Into the War (Rise of the Republic Book 3)

by James Rosone

  Pauli nodded as he took a couple sips of his beer. “Yeah, I do, but they’re much younger than me. After I was born, my mom wasn’t able to have any more biological kids. When I left to join the military, my parents started over and they went into the business of adopting unwanted babies. You know, when a woman is on her way to an abortion clinic to terminate a pregnancy, they’ll try to talk to the woman and convince her to keep the baby, and they’ll adopt it.”

  “Really? How is it we’ve been friends for almost seven years, and I never knew that about your parents? Oh, and how exactly does that work? I hadn’t heard about people doing that before.” Yogi finished off his steak and started in on the green beans.

  “I guess we don’t talk too much about our families or home life, I suppose,” said Pauli. “What my mom usually does is when she sees a woman approaching one of the facilities, she usually offers the woman a fifty-dollar gift card to Starbucks if the woman will give her five minutes of her time. They talk, and my mom usually convinces them not to go through with the termination. My parents help support the woman financially during the process. When the baby is born, the legal adoption paperwork is drawn up and completed. Then my parents raise the baby like it’s their own. So far, they have five little ones they're raising, so my brothers and sisters are ages six on down.”

  “Wow, that’s amazing, Pauli. So, not trying to change the subject, but tomorrow is our last day of this pass. I’m going to meet up with an Andoran rancher tomorrow and talk about possibly investing in his ranch. Would you like to come with me?”

  Pauli was a bit taken aback. He hadn’t known Yogi to be into investing or things like that, but then they’d never really talked about it.

  “Um, maybe. What can you tell me about it?” Pauli asked as he finished off his steak.

  Yogi smiled. “I found out about it from an old high school friend of mine. He managed to get a residency permit for New Eden, so he lives here now. He and two other friends I’ve known since high school bought a ten-thousand-acre plot of land forty or fifty kilometers outside the city. They’re building a large ranch to cultivate Andoras to be sold and shipped back to Earth. He was telling me it was going to be one of the hottest industries in the future.”

  “Damn, that does sound interesting,” said Pauli. “What’s the catch? I mean, what are they after?” He sat back in his chair, stuffed to the gills.

  “Money,” Yogi answered. “They need a lot of capital to get going. They’ve spent nearly all their cash on acquiring the land and getting it built up—you know, fencing, barns and stables, things like that. Next, they need to get a slaughterhouse built and then cultivate the land better. They have a few thousand acres of timber that needs cutting down so they can turn the land into fields for the cattle. They’re trying to raise thirty million RDs to get fully operational.”

  Pauli let out a soft whistle at the number. That wasn’t a small number to raise. RDs weren’t like the old American dollar. Now that precious metals were becoming more plentiful from asteroid mining, the Republic had backed all currencies with it. The pay soldiers received was actually pretty good in comparison to what it used to be half a century earlier. Being deployed on a campaign for sometimes years at a time with nothing to spend your money on also meant a lot of soldiers had money to invest or burn on stupid things like fast cars they’d hardly ever drive.

  “What’s the rate of return on this investment?” Pauli asked.

  Smiling, Yogi pulled out his tablet and opened a file up. “They’re paying a ten percent dividend on your investment each quarter. So it’s decent. However, if you’re willing to forgo the dividend, it can be reinvested and grow your stake in the company. They’re doing a stock valuation in a month to determine what the company is valued at. That’s how they’ll ascertain the stock price. Every three years, they’ll do another stock evaluation. So basically, you want to buy up as much stock in the company as you can now before they do their second valuation. Once they do that, we’ll be able to see how well our investment has done.”

  “Damn, Yogi. You’ve really put a lot of thought into this,” Pauli remarked, shocked. “How much are you going to invest?”

  “I’ve saved nearly all my pay in the Army, so I’m going to put most of it in with them,” Yogi said, reviewing his tablet. “I think that comes out to a hundred and eighty thousand RDs, give or take. I mean, I’m keeping twenty-five percent of my savings, but I’ll throw the rest of it their way.”

  Pauli thought about that. He’d managed to keep the enlistment bonus for SF—all the guys joining the Rangers were getting bonuses. All told, he was sitting on around three hundred and twenty thousand RDs. “OK, Yogi. You’ve sold me. Let’s go check out this place tomorrow. If I like it and they’re legit, I’ll probably do something similar to what you’re doing. But in the afternoon, before we have to report back, I’m meeting up with another company about investing with them. You might like them as well. They’re a small outfit that provides a specific piece of technology to Tesla. Without their component, the hovercar doesn’t work and they’ve got a minimum twenty-five-year patent on the technology, so they should be making money for a while.”

  “Really?” asked Yogi, his left eyebrow raised. “How did you find out about this?”

  “Oh, you know. I did some asking around a few weeks ago when I saw a hovercar for the first time. A captain over in the battalion S4 was telling me about it. He linked me up with someone from the company that was handling their investor relations. The only trick was you have to invest a minimum of one hundred thousand RDs to get in on it.”

  “I like it, diversifying,” said Yogi. “Let’s do it. We’ll go hit both places tomorrow before we have to sign back into the company.”

