Henry Gallant Saga 2: Lieutenant Henry Gallant

by H. Peter Alesso

  They began to break ground for the new accelerator facility located twenty kilometers outside Hallo.

  Construction was at a delicate stage of development and special materials were being transported to the Intrepid in superconducting plasma containment fields.

  In addition, work was begun on repairing the Intrepid’s fusion reactors. They would be started and tested within several weeks. Gallant had been supervising the operation and conducting the safety checks. His assessment was the containment fields might not last for the entire trip back to Sol. He did his best to evaluate and reinforce the equipment.

  Gallant spent restless nights at the mining campsite while his mind searched through each day’s events evaluating the progress of the ongoing construction. Problems, one after another, kept popping up. He faced design and construction issues as the mining facility grew. Despite the progress, something in the back of his mind kept bothering him. He couldn’t escape the sense that whatever it was he couldn’t name, a shape he couldn’t recognize, lurked in the shadows.

  After a while, he fell into a troubled sleep. Shadows and sounds, residues of a dream, remained with him as he woke.

  A crewman was standing over his bunk. “Sir, with Chief Howard’s apologies, could you come immediately? There’s been a breach during the night and critical equipment was damaged.”

  Following the crewman, Gallant was led to the M-site’s main mine shaft. A crowd of men gathered around the vehicle repair building. Gallant went in, and the men dispersed, giving him room to see the damage. One of the civilians was shouting and cursing about how someone had wrecked essential equipment. Gallant tried to calm him down while he looked over the equipment.

  Something had bent the crane on a five-hundred-ton excavator into a pretzel. An eighty-ton bulldozer was flattened under a gigantic boulder. The nearby electronics equipment shed was shattered into a thousand pieces, and all the valuable parts were in splinters. An invaluable plasma regulator modulator had been destroyed.

  In addition, a report came in for site-F stating similar problems and damages had occurred there as well.

  He might have dismissed the problems as some kind of electrical interference if only one site had been affected, but for two widely separated sites to suffer remote-control operational failures meant these were feats of sabotage. And not simply sabotage either. Gaining remote control of heavy equipment required considerable computer technical expertise and whoever the culprit was had gotten away unseen without leaving a trace.

  “This plasma modulator is difficult to replace, sir,” said Chief Howard, frowning and shaking his head, his white hair swaying back and forth.

  “Can’t we get a replacement from the Intrepid?” asked Gallant.

  “Do you want to ask Mr. Neumann for the last one on the ship?”

  “Humph.”

  “I didn’t think so.”

  “Well, what else can we do?” asked Gallant.

  “Using every resource at our disposal, I might be able to cobble a second-rate replacement, but don’t hold your breath. Besides, how do we know whatever did this won’t be back?” said Howard.

  “We’ll install a better monitoring system and upgrade the software security. I’ll call a board of inquiry for this afternoon. We’ll need to get to the bottom of this quickly.”

  “This is not a broken hydraulic line or a fallen crane bucket we’re dealing with. This is sabotage. A member of our mining team deliberately destroyed large machines by using bigger machines to smash them. We’ll have to interview the Hallo citizens and our crewmen to find if they saw anything,” said Howard.

  Gallant and a team of investigators questioned each of those on guard duty followed by all the workers in the entire campsite. The inquirers examined everything in great detail, asking for what everyone had seen or heard. Each gave the same answer. “Nothing.”

  Gallant convened a meeting with Junior, Howard, and the civilian crew bosses to discuss how to proceed with work given the damaged equipment. He looked at them frowning, chewing at his lip. He said, “We have to make the best of it.”

  Junior said, “SSP increase our security teams at each site.”

  “Is there any chance of getting more heavy equipment from the colony?” asked Howard.

  “No. We were lucky they had this much equipment to start with. Any additional vehicles must be of our own making,” said the leading civilian worker.

  After the others left, Gallant and Chief Howard considered the possibility the destruction was not the result of people running the machinery, but instead was orchestrated by a cyber-attack causing the equipment to go haywire.

  Gallant evaluated the events by approaching it as a cyber-attack. It was like a detective story, but without footprints or video of a perpetrator climbing a fence. The only clues were data traces left on hard drives, or in computer buffers, or in access log tables. The tricky part was piecing the disparate items together into a coherent picture leading to a unique story of the crime. Sometimes, the things that weren’t there were as important as those that were. By analyzing the locations and malfunctions one at a time, he recognized a pattern. For example, at first Gallant was relieved site-A had been spared, but then he began to ask...

  Had it?

  Gallant ordered an intensive review of all the system records for site-A.

  “Look here, Chief.” He pointed to a map with marks indicating the malfunctions and damage. “All these actions are explicit—highly visible—each causing clear damage. The mine shaft and storage facility and the forge building and several large machines were all damaged. Nothing was attempted at the Accelerator site—no malfunctioning machines, no damage of any visible kind.”

  “So they didn’t get around to the accelerator facility,” said Howard.

