The Pirates of Sufiro (Book 1) (Old Star New Earth) (13 page)

During the next week, the sleepy farming town of Succor erupted with activity. Over a hundred people from all over New Granada sought Espedie Raton, looking for a job. Espedie put an ad in the small New Des Moines newspaper advertising for people to go to the eastern continent. He announced that it would be hard work with, most likely, little or no reward. However, if there were rewards, they would be enormous. Stone told Espedie that the advertisement would not work. "No one works for nothing," he said.

"This is true." Espedie smiled, knowing that fact all too well. "But the type of people who come to Sufiro will work for adventure. That's why they're here. If they get money out of the deal, that's good too."

In fact, that is how Espedie sold Carmen on the idea of pulling up stakes for a time and searching for Erdonium. Espedie's son Manuel decided to go along. His other son, Juan, decided to stay home and help Firebrandt and Roberts tend the farm. That helped offset some of the feelings Firebrandt had about his daughter leaving.

Suki Firebrandt spent much of the week packing to go aboard the
Nantucket
. She was so excited that it was difficult to eat or sleep for the week. Ellis mentioned again that Pfister was mildly annoyed at having her quarters taken. Firebrandt sent up some extra gold to help alleviate her loss. Neither Fire nor Ellis mentioned that she would have the privilege of sharing the captain's quarters. Still, Fire got the impression that her father knew, but wasn't saying anything. Actually, Firebrandt spent most afternoons in his office, smoking his pipe and looking out at Succor. He considered how rapidly twenty-one years had passed and wondered if his own mother missed him like he was going to miss Fire.

One week after the arrival of Jerome Ellis and the
Nantucket
, most of Fire's things were out of the house. She returned to the planet to bid her father farewell. They stood holding each other for a long time. They were both in tears and neither wanted to show it. Finally, the captain released her, kissing her on the forehead. "Remember," he said, "your life is your own. Never do anything because someone else wants you to do it."

"I'll remember," she managed to say. She then hugged Roberts and returned to kiss her father. She stepped into the
Nantucket's
launch, waving good-bye.

That afternoon, Espedie Raton walked up the grassy hill to the homestead. He remembered the first time he had made his way up the hill with Firebrandt. The green valley with its river seemed like paradise at the time. As the captain invited him inside, Raton wondered what business he had leaving this enchanted place. He sat down for a beer with Ellison Firebrandt. Raton explained that the expedition for the eastern continent was almost ready to proceed.

"A week of good-byes, compadre?" asked Firebrandt. Espedie simply nodded. "So, what are you going to name the eastern continent?"

