Radclyf glances up, offers a curt smile, and says, “Uh sorry, didn’t think you meant us. Uh, how have you been?”
“Good, thank you.” Lisa replies, then adds, “But really, where have you guys been? I haven’t seen you on the planet, and I hardly ever see you on the ship.”
Radclyf looks at the others for help. When all he gets in return are blank expressions, or shoulder shrugs, he replies, “Well, we’ve been installing a system to defend against boarding parties.”
Lisa blinks in surprise, “Out here?”
“You never know. We would rather have it and not need it, than...” he shrugs his own shoulders, and leaves the rest of his phrase unsaid.
George steps closer to the group, and asks, “John, are you able to fly us down to Hawking? I would love to show Lisa what we’ve done to the town.”
Lisa smiles, “It would be nice to see what’s been keeping my man away from me all this time.”
John glances at the others, then upon receiving nods, says, “Sure, the snow is particularly beautiful from the air.”
“Snow?” she says, with surprise, “Oh I have to see that.”
The three of them leave the Terran in the survey shuttle as its open forward section offers the best view. John and Lisa occupy the two front seats, while George slides the right hand chair as far forward as it will go.
John flies down through the cloud cover, and breaks into open skies right over Barbara’s radio telescope. Lisa gasps at the sight. The mountain tops are covered in deep snow. It fills crevasses, and covers rocks, adding a smoothness to the mountains Lisa has not seen before.
George points at a wide slope, “There is a work request for a chairlift and a ski run for that slope.” he laughs, “Not this year, I told them.”
Lisa stares at the massive building before them, its skyward pointing dish is devoid of snow. “That thing is huge!” she exclaims in awe.
John nods his head at George, “Your man here, assembled the whole facility in two weeks.”
George sighs, “Really!” He looks at his wife, “He is exaggerating, as usual. I get credit for things I don’t even do, it’s not fair to the others.”
Lisa smiles at George, but says nothing.
John flies the shuttle around, then hovers in one spot, aiming at a huge hole in the mountain. He lifts his eyebrows and says, “George built that too!”
Lisa stares at the wide tunnel in front of them, truly amazed. George sighs, “It’s just a hole through a mountain, it’s not a big deal, really.”
John grins cheekily at George’s discomfort, “Don’t listen to him. That tunnel is protected by overhangs in case of rock falls, or an avalanche. Plus, as you can see, there are actually two tracks running side by side that incorporate gravity lift technology. Then add to that, he installed sonic anti wolf-cat devices at both entrances.”
George sulks, “Patrick helped a lot with this one,” then seizing upon the moment, adds emphatically, “As he did with the radio telescope.”
John replies innocently, “I just want Lisa to see what you’ve been doing, that’s all.”
George stares at the landscape, then attempts to change the subject, “Look at the trees, and how the snow fills their branches. Look there,” he adds pointing into the forest, “the lake, it’s frozen over.”
Lisa gazes at the wintery landscape, then also points toward the lake, “Is that a building on the ice?”
As they get closer, George replies, “It sure is! That’s an ice fishing shanty. Ever since Emma’s people cleared the fish for eating, this lake has become a popular spot.”
Lisa’s raises her eyebrows, “They must be dedicated, fishing in winter.”
George smiles, “Not for me, that’s for sure.”
John stares at the snow covered landscape and shivers involuntarily, “Do you want to go and check out the Liberty’s hydroponics?”
She turns, wide eyed, “Yes please, I have heard so much about them.”
George says proudly, “And I had nothing to do with that at all. It was Emma’s doing, with the help of the colonists.”
John grins at George’s comments, but remains quiet. John flies them over Hawking’s residential area, and says, “The construction crews put in a huge effort to complete all the housing before the first snow fall.”
Lisa gazes at the thousands of houses that sprawl out from the town’s center. She squints through the mild snow flurries, then asks, “What’s that?”
George follows her gaze, then replies, “The old tent city is being replaced by a stadium.”
