by Kocho
At the same time as those ships were being prepared other thirty ships from the same fleet started carrying the first colonists to their new homes. The first people to go out of the solar system and step on other worlds were not the people like most scientists and writers expected in the past. Everyone expected that the first ones will be from the military and scientists that will conduct researches. Those people were present but most of the people were ordinary citizens, many from came from Africa and Asia people who were as the organizers said survivors and people who could work together and build something. If in the past the color of skin, or language or class was the thing that mattered if there was difference between white, black or yellow or in education it all now disappeared. If on Earth people who knew banking and law controlled the world, here they were a real rarity and not needed. What the first colony ships took, what the first colonies needed were workers. Engineers, farmers, people who worked in the industry, in the metallurgy, miners, they were the ones that had the advantage. As the first colony ships took their cargo and their passengers to the stars those that were left behind saw the world change before their eyes. The long wanted equality was slowly coming and humanity was finally uniting in to what it really was… many nations, many colors, many people but one civilization… one.
The world surprisingly fast moved from the economic crisis that was choking it for the last decade and as the military buildup started new jobs were opened. The entire planet was on a war footing and the military arsenals that in the past thirty years started coming down were now rapidly increasing. This went double for the nuclear arsenals of the most powerful countries, and the restrictions that were present not long ago were now being forgotten. New far more powerful nuclear and hydrogen bombs were now being produced and as they were they were shipped to outer space and placed around the warp point. Slowly the defense around it grew.
Soon after the first colony ships left the Solar system the first converted submarines rose in orbit around Earth. The first ten kept the same amount of armor that the Los Angeles had. They looked a lot different than their sister ship thanks to the armaments that were added. The main armament was represented by the newly added system of coil guns that could fire a ten ton tungsten shells at a speed of 150 km/s a speed that gave the projectile a large kinetic energy. The power of the weapon represented a huge advancement in the military technology. The main gun was mounted on the ventral hull and it took power directly from the ships reactor. In theory three shots could be fired one after the other before depleting the power. The cannon fired a massive metal projectile using a linear system of magnetic fields coils down a long shaft, increasing the projectile's velocity until it carries an incredible amount of kinetic energy. Ten smaller rail guns were placed on the dorsal and ventral hull that fired smaller projectiles. Thirty dual point kinetic energy weapons were placed on all sides and represented the main point defense that was supported with the Aegis defense system that was placed on these ships after it confirmed its value in the short battle in the Mediterranean. Multiple launch tubes were placed on all four sides of the ship that could launch both conventional and nuclear missiles. The submarines were operating on the same power output that the Deadalus used using the same VASIMR system.
Considering that the VASIMR system proved its value on the Deadalus it was rushed in to massive production even before the discovery of the Argus and the new information’s that thanks to the AI were later available. By the time the first ten converted submarines of what became the Los Angeles class of space ships were raised fifteen engines were ready and ten of those were put on the converted submarines. The smaller power output by the nuclear reactors meant that the main gun would charge more slowly. But considering the short time to the attack there were no objections. Everyone was painfully aware that with each passing day the attack was closer.
The ten ships from the Los Angeles class together with the two far more powerful cruisers started the first exercises just several days after they were launched.
2 September 2018 20:10 hours
Battleship Argus Earth Orbit
Admiral Johnson looked at the screen on board the Argus as the small fleet deployed for the exercise in the asteroid belt. It was astonishing that even now millions of miles away he could monitor their actions just the same way as if he was there. The crews of the ten converted submarines now nicknamed the Los Angeles class after the first ship that was destroyed during the first test of the new class were a mix of their former crews and engineers and marines. Each ship had one hundred and seventy six crew members. Most of the weapons on the ship were automated but the dual kinetic point defense guns were manned by the crew. The small contingent of marines twenty in number was there for both manning the guns and protecting the ship in case it was boarded. The two cruisers stood back while the ships deployed in a triangular formation. They all kept their former names. The Dallas, Memphis, Omaha, Groton, Indianapolis, Phoenix, Minneapolis-Saint Paul, Hyman G. Rickover, Augusta and Atlanta, ten submarines that were the pride of the US navy in the past were now the first ten military ships. The former submarine captains were now getting used to their new role as ship captains and space ships at that. He knew that they too felt the excitement he was feeling and the fear that something might go wrong. This was the first real firing of the ships weapons, and it was different than the simulations. The chosen targets were small asteroids that if the weapon testing went right should be totally destroyed and fragment in to small pieces that won’t be a danger in case they later went on a trajectory towards Earth. At the right time the fleet opened up with their main weapons. It was immediately obvious that practice was needed since four of the shots missed their targets. The second and third firing runs were doing better. The test lasted for several hours.
