A Charter for the Commonwealth

by Richard F. Weyand

  But Gerald Ansen had something he wanted to do first.

  “Are there any unfinished items before proceeding to Mr. Mazur’s original proposal?”

  “Madam Chairman, I have one item. It is a letter, just arrived, to this conference from James Allen Westlake VI, His Excellency, the Planetary Governor of Jablonka. I propose to read it to the conference.”

  “Do I hear an objection? No objection being heard, you may proceed, Mr. Ansen.”

  “Thank you, Madam Chairman.

  “I should perhaps mention to my distinguished colleagues, with the indulgence of the chair I sent a copy of the Charter as passed prior to the vacation break to Mr. Westlake on Jablonka six weeks ago. This letter is his response by return courier mail.

  “My Dear Professor Ansen:

  “Thank you for sending me a copy of the Charter in its current form in time for me to remark on it prior to the closing of the conference.

  “As you and I both know, and as we have discussed, the current relationship between the Earth and its colonies is not stable. The prospects for a peaceful transition, or for a stable subsequent colony government based on the Enlightenment principles we both hold dear, were not good. It is for that reason I asked you, four years ago, to design a classical liberal government for Earth’s colonies.

  “You wisely saw the need to draw on the best Enlightenment minds available across Earth’s colonies, to bring together the expertise and wisdom required to produce the best result. You proposed the Westlake Conference, and I was happy to sponsor it and secure funding for it, in the hope you would be successful.

  “I am pleased to be able to tell you that you and your colleagues have exceeded every expectation, every hope, every dream I have had for this project. I am confident this document will lead to a brighter future not just for the citizens of the colonies, but on the longer term for all mankind.

  “Please pass on my highest regards and heartfelt gratitude to your distinguished colleagues for their efforts in producing what I believe will be a treasured document for generations.

  “Know that I remain gratefully yours,

  “James Allen Westlake VI.”

  Ansen left the lectern to return to his seat, but Mehta stopped him.

  “Mr. Ansen, a point of personal curiosity. Did Mr. Westlake originally approach you to begin this whole project?”

  “Yes, Madam Chairman. Mr. Westlake invited, on his own initiative, Ms. Kusunoki and me to meet with him, and at that meeting he asked us to design a classical liberal government based on Enlightenment principles for the colonies. As his letter noted, it was we who said this was a job for a constitutional convention, and proposed the Westlake Conference.”

  “Remarkable. Thank you, Mr. Ansen. We now move on to the last item of business. Mr. Mazur.”

  Patryk Mazur walked up to the lectern.

  “Thank you, Madam Chairman.

  “Madam Chairman, distinguished colleagues.

  “As previously agreed, this is a motion in substitution of the tabled motion. I move this conference pass the proposal before you, amending the Charter as previously agreed, passing the Charter in its final form, and seating the Council as specified.”

  “Second,” Guadalupe Rivera called.

  “We have a motion and a second. Do I hear any objection? No objection being heard, we are voting on the motion. Ayes? Nays? The Ayes have it. The motion passes. I declare the Westlake Conference closed.”

  Mehta pounded the gavel and the delegates erupted into cheering.

  Ansen walked up to the conference table that stood this morning in the well between the two lecterns and lifted off a black velvet cover to reveal a large document of the final language of the Charter, indelibly printed on archival paper. Kusunoki came up and signed it under “For Jablonka” and Ansen signed under her. The delegates lined up to apply their signatures to the document as Ansen, Kusunoki, Mazur, and Mehta watched. There were eight columns, of eight signatures each, and, centered under the others at the bottom, as the host planet, the Doma delegates’ signatures.

  When all the delegates had signed, Ansen brought out from under the table a large flat metal box with a plate glass lid. He set it on the table next to the document, opened it, and placed the document inside. He then closed the box, capturing the document.

  Ansen and Mazur picked up the box by the two sides, walked it back to the chairman’s podium, and set it vertically on the floor leaning against the podium.

