Original Work Terra Novae Spes

CHAPTER 23


“We have something serious to test,” said Javier as Ben was doing his normal daily turn between the sections and helping out where he could.

“Oh?” asked Ben.

“One of the teams that went south found a new fruit that appears to be early blooming,” said Javier as he led Ben to the small chamber where an item was inside. A pinkish fruit was seen being analyzed by the computer for the known chemical makeup and identifying potential hazards for humans.

“A new fruit?” asked Ben.

“Odd because it’s spring and most fruit doesn’t come until late summer, but new planet and all,” said Javier. “We haven’t tried it yet, but no known toxins that would affects humans so far.”

“You’re going to pass off your data to the medical side, right?” asked Ben.

“Of course,” said Javier. “Anything we identify as being able to eat we are getting a second look from them and a third look from Kurt.”

“Good deal,” said Ben. “How abundant?”

“We aren’t sure, but there was a small grove of them where we checked out,” said Javier as he brought up a picture of Novae Spes from orbit and pointed. “Right about here.”

“That’s close to the marshland areas, right?” asked Ben.

“Somewhat,” said Javier. “They truly start about 30 kilometers further south, but the river starts moving out into the large delta we see here. This one is the second largest.”

“Kind of like the Mississippi?” asked Ben.

“The one out west would be our Mississippi, this one south would be like the Columbia River,” said Javier. “We’ve identified the planet’s major rivers, one of which is on the continent. Though it flows into the western ocean.”

“Same volume as?” asked Ben.

“Close to the Ganges,” said Javier. “It’s a far larger system than we thought.”

“Potential for enhanced hydro power in the future?” asked Ben. “Providing we get colonies set up that far out west.”

“Very much so,” said Javier. “We’re actually going to look at installing a smaller set of hydro power units on the river here in order to provide power for the irrigation pumps at the farm.”

“I thought we were going to tie that into the main grid?” asked Ben.

“Cyrus and Kurt worked that out with Rachelle. They thought the transmission lines would be a little too long to get from the planned location of the power supply to the pumps. A hydro system makes perfect sense since it’s right there,” said Javier.

“Right,” said Ben as the instrument beeped at them.

“No toxins and completely edible,” said Javier as he looked over the data. “Want to be the first to try the newest discovery on Novae Spes?”

“I thought you were going to get the second opinion from medical,” said Ben.

“They were studying the data in real time,” said Javier. “They cleared it.”

“Might as well,” said Ben as Javier took it from the device and put it under an imaging system.

“Looks like there is a pit-like area in the middle, but still soft. I wonder if it gets harder with time?” said Javier more to himself rather than Ben. He took a knife and sliced open the fruit, seeing odd shaped spots inside, though not harder than the rest of the fruit. He sliced off a small portion and handed it over to Ben while he sliced his own piece.

“Waiting to see how the Guinea Pig reacts?” asked Ben as Javier was waiting.

“Just doing my observation thing as a scientist,” grinned Javier. Ben took a small bite of the piece and chewed, finding it had the consistency of an apple, but had a taste of apple, pear and peach. Javier joined him and chewed with a nod.

“Not bad at all,” said Ben as he looked to see how much was left.

“Want another piece?” asked Javier.

“Nah, give it to whomever discovered it,” said Ben. “Though I do like it.”

“Looks to be a good source of vitamins and minerals,” said Javier as he looked over the data.

“How far south are they?” asked Ben.

“About two hundred kilometers or so,” said Javier.

“Will they grow here?” asked Ben.

“Probably a question for Kurt,” said Javier as an incoming shuttle was heard coming in for a landing in the colony. “One we can ask.”

“If you could,” said Ben. “It’d be nice to have indigenous food a little closer in.”

“We’ll do it,” said Javier as he saw Ben preparing to leave. “We are going to start an in-depth study of the featheroos soon. Probably tomorrow.”

“I’ve seen them fairly frequently,” said Ben.

“Yeah, we noticed the same thing,” said Javier. “I’m putting Chuck Dawson on it, but they seem to know we aren’t a threat to them and are coming closer to us.”

“I’ve got to catch this shuttle and Doctor Kirk,” said Ben.

“He’s coming down about the ASD units?” asked Javier.

“How did you know?” asked Ben.

“Grady asked me about it before I referred him to Kirk. Way, way, way out of my field,” said Javier as he sliced off another piece of the fruit. “Here, have him try it.”

“Will do,” said Ben as he took the fruit on the small plate and headed towards the landing area. Kirk was one of the last off the shuttle and gravitated towards Ben.

“You needed to see me?” asked Kirk as he came off the shuttle. Ben shook his hand as he shifted his pack and pistol belt uncomfortably.

“Compliments of Javier,” said Ben as he handed over the piece of fruit.

“Something local?” asked Kirk.

“From south of here,” said Ben as he saw Kirk try it and nodded approvingly.

“Kind of like an apple-pear,” said Kirk.

“With a hint of peach,” said Ben.

“A little, yes,” said Kirk. “It’s growing in the spring?”

“Yeah, Javier found that odd as well,” said Ben.

“Regardless, it’s not bad,” said Kirk.

“First time down?” asked Ben.

“No, I came down on an earlier trip,” said Kirk.

“Provided this is a conversation that might be able to wait, I’d rather get it over with now so I can make a decision,” said Ben.

“You’ve been asked about dismantling the ASD systems,” said Kirk as a matter of fact instead of a question. “Grady put the bug in your ear about parts or something.”

“He did,” said Ben. “And I want your take on it.”

“You want my opinion? Once we get the ship dismantled on the planet, load the things up on a shuttle, place them in a low, decaying orbit and let them burn up in the atmosphere,” said Kirk.

“That’s not an option. Those things have an isolated enhanced fusion power unit smack dab in the middle. Which very well could survive partial or complete reentry. And in turn means it could be set off either in the atmosphere causing a serious electromagnetic pulse or hit the ground and cause up to a 700 megaton nuclear explosion with all the nasty side effects. As a minimum, it breaks up leaving radioactive waste all over the landscape,” stated Ben. “I did my homework on said devices.”

“I was kind of hoping you hadn’t,” said Kirk.

“Then why even suggest it in the first place?” asked Ben.

“Because those are generally worst-case scenarios,” said Kirk with a sigh. “And we could calculate the reentry data to put it over the ocean.”

“Not an option because of the aforementioned EMP burst or it hits the ocean with that blast,” said Ben. “And back to square one we are.”

“We modify a shuttle to take them to the third planet in the system,” said Kirk. “Its atmospheric composition is similar to Venus in the Sol System and let them burn up there.”

“You and I both know shuttles aren’t designed for that kind of range nor for that length of time outside of an atmosphere,” said Ben. “Plus, I’m not fond of giving up a transportation asset we have a limited number of to begin with.”

“But we could possibly modify one for that purpose,” said Kirk.

“Possibly modify?” asked Ben. “You’re reaching.”

“Look, I’m not afraid of many things in this life, but those things scare me silly,” said Kirk. “You know what actually happened to Kristina Alvarado?”

“No,” admitted Ben.

“And nobody else does either!” shot Kirk. “She was doing routine maintenance on an advanced ASD prototype and it just suddenly got the mind to open a dimension window and took her and the team of six she was working with to regions unknown. That’s the urban legend behind the bright streaks of light in the ASD Dimension. That it’s Alvarado and her team trying to get back on board a ship to be saved.”

“Well, that’s a little absurd,” said Ben.

“Either way, it’s dangerous,” said Kirk. “And I’d like no part in it.”

“Okay, thank you for your input,” said Ben. “I’ll let Cyrus know he’s got to go at it alone.”

“Wait! You can’t be serious!” exclaimed Kirk.

“I am serious,” said Ben. “Regardless of parts or anything else, those things have to be disabled while we’re here. If they are as unstable as you indicate, they are a danger to us all.”

“Cyrus doesn’t have the technical knowhow to take them apart,” said Kirk with a scoff.

“He’s a chief engineer and has the blueprints and instructions,” said Ben. “I’m sure he knows what he’s doing.”

“I think you’ve lost your mind!” exclaimed Kirk.

“And I think you’re too scared to admit you can’t do something,” growled Ben. “Admit it! You don’t want to do it because you don’t know how!”

“There’s nobody else on this planet that knows more about ASD systems than me!” growled Kirk. “I studied and worked on them for four years of my life and know each and every part like the back of my hand! I could break down one in my sleep!”

“So, help us take these apart,” said Ben in a softer voice as he saw he trapped Kirk.

Kirk looked at him with a surprised look on his face and saw exactly what he had just gotten into. And furthermore, how Ben had used his own ego against him to push him into getting what he wanted.

“It seems like I have underestimated you once again, Commander,” he said with a grim face. “I try not to make it a habit of underestimating people a second time, but I made a mistake.”

“Look, I understand how volatile these things are, but they are not unlike bombs waiting to be defused by my old explosive ordnance disposal techs. There is only one right way to dismantle it and a thousand wrong ways. You’re the key to that right way,” said Ben reasonably.

“Not an unreasonable analogy,” said Kirk. “And yes, they are not unlike bombs that didn’t explode. The difference is if you snip the blue wire instead of the red one, you create an ASD portal, that engine fires and takes whatever it feels like along for the ride. ASD windows can be unpredictable at times and it could take everything and everyone here.”

“Which is where you come into play,” said Ben. “I know you are just scared enough to double, triple and quadruple check everything before snipping that wire.”

“I’m doing it alone,” said Kirk.

“No, you’ll have Cyrus around to help,” said Ben. “You know as well as I do this is one of the few instances you will need to be a team player and having someone check your work. And you checking his.”

“And it makes me responsible for keeping him alive,” said Kirk with a wry smile.

“And he is responsible for you,” said Ben. “It works both ways.”

“I can’t even believe I’m agreeing to this,” said Kirk with a sigh.

“Look, once we cut the power to the unit, if you want to destroy the emitters, go for it. If you want to destroy the engines, we’ll put them in a failing orbit. But we have to get the power cut and make them inert by removing the power units,” said Ben.

“It takes about ten hours just to get to the power control module,” said Kirk. “Per unit.”

“We haven’t even landed the ship yet nor started taking it apart,” said Ben. “We’ve got time.”

“Yeah, for me to redo my will and testament,” said Kirk with a smirk. “I’ll need at least two full days to prep Cyrus for what we’ll be doing. And I want these in a safe location well away from the colony. I won’t be responsible if something goes wrong for the death of others.”

“We’ll discuss that later,” said Ben. “After the ship lands, of course.”

“I’ll work on identifying a suitable location to take them apart,” said Kirk. “Maybe the islands down in the tropical zone.”

“Looking for an excuse for a vacation?” asked Ben with a chuckle.

“No, just a lack of population,” said Kirk.

“We haven’t explored those yet,” said Ben.

“I’d prefer it to be as far away from civilization as possible,” said Kirk. “Look, I’m serious when I say these things can be highly unpredictable. If we don’t have the control module installed, the window size is only limited by the power supply.”

“How large could it possibly get?” asked Ben.

“Largest known? 32 square kilometer area before the power supply gave out,” said Kirk.

“Really?” asked Ben. “No way.”

“They did a study of them out in deep space between Earth and the Tau Ceti System. The science vessel had to jump into its own ASD window because the scientists thought 20 kilometers would be sufficient. Well, they were wrong,” said Kirk.

“And you know this for a fact?” asked Ben.

“I was on the ship,” said Kirk.

“These units could create a window that size?” asked Ben.

“Maybe bigger depending on how much juice is left in the power units,” said Kirk. “They were designed for a seven year trip, so the power portions were over-engineered for lack of a better term. I’d dare say we have enough power left over for at least a 20 kilometer window, but probably larger if I was to guess.”

“Okay, get with the section heads to determine a location well away from the colony,” said Ben.

“If you give me your word you will allow me to destroy the emitters once we’re done, I’ll set everything up,” said Kirk.

“I’ll have the best pilot in the shuttle to release it into a failing orbit,” said Ben. “Hell, you can even hit the eject button on the things if you like.”

“Deal,” said Kirk. “Now, where can I get more of that fruit?”

********************
​

“Okay, so the last item of business is something significant,” said Grady as he came to the end of his meeting. He held unusual meetings as everyone on the engineering staff came to them in order for all viewpoints and voices to be heard. “We’ve been cutting around the Giant Novae Maples for a while now and we’re close to finishing the forest with maybe another day or two to go until we have nothing left by the maples. However, much we’ve tried to avoid it, we’re going to need to take them out in order to fully clear the landing zone.”

“The planned operation will not be safe in the least as we will have to remove the blade guards from the logging machines and cut into the trunk that way. Which is why I plan on doing the first few myself,” said Grady. Several voices disagreeing with him came from the crowd as an engineer named Drew Collins spoke up.

“No can do, boss,” he stated. “Plenty of us in here that can do that work.”

“No, it has to be me,” said Grady.

“You can’t easily be replaced,” said Drew. “I’ll volunteer for it.”

Voices of approval came immediately after as well as additional engineers volunteering. Before they could get out of hand, Grady waved them down.

“Look, I understand and appreciate it, but this is something I have to see for myself how well it will work. Unless someone presents another option on how to get those things out of there, I’ll do the first felling,” said Grady.

“We understand, but if you don’t feel up to it, we’re here to help,” said Drew.

“Which is why I brought this up last,” said Grady. “We’re going to have to do it in an unsafe manner. We have to remove the blade guards in order to take it down. Now, unless someone suggests a different method, this is how it has to be done.”

The group got quiet, though they knew that was likely the only way it could be done. However, a voice came from the rear of the crowd.

“Couldn’t we push them over?” asked a younger member of his directorate.

Half hidden chuckles were heard coming from the crowd as Grady immediately got in front of it by asking the obvious. “Explain.”

“Maybe we could cut the root system out first then find a way of pushing them out of the ground? That seems a bit safer to me,” said the younger member.

“Not really possible,” said Drew. “The root system is fairly extensive and the tap roots are going to have to be dug out and cut as well.”

“How deep before the tap root tapers off?” asked Grady.

“We obviously haven’t seen it yet, but going by the Maples we’ve cut so far? Probably at least four meters before we find it gets to a manageable size,” said Drew.

“That’s a lot of digging,” said Grady.

“And there is a serious safety flaw there as well,” said Drew. “In order to cut the stump off, we’re going to have to move that blade vertical. Now, if it gets loose while horizontal, it might dig itself into the ground in short order or spin itself out. If it’s vertical and comes loose…”

“It’ll slice through everything in its path until it runs out of steam,” said Grady.

“Exactly,” said Drew. “I mean, we’re likely going to have to set it up vertical after they are on the ground, but we should be able to control the direction.”

“How so?” asked Grady.

“Because we’ll need to cut it to size before moving,” said Cyrus following where Drew was going. “The cranes can pick up the pieces, but it’ll have to be trimmed first.”

“Exactly,” said Drew. “Which is why you might need the best you’ve got in that cutter.”

“That’s why I’m stepping up,” said Grady with a grin. “Look, I’ll be more than happy to let you guys play later on, but I need to see it for myself.”

“You’re the boss,” said Drew.

“Now, anyone else besides Drew on this next item,” said Grady. “I’ll need a guide in front of the machine to let me know the depth I’m at since the trunk will mainly be out of sight. It’s dangerous as that person will be working near the blade without a guard.”

The crowd got silent for a moment before a dozen people stepped forward. The most surprising was Todd Poe. He had seriously stepped up since being assigned to the engineers and handled all tasks assigned to him without question. Grady saw everyone who volunteered was talented, but felt like Todd had more to prove than anyone else.

“Mister Poe, we’ll talk about the operation later,” said Grady.

“Yes, sir,” said Todd.

“So, anything final?” asked Grady as the meeting came to a close and nobody brought anything new to discuss. However, Cyrus was going to let them know who was next on the list for the three days off on the ship.

“Rotation up to the ship tomorrow will be sent to your email and is posted on the board outside. The shuttle leaves at 0900 Novae Spes time so don’t be late,” said Cyrus.

“We’re going to move on to the groundbreaking of some of the colony infrastructure tomorrow, namely the command center and clinic. I know the materials aren’t in place yet, but we’ll still get everything ready for when we get the ship on the ground. If there’s nothing else, let’s get a good night’s sleep,” said Grady as the group broke up and headed to their temporary quarters.

“I’m kinda surprised at Poe stepping up like that,” said Cyrus after the group departed.

“He’s got something to prove,” said Grady. “Namely, his status in being here.”

“He’s certainly made his contribution,” said Cyrus. “Volunteering for work and offering suggestions along the way. If he keeps it up, he’d certainly be in line for a section head one of these days.”

“I’m not sure Ben would buy off on that,” said Grady.

“One of these days meaning in the future,” said Cyrus. “He can’t atone for his sins forever.”

“No and I never would make him,” said Grady. “Regardless, Ben does want us to get together some form of recognition for those who have gone above and beyond so far.”

“The little things?” asked Cyrus.

“Yeah, an extra day on the ship, special meal prepared, things like that,” said Grady as Todd came back to the men. Grady looked at him before asking the obvious question. “Was there something else you needed to discuss?”

“Yeah,” said Todd nervously.

“Speak freely, please,” said Grady.

“It’s about my personal monitor. I’d like to have it removed,” said Todd. “Along with the ones on my family. I’ve busted my ass for you and done everything you’ve asked and volunteered for a whole lot more. I think a little latitude might be in order at this point.”

“Cyrus and I were just discussing what a valuable member of the team you’ve become,” said Grady. “And yes, I think we can dispense with tracking you everywhere you go.”

“Okay,” said Todd, thinking he would have to argue his case further.

“You aren’t planning on running off, are you?” asked Grady.

“No, I think what is going on here is going to be best for my family,” said Todd.

“Let’s go see Ben,” said Grady. “Cy? Anything else?”

“Nah, just some status reports to finish up,” said Cyrus. “See you in a bit.”

Grady and Todd traveled through the growing compound to Ben’s quarters where they found he was in a meeting with Rachelle. Charity had gone back to the ship for her days off as well as to start preparing for the landing of the ship and likely wouldn’t be back on the planet’s surface until the ship was on the ground.

“Well, I never thought I would ever admit a man wore me out, but here’s the man who wore me out,” said Rachelle with a grin.

“I’m sorry?” asked Grady.

“I’m sore all over, but it’s a good sore,” said Rachelle. “The work you have us doing?”

“Oh, right,” said Grady with a chuckle. “How is everything going? I didn’t get the chance to come over and see your guys in action today.”

“Medical had a run on bandages for blisters and splinters, but otherwise, we’re happy to be doing something productive,” said Rachelle.

“I’m glad for the help,” said Grady as he paused.

“You have something to discuss,” said Rachelle. “I’ll see myself out.”

“We didn’t want to interrupt,” said Grady.

“No, we’re just chatting,” said Rachelle.

“Don’t wander too far, there’s something I need to follow up with you about,” said Ben.

“I’ll be right outside,” said Rachelle as she headed out of the container that was being used by the senior leadership as office space. The back half also served as Ben’s quarters on the planet, so they were in his home for lack of a better term.

“What’s on your mind?” asked Ben.

“I’m here to request the monitors be taken off Todd and his family,” said Grady.

“Make your case,” said Ben as he leaned back in the homemade chair.

Grady spent the next two minutes explaining all the good things Todd had done while on the planet as well as praising his work ethic and leadership by example. Todd was surprised Grady knew that much of his individual actions since coming down to the planet’s surface, but was happy to be getting recognized for his actions.

“So long as he’s on the planet, I have zero problems with this,” said Ben after Grady finished. “But on the ship is a different matter that’s still under the purview of Captain Smith. I’m not going to make that decision until I’ve consulted with him about it.”

“Sir, we aren’t a threat,” said Todd.

“I never said you were,” said Ben. “But being that Captain Smith is still responsible for the Santa Maria, I’m not comfortable making a decision that will affect the ship until I’ve had the opportunity to talk it over with him. Now, as luck would have it, he’s on his way down here tomorrow morning, so the wait will be brief.”

“I understand,” said Todd taking the rebuke in stride. “My apologies.”

“No apologies necessary,” said Ben. “You’ve proven yourself to Grady and that goes a long way with me. Once we get the ship on the ground, I’d remove them myself if I had the know how to do that. Otherwise, you may end up waiting a bit longer.”

“Yes, sir,” said Todd.

“Anything else?” asked Ben.

“Nothing that can’t wait for our meeting tomorrow,” said Grady.

“See you tomorrow then,” said Ben. “If you could send Rachelle back in.”

“Of course,” said Grady as they departed and sent Rachelle back in.

“It’s been a while since I got called to the principal’s office twice in one day,” said grinned.

“I’d say it probably was justified each and every time,” said Ben with a smirk.

“That hurts, boss!” she exclaimed.

“Anyway…” said Ben.

“Anyway…” she stated.

“You were supposed to test Paris Poe?” asked Ben.

“We did,” said Rachelle. “I have the results, but I’d been just a bit busy.”

“Grady slave driving you?” asked Ben.

“It is a lot of manual labor, but my folks are loving it,” said Rachelle. “I’m going to have arms the size of a professional body builder by the time I get done.”

“Anyway, on to Paris Poe,” stated Ben.

“Interesting results,” said Rachelle.

“Which might be…?” asked Ben.

“She has no specialty,” said Rachelle. “Has decent marks across the board, but doesn’t stand out in any category for a profession.”

“That’s…unusual,” said Ben.

“Affects about ten percent of the population,” said Rachelle. “They tend to flit from job to job earning their way, but never becoming a specialist in any field.”

“There has to be something she’s good at,” said Ben.

“There is…” said Rachelle as her voice trailed off.

“You’re normally slightly more chatty,” said Ben with a wave of his hand.

“She scored highest in an unrelated category,” said Rachelle. “One specifically we don’t have a position for nor one that was thought out.”

“Rachelle, I’ll never be mad for you bringing me data I don’t like,” said Ben.

“She scored highest in interpersonal relations,” said Rachelle. “And off the charts in the section that deals specifically with children.”

“She’s best at being a child care worker?” asked Ben.

“Something we failed to identify in advance,” said Rachelle. “We don’t have a dedicated child care provider even though we have children.”

“I’m not sure I’m comfortable with this…” said Ben.

“Next highest was security,” said Rachelle. “Slightly higher than everything else.”

“Tasha will flip out if we suggest it,” said Ben as he let out a sigh. “Seriously, child care?”

“As I said, off the charts,” said Rachelle. “Nearly maxed out the tests.”

“And we need this position?” asked Ben.

“We didn’t think to toss in a few folks dedicated to that,” said Rachelle. “Overall, we planned on not having kids here until the second expedition.”

“Yeah, about that,” said Ben.

“Look, you asked for an aptitude test and you got one. I don’t know the whole story behind her since she’s not on any manifest or colonist list. But you asked for the testing and got the results. We need someone to look after the children while Mommy and Daddy are away at work. Here she is,” said Rachelle with shrugged shoulders.

“I’m not entirely com…” started Ben and realized Rachelle was right and he had told them they had a second chance just like everyone else. He could continue to play by the old rules and hold everyone accountable for the sins of their past, but he knew that would only hurt them in the long run. If being a child care provider was best for her, he would see that she was assigned to that pursuit.

“Fine,” said Ben. “I’ll tell her the news. Do you have a section dedicated for that?”

“Not really,” said Rachelle. “I know the Captain’s wife planned on being schoolmaster, but past that? Who knows?”

“Work with Claire and come up with a schooling system as well as a child care system,” said Ben. “I’ll let Mrs. Poe know what she’ll be doing with her time.”

“Why isn’t she on the manifest?” asked Rachelle. “Remember how open we are.”

“She, and her family of her husband and young children, were stowaways,” said Ben.

“What?!” exclaimed Rachelle.

“Yep,” said Ben. “Now, you keep that to yourself.”

“How…” started Rachelle.

“Don’t ask,” said Ben.

“Right…” said Rachelle. “I’ll get with Claire.”

“Thank you,” said Ben.

“Anything else?” asked Rachelle. “I’ve got a shower calling my name as well as a date tonight.”

“A date?” asked Ben.

“Yeah, some of us are still young and lively enough for a social life,” said Rachelle.

“With who?” asked Ben.

“That’s whom,” said Rachelle with a grin.

“Regardless,” said Ben.

“A lady never tells her secrets, but there is a fairly active social scene going on at the moment. You might want to pay a little closer attention to your colonists as they are sure to have some first generation Novae Spescians sooner rather than later if it keeps going the way it’s going,” said Rachelle.

“Including you?” grinned Ben.

“Nope, I’m far too careful and picky for that,” laughed Rachelle. “Anyway, nothing else?”

“No, go be young,” said Ben as Rachelle said goodbye and departed for a well-earned shower. Ben finished up the reports he was reading and wondered if Rachelle, and furthermore his own prediction, was right about the troops seeking entertainment as he had informed the Vice President. Heading outside, he started to head through the camping area and found makeshift picnic tables and chairs the colonists had built with plenty of people out socializing that evening. Since there was a distinct lack of entertainment set up, people naturally gathered with one another and just talked. One thing Ben did notice was the national and corporate boundaries had been torn down by the colonists as he saw a Japanese woman talking with a North American man and what appeared to be a Cuban woman talking with a North American man. And sure enough, Rachelle was correct in the fact the looks given by all parties showed distinct interest in far more than just talking and socializing with others. Several other couples were seen with each other with looks of interest on at least one of the party’s faces if not both.

Ben decided to make sure all his bases were covered by visiting Mary, hoping to catch her before she departed for her quarters. Ben was lucky as she had just changed over with the on-duty doctor, Doctor Chambless, and was getting ready to head to her quarters for the night.

“Hey Mary,” he said, jogging slightly to catch her.

“Hey,” she stated with a warm smile. “Everything okay?”

“Couldn’t be better,” said Ben. “I wanted to ask you a question.”

“Go for it,” said Mary.

“Kind of awkward…” said Ben.

“I’m a doctor, I can handle awkward,” said Mary with a laugh.

“Do we…have birth control in the stores?” asked Ben.

“Do we have what?” asked Mary as he almost mumbled it.

“Do we have contraceptives?” asked Ben a little louder.

“We…why do you ask?” she asked.

“We might be in need of them,” said Ben.

“Are you in need of them?” asked Mary before thinking and immediately blushed. “Wow! That was so not right to ask!”

“The answer is no, I’m not in need of them,” said Ben.

“I’m so sorry!” exclaimed Mary. “That went way over the top!”

“It’s okay,” said Ben. “No harm, no foul.”

“I’m so embarrassed now!” stated Mary as she blushed up again.

“No, I’m asking for them,” said Ben as he waved at the people in the distance.

“They who?” asked Mary.

“Come here,” said Ben as he nodded with his head. Mary was still embarrassed, but followed him towards the central area of the camp where most off-duty people were sitting.

“What am I looking at?” asked Mary.

“Look at the couples,” said Ben. “And see if you don’t recognize the looks.”

Mary looked for several moments before coming to the same deduction Ben was implying. “Yes, there is mutual interest in several of them and yes, we have contraceptives. Which we have been handing out as requested by members of the colony. We actually have a bin in front of the clinic that has them immediately available and anonymous for anyone to take.”

“I didn’t realize it would start that quickly,” said Ben.

“What? The lonely encounters after duty hours?” asked Mary. “What did you think would happen when you put guys and gals in their sexual prime together?”

“The same thing I warned the corporate leadership about before we left,” said Ben.

“We have nearly 800 people mainly in their 20s and 30s on a strange planet that suddenly have their lives placed in each other’s hands and are seeking companionship,” said Mary. “It’s natural for them to get together after hours and we know where that leads.”

“No, I recognized that and I told the corporate Vice President it would happen,” said Ben. “Frankly, which is why you got Doctor Griggs working with you.”

“They didn’t have a pediatric specialist?” asked Mary.

“Nope,” said Ben with a chuckle. “He felt I should ban sex until Expedition 2 when he wanted her to go.”

“Yeah, that was going to happen,” said Mary. “That’s ignorant to think people wouldn’t get pregnant in the year we are out here.”

“I agree,” said Ben. “I fought to get her put on the list even though he didn’t feel it was best.”

“She’s a good doctor in other areas as well,” said Mary.

“Regardless, I wanted to make sure folks had methods of avoiding pregnancy if at all possible,” said Ben. “Even if it does give Charlotte something to do.”

“I’d much prefer having a newborn nursery than an emergency room,” said Mary. “Though I’d dare say we’ll likely need both before it’s all said and done.”

“I’d certainly hope the emergency room doesn’t get used at all,” agreed Ben. “Anyway, I just thought I would check on the other.”

“I’m really sorry for assuming about…” said Mary as she started to blush up again.

“No, it’s perfectly fine,” said Ben with a smile. “You have a good evening.”

“You too,” said Mary as she managed to escape with some dignity left. Ben headed back to his quarters and figured he was best to let nature run its course in regards to the couples forming up in the colony.

 

CHAPTER 24


“Okay, we go slowly,” said Grady as he stopped the cutting machine in front of the largest Novae Maple in the recently cleared forest. Grady was about as nervous as he had been in a long time and it showed as he wiped the sweat from his brow with a bandana.

“I’ll let you know when you’re deep enough to create the wedge,” said Todd as he was fairly nervous as well and knew working without the blade guards was extremely dangerous. While the blades rarely came off the machines, it did happen and nothing would be able to save him if it headed his way. Grady set the machine in motion and adjusted the blade as Todd gave him hand signals as to when it was in the ideal location. He held a clenched fist indicating it was in the prime location as Grady paused one last time. He looked down at Todd who gave him a nod as he lowered the face shield in place and adjusted the suit to protect himself against wood splinters. Grady took in a deep breath as he engaged the blade motor and spun it up slowly to 3,000 RPM and constantly rechecked the controls every few seconds. Once it reached 2,800, he saw Todd giving him a thumbs up and engaged the control arms for the blade.

Todd watched as the blade bit into the wood, creating a lot of sawdust as the blade bit deeper into the tree and Grady inched it forward. He smelled the smoke of the blade spinning against the wood rather than cutting and prompted Grady to move it deeper a little faster. Grady was as nervous as he could be since Todd was only a little over a meter from the blade, but pushed the blade in deeper to the tree until he saw Todd give him the signal to stop. He kept the blade spinning as he reversed the machine and pulled the blade out before disengaging the motor and letting it slowly spin down and stop. Todd hopped on the machine as it was slowing down.

“Don’t go so slow, it’s burning the wood rather than cutting it!” yelled Todd over the sound of the blade spinning down.

“I’d prefer to go slow!” yelled Grady.

“It’s going to damage the blade otherwise,” yelled Todd. “Go a bit quicker on the next cut.”

“Right,” said Grady as the blade was still taking time to slow to a stop and Todd prepared to position the machine for the second cut of the wedge in hopes the tree would fall where they wanted it to. Eventually, the blade stopped spinning and Grady repositioned the blade after being given the prompts by Todd as he gave the go-ahead to start the blade again. The process repeated itself as Grady moved the blade in deeper before being given the signal to stop the forward movement by Todd. He reversed the blade again and could barely see a large wedge that needed to be removed from the tree before they could cut the other side. After disengaging the blade once again, he waited for the blade to stop spinning yet again as Todd got the cables prepared for the machine to pull the wedge out. Todd hammered a large eye bolt into the wedge section as Grady spun the machine around and got the cable attachment points ready on the back.

“Looks great!” he stated as he looked over the precision cuts. “You did a great job on guiding me in.”

“Hard part is coming up,” said Todd as he took the cable and ran it through the eye bolt and handed the cable back. Grady hooked both into the pintle and headed back into the driver’s seat as Todd rechecked everything. Grady put the machine into gear and the large wedge was pulled from the tree, dropping to the ground with a noticeable thud. Grady drug it well away from the area they were in before Todd took off the cables and pulled them through the bolt.

“Feel that?” asked Todd as Grady came out.

“Feel what?” asked Grady.

“Wind shifted,” said Todd. “It’s away from the area we planned.”

“Let me get Angeline on the horn,” said Grady as he and Todd climbed into the operator area and Grady got on the radio. “Command, this is Grady. I need a patch through to Doctor Weber with the Science Department please.”

“Standby,” said the controller as she patched through the call. “Doctor Weber is on the line, go ahead with your message.”

“Angeline? This is Grady. We’ve felt the wind shift and need a weather consultation before we proceed,” said Grady.

“Hang on,” said Angeline as she brought up the computer. “It looks like the winds have shifted, but they are lower than we planned.”

“How much lower?” asked Grady.

“10 KPH sustained, gusts up to 20 KPH,” said Angeline.

“That’s within the safety margin,” said Todd.

“Still, if that thing kicks before we get the blade out, it’ll come right down on the both of us,” said Grady as he picked up the transmitter again. “Future forecast?”

“Showing increased winds out of the south,” said Angeline. “Growing in the next couple of hours and not decreasing.”

“Max speed?” asked Grady.

“Looking at 25 KPH sustained and gusts up to 50 KPH,” said Angeline. “There’s a storm front moving in. If you want to get that monster down, you’ve got about an hour, maybe an hour and a half before the winds go above your safety parameters.”

“Long range forecast?” asked Grady.

“Rain and storms over the next three days,” said Angeline.

“Thanks,” said Grady as he looked at Todd.

“We’ve got an hour, that should be plenty of time,” said Todd with shrugged shoulders.

“I’m not comfortable,” said Grady.

“We’ve come halfway and the blade is eating into that thing quicker than we planned. Let’s finish the job and have a root beer later,” said Todd.

“You’re good with it?” asked Grady.

“I came out here to get this tree cut,” said Todd. “Let’s get the tree cut.”

“Okay, but if the sustained winds get above 20 KPH, we’re going to reevaluate,” said Grady.

“Sounds like a plan,” said Todd as he hopped off the machine and headed back to the tree.

“Angeline, I want you to give me weather updates every five minutes especially with wind speed and direction,” said Grady as he placed an ear bud in for the radio. “If the sustained winds get over 15 KPH, let me know immediately. I might not be able to respond, but give them to me anyway.”

“Roger that,” said Angeline as she got comfortable behind her computer. Grady realized they hadn’t cleared as much of the crown as he would have been happy with which created a large area for the wind to catch. He knew even for such a large tree; it would be a plaything for the winds and could come down opposite of where they wanted. He pulled the machine back to the tree where Todd was already evaluating the cutting area. While he wanted to get it done quickly, he didn’t chance rushing through things as he manipulated the machine into position once again and prepared to cut. Looking outside, he saw a thumbs up from Todd and engaged the blade once again. Following the hand signals, he started cutting and was prompted by Todd to go deeper. As they got as deep as Todd was comfortable with, he signaled Grady to start shifting the blade to the right in order to cut around the base of the tree.

“Winds still southerly at 12 KPH sustained,” said Angeline over the radio as he continued cutting. “Gusting to 19 KPH.”

Grady continued cutting deeper into the tree as Todd suddenly held up a clinched fist. Grady didn’t stop the blade as Todd gave him a sign the tree might fall sooner than planned. He motioned Grady to move the blade deeper as they slowly cut away a little more of the tree. Todd kept looking up as well as at the blades as he inched Grady forward.

“13 KPH sustained,” said Angeline. “We just had a gust at 27 KPH.”

Grady looked at Todd who inched him forward just a bit more and gave the emergency stop and reverse hand signals. Grady didn’t hesitate as he engaged the brake on the blade and set the entire machine into reverse as Todd ran laterally away from the machine. However, the blade stopped almost immediately as the tree trunk was pushed on top of it causing the machine to come off the ground and bending the blade as it was jerked to a complete stop. Grady watched as the tree was pushed by the wind and prepared to jump out of the cabin before the tree came back into an upright position and freed the blade. Todd came running back as Grady set the machine into motion and headed away from the known path it could fall and towards the colony.

“Looks like you need a new blade,” said Todd as the entire assembly was warped.

“Good call on your part,” said Grady as they moved far enough away and looked at the tree. They felt another gust hit them in the face as the tree was pushed a little further than the previous time. It groaned and cracked loudly before the cut kicked off the stump and the entire tree came crashing down with an impact they felt through the shocks of the machine.

“One down,” said Grady.

“16 to go,” said Todd.

“You guys all right?” asked Ben over the radio.

“Yeah, we’re good,” said Grady. “We’re going to have to replace the blade as it’s destroyed, but we got him down.”

“Glad you guys made it out,” said Ben. “I like to have shit my pants when I saw your machine come off the ground.”

“It wasn’t exactly fun being inside of it when that happened either,” said Grady. “Can you tell Cyrus he’s got a brief window to get the crew out here to start trimming that thing up?”

“You don’t want Rachelle to tackle it with a hatchet?” asked Ben with a laugh.

“Yeah, I think she would tell you where to stick it,” laughed Grady as he saw a truck of his engineers heading out to the tree to start removing the limbs before the storm came in.

“Well, we proved it can work,” said Todd as they drove back to the area of the downed tree.

“Yeah, we’re using the laser cutters going forward,” said Grady.

“How come?” asked Todd.

“We only have three replacement blades per machine,” said Grady. “We can’t afford to bend a blade each time we cut one of these things out.”

“True,” said Todd. “Will the laser cutters be able to handle that large a tree?”

“We’re about to find out,” said Grady. “We’ll obviously test it on the next one.”

“Hard part will be digging that stump out,” said Todd.

“Yeah, I’m glad I’m not a bucket driver,” said Grady with a laugh as they arrived at the downed tree. Like a gladiator standing over his foe, they went to the tree and looked at it.

“Kind of sad, but gratifying at the same time,” said Todd.

“It was a grand tree,” said Grady. “However, the materials we can pull from these will be able to sustain us for a long time.”

“Think I can get a log cabin made up?” asked Todd with a grin.

“Yeah, you go right ahead and cut the boards you want,” said Grady as the truck pulled up to them. Cyrus headed over to the machine before joining Grady and Todd at the tree.

“You did a number of that one, boss,” he stated.

“We’ll obviously need to replace the blade and do an inspection on the machine to make sure nothing else broke,” said Grady. “And use the laser cutters going forward.”

“I was going to make that same suggestion,” said Cyrus. “I brought a set with us if you want to try with another tree before the storm gets here.”

“Let’s go with one of the southernmost ones,” said Grady. The three hopped onto one of the smaller utility vehicles and found another tree well away from where they were working. Setting up the laser cutting device, it took several minutes for it to calibrate before Grady programmed in the desired shape and depth of the wedge to cut out. The device beeped rapidly and started cutting into the tree, though far slower than with the traditional blade.

“It’s burning the wood,” said Todd.

“I’ll accept it,” said Grady as the first cut finally got done and the machine repositioned itself to make the second cut. The winds were getting stronger as the tree started swaying slightly in the wind. Eventually, the second cut finally got finished after another ten minutes and Grady repositioned the unit to make the cut from the other side while Cyrus and Todd removed the wedge. Dark clouds filled the horizon as the laser cutter made its adjustments before starting to cut through the 4.5 meter diameter base of the tree.

The winds were picking up stronger as thunder was heard in the distance. Cyrus, Grady and Todd waited patiently as the cutter continued to make its way slowly through the tree as the wind gave it a good push and cracking was heard at the base.

“Was this what you planned on?” asked Cyrus.

“Kinda,” said Grady as the first raindrops were felt. The cutter continued slowly as the tree leaned further and further with the winds coming in before finally cracking at the base and coming to the ground in another deep thud. The trio grabbed the unit and tossed it into the bed of the utility vehicle before seeing the other crew was already heading back to the main colony. They hadn’t made much progress with the other tree, but at least it was on the ground. The rain came down even more as they drove the distance into the colony and saw people heading for their quarters or the community areas to seek shelter.

“Looking bad,” said Angeline as Todd went to his temporary quarters and Grady and Cyrus headed into the command center. “Heavy rains for the next three days with interspersed thunderstorms and high winds.”

“Tornados?” asked Ben.

“Weather conditions aren’t right,” said Angeline. “We could see some localized flooding though and certainly high winds.”

“Is everything going to hold, temp facility wise?” asked Ben as he acknowledged the engineers.

“It should,” said Grady. “I’ll put a couple of my crews on emergency standby to fix any problems as they come up.”

As if by magic, the lights in the command center as well as all the computers went out. The generator outside was heard winding down and yells were heard around the encampment.

“You were saying?” asked Ben with a wry smile.

“Hang on,” said Cyrus as he and Grady grabbed their wet weather jackets and headed outside to check on the generator as Tasha came in and shook before shedding her jacket.

“It’s a bit rainy outside,” she remarked as she wiped her face with her bandana.

“Your troops are okay?” asked Ben.

“They have their foul weather gear,” she stated. “The towers have cover, though I’m not fond of them being in a huge steel target for those lightning strikes.”

“Yeah, they are the tallest structure around,” said Ben. “Your rovers?”

“The ones in the vehicles will continue to roam,” she stated. “The foot patrols will go into standby at designated spots and react accordingly.”

The generator was heard coming back on and it took another two minutes for it to get to full speed before the lights came back on and the computers whirred back to life. Grady and Cyrus made their way back inside, thoroughly drenched even though they had on rain jackets.

“Some nitwit left the load at 10%,” grumbled Grady. “We were drawing too much power in the local grid and it overloaded before the safety program kicked in and shut it down.”

“I see,” said Ben.

“I’ll kick my own ass later,” said Grady. “I’m the nitwit that left it there.”

“We’ve never gone above 10% until now?” asked Ben.

“No,” said Grady. “It’s likely every light being flipped on at the same time as well as heaters in the living units being turned on.”

“Temperatures have dropped to 16 degrees,” said Angeline. “Plus, I’d bet folks are wet and trying to warm up.”

“Good point,” said Ben as he got on the communications system and requested Mary, Rachelle and Kurt come to the command structure to have a brief staff meeting. It took several minutes before Kurt showed up and Mary followed not long after wearing a jacket that was comically large for her.

“Your jacket is…a wee bit large,” said Tasha with a grin.

“Well, considering mine’s on the ship safe and secure,” said Mary with a frown. “I had to borrow this from one of the med techs.”

“You forgot it?” asked Ben.

“Yes, I forgot it,” said Mary with a tone. Rachelle came running in as she shed her digital camouflage military poncho and pulled off her hat before shaking it out near the door. However, she was also in shorts and sandals which Ben found odd.

“Kinda wet outside,” she stated. “What’s up and what happened with the power?”

“Generator overloaded,” said Grady. “We fixed it.”

“Otherwise, impromptu meeting,” said Ben as there was one chair shy of having one for everyone and he decided to stand. “Seems like we’re in for some bad weather over the next few days and we need to make sure all our sections are prepared for the worst. So, let’s go ahead and talk through this as well as the extended weather forecast.”

Angeline started it off with the weather forecast as well as the status of the science team outside the colony at the moment.

“They are heading back at this time, though they’re on the outer edge of the storm,” she said.

“Can they land in these winds?” asked Ben.

“I’ve got one of the best pilot teams in the shuttle,” said Rachelle. “Charity says they’re the real deal and they should be okay.”

“Save flying through a thunderstorm,” said Kurt.

“The Novus shuttles are designed to take a few lightning strikes,” said Cyrus.

“Okay, where were they?” asked Ben.

“Northeast of here up the river,” said Angeline as she showed them on the map. “I’d almost have preferred they stay in place, but the storm could shift its track.”

“And they were doing?” asked Ben.

“Land survey,” said Angeline. “The parameters were put in place by Javier before he went to the ship for his R&R.”

“Lucky him,” grumped Mary.

“And on to medical,” said Ben.

“Our facilities are dry at the moment, but I’m thinking a lot of people got soaked running for cover when the rains came in. I’ll put out a system side message to ensure they change clothes and stay warm. I’d also ask the section heads to check on their folks,” said Mary. “We also have the emergency medical teams ready to head out to any area of trouble.”

“Do you like your ambulances?” asked Rachelle.

“Yes, I like our carts,” said Mary with a grin.

“Ambulances?” asked Ben.

“I felt like medical could use a couple of vehicles for quicker response since theirs are still packed away,” said Rachelle. “So, Tasha donated a couple of her MPMV units and we converted them for two medics and a patient. It’s not a full up ambulance, but it’s better than hauling a stretcher through the colony on foot.”

“Good thinking,” said Ben as he knew the Multi-Personnel Multi-Purpose Vehicles would be good for that situation even if they could only carry one at a time. “Anything else, Mary?”

“No, just staying dry will be key,” said Mary.

“Ag?” asked Ben.

“Well, we were in the process of irrigating the fields,” said Kurt with a chuckle. “The rest of my folks were helping sort the lumber with Grady’s team. I accounted for all them before I came over.”

“You didn’t check the weather forecast?” asked Angeline.

“No offense, but I trust weather reports just slightly more than lawyers,” said Kurt with a laugh.

“I’m offended,” laughed Angeline.

“Otherwise?” asked Ben. “The fields are obviously being watered. Anything else your folks could do during a rainstorm?”

“Probably work the greenhouses,” said Kurt. “Also making sure they aren’t getting ripped to shreds by the winds.”

“Sounds good,” said Ben. “Engineering?”

“We were in the process of getting the final maples cut as well as infrastructure work in the colony. Other than that, I have a significant portion of my folks on the ship at the moment,” said Grady. “We’ll put electrical teams on standby for power problems and can have a team running the lumber mill, but other than that, outside work will come to a standstill.”

“Security we have covered, though I am curious whether you’ve put out your additional sensor lines yet,” said Ben.

“Not yet since we haven’t determined the colony border yet and I didn’t want them too far out,” said Tasha. “We have the outposts as well as the rovers here and at the farm.”

“And a detachment with the science team,” said Angeline.

“Right,” said Tasha.

“SIT?” asked Ben.

“Most of my folks were sorting cargo from the morning run or helping with Grady,” said Rachelle. “So, we’re also at a standstill until this lets up.”

“You were off duty?” asked Ben.

“I was up late last night and catching a quick kitty nap,” said Rachelle.

“Sleep when you can,” said Ben as he heard the communicator with the ship come alive.

“Novae Spes, this is the Santa Maria, over,” stated Allen over the speaker.

“Go ahead, Allen,” said Ben.

“You guys drowning down there yet?” asked Allen.

“It’s a bit wet, but we’re holding steady at the moment,” said Ben.

“I called off the planned shuttle run until that front passes through,” said Allen. “Probably this afternoon or so between the rains.”

“Good call,” said Ben. “Though I would like you to prep two shuttles in case of emergency evacuation if we start getting flooding.”

“Already done,” said Allen. “Since we’ll be passing out of visual with the colony soon, I put them in an orbit over the colony.”

“Roger that,” said Ben. “Everything okay up there?”

“It’s dry for the moment,” said Allen.

“That’s just nice,” said Tasha with a frown.

“Mary would like to know if you’d send down her rain jacket,” said Ben with a laugh as he heard the shuttle carrying the science team coming in for a landing.

“Sure, I’ll drop it off next time we’re over the colony,” laughed Allen. “Regardless, we just wanted to check on you folks.”

“We appreciate it,” said Ben.

“Santa Maria out,” said Allen as he finished the communication.

“Now, back to our regularly scheduled programming,” said Ben. “It seems like we’ve got everything covered at the moment, but I want your folks to keep an eye out for flooding as well as anything out of the ordinary. Send reports in to the command center here and crews will be dispatched as necessary. However, seeing that a lot of work can’t be done at the moment save work in a lab, we’re going to call this a down day for all our folks.”

“We get a day off?” asked Mary.

“Essential functions will still need to be staffed, but work crews can relax for the rest of the day while you plan indoor activities for them,” said Ben as the pilot as well as the security and science team leads came into the command center.

“We’re interrupting,” said Chuck Dawson as he saw the leadership and started to leave.

“No, it’s okay,” said Ben. “God ahead and make your report.”

“All science, security and engineering personnel accounted for,” said Chuck who had taken the team leader position. “Just in time as well.”

“Anything serious to report?” asked Ben.

“Nothing significant,” said Chuck.

“The nerds didn’t find anything?” asked Tasha. “I’m sure you’re devastated.”

“The nerds didn’t get to do the in-depth study like they wanted to,” said Chuck. “Being recalled so quickly, we didn’t have the chance to put out all our instruments.”

“Anyway,” said Ben before Tasha had the opportunity to toss in another prod. “Angeline?”

“Nothing on the scope except downloading what information you did get,” said Angeline. “Otherwise, take the rest of the day to catch up on your research.”

“Sounds good,” said Chuck as he departed as Tasha smirked at him.

“Be nice,” said Ben.

“I’m always nice!” objected Tasha innocently.

“So, regardless of whatever we had planned, get caught up on your admin work and whatnot. Nothing should be planned that takes your folks outside for long periods of time,” said Ben. “If there’s nothing else, head on back to whatever you were doing.”

“I’d bet Tasha is ready to head out to find one certain science team and see if he can warm her up,” said Rachelle with a grin.

“I will beat you,” said Tasha. “So not happening.”

“C’mon, I’d bet even Ben would allow you to be late if you were catching a nooner with him,” said Rachelle. “Wouldn’t you, big boss man?”

“I’m thinking I’m staying out of this,” said Ben.

“I’m thinking Charity is going to get promoted soon since the SIT Director is about to mysteriously drown in a shallow puddle,” grumped Tasha.

“You couldn’t drown me!” protested Rachelle. “Your lives would be boring otherwise.”

“Don’t tempt me,” said Tasha with a frown.

“Anyway,” said Ben. “You should check on your troopers as well as making sure you don’t get soaking wet as well.”

“I will,” said Tasha.

“And have Chuck dry you off after a good hot shower,” said Rachelle with a final prod.

“Permission to promote Charity?” asked Tasha.

“How come? You wouldn’t like taking a hot shower?” asked Ben with a twinkle in his eyes.

“Don’t you get started as well,” said Tasha with a roll of her eyes.

“You poke at me as well,” said Ben. “Turnabouts fair play.”

“I’m sure Mary would agree a hot shower is useful in warming up,” said Rachelle. “Right?”

“A warm shower is always helpful when the body is chilled,” said Mary with confusion. “As long as they dry off completely in the aftermath and get under a blanket.”

“See, Ben?” asked Tasha. “Told you so.”

“What are you two dragging me into?” asked Mary.

“Just attempting to educate Ben on Survival 101 and use of facilities to prevent hypothermia,” said Tasha with a grin.

“Why do I feel there is more to it than that?” asked Mary.

“We were saying having a good man around to dry you off as well as snuggle under the blanket is highly helpful in retaining body heat,” said Rachelle.

“Yes, sharing body heat can certainly help,” said Mary. “Of course, depends on the hotness of the man to begin with as to how warm you would get.”

“Got anyone in mind?” asked Tasha with a grin.

“I’m not cold and wet,” said Mary with a veiled smile. “However, Doctor Dawson might be in need of some warming up after being out in the rain and Tasha, you’re sure to get wet as well.”

“You people all suck,” said Tasha with a frown.

“Maybe I should go find a man willing to do that,” said Rachelle with a twinkle in her eyes.

“On that note, I’m leaving,” said Ben as he had other business to tend to and departed.

“Knowing you, you’d have more than one,” said Tasha.

“No, I’m a one man gal,” said Rachelle. “At least one at a time.”

“You are totally horrible,” said Mary with a laugh.

“Maybe Ben is available for snuggle time under the blankets?” asked Tasha with a grin.

Mary just grinned and rolled her eyes at Tasha as Angeline gravitated over.

“You know what we haven’t done in a while?” she asked.

“I can think of a lot of things Mary hasn’t done in a while,” grinned Tasha. “However, would easily find a willing partner if she just asked.”

“Maybe I will,” said Mary with her eyebrows raised.

“Yeah, right,” said Rachelle. “You’d get scared off at the last moment.”

“You’re probably right,” said Mary with a sigh. “My shy streak would show out.”

“Anyway,” said Angeline. “We haven’t played cards in a while. Girls night out.”

“Not since the last time we came out of stasis,” said Tasha. “I like it.”

“Maybe add a few others?” asked Rachelle.

“Wouldn’t be the same without Charity,” said Tasha.

“She’s coming down this afternoon,” said Rachelle. “We could set it up for this evening.”

“I’m in,” said Angeline. “Who else?”

“You, me, Tasha, Mary, Charity…who else?” asked Rachelle.

“I’d bet Charlotte Griggs would be down,” said Mary.

“Samantha Whitaker is off duty, I can ask,” said Tasha.

“How about Paris Poe?” asked Rachelle. “She’s on the surface and it would be good to get her involved and not such an outcast.”

“That’s cool,” said Tasha. “Want to stick with eight or one more?”

“Janet Carr? She’s cool,” said Angeline.

“The girl with Ag?” asked Rachelle. “She’s funny.”

“Let’s do it,” said Mary. “After dinner in the mess tent?”

“Can’t think of a better place,” said Rachelle as she typed out a message to Charity to “bring the poker chips with you” and sent it off. She received a quick reply and promised to do so.

“Let’s go see Paris,” said Rachelle to Tasha.

“I’ll get with Charlotte,” said Mary. “Even with Nick being here, she’ll probably come.”

“I know Sam will be down,” said Tasha. “If not, I’ll make it an order.”

“I’ll track down Janet,” said Angeline.

Rachelle and Tasha managed to track down Paris Poe at her temporary quarters. She had been working with the SIT Team in assisting the engineers but was without work at the moment.

“Is Paris in?” asked Rachelle as Todd came to the door.

“Sure, hang on,” said Todd as he gave Tasha a strange look before heading inside.

“What was that look about?” asked Tasha.

“Dunno,” lied Rachelle as she made a promise to Ben to keep the situation quiet. Eventually, Paris came to the door and looked a bit confused.

“Can I help you?” she asked.

“We’re doing a girl’s night out poker game tonight,” said Rachelle. “Interested?”

“Girl’s night out?” asked Paris.

“Well, girl’s night in, I guess,” said Tasha. “Informal gathering of some of the girls just to relax and play some cards.”

“I’m not sure I know how to play,” said Paris.

“We can teach you and there is no money changing hands,” said Rachelle.

“I’m not sure…” said Paris.

“She’d be more than happy to,” said Todd as he reappeared from behind the door.

“Okay,” said Rachelle as she saw the look on Paris’ face. “We’ll be in the mess hall at 2000 hours sharp. Dress comfortably.”

“Comfortably?” asked Paris.

“I’m gonna be in shorts and an old ratty sweatshirt,” said Rachelle.

