Fool's Gold (The Wandering Engineer)

by Hechtl, Chris

  “The crust melted in about two hours with a wide beam. When the heat hit the center it superheated the volatile gases inside. When they flash boiled they expanded rapidly pushing the crust out. This is called ballooning. It is also used in solar mining. When it finished expanding it had begun to cool in the shade we constructed. We've now got an eight and a half kilometer hollow sphere to use. It will take about a year to cool if we can keep it in the shade. Once we cut the door it will be used for a base and training ground as well as housing for Naval personnel and their dependents.” That brought another round of consternation and muttering from the committee.

  “I should point out that this was used to make the first battle planetoids in the Sol system.” He watched a few of the reps frown, while others looked surprised. “They were great for their time, but lacked shields, a drive, and other things. And even though they are large and their armor is thick, it can be breached with a petawatt graser, antimatter, or a gravity weapon. Crack it hard enough and it comes apart,” he shrugged.

  “Another idea is to locate and then terraform a suitable moon in this system. I am not sure which would be the right choice, an extensive survey would be needed. There are various means to go about this, like using solar mirrors to heat an atmosphere, comet impacts, or moving the moon to a more desirable orbit.” A few of the reps snorted in derision at that idea so he moved on.

  "The last is even more ambitious than Mr. Genshi's proposal." Genshi looked up startled as Irons turned to him with a smile. "That is a full Dyson sphere. Only one has been built in the Federation. It is an artificial sphere that encompasses the entire star at about 1 AU out." The holo changed and several people gasped. "Needless to say it would be a herculean task even in the old Federation." He shrugged and sat down.

  "And which do you favor?" a rep asked.

  "As I said before, I am here as an observer and consultant only. It is up to you to decide." He sat back.

  "But which is the easiest?" the rep persisted.

  "The caverns of course," another answered. "But the lunar terraforming and the micro Dyson spheres are intriguing." She looked at Irons who nodded. She turned to Genshi. "Mr. Genshi did you look these up as well?"

  Genshi stood and shook his head. "I was focusing on the planet. I have spent decades learning about every facet of terraforming in the hopes of restoring our home world." He sat down abruptly. The rep turned her attention to the Admiral.

  Irons smiled a closed mouth smile. “A man's view and reach should always exceed his grasp. But when your trying to do something, it is best to start with goals you can achieve and build on them.” A few nodded at this. "I would suggest you start small, with what would give you the greatest bang for your buck, then allocate, research, and lay the ground work to focus on larger projects as time and resources permit," Irons said. “You can watch how we build the fleet housing base and then decide if you'd like to do it as well,” he finished. She nodded.

  "Very well, I agree," Judge Farley nodded as well. The burble of debate started up once more.

  One of the reps turned to the admiral. “Just what is the navy's plans for the future. I don't remember seeing that in any broadcast.”

  “Well, we are going to expand the growing repair base into a full base and then into a shipyard. The station I mentioned earlier will be one of our habitats. We are currently working on an academy syllabus and training facilities. Some of which will be in the sphere,” he shrugged. “Beyond that we are laying the ground work to build a factory ship and escorts which will visit the systems around Pyrax and help them rebuild so they can be better trading partners and better prepared against pirate attacks.” This received a few narrow looks and only a few nods. “Those are our short term projects. You'll see the details in the budget proposals after the final election this year.”

  “Ah. Just so,” the rep nodded looking at the others. “Do keep us in the loop.”

  “Of course,” he nodded.

  "Admiral you have a two o'clock meeting," Sprite reminded him as debate raged around the table.

  "If you'll excuse me, I have another meeting to attend. I have uploaded the data I have and my notes into the database. Have a good day." He got up as the babble died out and made his way to the exit.

  "That is going to be interesting," Sprite said as he made his way down the hall.

  "Very," he shook his head.

  "Which do you think they will go for?" she asked.

  "Most likely the caverns and micro Dyson spheres, maybe the O'Neill colonies. Start small," he shrugged. "That is their problem, not mine."

