the ground crews with connecting power cables to each tower. While the power lines that snake their way down the mountainside are above ground, those on its peak are below ground. George uses his suit to carve deep furrows, which he fills with a non-conductive material. Patrick’s men lay multiple cables into these furrows, after which, they cover them with conventional concrete sections. George moves from tower to tower, connecting the cables to the inner workings via the access hatches.

  John and Patrick again use the shuttle with the cable system, to lift the blades. Like everything else so far on these wind generators, they slide into place, then lock securely.

  The three men are so busy performing their own tasks, no one notices that George is directly below a tower that Patrick is working on. The blade slides into place with an audible click, then Patrick disconnects the cable. He is about to tell John to land, when he notices movement out of the corner of his eye. The blade slides off its locking plate, and falls. Patrick watches as the long blade falls straight down. His eyes open wide when he spots George at the base of the same tower.

  Patrick hollers into his suit’s microphone, “George! Look out! Move!”

  George hears Patrick’s warning and looks up. The blade slices downward, like a knife. George’s eyes open wide.

  THUNK

  The tip of the massive blade penetrates the ground right in front of George. He blinks in surprise as the blade wobbles back and forth in front of him, easily within an arm’s reach. He follows the blade with his eyes, its farthest point is well into the air.

  Patrick stares down at the scene, “George, are you okay?”

  George gazes upward, in shock, “Yes, I’m fine,” he gulps, “but let’s keep this little story to ourselves, shall we?” George’s heart races from the adrenaline rush of the close call.

  Work crews at the neighboring tower stare transfixed by what they see. George turns to them, lifts his visor, then says as calmly as he can, “Everything is fine, I was never in any real danger.”

  The men return to work, but George has not convinced them at all. Jokes and rumors quickly spread about him, and his exploits. Many of them chuckle at the idea of George being more afraid of facing his wife, than anything else. For the rest of the installing process, George and Patrick keep close tabs on each other.

  At dusk, they all quit working and return to the Terran. George is still in his suit and on the ramp of the shuttle, when Lisa meets him in the hangar deck. She stands there, hands on her hips, her lips pursed tightly. Patrick sheepishly walks past George and whispers, “Good luck!”

  George smiles at his wife, then says, “Hi honey,” while giving her a casual wave.

  She shakes her finger at him, “Don’t you, ‘hi honey’, me.”

  George gulps, and even debates staying in the bodysuit. He steps from it, then approaches her, “So you heard about the little incident?”

  Lisa shrieks at him, “Little incident, you were almost killed!” She begins to sob.

  George sighs, then notices that the enormous area is vacant. Even John has managed to sneak away unnoticed. He hurries to her, “I don’t know what you have heard, but I am fine.”

  Tears begin to fall down Lisa’s face, “I heard these terrible stories, about some massive piece of machinery that almost hit you.”

  George holds her close, “Oh, they were exaggerating. I didn’t even have to move, that’s how far away the piece landed.” Because I froze, he thinks, but she doesn’t have to know that.

  Lisa begins to calm down, “You could have been killed. Those suits don’t make you bulletproof, you know,” she adds angrily.

  George smiles at her, while his thoughts go back to the day the Effen Raiders attacked. He holds her as he recalls what happened, actually the suit is bulletproof. He pulls her shaking body close, probably shouldn’t share that right now… or ever, he decides.

  Slowly Lisa calms down, steps back from him, and then walks to their room. George follows in his suit, then connects it to the specialized wall socket. Once he is sure it is charging, he asks, “Would you like me to take tomorrow off? We could go exploring.”

  Lisa sighs, “No. You have a responsibility to this crew, but damn it, be safe.”

  George glances around the room, and frowns, “Where’s Johnny?”

  Lisa shakes her head and begins to chuckle, “The second you got here, Robert took Johnny to show him some camera techniques. He knew you were in trouble.”

  George smiles, “I think everyo
ne did, I haven’t seen a single soul, and this ship still has ten thousand people on board.”

  They both begin to laugh, and in doing so, relax. By the time Johnny comes home, they have both fallen asleep. The growing boy stares at his sleeping parents, then heads to his own compartment.

