Altis-5: Book #2 of the Sleeper Series

by J. Alexander Black

  “There was one other issue. I wanted to discuss how the threat from the pirates will affect the villagers. The villagers are not undisciplined colonists. They are military dependents who have shown great resolve. I think it would be right to share the information about the pirate threat and our plan to deal with it. They will need to prepare to deal with the pirates in case our plans are thwarted and the Orion is boarded. To discuss this, I have invited a planning group to join us.” There was a knock on the door. “Ah, I believe that is them now.” A technician opened the door and announced their arrival. “Please come in and have a seat.”

  The Captain waited until all were comfortable and served Muska. “I have asked you all here to discuss a grave issue that Colonel Markham and I believe affects us all.” The Captain briefed them on everything that was known of the threat and the plans underway to deal with it. For a few moments, they all sat dealing with the news in their own way. Sara was feeling worn out. As head selectwoman for the village she had been very busy since the day they left getting everyone settled in and taking care of the numerous problems that occur when eight hundred people are confined to one warehouse that seemed to be getting smaller by the day. She had been thinking of reorganizing the village government. She definitely needed help.

  She suddenly realized Andrew was speaking to her, “Sara if you are okay with it I would like to offer my services to coordinate the village defenses.”

  She looked over at him. Since he had revealed his true identity she had noticed a major change in him. He was no longer the arrogant elitist he had portrayed. She was beginning to like the new Andrew. She said, “I would appreciate that very much, Andrew.”

  Andrew smiled when he realized she had called him by his first name. He turned to Kris. “Would you help, Kris? I could use your experience in this.”

  “Count me in,” said Kris. Looking at the Captain, he said, “I have nothing to do now that the murder investigation is over.”

  Thick skinned my ass, thought the Captain.

  “One question, if the pirates are aboard that means there is no Brigade left and they have destroyed the Command Center?” asked Salvatore.

  “That is a very real possibility, yes,” said the Captain.

  “We will have no choice but to destroy all the pirates and take over their vessels that are attached to the Orion. If they detach we will lose all air pressure through the breach in the hull they created. We will need to assume control of at least one of their ships in order to tow the Orion to Altis-5,” said Andrew.

  “The data from the other attacks indicates air pressure was maintained during the boarding and when you destroy the pirates the Orion’s Information System will help you with the navigation via the pirate ship’s engines. The physical presence of Orion’s system is located in the very center of the ship so it should be safe.” The Captain paused while this information was digested by the group. “There are many scenarios that could come about, but if the Brigade is unsuccessful I suggest you build flexibility into your plans.”

  “Yes of course,” said Andrew. “Well I guess we’d better get on with it. Would you like a draft of our plans, Captain?”

  “No, if we are successful I will not need them. If we are not successful…” He left the rest of the sentence unsaid.

  For the next two hours Andrew, Kris and Salvatore studied a schematic of the deck containing the village’s warehouse. The warehouse was located between a wide corridor and the skin of the ship. On one side was the Battalion’s warehouse on the other was the CB’s warehouse filled with crates. In the corridor forward of the Battalion’s warehouse was an airtight door and another aft of the CB’s warehouse. Unless they have a schematic of the ship the pirates will clamp on to the Orion in at least five random points. The big problem will be if they clamp onto the hull directly outside the village warehouse. Andrew assumed the Brigade would be making their own plans. Just then Marcie and Sara joined them.

  “First, we arm the villagers and begin training them, a well-armed and well-regulated militia being the best security of a free society,” Kris quoted. Andrew look at him inquisitively. “Second Amendment to the United States Constitution.”

  “Actually, it’s country,” said Sara.

  “What?” asked Kris.

  “The Second amendment says a well-armed and well-regulated militia being the best security of a free country, anyway, I think it’s a good idea,” said Sara.

  Commander Salvatore looked up. “If the space assets are gone and the Command Center is gone then I will be the senior military Officer aboard. I will coordinate the defenses of the Battalion and CB areas. I will deploy men from each unit to help the village; is that acceptable?”

  Everyone nodded in agreement.

  Captain Barker studied the screen in front of him; the target was on course, cruising at just under maximum speed. Nothing other than an unusual pattern of external appendages on the surface of the ship showed. The appendages were of concern to him in that it would make docking more of a challenge.

  “What is the name of the ship?” he asked his Navigator.

  “I cannot get a match.” Barker didn’t like this. Something wasn’t right but he could not put his finger on it. It started back on Moon of Gaberdine. Pirates by the very nature of their occupation are an unpredictable lot and whereas the bars and pleasure houses are always happy to relieve them of their money they were usually treated cautiously with veiled contempt. On this trip, several crew members found themselves befriended by three or four of the locals and even given free drinks. The men became suspicious when they began to feel as if they were being pumped for information. Two of these friends were later found in a back alley with their throats cut.

  Then the information from his contact in the Hevinian Commonwealth was incomplete for the first time. The informant knew the route, type of ship but did not know the name or the cargo of their intended victim. Adding the fact that they could not identify the exhaust signature and the strange appendages on the skin of the ship had caused a nagging feeling. All of these anomalies could easily be explained away. Rival pirates looking for information on profitable targets, heightened security at the Commonwealth down to a new ship with some modifications. As he closed in on the vessel he decided the prize was greater than the risk and dismissed his misgivings.

