From the Ashes
Joe wanders with George and Peter up and down the rows of shuttles resting on the ground near the Liberty. They examine the shuttles that escaped Earth and made it to the Gamin ships. Some of them have distinctive smudge marks on their hulls from having flown through the Atlan gas.
Joe frowns as he spots one that is quite different. He turns to George, and asks curiously, “Is that a gravity plate on the nose?”
George walks over to the craft, and carefully examines it before replying, “Sure is. But I have no idea what it’s for.”
They all turn as a loud rumbling approaches, and see Walker riding his motorbike. He parks it on the road nearby, then walks to the group. Grinning, he glances back at his bike and says, “A fine piece of machinery.”
“I am surprised it runs,” Joe comments.
Walker’s face turns serious as he changes the subject. “I have just come from a meeting with Barbara.” He sighs, then continues. “We had a break-in at the storehouse last night. The thieves took food, blankets, and medical supplies.”
Peter shakes his head in disappointment. He looks at Walker and says, “Well, your timing is perfect. I have spoken to officers from each of the Engineering Corps, and they have decided to accept you as their commanding officer. Congratulations, you’re now in charge of close to twenty-five hundred additional men and women. That should help with security.”
Walker stares at Peter for a moment as he digests the unexpected news. He frowns as he asks, “Aren’t they from different countries?”
“I don’t think that matters anymore,” Peter replies bluntly.
George points to the Liberty, and changes the subject when he states, “We had better get Emma to improve the hydroponics bays once more. We’re going to need a lot more food.”
“I will get her on it,” Peter states as he gazes at the discolored hull plates.
“Oh, I almost forgot,” Walker continues. He narrows his eyes, and lowers his voice as he speaks, “We found an alien spacecraft while you were gone.”
Joe spins around in alarm and fearfully asks, “Atlans?”
Walker shakes his head and grins, “No I don’t think so. It’s something else, something ancient. We’re still deciphering the ship’s controls, but have translated some of the pilot’s logs.”
George ponders this new development for a moment. He feels a strange clarity as he suggests, “We need to focus on our needs for now. You say the ship is ancient, then it can wait for a while. We have a lot to do.”
Peter nods his head in agreement as he rattles off the growing list of things that require their attention. “We have to build housing for six thousand people. Even though the Gamin are planning on living in the caves, they will require considerable effort to make them habitable. The Gamin plan to set up a series of construction docks on the other side of the mountains. As for the Kord, they want to fast-track a new space station. All of this will take resources, tons of resources.”
George turns his attention upward, and says, “I will ask Patrick to work with Barbara once more. He did a great job of organizing the construction teams last time.”
Joe follows George’s gaze and asks, “Is he still on the Terran?”
“Yeah,” George sighs. “He will be joining us when he can.” George wishes that he could help Patrick, but he took a massive radiation dose, and is waiting for his suit to fully charge before he goes anywhere near the reactors.
As the group walks up the Liberty’s ramp, a vehicle approaches. Robert parks the jeep, allowing an overweight man to step out. The man adjusts his tie and suit jacket, then hurries to follow the group of men inside.
The well-dressed man shouts out authoritatively, “Wait! I will speak with you.”
George lifts an eyebrow at the man’s demanding tone, shakes his head, and then hollers back, “We will be in hydroponics.”
The group arrives, and stares at the tall plants that grow in the cut-out hull sections. Joe glances around as he speaks, “I think we still have some soil on the Terran, thanks to Emma, which means we will be able to set up a lot more of these.
The heavyset man is puffing when he catches up. He adjusts his jacket as he states arrogantly, “Do you know who I am?”
George turns and looks at the man. He shrugs his shoulders as he replies, “An American.”
The man huffs indignantly, “I am the Secretary of Homeland Security.”
George smiles broadly, hands him a shovel, and says, “You’re a farmer now!”
