by James Edward
They had another crew exploring the asteroid belt, other gas giants, and planets. Ray expected a report from them soon but was more focused on the Panhandle project. It was crucial to the whole plan that it was up and running soonest. The shipyard was also a major priority; he couldn’t expect to make the project viable if they didn’t have the ships to move the product. He was also concerned with pirates. It was hard to control and protect a system without firepower and fighting ships. Ray had talked to his mentor, Admiral Weatherfew, about this problem, and the general consensus was to get a corvette or two to patrol the jump gate. Weatherfew had said to leave it to him. So far, no results were forthcoming, but neither was there any privation at the moment. Probably because there was nothing to raid yet.
The orbiting space station consisted of old, defunct shipping containers and parts from other scrapped space stations. It had taken just over two months from delivery of the containers to assemble and weld them up. The use of very powerful construction bots run by another shadow corporation had made the job look easy, and now they had a station that ran efficiently. There was enough room for the crews and even an entertainment area with some shops.
Ray had put Bev Kindrick, as first class administrator, in charge of the station with orders to get it running and get it working. So far, Bev had used her considerable talents to recruit the right people to head up the various departments. Of course there were teething pains, shortages, and territorial disputes, but so far all was being managed by Bev. Oddly enough, the station had been nicknamed the Junkyard, and it had stuck. Bev seemed to find a great deal of humor in telling people that she was in charge of a junkyard. Especially after all her academy and fleet training. So far she had risen to every task and had found the people or the solutions to most problems. If it was too difficult, then it was kicked upstairs to Ray, but for the most part she could wait and discuss them in the weekly meeting of the department heads.
Sergie had taken over a couple of containers for the R&D efforts. His mission to date was to improve the siphoning nozzles to scoop up the gases from the gas giant, which they had named Fontus after some mythical god of some forgotten religion. As well he had a crew working in Panhandle away from the rest to design and build a secure R&D center.
Ray was looking forward to the meeting, as it was the first time that they as a viable corporation were going to meet to discuss all aspects of the development of Conrad Base. He would have new faces and new positions as well new assignments for various department heads.
As he entered the boardroom, Ray marveled at the keen, interested looks from his staff. Most people were present and ready for the meeting. As he made his way to the head of the table, he greeted the staff.
“Good morning, all,” Ray started. “I am very pleased that so many of you have arrived at Conrad Base, some of you for the first time. Some have been here or were already based here. I welcome you all. Thank you all for your hard work and extra efforts. We have a full agenda, mostly comprised of department reports and some logistic problems. So I would like to get started with my report. This will be a generalization of course, and the reading for public disclosure will be printed and dispersed by tomorrow.
“First, mining and gas gathering is proceeding as well as expected. We are gaining ground in the hard rock area, and I think Sergie will be announcing some strides in the gas mining. Shipping and sales is still slow, and it is hard to find new clients as an upstart, but even there we are making headway. Expansion and sales into the AGW planets is also moving ahead of schedule. As for administration in the capital and other planets, we are in an excellent position thanks to Karen and of course Bev here as head of station.
“Recruiting is ongoing, and I am always surprised at the quality of our new employees. Apparently Fugs is working very diligently to remove any vestige of competency or loyalty from the Fleet. Some ground corporations and businesses have been purged as well, to our benefit.
“Exploration and development in our system here is ahead of schedule, with Panhandle just weeks away from being sealed and atmosphere pumped in. Darcy is being mined as we speak and ores stockpiled until the refinery is running for mineralized products. Right now the refinery is purifying the gases we have sucked up from the gas giant Fontus.
“Our R&D is making brilliant strides in their theoretical research and are chomping at the bit to try some real experiments and designs. Some areas where we will be hitting bottlenecks are in warehousing, especially parts, shipping, accommodations, and overall star system security. These will be discussed at length today.
“As well we will go into our overall plan of action so that all of you will be up to speed. Once we get habitation up and running, it will become important to have local, system, and space security. I have talked to our partners, and they are looking into the problem of security.
