The Pirates of Sufiro (Book 1) (Old Star New Earth) (10 page)

During the next year, New Des Moines grew rapidly. The Senate of the Gaean Alliance began to take notice. New Granada was becoming an important colony, at least in terms of population. More importantly, the colony had not allied itself with either the Gaean Alliance or the Confederation of Homeworlds.

Senator Jeff Jackson came out from Earth. The Senator was a heavyset man with snow-white hair. He wore a silvergray suit tailored to make him look thinner than he actually was. He and his entourage landed at the newly opened spaceport in New Des Moines. The entourage consisted of five nameless, sexless people who looked as though they had stepped from a fashion holo. The Senator found it disconcerting that no one came to meet him. He had one of his aids place a call to the Governor of New Granada. When the aid returned, the Senator was further disconcerted to find that there was no one with the title of "Governor of New Granada."

"Get me the highest official!" stammered Jackson, his face flushing red.
Half an hour later, the newly appointed Sheriff of New Granada—Floyd McClintlock—showed up. He wore a buttondown gingham shirt and a pair of old jeans. His brown hair was matted to his forehead with sweat. The jeans were dirty from being out in the field. On his shirt hung a tin star. He wore a Hepler 225 at his hip.
Jackson sighed. "Are you the leader of New Granada?"
"I was elected to keep people honest." McClintlock rubbed the star with his cuff.
"Who is in charge on this planet?" said Jackson.
McClintlock put his hands in his pockets and kicked the dirt on the floor. "I suppose that would have to be Ellison Firebrandt."
"I will not abide pirates," said the Senator, again turning red.
One of Jackson's aides hastily whispered into the Senator's ear. The Senator nodded, his lips pursed. "Where might we find Firebrandt?" Jackson forced a smile.
McClintlock told him about the homestead in Succor and offered to drive the Senator and his staff there in his hover. McClintlock escorted Jackson and his staff to an old blue hover. "I'm afraid it only seats six comfortably." McClintlock shrugged in apology.
One of the Senator's staff stepped forward and whispered to McClintlock, "You will please find a more appropriate vehicle to convey the Senator to Sucker."
"The name of the town is Succor." McClintlock folded his arms and looked at Jackson. "It's either my car, or the Senator walks." With a malicious grin, he whispered to the aide, "Or we can toss you in the back of a carry hover. Would that be more appropriate?"
The aide straightened quickly and stepped back into the fold of the entourage. The Senator cleared his throat and used his best campaign poster smile. "We'll accept your ride." The group packed tightly in the hover. Floyd McClintlock gritted his teeth and drove as fast as possible to Succor.
Autumn had arrived and with it, the harvest. Firebrandt worked in the field. Fire played alongside him, trying to dig up vegetables. Mostly she succeeded in digging up clumps of dirt. The Senator and his entourage found Firebrandt with a bucketful of vegetables heading back to the homestead. McClintlock waited near the house with his arms folded.
Jackson forced a smile and thrust his hand toward Firebrandt. The captain put down the vegetable bucket and met the Senator's hand with his own dirty one. "Firebrandt," said Jackson. "This is truly amazing." He looked around at the houses in the valley. His eyebrows closed together betraying disgust while his smile remained fixed in place.
"Yes, it is," said Firebrandt, beaming. Despite what the senator might really think about Succor, the captain was proud of the settlement. He continued walking toward the homestead.
The Senator huffed and puffed as he tried to keep up. The entourage had a better time of keeping the pace, but they also weren't used to Sufiro's gravity. "Being governor of a continent the size of New Granada is no small task," said the Senator.
"But I'm not the governor," said Firebrandt, beginning to ascend the hill. Fire ran and darted between the legs of the members of the entourage. The aides and assistants found it increasingly difficult to keep pace with Firebrandt.
"Maybe not in name, but the people of this world think of you as their leader." Jackson's voice had an increasingly condescending tone.
They came to the top of the hill. The captain ushered the group into the living room of his house. He left them in Roberts' capable hands while he washed up. Finally, Firebrandt returned clean and in more appropriate clothing— at least by Jackson's standards. The captain sat down, rested his elbows on his knees, and dropped his chin onto knitted fingers.
"Surely, Mr. Firebrandt..." the Senator began.
