Ep.#14 - A Line in the Sand (The Frontiers Saga - Part 2: Rogue Castes)

by Ryk Brown

  “You could have at least warned me!”

  “And miss that reaction?” Vladimir laughed. “Take a look; it’s incredible.”

  “Can’t I just take your word for it?” Cameron suggested.

  “You’re the XO. You’re supposed to know every inch of this ship.”

  “That generally refers to the interior of the ship,” Cameron replied, following him through the door.

  “Well technically, this is the interior,” Vladimir corrected her.

  Cameron moved cautiously, breathing as if she were taste-testing the air. “It’s a little chilly.”

  “About a ten-degree difference. More, the closer you get to the edge.”

  “That’s a big difference.”

  “According to the SilTek engineers, we can create a secondary shield that will not only serve as a backup, but also help normalize the temperature. I still have to install additional circulation systems to cycle the air in here with the air in the next bay.”

  Cameron strolled slowly out toward the glowing, blue shield perimeter, both frightened and in awe of the technological marvel. “This is unbelievable,” she said half under her breath. “It’s almost invisible.”

  “I still have to add the coloration emitters,” Vladimir explained. “Once they are working, the whole thing will have a semi-opaque, blue tint to it. That will make its location more obvious.”

  “I want a three-meter-wide warning border with a bright yellow terminal line along the inside edge of the shield line,” Cameron told him.

  “The inner shield will have a mild electrical charge to remind people of the shield’s presence,” Vladimir advised her.

  “Will that prevent people from walking out into a vacuum?” Cameron asked.

  “No, but it will hurt like hell if they try.”

  “Then I still want a warning strip on the floor,” she insisted. “On the inboard side of those doors as well.”

  “Understood,” Vladimir replied, knowing there was no use in arguing with her once her mind was set.

  “And make sure you get complete pressure change testing without anyone in here when the barrier is penetrated. I don’t want to risk any more lives until we’re certain this thing works.”

  “Look at it,” Vladimir argued. “It works.”

  “Complete pressure change testing,” she repeated, casting a serious look Vladimir’s way as she headed back toward the hatch.

  “Understood,” Vladimir replied, rolling his eyes as she passed.

  * * *

  Captain Gullen studied the data pad containing the changes to the duty schedule proposed by his executive officer.

  “Since the Aurora decided not to replace the hull over their port aft flight deck, we were able to finish their hull repairs ahead of schedule. The current list of fabrication requirements means we can end the mandatory double-shifts.”

  “This is still a very big fabrication list,” the captain noted, after advancing to the next page on the data pad. “I don’t see how you can hope to keep up without running the fabricators around the clock.”

  “Oh, we’re still running them around the clock,” Justan insisted. “But by scheduling the long fabrication cycles for the night shift, we can cut the teams in half and have each team monitor two fabricators. That means we can reduce the required double-shifts to once every three days.”

  “That still means no one gets a full day off for a while.”

  “No one on this ship has had a full day off for months,” Justan reminded his captain.

  “I was hoping that would change sometime soon.”

  “Well, this would be a step in the right direction,” Justan stated. “And once the Aurora is repaired, we’ll get some of her Corinairan volunteers to help run the fabricators. Maybe then we can cycle one or two people a day for shore leave. Just about everyone aboard has family on Corinair.”

  “Am I interrupting?” Nathan called from the door into Captain Gullen’s ready room.

  “Captain Scott, come in,” Captain Gullen greeted. “This looks good, Justan,” the captain added, handing the data pad back to his executive officer. “Is there anything else?”

  “No, sir,” Justan replied. “A pleasure to see you again, Captain,” he said to Nathan, before exiting the compartment.

  Nathan nodded at the XO as he departed, then closed the door behind him.

  “I don’t like the looks of that,” Captain Gullen commented as Nathan secured the door and took a seat across from Captain Gullen’s desk. “It’s never a good sign when a visitor wants to close the door.”

  “Information is both a useful and dangerous thing,” Nathan told him, “especially when it is speculative.”

  “Speculative?”

  “I was curious about something,” Nathan began. “The owners of this ship are Corinairan, right?”

  “Some of them are Corinairan,” Captain Gullen corrected. “A ship the size of the Glendanon is never owned by a single person or even a single business entity. Ships this large are usually built by a group of investors who form a corporation specifically for the purpose of financing its construction. Once the ship is operational, it is either leased to a shipping company or, as in the Glendanon’s case, an operator is hired to manage the ship’s operation, preferably to create profit for its investors. Why do you ask?”

  “Well, now that Corinair has been liberated, I expect that the Glendanon’s owners would be wanting her back,” Nathan explained. “But if you’re saying that not all of her owners are on Corinair, then that complicates matters a bit.”

  “Yes and no,” Captain Gullen replied. “There are forty-seven investors in all. Twenty of them are Corinairan, eighteen of them are Takaran, and the remaining nine are from Palee, Volon, and Ancot. Seeing as how Ancot is no longer, I suppose we’re down to forty-six investors, which is bad.”

  “Why is it bad?”

