Chapter 30
by Dan Kirk
“Would you look at that?” Masako said in a breezy voice as they followed the docking path sent to them by the station’s flight control. A similar vessel, the great ships used to flee Earth by the ancestors of today’s Republic, was the centerpiece of Peladon’s great space station and shipyard, but this one was different. It had been remade so that it was in and of itself a central hub two miles long and it had dozens of branches, each one the home of a ship under construction or completely built, at least on the exterior. “Did you know there were this many ships here?”
“No, I didn’t.” Garret said with suppressed rage, and a healthy dose of curiosity. His last report, just a few weeks ago had said there were no more than sixteen ships as part of the Atrix reserves.
“Atrix One, this is Helix Station, the governor humbly requests to know how many guest accommodations should be prepared for your party.” The voice of the male controller said over the communications system. Garret guessed it was an old 01 Model on the other side of the transmission from the voice pattern.
“My wife and I will be the only people departing the ship.” Garret sent back. “The rest of the ship’s crew will remain aboard in seclusion.”
“Understood, my lord.” The clone, and Garret was now sure it was an 01 Model, replied in a tone that grated on Garret’s nerve. He got enough fawning over from Davin and Devin with their ‘my lord’ this and ‘my lady’ that.
“I count twelve planetary assault and troop transport type ships common in design with those built over the last fifteen years.” Masako said from where she was working a scanner control with more skill than Garret would have expected. “There are two planetary assault command ships in dock, including one of a similar type to Adamant except it’s bigger.”
“How much bigger?” Garret asked, intrigued.
“It’s nearly two hundred feet longer, and forty feet higher for an extra two decks.” Masako answered. “It also appears to be more heavily armed, but it’s powered down completely. All the other ships have at least some level of power activity. The remaining ships are all destroyers and medium cruisers in size and apparent capability. They’re all Republic designs except for two cruiser-analogs, with design ages running from a year ago up to twenty years old. How interesting, all of them are covered in citeesium armor, even the older vessels.”
“I think I look forward to meeting this governor.” Garret said with a shake of his head.
“Mayhap we should bring one of the crew with us as a guard?” Masako asked.
“No, but we will leave the ship armed.” Garret said, not that a couple of pistols would do any good if the deception about the ships in the yards here were just the tip of the iceberg. He counted forty-five vessels in operating condition with another fifteen in various stages of construction, and something told him that with this many ships here, there were more in surrounding space.
The flight path took them to the top half of the space station, at least it was the ‘top’ in that it pointed upwards towards the North Pole of the planet it orbited. Below them they could now see one of the most curious aspects of the planet, where rivers of lava flowed in great billows of steam into saltwater oceans. Two of the six continents were like this, and another continent no longer saw large lava flows but was still in the early stages of cooling off. The planet did not have the geological stresses that caused earthquakes on other planets. Rather, it had large ‘valves’ through which lava flowed in regular streams to create new land. The remaining three continents had a wide variety of plant life, both native and transplanted from the colony ship’s stores. Native animal life was mostly oceanic or insectoid, although several animal species brought from Earth had survived, adapting to the microbic spores that had caused many of the diseases that killed most of the early settlers.
Ahead of them the station grew larger and larger until a set of doors opened up, retracting to the left and right so the courier ship could enter the landing bay. It was a decent sized bay, with nearly a dozen courier ships of similar type to the one flying already docked along its berths. A berth dead ahead was lit up, and broadcasting a beacon, so Garret brought his ship into a perfect docking maneuver, much smoother than anything Lukas had yet achieved.
Lukas was waiting for them with their bags at the docking hatch, wearing his black uniform coveralls and a determined look on his face. His short hair was slightly disheveled and Garret grinned as he guessed Lukas had gotten lucky with the cook. At least he’d have one victory today.
“No.” Garret said sternly. “You will not accompany us.”
“But…” Lukas started to protest until he saw the look in Garret’s eyes. “Be careful, sir.”
“We will, Lukas.” Masako said with a pleasant purr in her voice as if she found it very amusing.