"I don't know," said Raton, shaking his head. "Honestly, I never really thought about it."
"Neither did Roberts nor I." The captain shrugged. "There never seemed a need. But now there will be people living there. The first since the Rd'dyggians used it for a hideout all those years ago."
"That's not quite true," said Raton, sipping his beer. "What about that little colony of religious fanatics ... Roanoke."
"Ah..." said Firebrandt. "Roanoke's practically an island, separated from the main part of the continent by the great gypsum desert." Firebrandt shook his head. "I still think of the Rd'dyggians as the people who have claim to that land."
Raton lifted his glass. "The Rd'dyggians!" They both drank.
"Word has it that you're going to look for Erdonium." Firebrandt smiled. Personally, he, like many other New Granadans thought the map was a phony. Still, he wondered how Stone had convinced a pragmatist and ex-con artist like Espedie. Espedie looked suspiciously at Firebrandt. "Tell you what, if you find Erdonium, why not name the continent T'Ggo."
"Tejo?" asked Raton. "What the hell's a Tejo?"
"T'Ggo, not Tejo," corrected Firebrandt. The way Espedie shook his head, the captain realized that he didn't pick up on the difference. "T'Ggo was the Rd'dyggian who first discovered Erdonium, or T'Gganoq in her language. I think it could be a good thing politically, since this planet was first discovered by the Rd'dyggians and we rely on them for protection."
Espedie agreed. His thoughts had been along the same lines. He thought about naming the continent Erdon after Pierre Erdon of Earth or after Alrecca the Titan who was the first being in the known galaxy to discover Erdonium.
They sipped their beers for some time. Finally, Espedie stood. "I have to go, amigo."
"Take care of yourself," said Firebrandt. "Roberts and I will take care of the farm and make sure that Juan doesn't get in too much trouble." The two men embraced warmly. Firebrandt showed Espedie to the door. He watched as his friend strode down the hill, feeling strangely like he'd never see him again. It was notable only in the fact that he was somehow certain that he
would
see Fire again. "Good bye, amigo," said Firebrandt in a whisper. Roberts came out to enjoy the evening air with his captain. They both looked across to the river. Both of them wished Espedie Raton well. However, neither of them were certain they wanted to know what would happen if Espedie succeeded in finding Erdonium. EXPLORATION
Peter Stone, Espedie Raton and nearly a hundred other men and women chartered a ship to the eastern continent. There were only a few ocean-going ships on Sufiro. Primarily they were used to transport cargo between New Granada and the tiny island-continent of Little Sonora—the only government on Sufiro officially recognized by the Gaean Alliance. However, Little Sonora
did
recognize New Granada. Both agreed that all shipping should be free from either government's regulation. This had the effect of creating an independent shipping government that was run from the Gato Archipelago. This in turn meant that Sufiro had the only pirate-free waters of any planet in the known galaxy.
The eastern continent, while having neither government nor any official name, was not uninhabited. There was one small settlement on the coast known as Roanoke. Stone, Raton, and their party took the ship,
Queen of Sufiro
, from New Granada to Roanoke. The
Queen of Sufiro
was a highly efficient and fast sailing vessel. The design was one pioneered by a sea captain named Jacques Cousteau nearly a thousand years before, on Earth. The quiet rocking of the waves combined with his dreams of Erdonium quietly rocked Espedie Raton to sleep each night.
On the journey, both Espedie and Carmen Raton fell in love with the ocean. They would walk the near-silent decks, breathing the cool salt air. The views across the ocean with the stars above were like nothing they had experienced before. The tramp space freighter they had traveled to Sufiro aboard had been very different. There had been no windows and a sharp, oily smell had clung to the air. Out on the ocean, they felt more like the space travelers of romantic fiction than they had as passengers of a space ship.
The boys, Manuel Raton and Sam Stone, spent their evenings talking about their lives. Sam told Manuel how crowded Earth was and the power of the Gaean government. Manuel bragged of his sexual escapades with Suki Firebrandt, most of which were exaggerated. Still, Sam had seen her and was terribly jealous. Deep in his heart, Manuel wished Fire was with him. However, he knew she was off on an even grander adventure aboard the
Nantucket
with Captain Jerome Ellis.
One afternoon during the journey, Manuel was strolling around the deck of the ship, enjoying the breeze blowing across the deck when he saw Sam leaning on the deck-railing staring off into the azure waves. Manuel leaned on the railing next to his friend. "Is everything okay, man?"
Sam sighed and kicked at the deck. "Sometimes I worry about my dad."
"Why?" Manuel lifted his eyebrows.
Sam looked out toward the ocean, not really seeing anything at all. "I wonder if he's worrying enough about money." He saw the perplexed look on his friend's face. "I mean we're spending a lot to go on this expedition and what'll we get? Sore backs from camping out."
"Maybe after all those years of being vice president of a bank, your dad needs to take a break from thinking about money. Besides, we'll find the Erdonium." Manuel and Sam stared off toward the ocean a little while longer. "So, why are you so concerned about money and your dad?"
"Money's survival," explained Sam, his eyes never leaving the horizon.
Manuel shook his head. Often times he was perplexed by his new friend, who grew up on what, to him, was an alien world. "Money buys luxury," said Manuel at last. "Survival's easy. You just gotta' know the land."
* * * *

Back in New Granada, Ellison Firebrandt stared at the stars late one night. Roberts joined him in front of the homestead. "All gone," sighed Firebrandt. "It's so quiet."

"They all need to find their place in the galaxy, my friend," said Roberts. "Like us, Fire will find hers in the stars. Espedie will find his on the other continent."

