HADRON Resurgent

by Stephen Arseneault

  “You know, I don’t know. I never thought to look. You get used to just thinking about ships. I know what their ships look like.”

  Jeff pushed an image to the shuttle’s display. “Bipeds like most of us. Opposable thumbs. Green skin, a fish face, and bright red hair. Kind of look like a cross between a giant guppy and a Martian.”

  Jenny winced. “Poor things. No wonder they’re angry.”

  Mace laughed. “Well, might as well forget what I said about being scared. I don’t know if I’ll be able to stop laughing if I come face to face with that.”

  Jenny pointed with a smirk. “Gonna get yourself killed.”

  Mace nodded. “Noted.”

  The shuttle docked with the Rogers as she was on her way up through the atmosphere. After donning his battlesuit, Mace made his way to the bridge, arriving just as Earth’s lone defender passed through high orbit. As he buckled himself into his chair, a wormhole opened and the bright blue cruiser slipped through.

  The Rogers pulled up alongside the Revelation and the two ships watched from maximum sensor range.

  Mace opened a comm between the two. “Any more come through?”

  “Yes. A continuous stream. They’re at two hundred twenty and climbing.”

  “You have any of those nuke ships left?”

  “I do. Four are always at the ready.”

  “Any way to get one of those in close?”

  Jasper turned to his staff. “Find me a space in the middle of that pack where I can open a wormhole.”

  The first officer replied, “At once, Your Highness.”

  Less than a minute passed before an answer was returned. “Sire, there are three such locations. What are your orders?”

  Jasper said, “Open a wormhole back to Divinia. Bring through three of the nuclear raiders. Once here, we’ll send one through to each of those locations.”

  Mace frowned. “I feel for all those who will be caught in this. Not a pleasant way to die.”

  Jasper replied, “They’re the ones preparing to attack us. They could just stay on their side of the rift. We have to protect our own.”

  Mace nodded. “I’m not saying we don’t do it. I think it’s our best option right now. It’s just a nasty way to go, that’s all.”

  The two ships watched as more Karthian warships came through the rift and assembled. A wormhole opened with three of the nuclear ships moving through. As soon as the wormhole to Divinia closed, another was opened in a far section of the Karthian formation. The first of the nukes moved through, detonating as the wormhole came to a close. The second and third ships were moved into position and set off.

  The Karthian fleet began to move, heading back through the rift. Four ships remained in place, with another five showing minor external damage. The real damage however, would be on the inside.

  Jasper’s first officer came and knelt in front of the command chair. “It is done, Your Highness. We estimate 12 percent of the ships received a lethal or near-lethal dose of radiation. Another 26 percent will have longer term issues.”

  Jasper let out a sigh. “Thank you, Captain. Maybe this will make them think twice about staying home. Take us in and we’ll finish off those four they left behind.”

  Mace said, “Wait. Shouldn’t we take at least one of those for study? Those ships are still intact. I’d like to know what makes their shields impervious to our plasma cannons.”

  “What do you propose?”

  “We have a grapple. Let’s grab one and you open a wormhole back to Divinia. From there we can take our time looking it over.”

  Jasper gestured with his hand. “Make it happen. And stay away from that rift or they’ll rip into you with that green energy weapon they have.”

  The Rogers raced in, snaring a silent cruiser of equal size. The Revelation obliterated the remaining three. A wormhole was opened and the team moved through.

  Johnny and Jeff joined Mace as they met up with Jasper in a docking bay.

  Jasper pointed to a dead Karthian. “Cooked. Check your suits. Radiation levels are still reading high.”

  Jeff nodded. “This side of the ship was made radioactive by the neutron ionization. It may take as much as a week to dissipate. During that time make sure you keep your suits and helmets on.”

  As the group moved through the ship, it became apparent that more than half the Karthians were still alive. Some cried out in agony as others convulsed or gave blank stares.

  Jeff turned back. “I can’t take this. I’m going back to the shuttle.”