“Let’s go.” Garret said softly to Masako. Together they lifted the bags that they would be taking with them. He paused at the exit point, remembering his promise about going armed, and turned back to Lukas. “Bring us two blasters, a standard sidearm for me and a hold-out model for Masako.”
“Yes sir.” Lukas said with a sudden smile, returning moments later with a blaster in a standard gun belt for him, and a small hold-out weapon that Masako hid quickly in the dark blue robe she was wearing. The silver sparrows on her robe shimmered in the lights of the docking tube as they passed from the courier ship into the gleaming chamber on the other side of the docking hatch.
“It doesn’t look as old as I would expect.” Masako said softly as they stood in the empty chamber waiting for some sort of greeting party. It wasn’t a large room, but it wasn’t exactly cozy either. Overall, it appeared fairly spartan.
“Did they forget we were coming?” Garret joked and she chuckled softly as a door opened opposite them and a party of four men entered the room. Two of the men were 09 Model clones, obviously a guard or escort detail. Both of them wore well-tailored dark blue, skin-tight suits that nearly shimmered in the bright lights of the chamber. Certainly their silver epaulets on their shoulders, the silver ceremonial belts, and silver-studded cuffs did shine in the light.
“Oh my, Garret, don’t jump them until we’ve at least greeted the locals.” Masako whispered to him in a voice he could barely hear, and it was all he could do to not laugh out loud. These 09 Models were definitely military-quality clones, with broad chests and well-muscled bodies that could be clearly seen in the tight-fitting uniforms. At least their boots were standard, highly-polished black jump boots instead of flashing silver. When he was able to drag his attention from the two prize specimens of masculinity, he realized the man on his left, who was approaching him directly was older, easily in his eighties. The other man looked to be in his early middle-age, although he was much shorter than the man next to him, almost as short as the 09 Model clones. He was wearing clothes of a much rougher cut than the denim suit of his older companion. As they neared, Garret realized the clothes looked almost like home-spun cotton and deerhide.
“Lord Atrix, it is my honor to welcome you to Atrix Prime.” The older man said as both of them bowed and the two escorts saluted with the hands closed across their chests. It was an old salute, one popular before the Great War, and Garret returned it instinctively.
“I am honored to be here.” Garret said with a slight hint of being uncomfortable. The man had not yet introduced himself or his companion.
“I am Governor Sven Holden.” The older man said with a slight bow of his head. “I have been honored to send you reports through your servants Harv and Mika Melstein. Please, allow me to introduce to you Baron Paolo Ferdinand, the leader of the native peoples.”
“It is good to meet the both of you.” Garret said calmly as the middle-aged Paolo looked like he was about to burst with excitement. “This is my wife, Masako.”
“You are already with child!” Paolo Ferdinand said with approval to Masako. “My people will be glad to see the great line of Atrix is already being continued! My lord, on behalf of my people, please be to see you we are. You are the first of your line to come to our humble home, and we wish to you express our thanks for all your great lineage has for us done. In just six of your decades we have grown many times our previous number and continue to grow. Without the help provided you did, we would be as little ants rushing against the river to rebuild our homes.”
“I am glad the assistance of my forebears has borne such strong fruit.” Garret said, not really sure what the man’s odd turn of phrase really meant. There had been a note in the files given to him by Harv that said the locals had a particularly odd local dialect, but that they had been taught the common language.
“Baron Ferdinand, if you will excuse us, I fear I must first brief the Lord Atrix on the matters of our long and short term projects before he can visit your settlement.” Sven Holden said formally.
“Yes, yes, I will delay you not further!” The shorter man said with another bow that had his upper body parallel with the deck below him. He all but rushed out of the room after that.
“I fear the locals are in a flurry of preparations for a welcoming feast for you, my lord.” Sven said with a rueful chuckle. “They practically worship House Atrix for the assistance we provided when we established a research base here to study the anomaly you passed through.”
“I see.” Garret said with a slightly worried expression. “I know this trip is a surprise for you, but I have urgent business to discuss with you. There were no plans for anything like a state visit. It was my hope to be out of here within a standard day.”
