A Hero

by Stephen Arseneault

  "If you don't spend it there, your family will be bored out of their skulls. This industry is not for the family man. Not unless your goal is to just exist."

  "Everyone feel that way?" I asked.

  "Everyone with any sense. Just give it a month, you'll see."

  The line in front of us, with the elevator only having room for eight at a time, was nearly one hundred workers long. We shuffled toward our turn.

  "How is it Thad gets to keep the first position?"

  "He has the most error finds. I just wish we could find someone to bump him off. It's not a fair system to the rest of us."

  "What percentage of finds does he make?"

  "Probably a third."

  "Seems easy enough then. Why not get the others together to put in someone new? Then the next month you switch to someone else."

  Danny shook his head. "It's been tried. The boss-man doesn't like it. Says it makes everyone else work just hard enough to bump off number one. And he's right. You just don't look as hard when you know there won't be any bonus coming at all. If we miss things, it costs money, and potentially lives. The corporation doesn't like to lose either one of those."

  "Who would?"

  As we finally made our way into the elevator, a corporate spokesman came on the display behind the receptionist's desk. I held the elevator door open as we listened to the news.

  "Attention everyone. We've just received word there has been an attack on the Merchain colony. It's not yet known if the ships involved were related to the alien vessels discovered farther out, but we are now being put on alert. Everyone should pay close attention to the news feeds when off-shift. We believe we are not in any immediate danger, and we will keep you informed if things change."

  I rolled my eyes. "We just came in yesterday."

  Danny frowned. "If I were you, I'd get that family on the first shuttle out. If they attack here, the only resistance will be a few hundred security guards. And some of those don't look all that secure if you know what I mean."

  "No. Not really sure what you mean."

  "They're all muscle, no brains."

  "My wife would call them thugs. Muscleheads."

  "The only kind of defense they know is to yell in your face or beat you with their baton. I think there are only a few dozen on this planet who are actually armed, probably only the ones on this floor. If aliens come here, we'll all be running for our lives, and we have nowhere to run."

  The door opened on my floor.

  Danny nodded as I stepped out. "Third floor. Not bad. They get worse as you go down. I'm on number five. See you tomorrow."

  "See you."

  I hurried back to my apartment. Denise had an uneasy expression on her face as I gave her a kiss on the cheek. Her eyes were glued to the display, which was showing the latest news. Pea was asleep on one of the bunks.

  "Anything about the attack?" I asked.

  "Merchain Colony," Denise replied. "They're saying there may be as many as a thousand dead."

  "What?" It was a number I wasn't expecting. "How? I mean, what exactly happened?"

  "Two ships, similar to the group they spotted yesterday, just dropped through orbit and bombed a city. Unprovoked! We had five warships stationed there, but the attackers fled before they could activate."

  "Activate? Why weren't they already on alert?"

  "No one seems to know. What are we gonna do, Ray?" Denise stared at me with a concerned expression.

  "We're putting you and Pea on the first available shuttle is what we're doing. You're going home to Demos where the regional fleet is stationed. We have no protection here."

  Denise shook her head. "I checked earlier. Just overnight the shuttles were booked for the next two weeks. And now the prices are going up, the price has already quadrupled for reservations three weeks out. And those seats are probably already gone by now."

  "I'm sure there will be more. Just this morning TC said they were working on an evacuation contingency." I raised my wrist and tried a comm to my former friend.

  To my surprise, Thomas Goodall answered. "Rayford T. Jackson. How was your first day?"

  "Fine, TC. And thanks again for the opportunity. But that's not why I commed. How do I get Denise and Pea out of here? The shuttle cost has skyrocketed for some reason."

  TC sighed. "I had to authorize that. My father's advisors insisted."

  "What? Why?"

  "To keep the workforce here, Ray. Remember, I said we received a large military contract? Well that contract needs fulfilling now more than ever."

  My first impulse was anger, but the reason made sense. We needed a functioning and well-supplied military machine to confront this threat.

  "I can see that. But why not allow families to go home? It would seem prudent to go ahead and evacuate them now. They aren't needed. No reason to keep them at risk."

  TC slowly shook his head. "When the families go the husbands and wives will want to follow. Like I said, we need everyone now more than ever. We need commitment. And spouses who have family elsewhere will have their minds elsewhere. No. I'm sorry. Fulfilling these contracts is too important."

  "You can't hold people here against their will!"

  "As a matter of fact, I can. At least when it comes to the use of company assets I can. Any worker is welcome to charter their own shuttle to come out and give them a ride. That I cannot prevent. And I will add that I requested my father send for a minimum of two cruisers to come here to protect our employees... and the valuable military resources we are mining. I expect to hear back on that request soon."

  "When was it sent?" I asked.

  Several seconds of hesitation followed before TC gave a reply. "When news of the bombing on Merchain came in."

  I huffed. "So this morning. That means four days before the request arrives anywhere, followed by however long to mobilize and assign ships, and then another four before they get out here. And that's if they're coming from Merchain. Sounds like we won't have protection for the next two weeks, assuming they decide to send anything. I'm sorry TC, but I don't like having Denise and Pea sitting out here at risk just because you're paranoid your workers will leave."