  To the Cracker, the smallest ship of the fleet, he said, “We will proceed with the attack. Reduce to docking speed and maintain silence. Scan the ship for the propulsion space and lock missiles on. When we are within the optimal range, fire.”

  Minutes passed as the small fleet maneuvered into position.

  “Captain, I have identified the ship. It is the Orion,” said the Navigator urgently.

  “What!” exclaimed the Captain.

  In a split second, all his nagging doubts coalesced into a clear picture and he knew what the anomalies on the ship were and what it meant.

  “Hold the missiles, do not fire.”

  It was too late, the crewmember at the weapons station aboard the Cracker had released the missiles the moment they were in range.

  “It’s a trap. Repulse screens to maximum. Deploy defense missiles. Reverse course, get us out of here,” even as he roared out the orders he knew there was no time; there was only one thing he could do.

  “Belay that order. Shut everything down. We go silent.”

  Ten multiple warhead missiles fired from the Barques were slicing silently through space toward his fleet. Two of them targeted the incoming pirate missiles. Two seconds out, the nose of each opened and deployed ten individually targeted missiles. Counter missiles from the pirate fleet took out half of these missiles but forty missiles hit four ships at the same time disintegrating them.

  Only the Treasure Hunter survived thanks to her Captain who, unlike the other Captains who squandered their money, had invested his profits into his ship. During their stay on the Moon of Gaberdine he had arranged to meet with one of the former Senior Engineers on the Kaed
ian Cleb project, and for a ridiculous amount of currency had the Treasure Hunter’s outer skin replaced with bonded zeophyte. The effect was to make the ship invisible to the Orion and more importantly to the searching missiles.

  Barker and his crew watched anxiously as the missiles screamed past. Even being invisible it did not prevent the possibility of a missile hitting them accidently. They could only sit until the Orion believed all the pirate vessels had been eliminated and moved on its way. The shock wave from the explosions slammed into the Treasure Hunter but the new skin held fast, protecting the ship. The force of the wave pushed them toward the Orion and for a moment Captain Barker thought they might collide but fate was with them and the little vessel drifted silently and invisibly, passing the Orion with only a few feet between them. Barker suddenly realized he had stopped breathing when his chest was heaving; fighting for air. He took a deep trembling breath -- they were safe!

  The same shock wave hit the Orion but the overlapping combined repulsar screens protected the ship from any damage. The only casualties aboard the Orion were minor. The response to the pirate missiles happened so fast there was no time to warn everyone to brace themselves. Suddenly it was over. The vastness of space absorbed the flying debris from the destroyed pirate ships leaving nothing behind.

  The Orion recovered her Barques and continued on her way. A message from Captain Querrion was sent on its long journey back to the Colonial Minister aboard the Battleship Janus. The message thanked the Minister for his timely warning and that the pirates had been destroyed. The carefully worked plans for the defense of the village never had to be implemented but it was not a waste of time, the relationship between the CB’s and the villagers had been strengthened and Andrew and Sara had bonded in a way that neither of them realized.

  Barker waited until he was sure they had drifted out of Orion’s search parameters before reengaging engines, then at maximum speed they escaped unseen into the vastness of space. Captain Barker was beginning to relax when his number one came over.

  “How did you know about the capabilities of the Orion?”

  “The Engineer who worked on replacing the ship’s outer layer told me of the Krammar placed on the Orion because of the role it played in the Battle for Erth. It was his logic that made him believe that the current situation would push the Hevinians to defend Kryton as the Kaedians call it. The only vessel close enough was the Orion and the only force capable of defending the planet was the Erth Defense Force. He told me this because he knew we like to hunt Hevinian supply ships.”

  “So now what, Captain?”

  “We rebuild our fleet and send a message to our contact at the Commonwealth for a new target well away from here.”

  15

  Altis-5 First View

  Barque 5 on routine patrol was the first to enter the Altean system. Although it was not part of his assigned patrol area, Warrant Officer Jason Gilbreath could not resist getting close enough for a real time look at Altis-5. He marveled at the sight of the blue and green planet with its three moons. Unable to resist the urge, he shouted, “Land Ho!”

  “Barque 5, this is Orion. Your communication was not understood. Please rephrase.” The Communications Technician aboard Orion had never been a sailor on Earth and thus did not understand the term.

  “Orion, this is Barque 5, I have a visual on Altis-5. Transmitting image now,” said Gilbreath.

  The news that they were close to their destination spread quickly and everyone rushed to a viewing screen to see their new home. Excitement spread quickly as the screen zoomed in on the delta where the new town would be erected. Data began to scroll across the screen showing oxygen content, gravity levels, temperature, and other weather patterns. People cheered as each new piece of information appeared. Finally, the Captain announced they were in orbit.

  Following the announcement Tom and Commander Frulé received an invitation for lunch in the Captain’s quarters. Once done with the meal and the stewards left, the Captain produced the document he had received from the Minister.

