by K R Sanford
“Oh, my,” said Pawdell. “I didn’t realize we had so many ships out there. These are from the tether?”
“Yes,” said Vito watching as the convoy appeared. The holograph showed a fine silver line moving across the sky.
“Lao was taking charge of finding a home for all those people. Now what do we do?”
Vito gave Pawdell a sharp stare. He took a breath. “Your question is too important to speculate. In fact, it would be a high priority to set up a line of communication between the Liometo and the Amedans.”
Pawdell, pointing his finger at the holograph and said, “The castle is swarming with Amedans as we speak.”
Vito nodded. He reached for the icon with the delta loop.
The target on navigation activated. A female’s voice responded, “Ready.”
Vito passed his finger over the planet in the holograph. The planet spun then stopped over Shrine lake Village. He touched the image of Shrine Lake Castle and spoke. “Locate Amedan Command and open a channel.”
“Open,” said the com-link.
“This is Vito. I am flying my new acquisition, a Bradley Corporation prototype warbird. I am requesting a com-link between the Liometo and Amedan liaison.”
“We have you, Mister Vito. This is Cirro, Commander at Shrine Castle. I have you verified. Now, we need the name of your ship to assign ownership with Ameda.”
“She is Raptor,” said Vito.
“Thank you Mister Vito. Raptor is clear and now free to go about the Corsi Star System. Are you going to request landing instructions at the castle?”
“I have two cargo ships wanting to secure the village during Festival.”
“I need your ships to transport the Liometo to the southern hemisphere for relocation. All other vessels will maintain in orbit through Festival. You may land near the castle after the dome access is open.”
“So, Cirro, you are saying the Raptor can land, but my ships, you need for transport.”
“Let me explain, Mister Vito. The Cargo ships are ten times the size of Raptor. We welcome Raptor as a healthy symbol of Amedan superiority.” We honor you with access to come and go as you wish. We are under your authority as we are under Legion.”
“That’s kind of you, Cirro, but I am not the Emperor.”
“I understand, Mister Vito,” replied Cirro. “But, you are of Legion’s Riddle.”
“Yes, that’s correct, Cirro,” said Vito.
“Do you have a contact with the Liometo?”
“Yes, Thule was working with Lao. Cybil is here at the village. Mariah is on the Eagle. Kavin is the other. He is the member from Limit One.”
“The traditional party,” replied Cirro. “We will accommodate their representatives as best we can with communication links. Admiral Miller and Chief Spierd have requested your name listed as owner of the cargo ships. Do you wish to do that now?”
“Sure,” replied Vito. The ship that the Admiral is on will be, ‘Admiral.’ The ship that The Chief is on will be, ‘Chief.’”
“I have them,” replied Cirro. Would you like a record of manifest for each transport?”
“No, no. Conformation in the ships log is all I need,” said Vito.
“Our business is complete here, Mister Vito,” said Cirro. “I will see you at Festival.”
“Yes,” replied Vito ecstatic. “Come say hello. I want to put face-time with the voice.”
“I as well, Mister Vito,” said Cirro. “Control out.”
Pawdell dipped Raptor over the farmlands between Shrine Mountains and Shrine Lake. The farmers were loading their wagons with supplies for Festival. The ranchers were working their cattle. The cows were being herded from the feeding troth and out to pasture.
“There’s a fisherman sailing through the side of the dome,” said Pawdell.
“You better pull up, Paw. The top of the dome will be on us quicker than you think.”
Pawdell jerked the T-bar. Raptor turned nose up forty-five degrees. She stalled.
Vito touched his control. “See that, Paw?” he said in a measured tone, “Small corrections with the tips of your fingers. Go ahead. Take the ‘T’. I was expecting that jump. She sails like a dream, Paw, like a bird.”
A smile came on Pawdell’s face. “I would like to circle the village then pass over Shanna’s property. There is a large flat landing where Bradley shot Shanna’s mother. The village will see us from there.”
“Okay,” said Vito. After that, we’ll make a slow memorial pass over the dome. Then, I would like to take the ‘T’.”
“What are you going to do?” asked Pawdell.
