by Bob Blanton
“We don’t want to kill it,” Dr. Teltar said.
“Okay, that means we have to keep climbing,” Blake said. By now, he was regretting his ‘captain’s prerogative’ of claiming the hunt. “We should have armed one of the drones with a stun gun, and let it do all the work,” Blake thought, “but we would still have to climb up here to get the samples. Oh, well.”
“We need to be careful now,” Dr. Teltar said.
“I know, we’re getting close. We should be in range soon.”
“That’s true, but the one thing you need to know about big cats is, once you get close to them, they start hunting you.”
“Now you tell me.”
“It might be better if we just find a good position and wait for it to come to us.”
“How do you know this cat will behave like ones from other worlds?”
“Because he didn’t run when we saw him,” Dr. Teltar said. “He saw us first and roared, now he’s hunting us. Wolves and dog-like predators either face you down right away or run off.”
“Better and better,” Blake thought. “Here is a good position. It’s defensible, and there’s not too much shrubbery for the cat to use as cover.” He found a nice rock to sit on and unslung his rifle. “I’m definitely having the drones modified.”
Blake was staring at the side of the hill, wondering when the big cat would show up. They’d been waiting for over an hour. “Come on, you lazy feline,” he thought. Suddenly, his Comm beeped a warning. The drone had spotted something. Examining his HUD, he realized that the cat must be close. “Switch to infrared, moron.”
Once he turned the infrared mode on, he realized that he’d been staring at the cat as it approached him one slow step at a time. He watched as it continued to stalk him. It would move one paw, stretching it ahead and placing it down so slowly that it was like watching a stop-animation film in slow motion. He was amazed at the cat’s patience.
“Okay, so you’re not so lazy,” Blake whispered as he slowly brought his rifle to his shoulder. The cat froze as it detected the motion. Blake continued to bring the rifle to bear, slowly, ever so slowly. Finally, he had the big cat in his sights. “I do apologize for this,” he whispered as he pulled the trigger.
The cat flinched when it heard the pop of the rifle shoot the stunner round; then, it howled when the stunner hit it and activated. The cat jumped but immediately fell to the ground as the stunner pulsed through its nervous system.
“You got him,” Dr. Teltar yelled. “I’m surprised you let him get so close.”
“I’m tired of walking,” Blake lied. He wasn’t going to admit that the cat had snuck that close without his realizing it.
Once Dr. Teltar got his samples, they made their way down the mountain. The hair on the back of Blake’s neck kept standing up as he worried about the cougar waking up and sneaking up on them.
“Gawd, I hate cats.”
Chapter 8
Cabinet Meeting April 5th
“Now that everyone is here, I call this meeting to order,” Marc said. “Prime Minister, would you like to start.”
“Thank you,” Prime Minister Nazeri said. “I do not have very much since I am still learning. On my action items from last week, Defense Minister Michaels and I agreed that we should go forward with acquiring the pilots from the U.S. He will develop his list and present it to you for approval. You also spoke last week about your military academy, but did not mention the university that you are also promising. I wonder why.”
“You’re correct, we’ve started the construction of the buildings for the university and Sam is looking for a president, but everyone has been busy,” Marc said.
“I haven’t made much progress,” Samantha admitted.
“Then I would propose that I take over that effort,” the prime minister said.
Samantha nodded her agreement.
“Seeing no objections, it’s yours,” Marc said. “Please let us know what you need.”
“We need to establish a budget for the university,” the prime minister said.
“Submit a proposal,” Marc said. “I’m sure we can take care of it. MacKenzies will contribute if necessary.”
“Corporate support of universities is a good tradition,” the prime minister said. “I would also like to appoint a Minister of Education. The work done by Mrs. Kaanapu as the principal is exemplary, but what she does extends far beyond what a principal should be responsible for, and I feel we should formalize the situation.”
“I take it that you’re proposing that she be appointed the Minister of Education,” Marc said.
“That is correct.”
“I have no objections.”
“Then I will inform her after the meeting.”
Catie rolled her eyes at Liz, and after silencing her Comm said, “This is getting really boring.”
“I think your father plans to push this stuff off on the prime minister. Hopefully, we can skip out on this part in the future.”
“You two, be quiet,” Blake whispered.
“Anything else?” Marc asked.
“That’s it for now,” the prime minister said.
“Sam, what are you hearing from our friends in the U.S.?” Marc asked.
“They’re furious,” Samantha said, “but of course you expected that. The president cannot complain about the damage to the CIA and NSA hacking systems without looking foolish. As you requested, they are planning to submit proposals to the U.N. for more aggressively policing the internet. It will be interesting to see what they come up with.”
“And our Chinese friends?” Marc asked.
“They’ve privately complained to the U.S., but are making no public statements. They don’t want to publicly acknowledge they were hacking, and they definitely don’t want to admit that they got hacked so badly.”
“The Russians?”
“They are in a mess. There are protests all across the country, especially against the oligarchs and government officials that have now been outed for stealing from the government. A few of them managed to get out of the country right after the news broke; the ones who didn’t make it out have been arrested. The government has seized any of their assets that were still in the country. It’s hurt the president, but he’s weathering the storm, especially since none of the documents released implicated him. He’s promising to recover the money for the Russian people.”
