Day 8, early morning

Where to begin? So much has happened in such a short time…Town Meeting, cook-out, back room plotting…it is hard to believe it has only been 1 day.

The Town Meeting went as expected. Well, except for Reye. I don’t think any of us are surprised he talked as much as he did, but I don’t think any of expected to hear halfway decent ideas come out of his mouth. I don’t know if I felt so strange as when I found myself agreeing with some of what he said…and to see others that I know dislike him think the same. It was eerie.

Reye’s other surprise was getting the most votes for the Council. It makes me sick to think of it. He was obviously a politician back on Earth (almost said home!), and it shows here too. Though there is more to that than we know.

And the rest of us on the Council will be watching very closely.

Though I am still a bit startled I am on the Council — ha! I’d love to see my folks’ faces if they knew that! OK, maybe I don’t really want to see their faces…they’d probably just spout some crazy b.s. anyway.

Did I mention my head hurts? Being in the hall all day (which turned out quite awesome), hearing people bitch about everything, then all that Reye crap…I just don’t have much patience for it all. It took all I had to keep my mouth shut. And then talking about it more in Connor’s tent…that was just too much. Esp. after the cook-out.

Which I must rave about! It was so great to cut loose after everything we’ve been through. It has been thrilling and exhausting this past week (I’m still on Earth time). Plus it did help cut the tension from the meeting a bit.

I don’t know exactly whose idea it was (I suspect Andy had something to do with it), but it was perfect. Eating something other than the usual stuff (decent as it is, we’re still rationing), and then for it to be a Slizard, what more can you ask for at a party? Well, booze, which some brought out. I usually stay away from the stuff, but after the meeting I needed something. But because I don’t usually touch it, needless to say I’m a “light weight.” Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t falling down or anything, but I’m certainly not used to it. Which brings me back to…

Have I mentioned my head hurts?

Day 7, late evening

As Rocco and Historian left Connor’s tent after the brief discussion about the elections, Rocco turned to Historian and said, “Some of them seem rather upset that Reye won.”

Historian said, “And what exactly did he win?”

“What do you mean?”

“Well,” Historian said, lighting up a cigar as they strolled towards the river, “He had to be on the council or we’d have had an open revolt, with him and his cohorts leaving the settlement and leaving us short-handed. By throwing them a bone, they stay.  And, by creating a monetary system, they have to actually do some work.”

“But,” Rocco said, “He’s now the Council Leader!”

“No…,” Historian said, “He only thinks he is. All he is, as we made clear during the Town Meeting, is the Council Spokesman. He has no genuine additional powers. He can’t win a Council vote on something dangerous to Liberty’s health, not without the support of the rest of us on the council and how likely is that? He can’t pass laws or ordinances without a full vote of all colonists. He can’t even silently scheme behind our backs because he’s the spokesperson. He’s the one the spotlight illuminates and, as history has shown, that is the best disinfectant. This all just makes it a lot easier to keep track of his movements.”

“You’re devious!” Rocco said.

“Who?” Historian said with an innocent gesture, “Me?”

I was finishing my coffee when Mariana asked, “What are you going to do, those young people are at once one of the greatest assets we have and the biggest headache we have?”

“Well, I intend to slow that little Firebrand Angel created down with the most numbing thing I know of, Responsibility!  I am going to throw Command Burden right on her shoulders early and Hard.”

Mariana shrugged, “You know that she thinks the key to Military Operations is the killing.”

“I know, I know.  But I intend to teach her that amateurs talk Tactics, pros talk Logistics.”

She laughed, “Well it worked on two hotheads that I know of.  Giving Ash that Squadron was the best move you ever made.  And don’t I remember a hotshot Sergeant who got a battlefield promotion and handed a Platoon to slow his tail down?”

I sat down the cup and said, “My Lady I have no idea of whom you speak,”

I left the tent to her laughter.  Stepping outside I saw the Young guns them selves just gathering in the open space in front of our tent.  Glancing at my wrist comp, they were two minutes early!  I saw an immediate opening.  “Sgt, I did mention a construction project, where are your Bots?”

“On standby at the lumber pile Sir.  I didn’t want to waste the energy of having them come down here only to walk back over there.  It’s not much, but I figure every bit counts.  If we need them now I can call them, Sir.”

“Well, you are either good or lucky.  Time will tell.  Have your Bots bring all the slabs they can carry.  When we get to the site, we will hook them up to my Bots, who I have put some solar cells on.  R. Nug can pass the Manual of Arms for the M-117 shovel to them and top up their charge while we do the on the ground project brief.  I’ll get my Bots and we will move out single file.”  I stopped and caught her gaze, “I know Gabe taught you a limited skill set because of the situation you were in, and in His situation I would have done the same thing.  Time for you to learn the rest, you have to build the Garden, and the Wall before you can defend them.”