  “Let’s all go back,” said Jasper. “I’ll have a cleanup crew come through and take care of this. The Targarians won’t mind it. They don’t have much of a conscience when it comes to their enemies.”

  The shuttle soon departed, landing in bay one of the Rogers. Jasper barked orders to his commanders as he followed the others to the bridge.

  Seven hours passed before the fallen Karthian ship was deemed clean of bodies. The group returned, along with several hundred Targarian engineers and scientists who were eager to investigate Karthian technologies.

  Mace stayed on the bridge of the Rogers.

  Johnny stood beside him. “Don’t let it bother you. No worse than having some hot shrapnel tear into you from a plasma explosion.”

  “I guess not. It’s just another reminder of why one should not relish war. Don’t get me wrong, I’ll fight to defend what’s right, but I don’t have to like it.”

  Johnny put his hand on Mace’s shoulder. “You know how you told us your commanders would try to keep you soldiers busy so your minds were occupied? Well, I think we need to do some of that here. The Targarians will figure this out. Jasper will give us anything they discover. We should just head back to Earth and take care of our business there.”

  A week passed with no further sign of activity at the rift. The potential Karthian attack had been thwarted and a ship captured. The Targarians wasted no time in identifying the advanced technologies the Karthians had been using. The standard field on the Karthian ships was nothing more than a deeper inertial dampening field. Modifications to the Targarian fleet were already underway. A team would be sent to do the same to the Rogers.

  Mace sat on the front porch with Jenny beside him. “I was thinking about the picnic.”

  Jenny smirked. “The interrupted picnic. I’ve been thinking a lot about that, too.”

  Mace sighed. “As much as I enjoyed it, and as much as I enjoy talking with you, I think you’re becoming too much of a distraction. When we walked on that Karthian ship, other than the plight of the crew, all I could think about was protecting you—that you shouldn’t be seeing any of that.”

  Jenny placed her hand on Mace’s forearm. “Not to burst your bubble or anything, but I was doing the same. All I could think about was how much it was tearing you up to see that. And I know you can handle it. It’s just not a thought pattern I’ve had in a long time. I mean … it’s great, but we’re at war. I’d rather be focused on ending that first.”

  Mace chuckled. “Well, aren’t we two a kind? Both all twisted up about a relationship and using a war as an excuse not to have one.”

  Jenny nodded. “How about this… we dial it back. We take it slow and easy. The occasional picnic won’t hurt us. And if our fight for Earth slacks up, we’ll make a go of it.”

  Mace smiled. “I like the sound of that. Only problem for me is the genie might already be out of the bottle on this one.”

  Jenny squeezed his arm. “Well, I guess we’ll just have to deal with it then.”

  Mace looked into her eyes. “Well, I guess we will.”

  As he turned his head, Jane was standing in front of him with a grin. “This is so exciting!”

  Mace rolled his eyes as he stood. “Miss Taub, would you care to assist me on a run to Ronceverte? I’d like to take a ride on the bus over to London.”

  Jenny stood. “Sounds like a plan.”

  Jane frowned. “That’s it? No dirt for me?”

/>   Mace replied, “You worked yourself into this frenzy, you’ll have to work yourself out.”

  The bus ride from Ronceverte over to London was swift and pleasant. After a quick tour of the main London community center, the couple returned to the States. A shuttle was then taken out and over the Midwest. Farms were booming, machinery had been repaired, and was once again making the breadbasket of America into the breadbasket for the world it had once been. People were slowly migrating out of the community centers the Mawga had built. Small towns that had been abandoned were beginning to see life. Mankind was reclaiming their freedom on Earth at an ever-increasing pace.

  The shuttle docked with the Rogers.

  Mace walked onto a near empty bridge. “Mr. Mallot, what are you doing here?”

  Humphrey replied, “Keeping watch. I know we have the manned stations up there doing the same, but I’d like to stay on top of it if I can.”

  Mace nodded. “I know the feeling. Without having real family out there it’s hard to let this place go.”