  *******

  “Sergeant Major, you wanted to see me?” asked Pauli.

  “Actually, the three of us wanted to see you,” Captain Hiro interjected. “Take a seat, Smith.” Pauli’s first sergeant and sergeant major were both seated next to him.

  “Sergeant Smith, I know you’ve just recently received your orders for Delta selection and are probably eager to start your transition to them,” Captain Hiro began. “Is there any chance we could convince you to stay here with us as the division transitions over to Special Forces and this new Ranger unit they want to turn us all into?”

  “I know I’m new to the battalion,” Pauli’s first sergeant said, “but I’m not new to the Army. I’ve seen your record and I’ve observed you training during our cruise back to New Eden. You’re a natural-born leader, Smith. You soldier well and you know how to motivate and take care of your people. I like that about you. I know I come across as a hard-ass. I was doing that to test you guys and get a better feel for how well you NCOs handle and fight as a unit. I agree with the sergeant major. We’d like to keep you around if possible. What can we do to make that happen?”

  Pauli was a little surprised. He rarely ever talked to these two. A soldier didn’t usually talk to the battalion sergeant major or company first sergeant unless they were in trouble.

  “I thought about this all weekend,” Pauli began. “For the longest time, I wanted to be a part of Special Forces. I knew I had to wait until my enlistment was done before I could join, so I did. I was even more excited when I was given a training slot. But this opportunity to still join Special Forces and be an Army Ranger…that sounds damn cool to me. So, to answer your question, yes, I’d like to stay on and be a part of this new unit we’ll be creating.”

  Both senior NCOs smiled happily at his answer.

  “Excellent, Smith. See, Top? I knew we could count on him. Smith’s been with the unit for more than six years. He’s loyal as hell to the company,” the sergeant major said.

  Pauli sat there, just soaking it up. Not that he chased that kind of praise—he just wasn’t used to getting it from the senior NCOs, so when they did give it, he wanted to lap it all up.

  “I agree, Sergeant Major,” said the first sergeant. “So, Smith, here’
s the next deal. You’re going to stay as squad leader, but we’re also making you the assistant platoon sergeant. If Master Sergeant Dunham doesn’t switch over or he ends up getting transferred to another platoon or company, we will promote you up. We both want you to know that you’re on a very short list of sergeants who’ll make the next grade when a slot opens up, so don’t do anything to screw it up between now and then. Keep your nose clean and continue to kick ass like you’ve been doing. OK?”

  “Yes, First Sergeant, you can count on me,” Pauli replied jovially. He was happy to be staying and even more glad the top two NCOs in the unit thought so highly of him.

  “OK, Smith, dismissed. Get back to your squad and figure out who’s going to stay or go. We need to start running those staying through the selection process. We’ve got a lot of work between now and then that needs to happen.”

  Chapter Sixteen

  A Date with Destiny

  Cobalt

  Messier 31

  “Are you nervous about this meeting?” Pandolly asked Ambassador Chapman and Admiral Hunt.

  The three of them were standing near the observation window, staring at the enormous but stunning Gallentine planet as their ship approached it. The space around Cobalt was abuzz with activity. Hundreds of smaller ships were moving in and out of orbit. Some were docking at the gigantic and incredible station that wrapped around the entire planet like a ring. Others simply jumped away to far-off places unknown.

  Chapman and Hunt stood speechless, taking in the overwhelming scene. It was unlike anything any of them had ever seen before. The station that wrapped around the planet was incredible, beyond imagination. The planet didn’t look like a planet at all. Nearly the entire surface of Cobalt, except for the oceans and a few spots here and there, was covered by cities. In the darkness of space, the lights glowed brightly. On the day side, the cities still shimmered with light as the sun refracted off the buildings’ surface.

  “Should we be nervous about this meeting, Pandolly?” Hunt pressed.

  “No, I do not think so,” the Altairian replied flatly. “I know Ambassador Chapman has been eager to learn more about them. This will be your chance. The Gallentines are eager to meet you as well. When we introduced your species to them and told them about your exploits up to this point, they were very impressed. It is one of the reasons why they are agreeing to meet with you.”

  “I take it this isn’t a standard request,” Hunt commented. “They don’t normally meet with the other races within the alliance?”

  Pandolly shook his head softly. “As a matter of fact, the Gallentines have never met any of the other species in the Galactic Empire. That is why I requested that you not tell anyone else. They have left the growth and development of the Milky Way alliance for us to manage. Their requesting to meet with you in person like this is a great honor—”

  Hunt interrupted, “I thought you were introducing them to us in exchange for the Republic withdrawing our proposal to attack Tueblets?”

  “Yes and no, Miles,” Pandolly replied. “You have many questions and many good ideas, but you lack the understanding of the bigger picture. The Gallentines have been interested in your species since we first introduced you to them. However, when we presented your plan to attack Tueblets to them, they were intrigued enough that they insisted on specifically meeting you, Miles, in person. I asked to bring Ambassador Chapman along so she could learn more about them for your people. This may be the only time you are allowed to see or meet the Gallentines, so I would like you to have as many of your questions answered as possible during this trip.”

