“OK. Get technical about it.”
A wormhole comm request was sent and accepted. “This is Lieutenant Barrows. What can I help you with, Mr. Gruberg?”
“What happened? What’s going on?”
“The colonel negotiated a surrender. We get to leave peacefully along with all our gear. Everything can go except the first dome and the wellhead for it.”
“The diggers?”
“Being loaded as we speak. We even managed the railguns, the housing, and all the electrical, plumbing and processing gear. The Earthers get to keep the one dome.”
“What’s happening with the others?” asked Tawn.
“We have the transports prepping to move them to the Retreat. We’ll also be stripping the titanium plating from the first dome. They want titanium, they have to dig their own.”
“How’d the colonel manage all that?”
The lieutenant shook his head. “He let the word out that we had another four months of food. The spies got that word back to the Earthers and they took the bait. They caved on everything but the one dome. Colonel thought it wise to take the deal. Each of us had five rationed meals left.”
Harris turned toward the others. “This changes everything for us. Figuring out how to destroy a single dome will be a lot easier than protecting and feeding six or eight thousand. And we now have at least a few months to figure out how. Will take them that long to outfit that mine and bring it online.”
“Maybe we go back to Midelon and ask Alex what we might do,” said Gandy.
Sharvie hummed. “Have we taken hacking their systems off the table?”
“Not at all,” Harris said. “We just don’t know how we do that effectively. You talking stealing ships?”
“Actually, this time I was thinking about ground equipment. Whatever systems they put in that dome and whatever they use on their mining vehicles will be far less secure than those warships. If we can hack the ground operations we might be able to delay any production they could bring online.”
Harris nodded. “I hereby place you in charge of all hacking. Do whatever you can to stall or slow their progress. All I ask is that you tell us what you have planned before you implement it. That lets us coordinate our efforts.”
Sharvie smiled. “I can do that.”
“When we get back to Midelon, work with Alex to open a comm to Eden. So long as he can keep up a good firewall you should have time to get into their ground systems.”
“What about the rest of us?” asked Trish.
“The rest of us will be working on a plan to attack and destroy that dome.”
They returned to Midelon and Sharvie, Trish, and Gandy disappeared into the bunker. Harris and Tawn stayed in the Bangor, bringing up a projection of Alex Gaerten above Farker.
Harris crossed his arms. “I just passed the design plans of the dome to your comm. What we need is a way to destroy it. There are a dozen or more Earther warships guarding it. We’re looking for suggestions.”
“I am sorry, Harris. My programming does not allow the evaluation of physically destructive questions. I could offer suggestions for design improvements if that would help.”
Tawn shook her head. “We’re looking for ways to prevent the Earthers from mining titanium ore. If we destroy that dome they’ll have to build something else. That buys us time.”
Harris said, “Could you make a simulation of the dome, the surrounding landscape, and Earther warships that might be there?”
“I could.”
Tawn asked, “What are you thinking?”
“I’m thinking with a simulation I could try attacks using the Bangor until I find a weakness. Maybe a certain approach or an egress even. Some way for us to get close and not get killed.”
“What we need is a big bomb. Stealth maybe. Something we could launch from space while running full speed. By the time they spot it, it would be too late to react.”
Harris looked at the hovering hologram. “Alex, you think you could design us a bomb that would do that?”
“Again, my programming does not allow weapons designs or suggestions. The best I can offer is enhancements to an existing system.”
“Maybe we’re still looking at this wrong,” Tawn said. “Alex, any further progress on suggestions for improving our shielding or our speed? You said that boson negator is closely tied to the dampener fields we use on these ships. Any way to disrupt a dampener field?”
“I will have to investigate that possibility, Tawn. Temporarily disabling a field is not destructive.”
Harris shook his head. “You make something that will take out a dampener field, it will affect us too.”
Tawn nodded. “I realize that. And it might just be what we’re looking to do. Imagine us jetting along about two hundred meters above the surface of Eden. We set up a device and detonate it. All we have to do then is maintain course until we are out of the field’s reach.”
“And how does that solve any problem?”
Tawn chuckled. “We still fire the railguns as we’re passing the dome, doofus. Alex, can we disable all dampener fields in an area?”
“I will have to investigate. Would you like to make that a priority?”
Tawn nodded. “I think so.”
Harris said, “Alex, can you open a comm portal to Domicile? I’d like to contact Bannis Morgan.”
“You think he might be able to help?” Tawn asked.
“Maybe. He’s in the defense industry. He might be the one we ask about a bomb.”
Bannis answered. “I assume you’ve heard the news about Eden.”
Harris nodded. “Found out earlier today. Had to be a blow to your consortium.”
“I’ve lost a few friends. Although perhaps friends isn’t the correct term. They seem to be more interested in their credits than the security of our world. They aren’t willing to believe the one is useless without the other. I’m currently in the process of unwinding those relationships. What is it you need of me today?”
Harris took a deep breath. “We’re now looking for ways to destroy the remaining dome. You wouldn’t happen to know of a stealth bomb we could use, would you? Something we could launch from space and have drop through the atmosphere toward the dome before being detected and destroyed.”