“I’m planning on about the same, though my shorts won’t be as bad as Rachelle’s booty shorts,” said Tasha with a grin.

“Dear Lord, we want the woman to come play!” exclaimed Rachelle with a laugh. “Seriously, we’d love it if you came by.”

“Okay, I’ll see if I can break free,” said Paris. Rachelle and Tasha headed their separate ways. Paris closed the door and let her husband have it.

“My own mind I’ll make up, Todd Derek Poe,” she said with a frown and a tone in her voice.

“We need to take every opportunity to integrate ourselves into the society here,” said Todd. “You have two section heads asking for you to come socialize after hours. That’s a prime opportunity to show them we aren’t a threat.”

“They already allowed us to stay,” said Paris. “That’s a pretty good start.”

“Which we need to capitalize on,” said Todd.

“Do you realize just who put us in this position to begin with?” asked Paris.

“Do you realize there’s a good chance one of our children would have caught some incurable disease by living in Old Town by now had we stayed?” asked Todd. “We both agree when we left we would accept the consequences whatever they were.”

“And that has what to do with me playing games with others?” asked Paris with a tone.

“It has everything to do with helping them become comfortable with us,” said Todd.

“I already agreed to go,” said Paris forcefully.

“Okay,” said Todd and deciding he had pushed as far as he should have.

“I really don’t have anything to wear,” said Paris.

“So, go in what you have on,” said Todd.

“We’re going to need to ask for additional clothing for the children eventually,” said Paris. “And you do realize eventually people are going to find out about how we got here?”

“We’ll take it one step at a time,” said Todd.

“Fine,” said Paris with a sigh. “Want to help me get this place cleaned up a bit?”

“Sure,” said Todd as he knew being helpful at the moment would help calm her temper. However, another knock at the door caught his attention. Opening it up, he found Ben standing under the small overhang trying not to get any wetter than he already was.

“Commander?” he asked as he answered the door. “Can I help you?”

“Yeah, there’s something I need to talk over with you and Paris,” said Ben.

“Please come in,” said Todd as he moved out of the doorway. “Let me get Paris.”

Todd disappeared and returned with Paris in tow. They sat on the small bench while Ben was provided a simple chair from the desk.

“I’ll get right to the point,” said Ben. “The aptitude tests on Paris came back.”

“Let me guess, scored average in all areas,” said Paris.

“Except one,” said Ben. “One where you’ll be assigned since we overlooked it in the planning of the colony staff.”

“Okay,” said Paris.

“Child care provider,” said Ben.

“Say what?” she asked as her eyes opened wider.

“A position we just don’t have, but you are uniquely suited to performing,” said Ben. “At least according to the tests Rachelle gave you.”

“Child care?” she asked incredulously.

“Child care,” said Ben. “Think about it, you’re already a mother with two kids which sets you apart from most women in North America. Your interpersonal skills were higher than most we tested, but had a distinct advantage in children under the age of 14.”

“I’ve never been a nanny or anything of the like!” protested Paris.

“Think you can’t do it?” asked Ben. “We have a spot in agriculture. However, we feel you are best suited in this area we overlooked.”

“I’m…” started Paris as her voice trailed off.

“It’s something we didn’t take into account when we were designing the personnel outload for this mission. We really do need someone to watch over the younger kids while Mom, Dad or both are at work. Now, we’re going to get someone to do it, but I’d prefer to have someone that has the aptitude up front rather than training someone on the fly,” said Ben.

Paris looked at Todd for a moment before he squeezed her hand as a way of saying “go for it.” She turned back to Ben and nodded her agreement.

“Rachelle will get with you about the details, but overall, that will be your job and task,” said Ben. “Or we can assign you to Agriculture and someone else can perform that role.”

“No, I want to help in any way I can and if this is the best way, I’ll do it,” said Paris.

“I like the spirit,” said Ben.

“Sir…we haven’t said it, but since we’re all here I’d like to take the opportunity to thank you for the second chance you’ve given us,” said Todd. “I speak for all of us when I say we are forever in your debt for allowing us to stay.”

“It’s a second chance for us all,” said Ben. “We came here under the pretenses we wouldn’t make the same mistakes of our past and try to be better people. Punishing you for trying to find a better life for your family and children would certainly be a mistake we tried to leave behind.”

“Regardless, we owe you everything,” said Paris as she looked at her children. “They will have a life because of what you did.”

“As will you,” said Ben. “I know the children come first, but you both are still young enough that a third child isn’t outside the realm of possibility. There certainly aren’t going to be any restrictions on the amount of children.”

“How about no?” laughed Paris, the first time she’d laughed in a long time. “Two were bad enough, three will be out of the question.”

“Baby, we could at least practice,” said Todd with a grin.

“I’ll leave the marital dispute for you two to work out,” chuckled Ben as he saw the look she gave Todd. “Either way, keep up the outstanding work.”

They both politely nodded before shaking his hand and Ben headed out towards his quarters. Todd and Paris talked a bit about the job and decided it would be good for both of them if Paris had more regular shifts.

As she headed back to her quarters, Rachelle remembered her talk with Ben about the status of the Poe family as well as the fact they likely hadn’t brought much with them. She made a point to discretely inquire about their clothing status since they were there and had been extremely helpful so far. Rachelle decided a little bit of giving on their part might help the family become even more a part of the colony. She pulled out her communicator hoping Charity hadn’t left the ship yet.

“Yah, girlfriend?” asked Charity as she packed her away bag and was preparing to leave.

“Question for you,” said Rachelle. “Is the clothing generator still there or was it packed up?”

“Still up and running,” said Charity. “What’s up?”

“We might need a run on some clothing,” said Rachelle.

“Something happen?” asked Charity.

“Yes and no,” said Rachelle. “It’s for the Poe family. I’d bet they don’t have much with them and a few extra outfits are not going to hurt us in the long run.”

“Right,” said Charity as Rachelle realized Charity didn’t realize she knew.

“Charity, I know their story,” said Rachelle. “And knowing how they got here means they likely didn’t have much left after you dumped their belongings overboard.”

“Not everything,” said Charity. “Who told you?”

“Ben,” said Rachelle. “Anyway, we should be able to get the sizes from your security data and we have plenty of time before you leave to come to the surface.”

“Okay, I’ll take care of it,” said Charity. “Though I’m not what they would call a fashionista.”

“I’ll send some ideas your way, but you’re a woman so you should have an ingrained sense of style,” said Rachelle. “The little girls should be easy to outfit.”

“That I can probably do,” said Charity. “Okay, I’ll get some stuff made up and sent down.”

“Including sets of underwear, t-shirts, socks and whatnot,” said Rachelle. “And shoes.”

“Good grief, why don’t I swing down and pick you up so you can run that thing?” asked Charity with a laugh. “Full outfitting, got it.”

“I’d say leave the kids’ stuff on board for when they rotate back up,” said Rachelle. “Pick pretty colors though.”

“Reds, pinks and purples,” said Charity with a nod. “Anything else? Narrow window and all.”

“Yeah, bring some of that Sprite stuff,” said Rachelle.

“Already packed away in a cooler,” said Charity. “Along with some munchies.”

“Sounds like you’re the most awesome sidekick of all time,” said Rachelle.

“Okay, lot to do, little time,” said Charity. “Any other requests?”

“Nope, just prepare to get your ass beat at cards,” said Rachelle with a grin.

“It’s so on,” laughed Charity. “See you in a few hours.”

 

CHAPTER 25



“Hey girl,” said Rachelle as Paris Poe came into the mess hall and gravitated towards the table. “Come sit by me, I can show you how this is played.”

“Yeah, unless you want to lose in the first three hands, you’ll come sit by someone else,” said Charity with a grin.

“I’m so going to take all your money tonight!” exclaimed Rachelle.

“I thought we weren’t playing for money,” said Paris.

“Figure of speech,” said Rachelle.

“Right,” said Paris as she sat down uncomfortably with people she didn’t really know. “I’m Paris, by the way for those who I haven’t met.”

The group went around and introduced themselves as they got slightly more comfortable. Rachelle realized Paris was still wearing the uniform of the colonists even though it was a clean one and realized they probably didn’t have as much as others. The game got under way as several people were giving Paris instructions on the game for the first few hands. She got a pretty good grasp on the rules after the first round and even won a hand as they circled the table once and the deal came around to her.

“So, shuffle, cut and everyone gets two cards down,” said Samantha Whitaker who was sitting to her left. “I’ll help you though the community cards if you need it.”

“Okay,” said Paris as she started shuffling and dealt out the cards. This time, Mary progressively upped the pot taking out people until the River card and did a final raise and was called by Angeline.

“Two pair,” said Mary as she laid down her hold cards.

“I didn’t think you were sitting on a pair of Jacks on the deal,” grumped Angeline as she tossed in her cards and pushed the pot towards Mary. “Good hand though.”

“I saw it clear as day,” said Samantha as she moved the dealer chip towards Rachelle.

“Speaking of clear,” said Mary. “Any change in the forecast?”

“Nope, rains and clouds for the next two days,” said Angeline.

“I’d dare say with the rains not letting up, Mary is going to have to seek out that male companionship for warmth,” said Tasha with a grin.

“You just don’t ever let up, do you?” said Mary with a laugh.

“I know he’d be available,” said Tasha. “And probably very willing.”

“Whom are we speaking of?” asked Paris who was becoming more comfortable with the group as time went on.

“Who does Mary get all doe eyed around?” asked Rachelle.

“You mean the Commander?” asked Samantha. “Good catch, Mary.”

“He’s not interested!” protested Mary.

“Commander Nash?” asked Paris. “He’s a fine man. Good lookin too. If I was single and pretty like you, I might take a chance on that.”

“Now I’ve got it coming from all sides!” exclaimed Mary. “Including people I don’t know!”

“Sorry,” said Paris.

“No, it’s okay,” said Mary with a laugh. “He is s good man.”

“And you still haven’t said no,” said Tasha with a grin.

“I’d bet Chuck would be content with a wild blond as well,” said Mary as a weak counter.

“You’d get all swoon-y with him and fall into his strong arms,” said Tasha and continued very theatrically as she tossed her head back and laid the back of her hand on her forehead. “Oh, Ben, I’m all wet, come dry me off and warm me up!”

“Swoon-y isn’t a word,” said Mary.

“New planet and we can make up new words,” said Tasha with a grin. “Doesn’t change the fact you wouldn’t protest in the least. Fall head over heels on your first night.”

“Oh really?” said Mary. “Okay, there’s what? Nine of us at this table? I’ll make a bet with you right now with everyone as a witness. One you can’t possibly back out of.”

“Go for it,” said Tasha with grin.

“I’ll bet before the year is out on this planet you will be pregnant and I won’t,” said Mary in the most serious face she could.

“You are so on,” laughed Tasha after the “ohhhhs” and “whoa’s” died down.

“Everyone here is a witness,” said Mary. “Major Tasha Hayden will be pregnant and head over heels in love with someone before our first year is up.”

“First off, there isn’t a man worth a hootie darn on this planet that I’m even mildly attracted to,” said Tasha. “Second, I’ll wait you out of pure principle.”

“We’re all witness to this bet,” said Charity.

“Anyone want to mark down the day?” asked Charlotte.

“What do I get if you end up pregnant first?” asked Tasha.

“The satisfaction of reminding me every chance you get I was wrong,” said Mary.

“That’s not…yeah, that’s actually perfectly fine,” said Tasha.

“Side bets?” asked Rachelle. “I’m going with Mary winning.”

“How come?” asked Charlotte.

“She’s a doctor,” said Rachelle. “And probably tricky at that.”

“No tricks,” said Mary. “Before the year is over Tasha will have fallen head over heels in love with someone and is pregnant with his child.”

“You should stop,” laughed Tasha.

“Well, only 340 days or so to go until we’ve been here a full NS year,” said Samantha. “I gotta go with my commanding officer on this one.”

“Just pregnant?” asked Charity. “Not childbirth?”

“Pregnant,” said Mary with a nod.

“Who is this mysterious man she’s going to fall for?” asked Paris.

“No guarantees, but I’d bet Chuck Dawson from the Science Department,” said Angeline.

“Who is that?” asked Paris. Rachelle quickly accessed the database on her tablet and found his profile picture before showing it to Paris.

“Girl, he’s damn fine,” said Paris with raised eyebrows. “I’ve seen him around and maybe he’s worth a tumble in the sack to try out. Provided I’m married so he’s off limits, but he certainly could work for you.”

“You all are crazy!” exclaimed Tasha. “It’s not happening especially with Chuck!”

“I’m going to pick Mary’s side in this,” said Charity. “I just have this feeling.”

“Bottle of my bourbon?” asked Janet. “I’m picking Tasha. Everyone knows how stubborn she is.”

“You have alcohol?” asked Charity.

“Little secret,” said Janet with a playful smile. “Lots of bottles floating around out there.”

“How about that black sweater of yours?” asked Charity.

“Oh, that’s a tough bargain,” said Janet. “Black sweater for…your leather jacket?”

“Deal,” said Charity as other side bets were made.

“I’m thinking Major Hayden is the clear winner up front,” said Samantha. “Uncle Ben is a great guy and charming as well.”

“Side bet?” asked Rachelle.

“You’re betting against me?” asked Tasha. “I thought you were my girl!”

“I am your girl, but I am betting against you,” said Rachelle. “What’s the trade?”

“I don’t have much,” said Samantha. “My music collection?”

“What do you want?” asked Rachelle.

“Your silk pajamas,” said Samantha. “Don’t act like we all haven’t seen you prancing around in those things. They look comfortable as hell.”

“Deal,” said Rachelle.

“I don’t know why you guys are betting against me,” said Tasha. “You know you’re going to lose!”

“And what do I get if I win?” asked Mary.

“The satisfaction of reminding me and everyone you were right,” said Tasha.

“Has to be something else,” said Mary. “How about those boots you have with the fur around the top? I love those.”

“If that’s the case, I want that totally awesome mink blanket you have,” said Tasha. “I’m really going to enjoy it when you lose.”

“Deal,” said Mary. Additional side bets were made with the various participants in poker night as the sides were drawn up fairly even. They knew Tasha was stubborn and didn’t like to lose. But they also knew Mary was just as headstrong and hated to lose just as much. It was the proverbial immovable object getting hit by the unstoppable force. They ladies played for well over another two hours, resetting the chips and the table a couple of times before they finished and started to take their leave.

“Paris, hold up,” said Rachelle as she gathered the empty drink containers. She and Charity caught up with Paris as she was about to depart. “We’ve got a present for you.”

“A what?” asked Paris.

“Here,” said Charity as she went over to a large unclaimed bag that was sitting near the door. Charity unzipped the compartment and showed Paris the “civilian” clothing inside with enough clothing for it to be multi-use and be able to swap tops and bottoms around.

“What’s this?” asked Paris.

“Clothing for you and your family,” said Rachelle. “I…know about your situation and figure you didn’t have much coming out here. So, here’s something to get you started.”

“You got outfits for me?” asked Paris.

“For you and Todd,” said Charity. “Your girls’ clothing is on the ship ready for you to retrieve next time you’re up there.”

“We can’t accept this,” said Paris.

“Everyone is outfitted with uniforms and most brought off duty clothing,” said Rachelle. “I noticed earlier you were guarded when I mentioned dressing down. I figured I’d help fix that problem.”

“What do we owe you?” asked Paris, realizing they could use the clothing.

“Continued hard work and dedication?” asked Rachelle. “Sounds like a good trade.”

“There isn’t a monetary system here yet,” said Charity. “So, a bargain for your contribution so far seems appropriate.”

“I don’t know what to say,” said Paris as she looked through the clothing. She held up the first shirt she picked out and looked it over. “I really like this.”

“One of my selections,” said Charity.

“I’m impressed,” said Rachelle. “Normally Charity’s taste is limited to her mouth.”

“It’s really nice,” said Paris as Rachelle saw her hedging. “I’m…”

“You are just going to take the entire bag,” said Rachelle. “Look, to fully be a part of what we’re doing here, we need to forgive and forget. You not having anything left is going to be a constant reminder of your past. Let’s move forward with this being a simple start.”

“I might have to get Todd over here to carry it,” said Paris.

“Tasha?” asked Charity as she saw her departing. “Is one of your able-bodied troopers around?”

“Possibly,” said Tasha as she saw the shirt Paris was holding. “That is really nice.”

“It would compliment your eyes nicely,” said Paris.

“Anyway, we’re looking for one of your strong men to carry this to the Poe quarters,” said Charity. “Think you could find someone?”

“Of course,” said Tasha as she found one of her off duty troops and asked if they would be so kind as to carry the bag to the quarters. They readily agreed as Paris put the shirt back in and zipped up the compartment. The younger security trooper grabbed his jacket and made sure the bag was zipped all the way before picking it up and heading towards the door.

“I can’t thank you enough,” said Paris.

“It’s what we do,” said Rachelle. “See you in the morning?”

“Absolutely,” said Paris as she departed with the security trooper towards her quarters, feeling quite happy with the turn of events that evening.

“You’re an all right gal,” said Charity.

“You got the kids some outfits?” asked Rachelle.

“About a dozen apiece,” said Charity.

“Go a little crazy, did we?” asked Rachelle with a laugh.

“I figure when they grow out of them, they’ll be put back into circulation for other children,” said Charity with shrugged shoulders. “It’s not really a waste.”

“Forward thinking,” said Rachelle. “Are they at least cute?”

“Adorable,” said Charity with a grin. “Picking out clothing for little girls is fun.”

“Picking them out for adult girls can be fun as well,” said Rachelle with a laugh.

“Nah, not really,” said Charity.

“That’s because you’ve never been shopping with me,” said Rachelle with a grin. “You think the boys have as much fun as us after hours?”

“There’s no telling,” said Charity.

********************
​

“Straight, queen high,” said Jim Kirk as he laid down his cards.

“Got caught chasing that flush,” said Chuck Dawson as he tossed his cards angrily on the pile.

“Don’t let Jim fool you, he’s counting cards and running stats,” said Ben who had wisely folded as the bets came in. “He’s being a good scientist.”

“Hell, I’m a good scientist and I’m counting cards!” exclaimed Chuck.

“Except you showing your tell as the River card came in,” said Kirk with half a smile as he raked in the pile of chips.

“I don’t have a tell!” objected Chuck.

“Yeah, you do,” said Cyrus who managed to stifle a laugh.

“No way!” objected Chuck.

“I’m pretty sure we all know it except you,” laughed Kurt as Chuck started shuffling the cards.

“Thank God we aren’t playing for money,” said Chuck with a frown.

“Well, you aren’t quite the worst card player I’ve ever come across,” said Ben as his eyes darted to his right and he nodded his head slightly in that direction as well.

“Y’all better be glad I’m bound by discipline,” said Kendrick Whitaker as he knew Ben was motioning towards him. “Else, I’d be dragging someone outside and teaching them manners about right now.”

“Trust me, zero poker face,” said Ben.

“Most of the folks here we’ve interacted with somewhat,” said Grady. “Though I don’t know that much about you, Sergeant Major.”

“I don’t get out much,” said Kendrick.

“Which is probably a good thing,” said Ben.

“Same could be said about you,” said Kendrick.

“The man has a point,” said Ben with a hearty laugh.

“Something on your mind, Chief?” asked Kendrick.

“No, just thinking we should probably be familiar with the other members of the group on the ground,” said Grady. “Kind of a get to know you informally session tonight. Like we’ve found Doctor Kirk is a serious card shark.”

“Not all scientists are boring,” said Jim with a wry smile. “Plus, you think government grant money is endless?”

“The taxes for it sure were,” said Javier.

“Ain’t that the truth,” said Second Lieutenant Nick Griggs.

“Regardless, you haven’t said much,” said Grady.

“So, why don’t you tell us a bit about yourself?” asked Ben, who already knew who he was and what he was capable of.

“Well, what would you like to know?” asked Kendrick.

“So…what kind of education, skills, experience? Just get to know you stuff,” said Javier for the group, but had rarely interacted with him outside of work.

“Skills, I, uh, I kill people and blow shit up,” said Whitaker. The entire group suddenly got quiet as Ben tried not to show any emotion. “Pretty good at it too.”

“Oh,” said Javier after the uncomfortable silence had passed for a good five seconds. Even though the Sergeant Major had been an integral part of the landings and expansions, he still kept a fairly low profile socially and not many other than Ben and Tasha really knew him.

“Now how about you tell them the rest, Sergeant Major?” asked Ben after he couldn’t take it any longer and broke out in a grin.

“Had you folks going,” said Kendrick as he broke out in a hearty laugh.

“I thought you were serious!” exclaimed Grady.

“No,” he laughed again and broke out in a large smile.

“Nice to see you have a sense of humor,” said Javier with a laugh.

“While I do have those unique skills,” said Whitaker with a grin. “I have a few more as well. I was in the military for 25 years before retiring and had been retired for about a year and a half before Commander Nash asked my wife and me to come here. I served with both him and Major Hayden pretty much their entire time in the military and generally served wherever there happened to be shooting going on. I won’t go into details about my assignment history, but it’s safe to say I’ve been around the block a few times in some bad neighborhoods.”

“During the times I wasn’t shooting at folks and breaking their toys, I gained a Master’s degree in Organizational Management, another Bachelor’s in Art History, a Bachelor’s in North American History and three Associate’s Degrees in Combined Arms Warfare Employment, Communications and Architecture. I do enjoy drawing in my spare time and have been married to my beautiful wife Gale for 24 years just a few days ago,” he concluded.

“And both his children are fine officers with the security contingent,” said Ben.

“Indeed they are,” said Whitaker with pride.

“Six different degrees?” asked Kurt. “You like education or something?”

“Never stop learning,” said Whitaker. “In fact, that’s what I love about this place. I’ve been able to learn all kinds of new and exciting things here. It’s been good for me as well as Gale.”

“Speaking of, where is she?” asked Ben.

“She got stuck on the ship,” said Kendrick. “The shuttle load that was cancelled? Yeah, she was on it.”

“No wonder you got to come out and play this evening,” said Ben.

“She’s rightly pissed she didn’t get to play cards with the girls,” said Kendrick as Chuck started dealing the cards.

“They doing their weekly thing?” asked Cyrus.

“I think they revived the idea since being here,” said Ben. “I know we’ve got a lot of work ahead, but tonight being a night off has been good for everyone.”

“Might have been,” said Nick Griggs. “Except Charlotte got badgered into playing with the girls in their game.”

“Yeah, I’m sure Mary twisted her arm,” laughed Kurt. “She’s so mean and all.”

“She has a stern side,” said Ben.

“You mean making you go to the ship to get some rest?” asked Grady.

“That might be the case,” said Ben with a chuckle.

“Someone actually made Ben Nash do something?” asked Kendrick. “And I missed it?”

“She was very persuasive,” said Ben.

“Hmmm,” said Kendrick with a nod.

“Don’t start,” said Ben. “I get enough of it from your better half.”

“About your pursuit of Doctor Blevins?” asked Jim as he called the big blind.

“You too, Jim?” asked Ben with a laugh.

“She’s a good woman,” said Jim. “You could do far worse.”

“Who knows what will happen?” asked Ben.

“So, you’re open to the possibility at least?” asked Kurt.

“I don’t need the group of you playing matchmaker behind my back,” said Ben.

“She and Charlotte are friends,” said Nick. “I could ask her to pass a note in class.”

“Enough, young trooper,” said Ben and flashed his former “disappointed Colonel” look at Nick.

“That look doesn’t scare me in the least,” said Kendrick. “You darn well know Gale wouldn’t be subtle about setting that up.”

“Wish she’s set someone up for Tasha,” said Ben, trying to change the subject. “That girl needs a strong man in her life.”

“That she does,” said Chuck as he folded after seeing the flop.

“You volunteering?” asked Javier with a laugh.

“She’s certainly got that totally sexy thing going on and a good head on her shoulders,” said Chuck. “But damned if she isn’t as headstrong as any woman I’ve ever met.”

“And you find that attractive?” asked Kurt.

“Yeah, I do actually,” said Chuck.

“Make a move then,” said Ben. “Trust me, she’d respond.”

“By breaking my arm probably,” laughed Chuck. “Or worse.”

“Nah, underneath that gruff exterior, she’s all soft and cuddly,” said Kendrick. “I’ve known her since she was just a wee young tiger cub. She’s not that bad.”

“Has she really been married three times?” asked Chuck.

“It’s not an easy task for a man to get past that armor she created,” said Ben. “You have to understand; she’s had to fight for everything she’s ever gotten in what is still a traditional man’s world. It makes a person harder on the outside.”

“You didn’t help her along?” asked Cyrus.

“Not in the least,” said Ben. “She’s earned everything she’s gotten to include the respect of those who served under her.”

“That much is true,” said Nick. “When I got to the unit, everyone had nothing but praise for her and followed her without question.”

“Anyway Chuck, you should give that a go,” said Kendrick. “Just like most of us think Ben should make a move on Doc Mary.”

“I’d hoped we had moved on past that part of the conversation,” said Ben with a frown. “Call and raise 100.”

“Procreation is inevitable,” said Jim as he called the bet. “I’d think most of you should be thinking along those lines if we are to survive.”

“Yeah, that’s the ticket,” said Kurt with a laugh. “But baby! It’s for the survival of the species!”

“You aren’t married?” asked Chuck.

“Was and divorced,” said Kurt. “Dumb college kid mistake after I graduated. Sometimes high school sweethearts can change dramatically in four years.”

“Nobody since?” asked Ben.

“I dated around, but research and consultation took me away for weeks and months on end so a relationship wasn’t in the cards,” said Kurt.

“Plenty of fish in the Novae Spes sea,” said Chuck. “And it’s not like we’re going off world any time soon.”

“There’s what? Around 400 females that came with us?” asked Ben. “Around 400 males? Sounds like it was designed that way.”

“Roughly that,” said Jim as he raised once again.

“Plenty of opportunities I suppose,” said Kendrick as he called the raise. “Well, 399 possibilities for couple since Doctor Mary and Ben are off the table.”

“Enough,” said Ben as he called the bet. “Call and let’s see ‘em.”

“Pair of aces,” said Jim sheepishly as he laid down his cards.

“Full house,” said Ben as he showed his hand to the others as cards were tossed into the pile. “Chuck’s not the only one with a tell.”

“You knew I was bluffing?” asked Jim.

“Yep,” laughed Ben as he raked in the pile.

“Anyway, enough of matchmaking tonight,” said Cyrus. “That’s a job for Allen’s wife.”

“And mine,” said Kendrick. “She pesters Ben enough over it.”

“That she does,” said Ben with a sigh. “Maybe she should focus on Tasha.”

“She’s kind of shied away from that since the third husband,” said Kendrick. “If you remember, Gale was the one that got those two together.”

“Yeah, forgot about that,” said Ben.

“However, Chuck, if she starts asking you pointed questions, do not try to be evasive,” said Kendrick with a laugh as the deal came around to him.

“I haven’t really met your wife yet,” said Chuck. “Not anything more than hello.”

“She’s persistent,” said Kendrick. “And not subtle about speaking her mind.”

“That much is certain,” said Ben with a laugh. “There’s indirect matchmaking; then there’s Gale Whitaker who will explain in depth exactly why she thinks you should do as she demands.”

“Lord help you if Claire Smith gets involved,” said Cyrus with a laugh.

“Let’s keep her and Gale apart, please,” said Ben with a yawn. “Anyway, it’s about that time.”

“One more hand, all in on all?” asked Jim.

“Sure,” said Ben as he took the cards and started to shuffle. “I’ve got enough gas left for one more go.”

“Might as well,” said Kurt. “We’re fairly even save Jim.”

“Again, had to pay my way through college somehow,” said Jim with half a grin.

“Anything crazy on the schedule coming up?” asked Ben as he shuffled.

“Breaking ground on the permanent buildings and clearing the stumps,” said Grady. “Though the rains aren’t helping in that regard. Cyrus is taking a team out tomorrow looking for additional cement materials.”

“Find some already?” asked Kurt.

“It’s fairly common,” said Allen. “Just finding it in the quantities we need is an ongoing task.”

“But you’re going to start on the permanent structures?” asked Kendrick.

“At least marking them and getting them ready for when the ships lands,” said Cyrus.

“It’ll be nice not living in a cargo container,” said Kendrick. “Though I am happy Rachelle and her kids thought to put the married couples together.”

“Better than a tent,” said Ben.

“Truth,” said Grady.

“My wife is content to stay on the ship until we get something more permanent,” said Cyrus.

“What does she do, anyway?” asked Ben. “I never thought to ask.”

“Senior nurse,” said Cyrus. “She’s holding down the fort for medical on the ship.”

“She hasn’t been down yet?” asked Kurt.

“No, she’s taken a couple of brief rotations, but Mary designated her to stick around the ship and make sure everything runs smoothly up there,” said Cyrus.

“Well, we do need the emergency facilities up there,” said Ben as the hand played out and Nick Griggs ended up winning at the end. “Tonight just calls for a beer.”

“Or six,” agreed Grady. “Though I will admit my beer belly is almost gone.”

“Like eating a loaf of bread in every can,” said Jim as he started collecting the chips.

“Not much of a drinker?” asked Javier.

“I enjoy the occasional Old Fashioned,” said Jim. “Beyond that, I’m not a big drinker.”

“Someone’s kinda high society,” laughed Kendrick.

“Coming from someone who complains about the wine list everywhere he goes?” asked Ben with a hearty laugh.

“Hey, I’m a classy guy; what can I say?” laughed Kendrick.

“Before or after you start the fight because they don’t have the proper red wine to go with your fish?” asked Ben.

“So uncultured,” said Kendrick with a shake of his head. “Everyone knows white wine goes with fish.”

“Yes, of course,” laughed Ben. “Anyway, we should make this a regular occurrence like the girls do. I’ll enjoy taking Chuck’s money.”

“Except we aren’t playing for money,” said Chuck. “Thankfully.”

“Regardless, I like the idea,” said Javier. “Boys night out and girls night out.”

“We’ll do it,” said Grady as Ben prepared to leave. “Hold up, Ben.”

“Something on your mind?” asked Ben.

“Yeah, over at my quarters,” said Grady as he and Cyrus headed that way. Ben was understandably curious and followed the two the short distance to the facilities as Grady entered while Cyrus waited outside. Grady appeared a moment later with something in hand.

“It’s not a beer, but it’s not a bad substitute,” said Grady as he produced a clear bottle with amber liquid inside.

“Bootleg?” asked Ben.

“It’s not specifically illegal,” said Grady. “There are more bottles in this camp than you think.”

“Kentucky’s finest,” said Cyrus.

“You knew as well?” asked Ben.

“Hell, Ben, half the crew has a stash of something,” said Cyrus. “Seven years is a long time for drying out.”

“That it is,” said Ben as he took the offered cup and Grady poured about two fingers worth of the bourbon. He waited patiently as Grady finished the other two cups and offered a toast.

“To Novae Spes,” said Ben.

“To new friendships,” said Cyrus.

“To…hell, you two took the good ones,” said Grady with a laugh as the three took a drink with exhales and grunts.

“Been a while,” said Ben with a cough. “Smooth though.”

“We weren’t real sure how the big boss would take it,” said Grady.

“And you got nominated to see my reaction?” asked Ben with a chuckle.

“I kinda did that on my own,” said Grady with a laugh.

“I’m not angry,” said Ben. “Wish I’d thought to bring a couple of bottles myself.”

“Kinda surprised an old soldier like you didn’t do so,” said Cyrus.

“Honestly, I never had the time,” said Ben. “And no, I’m not stupid enough to make it illegal.”

“I knew you were pragmatic,” said Grady as he finished off his cup followed by the other two.

“One more?” asked Cyrus.

“You’re bringing the next bottle,” chuckled Grady as he splashed another shot into the cups.

“Sad that I can’t reciprocate,” said Ben.

“I figured someone will be coming up with some moonshine before long,” said Grady.

“Probably so,” said Ben as they took the final shot. “It certainly will help with sleep.”

“Not sleeping again?” asked Grady.

“Bed is uncomfortable,” said Ben. “Nothing you can do about it though.”

“Not until we get the rest of the colony built and the mattresses out of storage,” said Cyrus.

“Well, if there’s nothing else, thank you,” said Ben. “It is past my bedtime.”

“See you in the morning,” said Grady.

“Yep, you guys take care,” said Ben as he departed.

“Bold move showing him your stash,” said Cyrus after Ben had departed.

“I did it to show him it’s out there,” said Grady. “I figure he knows, but it’s better coming from his senior staff that some poor young sod that snuck a bottle of booze on board getting caught having a snort by the big boss.”

“Same thing Allen said,” said Cyrus. “Though regulations prohibited it.”

“Well, you’re on the ground now,” said Grady.

“You don’t think Allen has a couple of bottles stashed?” chuckled Cyrus.

“I wouldn’t doubt it,” said Grady. “We’ve got a lot of work the next couple of days.”

“Those stumps won’t be easy to remove,” said Cyrus.

“Easier with the wet ground than we think,” said Grady. “Let’s go full bore on that the next couple of days so we can get the ship landed.”

“It’ll be nice to get the rest of the heavy equipment out for work,” said Cyrus. “After that?”

“We go balls to the wall on getting the colony built,” said Grady. “We’ve got a limited timeframe, but not unachievable to build for Expedition 2.”

“I’ll be happier when we get the walls up,” said Cyrus.

“Bad feeling?” asked Grady.

“Yeah, like something is out there waiting for us,” said Cyrus. “Probably my mind playing tricks on me, but it’s something I just can’t shake.”

“You and me both,” said Grady. “We’ll see you in the morning.”

“Night,” said Cyrus as he departed for his quarters, calling his wife as he did so as he did every night when they were apart. Grady headed in and did the same since his wife was currently on the ship with the children. It was yet another typical end of the day on Novae Spes as the security detail settled in for the quiet hours, keeping a vigilance over their charges as they scanned the area with enhanced optics and thermal sensors. They hadn’t gone to true 24 or 30 hour operations yet and the dark hours still were considered sleeping times by everyone save the sentries that watched for all possible threats as they would emerge.

 

CHAPTER 26


“Major? There’s a call from Tower N4 on the north side,” said the controller inside the provisional command center for the teams on the surface. While crude, it still had most of the sensor feeds as well as the camera monitors from the systems that had already been installed on the guard towers in the compound. “They have something they’d like you to take a look at.”

“They say specifically what?” asked Tasha as she finished the duty roster for the next day.

“Maybe a new animal,” said the controller. “They’d like you to take a look.”

“Who’s on duty in that tower?” asked Tasha.

“Senior Sergeant Noah Taylor and Sergeant Filip Dudek,” said the controller.

“Noah wouldn’t raise the alarm for something simple,” said Tasha. “I’ll head out there.”

“I’ll let them know you’re on the way,” said the controller. Tasha grabbed her body armor as well as her carbine before tossing both on and heading outside to the waiting MMV she had taken for her own use. Being in charge meant she got called to many things and having the ability to respond quickly was key in managing her time. However, she was still falling behind on a lot of the administrative work as she put on her helmet and traveled through the compound to the tower where she saw the 30mm cannon mounted and facing out towards any threat. The engineers had already set up many of the towers for the guard force and would eventually connect them to the wall that would be built. Heading up the steep ladder, it wasn’t easy getting to the top of the 20 meter tower, but she managed to get to the top without getting too winded.

“Sergeant Taylor,” she said formally since there were others present. “Sergeant Dudek.”

“Major,” said Noah formally as well in deference of his Polish partner that didn’t realize Noah and Tasha went back nearly ten years.

“What do you have?” asked Tasha as she approached the observation post on the north side of the colony. She saw Dudek watching an area in the distance over the top of his 30mm auto-cannon, though his hands were not on the firing handles.

“We’re being watched,” said Senior Sergeant Noah Taylor as he motioned towards the north of them. She knew he was one of the marksmen on the security force and had exceptional eyesight.

“Where?” she asked.

“That grove of trees about 1,200 meters out on top of the north ridge,” he said and pointed. “We picked up something on thermal, but it’s staying hidden for the most part. But make no mistake, it’s watching us.”

“Any idea what?” she asked.

“It’s big,” said the second trooper, a man from Poland originally as he walked to the thermal camera. The picture wasn’t good, but it did show several hot spots hidden within the trees.

“Either big or we have a bunch of smaller stuff watching us,” said Tasha.

“No, watch,” said the Pole as he stopped the live feed and showed her the footage they had recorded earlier. She watched and saw the creature had moved several times enough to know it was only a single one and not a group.

“Just watching us?” she asked.

“It seems content to observe for the moment,” said the Pole. “It’s staying behind the vegetation and is either dark brown or green. It blends in fairly well and it knows this.”

“But nothing hostile?” asked Tasha.

“No, ma’am,” said Taylor. “Not yet at least.”

“How many teams do we have outside at the moment?” asked Tasha.

“Standby,” said Dudek as he looked over the tablet at his station. “Looks to be an engineering team on the south side, an engineering team working the towers on the southeast and about twenty of the agricultural team out at the farm. Looks to be a science team in the mountains.”

“Lot of people out and about,” said Tasha. “I’d rather play this safe. Have everyone report back inside the perimeter. The science team is on a shuttle, right?”

“Yes, ma’am,” said the Pole. “They’re outside the scope of the sensors.”

“Regardless, get them a message to keep an eye out,” said Tasha. “And have command contact Doctor Santiago and let him know what we have out here. I’m sure he’ll want to have a look along with one or some of his team. Last, but certainly not least, have them contact Commander Nash and bring him up to speed.”

“Roger that, ma’am,” said the Pole as he placed the calls and relayed her instructions. She continued watching the creature in the trees and gave the electro-optical sight a try as well, increasing the magnification as much as possible and still not seeing anything.

“We haven’t had the formal introduction,” said Tasha to Dudek. “But your command of English is impressive.”

“I was born in the Poland Territory, but my parents moved to North America when I was six. I went back during the Polish Insurrection and stayed on afterwards during our brief period of independence. I came back to North America when we were overrun.”

“I see,” said Tasha. “Sorry about your homeland.”

“One day the Polish people will be free again,” said Dudek. “But I’m happy to be here.”

“It does camouflage itself well,” said Taylor as he saw slight movement in the trees through the thermal camera. “But it knows we’re here.”

“You think it knows we know it’s there?” she asked.

“I’d tend to leave that assumption to the scientists,” said Taylor. “But if I was a betting man, I’d say it realizes we’re watching and that’s why it’s staying hidden.”

“Intelligent,” said Tasha.

“The other animals that have come by have approached the colony at some point or another. Hell, the featheroos come right up to the tower grazing now and don’t pay us any mind for the most part. We’ve become part of their landscape so to speak and they don’t consider us a threat at this point,” said Taylor. “But this thing? It’s watching us.”

Tasha saw the agricultural team coming in from the farm towards the west side and away from the creature. She saw additional movement in the woods as the creature appeared to move to watch the procession of vehicles heading towards the colony.

“It just moved to get a better look at the teams coming back in,” said Tasha.

“Sure did,” said Taylor. “The engineers from the southeast are back inside and the ones from the south are in as well. The farmers are the only ones left.”

“And they’ll be back in within five minutes,” said Tasha as she heard one of the smaller carts come up to the wall behind the guard tower. Javier came up along with two scientists in tow.

“Something new?” he asked.

“Something big,” said Tasha as she showed him the thermal camera.

“I’d say,” said Javier as he moved slightly to the others could get a look. “What’s it doing?”

“For the moment, it’s content to watch us,” said Tasha. “Not moved to the edge enough for us to get a good look. We think it is brown or green since we can’t get a good visual.”

“Nothing on electro-optical,” said Javier. “Probably a good guess.”

“I’d guess about eight to ten tons,” said one of the biologists. “Not a good enough look to say for certain. But, from what I can tell, it’s good sized.”

“You mentioned the featheroos,” said Tasha. “I don’t see any.”

“No,” said Taylor. “Strange as there were several out here earlier.”

“You think they know there’s a predator about?” asked Tasha.

“That’s a good bet,” said Javier. “Typically, when a predatory animal comes into the neighborhood, the prey animals go into hiding.”

“So, a carnivore?” asked Tasha.

“Maybe,” said Javier as Ben approached on an MPMV with Allen alongside him. They came up the ladder to the tower and were quickly brought up to speed.

“But it’s not hostile at the moment?” asked Ben.

“No, but it unnerving to think we’re being observed,” said Javier. “Especially since we can’t see it through normal optics.”

“Sergeant Taylor said there were featheroos out here earlier, but they’ve disappeared,” said Tasha. “How many from earlier?”

“Half dozen or so,” said Taylor. “Maybe ten at the most.”

“Then the chances are high it’s a predator,” said Ben.

“I’d agree,” said one of the biologists. “I wish we could get a picture.”

“Any way of making it move out of the trees?” asked Ben.

“I could make it move with a quick burst from the cannon,” said the Pole. “But I’d rather not make it mad.”

“Are we sure it isn’t one of those brachiosaurus things?” asked Allen.

“Brontosaurus,” corrected Javier. “No, completely wrong shape on the thermal and they don’t live on this continent according to Kirk. Or at least they’ve never been observed.”

“Why not send out a drone?” asked Tasha.

“They’re tasked on other missions right now,” said Javier with a sigh. “Closest one is about five hours away at a minimum.”

“In the future, you might want to consider keeping one or two back just in case something like this pops up,” suggested Ben.

“Hindsight,” said Javier. “And we will.”

“Hopefully the future Expeditions bring in the security drones,” said Tasha.

“An oversight on my part,” said Ben. “Apologies in advance as I didn’t think to look.”

“And this is the only place the featheroos have disappeared?” asked Javier.

“Let me check,” said Tasha as she took her communicator and started switching the cameras back and forth to the other positions on the perimeter. “Nope, disappeared from the other side as well. Not a hint we even have them on this planet.”

“So, whatever it is, the other animals can sense it from a good way off,” said Javier.

“Deep thinking?” asked Ben as he saw the wheels turning in Javier’s brain.

“Maybe,” said Javier. “Let me think on it more, but I might have an idea.”

“Care to share?” asked Ben.

“Not right now if that’s okay,” said Javier. “Let me do some research.”

“So, no trip out to take a closer look?” asked one of the other biologists.

“No, I’d rather just watch for the moment,” said Javier. “Especially since the other animals have disappeared. You and I both know that’s indicative of a predator.”

“And we don’t know if it’s aggressive or territorial,” said Ben. “It could be claiming that patch of woods for a mating area or a nest.”

“I’d hope not,” chuckled Allen. “That’s a little close for a family of ten-ton carnivores.”

“Luckily, we do have our defensive measures,” said Ben as he turned to Tasha. “Have you created range cards and blind spots for all the emplacements?”

“Not yet as we were waiting on all the towers to get done,” said Tasha.

“You could get the ones on the north and west set up since they are done already,” said Ben. “The southern towers won’t change the parameters here.”

“I’ll get on it,” said Tasha, seeing yet another detail she had missed in her planning.

“You think the 30mm cannons will be sufficient for a creature that size?” asked Ben.

“Impossible to tell without actually seeing said creature,” said Javier. “But what loads do you have for these things?”

“Looks to be a mix, 3-3 ratio of high explosive and armor piercing incendiary-tracer,” said Tasha. “We have additional cans of pure high explosive or API-T ready to load.”

“Anti-armor weapons?” asked Ben.

“In storage, though the roving teams have two of the light weapons apiece,” said Tasha. “I didn’t want to distribute them until we knew the threats.”

“It was a question, Tasha, nothing else,” said Ben.

“However, something that large might be reason enough to break them out,” said Tasha.

“Is there enough room for a heavy system alongside the cannon here?” asked Allen.

“Not quite,” said Ben as he looked it over.

“Big enough for the medium range missiles, though,” said Tasha.

“Something to think about,” said Ben. Tasha recognized his comment as “something you should probably do, but I’m going to leave you to realize that on your own.” She made a mental note to have the medium systems placed in the towers while doubling the available light weapons and adding medium weapons to the roving patrols.

“Looks like it’s moving again,” said Taylor as he was keeping a watch on the camera.

“Backing out?” asked Javier.

“Appears so,” said Taylor.

“Do we have a gunship available?” asked Ben.

“We do,” said Tasha. “Want to send it up?”

“Let’s wait until it’s in the open,” said Ben. “We might get a better look then.”

“I’ll alert the crew,” said Tasha as she radioed the orders to the command center. She could see the crew leaving the temporary SIT headquarters and going to preflight their gunship as well as checking the weapons loaded on the winglets.

“Moving somewhat quickly despite the size,” said one of the biologists.

“Should I send it up now?” asked Tasha.

“How large are those woods?” asked Ben.

“About 300 meters at the widest point,” said Javier. “We checked them when we got here and all we found were featheroo huts.”

“Huts?” asked Ben.

“Where they sleep,” said Javier. “I’ll show you pictures and data later.”

“Okay,” said Ben as the creature disappeared from the camera. “I’d say give it a couple more minutes before sending up the gunship. Five minutes should have it well out in the open.”

“Roger that,” said Tasha as she instructed the gunship crew to depart in exactly five minutes. She also briefly contemplated alerting the guard force, though she knew the creature was moving away from the colony and not likely a threat right then. However, she relayed the instructions to the command center to be prepared to wake everyone up if and when the time came for a general alert.

“Good thinking,” said Ben. “Until we know more, no reason to wake everyone up.”

“They need the rest just as much as everyone else,” said Tasha as Grady arrived behind the tower in one of his light utility vehicles. Climbing the tower wasn’t easy and he was huffing fairly hard when he arrived at the top.

“I’m installing elevators in these things,” he grumbled while trying to catch his breath. “Is there something out there?”

“Precaution until we know more,” said Tasha as she explained the situation. “I felt it was better to have your guys closer to home in case there are more of these things out there.”

“We haven’t noticed anything on the south side,” said Grady. “Save the featheroos.”

“Did you see any this morning?” asked Javier.

“Come to think of it, they all kind of disappeared around the same time,” said Grady. “You thinking there’s a predator out there?”

“That’s normally what happens,” said Javier.

“We’ve got a lot of work we could be doing inside the colony,” said Grady.

“How are the stumps and grading coming along?” asked Allen.

“We’re down to the last four stumps,” said Grady. “The grading is going well, though I’d think we need another day or two to let the ground dry out from the rains.”

“I agree,” said Allen as he heard the gunship engines starting and the craft lifted off heading north. Tasha was able to get the camera stream loaded onto the tablet in the tower as they headed north and the pilots called in.

“Nothing on visual or thermal…wait,” said the pilot. “Thermal cam shows maybe something right behind the woods. Can you get someone from science to take a look at our feed?”

“Azrael 02, this is Archangel, we’ve got your feed,” said Tasha. “Hover over that location if you could so the scientists can get a good look.”

“Roger that, Archangel,” said the pilot.

“Looks like a downed tree over a rut in the ground,” said Javier. “Does your gunship have targeting radar?”

“Navigation radar only at the moment. The targeting radar systems are still deep in storage on the Santa Maria,” said Tasha. “Thermal and laser only at the moment.”

“It doesn’t appear to be large enough for that creature to hide under,” said one of the other biologists. “Maybe a pack of birds?”

“Probably,” said Javier. “Did it manage to move from the woods to the forest that quickly?”

“If it did, that means it’s very fast,” said another biologist.

“Is it still in the woods?” asked Ben.

“Azrael 02, sweep the woods with the thermal,” ordered Tasha. The gunship did as requested and nothing more than small hot spots were seen in the feed.

“Nothing on sensors, Archangel,” said the pilot on the gunship. “We’re going to look at that depression from another angle.”

“Confirmed,” said Tasha as the gunship looked over the area of the thermal sighting from several angles, none of which helped solve the matter.

“I guess we missed it,” said Ben. “Have them sweep north about twenty kilometers just in case it managed to get to the forest.”

“Will do,” said Tasha as she relayed the orders once again. “We should have sent the gunship up sooner.”

“Hindsight,” said Ben. “We weren’t expecting something that large to move that quickly.”

“We’ll be better prepared next time,” said Tasha.

“If we are calling the area clear, I would like to take a team in and see where it was,” said Javier as he turned to Ben. “We could get some DNA samples that will help us determine what it is exactly. As well as some other data.”

“I can get a security element ready,” said Tasha. “Give me about an hour.”

“Approved,” said Ben. “But only if we’re entirely certain that thing is gone.”

“We’ll keep an eye out,” said Taylor.

“And I’ll keep the gunship handy this time,” said Tasha.

“Get your teams together,” said Ben. The entire group left the tower one by one as they didn’t want to crowd the others on the ladder going down. Eventually, they were at the bottom as Tasha departed to see to putting together teams for security and Javier gathered his biology specialists for the trip out. He decided to try to keep it smaller with only six of the scientists, but picking several to be able to see them in action so he could evaluate them. They gathered the necessary equipment as Chuck Dawson came over to Javier as he was grabbing his field pack.

“I wasn’t on your list,” said Chuck.

“I’m using this as an evaluation tool as well as a scientific study,” said Javier. “I already know you and your work and I don’t need to look over your shoulder all the time.”

“I’m also one of the best zoologists you’ve got,” said Chuck. “If we have a massive and possibly carnivore creature, you certainly need the best you’ve got to evaluate it.”

“Get your stuff,” said Javier without any more argument and turned to the group as a whole. “Everyone takes the pistols as a minimum with them.”

“Why do we need weapons?” asked one of the biologists.

“Because we have no idea if this thing is still out there and we all need to be able to defend ourselves when and if the need arises,” said Javier.

“What are those security troopers for then?” asked one of the general biologists named Marci Dubose. “Aren’t they paid to shoot at stuff?”

“They are,” said Javier. “Yet, we all need to be capable of pitching in.”

“Dumb,” said Marci under her breath as she turned away and grabbed the pistol belt she had never used. Javier shook his head as Chuck came back.

“I’ll be honest, I’m not sure that’s a good idea,” said Chuck.

“Probably not,” said Javier. “But they will continue the training on them and be prepared to use them if they get into a self-defense situation.”

“With or without shooting themselves in the foot when they draw it out?” said Chuck with a grin.

“Well, at least Mary will have something to do,” said Javier with a laugh. “Seriously though, we have yet to come upon an animal that has attacked us, but I’d bet they are out there.”

“Absolutely,” said Chuck. “Yes, I’ll help you by impressing on my folks the need to be able to defend themselves from hostile creatures.”

“Thank you,” said Javier as he saw several of the scientists were overloading themselves. “Good grief, folks. We aren’t going on an overnight trip! We’re literally going a kilometer outside of the colony!”

Across the colony, much the same discussion was being had in the security compound.

“Look, we don’t need assault packs or anything like that,” said Tasha. “Bring extra ammo, water and that’s about it.”

“How long will we be out?” asked one of the younger troopers.

“Long enough for the nerds to look the place over,” said Tasha. “A few hours at most.”

“Roger that, Major,” said the trooper as he took off his pack and set it back in the storage container they were using. Tasha made sure everyone was gathered up as she called Javier to find out how many people he was taking in order to secure enough vehicles. She ended up taking one of the rover vehicles to make room for everyone and headed back to the tower where they agreed to meet. It wasn’t long before he arrived with the scientists in tow as the two groups stood distinctly apart.

“Two per vehicle,” said Tasha. “Except the cargo vehicle which will take six.”

“I’ll jump in with you if that’s okay,” said Javier as he turned to designate the scientists into the different vehicles. Tasha reminded her troops of the assignments as Javier got his people settled.

“Okay, everyone ready?” asked Tasha as the scientists were safely stowed in the vehicles as well as her security troops manning the turrets. “Lock and load.”

The various troops assigned to the small convoy loaded up carbines, pistols, shotguns and light machine guns while the heavy machine gunners in the turrets charged the weapons twice to get a round ready to fire. The scientists all looked at them curiously as the pistols on their waist were seen more as an annoyance rather than a practical tool. However, they saw Javier in the lead vehicle loading a magazine into his pistol and chambered a round as well.

“Be careful out there,” said Ben who had come up while they were loading.

“Piece of cake as long as I can keep the nerds from wandering off,” she grinned as she hopped into the lead rover. They departed from the colony grounds and started off across the landscape with the vehicles forming an inverted V in order to provide mutual support in case it was needed. It didn’t take long to reach the tree line as Tasha called the vehicles to stop about a hundred meters short and called for her team leaders to come forward.

“Thermals?” she asked her driver.

“Nothing ma’am,” said the trooper.

“Okay, I’m heading in with Bravo Team to sweep and clear. If we come under any hostile attack, Alpha and Charlie Teams will pull forward and provide supporting fire. Delta Team will set up on the right flank to provide additional assistance. Echo Team will maintain left and rear security. Remember, we have no idea what this thing is nor how big or fast it can be, so be ready for anything just in case,” she stated as she turned to Javier. “Please have your guys and gals stay with the vehicles and if anything happens, stay behind my folks.”

“I’m going in with you,” said Javier.

“I’d prefer to sweep it first,” said Tasha.

“I know you would,” said Javier. “However, I know the drill. Now, who claimed that shotgun?”

“It’s all yours,” said Tasha as she saw him pick up the weapon and checked the safety as well as charging it to chamber a round. “You look…experienced with that.”

“Not my first rodeo, cowgirl,” said Javier. “Load?”

“Slug and buck in the tube alternating, sling reloads are buck, reloads on the left receiver are slugs,” said Tasha as he sized up the stock and grabbed his small pack.

“Look, you want the science teams to lend a helping hand when you’re out here? I’ve got to set the example for them and act all gung-ho so they see it’s not a bad thing,” said Javier as he closed in to her and spoke in low tones. “You do the heavy lifting when it comes to shooting, but as a minimum, they need to understand it’s perfectly okay for them to carry around weapons and protect themselves.”

“Let’s do it then,” said Tasha as she appreciated the gesture. “You’ll stay with me.”

“Plan on being right behind you,” said Javier.

“That way I get eaten first?” asked Tasha with a chuckle as she slung her carbine and pulled it through to her front.

“Exactly,” chuckled Javier as the team swept forward into the woods, all sense alert just in case the new creature was in hiding inside the area. The patch of woods wasn’t that large and eventually, they found where it had bedded down to watch the colony.

“Came in through there,” said Javier as he pointed into the woods. “Broken branches and undergrowth along the way. Looks like maybe it crawled into position to watch.”

“How can you tell?” asked Tasha.