The Great Exchange
The days pass quickly as the residents of Hawking get used to seeing Gamin and Kord walk the streets. Patrick’s work crews begin construction of a new housing area on the outskirts of Hawking. Between the canal on one side, and the meandering river on the other, the available space for the expanding city is filling up. Walker’s troops patrol the streets in an attempt to halt a crime wave of night time petty thefts.
Waazh’s clan establishes themselves in the cave system. With the aid given by the people of Hawking, the Kord, and the three Regents, the caves are quickly made not only habitable, but comfortable. Underground power lines run from Hawking’s grid, to the caves, supplying and abundance of energy to meet all their needs.
Elsewhere on the planet, construction efforts are proceeding at an astonishing rate. The tunnel through the mountain allows work crews access to the plains beyond, where eight Gamin construction docks are in various stages of assembly. Each dock has a spacecraft resting on the ground next to it to provide power and easy access for work crews. The beginning of an extensive monorail system is already visible crisscrossing the major continents. Specialized hubs, with massive shuttles, transport converted ore from hundreds of mines that dot the landscape to the construction docks.
The Kord have yet to start building their new space station, and instead, are committing their efforts to the construction of key buildings. John is extremely pleased when he discovers that Gustav is alive and well. He immediately requests that Golward allow Gustav’s people to be involved with the space station’s construction, and then be a part of the administrative team once it is completed.
As for the Terran, Regent Voknor’s clan has taken over all repairs, and not even Patrick or George are allowed back on board. Both of their bodysuits have been decontaminated, allowing them to assist with various construction efforts.
John receives a message from Regent Voknor, reads it, then with mounting curiosity, makes his way to Hawking’s City Hall. He arrives in time to see a large Gamin shuttle landing.
Cindy walks toward the Town Hall, and seeing George out of his bodysuit, enquires, “You were told to go to the Hall as well?”
“Yes, and Regent Voknor wouldn’t tell me why. I wonder if it has anything to do with my family?”
Cindy feels sympathy for George as she shrugs her shoulders. George has been keeping himself busy while maintaining hope that no news from Sharz, is good news.
Both of them turn to see Radclyf, Peter, Hayato, and Walker, striding toward them. A jeep races up the street, passes them, and pulls up near John. Robert and Patrick step from the vehicle, then look at the others.
Cindy arrives, nods to the others and asks, “Do any of you know what’s going on?”
Robert gazes at the group as he replies, “I received a message telling me to board a shuttle that was being sent down. That’s it.”
The group turns at the sound of footfalls. Joe is sprinting up the street as fast as his feet can carry him. Arriving, he asks between breaths, “What’s happening?”
A Gamin interrupts them all when he steps from the shuttle, and says, “I was instructed to come and get you all, and take you to the Terran.”
Peter frowns as he looks around for Emma, he asks, “Just us?”
The Gamin gazes at everyone, then glances down at an object in his hand. He states, “A Barbara is supposed to be here.”
Barbara leans against the door frame to the Town Hall, and says,
“I have no idea what this is about either, but it had better be good, because I’m busy.”
John grins as he replies, “I have no idea what the Regent’s plan is, but I doubt he would want to meet us on the Terran if it were bad news.” He waves to the shuttle’s interior and says, “Shall we find out?”
The Gamin does not identify himself as he steps back into the shuttle. He is an efficient pilot, and gets them into space quickly. They are all surprised to see the Terran hovering in space, and no longer parked on top of the Regents flagship. It is still missing its main engines, but some of the hull damage appears to have been repaired. They fly in through the open ramp, and then land on the hangar deck near two other shuttles. The main ramp closes behind them as they exit their shuttle.
Waiting for them are Voknor and Golward. The pair stands in front of an array of bodysuits, computer consoles, and other unidentifiable equipment resting on tables.
Regent Voknor turns to George and says, “I will be departing shortly to find out what happened to Sharz, and your family.”
George smiles weakly and replies, “Thank you.”