  Humphrey spun his chair around, crossing his arms. “My hometown was wiped out during the starvation. Aunts, uncles, cousins… all gone. Essentially everyone I knew before all this started is dead.”

  Mace frowned. “Other than Johnny, Jane, and Vanessa, the same holds for me as well. The crew of this ship is my new family.”

  Mace sat in his command chair as Humphrey spun back to look at his display. “You think we’ll ever have it like we had before?”

  Mace shrugged. “Who knows. I think we often take for granted what we have until it’s gone. Oh, geez… now I sound like my mother. Anyway, the one thing that bothers me is… when will it be over? When will the rest of the galaxy just leave us alone?”

  “Those are the questions we’ll probably be asking for the rest of our lives. It’s a big galaxy out there, and we’re like a babe in the woods.”

  Chapter 18

  *

  A team of Targarian engineers finished the updates to the Rogers. Her dampening field would now handle a hit from the most powerful plasma cannon known. Tests with microwave cannons were run with a similar result. Jeff guessed the cannons on WarStation 56 might be blocked, but no one had interest in testing out that theory.

  A jump was made to the Canto colony to check on progress.

  “This is Mace Hardy with the Rogers. We’ll be landing in a few minutes. Is Frado Knuttin or Leonis Kontin here?”

  The port operator replied, “Mr. Kontin is here. I’ll let him know you’re coming.”

  The Rogers set down and the ramp lowered. A short walk had Mace and Johnny looking around a lounge area for new arrivals.

  Johnny looked around. “Nice setup. I like the ceiling height.”

  Mace laughed. “Don’t see too many ten foot ceilings anymore, do you?”

  Johnny shook his head. “Not with all these dwarf aliens running around. Was starting to think this galaxy wasn’t designed for a big guy.”

  Leonis Kontin walked into the room. “Excellent, our shareholders are here to see the work.”

  Mace nodded. “From the air it looks like you’ve made a lot of progress. I saw you have several dozen of our microwave pods up there in orbit. At least you’ll have some security this time.”

  Kontin nodded. “The designs were quite good. My engineers were impressed. Only minor modifications were made before they were deployed.”

  Mace asked, “That’s it, then? That’s all that go up?”

  Kontin replied, “That’s the first forty-six of one hundred eighteen planned. I will have to say the system does add a deterrent for those who would attack.”

  “Hopefully that issue has been taken care of. King Collins has seen to it that the species who attacked won’t be doing it again. Anyway, what can you show me of our progress?”

  Kontin smiled. “It’s coming along nicely. With the sky cannons, as we call them, in place, we have once again been able to find volunteer settlers. We have an iron and a bauxite mine taking shape again. I say again, because they were fully operational before the last attack. Progress shows them to each be producing at minimums now. We expect a short ramp-up where all our needs here can be sourced locally for those materials. Another sixteen mines are in the early excavation phase as well.”

  “How are the farms coming?”

  Kontin walked to a window looking out over a plain. “Fields have been or are being plowed. Soils and irrigation are being readied. We expect crop planting to commence in the coming weeks. With its frequent rains and temperate climate, Canto should be a big producer. We are gearing up to have two hundred thousand square kilometers of farmland producing by next growing season.”

  Johnny asked, “How long’s the growing season?”

  Kontin replied, “Year round. I believe the year here on Canto is sixteen of your Earth months. That gives us four growing seasons per annum. We’ll be a heavy exporter within eight months. Our processing plants and warehouses are under construction as we speak. You can see the beginnings of four large silos out there on the horizon.”

  Mace said, “How are your people when it comes to exotic fruits and vegetables?”

  Kontin replied, “They have quite the appetite. We’ve identified six marketable species that are native to here. We expect them to sell well back in the main colonies.”

  Mace pulled up an image of citrus fruits over his arm pad. “Could I suggest some groves of Earth fruits and nuts? And we have a slew of vegetables we could grow here.”

  Kontin stepped back. “Mr. Hardy, I never took you for a capitalist. I would be delighted to have our marketing team look over samples. As I’m sure you would suspect, not every United Front plant would be suited for Human palates, and the same holds true for Kohamian palates. Samples would be wonderful. In exchange I could provide samples of Kohamian foods. Perhaps Earth would be a market for us as well.”