“The branches are broken higher up further back,” said Javier as he pointed. Tasha looked and saw several branches higher up were broken as well as larger drag marks on the ground as they came closer to the tree line. The pairs of security troops had called in all clear as they reached the end of the trees and saw into the small valley below.

“Go ahead and set up observation posts where you are,” said Tasha as she looked at her communicator and saw they were in an ideal position to watch for anything approaching. “East team, stay there and watch from 12 to 3, west team, move about fifteen meters west and watch 9 to 12. Call out if you see anything regardless of what it is.”

“Copy that,” said both teams in succession as they got comfortable and started watching the area.

“Okay, Jay, you’re clear to bring in your nerds,” said Tasha. “Do remind them not to go wandering off looking for other stuff.”

“They know the drill,” said Javier as he went to the edge of the woods and waved in the science team. They immediately jumped from the vehicles and came into the woods, looking and watching for anything and everything. Javier took them over and showed them exactly where the creature had been as well as its path forward. They scampered over the area and immediately took to looking for signs of any DNA residue as well as taking massive amounts of photos.

“They seem to like their cameras,” said Tasha as she approached Javier.

“It’s new to them,” said Javier as he slung the shotgun and took out his gloves. “Not the field research, but the field research on an alien planet looking for new creatures. They only need a quarter of what they’re taking and they’ll learn to slow their roll eventually.”

“Okay, I’m going to check the troops on the perimeter,” said Tasha. “If you need anything, just scream like a little girl.”

“Little girl screaming voice function is engaged,” he chuckled as he went to help his science team look for anything he had missed on the first look. Tasha moved forward through the woods silently and came up behind the east team that saw her approach on their monitors.

“Anything?” she asked.

“Bunch of birds and whatnot,” said the senior of the two. “Some scattered thermals in that downed tree over the culvert to our eleven o’clock.”

“Possibly the creature?” asked Tasha.

“Not big enough,” said the senior man. “Possibly birds.”

“Let’s see,” said Tasha and was handed the thermal imaging device. She scanned the location and saw no thermal image was large enough to be the creature in question. “Yeah, probably birds or something. But no featheroos?”

“Not a single one,” said the man.

“I don’t like that,” said Tasha. “It could mean it’s still out there.”

“We’ll keep an eye out,” said the soldier as Tasha headed outside the trees towards the western pair. She was about halfway between the two when she noticed something to her front.

“Doctor Santiago? Can you join me on the north side just outside the trees, please?” asked Tasha over the comm as she started watching the small valley. It took several minutes before he appeared with Chuck.

“What do you-” asked Javier as he immediately noticed the remains of an almost entirely consumed featheroo to his front. There was little left at the kill site except for bloody hair, a few larger bones that were cracked and gnawed on and darkened blood that was still drying.

He and Chuck moved forward to take pictures of the kill site as well as measurements. It appeared the creature had laid behind the trees and consumed the featheroo before leaving.

“It didn’t go into the woods here,” remarked Chuck. “No entry.”

“Could have eaten here and moved further down for entry,” suggested Javier.

“Maybe,” said Chuck. “But this is still fresh. The blood is still drying. I’d say no more than eight hours ago at most.”

Tasha immediately went on guard as she scanned the area to their front as well as calling the two teams she had in place to increase their vigilance. Chuck and Javier asked permission and were accompanied by Tasha as they checked the front of the tree line for additional spots.

“Yep,” said Javier as they approached the initial entry point and saw the remains of another feeding area with the remains of another featheroo but a little further from the front of the trees. This kill site was older though as the blood had dried and the feathered hairs has been spread slightly by the wind. “This one is older though. It got a meal, walked in, watched us, departed for the night and came back sometime in the past twelve hours.”

“You think it’s still out here?” asked Tasha as she continuously scanned their front.

“It’s a possibility,” said Javier as they took additional photos and another scientist came out of the trees with news.

“We found scat inside-oh is that a kill site!” she exclaimed in an elevated voice.

“Please keep your voice down,” said Javier. “And yes, but Doctor Dawson and I have this.”

“It ate before watching! How interesting!” exclaimed the biologist.

“You were saying about the droppings?” asked Javier.

“Oh, just that it looks like it eats the featheroos,” said the scientist.

“Okay, thank you, Marci,” said Javier. “Head on back and get samples please.”

“Absolutely!” she exclaimed and departed.

“Okay, I understand excited about new stuff, but that’s just plain giddy,” said Tasha.

“She’s like that,” said Javier as he looked to the front. “How far out are you comfortable with us going to look for additional signs?”

“No more than a hundred meters or so,” said Tasha. “I’m not particularly fond of the fact the featheroos still aren’t out.”

“Yeah, I noticed that too,” said Chuck.

“Let’s head towards that downed tree,” suggest Javier.

“Works for me,” said Tasha as she let her team know she’d be going a little further than planned. They had only gone about twenty meters when Chuck suddenly stopped.

“Did you hear that?” he asked.

“Hear what?” asked Tasha.

“Did your stomach growl or something?” asked Chuck.

“No, my stomach-” she started to say as a low growl was heard to their front. “But I heard that.”

“Yeah, we all did,” said Javier. “Let’s back up towards the woods, shall we?”

They started backing up with Tasha keeping a close eye out to their front, she looked at the tree and realized they were being watched right then.

“Umm, Doctor?” she asked as she could see the partial outline of a head, but certainly saw the eyes looking at them. Eyes that looked menacing and evil.

 

Glad we finally got something big mean and toothy and hopefully tastes like Beef.
Loving the story
Thanks.

 

CHAPTER 27


“Yeah, I see it,” said Javier as he heard another snarl. “Chuck, go get the rest of the team to the vehicles. Like right now.”

“Got it,” said Chuck as he spun around and jogged the rest of the way to the woods. Heading inside he saw the team spread out looking at different things. “Everyone to the vehicles, now.”

“Did you find something?” asked the same giddy biologist from before.

“Never mind that,” said Chuck as another growl was heard through the trees. “Right now, Marci!”

“Is that the creature?” she asked.

“Go!” he barked as her and spun her towards the vehicle before giving her a shove and looking back for Javier and Tasha. The remainder of the team heard the next growl and didn’t need further prompting to move back to the relative safety of the vehicles. He waited on Tasha and Javier to appear and pulled the pistol he originally found slightly foolish to be lugging around. Pulling back the slide, he let it go as they had been trained to do and hoped it would work as advertised. He kicked himself mentally at that moment for not paying closer attention and vowed to rectify that oversight as soon as possible.

“Tasha, whatever you do, don’t challenge it,” said Javier as the creature stood up out of the downed tree. They could see its body fully by that point as it had a rounded head, but a large snout with rows of teeth that looked very convenient for ripping things apart. Shorter, though powerful looking arms were held close to its olive drab and brown fur coating as one reached out to balance itself. Muscular legs were seen through the tree and a short tail with bone spikes helping keep its balance.

“Furthest thing from my mind,” she stated. “Remember that screaming like a girl thing? I’m pretty sure that’s about to apply to me.”

“I think I’m going to beat you to it,” said Javier. “Keep walking back slowly.”

They continued and the creature let out another growl, this one louder than the others as it squinted its eyes at them and stepped forward slightly out of the depression. Its six meter height towered over them as it looked down and snarled once again.

“West team, close up on the center and be prepared to cover fire,” said Tasha over the comm. “East team, please be prepared to cover us as well. As soon as we hit the trees, you are clear to displace and watch our six. Come back together towards the center. We are moving to the vehicles at this time.”

The creature sensed they were going to leave and fully stepped out of the small area as its three toed foot came down with a dull thud.

“Okay, forget walking slowly, run!” exclaimed Javier as he unslung the shotgun from his back as he and Tasha spun at the same time and darted towards the trees.

“All teams! Prepare for contact! Large green and brown creature on our six!” yelled Tasha into the comm as they hit the tree line and the footsteps were heard behind them along with a roar of the creature. She saw the teams were already getting ready to move as she and Javier passed them by. “Displace and fall back!”

The pair on the east waited until they were safely by and stood up to run while the west was closing the angle on the other four through the woods. The creature suddenly saw six potential targets as it moved forward quickly towards Tasha and Javier. The east pair knew it needed to draw the attention of the beast and turned and unleashed half a magazine apiece from their carbines at the approaching creature, hitting it with the majority of the shots. It snarled and growled at them as they displaced again while Tasha and Javier covered them in turn. She fired from her carbine as Javier fired several rounds from the shotgun before they displaced in turn and the west pair started covering the other four.

The west pair also had the light machine gun and it sputtered several times at the center mass area of the creature. The bullets didn’t seem to have any obvious affect at that moment as the creature turned its attention to them. However, blood was seen running down its chest as they got ready to displace and called in they were moving over the comm. They displaced and heard the firing of Tasha and Javier covering them, but the creature kept coming at them, crashing through the trees roaring as it came along. The pair quickly scampered away, but one of the two was tripped up on a root from a tree and fell down.

He flipped over to get up and quickly turned since he felt the creature was far closer. His buddy reached down and grabbed him under the arm, but she was suddenly snatched off the ground in the large jaws of the creature. The troop watched as his partner was yanked off the ground effortlessly as he heard her screaming from inside its mouth. He heard a sickening crunch and watched the creature toss her to the side where she was slammed against a tree as it turned its attention back to him with its powerful neck muscles showing and a snarl on its face. The troop managed to get his carbine on target and flipped the selector to automatic and emptied the magazine into the soft belly of the creature. It roared in pain and quickly grabbed at him with powerful arms just as he was trying to reload his carbine.

“My troops!” yelled Tasha as she and Javier heard the creature stop. “I’ve got to get them!”

“No, we follow the plan to get back to the vehicle!” exclaimed Javier as he quickly shoved rounds into the shotgun, not caring what they were. Dropping one on the ground, he didn’t even stop to pick it up as he just moved to the next round until it was full.

“They are in trouble!” exclaimed Tasha as she prepared to move. But before she was able to rush forward, she heard the screams of two of her troops at separate times as well as both stopping firing. She got off her knee to head back when the headless body of one went flying by and landed against a nearby tree with a thud. She saw the creature approaching as she was grabbed by Javier and pulled to the rear.

“Let’s go! Now!” he yelled at her as she spun and they all four sprinted the last fifty meters towards the vehicles. They were already pointed towards the colony and engines ready to roll as soon as they climbed on board. As they broke the tree line, Tasha screamed for the gunners to open fire. The heavy machine gunners in the turrets opened up wildly, spraying the woods immediately to her rear as all four jumped into the same vehicle while the driver hit the accelerator. The machine gunners continued to fire even though the vehicles were bouncing across the terrain and their fire was more haphazard than aimed. The creature broke through the trees and looked at the pursuing vehicles before attempting to chase them.

Ben heard the frantic calls over the communications system and had already sprinted to the nearest tower. From the sound of it, they had made contact with Novae Spes first hostile creature and were coming back to safety as fast as possible. The cannon operator saw movement in the woods and trained his weapon that way.

“Contact, sir!” stated Sergeant Dudek as he charged the cannon.

“Do you have a…” started Ben as he saw the creature emerge and halted all speech. The three stared at the sight, not believing what they were seeing and doing something that happened rarely enough for the professional soldiers. It was a terribly impressive sight, but after freezing, Ben got back into his former military form quick enough.

“Guns? Can you hit it?” he asked.

“Range me!” called Dudek to Noah Taylor as they both snapped back at the same time.

“Range, 1,182 meters,” said Taylor as he got a quick range through the laser aiming device.

“Guns, sniper, you are clear to engage,” said Ben as he saw the vehicles had cleared the line of fire. He grabbed at the binoculars just as the cannon spat out five rounds and the sniper fired a single shot.

“Guns, low by fifty meters! Adjust elevation! Sniper, direct hit!” announced Ben.

He saw the gunner rolling up the elevation on the old-style traverse and elevation mechanism and dialed it in another fifty meters. The sniper took a second shot as Ben called out another hit. The gunner sent another burst downrange and managed to make three hits on the creature out of five rounds. The creature seemed to sense the danger coming from the colony and quickly turned and ran back into the woods.

“I want a gunship out tracking that thing!” said Ben into the comm as the command center quickly tried to find someone from the SIT team to get one airborne. The vehicles pulled into the relative safety of the colony as Tasha hopped out and ran up the tower.

“It’s gone,” said Ben. “The sniper hit it three times and the cannon got three hits.”

“Permission to take a larger force and pursue!” she exclaimed.

“Negative,” said Ben. “We analyze what data we know. We do not pursue into potentially more of those things out there.”

“But, sir!” she objected.

“Now is not the time to argue,” said Ben calmly as he had rarely seen Tasha this rattled before and knew he needed to calm her. “We figure out what we are fighting then take the fight to it. We do not rush into a fight on its terrain.”

Ben saw Javier running towards the science compound, spurring on the team that had drones returning as they had discussed before. Tasha still looked angrily at the horizon and he knew he needed to bring her back to the present time.

“Major Hayden, please report,” said Ben. She continued to look as she clenched her teeth and drew in deep breaths while her eyes narrowed. “Tasha, I need to know what happened.”

“We got ambushed,” she stated simply. “We found where it had been watching the colony and went beyond the trees. It had been feeding behind the trees where we couldn’t see. Javier, Doctor Dawson and I walked beyond the far woods and it was waiting for us, hiding under the downed tree we noticed before. We were within about thirty meters when it showed itself. Javier sent Dawson back to gather the other scientists while we slowly walked away from it. I had a fire team watching us and the creature decided to come after us. We laid down suppressive fire while we bounded back. We performed a bounding overwatch until we were in the center of the woods. The creature caught up to the west side pair and managed to overtake them, killing both. It gave us enough time to clear.”

“The rest of your team got out okay?” asked Ben as Mary and a medical team came running up and checking on the team that had gone out.

“Yes,” said Tasha. “But I lost two people out there. Permission to send a team to recover the bodies?”

“Not until we know the area is cleared,” said Ben. “We will send a reinforced team as soon as the drone calls it clear.”

“I lost two people out there,” said Tasha. It wasn’t her first time losing troops in battle, but she wasn’t prepared for the manner in which the latest two died.

“No, we lost two out there,” said Ben as he realized the adrenaline was wearing off and her thoughts were coming in full force.

“I should have had the vehicles move into the trees and engaged it while they were still moving,” said Tasha. “They might have made it out.”

“And how would they have been able to get out quickly?” asked Ben.

“I should have done something,” said Tasha. She saw Ben nod with his head away from the group and she followed him to the base of the tower. After they were away from the group, he lowered his voice to where only she could hear.

“You will not, I repeat, will not ever second guess yourself in front of the troops,” he stated sternly. “Yes, you lost two people, but they died getting the rest to safety. What did you say the first day here? You are the first and last line of defense and their job is to make sure others get to safety? That’s exactly what those two died doing. And don’t you dare second guess your own decisions made under fire. We are dealing with a creature we know nothing about and that thing very easily could have killed everyone. But the majority of your team made it out in one piece. Now, you take a couple of minutes to compose yourself and you get me a report I can use.”

Ben walked away from her and knew that his words were harsh. But he also knew Tasha well enough to know she would react better to the tough love scenario rather than him taking her under his wing. She stood alone for several moments before returning to him as he was being debriefed by Javier and Dawson.

“The nearest drone is a half hour out,” said Javier. “We can use it to sweep the woods.”

“Gunship reported the creature was seen heading into the northern forest,” said Chuck. “It didn’t get a close look.”

“I thought it was on standby,” said Ben.

“It was, though they never got the word to lift off,” said Javier.

“We’ll need to loosen those flight restrictions for times like this,” said Ben. “What else can you tell me?”

“Green and brown tiger stripes sort of,” said Javier. “Maybe more patchy like, but certainly a pattern there that helps it hide. We should be able to get good pictures from Tasha’s body and rifle cam as well as what you got here.”

“I only got a glimpse of it after it went after them,” said Chuck. “It has the shape of one of the older dinosaurs, like a tyrannosaurus, but with larger, longer arms and a shorter tail.”

“Bone spikes on the tail,” said Tasha as she joined the conversation. “I remember those. Maybe not bone spikes, but angular shaped? Like a spade, maybe?”

“Yes, saw those too,” said Javier. “Tail is shorter than any dinosaur from before as well.”

“But it was fur?” asked Ben. “Not feathered?”

“No, looked like fur,” said Tasha.

“I’d say this one was at least nine tons, maybe nine and a half,” said Javier.

“From the glimpses, I’d have to concur on that,” said Chuck.

“Eyes…like a snake,” said Tasha. “Slits.”

“Yeah, forgot about that,” said Chuck.

“Speed?” asked Ben.

“Not even going to guess,” said Javier. “I’d say it was doing 15 to 20 KPH in the trees. Bashing its way through rather than dodging the branches. Brawn over finesse.”

“Probably more if it gets in the open,” said Tasha. “Powerful legs. Crooked though, kind of like it was made for jumping or lunging.”

“I’d agree on that,” said Javier. “Hopefully the drone gets some pictures.”

“Detail it on the last known path through the forest,” said Ben as Javier relayed the instructions.

“I didn’t see the toes, but it only has four fingers,” said Tasha. “Three on the hand and a thumb like one I saw it using to pull itself from under the tree.”

“She’s right,” said Chuck. “I saw that through the trees. When it’s safe, it probably left tracks we can cast and get an approximate weight.”

“I’ll say this, the 6.5 weapons had limited effect,” said Tasha. “As well as the shotgun. We wounded it while in the trees, but I’m not sure we were hitting the right spots.”

“I couldn’t tell if I hit it or not,” admitted Javier. “But the rifle fire was producing blood.”

“The sniper rifle and cannon seemed to make it lose interest,” said Ben. “It got hit with at least two of the high explosive shells. We’ll have to evaluate that as we go along.”

“Drone might have picked up a blood trail,” said Javier as he looked at the footage from long range. “It’s still ten minutes out, but we might be able to track it.”

“I’d prefer if it finds the dead body,” said Tasha coldly.

“Are the woods cleared?” asked Ben.

“Gunship is making passes over the woods,” she stated and looked at her communicator. “Nothing that large at the moment on thermal.”

“Nothing on video either,” said Javier as he checked the same feed. “We could use a thermal camera on the drones.”

“Hindsight,” said Ben. “Do you have another available?”

“We do,” said Javier. “We brought two back as you suggested.”

“Send the next one through the woods,” said Ben. “I want to make sure it’s clear.”

“Yes, sir,” said Javier as he headed back to instruct the team to pass on the instructions. He knew the bodies of the security team would need to be recovered and made them ensure it was a priority over finding the creature. Once he passed on the instructions, they informed him they had lost contact in the forest to their north.

“Bad news, Commander,” said Javier. “It appears the creature went into the forest to the north.”

“The gunship lost track?” asked Ben.

“It was out of position to begin with,” said Javier. “We sent it on the last known location, but instead of bashing through the trees and giving us a clear path, it likely slowed. We might still be able to pick up the blood trail.”

“Do we have a distance?” asked Ben. “From the woods to the forest?”

“We do,” said Chuck. “And I’ll get right on extrapolating that data.”

“What data?” asked Tasha.

“If we know how far the forest is and the last time we saw the creature, we can calculate a possible ground speed of the creature,” said Chuck. “Want to help?”

“Normally, I’d say yes,” said Tasha. “But I have to make sure my troops get back.”

“I’m sorry?” he asked.

“I’ll be leading the party to retrieve my dead troopers,” she stated. “We don’t leave anyone behind and I’m going to get them.”

“Be careful,” he said with a polite nod.

“Thank you,” she said.

“Thank you for saving our lives,” he said with a smile. She returned half a smile, the shock still wearing off slightly. She headed back to where Ben was observing the drone as it was in view of the north woods, though starting to slow as it came closer.

“Got a second?” she asked.

“Sure,” he said and walked away with her. After they were out of earshot of the scientists, she took in a deep breath before starting.

“Won’t happen again,” she stated, though not apologizing as he taught her many years before. “I lost my cool, wasn’t being objective and wasn’t prepared to lose people this early on.”

“I hand-picked you because you don’t lose your cool, you are objective but neither of us were expecting this kind of thing to happen this early on,” said Ben. “But you recognize it, you won’t let it happen again and you will redouble your efforts to secure any and all teams departing the colony. I know this. You know this. And it just took me jerking a knot in your ass for you to remember it.”

“Knot jerked,” she stated with a polite nod. “As stated, won’t happen again.”

“The woods look clear enough,” said Ben. “If you prefer, I’ll lead the team out.”

“Negative,” she replied. “My team, my responsibility. I’ll get them set up.”

“Thank you,” said Ben as he was already mentally preparing a memorial for the two troops. Tasha headed back towards the vehicles when she was approached by the teams that had gone out earlier.

“Permission to accompany you back to retrieve Specialist Church and Sergeant Braun?” asked the senior team leader, Captain Jerome Irwin, as the remainder grouped behind him.

“No, you’ve done your duty already today,” said Tasha.

“Not until we bring everyone back we haven’t,” said Irwin as nods of agreement were seen behind him and the group looked ready to go.

“We need another team,” said Tasha as she turned to see several other team leaders standing behind her. “We’re going in as heavy as possible.”

“We’re here to volunteer,” said Captain Kendra Moore as practically every off-duty security force member was behind her. While an alert hadn’t been called, everyone heard the shooting from earlier and had geared up and was ready to go. Even the Engineers, SIT and Ag teams were standing behind with an assortment of weapons ready to help.

“I will volunteer to fill in for the two that were lost,” said Anton as he stepped forward and adjusted his gear slightly.

“And I will take that second spot,” said Sergeant Olivia Taylor.

“We still need one more team,” said Tasha.

“Give me three,” said Sergeant Major Kendrick Whitaker as a dozen people immediately stepped forward. The Sergeant Major pointed at three. “You’re with me.”

“Glad to have you, Sergeant Major,” said Tasha.

“Ma’am, it’s an honor to have you,” said Kendrick as he approached and lowered his voice. “You brought everyone else out and tried saving those two even though they were probably beyond saving. We saw what you tried to do in your body cam feed. That means a lot even to them in their deaths. But it also means a whole lot more to us that are left behind. You won’t rest until everyone is safe and are willing to sacrifice yourself for us. We’ll follow you to hell and back knowing you won’t leave us there.”

It was one of the few moments in her life she was speechless. And almost emotional as she nodded before being saluted by him. She returned the salute and rallied up the teams to depart. By the time they were loaded, she had her voice back and ordered them back out. The vehicles departed a little quicker heading across the landscape until arriving at the wood.

“Alpha and Bravo teams, set up on the western and eastern side of the woods watching the valley. If you see movement of that thing, you light it up with everything you’ve got. Charlie and Delta, you will accompany us into the woods. Echo and Fox teams, you are ready reserve and rear security. Once inside the woods, vehicles will be turned around for a quick getaway if needed. Locator beacons on the two are still active, so we won’t have to do much searching,” said Tasha.

The individual team leaders acknowledged their orders and headed out on their individual missions. Tasha and a team dismounted and headed into the woods, leading a vehicle on the easiest path she could find. They came across the first body, Sergeant Braun, and saw where he had collapsed after being tossed by the creature.

“We need to find all of him,” said Tasha quietly as she saw he was headless.

“We’ll check the kill site, ma’am,” said Jerome as he motioned his team forward and Tasha helped the other team get the body bag ready to transport him back. It didn’t take long for Jerome to call her and let her know he had found Specialist Church’s body.

“Northwest about twenty meters,” said Jerome over the comm. Tasha saw two troopers were carrying the body back to the vehicle and moved forward with the other two to where Jerome was waiting. He had already checked the body for life and found none as her chest had been crushed by the powerful jaws of the creature. Her armor appeared to have been punctured by the massive teeth when she was bitten but Jerome didn’t look close enough at the moment.

“I do hope we find that thing,” said Jerome quietly as she approached. “And kill it.”

“Did you find…the rest of Braun?” she asked.

“Negative,” said Jerome. “I’ve got my team looking.”

“Thank you,” said Tasha as she joined the search and eventually the head was located where the creature had spit it out after ripping it from the body.

“Gloves on,” said Tasha as one of the team members started to pick it up. “We don’t know if the saliva is caustic or something.”

“Yes, ma’am,” said the trooper as he donned gloves and the vehicle with the bodies pulled in a little closer. The head and body were placed in the same bag and she knew there was no reason to hang around at that moment.

“We’ve accomplished the mission,” she announced over the comm to no one in particular. “We’re coming home.”

 

CHAPTER 28


“Victim 1, identified as Reginald Michael Braun, male, Caucasian, 28 Earth years in age, originally from the State of Montana, United States of North America. Victim 1 was in good physical condition; weight is 84.82 kilograms and 180 centimeters in height with no known ailments prior to his untimely death. Victim 1 suffered a massive trauma to the head and neck area caused by extreme pressures on the cranium and cervical vertebrae. Head was separated from the body at the C4 vertebrae by both cutting of the neck and centripetal forces applied to the lower body. Known cause of death was removal of the head from the body, however, death was likely prior to due to pressures exerted on the entire brain region causing a catastrophic subdural hematoma and crushing of all major blood vessels in the cranial area,” said Mary as she outlined the report for the record.

“Victim 2, identified as Katherine Alexandra Church, female, Hispanic, 26 Earth years in age, originally from the State of Belize, United States of North America. Victim two was also in good physical condition with no known ailments, with a height of 167 centimeters and a weight of 58.04 kilograms. Victim 2 suffered…” started Mary and took in a sigh. She looked at the two younger individuals lying on the slabs to her front and sniffed slightly, seeing they had their whole lives ahead of them, but had that precious commodity ripped away in the blink of an eye. She sniffed once again and decided to compose herself before completing. “Recorder pause.”

The device beeped at her indicating recording had paused for the moment as she just looked at the two. She heard the door open to her temporary medical station as Ben joined her.

“I’m sorry, I thought you were done,” he said.

“No, it’s okay,” said Mary as she wiped her eye.

“I didn’t think you were the medical examiner,” he stated.

“I’m not,” she said with a sniff. “But as a leader, I felt it was my duty to perform the first, and hopefully the last, of the autopsies for unnatural deaths.”

“You okay?” he asked.

“Yes…no,” she replied with another sniff. “Just so young.”

“Did you know them?” asked Ben.

“No, I didn’t know them at all,” said Mary as her eyes watered up again. “Doesn’t change the fact they are part of my team as well as being those who I was responsible for in their medical care. Couldn’t have told you their names if I tried until now.”

“They died saving others,” said Ben.

“I’ve not lost a patient this way since Ganymede,” said Mary. “Not a single one until now.”

“And you still haven’t,” said Ben. “These two just couldn’t be saved regardless of how talented a doctor you truly are.”

“Not making this any easier,” said Mary with a sniff.

“Hey, come here,” said Ben as he crossed the room. He knew that sometimes a little compassion went a long way in times like this and took her into a hug. Physical human contact was important during times of grief and Mary was no exception to that rule. He held her and allowed her to shed the tears over the two she didn’t know for a few moments as she got her emotions under control. Doctors typically dealt with death, but the way these two had been killed in a savage manner shocked even the most hardened warrior such as himself. But he knew he needed to be strong right then as Mary composed herself.

“I’m sorry,” she sniffed and wiped at her eyes.

“You have nothing to be ashamed of,” he said as he released her.

“No, I just…I knew coming in there was a chance we would see death on this planet. But not like this,” she said. “Certainly not this soon. Certainly not someone so young. It’s just sad.”

“You know, we’re planning a memorial for these two, mourning the loss of Sergeant Braun and Specialist Church. But you are doing something special right now. You are mourning the loss of Katy and Reggie, two individuals instead of faces in the crowd,” he said as he looked her in the eyes. “And somewhere, somehow, I think they’d appreciate that fact.”

“Well, I had myself composed,” she exclaimed through newly formed tears.

“I wish the world had just one milligram of your compassion,” he said with a smile. “We’d be a whole lot better off as a people if we did.”

“Ben…” she said as the tears fell once again and she went into his arms. He held her again and shared in her emotions as she finally was able to let loose. Eventually, she sniffed once again and withdrew, thanking him with a warm smile though her eyes were bloodshot from crying.

“We’re all going to be tried at some point by this planet,” he said. “I just hope we all have a shoulder to cry on when that breaking point comes.”

“It’d be my pleasure to have you open up to me,” she said with another sniff. “If I can return the favor, it’d be an honor.”

“I’ll make sure you’re the first person on my list,” he smiled. “I just came by to make sure you were doing okay. Was there anything else?”

“No, I’ll have the report finalized in a couple of hours,” said Mary as she wiped her face again and got ready to finish up the report. “I sent the samples over to the science team and Doctor Chambless is working with them.”

“Thank you, Mary,” said Ben.

“No, thank you, Ben,” she said with another warm smile. He departed the facility and she returned to her gruesome work, still not liking it one bit, but feeling slightly better knowing she had a shoulder to cry on if she ever needed it.

“Recorder, resume,” she stated and heard the device beep indicating it had started. “Victim 2, is identified as Katherine Alexandra Church, female, Hispanic, 26 Earth years in age…”

Ben departed the small temporary facility and went to the science team area where he found Javier looking over the data they had well as the camera footage, trying to learn that one little thing that might make the difference in winning and losing the next encounter.

“Commander,” he said as Ben approached.

“Anything?” asked Ben.

“No,” said Javier with a sigh. “There’s just only so much we can tell from the gun and body cam footage. I can say this; the rifles and shotgun weren’t really affecting it right then. Could have been because of an adrenaline rush or the Novae Spes equivalent, or the thing just could have been that tough. Even point blank, one of the troopers emptied an entire magazine into the belly and it just made it even more angry.”

“You said a shotgun?” asked Ben.

“I was carrying one to impress the fact to my team you can be a scientist and still work around a weapon,” said Javier. “I grabbed the one Tasha brought with her.”

“There seems to have been a run on the scientists coming over for additional weapons training,” said Ben. “The Sergeant Major and Tasha are almost swamped.”

“Luckily, I had training some time back and carried one when I was researching in South Africa,” said Javier. “Though the loading had me curious. Effective, but unusual.”

“Buck and slug staggered,” said Ben as he knew her preferred load. “Nothing hurt it?”

“No, we hurt it,” said Javier as he reviewed the gun footage and showed Ben the highlights. “It’s bleeding pretty good at this point, but if we are waiting on this thing to bleed out from a belly wound, we’ll likely be there for a while.”

“I saw the sniper hit it three times in the chest,” said Ben.

“Yeah, saw that too. And the cannon hit it three times in the lower abdomen,” said Javier as he changed the video and showed the magnified video from the guard tower. It was slightly grainer than the other video, but still captured good resolution. “If I would have been there, that’s where I would have aimed as well. Now it could be he hit the heart and again, the creature was reacting off whatever adrenaline substance was in his system. But he wasn’t going down easy.”

“He?” asked Ben.

“We think it’s a him,” said Javier as he pointed out in one of the camera footage scenes exactly why he thought that. “New planet, new rules, but we’re pretty positive that’s a boy.”

“I’ll leave that scientific deduction to you,” said Ben as Chuck walked up and looked for a medical patch. “You okay?”

“I was getting gun training and the slide came across my hand,” he stated as he applied the patch and let it go to work fixing the minor wound. “Those things are a bit sharp. You would think they would cut down that edge a bit.”

“I was just going over what we knew with the Commander,” said Javier. “Chuck has kind of taken the lead on finding out whatever we can on this creature.”

“And sadly, that just isn’t a lot,” said Chuck.

“Every little bit helps,” said Ben.

“We can give you height, estimated weight, we think it’s capable of anywhere from 27 to 32 KPH over open ground as that’s the speed we calculated from the small patch of woods to the main forest where we lost it. And that’s a minimum speed while wounded, so the healthy ones are probably faster,” said Chuck as he went over his notes. “If I had to guess, a healthy one is in the 40 to 45 KPH range. Height of this example was 6.2 meters and 11 tons.”

“I was hoping this might have just been a single creature,” said Ben. “Let me ask the dumb question, is this thing a Tyrannosaurus Rex?”

“No,” said Javier. “Completely different bone structure from the fossils found on Earth. This would rival the T-Rex for domination if they lived together.”

“But?” asked Ben.

“But…the similarities of being the apex predator of the animal kingdom here are similar,” said Chuck. “The T-Rex was unrivaled as far as we know on Earth during the Cretaceous Period.”

“We believe there are more?” asked Ben.

“It likely didn’t just wish itself into existence,” said Javier.

“So, where there’s one…” said Ben.

“There’s probably going to be a lot more,” stated Javier. “We just haven’t seen them yet.”

“Yeah,” said Ben. “And after it went into the forest?”

“Nothing,” said Chuck with a sigh. “Never saw it come out although we just didn’t have good coverage on the forest. Just too big for a single drone.”

“So, it might have gone in there and died?” asked Ben.

“We’d prefer not to make assumptions, but that is a possibility,” said Javier. “We programmed a drone to sweep the known path based on the blood trail, but nothing.”

“Were you able to get a DNA sample?” asked Ben.

“Yes, and it’s being analyzed right now,” said Chuck. “Should know something in a few hours.”

“You know the only question on my mind and the one Tasha will be demanding,” said Ben.

“If it bleeds, you can kill it,” said Javier.

“I seem to recall that from an ancient movie,” said Ben in a moment of levity.

“Yeah, I wasn’t trying to directly quote it,” said Javier with half a smile. “But the principle is sound. Anything organic like that can be killed.”

“I need shot placement locations,” said Ben. “Where do we tell our troopers to aim?”

Javier and Chuck looked at each other and dreaded this part of the impromptu meeting. They knew Ben wouldn’t take the next portion with a grain of salt.

“We need a sample,” said Chuck, willing to take the blow for the team.

“A sample?” asked Ben. “You mean you need one of those creatures?”

“Alive if possible,” said Javier. “Dead…we can work with that too.”

“Can your containment units even capture something that large?” asked Ben who didn’t snap as they assumed he might. Tasha would be an entirely different story if she were around.

“Doubtful,” said Javier. “When we get the blood and DNA analyzed, we might be able to find a tranquilizer we can synthesize, but that’s a big maybe since we have no idea what its metabolism is or how long it would take to affect it.”

“We need to be able to open this thing up and look inside to tell you exactly where to shoot,” said Chuck. “For all we know it could have two hearts and we’re just aiming in the wrong place. Furthermore, we need to be able to tell you how effective your infantry weapons are against it.”

“Yeah, I’m not sure that’s going to go over well with Tasha,” said Ben with a wry smile. “Telling her to find one somewhat intact, that is.”

“At least we can ask,” said Chuck.

“At the moment, if they can get a head shot, I’d suggest that,” said Javier. “Probably concentrate your fire in the upper thoracic region between the arms as well.”

“Head shots are nice when it’s standing still,” said Ben.

“You want options, we’re giving them to you,” said Chuck.

“No, I know,” said Ben with a waved hand. “Look, I’ll talk to Tasha about the possibility of recovering a nearly intact body if at all possible. But I’m not going to have her placing her people in unnecessary risk just to satisfy your research.”

“And we’d never ask her to do that,” said Chuck. “Just ask G.I. Jane not to blow it up with a missile launcher or anything until we know more.”

“Yeah, that I can’t promise,” said Ben with a chuckle.

“She really was brave under fire,” said Chuck.

“That she is,” said Ben.

“Very confident as well,” said Chuck. “You wouldn’t expect an attractive woman like that to still be graceful under fire.”

“Chuck…” said Javier as Chuck was going down a rabbit hole.

“Sorry, mind was wandering,” said Chuck. “Anyway, I’ll keep at this, but until we see more and specifically ones that might not be wounded, we are guessing at this point.”

“While I know that section of woods provides the best opportunity for us to potentially study that creature if it or another returns to observe us, I’m not comfortable having it there,” said Ben. “Can you live with having to find another in the wild?”

“We can make that work,” said Javier as he saw Chuck was about to object.

“Okay, anything else I need to know?” asked Ben.

“No poisons, venoms or anything caustic found in the saliva on the two troopers,” said Chuck. “No different than many other animal’s saliva when it comes to enzyme count and whatnot.”

“Okay, keep looking and let me know if you find something,” said Ben. He headed towards the engineering compound when he saw Tasha heading for a tower on an MMV with a cart in tow along with a second MMV with a trailer. He recognized the crates on the rear as being some of the guided missile systems designated for the security force. Deciding the engineers could wait, he headed over to the tower as she stopped and pulled off one of the crates with the help of the other member and attached it to the pully system where the two in the tower hauled it up.

“Commander,” said Tasha as he approached.

“Got a minute?” he asked.

“Can’t say no to the commander,” said Tasha. “Jorge, go ahead and take those to the next tower. I’ll get the final one squared away here.”

“Yes, ma’am,” said the troop as he hopped back on the MMV and departed for the next tower.

“Putting out the missiles?” asked Ben as he helped her haul the second crate to the tower.

“Until we know what can bring these things down effectively, I’m a big proponent of overwhelming force to get the job done,” she stated.

“I’m not questioning the decision,” said Ben.

“These are the medium range versions,” said Tasha. “I’m leaving the heavy, long range versions for the gunships and vehicle mounts. But we’ll still have about a 2,000 meter standoff.”

“Plenty of room,” said Ben.

“Hopefully so,” she stated. “You had something on your mind?”

“Yeah, and before you snap, hear the full story,” said Ben.

“Normally when you start a conversation like that, I’m not going to like it,” said Tasha as she crossed her arms.

“But it’s important,” said Ben as he recapped the conversation with Javier and Chuck about capturing a live animal or an intact one as a minimum.

“No, I figured that would be the plan,” she said calmly. “The missiles here are a last-ditch defense in case one of those things charges the colony. I figured the scientists would need one reasonably intact to study and tell me the best way to kill it.”

“I’m glad you’re being reasonable about this,” said Ben.

“But I’m not placing my troopers in any more danger than necessary just so some scientist can get giggly while poking and prodding at its guts,” she stated adamantly.

“There it is,” said Ben with a chuckle.

“I’m serious, Ben,” said Tasha.

“Nobody’s asking you to do anything of the type,” said Ben.

“Oh really? Explain why that dingy one that’s hyped up on sugar and caffeine asked me not to kill the next one,” said Tasha through clenched teeth.

“I’m sorry?” asked Ben.

“That one,” said Tasha as she pointed at the scientist named Marci Dubose that had been very overeager at the initial research scene.

“Why does it look like she’s been crying?” asked Ben.

“Probably because she has been,” said Tasha simply.

“What did you do?” asked Ben with a sigh.

“What did I do?” she asked defensively. “Oh, that little twit decided to inform me that in the future, I shouldn’t be all gung-ho and maybe spare that thing so they could study it.”

“And you unloaded on her,” said Ben.

“Both barrels,” said Tasha with a nod. “I made my displeasure extremely clear as well as informing her the next time we encounter said creature, I’d just shoot her in the leg so we can back off and watch it eat her. I’m pretty sure she knew I was serious, too.”

“You didn’t,” he said with a chuckle and changed his face to his disappointed look. “Tasha…”

“Oh, don’t act like you’ve not said far worse in your life,” she objected.

“Okay, you’re probably right. But still,” said Ben.

“Look, I’m not going to accept that kind of nonsense from some dingbat that has zero social skills,” said Tasha. “I will not have my people putting themselves in unnecessary risk just so she can satisfy her nerdy streak. Especially in light of what just happened.”

“Nobody is suggesting you should,” said Ben with a sigh. “And I’ll talk to Javier about her.”

“I’m pretty sure she won’t be mentioning any more suggestions to me in the future,” said Tasha.

“No, I’d imagine not,” said Ben. “Anyway, I talked to Chuck as well.”

“Yeah, he saw me earlier before I destroyed her,” said Tasha. “Basically, he said head shots with the larger caliber weapons would be the best choice. Also, suggested maybe mobility shots at the legs would be helpful as well.”

“I’d listen to him,” said Ben.

“He’s been pretty nice to me even though I give him a lot of crap,” said Tasha.

“Because he thinks you’re hot,” chuckled Ben.

“Oh, God, really?” exclaimed Tasha.

“Yeah, he made that comment before,” said Ben.

“No, just no,” she said with a sigh. “But he’s not a bad looking guy…for a nerd. And a pig.”

“You need more nerds in your life,” said Ben.

“And you need more doctors in yours,” said Tasha. “Anyway, Chuck did mention if at all possible to try to keep the thoracic region intact if possible. But he understands if it wasn’t an option and would be happy with whatever he could get.”

“Including if it’s in pieces?” chuckled Ben.

“I implied there might not be much left,” she chuckled.

“Do try to help in that regard,” said Ben. “It’ll be helpful to know more about it.”

“I agree and will try to help if I can,” she replied.

“And please don’t make more of their team cry,” suggested Ben.

“Look, if she can’t handle someone getting in her face when she’s dead wrong, that’s her problem,” said Tasha.

“I was joking, Tasha,” said Ben with an annoyed look on his face.

“I wasn’t,” said Tasha.

“Right, anyway, let me know if you need anything else,” said Ben.

“Just another shot at that thing,” she replied as she headed up the tower.

Ben headed over to the engineer compound and found Grady and Cyrus were out and about at the moment. He eventually tracked them down on the south side of the complex where they were watching the featheroos grazing and foraging in the nearby field.

“Never thought I’d be happy to see such a creature,” said Grady as Ben approached.

“As am I,” said Ben.

“You want to ask about clear cutting that patch of woods?” asked Grady.

“If you could make that happen,” said Ben. “I don’t care about removing the stumps at the moment, but I’d like as clear a view as possible.”

“We bumped it up on the priority list,” said Cyrus. “I’ll need to get with Tasha to coordinate the security assets for us.”

“As I noticed your engineers have taken to making sure their weapons are nearby,” said Ben.

“Yesterday was a wakeup call to us all,” said Grady. “Most of the planets we’ve been on haven’t had dinosaur sized creatures attacking us.”

“Which is why I’d like to see it coming as far away as possible,” said Ben.

“We can use the additional materials, honestly,” said Cyrus. “I’ve got the plan ready to go in loading the full trees into the flatbeds and bringing them down here to be sized and cut.”

“I don’t want people out there unnecessarily until we get the defenses here complete,” said Ben. “As a minimum the perimeter wall.”

“Lucky for us, that will happen sooner than expected,” said Grady. “I was going to talk to you later about it, but since you’re here…”

“Do tell,” said Ben.

“We got the landing area cleared and graded faster than expected,” said Grady. “Rachelle’s folks really helped out with the additional manpower and shaved at least a week off our revised timeline. By tomorrow, everything will be ready.”

“Have you talked to the Captain yet?” asked Ben.

“Not yet, wanted the boss to be the first to know,” said Grady. “Cyrus is heading back up tonight to talk it over with him.”

“And then?” asked Ben.

“Well, that kind of depends on what we want to do,” said Cyrus. “I was with the Santa Maria pretty much since she was built and can tell you right now, she’s modular and can be dismantled fairly easily. Knowing such, we need to outline the colony perimeter.”

“How come?” asked Ben.

“The hull will become the walls,” said Cyrus. “Again, modular and sized in fifteen meter tall increments along with the interior bulkheads in many places. We remove that and the cargo areas are far easier to access.”

“And they just drop right in?” asked Ben.

“Within reason,” said Cyrus. “There are supports that are anchored on the colony side, but the side facing out is smooth and we can even slope it slightly if we want.”

“So, nothing can crawl over it?” asked Ben.

“Not without some effort, no,” said Cyrus.

“Seems like a lot of thought was put into it,” said Ben.

“Most colony carriers are designed that way,” said Cyrus. “At least the ones that are on one way trips like the Santa Maria.”

“Okay? And then?” asked Ben.

“Well, that’s what we want to talk about,” said Grady. “However, we’d like to do it while everyone is present. We have a staff meeting tonight, no?”

“We do,” said Ben. “I forgot about that.”

“And you’re the one that set it up,” chuckled Cyrus.

“Yeah, I’m forgetful in my old age,” chuckled Ben. “Anyway?”

“Make a long story short, we want everyone to hack off on the plans and layout of the colony. When we start to build, it’s far harder to stop, move something around and start all over. I’d rather have the team leads along with Angeline and Charity say ‘yeah, that’s what we want.’ The gal who laid out the plans might have missed something,” said Grady.

“And the plans are easy enough to modify,” said Cyrus.

“Right, we’ll do it tonight,” said Ben. “Anything else?”

“Just as a reminder when the wall starts going up, the remainder of the ship will end up being outside the perimeter,” said Cyrus. “Daily security and clearing for Tasha and her boys and girls while we unload and dismantle the rest.”

“Put that section of wall in last,” suggested Ben.

“Way ahead of you on that,” said Grady. “Anything else?”

“Nah, just kind of getting a check on my section heads,” said Ben as he saw Javier walking up with Kirk in tow.

“Looks important,” said Grady. “We’ll leave you to it.”

“Got a couple of minutes, Ben?” asked Javier.

“Sure,” he replied as Ben hadn’t realized Kirk was back on the planet.

“We’ve been talking, Kirk and I that is, about these creatures and I’d like to dedicate him full time to studying them,” said Javier.

“Hey, it’s your directorate,” said Ben. “You use your people as you see fit.”

“Just since he’s supposed to be checking what we are getting,” said Javier. “I wanted you to know I somewhat consider that a secondary mission until we get a handle on the knowledge of these creatures.”

“Okay,” said Ben. “Make your case.”

“We’re going to be getting data from a variety of sources, namely the science team, medical and security team about these creatures. But that also could include data from any number of sources including the engineers, SIT and agriculture,” said Kirk.

“Okay, so you’re like the clearing house?” asked Ben.

“More or less,” said Kirk. “And I can correlate the data from the different teams to see how all the pieces fit and give you a better estimate.”

“Sounds good,” said Ben. “And this becomes your full-time job?”

“I might be asked to consult on other areas, obviously, but I think this thing is a large enough threat to treat it as a number one priority,” said Kirk.

“Of which I agree,” said Javier. “We’ve never encountered something that ferocious. Well, at least not on that scale. Gliese lizards are pretty bad, but a fraction of the size.”

“I think you both are correct,” said Ben. “If you’re looking for approval, you have it. Not that you needed it, but anyway, I think a single focused approach is wise in this case.”

“I do have some preliminary data,” said Kirk. “I took the liberty of talking with the medical and science teams as well as talking with Doctor Blevins. I felt it best to talk to you about it.”

“Okay,” said Ben with puzzlement.

“Let me rephrase, talk with you and have you on board before I talked to Major Hayden,” said Kirk. “Preferably with you in attendance as well.”

“Why do I get the impression this is going to get interesting,” said Ben as he folded his arms.

“Hey, I think the world of Tasha as well, but she can be a little gruff towards the science team even this early in,” said Javier.

“You heard about her making one of your cry?” asked Ben with a chuckle.

“I was a witness to it,” said Kirk. “While Doctor Dubose was certainly out of line and Major Hayden was within her rights to be defensive of her actions, perhaps she shouldn’t have been so…cold about it. I mean, threatening to shoot a member of the science team isn’t good teamwork regardless of what was said.”

“Yeah, I talked to Tasha about that already,” said Ben. “Told her to play nice.”

“Marci asked about how to file a restraining order,” said Javier with a chuckle. “I guess that’s a Novae Spes first.”

“I’ll keep Tasha in line,” said Ben. “Anyway, your initial data?”

“The armor and shielding you use isn’t doing any good,” said Kirk. “Even the helmets are debatable, though can provide protection against things other than the creatures.”

“Go on,” said Ben.

“I took the liberty of analyzing the data from the initial autopsy report from Doctor Blevins,” said Kirk. “And the amount of pressure exerted by the creature on the one individual, Specialist Church if I recall, snapped the protective armor.”

“That bad?” asked Ben.

“It’s a titanium-tungsten-composite resin that’s some of the toughest material known,” said Kirk. “But this thing actually cracked the plate itself on both sides.”

“And the shielding?” asked Ben.

“Good for pulse electron of plasma rifles and little else,” said Kirk. “Kinetic energy rounds are somewhat effective against it, you know this of course, but honestly it’s dead weight when it comes to these creatures. The jaws move too slow and pass right through.”

“You’re saying the security force is carrying around a lot of weight they don’t need,” said Ben.

“Nail on the head, Commander,” said Kirk.

“Okay, Tasha would love to hear that,” said Ben. “I’m not sure why you feel she would react harshly to that kind of information.”

“We know she took the deaths pretty hard,” said Javier. “We wanted to clear it with you before talking with her about it.”

“She’ll be objective about information like this,” said Ben.

“I just didn’t want her to think I was using the two troopers’ deaths as, and this will sound cold, guinea pigs in my research,” said Kirk. “I’ll have additional questions for her as well about the actions that took place.”

“Which those two were kind of lab rats for you,” said Ben. “But I know, and I’d bet she does, we were going to study them to determine effectivity of everything we’re bringing to the fight. And that includes defensive measures we wouldn’t normally consider.”

“I just felt the information might come better from you,” said Kirk.

“Tell you what, we’ll go talk to her right now about it,” said Ben. “But I do want you around for the science talk, Doctor Kirk. If there are hard questions, you need to be the one that answers it.”

“I understand,” said Kirk.

“I’ll await your report, Doctor Kirk,” said Javier. Ben and Kirk walked through the compound, finding Tasha at one of the towers watching a featheroo graze nearby. They approached quietly as not to disturb the creature, but it saw them anyway and looked them over before going back to grazing on the local plant life.

“An amazing and beautiful creature,” said Kirk as they came up to the side of Tasha.

“Zero fear of us right now,” said Tasha. “It’s like it knows we aren’t a threat to it.”

“As the old saying goes, we haven’t given it a reason to be,” said Ben.

“No, even the heavy equipment doesn’t seem to faze it,” said Tasha. “One of Grady’s larger machines came by earlier and it barely took notice.”

“But it senses the creatures and goes into hiding,” said Ben.

“Good watchdog for lack of a better term,” said Tasha. “But you came with business.”

“I’d like to talk to you about some of the security things I’ve noticed,” said Kirk.

“Doctor Kirk is leading the research into the creatures,” said Ben as he knew she needed the background before Kirk jumped right in. “He’s going to be compiling the information we get and helping us all determine the best course of action.”

“Yes, of course,” said Tasha pleasantly. “You have information already?”

“Yes,” said Kirk and drew in a small breath. “I noticed your troopers are wearing body armor and the shielding units.”

“Standard practice anywhere we go,” said Tasha. “And?”

“Based on the analysis of the equipment Specialist Church and Sergeant Braun were wearing, I don’t believe it will be much help with the creatures,” said Kirk.

“Explain,” said Tasha as she focused in on Kirk. He spent several moments explaining the tests he had run as well as the damage inflicted by the creature. He tried to avoid sounding overly harsh with his data, but managed to get it out without getting hit by Tasha.

“So, we drop five kilos of gear,” said Tasha. “Done.”

“You sure that’s wise?” asked Ben.

“We’ll keep it handy, but there is no reason to wear it if we don’t need to,” said Tasha. “I saw how that thing moved in the woods and having a little better agility can help us.”

“Helmets stay on outside the wire though,” said Ben.

“I was thinking the same thing since it will help keep branches and whatnot from smacking us silly,” said Tasha.

“I’d like to talk to you about the agility as well,” said Kirk. “I saw the footage from your body and gun cam, but I’d like your account of the situation as well if that’s okay. We can often miss minor details when looking at video and having the first-person perspective is important.”

“Of course,” said Tasha as she recounted the story with Kirk asking the occasional question about a detail. She informed him of what she knew and started from the spot they first noticed the creature until they made it to the colony.

“And it used its arms like a human would,” said Kirk. “Interesting.”

“How so?” asked Tasha.

“Many of the bipedal creatures we’ve studied on other worlds have additional appendages as kind of an afterthought,” said Kirk. “This one appears to use it for balance and to assist movement.”

“And that’s important?” asked Tasha.

“It could be,” said Kirk. “Every little piece of information we can get adds up to a better way of defending ourselves against this creature. I would think at this moment from looking at the photos and video, this is a creature from a bygone era like the dinosaur on the other continent. However, it has evolved to an extent and is still not dying off like the other larger creatures have. The use of arms can be part of that evolutionary cycle.”

“Okay, how is that important?” asked Tasha.

“Such creatures surviving from age to age can also be more intelligent,” said Kirk. “Or as a minimum, more adaptive to changes in environment. Us moving in could, and I stress the could, have made a subtle change in the environment and it felt threatened.”

“I understand if one of these things moved into my neighborhood and started eating people, I’d feel threatened,” said Tasha. “But we weren’t really threatening it.”

“I didn’t mean to imply you did,” said Kirk. “But all animals and creatures often perceive a threat from a new species that ‘moves into the neighborhood’ as you say. Regardless if we were threatening it or not, our presence here could very well have triggered a hostile response.”

“I understand,” said Tasha. “And I know you weren’t implying we provoked it in any way. Like Ben said the other day, it very well could have been a nesting or mating spot we happened to plop our camp down on.”

“Or the nearby woods,” said Kirk. “Which is where it got aggressive.”

“Those woods are about to be gone,” said Ben. “I really don’t care about mating rituals or nesting spots. That section of woods is too close for my tastes and offers far too good of concealment for such creatures. Grady is bumping up the clearing on his list.”

“It could provoke them further,” warned Kirk.

“And it could make them find another place,” said Tasha.

“Both theories are potentially viable,” said Kirk. “Regardless, we will have to study the creature more in the wild to determine its patterns and determine whether we will continue to be a threat or this creature will leave us alone.”

“I already promised Javier and Chuck I wouldn’t blow the next one up at first sight,” said Tasha.

“But if it attacks, you will defend us,” said Kirk and quickly waved his hand to stop her from retorting. “Not passing judgment, I know it’s us or them and I’ll pick the side of humanity.”

“At least someone will,” said Tasha with a scoff.

“Anyway, your first-person account has provided me with some good information I can help create a profile, for lack of better terms, about this creature,” said Kirk.

“Thank you,” said Tasha with a nod. “Was there anything else you needed to know?”

“With your permission, I’d like to interview the other members of your security force that were witness to the events that took place,” said Kirk. “Again, first person perspective and all.”

“I’ll see to it they are available for you,” said Tasha. “If it’s okay, I’d like to be able to sit in on the interviews. They might get nervous about an outsider asking questions.”

