by gerald hall
Chapter Twenty Three:
Inside the new MMG Lunar Base.
YBP 1194 Star System, M 67 Star Cluster, Orion Arm
February 8, 2321
“That big Conestoga that was converted into a disguised battler was a real find. Even I wasn’t aware that Earth Fleet had even built any ships like that.” Alec noted as he walked along the side of the main chamber with his main technical wizard, Colin. Both were wearing vacuum suits with magnetized boots since the central core still was a near-Zero G. The spin that gave the station’s habitat rings a near Earthlike sense of gravity did not affect the inner core very much at all. A person could walk on the walls of the chamber at about one percent of a G though.
“I suppose that the conversions were done for anti-piracy patrols back when the Terrans were actually serious about countering the pirate threat.” Colin noted as he continued to look over the captured vessel.
“This ship does make one hell of a Q-ship, though with the Conestoga’s civilian cargo shuttle design roots, she is still a bit of a glass cannon. The Terrans had added some additional armor plating and during the conversion process, but it’s not like she was built from the ground up as a battler with the reinforced structure that a true military ship would have. She also carries six of her own fighters. But, that is mostly because this Q-ship is not well suited with its limited speed for pursuing its adversaries. This is because she still has the standard Conestoga reaction drives. The Q-ship has to use her fighters to chase down pirate ships that try to make a run for it.”
“I would still hate to meet up with one of these on the dark side of a moon, Sir. Up close and personal, she can give most battlers a very difficult time, especially if she gets that first shot in. She’s got one hell of a lot of lasers, particle beam weapons, conventional anti-shipping missiles and especially large number of dead-fire clusters hidden behind those sliding hull plates. That’s not even considering the heavy capital missiles that she could also fire. The other armed Conestoga that we captured from those pirates was also a pretty nasty customer, but her conversion wasn’t nearly as extensive as this ship had undergone.”
“What about the other vessels that we found inside of the asteroid’s main chamber, Colin? Have you found anything promising that we might be able to repair and either bring back into service or sell for profit?”
“Most of the ships that we have found here were commercial cargo shuttles. None of them are operational, which is why they were probably left behind during the evacuation in the first place. In fact, with the exception of one or two of them, they are all useful only for spare parts. I’m going to use the fusion plants from two of the junked cargo shuttles to get the power going on a more permanent basis until we can get a replacement liquid fluoride thorium reactor. Then I will use those fusion plants to act as supplements or back-ups to the fission plant. I’m not sure if I can get any of the old battlers operational yet, but I can perhaps still use the parts from the ships that are beyond economical repair to refit some of the other shuttles.”
“Maybe you can convert one of those big commercial cargo shuttles that we have sitting inside the main chamber into another Q-ship just like what the Terrans had done with that Conestoga, Colin.” Alec inquired, already knowing that this was the sort of project that would appeal to Colin..
“Perhaps, Sir. I will certainly look into that possibility when I have some time, materiel and personnel available. But first, I would have to repair one of those beasts enough to that she would be flyable before I even think about turning her into a Q-Ship.
Anyway, have you made a decision as to what we are going to call this place now, Boss?”
“I was thinking of calling it ‘New Hope Station’, Colin. After all, for a lot of us, this place represents a new hope for our lives.”
“Sounds appropriate to me, Boss. Anyway, I wanted to tell you that I found perhaps a little more exciting were the several dozen aerospace fighters that were being stored inside one of the pressurized bays. While they are all older designs that are not currently operational like everything else that we have found here, I am pretty sure that I can get eight to twelve of these craft up and running by cannibalizing the others. That will give you more than enough vessels to outfit that fighter support module that you have attached to one of Alacrity’s docking collars.
If we can refit or recruit more fighters, what I could also do is convert one of the old cargo shuttles that we found here into a multipurpose vessel after I fix her up some. The ship can then serve as a Q-ship, a cargo shuttle and also a fighter carrier.”
“If you can pull it off, that sort of vessel would be very useful for us while we work to accomplish our mission out there.” Alec replied.
“You know, Sir. If I am going to accomplish all of these little projects that we have been talking about, I am going to need some help.”
“I will do what I can to give you all of the help that you need. That young woman that we found that had come to us along with the man from Galactic Expeditions is supposed to be a very good engineer. I’m sure that she could be a great help for you, Colin.”
“I know that they will both be a big help, Sir. “But if we are going to get enough people to operate this base, we are going to have to not only recruit a lot more people. We are going to have adequate living facilities here for the people working here too. That also means that we are going to have to even accommodate entire families here eventually. Otherwise, we are going to lose just as many people as we recruit. They just won’t stick around living in very austere living conditions far from home for very long.”
“That kind of aggressive recruitment of additional personnel is going to make for a major security headache if we are going to maintain the secrecy of our location, Colin. Keeping this base concealed from our potential enemies could mean the difference between life and death, especially as close as we are to the Lu’non border.” Major Compton interjected.