“We will be initiating a weapons program on all of our stations and sites. Again, this is to discourage outsiders from getting too close. Ultimately we will be removing ourselves from the jurisdiction of the AGW and will go it alone. That means we will need a solid blocking force at our jump gate and will require escorts for our freighters and tankers. Somewhere along the line, we will acquire the paranoid scrutiny of pirates and of the PRC. Probably working hand in hand, we will need to be able to protect our people from them.
“I will be discussing the setup of a space fleet, and we collectively will decide on a fleet squadron commander whose ultimate responsibility will be to organize a fleet, sort of a shadow to Admiral Weatherfew.
“This is the wish list and report from the CEO. I think that Sergie will be next to report. Thank you, people.”
Ray sat down and nodded to Sergie. Sergie was a big man with a strong accent. There was no getting around his engineering ability, and some thought that he was a genius. Either way, he was a commanding presence.
“Thank you, Ray.” Sergie cleared his throat. “Today on Panhandle we managed to penetrate deep enough that we were able to burn a side tunnel and chamber. Over the next week, we will open this chamber up and install the fusion reactor in it. With the reactor running, we will have power to systems, life support, and will be virtually a 2,200-kilometer spaceship. Our research engineers are ready to start moving in with their equipment as soon as the reactor goes hot. We should be getting results from our experiments in a month after that, as long as we get the materials and parts required.
“It is crucial that we have more manufacturing bots and design machines to expedite our progress. I would like at least another hundred bots.” He looked at Laren Mindar, the head of warehousing and purchasing.
“This will help develop the mining, refinery, and shipbuilding and open up Darcy for habitation. The shipyard will need their own bots, but we can develop a prototype bot that we can build and use to make just about anything as long as it has access to the finished products. The refinery team is now working on expanding to receive raw ores along with the gases. Some interesting experiments are taking place in molecular conversions in gas and ores to make better alloys. Also we have made some strides in the development of what we call a factory ship as well as the further development of nano technology. Both of these are crucial to our success as an organization and as a force against the PRC.
“Ultimately, within four months we will be viable with a working R&D able to assist in every field that we are required to assist in. We need manpower, material, and bots, and with those we will surprise you. Thank you.”
“Excellent,” Ray said. “Bev, why don’t you take over? I have just been informed by ear com that we have some AGW ships that just gated in. Lydia, will you join me?”
“Okay. Thanks, Ray. I will begin with my report and proceed until you come back.” Bev smiled. “Ladies and gentlemen, the administration has been working hard to build an infrastructure at each site as it becomes available. With those sites opening up, we have been recruiting and promoting to e
nsure that a smooth command structure is in place. If you look at the chart up on the screen, you will see …”
Ray left as Bev was talking. He knew the entire corporation’s reports, so he wouldn’t miss much except for the problems, and those were mostly growing pains. He was more concerned with the sudden appearance of AGW warships. Were they the good guys or the bad guys? He hurried to the communication station.
“Hi, Early.” Ray smiled at the man sitting in the command chair overlooking a bank of screens. “Understand that this could be your last couple of weeks in the box before shipping out to headman the Panhandle project.”
“Hey, Ray.” Early Landrew smiled back. “Yeah, looking forward to solid ground even if the gravity is only slightly higher than the station. Understand through the grapevine that the wizards have made strides in developing a better grav-plate. Would be nice to walk instead of skate to where you want to go.”
“Yup. I believe that they are up to .9 of a gravity but are working on the problem of it being a power hog.” Ray nodded. “What do we have out there?”
“Sensors picked up the gate transition about an hour ago, so that means that they are about two hours in system. They have transmitted a request for docking and will be forwarding their credentials at that time. The ships consist of a couple of corvettes, one destroyer, one heavy cruiser, and a couple of frigates. A six-ship fleet is pretty big nowadays. They must mean business of some sort.”