“I think that will be extremely helpful,” said Kirk. “I can be contacted either on the ship or through the science team if I’m on the planet whenever they are available.”

“I’ll track them down and make it a priority,” said Tasha. “And one more thing.”

“Yes?” asked Kirk.

“I understand you have a job to do and you’ve been extremely professional about it,” said Tasha. “So, don’t think I’m going to snap on you for asking some pointed questions. You appear to truly understand the threat we’re facing.”

“Compared to Doctor Dubose?” asked Kirk with a chuckle.

“Who?” asked Tasha.

“The one you threatened to shoot,” said Ben.

“Ah, yes,” said Tasha. “Do please keep her away from me. I have no problems with you or Javier or Doctor Dawson interviewing my troopers, but she stays on the sidelines.”

“She shouldn’t be involved as she’s a botanist,” said Kirk. “But I will pass on the request.”

“That wasn’t a request,” said Tasha. “If that woman gets near my troops and opens her stupid little mouth again, I will shut it for her.”

“There will likely be times she’ll need to interact with them,” said Kirk reasonably.

“No,” said Tasha. “Trust me, if she came at one of my troopers the way she came at me, she’d be in the hospital right now. I’m a woman of considerable restraint and it took everything I had to keep from knocking her on her ass.”

“You did threaten to shoot her,” said Kirk.

“She wants to see these things in the wild, I just mentioned I’d oblige her the chance for an up close and personal look,” said Tasha. Ben saw she was getting into a mood once again and motioned her away from Kirk for a moment.

“I thought we were going to play nice,” said Ben in a low voice.

“You weren’t there,” said Tasha. “And had you been, you very likely would have responded the same way I did or worse had it been a man.”

“Still, teamwork makes the dream work and all,” said Ben.

“Look, you picked me to lead this department, right? Said it was mine to run?” she asked. “Well, this is me exercising a command decision. She will not interact with my people until she apologizes to me to start with and furthermore, understands what she said was wrong.”

“Yes, I did,” he stated. “But I still have to have some harmony.”

“You’ve got 800 people here now,” said Tasha. “There’s a chance not all of them are going to get along and sing songs by the campfire. Well, I don’t like her and I’m putting my foot down that she will not speak to my people without either Javier, Angeline or Doctor Kirk present.”

Tasha folded up her arms in defiance and jutted out her jaw. Ben saw it likely wasn’t the best time to have the discussion as he motioned Kirk back over. Tasha saw she won the small battle that day, but felt like something was approaching her.

“I wouldn’t move if I were you,” said Ben as he noticed the featheroo coming a bit closer and sniffing at her. It was looking her over as well as taking additional sniffs before eventually turning to hop away at a quick pace.

“That is extremely interesting,” said Kirk.

“What is?” asked Tasha.

“It’s like the featheroo sensed your change in moods,” said Kirk.

“I haven’t changed my mood,” said Tasha.

“Perhaps not consciously,” said Kirk. “But subconsciously, you likely became more agitated when thinking about Doctor Dubose.”

“It knew I don’t like that twit?” asked Tasha and received a look from Ben. “Sorry, I know. I’ll play nice.”

“Perhaps not her specifically, but it sniffed at you when the subject came up,” said Kirk. “And perhaps it sensed a change in your mood and felt you were subconsciously becoming agitated.”

“I chased it off?” asked Tasha.

“Not willingly,” said Kirk. “Pheromones, perhaps? Many animals can sense a change in behavior from people, dogs for example know when an owner is happy or sad. Perhaps the featheroos are sensing the same kind of behavior from a scent level.”

“And this helps us in our current situation?” asked Ben.

“Perhaps,” said Kirk. “Perhaps the featheroos can smell the creatures and realize they are aggressive and a threat by scent alone.”

“I’m not a threat to that featheroo!” exclaimed Tasha.

“No, but it doesn’t know that,” said Kirk. “It just senses what could potentially be aggressive behavior from an animal it’s still learning about.”

“I really don’t like her now,” said Tasha. “Making me chase off the featheroos subconsciously.”

“I’m sure it’ll be back,” said Ben with a chuckle.

“Still,” said Tasha with a sigh. “Anyway, yes, I’ll make the troopers available to you. I’ll have to find out where and when they are working.”

“I’ll do it on their time,” said Kirk. “No sense in dragging them out of bed unless absolutely necessary. And I do appreciate the assistance.”

“I appreciate your professionalism,” said Tasha.

Tasha and Kirk shook hands before he and Ben departed. She made a mental note to add to her list of things to do in identifying the members of her unit that had been in contact with the creature so he could interview them. She saw the featheroo in the distance staring at her as she sighed, wondering if she could ever get her head above water when it came to the various tasks she had assigned to her and also took on for herself. She sighed deeply as she headed back towards the main colony to her headquarters where she would try to work through as many of them as she could.

 

CHAPTER 29


“Commander Nash, please report to the clinic,” said the synthesized female voice over Ben’s communicator. “Commander Nash, please report to the clinic.”

Ben looked at the communicator and saw it had been sent by one of the staff at the clinic to him as well as Javier and the leading entomologist they had on the Expedition. Ben acknowledged the message and grabbed his carbine before heading over, seeing Javier and the entomologist coming in the same direction.

“Wonder what’s up?” asked Ben as he and the pair came together for the brief walk to the clinic. Upon entering the makeshift area, they found Mary treating one of the agriculture specialists squirming on the gurney.

“Stay still,” said Mary patiently as she attempted to administer a dose of something. Two other medical technicians were holding down the man as he yelled through gritted teeth.

“Doctor Griggs, a sedative please!” stated Mary as she finally got the injection she was trying to get administered. Charlotte came running over and administered a fast acting sedative and the patient calmed down almost immediately.

“Get him prepped for transport,” ordered Mary in her best doctor voice. “Get an IV started, full saline, stat.”

“What’s going on?” asked Ben.

“We’ve found Novae Spes first poisonous insect,” said Mary. “I’ve never seen a reaction this bad before.”

“Is he…” asked Ben.

“We’ve got a multi-spectrum antidote working, but I need Javier and his crew to study this thing quickly so we know if what we’re using will work,” said Mary as she nodded towards another Agriculture Team member who had an insect in a sealed plastic jar.

“Give it to me,” said the entomologist, a Japanese woman named Etsu Ogawa. The Ag specialist handed it over without question as she looked it over quickly. “You are certain this is what bit him?”

“It was still attached when he started screaming,” said the Ag specialist. “It released when we put the jar over it. Got lucky I suppose.”

“Arachnida,” stated Ogawa. “Bears a resemblance to the Solifugae family on Earth. You would know them as the wind scorpion or camel spider.”

“Yeah, I’m familiar,” said Ben who hated the things with a passion.

“I have work,” said Ogawa as she and Javier departed without hesitation towards the science area. Ben watched as Mary and her techs quickly got the patient ready to move and a shuttle was heard spinning up outside. He assisted in getting the gurney to the shuttle as well as strapping it in before scampering off the shuttle.

“Let me know!” he yelled at Mary as the rear doors were closing, but he saw her give a thumbs up as the shuttle took off before the doors were even closed, screaming for altitude. He decided he had best check in on the Science department to see what was determined about the insect in question. He jogged the short distance, realizing he hadn’t been keeping up with his running like he should have and feeling his 42 years of age at that moment. Heading inside, he caught his breath as he saw Javier and Ogawa had already scanned the insect and were quickly identifying the venom sack to retrieve a sample.

“It’s a hateful little bastard,” said Ogawa as the spider attacked the container they had it in as Ben saw a nasty looking mouth biting at the plexiglass attempting to attack the Doctor.

“I’ll say,” said Ben.

“Lower the O2 levels and pump in CO2,” suggested Javier.

“Provided that won’t make it madder,” said Ogawa as she adjusted the controls on the specimen box. “And that it breathes oxygen.”

“Let’s hope,” said Javier as it took several minutes for the insect to calm down and go limp. Ogawa reached in with a pair of clamps and held the insect down, which suddenly sprang back to life as it attacked the metal object.

“Neat trick,” said Ogawa as she managed to hold it down as Ben heard it screeching from inside the box. However, she was able to hold it in place long enough to retrieve a sample from the large venom sack and put it in the tray to retrieve. The spider continuing squirming about after Javier retrieved the sample and Ogawa released it from the clamp. It attacked several points in the box before the CO2 levels finally became too much and it laid down.

“Analyze item,” ordered Javier to the computer. “Compare to known venoms on Earth and possible antidotes.”

“Analyzing,” stated the computer as the venom was broken down at the molecular level and the computer quickly compared it to known venoms on Earth. It didn’t take long for the computer to come up with a match. Ogawa and Javier looked it over as well as the molecular comparison and saw it was close enough for a match.

“Mary? This is Javier,” he said over the communicator.

“Go!” he heard Mary say without seeing her voice. The communicator showed her rushing through the ship towards the infirmary along with the techs.

“Analysis shows it’s close to Inland Taipan venom,” said Javier. “We’re sending a recommended antidote, but you have to be quick!”

“Taipan! Got it!” stated Mary as the transmission ended.

“Bad?” asked Ben.

“The venom from a Taipan can kill in less than an hour,” said Ogawa. “Interesting the insect has a similar venom to a reptile.”

“I wonder how many of those are out there?” asked Ben.

“Doctor Ogawa, if you wouldn’t mind doing some follow up with the Ag team,” said Javier.

“Absolutely,” said Ogawa as she nodded at them both. “Commander, Doctor.”

“We knew it would happen,” said Ben.

“Yeah, we got a lucky break on that one though,” said Javier. “Had he been out with a science team off site, I’m not sure it would have been enough time.”

“Going forward, we should send a medical specialist with the offsite teams,” said Ben.

“I know some of Tasha’s troops are combat medic,” said Javier. “They’re always there.”

“Yeah, but how many would know about that antidote?” asked Ben. “So, either we get the Science and Medical departments to give them a whole lot more training…”

“Or we train up medical folks to go with us,” said Javier.

“I’m thinking both actually,” said Ben. “I’ll talk it over with Tasha and Mary.”

“My folks would be glad to help,” said Javier. “As soon as we’re done identifying the known hazards on this planet.”

“Which will be in a thousand years,” chuckled Ben.

“As things come up, we’ll be more than happy to pass them along,” said Javier. “If you don’t mind, I’m going to head to the Ag section and check in on this myself.”

“Please,” said Ben as he wandered over to the Security Control Center where Tasha was busy on the computer.

“Commander,” she stated.

“Got an issue I need to talk over with you,” said Ben.

“Something I did wrong?” she asked.

“No, absolutely not,” said Ben. “It’s about your combat medics.”

“Did they do something wrong?” she asked.

“Why all the negative waves?” he asked.

“Big boss wants to talk over an issue,” she stated with shrugged shoulders.

“No, nothing bad,” said Ben. “But here’s the deal. Your combat medics are well trained in combat wounds and triage if it comes down to it. However, we likely aren’t going to be facing combat related injuries on this planet.”

“True,” said Tasha. “What brought this up?”

Ben spent several moments describing the situation out at the farm as well as the idea of placing experienced combat medics or medical personnel on each offsite team.

“Yeah, you bring up another good point,” said Tasha with a sigh.

“Something on your mind?” asked Ben.

“Just a lot of things I should have thought of,” said Tasha. “I should have realized we weren’t going to be facing gunfire and explosions and gotten my medics training in other areas.”

“It’s not like you’re the Lone Ranger here,” said Ben. “Not a one of us thought about that until something happened at the farm.”

“Still, you placed a lot of faith in my ability to think about problems before they come up,” said Tasha. “This is an item I should have anticipated.”

“Well, frankly, we all should have anticipated it,” said Ben. “Regardless, the point has been made and what are we going to do about it?”

“I’ll get with Mary about additional training,” said Tasha.

“I’d also enlist the help of the Science Department,” said Ben. “They are the ones that will discover the nasty little items in the first place.”

“True,” said Tasha. “So, Javier and Mary.”

“Hey, none of us thought about it,” said Ben. “But now that we know, let’s correct it.”

“Absolutely,” said Tasha as she typed out a quick message to both Mary and Javier about the situation and requested a meeting, but stopped before sending it out. “Wait, aren’t we meeting tonight?”

“Yeah, we were supposed to,” said Ben. “But Mary is on the ship, so we’ll likely reschedule it.”

“I can at least get with Javier,” said Tasha. “As well as getting these duty rosters complete.”

“I’ll check and see if Mary will be back by tonight, but I think I know the answer to that already,” said Ben as he would give her an hour before calling if she hadn’t called first. Tasha retrieved her carbine and headed towards the Science team area, finding Javier still observing the newly found insect in the box.

“That thing is nasty looking,” said Tasha with a scrunched up nose at the nearly 100mm long spider. It saw someone new come into the room and immediately took to attacking that area of the plexiglass trying to get at her.

“It’s certainly not pleasant,” said Javier. “Something up?”

“Yeah, Ben came and talked to me about my medics?” she asked.

“Yeah, we can go through some additional science stuff with them along with Mary’s folks so your guys can be better trained for things like this,” said Javier.

“I so want to let that out and stomp the hell out of it,” said Tasha as the spider eventually got tired of hitting the plexiglass and went dormant once again.

“I take it you don’t like spiders?” he asked.

“Not in particular,” said Tasha. “I’m not real fond of anything with more than four legs.”

“Anyway, we’ve identified a number of plants and insects which are known hazards. This one being the worst we’ve encountered so far,” said Javier.

“Seems like an angry little booger,” said Tasha as she tapped on the plexiglass and caused the insect to go crazy once again.

“It does help when you aren’t making it angry,” said Javier.

“Sorry,” said Tasha. “Anyway, when would you like to set that up?”

“Maybe after we get the ship landed and start getting more settled?” asked Javier.

“If those things are biting people now, it might not be a bad idea to start training on treatments at the moment,” said Tasha. “How bad was it?”

“Pretty bad and pretty sudden,” said Javier. “Okay, I’ll get my folks working on it.”

“Let me know the times,” said Tasha as Chuck came in. “Hi Chuck.”

“Hey,” he said with a smile and immediately went to the newest discovery which, in turn, tried to attack him as well.

“It only goes after the pigs,” said Tasha with a barely concealed grin.

“Then it has about 400 targets,” said Chuck.

“Huh?” asked Tasha.

“Well, all men are probably pigs,” said Chuck. “Interesting it hasn’t quite figured out not to attack the barrier yet.”

“Or it doesn’t care,” said Javier. “We’re going to be doing a known hazards class for Tasha’s medics. Anything of note off the top of your head that’s dangerous?”

“Animal wise? Several have venoms or caustic saliva,” said Chuck. “Want me to pull up some pictures?”

“Not at the moment,” said Tasha. “Just a general briefing would be helpful.”

“I’ll do it,” said Chuck.

“Any snakes we need to be worried about?” she asked.

“That’s the million credit question,” said Chuck.

“What do you mean?” asked Tasha.

“We haven’t found any snakes yet,” said Chuck. “We’re beginning to think they never evolved on this planet.”

“Really?” asked Tasha.

“Not going to put money on that, but we haven’t found anything remotely snakelike so far,” said Javier. “Not to say we aren’t looking.”

“Snakes I can deal with,” said Tasha. “Spiders…no thanks.”

“We’ve found plenty of lizards, but no snakes,” said Chuck. “And plenty of spiders.”

“Yeah, you can keep them,” said Tasha. “Anything else?”

“No, I’ll get with Mary and find out when she can have her folks available,” said Javier.

“Thank you,” said Tasha as she nodded at Chuck and departed, heading back towards the headquarters for the colony. As she arrived, she found Ben had just started talking to Mary.

“He’ll pull through?” asked Ben.

“I’m going to be honest, it’s touch and go at the moment,” said Mary. “The venom dose he received was significant, but the antivenom seems to be working.”

“How long until you know?” asked Ben.

“Probably not until tomorrow morning,” said Mary as she saw another figure in the screen. “Hi Tasha.”

“Hey girl,” said Tasha with a smile. “At least you’re safe on the ship with no spiders.”

“You aren’t fond of them either?” asked Mary with a smile.

“Hate the things,” said Tasha. “Though they look very nice underneath my boot.”

“I’m with you except I wouldn’t want to be that close,” said Mary with half a smile. “Regardless, I’ll keep you apprised about my patient.”

“You probably don’t have any idea of long term effects yet?” asked Ben.

“No, but the computer is running simulations so we might have an idea about it in a few hours,” said Mary. “Other than that, we’re back to 20th century medicine in waiting to see what happens and going from there.”

“Okay, thanks for the call,” said Ben.

“Bye,” said Mary with a smile. Ben put the communicator back in his pocket as he turned to Tasha.

“You spoke with Javier?” he asked.

“And Chuck,” said Tasha. “No, we did not agree to go on a date.”

“Anyway,” said Ben.

“I’ve got the memorial service planned for tomorrow, though I’d like to get some augmentation in the towers from other sections so my people can attend,” said Tasha.

“Done,” said Ben. “Which sections would be best?”

“I’ll keep at least one of mine in the towers, but the rovers have the ability to attend while being on duty,” said Tasha. “Honestly, I’d like to ask Allen if his security trained individuals would like to come down and take their place for a few hours.”

“That’s normally an additional duty on the ship,” said Ben.

“I know,” said Tasha. “But frankly, the others just aren’t up to speed just yet and with something that bad out there, I think we need security minded individuals in those towers.”

“How many will you need?” asked Ben, agreeing with her logic.

“Minimum of 12, one per tower,” said Tasha. “Maybe another eight for rovers?”

“20 total?” asked Ben.

“Only for a few hours,” said Tasha.

“Might as well cover the entire shift,” said Ben. “I’ll call Allen and find out.”

“Thank you,” said Tasha. “Anything else?”

“No, thanks for thinking of the little things,” said Ben.

“I have no idea who will perform the eulogy for Specialist Church,” said Tasha. “Everyone I’ve spoken to generally just doesn’t know her. She kept to herself for the most part.”

“No boyfriend or close friends?” asked Ben.

“Nobody that’s said anything,” said Tasha.

“I spoke with her once, I think,” said Ben. “She seemed a bit shy.”

“I’ll keep looking,” said Tasha.

“And Sergeant Braun?” asked Ben.

“He made plenty of friends here,” said Tasha. “Though nobody really knew him well enough to do the eulogy.”

“Which means?” asked Ben.

“Which means I’ll be the one taking care of both,” said Tasha.

“You going to be okay?” asked Ben.

“It’s part of that command responsibility,” said Tasha. “I’ll be okay.”

“If you need help, let me know,” said Ben. Tasha took her leave and headed to her quarters to start thinking of the words she would say about her two troopers. As she walked along aimlessly, she came across Chuck once again.

“Major,” he said formally. She didn’t respond and he felt like she was in deep thought over something and didn’t press the matter.

“Guess I’m not good enough to say hi too?” she asked once he passed.

“I politely called you Major and nodded,” he said.

“I didn’t hear you,” she stated. “Just deep thinking.”

“About your troops?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said with a sigh. “I haven’t gotten to know everyone like I should have and I’m not sure what to say about them.”

“Weren’t you a commander on Earth before we left?” he asked.

“I was, but I’d known most of them for years and the new folks that came on board everyone got to know quickly,” said Tasha. “Being tossed together here with 800 new people means there’s a steep learning curve on everyone.”

“Would you like some help?” he asked. “I didn’t know them, but maybe I can help with what you did know.”

“Why does everyone think I need help?” exclaimed Tasha. “I’m not some dingbat that doesn’t have a clue, you know!”

“I wasn’t meaning to be offensive,” said Chuck as he was surprised at her outburst. Tasha shook her head before sighing deeply.

“No, it’s me,” said Tasha. “I shouldn’t have gone off on you like that. Pressure of command.”

“Want to grab a bite to eat and take your mind off it for a few minutes?” he asked.

“No, thank you,” she stated. “It’s something I need to get a jump on.”

“There’s plenty of people willing to help you if you give them a chance,” said Chuck with a warm smile hoping it might cheer her a bit.

“Are you flirting with me right now?” she asked.

“Not everything’s about you, Tasha,” said Chuck as he departed angrily. She was tempted to go after him and apologize, but still had work to be done and her pride wouldn’t allow it. However, she made a split second decision and ran after him.

“Chuck…thank you,” she stated as she caught up to him and he stopped.

“Sure,” he scoffed.

“I mean it,” she stated. “I just wasn’t expecting to lose anyone this soon after landing.”

“We’re in a dangerous place with all sorts of unseen threats just like that spider,” he stated. “I hate to sound callous, but we are going to lose people and I’ve accepted that fact. You? You come from a highly trained special warfare unit where you got the best of the best and they probably were better than everyone else. Here? You’ve probably got some ordinary Joes and Janes that aren’t quite up to the level of your former command.”

“I know they are good at what they do and I sleep very well at night knowing you and your people are out there protecting us. But let’s face facts here, none of us were prepared for that monster coming after us,” said Chuck. “But your people gave their lives so the rest of us could survive and fight again. That’s important.”

“They did,” said Tasha, getting unusually quiet.

“I’ll leave you to it, but sometimes you need a break from everything to clear your mind,” he said. “So, I’m asking as a colleague if you want to at least have a cup of coffee or a bite to eat and put this out of your mind for a few minutes.”

“A colleague?” she asked.

“Well, you aren’t a friend yet,” he stated. “And we certainly aren’t dating.”

“No, I’d likely be formatting a good alibi and preparing to spend the insurance settlement if we were involved,” she said with half a smile. “But, yes, I accept.”

“No ill intentions, I promise,” said Chuck. “Just coffee and talking.”

“I promise to try to not be so…” she started to say and her voice trailed off.

“So you?” he asked with half a grin.

“That’s one way of putting it,” she stated with a laugh, the first time in several days she had. They traveled the short distance to the mess where he grabbed a premade sandwich along with some potato salad while she just grabbed a cup of tea and joined him at an unoccupied table. Others came and went as the kitchen was a 30 hour a day operation, but typically only served the main meals at certain times and had premade items during the rest of the times. Chuck decided to go ahead and brief her on the potential threatening species rather than small talk at the moment, seeing she wasn’t in the mindset of chitchat. She asked good questions about several of the species he mentioned and he did his best to answer them.

“Bees, huh?” she asked.

“The Novae Spes equivalent,” he stated. “They don’t have stingers, but they do have a nasty bite which will leave a nice welt. Not really much venom, but enough of them biting you could cause a reaction that would need to be treated.”

“Hostile?” asked Tasha.

“About like a honeybee on Earth,” he stated. “Don’t mess with them, they don’t mess with you.”

“What’s the nest look like?” she asked.

“That we haven’t found yet,” admitted Chuck.

“That’s handy info to have,” she stated.

“You’ll be one of the first to know,” he stated.

“I will admit something,” she stated after there was a pause. “I did need some time to take my mind off the situation as it stood. Thank you.”

“There’s plenty of us around here willing to help,” said Chuck. “All you need to do is ask.”

“I’ve worked my ass off to get everything I’ve ever gotten,” said Tasha. “Admitting I need help is tantamount to surrender in my world.”

“Never surrendered either, huh?” he asked.

“Nope, there’s always another way out of every situation you get into,” said Tasha. “That mindset has kept me alive.”

“Hopefully, it keeps the rest of us alive as well,” said Chuck.

“I’ll protect you,” she stated and immediately regretted her word choice. “I mean, we’ll keep you safe! Not me in particular! The Security Force will protect those under their charge!”

“I didn’t think any more into it,” he said.

“I just…I didn’t want you to think I was making a pass at you or something,” she stated.

“Furthest thing from my mind,” he stated. “You are defensive about it.”

“I just didn’t want you thinking…” she started to argue, but stopped.

“That you were on the market for a little after hours fun?” he asked.

“That’s not as crude as I would have put it,” she stated with a smirk.

“Sometimes I say things for shock value,” he stated.

“It’s just…you’re single, I’m single and you’ve already checked me out that one time on the ship. I just figured you had other intentions on your mind,” she admitted.

“I’m sorry if you’re an attractive woman that caught my eye,” he stated. “And I should have apologized after it happened. I apologize now.”

“Apology accepted,” she said with a nod. “Doesn’t change the fact we were infected with a possibly bad bug and you had…male thoughts on your mind.”

“It’s a normal human reaction, okay?” he stated with a frown.

“Yeah, getting sick and checking out a woman is natural,” she scoffed.

“I apologized and I should have a while ago,” he stated. “I’m sorry, okay?”

“It’s the principle,” said Tasha.

“I felt like we got past that,” said Chuck.

“Women remember everything,” said Tasha. “Especially things like that.”

“I suppose a grown woman and a grown man just can’t sit and have a friendly conversation after all,” he stated as he prepared to leave. “Nor can you let things go.”

“No, Chuck, I…” she began to apologize and held his arm down. “I’m still a little on edge.”

“Look, you have nothing to fear from me,” he stated. “I’d like to be friends, but I’m not sure you’re ready for that.”

“We can start slow, okay?” she asked. “I know I can be tough to deal with.”

“Understatement,” he chuckled.

“That’s almost offensive,” she said with a frown.

“Except you know it’s true,” he laughed.

“Maybe a little,” she said as half a smile came across her face.

“Look, I’m interested in being friends, nothing more, nothing less,” he stated. “I think we all will need a friend we can open up to eventually on this planet.”

“I think you’re probably right,” she admitted.

“I’m here if you ever just need someone to talk to, okay?” he stated. “As friends, nothing more.”

“Thank you,” she said with a smile.

“I do need to get back to work,” he said as she still was holding his arm on the table preventing him from leaving. She jerked it back, not even realizing she had been holding him there since stopping him before.

“Sorry,” she stated and blushed slightly.

“I know you are used to getting in the last word, but holding me here isn’t helping you win arguments,” he said with a laugh.

“You haven’t argued with me yet,” she laughed.

“You may think you’re stubborn, but I’m just as bad,” he said with a grin. “I’ll catch up with you later, okay?”

“Sure,” she said. “Bye.”

“Take care,” he said as he dropped off the plate in the wash bin and the recycle material in another before heading back to the science compound. As she was about to leave, Ben joined her at the table.

“Didn’t want to interrupt the love birds,” he said as he sat down.

“We are not love birds!” she protested.

“Why did you hold him down?” asked Ben with a hidden grin.

“Mistake on my part, okay?” she said defensively.

“And you were making gaga eyes at him,” said Ben.

“I was not!” she objected.

“Anyway,” said Ben.

“I was not making gaga eyes at him!” she repeated.

“Sure looked like it,” said Ben. “Anyway.”

“Anyway,” she stated. “He was passing on some info about the animal life they’ve encountered that could pose a threat.”

“Was he included in that threatening animal life?” asked Ben as she saw he was trying to hide a smile.

“Enough,” said Tasha with a frown. “He has important information that could help us all.”

“I’ll relent,” said Ben as he saw she was in a slightly better frame of mind than earlier. He didn’t bring up the memorial as he knew she was smart enough to have that in the back of her mind. Another member of the Expedition came up and plopped down next to Tasha.

“Didn’t want to come over and interrupt the happy couple,” said Rachelle as she opened the salad she picked up from the counter.

“Ben and I aren’t a couple,” said Tasha with confusion.

“I meant the cute scientist you had dreamy eyes for,” said Rachelle. “Let’s face it, Chuck is pretty dang hot.”

“Oh, my God!” exclaimed Tasha loud enough for others to hear her. “We are not dating!”

“Never said you were,” said Rachelle.

“I want everyone within the sound of my voice to know Doctor Chuck Dawson and I are not dating!” announced Tasha.

“Feel better?” asked Ben as he saw others chuckling at her outburst.

“Not really,” grumped Tasha.

“Tasha, you’re my girl and all, but you really need to get laid,” said Rachelle as she took a fork full of salad and casually put it in her mouth. She saw Ben out of the corner of her eye having to spit the lemonade he had been drinking back into the cup and coughed while trying to keep from laughing at the look on Tasha’s face. One word came to mind for that look and it was priceless.

“Do what?!” she exclaimed.

“Sex is a good way of stress reduction,” said Rachelle with shrugged shoulders. “I mean, look at me. I’m all kinds of stress free.”

“Wait, what?” asked Tasha as he was finally able to compose herself.

“Sex is a useful tool in stress reduction,” said Rachelle.

“You mean you’ve been having sex?!” exclaimed Tasha barely above a whisper.

“Normal act men and women perform,” said Rachelle with shrugged shoulders between bites.

“And this gentleman might be?” asked Ben.

“Dmitri with Ag,” said Rachelle. “I kinda hinted it at you some time ago.”

“You’ve got a boyfriend?!” demanded Tasha.

“Yep and so could you if you gave it even a halfhearted effort,” said Rachelle. “I mean, Chuck probably needs a release as well.”

“I’m not having sex with Chuck just to…relieve my tension!” exclaimed Tasha.

“Well, thanks for announcing that to the dining hall,” said Rachelle as others had gotten a little quieter as they were listening in on the conversation. Tasha turned beet red as she noticed more than a few people watching her.

“I do hope you’re being careful,” said Ben.

“I’m always careful,” said Rachelle. “Anyway, I’m sure you wouldn’t need much effort into your stress reduction as well. Come to think of it, you have another Director that could probably use that technique as well.”

“I think this is where the conversation ends,” said Ben. “On my part at least.”

“Suit yourself,” said Rachelle as she turned back to Tasha. “Anyway, I do think it would do you a world of good.”

“My stress is just fine,” said Tasha as she lowered her voice.

“Uh huh,” said Rachelle. “Anyway, just speaking my mind as you know I will.”

“Is this kind of thing widespread?” asked Ben.

“Oh, I’d say far more than you imagine,” said Rachelle. “Remember the other day when I came into the emergency meeting with shorts on? Yeah, I wasn’t catching a nap.”

“I see,” said Ben. “I knew it would happen, but I wasn’t sure it would be that quick.”

“You put 800 of us here together and we have little else to do but socialize. It’s going to happen a lot faster with zero other items to keep us occupied outside of work,” said Rachelle.

“I’m glad we brought an obstetrician with us,” said Ben.

“If I had to guess, you’re going to have a pregnant woman in about another month, two tops,” said Rachelle. “Just plan on it.”

“Yeah, I was hoping it might wait until after we at least get the ship landed,” said Ben.

“I’d say you’re safe on that part,” said Rachelle. “Unless Tasha messes up and gets a silver bullet during her stress reduction.”

“I’m so not getting pregnant because I’m so not having sex!” she objected again.

“Your loss, babe,” said Rachelle.

“Anyway,” said Ben as he tried to suppress a grin.

“Anyway,” said Rachelle as Tasha blushed up once again and was speechless.

“How is everything going on your front?” asked Ben.

“Everything is good,” said Rachelle. “We’ve been asked by Grady to extend our service with him until he gets those northern woods cleared.”

“It’s for a good reason,” said Ben.

“I agree,” said Rachelle. “It has been useful. I’m getting all kinds of crazy in shape by doing that manual labor. It’s good for the soul.”

“That it is,” said Ben as Tasha finally composed herself.

“We’ll be doing a sweep and clear each and every time they go out,” said Tasha. “Not that I mind it, but it’ll be a daily task until they get everything cut down.”

“Hopefully, that should be quicker,” said Ben as he heard a shuttle approaching. There wasn’t one planned so he decided to head out and see who had come to the surface. Upon landing, Allen, Cyrus, Charity and Mary all came out along with another half dozen returning colonists.

“I felt like you would have stayed,” said Ben as he greeted them.

“The treatment is going well and there’s nothing more for me to do up there that Doctor Chambless can’t take care of,” said Mary. “I’d say we’re out of the woods so to speak with our latest patient.”

“Plus, you had a staff meeting planned for this evening?” asked Allen.

“I forgot to send out the cancellation,” said Ben. “I guess we’re back on.”

“Nothing holding us back from doing it early,” said Mary. “If you’d like.”

“Let me see where the other Directors are,” said Ben as he quickly checked and found most of them somewhat available. He moved the meeting time up and asked for a response, finding everyone agreed to the earlier time and they would meet at the command trailer. The present Directors headed back to grab notepads and tablets as Ben did the same, hoping for some good news that would break the tension in the camp. It was something he planned to discuss at the meeting with the gathered group.

 

CHAPTER 30


“Looks like we have everyone here,” said Ben as the Directors and Assistant Directors had found seating in the cramped room. Rachelle was busy hooking up the system to project the plans for the colony as Ben continued to get down to business.

“Grady seems sure we can land the ship on the patch of ground the engineers cleared. With a huge help from both SIT and Ag in making that process go a lot faster. So, as long as the Director of Technology can get our system running…” said Ben.

“Yeah, it’s being stupid,” said Rachelle as she unplugged the device and restarted it.

“Is that a highly technical fix?” asked Javier.

“What? Restarting a device?” asked Rachelle. “Yeah, computer 101.”

“Figured there’d be something a little more technical for a fix,” chuckled Allen.

“Well, it’s a step before hammering it with a fist,” said Rachelle. “Tends to work better too.”

As the device rebooted, Ben saw the screen come alive and her prompts on the screen.

“Which file?” she asked as she brought up the menu on the memory crystal.

“That first one,” said Grady. Rachelle loaded the file as a 3-D image of the proposed colony was centered on the table. Everyone leaned in to get a better look as all the buildings were seen. Tasha poked her finger at a tower and saw a series of data come up with construction times, materials, labor requirement and whom it belonged to.

“Neat,” she said and poked at another building.

“Looks…way bigger than I was thinking,” said Rachelle.

“Remember, we’re not building for just us, but Expedition 2 as well,” said Grady. “We can zoom in on the individual buildings for more data.”

“Hmm,” remarked Rachelle. “Lot more infrastructure there than I was thinking.”

“Will it upset your timeline?” asked Ben.

“Not significantly so,” said Rachelle. “Charity and I can get a better idea after we go through the plans more in-depth. I mean, it’ll be pushed back, but not sure how much right now.”

“The science departments are kind of spread out,” remarked Javier as he was looking over the generic labels on the buildings.

“We tried doing it together, but the ground worked against us,” said Grady. “But overall, we tried to group like sciences together.”

“And this is taking into account the colonists arriving on Expedition 2?” asked Ben.

“The living quarters, yes,” said Grady. “The actual facilities…kind of.”

“How come that’s not more detailed?” asked Angeline.

“We don’t have a breakdown of how many people are assigned to what departments in the coming Expeditions,” said Grady. “So, if you’ll notice there are a bunch of blank or open facilities. We can make those into multi-purpose buildings that can be easily converted.”

“Smart,” said Angeline.

“Yeah, we thought so,” said Grady with a grin.

“Security outposts all along the perimeter?” asked Tasha.

“Yes,” said Cyrus. “It’s easier to build the facilities and towers in advance even if you aren’t using them. They mount right to the wall and can be closed up when not in use.”

“Nice,” said Tasha. “And a permanent security control center?”

“Will be right next to the command center,” said Cyrus.

“Kinda small, isn’t it?” asked Tasha.

“We…didn’t know if you needed something larger,” said Cyrus.

“If at all possible,” said Tasha. “We’ve got a lot of computers and monitors for the surveillance equipment that requires a lot of room. As well as the cooling towers for said equipment. So, if you could make it just a bit bigger, that’d be real nice.”

“Okay, we’ll double it,” said Grady.

“Just a bit more?” asked Tasha. “In case of expansion.”

“How about we combine it with the command center?” asked Ben. “Why have two rooms doing the same thing and reporting to each other?”

“That sounds reasonable,” said Tasha.

“Okay, combining the two gives you another 50% space,” said Grady. “Fair?”

“Thank you,” she replied.

“Can I bat my eyes and get a bit more room for supplies?” asked Rachelle.

“I don’t know about the batting eyes part,” said Grady. “But we’ll take it under consideration.”

“I know we have a central facility for the in-colony work,” said Kurt. “But a lot of our equipment should be stored onsite with the farms.”

“That’s in the plans,” said Grady as he expanded the view and showed the additional buildings created for that purpose along the farms they were working on.

“Just wanted to make sure,” said Kurt with a nod.

“The only other thing I’m missing is a dedicated firing range,” said Tasha. “It’s all well and good we have a place to pop off rounds right now without hitting anything, but having a true range with a proper backstop will be needed.”

“How far away from the colony would you want it?” asked Grady.

“As long as we fire away from the colony, I’d say a couple of kilometers,” said Tasha. “Call it five kilometers to be safe.”

“I’ll scout out some areas,” said Grady. “Javier has graciously allowed my team to use the science drones from time to time for that purpose.

The remainder of the group made suggestions and changes while Grady and Cyrus annotated them on a tablet for the planning engineer to make the appropriate changes later on. Once everyone had their say, Grady brought up the final point.

“I know sometimes this job in leadership can get difficult, so I thought something nice for you guys might be helpful,” he remarked. “I’ve taken the liberty of planning individual bungalows for the leadership team to include Angeline, Charity and Cyrus. You won’t have to share quarters with anyone and provides a bit more living space given your rank and privileges.”

“Why do I think of a grass hut when he says bungalow?” asked Angeline with a laugh.

“Think of it as a cabin instead,” said Grady with a laugh. "Or a smaller house."

"By small you mean?" asked Ben.

"Around 185 square meters," said Grady. "Three level including a basement."

"That's not quite small," remarked Ben.

“That’s very thoughtful, Grady,” said Mary. “Do we at least get to pick the color?”

“Inside and out,” he chuckled.

“I like it,” she grinned. “Flowers?”

“Yeah, that’s on you,” laughed Cyrus.

“Okay, last, but certainly not least,” said Ben. “Captain Smith.”

“Which is soon to be not-so-Captain Smith,” said Allen. “As you well know, we will be ready to land the Santa Maria tomorrow after sunrise. We will commence shuttle runs of all remaining passengers before first light and will only have the crew on board for the landing. She’s a fat girl and it’s going to take some time to bring her down easy, but still somewhat dangerous. So, we’re playing it safe in taking off anyone who isn’t critical and sending them to the surface.”

“We have the memorial planned for tomorrow morning,” said Tasha.

“Can we slip the landing a day?” asked Ben as he turned to Allen, knowing such things were important.

“Another day won’t hurt us in the least,” said Allen. “It’ll give Charity more time in the simulators if she wants.”

“I’ll take all the time I can get,” said Charity.

“I’m going to go ahead and say it right now, we need to keep track of our people when that ship does come in for a landing,” said Ben. “When that thing comes in, they do not need to be anywhere near it when it lands.”

“Being that we don’t have full up thermal plating and shielding, we do have to ease her into the atmosphere and bring her down gently. As a matter of fact, she’s already descending and we are projected to enter the atmosphere right after dawn tomorrow,” said Allen. “We’ll place our orbit on hold until we get a better timeline.”

“Anything we can do to help?” asked Rachelle. “When the time comes?”

“As Ben said, just keep your folks corralled in the central area,” said Allen. “If someone gets stuck under the landing gear, it’ll be a long time before we dig them out.”

“I’ll make sure to get my pictures early,” grinned Rachelle.

“Or not,” said Charity. “I can get that promotion, right?”

“Not cool, sis,” objected Rachelle.

“And Miss Steele will be the pilot at the controls when we bring the ship in,” said Allen. “She’s the best pilot I’ve got and will land this thing on a dime.”

“Inappropriate time to make a women pilot joke?” asked Javier with a grin and was backhanded by Angeline. “Or not.”

“It’ll be perfect,” said Charity.

“Are we planning on trying to chase off the featheroos?” asked Tasha.

“I…hadn’t really thought about that,” said Ben. “I think they should be scared away by the sight of the ship, right?”

“Don’t know enough about them to say,” said Javier. “They got accustomed to us pretty quickly, so there is a chance they might ignore it even as massive as it is.”

“I’ll volunteer to take the lead,” said Tasha.

“No, you’ll stay behind and I’ll remove the featheroos,” said Ben.

“I’d prefer you sticking by the colony, boss,” said Javier. “I can take care of it.”

“Along with me,” said Ben. “I was going to ask you anyway.”

“Oh, okay,” said Javier.

“Fine, leave the girl behind,” said Tasha.

“You just want to get close to the featheroos,” laughed Javier. “Try to snag one as a pet.”

“Well, yeah,” said Tasha. “That’s not a secret.”

“Two,” said Rachelle. “Get two please. One for me, one for you.”

“Okay, moving on,” said Ben. “Regardless of everything else, the most dangerous part of the journey with the Santa Maria is when she lands. All work details save normal security operations and emergency medical will cease an hour before and an hour after landing. I’ll want every shuttle and pilot you have off the ship and down on the surface.”

“What is the projected landing time?” asked Grady.

“At the moment, we can’t say specifically,” said Allen. “Could be as late as 2300 after we start.”

“Novae Spes time, right?” asked Grady.

“Yes,” said Allen. “Making a long story short, we might be able to speed up or have to slow down since we might still heat up when entering the atmosphere. Could be as early as 1200 to 1300, could be as late as 2300 as we stated.”

“Pretty big window,” said Ben.

“Better safe than sorry,” said Allen.

“No arguments here,” said Ben. “We’ll need the team leaders to listen up for the call to stop work and bring everyone in. Anything major on the schedule?”

“Nothing at the moment,” said Grady. “Not from our end at least. Just clearing out those northern woods like we spoke about.”

“We’re at the mercy of Grady and his guys,” said Rachelle. “All my folks will want to watch.”

“Same here,” said Javier.

“Medical will be on alert in case anything goes wrong,” said Mary. “Not that it will.”

“Standard security posting,” said Tasha. “I’m going to toss on a couple more teams into an alert mode and put the remainder of the off-duty folks at the disposal of Mary.”

“As will my folks,” said Kurt.

“Sounds like you guys have done a lot of detail work prior to the meeting,” said Ben. “Makes my job a whole lot easier.”

“Yep, you just get to sit there and drink coffee and hold the clipboard,” chuckled Grady.

“Because I do that so much,” chuckled Ben. “Okay, the memorial is planned for…Tasha?”

“1000 local,” she replied. “Captain Smith, I was going to coordinate with you on getting some of your security trained individuals so my folks could take part in the memorial.”

“When and where will they report?” he asked without question.

“Let’s call it 0800 and at my central storage,” she replied. “I’ll have one of mine along with one of yours on all the posts.”

“Oh, I was planning on sending them all down,” said Allen. “How many will you need?”

“Twenty,” said Tasha.

“I have no problems sending more,” said Allen. “They’ve all been getting the training as well as working with your folks when their spot comes up on the rotation.”

“Let’s call it 28 total,” said Tasha. “I’ll still need key personnel in some positions.”

“You’ll have them,” said Allen.

“Okay, what else are we missing?” asked Ben.

“I’d certainly like the rest of the day to look over the colony plans,” said Javier. “I think we all can make suggestions after we look it over and think about it more.”

“Objections?” asked Ben. Everyone agreed and would come back to Grady individually with comments, questions or suggestions and he would take them into consideration once he heard from all the sections.

“One other thing and I’m not trying to sound callous about this,” said Mary. “But we need a cemetery or a memorial spot for our two lost members.”

“Yes, we do,” said Ben. “Have something in mind?”

“I do,” said Rachelle as she brought up the satellite image of the local area. “It’s off the main colony area, but this area here to the northeast sits on a hill overlooking the river. It’s already cleared for the most part.”

“I was thinking something a little more secure,” said Ben.

“For a cemetery?” she asked. “We can put a memorial in the colony, but it’s a peaceful area that likely won’t ever be built on.”

“I like it,” said Tasha who had more at stake than anyone.

“We’ll take care of any additional clearing that’s needed,” said Grady.

“I will want a full security contingent going out,” said Ben.

“I don’t think you’ll have a lack of volunteers,” said Tasha.

“Do it,” said Ben. “Grady, do you think your folks can come up with a memorial obelisk or statue in the colony walls?”

“Absolutely,” said Grady. “We’ll do you proud.”

“Thank you,” said Ben. No other business was brought up as the Directors headed back to their individual sections to go over the plans in detail. Provided not all of them would have a 3-D projector, memory crystals were handed out with the detailed plans they could look at along with the annotations.

“We’ll meet again tomorrow night if that’s okay to finalize the plans for landing the ship,” said Ben. “Otherwise, if your folks would like to attend the memorial, please see to it they have the opportunity to do so.”

“Location?” asked Rachelle.

“I’m thinking my compound would be best,” said Tasha. “I have that overhang we can use.”

“That’ll be perfect,” said Rachelle. “I’ll have a PA system set up along with a couple of screens with pictures of the fallen.”

“I didn’t know you were doing that,” said Tasha and was genuinely moved by the consideration shown by Rachelle. “Thank you.”

“Anytime,” said Rachelle.

“Okay, we’ll meet tomorrow night at…1900 hours,” said Ben. “Local time.”

“It’ll be nice having one time zone to deal with before long,” said Allen.

“That it will,” said Ben. “Speaking of, one of Cyrus’ more industrious members already came up with local clocks and watches. If you want one, get with him.”

“It takes a little time, but they are worth it,” said Cyrus. Everyone immediately requested one as Cyrus made a mental note of how many to produce. The rest of the Directors either left or did their smaller individual meetings on the side as they always did. Ben headed out into the colony just to meet with the individual colonists he hadn’t seen yet. Like Tasha, he felt he needed to get to know the others better and it was past time to do so.

********************
​

The colony members started stepping into the covered area for the memorial service and the area filled far quicker than planned. The stage had been set for both individuals with the carbines placed upside down and a set of their boots in front of them. Pictures of the two in uniform were seen showing which memorial was for whom. Eventually, the area became so crowded, people were standing outside.

“More people than planned,” said Tasha.

“Let’s move it outside?” asked Ben as more of a suggestion rather than a question.

“I think that’s best,” said Tasha. The command group stepped forward to gather the items as Tasha took the podium and made an announcement.

“I didn’t realize we were going to have this many people here today, so we’re going to move the ceremony outside to the area next to the command center,” she stated.

“Need help moving anything?” asked a member of the SIT Team.

“No, we’ve got everything we need,” said Tasha as she saw Ben was leading the effort on getting everything moved. The individuals shuffled out of the area into the open field next to the command trailer where they at least had a bit of breathing room. Rachelle quickly set up the podium and speaker system as even more people arrived, having over 500 people there before the ceremony was to begin. The large screens were moved showing the various pictures that had captured the pair both during the journey and since they arrived at Novae Spes.

The memorial service started with the singing of a couple of Christian hymns since Specialist Church was found to have been religious and it was thought Sergeant Braun might have been as well. The words to the individual hymns were displayed on the large screens for the crowd as they sang the unfamiliar songs. The accompanying music had been played over the speakers as many were unfamiliar with the hymns. Even with all the discoveries that had been made, people still had faith in the world, trusting that God had a plan for them. The strange thing was since they had been on the surface, more people had taken to reading the Bible and even some holding prayer groups. As the songs finished, Tasha went forward to the podium and took in a deep breath before flattening out the papers she had handwritten for the occasion.

“We’re here today, not just to remember, but to celebrate the lives of two of our comrades, Specialist Katherine Church and Sergeant Reginald Braun. Being soldiers, we know our job isn’t easy as death can and will visit us when we least expect it. However, they both knew the risks and still stepped forward to voluntarily put their lives on the line for everyone else in the colony. They gave the ultimate sacrifice knowing this and willingly laid down their lives for others to escape the clutches of a new danger we found on this planet.”

“Sergeant Braun, known as Reggie to his friends, was thrilled to be here on the planet. Originally from Great Falls, Montana, he was one of the first selections made for the Expedition coming here. He served with the North American Army since turning 18 in various places around the world where there was conflict. Like many of us, he left no family behind and had adopted us as his brothers and sisters since being here.”

“Everyone had the same words to describe him regardless of department he worked for. And that word was ‘excited.’ It didn’t matter if he went with the science teams and found a new plant or was working with the agriculture teams and a new leaf sprung from the ground, his excitement about being here never wavered. One of the science team members told me he would go down on his off duty time and just observe the new discoveries being made each and every day and share in the same excitement they had over the little things they found.”

“His excitement didn’t stop there as he was always one of the first to step forward to volunteer for a mission, first to step forward and take a shift for someone who wasn’t feeling well and the first to go into harm’s way if needed. But he never lost his drive for being here even with the long hours and trials we’ve faced. He loved sports and just being with his friends. He made friends easily as each and every person I’ve talked to was saddened by his loss.”

“Specialist Church, Katy to those who knew her, was introverted. Not to say she was socially awkward, but she was a very private person. Originally from Corozal, Belize, she voluntarily enlisted for the military late at 21 years old, but had already made a significant mark by being promoted quickly through her hard work and dedication. She is survived by her parents who are still in Belize and a sister who lives in Madison, Wisconsin.”

“It took a lot of asking and digging to find anything about her, but those who remembered her always said she was friendly enough and started every conversation off with a smile. I later found out she was an artist as well. Since being here, she had a sketch book filled with pictures of those she worked around and the things she saw. I don’t know how she had the time to complete them all, but she had that rare ability to capture a perfect moment in time with her drawings. Things that would typically pass us by without another thought became an entire universe to her on paper. She leaves behind her memories of the first days in our new home for all to see for generations to come.”

“The few times I interacted with her, she was always pleasant and stepped forward like everyone else. Like Sergeant Braun, she stepped up to the challenge of confronting an unknown enemy even knowing her life was on the line. When the camera footage was released, she noticed Sergeant Braun had become tangled in roots from a nearby tree. Even with the creature bearing down on them, she turned around to make sure her teammate was safe. She could have run away and maybe survived, but she exemplified the saying no person left behind and paid the ultimate price for trying to save her comrade.”

“The actions of both Reggie and Katy are examples of unselfish sacrifice to us all. Both stepped up numerous times in their career starting with volunteering for service, volunteering for hazardous duty, volunteering for the expedition and finally volunteering to go out to place the lives of others ahead of their own. There is a saying from the old Pararescue Jumpers from Earth which is ‘so that others may live.’ Both Katy and Reggie exemplified that saying all the way to their own untimely death, distracting the creature so that others would live.”

“We celebrate the lives of Reggie and Katy today, remembering them for the light they provided in all our lives. Their sacrifice will be remembered by all, but their lives will be celebrated more. Whether it’s starting off a conversation with a smile or being excited about the little things we are discovering here, both set a high bar of how we should act in this place.”

“If you would, please join me in a moment of silence for the two,” said Tasha as she concluded her remarks. Many bowed their head in respect with several saying a quick prayer. A full minute passed as Tasha began speaking again.

“Is there anyone who would like to add anything to this memorial?” she asked. Tasha was about to turn over the memorial to Ben for final remarks when a surprising colonist stepped forward to the podium.

“Is it okay if I speak?” asked Doctor Jim Kirk.

“Please,” said Tasha as she was surprised at the situation. Kirk went behind the podium and set his hands on the side before drawing in a deep breath.

“I didn’t know Reggie as well as some of you out there, but that young man had an impact on my life without even knowing it. I was working late in the lab one night, studying ocean current patterns of all things, when Sergeant Braun came in. I could tell he had just come from his duty post as he still had his weapons and equipment they carry every day. I asked if he needed someone or something in particular, but he told me he was interested in science and just wanted to help. And if he couldn’t help, he just wanted to watch.”

“I thought that a bit strange, but I had no reason to make him leave. He sat quietly during the time I was working until I came to end of what I was working on, something as simple as how the polar ice reacts with the oceanic currents. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal as the conclusions I was working on matched what I had hypothesized at the beginning. But Reggie? He thought it was quite an amazing discovery. After I stepped back and looked at my research, I too thought it was an amazing situation I had uncovered. He thanked me profusely for allowing him to be a part of something I considered trivial and vowed to come back again.”

“Sure enough, the very next day in fact, Reggie appeared carrying his equipment and helping yet another scientist. This time, the zoologist discovered a new subsect of featheroo we hadn’t seen before. And yet again, Reggie was simply amazed and excited over the discovery and shared in the joy of being there when something new was discovered. The situation repeated itself again and again several times over with Reggie being there as we discovered new things and proposed new ideas. As well as learning to take part in the experiments himself.”

“As I stand here talking to you, I’m reminded that all discoveries we make, no matter how small we might believe them to be at the time, are important and something we should be excited over. Reggie can teach us all to share in the excitement of being on a new world and what an exciting place this can be. I wish we all had but a fraction of the desire he had to expand our knowledge and be excited about it. Reggie taught me all over again to be excited about the spirit of discovery and to revel in the advances we make. I, for one, will be a better scientist and a better person by remembering to never disregard even the smallest discovery and to pass on that excitement to all those around me,” concluded Kirk.

Kirk politely nodded at the crowd as Tasha shook his hand and thanked him sincerely for speaking at the memorial even unplanned as it was. She was about to take the podium once again, but was stopped by yet another surprising figure who asked to speak.

“Please,” said Tasha as Sergeant Olivia Taylor came to the podium and took a deep breath.

“Like Doctor Kirk, I had not planned to speak today, but I feel it’s important to pass on something I learned about one of our fallen comrades,” she started and took in another breath.

“I knew Katy about as well as anyone I suppose. I’d worked with her half a dozen times and interacted with her half a dozen more off duty. While yes, she was reserved, she certainly wasn’t the kind to politely nod and smile at you when you were talking to them. Well, not after the first twenty-four hours we were together at least,” said Olivia with a grin and the crowd responded by chuckling. “She was very intelligent, but down to earth and could carry on a decent conversation with about anyone once she got to know them.”

“One of the little things about her that many didn’t know was she didn’t like being called Katy since, in her words, it made her feel younger even though she really wasn’t that old. But she always wanted to be a Kat. ‘Kat’s have more fun’ she told me once with that infectious smile she always wore. But she remained a Katy to all who knew her and certainly never a Katherine since her mother used to call her that when she had been bad growing up.”

“Yes, she was an artist. A far better artist than I think most of us realize. There wasn’t a milligram of negativity in her entire body and it showed in the drawings she would produce. She showed me her sketchbook once and I was simply amazed at her artwork for such a rustic place we are in at the moment. I asked her why she wasn’t living under a dome on Earth making a boatload of money painting pictures for rich people. She told me ‘Olivia, I got to be the first person ever to paint a sunset on this planet.’ I simply had no words to convey the gravity of her words.”