I turned and walked towards the Bots and heard a gasp behind me and a voice asking, “Jai, what’s that on his back?”

“.50 BMG sniper – a good custom job – Robar, by the looks of it.  Just this side of my uncle’s work for quality, and that’s saying something.  That baby will blow a hole clean through a half-inch of steel plate.  Don’t use one myself, but they’re the sniper rifle of choice for a lot of operators.”

“Operators?” another voice asked.  Liza, if I wasn’t mistaken.

“Special operations types – Andy, Mariana.  Maybe you someday.”

Hiding a laugh I brought the Bots’ awake and we moved out for the Hydro Site.  They didn’t hit good combat spacing but it was a good first single file.  “You got three years Andy, take your time.”

Connor

The feast was wonderful. The chicken was delicious, the slizzard was, um, interesting, although very good in its own way, and the company was all one could ask for. Unfortunately, I had more on my mind than the food and friends. Throughout the night I had been letting the people I trusted know to meet in my tent after the festivities died down. There were things that needed to be dealt with.

“Alright,” I started, “I’m sure you’re all wondering why I asked you here. Or rather, you’ve probably already figured it out and want me to just get on with it so we can all go to bed after such a long day of political maneuvering. So I’ll cut to the chase. How did Reye win, despite being so unpopular, and what do we do about it?

“I think most of you have already figured the first part of that, but I’ll recap. Because of the vote weighting, and because there was no explicit prohibition against voting for a candidate more than once, one person could cast up to three full ‘votes,’ let’s call them, for a single candidate, meaning that people gaming the system in this way would have voting power equivalent to anywhere from three first place votes to fifteen fifth place votes.” I noticed Jaisa giving me the “get on with it” sign (and rolling her eyes, of course).

“So I feel like I need to apologize. I didn’t say anything before the votes were cast because frankly I didn’t think that Reye was quick enough to catch the loophole or organized enough to get his supporters to exploit it, and I didn’t want to hold up the meeting any more. I still think I was right on both counts. Buchanan, though, is apparently both smart enough and organized enough to pull it off. I noticed their section passing slips of paper around right after you announced the voting system, Histy. But that’s all water under the bridge now. We do know, though, that Buchanan and Reye are still working together, despite their rather public rift. Sinopa,” I gestured towards my friend, “followed Buchanan out to Windmill Hill during lunch and saw him pass Reye some papers. She was too far away to hear anything, but they’re definitely still on the same side.

“Alright, so I’ve done my little speech. Sorry about that. So, what do we do now? I’ve got some ideas, but I’ve no doubt everyone else here does too. So shoot.”

Andy spoke up, “I don’t trust Buchanan as far as I can throw him. Reye is a well-intentioned dupe who thinks he is doing good. Ash is working on a Traffic Analysis Intel sweep of Buchanan and Jack. I doubt we will catch them at anything really illegal but, if we can nail them with some serious ethics questions we can gut their support.”

“That brings up an interesting point – laws.” I replied, “Technically no one can do anything ‘illegal’ unless we make it illegal first. So if there’s something we think they might be doing that should be illegal anyway, we should make a point to make it illegal before we catch them.

Ash chimed in this time, “Yeah, but don’t do it in a way that they can figure we are already looking!”

“Agreed.” Sinopa started, “If we have a list of the things we need to make sure are illegal then we can insert them in a larger ‘voter protection’ package – it’ll be hard for them to argue against laws that do nothing but protect our fledgling democracy. I’m sure Connor won’t mind drawing something up,” she finished, grinning.

The discussion went on for a while, eventually winding down with plans in place for Ash to keep Kara and I informed of Buchanan’s extracurricular activities as well as his likely actions so we could keep the laws a step or two ahead of him. As the meeting dispersed I asked the Stuarts and Sin to stay behind. Like it or not, we had bigger things to deal with than a few of semi-competent bureaucrats, and the sooner the ball got rolling on this discussion the better.

Day 8 Late Afternoon
We were just wrapping up a very busy day at the Lab when The Historian wandered in, “This could almost be a Council Meeting, and I believe 3 out of 5 is a quorum?”

Mariana and Kara laughed, “Yes, but, we don’t think that’s why you are here?” Mariana chimed in.

Histy chuckled, “No I have a sample that I would like checked in and Analyzed. I found it on a walk last evening. But, I do not wish to jump the queue.”

Mariana laughed, “If I can’t jump the order for a friend, what good is having the job. What do you have?”