“Before I go,” Voknor continues, “we will demonstrate our commitment to this alliance.”
He motions to Golward, who excitedly points to what looks like a computer console. Golward grins as he says, “This is a holographic projector. The same kind we have been trading with the various Gamin clans for some time.”
George recalls the first time he saw a Gamin, and it was holographic. He feels as though those days in Manhattan were a lifetime ago. He vividly recalls the day he and his wife placed their hands on a panel and selected the option to work. He sighs inwardly as he realizes that it was that day which set him on the path to where he is today. He brings his thoughts back to the present and brings his attention to Joe, who is having a deep discussion with Golward.
Golward glances at George, and then says, “I have another gift.” He steps over to the dull Kord Power Unit and presses a button on a small device that is in his hand. The unit begins to pulse. Golward waves at it and says, “It will now recharge from the power grid, when there is a power surplus.”
Joe’s jaw drops at the realization that Golward could have done this at any time. Suddenly, he recalls the unit being charged up during their repairs at the Kord Space Station and smiles.
Golward waves his furry arms at the unit and says, “We will be installing another one of these on this ship as soon as we get the battery plant operational, and plan to add them to every Gamin ship.”
Joe is dumfounded as he stares at the Power Unit. “Did you say, ‘Battery plant’?”
Golward replies, “Yes.”
Joe’s mind reals. The Kord use terawatt capacity batteries the way we use C-cells.
Golward replies with pride, “With the additional power these hold, plus the upgrades we plan to make to the shield emitters, the ships will survive much longer when attacked.”
Cindy’s jaw drops as she realizes that Golward plans to retrofit, not only the Terran, but the Gamin fleets, as well.
Regent Voknor waves to the Gamin bodysuits behind him as he proudly states. “George, your suit is a construction unit, and as it has been unlocked, makes you virtually invincible.” He smiles widely as he continues, “But these suits are combat units, and are far more powerful. They have seven connectors for their modules, instead of five, and do not require the same neural interface level, thus any of you should be able to use them. With them, you will be able to craft basic battlefield objects, and some weapons, but not complicated components.”
Voknor motions to George, who walks up to one of the suits and steps back into it. As the suit closes around him, his hands feel a gel-like substance, in which a bar rests. He grabs the bar, and is surprised when he feels three controls. He correctly surmises that the manual controls negate the need for a full neural interface. The visor lowers, and presents him with an impressive list of weapons and equipment the suit can craft. Most of the weapons are close quarters hand-to-hand types, while the rest break down into either beam or particle weapons of various power and calibers.
George steps from the suit, and motions to Peter as he states, “You military boys will like that!”
Regent Voknor steps closer to George, and says, “We have never allowed a servitor race access to these combat units, until now.” He motions to a table and continues, “Though the suits are able to craft a variety of weapons, it is more efficient to reserve that power for other tasks.”
Peter, Radclyf, and Hayato follow where he is indicating, and immediately notice an array of weapons. The group walks over to the table and stares. Four hand guns, and two rifle-style weapons lay on the table beside what could only be described as a missile launcher.
Regent Voknor strides to the table and explains, “My people will train you in their use, in additional to instruction on the combat units.”
George feels subdued, and responds, “You are offering us much. Thank you.”
“There is more.” He retorts with a tooth-filled grin. “Your crude reactors have been removed, and the areas decontaminated. Six of our power units are being installed, and in conjunction with the pair of Kord Power Units, will provide this ship with an energy quotient beyond anything your designers envisioned.” Regent Voknor strides across the floor as he continues, “The Kord are also supplying advanced shield emitters, which we will try on your ship, before retrofitting our own fleet. They draw enormous amounts of power to operate at full capacity, but will prove an effective deterrent to future Atlan attacks.”
Joe turns his head to the Regent and questions, “Six? I thought this class of vessel only had four.”