“We can remember the names of famous people and their ‘firsts’ throughout history. Everyone remembers Neil Armstrong and Buzz Aldrin as the first men on Luna. Sir Edmund Hillary and Tenzing Norgay as the first men to climb Mount Everest. But who remembers the name of the first person to paint a picture of a sunset?”

“But we all remember the emotions we felt the first time we saw that majestic sunset on this planet. And we are reminded of those same feelings each and every time we see the picture she painted and left for us,” said Olivia as she was starting to break down. “Katy will live on eternally with us in the memories she left us in her artistry. Each and every time we see one of her drawings, it will remind us of something positive and pure. She left us the greatest gift anyone ever could have. She left us something to remind us all of the emotions we all felt when we arrived here.”

“Katy had the heart of a warrior, but the soul of an artist. A soul she gladly shared with all of us. And I’m truly going to miss my friend,” said Olivia as she choked up on the final sentence.

Olivia broke down entirely sobbing as she stepped away from the podium. Each and every person there sniffed and wiped at their eyes after the display of raw emotions and the deaths hit home for each of them. Tasha took in Olivia in a hug as they both had tears streaming down their faces. Eventually, they released the embrace as Noah came and helped Olivia back to the crowd where people quietly thanked her through tears of their own. Tasha nodded at Ben for him to go ahead as she was in no state to finish at the moment. Ben headed to the podium as he wiped his own eyes one last time before speaking.

“It’s very hard to…” he started and had to clear his throat. “It’s not easy following two people opening their emotions for everyone as Doctor Kirk and Sergeant Taylor have done.”

“I knew little of Katy or Reggie other than their names on a list at the beginning of the Expedition. I knew their faces and had said hello a few times, but I really didn’t get the chance to know them. I do remember seeing Reggie step up and volunteer over and over to secure science teams going into the fields. I do remember Katy and her ever present smile. But after hearing the stories here today, I know we have suffered an even a greater loss to our community with their untimely deaths.”

“I was saddened by the loss of two people so early in our Expedition. But I’m even more saddened by the loss of Katy and Reggie. There is some comfort in knowing their accomplishments, but more importantly, their memories will live on in all of us through the gifts they left behind. Let’s all take the time today to remember what they left for us,” he concluded with his short remarks.

The memorial ended on that note as several people immediately came forward requesting to see Katy’s sketchbook. Rachelle promised to make copies as soon as possible for those who wanted them. She finally realized nearly everyone wanted a copy of the book along with the painting of the sunset Katy had done. The production equipment for doing such things was still on the ship, but Rachelle quickly sent one of her team to scan in the pictures in order to display them on the monitors at the memorial. It wasn’t long before the drawings started appearing on the screens and people saw themselves as having been drawn by Katy.

“I never realized she was on the platform with us,” said Kendrick as he and Gale closed in on Ben and Tasha who were watching from the back of the crowd.

“Neither did I,” said Ben as he saw the drawing of the four of them on the platform prior to leaving and the smiles on their faces during the reunification. Other pictures were coming up as they were scanned and each of them had a positive vibe to it. “She certainly had a way of capturing the happy moments.”

“She left us something important,” said Tasha as she saw a sketch of herself flash up during the weapons familiarization training as she was leaned against the wall of the classroom with folded arms. While normally she had a neutral look on her face during such times, Katy had captured a brief moment where she was grinning, likely at something that had been said.

“How do people do that?” asked Gale. “Capture that brief moment in time?”

“It’s certainly a gift,” said Ben as all 107 drawings she had made since being on the Expedition came onto the screen as people smiled at the moments she caught of them or saw the simple things like a bird perched on the tower ledge looking at the humans with curiosity on its face.

“That’s me!” exclaimed Mary as she saw the drawing of when Katy first came out of stasis and the smile she always wore for those who came out without a problem.

“Absolutely stunning,” said Kendrick. “I don’t even have a fraction of the artistry that she had in her little toe and I have a degree in it.”

“Both are going to be missed in ways they could not have comprehended,” said Ben. “When are you planning on taking them to the cemetery?”

“Grady and I worked it out for this afternoon,” said Tasha. “He’ll be sending out a backhoe to dig to the proper depth.”

“How many are planning on going?” asked Ben.

“I plan on having my security troops fill in again for Tasha,” said Allen as he had joined the small group.

“We can handle it,” said Tasha.

“No, your folks need to have the ability to be at the graveside service if they want,” said Allen. “I’m keeping my people here and more are on the way to fill in and that’s not negotiable.”

“Thank you,” said Tasha.

“If there’s nothing else, I figure we all could use another break today and hit back at the work details tomorrow,” said Ben. “Especially with the ship landing.”

“I think that’s best,” said Allen.

“When we get the ship landed, we’ll obviously be in a far better spot and be able to get things accomplished even faster,” said Grady.

“Even with taking the ship apart?” asked Ben.

“Even with,” said Grady. “In the fact the ship will become the raw materials for a lot of what we’re doing, that makes it easy.”

“Allen? Is Charity ready to land that thing?” asked Ben.

“She’ll be fine,” said Allen. “She’s been hitting the simulator at least 10 hours a day.”

“I have every confidence in your crew,” said Ben. “If there’s nothing else, let’s take some personal time today and get our minds cleared.”

The group departed, each thinking on who they had lost and some even preparing themselves for the inevitable fact they would likely lose more in the coming months. But they would be better prepared for the threats they now faced and knew the dangers that lurked just beyond the colony boundaries. Each and every colonist had a painful reminder of what happened when Earthlings invaded a new planet and that planet fought back. But knowing what was out there put steel in their spine and focused their attention forward onto the primal instinct that humans had since the dawn of time.

And that instinct was survival. Survive at all costs.

 

CHAPTER 31



“Big day today,” said Ben over the communicator to Allen who had gone up to the ship the night before to see the last minute preparations for landing as well as getting a good night’s sleep. However, like most of his crew, he didn’t get much sleep at all. But he felt prepared for the landing that day and gained even more confidence by seeing his crew in action one last time preparing for the dangerous maneuver.

“We’re as set as we can be,” said Allen. “The last of the shuttles are on their way to you and we’re almost in position to start the deorbit burn.”

“The first is arriving at the moment and the remainder are due in about fifteen minutes,” said Ben. “Your wife reminded me to tell you to be careful.”

“She’s settled in?” asked Allen.

“I’m not sure settled is the right word to use,” chuckled Ben.

“Tell her I’ll be fine,” said Allen. “Remind her to put the custard in the oven.”

“I’m sorry?” said Ben.

“Sorry, old reference to the early days of the US space program,” said Allen. “The commander’s wife of one of the craft always said he flew the jets and she made sure the custard was ready. Any time I do something remotely dangerous, I remind Claire I get paid to do dangerous things and she gets paid to make sure the custard is in the oven.”

“Right,” said Ben as he heard a voice to his left.

“You tell him that custard will be all over his face if he doesn’t come back to me,” said Claire Smith, Allen’s wife.

“I think I’ll stay out of the culinary and professional dispute,” said Ben as he allowed Claire to speak with her husband one more time before reentry.

“You will be careful, right?” asked Claire.

“It’ll be the best landing you’ve ever seen,” said Allen.

“But you will be careful, right?” she repeated.

“Absolutely,” said Allen. “I’m not making you the first widow on Novae Spes.”

“Better not,” she stated. “Love you.”

“Love you back,” he said and kissed at his fingers and touched the camera.

“We’ll have the cheerleading section ready when you pop up on the horizon,” said Ben as he reappeared on the screen.

“It’ll be perfect,” said Allen as a crewman appeared in the side of the comm link and handed the Captain a tablet. He nodded at the crewman and turned back at the camera.

“I’m keeping you from your duties,” said Ben.

“Not at all,” said Allen. “Just waiting on Charity to get the party started.”

“Let us know if you need anything from the ground side,” said Ben.

“Just a soft landing will do nicely,” said Allen.

“Okay, see you in a bit,” said Ben. Allen closed the comm device on his Captain’s seat and looked over the disposition of the crew. Everyone at their duty stations was running every checklist known to them and it reminded him of the old films for the first landings on Luna where every I was dotted and T was crossed before even contemplating what they were about to accomplish. However, as Captain he would still run his own account of his sections before they even attempted to start. He decided to head to the galley for a final cup of coffee before they started the deorbit burn. As he arrived, he found Charity looking over the manual one last time.

“Figured you’d have that thing memorized by now,” he said with a chuckle as he prepared a black cup of coffee instead of the usual cream and sugar he added.

“Just about,” said Charity as she closed the book.

“It’ll be fine,” said Allen as he saw she was ready to head to the bridge. “Very memorable day.”

“I have a lot riding on my shoulders,” said Charity as she finished off the water in her cup and headed back towards the bridge with the Captain.

“Don’t pressure yourself,” said Allen.

“I swear I heard alarm bells from the simulator in my sleep,” said Charity as she rolled up her sleeves slightly, a sign Allen recognized as her getting serious.

“You feel confident?” he asked.

“Sure, as confident as I can without doing it,” said Charity. “Normally these maneuvers have a least one pilot on board that’s done this particular trick. I get the honor of doing it solo.”

“You’re one of the best pilots I’ve ever seen,” said Allen to boost her confidence. “Whether it’s a single man fighter up through this tub. You’re going to be fine.”

“I won’t let you down,” said Charity as they arrived on the bridge. Heads turned as they knew their life was in her hands and nodded appreciatively at her as she headed for the control chair. The on-duty pilot quickly briefed her up on the status of the ships systems and she relieved him in a proper manner before taking the seat and adjusting it just right for the most dangerous part of their mission to date. Several minutes passed with information being shared as she adjusted the heading slightly and took over automatic control from the computers.

“This is the Captain, I need a go, no-go for deorbit burn,” said the Captain running his own checklist. “Navigation?”

“We are a go, Captain,” said the senior navigator who was also the Operations Officer.

“Sensors?” asked Allen.

“Go,” said the sensor operator.

“Engineering?” asked Allen.

“Engineering ready, Captain,” said Cyrus. “We are a go.”

“Damage control?” asked Allen.

“All positions manned and ready. All interior and exterior hatches closed,” said the damage control leader. “Go for landing.”

“Personnel?” asked Allen.

“All non-essential personnel are on the planet or in transit. All hands remaining on board are at their duty stations,” said the acting Master Chief. “We are a go for deorbit burn, Captain.”

“Pilot?” asked Allen.

“Pilot is a go,” said Charity.

“Approaching entry point,” said the navigator. “We are currently 250 kilometers downrange of optimal reentry point and matching rotational speed of the planet.”

“Steady as she goes,” said Allen.

“250 kilometers, mark,” said Charity from the pilot’s seat. “Altitude?”

“173.4 kilometers above ground level,” said the navigator.

“173.4, mark,” said Charity as she flipped several switches. “Prepared for descent, Captain.”

“Novae Spes, this is the Santa Maria,” said Allen over the comm. “We are in final position and ready for descent.”

“Copy that, Santa Maria,” said Ben over the comm. “Fair winds and following seas.”

“All hands, this is the Captain. We are commencing deorbit burn,” said Allen as he activated the PA system onboard. “Ms. Steele, please commence landing.”

“Aye, Captain, commencing landing,” she announced as alarms blared all over the ship announcing the maneuver. Charity checked all sensors and gauges for the final time and took the steering grips of the ship. “Descent thrusters engaged.”

The inertial dampers of the ship didn’t automatically engage as the ship suddenly was on a downward heading as the crew felt a little lighter than usual. However, they kicked in from the unusual direction and the artificial gravity kept them from floating up.

“Altitude 170 kilometers and descending, downrange distance 245 kilometers,” said the navigator. “On the money.”

Charity repeated the numbers as she leveled the craft off slightly and the navigator continued reading her the figures and stats. Eventually, a minor buffet was felt at a hundred and twenty kilometers as the edges of the atmosphere hit the ship.

“Getting a few bumps, 115 kilometers altitude, 200 kilometers downrange of target,” said the navigator.

“Slowing descent,” stated Charity after she repeated the figures and flipped on all the additional thrusters for additional control. They slowed slightly but increased the stability as the ride got a bit bumpier as they started hitting more of the atmosphere.

“Picking up some chop,” said Allen as he realized what forces it took to make a several million ton vessel move around like that.

“Aye, slowing descent and forward rate,” said Charity as she pulled up slightly on the controls and pushed the engines up just a bit more. “Range?”

“98 kilometers altitude, 180 kilometers downrange,” said the navigator.

“Sensors, heating on the plating?” asked Charity.

“Heat nominal,” said the sensor operator. “85 degrees Celsius.”

“Almost enough to boil water,” remarked Allen.

“95 kilometers altitude, 170 kilometers downrange,” said the navigator.

“Picking up increased heating on the plating,” said the sensor operator. “110 degrees.”

“Easing descent,” said Charity as she slightly leveled off the descent to allow the plating to cool slightly. The massive ship slowed as the heat came down.

“Okay, back to it,” said Charity as the readings looked better. “Navigator?”

“90 kilometers altitude, 163 kilometers downrange,” said the navigator.

Charity continued bringing the ship in slowly, taking a break from the descent every so often as she worked time and distance to her advantage. Luckily, the hull temperature never rose above 150 degrees Celsius and came down even further as they hit the thicker air in the higher altitude as well as some high level clouds.

“Altitude, 20,000 meters,” said the navigator as he changed to a more accurate system. “Range from the colony…36 kilometers on my mark…mark.”

“20,000 and 36, acknowledged,” said Charity as a small bead of sweat appeared on her brown. Allen took notice and went over to her and wiped it with a handkerchief.

“Thanks,” she said without reacting otherwise.

“You’re nailing this,” said Allen. “Best I’ve ever seen.”

“How many have you seen?” she asked.

“This is the first,” he said with a smile as she smirked at him.

“15,000 meters, 30 kilometers downrange,” said the navigator.

“We will level off at 10,000 meters and head straight in,” said Charity.

“Novae Spes colony, right on the nose,” said the navigator who was hugely impressed she didn’t need to make an additional course correction.

“Hull temperatures below 40 degrees,” said the sensor operator. He knew at this altitude the hull plating wouldn’t be heating up any longer unless there was a fire on the ship. While there was a minimal chance of that, he kept his attention to the sensors and continued his vigilance.

“Thank you, sensors,” said Allen.

“10,000 meters,” said the navigator. “17 kilometers.”

“I’ve got visual sighting,” said Tasha as she picked up the approaching ship on the horizon with a set of binoculars, moving slowly towards the colony. It was little more than a speck in the sky but was growing as it neared.

“Slow and steady wins the race,” said Ben as the featheroos in the field sensed something was amiss and headed towards the local woods to the south. “Don’t have to worry about chasing them off.”

“Descending to 5,000 meters above ground level,” said Charity as they broke the ten-kilometer mark. “Slowing rate of closure.”

“Descending,” said the navigator. “9,000…8,000…7,500…7,000, slow rate of descent…6,500…6,000…ease it down…5,500…5,300…5,100…5,000 mark.”

“5,000, mark,” said Charity as she continued forward and could see the clear outline of the colony.

“Seven kilometers,” announced the navigator.

Charity took a quick moment to wipe her brown again with the handkerchief Allen had left. She got right back on the controls as the distance closed to five kilometers.

“Dropping to 500 meters AGL,” she stated.

“Aye, five hundred,” said the navigator as he called out the altitude and range. Eventually she hit the five hundred meter point at three kilometers from the colony.

“Descending to one hundred meters, five meters per second forward speed,” she announced.

“One hundred meters, five forward,” repeated the navigator. “Coming in a bit steep.”

“Aye,” she acknowledged and slowed both the rates.

“2,000 meters from the landing zone,” said the navigator. “100 meters altitude.”

“Dropping altitude to fifty meters,” she announced. “Moving forward at three meters per second.”

“Fifty and three,” confirmed the navigator as the time seemed to stand still. “At fifty meters AGL. Still forward at three meters per second.”

“Slowing to two per second,” she stated calmly as the ship’s engines were already kicking up debris from the ground as it passed over slowly.

“Descending slightly,” said the navigator.

“Acknowledged,” said Charity.

“Five hundred meters from landing area,” said the navigator.

“Five hundred meters,” said Charity. “Altitude?”

“44 meters,” said the navigator.

“Lower landing gear,” ordered Charity.

“Lower landing gear,” repeated Allen who had been quiet.

“Landing gear deploying,” announced the sensor station. Almost a minute passed before four dull “thunks” could be heard through the ship. “Landing gear down and locked. Showing green across the board.”

“Santa Maria, we see your gear is down and locked,” called Ben from the colony.

“Landing gear down and locked,” stated Charity from her station as she confirmed that fact. “Dropping to ten meters and one meter per second forward speed.”

“Ten meters,” said the navigator and got slightly nervous as there was zero room for error in any maneuver she could make at this altitude. She slowly lowered the ship as he continued to call out range and altitude every three seconds.

“Ten meters altitude, fifty meters from prime touchdown spot,” he announced.

“Aye,” announced Charity as she moved the ship into position, her hands barely even seen flicking the controls as she brought the ship in for a landing.

“Ten meters from prime landing spot,” said the navigator. “Two meters altitude.”

“Ceasing all forward movement,” said Charity as she hit the reverse thrusters and brought the ship into a hover. “Landing.”

The ship came down the last meter of altitude and settled gently into the landscape as the gear sunk into the ground almost two full meters. The sensors indicated all pressure was on the gear and no altitude was left to descend from.

“Novae Spes, the Santa Maria has found the New World,” said Allen over the comm as he saw the group in the colony start cheering. Charity shut down all the propulsion systems as she exhaled deeply through her mouth at bringing the massive ship in for a landing. She looked down to find the t-shirt she had on under her jumpsuit absolutely drenched in sweat along with several spots showing in her gray uniform.

“Roger that, Santa Maria. Be advised, you’re over the line. Can you back up and straighten it out a bit?” asked Ben over the comm.

“Negative!” exclaimed Charity over the comm before even thinking about it. Allen had a good laugh at her expense as he figured it was the best time to give his small speech.

“Over 700 years ago, a small fleet of three tiny ships set out from what was then the edge of the known world. They sailed into the unknown looking for a new passage to India and the riches it contained. But what they found? A whole new world along the way with untold riches of its own. A land of bounty and splendor. But most importantly, a land of where they could start over. Erase the mistakes of the past and start fresh.”

“It wasn’t easy for the settlers that followed the Santa Maria to that wild and untamed land. They faced all manner of trials and tribulations. But they persevered. They built a new life in that strange new world they had discovered. And seven hundred years later, a new ship bearing the namesake of the vessel that discovered the new world on Earth has traveled to a new world of its own. A land of bounty and splendor. And its residents will rise to the challenge of building their own fresh start like those settlers did of old. To prepare for those who will follow them and show them they didn’t shrink from the challenges this place to undoubtedly throw at us.”

“Just like the Santa Maria from 700 years ago, this vessel will live on in history as the ship that carried you brave settlers to this place. Her flying days are over, but her legacy will live on in the homes she will provide us, the schools we will build from the materials that will teach our children and, most importantly, she will live on in the hearts of all who served on her to bring us to this place. This is Captain Allen Smith of the Santa Maria, signing off.”

Allen was able to see out the viewport where Ben and the entire colony had gathered and was starting to slow clap. His own ship’s crew joined in the clapping as they stood and looked at him with respect and admiration. While he would miss his final ship and being a Captain, he knew the job that lay ahead was far more important. He joined the crew in going around and shaking everyone’s hands and thanking them for being the finest crew he had ever worked with. Various sections were shutting down and some of the crew that completed that task came to the bridge to thank him as well. After completing the rounds, he grabbed Charity and traveled throughout the ship all the way to engineering, thanking the fine crew for their dedication and service. Upon reaching engineering, they saw Cyrus and his team shutting down all the engines but one that would continue to provide power for the electrical systems of the ship and temporarily the colony. He was going through and ensuring the propulsion functions were completely disabled since having an engine fire while on the surface would not be helpful to their current mission.

“Well, you managed not to crash,” said Cyrus without looking as he went over the checklist for shutting down one of the systems.

“I’ll have you know it was perfect,” objected Charity.

“Meh, I’ve seen better,” he replied, but she saw the mirth in his eyes and him attempting to hide a grin. She went over and nudged him with her shoulder as he finished up the particular task. Entering the final command, he turned to her and grabbed her in a full bear hug.

“Beyond perfect,” he stated with a laugh. “I’ve been on two ships before that landed and those rides got pretty bumpy. I coulda taken a nap through this one.”

She returned the hug and let go eventually as the three senior members of the ship looked around at the engineering section.

“She was a fine ship, Captain,” said Cyrus. “One of the best I’ve ever seen.”

“Made only so by her crew,” said Allen as he ran his hand over one of the handrails.

“I’ve been saving something,” said Cyrus as he pulled three glasses from a compartment as well as a small bottle of champagne from a small cooler.

“Dom Perignon,” said Charity as she saw the label. “Cyrus, you do know how to please.”

Cyrus filled the three glasses after popping the cork across the compartment. The champagne spilled over the top of the bottle slightly, but for such a memorable moment, he didn’t care.

“To the Santa Maria, long may she live in our memories,” said Cyrus as he lifted his glass.

“To the crew,” said Allen. “Who made this voyage possible.”

“To you, Captain Allen Smith, who guided us and kept us together for this voyage,” said Charity.

They drank on that note and finished off the glasses.

“You know the glasses can never be used for a lesser purpose?” asked Allen.

“I’ve got crewmen that can help clean up,” said Allen as he reopened the storage compartment and pulled additional flutes from the interior. “And three more glasses.”

Allen, Charity and Cyrus tossed the glasses against the engine shielding, shattering each as they breathed a sigh of relief and laughed out loud. Cyrus finished off the bottle into the glasses as they continued talking over the ship and the memories they had gained on their seven year voyage to their new home.

“I might not have said it enough, but you two were instrumental in bringing us to this place. I can’t thank you enough for the leadership you provided, the dedication to your job and helping me during the times I needed it the most. I could not have asked for a better First Officer or Chief Engineer,” said Allen.

“I’m honored to have finished my final voyage under your command,” said Cyrus.

“Final voyage?” asked Allen. “That, my friends, is just starting.”

 

The drank on that note and finished off the glasses.
They
I could not have asked for a better First Officer of Chief Engineer,”
or

 

Edit, I see it. Thanks!

 

CHAPTER 32


With the landing of the Santa Maria two weeks prior, everything seemed to be moving far faster than anticipated with the construction of the colony. While the cargo was still being unloaded and the colonists still used it as their home during the nighttime, sections of the ship were already being dismantled and the materials used to create new structures in the colony itself. Cyrus had already started taking portions of the hull plating and forming up the walls on the northern side; the side they knew the danger came from the last time. Ben had headed towards the Santa Maria where Cyrus was supervising another portion being taken off and moved to the new location where it would be bolted, then welded, into the existing structure.

Ben walked up to see Cyrus coordinating with the two crane crews that would move the massive piece into the area it would find as its permanent home. He checked the safety boxes one last time before giving the go ahead for the item to be moved. The cranes set off at a slow pace of only seven KPH as they moved towards the eastern approach of the colony. Ben saw Cyrus getting into one of the utility vehicles to follow and hopped in the passenger seat as they began to move.

“Think I can get a ride, sailor?” asked Ben.

“My mom told me never to pick up strangers,” laughed Cyrus.

“I don’t think there is such a thing on that planet,” laughed Ben.

“I’ve got nothing to do except tell the crews not to rush anything,” said Cyrus. “But I do have a thermos of coffee if you want a cup.”

“Now you’re speaking my language,” said Ben as he grabbed the second cup and filled it about halfway as well as pouring more into Cyrus’ cup.

“I’ve got crews removing the sections from the ship and these crews putting them into place. And one more setting them up,” said Cyrus as he sipped at his cup.

“It does seem like slow work,” said Ben.

“They could move faster, but that could make the plating sway and put additional strain on the cables. It could set us back a couple of days while we fashioned new cables and got them installed,” said Cyrus. “Time is money and all.”

“Can’t blame you for being careful,” said Ben.

“Exactly,” said Cyrus.

“You know, I know it’s the nuts and bolts of the details, but I was wondering something,” asked Ben as he watched the two cranes move along slowly.

“What’s that?” asked Cyrus.

“The hull material, what is it?” asked Ben.

“A titanium alloy,” said Cyrus. “The hull plating and a lot of the interior bulkheads are the same material since they are lightweight enough to lug around, but sturdy enough for construction.”

“They don’t seem lightweight,” said Ben.

“Relatively speaking,” chuckled Cyrus. “Some of the colony carriers use a steel alloy for the hull and I believe the follow-on ships may use that. But the Santa Maria was designed and built with the titanium alloy since we would be limited on assets to move it.”

“And it’s how thick?” asked Ben.

“25 millimeters,” said Cyrus. “More than enough for the wall.”

“That’s a lot of titanium,” said Ben who knew the metal wasn’t cheap.

“Novus put a lot of time and effort into grabbing everything they could find during the construction,” he said. “And the fact they plopped one of their colonies down on an asteroid almost entirely comprised of the stuff made it easier.”

“I see,” said Ben. “And the towers?”

“Those are a steel alloy,” said Cyrus. “Aluminum, steel and nickel I think.”

“But sturdy?” asked Ben.

“More than enough for what we will encounter,” said Cyrus.

“Including gunfire?” asked Ben. “Just in case.”

“Should be bulletproof up to a certain level,” said Cyrus. “But as you know, warhead versus armor, the warhead always wins out.”

“Yeah,” said Ben. “How long on the wall?”

“It’s going pretty smoothly,” said Cyrus. “I think in the next two to three weeks.”

“Okay, I’ll leave you to it,” said Ben as he headed off to check on the science teams. As he walked along, he made a point to speak with those he came across and check on whatever progress they were making in the various jobs they were doing. Since the deaths of the two security force members, it seemed like everyone was getting more familiar with the people around them rather than just politely nodding and moving on their way. He arrived at the science compound where he found Javier, Angeline and Chuck looking over the feed of a drone away from the colony at the moment.

“Anything interesting?” asked Ben.

“We believe there is another predator we haven’t seen yet,” said Javier. “We’re looking over the kill site of a featheroo with the drone.”

“Not one of those Raptor things?” asked Ben, referring to the creature that had attacked them. The science team had taken to calling them “Raptors” and the name had quickly spread and was unofficially the name of the species.

“I don’t think so,” said Chuck. “The last featheroo we found eaten by a Raptor had nearly everything consumed. Bones, hair, everything. This one was more selective in what it ate leaving the head and large bones behind.”

“Oh?” asked Ben.

“More like a feline type of animal attack,” said Angeline. “Sorry, I mean a big cat.”

“I’m familiar with some scientific words,” said Ben with a chuckle. “How big?”

“No telling except it was able to take down a featheroo. Most of those are weighing in at around 75 to 100 kilos apiece,” said Javier.

“What makes you think it’s the Novae Spes equivalent of a tiger?” asked Ben.

“See the teeth marks on the bones?” asked Chuck. “Those are from the larger teeth, the canines. They leave a distinctive mark.”

“Not a large dog?” asked Ben. “Or dog-like creature?”

“Claw marks as well,” said Chuck as he pointed to the area he noticed. “Likely a feline, but we aren’t discounting anything.”

“No visuals?” asked Ben.

“Nothing yet,” said Javier. “I’m glad you came by though…”

“You want to expand the range of your out of colony teams,” said Ben as a statement rather than a question.

“We’ve limited ourselves to about 200 kilometers give or take,” said Javier. “There’s a whole new world out there for us to explore.”

“You have some ideas on places you’d like to go?” asked Ben. Javier retrieved a paper list with the locations they wanted to visit, obviously without names, but with references to their locations and which teams were making the requests.

“Mountain areas for geology teams…coastal areas for all science teams…tropical zone for all science teams…the other northern continent for zoology?” asked Ben.

“The large dinosaur creature,” said Javier. “Let’s face it, we would be the first humans to study dinosaur-like creatures still alive and without genetic manipulation.”

“I’m sorry, genetic manipulation?” asked Ben.

“Long story short, remember those dinosaur movies from the 20th and 21st centuries? The ones in the theme park thing?” asked Javier.

“Yeah, I think I saw them once,” said Ben.

“Well, someone actually tried that process of raising dead animals from encapsulated DNA. It worked…kind of. Though without the original pure strands of DNA, the creatures were nowhere near what they should have been,” explained Javier.

“Why didn’t this make news?” asked Ben.

“Because the scientists couldn’t prove beyond a reasonable doubt the creatures were what they were supposed to be because they manipulated the DNA too much,” said Chuck. “Basically, they tried to tie in whatever strands were ‘close’ and made a creature that way. That and they had very short lifespans. Like a matter of weeks or a few months at most. So, the science community wouldn’t allow the research to be made public since they did little more than create an organism from DNA that wasn’t typed correctly nor matched with exact DNA. It was a huge leap in the field of genetic restructuring, but nothing near raising an extinct animal lost to time.”

“Basically, they created a new creature?” asked Ben.

“It was dinosaur-like,” said Javier. “But even the leading paleobiology experts said they couldn’t type the bone structure to anything they’d ever uncovered. So, yes, more or less a new creature that never existed before.”

“Plus, that research led to human genome manipulation by the same company,” said Chuck. “Hence, why they didn’t want the research getting out there for others to follow. You’re familiar with the conflict of genetically altered humans, I’d bet.”

“That wasn’t a fun time,” said Ben as the Genetic War of 2107 as it was called led to significant human casualties since the creations had five times the speed and strength of a normal person and the human side took massive casualties trying to destroy the facilities conventionally. It happened after the scientists lost control of their creations and they raped and killed a local village in the Republic of Ossetia without remorse. Like the horror story Frankenstein, the scientists found they had no control once the creatures learned of their power and the world saw a dangerous situation as the creatures started producing more of their kind with the express intent of taking over the world. As well as raping and killing every human they came across since the primal instincts were enhanced in the creatures.

The War was also one of the final times nuclear weapons had been used on the Earth when several nations had enough and struck the research areas and areas surrounding it with the host country’s permission. Russia, North America, the European Union and the Chinese Empire all struck at the area with a massive nuclear attack regardless of how much more nuclear contamination was put into the atmosphere. However, the conflict still lasted another four months as some of the “creations” had been bred as radiation resistant and escaped the area in the wake of the attacks. Ben and his unit along with Special Operations units from around the world had been tasked with hunting down the escapees with a “dead or alive” warrant on their heads. They tried to stop the creatures before they spread their genetic anomalies into the general population during their raping and pillaging of human settlements as the creatures were cognizant enough to realize they could breed their kind through the defenseless humans.

“However, that research did lead to some positive things like the ability to remove cancer genes and other hereditary defects,” said Chuck.

“Still wasn’t much fun facing off against those two meter monsters,” said Ben.

“I’d imagine not,” said Chuck.

“Regardless of scientific studies, that’s a pretty significant expedition. Probably overnight but more like three days or more,” said Ben as he continued reading. “River delta area on the western coast…southern continent’s inland seas…northern taiga and tundra areas…subcontinent island in the southern hemisphere…you realize you have over two dozen locations here?”

“Yeah, we just threw everything on paper,” said Javier with a wry smile. “Obviously, we’d need to refine that down and prioritize it.”

“What’s going to be the most beneficial?” asked Ben.

“That depends on who you ask,” said Javier.

“You’re the team leader, you tell me,” said Ben.

“The mountain geology sample mission and the coastal area,” said Javier. “Botany and zoology will also get a better look at the mountain species on that sample mission, so it’s not just geology that needs to go.”

“Why those?” asked Ben.

“Allen and Cyrus want to get a look at possible mining sites from the data they looked at with the probe missions. Possible building resources and whatnot. They have a bad ass geologist on their team as well, though they double duty as an engineer. The coastal area is for possible expansion when Expedition 2 gets here as well as setting up a research station.”

“Angeline? Your thoughts?” asked Ben.

“I’m with Javier on those two, but I’d add in a side trip up north to determine what destroyed that probe,” said Angeline. “I know that’s been in the back of your mind.”

“It has…” said Ben. “Any more on the Raptors?”

“Nothing yet,” said Chuck. “Kirk has come up with a fairly extensive report on what we know at the moment, but he’s summarizing it for your reading pleasure. But regardless, we haven’t seen them since the first encounter.”

“We’re keeping an eye out,” said Javier. “Between random daily drone sweeps to the north, Tasha put out a sensor line near that forest and to the west of us.”

“I’d prefer to find that thing out as far as possible,” said Ben. “Do we have any indication of where it came from or whether there are more?”

“Where there’s one, there’s likely to be more,” said Chuck. “As to where…no, we don’t know yet. But we’re looking. Other than that, it would be helpful to know what signs we should be looking for so we can key in on certain locations.”

“Are you thinking of going after them if we find them?” asked Javier.

“No, I’ll live and let live at the moment,” said Ben. “But we do need to study them and learn their patterns so we aren’t surprised again.”

“We do,” said Javier. “We’ll keep working on it.”

“Otherwise, go ahead and plan out a mission to the mountains and the coast in that order. Basically, leapfrog our way to the ocean,” said Ben.

“When?” asked Javier.

“Whenever you can coordinate with the other section leaders and let me know you have a plan,” said Ben. “Tasha for security, Grady for his geologist and engineers, Rachelle for transport, Mary for a couple of med techs. Maybe even Kurt to see about the potential for new items to add to the menu or for future farming considerations.”

“You want me to plan it out?” asked Javier.

“I’m sure you’ve done so before,” said Ben. “I’ll help if needed.”

“Normally, the University I worked for put them together. I was just the leader on the ground complaining they had forgot this or that,” said Javier with a grin.

“Well, the buck stops with you this time,” said Ben with a chuckle.

“When would you be available?” asked Javier.

“I’ve got time now if you want,” said Ben.

“Angeline, you think you can keep Chuck from going out and getting into trouble with the big, mean cat while I’m gone?” asked Javier.

“I didn’t see Tasha today, so I’m not sure,” said Angeline with half a grin.

“Tasha?” asked Chuck as it hit him and he answered sarcastically. “Oh, funny. Ha-ha.”

“Okay, let’s go,” said Ben with a half a smile and shake of his head at Angeline. Javier grabbed his pistol belt along with the long gun and accompanying magazines before heading out. Ben noticed it was one of the newer pulse electron personal defense weapons rather than the traditional gunpowder rifles the security forces were carrying and commented on it.

“Obviously, we haven’t used these against the creature yet, so I’m curious if it works any better than the projectile weapons,” said Javier.

“Taking a chance there,” said Ben.

“We already know the carbines the security forces are using are only making it mad,” said Javier. “What do I have to lose?”

“Good point,” said Ben as they walked towards the agriculture area and found one of the specialists working in the field, talking to herself in a Nordic language.

“Excuse me? We’re looking for Doctor Sweeney,” said Ben as they approached.

“Watch your step!” she answered in a sharp tone. “Please do not step on my babies!”

Ben and Javier checked and they were about to step on a mound of something, but wisely followed the footsteps around the small mound before coming to her.

“Kurt is over by the temporary sheds,” she said as she stood up and wiped at her hands on the shorts she was wearing.

“I didn’t mean to almost step on your plot,” said Javier as he held out his hand with a smile. “I’m Javier Santiago.”

“I am Emilia Tómasdóttir,” she said pleasantly.

“Ben Nash,” he stated as he shook her hand.

“I know who you are, Commander,” she said formally. “It is not easy to find someone who does not know you.”

“Nice to be famous,” said Javier.

“I know who you are as well, Doctor,” she stated in very formal English though with a Nordic accent. “Though you have not yet introduced yourself. The Commander ‘gets a pass’ as the North Americans would say since he is a very busy man. But you should have introduced yourself by now.”

“I should have,” said Javier with a smile. “My apologies.”

“Apology accepted,” she stated with a nod and a warm smile.

“Which area should we travel on to avoid your planting?” asked Javier.

“Follow the footsteps towards the sheds,” she stated as she pointed and smiled at the thoughtful scientist in front of her. “Kurt should be there or if not, I will help you find him.”

“Thank you very much, Emilia,” said Javier.

“It is no problem, Doctor Santiago,” she replied as she took the offered hand.

“Please, call me Javier,” he said with a smile. “I don’t stand on formality out here.”

“Javier,” she said with a smile and her blue eyes sparkled in the Novae Spes sunlight.

“We will speak later,” said Ben after the moment the two were sharing was over. “I would like to get to know all the colonists here.”

“We shall meet for a cup of tea then,” she said and turned to Javier. “I would like to meet you too. Outside of work and having had the chance to clean up.”

“I wouldn’t mind getting to know you as well,” said Javier.

“Perhaps we could share a cup of tea or dinner perhaps?” she asked.

“I would like that,” said Javier.

“I will make the arrangements,” she said with a smile. “Until then.”

“Bye,” said Javier as he and Ben traveled on the pathway to the temporary sheds and they heard her speaking to herself once again.

“Why do I feel like you are hoping we don’t find Kurt over here?” asked Ben once they were out of earshot.

“I’m sorry?” asked Javier.

“So you can get that nice lady to help you find him?” asked Ben. “Let’s face it, you were quite smitten by her from the word go.”

“You don’t find her attractive?” asked Javier.

“She is very pretty, though her attention was focused on you,” said Ben.

“It’s my Latino good looks and charm, Jefe,” grinned Javier.

“I only got invited for tea, you got the full dinner,” laughed Ben.

“Jealous?” asked Javier with a grin. “Don’t hate the player.”

“Part of the reason we are here is to continue the species,” said Ben. “I’d dare say you made some good inroads with a certain farmer’s daughter with that meeting.”

“Farmer’s daughter?” asked Javier.

“Old Earth saying,” said Ben as he explained the analogy.

“Hopefully Papa Kurt won’t chase after me with a pitchfork,” laughed Javier as they arrived at the sheds. Kurt was seen coming out and speaking with a couple of the specialists and sending them on their way.

“Hey guys,” he said as they approached and shook his hand.

“You just let Javier down, you know?” asked Ben.

“No, I’m not quite sure…” said Kurt.

“We met Emilia Tho…your specialist in the field,” said Ben.

“Tómasdóttir. Daughter of Tómas in Icelandic,” said Kurt as he knew who they were speaking of. “There are still families in Iceland that practice patronymics.”

“She promised to help us find you if you weren’t at the sheds,” said Ben. “Javier seems quite taken with her. And she appeared to be the same way with him.”

“Really?” asked Kurt. “She’s been a little reserved since being here.”

“Other than talking to herself, she seemed social,” said Ben.

“She wasn’t talking to herself,” said Kurt. “She talks to the plants.”

“That…is unusual,” said Ben.

“Not at all, really,” said Kurt. “Oh sure, science has debunked the ability for plants to ‘hear’ what we are saying, but some still hold old beliefs that the plants grow better if you talk to them.”

“Any of your folks talk to the plants besides her?” asked Javier.

“We all do,” laughed Kurt. “Normally they learn the cuss words first since those are the ones we use when they aren’t growing properly.”

“She was speaking in Icelandic, so I have no idea what she was saying,” said Javier.

“Our first bilingual crops,” laughed Kurt. “I’d make a move pretty quickly, Javier. She keeps getting chatted up by Tasha’s security guys. Though if she responded to you on the first meeting, I’d say your chances are going up exponentially.”

“I’ll take that into account,” said Javier.

“Otherwise, she is good at her job,” said Kurt. “Believe it or not, she grew flowers before coming here. But she’s far better in the theoretical planning of gardens than most.”

“Flowers?” asked Ben.

“You have to understand, flowers can be extremely picky,” said Kurt. “If she can get them to grow, she can easily get other things to grow.”

“Hopefully so,” said Javier. “Did you know her before coming here?”

“No, actually I didn’t,” said Kurt. “She was put in by corporate since her resume was impressive to say the least.”

“I didn’t know you needed a resume to grow flowers,” said Javier.

“Bachelor’s and Masters degrees from the University of Stockholm in botany,” said Kurt. “Got everything done for her Doctorate save the thesis project. All by 23 years old.”

“That is impressive,” said Javier. “Even faster than me by a year.”

“So, she’s smarter than you?” asked Ben.

“I’m not going to answer that,” laughed Javier.

“Trust me, someone needs to pull her out of her shell,” said Kurt. “But anyway, you came on business we can settle before we get Javier married off?”

“Javier is taking lead on sending out two teams to the mountains and the coast. We were wondering if you wanted to send an Ag specialist with him to study the possibility of future farms in those locations,” said Ben.

“I can spare one for certain,” said Kurt. “Along with another to study the possibility of creating a salt water fishery here if the situation comes up.”

“Salt water fishery?” asked Javier.

“We’re going to need protein in our diets more so than what we are getting from the crops we brought with us,” said Kurt. “The rivers seem to have fish we could capture and breed for the purpose of consumption, but we also could start a salt water fishery in the future and do the same thing though with the saltwater species.”

“Such a thing is possible?” asked Ben.

“I talked it over with Grady and he thinks we can,” said Kurt. “Provided, it’s way down on the list of items, but it’s certainly doable.”

“I do like that idea,” said Ben. “You could spare a specialist to go with them?”

“Absolutely,” said Kurt. “Just let me know 24…30 hours in advance so I can prep them.”

“How is everything going here?” asked Ben.

“Slowly,” said Kurt. “The cold snap last week didn’t help some of the items we planted, but they are recovering nicely.”

“And the fruit we brought you?” asked Javier.

“We are still studying the environment the tree needs to grow, but we know they need a lot of moisture to thrive. If we intend to put in a grove of them, we’re going to need a constant source of water which is down the road a bit. But there is no reason they shouldn’t grow here. The climate isn’t that different than the southern areas you found them in.”

“Those things were good,” said Ben. “Did you give it a name yet?”

“Not yet,” said Kurt. “We’ve been a bit busy so naming things isn’t exactly a priority.”

“Eating versus naming a fruit,” said Ben. “Easy choice.”

“I thought you’d be pragmatic about it,” chuckled Kurt. “Anyway, yes, I have no problems sending out a specialist with you. Just let me know when.”

“Will do,” said Javier as they shook hands and Kurt went back to his work. They started heading over to see Tasha about security arrangements and Ben noticed they weren’t taking as direct a path as they could have towards the main colony.

“Any reason we aren’t going in a straight line?” he asked.

“I figured we could say goodbye to Emilia,” said Javier. “Such a pretty name.”

“You are smitten,” chuckled Ben.

“She is an attractive woman,” said Javier as they came up to her.

“We just wanted to thank you for pointing us in the right direction,” said Javier with a smile.

“You found him?” she asked and smiled back.

“We certainly did,” said Javier as he noticed Tasha was approaching.

“I’ll go see what she needs,” said Ben. “Nice meeting you.”

“You as well, Commander,” she replied with a polite smile as Ben nodded before departing. “You are not leaving yet?”

“I hadn’t finished thanking you,” replied Javier. “Nor did you dismiss me.”

“I did not,” she stated with a warmer smile.

Ben caught up with Tasha as she reached the edge of the field. She adjusted her carbine slightly and stopped as Ben approached.

“Angeline said you were coming to talk to me?” she asked.

“Eventually, yes,” said Ben. “I’ll let Javier go over it in depth, but we’re going to be sending out extended science missions to remote locations. He’s obviously going to need security.”

“Whenever he gets done chatting up Emilia,” laughed Tasha. “I’m sure he isn’t taken with those booty shorts she’s wearing.”

“Booty shorts?” asked Ben.

“Short shorts that accent the booty,” said Tasha. “It tends to attract males when a girl can wear them just right. In this case, it appears she hit the mark.”

“Jealous?” asked Ben.

“Not at all,” smirked Tasha. “She is one of the most pursued ladies on this planet though.”

“I’m sorry?” asked Ben.

“Well, the single men under my command have gone all in on chasing a select number of women; though not having much luck capturing their attention,” said Tasha. “However, it looks like Javier is making some good progress with one of them.”

“And these ladies might be?” asked Ben.

“Obviously her, one of Mary’s med techs and one of her nurses, one from Engineering and one of Rachelle’s computer wizards,” said Tasha.

“You aren’t on the list,” said Ben with a chuckle.

“There’s dangerous game and there’s game that will kill them without hesitation,” said Tasha as Javier approached with a grin from ear to ear. “They know better.”

“Tasha, glad we found you,” said Javier.

“I’ll only talk to you if you wipe that silly grin off your face,” said Tasha with a laugh.

“Don’t hate,” said Javier with the same grin.

“I’ll give you mad props, Jay, she’s cute as she can be,” said Tasha.

“We have dinner set up for this evening,” said Javier. “But anyway.”

“Ben says you’d like to set up security for off colony research trips?” she asked.

“We would,” said Javier. “I don’t know if you have a one size fits all package or if you need to tailor it to the individual mission.”

“Probably tailor it to the location,” said Tasha. “And I’d like approval to chop a gunship to whatever team is going out.”

“Regardless of the location?” asked Ben.

“Until we know more about the wildlife here and the threats they pose, I’m all about using overwhelming force to defend our people,” said Tasha. “Rachelle located the gun pods and Apache missile launchers for the gunships.”

“Could you send a team in just a gunship alone?” asked Ben.

“They have seating for what? A dozen people without gear?” asked Javier.

“About that, yes,” said Tasha.

“With gear?” asked Javier.

“Eight of my loaded troopers,” said Tasha.

“No, we’d need a shuttle,” said Javier. “Especially if we are carrying testing equipment and samples back. More room is preferred.”

“I have no problems having Rachelle forward a gunship to you,” said Ben. “Provided it does not take away from the colony defense.”

“We already have two on rotating alert,” said Tasha. “That leaves two left.”

“Can the shuttles be outfitted with weapons?” asked Javier.

“They can and likely will be,” said Tasha. “But the shuttles are fairly ungainly designs that just aren’t that nimble. The gunships are designed for combat with better turning radius and far more power out of the engines.”

“Again, as long as it doesn’t take away from the defenses here,” said Ben.

“We can talk to Rachelle about it,” said Javier. “Speaking of, I’ll need to see if the cook can whip up something special for tonight.”

“Moving fast, aren’t we?” asked Tasha with a laugh.

“A rolling stone gathers no moss,” laughed Javier. “You only get a first chance to make a lasting impression.”

“Okay, I’ll leave you to it,” said Ben. “Just let me know if you run into any snags.”

“Will do,” said Javier as he and Tasha departed and Ben headed back into the colony. He decided to stop by Medical since he was more or less making a round robin of all the sections that day. Heading inside what would be the new medical facility, he found pandemonium as engineers were working and Mary was trying to sort everything out.

“That goes into the storage area,” she stated to a SIT Team member who was helping out. “That other goes into the emergency room.”

“Got it,” said the man as he wheeled the cart towards the respective areas.

“Bad time?” asked Ben.

“Not at all,” said Mary. “Grady made the medical facilities a priority since the medical bay was one of the first areas they were going to dismantle on the ship.”

“It’s all the way in the center?” asked Ben.

“I have no idea why we’re first,” said Mary. “Regardless, it’s just a matter of getting everything sorted and stored so we can be up and running without delay.”

“Anyway, I came because Javier is going to come see you,” said Ben as he outlined the plan for going further and further on study missions.

“I had this feeling once the ship was landed the science team was going to be bugging you to get out a little further,” said Mary. “I’ve already designated teams for such an eventuality.”

“You have?” asked Ben.

“Two emergency med techs or Tasha’s combat medics and a doctor until we know the area is safe. Likely a doctor on any overnight missions as well,” said Mary.

“You don’t have that many doctors to begin with,” said Ben.

“We’re facing all sorts of unknowns here,” said Mary. “I’d feel more comfortable sending a doctor out when the missions get more than an hour away from the colony.”

“I’m not going to argue about that,” said Ben.

“You remember the insect bite that Ag member had? He had an hour on the clock when that venom pushed into his system. A single hour. My EMTs and Tasha’s medics are good, but sometimes a doctor is needed to start immediate treatment for such a thing,” explained Mary even though Ben didn’t ask for one.

“Will you be able to spare one for a long duration mission?” asked Ben. “Javier was talking of going to the other continent to study the dinosaurs. That’s probably a minimum of a three day trip if not longer.”

“I have eleven doctors on staff here. Even with two rotating duty in the emergency room every twelve hours, that leaves seven to have days off or focus on their specialized work. I can break one of them free for such an excursion,” said Mary. “Maybe even two at once.”

“I thought you had ten including you?” asked Ben.

“You forgot about Charlotte Griggs,” said Mary. “She was an overage.”

“Ah, right,” said Ben as Grady came up. “Mister Stafford.”

“Mister Nash,” he said formally in return. “Can I borrow Mary for a moment?”

“By all means,” said Ben.

“My guys need you in what’s to become the emergency room so you can show them where you want all the electrical and gas connections,” said Grady.

“Right,” said Mary and turned to Ben. “Anything else?”

“Nope, just put some thought into the idea please,” said Ben as she headed off with Grady in tow. However, Ben walked along with Grady since he was curious why the rush on the medical since it was in the middle of the ship.

“Because the engine we’re going to be using as the initial powerplant for the colony powers the medical bay,” said Grady. “We need to unhook the medical section before we can move that.”

“I wondered why you were starting in the middle,” said Ben.

“Oversight on the designers and something Cyrus complained about during construction and tried to get changed, but was ignored. The lowermost engine that’s also easiest to move powers the medical bay and a few of the living quarters sections,” said Grady. “Not the way I would have done it.”

“No way of rerouting power?” asked Ben.

“Not without major modifications,” said Grady. “We looked at that, but we just can’t justify adding time onto our schedule. Trust me, this is the easiest way.”

“Hey, I think the hospital is certainly up there in terms of critical infrastructure,” said Ben as one of the nurses passed by with two security force members right behind her lugging heavy items. “Let me guess, that’s one of the ones Tasha’s boys is chasing?”

“You know about that?” chuckled Grady.

“Yeah, Tasha filled me in,” said Ben with a laugh. “I will give them credit, they have great taste. She’s a beauty.”

“Same thing happens with one of mine,” said Grady with a laugh. “She’s a pretty thing, but the ability to operate heavy equipment and get dirty with the boys just makes their tongues wag.”

“And what does she have to say about it?” asked Ben.

“Same thing as the others I suppose,” said Grady. “They’re happy to have extra help around to lug the heavy objects when they bat their eyes.”

“I’d hope they aren’t taking advantage of that,” said Ben.

“Not in the least,” said Grady. “At least mine isn’t. She’s aware the boys find her attractive, but she won’t use her looks to do any more than getting them to help.”

“I’m sure you aren’t complaining about having a few extra hands,” chuckled Ben.

“I consider it cross training,” said Grady. “If I can teach them a thing or two beyond lifting of said heavy objects, that’s less work for my folks to have to do.”

“Good point,” said Ben as Mary had finished showing the workers where she needed certain items and came back over. Yet another med tech came breezing through with yet another young security force member in tow.

“I’d assume that’s the other one?” asked Ben.

“The two of mine the security boys are going crazy over?” asked Mary. “Yep, that’s her.”

“They aren’t being pesky are they?” asked Ben.

“Nah, just boys being boys,” said Mary. “Izzy and Vanessa think it’s a hoot.”

“A hoot?” asked Ben.

“The fact the boys are eager to ‘help’ them when they’re perfectly capable of moving a box from point A to point B,” said Mary.

“As long as they aren’t getting out of control,” said Ben.

“They know how to put the retro thrusters on,” said Mary. “When they’ve had enough, they let the gentlemen know it.”

“Let me know if I need to talk to Tasha about it,” said Ben.

“Oh, they aren’t the only ones the boys are chasing,” said Mary. “My compliment of ladies is young and most are attractive. Even Grady’s boys are giving chase to some of them.”

“Again, hopefully nothing that causes problems,” said Ben.

“Boys will be boys and girls will be girls,” said Mary. “They’re being smart though.”

“Good for them,” said Ben and turned to Grady. “How long before this is up and running?”

“I’m hoping to have initial operations capability by Friday,” said Grady. “Detailed work will continue, but the ER should be good to go by then.”

“That’s less than four days away,” said Ben.

“We’ve got the robots running constantly,” said Grady. “We might have a day or two delay depending on what we have to finish, but I’m thinking Friday is a good bet.”

“Okay then,” said Ben. “And the perimeter?”

“That’ll take longer since we don’t want to open areas of the ship until we’re ready to disassemble them. Cyrus is only taking the plating from areas we’re already in the process of dismantling as well as some interior bulkheads,” said Grady as Javier came into the clinic.

“Control said you were here,” said Javier as he walked up to the group. “I’m glad I’ve got you and Mary here at the same time.”

“Ben already let me know,” said Mary. “You can have a doctor and two med techs. Just let me know when.”

“A doctor?” asked Javier.

“I feel it’s necessary,” said Mary as she explained why.

“Good point,” said Javier. “Grady, can I steal your geologist for the mountain site exploration?”

“I can live without him for a couple of days, but I’d like to come along,” said Grady as he turned to Ben. “We’ve got mining operations we need to plan for and I’d like to eyeball that area for my own nosiness.”

“Approved,” said Ben. “Javier, it seems to be coming together nicely.”

“Rachelle already said she could do without a shuttle and a gunship. She’s with Tasha at the moment working on those logistics,” said Javier.

“When are you looking at going?” asked Grady.

“Commander?” asked Javier.

“Early next week?” asked Ben. “Or were you thinking before then?”

“Maybe sooner,” said Javier. “I’m going to task some drones for extended recon in that area to make sure there isn’t anything we should be worried about.”

“Good plan,” said Ben. “Tell you what, we have a meeting planned for tomorrow night. Why don’t you get everything put together and present it then?”

“I can do that,” said Javier. “I’ll work on it first thing in the morning.”

“Not tonight?” asked Ben.

“You’re forgetting I’ve got a date?” asked Javier.

“You’ve got a date?” asked Mary with a grin.

“He’s seeing the Emilia lady from Ag,” said Ben as Javier grinned.

“Wow, Javier, she’s pretty,” said Mary with an approving nod. “You sly dog.”

“I’ll be a perfect caballero,” said Javier with a grin. “Charming and everything.”

“I’m sure,” said Grady with a laugh. “Well, my union break is officially over and I need to get back to work.”

“Same here,” said Mary.

“I think I’ll stick around and help if that’s okay?” asked Ben.

“You looking to lift heavy objects to impress a lady?” asked Mary with a twinkle.

“I thought I was management that oversaw all the work and told people what to do,” said Ben.