“If you could expand that to at least two standard days, sir, it might go better for all involved.” Sven said with a slight frown. “You’ll have to forgive me, I’ve been here since I was a junior geneticist in the original medical assistance team. I was appointed governor thirty years ago when the previous administrator died of old age.”
“Why were you chosen for the post?” Masako asked.
“I worked most closely with the locals as part of the team that developed the genetic alterations that cured their children of the worst effects this planet caused.” Sven explained. “If you would not mind, we might adjourn to my office where it is more comfortable.”
“That would be well.” Garret said, feeling the effects of the slightly higher gravity on the station. It was attuned to the planet’s standard gravity, which was a few percentage points higher than Calos or Peladon. Holden led the way out of the docking chamber and they entered a section of the station that did feel older, even if it was scrupulously clean. He was surprised at the potted plants that ran every few meters, but they added a much nicer feel to the station. The corridors they passed through were filled with clones in a variety of uniforms that all seemed as close-fitting as what their two escorts wore, and were all some variation on blue and silver colors. Wherever they went, clones would stop what they were doing and salute, closed hand to chest until they had passed.
“Here we are.” Sven Holden said as they stepped out of a lift and into a well-appointed chamber. It might have been the old ship’s captain’s cabin with its huge bay windows and couches built into the walls. In the center of the room was a large oaken desk. The Governor sat in the chair behind the desk, with the bay windows giving a view of a crescent of the planet and the space beyond it. Garret helped Masako into one of the plush armchairs on the other side of the desk from the Governor before he also sat down.
“Governor, I must admit that I am quite surprised at the extensive nature of this facility.” Garret said before the man could open his mouth. “The number of ships docked with this facility is far beyond what we were led to believe from the reports you submitted to my factors.”
“My apologies if you were deceived, my lord.” The man said with a real frown on his face.
“Please, you may address me as Speaker.” Garret said right off the bat. “This ‘my lord’ stuff is inappropriate in the Republic.”
“After nearly seven decades in this facility, it’ll be hard to remember to do otherwise, my lord.” Sven said without the least bit of irony. “In the three hundred years between their landing here and when our exploration team found the planet, the locals had adopted an almost feudal system for their society. It was necessary to their survival, as is their custom of multiple marriages and large families. Despite their best efforts, they were suffering from inter-breeding when we arrived, as well as the diseases and viruses common to this planet. Although no Atrix Speaker has ever come to this planet, they swore service to House Atrix in gratitude for our medical efforts. Any efforts to dissuade them from that service, or from referring to an Atrix leader as ‘Lord’ or ‘Lady’ results in near-violence from them. Over the years, the True Born teams on the planet and in the research station found it much easier to go with the flow.”
“Very well, now, what about the discrepancies between what is reported and what I see with my own eyes?” Garret asked sternly.
“That was on account of the last orders of Speaker Laura Atrix, the last orders received when this facility was turned from a research station into a House bolt-hole.” Sven said without the least bit of shame. “The orders we received were to create a place from which House Atrix could attack and destroy an Earther fleet without assistance from any other House, and which could be used to re-take any planet from occupational troops. Our orders were to create such a force, and only report the levels that Atrix factors ordered us to build, no matter what the difference might be.”
“Then give me a true report on the status of this base and House Atrix’s resources here.” Garret ordered and the man bowed his head.
“Yes, my lord.” Sven said before pulling out an old-model data pad. He began reading from it while Garret struggled not to show surprise or disbelief. “We have twenty-six thousand 01 Model clones of several series currently living. As of yesterday, eight-thousand and ninety-two are on active duty, mostly as senior non-commissioned officers. The remainder is retired or serving as instructors. There are another eighteen thousand, five hundred and six 02 Model clones. Of those, three thousand and eighty are retired. Ten thousand and twelve more are participating in deep space mining operations around this star system or on the planet. Both the surrounding system and the planet are rich in mineral resources including citeesium ore deposits in the asteroid field. The remainder of the 02 Models are trained as military shock troops or military police.”
