The Pirates of Sufiro (Book 1) (Old Star New Earth) (25 page)

Ellis walked down the hill, away from Firebrandt's house. He had found another cigar in his jacket and smoked it furiously. His hands were clasped tightly behind his back. Grudgingly, he had to admit admiration for Ellison Firebrandt. He was a much more formidable presence than he remembered. Certainly, Ellis respected him more than the two petty administrators he had talked to the day before. Still, the commander had a problem to sort out.

He looked around and found himself standing in the middle of town. He hadn't paid attention to the buildings he passed. Now, he looked around. Some of the buildings were tin Quonset huts. Others were adobe structures. There was even an old building with weathered shingles and white trim on the windows. He walked up to it and touched it.

The door opened and a little blonde-haired girl skipped out. She stood, looking at Ellis with wide eyes. She smiled. Ellis had to smile back. "Whatcha doing?" she asked.

"This house reminds me of one I lived in when I was your age," said Ellis, his problem momentarily behind him.
"It's my house!" she exclaimed, clapping her small hands together. She inclined her head and studied him. "You look like Mr. Firebrandt on the hill, only your hair's brown."
"I'm Mr. Firebrandt's grandson," he admitted.
"I like Mr. Firebrandt," she said. "He's a nice man." She smiled and waved then skipped away, singing. Ellis walked in the direction of the river. He sat down on the sandy bank, watching the mighty river. It rushed by, giving life to the little town behind him. An old wooden water wheel slapped the river. The water reminded him of stories of how the ocean once gave life to his home. He thought about the little girl and the tiny town. He thought about the industrial complex of Tejo. He put his face in his hands and let the tears flow. * * * *

Ellis returned to Firebrandt's house late in the afternoon. His eyes were red and slightly swollen. Fire was worried but Firebrandt understood the pain of the decision. Without hearing an answer, Firebrandt led Ellis toward the dining room. With his arm around his grandson, the captain whispered, "You've come to a decision?"