  Johnny said, “You haven’t said anything about ranching. We have cows, pigs, chickens, and turkeys that are popular.”

  Kontin winced. “I’m afraid the Kohamian people don’t eat other animals. Seems barbaric, don’t you think?”

  Johnny laughed. “More like barbeque-ic.”

  Kontin returned a stare.

  Johnny pursed his lips. “Sorry. Just trying to be funny.”

  Mace chuckled. “You’ve lost your edge.”

  Johnny shook his head. “It’s a tough galaxy.”

  Mace asked, “So other than mining and farming, what other activities do we have going?”

  Kontin walked to another window. “Over there you’ll find the beginnings of a torus arena. The Kohamians love their sports.”

  Johnny raised an eyebrow. “Torus?”

  Leonis Kontin turned his feet to the side as if riding a skateboard. “The torus arena is played in an enclosed oval. Teams of eight—three strikers, two defenders, and three goalies, take on an opposing team of the same. They ride hoverboards around the arena, going up and over the ceiling if they have enough speed, all the time passing the striker ball.

  “The ball is just over the size of my fist. The goals at either end of the arena have target holes arranged in concentric circles. The purpose of the game is to get your ball in the opponent’s targets. The center hole in each of the three targets yields the highest point score. A total of one hundred points wins a game. Five games win a match.”

  Johnny nodded. “Sounds like fun. I guess you have leagues that compete?”

  Kontin replied, “Goodness, no. The teams are made up of prisoners. The losers are executed. It gives incentive for the players to give it their all.”

  Johnny’s gaze grew wide with thought as the corners of his mouth turned down.

  Kontin gave off a snickering laugh. “I only tease you. Yes, we have leagues. Every young Kohamian, both male and female, dreams of one day playing in the elite league. Two or three seasons with a winning team will provide you with a comfortable retirement. It’s tradition for fans of a player to send them support for the re
mainder of their lives. In return, players make themselves accessible for parties and conventions and whatnot.”

  Johnny grinned. “A species with a sense of humor. I like ‘em—except for that whole second class citizen thing. I can’t say I care for that.”

  Kontin replied, “We all have our strengths and weaknesses.”

  “How about other industries?” asked Mace.

  Kontin turned to a third window, looking down on the spaceport surrounding the terminal building. “We encourage and help fund new industries that will make this colony self-sufficient. We’ll soon have manufacturers of plastics and industries that harvest forests and form products. Within a year you will see a thriving city with banks, restaurants, shopping, and all the other normal activities one would find in a small city. And as a shareholder in Knuttin Corporation, you will be entitled to a cut of the profits.”

  Johnny slapped Mace on the back. “Who’s the wealthiest one of us now?”

  Mace returned a sarcastic look. “Yeah, I’m sure I’ll be able to collect on that.”

  Kontin pointed toward a bank under construction. “We can have your funds transferred directly to here if you like. You will be participating in our quarterly dividend next week. Mr. Knuttin had me create a holding account for you for those monies. I could have those funds transferred to here, but I’m afraid they won’t be available for use until the bank down there is officially open.”

  Mace replied, “Sure. I guess that’ll work. About how much are we talking?”

  Kontin rubbed the uni-brow that crossed his forehead. “I may be off, but I would expect a number in the neighborhood of eighty-nine.”

  Mace laughed. “Eighty-nine what? Pesos?”

  Leonis Kontin shook his head. “Credits. Million credits. It is a substantial sum and would buy any United Front citizen a lush retirement. The average wage is in the neighborhood of thirty thousand credits per annum.”

  Johnny shook Mace by the shoulder. “Rich, I tell you. That’s ultra-rich. You could have your own vault room and roll around on the money!”

  Kontin said, “Yes, well, all of our exchanges are electronic, so I’m afraid your vault room would be empty, although you could purchase and fill it with whatever you like.”