“That’s nice of him since he’s the one who let them steal it in the first place,” Admiral Michaels said.
“There is also some noise about independence from some of the republics,” Samantha continued. “With two of the top generals fleeing the country and several being arrested for embezzlement, the Russian military is in a bit of disarray.”
“That won’t last. Some colonel will step into the vacuum,” Admiral Michaels said.
“I’m sure someone will,” Samantha said. “But it is slowing down their response to these issues.”
“Mr. President, I am wondering if you are getting the response you hoped for?” the prime minister asked.
“Call me Marc. And as far as the response, it’s close to what I wanted, but it’s still early,” Marc said. “Admiral, how is our surface fleet coming?”
“We have minimal crews on the frigates, we’re recruiting and training aggressively,” Admiral Michaels said. “We should have them up to their full complement of two hundred each in two or three months. We’ll position them in the same locations we plan to place the carriers. They will complement each other.”
“Good, do you need anything?”
“Just time.”
“Okay, Fred, how is your commodities program going?”
“It’s going well,” Fred said. “Right now, I’m selling futures for the metals; there’s room for others to participate if you wish, just coordinate with me.”
“I’ll probably take you up on that,” Admiral Michaels said.
The prime minister turned to Marc looking very uncomfortable.
“Crossover fro
m MacKenzies,” Marc said. “My bad, I should have had this part of the discussion in a private meeting. But the good thing is that Delphi will get some good tax revenue from the trades.”
The prime minister just swallowed hard and turned back to the table.
“On a more traditional note,” Fred said with a small grimace, “the new jetliner had her second test flight yesterday. The engineers identified some minor issues that need fixing. We’ll take care of that soon, then we’ll start setting up the manufacturing process so we can submit for certification.”
“Excellent,” Marc said. “How about our other manufacturing?”
“Everything is on track. There is a slight sag in the solar panel market, the Chinese haven’t bought as many arrays as they usually do,” Fred said.
“That’s interesting,” Admiral Michaels said. “Any idea why?”
Herr Hausmann leaned forward, “I think it’s a cash issue. They’ve been aggressive with the fusion reactors, and I think they’re taking a breather to build up more cash without pulling too much out of the American bond market.”
“You think they’re being that nice?”
“I don’t think they want to antagonize the U.S. at this time, and any disruption to the American economy would impact their holdings in the U.S. as well. They are heavily invested in the U.S. economy doing well.”
“I think that’s a good sign,” Marc said. “Did you guys pick a commandant yet?”
“We’re scheduling interviews now,” Blake said. “If I’m not back from this shakedown cruise, I’ll do mine remotely.”
“Shakedown cruise?” the prime minister asked.
“Yes, Admiral Blake, Commander Farmer, and my daughter are testing out a new class of starship,” Marc said. “They’re going outside the solar system to test how its engines perform when they’re out of the sun’s gravity well.”
“But they sound so close.”
“We’re not that far away yet,” Blake said. “Our next meeting will be more problematic with the delay. Possibly we should skip it and just send in written reports.”
Catie and Liz did a high-five over Blake’s head.
“That might be necessary,” Marc said. “Captain Desjardins, how is our new space station coming along?”
“It is now spun up, and we’ve moved all the personnel over to it. I am releasing the Sakira to return to Earth on Friday,” Captain Desjardins said.
“How are the accommodations?” Samantha asked.
“Everyone is very happy to be able to spread out. And it is much more convenient for the miners. Nolan’s crew still has several months of work to build out the rest of the ring, but for now, we are all happy.”
“Excellent,” Marc said. “I have two more agenda items. First: Prime Minister, are you ready to hold your own cabinet meetings and just bring issues here that you feel require our input? Of course, Admiral Michaels, Minister Newman, and Herr Hausmann are part of your cabinet; however, Admiral Michaels and Minister Newman are also part of my security council, so would need to attend both meetings.”
Catie and Liz both got up and did a happy dance at that announcement; Blake just shook his head.
“I am ready to try,” the prime minister said.
“Very good. Feel free to contact me for any assistance,” Marc said. “And second: this is MacKenzie business, but I think it’s important that everyone here be aware of it. Catie and Liz have put forward a proposal to form a new company that will build a new class of ship specifically designed to haul cargo. To accomplish this, they would need to use some of the technology that MacKenzie Discoveries is holding as proprietary.”
“What technology?” the prime minister asked.
“Specifically, the gravity drives and the powerplant for the space ship,” Marc said.
“Well, I certainly don’t have an objection,” Admiral Michaels said. “And it does create a little bit of the economic diversity that Herr Hausmann was talking about.”
“That is not exactly what I had in mind,” Herr Hausmann said, not thinking another family business would help with the diversity issue.
“I don’t have an objection,” Fred said. “It’s really up to you and Catie; you have the shares to decide.”
“We know, but we wanted everyone’s input,” Marc explained.
“I want to know if I can invest in it,” Samantha said.