  “Pandolly, what can you tell us about this station?” Nina asked with genuine curiosity. “It appears to wrap completely around the planet.”

  “It does wrap around the planet. It took many hundreds of years to build. Now, as you can see, it is an integral part of their planet. Multiple space elevators connect it to the surface below. Various parts of the station have different functions: some are used for shipbuilding, some for regular commerce, some for living quarters. The planet, as you can see, is very densely populated,” Pandolly explained.

  “How many people live on Cobalt?” Nina inquired.

  Pandolly turned to face her. “I am not sure of the official count. The last I was told, the population was somewhere close to sixty-two billion. Cobalt is the center of the Galactic Empire. It is the heart and soul of an alliance that spans multiple galaxies and thousands of planets.”

  Hunt shook his head at the information. He couldn’t fathom something so massive. To think, his people had only been a spacefaring people for less than two hundred years, and now he was about to meet a species that had been traveling the stars for tens of thousands of years—a species so advanced he couldn’t even wrap his head around what they could do.

  An hour later, their ship connected with the station and they began the process of boarding it. When their little group left the Altairian ship, they found two people waiting for them. One was Altairian, the second Gallentine.

  It was the first time Admiral Hunt had seen a Gallentine in person. Although he had seen pictures, nothing compared to meeting a species for the first time. Hunt immediately noticed that their skin color came the closest to the stereotype he’d always heard of “little green men,” but it was really more of an olive color. Their high foreheads led up to a head full of stringy hair that matched their skin tone. Their eyes were olive-colored as well, punctuated by irises that were bright blue. The Gallentines were a bit taller than humans, but not quite as tall as Zodarks; Hunt knew people that were this tall, even if they were outside the norm. The Gallentines were a bulky muscular species, with seven fingers and two opposable thumbs on each hand—Hunt hoped he never found himself in battle against this species.

  The alien stepped forward toward them, unafraid. “Hello, Admiral Miles Hunt, people of Earth. My name is Velator. I will be your official Gallentine ambassador and guide during your visit to our planet.”

  Despite Pandolly’s briefings, Hunt was still unsure of the exact protocol to follow when meeting a Gallentine. “Thank you, Velator,” he responded. “It is a pleasure to finally meet you, and your people. I believe we will learn much from each other during this trip.”

  “I believe you are right, Admiral Hunt,” Velator responded warmly. “We were most impressed with your plan to defeat the Zodarks. Let us spend a few days giving you a tour of this station. It is important for you to understand the history here, and how it has become an anchor for the alliance. It wasn’t until we built this station more than a thousand years ago that we became the dominant power in the Andromeda galaxy and the other nearby galaxies. Please, if you will follow me, I will take you to your quarters. Once you have had a short while to settle in, I will give you a tour and explain more of our history and culture to you.

  “After our tour of the station, you will have a better understanding of our people. Then I will take you down to the planet. From there, I have arranged for several briefings to take place to give you additional knowledge of the Galactic Empire: the territory we control, some of our adversaries, and the importance of the Milky Way to the Empire. Then you will be given a short audience with the Emperor. You will join him and his chancellor for a private dinner. The following day, you will return back to Altairius Prime with a new task given to you by the Emperor himself.”

  This last piece of information caught Hunt by surprise, but he kept his excitement and questions to himself. There would be plenty of time to ask more questions. Right now, they were in receiving mode.

  Later that day, Velator guided them through part of the station that led to the shipyards they had seen on their approach to the station. During their transit to the yard, Miles, Nina, and Ethan had seen more than two dozen different species of aliens. All the species interacted as if it wasn’t unusual to see so many different alien races cobbled together. Through the use of the universal translator embedded in his inner ear, Miles was able to understand everything
spoken by each of them.

  A short while later, they reached an office and entered it. Whatever was written on the door was in a language Miles had never seen before. When they entered, there were six Gallentines working at several stations. There was also a large window that overlooked a large assembly line inside a drydock facility.

  Velator explained, “This is the first stage of a ship’s construction. Whether military or commercial, they all start in this part of the factory. Now, why am I showing you this?”

  The Gallentine let the question hang there for a second before he answered it. “I am showing you this because, like your race, we also use robotics and machines in our daily lives and in the building processes of our society. But we found a way to integrate machines into the process without replacing our people. As you would say, we have kept a ‘human in the loop,’ so to speak. This is important and I am going to show you, over time, why it is important and why I am teaching you this lesson.”

  The group stayed there for a few minutes, observing. Miles whispered to his son to make sure to take copious notes. This would aid in the audio reports they would create at the end of each day, which they’d use to put together a comprehensive report to send back to Earth later on.

  Several hours later, after dinner, they spent a significant amount of time learning about the history of the Gallentine people: who they were, when they had first discovered space, when they had first united as a people, and then their expansion into space. This discussion lasted well into the evening. It was nearly morning by the time they were escorted back to their living quarters. They could only sleep for a few hours before they’d be picked up for the next day’s activities.

  *******

  When Miles got back to his room, he took forty minutes to compile his notes on what had transpired during the day. Then he collapsed on the bed. When his alarm woke him up three hours later, he felt like he’d been hit by a truck.