Bannis scratched the side of his head. “We have stealth abilities built into some of our craft. Problem with it is the amount of power required to run the equipment. By the time you outfit a bomb with shielding and any other tech needed to keep it hidden, it winds up being about two thirds the size of the Bangor. You can only hide that just so much.”
“But it can be done?”
“I suppose. I hesitate to approve going that route because we’ve never had success with bombing ground targets from space. And that’s with trying it for centuries. Both sides have countermeasures that are good at defeating such weapons, so no one uses them.”
Alex said, “Harris, I have a simulation ready for you should you want to practice raids against the dome.”
“Thanks, Alex. I’ll give that a shot when we’re done here. Mr. Morgan, I’m sure you know a few higher-ups in the military. You think you could ask around about how one might attack a ground target from space? And I don’t have ten thousand soldiers to dump on the ground either, so it needs to be some type of hit and run.”
“I do count a number of generals and admirals among my close associates, Mr. Gruberg. I’ll attempt to have a chat with a few. Comm me back in two or three days.”
Bannis Morgan continued: “By the way, I am offering the colonel all the assistance I can with moving the other domes out to the Retreat. The first of those should be in place in about a week. A site has been selected for that particular dome and the foundation is already being poured.”
“Good news, Mr. Morgan. And thanks again for all you’ve done and are doing.”
Bannis nodded as the comm closed. In the days that followed, several trips were made to Eden. On the fourth day, the last personnel transport
was loaded and lifted off toward the heavens. A lone dome sat empty as the superheated air of Eden wafted through its open doors.
Harris turned the Bangor toward Midelon as the first Earther ship began to drop through the atmosphere.
“There we have it. Eden is now fully controlled by New Earth.”
“We knew it was coming,” said Tawn.
Harris scowled. “See the signature of that third ship? Baxter. She’s finally got her dream.”
“Well, maybe she can be there when we destroy it.”
Harris chuckled as he shook his head. “I have to think she would somehow survive. Still not sure what game she’s playing or who she’s playing for.”
Tawn scowled. “You’re not serious, are you? She does nothing but lie. You can’t trust anything she says. You don’t believe she is responsible for keeping us alive through all this, do you?”
Harris sighed. “I’ll agree we can’t trust her, but she’s taken actions that don’t make any sense if she’s really working for the Earthers.”
“That’s because she’s working for herself. Whether it’s on New Earth or Domicile, her goal is self enrichment. Now see what you’ve done? You’ve got me all riled up. Just take us back to Midelon before I turn this ship around for an attack.”
Harris laughed. “Well at least I know what your hot button is now. Guess all that psych training was for nothing.”
“Forget that training. She doesn’t impair my judgment. If anything, thinking about her makes me more focused.”
“If you say so.”
A short while later, the Bangor settled on the grass outside the bunker. Trish and Gandy emerged from the complex.
Gandy hopped up into the cabin first. “We made it to level three.”
“That fast?”
“I think it was just judging your reactions,” said Trish. “Just did what felt right and it let me through.”
Tawn said, “Speaking of simulations, how have your scenarios against the dome gone.”
“I’m not supposed to talk about it.”
Tawn looked at Farker. “Connect us to Alex.”
A hologram of the doctor appeared. “Hello, Tawn.”
“The simulations Harris is running in the complex, does he have to keep quiet about them? I’m only referring to those concerning the dome on Eden.”
“Harris can talk of his experiences concerning the dome. He should, however, refrain from speaking about equipment or any other aspects of that level, even if the rest of you have moved beyond.”
“I haven’t made it yet,” said Tawn.
Alex smiled. “That determination was made this morning. You are being moved up with Trish and Gandy.”
Harris tilted his head back as he looked down at the holo-image. “What about me?”
“I am sorry, Harris. You have not completed the minimum required simulations.”
An eye-roll followed. “Great. So I’m the one who gets left behind.”
Tawn asked, “What happened with the dome scenarios?”
Harris returned a half scowl. “I got my butt kicked about a hundred times is what happened. I approached from almost every possible angle. Never got close enough to take a shot. Even dropped their number of ships down to three and couldn’t get in. With two Earther ships guarding it I managed to get a couple shots off from a distance. Neither was a direct hit, and I got wasted right after.”
“Did you try against a single vessel?”
Harris smirked. “Like we’ll ever see that. No. Didn’t bother. They’ll keep that place locked up tight. If we’re getting in close enough to shoot a few pellets, it will have to be by some other mechanism.”
Tawn said, “That’s all, Alex. Thanks.”
Tawn turned. “You checked in with Bannis in the last day or two?”
“Farker, open a comm to Domicile.”
Seconds later, Bannis Morgan replied, “Been waiting for your comm.”
“What do you have for us?”
Bannis pulled up an image of one of the APCs he had donated to the effort. “You’ll recognize this. It comes with a stealth package. Will let an operator drive it within a half kilometer before it’s detected by any sensors. I can get you the gear for that through back channels if you’re interested.”