“Crap. I don’t like this. If it was an inspection, they would have sent a single ship. Set up the station for a data purge and contact Hammer. He is in the board meeting. Have him gather his crew at the air lock, weapons free, an escort so to speak. Also have communications tight beam Panhandle and Darcy to shut down and hide their signatures. All ships should go silent. The scoop should be prepared to emergency disengage. I wish Lyn was here with that covert ship, but she is on a mission. Let’s just go to a level-three alert, lock down the station, especially R&D, and inform the station we have an air leak and are investigating. Ask Bruce to joins us.”
“Most of that has already been done,” Early said. “I will ask for Bruce, and Judeous is already getting prepped. The scientists are already sealing the R&D section to make it look like a bulkhead. All ships have gone into hiding, and we are prepared for a data dump.”
“Good.” Ray laughed. “Sorry, Early, it’s hard not to be the captain. No offense. You can take me out of Fleet, but you can’t take the Fleet out of me.”
“No Problem, Ray.” Early smiled. “We are what we were trained for.”
“Any idea who is running the show out there?” Ray asked.
“They said that the Fleet commander was a fellow by the name of Captain Trogsen. He is AGW and Fleet through and through.”
“Yeah, I know of him, Olaf Trogsen. We tried to recruit him early last year, but he turned us down. His file is impressive. I suppose that Fugs has to compromise and put competent people in place sometime. This guy is sharp though and a great tactician. We will have to keep our eye on him,” Ray said. “When will we be able to see them? I would like to scan their ships and see what we are up against. Needless to say, we are just a mining corporation out trying to make a buck.”
“Yeah, boss. We are just an honest group trying to get by.” Early laughed. “Twenty more minutes to visual. They are still inbound at system speed, holding a tight formation. Odd, our sensor operator says that they are not scanning except forward scans at the station. No flank or rear scans. Hmm, for a careful man as you say, that’s unusual.”
“Ah, here’s Bruce.” Ray pointed. He spent a few minutes bringing Bruce up to speed. Bruce agreed that Trogsen was an excellent officer and a good leader. He also agreed with the preparations that were ongoing. He suggested that the tugs go into hiding around a planetoid or large asteroid, as they could be recognized as the ones stolen from the ship graveyard at Reno. They watched the screens for the next twenty minutes and were rewarded with the long-range visual of the incoming fleet.
“Yup, as they reported, two corvettes, two frigates, one destroyer, and a heavy cruiser,” Early stated. “Getting a visual hail from the cruiser.”
“Put him on, tight screen of just Bruce, Lydia and me. I want no info outgoing that can help,” Ray ordered.
“Station in Zn2091, this is Fleet Commander Olaf Trogsen requesting docking instructions for my heavy cruiser only; the other ships will take orbit but not dock.” Olaf’s heavily accented voice came over the mike as his visual appeared on the screen.
“Welcome to Conrad Base, FC Trogsen. I am CEO of Conrad, Ray Hunter, and this is my XO, Lydia. Docking point will be lit up for you, and we have tractor-docking capabilities. Our station is a little tight, but you are welcome to our facilities,” Ray said.
“Ah, it is good to see CEO Hunter and ex-Fleet Captain Duely,” Olaf said. “We have some guests that want to visit your station. They will still be housed on cruiser as you are probably room deficient at the moment. My ships request flight paths to refinery for refueling. They will cycle one at a time. Our docking will be in forty minutes.”
“I will have my flight controller contact your ships for fuelling times. We will have an honor guard ready at the airlock to pipe our guests in. Will you be joining them, Commander Trogsen?” Ray asked.
“It is so. Myself, three guests, and two inspection teams. The teams will require access to all areas of station and eventually to refinery and gas recovery. We also have some supplies for you,” Olaf rumbled. “Olaf out.”
With that, the screen went blank, and a silence ensued for a few seconds. Then the men looked at each other.