“Well, I think it’s some kind of grain. You will find traces of earth leather from the gloves I used to pick it.”

Mariana took the plastic bagged sample, “At least you had the brains to use gloves. Kurt, wanna run this right fast?”

Histy stared, “You can do this that fast?”

I grinned at the older fellow, “Thank Andy and Ash. And of course, old R. J., this place is interconnected to the inch.” I placed his sampled in the flash tray and started the sequence. Diagnostic flashed SAFE in about 10 seconds, then primary started spitting results. “Mariana, you might want to call Andy. Histy just found his corn.”

Histy said, “It seems to grow wild in several large fields to the north of here. If you’re telling me it’s safe to eat, and Hanna then tells us it bakes up tasty, it will save us a lot of time that would have been spent starting with the grain seeds we brought with us.”

Mariana grinned, “Bakes up, this is booze on the hoof! Those Rednecks will have this in a still in a heartbeat!”

     Shortly after the Historian had left us Fortson and Eugene came back to finish up the night shift. Janie and I went into camp and saw the barbeque and party had pretty much wound down. We managed just enough sleep so that we were reasonably ambulatory the next morning and it was back to the lumber mill again.

     We hadn’t been there long when Captain Travis messaged us and described the bridges he intended putting up later in the day and to ask about planking. I told him we would get right on it. Janie asked me if that wasn’t something that needed a priority assigned to it and I said it probably was but before the rules kick in let’s just get it done with.

     By the time Joe and Gene took over (they were an hour early) the job was about a quarter of the way done. Joe had checked in before leaving camp and I asked him to bring out a couple meals cause Janie & I were considering a picnic. Then I told him what we were really going to do was look at some land.

     We had been studying the grid map of what would be called Liberty Township that the Council had already produced by noon, and had talked as time permitted during the rest of the day about where to claim our Freeholds. I had been raised up on the shores of Lake Superior and knew I wanted something on water with access to the ocean. Janie, who had grown up in Kansas and then went to work for Mid States Power, said that sounded near perfect to her as well.

     There were almost three hours remaining till dark and we had been working south of the campsite, so if we walked fast we could get to the area we had chosen to look over and still have an hour or more to spend before we would need to head back in. We didn’t say much as we put all our effort into covering the near two miles of mostly open ground to a point [k41] on a bluff overlooking the river. After we got there we had no need to say anything at all.

Janie’s Point   Photos By L. Monroe

      To the north of us one side of the point faced a large sheltered bay which was tentatively slated to become the Township port area. It was below the last of the two bridges who’s spans were much too low to the water for anything but small boats or barges to pass under. And the river’s depth here was more than adequate for a deep water keel.

     On the south side of the point the river widened rapidly to the open sea with a small island showing vivid green a half mile to the southeast. The bluff continued along the shoreline to the west then south again for about 2500 feet forming another smaller bay and at it’s base was a narrow rocky beach some 20 to 40 feet wide interspersed with areas of sand and tall narrow bladed grasses. There were several places where the bluff gave way to a steep boulder infused slope leading right down to the waters edge some 60 feet below.

      We clambered down the nearest one of these natural ramps and there ate dinner. I made it a point to take a sip of water from the river and found it clean and sweet. We were only a bit less than a mile from open ocean but the current was swift enough that neither of us could detect the least hint of salt or any other mineral. We finished our meal then walked the beach westwards till we could climb back up to the top the bluff.

     For the next thirty minutes we walked the edge stopping here and there trying to figure out the best spot to start building a home. One of the things that made this spot so terrific was that with the community port area to the north we would be sure of someday getting power and a road.. Janie never once brought up her disappointment with the way the colony had progressed so far and all too soon it was time to return but I was sure she was pleased that we were far removed from the area reserved for Liberty City proper.

     Immediately upon reaching the camp site we registered our grids. I chose the point which was really only about half land, the rest being river, but my what a view, and the grid to the west of it [j41]. Janie registered [i41] and following the curve of the shoreline [h42]. Between the four sections with the way the shoreline swept around the point that was almost 2000 feet of frontage. I let Janie know that back on Earth any land like that would have started at over a thousand a foot and only gone up. We were instant millionaires.

Joint Post by Ashcroft and Travis

I had spent the day working with Walt who swore Travis was going to come up with the parts we needed. Andy had gone upriver with what he was calling the Young Guns. He had mumbled something about owing somebody a pair of boots, and gave me a dumbass questions to ask!

I saw Travis moving towards the landing field, so I called out. “Capt. Travis, a moment of your time if you would?”

Travis turned, saw it was I, and with a wary look said, “Yes?”