"Captain." Roberts' voice was harsh, reprimanding. Firebrandt tried to suppress a grin.
The Senator's face flushed. "Surely, Captain Firebrandt, you see that Sufiro is becoming more and more important..."
"Cut the bullshit," said Firebrandt.
"Cut the bullshit!" echoed Fire, as she danced around. Roberts found his footing and ushered her out of the room.
"How dare you, sir?" Jackson sat upright, indignant.
"Senator," began Firebrandt, never lifting his chin from his fingers. "You did not come here to flatter me. Sufiro is not important to the Gaean Alliance in any way, except one. It's a potentially important tax base. It's also a place you could dispose of unwanted people."
The Senator coughed. "The Earth has never believed in such immoral or unethical practices."
"What about Australia? Or Georgia?" Firebrandt shook his head. "Senator, Nova Granada does not recognize Earth's authority. This planet was laid open for colonization by Rd'dyggia under Rd'dyggian rules of colonization. If any Gaean ship violates those rules, you can be assured that a Rd'dyggian ship will respond with military force." He stood and straightened his jacket. "Now, get out of my house."
Jackson stood and stared angrily at the captain. The Senator was posing for action. "You would deny these people the protection of a government?" He took a step toward the captain. "You would deny your own daughter state medical care?" he asked with mock horror.
Firebrandt looked at his feet for a moment then looked up again. "Most people on Earth don't get proper medical care or education. They've been fed the myth that the Government will take care of them for so long, half the people can't even think or decide right and wrong for themselves." The captain took his own step forward. "A full eighty percent of the incomes of the people of Earth go to taxes to try to pay for all of that. You're not helping the people of the Earth. You're enslaving them."
"You can't speak for the people of New Des Moines," said the Senator through gritted teeth.
Firebrandt saw McClintlock leaning on the doorframe. The captain gestured for him to enter. "I think he does speak for us," said McClintlock. "We may not see eye to eye on everything. Personally, I think Firebrandt is morally corrupt." Firebrandt bowed slightly with a grin. "However, he gave me and my family the right to disagree with his morals. I didn't have that right on Earth. I can breathe and live here as a man was meant to breathe and live. Believe me when I say that I will defend to the death my right to live in a place like Sufiro. Equally, I will defend Firebrandt's right to live as he wants."
The Senator nodded. "Have it your way." He turned dramatically to leave. He paused at the door and turned his head. "But if the Rd'dyggians change their mind about your status with them, don't expect the Earth to come to your rescue."
"And don't expect Sufiro to come to the Earth's," said Firebrandt. McClintlock led the Senator out and escorted him back to the hover. The captain sighed relief as he watched them leave in a billowing of dust.
Firebrandt walked back to the dining room and dropped into a chair. At once he felt exhausted and exhilarated. He didn't know if it was a good idea to alienate the Gaean Alliance. He had fought for the Alliance for years as a privateer. He wondered what made him turn his back on it now. He frowned, thinking; he had always been a captain thinking of his people. Now that "his people" were the people of Sufiro, he faced new questions about his dream. He knew that life in the Alliance meant subjugation for the people of Sufiro. For the first time in his life he understood why Alpha Coma Berenices had never joined the Gaean Alliance. He understood why his mother would defend such rebels.
He looked at his feet, wondering if he would ever see his mother again. He thought of his daughter and wondered what he would tell her about her grandmother. Still, he remembered his last encounter with Barbara Firebrandt. The captain put his face in his hands as he tried to reconcile his personal dislike for the woman with his newfound
understanding. A shrieking laugh penetrated the captain's thoughts.
Roberts bounced Fire on his knee. Her gleeful laughter more than offset the pain in both Roberts' foot and in Firebrandt's heart. "Nova Granada is no more," he said, looking to Firebrandt. "Just New Granada, now."
"Is it really so different?" said Firebrandt, wistfully. "Only the name has changed. The dream survives."
PART II
TEJO
"Erdonium took us to the stars. But, what of the vast unexplored voids between the stars? What of the worlds that were raped to bring us the Erdonium that took us to the stars?"