Simonson looked at the admiral as he read his report about the exercise. He knew the old man for almost his entire career ever since he first entered the navy and in a way he was hoping that one day he would be like him. They were both given the command of the fleet not just the first ships but the others that would come soon. The reason was that they were both present and had command when the short battle in the Mediterranean happened, during the first contact. It wasn’t a day they remembered with joy. Too many people died, too many dreams were destroyed, and not just dreams of the people that were there but dreams of the entire civilization. The innocence of the stars was taken away, the worst nightmares of the scientists, astronomers, the military, and the movies came to life. And the burden to stop the nightmare fell on their shoulders.
“It wasn’t bad considering that it was the first live test.”
“And one conducted in a totally alien environment.”
Johnson looked at the younger admiral and smiled.
“Yes you are right. They will get better with each exercise. And soon we will have new ships. The first three from the Orion class will be finished in two months, and the next converted submarines from Russia, the European countries and China, India, Israel, Egypt and South Africa will be ready in a month. They will await the fusion reactors but the crews will be able to work and get used to them.”
“Yes we will need the fleet to be ready for action and that requires the crews to know their ships and to be used to work together. We have time for that. The first part will be easier. They are converted submarines and the crew knows the subs. It will be harder to get them used to working like a team and moving in formation and precise deployment. It is a lot different from the way they worked at sea.”
“Yes, the lone wolf thing.”
The older admiral stood up and poured bourbon for both of them.
“We have a lot of work ahead of us Jack.”
“Yes sir.”
“How are the opinions among the crews? How did they react to the exercise?”
“They are mixed sir. There is a wish for improvement. They all now that they should do better, that they must do better.”
“Yes especially regarding the coord
ination and the deployment…And in the movement while firing and taking fire. It will be even harder when more ships come on line. We have to get this fleet ready by that time so that they can be spread out among the other ships and share their experience.”
“They will be sir. You have my and the word of their commanders about that.”
“I know I do Eliot. You and I both know what we will face. And they know it too.”
“Yes sir. Sir if you don’t mind me asking how is the repair on the battleship? Will they be finished as scheduled? With the new ships that are being build it is hard to find the time…”
Johnson stood up and emptied his glass.
“It is hard but the repair of this ship is crucial. And both the admiralty and everyone else know that. They will be finished on schedule and when the mining ships start operating soon all that material will be used for the repair of this ship. We will move in the asteroid field at that time together with the repair ships. The material will be converted on site. It will be a tough work, but I don’t think there will be problems on that front.”
“It seems that the politicians think just like the military for ones.”
“Well they have to lose just as much as everyone else. They all saw the reports about our enemies. They know what awaits us if we fail.”
