new desperate and precarious situation. He selected the ship’s captain as the new leader of the settlement and the captain proclaimed himself Duke Carl I. He hand picked nine village leaders and made them all barons, declaring summary judgment in all matters for himself and his barons.”
“This got the people working toward the common goal of making the settlement a viable community, instead of pining for what would never be. It was a period of innovation, as people tried to devolve the civilization to a sustainable level before the power supplies on their modern equipment died.”
“They built steel mills, coking plants, mining equipment, and foundries. They built basic infrastructure for a 19th century society, even though they didn’t have the population yet to operate them all. All the basic building blocks of an early industrial age society were built, piece by piece, using the molecular fabricators that came with the ship. Cotton gins, rolling mills, flourmills, sawmills, and other light and heavy industry were pieced together from fabricated parts. They concentrated on building things that allowed for further capabilities. Boilermaker fabrication equipment was a priority, as the society’s primary power source would be wood fired steam engines.”
“They had a maximum of 30 years left in the power cells and had to make optimum use of the fabricators before that power ran out. They used the limited sensor capability of the settlement ship to find raw minerals, resources, and the best location for the settlement. They did a pretty good job. The settlement organized itself with the main township, in essence the county seat, in the center of a vast plain with a large river flowing through it. The nine villages were arrayed around it like spokes on a wheel about 200 km away from the county seat. The livestock and seed were distributed to the villages best able to utilize them. Villages along the river valley became farming centers. Villages with fertile grasslands became cattle and horse breeding centers. Villages in the highlands built mills along the creeks and became milling centers. Pigs were distributed equally amongst the villages as they could flourish anywhere. Goats were apportioned to the highland villages where other livestock couldn’t survive. Poultry were apportioned through out the settlement, some even allowed to roam free.
All in all, the early leaders did a pretty good job. They accomplished all their goals before the power ran out. After 30 years the population had quadrupled, and schools up to a university were built and staffed. Guilds were formed to train people to operate the factories, mills, and other specialized functions. Livestock population grew to where they no longer needed to be isolated to just one settlement. Trade flourished between the town and villages, aided by a unified railway system servicing the town and all villages.”
She interrupted him to ask, “Which village were you born in and how were you raised?”
“I was born in Copernicus. We were primarily an agricultural community, which I’m told was a hardscrabble existence initially. There were no horses to use as plow animals because they were all being used as breeding stock. It wasn’t until several years later that geldings became available for sale in the village markets. Of course, by the time I was born, they had developed steam tractors and harvesters to increase farm size and yield.”
“I was the youngest of six children and not very good at farming. My father saw to it that I was accepted by a guild. None of the regular guilds were right for me, but he was determined I would learn a useful trade. He eventually got me accepted into the Assassins Guild.”
Connie sat up and said, “The Assassins Guild? That sounds rather ominous.”
“I guess it does sound rather ominous, but it was more of a military academy than a bunch of cutthroats. We trained on all types of weapons and martial arts. We advanced through the guild levels from novice to apprentice to master. I had just achieved my Master status when we were discovered.”
“85 years after we landed, a survey ship looking for mineral-rich asteroids and new habitable worlds stumbled on us quite by accident. We had no electronic signature and they assumed Archimedes was an uninhabited world. When they first saw our villages, they thought they had discovered a new sentient species. They were a bit disappointed when we answered them back in our heavily accented Galactic Standard. We were quickly assimilated into the 22nd century, which caused any number of problems. Duke Carl IV filed our application to join the Galactic Republic and it caused quite a stir. We were the first second tier world.”
“Our world grew quickly and only a little of the old settlement is still there. It was a large shift from the 19th century to the 22nd and some couldn’t or wouldn’t make the transition. They set aside some of the villages as an enclave of the 19th century for those unable to make the transition. Some people eventually left, but some people moved back in. I guess that in about 50 years the enclave will be empty. It will probably be made into a museum.”
“That’s the college notes version of my planet’s story. Was it what you expected?”
She rolled over in her bunk and said, “How difficult was it for you to make the transition?”
“It wasn’t too difficult for me. The Guild training made me able to quickly adapt to new situations. I always knew the Galactic Republic was out there and that some day we would be discovered. When Fleet Intel found out about the Assassins Guild, they heavily recruited us. They taught us new modern skills and helped us to refine our old skills. The transition was made quite easy for me. I like being a reporting officer, although it does get lonely at times. Fortunately, I have Rojo, my cat, to keep me company.”
He rolled over onto his side and said, “Now if there is nothing more, I’m going to sleep now.”
Connie stood up and stripped out of her coveralls and undergarments before crawling into her lower bunk. Alistair rolled over onto his other side. He lay there alone and did not go to sleep quite as quickly as he thought he would.
Fleet Commander J’Kalt called one last commander’s call before he moved into the star cluster. He looked all of his captains in the eye and told them to remember what they had just practiced. He told them to execute all orders with total commitment. If they hesitated in an ambush situation, they would surely be destroyed. It would be better to go down fighting than to suffer a hollow defeat.
He reminded them what was at stake if the Humans broke out into K’Rang space here between these two main worlds. It could mean splitting the empire and its eventual destruction. He could see in their eyes that they understood the seriousness of their situation, and knew they would all do their duty. He ordered them back to their ships and gave them four hours to prepare their ships and crews for combat. They would enter the star cluster in six hours.
He had requested reinforcements and had been promised at least a cruiser squadron to backstop him here at the entrance to the star cluster. If he was met by a superior force and annihilated, they would have to hold the entrance against a possible Human attack.
He brought the captains to attention and said, ”Long live the Empire!”
They answered in unison, “Long live the Empire!”
Chief Johnson brought Kelly the news that the K’Rang Fleet was moving toward the star cluster from their exercise position behind the nearest main world. Kelly passed that information to the Fleet. Admiral Minacci ordered the Vigilant to move to a position to directly monitor the K’Rangs’ actions and report them to the Fleet. Kelly acknowledged the order and moved out. He gave orders to Chief Johnson to launch sensor pods to all pre- designated positions. Seven sensors left the Vigilant, speeding to overwatch, chokepoints, and decision points in the star cluster.
The Vigilant moved out to the fringe of the star cluster and hid behind a larger than normal brown dwarf. He monitored the K’Rang fleet movement into formation as it approached the entrance to the star cluster. They held off the entrance for an hour then, with the two Shadow Force destroyers in the lead, moved ahead and into the star cluster. Kelly passed this information to the reinforced 3rd ALG. Everyone was in position and as ready as they could be.
Friedrich Debran was being briefed on third quarter profits, something he normally took high interest in, but not today. Something was nagging at the back of his mind. Irritated at not being able to focus on the subject, he threw the briefer out of his office.
Roger Delphant came in as the sacrificial lamb to find out what or who was putting the boss in a sour mood. As he walked in, Debran was staring at a holographic display of the Pleiades. Roger thought he understood.
“Are you worried about your investment, sir?”
Debran looked up, about to throw Delphant out too, when he softened and motioned for him to sit down.
“Damn right I’m worried. I’m into them for 300 million credits and stand to lose it all if the K’Rang get in there and close off the star cluster. I want my own eyes in there, Roger. Get in touch with your Hooligans and have