Voknor replies, “I see you have been busy. Yes, our Support Class is usually equipped with four Power Units, but you will have upgraded shields, and require more energy. I also know you won’t sit back here for long once the ship is repaired, and a solo ship is a tempting target for any Atlan commander.”
Cindy nods her head thoughtfully as she comments, “With powerful shields, and the energy to run them, we should be able to escape from future engagements without getting creamed in the process.”
Voknor’s demeanor turns aggressive as he retorts, “You will be able to fight as well. My clan is adding the usual compliment of seventeen pounders and three polarized beams.” He leans closer to Cindy and says, “In addition, I have instructed that they add a pair of heavy pounders to the front of your ship as well. These will operate the same way your previous kinetic weapons did.”
Joe’s jaw drops in stunned disbelief, “That’s a ton of firepower!”
“Indeed,” Regent Voknor agrees. He then stares upward as he continues, “Once the weapons are installed, and the armor replaced, the hull will be hardened.”
Joe tilts his head, and asks curiously, “Harden the hull?”
“Yes,” Voknor replies, and then explains. “Each ship, once launched into space, undergoes this process. It makes the hull resilient to most impacts, and less susceptible to explosive damage.”
Joe gapes as he mumbles, “No wonder we got beat up so easily. But what about when the Kord repaired our ship?”
Voknor turns to Golward and says, “We are sharing this technology with them, and once testing is complete, plan to equip the outer hull of the new space station with a thick layer of hardened armor.”
Golward is unable to contain himself, and jumps around excitedly as he comments, “We can boost the range of the Victory’s scanner to around five hundred light years, and hope you let us perform the upgrade as soon as possible.”
Cindy nods in astonishment at all they are being given. She replies quietly, “Of course.”
Epilogue
The Terran hovers in orbit, an empty hulk. Teams of Gamin engineers are working around the clock to repair the damage, and to install new components. But even with their best efforts, the Terran will remain where it is for some time.
Sharz has not returned from Earth, thus word of po
ssible survivors is, as of yet, unknown. The odds of his single ship avoiding the Atlan’s fleet, and then somehow rescuing people, are slim. The poisonous and corrosive gasses that swirl around Earth, virtually cover its entire surface. Earth is no longer blue, instead, its swirling clouds are now bright green. As all life is extinguished, the lands and seas slowly turn brown. Eventually, even the clouds will lose their color, and become the same dull grey that was witnessed on the world with the derelict.
The command crew of the Terran does their best to keep busy, but with thoughts of Earth being turned into a desolate wasteland on their minds, they all have difficulty focusing.
The Victory vigorously patrols New Earth’s solar system. Its modified engine scanner actively searching for signs of pursuit. Cindy has crews on rotating shifts, so as to keep the Victory permanently aloft. The Terran’s remaining crew members find roles at the colony, while they too, wait for news.
The three fleets belonging to the Gamin clans remain in orbit, for now. Their crews are building a satellite grid, mining facilities, and working on the construction docks.
Every continent on New Earth soon boasts major transport systems; each of which is designed to feed the vast amounts of raw materials needed in the construction of new spacecraft.
The surviving Kord are establishing a ground base near Hawking. They are few in number, and although they do not have any spacecraft of their own, they too are constructing various advanced facilities. With assistance from the Gamin, construction of the new space station is expected to begin soon.
Humanity’s very survival is now at stake, but with the advent of an alliance with the resilient Gamin, and the technologically advanced Kord, humanity may yet prevail.
Meanwhile, beyond the edge of the Milky Way a tiny star shines brightly. A lifeless hulk, the Scout Ranger Dagris, drifts nearby. The automated mining vessels have dutifully filled the craft’s immense storage capacity; thousands of huge cargo containers hang from behind the craft, like cans on strings behind a newlywed’s car. Hundreds of worlds have been stripped bare, such is the bounty that awaits anyone who should find this vessel, and claim it.
Initiation Series: Series One Compilation (Terran Chronicles) Page 136