“You have citeesium ore here?” Masako interrupted in surprise.
“Yes, my lady.” Sven Holden answered her question. “After the first shipment of refined ore for use as armor arrived nearly thirty years ago, we discovered it was common in this system’s asteroid field and began mining it for use on all of the ships we produce.”
“Continue on, Governor.” Garret ordered.
“For shipboard service, as well as shipbuilding and station operations, we have thirty-six thousand eight hundred 07 Model clones.” Holden continued. “Of those, only two thousand and sixty have retired to date although several thousand more will reach retirement age within the next few years. There are fifteen thousand 08 model clones, all still in active duty service for the fighters and as pilots for our ships. There are fifty-six thousand, eight hundred and twelve 09 Model clones designed for ground and space marine combat units. Most are under thirty years of age and not due for retirement for the next three decades.”
“That’s over a hundred and fifty thousand clones!” Garret finally spoke out. “How do you feed them all?”
“The planet below us is filled with fertile land, my lord.” Sven Holden said. “There are now over forty-thousand of the original settlers alive down there, and another two-thousand odd scientists and other True Born humans sent here under the House Atrix banner. Clones who are too old for active duty help with farming and food production, as do select units from the annual competitions.”
“You mean you hold competitions and the winners get to help farm?” Masako’s voice was filled with disbelief. “How is that a reward?”
“It is a direct way of ensuring this planet meets its obligation to House Atrix.” Holden replied with a shrug. “The genetic psychologists explain that it is a fulfillment for the soldiers since they have not yet been called up to fight. I fear that your journey here might upset the balance because they will expect you to be taking them with you when you leave. We received the activation alert, and have been preparing.”
“Go on with your report.” Garret said, holding off discussing what he would need from this facility for a little longer. How would it upset the social dynamics that this society had created? What was his responsibility as a Speaker to let the Republic know what went on here as well as what was his responsibility as the head of House Atrix to preserve this planet and the society that had formed here?
“My lord, that was just about all for the clone levies, except of course for the six thousand and eighty 05 Models.” Holden continued.
“What are 05 Models doing here?” Masako said angrily. Garret couldn’t blame her outburst. The fiery-haired models that had been designed for service as pleasure servants and as male nannies for young children had gone crazy over the course of a decade, killing many children and other young people when they went mad. “They were so erratic, the line was discontinued and the surviving models euthanized!”
“We figured out the problem with them and have fixed that, my lady.” Holden said calmly. “In the Republic, the models were used casually when their design was trended towards high empathy and emotional involvement. They would care for one family’s children for a week, and then have to lose them and bond with another family the next. The pleasure models would bond with a customer, fall in love, and then see their love leave to be replaced by another love, often several times in one night. It is not really possible to design a highly empathic, loving clone and then give them no permanence for those emotions.”
“What was your solution?” Garret asked with real curiosity.
“We reduced several factors involved in the emotional contexts while fine-tuning the empathic qualities.” Holden said with pride. “We also have set strict guidelines in their use. The locals have large families, but need everyone working when it comes time to harvest and at other times. We put a new batch of 05 models with their family groups. The 05’s had a set group of families that they watched over, so while they had different children to care for at different times, they were responsible for the same ‘group’ of children from different families. They did not suffer the loss of contact with the children and so they expanded their bonding process. Also in their training, they were conditioned better for the process of children growing and not needing them anymore. There was also no distinction made for the caregiver and pleasure variety. They work well in a group family environment, or bonded long-term to specific individuals and have proven very efficient personal assistants and administrators for some of our station staff.”
“I see.” Garret said although he doubted exactly how useful they might be. That would be something he would check out later. “Now, what about ships?”
“As you know, my lord, Earth has never probed near us, but our proximity to them has always been a concern.” Holden continued. “As such, we were given a mandate to make sure this planet could be defended in its own right as well as provide assistance to the Republic if Atrix called on us to do that. Therefore we built more than just ships that are used in assaulting planets. One of our squadrons is currently on work-up maneuvers per your activation order. There are also other ships on standard patrol, so there are more than what you see currently docked here.”
