Read Méridien (The Silver Ships Book 3) Online
Authors: S. H. Jucha
Tags: #Science Fiction & Fantasy, #Science Fiction, #Alien Invasion, #First Contact, #Space Opera
Z opened an air access hatch for Fujio, who jammed the extendible hose into the opening. On Z’s signal, the nanites in the collar sealed around the hose, and Z signaled the tech and the terminal boss that a seal was in place. Jaime ran the boom’s air pump at max revolutions, forcing air into the city-ship’s ventilation system.
Fujio stood aside as more than 200 terminal workers pounded past him, loaded with heavy canisters of oxygen strapped to their backs. The city-ship was a huge labyrinth of corridors and decks, but Julien had supplied Hezekiah with the city-ship’s plan. Each worker held a small map in front of them as they navigated to their section. When they reached their assigned area, they walked around, dispersing nine cubic meters of pure oxygen from their tanks. Between the air hose and the oxygen bottles, the people on board slowly began to feel revived.
In the single day of forewarning Hezekiah had received, he had ordered multiple shuttle deliveries of pure oxygen to the station. He used the deliveries to fill the station’s reserve tanks located throughout the extensive structure, and kept the last two shuttles in reserve ready to top off the tanks as they were depleted. At the same time, he put out the word that he needed volunteers. His message included the words “Our cousins need help.”
* * *
Alex, Renée, and the twins joined Mickey, Tomas, and Eric in a small hall on board the station dedicated by Hezekiah for their use. New Terran contractors had already assembled in the hall, anxious to hear the opportunities to work on the city-ships in exchange for Méridien tech. They had signed their confidentiality agreements with House Alexander, which had more than one of them wondering who was this new business entity?
The meeting was short. Alex and his people stood in front of the forty-three company owners, and Alex introduced himself and Renée as Co-Leaders of House Alexander. Then he introduced his Directors, Tomas and Eric, and his Chief Engineer, Mickey.
“Sers,” Alex began, “we need contractors to complete the construction of the docked city-ship,
Unsere Menschen
, and we need some small finish work on the sister ship,
Freedom
. We have some of the material you will require already on board the ships, but not most of it. The T-Stations will be manufacturing the necessary material shortly.”
One of the company owners raised a hand to catch Alex’s attention. “Admiral, aren’t the T-Stations under government control?”
“You are correct, Ser. That will be remedied soon,” Alex replied simply.
The owner shifted uncomfortably in his seat. The splendidly uniformed Admiral standing before him looked younger than his son, but he didn’t act that way. The Admiral had said he would have the T-Stations producing his material soon, and the owner was inclined to accept his word—it seemed the better part of wisdom.
“As I said, the T-Stations will be producing the material for you,” Alex continued. “What you will need to provide for your part of the agreement will be labor and expenses. We’re proposing a simple trade. We will offer each of you one choice of several Méridien intellectual properties.”
The noise rose in the hall as the attendees began shouting questions over one another. Everyone quieted when they realized Alex wasn’t responding. He just stood there with his hands behind his back. In fact, the Admiral’s entire entourage stood eerily quiet, waiting.
When the noise subsided, Alex focused on an older gentleman who hadn’t shouted a question but was lost in thought. “Ser,” Alex said, pointing at the man. “Did you have a question?”
“I was wondering, Admiral, how I could manage this deal. My company handles ventilation ducting and environmental controls, and we did some of the work on the
Outward Bound
.”
“And a fine job you did, Ser,” Alex replied. “That shuttle saved tens of thousands of your cousins.”
“Thank you, Admiral,” he replied, nodding. “But, my problem is that I have a crew of nineteen. I saw the size of your city-ship. Even if I received only a portion of the work, it would require me to shoulder the burden of their pay for far longer than I could afford.”