  Mehta went back to the chairman’s chair, sat down, and started gaveling for order. Once everyone was seated and the conversation had died down, Mehta announced:

  “As Chairman Pro Tem of the Council, a quorum being present, I declare the Council of the Commonwealth of Free Planets in session.”

  Mehta banged the gavel and another huge cheer went up, with much applause. Some of the delegates were weeping openly. It was twenty minutes before Mehta would even attempt to establish order.

  The first agenda of the Council was simple. Take the oath of office, elect a Chairman, elect a Chairman Pro Tem, and agree on the wording of a press release announcing the formation of the Commonwealth of Free Planets and distributing its Charter.

  The Council elected James Allen Westlake VI as Chairman and confirmed Sania Mehta as Chairman Pro Tem. A wording of the press release was agreed on, and the Council agreed to delay the publication of the press release until Friday two weeks hence, and to maintain their confidence until then, to meet Ansen’s promise to Westlake. The delegates from Doma would publish the press release from Doma on that day.

  And, as promised, Ansen sent a letter to Westlake informing him of events.

  First Blood

  “Sir, as you requested, I’ve been looking into Fournier, Westlake, and Orlov, looking for anything unusual in their business dealings,” Andy Hasper said.

  “Good. What did you find?” Arlan Andrews asked.

  “It may be nothing, sir, and it was four years back. But Orlov Group bought some really large freighters, our biggest design, along with a lot of mining equipment. Containers, beam cutters, and nuclear demolitions.”

  “That doesn’t sound unusual, Andy.”

  “They were really large orders, though, sir. Eighty freighters, and tens of thousands of containers, hundreds of beam cutters, and thousands of nuclear demolitions. It took the manufacturers two years of overtime shifts to make them all.”

  “OK, I agree. That is unusual.”

  “That’s not all, sir. They were slow getting the freighters into service. And we still aren’t seeing the kind traffic with them one would expect with that many ships. You can sort of figure out travel and loading times and the like, and calculate from that how often they should be showing up here. And it’s maybe a quarter of what it should be.”

  “Something’s going on. And those ships still show up here?”

  “Yes, sir. Not as often as you’d expect, but they do come through.”

  “We need to inspect one of those ships and see what’s going on. Order the Navy to seize and board one of those freighters and go through it with a fine-tooth comb. I want to know what they’re up to.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Approaching hyperspace transition point, sir.”

  “Whenever you’re ready, Mr. Asnip.”

  “Beginning hyperspace transition.”

  The klaxon sounded, followed by the four bells of the hyperspace warning.

  “Hyperspace transition now, sir.”

  Captain Heller had reduced his safety margins after the first trip, and Stardust transitioned into normal space only about five percent farther from Earth than the published system periphery. Oconnell sent their arrival announcement, and Asnip was about to flip ship to get underway toward Earth when they were hailed.

  “Sir, I have ENS Moses Lambert hailing. You need to hear this.”

  Without waiting, Oconnell switched the recorded reception to the speakers.

  “ENS Moses Lambert here. Stardust, maintai
n position and prepare to be boarded.”

  “Oh, I don’t think so,” Heller said. “Mr. Asnip, engines at one hundred percent. Mr. Oconnell, sound general quarters. Mr. Scott, blow the aft beam covers and bring up the emitters.”

  Instead of the all-clear the crew was expecting, the general quarters alarm sounded. They had maintained periodic drills on their transits, and as the gravity came up the crew ran for their posts.

  “Mr. Stodden, what have you got?”

  “Three ESN frigates at one-fifty degrees mark ten, sir. Range one quarter light-second. They’re accelerating hard, sir. They’ll range us in minutes.”

  “Mr. Asnip, come to thirty degrees minus ten. Let’s show them our after aspect.”

  Another radio reception played over the speakers.

  “What the hell are you up to, Heller? You can’t outrun me. Shut her down or we’ll open fire.”

  “Stand ready, Mr. Scott.”

  “Targeted and ranged, sir.”

  “Sir, they’re opening rapid fire.”

  “You may fire, Mr. Scott.”

  “Firing four. Firing four. Firing four.”

