"So what? If the company doesn't like it, they can dock my pay," said Ellis and shut off the intercom. He was actually quite grateful to have Leila Pfister aboard. She was an expert in shipboard instrumentation. However, she had no naval training and thus little discipline. She had what Ellis considered an unfortunate predilection toward arguing with orders. He grinned to himself, thinking that he had the same predilection. After all, he had been in the Navy for only two years before they booted him out for insubordination.
Ellis had argued with the ship's lieutenant about a matter of procedure. He had, of course, been right. In fact, he rarely was wrong never had a decision backfire. As a result, he found himself in command of a Mao Corporation cargo ship at the young age of twenty-seven.
With a yawn, he crawled onto his bunk and slept as the ship approached Sufiro. He slept fitfully, but woke refreshed. Looking at the time, he saw that it was still about five hours before the ship came within scanning range of the planet. He called the mess and ordered breakfast, then showered. When he got out, a bowl of oatmeal and a mug of coffee sat steaming on his Spartan dining table. He ignored them for a moment, while he checked his messages. Aside from the routine ship status reports, there was a note that Peter Stone wanted to speak with him. When he finally got back to the food, it had cooled off. He warmed up his coffee in the heating unit then settled in to eat the cold, gooey oatmeal. Once finished, he got dressed and returned to his computer console.
The captain looked up as the next watch was announced over the intercom. When he checked the time, he realized he had been working for four hours. He called for the steward to remove the tray and asked Stone to come to his quarters.
When Stone walked in, his round clean-shaven face was beet-red. "What's the deal, Captain?" he said angrily. "Do you keep all your appointments waiting six hours?!"
Ellis cleared his throat, then reached into a wooden box on his desk for a cigar. He lit it, then turned back, examining the man. "I didn't realize we had an appointment. All I got was a note asking to see me."
"Demanding to see you," Stone corrected. He helped himself to a chair. Stone's body looked awkward in the tight fitting gray jump suit he wore. It was the type used for protection during the jump. Ellis insisted all passengers wear them.
Since he wouldn't be executing another jump for some hours, Ellis wore white trousers and a light blue Mao Corporation uniform shirt. "Sir, aboard a corporate ship, only one of my bosses has the right to demand my attention. Otherwise, my first duty is to shipboard operations."
Stone snorted. "I own stock in this company."
Ellis nodded, accepting the statement, but still
acknowledging no authority. "What can I do for you?"
"I understand you're going to run a deep planetary scan of Sufiro's World." Stone's color began to return to normal.
Again, Ellis nodded. "Starting in about an hour."
Stone grumbled, looking down at his round belly. "I suppose that means seven hours by your clock." Then he looked up again. "Captain, as you know, I'm going to Sufiro's World to start a business. I'm hoping to open a food and restaurant chain. You know—something profitable on an agricultural world. However, I would be quite interested in hearing about any interesting mineralogical finds, if you get my drift."
"I have a feeling the most interesting mineral we'll find is basalt or maybe some pretty feldspars," said Ellis, grinning around his cigar. "But I'll let you know if we find anything." "Thank you," said Stone gruffly. He turned to leave.
"By the way, Mr. Stone," began Ellis. Stone turned. "We'll arrive at the planet in about four hours. My first officer would appreciate it if you had her quarters straightened up before you leave the ship."
"Damned if I ever get transport on a Mao ship again!"
Ellis grinned. He had little to worry about. No corporate ship was expected to please its passengers. He was only expected to deliver his cargo to Sufiro's World safely. He admitted to himself that he really enjoyed the freedom that such a job offered him. It allowed him to use the ship's equipment to indulge his hobby of planetology.
He sat back, put his hands behind his head and looked at an old brown map of Nantucket Island on his wall. The island was little more than a giant sand bar. In many ways, he was just as grateful. Nantucket was his home. It was unsuitable for the large construction that had covered much of the rest of the Earth. There was also a nostalgia element. Many people insisted that there be one island on Earth where some sense of history was maintained. Consequently, the outside of the buildings were all maintained in historic style while—with the exception of museums—the insides were done with modern appliances and furniture. Still, he wondered whether the fact that he was born in a place with few natural rocks had anything to do with his fascination of them.