“Would my special guests please stand up?” On Alex’s invitation, five men and women stood up. “Would the contractors please note the faces of these people?” Everyone turned in their seats to take in the five well-dressed men and women. “These are the Directors of five of New Terra’s smaller banks,” Alex continued. “I’ve explained to them what I’m proposing. They are quite anxious to meet with you to form partnerships. They would offer loans for payroll and expenses to support your work on our ships. They will also offer loans to support the cost of research and development of your Méridien tech in exchange for a share of the profits in the new technology. It may be that you’ll wish to form larger partnerships with other contractors to act as a single provider and to share your tech.”
Rather than an outburst, Alex’s statements generated absolute silence.
“Sers,” Alex said, “I leave you to discuss business among yourselves. You may comm Julien for any particulars regarding your opportunities and agreements. He can communicate with your readers. My Chief Engineer, Mickey, is the point person for your jobs. On board the ships, your job quality and final sign-off will be approved by the city-ships’ SADEs, either Cordelia or Z. Your direct client contacts are Director Monti and Director Stroheim. On a final note, you have this hall for the remainder of the day, and staff will serve you meals and refreshment, courtesy of House Alexander. Good day, people.”
Alex and his people swept out of the hall. The group, except for Alex and Étienne, was headed to the
Unsere Menschen
now that basic services had been restored.
* * *
Alex strolled into the Station Manager’s offices. The young assistant jumped up to greet him and ushered him into Hezekiah’s office. He bumped into the office’s doorway while attempting to get a second look at Étienne as he passed.
As Alex and Hezekiah greeted one another, Étienne was reminded of Duggan Racine. Hezekiah looked as big as Alex’s father—and seemed just as friendly. Their greeting included hugs and a fierce round of backslapping.
“Hezekiah, I can’t thank you enough for your efforts on behalf of my people,” Alex said. “From the reports I’ve received, it was a close call.”
“Admiral, I am pleased to be of service,” Hezekiah replied. “It’s not every day you have the opportunity to save over a hundred thousand people. But I’m afraid my generosity will soon come to an end. When the bill comes due and no one is able to pay it, I will be held accountable.”
“How much is the bill, Hezekiah?” Alex asked.
Hezekiah was about to protest that it would do Alex no good to view the extensive bill. It would not only include today’s emergency services but an advance against terminal services fees. Except … Alex didn’t look concerned. In fact, as Hezekiah regarded his friend, Alex didn’t look like the young pilot he remembered. Dressed in his commanding Admiral’s uniform, Alex sat straight in his chair and was regarding him with a look that said he was waiting for an answer and expected one forthwith. With a few taps on his reader, Hezekiah pulled up the Admiral’s bill and handed his reader over to Alex.
Alex regarded the total, tapped into the reader several times, and handed it back. Hezekiah refreshed the account summary on his reader and saw that the bill was indeed paid. Hezekiah looked at Alex, wide-eyed with mouth hanging open.
“But … how?” was all he could say.
Alex shook his friend’s hand and exited the Station Manager’s offices.
Étienne, following behind Alex, sent privately,
* * *
Exiting a shuttle back aboard the
Rêveur
, Alex headed to the bridge to speak with Andrea when he noticed his location app placed her in the Captain’s cabin. Just outside Andrea’s door, Alex paused. His app also placed Renée, Tatia, Sheila, and Alain in the cabin as well. In fact, Étienne, who would have left him by now, was still standing beside him.
“You might as well go in, Admiral,” Étienne said. “After all, it is for you.”
As if in invitation, Andrea’s cabin door slid open, and Alex walked into her salon. His people stood arranged on either side of a vid screen bearing the silhouette of the Sleuth, and Étienne crossed over to join them. Determined faces regarded him. He hadn’t interrupted their meeting. They had been waiting for him.
“I believe I will wait for someone else to start this conversation,” Alex said.
“Admiral,” Julien’s voice emanated from the vid monitor, “I have shared my research into the Assembly members with those assembled here and relayed your intention to meet with Assemblyman Eugene Pritchard planetside.”