Ellis stopped, turned and looked at his grandfather. "You don't know what I've decided."
"You're not deferring a decision to the Admiralty on Titan?"
"I could never do that," Ellis said. "My posting would never be confirmed by the full Admiralty. I'd remain a lieutenant forever."
"Then I'm proud of you," said Firebrandt. "Your mother wants us to have a dinner as a family—no arguments, no politics. I happen to think that would be good for all of us."
Ellis nodded, being persuaded largely by the charisma of Firebrandt. He also had to admit to himself that he liked the idea of a family dinner with his mother. Firebrandt led his grandson into the dining hall.
They sat and talked through dinner. Firebrandt wanted to hear about Ellis' career to date. Ellis told of life aboard a small destroyer. Firebrandt and Roberts told some of the less seedy tales of their days aboard a privateer.
Firebrandt laughed as dessert was brought out. "And to think," he said. "It all ended because I was sent to my planet by my mother."
Ellis inclined his head. "What?"
Firebrandt grinned at him. "You've never heard the story?"
Ellis shook his head.
Firebrandt chided his daughter. "You've been negligent in your duties. You didn't tell him enough bed time stories." Fire grinned sheepishly as she took a bite of chocolate ice cream. She had not told her son any stories because Jerome Ellis didn't want his son to grow up to be a pirate like Firebrandt. The captain looked back to Ellis. "My privateer, the ship in which this hall is built, was captured by my mother, Barbara Firebrandt."
Ellis' jaw dropped. "Barbara Firebrandt was your mother?" Ellis covered his mouth with his hand. "Why that means she's my great grandmother," he whispered, half-afraid someone at the table would hear. He felt a newfound sense of pride in his family.
Firebrandt told the story of
Legacy's
capture. He told of the years that he resented his mother for ending his career. Finally, how he came to thank her. His years on Sufiro, he said, had been the best of his life. "As long as it isn't all ruined by the Tejans," he spat out at the end.
Fire glared at him.
Ellis held up his hand. "It's okay," he said. "I've decided that the only way the Erdonium will move again is to fix the problem on Sufiro's World. If Tejo marches over New Granada, the slavery will continue. The revolt won't end. That's the flaw in their logic. If all the slaves are simply let go and no one is there to replace them, the Erdonium'll still not move quickly. Would the present miners work in Tejo for fair wages and good homes?"
"It would be a reasonable proposition. Keep in mind, though, I don't speak for the planet," said Firebrandt. "There is one possible flaw in your logic."
Ellis nodded. "The Tejans may be so profit hungry that they won't give in to a reasonable offer."
"You've read your history," commented Roberts, somberly.
"The bottom line is that slavery and expansionism are a disease that will kill this planet. If the Tejan leaders are too profit-oriented to listen to reason, I will remove them, appoint reasonable people and get the Erdonium moving that way." Ellis realized he was shaking.
Firebrandt grinned. "Now you're talking like a pirate."
"Perhaps I needed to meet a pirate to find the answer." Ellis stood. "I should get back to the ship."
"You can call the ship," said Firebrandt. "Please, stay with us, tonight."
Fire nodded, a tear in her eye.
"I'll stay," said Ellis. The captain and Fire walked over to Ellis. Three generations embraced, uncertain of the future. CAMLAN PASS
Arepno sat in a round, concave chair in the command center of his ship. A warm mist surrounded him. While he could live on Sufiro without life support, it wasn't terribly pleasant. His own world was much more humid and smelled much better.
The command center of a Rd'dyggian battle ship did not resemble the bridge of a human star cruiser. The room was trapezoidal. Arepno sat in one corner. The other three officers occupied the other corners. In front of each officer stood a pedestal with a control terminal. In the center of the deck was a dais, supported by a narrow column. The ship was piloted from there.
Arepno reached forward to his control terminal. As he put his hands on the terminal, images began to fill his mind. Rd'dyggians had been in space much longer than humans. Arepno had been known to remark how amazed he was that humans still interfaced with computers using brain implants. Even then, it amazed him further that the humans who could control computers and communications that way had allowed themselves to be subjugated by people who still required some kind of appendage-interface. On his world, the people who could not cope with simple computer functions were left home to tend the fields.
Arepno drifted into the computer. It stimulated his optical centers. In front of him, an image of Sufiro appeared. He scanned high orbit. To him it looked as though he was flying at great speed over the entire surface of the planet. As he suspected, the Tejans were not senseless enough to attempt an attack from orbit. The Rd'dyggian battle ship could easily pick off any ship foolish enough to try that.
Still, Arepno was bothered. "Humans know no end of treachery," he said aloud. His aural centers were stimulated with a complaint from the computer. Arepno focused. Later, he would curse himself for letting his mind wander, calling himself an old fool. Letting one's mind wander while interfaced with the computer could get the ship destroyed in a variety of ways.
Arepno turned his attention to the high coastal mountains of New Granada. The range ran along the northwest coast. It was cold and desolate. The mountains were high and almost impossible to cross by land. Arepno checked the list of people known to be living in that region. Only three names appeared. They were all hermits who wanted nothing to do with traditional human civilization. Arepno closed in on the mountains in his mind. Something was not right. He went back to files that contained images, now about ten hours old. He looked at the image. A mass of lights stood out in the midst of the northwest mountains. He looked at an image twenty-six hours older still. The lights were on the coast.
He analyzed the mass of lights. It was the size of a small Tejan city. An invading force with as many troops as the populace of Nuevo Santa Fe was slowly making its way across the northwest mountains. At first Arepno thought it was folly; then he analyzed their attack. They would come out onto a vast plain. With small personal transports, they could cross the plain and be in the capitol in one day. With an army that large, they could completely decimate Swan and Raton's defense force.
The Tejans had acted with extreme stealth and intelligence. They realized that no one would be routinely monitoring the mountains. Under ordinary circumstances, the mountains would be too treacherous to cross. However, the Tejans were desperate. They were also rich. They could buy the survival gear needed to cross the mountains. Arepno's people did not believe in slavery. Seeing the time and expense that was going into this campaign, Arepno was further convinced of its folly.
The Rd'dyggian captain memorized the charts and all pertinent information. Through the computer interface he designated officer number two as ship commander while he was away and ordered his shuttle prepared. Arepno disconnected himself from the computer and left the bridge. * * * *

John Mark Ellis was led to the office of Governor Hill of Tejo. Ellis was still in his standard duty uniform. He had not shaved for three days and he smoked a thick, brown cigar.