“You can do that,” said Mary. “Just do it somewhere else.”

“I’m willing to get my hands dirty helping out,” said Ben with his hands raised. “Under the close observation of a mean doctor lady that will get all kinds of ferocious if I overwork myself.”

“Yes, she will,” said Mary. “Now, since you’re here to help, we can use another strong back helping move the examination equipment into the observation room.”

“Just point me in the right direction,” said Ben as he removed his uniform top and stowed his weapons with the other medical staff. Mary showed him to the proper location where several people were helping move the items needed. Ben jumped in under the direction of one of the medical personnel as one of the ladies the security troops were pursuing brought her “entourage” with her to help out as well. They finished moving the equipment into the new room and were directed to yet another project as they helped each other build what Ben considered one of the most important facilities in the colony. They worked well into the afternoon before Mary finally sent them home to clean up before dinner that evening as she was thrilled with the progress they had made that day. Grady returned and programmed the robotic builders to work overnight after a brief consultation with Mary on the intensive care unit.

The workers headed their different ways upon completion, all amazed at how quickly the colony was springing to life. While work would continue after dark by small crews of engineers and the robotic helpers, the majority of the colony relaxed save one person who was working extended hours. Tasha headed back into the command center to continue trying to get caught up on her daily duties, remembering she had yet another item to plan for with Javier’s excursions. She let out a sigh as she got on the computer and continued juggling people trying to make everything work as best as she could.

 

CHAPTER 33



“Hey Ben,” called Kurt as he came jogging over to where Ben and Tasha were observing the new area the shuttle landing pad would be installed. “You and Tasha got a minute?”

“I’ve got nothing planned,” said Ben. “Tasha?”

“Nothing that can’t wait,” said Tasha. “Something up?”

“Yeah, we need to discuss additional security arrangements for the farm if possible,” said Kurt.

“I thought we were securing the areas you needed,” said Tasha.

“The initial planting yes,” said Kurt. “However, we’re about to go in with the wheat and corn crops. That’s going to be a whole new area.”

“Where?” asked Tasha as she brought up the map on her communicator.

“Over in here,” said Kurt as he pointed at the location.

“Easy, we just move the troops from one area to the other,” said Tasha.

“We’re still working that first area though,” said Kurt. “And will be for at least another month.”

“So, you need more troops,” said Tasha with a sigh.

“If possible,” said Kurt. “My guys are armed, so maybe a screening force out beyond the fields would be best?”

“I’ll be…I’ll take a look at it and get back with you,” said Tasha. “When are you planning on getting that planted?”

“Day after tomorrow,” said Kurt.

“Same day Javier takes his camping trip,” said Tasha with a sigh.

“Something up?” asked Ben.

“No, nothing at all,” said Tasha as Rachelle came up to the group from the ever growing supply yards. Since the Santa Maria had landed, the cargo area had been far busier than they had since the first days on the planet. Rachelle and Charity were keeping up with the flow, but just barely and any bad weather would wreck their timetables.

“Hey guys?” asked Rachelle. “Got a minute?”

“Ma’am?” asked Ben.

“I’ve got a supply container that’s not labeled,” said Rachelle. “Normally they have what section they are going to on the exterior, but this one only has a listing of equipment.”

“Oh?” asked Ben.

“Yeah, first item on the list is 100 of the NG1183 ACTIVE system-” said Rachelle as she was immediately cut off.

“Did you just say ACTIVE system?” asked Tasha as she perked up.

“Yeah, that’s what it says,” said Rachelle, wondering why Tasha was acting so strangely. And to add fuel to the fire, Tasha giggled and ran over and planted a kiss on Rachelle’s forehead before running towards the containers being unloaded.

“Okay, what the hell just happened?” asked Rachelle after she composed herself from the extremely unusual behavior from Tasha.

“You know how Javier’s folks get when they find something new?” asked Ben.

“Yeah, they get all kinds of crazy excited,” said Rachelle.

“You’re about to see the same behavior from Tasha,” said Ben.

“Oh, this I have to see,” said Kurt as all three walked over to find Tasha running back and forth in the open containers trying to find the one she was looking for.

“You think we should just let her go until she drops?” asked Kurt with a chuckle.

“We’ll be here all day,” said Ben with a chuckle.

“Tasha,” said Rachelle and pointed. “That one.”

“Thank you!” she exclaimed and dashed to the container and opened it up.

“Okay, seriously, what the hell is going on?” asked Rachelle.

“They are called ACTIVE Suits,” explained Ben in a calm manner. “Adaptive Camouflaging for Thermal Imaging and Visual Environments.”

“Are those the Captain Invisible suits?” asked Kurt as they walked to the container to hear Tasha giggling as she opened one of the boxes. “Heard of them.”

“They are,” said Ben. “Advanced camouflaging system used by militaries. Basically, you can move up to two meters per second and nobody can see a thing. And the thermal output is designed to blend into the local environment within 5%.”

“Nice,” remarked Kurt.

“I can safely assume most everything in that container is for security?” asked Rachelle.

“What else is there?” asked Ben. Rachelle handed over the cargo manifest and he skimmed through it, finding the additional items were tasked for the Security Team. “Yes, it’s hers.”

“You think I can get her to sign for it before she tears it apart?” asked Rachelle as Tasha was busy pulling on one of the suits. She managed to get it on and the hood and mask covering her face before turning the unit on and disappearing from sight.

“Okay, that’s a neat trick,” said Rachelle as she suddenly felt a nudge from the side. “Hey!”

“Just playing,” said Tasha’s voice from a synthesizer in the mask portion. “Now I can go through the mess area twice when they serve chocolate cake!”

“Or we can figure out the best use for them to include the science teams out in the field,” said Ben. “Since it’s unmarked, I could designate it to command and sign for it.”

“Too late,” said the synthesized voice as the tablet Rachelle was holding was snatched out of her hands and the stylus appeared to be moving on its own as Tasha signed the bottom. “Dibs.”

“I think we have the first official Christmas gift of Novae Spes,” stated Rachelle as she took the tablet that was being held in front of her. It appeared to be suspended in thin air as Rachelle let out a sigh.

“This is like Christmas combined with Halloween!” exclaimed Tasha.

“Okay, play time is over,” said Ben with a chuckle.

“Come on! Just one practical joke! Please!” exclaimed Tasha.

“On who?” asked Ben.

“Javier would get a kick out of it,” said Tasha with a giggle.

“No poking, prodding or hitting him,” said Ben. “And just one.”

“Okay, be right back!” said Tasha as they heard footsteps leading away. She was running so they saw the outline of a human that shimmered as the camouflaging system attempted to keep up with the rapidly changing environment.

“Kid at Christmas,” scoffed Rachelle. “But I should grab one and return the practical joke.”

“No, I’m not letting my senior staff get into that kind of practical joke war,” said Ben.

“You really are a killjoy,” said Rachelle with a laugh.

Tasha headed to the area she thought Javier was in, but he was gone at the moment. However, she saw Chuck working on something or another and decided he would be the next victim. He sat down a tablet he had been recording data on and she went in and moved it to another small bench. He turned around to look for it with a slightly confused look on his face before finding it and recording the next set of data. Setting it down in the same place and turning back to his work, she moved it back to the original spot.

Chuck finished whatever he was working on and turned once again to find it only to see it had been moved once again. He shook his head slightly and reached for the tablet only to have it move away from his grasp.

“I see someone has an ACTIVE suit,” he said with a sigh.

“Are you kidding me?” asked Tasha. “How did you know?!”

“I don’t believe in ghosts,” said Chuck. “May I please have my tablet?”

“Fine,” said Tasha as she handed the tablet back. However, she couldn’t leave well enough alone and poked at him in the arm.

“Okay, I’m going to start swinging in the air just to figure out where you are,” he stated with a serious look.

“You wouldn’t dare,” said Tasha.

“Fine,” he said with another sigh and grabbed a long-handled shovel and turned around. He pulled it into his shoulder like a baseball bat and took a large slow swing around the area.

“Seriously!” exclaimed Tasha as she shut the suit off and removed the mask. “You could have hit me!”

“I waited long enough in my wind up for you to get out of the way,” he said patiently. “I need to get this data recorded before I forget.”

“You are way too serious!” she exclaimed. “I was just trying to have some fun with you!”

“There’s time for that later,” he said with half a smile. “I get off work in about four hours and we can have dinner and discuss how to have fun between just the two of us.”

“You are still a pig!” she exclaimed at him.

“Easiest way of making you leave,” he stated in an even tone.

“So, you aren’t serious?” she asked.

“No, but I do need to get this done,” he stated as he entered the data on the tablet.

“Fine,” she scoffed at him and pulled the hood off.

“It was a little funny,” he said with a chuckle as she turned to leave. She scoffed and rolled her eyes at him and headed back to the container where Ben and Rachelle were checking over the other items inside.

“That Chuck guy is just no fun,” stated Tasha as she got to the container.

“I thought you were going to pull it on Javier?” asked Rachelle.

“He wasn’t around, so I struck at another target of opportunity,” said Tasha as she doffed the suit and returned it to the box.

“And why is he no fun?” asked Ben.

“Because he knew I was in an ACTIVE suit!” exclaimed Tasha.

“Wasn’t playing your games, huh?” asked Ben.

“No, that nerd just wanted to work,” said Tasha dejectedly.

“Maybe you should find him off duty and see if he wants to play games,” suggested Rachelle. “He is hot you know?”

“I wish everyone would stop playing matchmaker with him and me!” exclaimed Tasha.

“Well, we all know you like him,” said Rachelle.

“I do not!” protested Tasha. “He’s a nerd! He’s serious! And…a nerd!”

“You forgot hot,” said Rachelle.

“Enough,” said Tasha disgustedly. “Where’s my rifle?”

“Oh, did you leave it behind to go play jokes?” asked Ben.

“You didn’t!” exclaimed Tasha as she knew Ben had taken it.

“Damn right I did,” said Ben in an even voice. “There’s a time for work and a time for play. But I’m pretty sure a certain senior officer that bears a strong resemblance to me impressed on you way early in your career that you never leave your weapon behind unattended.”

“So, what did you do with it?” asked Tasha meekly as she knew he was right.

“Wrapped it in an ACTIVE tarp and laid it out in the field,” said Ben as his face turned into a frown. “Have fun finding it.”

“Seriously? What if we come under attack?” exclaimed Tasha.

“Then I’ll grab it for you, but until said time, have fun looking for it,” said Ben. Tasha glared at him and looked over at Rachelle. She gave a quick shrug of her shoulders with a look like “I don’t know” as Tasha glared at him once again. She let out a large sigh as she departed the container and went into the field, kicking at the grass, knowing she had screwed up royally.

“How long are you going to make her look for it?” asked Rachelle as she saw Ben pulling Tasha’s rifle down from the top of the boxes.

“I’d say at least a half hour or so,” said Ben with a chuckle. “She got caught up in the moment and it’ll take some time for her to think about what she did. Figure a half hour of beating herself up and looking silly kicking grass ought to do it.”

“My pistol is on my hip,” chuckled Rachelle.

“And your rifle?” asked Ben.

“Safely stowed with the others at our command area,” she stated. “Being watched, mind you, by trusted members of my team.”

“That’s what I like to hear,” said Ben.

“So, what’s the rest of this stuff?” asked Rachelle.

“Well, other than the hundred suits, we have a hundred of the ACTIVE tarps, twenty reloadable illumination flare systems along with the rounds,” said Ben as he looked over the data on the tablet. “Basically, they fire out a shell that contains an illumination device as well as a mobile anti-grav system. It stays aloft and hovers for anywhere from five to ten minutes and practically turns the night into day.”

“Neat,” said Rachelle.

“It certainly can come in handy if the Raptors attack after dark,” said Ben. “Even though our night vision and thermal systems are great, not everyone has those.”

“Anything else cool?” asked Rachelle.

“Well, those are the large ones that aren’t, or rather typically aren’t, carried by soldier,” said Ben. “However, it appears we have quite a few of the individual sized ones as well. Smaller, lighter, but don’t have as much light output and they last for five minutes max.”

“I wondered why they had the same caution warnings on the boxes,” said Rachelle. “Anything else I have to be worried about?”

“Looks to be the cloth for spare uniforms and individual gear,” said Ben. “Nothing else of note.”

“I’ll have a team get it over to the security compound,” said Rachelle. “Anything else?”

“Nah, we’re good here,” said Ben as Rachelle departed to find her team and continue logging the supplies and distributing them to the appropriate areas. Ben looked out to see Tasha still kicking at the grass, looking very sorry for herself.

“Hey!” he called and waited for her to look at him. She stopped and slowly raised her head and saw him nod towards the container where the suits were at. She slowly came across the field, dreading what was coming, but knew she had to get it over with. Arriving at the container, she was looking at the ground like a child that had disappointed her parents.

“Okay, you want to tell me what’s going on?” he asked in a calm voice. “This is the second time since we’ve been here you’ve screwed up and I’ve had to get into you.”

“I…apologize,” she said. “I know how you hate apologies, but there it is.”

“Okay, apology accepted,” he stated. “Now, what’s really on your mind?”

“I’m not sure you’re ready to hear it,” she stated.

“It’s just you and me,” said Ben.

“I’m not ready for this command,” she stated. “I’m slipping, I’m in way over my head and this was not me, but I let it happen anyway.”

“Okay,” he replied. “Now who’s going to take over?”

“I…I don’t know,” she said softly. “You maybe?”

“Weren’t you in command of a unit when I approached you about this job?” he asked.

“Peacetime unit, sure,” she stated. “You want the truth?”

“I’ve never expected anything but from you,” he replied.

“Truth is, I’m overwhelmed,” she stated. “I never realized just how much work you did just for the day to day stuff. And I’m just barely keeping my head above water it seems.”

“Okay, and?” he asked.

“Just everything compounded,” she said with a sigh. “An alien planet, I…we lost two people practically from the start, my days and nights are mixed up, I’m working when I shouldn’t be trying to make sure all the admin stuff is taken care of. Making sure the supplies are getting sorted. Ensuring the training of the new people gets completed. And everyone wants a security team for something or other and I spend even more time juggling which teams are up, which are down and which can go into the field with the Agriculture crew or a science team. I’m just barely keeping up and some of the little things are slipping like today.”

“That’s a pretty poor excuse,” said Ben. “I’m very disappointed in you right now.”

“I never implied it was a good one,” said Tasha as she looked at the ground.

“And what is Anton doing during all this?” asked Ben.

“Running the opposite shift from me,” said Tasha.

“Doing any of the admin work?” he asked.

“No, that falls on me,” she replied.

“Sergeant Major Whitaker taking care of the training?” he asked.

“Some from time to time,” she stated. “But I’ve been doing a lot.”

“As in, you’re taking on every responsibility for yourself instead of trusting those leaders under you and allowing them to learn something along the way,” he stated as a matter of fact. “Or in the case of Kendrick Whitaker, not letting him do what he’s outstanding at.”

“I…yes,” she stated after thinking about what he said.

“I understand you were short staffed to an extent when you got here,” he stated. “Novus didn’t exactly know what security needs were required and just tossed a bunch on here hoping it would be enough.”

“And you picked a security chief that has competence issues,” said Tasha meekly.

“No, I picked a security chief that knows what she’s doing if she’d only step back and analyze the situation for five damn minutes and see what she’s missing,” said Ben.

“I should get Anton more involved,” said Tasha after a pause. “Probably another of the senior Captains as well. Help on the admin side.”

“And what else?” asked Ben. “Didn’t you get an infusion of new personnel from the ship?”

“I did,” said Tasha. “But training them up hasn’t been easy.”

“And that happens to be your problem?” asked Ben. “I’ve known the Sergeant Major for well over twenty years. Longer than you even and I’m telling you right now he’s the best man you’ve got for that lead trainer position.”

“I understand,” said Tasha as she saw he was right, as always.

“Now, about those transfers from the ship,” said Ben. “Did you think to look over what their specialties were?”

“Glanced over it,” she said sheepishly.

“So, there might be someone that’s good at logistics in there,” said Ben. “Maybe even someone that can help you start those daily reports as a minimum.”

“Maybe,” she said and looked at the ground again, knowing she wasn’t thinking straight.

“You know what my job was before I retired?” he asked.

“Sure, you were commanding the detachment we were assigned to,” said Tasha.

“More than that,” he stated. “My job, and still is to an extent, was to train you to replace me. To ensure you had the tools necessary to get the job done and make decisions. And I retired knowing I was leaving it in capable hands even though we were at peace for the moment. I turned over my legacy to you knowing you would care for it and in turn, train up your replacement and eventually turn it over to them. Provided we’re in a slightly different situation, but your job now is to train those under you to take your place someday. And my job is to train you to take mine someday. That is as simple as I can make this. But right now, I’m disappointed in you for being so foolish.”

“I don’t know if I can,” said Tasha.

“I know you can,” said Ben. “I believe in you. Why don’t you believe in yourself?”

Tasha got quiet again and looked at the ground. She wasn’t just upset at herself for the minor screw ups over the past few weeks, she was disappointed in herself for letting down her mentor. She thought the world of Ben and through thick and thin, he had always been like the family she never knew. She had adopted him along the way as a surrogate father and to hear the disappointment in his voice caused her to break down even further.

“Dammit,” she stated as she sniffed and her eyes got watery.

“It’s okay to cry every once in a while,” he said as she wiped her face with her hands.

“No, it’s not,” said Tasha. “A good leader doesn’t cry. You never did.”

“You just never saw me do it,” said Ben. “But yeah, there were times I was able to break open. And I needed the release just like you do from time to time.”

“Now isn’t the best time,” she sniffed and chuckled. “Imagine what a basket case I’ll be in six months.”

“I think in six months, we’ll both look back on this and laugh,” he said in a kind voice. “Tasha, you’re one of the finest soldiers I ever commanded. I know you’re capable, but you cannot take on so much just because this place is alien to us. You have got to let your staff get involved and you have got to learn to delegate. I did it, you saw it, received some of it, now it’s your turn.”

“I have some thinking to do,” she stated. “Before I come up with a plan.”

“So, I don’t have to turn over the leadership to someone else?” he asked.

“No, I don’t believe in second chances any more than you,” said Tasha. “But this place is a second chance for us all and I’d really appreciate showing, no, proving to you I was wrong.”

“Without overdoing it,” he stated.

“Without overdoing it,” she replied. “I do need some time to think about it alone.”

“My suggestion? Go talk to the Sergeant Major,” said Ben. “I’d be willing to bet he might have some thoughtful suggestions along the way. In a just world, he would have been a General by now like I was supposed to be. But he chose the path of the warrior like I did. But he’s smart and I’d figure he has some ideas that could be helpful.”

“Suggestion noted,” she nodded.

Ben held out his hand as a means of telling her he accepted her apology, realizing she was not unlike him in his first command. She took it with an embarrassed smile and realized he was not angry with her like he could have been. Their paths and leadership styles were entirely similar and he had made his share of screw ups in the past and had a mentor show him the error of his ways and corrected it. “It’s all going to be perfectly fine in the end.”

She nodded at him with respect as the newfound confidence in her own abilities came back full force. Even though with a harsh reminder they had just been hidden and needed to be pulled from where he knew they were. He retrieved her rifle from behind some of the boxes, handing it over with a smile. She shook her head with a smile as well before departing to find the Sergeant Major. Seeing she was headed down the right path, he decided to check on the SIT Team to find out what other interesting equipment they had received and help with the sorting if they needed it.

********************
​

Ben finished up the day with the SIT Team helping organize and distribute cargo as well as meeting some of the team he hadn’t met yet. They found it curious the Commander was willing to dig right in and help with the work they were doing, but appreciated the help and were patient with him as they showed him the various computer systems needing to be updated for tracking the cargo and supplies. Eventually Rachelle came in and dismissed them all for the day and they headed towards the ship or to the temporary quarters to wash up and change before dinner. Ben spent his dinner with some of the teammates he had worked with during the day as they swapped stories and had some good laughs over dinner. He was surprised not to find Tasha at dinner, but thinking he might have missed her earlier. He did take the time to notice Javier apparently had a second date with Emilia as they sat away from the group talking and sharing smiles and laughs with each other.

After finishing, Ben made his rounds of the dining area speaking to the various small groups before heading back to his temporary quarters and taking a seat and relaxing while enjoying the evening air. He had an outdoor fireplace by his cargo container and had started up a fire that evening, burning some of the smaller scrap lumber and tree limbs that had been collected. The temperatures were getting slightly warmer at night indicating a rise of the summer, but this evening was just pleasant with the fire as he reflected on the events of the day and unwound his mind as he often did. He was joined by a familiar figure in something they had both done countless times before.

“Man looks like he could use a drink,” said Sergeant Major Kendrick as he strolled up with two cups and took the seat next to Ben’s.

“Unless you’ve got a beer, I’m good,” said Ben.

“Closest thing they’ve got,” said Kendrick as he handed over the cup.

“Root beer?” asked Ben as he took a sip.

“Sadly, yes,” said Kendrick. “You’d think these companies would toss in some alcohol production equipment or something.”

“Oh, I have no doubt there will be moonshine pretty soon,” said Ben. “We are in the company of scientists and doctors and engineers. I have no doubt one or more of them is squirreling away parts to build a still right about now.”

“Are you going to let nature take its course when it does happen?” asked Kendrick.

“Probably,” said Ben. “You and I served together on a few dry tours and we knew where the contraband alcohol was if we didn’t bring it ourselves. Plus, you and I both saw a lot of bottles being passed around after the memorial. I’d much prefer to have it in the open here.”

“Always thought you were pretty smart for an officer,” chuckled Kendrick.

“Tasha come see you today?” asked Ben.

“She did,” nodded Kendrick as he took a sip. “And I don’t know what you said to her, but I haven’t seen a fire lit under an ass like that in years.”

“Motivated?” asked Ben.

“Understatement of the year,” said Kendrick. “She’s had a few slips here so far, nothing major, but it’s like a switch got flipped today. Focused, on point and even reminded me a little of you in your younger days.”

“I’m not sure if that’s a good thing,” chuckled Ben.

“Nah, you turned out okay,” said Kendrick as he took a sip. “She’ll be fine as well.”

“She was having confidence issues,” said Ben.

“Solved,” said Kendrick. “She turned over training to me, admin work to Captain Moore, logistics to Chief Petty Officer Ryan, intelligence operations to Captain Irwin and operations scheduling to Captain Sokolov. Basically, our S functions in one directive except networking which she was coordinating with Rachelle to get a person assigned to our needs.”

“She’s not passing on too much I hope,” said Ben.

“Nothing she shouldn’t have to begin with,” said Kendrick. “The S functions of the staff should have been outlined from day one.”

“I made mention she was not using her assets correctly,” said Ben.

“She should have delegated a lot of that from the start,” said Kendrick. “But she was too busy trying to please you to think straight and pass some of it off.”

“Come again?” asked Ben.

“Hell, Ben, tell me you noticed,” said Kendrick, sitting up slightly.

“Haven’t the first clue what you’re talking about,” said Ben.

“She’s doing the same thing she’s always done,” said Kendrick. “And that’s to earn your approval and get the old chuck on the shoulder for a job well done. Ever since day one on this planet, she’s been busting her ass trying to do everything. She thinks of you like that father she’s desperately trying to please by being the straight A student.”

“She’s always been motivated,” said Ben. “Not because I had anything to do with it.”

“You really never knew?” asked Kendrick.

“No,” said Ben.

“You were the first person to ever give her a chance in this life,” said Kendrick. “To be a part of something special and give her that fatherly advice she never got growing up. You’ve always been in that father figure role for her and she would walk through fire for you.”

“I realize she’s been loyal and all, but that can’t be it,” said Ben.

“She’s an orphan, bounced from foster home to orphanage and repeated the process her whole life before she got drafted,” said Kendrick. “You’re the only stable male she’s ever had that gave her a chance and let her be herself. She took to you on day one and practically killed herself trying to live up to your expectations.”

“No way,” said Ben.

“Remember when we found her at that Basic Training unit?” asked Kendrick.

“Vaguely,” said Ben.

“I spoke with the Drill Sergeant not long before he put his finest troops out there for us to observe. I thought ‘no way this scrawny little chickadee is going to even remotely pass.’ Before they started, he came over to me and said ‘watch that blond one.’ Sure enough, she outperformed everyone on that course,” said Kendrick.

“She did quite well as I remember,” said Ben. “Along with the question and answer session later.”

“She was told, rightfully, we were a family instead of just a plain unit. She busted her ass trying to get noticed so we might give her a chance at becoming family,” said Kendrick. “They told her she needed to go above and beyond expectations to get accepted into our family.”

“And obviously earned my attention in the process,” said Ben. “I never was unduly harsh on her with my expectations though.”

“No, you weren’t,” said Kendrick. “You set a high standard, but she always wanted to exceed them because she wanted to be the best you had.”

“I might have been a little harsh on her today,” said Ben.

“No, you did or told her exactly what she needed,” said Kendrick. “I haven’t seen anyone jump out of the starting gates like that since Colonel Dobbs got into you back in the day.”

“Yeah, I never told her about that,” chuckled Ben. “In fact, I think you and I are the only two on the planet that know about that.”

“Man, I never saw anything like that before,” said Kendrick with a laugh. “Even the old timers in the unit said they’d never seen anyone get lit up like that. That man tore you down and built you back up in five minutes flat. But it worked.”

“I certainly wasn’t the same joker afterwards,” laughed Ben.

“You probably weren’t quite so…graphic with Tasha, but you that little girl was born again as a soldier and a leader today,” said Kendrick. “She’ll be fine.”

“I’m glad,” said Ben. “Sometimes it takes a while to click.”

“You were different so to speak,” said Kendrick. “Always thinking ten steps ahead, plotting, planning, moving, adapting. She’s not much different, just has a different personality in her style. Overall, she does the same thing, just needed that swift kick in the pants to get it started and a little later than you.”

“Good,” said Ben. “I was asked by the Vice President if she wasn’t a little young for the Security Director position. I told him I had all the faith in the world in her.”

“She’ll be fine moving forward,” said Kendrick.

“She almost didn’t make the trip,” said Ben as he explained the missing orders and contract.

“Seems like someone was bucking for that position,” said Kendrick.

“I said the same thing,” said Ben. “The Vice President ensured me he would handle it.”

“I hope he did,” said Kendrick as he stretched. “I’d hate to see the same fighting that always seems to happen break out here. This place is a paradise.”

“That it is,” said Ben. “You know, you almost didn’t make the trip either.”

“Oh?” asked Kendrick.

“Yeah, something about you stealing proprietary formulas from Novus?” asked Ben.

“Yeah…that might have been me,” said Kendrick with a grin.

“Who contracted you?” asked Ben.

“Lockheed-Boeing,” said Kendrick. “They needed it for some research.”

“I told the VP you likely were needing help making ends meet,” said Ben.

“They paid well,” said Kendrick. “Enough on that single job to equal what I was making in an entire year with Lodestone.”

“I figured as much,” said Ben. “You left DNA behind though.”

“Why didn’t Novus report it?” asked Kendrick.

“Because the materials were loosely related to the trip here,” said Ben. “They didn’t want the authorities asking pointed questions.”

“I see,” said Kendrick.

“Regardless, I got you assigned,” said Ben.

“And Gale and I thank you for that every day,” said Kendrick. “We get to see our children regularly and get to do important work. That’s perfect in our world.”

“I don’t know what I wouldn’t do with you there keeping me out of trouble,” said Ben.

“Like always,” said Kendrick with a chuckle. “You’ve not needed it here though.”

“Oh?” asked Ben.

“No, every decision you’ve made so far has been right,” said Kendrick. “Your Directors have been spot on in their decision making process as well. I don’t know how you brought them together without the normal fighting that takes place, but it’s already a well-oiled machine.”

“Until Expedition 2 gets here,” said Ben.

“I have this feeling Novus is picking smart folks that can and will move in nicely,” said Kendrick. “Hopefully, they’ll see the progress we’ve made and follow instead of trying to be the big dog taking charge.”

“With Expedition 2 comes elections for the ‘commander’ position,” said Ben. “Or that was the plan before we left.”

“I’d almost wait for 3 or 4 to come in for that,” said Kendrick. “Waste of time if you ask me.”

“How so?” asked Ben.

“Because everyone here is going to vote you in, the Directors will vote for you and their sections will probably follow them without question and the incoming group probably isn’t going to want to upset the apple cart by voting in someone unfamiliar with the situation,” said Kendrick.

“Didn’t think of it that way,” said Ben.

“People are smart when you give them a chance,” said Kendrick. “We’ve got a pretty smart group here when they need to be.”

“Who says I want to be a leader that long anyway?” asked Ben.

“You don’t have a choice just like being Security Commander wasn’t a choice for Tasha,” said Kendrick. “You won’t step down regardless of what happens.”

“You’re really annoying when you’re right, you know?” asked Ben with a chuckle.

“It’s a gift,” laughed Kendrick.

“You should be glad I retired so I can’t bust you back to Private,” laughed Ben.

“I’d tend to think the Commander of this place certainly could bust or promote someone if he wanted,” said Kendrick. “But since I’m the best you’ve got…”

“No ego either,” laughed Ben as Allen came up.

“Private meeting?” he asked.

“Not at all,” said Ben. “Just asking the Sergeant Major how he would like being a Private again.”

“10% of the work I do now and I get to plop my ass inside a tower? Sign me up,” laughed Kendrick.

“Yeah, I made the mistake of threatening Charity with that once,” laughed Allen. “Busting her back to a normal line pilot. She welcomed the opportunity since it meant she didn’t have anything to do but fly a ship.”

“Yeah, that backfired on you,” laughed Ben.

“Wasn’t serious about firing her, but you’re right when she called me on it,” laughed Allen.

“We were discussing Tasha and her kick in the pants today,” said Ben.

“I noticed she was running around this joint like her hair was on fire,” said Allen.

“She pulled a dumb this morning and I got into her,” said Ben. “It appears to have worked.”

“I think everyone in the ‘head person in charge’ positions needs to get a swift kick in the pants from time to time,” said Allen. “I know I got my butt chewed big time at one point.”

“I think it’s an initiation of command,” said Kendrick. “Had a Division Sergeant Major remind me of my place in the world once.”

“Simpson?” asked Ben.

“That very same one,” said Kendrick with a nod.

“He was a hateful old bastard if I ever saw one,” laughed Ben. “Even I knew better than to lock horns with that cranky old cuss.”

“Oh, he was right,” said Kendrick with a chuckle. “I never admitted it to him, but he was right.”

The trio continued swapping stories and discussing the colony as a whole as the sun dipped below the horizon and the lights came on in the compound. Novae Spes night bugs were out and about, the equal of the moths on Earth and the lightening bugs were out in full force that evening as they swept at the lights or peacefully glowed their blue, rather than yellow, color illuminating their location for longer periods than their Earth counterparts. People continued to wander through the colony as the trio heard laughing and carrying on from the central location everyone had claimed as the communal spot to meet and just socialize. Ben eventually grabbed the two and headed over, finding a group and sitting for a spell and sharing in the laughs and telling jokes of their own.

It was well into the evening before they departed their separate ways and headed to their quarters with another day on Novae Spes complete and Ben looking forward to the next one and getting the chance to help in ways he didn’t know were possible before making the trip. He had some administrative work to be done first thing in the morning and seeing off the science team for their mountain research mission, but afterwards he would be free to roam and help where needed. He decided to work with Agriculture the next day and help create life instead of tearing it down like he was used to in his former profession.

 

CHAPTER 34


“You guys be careful out there,” said Ben as he watched as the scientists and engineers loaded up in the shuttle. Tasha was busy speaking with her troops about the dangers and for them to be alert to any possible hostility since much of the region was unknown.

“We’ll be back by dusk,” said Javier as he would be responsible for the science team while on the ground. Grady was also going along and had overall command of the mission as well as the authority to terminate it early if he felt a risk. Ben and Grady shook hands as the gunship lifted off first and orbited until the shuttle came off the ground and headed east.

“I hated not going with them, but I’ve still got some work to do here,” said Tasha.

“Didn’t delegate it all?” asked Ben.

“How can I delegate performance reports?” asked Tasha. “Do I look like you when you used to pass it off on me?”

“Yeah, that was called training,” said Ben with a chuckle.

“I owe you a sincere thank you,” said Tasha. “Thanks for giving me another shot at making a difference and leading this unit.”

“You just needed a swift kick in the ass like we all have at some point,” said Ben.

“You had it as well?” asked Tasha.

“We all have at some point,” said Ben. “Yours just came later than most.”

“I won’t let you down,” said Tasha.

“You never have,” he replied with a smile. “What else do you have going on today?”

“I’ve got that meeting with Kurt over his security arrangements and the aforementioned performance reports I either have to write or review,” said Tasha. “You?”

“Working with Ag today, I think,” said Ben. “I’ve got a little admin work myself.”

“It never stops,” said Tasha. “I’ll catch up with you later, okay?”

“See you at the farm most likely,” said Ben as he departed. He had a bad feeling right then, one that had served him admirably for the 25 years he was in the military. One that just couldn’t be shaken regardless of what he knew.

“Tasha? Did the drones sweep the northern forest this morning?” he asked as she was walking away, but stopped.

“Let me check,” she stated and looked over her communicator at the logs. “They finished up about an hour and a half ago.”

“Do we have anyone outside the perimeter?” he asked. “Other than the science team?”

“Eight working on the aqueduct and pipeline from the river,” she replied after bringing up that information as well. “Four engineers and a security fire team with them. Looks like Ag has nearly their whole team out at the farm.”

“Okay,” he said.

“Something you want to tell me?” she asked, recognizing the look on his face.

“Just that bad feeling,” he stated. “Put my mind at ease and send the drones back out to the northern forest. And tell that work crew to keep an eye out.”

“You’ve got it,” said Tasha as she immediately relayed the orders to her command center and made the request of the science team to send the drones back out.

“Tasha? This is Angeline,” said Angeline over Tasha’s communicator.

“Go ahead,” said Tasha.

“We’re refueling the drones at the moment and downloading data from the sensors. It’s going to be at least an hour before we can get them back up,” said Angeline.

“Okay, just as soon as you can,” said Tasha as she looked around for the featheroos and didn’t find any grazing nearby. “Can you have them sweep into the forest to check for anything?”

“Specifically…?” asked Angeline.

“The featheroos aren’t out this morning,” said Tasha. “Commander Nash has a bad feeling as well. I can explain later.”

“I’ll see if they can speed up the refueling and wait on the download,” said Angeline.

“Thank you,” said Tasha.

“I heard,” said Ben as he had come to her.

“I don’t like the fact the featheroos aren’t out,” said Tasha.

“Neither do I,” said Ben. “Call the Ag team and have them keep an eye out as well.”

“I’m heading over that way,” said Tasha. “Kurt is supposed to keep his folks near the sheds until I get there anyway.”

“I’ll catch up with you later,” said Ben as she departed on an MMV heading towards the farm facilities. He headed for the command center and saw the first of the two drones getting ready to take flight.

“Sorry, but they had already torn the engine out of the other one to do some critical maintenance,” said Angeline. “This one might run out of data storage, but we will still get the live feed from the cameras.”

“Did we get the thermal installed yet?” asked Ben.

“Not on these specifically,” said Angeline. “They are scheduled for that tomorrow.”

“Yeah, about that,” said Ben. “Have it sweep nearest the work crew out to the northeast.”

“Got it,” said Angeline as the operator prepared the drone for flight. It lifted off and headed northeast as the fusion engine kept the thrusters going. As they passed over the work crew, nothing looked out of the ordinary as they looked up at the drone flying by before going back to work digging the trench for the pipeline. The drone quickly descended before heading into the trees and looking around the edge of the forest. It had gone about 400 meters before the signal was lost and a test pattern showed.

“Telemetry down,” said the operator. “Let me try to reestablish the uplink.”

He fiddled with the controls for several moments before Angeline reversed the feed to the last ten seconds. She slowed the video and caught what appeared to be a claw from the hand of a Raptor crossing the screen right before the telemetry went blank.

“Get that team back inside the perimeter now!” shouted Ben without any prompting. “Alert Archangel and have every guard tower stand to! Have everyone report to their duty sections! I’m declaring a General Alert at this time!”

“Archangel! This is Command! Novae Spes 1 is declaring a General Alert! Possible Raptor sighting to the northeast!” shouted the security controller into his radio as the alarms in the colony started going off and people started racing to their duty sections. The children were being herded towards the ship which was thought to be the safest place for them.

“Get all forces outside the wire back in now!” she shouted over her radio as she called to Kurt who was walking out to greet her. “Get your people armed and back to the colony! Right now!”

“Raptor?” he asked as his eyes opened wide.

“Affirmative!” she replied before gunning the motor and the back tires slipping on the loose soil of the field and swinging the four wheeled bike around quicker. She didn’t care what crops she ruined as she bounced across the field as she saw Kurt gathering his people and loading into the trucks before heading back.

“Get the gunships airborne! I want them on orbit around the colony and tell that science team that just departed not to land!” shouted Tasha into her communicator.

“Archangel! Be advised, work crew and security team outside the northeast is under attack!” shouted the controller. “Two Raptors!”

“Get a response force ready!” she ordered. “And get those damned gunships in the air!”

“Roger, crews responding now!” stated the controller as his partner was trying to make sense of the radio calls from the team outside the northeast of the colony.

“Be advised, we’re between the Raptors and the work crew! Crews are on foot running to the colony! Their vehicle was destroyed! We need support! Over!” yelled the team leader.

“Response force is forming up! Gunships are getting ready to head to you!” yelled the second controller as she heard the roar of the creature over the radio as well as the machine gun fire from the top of their vehicle. “Can you pick them up?”

“Negative! Not enough room!” yelled the Sergeant. “We’re keeping it occupied, but some help would be nice about right now!”

As he turned his attention to the Raptor to fire at it, he saw movement out of the corner of his eye. Three more Raptors appeared out of the forest and headed straight at the group trying to run to safety.

“They are boxing us in!” he shouted as he saw one break off towards them while the other two continued towards the engineers and SIT Team members. Several stopped to fire at the Raptors, the other fired wildly over their shoulders, but the speed of the Raptors didn’t help as they quickly bore down on the colonists and started picking them off one at a time. The remainder headed for what they hoped might be the safety of the woods.

The gunship crews had been sitting on alert for what they thought would be yet another uneventful day. However, when the alert came, they sprang into action and started running towards their craft. The first crew made it to their ship and found the crew chief had already prepped the ship for launch.

“Command, this is Wolverine 2, lifting off at this time!” said Captain Ryan Kingston over his radio as his headset synced up with the comm panel.

“Wolverine 2, lift off as solo ship! Wolverine 1 pilot was injured responding!” yelled the controller.

“Roger that,” said Kingston. “Heading northeast!”

Charity heard the radio transmission about her wounded pilot before dashing towards the other gunship. She heard the screams of her people being overrun over the radio as she dashed into the open side door and heard Rachelle behind her.

“You kill those mother-” yelled Rachelle as she was cut off by the door closing behind Charity. The weapons officer had already warmed up the systems and Charity quickly lifted the craft off the ground while she was strapping in and throwing on a headset.

“Wolverine 1 is airborne!” she stated over the comm. “Tinker in the pilot seat!”

“Roger Tinker, be advised, Prancer is already airborne,” said the controller. “Five Raptors spotted to the northeast.”

“Prancer, work your way from the south and cover those personnel!” ordered Charity. “I’m going north to help the security troops!”

“Copy all, working south to north,” said Kingston. “I’ve got three Raptors in the open.”

“Kill them,” said Charity without any emotion as she passed his gunship and saw him preparing to fire his weapons. “Get our pods online.”

“Apache missiles and 30mm gun pods active and ready. You want the plasma cannon?” asked the weapons officer.

“Affirmative,” said Charity as she saw the original two Raptors kicking the security vehicle and stomping at it. She selected an Apache missile and targeted the nearest Raptor, putting the weapon designator right at a point between the arms. It stood agreeably still looking at her and snarling as she hit the designator and the missile locked on. It left the missile pod with a whoosh as she quickly moved the targeting to the second Raptor. The first missile traveled quickly at over twice the speed of sound and hit the Raptor only a quarter meter from the designated spot. Being an anti-armor missile, the High Explosive-Anti-Tank warhead had a dual charge with one explosion opening a path for the second explosion. The Raptor appeared to come apart as large chucks were seen flying from the impact.

Charity zoomed in on the second Raptor and attempted to target another missile, being extremely satisfied with the way the first one worked. However, the Raptor dodged into some trees making targeting almost impossible. She trained the 30mm cannon pods onto the target and the computer gave a proper lead and took over hover controls of the gunship. It kept the cannon on target as she held down the trigger sending nearly 50 rounds into the woods and bringing the Raptor down to the ground. Seeing it was still alive, though badly injured, she was in no mood to allow it to escape as she designated a second Apache missile and ended its misery with a missile explosion to the head.

“Tinker, Prancer, four more Raptors spotted to the northwest! Archangel is moving into position with response forces to engage!” yelled the controller.

“Command, this is Tinker, two Raptors down. Give me the status on Prancer,” said Charity over the radio. “I acknowledge four additional Raptors.”

“Tinker, I got two, the other is making its way towards the colony,” said Kingston. “I’m repositioning for a shot.”

“Keep in mind what’s behind it,” said Charity as she flew towards the contact she saw on her screen. She caught a glimpse of the Raptor as it ran towards the opening that hadn’t been filled by the perimeter wall just yet. She was just within rage as she selected the plasma cannon and a new targeting icon appeared. In space, the plasma bursts flew fairly level, but in gravity, they flew in a brief arc before losing a lot of momentum. However, Charity was very familiar with the weapon and squeezed off a half dozen shots, hitting with two of them in the left leg of the Raptor. It fell to the ground, using its arms to grasp at the injury as Charity repositioned for a better shot. She sent another ten rounds at it, hitting it with seven rounds as she saw the rounds chewing their way into the chest of the creature. It was likely already dead when it was hit by a final missile fired by Kingston as he had gotten into position.

“Command, five Raptors down on the northeast,” said Charity. “We’re going to the northwest!”

“Two more spotted on the north side and four on the west side!” yelled the controller. “Go gate and get over there! Archangel is requesting support!”

“On the way!” grunted Charity as she put some serious G forces on the craft that the inertial dampeners didn’t quite keep up with. “Prancer, you take the north, I’m going west!”

“Roger!” called Kingston as he headed to the north. Charity flew in low over the colony while switching her comm to the individual security comm frequency where she heard Tasha directing her forces.

“Echo Team! Push that one back on the east side!” yelled Tasha over the radio to one of her teams. Vehicles were moving between the Raptors and the Agriculture team where they had already retreated to the sheds for some additional cover. One of the trucks they had used was flipped over and Charity could see two Raptor bodies lying on the ground as the security forces maneuvered against the final two Raptors trying to stay between them and the Ag team. Charity prepared to go on a gun run and called Tasha over the radio.

“Archangel, this is Tinker, standing by for gun run at your command,” said Charity as she prepped the 30mm cannons once again.

“Get the one in the north, Tinker!” ordered Tasha. “We’ve got the one in the south!”

“Roger, targeting the north Raptor,” said Charity as she saw a lightweight missile reach out to the southern Raptor and hit it in the leg followed almost immediately by a medium range missile from a tower that was within reach. Charity sent another Apache missile towards the northern Raptor that was fleeing the scene after three of the four had been killed. However, the missile caught it first right in the center of the back as the process of it exploding from within was seen once again.

“Prancer, report,” said Charity.

“Raptor is too close to the wall!” said Kingston. “Dammit! I can’t get a clear shot!”

“Continue to monitor!” ordered Charity as she headed that way as well. “If it gets into the open, you light that bastard up!”

********************
​

Second Lieutenant Randall Whitaker had started what he assumed was a normal shift that morning at 0600 Novae Spes time along with his partner in the tower, Staff Sergeant Ken Dupont. They had checked their equipment as they always did and found everything in working order as the team that had been on duty headed in for their sleep period. Early morning has passed by and breakfast had been delivered as they watched a work crew depart for their duties outside the perimeter of the colony. Bored as he was, Whitaker re-zeroed the sniper rifle now that it was daylight out as the scope took his biometrics into account and zeroed to his natural point of aim.

“Zero complete,” announced a female voice from the scope and a green light flashed three times.

“Going to be a nice day out,” said Dupont.

“That it is,” said Randall who went by Randy. They passed the time in small talk before seeing the drone that had already swept the forest head back out.

“Notice any featheroos?” asked Randy.

“No…haven’t seen them all morning,” said Dupont who checked the log. “The previous shift reported it to the command center at 0130 this morning.”

“As long as someone knows,” said Randy as he looked out at the northern horizon. Suddenly, alarms were heard in the colony, the General Alarm meant for an attack. Dupont charged his cannon as he was supposed to as Randy got the medium range missiles ready to go as well as pulling the light missiles out of their protective cases and prepping them. He set the medium launcher up on the edge of the tower as he scanned the horizon from twelve to nine o’clock as Dupont scanned from twelve to three.

“Contact! One o’clock!” yelled Dupont as he swung the cannon over. “Two Raptors!”

“Command, this is Tower 2! Be advised, two Raptors at our location!” yelled Randy into the radio. “Engaging at this time!”

Dupont send a quick burst from the cannon out, finding the shells fell short, but adjusting as the Raptors came at them full speed. Two other towers also tried to engage, but the distance worked against them as their shots fell short as well. Dupont’s second burst was on target on one of the Raptors, making four hits out of five shots in the abdomen area which caused the Raptor to stumble on the ground. He sent a longer burst at the creature just as Randy lined up a missile shot and sent it on the way, guiding it in as the Raptor was getting back on its feet. The missile hit in the lower abdomen and the creature was gutted before their eyes. Dupont tried to swivel the cannon towards the other Raptor, but the T&E mechanism prohibited the cannon from going any further down. He quickly tried to rip off the device, but found it bolted into place and impossible to remove. Picking up his carbine, he started sending rounds at the creature hoping for hits.

Randy quickly reloaded a missile into the launcher, but saw the Raptor had closed the distance to within the safety arming range of the missile and it was almost too close for the lightweight missiles. He was surprised at the speed and agility of the Raptor as it dashed this way and that before finally making a huge leap towards the wall. It seemed to know the closer in it was, the safer from the main weapons it would be. It was not directly underneath the tower, but close enough they heard it jumping and attempting to climb as the claws scraped against the titanium alloy of the walls. They felt the dull thud and their tower shake as the heavy creature bashed into the wall out of frustration.

“Give me the sniper rifle!” yelled Randy as he grabbed at the bag of grenades as well.

“That’s kinda close!” yelled Dupont as he grabbed at the sniper rifle and was about to come with him.

“No, you stay here and man that cannon in case more show up!” ordered Randy as he ran onto the catwalk nearly fifteen meters to where the Raptor was attempting to get over. Just as he arrived, he saw the edge of the claws grab the top and realized the creature was jumping nearly ten meters in the air to get over. However, it slipped and hit the ground with a thud and a roar as Randy saw it back up and try again with another run. This time, more of the claws were on top and it had a good hold with one hand before Randy arrived and set the rifle right on the edge and pulled the trigger aimed right at the claws. The bullet tore through three of them as the Raptor slipped once again and fell to the ground, roaring loudly at the pain it received.

Randy grabbed a couple of the grenades out of the bag and flipped off the safety wire before pulling the pins and dropping them over the side. However, he realized it would be somewhat ineffective as the Raptor had backed off once again to make another run at the wall. The explosions gave it a pause as it was startled by the grenades, but looked up with another snarl and prepared to charge once again. Randy emptied the remainder of the ten round magazine of the sniper rifle at the creature, making several hits as he did so, but the Raptor came at the wall yet again. Randy quickly reloaded the rifle hoping to hit it and weaken it before it could jump again. The Raptor was hurt by the hit, but backed off and prepared to charge.

Randy prepared two more grenades and timed the employment perfectly as he cooked them off and dropped them over the wall. The small spheres of explosives were perfectly on target and exploded five meters off the ground just as the Raptor was arriving and jumping. The explosion knocked the Raptor down and left a scorch mark on the wall, but the Raptor was stunned lying on the ground and Randy knew he had his chance. He aimed towards the eye of the creature lying on the ground and pulled the trigger, sending the aimed shot hopefully into the brain. The rifle never came off target and Randy saw the 12.7mm shell hit and enter the head of the Raptor. It jerked slightly before its head fell to the ground without moving. Randy decided another shot was needed as he sent another one through just below the jaw of the creature and hopefully severing its spinal column. The body involuntarily jerked at the round hitting it, but the breathing appeared to stop.

“Holy shit, Lieutenant!” exclaimed Dupont as he had prepared a light anti-tank weapon in case Randy failed. “You got it!”

“Call it in!” yelled Randy as he was out of breath and slumped over the edge of the wall looking at the creature. He heard Dupont calling the command center to let them know they had a reasonably intact Raptor at their location and the rest of the area was all clear. Another fire team arrived at the location to assist as they also looked at the dead Raptor lying on the ground.

“You took it out single-handedly?” asked Captain Anton Sokolov.

“I don’t think I hit it,” admitted the Sergeant. “The lieutenant managed to hit it with a grenade and shot it through the eyeball.”

“Good shooting, Lieutenant,” said Anton as he looked at the creature. “It does appear to be dead.”

“I shot it twice, once through the eye and again through the neck,” said Randy.

“And the body is reasonably intact,” said Anton. “The scientists will thank you.”

“What happened with the others?” asked Randy. “The ones on the west and east?”

“Most were hit by missiles and killed, the others were hit by machine gun and cannon fire and killed that way,” said Anton. “This is the only one that is still reasonably intact.”

“It wasn’t planned that way,” said Randy. “All I wanted was for it to die.”

“You accomplished that, Lieutenant,” said Anton as he switched radio frequencies to the science teams and relayed the information they had a specimen that was nearly intact.

“By nearly intact, you mean?” asked Chuck.

“Lieutenant Randy Whitaker was able to hit it in the brain,” said Anton. “The body is nearly intact as best as we can tell.”

“I’m coming over there,” said Chuck excitedly as he ended the connection and got a quick team together. Angeline saw the commotion and was quickly briefed before grabbing her own bag and running with the science team to the wall. They probably set records climbing the ladder to the tower as they arrived breathlessly and saw the Raptor lying on the ground.

“How do you know it’s dead?” asked Chuck.

“Shot it through the eye and again through the neck,” said Randy as he was getting his composure back. “It doesn’t appear to be breathing.”

“Was it breathing before?” asked Chuck.

“Yes, it was,” said Randy as Kirk arrived out of breath as well. “Or it looked that way.”

“You got an intact creature!” he exclaimed. “I’d kiss you right on the mouth if I wasn’t professional!”

“I…appreciate the gesture, Doc, but no thanks,” said Randy as other arrived as well.

“Who did the shooting?” asked Ben as he came to the group and looked as well.

“I did, sir,” said Randy.

“Better shot than your old man,” said Ben with a grin and pride as a man he thought of like his own kin had just accomplished something very significant.

“When can we retrieve it?” asked Kirk.

“I’d like to make sure it’s not playing possum,” said Ben. “A couple of hours likely won’t hurt just to make sure.”

“There’s an easier way,” said Chuck as he explained the procedure of what he wanted to try.

“That also puts your team out there unprotected,” said Ben. “No.”

“Have Tasha send some vehicles with the heavy machine guns on them,” said Chuck. “The rifle he’s using fires the same ammo and it certainly stopped it.”

“I’ll only approve it if, and I do mean if, she has some light anti-armor missiles as well,” said Ben. “And I want the gunships with that thing in their crosshairs. Get Tasha and Charity on the radio and find out.”

Chuck quickly called the command center and found Tasha was already heading towards the tower to see for herself the creature. As soon as she arrived, she found the group still staring at the creature, though it hadn’t moved yet. Chuck brought her up to speed on his idea.

“I think that will serve a couple of purposes, Commander,” said Tasha in deference of the lower ranking crowd gathered with them. “We need to know how effective the carbines and pistols are against that thing.”

“And we can record where it hits for a detailed analysis later,” said Chuck.

“You’re buying this?” asked Ben.

“I want to know how to kill them,” said Tasha coldly. “Thanks to Lieutenant Whitaker, we have a nearly intact creature for Kirk and Chuck to study and tell me how to do just that.”

“Approved,” said Ben. “Just to make sure it’s dead though. I’m not sure I want that thing inside the colony until we are absolutely certain it’s not going to wreak havoc on us.”

“Archangel, this is Tinker. Prancer and I are on station ready to blast that thing onto the next planet if it moves even a millimeter,” said Charity.

“I want Prancer to sweep north,” said Tasha. “I’m sending out a team to secure the northeast attack area and I’d like for him to cover them.”

“Roger that,” said Kingston over the radio. “I’ll scout ahead.”

“Copy that,” said Tasha. “Captain Sokolov, I want you organizing and leading the party outside the northeast. Find and bring back any survivors and…anyone else.”

“Yes, ma’am,” said Anton as he took his team and headed into the compound where volunteers were easy to find. Securing vehicles with the proper weapons took a little more time, but eventually he had enough out of the armory to outfit everything and everyone with substantial weaponry.

“Are you prepared to go out to that thing?” asked Ben.

“Yes, we need this creature,” said Tasha.

“I’ll pull the trigger myself if it comes down to it,” said Chuck. Ben nodded as Tasha, Angeline, Kirk and Chuck departed down the tower. Tasha called for another response team to return to their vehicle as they headed towards the east of the perimeter and ensured they had several of the light anti-armor weapons ready for immediate use. Once the gate was open, they followed the exterior of the wall to the creature, stopping within 50 meters of it and dismounting. Another vehicle pulled up alongside the fire team and both heavy machine guns were trained in on the creature.

“Now or never, Major,” said Kirk as he saw Tasha preparing her carbine.

“Here goes nothing,” she stated as she set the selector to semi and pulled the trigger, sending a single shot into the midsection of the creature and not getting a response. She fired four more times in the same area without incident. Pulling her carbine down to her side, she walked closer and pulled her pistol as she went. She fired another five times, this time in a different area and still didn’t see the creature move at all.

“Shotgun,” said Chuck who prepared the weapon he had grabbed from the vehicle.

“I’ll do it,” said Tasha. “Remember who has a score to settle.”

“Please,” said Chuck as he handed over the weapon and Tasha sent another two rounds, one buck and one slug at yet another point.