“That does make sense, Governor.” Garret said when he thought about what the man said.
“My lord, we currently have twenty-five planetary assault type ships in active service with two more being built.” Holden’s words made Garret feel warm inside. “That is a mix of planetary assault ships with troops and fighters as well as assault shuttles to Tank Landing Ships to pure Troop Transports capable of ferrying ten thousand troops to a landing zone.”
“Impressive.” Garret commented and the man nodded. With a fleet like that, Garret could almost take Peladon without any assistance.
“Thank you, my lord.” Holden actually smiled now. “We also have fifteen cruisers on active duty and another four under construction. They are all medium cruisers, although you will find the focusing crystals made on this planet are able to withstand higher amounts of power so the laser systems are all stronger than on similar Republic ships. There are also another forty-six heavy destroyers of various types and eight more being built. We also have a supply of thirty-six courier and scout ships as well as two hundred and twelve ground assault fighters. There is one big problem though.”
“What is that?” Garret asked.
“We built a ship based on the designs for the Adamant.” Holden frowned. “We built it bigger though.”
“I think we saw that on the way in.” Garret stated.
“Yes, more than likely, my lord.” Holden’s voice almost cracked. “When we built it, we didn’t have an AI computer core and couldn’t get one because the war was over. She’s a beautiful ship, but no matter how we try, we can’t seem to get her to work right for more than a few days before her crew drops from exhaustion trying to keep her running. If you could get us a proper AI core, we could get her operational.”
“I’ll have to see what I can do.” Garret said carefully. “A ship like that is needed right now with Leonev and his traitors. I need a force of ships ready to conduct assaults on bolt-holes belonging to the four traitor houses. We will know where they are soon. What can you have ready in two weeks?”
“My lord, we could have eighty-three ships ready to travel with you in a few days, the same number in two weeks.” Holden said proudly. “I will introduce you to the commanders of our forces in a little bit, with your permission. With those ships, you could take approximately sixty-thousand troops trained for planetary assault and another four-thousand trained for boarding and capturing enemy vessels. The eighty-six does include six supply transports designed to support the fleet with supplies and repairs during combat operations.”
“The Republic will have a fit of apoplexy if they see a fleet like that appear.” Masako noted with a warning glance at Garret. She was right, with four Houses already having used their bolt-holes for private purposes, they might very well balk at the idea of such a large fleet under Garret’s control, even if it did not include any carriers or battleships. Still, they needed those ships and their men. He would have to speak to his mother and his father-in-law in person about how to approach the revelation of the full size of his forces.
“How many ships do your commanders feel are needed to stay behind and defend this place?” Garret asked, stalling for time.
“Would you mind if we invited them in to answer that question, my lord?” Holden asked and Garret nodded his assent. Holden pushed an intercom and they waited silently for the lift door to open, revealing three older clones. Together they were some of the oldest clones he had ever seen. Two were 01 Models with salt and pepper hair, and the third was a stocky 02 Model with hair that was still dark but now threaded with gray. All three wore versions of the tight-fitting blue uniforms, showing that despite advancing age they were in prime physical condition. Their silver-lined cuffs had gold edging on it, probably denoting their rank. Garret stood as they approached him, and returned the salute he now expected, closed fist over heart.
“This is Fleet Commander Arnold.” Holden began the introductions with the 01 Model who moved to stand on the right side of Holden’s chair. It took Garret a moment to fix the clone in his mind, he was not accustomed to dealing with such older clones. “On my other side is Logistics and Training Commander Barry, and this is Marine Forces Commander Dmitri.”
“Gentlemen, it is a pleasure to meet you.” Garret said formally as all three men stood ramrod straight. He was surprised to see such older model clones in higher-rank positions, even in a bolt-hole. Military officers had been sent to the bolt-holes, usually as a retirement program and had been charged with overseeing the training of forces raised in that bolt-hole. “This is my wife Masako Atrix.”