+ Dr. Greg Stephans from
Reflections on the Void
DISCOVERY
Espedie Raton surveyed his newly plowed field from the seat of his old hover-tractor. Behind it was a laser plow that had seen years of hard work. He wiped sweat from his brow with an old blue bandanna. In the distance, he saw Ellison Firebrandt walking across the field. Raton hopped off the seat and poured two iced teas from a cooler strapped to the tractor. As the captain approached, Raton handed him one of the drinks. "Thank you," said Firebrandt. He looked around at the field, muddy from the spring floods that had only recently receded. "You should get the boys to help you with this plowing." He rubbed the cold glass against his hot forehead.
Espedie chuckled. "They're in school for another month. Besides, they're both more interested in girls than farms right now anyway."
Firebrandt teasingly poked Raton with his index finger. "My daughter included."
"Manuel says your daughter won't give him the time of day." Raton shook his head, taking a drink of his tea.
Firebrandt became acutely aware of the gray that was in his friend's hair. The captain himself was a little older, but his red hair had just started graying. Normally, he didn't feel all that old at fifty-eight. However, conversations like this one tended to augment his feelings. "You know how it is. She's twenty-one. He's eighteen. There's a big difference at that age."
"I understand Fire's itching to get out and see the galaxy."
"She is." Firebrandt looked at his feet, memories whirling through his thoughts. "Pretty soon, some smooth-talking pirate captain is going to come through and sweep her off her feet."
"Don't you mean freighter captain?" asked Raton.
"Same thing," laughed Firebrandt. "Speaking of freighter captains, we should be getting the new wind generators any day now."
"Ah ha!" Raton lifted a finger triumphantly. "I knew you didn't walk all the way out here to talk about the kids."
"I was wondering if I could get a little help bringing them on line. It's going to be a hot summer. People are going to want to run their cooling units a lot. We're going to need it to take some of the strain off the water generators." He looked down-river at the old water wheel. The old timbers looked as though they would fall apart. Still, the creaking wheel kept turning, ever faithful. "I'm not sure how we made it through the winter."
"Yeah, I'll give you a hand," said Raton, absentmindedly. He refilled his tea glass and looked off toward the mountains.
"You sound a little tired." Firebrandt's bushy red eyebrows came together as he studied his friend. The lines around Raton's face were getting more pronounced.
"Bored maybe," said Raton dreamily. "A little tired of farming. I've been thinking about turning the farm over to the boys and doing some exploring."
"Been thinking about the other continent, eh?" Firebrandt swirled his tea glass. He had to admit, he had been thinking similar thoughts. "You know neither Manuel nor Juan would forgive you if you left them here."
"Manuel wouldn't." Raton grinned. "However Juan is a farmer through and through."
"Listen," began Firebrandt, "if you ever find that you need to go, Roberts and I would be happy to look after the farm."
"I couldn't ask you..." said Raton. He shook his head, but looked longingly at Firebrandt all the same. A part of him wanted to get away from the farm and he knew the captain's offer was serious.
"Some of us need to explore," said Firebrandt. "It's only human. If Roberts and I can help, let us know." He handed his glass back to Raton then patted him on the shoulder and made his way back across the field.
* * * *

Captain Jerome Mycroft Ellis stood on the command deck of the freighter
Nantucket
. His hands were fists on his hips. His stocky legs were planted firmly on the deck. His auburn hair was cut short in the Navy style, but somehow looked as though it was blowing in the wind. His long moustache gave him a perpetual scowl. A cigar was clenched firmly between his teeth. He examined the readouts on the holographic wall display at the front of the command deck, satisfied that the ship had made the EQ jump from Earth's Solar System with no ill effects. His crew, however, was still incapacitated.

The
Nantucket
was a cargo ship that had been refurbished some years before. Earlier in her life, she had served as a privateer vessel. She was large, but fast. A pilot's console stood in the center of the command deck. Ellis manned it himself much of the time. Rotating gunner's rigs still stood at the front of the command deck, even though the guns themselves had been dismantled. Along the walls were consoles and monitors that checked the ship's functions. The ship's network pulsed under Ellis' feet.

Ellis surveyed the command deck. The crew began to come around. The communicator sat up and touched his forehead, reestablishing the link with the chip in his brain. At once he talked to the ship's network and to the planet ahead. "We're on course for Sufiro's World, sir," he reported in a lilting voice. "Port master at New Des Moines has been informed."