  “On the contrary, I believe the accelerator was the real target. I reviewed the detailed blue prints for the accelerator construction site and I found the alignment segments were changed. Their positions were changed a few centimeters for each kilometer of track. It may seem trivial, but that wrong angle is enough to throw the accelerator completely out of alignment and make the manufacture of dark matter impossible. If I hadn’t found the error, it would have set us back a month correcting the problem once construction was completed.”

  Gallant didn’t mention the hidden code he had found embedded in the accelerator’s AI control system. The hidden code was a complex puzzle he intended to work on with the help of GridScape.

  “I’ll set up a security monitor on the accelerators blueprints and construction milestones,” Howard said. “We won’t get caught this way again.”

  “Maybe not the same way, but I’ll bet this isn’t the end of the problem. This project was a gamble to start with.”

  “A gamble we have to win.”

  ***

  Gallant traveled back to the Intrepid to see Neumann and to make his weekly report.

  Neumann looked unhappy.

  Gallant detailed the damage from the mishap at the mining camp. The losses, though not extensive, were, in fact, sabotage. It was likely only the first step. He explained what he had done to prevent future incidents.

  Neumann asked, “Who do you have as suspects?”

  Gallant said, “The technology to cause this damage requires considerable expertise and access to wireless computer facilities with virus-like software. I don’t know who on Elysium has knowledge and access, but I’m working to find out. I plan on visiting Professor Hepburn. He’s a cybernetics expert specializing on AI control systems for mining. He should know who else has expertise.”

  “You don’t suspect Wolfe of playing a double crossing scheme? Pretending to give us what we want and then preventing it from happening? Perhaps he’s looking for a better bargaining position?”

  “That’s a possibility I can’t dismiss.”

  “I want you to work with the SSP to set up greater security at the camp sites and install AI monitoring equipment with relays to the Intrepid.”


  “Aye, aye, sir.”

  “In addition, I want you to investigate how Wolfe controls the planetary force field. I want to know how he developed the technology.”

  “Aye, aye, sir.”

  “A gamble we have to win.”

  ***

  Gallant continued to investigate the cyber-attack and equipment damage. He set up monitoring stations at the sites to keep a closer watch on all the facilities. He tried repeatedly to meet with Hepburn to question him about both the cyber-attack as well as the technology behind Wolfe’s force field, but the elderly professor constantly put him off, claiming poor health or inconvenient timing.

  However, a few days later when he went to his living quarters in the rustic cottage on the edge of Hallo, he noticed his personal items were out of their normal positions.

  He began looking for physical and electronic eavesdropping devices, or security weaknesses. In particular, he looked for media devices and remote control technologies for collecting data.

  Most bugs transmitted their collected information, whether data, video, or voice, using radio waves; however, counter-measures could allow radio frequencies to be jammed. Sensitive equipment could also be used to look for magnetic fields, thermal hot spots, or for the characteristic electrical noise emitted by the computerized technology in digital tape recorders. As a result, effective surveillance relied upon bugs that only recorded information for later collection, thus making them difficult to detect. Items such as audio recorders could be especially difficult to detect using electronic equipment.

  Gallant relied on his physical search to uncover such devices.

  It didn’t take him long to discover a single simple recording device hidden beneath his table. He looked for additional evidence of tampering on his computer tablet, but it wasn’t electronically bugged. The recording equipment was relatively low tech and unsophisticated, similar to those the SSP used—not at all related to the tech-savvy stuff he had associated with the cyber-attack.

  Since he was alerted to the personal surveillance, he decided to leave everything in place and see what developed.

  He smiled.

  Junior’s busy looking for sabotage—in all the wrong places.

  CHAPTER 20

  CAFE'

  For two weeks, Gallant traveled between the sites—maintaining a grueling sixteen-hour work-day schedule. Under his close supervision, work progressed in the mines and facilities, and stayed on schedule.

  As the pleasant summer days dwindled away, he decided to take a much-needed break and visit Hallo. He told himself the reason for the trip was to question Professor Hepburn, but his hope was to visit the man’s granddaughter.

  Conscious of a desire to blend in with the tropical paradise around him, he borrowed clothes from a civilian worker. He pulled on a tight-fitting navy-blue polo shirt, and—as he looked down at his khaki trousers and open-toed sandals—he wondered if he had gone native.

  The midmorning shadow fell over the pleasant two story green house, while Gallant peered over the fence, looking to see if Alaina was in the backyard. Not seeing her, he approached the main entrance, where the home’s AI opened the door for him.

  To his amazement, Alaina was standing in the doorway—as if she had been waiting there all along. She wore a form-fitting pale blue blouse which showed a hint of cleavage and short white shorts made of a soft fabric that clung to her—the overall effect highlighted her graceful curves.

  He stood marveling at her until his near-trancelike stare was interrupted.

  “Ahem,” she said with a bemused look on her face.

  “How are you? Did I disturb you? Were you painting?” he sputtered.

  She laughed.

  “I like your laugh,” he said, working at regaining his composure.

  “You’re late,” she said petulantly, “I was expecting a visit ages ago. Apparently I’m not high on your priority list.”

  “You are now,” he declared.

  “Good,” said she, smiling seductively.