  The days begin to blur together as more and more of Patrick’s crew goes down to the planet. Soon enough, his entire workforce of three hundred is busy installing power lines, substations, and piecing together some temporary workshops using the large crates.

  Patrick and George remove the last of the massive fuel storage tanks from the Terran, and in doing so, expose the Kord’s empty power cell. It rests against the hangar wall, still connected to the ship’s power grid. George shakes his head in disbelief, something not much bigger than this suit powered the Terran for weeks. His thoughts drift to his old friend Olaf, he sighs, what a character he was. So many deaths on that last voyage, too many.

  He is not the only one reminiscing of lost friends. Elsewhere on the Terran, Joe finds it difficult to concentrate during a meeting with Barbara and her team. The facility proposed by Barbara is almost identical to the one he and Andrew were working on in Australia.

  Joe glances up, “I am sorry. What was the question again?”

  Barbara looks at Dave and Brett, then repeats, “Even though we can’t communicate with Earth, setting up the radio telescope facility is vital to our mission here.”

  Joe thoughts drift again. He recalls that fateful day he and Andrew discovered the incoming asteroids. He and his old friend were still testing the brand new radio telescope facility, when their lives changed forever.

  Barbara notices Joe’s vacant gaze, and is about to shout at him when Dave catches her attention. He shakes his head slowly, stopping her. She frowns in confusion, then all of a sudden recalls Joe’s history, and his deceased friend.

  Joe surprises them all when he speaks, “Yeah,” he says, an unexpected smile gathers on his face. “Let’s set that bugger up, but I want to name it.”

  Barbara’s eyebrows raise up, “Go on,” she says hesitantly.

  Joe looks decisively at Barbara, “Yeah, after Andrew.”

  Brett and Dave glance at each other, then they look to see Barbara’s reaction. They had heard that she has already determined the facility’s name, and she is used to getting her own way.

  Barbara stuns her two colleagues, and puts a huge smile on Joes face when she suggests, “Andrew’s New Earth Radio Telescope Facility?”

  Joe stands, “Thank you,” he pauses for a second, “Hmm, we could simply shorten it to ART, Andrew’s Radio Telescope. I think he would have liked that.”

  Barbara feels a lot of empathy toward Joe, “ART it is.”

  Dave’s jaw drops, while Brett just stares at Barbara in shock. They cannot believe she is caving in so easily. The meeting continues for a short time as they all discuss various ideas and options. Joe, Dave, and Brett work well together, and soon enough they have a basic plan.

  Joe is happy with their progress, “Well mates, I am going to find George and Patrick. See if we can get them to prepare the site. It would be a lot quicker than trying to get construction crews and equipment up there.”

  Barbara nods, “Good idea. We will discuss some of the finer details, and bring you up to speed later.”

  Joe replies, “No worries.” He does not even realize it, but ever since Andrew’s death he has not been himself. The idea of naming this new radio telescope after his old friend is very comforting.

  Once Joe leaves, Barbara hands out documentation. Emblazoned across the top of each page are the words, ‘Andrew’s New Earth Radio Telescope Facility.’ She had planned all along to name the site after Andrew. She lifts an eyebrow and asks, “Can we get started now?”

  Barbara’s two lead advisors smile, then get to work discussing the finer points of the new facility. They make sure to leave a copy of their discussion on Joe’s workstation.

  Cindy glances at the stack of papers on Joe’s console and smiles when she reads the title. As for the rest of the ship, the Terran’s vast storage capacity has been utilized well. The shuttles run non-stop for days, ferrying supplies and people down to the colony site. A small tent city ensues, while the lucky ones get to hole up in prefabricated shelters.

  From a makeshift podium, Cindy stands before the crew and colonists at the site of their future city. She runs her gaze over the thousands of people present, then speaks confidently into a bank of microphones. “Today marks the official first day of this colony, humanity’s first true step away from Earth. I hereby decree that this planet shall be named New Earth, and this city be called Hawking, after one of Earth’s greatest cosmologists. We honor those who died during our exploration mission, and those who had the foresight to make this colony a reality. I present no flags of any nations on this day, for we are all one people.”