  "Yeah right, guess who they will come too to make it work, whatever they decide?" she teased. Irons grunted.

  "Way to ruin a guy's day Sprite," he chuckled softly.

  The clink of ice cubes in glass woke the judge out of his reverie. "Long day?" the Admiral asked hours later as he poured himself a drink.

  Farley chuckled. "You could say that. All thanks to Genshi dreaming big and not doing his homework. That's ricocheting all over both houses. Well, I do seem to recall you had a hand in it as well," he eyed the Admiral as he sat down chuckling.

  "Just presenting alternatives," he shrugged.

  "That you did. My distinguished colleagues were falling all over themselves over which one to choose. And of course arguing about it and why they should be the first ones to benefit. I was half expecting a fist fight to break out," he shook his head.

  "You mean you were hoping," Irons teased taking a sip. The judge chuckled again.

  "As a fair and impartial man I decline to answer that. It would ruin my unbiased reputation." Irons chuckled again.

  "So, which way did they jump?" Irons asked after a moment.

  "Eh? Oh, with one of your proposals. Well, all of them actually. Well, all but the full Dyson sphere." Irons looked up surprised.

  "You are kidding!" he said. "Talk about overkill!" He shook his head. "Do they have any idea what it will take to do some of those?" he sighed.

  "You have only yourself to blame for giving them so many different ideas. They are working out study groups now," Farley grimaced. "I was nominated for one, I turned it down. Somehow I bet they wont be done until I've got great grandkids."

  Irons grimaced. "Trying to shuffle you off to some dead end committee again?" he asked.

  "Looks like it. They want me out of the way. Something is cooking," Farley replied taking a sip. He hefted a tablet. "Budget proposal. It doesn't take in your navy work or this terraforming venture," he sighed. Irons chuckled.

  "Well, we're still in the make the tools to build the tools stage. It will be a while before we really get into things. Then wait to see how the budget goes."

  Farley laughed. "You are not making it easy on me. I can hear the squeals now when they get that news." Irons laughed again. "Seriously though, something is in the wind Admiral, I can feel it. I don't know what they are up to, but something sneaky is going on." He gave the Admiral a look. "You are the most likely target."

  Irons sobered. "Yeah, I gathered that. Once the system elections are over I was planning on falling back on my navy career. Politics are not my thing," he shrugged taking a drink.

  Farley chuckled. "You could have fooled me!" He shook his head as the Admiral got up.

  "I've got to check in with Enrique. Thanks for the cognac." He put the glass down on the bar.

  "Any time Admiral. And Admiral." The Admiral turned. "Watch your back." Irons nodded.

  The next morning Mr. Genshi was waiting outside his quarters. “Admiral if I could have a moment of your time..”

  “I'm rather surprised you got through security Mr. Genshi. Or is it doctor?”

  “Ah...”

  “How long have you studied terraforming? Two decades I think you said.”

  “Yes it's really been my life's work,” he thrust his hands into his coat pockets. Irons waved for him to proceed him. “I was really looking forward to the renaissance terraforming a world would bring to our system
.”

  “It still will doctor. The idea is on hold for the moment. It isn't dead.”

  “Yes but we really must start the ground work now for a project of such epic proportions.”

  “Doctor, tell me, did you ever explore other alternatives?” Irons asked. The doctor blinked at him. “I take that as a no?”

  “Um.”

  “Right, no,” Irons sighed shaking his head at the narrow mind thought processes some people locked themselves into. “Look doctor there are other tricks you can employ to further your goals while laying other avenues open to explore. You never want to back yourself into a corner and not have any sort of escape plan,” he smiled. “I know it sounds trite, but we in the military always have a plan B.”

  “But if you never fully commit to something it will never come true!” the doctor said looking surprised as he stopped and held Irons’ arm desperately. “See this is the problem, a singular lack of vision. But coming from you of all people!”

