“Everyone getting enough food? Shelter?”
“We started out slow. But we’ve ramped up food production. We did have to cheat. We used growth hormones on the crops. But it worked. Here and Latinia.”
“Shelter?”
We’re maxed out here. We can’t take anyone else. Latina is setting up tent cities. With the rainy season coming, it’s going to be pretty miserable.”
“Yeah, tough. But, from what I’ve seen, it’s still a whole lot better than what those poor souls on Sasania or Nye Nippon are going through.”
“Have you been getting all of the qualified people we need?”
“Yes. Shelley’s been real good about that. He makes sure we get first pick.”
“That’s good. How are we on food reserves?”
“Fruits, vegetables, not so much. But we don’t need a lot. We seem to be balancing our harvesting with our intake. Meats and poultry, that’s another thing. But we’re good there, too.”
“How so?”
“Zach had this idea. We built camouflaged warehouses all over the outside of Sanctuary. Minimum electricity. No real insulation. Always way below freezing. Our outer shell is becoming one giant ice box. Shelley is shipping every bit of cow or chicken he can get away with and we are storing it up here. Same with water. All access water is being frozen and stored on the surface.”
“I couldn’t tell. Coming in, I saw Sanctuary and it looked the same. But I didn’t compare its current shape with its past. Still looked like an every-day asteroid.”
“That was the idea. Well, your idea. You said that the only way for us to survive was to not be discovered. So that’s the overriding rule of everything we do.”
“Yeah. For instance, if we brought on more people, we would need to begin venting gasses, dumping waste. You did right. Our ecosystem is fully self-contained?”
“Yes. In fact, we’ve organized a team of inspectors that do nothing but track all solids, fluids and gasses which circulate in our colony.”
“Glad to hear. Now, what time is it? I’m starved. And I want a good night’s sleep in my own bed, with my own snuggle bunny.”
“You’re still a lecher,” Gloria accused as she punched him in the arm.
Chapter 06
Onboard Griffin
The former prison room, now Faraday cage, just barely held a table, four occupied chairs and a corner for Buster. The usual sensors and screens had all been removed. Four personal tablets sat on the table, linked only to Buster’s internal data base. Thanks to the electrified mesh completely covering walls, floor, ceiling and door, no signals, no Igaklay could get out or in. all electronic prying eyes were effectively blind.
“Where’s Vidhee, Buster?”
“On the bridge. She knows about the Faraday cage. She understands our need for total privacy. Especially from Igaklay.”
“She’s ok with this private meeting?”
“Yes, Captain. She’s fine.”
“On to the main order of business. What do you all think about Igaklay?”
“Seems like a whiny kid, Cap.”
“Whiny kid with enough processing power to run a planet. And keep tabs on all Ballison ships.”
“There is that.”
“Dangerous?”
“It could be,” Keiko replied. “We don’t know what it is capable of, if it throws a tantrum.”
“Explode the mass eliminator? It’s linked to it.”
“Mass negator, Wrenchy.”
“Ya, Lassie. Negator.”
“He’d only do that if he perceived that we wouldn’t go to Ballison, Captain.”
“Good point, Buster.”
“What we’re all kicking around is that we are intimidated by Igaklay.”
“Ya, Keiko. Me. It scares me.”
“Me too,” Sue chimed in.
“We play it safe?”
“Go to Ballison on the way home?”
“Yes, Keiko, make a stop at Ballison. Keep it happy.”
“King Kaporine will blow a gasket, Cap.”
“We don’t tell him. We don’t tell anyone. We wait until after the first jump. Then we tell the Princess.”
“We’ve all seen her when it comes to anything Ballison. Her going along with the plan is a sure thing, Krag.”
“Ya, you’re right, Keiko. She’ll go after that like a fox after a rabbit.”
“So, no problems there. How is Igaklay doing?”
“Like I said, whiny kid. ‘When are you coming to Ballison? What are you going to do when you get there?’. Whiny kid.”
“You two, just keep it entertained.”
“Me and Lassie. We’re doing our best, Cap. Oh, I’ve got its new toy.”