Lisa stares at the partially built stadium, awed by its size, and wonders aloud, “Are people still working on it?”
George nods, and says, “Patrick has committed his entire workforce to the effort. He wants it done by spring.”
John flies on, and lands the shuttle under the rear of the Liberty, He gets as close to its open ramp as he can, then opens their ramp. A blast of cold air rushes in, along with a wisp of snow. George immediately looks at his wife, concern on his face.
Lisa takes a deep breath, closes her eyes, and exhales, “I do like the smell of this place, it’s so fresh.”
The trio walks up the Liberty’s ramp, the farther inside they get, the warmer it becomes. Mid-ship, they experience an almost musty, humid warmth, a stark contrast to the cold outside. Emma seems to appear out of nowhere, rushes up to Lisa, and gives her a huge hug, “It’s so good to see you again. How are you feeling?”
Lisa sighs, “I am fine at the moment, but I won’t stay down here for long this time.”
“Well then, you just have to see what we’ve been up to!” Emma’s excitement shows in her voice.
Lisa glances back to George, “You boys can go and play if you like.”
George and John glance at each other, then George replies, “We’ll tag along, if that’s okay, ladies?”
George is curious about the fabled hydroponics system on the Liberty. Emma lightly holds Lisa’s arm, and leads the way. The farther they travel into the ship, the more it begins to smell as though they were in a rain forest. The ship is well lit, and the corridors clean, a testimony to the hard work of those on board.
The group steps out into a large expanse, where Emma raises her arms high, and cheers, “Welcome to my little rain forest.”
George stares upward, a number of decks have been completely removed to provide space for the hundreds of tree saplings to grow. He recognizes the smooth edges that are created by using a Gamin bodysuit to absorb material. He squints to make out the lighting on the distant roof, but cannot quite tell if it is Gamin technology or not.
Emma catches his fixated gaze, and confirms his suspicions, “Patrick helped us out a lot.”
George grins, then catches Lisa’s eye, “See, I told you I had nothing to do with this!”
Emma talks excitedly, “Eventually, these trees will grow tall enough that we can weave paths between their trunks.”
George stares at the base of the nearest sapling, and finds that instead of it growing in a pot, it grows from a hole in the deck. This hole extends to the deck below, which appears to be full of dirt.
Emma catches his gaze once again, “Oh we had to cut through the deck here and there, but no matter, this ship is never going anywhere, anyway.”
“Where did you get all the soil from?” asks George, curiously.
“We brought a few tons with us, then mixed local soil with it, making a blend that the plants seem to love.” Emma grins, then adds excitedly, “Come this way, there is more, a lot more.”
Emma leads them to another area filled with baby fruit trees. Tags at the base of each, identify them as orange trees, apple trees, or pear trees. The next area she takes them to is filled with a variety of garden style plants such as tomatoes, beans, peas, and more. Emma leads them down another row of plants, stops, and proudly points. She leans in, then exclaims excitedly, “Strawberries!”
George smiles, “You love your strawberries, don�
��t you?”
Emma beams, “They’re the best.”
“You’re doing wonders here,” says George with pride. “We’re going to miss you on the Terran.”
Emma frowns, “Miss me?”
“Yes, when we leave, to go back to Earth.” George explains.
Emma frowns, “Why would I be staying here?”
George glances at his wife, then back to Emma, “I just thought you would be staying here, especially seeing how much effort you’ve put in.”
“If I stay on the ship, I can explore other worlds.” Emma looks around, then adds, “Besides, Peter would never be truly content playing colonist, and where he goes, I go.”
George nods, then holds his wife’s hand, “Yes, we know all about that.”
Emma walks back to the shuttle with them, and says, “Oh, it’s cold out here, wow. Now don’t you folks run off without me.”
John replies, “We wouldn’t dare,” he shivers in the chill of the wind, and adds, “it’s pretty cold, what about the memorial?”