Looking at the time again, he almost jumped out of his chair. The ship was almost close enough to the planet to begin scanning. Though he didn't actually have to be on the bridge for that—Pfister would see that all went as it was supposed to—he liked the idea of being there.
He stood and made his way to the command deck. Once he arrived, Leila Pfister acknowledged him. "We're about to begin the scan." Her angular features were enhanced by the faint glow from her holo display.
"I thought so," said Ellis, gruffly. He scanned the deck as she began work. The ship was humming along and functioning as it was supposed to. Ellis turned his attention to the holographic viewer. The planet was in view. However, the sight wasn't terribly interesting in itself. They were approaching from the night side with the uninhabited continent toward them. There weren't even any lights to break up the landscape. All that could be seen was a large black ball with its limb faintly illuminated, blocking the light of a few thousand stars.
Ellis retrieved a cup of coffee and stood by the wheel while the pilot made preparations to enter orbit. Entering planetary orbit was tricky business. Most of the time Ellis would not trust it to a junior officer, however his attention was divided between the scan and seeing to the ship's safe arrival.
Pfister typed several commands into the computer. She knew that the communicator could enter the commands faster, but it still meant relaying commands; there would be delay as information came in. She preferred to see the data herself and adjust the scan as information came in. A list of minerals began to appear on the screen. "About as we expected, sir," she reported. "Surface scan reveals little more than common rocks, available on just about any terrestrial planet in the galaxy."
Ellis nodded and stepped over to her station to look over her shoulder. Long ago, he decided that he liked Pfister, just because such an action didn't bother her.
"Adjusting scan to sub-surface layers," she reported.
Ellis sipped his coffee. The first sub-surface scan showed nothing more interesting than the surface scan. Pfister's long, narrow fingers typed in more commands. Her brown eyes widened in some surprise as the next readings began coming in. She pointed to the screen.
"Now that is interesting." The captain pursed his lips as he stared at the screen.
"What's interesting?" asked Peter Stone, who had stepped onto the command deck while Ellis was staring at the screen.
"There is a surprising lack of quartz for the amount of basaltic rock and granite on the surface," said Ellis tightly.
Stone shook his head in despair.
"Now would you please get off deck." The captain clenched his teeth, forcing himself to be polite in front of the crew. "We're in the middle of maneuvers for entering orbit. I want no distractions. I promise I'll let you know if anything of entrepreneurial interest turns up."
Stone nodded curtly and left the deck. Pfister looked up at her captain and made a motion to come close. "I honestly don't think he was disturbing the crew, sir," she whispered.
"His presence disturbed me," Ellis whispered back. "Now, back to your scan."
She turned back to the console, grinning. She deepened the scan. She shook her head and whistled. Ellis looked
at the screen, while sipping his coffee. His gray eyes widened and he swallowed too fast. He hurriedly put the coffee down and coughed. Leila Pfister hit him on the back a couple of times. Feeling better, he turned his attention back to the screen. "Plot a chart," he ordered.
A detailed map of the continent appeared. The first scans showed nothing of interest. Then underneath large sections of the continent were layers and layers of Erdonium, the naturally occurring metal alloy used in star cruiser hulls. It was almost impossible to produce the alloy artificially. More importantly, it was cheaper to mine it than to produce it. It did not occur naturally on Earth. In fact, it was extremely rare on planets that supported human life, usually occurring only in trace quantities. For years, the only planet believed to have Erdonium in man's home solar system was Mercury. It was later discovered in trace amounts on Venus.
"Well," said Ellis standing upright, hands on his hips. "I might just have something to tell Mr. Stone after all. I'll be in my quarters. Please let Mr. Stone know I'll meet him there."
"Aye, sir." Pfister nodded curtly.
Ellis walked back to his quarters and sat down behind his desk. Stone arrived shortly thereafter. "Well, you didn't keep me waiting this time, I see."
Ellis typed something on his computer screen then moved aside so Stone could see. The geological map of the uninhabited continent was displayed. On it, he superimposed the location of the Erdonium deposits.