“Respectfully, Admiral, how did you intend to travel to this meeting tomorrow?” Tatia asked.
“I was going to take a station shuttle with Étienne,” Alex replied.
It appeared as if everyone was about to say something at once, but Renée raised her hand and signaled by implant, forestalling any comments. “Speaking as your Co-Leader in this House, Admiral, that is unacceptable.”
“Renée, perhaps we should discuss this privately,” Alex replied.
“That is also unacceptable, Admiral,” Renée said.
Alex looked at those in front of him. The resolute look in everyone’s eyes was palpable. Julien chimed in privately with,
“I take it you people have come up with an alternate suggestion,” Alex said, shrugging his shoulders in acquiescence.
Immediately after morning meal, Alex found himself in very different company than he had planned for his trip planetside. He boarded the
Outward Bound
with Renée, the twins, Tomas, Tatia, and twelve crew members with plasma rifles. Most of the crew members were ex-TSF troopers, who had specialized as techs or engineers during their service. In addition to Alex’s entourage, Sheila launched eight Daggers from the
Money Maker
that she divided into two flights of four each.
During the meeting in Andrea’s cabin, Alex had argued the importance of a low-key visit with Assemblyman Pritchard, but the group’s counter arguments had made sense to him.
Tatia had pounded home their point with a question to Alex. “Admiral,” she had asked, “how many people do you think are paid to watch and report on you … station employees, comm traffic workers, shuttle pilots and their crew, ground crew, and others?”
Andrea had added, “Admiral, you are focused on returning to Libre and protecting the entire human race. Well, we are focused on protecting you so that you can do just that.”
Alex had accepted their reasoning and had given in. It was widely believed that President McMorris had been murdered, and the perpetrators were powerful people who had their eyes on a fortune in Méridien technology. Those same people would love an opportunity to cause an accident for a visiting Admiral.
Their warnings proved to be prophetic. When Captain Manet broke through the upper atmosphere on approach to Prima’s shuttle terminal, two Strikers rose up from Barren Island and headed toward them. Immediately one flight of four Daggers streaked down and intercepted the two fighters, chasing them back to Barren Island.
When the
Outward Bound
landed, two hover-cars full of TSF troopers pulled onto the runway’s apron. Edouard, in the pilot’s seat, was the first to spot the TSF vehicles and signaled Tatia. As the shuttle came to a halt, Alex rose up, but Tatia signaled him to remain seated. Her expression brooked no arguments, so Alex sat back down. The flight crew, Lyle and Zeke, opened the hatch and extended the gangway.
Out of the vehicles stepped a TSF Captain and seven troopers with sidearms. They advanced on the shuttle, and Tatia and her twelve plasma-rifle-toting crew members tromped down the gangway ramp in double time. The two groups came face-to-face. While they stood frozen, their commanders eyeing one another, Alex’s voice could be clearly heard to say, “Captain, how good of you to greet me, but as you can see, I don’t need an escort. I’ve brought one of my own.”
“Admiral, I am TSF Captain Peters, and I’m instructed to escort you to Government House … immediately,” the Captain replied.
“Your pardon, Captain. I appreciate the offer of hospitality, but I have an important appointment. Please tell whoever waits for me at Government House that I will consider their request for an appointment at a later time.”
Captain Peters hesitated. The Admiral’s response was not one he had anticipated. While he considered his next option, he watched the Admiral’s escort move like a machine. They stepped out in precision, charged their plasma rifles, and brought them to port arms. The way they moved, precise and automated, frightened him and his troopers. That these were fellow New Terrans didn’t occur to them.
“Captain, if you will excuse us?” Alex asked in a deep and commanding voice.
Captain Peters recognized when he was over his head. At heart, he was a good man who was attempting to execute unsavory orders. He came to his senses, snapped to attention, and delivered the Admiral a sharp salute. When his salute was returned, he said, “Good fortune, Admiral.”