“I suppose that you will just have to simply not tell the family members coming here where they really are. That should be fairly easy to do unless they are extremely well informed about the constellations.” Colin replied.
“I think that we are going to have to go one step further. Unless the new personnel are completely trusted and vetted, even they will not be told the actual location of our new base here. Hell... That should be easy enough if they are not part of the bridge crew or have anything to do with navigation. They are simply kept sequestered while in transit until they arrive here.” Alec explained.
“That is perhaps the only real solution, complete compartmentalization of navigation information concerning our base. Some of our new recruits are not going to like that at all though.” Colin answered, the discomfort of the situation evident in his voice and facial expression.
“But we still have the issue of family members to deal with. We have to be able to keep them employed, fed, housed and entertained. Basically, we have to keep them happy and occupied.” Alec noted.
“Well, Boss. As I completely scrap some of these ships, I can take entire accommodation modules from the hulks and install them inside of the habitat ring sections. Then we just hook up plumbing, power and communications to them. The new accommodations areas will have centripetal gravity already because of the existing spin on this rock.” Colin explained.
“That sounds like a very good idea. Having human-constructed staterooms would help dispel the feeling that they are simply living inside of a rock. That would help morale of the people who would be living here by establishing some sense of normality. What about the water world below us? Aren’t there supposed to be facilities from the previous occupants on the various islands and under the oceans?” Alec asked.
“Yes, the guy from Galactic Expeditions did say that there were artificial facilities are down there that humans were able to live in. But we need to be prudent on how we use them. They should not be primary habitats, more like recreational areas for our people to use from time to time.
The problem is that every time that a ship travels from this station down to the planetary surface, it could be spotted by another ship located elsewhere in the system that we had not yet detected. So we will need to set up a comprehensive but stealthy surveillance network near this world first, then extending outward to cover more of this star system. This network will let us know if we have any unidentified visitors in the area so that we can go silent. Then we keep all of our activity and movements hidden to avoid detection until the threat disappears or is eliminated.” Major Compton explained to the others.
Alec and the others grimly nodded their heads. They knew that this was not going to be easy to step up a base here. Alec hoped that all of the eventual headaches would be worth the tremendous advantages this installation offered him and his people though.
“We are obviously going to need to permanently station at least one battler on rotation here to protect our base in case stealth alone is not enough. The more that we look at our requirements here, the more complicated this situation seems to become.” Alec admitted.
“I suppose that is why you are being paid the big credits, Boss.” Colin said with a smile.
“Well, first. We need to start earning some of those credits before I can begin to refill my empty bank account, Colin.” Alec replied with a wry smile.
“Getting right to it, Boss. I’ll let you know as soon as I can about what I might be able to cobble together from all of the wrecks in here. I suppose even a couple more cargo shuttles would help us quite a bit. I still hope that we are able to obtain more battlers though. They are much more difficult for us to procure, unfortunately.”
Chapter Twenty Four:
Belair Syndicate Headquarters
Proxima Centauri B
Proxima Centauri Star System
May 11, 2321
Lindsey Buckman, the Belair Syndicate Chief Operations Officer was standing in front of a holographic display when the regional commander of the Syndicate’s armed security forces came into her office. The slender fortyish-looking woman with a perennial scowl on her face looked over at the tall, athletic man wearing a simple set of camouflage coveralls, took a drag from the long cigarette she was holding in her left hand and caustically spoke.
“It is nice of you to finally make it here, Colonel Banks. I asked for you nearly two hours ago.”
Colonel Eugene Banks stood there at attention and held his anger in check. He had only learned of Lindsey’s demand for his presence less than half an hour earlier. But he already knew of her reputation of breaking subordinates, whether they were in uniform or not. So he resisted the urge to talk back to the Syndicate executive.
“How can I be of assistance, Ma’am?” Banks replied.
“I need for you to prepare for a significant expansion of armed operations against the Kepler colony. They need to be brought to heel so that they will finally accede to our negotiation demands. For our Syndicate to expand without expending an excessive amount of funds, we need to assume control of the Kepler daughter colonies, their facilities and their interstellar shipping operations.”
“Ma’am, overt military operations against any of the colonies are a very expensive proposition in their own right. Are you sure that the option that you are asking me to implement will be the most cost-effective means of expanding the Syndicate?”
Lindsey turned to directly face the colonel. She looked him over for a few moments before speaking. He was every inch the military professional, lean, muscular, blonde hair cut so short as to be little more than stubble on the top of his head. Clearly irritated, Lindsey replied with a curt tone that was designed to put virtually anyone back on his or her heels.
“While there are literally thousands of potentially habitable or exploitable planets that humanity has discovered within the Orion Arm. However, it would cost the Syndicate a very substantial amount of funds to fully establish even one new colony or major facility. On the other hand, the Kepler’s already have more than a dozen such outposts that would suit our needs very well.”
“Combat tenders and battlers, not to mention well-trained professional warriors are very expensive commodities, Ma’am. We can’t just throw them away on frivolous adventures.” Colonel Banks responded firmly in spite of the executive’s attempt at intimidation.