"What's that?" said Stone, stabbing a pudgy finger at the screen. "What are those funny letters?"
"That, Mr. Stone, is Erdonium," said Ellis.
Stone looked at the map. "Impossible. Humans can't survive on any planet where Erdonium exists."
"What about the Epsilon Eridani system?" countered Ellis. He despised broad generalizations.
"Yeah, but there's hardly any there," said Stone. "This is the find of a century." He looked at the map and whistled softly. "Could I get a copy of this?"
"The scanning equipment belongs to the Mao Corporation." Ellis shook his head. "So does the data." The captain reached over and turned off the terminal.
"But if the Mao Corporation hears about this..." Stone stammered. "They have their own mining interests. What about my interests?"
"I thought you were opening up a grocery chain." Ellis sat back, folding his arms.
"Erdonium is a hell of a lot more valuable than corn, Captain Ellis," stated Stone, who began to pace. "What say we suppress these findings for a little while?"
"I can't do that," said Ellis. Stone stamped his feet and started turning red. "Mr. Stone, please sit and calm down," said the captain. Stone sat, but he was still red. "Mr. Stone, this ship belongs to the shipping division of the Mao Corporation as you, no doubt, know. We cannot lay claim to anything. There are no miners aboard this ship. I am not leaving here for a week. It'll take that long to drop off our shipment and pick one up for the next planet. It'll be a few months before I even get back to headquarters on Earth." Stone's blue eyes lit up. "Also, Mao is a corporate giant. It'll take them months to get an expedition together out here, explore then lay claim as necessary."
"That makes about a year." Stone nodded approvingly. "But why not just transmit the data back to Earth? I'm sure you would get a large reward." Stone inclined his head, suspicious.
"Are you so sure?" Ellis shrugged. "I've heard people say that freighter captains don't know anything about mineralogy. Even if I did send it back, it would be met with the same skepticism you displayed just now. They'd still be nearly a year getting an expedition together."
"In which time, I can lay a legal claim." Stone rubbed his plump hands together.
"Indeed," said Ellis. "Plus, you'll have to find the Erdonium."
"What?" asked Stone, nearly jumping out of the chair.
"You'll have to discover the Erdonium for yourself. If the Mao Corporation learns you found out from me, they'll pull strings with the Gaean Alliance and insist you jumped their claim," explained Ellis.
"But that's not legal!"
"So sue them," said Ellis, grinning. "Or do you think you won't have enough money to sue the Mao Corporation?"
Stone's eyes narrowed. "So, what do you get out of this deal?"
"What deal?" asked Ellis. "Finding rocks is my hobby."
"Surely you want something else," said Stone suspiciously.
"All I ask is that you don't go out of your way to find all of the deposits. If there's enough left for Mao to make a profit, I'll get a raise and that'll make me happy as a quohog."
"What's a quohog?"
"Like a clam only tastier."
Stone sighed. "Okay, can I see the map again, off the record?"
Ellis nodded and turned on the terminal redisplaying the map. Stone stared at it for a while. He got up and left without a word. Ellis was certain that he was going to sketch the location on a map somewhere. He didn't mind. In fact, he was relieved to have Stone out of his quarters. Standing, he made sure his shirt was tucked in, then returned to the command deck to see what new finds there would be.
At the command deck, the Nantucket's shipping clerk was waiting. "Sir, awaiting orders for delivery of the first shipment."
Ellis took the clipboard-sized computer from the lieutenant's hand. He saw the names of cities that items were going to: Nuevo Santa Fe, New Des Moines, and Succor. He looked at the last. They were supplies for a windmill power generator to go to an Ellison Firebrandt. Ellis tapped the screen. "Why do I know that name?" he asked.
"What name?" asked Pfister, turning.
"Ellison Firebrandt."
"He was Sufiro's first homesteader," explained Pfister. "He named the planet and pretty much runs the show."
"I thought a Floyd McClintlock was the governor," said Ellis.
"He may be," said Pfister shrugging. "All I know is that whoever the governor is, he listens to Ellison Firebrandt."