“It is a pleasure to meet you, my lord, my lady.” Arnold spoke first, bowing his head to each of them in turn. “I do believe you will be proud of the fleet and ground forces that we have prepared for you. Originally we had six instructors from the Colonial Elite Forces Academy. They were trained instructors from that facility, and they set up our training curriculum and exercises. We have kept to that program, altering it only slightly over the years as new techniques and technology became available.”
“You used your initiative to alter the training cycle?” Garret asked with surprise. He would have expected these clones, who operated without the added training and improvements of his MX model to follow the ‘book’ without ever thinking of making modifications.
“We felt it was sensible when new technology and techniques became available, my lord.” Arnold said in a voice that almost shook and he had a look of fear on his face. “Were we wrong to do that?”
“No, that was the right decision to make.” Garret replied and all three men relaxed a bit. He put himself in their shoes and realized how nervous they must be. A few deep breaths calmed him a bit and he sat down. “Forgive me, I did not expect to find all this when I traveled here. From the reports I received I expected a small research station, maybe two dozen ships at the most, and no more than fifty thousand troops. Instead I find a thriving world that has built a large fleet to not only help the Republic in a great emergency but to defend itself if it were to be attacked. How ready is your fleet?”
“Our biggest lack is True Born officers, my lord.” Barry said, speaking up for the first time. That made sense, given Garret’s question. He was in charge of logistics and training, so he would be best capable of answering the question. “We have trained some of the best 01, 07, and 08 Model clones to act as officers, and we have a corps of fifteen hundred True Born officers from the indigenous population and the children of the research and support staffs.”
“Are they all capable leaders?” Garret asked.
“It is my opinion that they are, my lord, but I hope you will be able to judge that for yourself while you are here.” Barry said as he squared his shoulders and his face shined with pride.
“I am confident that I will find them competent and capable.” Garret said slowly and firmly, looking the three clones in the eyes as he spoke. “The Republic is learning that clones like us can perform well as officers.”
“Yes, my lord.” Dmitry spoke for the first time. “The ground combat forces are some of the best you will find anywhere in the galaxy. We are able to train them in every environment imaginable on the planet and in the asteroid fields.”
“Very well, let’s get down to what is needed now.” Garret said as he shifted in his chair. “Are you aware of the traitorous actions plaguing the Republic?”
“We have been updated on the actions of former General Leonev and his renegades, my lord.” Holden answered for them.
“Good.” Garret said, pleased he wouldn’t have to go over the specifics of that. “The traitorous Houses have been using their bolt-hole forces to raid our shipping lines, capturing transport ships by the handful. I am to lead an expeditionary force to take them out once we have located them.”
“How will you locate them, my lord?” Arnold asked and Garret was actually pleased he showed the initiative to ask the question instead of waiting and listening like most clones would have done.
“We have a possible source of information that I will be contacting in the next few weeks.” Garret answered the question. “Once I have the locations from that source, we will launch attacks on all three known locations. It is my hope that we will capture enough prisoners that at least one of them will know where the fourth is located.”
“You should have a good-sized fleet at your back.” Arnold said at once.
“Marines capable of operating in all environments will be needed, with protocols for assaulting asteroids as well as planetary installations.” Dmitry added with a grim smile. “What size of force do you wish to take with you, my lord?”
“I was expecting less than twenty ships total.” Garret said honestly. “I had expected to strip this place of its resources to do that, but instead I find that such a force will only be a part of what you have built here. There are tensions on Calos, and I did not want to divert too many ships from the fleet defending that planet, but was planning to take my escorts from there. Instead, I think we’ll use ships from the reserve fleet here.”
“Six assault ships, four landing ships, and a troop carrier for the actual assaults.” Dmitry spoke up first. “That will give you around twenty-thousand assault troops.”
“Four cruisers and twelve destroyers should be enough to protect the assault force.” Arnold added before looking at Barry.
“I believe two supply ships would be enough to keep the force fed even if they have to operate for a year.” Barry added.
“Will you wish to bring in experienced True Born officers to take command of the ships?” Holden asked.