“So what option does that give us?” asked Tawn. “A raid? On foot for the last half kilometer? Sounds like a one-way ticket for anyone involved.”
Bannis held up a hand. “Not suggesting that. Only telling you what we have available. One option might be to remotely drive it as close as possible and use it as a missile platform. From that distance they would only have a few seconds to react. An automated defense system would of course defeat it, but they would have to have one up and running.”
“How big a missile could we transport?”
Bannis sighed. “That’s the second issue. We could do multiple small warheads or a single large one. I heard estimates of a dozen holes five meters wide punched into that dome, up to a hundred meters if you managed to take out a support beam. Damage within the dome would be limited to anything in close proximity to the explosions.”
Tawn frowned. “So we’d basically be letting all the cool air out for a day while they worked repairs. Doesn’t sound like much of a plan. We only have one of those APCs that’s still operational.”
“We could build more. Give me three months and I could have another twenty ready for use. But that brings us to problem number three.”
“Which is?”
“Which is the fact that we don’t have access to any missiles. Those are kept under strict control. My friends were even paranoid about suggesting their use. They use technologies we don’t want the Earthers to have.”
Harris winced. “So we’re left with a ground force. Twenty trucks that carry a dozen each… two hundred forty Bios. We could take the dome with that. Problem is we couldn’t hold it. Would just be a death sentence.”
Bannis said, “Sorry I don’t have better news. And I don’t have the finances to build those vehicles. I’m stretched a bit at the moment.”
Tawn asked, “How much you need?”
Bannis thought for a moment. “Tooling, materials, labor, and I would still have to get my hands on the stealth gear. A quick guess would be in the neighborhood of ten million credits.”
Tawn nodded. “Enable your store. We’ll send them over. Harris, pass him five and I’ll do the same.”
“We’re buying some trucks?”
“We’re buying some trucks. Mr. Morgan, if you need more let us know. We can get it. Our pool isn’t unlimited, but it’s substantial. If those trucks can get us within a half kilometer, maybe we can harass them as they try to bring production online. A blown wellhead, sniping their equipment operators, there are a variety of lesser options available to us. Get started on those trucks and we’ll see what options we can come up with for using them.”
The comm closed.
Tawn let out a deep breath. “Not much, but it’s something.”
Chapter 5
_______________________
A jump was made to Jebwa and the waiting shuttle collected. In addition, the Bangor and the shuttle were stuffed with the first supply of packaged meals. Accounts were settled and the team returned to Midelon to unload.
Harris carried a crate as he walked behind Tawn. “I know we’re set for fuel at the moment, but we should make arrangements with the colonel should the need for more arise.”
“Sounds reasonable.”
Tawn set her crate down, glancing back out the supply hut door. “I’m glad we found the three of them, but I have to wonder if we didn’t drag them away from having normal lives. They could each be back on Domicile right now, enjoying themselves in ignorant bliss of all we have going on. We’re trained to survive and thrive under this kind of stress, they aren’t.”
Harris chuckled. “Frankly, sometimes I think they handle it better than us. This has been a huge adventure for them. Back on Domicile their lives woul
d have consisted of the daily grind. Trish would still be an apprentice and Gandy would be a junior salesman. Sharvie? I don’t even think she was employed. And from what Mr. Morgan says, the economy is not picking up pace.”
“So you think we did them a favor?”
Harris shook his head. “Nope. I’m just saying we won’t know the outcome, good or bad, until the story has been told. At the moment we’re right in the middle of it. I’d prefer not to second guess everything when there’s so much still to be done.”
Gandy set down a crate. “What are you talking about?”
Harris patted him on the shoulder. “The struggles of being a woman in today’s world. You have an opinion?”
Gandy winced as he turned back for another crate. “Not today.”
“See how easy his interest was diverted? His mind is not burdened with stress. He’s fine.”
Trish set down a crate. “Who’s fine?”
Harris said, “We were talking about your brother’s interest in Sharvie.”
“He’s had the hots for her since he first saw her. But don’t worry, he’s too chicken to act.”
“What do you think she thinks of me?” Harris said.
Trish stopped for a second. “Eww. You’re old. I don’t even want to think about that.” Trish hurried away.
Tawn laughed. “I’d say her mind isn’t overburdened either. And you disgust her. Now that’s funny.”
Harris shrugged. “Win some, lose some.”
The team moved back into the bunker when the last of the food crates had been unloaded. Five hours later, Harris emerged from the simulators to find the others having lunch.
“Well, thanks for calling me.”
Trish smirked. “Not like you were going hungry in there. How’s it going?”
Harris grabbed an MRE, tearing open the sealed bag. “Finished the second level. When I go back in I guess I’ll find out what you four already know.”
“Yeah, well, we can’t comment on it, so you’ll have to wait.”
Harris turned. “Farker, open a comm to the Retreat for me.”
Several seconds later a response was made: “Mr. Gruberg. Was waiting to hear from you,” the colonel said.
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