  “Doctor,” Irons laughed. “I'm sorry,” he said as the doctor reared back. “Look Doc, there are... a lot of things people do not know about me. For one I, like any good military commander; like to keep my options open. And I always have a backup plan.” He nodded as a pair of ensigns saluted as they passed.

  “Doctor, look into some of the alternative methods of terraforming. Either start with a core world, such as a moon and go from there, or see about using a more... um brute force method that is simple.”

  “In other words follow the KISS principle,” Sprite said over the overhead. They both looked up then Irons nodded as the doctor looked back to her.

  “Right. For instance if you started with a moon with the right mass and position, what would happen if you bombarded it with comets and asteroids? In such a way that they add delta velocity to it to change its orbital characteristics? And not to mention adding those water volatiles to it's atmosphere?”

  “Um...” the doctor looked confused.

  “And if say, you have container systems to trap the heat and ejecta around the moon, that would speed things up.. and if you use grasers to melt things or solar mirrors...”

  “I see...” the doctor nodded suddenly rubbing his chin in thought. His eyes lit in thought. “All this, all of it could be done with what we have now though!” he shook his head. “The time we've... I've wasted.”

  “Not necessarily doctor. You've spent a few decades learning everything you can. The thirst for knowledge should never be quenched. Now it's time to apply what you know you can, and fudge what you can't.”

  “The vectors... and to find a suitable candidate...” the doctor stumbled away eyes glazed.

  “He's gone,” Sprite said, sounding amused. “It's funny how you organics can get into single minded thought tracks like that. Hopefully he doesn't run into a mugger.”

  “Yeah, hilarious.”

  “He couldn't see the moon for the planet.”

  “Cute. Appropriate but cute. Now about that appointment?”

  “Right, ah, briefing room eight Admiral,” she said. “Departure for the Bismark expedition is in two hours admiral.”

  “Then we'd better hurry. I don't want to miss it.”

  Chapter 27

  "Damn!" Logan said, studying the battered wreck. The battleship was torn, both flanks were peppered with rips and blast holes going decks deep and wide. Her notched bow was blackened, someone had cut out her sensors and communications array a long, long time ago and hadn't been very careful about it. Most of her antiquated radiation sails were wrapped around her like torn blankets. Her engines were dead, the thruster nozzles were chewed up like colanders.

  "Looks like Swiss cheese," Shelby moaned softly.

  The battleship was from a previous era. Her radiation sails were designed like folding sails, when deployed they would have made the craft look like an old Terran angel fish or a ship from the days of ocean wind travel. Modern ships had more efficient ways of dealing with excess heat and neutrons. Her port side was ripped and gouged, blast damage peeked out under the torn sails. During her last battle her fusion reactor had gone into overload and had had to be scrammed. She had ejected the reactor but it had rebounded off a torn sail back at the craft, tearing that huge hole and buckling the armored skin on that side when it had exploded. Shelby traced delicate fingers over the holo. "Goddess the frame damage alone..." she murmured dismayed.

  "Yeah, but think of her rebuilt with modern gear on our side," Janice said softly. Shelby looked over to the helms woman. Janice blushed then shrugged.

  "It's still going to be a lot of work. Are we sure it will be worth it?" she asked. “I mean I know we spent three days getting here, but still...” her eyes turned in dismay back to the derelict. “Wouldn't it be easier and cheaper to start from scratch?” she asked eyes going to the Admiral. Irons shrugged.

  "We'll know soon enough. Preliminary survey teams are deploying now," he pointed. Shuttles and robotic probes were launching from Firefly. Shelby turned to Captain Mayweather who smiled.

  "We can't stand here all day staring at her and feeling sorry for ourselves over the scope of the project," the captain said shaking her head. “We've got other irons in the fire.”

  Irons chuckled. "She's right, let's get going." He waved to the lock.

  "Admiral, just a minute, let's let the robots and survey team check for traps," Mayweather cautioned. Irons grimaced then nodded reluctantly. Logan grunted.

  "We drop in a modern AI, power plant, drives, shields, weapons, sensors, a new skin, the works... she'll be a whole new ship," he said softly. "Where do you think we should start?" He turned to the Admiral.