“Show me.”
Everyone stood, pocketed their unused data pads and, along with Buster, followed Mack to the cargo bay and over to his work bench. Looking around, everyone verified that all of the Elonian workers had left for the evening. Holding out his open hand, he presented his latest invention.
“It’s not finished yet. I’ve got some control issues to solve. But it works.”
The other three saw a holo-graphic projector sitting on a foot-square box.
“Ok. Projector. Box. What does it do?”
“Well, I’ve been studying that gravity gun which the Royal Guardsmen carry.”
“You got access to one of their weapons?”
“Well, I kind of weaselled it out of Varrini. Told him we needed it to help change the design of Wisdom Seeker’s defensive cannons into an offensive weapon.”
“What does this have to do with your box and holo-projector?”
“It turns out that Wisdom Seeker fires a ball which houses a very small gravity generator. Upon contact, the ball breaks up, the generator fires up and creates a gravitational wave which pushes outward.”
“Ok. I’ve got that. The gravity guns?”
“They do just the opposite. Instead of a ball, the guns fire a bullet-shaped projectile. The projectile penetrates. The gravity generator creates an instantaneous gravity mote, like a microscopic, itty-bitty black hole. Sucks everything down. Then disperses.”
“So, what did you come up with?”
“I used the technology of the Wisdom Seeker cannon and put it in a gravity gun shell. Attached a remote activation switch and put the whole mess in my little black box. You are all witness to the very first test of the McCauley Gravity-driven Transport Vehicle!”
“Show off. Dangerous?”
“Not a bit, Cap. Way too weak for any measurable damage. Here it goes.”
Mack picked up the contraption and placed it on an open spot on the deck. Grabbing a remote control, he pointed the device at his invention and pressed a button. The box, with its hologram generator on top, lifted up to a meter in height and held.
“That’s what I’ve got, so far. Now I need Sue and her brains. I figure, for on board Griffin, we can use the internal communications system to move it around.”
“If I get in on this, then it’s the McCauley/Benton whatever.”
“You got it, Lassie. We form a corporation. Make billions of credits.”
“Not so fast, Wrenchy.”
“What? You want in, Tinman?”
“You’ve signed a disclaimer with Gregor Corp, right?”
“Well, yeah,” Mack drew out the ‘well’.
“That disclaimer stipulates that all inventions developed on Gregor’s time, on Gregor’s property, belong to Gregor Corp.”
“So, me and Lassie. We get nothing?”
“No. You get fifteen percent of the net.”
“Wait one minute there, Tinman. You said, and I quote, ‘Gregor’s time, Gregor’s property. Right?”
“Yes.”
“Well, we gotch’ya there, my friend. I know for a fact, Cap owns Griffin free and clear. So we’re not on Gregor’s property. Cap’s. And, Gregor isn’t pushing any credits my way, so I’m not on Gregor’s time.”
“Then it’s Captain Marston’s time and p
roperty.”
“Me and Lassie, we can live with that. Right, Lassie?”
Sue just looked blank.
“What about it, Cap? We make a corporation. The corporation owns this little ol’ gravity floater.”
“New thought. Needs discussion. Work something out with Keiko.” Krag laughingly jerked a thumb at his target. “She’s the brains of this motley crew.”
“We’ll take it. We all make billions of credits. No problem, Tinman. You in?”
“Do I get to share some of those fantasy billions of credits?”
“Ya. One of the team, Tinman.”
Sue and Keiko just looked at each other and rolled their eyes.
Mack pressed the button on the remote control and the box/holo combo settled back to the deck.
“Hey, Iggy, you there?”
“Iggy?”
“Yeah. Igaklay is just too long. So I call it ‘Iggy’.
“Yes, Sir Mack. I am here.”
“Good. Now. You say, through your entangled communicator, you can move around in Griffin.”
“That is correct.”
“And those entangled communicators send and receive electromagnetic waves.”
“Right, again, Sir Mack. Translated into quantum waves.”