  “To the reason for this lunch.” He handed to document to Tom. “I have been promoted to

  Commodore, effective upon our arrival to Altis-5, and I believe it is in part thanks to the success of the Brigade in the Battle for Earth. So, I wanted to share this moment with you.”

  “Congratulations Commodore,” said Tom rising out of his chair and extending his hand. “Our success would not have happened it had not been for your leadership, it is well-deserved.”

  Frulé rose and shook his hand also.

  “Congratulations. I hope this does this not mean you will be leaving us to take up a new command.”

  “Yes, but not yet my friends. My orders are to return to Hevinia after this mission on Altis-5 is completed.”

  After a toast with Muska, the Brigade Commanders left. There was much to do. Commodore Querrion sat alone in his cabin. I will have to commit to two years beyond my scheduled retirement date but it will be well worth it, he thought.

  “Mount up,” said Commander Frulé to the assembled Barque pilots. Thirty minutes before achieving orbit the Barque teams had assembled to receive their assignments. The Orion had performed a cursory planet-wide sweep, which revealed nothing, but as the Commodore pointed out, if the Kaedians were here they would have to be in very small numbers for the sweep to miss them in the plethora of animal life.

  One Barque was to detach its armed troopers to establish a close perimeter and watch for large predators that were spotted in the area by the sweep. Another Barque was to be on standby in case of any threat from space. The close encounter with the pirate ships was still on everyone’s minds. The rest of the Barques were to focus on debarking the Brigade and the village. Commander Frulé then turned the briefing over to Commander Salvatore who briefed the crews on the delivery schedule based on the village construction plan.

  Two hours later fully loaded Barques landed on the surface of the planet and began unloading. Barque 3 arrived first bringing Marcie and Sara, two surveyors, Commander Salvatore, and part of his team to the edge of the plain. They landed in the tall grass next to an estuary. The pilot scanned the area around the landing site, checking the oxygen levels and temperature.

  “Atmosphere is acceptable and the temperature is 81 degrees. You may disembark,” he said formally.

  “Ladies first,” said Alec Salvatore graciously, as the hatch opened and they were inundated by the pristine air. Marcie stepped out onto the edge of the hatch. She became light headed as she took in deep breaths of fresh air for the first time in months. It was incredible, the air smelled of salt water and grass. She looked around at the plain and the trees and mountains beyond.

  “What a beautiful place,” she said to no one in particular. She jumped out of the Barque and landed on the soft grass twenty feet away. Startled by the distance traveled she landed off-balance, tipped over, and landed on her butt.

  Commander Salvatore smiled and said, “I see you remembered the lower gravity, Ma’am.”

  Marcie blushed with embarrassment. Damm! she thought, that was graceful. She stood and brushed herself off. The survey team and Commander Salvatore took a cautious step off the Barque but still managed to unbalance themselves and trip over each other. Marcie smiled and tossed her head but said nothing, her dignity restored. Salvatore regained his composure and took charge; the process of preparing the site for the village began. Plans for the new village had been translated from Marcie’s original plan on a napkin into a functional architect’s blueprint by the Australians during the voyage. With their equipment in hand, they began the task of transforming the plans into reality. The ground on the south side of the estuary was designated for the village; the Brigade area would be on the opposite bank.

  First, after a brief discussion between Marcie, Sara, and the surveyors, slight adjustments to the plan were made based on the actual terrain and the village square was marked out followed by the larger yurt sites, and then the paths around them we
re staked and taped off. The side hatches to the Barque were opened and an antigrav tractor towing a large crate containing reel mowers was unloaded. Next came a couple of heavy lifting machines carrying crated yurts, these were staged off to the side until needed and the Barque departed for another load.

  While Sara and the CB’s worked on the village, Marcie and the Barque’s Corpsman with one trooper as escort explored up river to locate the site for the fresh water pumps for the water supply. She was amazed at how quickly her body had adjusted to the reduced gravity. Using a Hevinian marine refractometer they checked the salinity of the water every two hundred feet gradually moving upstream. The plain surrounding the estuary was very flat and only twenty feet above sea level. They had to travel over a half mile before the brackish water gave way to sweet, fresh water. They ran samples through a second meter that tested for bacterial contamination. The meter detected microscopic evidence of animal waste but the levels were well below acceptable levels. Having determined the water was safe to drink they marked the location on their grids as the closest place to install water treatment equipment that would pump the water supply to both the village and the Brigade area. As they returned, another Barque landed bringing more crated equipment.

  On the other side of the estuary from the village the Brigade had landed with the other two surveyors and the rest of the CB’s. Eventually there would be a bridge connecting the village to the base. First, they staked out the location for the large yurts to house the Brigade and Tactical squadron offices. Temporary Earthmade inflatable hangars for the Jaguars and the Barques were marked out adjacent to and East of the Brigade offices. Behind the hangars, a communications tower was temporarily erected. This would eventually be moved to a nearby mountain top but for now it would provide local communications for both the military and civilian population via communicators that strapped to the wrist. One of the older villagers declared it looked like a device worn by an old comic book character and it was immediately nicknamed the ‘Tracy’. The Brigade personnel referred to it less reverently by the characters first name.