“Sir, I know you are not particularly fond of me but, I need to come up to the Mayflower for a short time. So, I need to go up on a short turn around trip. I have some software that will help us find a mole to install on your side of the Colony communications and some data that needs to go to whoever is designing the ships you have to be building! Also, Andy wants to know, Round Toes or Cockroach Killers; whatever the hell that means.”

“Please elaborate on both the software and the data,” he said.

“OK, from your perspective I would not trust me either. The software is a screening firewall that will integrate with the screening firewall we have set up on Andy’s array. It will allow us to trace back to any mole who tries to get into the two major computing nodes Alchibah has. It represents our best chance to find either a mole or a just plain asshole.”

“The data, Captain, is a derivative of my thesis that I understand you have already read. If you have the energy budget on whatever it is, you have to be building. How would you like to have a shield that will stop a KE strike?”

“An interesting theory, Dr. Andrews.” Travis thought for a moment and then said, “Please excuse me for a moment.” And he walked a little ways away and activated his wristpad link to the Mayflower. After a few minutes he returned and said, “Go get your kit, we’re going up to the ship. Lift off is in 20 minutes. You’ll be stuck there a few days because until the NIFT returns with more He3 – that’s expected the day after tomorrow – we only have sufficient fuel for one more round-trip in the Galileo and we need to reserve that for an emergency. I’ve arranged for Steven to accompany you during your stay on board. I’d have asked Rocco to do the honors but you two don’t seem to hit it off…”

He turned to go and then said, almost over his shoulder, “Oh, and tell Colonel Stuart that I want something comfortable for my feet. I have enough cowboy boots to play soccer with a BB for the rest of my life!”

“Chukkas it is, Boss, and I will make the lift. Tell Rocco, no hard feelings. See you in five!”

Ash went into his version of speed for the run to the tent. Whipped off the leather jacket and banged on the chameleon Field Jacket. The one with US SOCOM placed over the left breast pocket and Andrews over the right. Oh Yeah, and the Ten Kill Stars under the Right Breast. The LTC. leafs on the Collars were just an extra. “Travis, I thought. I am gonna’ make your fighters invincible. Just build me one fast and dangerous!”

As Travis walked up the ramp to The Galileo he grinned and said to himself, “If Hibbes is right, you’ll have one fast fighter. If Chandler is, you’ll have one that is very dangerous. If you, Ashcroft, are on the level, we will be unstoppable.” As he reached the airlock he shook his head and thought, famous last words!

Post by Jaisa

Andy speared the last hunk of slizzard meat with the tip of the Gerber. “Not bad Jai, this crew can make stuff happen on short notice. Notice the conversation going on between Walt and Travis?”

“Yes,” I replied (with what I assume must have been a rather bemused look), “does it mean anything?”

“Well, you and I are going upriver in the morning. If that conversation bombs, you and the group get a construction job at the Hydro site. If it goes well, then you and I are going hunting after the briefing at the site. Bring something that could drop a slizzard and Oh Yeah, bring your brains, Sgt. Benjamin. This could very well be your OCS exam! Oh, and have the troops ready to go 30 min before Mean Nautical Sunrise!”

With that Andy moved off towards Connor Benjamin’s tent.

I stood there starting at Andy’s back. Wow. Col. Andrew Stuart, The Reaper, likely the only man alive better at killing and teaching to kill than Gabe, just nominated me to be the leader of the young guns. Being accepted as a soldier (even a good one) in the rebellion was one thing, being handpicked as a possible leader by the former head of US SOCOM is something else entirely. That the last man to train Gabe before he left the service now wanted to train me is an honor. Tomorrow we’ll find out if I’m as good as he seems to think I am.

Day 7, Evening, after Town Meeting.

You’d have thought we were at a county fair back in the states. Two big tents set up plus the smaller round one commandeered by Hanna for her Cafe. People milling around, chatting, drinking, eating too much, basically just partying! Lights strung up around the perimeter that cast bright glows over the scene and created strangely angled shadows about all in attendance.

I was sitting at a table outside Hanna’s tent and enjoying — perhaps that’s too optimistic a word — slizzard — which, while tougher than beef, tasted sort-of like it. I had just finished a talk with Walt Davis. Nice fellow and I consented to his cause. I would deal with it tomorrow when I returned to the Mayflower.

After Walt left, another young colonist I didn’t know much about came over and sat next to me. He said his name was Bradley Jones. He addressed me with respect — something I’ve only recently received in my life — and said, “Captain Travis, might I have a word?”

I said, “Of course.”

Jones said, “You probably don’t know me from Adam but I am a communications officer from a large hotel. Actually, the one that you and we escaped from; the Hilton. I’d like to be of service.”