  "If she's worthy, we'll get the crew to clear the debris and start stripping her down on the way back to the station. From what I've accessed on this ship class she's a turtle. She's got so many compartments and structural members she can take one hell of a pounding, which is why I'm even considering this act of salvage at all. We'll have to fix the frame and hull damage. Once she's down to bare metal then we can fix what needs fixing and then rebuild from the power plant and drives out," he shrugged.

  "New weapons and power plant mean new conduits. The old ones can't keep up and we can't trust them to do so," Shelby muttered. Irons nodded.

  "New sensors, new electronics, it's going to be a major task," he said. "Best get to it."

  Shelby watched the work parties tearing into the battered ships. Each was lit by lights from the skeletal gantry truss surrounding them. The Admiral called it a cradle. She and others thought of it as a docking slip or drydock. Structural bars ran to the ships to keep them stable in the dock. It had taken nearly a month to get the battleship back to port. Twenty three long boring days. She softly whistled as a giant piece of a radiator came free, tumbling as a torch cut its last link. "I bet someone's going to catch hell over that," she murmured.

  "They'd better." She turned to see her father and the Admiral behind her. Logan nodded to the view port. The tumbling radiator smashed itself against the hull, crushing a robot. Shelby winced. It rebounded off and hit a work pod sending it tumbling.

  "Damn," the Admiral muttered.

  "What a circus huh?" Logan said sighing. "They should have secured it before cutting it free." He shook his head.

  "Work pod was late," Irons winced. “I bet the cutter was only supposed to cut most of the way through then wait for it's arrival but got impatient.” Sprite was feeding him some of the communications chatter. It was a mad house. A supervisor bellowed over the line and then it was quiet. She snarled out orders and then things began to pick back up. Search and rescue teams were already deploying.

  "I hear that there is a group, the Pyrax Historical and Preservation Society that is trying to stop us?" Shelby turned to the Admiral and her father.

  "First I heard of it," Irons said. He turned to Logan who was still looking out the view port.

  "They served me a stop injunction this morning."

  "On what grounds?" Shelby asked laughing.


  "They want the battleship and other ships preserved or returned to their original state and turned into museums," he sighed shaking his head. The radiator swung close to their port. OMS fire from a tug was their only warning of it before it hit the piece sending both off on a new vector. Logan and Shelby ducked instinctively when a shredded beam came within a meter of the port.

  "Damn that was close. A little too close," she said softly getting up. She tugged at her jacket hem.

  "That it was," Logan growled.

  "They filed an injunction?" Irons asked. "Obviously you didn't pass this on to me or heed it," Irons waved.

  "I ran it by Judge Farley since he's the new chief justice. He tossed it out," Logan said then closed his eyes.

  "Implants still giving him problems?" Irons asked Shelby quietly.

  "Sometimes," Logan answered before his daughter could.

  "All right, the section super and that work party will be in after shift for a tail wringing." He opened his eyes and turned to the Admiral. Irons nodded.

  "Wait, back to these historical nuts, they want us to return the battleship? Firefly? All of them? Are they nuts?" she asked amused.

  Irons and her father laughed. "Before the war we usually agreed to those requests when we could, Especially when a ship was up for scuttling or about to be sent to the breakers for salvage," he grimaced.

  "We are pretty partial to ships Shelby. When you live on one, it forms a tight community." Irons nodded to Logan who gave a short choppy nod. His face was a little red. “They take on a life of their own.”

  "Still ticked?" Irons asked. Logan nodded. "Save it for later." He turned back to Shelby. "In the old times, before the Xeno war if a ship was no longer of any use we would tear it apart or destroy it. We called it sending it to the breakers. Really we were recycling it so it wouldn't fall into the wrong hands. But there are those that can't stand that, many are her old crew," he shrugged.

  "This is a bit of jumping the gun though," Logan said suddenly looking thoughtful. "Some thing's up, it doesn't compute," he gave Irons a look. Irons shrugged.