Lisa glances at the two men, then asks, “What memorial?”
George stares at the snowy landscape for a moment, then says, “We may as well,” he is about to suggest skipping it, until he catches his wife’s determined stare, “go and see it,” he ad-libs.
Lisa tilts her head, “Good, because I don’t want to miss anything on this tour. It may be the last time I visit Hawking.”
They enter the shuttle, then fly across the river. Raised wooden walkways meander in and out of the forest. A few walkways trek toward the ocean, and Emma’s now defunct, crop testing area. One leads toward the mountains, and the round building that rests at their foothills. John lands the shuttle, then says, “Here we are.”
Lisa stares at the dome, with its single spire, before her, “That’s a memorial?” She asks doubtfully.
George takes her hand and says, “Let me show you.”
They step out of the shuttle and into the cold. George motions to the building ahead, “We built that dome on a floating dock, which is anchored into the ground. When this area floods, the memorial will float on the rising water.”
John shivers and says, “Well, let’s go inside, it’s warmer in there.”
Lisa frowns curiously, but says nothing, instead she follows the pair. A large wall panel slides to one side, allowing them access. They are all surprised to see Robert inside with his camera equipment.
George quickly says, “Sorry, we didn’t mean to disturb you.”
“Oh no, it’s okay,” Robert replies, “I am making a documentary for the folks back home.”
Lisa gazes around the room, “I thought my son was with you?” She asks as she notices the soft light that emanates from the curved ceiling. A central pillar in the center of the room radiates warmth. The names of the deceased glow on the outer walls, a dozen in all. The names seem to float over the walls.
Robert glances up, “Your boy is in town taking pictures for me.” He starts to pack up his gear, when George tells him, “You don’t have to stop what you’re doing, my wife just wanted to see the memorial.”
Robert replies, “It’s okay, I am pretty much finished here anyway.”
George adds, “Good, will you be finished in time?”
He smiles, “Yes, I will have a complete documentary for you to take back.”
George frowns, “You’re coming with us, aren’t you?”
“Me?” Robert says a little perplexed, “The President was quite specific, I am to stay here as the colony’s reporter.”
George grins, “You’re part of the Terran’s crew now, and where we go, you go.”
Robert’s smile broadens, “I like that, thanks, but the President won’t.”
George slaps him on the back, “Welcome to the club, he doesn’t like me either.”
Lisa reads the hovering names to herself, then says, “This is quite touching.”
John walks over to Lisa, “It’s the best we could come up with. Emma insisted we cremate everyone, and a wall with names on plaques, well that feels more like it belongs as a war memorial, not for this colony.”
The room goes silent for a while as they all offer their respects. John returns to the Terran with George and Lisa.
Once Lisa and George are back in their quarters, he says, “Only a little longer. Once spring arrives, we should be going back to Earth, and we can return to a normal life.”
Lisa smiles, “I am fine up here, just bored that’s all. But you’re right, we need to go back, and get Johnny caught up with his schooling.” She stares at George for a while, deep in thought.
Chapter Ten - Ramparts, Near and Far
Joe glances around the Terran’s bridge. Standing behind his console are Peter, Radclyf, Hayato, and General Walker. After he confirms there is no one else around, he says, “Okay, we have a number of defensive systems in place.”
Joe taps his console, bringing up the ship’s deck plans. He touches the outer hull area where the Effen Raiders landed, “These long axis corridors now have additional bulkheads installed, along with a modified GAU Avenger.” He points to a series of corridors that traverse from the hangar deck to the forward storage area, and continues, “These guns are so large they almost fill the corridor, and they’re mounted, facing the front of the ship.”
Walker frowns, “Firing these weapons inside the ship is insane.” He glances at the others and explains, “Those guns use depleted uranium shells, and have a firing rate of almost four thousand rounds per minute.”
Peter nods, “Yes, and these babies have fifty thousand shells each, in specialized ammo carriers.”