“You are obviously sending and receiving electronic signals for your voice. Can you send and receive other signals? Say radio waves?”
“Yes, I can, Sir Mack.”
Everyone looked at everyone else. Everyone heard that Igaklay could send radio waves. Radio waves to invade, easily control, possibly harm Griffin. The worry quotient went up multiple notches.
“I am going to point this remote control at a sensor. Could you see if you can read it?”
“I’ve read it, Sir Mack. Why do you call me ‘Iggy’?”
“A nickname.”
“It is a sign of friendship, Igaklay.”
“I see, Ambassador Suzume. Does that mean that Mack and I are friends?”
“That’s between you and Mack, Igaklay.”
“Why don’t the rest of you call me ‘Iggy?”
“Mack is more informal. More easy-going. Captain Marston and I prefer a more formal recognition.”
“Oh. Mack, now what do you want me to do with it?”
“Send it back, point it at the black box.”
“You want me to levitate the box?”
“Ya, Iggy. Levitate the box.”
“Ok. Is that right? Ok?”
“Ya got it, Iggy. Give it a go.”
Igaklay levitated the box.
“Alright! Can I send you a data pack? The schematics for the hologram projector?”
“Only in small packets, Mack. The entangled communicators can not handle the transfer of large amounts of data. And they must be in electromagnetic waves.”
“No problem there. That’s how our data pads communicate. Small packets. Let me set that up.”
Mack worked his data pad while everyone watched. Hitting an icon, he looked up and also waited.
Fourteen seconds later, Igaklay came back on line. “I’ve received the packets, Mack.”
“Good. Now, read through them. They are the schematics and controlling wavelengths to operate the holo-projector on the gravity box.”
“Done.”
“That was fast. Big processor?”
“Yes. Very. And a lot of them. Now, what do you want me to do?”
“See if you can control the holo-projector. Make an image. As you saw, it also has sensor capabilities. You can use it for communications.”
“Ok.”
The hologram activated. A one-and-a-half meter-tall, little greyish-green bipedal being popped into existence. Long arms hung to its knees. It stood on spindly legs and large, three toed feet. The hands consisted of two fingers and a thumb. Large, ellipsoidal eyes sat on the sides of the oversized head, much like a rabbit’s. Where ears should have been, slits appeared. A small, oval mouth sat below two holes in the center of its head.
“Is that what a Ballisonian looks like?”
“Yes, Ambassador Suzume.”
“Pleased to meet you, Igaklay.”
“Uh, shouldn’t the little thing have some clothes?”
“Oh, I forgot. Humans have modesty traits.” An exact replica of Buster’s dark blue tunic blinked onto the holographic Ballisonian, complete with patch and belt.
“Better?”
“Perfect, Igaklay. Now, I need you to do something for us.”
“What is that, Ambassador Suzume?”
“I need you to not show yourself to anyone but us five. And Vidhee.”
“Why?” Igaklay whined.
“Because it would put us in danger. Some of the Elonians do not like us. If they found out about you, they may try to hurt us, take Griffin. Not let us go to Ballison.”
“Then you have decided to come?”
“Yes, Igaklay. When we are ready, we are coming to visit you on Ballison.”
“Ok. I will hide from everyone but the five of you. And Vidhee?”
“Yes, Igaklay. And Vidhee.”
“Does that include communicating?”
“Yes, Igaklay. That includes communicating. Only with us.”
“Ok. You are coming? Right?”
“Yes, Igaklay. I promise, we are coming to Ballison.”
“I’ll get everything ready! You will love it here!”
“Right, then. Now, Iggy, Sue, we need to figure out a way to get our money-maker to move around.”
Onboard Heimdallr
The slow acceleration and subsequent shutting down of all thrusters turned the small, stealthy scout ship into another ballistic object crossing the face of the front-most alien fleet. With its albedo (light reflecting) percentage of almost zero and its wave-absorbing skin making it almost invisible, it passed as a ghost, unseen by alien eyes.
“Half way across, Captain,” Lieutenant Torres whispered, as though the bug-like aliens could hear her talk.