The man at the piloting computer looked around. "ETA, sixteen hours until planetfall, Sufiro."
Ellis grunted, letting a puff of smoke pass through his lips. "Communicator, inform the passengers of ETA." He did not like having passengers on his ship. To him, they were a nuisance. Fortunately there were only two—a man, Peter Stone, and his seventeen-year old son, Sam. No regular passenger ships went to Sufiro even though it had been inhabited over twenty years. Mostly that was because Sufiro was not recognized as an Earth colony. Rd'dyggian ships occasionally stopped by, but the planet was only useful to them as a cargo transfer station. There was little there to interest anyone but farmers.
Still, something gnawed at Ellis. There were two major continents, yet only one had been settled. He left command of the bridge to the pilot and walked down to his own quarters, deep in thought. Something large rebounded off him. He looked down. Sprawled on the deck was a gangly young man with blond hair and blue eyes wearing an ill-fitting gray jump suit. The boy—Sam Stone—had fallen backwards after colliding with the captain. Ellis helped him up. "Watch where you're going, son," he said.
"Yes, sir," said Sam, trembling.
Ellis continued walking toward his quarters. He opened the steel door and entered, realizing someone on the command deck had alerted the boy that he was off duty and it was okay for him to come up and stare at the viewer. Ellis didn't really mind. However, he did maintain a firm rule that no passengers were to be on deck when he was.
Ellis' thoughts returned to Sufiro. He pulled up several charts and examined them. All major habitations were in New Granada. There were some settlements on two of the lesser continents. All were agricultural. He turned on a holographic projector that showed the planet in three dimensions. He turned the image so that it showed the other major continent. "You are a mystery," he said around his cigar.
He read through the data concerning the uninhabited continent. It was not terribly good for agriculture. While there were a few good valleys, the continent had been through a period of mountain forming much more recently than New Granada. Barren, rocky terrain covered most of its surface. Scans revealed no minerals of interest. Still, those scans had been performed over twenty years before by human ships. He turned his attention to the records of the earlier Rd'dyggian explorations. As he read them a grin formed. The Rd'dyggians had never performed more than a cursory scan of the planet. Because the atmosphere was extremely thin and dry by their standards, they wrote it off without examining further.
Ellis rubbed his chin, wondering why no one had thought of that before. Rd'dyggians might be technologically superior to humans and certainly capable of building pressure domes to accommodate workers, but they were a pragmatic people. They engaged in no activity that they did not feel compelled to do. The large continent opposite New Granada might actually hold some undiscovered secrets.
Ellis removed the cigar from his mouth and walked over to the intercom. "Pfister, prepare the sensors for a sub-surface planetary scan."
"Aye, sir," she said. There was a moment's hesitation. "Sir, are we going to scan Sufiro?"
"No we're going to scan Earth on the return journey," he said sarcastically. "Of course we're going to scan Sufiro's World."
"Sir, there are potential legal ramifications. Sufiro is not considered an Earth ally."
"So what? If the company doesn't like it, they can dock my pay," said Ellis and shut off the intercom. He was actually quite grateful to have Leila Pfister aboard. She was an expert in shipboard instrumentation. However, she had no naval training and thus little discipline. She had what Ellis considered an unfortunate predilection toward arguing with orders. He grinned to himself, thinking that he had the same predilection. After all, he had been in the Navy for only two years before they booted him out for insubordination.
Ellis had argued with the ship's lieutenant about a matter of procedure. He had, of course, been right. In fact, he rarely was wrong never had a decision backfire. As a result, he found himself in command of a Mao Corporation cargo ship at the young age of twenty-seven.
With a yawn, he crawled onto his bunk and slept as the ship approached Sufiro. He slept fitfully, but woke refreshed. Looking at the time, he saw that it was still about five hours before the ship came within scanning range of the planet. He called the mess and ordered breakfast, then showered. When he got out, a bowl of oatmeal and a mug of coffee sat steaming on his Spartan dining table. He ignored them for a moment, while he checked his messages. Aside from the routine ship status reports, there was a note that Peter Stone wanted to speak with him. When he finally got back to the food, it had cooled off. He warmed up his coffee in the heating unit then settled in to eat the cold, gooey oatmeal. Once finished, he got dressed and returned to his computer console.