  He looked down at the ground, collecting his wits. When he looked back up, he asked, “Is your grandfather home?”

  “No, he said, he was going to visit one of his cronies, but I suspect he’s exploring the outskirts of town.”

  “Okay,” he said.

  “Okay? Did you come here to talk to him?” she asked, looking disappointed. She brushed back her blonde hair with a flick of her hand, as if she could as easily brush him away.

  “I had something to ask him, but I’m happy to be with you,” said Gallant, seeking to mend his social gaffe.

  She stood still, not speaking.

  “What are you thinking?” he asked.

  “No, it’s not going to be that easy,” she said.

  “What do you mean?” he asked, feigning innocence.

  “You’re going to have to work for it.”

  “Work for what?”

  She turned up her nose.

  “In that case, would you like to go for a stroll?” he asked.

  The happy smile returning, she said, “Let’s. I know the perfect place.”

  Taking charge, she held his arm and led him down the street.

  “I like your tropical island attire. It’s about time you found your place among the natives.”

  Gallant reddened; nevertheless he was enjoying the liberating feeling of being out of uniform.

  Walking side by side, they hardly had anything to say to each other, or rather Gallant had a great deal to communicate, but didn’t know where to begin, and she was likely in the same spot.

  Alaina pointed out the local idiosyncrasies of the town to him, as if he were a tourist.

  In such a small community, there weren’t many options for casually sharing company, but the few available were pleasant and satisfying. The location offered an unforgettable retreat, edged by lush rain forests with far-off snow-capped mountains. Outdoor cabanas and private gardens attracted attention as well. The couple went along the main street toward a café catering to the Hallo dining crowd.

  “Look we arrived at exactly the right time. They’re setting up for dinner now.”

  They were at the same small off-road café he had visited during his first morning on Elysium. Several customers looked at them with curiosity. A waiter came, greeted them, and took their order.

  They chose a simple meal and they munched silently between rushes of chatter about this and that. After the light meal, Gallant sat enjoying coffee and feeling a surge of energy.

  Gallant allowed himself to survey the room with an air of polite indifference, but after a short passage of time he focused his attention not on the decor but on his companion. An evening breeze fluttered through the room as the café began to empty. Individuals discretely glanced at Alaina as they got up to leave, puzzling over what was going on between the couple.

  He caught sight of their reflection in a nearby window pane—his natural expression showed his pleasant countenance and warm smile, while Alaina’s youthful glow and rosy cheeks reflected her pleasure of his company.

  “Hmm,” he muttered.

  “What are you thinking?” she asked.

  “I’m thinking I like what I see,” he said, looking at her.

  She beamed.

  They sat quietly, enjoying the ambience.

  After a few minutes, Gallant’s demeanor became more serious. “What do you discuss with Junior?”

  “I haven’t seen much of him for quite a while, but when I do, he talks mostly about you.”

  “Am I such a fascinating subject?” asked Gallant.

  “Nothing is more difficult to dispel than the belief of your own importance.” She laughed.

  Gallant shifted in his seat. “I’m not sure I fit that mold.”

  “Your questions are deliciously troubling.”

  Turning her head to one side and raising her eyebrows, she asked, “Do they reflect jealousy, by any chance?”

  “You are enjoying this, aren’t you?” said Gallant, leanin
g back in his chair, making it balance on the back two legs.

  “Henry, your vacillating passions are a great curiosity to me,” she said laughing again.

  “Is that what you like about me? I amuse you—I make you laugh?”

  “Who said I liked you?” she said coyly.

  Gallant flashed on their night in the jungle. “Oh, I see—and what about Liam?”

  “Liam is different,” she said. Her eyes darkened, indicating Gallant was treading on a vulnerable spot. He expected an admonishment, but she remained silent.

  He grew concerned by her pensive manner.

  “I think it’s time to go,” said Gallant.

  As they stepped outside the café and onto the main street intersection, they saw an SSP officer carrying a plasma rifle guarding the entrance to the Elysium Council building.

  Alaina stopped in her tracks and bristled at the sight, as if she had come to a sudden realization. Her facial expression took an ominous turn.

  She faced Gallant and harangued, “Handguns weren’t enough? Now you’re supplying Wolfe with rifles? What’s next, artillery? I thought you were supporting PUP.”

  Flustered, Gallant said, “Our agreement with Wolfe was confirmed by the Elysium Council and approved by a vote of the Elysium citizens.”

  “That vote was engineered, like all Wolfe’s elections.”

  He said quietly, “I intend to deal with Wolfe and help the people of Elysium when the time is right. Trust me.”

  “I thought I could trust you. Now I don’t know anymore.” She stalked away.

  He stood in the street watching her leave.

  Damn.

  CHAPTER 21

  CASUALTIES

  Workers at the UP facilities on Elysium were on tender hooks, watching and waiting, but nothing happened. The equipment ran well, including the tractors and excavators. Raw material accumulated, metal beams and parts were fabricated, and the superconducting liquid-helium-cooled magnets were placed along the accelerator’s trajectory path. The additional guards, alarms, and monitoring equipment offered a sense of security. The crews were returning to a semblance of normalcy.