“What can you do for us,” I said, still munching on slizzard and enjoying it very much.

Bradley said, “There is nothing I want more than that our voyage should result in success! I’m a nobody but I like to think that I can help our survival.”

“Really,” I said, “How?”

He became flustered and said, “Well, I have these dreams…”

I said, “Go on…” and he did…

Day 8: Early Morning.

It was the day after Town Meeting Celebration and Glenda and I lifted off in the Galileo and headed back to the Mayflower.

It was still early morning. As was the custom on the Mayflower, we all met for the “morning meeting” to discuss anything and everything we needed to attend to. It was 7:00 in the morning, Alchibah time, and we were sitting around the table in the Cafe eating scrambled eggs and home-fries.

“Glen,” Hibbes said, “We’re — Chandler and I — are onto something big.”

I muttered while swallowing a bunch of home-fries, “Tell us about it.”

Hibbes said, “Soon. When we’re ready.”

I shrugged and continued to eat my breakfast.

Later that Afternoon…

We had loaded four “H” Beams that had been floating uselessly within the cavity of the Mayflower, into the cargo hold of the Galileo. Steven had welded six-foot steel beams at right angles to the ends of them. Each “H” Beam was 70 feet long and we planned to use them to build two bridges across the river in Liberty.

I returned to Liberty along with Steven, Glenda, Natasi, and myself.

We collected Historian and Rocko along the way, planetside, and continued to the sites we had picked out for the bridges.

The talented Darren Calver was watching the helm of the Mayflower and Monroe had come down in The Surprise, recently fitted with a laser package removed from the Lancer. Under my instructions, he burned holes on both sides of the river where we would install the beams.

Also under my instructions, two colonists had gathered sand and lime from nearby and made concrete.

I hovered above the new land of ours, the beams, with their “pug stubs” attached at the ends pointing down, were attached by chains to the underneath of the Galileo. I piloted the Galileo to place them across in two spaces: m36 to n37. The “Lower Crossing”. We, those on land on foot, we in the Galileo, headed North and reached our next placing.

Monroe burned down four more footing holes and we placed the beams there, at g18 to g20, the “Upper Crossing”. I know that Historian would plead his case to Bart and and the Council, and company, to produce 4″ x 12″ by whatever length” boards to lay on top of the pairs of beams at each site to create bridges for the colony.

Our work was done, with Steven and Glenda and Natasi and the ever present Historian helping to twist and turn the chained beams into position at each site. Other colonists filled the holes that the beam “stubs” were sitting in, with a native made concrete to secure the footings. I thought: The rest is up to the colonists. I’m sure Historian would see to that.

The Town Council had met early in the day and assigned various folks to different tasks that needed doing. It was exciting in a way because all of us, town folk and spacers, were starting to build our “civilization” here on our new home world.

The Surprise headed back to the Mayflower while I headed to the Space Port and after landing, sought out Walt and when I found him, gave him his supplies.

My crew was already aboard the Galileo, waiting for me. I turned towards the ship but then I heard Ash calling my name…

Travis thought Andy was right.  Slizzard chewed like Pork and tasted closer to Beef.

“Uh, Capt. can I have a moment?”

Travis turned and said, “Of course but who are you?”

“My name’s Walt Davis Sir.  Used to go by Wirehead, till I got with a better crowd.”

Travis grinned, that little episode was one of the favorite items of gossip at the party.  “What can I do for you Mr. Davis?”

“Well Sir, we need a couple of parts for a project I am trying to do for Dr. Ash Andrews and Dr. Kurt Kellerman.   Col. Stuart said to make it a private transaction so Dr. Stuart didn’t see the request go though Council.  The Col. says he will hunt you down a whole damn slizzard for the meat and find someone to make you a new pair of boots outta the hide.”

“Must be something pretty important!” Travis said.

“Well Sir,” Walt stammered, “what I need is three high turn ratio potentiometers, variable resistors, with a max resistance of 100 Ohms and rated for 5 Watts.  The motor adjustment pots for those Bots hanging from the chains would be about perfect.  What we are trying to do is build Dr. Kellerman’s rig to kill one of those damn intelligent non-removable sterilization implants the UNWG used.  From what I know, this is what got Kellerman in hot water with the damn Goonies.  Ash got some RF stuff from Andy and I am doing the tech work.”

Travis said, “Well now, Mr. Davis, I know we have a large  supply of robot replacement parts on the ship, plus Dr. Gibbes physics lab has closets full of junk.  I’m returning to the ship in the morning and will scrounge those potts up for you.  I’ll be back down tomorrow afternoon with them.”  He paused, smiled, and added, “Oh, and tell Andy I wear a size 11 E…”