“Pulse electron?” asked Chuck as he unslung his own carbine for her.

“You’re really appealing to my G.I. Jane side right now,” said Tasha with a half a smile and took the pulse electron carbine before sending another five shots into the creature.

“It’s dead or it’s just really calm,” said Tasha over the radio.

“Confirm,” said Ben as he knew there was only one way of confirming. Kirk knew this was well as he and Chuck nervously went to the creature listening for a sound of a heartbeat or breathing as Tasha placed an old style anti-personnel mine against its head with a radio detonator. She gave the detonator to one of the troops standing well back as she went forward to stand with Kirk and Chuck as they checked for signs of a heartbeat. Nothing was heard and they attempted to find a blood vessel to check a pulse. They finally located one near the neck and scarily close to the jaws of the creature. After spending nearly a minute checking, nothing was felt as they confirmed the creature was dead.

“I want a minimum of eight guards with heavy sniper rifles and anti-armor weapons around that thing at all times along with two vehicles and heavy machine guns,” said Ben. “I also want a gunship on standby, again, the entire time it’s in the colony. Not negotiable.”

“You got it,” said Tasha. “Could you ask Cyrus for the use of his cranes? I’m not sure I can throw this thing over my shoulder and carry it back.”

“Absolutely,” said Ben as he got on the radio and asked for Cyrus to come that way. “We also need to account for everyone at this point.”

“Command, this is Romeo 08,” she heard Anton calling over the radio. “We have two survivors at the northeast location.”

“Roger that, alerting medical,” said the controller as he placed the call into the medical center.

“Be advised, four dead at this location,” said Anton. “We’re continuing to search.”

“Roger that,” said the controller. “Be advised, medical vehicle is enroute to you.”

“Thank you, Command,” said Anton as his teams began sweeping the area. They found another person alive, though nearly catatonic as they were sitting next to a tree.

“Can you hear me?” asked Anton as the team leader pointed him to the individual. Anton didn’t receive a response as he snapped his fingers in front of the face of the man. There still wasn’t a response as they lifted him and put him on a stretcher to transport to the hospital.

“Captain?” asked 2Lt Samantha Whitaker. “We believe there might be someone under the overturned security vehicle.”

“Let’s have a look, shall we?” asked Anton as they jogged to the vehicle sitting on its top. Getting there, Anton looked inside the vehicle and saw the body of the known dead security member, but also saw what appeared to be a leg underneath the opening for the turret.

“Get me the tros!” exclaimed Anton.

“The what?” asked another member.

“The cable!” exclaimed Anton who realized he was mixing Russian and English. “The winch!”

The security forces quickly grabbed the cable and winch before bringing it over to the vehicle as well as guiding in a second vehicle to help. They quickly attached the cables and powered up the winches to pull the vehicle back over onto its side as a minimum. The overturned vehicle slipped before catching and raising as Anton and Whitaker ran to the other side.

“Quickly! There is a person underneath!” ordered Anton as the winches continued moving far slower than he would have liked. But eventually the vehicle was on its side and other security members helped by pushing while two combat medics swooped in to check on the downed trooper. Slapping a medical device on the neck, it quickly went to work checking the vitals of the individual on the ground.

“Pulse and respiration!” exclaimed the first, a North American woman named Sergeant Zoe Kent. “He’s alive!”

“We need to get him to medical, right now!” exclaimed the second, another German woman, Feldwebel Lara Schreiber. “Stabilize here?”

“Have to,” said Kent as she heard the man moaning. “If you can hear me, don’t move.”

“Neck appears in good condition,” said Schreiber. “I’m worried about the spine.”

“Yeah, that doesn’t look good at all,” said Kent as she looked over the top of the body. She immediately prepared a life cocoon as Schreiber finished her scan and set an IV in place. Once she was complete, Kent put the device on the top of his body where it quickly went to work spreading a polymer resin over his body and even underneath. Once it was complete, the device sent a small electrical charge into the polymer and it hardened to where the body could be moved safely without further injuring the man. Several people came over to help load him into a vehicle as Schreiber went with the trooper to the hospital who was waiting on his arrival.

“We found the last body,” said another of the team leaders over the radio. “She’s dead.”

“Call it in, please,” said Anton as he went over and observed the Raptor that had been hit by the plasma cannon and missile from the gunship. There wasn’t much remaining of the creature and a foul stench of death hovered in the air. Anton looked at the creature’s lifeless eyes wondering if it realized in death it had made a huge mistake in attacking them. For the first time in a long time, he had a craving for a cigarette. Though the nearest one he knew of was at least 37,000 light years away.

He pondered what the creature had been thinking as the teams started heading back to the relative safety of the colony and wondered if they had hurt them enough to stop attacking. Still, eleven individuals had been killed during the attack and Anton knew their own numbers weren’t going to grow any time soon.

********************
​

“Eleven total dead,” said Allen.

“What happened on the northeast side?” asked Ben.

“We had security out with them, but the Raptors were in two groups,” said Tasha. “The security was engaging the first two when three more appeared and cut off the others.”

“I thought we cleared back those forests enough?” asked Ben.

“We cleared it to a hundred meters,” said Cyrus. “We felt that would be sufficient.”

“No, I remember agreeing to it,” said Ben with a waved hand. “Maybe we should reconsider that.”

“It’s something to consider,” said Cyrus as the shuttle from the mountain excursion was heard coming in. “Sounds like Grady is returning.”

“We’re holding an emergency leadership meeting,” said Ben. “All except Mary. If you’ll excuse me, I’ll grab the other two.”

Ben headed outside, knowing full well Mary wouldn’t be able to attend since she was in emergency surgery with the casualties from the attacks earlier. Heading to the landing area, he found Grady and Javier were the first ones off.

“How bad?” asked Grady.

“Eleven dead, another seven injured,” said Ben. “Not counting the pilot who broke his ankle trying to respond to a gunship.”

“You got a creature nearly intact?” asked Javier as he grabbed his bag and started to head towards the science area.

“We’re having an emergency meeting right now,” said Ben. “Doctors Kirk and Dawson are looking it over. I need you here.”

“I should be there,” said Javier.

“No, you are needed inside, Doctor,” said Ben with a tone. “Right now.”

“I…yes, sir,” said Javier as he wanted to argue, but saw the look on Ben’s face and realized the matter wasn’t up for debate. Heading inside, he found every team leader save Mary sitting around the table in the command center.

“Mary obviously won’t be joining us, but frankly, this won’t concern her at the moment,” said Ben as he went to the head of the table. “But I’ve got every other section here and we are facing a crisis at this point.”

“This is the second attack in the last month and we lost even more this time. Not only were they attacking in force, they attacked multiple locations along the perimeter. Now, we need answers and we need answers right now. I want to know why the sensors didn’t go off,” said Ben.

“There is no reason they shouldn’t have gone off,” said Tasha. “They only did late in the attack with the final two came to the immediate north.”

“Should have gone off,” said Ben. “I’m to presume they are operating correctly?”

“We did a test from here and everything checked out,” she stated and saw Ben was about to interrupt. “And we sent out a crew to sweep and clear after the attack and they were setting them off like crazy.”

“So, how did they get around the sensor line?” asked Ben.

“Maybe they came in by the river?” asked Kurt, who seemed unphased by the attack even though he had lost three people as the northwestern Raptors had cut off his team trying to get back to the colony. “You don’t have sensors at the river, right?”

“No, we stopped them after the colony,” said Tasha. “We have coverage up to a click past the eastern boundary.”

“If they came in that way, they avoid the sensor lines,” said Kurt. “Same thing in the west and I saw them coming out of that draw to the northwest of us.”

“By accident or on purpose?” asked Ben. “I’m asking the elephant in the room question here. Are we dealing with a higher level of intelligence than we’ve seen before off the Earth? Were they intentionally going out of their way to avoid the sensors?”

“That would imply they knew they were there,” said Angeline.

“If that implication is correct, we are dealing with a higher form of intelligence than we’ve seen before,” said Ben.

“Obviously, we’d need a live specimen to read synaptic activity,” said Javier. “But we can assume they knew about the sensor line and avoided it and work from there.”

“I don’t want to make assumptions,” said Ben. “They came at us from three different directions, two of which avoided our sensor line. Now, we need to know if that was by accident or on purpose. If we are dealing with something with even partial cognitive ability, we need to rethink every plan and every tactic have. So, we have to know whether the terrain just guided them that way or the three groups were coordinating their actions against our people.”

“But first off, we need a better defensive capability on the colony itself. We need the wall finished and soonest. I don’t care how many crews it takes or how many other projects get put on hold in the meantime or if we’re working 30 hours a day. Each and every crew will forward over any additional manpower they have that are not engaged with mission critical tasks. The only mission critical tasks are security and medical at the moment. Science goes to work for engineering save any research on the Raptors. SIT goes to work for engineering save the alert gunship crews and command functions. Obviously, food services will be exempt as well. Agriculture…you’ll have one day a week to check on the farm until that wall is complete and you pass your weapons and tactics training.”

“All work crews will have to learn on the fly or use raw labor to help out, but we need a passive defensive capability right now even if those creatures were able to reach the top of the wall. Additionally, we need the additional towers out of the ship soonest. Rachelle? You will make that a priority to find those things, dig them out and get them to engineering to assemble. If we don’t have enough, Grady and Cyrus will fashion more. I don’t care if we do or don’t have enough manpower with security to fill them or heavy weapons for them. We need the additional zones of fire they can provide. We’ll fight with rifles and machine guns if we have to.”

“On security, every section to include Medical will undergo an intensive weapons and tactics training program on everything in our arsenal. Tasha, that’s on you and your section. I want people to learn everything from a pistol up through the heavy missile systems. We know for a fact those are working against the Raptors and we will be able to use whatever weapons we have on hand against them. Every man and woman in this colony over the age of 18 will be capable of bearing arms against a threat. Furthermore, every section will be capable of providing for their own defense or augment the security force when and if the time comes.”

“I also want a 30 hour a day, sitting in the cockpit of those gunships, ready to launch alert for the SIT crews. I want the pilots and weapons operators sitting in the cockpit. If they have to go to the head, another crew comes in and takes their place. I want those things prepped and ready to fly in under a minute and loaded with everything we have. Furthermore, I want two of them on one minute alert and the other two on five minute alert. We got attacked from three directions and air support would have been helpful for all three.”

“Last, but not least, I want a hardened structure built for the children. Those under the age of 18 will be sent to this shelter during times of emergency and a dedicated security team will protect them at all costs. I don’t care if it’s the only structure in the colony that’s complete, I want it built and it needs to be done within the week.”

“Before any of you say this is impossible, we just lost eleven of our fellow colonists today. Seven more are in the hospital, one of which is catatonic over what they saw. Twenty of our people are either out of action at the moment or dead including the two members during the first attack. We cannot afford to continue losing people at this rate. We have weapons, we have defensive measures and we have the willpower to survive. We will use each and every one of them and we will fight to survive. We came here peacefully, but by God we are not going to be wiped out and leave nothing for Expedition 2 except wreckage and questions.”

“If there are questions or concerns, feel free to discuss them with me offline. Otherwise, we will meet tomorrow and go over plans for getting that wall into place, weapons training and anything else that pops up in the meantime,” concluded Ben. He strolled out of the room and a pin could be heard dropping with the remaining Directors being as quiet as they ever had been.

 

CHAPTER 35


“Commander, a moment?” asked Grady after a marathon all night session with the fellow Directors had concluded with a plan in place to get the wall complete as well as additional training for the colonists from Tasha and her instructors. He caught up with Ben at breakfast as the other Directors headed off to implement the plans until being told otherwise.

“No need to be formal, Grady, I ain’t going to bite your head off,” said Ben who only managed about four hours of sleep himself while trying to think of better ways of protecting the colony. “Grab a seat and have a cup of coffee.”

“If I drink another cup of coffee, I think my heart will explode,” said Grady.

“What do you mean?” asked Ben.

“The Directors stayed up all night working the plans to get the wall finished and putting into place a defensive plan along with the training,” said Grady. “A couple of concerns and I’m the one that brings the bad news to you.”

“You volunteered for that?” chuckled Ben.

“No, actually we drew straws,” said Grady. “Like we really did.”

“Go ahead with your concerns,” said Ben with a nod.

“First off, manpower is needed to complete the wall, but I don’t need just a labor force. I need trained individuals who know how to use a welder or work equipment. Frankly, I like Javier, Angeline and their boys and girls. But not a damn one of them know how to operate a backhoe or fusion welder. Same thing with Rachelle’s folks for the most part. Some of Kurt’s people can be trained up quickly since they have used equipment in the past, but there are nowhere near the level of my guys when it comes down to it,” said Grady.

“And?” asked Ben.

“We can’t have them going from shooting guns in the morning to trying to learn to weld in the afternoon. That takes time and experience,” said Grady.

“Manpower won’t help?” asked Ben.

“It can with some tasks, but not everything,” said Grady. “As the old Earth saying goes, you can have it fast, cheap or good. But you only get to pick one. Good is going to be three weeks as a minimum.”

“Three weeks to complete the wall?” asked Ben.

“Minimum even with additional manpower that manages to learn on the fly and can actually do what we ask,” said Grady. “Look, I’d love to give you a better timeline here, but frankly, we just don’t have the experience to put it in any faster.”

“The next issue?” asked Ben.

“Off colony work,” said Grady. “You want a weapons and tactics training. I agree with that, but we will need to move weapons firing away from the colony. You and I both know this.”

“Good point,” said Ben, seeing Grady made sense in all his arguments. “Next?”

“Agriculture says this is a time when planting must be monitored closely. One day a week won’t cut it. They need a minimum of three days a week just to make sure things are growing that should be growing,” said Grady.

“Which will turn into four,” said Ben.

“Either that or we plant late and possibly miss harvest and go on rationing during the winter,” said Grady. “I like eating, so…”

“Okay,” said Ben. “Next?”

“Some of the work we will have to continue before putting the wall in. The aqueduct and pipeline for our freshwater will have to be put in under the wall to get into the colony. The water treatment plant is automated and will be outside, we can harden that, no problems. But the pipeline itself has to be entrenched and comes in under the wall,” said Grady. “That’s why we moved over to the western portion with the sections of the wall we were putting in.”

“Okay,” said Ben. “Obviously, that should be completed quickly.”

“Finally, science,” said Grady. “I agree we need all the help we can get in construction, but we should be looking at a fallback location if everything turns to shit. The only people that can tell us if an area is safe will be the science department. We aren’t the Alamo here and we have options to head somewhere else if it turns bad for us. But knowing where that ‘else’ location is needs to be the determination of the scientists.”

“Do we even have enough vehicles to move everyone?” asked Ben.

“Barely,” said Grady. “We worked out the logistics on that as well. If we use every shuttle, every truck and vehicle capable of driving, we can fit everyone in with weapons and a five day kit. It won’t be comfortable, but it can be done.”

“Five day kit?” asked Ben.

“Another idea from Rachelle,” said Grady. “Everyone gets a pack and five days’ worth of field rations as well as a water filter and other necessities. Bare bones survival kit. Rachelle wants the go ahead to start working on that today.”

“Sounds like you guys were busy,” said Ben as he thought about the meeting.

“Big boss man wasn’t happy and we needed to plan these things out,” said Grady as he handed over a handwritten notepad with their suggestions on it. “Some of the things we can do, others we can wait on. We worked all night on the plan and prioritized the tasks.”

Ben quickly looked over the list and saw several items prior to getting the wall complete. However, he did see where Cyrus was to continue dismantling the hull of the ship for the parts to complete the wall as well as any interior bulkheads they would need. He would place the plating next to the ship, ready to pick up and put in place at a moment’s notice.

“What about the shelter?” asked Ben.

“Easier done than said believe it or not,” said Grady. “Cyrus assures me the bridge area of the ship is the best fortified and most shielded location they have. Those viewscreens and windows can be replaced easily and it already has life support connections ready to go.”

“And you can move it?” asked Ben.

“Cyrus assures me the whole thing can come off in one piece and be put into place wherever you want it,” said Grady. “Just give us a location and we can have that done in less than two days.”

“Obviously, removing equipment would be a must,” said Ben. “How many people will it hold?”

“The equipment is modular and removes easily enough. Sure, we’ll have to put down some new floor panels, but those are standard sized through the ship. As for capacity, we think we can get at least 40 in comfortably, 60 in a pinch,” said Grady.

“Not all sitting down you can’t,” said Ben.

“It’s an emergency shelter,” said Grady. “It’s not long term living quarters.”

“You are correct,” said Ben as he looked over the list once again. “Okay, approved.”

“The rest of the items?” asked Grady.

“Also approved,” said Ben.

“Just like that?” asked Grady.

“You want it more complicated?” asked Ben.

“I was expecting an argument or something,” said Grady with a chuckle. “Tasha said when you get set in your ways, it’s hard to change your mind.”

“Not if I have viable alternatives that my resident experts came up with on their own,” said Ben. “I may be stubborn, but I’m not going to challenge the collective expertise.”

“Well, okay then,” said Grady.

“But one thing…when Science, SIT and Agriculture aren’t performing their primary jobs, they are helping with your section or training,” said Ben. “That’s not negotiable.”

“That was the plan,” said Grady.

“Is everyone still available?” asked Ben.

“Yeah, they’re waiting to see if the Christian was eaten by the lion,” chuckled Grady.

“Let’s go talk to them,” said Ben as they headed back to the area where all the section heads were waiting to include Mary. Kendrick Whitaker was also there looking a little worse for the wear as it had been a long time since he had gone for nearly 36 hours straight.

“How are our patients?” asked Ben.

“Two are still critical,” said Mary. “Two more are doing okay, moved from critical status to a regular bed, but still being monitored.”

“And the gentleman who was catatonic?” asked Ben.

“He’s starting to come around,” said Mary. “But he’s going to need some significant help over the next few weeks. Doctor Chambless isn’t just a trauma surgeon, he’s also a clinical psychiatrist. He’ll be scheduling sessions with the gentleman in question.”

“Thank you,” said Ben. “Thank all your people for the job they did yesterday.”

“I’ll pass that along,” said Mary.

“No, I’ll be more than happy to tell them myself once this meeting is over,” said Ben. “As for the meeting, I never intended for all of you to pull an all nighter and come up with a plan for getting everything accomplished. I’m sorry you felt the need to do that.”

“You were distinctly…unhappy yesterday,” said Rachelle. “It’s our jobs to present alternatives.”

“And you presented good ones,” said Ben. “Obviously, I didn’t take Grady’s head off when he came to me with your proposed changes. As for that plan, I approved of everything he brought to me. You people are the experts and I’ve seen what you can do when your put your brains together to come up with a plan. Now, I’m not sure how many fights ensued here last night, but since there are no apparent bruises or broken bones, I suspect you came to a compromise on everything listed in the plan?”

“We did,” said Javier.

“I was a little gruff yesterday, I’ll admit that. My emotions got the better of me and for that, I apologize. You guys and gals continue to impress me each and every day with your intelligence and your commitment to making this work. For that, I truly thank you,” said Ben.

“Can you tell us where Commander Ben Nash is and how you managed to replace him with a lookalike in such a short period of time?” asked Tasha with a grin.

“I see a sense of humor wasn’t lost last night,” said Ben as the others laughed at Tasha.

“On a serious note, I’m taking the lead on the next memorial,” said Rachelle. “My section was one of the hardest hit along with engineering and agriculture. I feel it’s my place to see to it a fitting memorial is given for everyone.”

“Thank you,” said Ben. “Anything else before I kick you guys out of here and you get some sleep?”

“We’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Javier. “Kirk and Chuck are already working on studying this thing and have also been at it all night.”

“You have a lot of smart people over there,” said Ben. “They need a break as well.”

“They won’t,” said Javier as he saw Ben was about to interrupt. “And that’s their choice. There are plenty of eyes looking for the things they aren’t seeing.”

“One more thing I didn’t cover last night,” said Ben. “When we roll out of the protection of the walls or outside the range of the towers, we will go in force. None of this single team accompanying whomever heads out. We roll with every weapon capable of killing those things as possible. We will augment the forces as needed, but we are not going to get caught short handed another time.”

“We already have a plan to extend the sensor line,” said Tasha. “It means giving up some of the sensors we tagged for the south side, but they are better placed on the north.”

“Approved,” said Ben as Chuck and Kirk came walking in. “Anything else?”

“We have a preliminary report on your weapons,” said Kirk without much introduction.

“You have our undivided attention,” said Ben as the Directors leaned in at the table.

“I can tell you this, the 6.5mm weapons won’t do much more than make it angry,” said Kirk as he opened the binder and Chuck passed out the initial info they had gotten from the scans as well as visual looks at the wounds on the Raptors. “They penetrate, but not enough to do damage to the internal organs.”

“What about head shots?” asked Tasha.

“Believe it or not, the skull of the creature isn’t as dense as the rest of its bones,” said Kirk. “Head shots would work as long as you fired an entire magazine of them.”

“Basically, digging our way in?” asked Tasha.

“More or less, though the projectiles are penetrating and causing trauma regardless of whether they go through the bone or not,” said Kirk. “The pistols and shotguns are equally as ineffective as the carbines and I doubt anything less than the slug on a shotgun would penetrate the head of the creature. The heavy machine guns do penetrate enough in the torso to cause damage to the internal organs, though with the sheer size of the creature, they aren’t guaranteed to make one shot stops and multiple hits need to be made.”

“What about the cannon emplacements?” asked Ben.

“Quite effective actually, especially the high explosive rounds,” said Kirk as he brought up pictures of one of the dead creatures that attacked the Ag team that was engaged by the tower on the west side. “You can see here there is good damage done internally with both the hydrostatic shock of the round entering as well as the explosive effects of the round itself. You hit it enough times with that and you will kill it.”

“I saw the missiles worked very well,” said Tasha. “At least the medium range ones as well as the Apache system. What about the smaller ones with smaller warheads?”

“They should be sufficient to cause significant damage to the creature,” said Kirk. “Again, likely not a one shot stop unless you hit it in the head, but serious enough damage that it will impair its movement and motor control.”

“One of the ones on the northwest was hit by one of the light weapons,” said Chuck. “I saw that myself and it took its leg cleanly off. Unfortunately, it was hit with a medium missile just after so we can’t determine the extent of the damage.”

“I’m not apologizing for that,” said Tasha.

“I’m not complaining,” said Chuck. “It was a nice shot.”

“So, basically we need overwhelming firepower to bring one down,” said Ben.

“Minimum of the .50 caliber shells,” said Kirk referring to the Imperial system the old United States military used. “Though, again, head shots with your carbines are helpful.”

“Just gotta get it to stand still long enough,” said Tasha.

“Mobility shots to the legs and head shots?” asked Ben.

“That’s what I was thinking,” said Tasha. “I’ll need an intensive training program for that.”

“Already on it,” said Kendrick. “I’ve got just the thing in mind.”

“What about the grenades?” asked Tasha.

“It had fragments inside the body, but again, not deep enough to cause serious trauma. However, the blast of the grenade stunned the creature long enough for the head shot to work,” said Kirk.

“Adding that to the plan,” said Kendrick as Tasha looked at him.

“Lucky or skill, Lieutenant Whitaker did everything perfectly in order to bring us a specimen as intact as possible,” said Kirk.

“Speaking of the young Whitaker, a commendation might be in order?” asked Ben.

“Absolutely,” said Tasha. “Along with a promotion.”

Kendrick looked like he was about to burst with pride at that announcement as his son had managed to think quickly on his feet and help the colony as a whole by getting one of the Raptors nearly intact. Ben saw it as well and nodded with a grin as he had known Randy Whitaker since he was a young boy and also felt pride in the accomplishment.

“What else?” asked Ben.

“We will need additional samples if possible,” said Kirk. “Namely, the ones outside the wire that didn’t get shot in the head.”

“Okay…” said Ben.

“We need to get a better picture of the brain on the scans and not one that has been scrambled by one of the shells passing through. I saw at least two where the heads were nearly intact,” said Chuck. “We’ll need as much data as possible to give you good answers and that means examining the others to see the effects of the weapons and parts we didn’t blow up.”

“Approved,” said Ben. “Work that with Tasha.”

“Charity? Anything from the aerial side?” asked Ben.

“They were getting a little too close to the walls for us to take easy shots,” said Charity. “I managed to hit that one with the plasma cannon, but I couldn’t engage with the gun pods or missiles in fear of them missing and hitting the colony.”

“We feel like it’s best to herd them away from the colony to give us better shots along with the towers,” said Tasha. “In a perfect world that is. Otherwise, I think the air support kept those four alive on the northeast side.”

“Work that out with the pilot section,” said Ben. “Combine your tactics.”

“The Sergeant Major is already on that,” said Tasha.

“We know they can be killed. We know they are out in force. But we can overcome,” said Ben. “Between everyone in this colony, not a single idea should be discounted before it’s thought out to completion and beaten half to death in debate. This is the single greatest threat any off world colony has ever faced, but I know we will overcome in the end. We likely will lose people, but if we can mitigate that down, we’ll be far better off.”

“The colonists trust us to come up with a plan to keep them safe. I think we’ve got a great plan right here that we just need to fine tune. I know everyone here will work their ass off making this happen and we will persevere. I’m all about sending a big screw you to those creatures and laughing the next time they attack and we beat them back without breaking a sweat,” said Ben.

Nods and grunts were heard from the group as Ben finished his pep talk. “Each and every minute we live here we become even more entrenched in our desire to live. Our will to survive will become stronger and that means we will not only prevail, but we will thrive under the pressure. We will not fail in keeping each other alive and we will not fail to be going stronger than ever when Expedition 2 gets here. We will have setbacks, true; we will lose people for certain. But we will adapt and overcome to the challenges we are facing and we will kick those things right in the ass and make them sorry for ever showing up.”

“Hell yeah!” exclaimed Cyrus and was joined by others with the same feelings.

“If there’s nothing else, we’ve got a lot of work to do,” said Ben. “Go get some rest and eat a good meal. We need to be at our best the next time these creatures attack and our people will look to us to give them solid leadership. Now get the hell out of my command center and have a well earned nap.”

The group chuckled before collecting tablets, notepads and other items and departing. As Kurt was leaving, Ben went to him and pull him to the side.

“Kurt, you are unusually quiet,” said Ben.

“I’m…I’m still taking it all in,” said Kurt. “Still kind of in shock.”

“First time losing people?” asked Ben.

“No, not the first time,” said Kurt and saw Ben had a curious look on his face. “I was on one of the last mega farms in Central North America and a gang attacked looking to take the food we had collected. We lost 19 people that day before military forces were able to arrive and beat them back. A couple of which were family members. Yesterday just drummed up the emotions I thought I had suppressed long ago.”

“Sorry to hear that,” said Ben.

“I’ll be fine,” said Kurt with a sigh. “I should have been better prepared to lead my people to safety. Truth is, I froze when I saw that thing and didn’t react for several moments. Those people might still be alive had I responded quicker.”

“They might still have turned out dead,” said Ben.

“They might have,” said Kurt. “I can’t dwell on that and need to prepare myself mentally for the next attack. I don’t think it’s a matter of if, but rather when.”

“We’re all going to be better prepared for the next time,” said Ben as he saw Javier was waiting. “If you need someone to talk to, my door is always open.”

“Thanks, Ben,” said Kurt as Ben headed off to see the others before they departed. Javier came up to Kurt and looked apprehensive. “Javier? You need something?”

“I was wondering…” said Javier as his voice trailed off.

“Emilia was hurt, but she’s in the hospital,” said Kurt.

“She was injured?” asked Javier.

“She was in the truck that got overturned,” said Kurt. “But Mary says she’s going to pull through without any problems.”

“You think she’s up to seeing visitors?” asked Javier.

“That’s a question for Mary,” said Kurt. “I’m heading over to see them right now. You’re welcome to tag along if you’d like.”

“I’d like that,” said Javier as he and Kurt headed into the hospital that wasn’t quite finished, but enough so that operations were able to be conducted. Luckily, the ICU had been finished and two of the colony members were there under constant observation. However, in the outpatient ward, the majority of the injured were lying in the hospital beds under constant care. As Kurt and Javier entered, they saw Ben, Tasha, Grady, Cyrus, Rachelle and Charity already visiting their respective injured parties. Kurt gravitated over to one of his injured members as Javier caught sight of Emilia lying with a large cast on her leg.

“You came to see me?” she asked in surprise followed by a large smile. “Such a gentleman.”

“Hey, how are you?” he asked with a smile of his own.

“Hurting,” she said.

“I’m so sorry,” he stated as he took her hand and squeezed gently.

“It is not your fault the truck rolled over on my leg,” she said with a grin.

“Are you on pain medication?” he asked.

“Oh yes,” she said with a grin. “And it is good.”

“I’ll bet,” he laughed, unsure of what to say next.

“It is very thoughtful you came to see me,” she stated, seeing he was at a loss for words.

“I like you, okay?” he said with a smile. “Why wouldn’t I visit the nicest lady in the hospital?”

“Very thoughtful,” she said as she looked at her leg.

“It’s still there, I promise,” said Javier.

“No, I was thinking my tan line will be very odd,” she said with a laugh.

“It will be the prettiest two-tone leg in the colony,” he said with a laugh.

“You say the sweetest things,” said Emilia with a laugh. “Such a charming, strong Latino man.”

“How long are they keeping you?” he asked.

“Are you ready to take me to dinner again?” she asked with a grin.

“The medication seems to be working,” he laughed.

“I was in a situation where I might not have survived,” she said. “It is past time for me to speak what is on my mind in regards to you.”

“Oh?” he asked.

“Yes,” she said and gave a warm smile. “I like you too. Maybe just a little more than a friend.”

“I’m pretty sure I like you a little more than that as well,” said Javier.

“That is nice,” she said with a smile. “As for how long they are keeping me, I am unsure.”

“She’ll be here at least another two days while we set that leg,” said Mary as she checked the chart. “She’ll likely have a long rehab as well. But she’s going to be perfectly fine.”

“See, Hermosa?” asked Javier with a smile.

“I feel as if you will have to teach me Spanish before long,” she said with a grin.

“It means beautiful,” said Mary.

“You speak Spanish?” asked Javier.

“Enough to know the nice words a charming Latino man like yourself would say to a beautiful woman like that,” said Mary with a wink. “She needs her rest though; don’t be too long.”

“I’ll let you get back to resting,” he said as he squeezed her hand once again. “Need anything in the mean time? A book or tablet?”

“My tablet from my quarters please,” she requested. “And daily visits from you.”

“Both can be arranged,” he said as he leaned over and kissed her on the forehead.

“I thought goodbye kisses were on the mouth?” she asked.

“I didn’t want to be that forward,” he said.

“I will blame the medication,” she said. “Now come here and kiss me.”

“Yes, ma’am,” he said and leaned in and gave her a long enough kiss that he earned a few chuckles and whistles from the others in the clinic.

“Don’t raise her blood pressure, Javier,” laughed Rachelle.

“She’s in a hospital, she’ll be fine,” said Javier with a silly grin as they held hands for just a bit longer. “I’ll come by this afternoon, okay?”

“I will be waiting,” said Emilia with a dreamy smile.

Tasha smiled at the situation before heading into the ICU area where the trooper that had been under the vehicle was located. She saw a nurse constantly looking over his vitals and checking the IV as Mary came into the room with Tasha.

“He’s in bad shape,” said Mary with sorrow.

“What specifically is wrong?” asked Tasha.

“It’s almost easier to list what isn’t wrong,” said Mary. “He has a broken lower spine, his kidneys are not functional, his liver is showing signs of failing, broken femur on both legs, seven broken ribs and a punctured left lung.”

“Amazing he survived,” said Tasha.

“Sometimes the will is there,” said Mary. “I’m glad I caught you though. We have a decision to make and I needed to consult you.”

“Yes?” asked Tasha.

“The rest of the injuries are somewhat straightforward to treat. We can produce a new liver and kidneys without much trouble and keep him on the equipment until the transplant is successful. Mending broken bones is easy enough as well. But the spine has me concerned,” said Mary.

“Will he be able to walk under his own power again?” asked Tasha.

“I honestly don’t know,” said Mary. “The scans can only tell us so much about the injury to the spinal column itself. Right now, it looks okay, but the only way we can tell for certain is to open him up and look ourselves. I’m not comfortable with that.”

“So, what did you need me to consult for?” asked Tasha.

“Long story short, I’ve got Doctor Griggs doing a crash course on spinal injuries. We just don’t have a neurosurgeon with us capable of the delicate work we’ll have to be performing. But she’s one of the best I’ve got and she could perform it successfully.”

“The other procedure is an experimental one. We have a program that was in trials on Earth before we left. It’s a nano-surgery where we inject medical nanites into his body and they can fix his spine. The problem is, it only had a 30% success rate in the clinical trials before we left. Those odds aren’t good, but it’s the best he has,” said Mary.

“What does this have to do with me?” asked Tasha.

“Because you’re the closest thing he has to family,” said Mary. “A decision on which way we need to proceed needs to be made.”

“I…I’m not comfortable making that decision,” said Tasha.

“I would like to try the nano-surgery. Charlotte is the most delicate doctor I have, but we’re talking something she’s never done. I really need a neurosurgeon, but the nearest one is thousands of light years away at the moment. She’ll do the procedure if I ask, but she won’t be comfortable with it,” said Mary.

“There’s a 70% chance he won’t walk again,” said Tasha.

“I’ll run the numbers for you,” said Mary. “30% chance of him walking again with the nano-surgery. 10% chance if Doctor Griggs operates. 100% chance he never walks again without robo-prosthetics if we do nothing. There it is.”

“That’s a huge decision I’m going to have to think about,” said Tasha. “There’s no way of waking him up and asking?”

“The pain is just too intense,” said Mary shaking her head. “He’s in a medically induced coma because the pain would be retroactive to his treatment.”

“It’s on me?” asked Tasha.

“I’m recommending the nano-surgery,” said Mary.

“I’m just not sure,” said Tasha.

“It’s what he would want,” said a voice from behind them. They turned to find Isabella Lopez, one of Mary’s med techs, standing behind them looking at Lieutenant Aaron Jackson with tears in her eyes.

“Izzy?” asked Mary.

“It’s what Aaron would want,” said Isabella who went by Izzy.

“How do you know?” asked Tasha.

“We’ve been seeing each other for several weeks and I believe I know him well enough to say,” said Izzy. “He trusts you, Major. He trusts you enough to make a decision on his future. He trusts the Doctor to make good decisions as well.”

“I didn’t know you two were seeing each other,” said Tasha.

“We didn’t make our relationship public yet,” said Izzy. “We didn’t want to start drama.”

“Three weeks isn’t that long a time together,” said Tasha.

“Have you ever fallen in love at first sight, Major?” asked Izzy.

“No, I honestly haven’t,” said Tasha.

“Or you, Doctor?” asked Izzy as she turned to Mary.

“No,” said Mary. “No, I haven’t.”

“We did,” said Izzy as a tear formed in her eye. “It was like he was everything I ever dreamed a man could be. I know how silly that sounds, but we fell in love from the moment we met. I think I know Aaron enough to know he would want the best odds going in.”

Tasha and Mary were quiet for several moments looking at Aaron Jackson lying on the bed with the medical devices keeping him alive at the moment. Tasha knew the type of person he was and what she would have preferred in the same situation and reached a decision.

“Do the nano-surgery,” said Tasha.

“We’re going to wait a few hours for him to get out of the danger zone and become more accustomed to the machines doing the job of his kidneys and liver,” said Mary.

“I’ll wait,” said Tasha.

“It’s going to be several hours before we can do anything,” said Mary. “I’ll call you before the procedure starts.”

“Thank you,” said Tasha as she prepared to depart.

“It is okay if I stay, yes?” asked Izzy.

“You’re off duty at the moment,” said Mary.

“I would like to stay here,” said Izzy as she didn’t take her eyes off him.

“I’ll have a chair brought in,” said Mary as Tasha turned one last time before heading out of the ICU area. She ran into Charlotte as she was in the corridor between the two areas.

“Tasha,” said Charlotte.

“We’re going with the nano-surgery,” said Tasha. “It’s not that I don’t trust you, but I felt like the percentages were better.”

“Thank you,” said Charlotte as she took Tasha into a hug. “I just was not that confident in my ability to perform that surgery.”

“I didn’t want you to think I didn’t trust your abilities,” said Tasha.

“No, if we were dealing with a pregnancy or a sick child, I’d be offended, but even I recommended that nano-surgery,” said Charlotte. “I think you made the right choice.”

“I’ll be back later,” said Tasha as she headed out and said goodbye to the other security members in the outer area. She had a group of her forces waiting for any word of Aaron as she stepped outside in the waiting area.

“It’s going to be a while, but he’s not in good shape,” said Tasha.

“He’s going to make it, right?” asked 2Lt Nick Griggs.

“They think he’s going to pull through for certain,” said Tasha. “But they aren’t sure about the ability for him to walk under his own power again. We’ll know more after the surgery.”

“When are they performing it?” asked another.

“Not for several hours,” said Tasha. “Doctor Blevins is going to call me when they start the surgery. I’ll let you guys know as well.”

The assembled group accepted that and started moseying towards the doors, wishing there was something else they could do for their comrade. Tasha started heading towards her quarters when Ben intercepted her having come from the clinic himself.

“Not an easy choice,” said Ben.

“You knew?” asked Tasha.

“Mary alerted me she was going to ask you to make the decision,” said Ben.

“Best of the bad options,” said Tasha with a sigh.

“He’s alive,” said Ben. “That counts for a lot.”

“I don’t like having to make the choice of whether he walks under his own power or not,” said Tasha as she saw Ben was about to counter. “No, I know it’s the burden of command and all, but you and I both know people that have robo-prosthetics that live long and happy lives.”

“But we also know people like us that just cannot ever live with having a machine do something for them they know they should be able to do themselves. Lieutenant Jackson was a SEALS. He’s the best of the best. No matter if he’s a SEALS or Special Forces or Pararescue or Marine Intelligence Recon, he’s not the type to ever just live with robotic implants helping him along, no matter how advanced they’ve gotten,” said Tasha.

Ben saw she was being extremely pragmatic about the decision and had grown up in the last few weeks far more than he had ever hoped for. He realized his butt chewing had hit home and she had finally taken that last step in becoming a leader he knew she was destined to be rather than what he was hoping for.

“Nothing?” she asked.

“I think you’re absolutely correct,” said Ben. “You made a hard choice that may not have been the easiest, but in the end is probably the best choice.”

“What could amount to life or death decisions don’t ever come easy, do they?” asked Tasha.

“That decision never comes easy,” said Ben. “But you made it, made it under the best of intentions and regardless of the outcome, came to a decision through logic. I’m proud of you taking that huge leap.”

“I was swayed by more than logic,” admitted Tasha. “I saw how she loved him and from what I know, Aaron is fairly passionate as well. I figure is he has a good woman who loves him waiting on him, he’d rather have that than losing that love.”

“I figured he and Isabella were together,” said Ben.

“You did?” asked Tasha.

“I saw them in the mess hall once,” said Ben. “Body language is extremely telling and sparks were flying around those two.”

“I don’t know her, but my troops are probably going to be dismayed,” chuckled Tasha.

“Plenty of other ladies around here for them to pursue,” said Ben. “Regardless, I think you made the right choice.”

“Thank you,” said Tasha as she headed towards the command center to see to the disposition of her forces as well as revising the alert listing. Ben headed that way as well to see if there was anything he might help with or provide suggestions for in the defensive plan. However, once Tasha got underway, he saw she had a good plan and took the suggestions of her senior officers and NCOs by either implementing them or giving a reason why she dismissed them. There was little he could add save one item he thought about the night prior.

“How about an airborne mobile reserve?” he asked once she finished.

“Such as?” she asked.

“Two fire teams on the gunships,” said Ben. “A modern form of helicopter cavalry.”

“Eight people being able to be quickly inserted into trouble areas around the colony?” she asked as she looked over the map. “No armor though and it takes the gunships out of action during the insertion phase.”

“I was thinking something like that might have come in handy in the northwest attack,” said Ben. “Having those troops being dropped in to flank or even between the Raptors and Kurt’s people.”

“Not a bad suggestion,” said Kendrick.

“We used something similar in the Russian Army,” said Anton. “Our gunships had space for a team of anti-armor troops on board. They would be inserted into a blocking force while the gunships went after the enemy troops.”

“Come up with a plan,” said Tasha as she turned to Anton and Kendrick. “Work it out and let me know how everything will come together with us being minus eight in the defenses.”

“We’ll have something by the end of today,” said Anton with a nod.

“I’m heading out to the towers to check on the forces,” said Tasha. “We need to make sure we have replaced the munitions we expended and make sure everyone has been fed. We need to be alert, sharp and ready for when those bastards attack again. I’m sure Doctor Kirk and Doctor Dawson will want to interview the troops again for their study on the creatures, so prep them for that inevitable visit as well.”

“We took some hits yesterday. We got punched right in the teeth without warning. But we also came back swinging and beat those things. We kept them from getting into the main colony and we will do it again. We proved they can be beaten and we can stop them. Let all your people know that before I get the chance to see them. I will be coming to the guardmounts to thank them personally, but let them know how proud we all are of them. I’m especially proud of the leadership you all showed yesterday in keeping people focused and on target. From all my years in the military, I’ve never seen a better group of natural leaders that have pulled everyone together despite all our differences and persevered. I’m damn proud of all of you.”

Tasha received nods from the gathered group as she concluded.

“We are the shield that protects those under our charge and we are the sword that avenges the lost. We are the first and last line of defense for humanity here. We will overcome as we saw yesterday and we will thrive,” said Tasha. “But most importantly, we will not fail.”

The entire leadership group stood a little straighter and a little prouder knowing they had fought and won against the most serious threat any off world colony had ever faced. They were dismissed and found a new vigor in their duties that day, preparing themselves and their sections for the coming battles that they knew were on the horizon.

The remainder of the day, the leadership of the colony worked with their individual sections making sure everything was prepared for the fight they knew was coming. The first Raptor attack was seen from afar by most of the colonists, but this latest attack affected nearly everyone as they had seen their close friends and comrades injured or killed. Everyone found a new determination in their duties as they saw the threat they faced firsthand and knew there was more than just the one creature out there stalking them. Sections worked together, individuals helped each other regardless of national origin or status and petty differences were cast aside to strive for the greater good of survival.

The unity of purpose Ben had spoken about during his recruitment had finally been achieved.

 

CHAPTER 36



The next five days were a whirl for Ben as he saw the colony as focused as they could possibly be in their tasks. Engineering had taken the lead on getting the ship dismantled and everyone had pitched in to get the wall in as quickly as possible. The problem came when they were removing the plating and exposing the individual sections to the open air. However, Rachelle and Charity had their teams removing everything from the compartments prior to getting the plating removed and storing it in the spaces still contained inside the ship. No matter what section was available, everyone pitched in any way they could in order to complete the task that would help ensure their safety before another attack.

Many of the wounded had been treated and released from the hospital, but several were still being cared for since their wounds had been significant to say the least. Javier happily walked Emilia home on her crutches as their relationship had developed nicely over the previous five days. Still, one member was still lying in the Intensive Care Unit with a constant companion by his side. Isabella Lopez had not left Aaron Jackson’s side since he arrived save quick showers and changing of clothing brought to her by her friends and coworkers. She sat in a chair cat napping at the moment since she was off duty and held his hand even in her sleep.

“Isabella,” said Lieutenant Aaron Jackson in a voice barely above a whisper. However, Izzy knew that voice and shot up immediately from where she was resting.

“Aaron? Aaron! ¡Madre de Dios!” exclaimed Izzy as she immediately woke to the sound of his voice. “Get the doctor!”

The attending nurse shot out of the ICU as Izzy turned to Aaron and saw he had regained consciousness. She took his hand and grasped it with both of hers.

“Am I in heaven?” he asked.

“No!” she exclaimed with a smile as tears formed in her eyes. “Very much the opposite! Why even ask such a thing?”

“Because you are more beautiful than any angel I could imagine,” he said with a grin.

“You just woke up and you say such sweet things?” she asked with a happy smile as a tear dropped down her face.

“I’ve got a lot of time to make up,” he said and tried to shift.

“No, Aaron, wait,” said Izzy. “Wait for the doctor.”

“Izzy, I know,” he said.

“You know?” she asked. “About your back?”

“I wasn’t quite as into the medical coma as they probably would have liked,” he said.

“You weren’t supposed to hear that!” she protested and a tear of sadness fell down her face.

“You were right, that’s what I would have wanted,” he said as he squeezed her hand.

“No matter what, you will be able to walk again,” said Izzy. “There are all kinds of robo-prosthetics that will be able to help you get up and running.”

Mary came running in and started getting ready to perform her tests. She found Aaron had woken up far quicker than she might have preferred and went to his side.

“How are you feeling?” she asked.

“Pretty bad, doctor,” said Aaron. “But I need you to wait a moment, if that’s okay.”

“I’m sorry?” asked Mary.

“Isabella?” asked Aaron.

“You need to let the doctor do her work,” said Isabella. “She needs to see how the surgery went.”

“No,” said Aaron.

“No?” she asked.

“Izzy, I’m going to dance with our daughter at her wedding day,” he said with a smile.

“Our daughter?” asked Izzy with another smile and a laugh.

“I will go to her and under my own power, I’m going to have that father daughter dance with her,” he said.

“We aren’t even married yet!” she protested.

“I have every intention of making sure that’s not a problem,” said Aaron.

“You are asking me to marry you?” she asked as more tears fell over her face.

“I’m not entirely sure I can get down on a knee right now,” said Aaron. “But yes.”

“We barely just met!” she exclaimed.

“So, that’s a no…” he said.

“I didn’t say that,” she said.

“Nothing else in the world feels as right as this,” said Aaron. “Will you marry me?”

“¡Sí! Yes! Yes in every other language!” she said as she began crying once again as a smile swept over her face and she grasped his hand even tighter and kissed it. Mary smiled at the situation, but knew she had work that needed to be done.

“If I may?” asked Mary.

“Important stuff is out of the way,” said Aaron as Tasha came rushing in as well.

“How are you feeling, Lieutenant?” asked Tasha.

“Like I had an armored vehicle roll over on me,” said Aaron with a grin. “What’s the prognosis, Doctor?”

“Well, good news first,” said Mary as she looked over the chart. “Your body is not rejecting the new liver and kidneys we implanted. Your lung is healing nicely and the ribs are coming okay.”

“So, I get a new liver to wreck?” he asked with a grin. “Nice.”

“Your old one wasn’t that bad,” smiled Mary.

“And the bad news?” asked Aaron.

“We need some test to be sure,” said Mary as she took her small penlight and ran it over the bottom of his feet one at a time. It provoked a reaction, but she knew they weren’t out of the woods just yet. “Can you wiggle your toes?”

“Here goes nothing…” he said as he concentrated, but nothing happened. It took several moments before finally movement was seen in his big toe.

“Keep going!” said Mary excitedly. He kept at it before he was able to move all his toes as the three cheered him on. Izzy leaned in for a kiss as Tasha gave him a squeeze on the shoulder.

“Obviously, rehab is going to be a long time, but I think you’re going to make a full recovery,” said Mary with a smile over the victory that day.

“I’m gonna have to,” he said. “I gotta get back out there.”

“I think it’s more important you get better in here first,” said Tasha.

“It’s not that,” said Aaron with a smile. “You think I want to leave Izzy at the mercy of those vultures we work with?”

“I’d bet she’s tougher than you think,” said Tasha with a smile and a laugh.

“She certainly is,” said Aaron as he squeezed Izzy’s hand once again and earned more tears in the process. “I may be a bad ass SEALS, able to fight in Sea, Air, Land and Space, but this lady is tougher than I ever thought of being.”

“I’ve got to get to another meeting with Ben, but this is good news for a change,” said Tasha as Ben was curious about the progress with the medical training program and requested both Tasha and Mary to be present. “Mary, do you want me to let Ben know you won’t be there?”

“No, I’m sending in Charlotte since she now has the most knowledge on nerve injuries,” said Mary. “I alerted her before I came in.”

“One more thing, Major?” asked Aaron.

“Anything,” said Tasha.

“Please ask Commander Nash what the policy is for getting married,” said Aaron.

“You proposed after coming out of a coma?” asked Tasha with a laugh.

“I don’t want to waste time,” said Aaron with a smile as more tears came down Isabella’s face as she looked on proudly. “With your permission, of course.”

“Granted,” said Tasha. “Like I could keep her away from you.”

“Not going to happen, Major,” said Izzy with a smile as she wiped at her face.

Charlotte Griggs came in and saw everyone with a smile on their face and knew good news was to be had. She was quickly brought up to speed by Mary on his physical condition as well as why Isabella continued to cry.

“I guess Nick has to start practicing on the court again, huh?” asked Charlotte with a smile as she looked over his chart.

“He might be able to take me at the moment,” said Aaron who was very competitive with Nick Griggs on the basketball court. “But once I get up and going, he’s gonna lose again.”

“Congratulations to the both of you!” said Charlotte as she smiled warmly at them both.

Charlotte did some additional tests as Mary and Tasha said their goodbyes and departed with smiles on their faces. Izzy wouldn’t leave his side the whole time Charlotte was performing the tests, becoming more and more certain there was 100% chance he would walk under his own power again. She knew there would obviously be a long rehabilitation period, but with strength and determination, he would pull through. His recovery would be symbolic of the colony as a whole as they had been wounded, but they got right back on their feet to continue to fight and stood even stronger than they had before.


Three weeks later


“Commander?” asked Grady over the communicator as Ben was turning in his laundry to the central point to get cleaned. Since they didn’t have full quarters set up nor a full waste water treatment facility hooked into the living quarters, the SIT Team was continuing to be responsible for cleaning and exchanging clothing for the colonists.

“Go ahead,” said Ben as he finished counting his t-shirts and placed them on the counter.

“You mind coming over to the south side near the south gate?” asked Grady. “We’ve got something that needs your attention.”

“Give me two minutes,” said Ben as he finished counting the laundry and getting his old style paper receipt for it.

“Should be ready by this evening,” said Paris Poe who was taking that duty at the moment.

“Quick turnaround,” said Ben.

“Folks need clean stuff and it keeps morale up,” said Paris. “Anything else?”

“Nope, we’re good,” said Ben as he headed to the southern wall where it had been going up quickly. He looked at the Santa Maria as he walked through the paths and saw the ship was a skeleton of its former self since the hull plating and much of the interior bulkheads had been stripped. There was still a massive amount waiting to be dismantled, but the ship reminded Ben of the pictures of animals he’d seen picked clean in their death from scavengers. He eventually caught up to Grady, Cyrus and the entire engineering team standing at the wall apparently waiting on him. Some of the leadership team was waiting as well.

“Sorry, I was turning in laundry,” said Ben. “How can I help you?”

“We’ve got one last task to perform and we’d be honored if you’d do it,” said Grady as he held up a large kilogram weight hammer and one of the taper pins holding the wall portions together until they could be welded.

“Oh?” asked Ben.

“Last pin to go in and the wall is complete,” said Grady. “There’s still a lot of welding to be done on the individual plates and we still have to install the motors on two of the gates, but we are now surrounded by a physical barrier.”

“That seems like a job for you engineering guys,” said Ben. “You’ve busted your ass along with nearly everyone else getting this done.”

“You’ve helped out as well and spurred us into action,” said Cyrus. “It’d mean a lot to our guys if you put in the last pin.”

“I can’t say no, can I?” asked Ben as he took the hammer and pin. The group gathered around as Ben placed the pin in the aligned holes and hammered it into place, finding it was more difficult at the end as the taper started taking hold. It took several strong hits before the head of the pin was flush with the wall and the gathered group let out a cheer.

“I’m impressed by your dedication, hard work and perseverance to get this accomplished in such a short time. Provided, we still have a lot of work ahead of us, but this wall represents a huge accomplishment on your part towards the safety of the colony as a whole. You should be proud of yourselves for getting it done ten days ahead of schedule,” said Ben as he addressed the gathered group. The engineers looked proud but knew it had been a collective effort of nearly everyone in the colony and a lot of finishing work still needed to be done. Regardless, they now had a significant physical barrier between them and the Raptors and could sleep a little better knowing they couldn’t get in easily. Grady dismissed the group to head to lunch after thanking them himself and the individuals broke off to either eat what they brought with them or heading to the mess hall.

“This is a big deal,” said Ben. “How long will the welding take?”

“I don’t want to put a timetable on that,” said Cyrus. “Probably several weeks at least.”

“But the wall will hold?” asked Ben. “I remember you two arguing over it.”

“After seeing the brute strength of the Raptors, we decided we were being a little petty and decided both would be best,” said Grady. “The pins will hold at the moment, but the welding will make sure they aren’t bearing the force alone.”

“And the gates?” asked Ben.

“15 centimeter in diameter high-carbon steel locking bars with explosive driven posts,” said Cyrus.

“I’m sorry?” asked Ben.

“Basically, the locking bars will lock the gate closed. If for some reason the bars aren’t holding, we installed four 30 centimeter posts that are driven into the ground by explosives that prohibit the gate from being opened,” said Cyrus.

“That’s what you were blowing up that one day?” asked Ben.

“Testing it out, yes,” said Grady. “Cyrus designed a containment system that will keep the explosion internal to the device and keep it from harming anyone nearby.”

“It’s a self contained cannon,” said Ben.

“Same principle,” said Cyrus.

“You’re installing it on all the gates?” asked Ben.

“Just the vehicle gates,” said Cyrus. “For the smaller personnel gates, we have a bollard system we can use to lock them up when not in use.”

“I doubt the Raptors would fit through the personnel gates I’ve seen,” said Ben.

“Regardless, we wanted it reinforced,” said Cyrus.

“You guys have done outstanding work,” said Ben.

“Still a lot of work to be done dismantling the ship,” said Grady. “We’ve got a long road ahead of us before we call it done.”

“But the good news is we are breaking ground on the singles dormitory along with the leadership cabins tomorrow,” said Cyrus. “Should only be maybe three weeks, four at the most before they are ready to inhabit.”

“The family apartments?” asked Ben.

“Down the road, but Rachelle said we can use the containers for single family units until they are done,” said Cyrus.

“Water treatment plant is ready to go?” asked Ben.

“I checked it myself last night,” said Cyrus. “100% ready to go.”