  TC glared into the display camera. "You really need to end the practice of referring to me by my initials, Ray. Out here I am Mr. Goodall. If you prefer, I can call you Mr. Jackson."

  I paused to take a breath and calm myself. "Noted. We're in a professional environment now. You can call me whatever you want. And just so you know, I won't abandon you here. I just want Denise and Pea to be safe. Not that we know anywhere is fully safe, but these remote colonies are the least so. The alien ships are in this sector, and Merchain, the nearest colony, has already been attacked. Have you heard from Estelle? Was she there during the attack?"

  "She was there. And unharmed. She was preparing to evacuate when our father told her to remain since those ore processing plants are key to our supply contracts. If war does come, which it looks as though it may, we will need to build a fleet that is much stronger than what we have. Most of our ships are old and in disrepair. We haven't seen war in centuries. You see, Aarlis Mining's purpose—our mission out here—is vital."

  I chuckled at the word choice. "Our mission? Okay. I'm sorry, I'm probably out of line. Our work here is important. I can see that. But I would urge you to strongly consider getting the families out. If only for the good PR you'll get from it."

  "I'll take your suggestion under consideration, Mr. Jackson. Now, as I'm certain you know, I'm a busy man with a mining enterprise to run. Please see to it that any further comms are directly corporate-business related. Good day."

  The comm closed.

  — Chapter 7 —

  * * *

  Denise's face held a scowl. "And just like that he goes back to being an ass."

  I sat in a chair at our lone table and thought for a moment before responding. "Unfortunately, he's right... as far as the workers go. We need this ore mined and refined. And I'll bet old Aarlis is working
up shipbuilding contracts as we speak. Even if there are no further attacks, the Aarlis Corporation will come out of this twice the size they went in. And too bad for us. If I didn't have this contract, I'm sure there will be thousands of positions opening up back in the main colonies come a month from now."

  "So how do we get out of here?"

  I frowned. "At the moment, we don't. Looks like a self-charter is our only option and that would take almost two weeks to get here. And that's if we could raise the money needed... and if we could find a pilot willing to fly out with that looming threat."

  "This is just insane. I regret pushing you to come out here."

  I chuckled as I leaned across the table, giving her a kiss on the cheek. "You didn't push me. This was our best option... our only option."

  I stood and walked to the fridge, grabbing a cold beverage for each of us. "There may be more jobs opening up back there now, but we don't have a time machine. We can't go back and change our decisions."

  Denise accepted the beverage with a tepid smile. "What can I do, Ray. I feel helpless. And I don't like that feeling."

  I sat and took a swig. "What we can do is try to get a list together of the non-essential family members living here on Echelon. I could suggest to TC—er... Mr. Goodall, as I'm now supposed to call him—that we pressurize the hold of one of those parked ore haulers, load in supplies, and send back every non-essential person with one trip, which we could do if he wanted."

  I set my beverage on the table. "I'm not seeing his reason for keeping you here as fully valid. I would be thankful to a corporation who put my family’s safety first—I would work harder for them."

  Denise stood and moved toward the door. "I can read between the lines. That's not happening."

  I asked, "You going somewhere? And what lines? Was that another arcane saying?"

  Denise sighed. "I'm heading to the stores. I'll be buying the biggest knife I can find. And maybe something I can fashion into a spear. Doesn't look like he'll be letting us go."

  "A spear?" I almost snorted. "Are you serious?"

  The cold stare Denise returned told me it was a question I should not have asked.

  I stood. "Hold on. Let me grab Pea. We'll come with you, and sorry about the laugh. My first thought was of bombs being dropped and you trying to fight them off with a spear, but I guess a ground invasion is not out of the question. And while we're at it, let's stock up on all the extreme-cold-weather gear we can afford. Not that I foresee us having to go outside, but I'd like us to be prepared if the cold decides to come in here."

  We were not the only ones with survival on our minds. We made our way through the crowd to the food store first, stocking up on non-perishable items and jugs of water. The line to check out was long, but the line behind was even longer, with more streaming into the store every moment. Pea clung to my side, quietly staring at all the people.

  We hit the clothing store next. We managed to get two pairs of adult extreme-winterized coveralls, plus boots and gloves. Nothing was available for Pea, we would have to make use of the clothing we had by putting on multiple layers and wrapping her up. I was confident we could keep ourselves alive should the cold come, but not for more than a few days.

  We settled back in our tiny apartment, our new purchases taking up a third of our unused space. Denise was sulking as Pea poked around at the stack of goods on the floor. I stood behind Denise, rubbing her shoulders as she sat in a chair.

  "Doesn't do us any good to be upset," I said. "Best we can do now is make a safety plan and pray nothing happens."

  "When you go off to work in the morning, I want you to have one thing and one thing only in the forefront of your mind. Getting back here to us should anything happen. We barricade the door and stay here until a way out becomes clear."

  I sat in the chair beside her, taking her hand and holding it gently between my own. "I'm only a comm away. You say the word and I'll be here as fast as possible. The two of you are what's most important to me and I'll do everything I can to protect you."