“I’m going to do a few victory rolls then drop back in, wave goodbye and take Raptor straight up to the convoy. We are going to pick up the Liometos.”
* * * *
“Are you stuck, Marco?” said John. “I’m going to raise ship and move her down the coast a half mile.”
“Right, good plan,” said Marco. “And, no she’s not stuck. This is a cargo ship. They don’t get stuck in sand. You go now. Then I’ll lift off. I want to take these ships to the convoy and pick up the first group for housing. We will start from the Eagle using the ship to ship conveyor.
Every ship we empty we will reload. We go back to the convoy. We pick up more Liometo and transport them to the surface, and so on.”
“Brilliant,” said John. “Two gets you four. Eight gets sixteen. Thirty-two gets you sixty-four ships. And one hundred-twenty-eight ships, well, that’s as high as I can count.”
“That’s okay, John. You can save me the math lesson,” said Marco. “I already gave credit to the ants. They are the experts. Ants have been moving food and themselves like this for billions of years. Did you know ants can move a colony of one million ants in one hour, eggs and all? Did you know that?”
“I know it now, don't I," said John. "But we are not ants.”
“But?” retorted Marco, “Buts; on a mission, John? This is not the right answer. The answer is: If ants can do it, so can we. I’m raising this ship. I want to see you on my wing.”
“Here goes nothing,” said John.
The Chief’s engines raised ship without a flutter. She drifted sideways over the sand and surf for half a mile. The Chief came level then stopped. She hovered in place a hundred feet above the sand.
“Impressive, John,” said Marco. “I will hold at two thousand feet. We will tighten our formation then ascend to seventy thousand feet. After that it’s full speed to twenty thousand miles then slow to thirty.”
“Copied and locked-in,” said John.
“Excellent,” replied Marco. “Now, it’s my turn for the math lesson. The convoy is one-hundred thousand starships strong. Their velocity is six thousand miles per hour. They have an orbit of thirty thousand miles above the surface of the planet. That means; the convoy will orbit Ameda in a little over half a day. Am I right?”
“Probably not,” John replied. “It will take us one hour to reach the convoy. I’m figuring we reach escape velocity at ten miles from sea level.”
“That’s close to true,” said Marco. “Are you trying to extrapolate the time it will take to deliver all the Liometo to the planet?”
“Roughly,” said John. “But I’m sure the Amedans have figured that already.”
“True again,” said Marco. “We will let them work out the logistics. Some delivery locations will take longer than others. By the time it takes us to have a guess-ta-mate of delivery time, we will be docking with the Eagle. If you want, ask Cirro at Command Control. Tell him you are looking for an approximate time frame for your report in the ships log.”
“That sounds appropriate,” said John. “To change the subject a bit, are you seeing the bogie on the nav?”
“No, John,” said Marco. “That’s Vito’s new Raptor. They went to the village to scare the natives then who knows what.”
“Raptor to Admiral,” cracked Vito's voice. “Come in Admiral.”
“Speak of the devil,” replied Marco.
“I’ll leave you to answer that,” said John. “He’ll keep calling back if you don’t.”
“Funny,” said Vito. “I’m headed to the Eagle to pick up the Liometo executive team. I’m taking them to the castle to assist Amedan Command. Also, I will place my people on the Admiral and the Chief. That way you two are free to stay aboard the Eagle. We will join with Cirro’s command to find these folks a home.”
“Cirro’s group will feel honored to have you help them and so will I.” said Marco.
“You are very kind, Admiral,” said Vito. “By the way did you put the Eagle II in the cargo bay?”
“Yes I did,” replied Marco. “I’m going to set up the conveyor to the Eagle and your people can take over from there.”
“Very well,” said Vito. “I’m sure the team is grateful to have the Eagle to call their home. See you soon, Admiral; Raptor away.”
Chapter 8
________________________________________________________
THE NEW COLONIES
I’m Lost . . . in the wilderness,
Lost . . . in bitterness,
Lost . . . in the loneliness,
Without, a woman or a girl
I’m lost . . . in your tenderness
Lost . . . in the timelessness . . . of your love.