The captain looked up as the next watch was announced over the intercom. When he checked the time, he realized he had been working for four hours. He called for the steward to remove the tray and asked Stone to come to his quarters.
When Stone walked in, his round clean-shaven face was beet-red. "What's the deal, Captain?" he said angrily. "Do you keep all your appointments waiting six hours?!"
Ellis cleared his throat, then reached into a wooden box on his desk for a cigar. He lit it, then turned back, examining the man. "I didn't realize we had an appointment. All I got was a note asking to see me."
"Demanding to see you," Stone corrected. He helped himself to a chair. Stone's body looked awkward in the tight fitting gray jump suit he wore. It was the type used for protection during the jump. Ellis insisted all passengers wear them.
Since he wouldn't be executing another jump for some hours, Ellis wore white trousers and a light blue Mao Corporation uniform shirt. "Sir, aboard a corporate ship, only one of my bosses has the right to
demand
my attention. Otherwise, my first duty is to shipboard operations."
Stone snorted. "I own stock in this company."
Ellis nodded, accepting the statement, but still
acknowledging no authority. "What can I do for you?"
"I understand you're going to run a deep planetary scan of Sufiro's World." Stone's color began to return to normal.
Again, Ellis nodded. "Starting in about an hour."
Stone grumbled, looking down at his round belly. "I suppose that means seven hours by your clock." Then he looked up again. "Captain, as you know, I'm going to Sufiro's World to start a business. I'm hoping to open a food and restaurant chain. You know—something profitable on an agricultural world. However, I would be quite interested in hearing about any interesting mineralogical finds, if you get my drift."
"I have a feeling the most interesting mineral we'll find is basalt or maybe some pretty feldspars," said Ellis, grinning around his cigar. "But I'll let you know if we find anything." "Thank you," said Stone gruffly. He turned to leave.
"By the way, Mr. Stone," began Ellis. Stone turned. "We'll arrive at the planet in about four hours. My first officer would appreciate it if you had her quarters straightened up before you leave the ship."
"Damned if I ever get transport on a Mao ship again!"
Ellis grinned. He had little to worry about. No corporate ship was expected to please its passengers. He was only expected to deliver his cargo to Sufiro's World safely. He admitted to himself that he really enjoyed the freedom that such a job offered him. It allowed him to use the ship's equipment to indulge his hobby of planetology.
He sat back, put his hands behind his head and looked at an old brown map of Nantucket Island on his wall. The island was little more than a giant sand bar. In many ways, he was just as grateful. Nantucket was his home. It was unsuitable for the large construction that had covered much of the rest of the Earth. There was also a nostalgia element. Many people insisted that there be one island on Earth where some sense of history was maintained. Consequently, the outside of the buildings were all maintained in historic style while—with the exception of museums—the insides were done with modern appliances and furniture. Still, he wondered whether the fact that he was born in a place with few natural rocks had anything to do with his fascination of them.
Looking at the time again, he almost jumped out of his chair. The ship was almost close enough to the planet to begin scanning. Though he didn't actually have to be on the bridge for that—Pfister would see that all went as it was supposed to—he liked the idea of being there.
He stood and made his way to the command deck. Once he arrived, Leila Pfister acknowledged him. "We're about to begin the scan." Her angular features were enhanced by the faint glow from her holo display.
"I thought so," said Ellis, gruffly. He scanned the deck as she began work. The ship was humming along and functioning as it was supposed to. Ellis turned his attention to the holographic viewer. The planet was in view. However, the sight wasn't terribly interesting in itself. They were approaching from the night side with the uninhabited continent toward them. There weren't even any lights to break up the landscape. All that could be seen was a large black ball with its limb faintly illuminated, blocking the light of a few thousand stars.
Ellis retrieved a cup of coffee and stood by the wheel while the pilot made preparations to enter orbit. Entering planetary orbit was tricky business. Most of the time Ellis would not trust it to a junior officer, however his attention was divided between the scan and seeing to the ship's safe arrival.
Pfister typed several commands into the computer. She knew that the communicator could enter the commands faster, but it still meant relaying commands; there would be delay as information came in. She preferred to see the data herself and adjust the scan as information came in. A list of minerals began to appear on the screen. "About as we expected, sir," she reported. "Surface scan reveals little more than common rocks, available on just about any terrestrial planet in the galaxy."