  "Good. Then figure out a way to get us off this planet. Right now, I don't care if we have to take out a fat corporate loan to do it."

  I looked down at Pea with a smile as she did her best to try on my new boots. "Are you worried about your parents?"

  "I'm worried about us all, Ray. I don't think we're getting the full story on these aliens. First, we discover a handful of ships, then a few more pop up and attack a colony? I'm worried there's a lot they aren't telling us. And to top it off, they're holding families here?"

  I glanced at the door. "Hey, we haven't had dinner. I know that won't solve our problems, but we have to eat."

  Pea clomped over in my boots and grabbed her mother's leg. "I'm starving!" She slumped to the floor in an act of drama.

  Denise broke from her funk, reaching down to pick up her child. "Well, if you're starving I guess we'll have to take you to the hospital."

  "No! The cafeteria!"

  After a run for dinner, the rest of the evening was spent watching the news channel. Every hour the commentators repeated the same story over and over, but with edits. The corporation newscasters modified and minimized the original information about Merchain. To me, it was evident the order to not frighten the people had been given. I reasoned TC was starting to wise up.

  I laid in bed beside Denise, holding a tablet as I searched the data feeds for the possibility of hiring a charter. A group online had shown interest from more than three hundred people before it suddenly disappeared from the company servers. I wondered how it was we were supposed to charter a shuttle to come out for family members, if we weren't allowed to go in together. It was another move that had TC's fingerprints all over it.

  In the morning I ate a hearty breakfast. As I made my way up to the first floor to work, I thought about how it could have been my last official meal—should the aliens attack. When I walked into the office, I was shocked by the fact nearly a third of the workers had failed to show up.

  My supervisor, Siegfried, was livid. "How are we supposed to make progress when people are staying in their apartments? This is important work. The Union needs our help."

  Danny was the unfortunate one who took the bait. "They're just worried about their families. Let them have today and they'll be back tomorrow when they see nothing new has happened."

  Siegfried stopped in front of Danny's desk. "That outburst will cost you a bonus credit, Mr. O'Shays!"

  "Outburst? What outburst? I was just stating a fact!"

  Siegfried looked around as he raised his voice. "Does anyone else want to give up their credits?"

  The room went silent.

  "Good. Now get back to work. We have a mine to open. Your work here is vital to the defense of the Union."

  I wanted to call Siegfried out for his gross overreaction, but I knew there was no benefit to be had by getting on the wrong side of his anger. I turned my efforts back to finding errors in the diagrams.

  It was late in the afternoon when I began to hear nervous whispers and worried mumbles ripple through the office.

  Danny O'Shays turned to face me. "They just reported another attack."

  "What? Where?"

  "A cargo hauler heading out to Merchain from Demos. Apparently alien warships attacked it on its last leg, just before arrival."

  "Isn't that system swarming with military craft by now?"

  "You would think. But it looks like they aren't sending any out. Speculation is they're keeping them at the main colony bases. I'd think the order is coming to evacuate any colonies they can't protect. That would include us."

  "Actions speak louder than words."

  Danny returned a confused look. "What?"

  "Sorry. My wife has been using all these old sayings of late. I guess some are sticking with me."

  I leaned closer, using a low voice. "Don't think Mr. Goodall will go for an evacuation. If we aren't mining, he's not making a profit. And given the fact our mine here isn't even in
full operation, he has no interest in shutting it down after so much has been invested. He would think that to be a sign of weakness to his father."

  Danny huffed. "There's no profit if they bomb this place and his workers are all dead. He might want to consider cutting his losses while he can."

  I knew it had been told to me in confidence by TC, but I couldn't help blurting it out. "I hear they are requesting a pair of cruisers to come out here. That at least would be enough to prevent what happened at Merchain."

  "You heard this from where?"

  "Doesn't matter, but I believe it's what the corporation is attempting to do. Now let's get back to work before we get ourselves in trouble."

  Several hours later, Siegfried rushed over to my workspace. "Mr. Jackson. I've been asked to escort you directly to Mrs. Bartholomew's office."

  I stood. "Okay. I know the way. It's only just down the hall."

  "My orders are to escort you. I don't know what it is you've done, but this is highly unusual. Come. Immediately."

  The walk was hurried. Janet Bartholomew was showing an equally unhappy expression on her face. Siegfried bowed and hastily retreated toward his office.

  "What's this about?" I asked as Janet came from behind her desk.

  "Just follow me and keep quiet."

  For a moment I wondered if TC had arranged for a shuttle to take Denise and Pea. That wonder quickly faded as we entered the next hall. Two of the security officers who protected TC grabbed my arms.

  "You'll come with us."

  Janet turned away before I could get a reading from her face. They walked me down a long hall and past another pair of guards. I was hustled into an office where TC was standing, gazing out a broad window behind his desk.

  "Such a cold and barren place, don't you think?"

  "Sure?"

  I glanced around at the awards covering the previously blank walls of his office. They had been given by various other Aarlis corporations. I chuckled to myself at the obvious propaganda nature of it all.

  TC turned to his guards. "Leave us. Mr. Jackson, take a seat."