"I feel left out, somehow," said Firebrandt, his gaze drifting to his feet.
"They need to find their way without being in the shadow of the famous Ellison Firebrandt." Roberts walked a few steps forward and looked up to the stars. "It's been so long since we've been up there. I wonder what it's like?"
"The stars never change," said Firebrandt.
"Stars are born, they grow old and die, just like people." Roberts turned to look at his captain.
"Not as quickly, though." Firebrandt sighed and looked at Roberts. "I wish Suki was here, perhaps then, this new found emptiness wouldn't hurt as much."
Roberts clasped his captain's shoulder. "I miss her too." He led the captain to the door. "Let's go inside, have some ale and talk about the old missions."
Firebrandt nodded. "Fine, but I'd rather talk about the future." The two stepped back into the warmth of the homestead.
* * * *

After a two-week journey, the expeditionary force was deposited at the port of Roanoke. A hundred people, dozens of crates, hovers, and digging machines were all unleashed on the strangely quiet town. The inhabitants were largely of British descent from Earth. For the most part, they were a people of strong religious and moral convictions. They found the freedom of New Granada unsettling. Yet, there was no planet in the rest of the galaxy where their beliefs were so thoroughly respected. The people of Roanoke found the expeditionary party disturbing. Raton and Stone made certain that their people did not alienate Roanoke's citizens in the event the small coastal town became a necessary resource.

Manuel Raton and Sam Stone spent part of their first night on the new continent walking through the three streets of the village, eyeing the young women. Some were nearly their age. Sam found it somewhat disconcerting that most people on the expedition were much older than he was. Fortunately, he and Manuel shared many of the same interests, except that Manuel was much more enthusiastic about exploring the new continent than he was.

The next morning, the group gathered their gear. They packed the hovers and loaded the digging machines onto carryhovers, and checked their equipment, then purchased water and food from the people of Roanoke. A vast array of people and vehicles gathered on the edge of the desert just outside the settlement. The desert was a great white expanse of gypsum sand. It looked like a snow mass, but the temperature was over a hundred Fahrenheit degrees.

Peter Stone and Espedie Raton examined their map. They took direction and bearing on an old black compass then passed the information to the other drivers. The hovers lifted off the ground and sped across the desert, leaving behind a great cloud of white dust. Manuel and Sam got their own hover, which greatly excited them. They set out at full speed across the sand. Three hours later, they found themselves skirting through a rugged mountain pass; going full-throttle through the forest. Sam had a copy of the map himself, so he knew the course. Neither of them saw the massive tree they were approaching. The hover caromed into the tree, exploding thunderously on impact. Fortunately, the boys were thrown clear. They landed on the ground, laughing.

Half an hour later though, they were still in the forest, hungry. They saw movement in the trees and both of them grew worried. At last, a hover came crashing through the green rubbery plants carrying Espedie, Carmen, and Stone. They picked up the boys and rescued what supplies were salvageable. Carmen lectured the boys about being careful, while giving them food. Neither Espedie nor Stone figured they could do any better in discouraging the boys from driving fast through the mountains; especially since they felt the temptation themselves.

That evening, the expedition arrived at the site of the first Erdonium deposit—a wide, rugged mesa dotted with purple and green scrub, overlooking the forest. The canvas tents were set up in the rock-hard ground only after an hour and a half of hard work and swearing. Most of the people in the party laughed and joked about crazy Peter Stone and his pirate map. Some of them wanted to see it to convince themselves that there was an "X" on that spot. Sam and Manuel ate the dehydrated rations greedily. After dinner, they quizzed Peter Stone and found the site of the dig. They painted a large red X on the ground.

When Peter Stone saw the X he pursed his lips and shook his head. He went to Manuel and Sam's tent. He found the boys inside, laughing about their joke. Peter asked Sam to come outside. Father and son walked side by side for a short distance. Sam could see his father turning a deeper shade of red with each step.

"I bet you thought that was funny," stammered Peter Stone, at last. He waved a thick finger in the direction of the X.