“Did you notice that he was a shade off of standard Fleet protocol?” Early asked.
“Not only Fleet protocol but never once announced himself as Fleet commander,” Bruce stated.
“By parking the ships off station, it gives him an advantage with firepower. It also allows him some maneuvering room if there is an incident. By putting himself into a capture situation, it indicates that he is well aware of our lack of firepower but also a peace gesture. He is saying that this is not a hostile action; if it was, his XO would be doing the honors. These guests are some important people, whoever they are,” Ray added. “Best let Hammer know that there will be an honor guard needed. Let’s move this meeting to the secondary boardroom on the administration deck. I will meet the guests at the airlock. Bruce, you and Early and get hold of Bev, who will meet them in the boardroom.”
The station shook slightly as the tractor beam pulled the cruiser into a hard dock. It took a couple of minutes for the air lock to complete its cycle before the doors swung aside. The two inspection teams stepped out and were met by the appropriate guard teams who escorted them to the boardroom. Ray was so surprised at who stepped out of the airlock that he forgot all his protocol.
“Ah, Ray. It’s good to see you again. It’s been a while.” Admiral Weatherfew proffered his hand. “I would like to introduce Gable Houseman, parliamentary secretary reporting to President Ericson personally.”
The third guest was a woman, and to say that she was gorgeous would have been an understatement—well built with a firm figure, jet-black hair, green eyes that looked through you or softened into liquid emerald pools, lips that were there to kiss, a smile that could eat your heart. She carried herself with poise and confidence.
“May I introduce my niece and an IT specialist to the nth degree, Sinclair Marsden. Sin has been instrumental in acquiring the information that I have been able to forward onto you. Also, she has security clearance up to and better than the president, although Gable would disagree. And she is capable of covering her tracks against the PRC cyber dicks,” Weatherfew stated.
“Admiral! It is great to see you. I hope all is well. Mr. Houseman, a pleasure.” Turning to Sinclair Marsden, Ray said, “Miss Sinclair, you have no idea what a pleasure it is to see you. This station was a little d
rab, but you have a way of lightening up a room.”
“Very gallant, Mr. Hunter, but it is Mrs. Marsden. My husband is currently on station in the Arthos system, serving a contract with the Fleet.” Sinclair smiled back. “We all do our part to protect ourselves from the PRC and other enemies.”
“I stand corrected,” Ray said with just a hint of disappointment in his voice. “Ah, Fleet Commander Olaf Trogsen, my pleasure in meeting you, sir. If you all will follow the gentlemen there, they will show you the way to the boardroom.”
When they arrived at the boardroom, word had spread already, and there were more people than necessary sitting around the table. Ray decided to let it go, as it would be hard on morale if he started kicking people out. Maybe Weatherfew would ask, but until then, he would let it be. When they were seated, Weatherfew addressed the group.
“People,” Weatherfew started, “I will dispense with any vestige of protocol for this meeting. Along with me is Gable Houseman, direct parliamentary secretary to President Ericson, and Sinclair Marsden, a very brilliant IT specialist, and of course for those who don’t know me, I am Byron Weatherfew.
“Okay, let’s start. This will not be a good news briefing. The situation in the capital is deteriorating slowly and painfully, but it is coming apart. The PRC has made gains in every field either by conversion or extortion. To date we have lost eight planets to the PRC, which creates a powerful lobby in the assembly. We also have had the military pared down to the point that within a year we will no longer be able to defend our borders. To remove the best of the fleet and personnel, the PRC, under Fugs, has been able to ship off our Fleet people to remote areas with under-gunned and undermanned ships. It is the hope of Fugs that they will be engaged and destroyed by hired bandits and pirates. Any engagement is subject to a court martial, especially if they take damage. Ground forces have been scaled back through budget cuts, although some of the richer planets are maintaining their own forces. That’s the book cover. I will get in depth later and will want an up-to-date update on this op. But before that, Mr. Houseman will add to my briefing.”