As Ellis stepped through the door of the governor's office, Hill stood, outraged. "Put that thing out," he ordered.
Ellis grinned. "Is that any way to speak to an official of the Confederation of Homeworlds?" Ellis moved to the plush chair in front of the governor's desk and sat. He was tempted to put his feet up on the desk, but knew that would be overdoing the act.
Hill regained his composure and sat behind the desk, a serious look on his face. "It's been ten days, Commander," he said. "Erdonium production has not continued. The mines are still being sabotaged."
"By wrongfully captured slaves," said Ellis, sitting forward.
Hill grinned and waved off the remark. "You've been talking to that blowhard Firebrandt, haven't you. Or perhaps the man who murdered my predecessor."
"I can talk to a lot of people in ten days, Mr. Hill," said Ellis. "I've confirmed that people were wrongfully abducted from New Granada. I have also confirmed that they were forced to work in the mines without pay." Ellis dropped some ash on the carpet. "As a representative of the Confederation, I'm here to tell you that this activity will stop. I have sent my recommendation to the council that your land claim on New Granada be refused."
Hill shook his head. "You think I don't already know that. Communications are easily monitored." He shifted in his chair and leaned forward. "You've made the point that you've sided with the pathetic cause of New Granada. It was obvious when we heard nothing from you in forty-eight hours. What I want to know is why are you wasting my time with this meeting? What do you want to know?"
"I want to know the real reason you resorted to abducting New Granadans to work in the mines. Why do you want to go to such extremes?" Ellis' brow knitted.
"You are young, Commander," said Hill. Ellis' lips pursed. "Power, greed, is that what you want to hear?" He stepped around and sat on the desk, hovering over the commander. "The simple fact of the matter is that this planet would be better off under a single, unified government. It's obvious that Tejo is productive and growing. New Granada is stagnant. They aren't evolving. The population over there is only a few hundred thousand people. Tejo is vibrant, alive with art and culture. We are preserving the forests..."
"You have to preserve the forests," said Ellis, "or soon, none will be left. You still haven't answered my question about abducting New Granadan citizens against their will."
"What will?" shouted Hill, angrily. "What's in New Granada? It's just a bunch of fields and mountains and cows. We gave the people food, water, and a purpose. They don't seem to want more."
Ellis took a long draw on his cigar and blew thick, pungent smoke back at the governor. "They have purpose. They're farmers and artisans. The people there write, paint, sing, do science. They dream the same as your people do. Their dreams are just different."
Hill got off the desk and moved around to his chair; disgust contorted his features. "They live at a mere subsistence level. Their 'dreams' do not benefit the Confederation. They are morally corrupt. They have no laws governing behavior; by bringing them here, we give them purpose. We give them values. They aid the war effort, which I thought was why you were here in the first place, Commander."
"You miss the point of the Confederation, then," said Ellis. "The reason we live under a loose knit structure is so that people can choose the way they want to live. True, the vast majority of people seem to flock like cattle to vast metropolitan areas like Tejo City. True, most people want a sharply defined moral structure. Not everyone wants to live that way. Different people have different needs. Until you realize that, you do not deserve to be a man of power."
Hill opened his arms wide. "Then we agree to disagree." The governor folded his hands in front of him, looking much like a schoolteacher trying to be patient with a petulant student. "Now, it's obvious to me that this simple Erdonium problem is too much for you. I think it would be best if you went back to that ship of yours, flew back to Titan and had a real captain come out and handle this crisis."
Ellis stood up, tossed his cigar to the carpet and stormed to the door. He turned. "I'll see you in hell before that day comes." Ellis left slamming the door behind him.
Hill reached for his intercom button. "Miss Williams, please have the sanitation staff come and clean up my office." * * * *

Raton and Swan stood on a hill just outside Nuevo Santa Fe. Below them marched the troops in almost perfect unison. They had been practicing with the weapons Arepno provided. Computer targeting meant that each individual's aim was near perfect. Raton and Swan congratulated themselves on getting their army ready in such short order.