  Cindy steps away from the podium, then walks a short distance to a patch of bare ground. Patrick hands her a shovel which she holds high, before driving it into the ground with her foot. She lifts up a piece of sod, then tosses it to one side. Stepping back to the microphones, she says with a huge smile on her face, “Let the construction of Hawking begin.”

  The crowed cheers louder and louder as the future settlers pick up on each other’s the energy.

  Joe smiles as he gazes across the crowd. Most of the people before him are simply listed as colonists, but he knows that pretty much everyone present is a specialist in one field or another. Glancing up at the mountain tops, he feels a sense of pride. Distant wind generators spin, providing power to a single sub-station. Eventually, the colony will have four of these, one at the base of each set of power lines. But for now, one is all that is needed. His gaze follows the power lines to the sawmills and the partially built steel mill. Extending from these buildings are the usual signs of civilization. Wide roads are bordered with rounded curbs and gutters and are lit by solar powered street lights. Small flagpoles mark future property boundaries.

  Joe nudges Patrick, who stands next to him, “I think you’re right.”

  Patrick has left his suit on the Terran, and feels strange without it. He is confused by Joe’s comment and asks, “About what?”

  Joe waves a hand indicating the crowd, “By getting these folks to live in tents, they are well motivated to get the houses built.”

  Patrick nods, “Well, we just don’t have the ability to transport everyone on a daily basis. It took us three days just to get them down here for this ceremony.”

  Joe grins, “I am glad we brought a shit ton of portable toilets.”

  Patrick playfully thumps Joe’s shoulder, “You’re not right in the head, you know.”

  “On a serious note,” Joe’s tone changes as he looks from the river to the forest behind him, “we have to get the drainage system finished, and build the water purification plant.”

  Patrick’s gaze follows the river all the way to the ocean, “Yeah, Emma is adamant that we don’t contaminate the water.” His thoughts drift to the men under his charge, “You know, if I put everyone on that now, it wouldn’t take long.”

  Joe glances back at the crowd, “Yeah, what’s a few more days in a tent?”

  Patrick’s grin widens, “We could give them all a shovel...” he leaves the rest of the sentence unsaid. He and Joe chuckle as they talk excitedly about the settlement and the colonists.

  Four Months on New Earth

  The forests on both sides of the river have been trimmed well back, keeping the many sawmills busy day and night. On the city side, a massive canal extends all the way from these sawmills to the ocean. It gently curves, following the contours of the land. The trees on far side of the canal have only been cut back enough to allow for a rough dirt road. As of yet, there are no bridges. This is both to keep the wildlife out of the town, and to stop town folk from wandering. The area that is to be preserved as a natural habitat, includes the lake that Emma saw when the valley was first discover
ed.

  The area on the other side of the river has a number of wooden walkways that meander through the grass, and into the forest. They sit about knee high off the ground, and though they are supposed to have handrails, many sections are still incomplete. Though the forest in this area was to be left untouched, many trees have been cut down to allow space for them.

  A mini-steel mill is nearing completion, but without additional power, it will remain inoperable, and is thus a low priority. Once the Liberty arrives, its power will be connected to the city’s grid. Only then, can the enormous stockpiles of raw materials which are building up, be utilized. An enormous quarry site has been established, as has an area which is being slowly deforested. Though these sites are close to each other, they are a long way from the settlement, and require the use of the large shuttle to transport the resources. Each day, workers travel by shuttle, mine ore or cut down trees, then return prior to nightfall with the day’s load. Future plans call for a rail network, but like so many other plans, it is still unrealized.

  Patrick strolls along the riverwalk’s concrete footpath, scrutinizing his team’s work. Glancing at the river, he stops and stares at the flowing water, momentarily mesmerized by its similarity to Earth’s. Placing his hands on the protective rail, he looks down at the ground. He smiles when he notices his flood plans have been properly implemented. The edge of the concrete has a rubber-like material on the lip that faces the water. Leaning over the rail, he notices the thick metal barrier, which can be raised up, should the river flood. He nods his head in satisfaction as he casts his gaze up and down the concrete river bank. These temporary walls can be elevated, and at their maximum height would tower over the tallest person. These segments are long, and at the half way point, another band of rubber-like material meets the one attached to the wall, creating a seal. The lower half of the wall, still being in the water, will provide a natural counterweight as the water rises.