"We're supposed to be leaders," said Peter, putting his hands on his hips. "We're supposed to set an example."
"An example of what?" asked Espedie Raton.
Peter Stone jumped, then turned. He saw Espedie and Carmen Raton standing hand in hand. "I like the X," said Carmen, smiling. Stone fumed as he watched Espedie and Carmen walk off toward the edge of the mesa.
Espedie and Carmen found a rock and sat down to watch the sunset. They hadn't completely adjusted to the time change that resulted from traveling completely around the world. They held each other, trying to abate the chill of the evening.
"Do you really think we'll find Erdonium?" Carmen's eyes were rounded with concern.
"I'm sure," said Raton, his fist clenched with certainty. "I can smell it!"
Carmen laughed lightly. The sun was red on the horizon. They watched the flash of green just as the sun went below the horizon. Raton gently kissed his wife. "You never told me what Stone said that made you decide there really was Erdonium here." She shook her head. "I don't think Ellison even figured that out. You know something you're not sharing with me."
Raton smiled in the pale light. "It's all just a hunch ... really!"
Raton and his wife went back to their tent. They had lived in a tent on the streets of El Paso on Earth while Espedie sold stock in a gold mine on Venus. There really was a mine and it did have gold. It simply hadn't been worked since the midtwenty-sixth century. The con had earned Espedie enough money to pay taxes for a month and still take Carmen out to dinner for the first time since they had been married. But, the streets of El Paso were a violent place. Carmen still had nightmares about the time the police sliced through the side of the tent checking for "moral abuses." When they came to Sufiro, they swore they would never live in a tent again. Somehow though, this was different. Both of them found the experience romantic.
Manuel and Sam spent the night in their own tent. Neither of them had suffered the indignity of abject poverty. To them, the adventure was just beginning. They laughed and hollered into the night. Espedie had to come over to quiet them down so the rest of the camp could get some sleep.
When the boys awoke the following morning, they found that several people were already setting out dynamite charges. Sam Stone found it fascinating that simple dynamite was still one of the best ways to move large amounts of dirt and rock. There had been many advances in explosive technology. However, atomics were too dangerous because of the heavy radiation. The other option was Quinnium weapons, which could shift matter into the fourth dimension. When first invented on Mars in the mid-twenty-second century, this seemed the ideal destructive weapon; simply get your enemy out of the way. Unfortunately, the matter was actually phased out, not destroyed. What would happen was hard to predict. Most of the time, the matter would reappear some hours in the future. Invaders, using Quinnium as an offensive weapon, often died by finding themselves materialized inside solid rock.
Once the dynamite charges were placed, a warning klaxon sounded, and then the charges were detonated. Manuel and Sam were disappointed. There was little sound. The noise was like a
whump.
Even so, dust and rock flew up in a great billowing cloud. After the broken rock settled, the tedious job of digging began. Heavy force beam dozers were brought in. Other members of the team sifted through the dark, reddishblack basaltic rock looking for Erdonium. At the end of the first day, nothing had been found. Tired, grimy workers settled in for a quiet dinner and a sound sleep.
The next day, more charges were placed and the operation continued. The crews burrowed their way into the mesa, working as rapidly as possible. However, the day proved more frustrating than the day before when again nothing was found. Carmen and Espedie watched another sunset. "Are you sure there's Erdonium here?"
"It'll take time," he tried to reassure her. "Often times, Erdonium is quite deep."
"Erdonium is not often found on habitable planets," she reminded him. He had to concede.
After five harsh, frustrating days, there was a great ragged crater in the mesa. The team grew discouraged. Even Sam and Manuel were bored and ready to go home. Then a member of the geological team made an announcement. They had hit a layer of rock with no quartz at all in it. This did not seem like important news to anyone except Stone. He remembered what Jerome Ellis had said about the Erdonium layer when they were in orbit.
The next day, the characteristic
whump
sounded. The force beam dozers went dutifully to work. They hit a layer with a large number of black rocks. One of the geologists carefully examined one of the rocks. "My god!" she exclaimed.
She ran to Espedie Raton, nearly tripping on a pile of debris. "Sir," she began, "I don't think this rock was sheered in the explosion."