  “All three ESN frigates exploded, sir. We still have incoming projectiles.”

  “Mr. Asnip, try to avoid them.”

  “They fired a broad pattern, sir. There are hundreds of them. I can’t dodge them all.”

  “Do your best, Mr. Asnip.”

  The first projectile to hit Stardust hit her in the number four radiator. She started streaming coolant.

  “Hit on Radiator Four, sir. We’re losing coolant,” Greg Yetter said. The loadmaster was using his outside cameras to monitor for damage.

  “Radiator Control says they’re on it, sir,” Bryan Jones said.

  “Pressure dropping in Radiator Four,” Seaman 1st James Yount said. “She’s been holed.”

  “Shut it down,” Petty Officer 1st Lindsay Harwood said.

  “Shutting down the coolant pump to Radiator Four,” Seaman 1st Jennifer Lowenthal said. “Radiator Four flow rate dropping. Radiator Four flow rate zero. Closing inlet valve on Radiator Four. Radiator Four pressure dropping. Closing outlet valve on Radiator Four. Radiator Four isolated.”

  And then the world exploded.

  The second projectile to hit Stardust hit her in Beam Emitter 10. The round plowed through the emitter dish and deep into her internals.

  “Hit on Beam Emitter 10, sir. She’s on fire,” Yetter said.

  “Jettison Beam Emitter 10, Mr. Yetter.”

  Yetter pushed the Jettison icon for Beam Emitter 10, and the dozens of explosive bolts that held it in place blew off. The massive 24’x24’x80’ unit slid off the back of Stardust under the .6 gravity acceleration and fell behind.

  “Mr. Scott, target and range that beam emitter. Fire when you’re ready. We don’t want to leave it behind.”

  The third projectile to hit Stardust hit her in Cylinder Two. It came through the deck below Jennifer Lowenthal’s station chair and passed vertically through her body before punching through the next three decks above. At ten thousand feet per second, the hydrostatic pressure literally blew Lowenthal apart, and the concussion of the shock wave as the shell passed through the compartment knocked everyone else unconscious.

  Seaman 1st Toby Cobb and Seaman 2nd Paul Clithero heard the impact and the air whistle from their GQ station and came racing down the corridor and into the compartment. Clithero kicked debris out of the way and set the patch plate over the ragged hole in the deck. The flexible plate deformed to match the bent deck plate and Cobb sprayed sealant around the seam. The sealant sucked into the seam and Cobb kept spraying until it sealed up.

  They looked up from their work and for the first time noticed the compartment. Five ratings were down. Blood and bone, muscle and organs were splattered all over the compartment, dripping from the ceiling and running down the walls and consoles.

  “What the fuck?” Clithero looked down at the debris he had kicked aside to set the patch. It was a human arm raggedly torn off at the shoulder.

  Clithero wretched and then threw up in his suit helmet. He staggered out into the hallway, slipping on the bloody floor. As senior, Cobb should report, but Clithero saw he was down on his hands and knees, vomiting helplessly. Clithero tried to raise Damage Control on his helmet radio and couldn’t, then realized his mike was blocked. He sucked vomit off and out of the mike and spat it aside.

  “Damage Control. Seaman Clithero. Cylinder Two, Deck One sealed. Medics to Radiator Control. At least one dead, five down.”

  “We have three ESN frigates incoming, sir, at ninety mark ten range three light seconds, and three more incoming at two seventy minus ten range two light seconds,” Stodden said.

  “Mr. Asnip, begin spinning the ship. Don’t unfold cylinders or shut down the engines for the moment, just start us spinning. Twenty-five percent spin.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Stardust started spinning with the cylinders folded, adding a small side gravity.

  “We’re at twenty-five percent, sir.”

  “Mr. Asnip, bring engines to zero.”

  The ‘down’ gravity suddenly disappeared, leaving only the side gravity.

  “Engines at zero, sir.”

  “Mr. Scott, blow the forward emitter covers and bring up the emitters.”

  Scott pushed the icon on his display to eject the covers and started initiation on the front emitters. The eight covers sailed straight out away from Stardust.