“No.” Garret said immediately. “If your officers are capable, they are already experienced with their ships and their crews. The learning curve for new officers to take charge will delay us too much. Depending on their performance, I might change my mind, but we will go with what you have created.”
“We are honored to serve, my lord.” Arnold said with another salute. “How long will my lord be staying with us?”
“I will be here for two standard days.” Garret decided.
“If my lord will consent, I believe I have a suggested schedule.” Holden spoke up. He’d probably been running through it in his head if he was as capable on administrator as Garret expected him to be.
“Let’s hear it, Governor.” Garret stated. Masako was sitting in her chair with a thoughtful look and a smile on her face, while rubbing her growing stomach.
“It is late morning right now, local time.” Holden said. “I would like you to meet the science teams that are still conducting research on the anomaly. They have some interesting findings that have led to advanced technology we have not yet shared with House Atrix’s conservators. Again, that was because of the orders left by your predecessor. It includes probes that can be built to detect jump signatures at massive ranges. We believe the technology might be useful militarily; however we do not have the resources here to finish the development. We could have lunch with the Research teams. After that, I believe a more formal meeting with the Guard command officers might be productive. For your information sir, we have formed the military forces into an Atrix House Guard with a rank structure unique to our situation here.”
“I had surmised as much.” Garret said, putting aside his worries about how the Deliberatorium might react to a military force that appeared to be very loyal to him first, and the Republic second. It worried him, but he knew where his loyalties lay, and so these forces would never be a danger to the Republic so long as he lived and they were truly loyal to him.
“After those meetings, we will travel down to the planet so that you might meet our population there, including the Baron and his administration.” Holden continued. “They will expect you for a feast shortly after sunset local time, which I fear might be a shock to you. It will be a communal meal with a good portion of the population showing up in Ferdinand City, the primary settlement on the planet. It’s named after the Baron’s ancestor who helped organize the original colonists and managed to keep the colony alive in those first few years. The Baron will expect you to stay on the planet, in his manor house as a courtesy. In the morning after breakfast, I believe Officer Dmitri will have a training exercise ready to go that should allow you to assess the abilities of his forces. A lunch here on the station after that would be efficacious to meet senior staff and researchers who will have prepared answers to any questions you gave the day before. Then I believe Officer Arnold will have a fleet exercise ready to show you the skills of his officers, followed by an immediate debriefing of senior commanders here on the station before dinner. Dinner should be with military and key civilian staff to discuss long and short term orders you might wish to give. If you wish to stay longer, more meetings may be arranged at that point or you can depart if your duties elsewhere require that.”
“We’ll go with that now.” Garret said, not being able to think of any changes he needed right away. The simple fact that this bolt-hole, with a minimum of True Born staff, had achieved the building of so much suggested the military units would be in excellent condition.
“I do not need to be present for all the military arrangements.” Masako said slowly, looking first at Garret who nodded and then at the Governor. “I will wish to tour the cloning facilities, the education facilities for both clones and true borns, and I will wish to see the hospitals and other support infrastructure on the planet as well as this station. Are there other facilities in this system?”
“Yes, my lady, we have six listening outposts to monitor our long-range sensor drones as well as two smaller space stations that act as processing facilities for our mining operations.” Holden answered with a smile. “We are blessed with extremely abundant resources and mine eighty-percent of our needed ores and minerals from the asteroid fields of this star system as well as the other six planets, all of which are largely uninhabitable outside small mining domes. If you wish, my wife will be pleased to escort you on a tour of the support infrastructure that keeps us operating at such high standards. As our research staff retires, they have taken up duties as instructors. I fear our schools might be a bit weak when it comes to art and music, but you’ll find our sciences are top-notch.”
“Science without art makes for a dull society.” Masako said and Holden actually nodded.
“It is one area that we wish we could do better.” Holden commented. “Listening to the same music and entertainment programs over and over again becomes boring after a decade. Even when we get updates through the supply ships, they quickly grow old, and without our own performers, we are lacking. Even the locals are lacking since most of their focus was on surviving, not entertainment.”