This is a Man’s World - 1968
James Brown
The conveyor secured the locking bolts between the Eagle and the cargo ship, Admiral. The guests began loading for transport. Vito and Marco looked out Raptor’s omni-viewer at the line of starships in the distance. They saw the convoy stretch around to the dark side of the planet. Twenty miles away the cargo ship Chief was taking on passengers.
“They are happy to be back at work,” said Vito.
Marco nodded, “The moral is better and that’s a relief. I will be going back to the castle. I’m not needed here. I will coordinate with the Amedan’s to find Lao. What about you?”
“There is a lot going on for me too,” said Vito. “I sense the Amedans are going to splinter from the main hive under Lao.”
“Yes and where will they go?” asked Marco.
Vito folded his arms. “It would be logical if they go to the Island Planet to start working with the Liometo people.” Vito turned to Marco then back at the cargo ship. “I’ll have to give this some thought.”
“What are you thinking?” asked Marco.
“I’m thinking the festival is in two days. I’m thinking the Emperor is on his way here with the Elite Liometo. And, I’m thinking he has a new alliance with a type three civilization. It will be a compliment to the Amedan splinter group under Lao.”
Marco turned to Vito. “And, you want in on the action.”
“It’s what I do,” said Vito. “We all need to work.”
“With the Festival here in two days,” said Marco. “You will see your competitors face-to-face.”
Vito turned back to the viewer. He gazed out the observation window. “Yes, well; the early bird gets the worm, Admiral.” He shook his head. “There will be trillions of tons of supplies needed to build housing here on Ameda. I know the Emperor wants to keep as many Liometo workers here. He wants to develop production, not only for Ameda but for every rock and asteroid in the Middle Corridor.”
Marco nodded again. “The prize of the Milky Way,” he said.
Vito looked at Marco and replied. “Yes indeed, and Lao knows that.”
“His recent attitude gives me caution,” said Marco.
“Caution?” retorted Vito. “He has studied how the Emperor led the Corsi Star System into the future for a thousand years. Only, Lao’s temperament is not like the Emperor. Lao can be dangerous.”
“I don’t know what Lao is,” said Marco. “But sometimes he makes me ill in the pit of my stomach.”
“Right,” said Vito. “That’s when I give life its distance. I step back. I’m taking Pawdell back to the castle. If you need to see Cirro, I can give you a ride.”
“Yes,” replied Marco. “The festival waits for no man.” Marco looked away then gave thumbs up. “It almost feels like Lao is anxious and wants to take charge of his own game, his way. He wants to be at the center of the action.”
Vito sniffed. He squinted. “You have something there. When I’m in my casino, I look for ways to engage my customers.”
“You’re thinking we should get behind Lao?” said Marco. “For Lao to engage the Liometo, then promise to help them realize their dreams is laughable. To give the reins of power to someone who is unstable is also laughable. Well, I’m not buying this. He could be a liability to billions.”
Vito laughed. “It’s not our party, Marco. Although, I do feel I have a voice in this. But, what voice do the Liometo people have?”
“Where are they?” asked Marco. “Why are they not riding with us? Do you have room on the Raptor?”
“Of course,” said Vito. “I will see they get fast tracked to Raptor right now.”
“Couldn’t hurt,” said Marco. “I’ll ask Cirro to send for Lao.”
Vito held up his hand. “Not so fast, Admiral, said Vito.”
“Do you want to talk with the Liometo first?” asked Marco.
“I talked with them already,” said Vito. “They are here on the Eagle under my direction. Now, with Lao running his drama show, it is best to escort the lead team ourselves. Let’s find out what they talked with Lao about.”
“Fine,” said Marco. He walked up the ramp and disappeared behind Raptor’s blast wall. Vito gave orders on his communicator then followed.
They waited for security to bring the guests to the bridge. Pawdell, sitting at the controls, turned from his view of the cargo ships. He noticed Marco’s trepidation as he stared at the viewer.
“Something wrong, Admiral?” asked Pawdell.