Ellis nodded and stepped over to her station to look over her shoulder. Long ago, he decided that he liked Pfister, just because such an action didn't bother her.
"Adjusting scan to sub-surface layers," she reported.
Ellis sipped his coffee. The first sub-surface scan showed nothing more interesting than the surface scan. Pfister's long, narrow fingers typed in more commands. Her brown eyes widened in some surprise as the next readings began coming in. She pointed to the screen.
"Now that is interesting." The captain pursed his lips as he stared at the screen.
"What's interesting?" asked Peter Stone, who had stepped onto the command deck while Ellis was staring at the screen.
"There is a surprising lack of quartz for the amount of basaltic rock and granite on the surface," said Ellis tightly.
Stone shook his head in despair.
"Now would you please get off deck." The captain clenched his teeth, forcing himself to be polite in front of the crew. "We're in the middle of maneuvers for entering orbit. I want no distractions. I promise I'll let you know if anything of entrepreneurial interest turns up."
Stone nodded curtly and left the deck. Pfister looked up at her captain and made a motion to come close. "I honestly don't think he was disturbing the crew, sir," she whispered.
"His presence disturbed me," Ellis whispered back. "Now, back to your scan."
She turned back to the console, grinning. She deepened the scan. She shook her head and whistled. Ellis looked at the screen, while sipping his coffee. His gray eyes widened and he swallowed too fast. He hurriedly put the coffee down and coughed. Leila Pfister hit him on the back a couple of times. Feeling better, he turned his attention back to the screen. "Plot a chart," he ordered.
A detailed map of the continent appeared. The first scans showed nothing of interest. Then underneath large sections of the continent were layers and layers of Erdonium, the naturally occurring metal alloy used in star cruiser hulls. It was almost impossible to produce the alloy artificially. More importantly, it was cheaper to mine it than to produce it. It did not occur naturally on Earth. In fact, it was extremely rare on planets that supported human life, usually occurring only in trace quantities. For years, the only planet believed to have Erdonium in man's home solar system was Mercury. It was later discovered in trace amounts on Venus.
"Well," said Ellis standing upright, hands on his hips. "I might just have something to tell Mr. Stone after all. I'll be in my quarters. Please let Mr. Stone know I'll meet him there."
"Aye, sir." Pfister nodded curtly.
Ellis walked back to his quarters and sat down behind his desk. Stone arrived shortly thereafter. "Well, you didn't keep me waiting this time, I see."
Ellis typed something on his computer screen then moved aside so Stone could see. The geological map of the uninhabited continent was displayed. On it, he superimposed the location of the Erdonium deposits.
"What's that?" said Stone, stabbing a pudgy finger at the screen. "What are those funny letters?"
"That, Mr. Stone, is Erdonium," said Ellis.
Stone looked at the map. "Impossible. Humans can't survive on any planet where Erdonium exists."
"What about the Epsilon Eridani system?" countered Ellis. He despised broad generalizations.
"Yeah, but there's hardly any there," said Stone. "This is the find of a century." He looked at the map and whistled softly. "Could I get a copy of this?"
"The scanning equipment belongs to the Mao Corporation." Ellis shook his head. "So does the data." The captain reached over and turned off the terminal.
"But if the Mao Corporation hears about this..." Stone stammered. "They have their own mining interests. What about my interests?"
"I thought you were opening up a grocery chain." Ellis sat back, folding his arms.
"Erdonium is a hell of a lot more valuable than corn, Captain Ellis," stated Stone, who began to pace. "What say we suppress these findings for a little while?"
"I can't do that," said Ellis. Stone stamped his feet and started turning red. "Mr. Stone, please sit and calm down," said the captain. Stone sat, but he was still red. "Mr. Stone, this ship belongs to the shipping division of the Mao Corporation as you, no doubt, know. We cannot lay claim to anything. There are no miners aboard this ship. I am not leaving here for a week. It'll take that long to drop off our shipment and pick one up for the next planet. It'll be a few months before I even get back to headquarters on Earth." Stone's blue eyes lit up. "Also, Mao is a corporate giant. It'll take them months to get an expedition together out here, explore then lay claim as necessary."