Raton shrugged. He admitted he was no expert in geology.
"Sir, it's not carbon—not diamond, that is," she said. "It's metal of some type."
Raton put a finger to his lips, silencing her. He didn't want an uproar until her suspicions were confirmed. She went to the lab and performed tests on the metal. Meanwhile, others of the geological team found more of the black rocks. "Erdonium," said one of the geologists triumphantly.
Another examined the seismic readings recorded during the blast of that morning. "Wow, virtually the entire layer is Erdonium!"
Word of the find spread rapidly through the camp. That night, champagne bottles were broken out. Sam and Manuel shared in the drinking. It was new to Sam, but Manuel had been allowed to drink on a number of other social occasions. Lively music played around the camp. Espedie and Carmen shared a bottle of tequila. After years of poverty on Earth and hard work on Sufiro, they were now partners in vast wealth.
The only person who did not celebrate was Peter Stone. He spent the night surveying the precise location of the pit and filling out Gaean mineral claim forms. The next morning, he tried to wake Espedie. "Go 'way," said Espedie. He turned over, trying to wave off both Stone and his hangover.
"Espedie, we need to keep moving," he said. "This isn't the only Erdonium mine."
Espedie rolled over and tried to focus on Stone's hovering face, his eyes glazed over and red. "Sleep, amigo. The mines will be there tomorrow."
Stone spent the morning impatiently grumbling while sitting in a camp full of people with throbbing hangovers. They were content to wait until the pain in their heads went away before continuing the search for more Erdonium.
Peter Stone called the land office in Little Sonora and transmitted copies of the claim forms. On the portable teleholo, the eyes of the claim attendant bugged out. "Erdonium, on Sufiro!" he exclaimed.
"Yes," said Stone smugly. "The records of the geological analysis are appended."
"Indeed." The clerk examined the papers, recognizing the names of some of Sufiro's best geological engineers. "Everything is in order, but this find is phenomenal."
Stone nodded and smiled. That afternoon, the mining expedition came grudgingly to life. They loaded the heavy equipment onto the trusty carryhovers for transport. Stone organized a group of three people to stay as guards and alert them if someone tried to jump their, now, legal claim.
As Stone finished giving instructions to the guards, Espedie stepped up to him. "So, what are we going to name it?"
Stone grinned, widely. "I thought about the 'Stone-Raton Mine Number 1.' Has quite a resonance, don't you think?"
"It does," said Raton. "But that's not quite what I meant. I meant this land." Raton gestured at the trees and tall mountains beyond the mesa.
"I thought it was called Roanoke," said Stone.
"No," said Raton. "That's only the coastal settlement." The two walked in silence for a little while. "What about Tejo?"
"What the hell's a Tejo?" asked Stone.
"She's the Rd'dyggian who first discovered Erdonium." Raton replied.
"The Titans discovered Erdonium," Stone reminded him.
"And Erdon is the Earthman who discovered Erdonium. But this is a Rd'dyggian world. I think we should pay tribute to those who discovered this planet." Raton folded his arms defiantly.
Stone shook his head. "So what? There are no Rd'dyggian settlements here."
"No." Raton let his gaze wander to the lazy, white clouds over the mountains. "But, who's going to protect us from claim-jumpers? Certainly not the Gaean Alliance."
Stone pursed his lips and frowned. "Okay, name it whatever you want. But, who's gonna know?"
"Leave that up to me!" Espedie sauntered off, whistling. He went to the portable teleholo and called Ellison Firebrandt's home.
Roberts answered. The dark room inside
Legacy
appeared behind the lieutenant. "Good to see you," he said, smiling.
"Long time, eh," he said. "Say, is Ellison around?"
"The Captain drove to New Des Moines today." Roberts shrugged. "Sorry."
Espedie nodded. "Well, tell him we found Erdonium, a whole rich stinking layer of it."
Roberts whistled. "You really did it. He'll be pleased. Congratulations."
"Also, tell him we want to name the continent, Tejo. It was his suggestion."
Roberts' eyes narrowed. "Don't you mean T'Ggo?"
Raton shook his head. "No one can say that! We'll go with Tejo, spelled 'T-E-J-O.' It's easier to pronounce. Beside the Rd'dyggians know we can't pronounce half their words anyway."
Roberts smiled. Both he and Firebrandt knew that any human spelling was only an approximation anyway. T'Ggo was written as it was to get some of the proper finesse of speech. "I'll pass that along to the captain."
"Thank you, old friend," said Raton. "I'd better get going. We need to continue exploring Tejo."
Roberts signed off. Raton turned around. He knew Firebrandt would get people to accept the name. Soon, it would be a word known throughout Sufiro.
* * * *