Counterweight
Page 27
“Treason?” Sam spluttered. “Where do they get off changing our government? They didn’t assume control of the government on Chaco Benthic…”
“We’re the legal warlords of Chaco Benthic,” Freya cut him off. “3428 was seized as a direct fief which makes us your legal government.”
“Which means,” Rick added, “Norm’s correct. You tried to blow up your government, though how you thought it would work is beyond me. I knew the bomb was there the instant I thought of sitting down…” He cocked his head, staring at Sam, watching him fidget.
“You wanted to kill Freya, didn’t you?” He phrased it as a question but his inflection made it clear a response wasn’t needed. He let out a sigh. “Well, I don’t know what you thought you were doing but now we’re left with a problem.
“Your ancestor already brought shame to the crew by leading a mutiny. The last thing we need now is a public trial for treason. People will say the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.”
Norm turned toward his former captain. “We could settle it quick enough – all we need is a little poetic justice…”
He must have intended to shove Sam into the chair because the former captain suddenly shouted in fear, leaping away from the master-at-arms. His left foot went back and failed to find the deck. With his arms thrown out in a vain attempt at regaining his balance, Sam seemed to hang in space for a few heartbeats, then disappeared with a wail of terror.
Forgetting his fear, Rick joined the others at the edge, looking down into the gloom. There was no sign of Sam.
“It may be indelicate,” Eirar said quietly, “seeing as Sam probably hasn’t hit bottom yet, but this does solve our problem.”
Rick nodded. “We say nothing about the bomb.” He looked at Norm. “I expect you’ll be wanting to get back to the ship?”
A nod.
“Take your captain with you. Make sure you hand him over to Hardy in good condition.”
“You won’t launch without me, right?” Barry stepped away from the edge.
Rick shook his head. “Shipyard master figures another five weeks. By then, we’ll have the CPC’s aboard and we can head back to 3428.”
The CPC’s, or Carbon/Concrete Printing Complexes, would be turned loose in the canyon where the Guadalcanal had spent the last century and a half. In a matter of months, the automated units would complete a small arcology – a city habitat contained in a single structure.
The new arcology would cover only a few thousand square meters at ground level but it would provide housing for a half million inhabitants as well as commercial, industrial and agricultural spaces. It would be built to its full size and the various zones would be adjusted to balance the growing population until it stabilized at its design maximum.
It would be a clear signal to any Republic forces that the Alliance was there to stay. There was no chance of seizing the world after a quick skirmish, not with a large civilian population on the surface.
“Can’t wait to see those machines at work!” Barry declared. “It’s hard to imagine – quarters like this but on 3428! The place sure won’t be the same…”
“No,” Rick agreed quietly, glancing at the edge.
“It won’t…”
From the Author
I’m enjoying the process of writing this series and hopefully, you’ve been getting something out of it as well (I’m assuming that few folks read a series all the way to book four just because they hate it). Word of mouth is a critical factor in the success of any story. If you’ve enjoyed this one, please consider leaving a review at Amazon. Even a couple of quick lines can make a huge difference and is very much appreciated.
Amazon US
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I’d like to take a few seconds to thank those who read the book before it actually reaches the market.
Beta readers are fast becoming an indispensable part of the process for so many writers. It’s very important to have a great editor (and I think I do) but it helps to have others read your story as well. Each story is test driven by several beta readers and they’ve had a positive impact.
One beta, in particular, saved me from an embarrassing technical mistake regarding Glock pistols. Though I’ve had a chance to look at Glocks while serving alongside Norwegian officers in the nineties, I wasn’t aware of the innovative trigger safety. I think I was distracted at the time by awareness of the century separating development of the local officer’s weapon from the Browning 9mm hanging at my own hip.
I did, however, learn the Norwegian word ‘antikk’, which they didn’t need to translate, seeing as they were indicating my firearm at the time…
I’ve written that beta into this story as a background character. I won’t say which one for the obvious reasons of privacy but the beta in question will know who I mean.
Thanks for the help, guys!
I’ve loosely based the LRG on the Long Range Desert Group. The LRDG operated in North Africa in WWII and they drew their men from around the British Commonwealth. Founded by Major (at the time) Ralph Alger Bagnold, the original plan was to use mostly Australian troops.
Though the Aussies weren’t available to him at the time, the Kiwis were and they formed the original core of the unit, doing incredible damage to the Axis forces for a group of their size and composition. Afrika Corps Commander Rommel even acknowledged their effectiveness, indicating that they gave him more difficulty than any other British unit of equal strength.
I needed a long-range, sneaky force to get Rick in and out of hostile territory and, when I thought of the combat-shuttle program that had originally been hosted aboard the Guadalcanal in the previous book, I realised that a force similar to the LRDG would be a logical evolution in Alliance tactics.
Small, distortion-capable shuttles make for an excellent scouting force and it seemed the sort of thing that would appeal to the restless nature of the Midgaard.
Rick and Freya have certainly punched above their weight in this story, and they’ll be back in the next one.
If you’d like to get in touch, I can be reached through my blog, my twitter account or through my email. Aside from that one guy who seems to think I have an account at {random bank name here} that’s in urgent need of attention, I welcome the chance to stop writing for a few minutes and chat (I’m easily distracted).
Blog: http://agclaymore.blogspot.com/
AGClaymore@gmail.com
@AGClaymore
Table of Contents
Table of Contents
History's Orphans
Changing Trajectories
Intersection
New Purpose
The Gloves Come Off
From The Author