Lindsey walked up to the Syndicate military officer, then smiled cruelly while exhaling long streams of acrid cigarette smoke through her nostrils before responding.
“Yes, we have spent quite a few credits into your pricy ships, guns and training, haven’t we? So we have every right to expect a decent return on our investment. I also happen to know that the Kepler colony that we are working to incorporate into our asset portfolio has significantly under-invested in their security forces. The Kepler leadership decided to put those resources into building colonies and outposts instead.
So Colonel, we are going to take full advantage of that oversight on their part. I expect you to plan and execute operations that will achieve the desired outcome without bringing Earth Fleet down on our heads at the same time. Am I perfectly clear, Colonel?”
“I understand, Ma’am. But I still would be remiss if I did not bring up the possibility that the Kepler leadership could hire on mercenary forces on relatively short notice to supplement their security forces. That could certainly make their defenses far more resilient and their shipping much more difficult to interdict. In fact, I have already received intelligence reports that indicate they have already hired at least one mercenary unit.”
Lindsey took another drag from her cigarette before making a dismissive wave of her hand.
“You are giving any little band of brigands that those colonists might hire far too much credit. Any soldiers of fortune that the colonists might hire will be from the dregs of society and not worth their salt. All of the decent mercenary units are also already under contract elsewhere or are far too expensive for the Kepler’s to afford anyway without bankrupting themselves. If Kepler chooses the latter option, I will be more than happy to purchase a bankrupt colony’s assets at fire sale prices too.
As I have already mentioned, we have spent billions of credits building an interstellar security force that is supposed to be available to protect all of our corporate interests, regardless of location or adversary.
Now, stop finding pathetic excuses for not complying with my directives, Colonel. Go out there, take your troops and accomplish the mission. If you cannot or will not do this, I will find someone else who will. Then you can go find another job more appropriate for your apparently limited courage and initiative.” She harshly replied, exhaling another large cloud of cigarette smoke.
Colonel Banks silently clenched his fists at the veiled accusation of cowardice. But she had backed him into a corner where he had no other choice but to comply with her demands.
“Yes, Ma’am. I will implement your directives as quickly as possible.”
“Very good, Colonel. You will have specific instructions in your classified message mailbox within the hour. I expect for them to be followed to the letter.”
“Yes, Ma’am.” Colonel Banks stiffly answered, knowing that there was nothing more that he could say to dissuade Lindsey from her risky military operation.
“You are dismissed, Colonel.” Lindsey said after turning to go back to her holographic display.
Colonel Banks did not waste any time leaving Lindsey’s office. He did not want to say anything in her presence that he might regret. As it was, Colonel Banks muttered numerous expletives as he walked away from Lindsey’s office. He knew that she had the reputation of verbally abusing subordinates and had mentally prepared himself for it. But her particularly harsh and personal criticism still bitterly stung.
Major Isaiah Rose was working on paperwork at the Syndicate military office when Colonel Banks abruptly walked in and said.
“Drop everything that you are working on now and come to my office, Major. I have just been handed one hell of a headach
e by Corporate, namely by Lindsey Buckman. We are going to have to begin operations based on a written warning order that I expect to see within the hour.
Major, I swear that woman is going to get a lot of our people killed before this is all over with.” Colonel Banks bitterly noted after Major Rose walked into the Colonel’s office and closed the door.
“Yes, Sir. But the ‘Queen Bitch of the Universe’ is still the one who ultimately signs our paychecks, though.” Major Rose replied, referring to the very unflattering title that many in the upper echelons of the Belair Syndicate referred to Lindsey Buckman as.
Of course, no one ever said that to her face. At least, no one ever did and survived anyway. This included tall, handsome, athletic and very competent officers like Isiah Rose and Eugene Banks.
“You better be very careful about who you say that to, Major. The only reason why that woman doesn’t have any skeletons in her closet is because she has buried all of her victims, literally. There have been at least two-dozen mysterious deaths associated with Lindsey Buckman. These are all people who have who had either opposed her in some manner or reportedly had damaging information about her.
I know that you don’t want to be added to that particular death toll, Major.”
“I’m sure that I don’t want to be the next one of her victims either, Sir. But I would be just as dead if I were on the front lines when one of these insane military operations of hers goes awry.”
“Then we will have to do everything that we can to ensure that our operations against the Kepler colonies don’t go south on us and our troops, won’t we?” Colonel Banks pointedly said with a raised eyebrow.
“Yes, Sir. I suppose that we will have to if we are going to save our own skins too.”
A chime rang on Colonel Banks’ classified data terminal. He opened up the new message and quickly read through it before sending an acknowledgement.
“Alright, that was the message that I was waiting on. We will need to initiate plans for a significantly expanded commerce raiding campaign against the Kepler colony’s commercial fleets. We will also be conducting several ground assault operations on select Kepler facilities to obtain materiel and degrade the colony’s financial assets.