“With my husband’s permission, we might be able to solve some of those problems.” Masako said with a nod.
“That would be very welcome, my lady, and endear you to the people on your own merits, if I may be so bold as to say that.” Holden said.
“I prefer to hear the truth from those who advise me.” Garret stated. “Do not cover bad news with honey for me, give it to me straight up with ideas on how to fix the problems, and do not inflate good news to make it seem better. Even the smallest of victories will be welcomed.”
“The same qualities expressed by every Atrix Speaker I have known.” Holden said with a bow of his head.
“How many have you known?” Garret asked with real curiosity.
“You will be the third, my lord.” Holden answered.
“I would like to spend some time talking with you about them.” Garret told the man.
“I will work that into the schedule with pleasure, my lord.” Holden stated as Garret’s communicator bud chirped in his ear. He touched his wrist computer to put the call on hold for a moment while he stood.
“Gentlemen, excuse me, please, I have to take a call.” Garret said as he strode towards the back of the room while Masako started asking questions about the structure of their schools. It sounded like they didn’t have separate education facilities for clones and true borns, something that was very surprising. When he was near the lift doors, he pushed the button again and activated the comlink. “What is it?”
“Sir, it’s Lukas.” The voice of the clone on his ship came back with a nearly frantic edge. “I decided to go over the communication updates while I’m stuck in here and there were several priority messages for you. I reviewed them to decide if you should be contacted immediately or if it could wait until you were done with your business.”
“That was the right thing to do, Lukas.” Garret assured the clone. Was that why he was so nervous?
“I know it was the right thing to do, sir.” Lukas shot back with even more of a frantic tone, and Garret wondered what had gone so wrong. “Sir, the Adamant was conducting basic flight testing yesterday in Calos orbit when several bombs went off inside of her. Rescue operations are still underway, but she’s been heavily damaged and there are large numbers of casualties. Captain Harrington is alive, but in serious condition, as is Commander Westley. Commander O’Malley is in critical condition and no one knows if he’ll survive. So far about half the crew and marines on-board are reported as dead and early estimates are that the ship may not be salvageable.”
“Jordanites?” Garret growled as tears came to his eyes. He loved the Adamant! Whoever did this would pay!
“Davin reports that they suspect it was a cell they have not infiltrated yet.” Lukas continued in a slightly steadier voice. “Mademoiselle Anova reports that the bombing is having a negative effect on the Jordanite and Earth popularity already, although calls are being made to make the planet more secure. There have been two attacks planet side, attempted assassinations of Davlan Tremere and Jean Vierre. President Cartwright is threatening to call martial law. Sir, the update is nearly twelve hours old. It’s like they were just waiting for you to leave before doing this.”
“More likely, they hoped I would be there for the test flight. Thank you for the update, Lukas.” Garret said coldly. His ship was heavily damaged, and would be out of service for years, if it was even possible to repair the damage. He had a new fleet here, but he wanted Adamant. “Lukas, is there any report on the condition of the Adamant’s AI?”
“Yes, sir, they had to shut her down because of the power spikes from the emergency systems, but she’s still operational.” Lukas said with a hint of relief. Like all of the Adamant’s crew, he’d grown fond of the ship’s central computer.
“Good, now I want you to leave the ship and wait for an escort that will bring you to where I am.” Garret ordered.
“Yes sir!” Lukas sounded enthusiastic and Garret cut the link to turn and walk back over to the Governor and clone officers.
“Gentlemen, events at Calos have changed the situation a bit.” Garret told them. “One of my officers from the courier ship will be debarking momentarily. Have him escorted here immediately. Governor, we might have to cut my visit even shorter than we expected.”
“Yes, my lord.” The Governor said as he hit his intercom and began issuing orders to his secretary, or assistant, or whoever was on the other side of the line. Garret frowned as Masako and the officers waited for an explanation.
“We might have an AI computer for that flagship after all.” Garret murmured after the Governor had finished his call, and he proceeded to explain the situation on Calos to the men and to Masako who frowned.
Life was always interesting, Garret mused as they altered plans.