  “Mr. Yetter, jettison the cargo.”

  “All of it?”

  “All the fernico. Just keep weapons and supplies. Do it.”

  “Yes, sir.” Yetter pushed the master cargo jettison icon on his display.

  Cargo latches released, sending the top layer of containers sailing out from the spinning Stardust, then the next layer released, and the next layer, and the next layer. Only the weapons and stores containers of the innermost layer remained.

  “Cargo jettisoned, sir.”

  “Cease spin, Mr. Asnip. Status, Mr. Stodden.”

  “Range now one light-second on group one, two light-seconds on group two.”

  “When your spin is at zero, Mr. Asnip, bring us to ninety mark ten.”

  “Spin at zero. Coming to ninety mark ten.”

  “Mr. Scott, when you have targets, you are free to fire on both groups.”

  “Coming into angle. Targeting. Ranging. Firing Three. Firing Eight. Firing Three. Firing Eight. Firing Three. Firing Eight.”

  “All targets destroyed,” Stodden said. “Those last couple just lit up the debris.”

  “Anything else out there to worry about, Mr. Stodden?”

  “No, it looks like that was it, sir.”

  “Mr. Oconnell, send Black Earth message via corporate relay on Earth.”

  “Sending Black Earth message, sir.”

  “Damage Control, are we hyperspace capable?”

  “Yes, sir,” Jones said. “We’re down one radiator, but we know that’s OK.”

  “Mr. Asnip, bring us around and make hyperspace transition when you’re ready. Make course for Jablonka.”

  “Yes, sir. Hyperspace transition in five minutes.”

  The hyperspace warning sounded. Five minutes later, Stardust disappeared from normal space.

  “One of those freighters came in-system, sir,” Andy Hasper said.

  “Did they get a look at it?” Arlan Andrews asked.

  “No, sir. They tried to stop it, but it got away.”

  “Didn’t they shoot at it?”

  “Yes, sir, they did. But it shot back with something we don’t understand. That freighter took out nine of our frigates.”

  “A Q-ship! That’s what Orlov’s doing. He’s building Q-ships.”

  “Yes, sir. Apparently so. Do you want them to try again?”

  “No. We’ll show them they can’t just waltz in here and shoot up the place. Start gathering our navy power. Call ships back. Get some of those ones that are sitting around a
ll the time up to snuff. Let’s pull some power together.”

  “Yes, sir. Maybe some of the mothballed ships as well?”

  “Yes. Excellent. But don’t bother any of Orlov’s ships again. We already know what’s going on. He’s screwed up this time. He’s tipped his hand. Q-ships run by amateurs don’t stand a chance against real warships run by professionals.”

  “They did take out nine of our frigates, sir.”

  “Yes, but that’s because our people went spacing in there all fat, dumb, and happy. They weren’t expecting anything. Ask Admiral Bruneau to stop by. I have some instructions for him.”

  Letters

  James Allen Westlake received the press release before anyone else outside of the Doma system, it having been sent to him by Gerald Ansen immediately after it passed. It was three weeks since Ansen sent it. Westlake had requested a two-week delay, which meant the press release from Doma was already one week along on its way to Earth, Jablonka, and the other star systems of the Commonwealth.

  PRESS RELEASE

  Nadezhda, Doma – The Council of the Commonwealth of Free Planets has announced the enactment of the Charter of the Commonwealth of Free Planets and the creation of the Commonwealth, a confederation of the thirty-three planetary systems in Earth’s first round of colonization.

  The Charter lays out the structure and powers of the new government as well as the rights and freedoms guaranteed to the Commonwealth’s citizens and member planets.

  The Council is to be composed of three delegates from each of the thirty-three member planets. The initial delegates to the Council are the thirty-three existing planetary governors plus an additional two Commonwealth citizens from each member planet. The initial Chairman of the Council is James Allen Westlake, the Planetary Governor of Jablonka.

  The Charter was enacted and signed in Nadezhda, the planetary capital of the Doma system.