Marco smiled. “Look at you. How surreal you look. And, you sit there dressed in an ancient costume of nobility. You are basking in a futuristic starship like the owner the universe.”
“The Riddle owns the universe,” said Pawdell with a tone of innocence.
“How do you do it, Paw?” said Marco.
“I don’t know,” replied Pawdell shrugging his shoulders. “Waiting on tables for last ten years, I guess. And, having a spirited girlfriend like Shanna, keeps me on my toes, I guess.”
Marco raised his eyebrows and snickered. “She adores you, you know.”
“Shanna is a lot of woman,” said Pawdell. “She would make contributions in whatever she sets her mind to. I’m a Vallian. She’s a human. She has great things ahead for her. I can see this. And, I understand. One day she will want to go on her own. I don’t want to hold her back.”
“Nonsense Paw; you underestimate yourself. I wanted to open this conversation with you, about my daughter, to thank you for being good by her. And, to tell you I’m grateful for the way you look after her so well. Now, you’re telling me you are letting her go.”
“Where she goes is her choice, Admiral. She is strong headed, opinionated, and, Sir, she does have a lot of you in her.”
“Her formative years, Paw; she was with her mother and Commander Boyer.” Marco puckered his lips and darted his eyes back and forth from the viewer to Pawdell. “It’s the stability I see in you that gives her confidence. After losing her mother, well, the stability of the entire Vallian people is why she is still here today.”
“I appreciate the kind words, Admiral,” replied Pawdell. “We will see how things go. For now, I’m at the castle to work for Devin. This is quite an honor. And so far, I’m having fun. We have guests, Sir.” Pawdell pointed out the main corridor. The remaining Liometo leaders were being ushered by Vito.
Thule, Mariah and Kavin beamed with excitement. They became mesmerized by the omni viewer. Thule pointed at the line of cargo ships curved round Ameda. “Most impressive,” he said.
Marco leaned into Vito. “It looks like we have won their hearts; let’s hope we win their loyalty as well.”
“We’ll talk
to them on the way,” whispered Vito touching an icon on the wall. The entry doors closed, sealing off the bridge. The omni viewer transformed the bridge into a transparent sphere.
"It looks like we're inside a bubble floating inside the launch bay, doesn’t it?" Vito gave them a moment to make sense of the Raptor then clapped his hands.
"Okay everyone, find a seat. Other than the flight chairs, they’re all the same. The view will take a getting used to when we enter atmosphere so don’t get alarmed.” Vito pointed out the launch doors. “Pawdell, take us out, if you will please.”
“Aye, aye Mister Vito,” said Pawdell. He lifted the T-bar. Raptor floated above the launch bay. With a slight nudge from the Herald of Arms, the bird-of-prey drifted out to space. He looked at Vito then at the blue holograph of Ameda. He locked in Shrine Lake Castle. Vito nodded and Pawdell pushed the T-bar forward. Raptor picked up speed. He held a steady pace until they were clear of the orbital path of the convoy. He leaned his body into the T-bar. Raptor pitched tighter in attack position. In a matter of minutes the Vallian Village was in sight. Pawdell held Raptor in a dive like a mad man on a mission of vengeance.
Vito placed his hand on Pawdell’s shoulder. “Give me a 'slow-fly' around Shrine Lake, Paw. I want to speak to our passengers.”
Pawdell acknowledged with an, “Aye, aye” and a sideways nod keeping his sights focused on the flight path. He dropped Raptor down across the lake in a slow stall then glided over the banks to follow above Shrine Lake Road.
“In a few minutes,” Vito announced. “Pawdell will spot this bird alongside the dome. This is when you will join the others in the annual celebration of the Shrine. This is Festival.” Vito continued, “It's a celebration of liberation from a planet that became inhospitable. Their story is much like how you find yourselves today.” Vito paused to let them collect their thoughts.
“Rooms at the castle are waiting for you,” he said. The people you have met on your journey will guide you in setting up a base of operations. This will help your people establish homes around Ameda. We will find you a building to establish your headquarters. You will be able to use your headquarter as a place to do business. This can also be your embassy. The land will become recognized as your sovereign soil.”