  “Investors never agree on anything,” Captain Gullen explained. “That’s why they always prefer to have an odd number. Prevents tie votes. Nothing worse than a ship stuck in port because her owners can’t agree where to send her next.”

  “Have the Glendanon’s investors contacted you?”

  “They have. That’s how I know how many of them survived.”

  “There were originally more than forty-seven investors?”

  “Oh yes,” Captain Gullen laughed. “There were originally three hundred and forty-nine of them. Over the years, many of them sold their shares to one of the other investors. More than a hundred were lost during the reign of Caius and his fall. There were still nearly two hundred investors prior to the arrival of the Dusahn.”

  “What effect will such a radical drop in the number of investors mean for this ship?” Nathan wondered.

  “Well, obviously her profits will be reproportioned,” Captain Gullen explained. “However, the cost of operation will now be borne by a smaller number of investors, which will make it more financially challenging for those investors, especially if the economies of their worlds are unstable, as most of them probably are at the moment.”

  “What do you expect them to do?” Nathan wondered.

  “At the moment, nothing. The fact that your alliance is covering the cost of operation is of benefit to them.”

  “But their investment isn’t generating any revenue.”

  “No, but it isn’t costing them anything, either,” Captain Gullen pointed out. “And this ship is being maintained in good working order, again without costing them anything.”

  “Then the assignment I was thinking of giving you might be in their best financial interests.”

  “And what would that assignment be?” Captain Gullen asked.

  “I was thinking of making the Glendanon into a ferry ship.”

  “A ferry ship?”

  “Now that the Dusahn’s abilit
y to conquer other worlds has been reduced, we need something other than protection to offer potential allies.”

  “Then you’re hoping to expand your alliance?”

  “The Pentaurus sector has been through a lot over the past few centuries. Imagine what this sector could be had Caius not risen to power, or had the Dusahn not invaded.”

  “To name only two.”

  “Precisely,” Nathan agreed. “And it is not only the Pentaurus sector. The Rogen sector, the Ilyan Gamaze, and God knows how many others have suffered through similar experiences. There are dozens, likely hundreds of human-inhabited worlds spread all over this part of the galaxy. Some of them are thriving, fully industrialized, and complete with interstellar capabilities, while others are struggling to survive. If we could connect them, for the purposes of commerce, trade, and humanitarian support, imagine how much better everyone’s lives might be.”

  “A noble idea, to be certain,” Captain Gullen agreed. “However, many of those ‘struggling’ worlds left industrialized ones because they didn’t want to live that way. They may not wish to be part of your alliance.”

  “And no one will force them to be,” Nathan insisted.

  “And you think that some sort of ferry service, using this ship, is the answer?”

  “Connections with other worlds will provide all worlds with what they truly need. Support. Support for their economies, their populations, their medical or industrial needs, or whatever. All of this can be accomplished by connecting them with regular, affordable transportation services.”

  “Which would likely be better accomplished with a fleet of smaller ships, like the Manamu, Inman, and Gervais.”

  “None of those ships have the interior volume that your ship has,” Nathan pointed out. “The Manamu, Inman, and Gervais will be useful, but a ferry is the key. Your ship is large enough that smaller cargo ships, ones that do not have jump drives, can hitch a ride with you, allowing the smaller worlds that cannot afford the cost of acquiring and operating their own jump ships, to access the interstellar marketplace.”

  Captain Gullen considered the idea for a moment. “I suppose this could work for a time,” he decided, “but the more your alliance grows, the less efficient a single ship will be, even one the size of the Glendanon.”

  “It is only a temporary measure,” Nathan explained. “Eventually, we hope to replace the ferry concept with a network of jump-gates, through which non-jump-capable ships can be jumped to distant systems. Imagine being able to takeoff in a simple surface-to-orbit shuttle, fly through a gate in high orbit, and then land on another world in another system. Minutes, in an STO shuttle! You could literally live in one star system and commute to work in another hundreds, if not thousands, of light years away!”

  “It is difficult to envision,” Captain Gullen insisted. “Are you saying such a device is possible?”

  Nathan sighed. “We don’t know yet,” he admitted. “Theoretically, Doctor Sorenson believes it is possible. But even if it is, it will take years to develop, and decades to deploy. In the meantime, a ferry system is the best we can do.”

  “Again, a single ferry will only suffice for a short period of time.”

  “There must be other ships the size of the Glendanon out there,” Nathan insisted.

  “Perhaps,” Captain Gullen replied, “but none that I have heard of. At least not in this quadrant. That has always been the Glendanon’s biggest advantage. There are no other ships in the area that can haul as much cargo as we can, or as large a payload.”

  “And just as this ship once provided the link that saved Earth, it will provide the link that brings peace and prosperity to the galaxy,” Nathan stated confidently.

  “Assuming that you can convince the investors to agree to your plan,” Captain Gullen reminded him.

  “They did so once before.”

  “They did.”

  “So, what’s the first step?” Nathan wondered.

  “First, you need to speak with the ship’s operator and get him on your side.”

  “How do I do that?”

  Captain Gullen smiled. “You just did.”

  * * *

  Lord Dusahn and his advisor walked through what had once been a perfectly manicured garden. Now it was in a state of chaos, just like his empire. “This was my place of refuge,” he said to no one in particular. “Now it is a reminder of my failures.”