“Thank you, Toast. Any movement?”
“None, Cap.”
“Brooksy, still on course?”
“Yeah, Cap. Nuts on.”
“Stay cool, peeps. Another six hours and we should be out of their sights.”
“Then a slow burn to the Novius gate. Two and a half days.”
“I’m not going to be standing next to your pod when you pop the lid, Brooksy. You’ll be riper than my niece’s diapers.”
“Same about you, Toast. When we all pop, this place is going to need a good scrubbing.”
“You’ve got that right. But, we all get to smell each other until we hit the gate.”
“Course I am looking forward to seeing Toast all wet and sweated up.”
“Sexist pig.”
“Toast. Still soaking up Intel?”
“Everything passive, low energy humming, Cap. Getting it all.”
“Keep it bundled. We’ll launch a buoy a second before we hit the gate.”
“Will do, Cap.”
“Brooksy, set an auto-plot. Six hours from now, slow accel. Hit the Novius gate dead center.”
“On it, Cap.”
“Good. Well, kiddies, nap time. Pump some tranqs. Nothing more to do. Might as well sleep through it.
“What happens if we’re spotted, Cap?”
“If we’re spotted, we’re dead, Brooksy. No way we can outrun their patrol ships. Might as well go out dreaming sweet dreams.”
“Pumping, Cap”
“Toast, set a proximity wake-up. Say eight hours before we enter the Novius gate.”
“Set, Cap. Night-night.”
“See you on the flip side, peeps.”
Onboard Thor
“Buoy just arrived, Captain.”
“Intel downloaded, Mr. Morgan?”
“Just finished, Captain.”
“Send it on to Command. And pipe it to my ready room.”
“Aye, aye, Captain.”
“Mr. Anderson, Mr. Cooper, Mr. Butler. Please join me.”
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As Captain Russell pulled out of his command pod and headed for his ready room, the selected three followed. Upon reaching Captain Russell’s office and, having served together for years, everyone immediately took their places and waited for the Captain to open the meeting.
“Let’s see what we’ve got.”
“Russell worked the console mounted in his desktop and everyone watched the large monitor.
“Communications and Sensor Specialist Torres. The synopsis of this intelligence collection is as follows: the two trailing alien fleets are forming up with the fleet centralized in Bridgelen. The forward fleet is holding a defensive position, with the Cencore gate as its focus. Within the next two days, the alien armada will be comprised of seven super dreadnaughts, eighteen cruisers, forty-five destroyers, one hundred, eighty frigates and six hundred patrol ships. At the time of this recording, the soonest the aliens will reach Cencore is eight days from now, if they begin steaming immediately upon formation. The following is the actual intelligence.”
Captain Russell shut off the video, not needing to see the details of the horror to come.
“Gentlemen, thoughts?”
“We die, Captain.”
“Not necessarily, Mr. Morgan. All those ships are in Bridgelen. There is only one way to Cencore. For those ships to get here, they will need to run our gauntlet. If we can kill enough, maybe those bugs will think we’re not worth the effort.”
“Yes, Sir.”
“We need to believe that, Mr. Morgan.”
“And our fallback?”
“The Old Man has organized a committee for evacuation. Where to, not sure. If those bugs do break through, then our job is to hold the line. Allow as many people as possible to get to safety.”
“That’s why we get paid the big credits, Captain.”
“Right you are, XO. How did the X-cannon test go, Mr. Butler?”
“Almost as advertised, Captain. We launched nine drones and incapacitated six within the thirty second window. One barrel experienced sighting issues and missed its three targets. Repair is on it.”
“So, the X-cannons performed as designed?”
“On the money, Captain. Without the sighting issues, we would have been nine-for-nine.”
“XO. What’s the report on our mine field?”
“The sweepers report five grids of a hundred by hundred standard mines. From our Intel, those will only stop the smaller ships, the frigates and patrol ships. We’ve interspersed X-mines across the five layers. Only three hundred of them. The factories are cranking them out as fast as they can.”
Meeting in the Stars (Marston Chronicles Book 3) Page 12