Ellis nodded, understanding. "Then I'd better take that shipment personally." He turned to the shipping clerk. "Would you see to it please."
"Aye, sir," responded the clerk. He turned on his heel and left.
"Still..." said Ellis, musing. "Wasn't Firebrandt famous for something else? Over twenty years ago, before the founding of Sufiro's World?" Ellis ran his fingers through his short hair. "Wasn't he a ship's captain or something?"
"Privateer captain," said Pfister, nodding.
"Privateer..." Ellis shook his head. "That's it. Not the same person." He snapped his fingers. "Admiral Barbara Firebrandt of Alpha Coma Berenices. She's the one who went around and routed out all the pirates." He shook his head remembering the fact from his history classes. It was a major moment in history. Yet it was the kind of fact that happened recently enough that it wasn't always covered in class. As a child, he'd only been vaguely aware of the event. Still, her task had been an impressive one. "Strange coincidence in names, though," he mused. He thought about meeting with a pirate. Though he didn't like the idea, the service of a large multi-planet corporation often put him in situations he didn't like. He also didn't necessarily like the idea of going down for an extended time, but knew that was a possibility. Leaders of frontier worlds could be quite chatty. "Ms. Pfister, I'll leave you in charge here. Meanwhile, I'll go squeeze myself into a dress uniform."
"Aye aye, sir," she said as he left the command deck. * * * *
Peter Stone was humming a merry tune as he stepped into the quarters he shared with his son aboard the Nantucket. He pulled out a small foldout desk in the wall and typed a command on the keypad embedded in its surface. A map of the unexplored continent appeared from the slot at the back of the desk. With a trembling hand, Stone managed to add circles around the locations of the Erdonium deposits. He folded the map carefully and placed it inside his luggage. As he closed the mag-clasp on his suitcase, he heard the gentle swish of the door opening.
Sam Stone dragged his feet as he sulked into the room. His hands were thrust deeply in the pockets of the over-sized jump suit. The boy dropped heavily into the c
hair his father had abandoned.
Peter Stone hefted the suitcase to the ground and sat on the bed, facing his son. "What's the matter?"
"I miss Earth," said Sam, looking down, kicking at the deck with the toe of his boot. The boy sighed heavily. "Why do we have to go to some hick planet out in the sticks?"
Stone pursed his lips and looked toward the cabin's ceiling, remembering his last week on Earth. He sat in his office in the lavish Gaean Bank building, working late on a contract due the next morning. The next thing he remembered was the faint glow of light streaming in through the office window and the bank president standing in front of him, tapping his foot. Stone had fallen asleep. He had been late with a contract and cost the bank quadrillions in electronic currency. The next thing he knew, he was without work. Taxes began to accumulate on his savings. "We had to get out when we could," he said, shrugging.
Sam snorted. "You were an assistant vice-president of Gaean Bank. You could have got another job."
Peter Stone clapped his pudgy hands together and looked his son in the eye. "A job?" He was suddenly struck by a paroxysm of laughter that rolled through his girth. "Why would I want to be assistant vice-president of a mere bank when I could be a captain of industry?" Sam Stone shook his head slowly, leaving his father alone in the ship's cabin, humming happily.
SEDUCTION
Ellison Firebrandt sat in his office. Twenty years before, he would not have thought it possible he would ultimately sit behind a paper-covered desk within the homestead. He had been forced to accept the reality that people looked up to him as a planetary leader. He and Roberts built the office ten years after the first settlers arrived. Large windows faced out, over the valley. The captain sat at his desk after a hard morning in the field, intermittently reading an old, tattered book and staring out the windows. From his vantage, he could see that Succor had turned into an impressive village. In the north, New Des Moines had grown even faster.
The teleholo beeped from somewhere deep in the ship. "I'll get it," came the young voice of Suki Firebrandt. The captain smiled to himself. He thought about his daughter's wish to get off the planet. She wanted to attend college, but there were none on Sufiro. "Daddy," she called.
The Pirates of Sufiro (Book 1) (Old Star New Earth) Page 10