They both kept silent after the last comment. They all knew the consequences of failure and that it was their task to make everything that that doesn’t happen. Even if that means that everyone under their command and they them self, have to die for that to happen. No price was high enough.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
2 March 2019 15:30 hours
Asteroid Belt Ceres Sol System
Anthony Le Blanc looked with eyes that looked tired and fascinated at the same time. The observation room on board the Tanteroga, the Helix class mining ship, one of the two that his company got to use when he got the contract gave him a fascinating view of the space around him. Helix was in orbit around Ceres the largest body in the asteroid belt between Mars and Jupiter. The dwarf planet first discovered in 1801 by the Italian astronomer Giuseppe Piazzi always fascinated the scientific community. The results that the Dawn space craft sent in 2015 raised the interest. The probe confirmed most of the speculations but it also proved the presence of water on the dwarf planet and the presence of a rocky core and richness in metals. The dwarf planet was always considered as the stepping stone in the colonization of the solar system and in the prospect of mining the asteroid belt. Since the first moment when he got the chance to join that effort Le Blanc placed the chance of starting to mine and at the same time set up a permanent residence on the dwarf world as a priority. He used the support of the US government and NASA for getting that chance. NASA was interested in the exploration and if there is chance, the colonization of the dwarf world. In that he agreed with them. Ceres was not just the largest body in the asteroid belt it was also in the best position in the prospect of the mining of the belt. It was the best place to store the mining material before launching it towards Earth for now or the Moon, Mars and Venus in the future if they get colonized as it was always planned. And in case they colonized the Jovian moons of Jupiter, Saturn, Uranus and the world they all named Nibiru, the dark gas giant that orbited on the far edge of the solar system. The forty two large moons attracted the interest of every astronomer and the Intrepid was already scheduled to make a trip to that world. The space exploration was just starting and it was already looking really exciting and moving with a speed no one expected. More and more enthusiasts were joining the effort and giving their support. This was the new frontier and everyone wanted to see it.
Even with the support he got from the US government he knew that he will never be able to rival the largest mining consortiums that also joined in the mining of the belt.
He started looking for other partners, small independent mining companies like the one he had. The search lasted for almost two months, two months that were the most difficult in his life considering that he was searching and launching the mining operation at the same time. The Kalus the other mining ship he got and that he was sharing with NASA was already mining the 4179 Toutatis and two other metal rich asteroids. He launched his first mining operation on an asteroid that wasn’t really far from Ceres always keeping close to his real goal. The K 1888 was a kilometer long asteroid that had rich deposits of tungsten, iron, nickel and aluminum, and small amounts of noble metals, as well as silicates, carbonates and water. The mining was going hard especially since he had three death cases in the early stages of the project, which made him to increase the security and safety measures and to start rigorous training of all personal. It took a lot of time and initially slowed the work but it saved lives and more importantly it meant that when the workers started working they were fully aware of the dangers and ready for them.
The process of searching for partners that would share his idea brought him a lot of partners both from the US and from Europe, Africa and Asia.
The largest partner came from Macedonia where several mining companies with the support from the government united themselves in to the Macedonian Mining Company or short the MMC and approached him. They became the most valued partner as they offered experienced miners, and a relatively cheap work force. Together with them and with the others they formed the Terra Nova Mining Company. The TNMC
Got the support from both the US and the governments of the other countries from which he took his partners to the anger of the large mining corporations which hoped that they would continue to have the dominant hand here as well. That gave him the chance to compete with them on an equal level and both he and his partners planned to use it to the best of their abilities.
And for their plans to succeed Ceres was the key.
He turned towards the other three men in the room, Dejan Petrovski from the MMC, Anatolij Davidov a rich Ukrainian independent miner and Rene Gales a representative of a group of miners from South and Central Africa. He was representing the interest of his colleagues from the US.
They were all experienced miners like him. The Macedonian was the youngest one. He was forty eight, and the Ukrainian was the oldest with sixty years. But just as him they were all in a way enthusiasts, all except the Macedonian who was the one who was most interested in the job as in a way it was expected considering the hard situation in his country about the people in this profession. The mines were working but thanks to the corruption in both the government and the mining companies the miners worked for scrapes and were at a total mercy of the companies they worked for. It all changed thanks to the man that was standing here now. Immediately after the news and the truth about the attack reached Dejan who had degrees in both Geology and physics it seemed came to the same conclusion that Anthony did, that the mining of the asteroids is a necessity, something that has to be done now not in some distant future. He started organizing with other miners even lost his job but he was persistent and grabbed the chance when it opened. As soon as Anthony started searching Dejan and trough him the miners form Macedonia contacted him. What they offered was simple, experienced workers and partnership. The struggling new government of Macedonia saw a chance in the project, a way to relieve the huge unemployed workforce especially in the mining industry, industry that was totally neglected by the previous leadership, and what was left was drowning in corruption they were struggling to destroy. It gave the government a perfect tool to strike at the corrupt officials. They gave their full support to the miners, helped them in the forming of the new mining company, helped with investment that gave it a share in the company and Le Blanc got his partner.