“You’ll have to talk with Catie and Liz,” Marc said. “Catie, you have approval to go forward. Please inform us if there are resource conflicts.”
“We will,” Catie replied, getting a big thumbs-up from Liz.
◆ ◆ ◆
Once everyone except Samantha and Kal had left the Cabinet Chamber, Marc opened the discussion about the exploration mission.
“Blake, how is the mission going?”
“Fine,” Blake said. “We’re just establishing the base on the second continent. So far everything looks good. Dr. Pramar hasn’t found any issues with viruses or bacteria that can’t be overcome.”
“You are being careful?” Samantha asked.
“Yes, Catie and Dr. Pramar have us living in our suits when we’re planetside. We are not breathing the air down there yet nor exposing ourselves to the environment. We even have to do decontamination whenever we go through an airlock.”
“Good.”
“What about resources?” Marc asked.
“Dr. Qamar has found deposits of all the key metals. Iron, copper, bauxite, and the others are in sufficient quantities to allow for an industrialized world.”
“What about petroleum or coal?” Marc asked.
“We’re still looking,” Blake replied. “He’s confident we’ll find plenty. It’s just buried deeper. We’ll be checking out some of the mountains for coal deposits once we finish setting up this camp.”
“How’s the wildlife out there?” Kal asked.
“Uncle Blake bagged a cougar,” Catie said.
“You did?”
“You didn’t kill it, did you?!” Samantha gasped.
“No, we used a stunner on it. Dr. Pramar took scrapings from its teeth and a blood sample, then we let it go.”
“Did you manage to bag any other big game?” Kal asked.
“There are some big bison here, but Dr. Pramar wasn’t interested in them. He says he can get what he needs from their scat. He’s looking for the carnivores since their diet attracts bacteria.”
“So?”
“A couple of wolves, and I guess what you’d call a hyena,” Blake said. “Dr. Pramar was especially interested in that since it’s a scavenger.”
“What about birds?”
“We trapped a couple of vultures and some smaller birds,” Catie said.
“But no dinosaurs?” Samantha asked.
“No.”
“That’s too bad; the twins will be disappointed.”
“I’m hoping we find something exotic here,” Catie said. “I still have my fingers crossed that we’ll find something to make them happy.”
“What’s it like seeing two moons?” Samantha asked.
“We haven’t spent a night on the planet yet,” Liz said. “You can barely see the small one during the day; it’s too small and far away. I think we’ll get to spend a few nights starting next week.”
“We sent pictures,” Catie said.
“We got them, but it’s not the same,” Samantha said.
“Fish?” Marc asked.
“Dr. Teltar told us that he caught some yesterday,” Blake said. “He seemed happy about them.”
“So, you think you’ve found a home for the Paraxeans?”
“It’s looking like it,” Blake said. “We still have a little over a week before we finish the survey.”
“Then I’ll let you get back to it,” Marc said. “Catie, call your mother tonight.”
“Oops. I will,” Catie replied.
◆ ◆ ◆
“Hi, Mommy,” Catie said that night when she finally called her mother.
; “Hi, Sweetie, it’s nice of you to call,” Linda said, dishing out a little guilt because Catie hadn’t called her yet.
“I’m sorry. I should have called earlier; it’s just been so hectic.”
“I’m sure it has,” Linda said, “but I still miss talking to my daughter.”
“I said I’m sorry.”
“So where are you?”
“You know it’s a secret,” Catie said.
“Yes, and I can keep one.”
“Okay, we’re on a planet in another solar system. It is looking like it will be perfect for the Paraxeans.”
“On another planet?!”
“Shush, it’s a secret!”
“How could you be on another planet?”
“We have this cool jumpdrive that lets us travel huge distances in a split-second.”
“Oh my, this is nerve-wracking. I’ll never get used to you doing all these dangerous things.”
“Mommy, they’re not that dangerous.”
“Like I can believe you. I saw the reports about what you did against that battleship. They even gave you a medal.”
“Mommy, none of us got hurt on that mission.”
“But others did. How many pilots died that day?”
“Mommy!”
“Okay, okay. We’ll talk about something else. I have a question for you.”
“Sure,” Catie said, happy to have the subject change.
“I heard that you’re starting your own company.”
“Yes . . .”
“Do you think your father would object if I started one?”
“I don’t see why,” Catie said. “What kind of company are you thinking about starting?”
“A medical company.”
“Medical?”
“Well, I guess you’d actually call it a pharmaceutical company, but they have such a bad name.”
“Not all of them. What kind of pharmaceutical would you sell?”
“You know that since I’ve been here, there hasn’t been much need for a brain surgeon. The Paraxeans almost never open up a patient’s skull anyway. So any good doctor can do brain surgery.”
“I guess I knew that.”
“Well, so I started studying how they treat diseases. And they have some wonderful technology for that. Anyway, working with Dr. Metra, I’ve enhanced some of their techniques so that I can produce a plasma treatment faster than any other company I know of. In a few weeks instead of months. We can also develop a vaccine and test it against human DNA and organs without having to use human patients. That will allow us to qualify a vaccine for phase IV testing in weeks instead of months.”