“And sewage treatment?” asked Ben.

“That was done three days ago,” said Grady. “Both were somewhat modular and hooked right in to the grid we’re laying down.”

“You’ve got a lot of work going on,” said Ben.

“Rachelle and her crew really pitched in,” said Grady. “Well, everyone for that matter. The two water towers obviously aren’t up yet, but that’s a down the road item. We figured homes were at the top of the list for the residents.”

“A place to call home is always welcome,” said Ben as a crew came over to start welding at the plate they had just finished. He saw it was a mix of Agriculture, Science and even 2Lt Nick Griggs. They gravitated over to the leadership before starting.

“Everything okay?” asked Nick who was taking the informal lead on the work party.

“Yeah, just finishing up here,” said Ben.

“Start on the west side of the gate,” said Cyrus. “The other crew is working from the east.”

“Got it,” said Nick as the crew started preparing the tools necessary to accomplish the welding. It wasn’t a job that would be done in a single day, but they knew urgency would be best.

“He’s a welder?” asked Ben.

“One of the better ones that doesn’t do it for a living,” said Grady. “He apparently had a job during high school in a mechanical shop and did a little off the books work.”

“I tried stealing him from Tasha already, but apparently we don’t use enough explosives for his tastes,” chuckled Cyrus. “Though he helped us build our cannons as you call them.”

“Is the north side welded up?” asked Ben.

“We’ve got four teams working clockwise from the main gates,” said Cyrus. “We can weld two sections at a time which takes a couple of hours each.”

“I’d almost prefer to get the north side done first since that’s the area they came from,” said Ben.

“We can reprioritize the work if you like,” said Grady.

“No, I’m not going to get into the nuts and bolts of your work,” said Ben. “Excuse the pun.”

“It’s six or a half dozen each way,” said Grady.

“Do what you think is best,” said Ben.

“We’ll continue going at it with the four crews,” said Grady after getting a nod from Cyrus.

“That’ll work,” said Ben as he saw Javier and Kurt approaching from the small meeting they had been having away after the small ceremony was concluded. “Gentlemen?”

“So, that idea I had some time back?” asked Javier without formality.

“Javier, you’ve got to be a bit more specific than that,” chuckled Ben.

“I was talking about the featheroos,” said Javier.

“Yes?” asked Ben.

“I was thinking the featheroos went to ground once the Raptors came around. And generally they do it when other predators are close by,” said Javier. “So far, that’s been the species we’ve studied the most since, well, they are fairly abundant and we’ve been able to capture them and study them in depth.”

“Nothing intrusive, I hope,” said Ben.

“Not at all,” said Javier. “The scanning equipment we have is completely non-invasive and actually gives us a better image than an actual dissection.”

“Anyway,” said Ben as Javier had the tendency to get sidetracked from time to time.

“Anyway, the olfactory senses on those things are off the charts,” said Javier. “Comparable to a turkey vulture on Earth, but in reality, maybe even better. They seem to know when something bad moves into the neighborhood and move into hiding or away from the area.”

“Okay,” said Ben.

“And they are surprisingly docile for the most part,” said Javier. “They’ve kind of taken up with us or as a minimum, ignored us when we’re around. To them, we’re just another animal that isn’t bothering them.”

“Except that time with Tasha at the tower,” said Ben.

“Given the circumstances, she was probably secreting some form of pheromone the animal sensed as hostility,” said Javier. “They were still learning about us during that time and it might have become more normal to them. Anyway, they tend to look at us as harmless now.”

“This much is true,” said Kurt. “We’ve found them out grazing on the farm quite often and generally they don’t even flinch until we try to run them off.”

“Hell, they sit and watch our folks at the wall working,” said Grady as they looked outside the open gate and saw several grazing and watching the work crews.

“Hopefully not taking stuff from the farm that will hurt us in the long run?” asked Ben.

“No,” said Kurt. “Though they do appear to be fond of the summer squash and corn leaves.”

“And when you run them off?” asked Ben.

“Most of the time just hop away and watch from a distance until we leave,” said Kurt. “It’s like they know we aren’t a threat to them.”

“We haven’t given them a reason to fear us,” said Javier. “We aren’t hunting them for food save that one time and collectively we decided it really doesn’t taste that good.”

“We’ll need to get back to the subject of edible animals in a minute,” said Ben. “Sorry, Doctor.”

“Anyway, Tasha made the comment once about having one as a pet,” said Javier. “And in retrospect, it’s not entirely a bad idea.”

“You want to make the featheroos into pets?” asked Ben.

“Not necessarily pets,” said Javier. “But maybe have some inside the colony as a guard dog force for lack of a better term.”

“Is there enough room for them to graze?” asked Kurt. “As well as having the necessary edibles in their diet?”

“They are kind of Novae Spes’ version of a natural vacuum cleaner. They eat nearly anything they can including the Poison Star,” said Javier, referring to a plant on Novae Spes that had the attributes of both poison ivy and the stinging nettle on Earth. But grew like morning glory vines and had a star shaped flower.

“They eat that stuff?” asked Kurt.

“It’s like candy to them,” said Javier. “They have a very complex digestive system that breaks down what we consider the poisons and neutralizes them. The rest of the plant is surprisingly edible and has all sorts of nutrients to some of the wildlife around here.”

“Well, there goes that theory,” muttered Kurt.

“Theory?” asked Ben.

“We were thinking of some local ways of keeping the roo population out of the gardens,” said Kurt. “And had the plan to put up the poison star plants around the edge.”

“You might as well hang a bright neon free buffet sign,” said Javier.

“So, back to this idea of domesticating the roos?” asked Ben.

“Maybe not domesticating them, but again, they aren’t aggressive in the least and would make an efficient means of controlling the weed population inside the perimeter. I think we could herd a few inside to both help control the weed population as well as being a guard dog,” said Javier.

“Guard dog?” asked Ben.

“They can sense predators far better than we can,” said Javier. “So, if they roo population disappears, we have a strong indicator there is something nasty about.”

“This is true,” said Grady. “I’ve got my folks keeping an eye on them since the two attacks have been preceded by them disappearing.”

“And where would they stay?” asked Kurt.

“We could build them pens similar to their natural nests,” said Javier. “Generally, it’s a hut of sorts built from fallen leaves and branches.”

“They’re that smart?” asked Ben. “To know what we are building for them?”

“They are fairly intuitive and it’s a generational home for them best we can tell,” said Javier. “Mom has a kid, they grow up and still live in the home or create a new one. Eventually when mom dies off, the children inhabit the nest and repeat the process, repairing it as needed or building new ones when the old one becomes crowded.”

“My mom kicked me out when I was eighteen,” chuckled Kurt.

“We found a lot of them when we were clearing the forest,” said Grady.

“So, we build a similar habitat inside here for them, bring a few inside and let them do the heavy weeding for us as well as being a natural detection force for the guards,” said Javier.

“And they aren’t going to go crazy on some kid that wants to pet them?” asked Ben.

“No,” said Kurt. “We pet them all the time at the farm. They love having their ears scratched.”

“Interesting idea,” said Ben. “And there would be no upkeep for the most part?”

“Maybe a water source like a small pool or something. We’ve observed them taking baths in the river and creeks from time to time and they likely need that sort of place for both watering and bathing,” said Javier. “But otherwise, Novae Spes is providing them everything they need. And when it comes time to harvest, they would probably love the leftover greens and whatnot from our plants.”

“Some things we can till under the soil to compost for next year, other things like the corn stalks we’ll have to cut and remove,” said Kurt. “They do seem to like eating the stalks and leaves.”

“They don’t migrate?” asked Ben.

“For the seven years we observed, at least some stick around,” said Javier. “Perhaps not the whole population, but it does appear they are still active in the winter and early spring months with a hibernation period in there.”

“And this is data you’ve checked?” asked Ben.

“Sure have,” said Javier.

“So, we get a guard dog force that goes to sleep for a couple of months at a pop?” asked Ben.

“We haven’t been able to study them in detail through the winter months,” said Javier. “It could be they hibernate since there is a lack of food. But they do come out every so often and forage before heading back in.”

“You’re thinking they take turns hibernating for short periods of time to extend the food supply?” asked Kurt.

“It’s a possibility,” said Javier. “We won’t know until the winter. Regardless, I believe the pros outweigh the cons in this matter.”

“You know some will try to keep them inside,” chuckled Ben.

“We’ll have to have a talk with Tasha and Rachelle about that,” chuckled Grady.

“Only until they have to clean up the first mess,” chuckled Kurt.

“As a minimum, it’ll clear up some of our grounds maintenance teams to harvesting duty when the time comes around,” said Kurt with a shrug of his shoulders.

“And what will we find as punishment for infractions?” chuckled Ben as the duty typically fell on the members of the guard force that were caught in minor infractions and given additional duty. The weeds and grass grew quickly on Novae Spes and was a constant chore keeping it dialed back to acceptable levels.

“I’m sure Tasha will be creative,” chuckled Kurt. “I don’t mind this idea, but it could be a problem if we go with gardens inside the walls next year like we talked about.”

“Build better fences,” said Ben. “I do like the idea of having a natural alarm system around rather than just us and the sensors.”

“So, I have your permission to proceed?” asked Javier.

“Pens and nests first, then the water source that’s not going to be a hindrance to the colony as a whole, then we’ll talk,” said Ben.

“Something like that should be simple,” said Grady. “Depends on how many you bring in as to how large it will be.”

“I’m thinking between 15 to 20 would be a good population,” said Javier. “A few males and the rest females.”

“We could have the pond fed from the water system and put in a filtration system to keep the algae down,” said Cyrus. “Maybe not entirely treated, but enough to keep it under control.”

“The whole thing isn’t a bad idea in concept,” said Kurt. “And let’s face it, weeding around here does suck.”

“If those things eat the poison star, I’m all about offering them a home,” chuckled Ben.

“It’s nasty stuff,” said Kurt.

“Plus, I do like the natural alarm system they provide,” said Ben. “Okay, approved but only after we get a pool and their huts built.”

Javier, Grady and Cyrus headed off to look over the plans as to the best location for such places as they knew the ability to have detection of the Raptors away from the colony easily justified the additional work they would be doing. After they departed, Ben headed towards the mess hall with Kurt.

“So, the roo population has taken to grazing the farm?” asked Ben.

“We more or less took that into account when planning the colony,” said Kurt. “Other planets with wildlife have the same problems, provided they typically don’t have an animal that can leap a meter over a fence if we had one, but by and large, we overplanted just in case.”

“So, they aren’t taking anything that can’t be replaced?” asked Ben.

“Not in the least,” said Kurt. “Like I said, it’s bothersome, but nothing that will hurt us.”

“Other than the science team that can get a little giddy over new creatures and whatnot, you have about the most experience up close with the things,” said Ben. “Is this a good idea?”

“Like Javier said, they are docile,” said Kurt. “The males will sometimes fight each other for a female’s attention, but overall, they don’t see us as a threat, but rather a companion.”

“Docile enough for the kids?” asked Ben.

“I couldn’t see why not,” said Kurt. “They don’t see the adults as threats though I’m not sure what will happen if one happened to get its tail yanked by a kid.”

“We’ll need to come up with a roo safety briefing,” chuckled Ben. “Otherwise, it’s a great idea.”

“Javier tends to think outside the box,” said Kurt. “Comes up with some off the wall stuff, but it’s generally correct in the long run.”

“So, how do we entice them into the colony?” asked Ben.

“Give them a carrot and a stick,” said Kurt.

“You talking literally or figuratively?” chuckled Ben.

“Probably both,” said Kurt with a chuckle. “Grady and Cyrus had a good idea about keeping an eye on the ones out in the wild. If they disappear, that’s a good indication something nasty might be about.”

“I was thinking the same thing,” said Ben. “Making it standard practice for all field teams to check before they headed out. How widespread are they?”

“You’d have to ask Javier,” said Kurt. “As to whether we could transplant some, that I’m not sure about.”

“How did you know I was thinking that?” asked Ben.

“Natural,” said Kurt. “Detection is key in what we are doing here and having a creature that knows when bad things are moving into the neighborhood is downright handy.”

“I wouldn’t want to disrupt the natural process,” said Ben.

“Plus, there’s that natural evolution thing,” said Kurt.

“I’m sorry?” asked Ben.

“Two things actually,” said Kurt. “By protecting them, we are increasing the chances of the herd growing and more moving here where they might perceive it as safe. Javier was correct in the fact they are intuitive. They very well could figure out there’s safety around our colony.”

“Second is natural evolution,” said Kurt. “Who knows whether or not this is the species that grows up and dominates the planet down the road. We could be jump starting their own evolutionary process by ‘helping’ them along that path.”

“We are making them grow evolutionary wise?” asked Ben.

“It’s a distinct possibility,” said Kurt. “All creatures end up evolving or becoming extinct because they don’t adapt to changes in the environment. It’s a possibility the featheroos very well could be the Novae Spes version of humans.”

“So, we’re disrupting the natural cycle,” said Ben.

“Maybe so,” said Kurt.

“How long before we could tell?” asked Ben.

“Couple of million years,” said Kurt. “We could start the report now if you like.”

“Yeah, I’ll wait for the summary report,” chuckled Ben. “Is that a bad thing?”

“Not necessarily so,” said Kurt. “Look, we’re the dominate species on this planet now whether we wanted to be or not. Our arrival has changed this world forever and nothing we can do will change the fact we’ve already impacted the local population as well as the world.”

“When you think about it, we’ve already disrupted the environment by killing off some of the Raptors. Let’s just say they ate 300 featheroos and other animals over their lifetime. That’s now 2,700 animals that will artificially live longer than they would have had we not arrived. And in turn have that much more offspring that will breed as well,” said Kurt.

“We just can’t stop from changing things, can we?” asked Ben.

“It’s not necessarily a bad thing,” said Kurt. “Just that nature finds a balance even if it takes a little longer than we realize.”

“Plus, if the featheroos start coming here more often because they perceive it as safe or increasing their own food supply, the predators will likely move in as well taking advantage of their increasing food supply,” said Ben.

“Nail on the head, Commander,” said Kurt. “We’re going to make changes regardless of how low impact we try to be.”

“Some things I’ll accept,” said Ben.

“Speaking of food supplies,” said Kurt. “Has Jim Kirk talked to you about the Raptors yet?”

“Nothing beyond a weapons brief,” said Ben.

“Apparently, Raptors are edible,” said Kurt.

“Say what?” exclaimed Ben.

“No toxins or harmful bacteria in the body to speak of and the meat has the consistency of beef,” said Kurt. “They can be eaten.”

“I’m not sure how I feel about that,” said Ben.

“Kinda fitting if you ask me,” said Kurt. “They try to kill us; we eat them in return.”

“And how did he come to this deduction?” asked Ben.

“Through normal testing of the creatures we killed,” said Kurt. “Obviously, he was looking at what toxins were in the creatures, like poisons, venoms and whatnot, as well as harmful bacteria that could be spread without attacking us. Along the way, he discovered the meat itself should be edible.”

“And you agreed with this?” asked Ben.

“I was merely bringing up the idea,” said Kurt. “But let’s face it, a creature that size could provide a good amount of protein in our system.”

“That’s something I’ll need to think over for a bit,” said Ben. “I’m not opposed to eating the heart of a creature trying to kill us.”

“Poetic justice if you ask me,” chuckled Kurt as they arrived at the mess hall.

“Imagine the first Raptor bar-be-que we have,” laughed Ben as they arrived at the mess hall.

“I’m sure it’d be a big hit,” said Kurt with a laugh. “Things like that can and should be considered in the future though.”

“A Raptor bar-be-que?” asked Ben.

“Bar-be-que of any kind actually,” said Kurt. “Our folks have worked their backsides off nearly the last month. A night off does sound like it could be a big hit.”

“I’ll bring it up at the next leadership meeting,” said Ben. “Dinner and dancing?”

“I think it would be good for everyone,” said Kurt. “You included.”

“Now that the wall is up, I’m considering resuming the out of colony science missions,” said Ben as they gathered their lunch and grabbed a seat.

“The training program put together by Tasha and Ken Whitaker have been good,” said Kurt. “I’d think all the sections are in a far better position to defend themselves now.”

“Just that you know, he goes by Kendrick,” said Ben.

“I wondered why he looked at me strangely,” said Kurt. “I’ll apologize.”

“Regardless, no pushback on the training programs?” asked Ben.

“No,” said Kurt. “Tasha even identified some shooters out there that have taken to enjoying it. It’s become a bit of a competition between some and the sections are even going head to head during the training sessions.”

“Friendly competition is good,” said Ben. “How’s your section standing in those?”

“We’re holding our own,” said Kurt with a grin. “Still not at the Security Forces level, but we’re getting there.”

“Sounds good,” said Ben as Charity came over.

“So…I hear we’re getting a pool?” she asked as she sat down and prepared her lunch.

“You did?” asked Ben. “News to me.”

“You mean you didn’t approve putting in a pool?” asked Charity. “Javier, Cyrus and Grady just came and talked to Rachelle and me about it.”

“Not a human pool,” said Ben with a chuckle as he explained the idea Javier brought up.

“Oh, well that sucks,” said Charity.

“Let me guess, you thought we were going to put in a human pool,” said Ben with a laugh.

“Yeah,” said Charity. “It might be a nice addition.”

“And in the winter months?” asked Ben.

“As if we couldn’t have an indoor and outdoor pool,” said Charity.

“It’s not a bad idea,” said Kurt. “We’re already putting in a gym. And exercise pool wouldn’t be a bad thing if you asked me.”

“And we have the space and materials for such a thing?” asked Ben.

“Better question for the engineers,” said Kurt as he saw the wheels spinning in Ben’s head.

“Down the road,” said Ben.

“It would be nice to have a place to work on tans,” said Charity with a grin. “Be able to cool off after work or something.”

“Uh huh,” said Ben. “And?”

“And what?” she asked.

“You’re leading up to another point,” said Ben with a chuckle.

“Well, maybe some of the girls around here don’t mind seeing shirtless guys,” said Charity with a grin. “Other than on the work details obviously.”

“There it is,” said Ben with a laugh.

“I’m sure none of the guys wouldn’t mind seeing some of the woman out in a string bikini either,” said Kurt.

“Including you?” asked Charity.

“I’m not omitting myself, no,” said Kurt with a laugh.

“Regardless of your hormones and emotions, the pool is going to be for the featheroo population we plan on importing for a guard dog force,” said Ben.

“Bummer,” said Charity. “Rachelle will be seriously let down.”

“I’m sure she’ll survive,” said Ben with a chuckle.

“I dunno,” said Charity with a hidden grin. “You know her morale will be crushed.”

“I’m sure she’ll manage to overcome,” said Ben with a chuckle as Tasha came up with Captain Kendra Moore in tow.

“For the record, I think it’s an outstanding idea,” she remarked before even sitting down. “Javier should be pleased with himself.”

“I didn’t know he was looking at it either,” said Ben. “Having a natural alarm system is pretty smart for certain.”

“Wait, what are you talking about?” asked Tasha with a confused look on her face.

“No, what are you talking about?” asked Ben.

“The pool,” said Tasha. “I think it’s a great idea. Swimming laps to go with running and the stationary bike? Of course, the leisure time won’t hurt at all either.”

“Just how many people did Javier tell?” asked Ben.

“I heard it from Mary,” said Tasha. “Not Javier.”

“Just how many people did Rachelle tell?” asked Ben crossly.

“So…no pool?” asked Tasha.

“I haven’t quite decided,” said Ben crossly as Charlotte Griggs approached and was allowed to have a seat with the group.

“I already talked to Mary about your idea,” said Charlotte as she joined the table. “The pool would work wonders for physical therapy of some of our patients.”

“Why do I get the distinct idea this is likely out of my hands?” asked Ben with a sigh.

“I thought it was a great idea for morale,” said Charlotte. “I mean, the health benefits of having a pool are easy to defend against the work we’ll put in to get it done.”

“Remind me to strangle Rachelle when I get the chance,” said Ben as he knew exactly where the misinformation was coming from. As if she knew she was being discussed, Rachelle appeared in the mess hall and went through the line and grabbed a seat, but not before three other colonists had stopped and thanked Ben for being so thoughtful about a morale item like a pool.

“I hate to say it, but with our clothing printer, we’ll likely have to go with two piece suits for the women,” said Rachelle as she joined the ever growing group. “Too much material in a one piece and our supplies could run low.”

“You realize the pool wasn’t for us?” asked Ben crossly.

“Who else would it be for?” asked Rachelle. “Great idea, by the way.”

“It was supposed to be…” started Ben and realized he just couldn’t justify not having such a thing at this point as everyone seemed thrilled with the idea. “You know, yeah, it was a great idea and aren’t you glad I approved it?”

“Frankly, I’m surprised you bought off on it,” said Rachelle. “That’ll likely make some of the other projects slip down the list with the labor involved.”

“Oh, I have this feeling SIT is going to enjoy working on it very much,” said Ben with an evil smile. “I wouldn’t want the engineers to have to do all the work.”

“Umm, wait,” said Rachelle as she looked at Charity. “I thought the engineers were going to build us a pool?”

“Oh no,” said Ben with the same evil smile. “I wouldn’t want to add to their burden when you have perfectly capable people that can do the labor themselves.”

“Rachelle?” asked Charity. “We…the pool wasn’t exactly what we were thinking.”

“Well, what else could it be for?” asked Rachelle.

“The featheroos,” said Kurt as he managed not to laugh.

“So, they get a pool and we don’t?” asked Rachelle.

“Absolutely not,” said Ben. “The engineers will focus on creating them a pool and you get to study their design intently and help build the human pool.”

“Did I just get us trapped into something by running my big mouth?” asked Rachelle.

“Yeah, I think so,” said Tasha as she tried to stifle a laugh.

“Exactly how many people did you tell?” asked Ben.

“Umm, I don’t remember,” said Rachelle.

“Well, you might want to let them know just how long it’s going to be before you finish said pool,” said Ben. “They’re likely to get a bit antsy.”

“Remind me next time to keep my big mouth shut,” grumped Rachelle.

“Thanks, sis,” said Charity with a frown.

“Hey, the rest of us thank you for being so considerate,” said Tasha as she was trying not to laugh again.

“Yeah, just one more thing added to my plate that we really didn’t need,” said Rachelle with a frown. “As if we weren’t swamped as it is.”

“You know, you seem kinda stressed,” said Tasha. “Maybe you need to get laid?”

Rachelle’s mouth hung open at the question as Tasha had a silly grin on her face. But she managed to recover quickly in true Rachelle fashion. “Touché, babe. Touché…”

Ben realized there were about a hundred other things on their list that needed to be accomplished first, but knew even the promise of such things was helpful to the overall morale of the colony. He also knew that Rachelle and Charity would likely do a bang-up job on such a thing when they were able to get to it. However, the idea started taking on even more details as Charlotte made them promise to look at a hot tub addition as well as Rachelle sighed once again and promised to “look into” the idea.

It seemed the completion of the wall lifted a huge deal of stress from the colonists as they how had a serious barrier between them and the threats they faced. Less stress meant they would be more focused on everything else required to survive and Ben knew that was key to them being able to thrive in the coming months.

 

CHAPTER 37


In the weeks after the wall being completed, the construction took on a somewhat more relaxed pace though the colony continued to grow. Ben started allowing the science and engineering teams the ability to leave the confines of the wall more frequently and the teams made new and exciting discoveries each and every hour they were gone. Javier and Angeline had a good plan on the method of sending teams out, having coordinated it with the individual sections well in advance to give time for planning. It was at their weekly senior staff meeting that Grady made his big announcement.

“So, the mining and geology crew has some interesting discoveries,” said Grady.

“Oh?” asked Ben.

“Reasonably close to here as well,” said Grady as if he were keeping a large secret.

“How far is reasonable?” asked Ben.

“About a hundred kilometers or so,” said Grady. “In the beginning of the mountains.”

“Okay, you do have my attention,” said Ben.

“Well, let me bring the rest of the group up to speed and let them know we have been searching for raw minerals for later refinement for building materials and whatnot. Iron and nickel are pretty common here as the planet has an iron-nickel core. But other, more important strategic materials have been what we’re looking for. And we think we found them,” said Grady.

“Or at least some,” said Cyrus.

“Which is?” asked Tasha. Cyrus reached down and pulled a small bag up to the table. Reaching inside, he started tossing items at the leadership team.

“One for you, one for you and one for you,” he said as he continued grabbing the items from the bag and reached the end of the table. “And one for our fearless leader.”

“Is this?” asked Charity.

“Gold,” said Grady.

“This is…” said Kurt as his voice trailed off.

“What we found on the surface alone,” said Cyrus.

“Can’t accept it,” said Tasha with a grin. “It’s not in the form of a necklace and matching earrings.”

“I’ll take it then,” said Mary as she tried to snatch it away.

“No, no, no,” said Tasha as she shifted away. “I’ll hold onto it for now.”

“That’s just for starters,” said Grady. “And platinum group metals.”

“Oh?” asked Ben who also knew gold had more than a few commercial purposes. “Like how much are we talking about?”

“I’ve got the geologists working on the data, but the gold itself was significant,” said Cyrus.

“Numbers, please,” said Ben.

“Initial estimates are at a minimum 5,000 metric tons,” said Cyrus.

“I’m sorry, did you say tons?” asked Kurt.

“Normally such things are measured in troy ounces,” said Grady. “We’ve kind of had to revise our thinking since the find is…considerably larger.”

“That’s an understatement,” said Ben. “And other strategic minerals?”

“Platinum group including platinum, palladium, rhodium and iridium are fairly large at entirely different locations according to the drone data,” said Grady.

“And?” asked Ben.

“We’ve also found evidence of silver, titanium, a rather large copper find, uranium, tungsten, aluminum, chromium, molybdenum, manganese, lead…all the basic building blocks of a modern civilization,” said Cyrus. “All within a few hundred kilometers.”

“And all this adds to?” asked Javier.

“Basic materials at our fingertips,” said Cyrus. “The gold is literally sitting on the surface in some places. Other places we will have to dig for though. However, on a side note…”

He picked up the other bag he had brought and set it on the table, unzipping it and withdrawing the item inside. Setting it on the table, he had a very proud look as mouths dropped around the table.

“Is that…?” asked Ben.

“A diamond,” said Cyrus.

“It’s…” said Javier.

“Huge,” said Grady with a grin.

“That’s…” said Allen.

“Amazing?” asked Cyrus.

“Impossible,” said Allen. “I didn’t even think diamonds could be that big.”

“On Earth, they aren’t,” said Grady. “I do believe we’ve discovered the largest diamond of all time on Novae Spes. Not that the Earth history books will know.”

“How many carets is it?” asked Kurt.

“Over fifty thousand,” said Cyrus. “It weighs about ten kilograms.”

“How…what kind of price are we looking at?” asked Ben.

“It’s essentially worthless except as a museum piece,” said Grady.

“I’m sorry?” asked Angeline.

“Basically, diamonds are used for a variety of industrial and commercial purposes,” said Grady.

“And a girl’s best friend,” said Mary with a twinkle.

“That’s part of the commercial portion,” said Grady with a chuckle. “Anyway, this one is actually too large to have any practical use for any known industrial purpose. And you certainly aren’t going to wear that thing on a finger.”

“Worthless?” asked Allen.

“You couldn’t put a price on it as a curio,” said Cyrus. “But we said any known industrial purpose. Who knows what the future holds.”

“Where did you find this thing?” asked Ben.

“Not as far as the mines will be,” said Grady.

“Meaning?” asked Ben.

“When we got here, the science and medical teams ran tests on the river water for obvious health and science reasons. Bacteria, heavy metals, that sort of thing. We had our own team run independent tests looking for different items entirely since we look for unique chemical signatures,” said Grady. “And we found several signatures.”

“So, Javier seconded his geology team to us while we went out looking at the suspected mineral locations. A ways upriver, say about fifteen kilometers or so, we found this field,” said Cyrus.

“Field?” asked Allen.

“Right by the river,” said Cyrus. “This monster was only partially showing on the surface.”

“And they are right there?” asked Ben.

“Plain as day more or less,” said Grady. “We’ll have to come up with some creative ways of getting them out without disturbing the river too much, but we can plan around that.”

“We have both a diamond field and a gold mine within a hundred kilometers?” asked Ben.

“Along with plenty of other materials,” said Cyrus.

“How?” asked Kurt whose knowledge of the subject was very limited.

“Best that Javier’s boys and girls can tell is this location was subject to part of a heavy bombardment of mineral rich asteroids during its early years. That and possibly a bubble of all sorts of goodies was pushed up out of the interior of the planet a long time ago,” said Grady.

“It’s pretty complex stuff to be honest and I only have the basic grasp of the nerd-talk they toss out,” said Javier. “But they suspected as much after we got here.”

“So, by dumb luck we dropped right in the middle of the Garden of Eden of building materials on Novae Spes?” asked Allen.

“Couldn’t have planned it any better if we tried,” said Grady. “We’ve got all the building blocks to make any kind of alloy you want.”

“With environmental concerns being a fairly obvious hurdle,” added Cyrus.

“Environmental concerns?” asked Angeline.

“We decided up front to ensure we don’t upset the ecosphere too much on this planet like we did with Earth and other places,” said Ben. “We’ve already wrecked a few planets and we’re bound and determined not to do it to this one. So, we’ve decided almost everything we do will be environmentally neutral or mitigated as much as we can.”

“I don’t think anyone has a problem with that,” said Javier.

“Other gems and jewels?” asked Tasha. “Not asking for personal reasons, but I know other gemstones have a variety of purposes other than looking nice on my ears.”

“Like rubies, garnets and emeralds?” asked Cyrus. “Nothing yet, but not unexpected. Those we’ll have to dig for. But being that this is the Earth’s twin, I’d expect to find those as well.”

“What about oil, natural gas and coal?” asked Javier.

“We have found those as well,” said Cyrus. “Not that we need them at the moment, but they are there in case for when we do. Specifically the oil which will help us make asphalt and pave roads eventually if we go that route instead of plasticrete. Even then, natural carbons make up a portion of the plasticrete formula. You have to remember, this planet more or less evolved the same way Earth did, just at a different time. What we found there, we are very likely going to find here. It’s just a matter of looking.”

“Do we even have the refining capability for such materials?” asked Ben.

“The basic, yes,” said Grady. “Included as the equipment as part of the colony. More advanced refinement equipment will be coming later.”

“Basic meaning?” asked Charity.

“Basic meaning we have jack of all trades refining equipment,” said Cyrus who was in charge of that portion of the engineers. “Single source so to speak, but easily modified between the types of refinement we’d use. It can be converted to refining what we need out of the fossil fuels or even cracking the coal down to its basic atomic levels to harvest the hydrogen and oxygen.”

“With no bad environmental side effects?” asked Ben.

“No, the equipment is designed specifically for neutral environmental impacts,” said Cyrus. “Not to say the other nasty side elements like arsenic and mercury won’t come out as well, but we can trap those and store them for later use if we need them.”

“So, we hit the proverbial gold mine?” asked Allen.

“An understatement,” said Cyrus.

“And we can start mining this almost immediately?” asked Ben.

“The mining equipment itself is self-contained,” said Cyrus. “Basically, point it at the ground, program it to go forth and dig and it goes.”

“Oh?” asked Ben who didn’t know that much about it.

“Long story short, the equipment burrows into the ground and ‘eats’ the ground ahead of it. With me so far? The reclamation equipment then separates the mineral we program in and tosses the rest to the side or in the case of harmful elements, collects and traps them,” said Cyrus.

“So, it’s only good for a single material at a time?” asked Ben.

“I’m afraid so,” said Cyrus. “Now, we can program it to sift for one, and then go back and sift for another, and another, so on and so forth. But that adds like ten times the time required for each load. Sometimes even longer.”

“But again, no harmful side effects?” asked Ben.

“No, the equipment is self-contained and completely automated,” said Cyrus. “You could monitor it from here and go out and collect what it’s dug up when the mood strikes us.”

“There is a catch to all this,” said Grady.

“There always is,” chuckled Ben.

“The equipment wasn’t part of the initial landings and we are basically dismantling the ship around it. In a word, it’s massive since everything is on board or towed behind,” said Cyrus. “It has a maximum land speed of only five kilometers per hour.”

“Red hot speed,” chuckled Tasha who knew she would be tasked with having to escort said beast to whatever mining site they selected. “Long way to escort it.”

“It is, but that’s not the problem,” said Cyrus.

“The rivers?” asked Kurt.

“Nope, corporate got smart and added the version that can last up to a month submerged and has the anti-corrosion coating as well as the pressurized interior,” said Cyrus. “It’ll drive right through the rivers without even slowing down…well, not slowing anymore.”

“So, Raptor attacks won’t be a problem?” asked Javier.

“Not in the least,” said Cyrus. “Those things will beat their brains out before actually being able to get through the hull. They’ve driven them through lava flows without any problems.”

“The problem is building the road to get it to the area to be mined,” said Ben.

“Exactly,” said Grady. “It can take out the trees in front if we turn on the drillers, but you stand the chance of them falling on top and not rolling off.”

“Wait, is this that monstrosity that is still sitting out on that part of the keel?” asked Allen.

“Yes, sir,” said Cyrus.

“We’re not building a road, we’re building a superhighway,” said Allen. “We used that thing for ballast on the trip out here.”

“It’s that large?” asked Ben.

“Yeah, it isn’t a little machine,” said Cyrus. “The Captain is right, we had to move the thing forward six meters in order to land since it screwed with the trim.”

“So, we have to build a hundred kilometer or more road to where we’re going?” asked Ben.

“Not build the road per se,” said Grady. “Just clear the path to the front of it. Which does give us even more building materials here for Expedition 2.”

“Which we’re going to need,” said Allen.

“And not only that, but we’ll need to clear the path any time we want to move it,” said Cyrus.

“So, we go back to discussing the idea of having the second colony built in the mountains instead of the coast,” said Ben. “Which would be hard to pull off in the time we have.”

“Nobody ever said the job was going to be easy,” said Allen. “I’m almost thinking both settlements would be wise.”

“But almost impossible to build both concurrently as Ben stated,” said Grady.

“No better time than the present to discuss the matter,” said Ben as the idea of where to at least start planning the second colony had been underway for the past couple of weeks. The group had been discussing it informally for some time, but it appeared to be brought to the forefront of the discussion. Or so he thought.

“We can discuss this all day long, but we need to get a science team out to the coast to determine the viability of a settlement there,” said Javier. “The initial probe data isn’t telling us everything we need to know before we go in there and start building.”

“Javier has a point,” said Allen. “Where is it at on your list?”

“It was one of the next ones,” said Javier. “Planned for the end of this week.”

“But the mountain area could support a colony?” asked Ben.

“Easily,” said Grady. “Provided, we’ll need a lot more transformation of the landscape, but the area itself is perfectly fine and even capable of growing crops in the summer.”

“There’s a nice river nearby for water,” said Charity.

“Other than the transportation issue of getting back and forth, it’s only about a half hour flight to the center of the mineral deposits,” said Cyrus. “We could and likely will build a roadway into it as well.”

“But it can be unmanned?” asked Ben. “The mining machine I mean.”

“Yes, of course,” said Cyrus. “Like we said; program it, point it at the ground and send it on its way. We can recover the items it mines later.”

“Let’s wait for a decision on the colony status until after Javier and his crew have studied the coastal area,” said Ben. “I’d like to have all the facts before we reach a decision.”

“Everyone has a team dedicated to that mission,” said Javier.

“I’ll be leading the security element,” said Tasha as she received a look from Ben. “What?”

“Is everything up to speed?” he asked.

“My Captains are perfectly capable of running things for three days while we’re out there,” said Tasha. “I’m leaving Captain Sokolov in charge and he knows the first rule of Novae Spes.”

“First rule?” asked Ben.

“Make sure to contact Major Hayden,” said Tasha with a grin.

“Right,” said Ben. “But I do want in on a trip eventually.”

“I think we can make a spot,” said Javier.

“Okay, anything else from the engineering section?” asked Ben as they were getting close to finishing the staff meeting.

“Nope, you know our schedules and how the recent rains have played havoc with them,” said Grady. “But we can get back on track and slightly ahead in some areas so long as the weather holds.”

“I’m not sure that qualified as ‘rain.’ More like being under a waterfall,” said Tasha sarcastically as the group laughed.

“The crops loved it though,” said Kurt.

“I wasn’t planning on asking for a status update, but since you chimed in, anything significant to report?” asked Ben.

“No, nothing has really changed from the last report,” said the specialist. “The extended growing hours and extended darkness is playing havoc with a few of the Terran species, but most have adapted fairly quickly and are growing like the proverbial weed. Even those which are resisting the growing cycle are coming along okay and will produce in the long run.”

“Including the strawberries?” asked Ben.

“Coming along very nicely,” said Kurt.

“I haven’t had a real strawberry since…well, I’d date myself,” said Ben with a chuckle.

“What’s a strawberry again?” asked Mary with a laugh.

“All we’d need is some champagne and we’d be set,” said Tasha.

“Apparently, we do have a few more…industrious engineers that have been making a still,” said Grady. “I told them to shut it down when I found it, but my guess is they just moved the location and are still under way. So, not sure about champagne, but there will probably be hard alcohol on the black market soon.”

“Is it taking away from the raw materials we need for anything in production?” asked Ben.

“Nah, mainly scraps and recycled parts,” said Grady.

“Tell them to bring it into a secured area and finish it up,” said Ben. “It’s a minor diversion, but I’m thinking a stiff drink or two won’t kill anyone in the long run.”

“If I may?” asked Mary. “I would like to ensure quality control before someone goes blind from improperly distilled moonshine.”

“I would certainly feel better if the doctor had a look at it,” said Ben.

“I’ll make sure they know,” said Grady.

“And if you don’t mind, see about adding in a tavern or something like that in the near future,” said Ben. “Without taking away from the normal construction efforts.”

“We could make it a colony effort,” suggested Angeline. “Take the load off the engineer’s shoulders and give us something for the community to get involved in.”

“I like that idea,” said Charity. “If it’s for the community, I think the community would and should pitch in to help out kinda like they have with the pool.”

“Speaking of, how’s that coming?” asked Ben.

“Obviously we have several other things that require our attention first,” said Rachelle. “But we found a suitable location and will break ground in the next two weeks.”

“No diversion of critical materials?” asked Ben.

“Not at all,” said Grady. “Concrete and whatnot along with a plastine liner.”

“So, nobody objecting to the bar idea?” asked Ben. “Okay, I’d still like the plans to be drawn up by the engineering staff and for them to oversee the construction.”

“I’ll get that,” said Cyrus. “I built my own Tiki bar once.”

“On a ship?” asked Javier.

“Freedom Spaceport on Mars,” said Cyrus. “I think I’ve still got the plans somewhere.”

“Speaking of a pool, how’s the featheroo hunt going?” asked Ben.

“We’ve identified several that are just outside the walls that seem more receptive to humans,” said Angeline. “The water source and huts are almost complete and we’ll be bringing them inside not long after.”

“You think they’ll adapt?” asked Ben.

“Easily,” said Angeline. “The huts aren’t an exact match, but close enough they likely can’t tell the difference. Plus, we reinforced them so they should stay snug and happy. The pool is more centrally located than we planned, but I think it’ll be fine.”

“I’d like the guard dogs in as soon as possible,” said Ben.

“Probably the end of next week,” said Angeline.

“Okay, and last, but certainly not least, Doctor, you’re up,” said Ben as he nodded at Mary.

“Nothing major to report on the injury front,” said Mary as she checked her notes. “We have three in extended stays in the infirmary: one from the last Raptor attack, one for an allergic reaction to the pink fruit and the construction worker that took on the lumber finishing equipment and lost. Other than that, just a few minor cuts and bruises.”

“However, I am pleased to announce Novae Spes will be expecting its first new resident in another eight months Earth Time. One of the security staff reported in this morning and she is pregnant. About four weeks along as best as we can tell,” said Mary.

All the heads turned to Tasha with a questioning glance as it was a big announcement. She had a shocked look on her face before being able to react.

“Oh, hell no! Not me!” she protested. “One of the guard force!”

“Just making sure,” said Ben with a chuckle as the others laughed.

“I’m kind of missing a key ingredient from that whole pregnancy thing,” said Tasha.

“Not if Chuck Dawson has anything to say about it,” said the Javier to further laughter.

“He’s cute, but kind of a nerd,” said Tasha blushing up slightly.

“You finally called him cute?” asked Angeline. “Huge step there.”

“Well, at least your kids would have half a brain,” said Ben with a straight face, but mirth in his eyes as the table roared in laughter.

“I wonder if it’s considered improper to kick the hell out of the Novae Spes commander in front of the entire leadership group,” said Tasha as she shook her head.

“If you’re making a move for the top and need an evil sidekick, I’m game,” said Angeline with a grin.

“Anyway,” said Ben as he steered the meeting back on track. “I do want whomever it is pulled from outside the perimeter fence missions. Get with the doctor about duty schedules and all, but I’m not taking any chances with an unborn child. Especially not Novae Spes’ first child.”

“I figured you might be upset,” said Mary.

“Not at all,” said Ben. “We’re all about continuing the species and it was going to happen sooner rather than later.”

“But?” asked Tasha as she knew Ben enough to know there was more to it.

“But…I don’t really want half the colony down with being pregnant either,” said Ben. “I don’t plan on controlling the population, but please express to your folks the importance of what we’re doing here and be careful in their social activities.”

The Directors agreed to ensure their individual sections were being careful as Ben looked at each of them individually. “Now that my prudish streak is out of the way. I was serious about not having that young lady…who is it specifically?”

“Staff Sergeant Sue Peters,” said Tasha.

“And the lucky father to be?” asked Ben.

“One of Grady’s folks,” said Tasha. “Antonio Romano.”

“Dang,” said Rachelle. “He’s cute as he can be.”

“Off your list now?” asked Tasha.

“I guess so,” said Rachelle. “Anyway…”

“Anyway, please ensure she isn’t putting herself in unnecessary danger,” said Ben.

“I’ll see to it,” said Tasha. “I do have one thing to add if I may.”

“Please,” said Ben with a wave of his hand.

“Sergeant Major Whitaker has noticed there has been some pushback on weapons proficiency training since the completion of the wall,” said Tasha. “I know it’s inconvenient and time consuming, but until we get more Expeditions in here and increase the security staff, it is important. Any time anyone goes outside the perimeter, they need to know how to protect themselves and back us up if needs be. So, if you could politely tell your folks to be helpful in making sure they get to the firing range.”

“I’ll foot stomp that as well,” said Ben. “We’ve got another eleven months Earth Time until the next Expedition gets here and we cannot afford to lose anyone. Really can’t afford to lose anyone period. Please make sure your people are taking it seriously.”

The gathered section heads nodded and no more business was brought up. The meeting broke up and the section heads went their separate ways except for Mary who approached Ben.

“I do have a confession,” she stated in a low voice.

“Oh?” he asked.

“I’m kind of slacking on that weapons proficiency thing,” she stated. “I never really go outside the perimeter so I’ve blown it off. Just being honest.”

“Tasha can help,” said Ben. “Do an individual session if you like.”

“I know, but I was wondering if you might be able to help,” said Mary.

“I think I can arrange time for that,” said Ben. “Why me?”

“I trust you,” said Mary. “Oh, it’s not like I don’t trust her, but I would just feel more comfortable with you helping me out.”

“I’ll find the time,” he said with a smile.

“I’ll make it,” she smiled in return.

“I would like for you to get with Tasha and go over duty restrictions for the security staff in case of pregnancies,” said Ben. “For all colonists for that matter.”

“I have this feeling that’s the first of many,” said Mary.

“Hopefully not until we get supplemented,” said Ben. “Which is a good ways off.”

“I think most are being careful,” said Mary.

“Speaking of budding romances and love,” said Ben. “How is Lieutenant Jackson?”

“Far better than hoped,” said Mary. “We’re taking it slow, but his progression is amazing.”

“Full recovery?” asked Ben.

“That remains to be seen, but he’s going to be able to walk under his own power,” said Mary.

“I received his request to get married,” said Ben. “Unfortunately, we don’t have a formal process for such a thing.”

“Looks like the big boss will have to come up with those rules,” said Mary with a grin.

“One more thing on my plate for certain,” said Ben. “I’d imagine the cohabitation will be close enough in the meantime. It’s not like I have a lawyer around to advise me on the legality of such things and creating a legal code.”

“Well, not practicing,” said Mary.

“I’m sorry?” asked Ben.

“Grady has a member of his team that’s a lawyer or was,” said Mary.

“Interesting,” said Ben. “I didn’t know that.”

“I don’t recall which one, but I’m sure it’s in his file,” said Mary.

“I’ll check into it,” said Ben.

“On the other thing?” she asked.

“Let me see when the next scheduled range time is,” said Ben as he looked on his tablet. “Well, you’re a lucky lady. There is one tomorrow afternoon.”

“I have appointments tomorrow,” said Mary.

“You asked for the time,” said Ben.

“You know what? I’ve got some great doctors so I’ll let them work it out,” said Mary.

“So, 1500 tomorrow?” asked Ben.

“I’ll be there with bells on,” said Mary.

“See you then if not before,” said Ben. Mary headed back to the clinic as Ben started checking the files on Grady’s engineers. He found that not only was the man a lawyer, he had graduated from Harvard with honors and been assigned to the District Attorney’s office before becoming an engineer. However, Ben studied into the file a lot more before he found what he assumed the reason as to why. He made it a point to speak with the man in the near future over his legal thoughts and see what advise he could get along those lines.

********************
​

“Smoothly,” said Ben as he saw Mary was all over the target with her strings of fire. “Like pulling on a baby’s hand.”

“The trigger is a bit heavy,” said Mary as she readjusted.

“Let me see it,” said Ben as he took the magnetic accelerator design from her and cleared it before adjusting the trigger down a bit. It was fairly heavy with the factory setting and he reset the trigger a little lower and had her try it.

“That works,” said Mary.

“I can go a bit lower if you like,” said Ben. “Maybe at two kilograms?”

“No, let me try this,” said Mary as she reloaded the pistol and fired another string. Ben saw the target and could see her shooting was improving. But her stance still left a lot to be desired.

“Permission to touch?” he asked formally.

“Excuse me?” she asked.

“I need to adjust your stance,” said Ben. “That requires me touching you.”

“Oh! I’m so sorry!” said Mary. “I thought…”

“I planned on copping a feel?” he chuckled.

“I’m embarrassed yet again,” she said as she blushed up.

“Don’t be,” said Ben as he adjusted her feet by pushing with his feet. However, he needed to move her hips into a better position as he put his hands on her waist and pulled slightly. “Butt out, lean forward a tad.”

“Like this?” she asked as she leaned forward too much.

“Bring it back a tad and your backside doesn’t need to be that far out,” he stated.

“Can you move me into the position you’d like me to be in?” she asked. He wisely didn’t respond to the comment that could be taken the wrong way and reached around her and started adjusting her posture. However, when it came to the arms, he reached around her, drawing his own body in closer before finding that perfect stance.

“How’s that?” he asked.

“Comfortable,” she stated as she looked out of the corner of her eye with a grin.

“Let’s see how that works,” said Ben as he released and she fired another string, mostly hitting close to the center of the target. “Looks perfect.”

Mary reloaded and started to assume the stance, but Ben stepped in once again. “Less ass hanging out. More shoulders,” he stated as he adjusted her hips.

“I thought guys liked it when your backside is stuck out,” she remarked with a playful grin.

“Not the firing instructors,” he chuckled as he adjusted her stance again.

“You guys are no fun then,” said Mary with a twinkle.

“Sorry,” he said.

“Don’t be,” she replied with a smile and relaxed. “You have strong hands, but a gentle touch.”

“I’m trying not to yank you around,” he said with a smile as he lingered on her hips just a bit longer than he planned. “If I may say, you’ve lost some weight too.”

“I have?” she asked.

“Feels like it,” said Ben as she smiled warmly back at him. The next three strings were roughly in the center of the target and she was pleased with her progress that day, grinning at the target as they headed downrange and checked the score.

“Well, I won’t be Annie Oakley any time soon, but it’s better than my last trip,” she remarked.

“I’d say you’re making good progress,” he said.

“A few more lessons and I’ll be on your level?” she asked with a grin.

“Maybe so,” he smiled back as Tasha approached having worked with a group from Agriculture and Science at the secondary range.

“Not bad shooting,” she remarked as she looked over the target. “Good enough for government work as we used to say.”

“Ben is a good teacher,” said Mary with a smile.

“I figured you’d be all over the place then with him instructing,” grinned Tasha.

“Want to put your money where your mouth is?” asked Ben seriously.

“Any day of the week and twice on Sundays,” said Tasha with a grin. “You think you can take on the security force commander and come out on top?”

“Care to make a bet?” asked Ben.

“Absolutely,” said Tasha.

“Dinner with Chuck,” said Ben. “And you have to go on his next science mission outside the walls.”

“Deal,” said Tasha. “And what do I get when I win?”

“Your choice,” said Ben.

“Has to be something,” said Tasha.

“I’ll let you call it in when you think of something,” said Ben.

“It’s on,” said Tasha as they rehung two targets. They were the old style paper targets in roughly the shape of a person with a circle in the center and a small one at the head. They returned to the firing line and loaded magazines, agreeing on two full magazines of 15 rounds each for their Mk81 pistols as others saw the friendly wager and headed over to find entertainment where entertainment was to be found. A small crowd had formed as they finished up and prepared to fire.

“Ladies first,” said Ben.

“Easy,” said Tasha with a grin as she realized Ben was slightly out of practice. “Might as well let the winner go first.”

“We’ll see,” said Ben as she loaded her first magazine and started firing at a slightly reduced pace than she was used to. However, training kicked in and she was double tapping the target with all the rounds being in a small circle in the center of the target. After reloading, she finished up in the same small circle and cleared her pistol with a grin on her face.

“Not bad,” said Ben.

“Hard to top that,” she grinned as the group agreed it was a nice grouping. Kendrick came over and had a sly smile on his face as Ben prepared his pistol.

“What’s that look all about?” she asked.

“Just enjoying the show, young Major,” said Kendrick with a grin as Ben prepared to fire. He sent the first magazine at his target and his group was considerably smaller than Tasha’s as his rate of fire was slightly less. After reloading, he switched targets and shredded the “head” portion of her target with another small group with the final 15 rounds.

“You shot my target!” she exclaimed.

“Head shots like we should be practicing,” said Ben. “Want the Sergeant Major to score them?”

“That’s fair,” said Tasha as she realized she had just lost. The entire group went downrange and saw without a doubt Ben was still the big dog in the colony.

“Looks like 29 out of 30,” said Kendrick. “You’ve got one touching the line here.”

“That counts!” exclaimed Tasha.

“We could cheat and let the score stand,” said Kendrick. “Or we could go by the same standard we had on active duty and only count those shots completely inside of the circle.”

“Fine,” said Tasha as Kendrick moved over and found it was harder to count Ben’s score since the rounds overlapped in several places. However, the 15 rounds in Tasha’s target were almost impossible to count since they were in such a tight group.

“Looks like 30 for 30,” said Kendrick.

“You can’t tell that!” exclaimed Tasha.

“Only one way to find out,” said Kendrick as they headed back and he produced a target with ten small circles. “Ten rounds, slow fire, only center black hits count.”

“Let’s do it,” said Tasha as she and Ben reloaded another magazine as Kendrick hung the target. There were side bets going on at the moment, however, they heavily favored Ben. After Kendrick returned and got the group moved back, Ben allowed Tasha to go first again.

“Nope, same time,” she stated as she got ready with the pistol in her holster. However, before she drew to fire, she switched positions to his left with a wry grin on her face.

“You think that’s going to help?” asked Ben as he knew she was moving and hoping the expended brass from her pistol might distract him.

“We’ll see,” said Tasha as Kendrick came back over.

“Range is safe,” said Kendrick. “And fire.”

Both drew their pistols and started firing, though far slower than they were used to. However, Ben finished first and cleared his pistol as Tasha finished her last two rounds and did the same. The whole group moved downrange after Kendrick cleared them and looked at the targets.

“Looks like eight for Tasha,” whispered Chuck Dawson to one of his team. “She has to win.”

“I wouldn’t be so sure,” said his counterpart, Doctor Etsu Ogawa, as Kendrick moved to the next target and scored them before looking closely at the last shot.

“Major, you got eight of ten,” said Kendrick. “Acceptable.”

“Sure is,” said Tasha with a knowing smile.

“However, nine of ten on the Commander’s beat you today,” said Kendrick.

“No way!” exclaimed Tasha as she went over and looked at his target, finding all nine hits were valid. She stomped over to her target and found she had pulled two rounds slightly outside of the scoring area. While they would have been fatal had they hit a person, they couldn’t be scored on their competition that day. “Dammit!”

“Still the champ,” said Ben with a small smile.

“We’re on for a rematch!” exclaimed Tasha. “Time and place of my choosing!”

“You just let me know,” said Ben. “Until then, keep practicing.”

“Dammit,” she muttered under her breath and remembered this was one of the reasons she had followed him her entire career. He not only was willing to do everything his troopers did, he would show them he was the best as what he asked them to do and would perfect it to set the high standard for them to follow.

“I think you have plans?” asked Ben.

“Fine,” said Tasha as she went to Chuck. “Doing anything tonight?”

“Nothing planned,” said Chuck with confusion. “Why?”

“Because we’re doing dinner,” said Tasha. “1900 at the mess hall and don’t be late.”

“Umm, okay,” said Chuck as Tasha walked off, wondering why she took the bet in the first place and realized her ego had overridden her common sense.

“Side bet with me,” said Ben as he came over.

“You setting us up?” asked Chuck. “Playing matchmaker?”

“Nah,” said Ben. “She just doesn’t like losing.”

“I could imagine it doesn’t happen often,” said Chuck as Mary joined them.

“Now you see why I consulted the Commander on firing skills,” said Mary with a grin.

“He’s certainly on point,” said Chuck. “Isn’t that the term you guys use?”

“It can be applied,” said Ben. “Dress nice.”

“Right,” said Chuck as he wandered off with the rest of the Science team.

“And you, Commander?” asked Mary. “You have dinner plans?”

“Not in particular,” said Ben.

“Join me then?” she asked.

“Sure,” said Ben.

“That didn’t sound reassuring,” she laughed.

“No other place I’d rather be,” said Ben with a smile.