Walker’s eyes go wide, “Fifty thousand rounds!” he exclaims, “The barrels will melt!”
Joe grins cheekily, “Not these barrels, mate.”
“Well, what about damage to the ship? The shells will impact the hull here, here, and here,” Walker says, as he points to various areas of the Terran’s hull.”
Peter answers stoically, “If we get boarded again, then the hull will have already been compromised. Besides, with the additional bulkheads in place, only the outer layer of the ship will be at risk.”
Walker rubs his balding head, “When you asked me to get you a bunch of GAU-8’s, I figured you were mounting them on the outside of the ship.” He shakes his head in amazement, “I can’t believe that what’s out there, scares you more than blowing holes in your own ship.”
Hayato nods in agreement at Walker’s comment, then draws their attention to Joe’s display. “I can see that almost no matter where the outer hull is breached, our crew is protected.”
Joe turns to Hayato and nods, “Yes, exactly. The entire outer layer of the ship is completely sealed off, and inaccessible without a security code. The upper and lower decks were easy to lock down, however the sides of the ship were more challenging. But we have effectively created a cocoon around the ship’s core.”
Hayato continues, “I see a few notable exceptions, the hangar deck, and the old hydroponics area.”
“Yeah,” Joe replies reluctantly, “We have a pair GAUs at each location, but their firing arcs are restricted, so as to avoid hitting any vital systems.”
Peter chuckles, “Yeah, it wouldn’t be good if we blew up our own engines!”
“Most of the levels along the ship’s flanks do not have GAUs either, but these areas are deemed less critical, and less likely to fall under a direct attack.”
Walker rubs his chin thoughtfully, “Okay, so where did you put the other weapons?”
Joe grins once again, “Ah, yes. Each GAU is protected by its own twelve barrel Metal Storm system.” He smiles proudly, then adds, “This is in addition to the Metal Storms we installed on every level, covering the ship’s flanks.”
Walker whistles, “Nothing that enters those corridors is going to survive.”
Joe agrees, “Yeah, the combined firepower of both systems is quite impressive.”
“How much ammo do the Metal Storms have?” Wal
ker asks curiously.
Joe replies, “With space not being a real issue, we installed a rack mounted system behind each unit which holds two million rounds.”
Walker stares at Joe while he calculates the numbers, “Hmm, roughly five minutes of ammo.”
“If that doesn’t stop any invaders, nothing will.” Joe pauses then adds, “We feel that if any attackers are given a ‘bloody nose,’ as it were, they will leave us alone.”
Radclyf has been quietly listening. He runs his fingers along Joe’s console, following the deck plans for a number of levels, then nods his head, “Every key system is protected, good job.”
Peter adds his thoughts, “It would be like peeling an onion. Each layer is going to make you cry.”
Joe proudly taps his console, “The whole lot runs through GUS, even the cameras we installed to monitor every level. With the right access code, any system that’s hooked to GUS can control them.”
Walker stares at the men, “You guys have almost as much firepower up here, as I have protecting the colony!”
Joe turns and asks, “Oh, please tell?”
Peter grins and says, “General, you have to share,” he glances at Joe, “It’s rather impressive.”
Walker feels a swelling of pride at the mention of his defense systems, “Well, you all probably know about the nukes in the satellites, and the ones in the bunkers. But what you have not seen are the anti-air missile batteries, and our own GAUs.”
Joe’s eyebrows lift, “I have flown over the mountains a hundred times, and all I have noticed are the concrete slabs.”
“That’s all you’re meant to see,” Walker replies with a wide grin. “The main defensive screen is built into the top of the mountain, itself. We have thirty GAUs, and when combined, they cover the entire valley floor.”
Peter smiles, “General, I have some good news for you. George and Patrick upgraded the barrels on your guns as well, prior to installing them.”
“Why wasn’t I informed?” Walker replies, a little annoyed.
“Wouldn’t be a very good surprise then, would it?” Quips Peter.
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