  Commander Jexx looked concerned. He had never heard his leader speak of failures, at least not in himself.

  Lord Dusahn looked at his advisor, noticing his furrowed brow. “Failure can be a good thing. If used properly, it can be an excellent motivator. It can force one to see past their own reality; to see truths they had otherwise ignored.”

  “Of course,” the commander agreed, not knowing what else to say.

  “I imagine you have seen the recent intelligence reports on our population?”

  “I have.”

  “Your assessment?”

  “The people are scared,” the commander stated. “Perhaps not to the degree that intel suggests, but if we don’t act, they will be.”

  “And what do you suggest?” Lord Dusahn asked, testing his young advisor.

  “The Karuzari have offered us a de facto cease-fire. If we take no aggressive actions, they will not attack us. We should use that to our advantage.”

  “Yes, by building up our fleet,” Lord Dusahn agreed.

  “Yes, my lord, but not our combat fleet. We must build up our shipping fleet. We have only five jump-capable cargo ships. That is barely enough to keep goods flowing between cluster worlds. If we are to trade with even more worlds, we will need more cargo ships, as well as ways to protect them.”

  “Protect them from whom?” Lord Dusahn wondered.

  “Pirates?”

  “They wouldn’t dare.”

  “The Karuzari, then,” Commander Jexx said. “The traditional move is to cut off an enemy’s trade.”

  “They will not do so,” Lord Dusahn insisted. “Not as long as we have the failsafe device.”

  “Perhaps, but the people do not know this, and we cannot tell them, not with loyalties so strained. It would guarantee an uprising.”

  “Which our Zen-Anor would quell.”

  “Our troops number only a few thousand, and our Zen-Anor a few hundred. If properly organized, or possibly even supported by the Karuzari, a rebellion could succeed.”

  “I believe you underestimate the ferocity of the Zen-Anor,” Lord Dusahn commented.

  “I hope you are correct,” Commander Jexx said. “But perhaps it would be more prudent to prevent it from happening to begin with. It was you who said that a strong empire is built on a strong economy. A loyal population also requires a strong economy. A strong economy requires trade, and trade requires ships.”

  “We cannot build more ships any time soon,” Lord Dusahn stated, “and we cannot steal them from others. Not if we hope to trade with them.”

  “There is a place in the Palee system,” the commander explained. “A small moon with a tenuous atmosphere. On it is a massive graveyard for old ships. It is where the Karuzari got their fleet of fighters during Earth’s war against the Jung. Perhaps there is something there that we could purchase for our use?”

  “Any ship that can land is too small for our purposes,” Lord Dusahn insisted.

  “They have larger ships in orbit as well,” Commander Jexx said. “Or so I am told.”

  “Perhaps we should take a look, then,” Lord Dusahn agreed.

  “Yes, my lord; however, it might be wise to keep our identity…unadvertised.”

  Lord Dusahn exhibited a rare look of surprise. “You wish me to go in disguise?”

  “The Paleans have already rejected our trade proposals,” the commander reminded him. “They may feel the same about selling their old ships
.”

  Lord Dusahn sighed, pausing to gaze out across the battered field of flowers. “How far the mighty have fallen.”

  “Only the mighty can fall and rise strong again,” the commander added.

  “You know your Koryayan.”

  “With all due respect, my lord, it was not Denga Koryayan who said this, but your great grandfather, Anian Dusahn.”

  “Yes, he was quite fond of hearing himself speak,” Lord Dusahn replied. He took a deep breath, drawing in the disappointing smell of the ravaged garden. “To Palee, then, to purchase some broken-down, old cargo ships.”

  “I will make arrangements, my lord.”

  CHAPTER SIX

  “What time are we leaving?” Jessica asked as she double-timed it down the corridor toward Nathan.

  “The Inman leaves for SilTek at fifteen hundred,” Nathan replied as he continued toward the command briefing room.

  “How many days will we be this time?”

  “Two; three at the most, I hope. Why? You got a hot date?”

  “Ania’s birthday is Friday,” Jessica replied. “I was hoping to get back to see her.”

  “How’s she doing?” Nathan asked.

  “She likes Rakuen. It took a while for her to adjust. She’s not used to attending school. But she’s making friends, so that’s good.”

  “Your mom probably enjoys the break.”

  “Yeah, well, she’ll be a teenager in a few years, so she needs to spend time with kids her own age, not her grandma and grandpa.”

  “Teenager, huh. That should be fun.”

  “Not if she’s anything like I was,” Jessica admitted as they entered the briefing room.

  “Yeah, I’ll bet you were a handful,” Nathan teased. “Remain seated,” he told those already in attendance before they could stand. “Commander, when’s my ship going to be ready?” he asked Vladimir as he took his seat at the head of the conference table.

  “We’ve finished replacing the damaged power trunks for the port forward jump array,” Vladimir began. “Port aft has been a bit more challenging without the hull over the port aft flight deck, but we’ll have that finished in a few more days. Having the pressure shield helps a lot. Workers in pressure suits can walk through the shield to get parts.”