Alexander found Jasper irium. The rge space was much quieter now that most of the people had gone back to their homes or whatever work they did around the facility. From what he could tell, that was mostly farming. He was getting some i in the work he was but it was slow.

  “Alexander!” Jasper called as soon as the man spotted him.

  Alexander waved bad walked over to join his friend. He was sitting at one of the many benches scattered around the rge open space. They were one of the few things still intact after so long. And they weren’t worth stealing.

  “I’m surprised you’re all alooday, Jasper. Where’s the rest of your crew?”

  The man shrugged. “Even I get siy crew sometimes. …I’m just kidding. Wilkes took Naomi back up to the Zephyr. There wasn’t much for her to do down here, and since nning ourning to STO space sooime was better spent trying to look for our cargo run.”

  “How would she do that without a Q?”

  “Oh, the info will be out of date, but she arrow down some parameters. Once we are ba STO space, she double-check those shipments to see if they are still avaible. It’s not the first time we’ve been out of range.”

  “I actually wao speak to you about shipping.”

  His friend nodded. “I thought you might. I would love to deliver supplies out to you Alexander…”

  “I hear a but ing.”

  The man grimaced slightly. “You know how dangerous it is to e out here? I’m willing to risk it while the Hawks are here. But after that, I ’t ask my crew to put themselves in harm's way like that. They are like family to me, I’m sure you uand now that you have Yulia.”

  Alexander sighed and nodded. “I do uand. The Hawks have agreed to extend their service for an additional three months. If I had something to keep you safe after they left, would you tinue deliveries?”

  “I don’t see why not. But let's not dwell on what-ifs for now. Tell me, what did you need me to deliver?”

  Alexander handed his friend the tablet he had been forced to purchase from the Hawks. Having an easy means of unig data to others hadn’t been on his inal purchase ma.

  The man scrolled down the list, his eyebrow quirking at some of the items. “These are some expeems,” Jasper finally said as he lowered the tablet.

  “I know. But those are all items I need and ot print.”

  “They should be easy enough to acquire. Travel bad forth will likely take two months.”

  “I uand.” He handed Jasper a credit chip. “This chip tains the sum total of all my credits.” Minus a few million he kept in reserve just in case.

  The man paused before accepting the item. “Why are you giving me all your money?”

  “It is currently useless out here. Use what you o purchase the items I requested, and then I would like you to pce the rest in some sort of at that garners i. I am unfamiliar with what would be avaible, so please use your best judgment. Then you draw from that at any time you need funds for my purchases. Eventually, it will turn into a corporate fund that I use to pay others.”

  The man gave a faux shocked expression. “Already looking to repce me?”

  Alexander chuckled. “Hardly. But at some point, one ship will not be enough to keep up.”

  Jasper smiled. “I like that you are thinking big my friend. Have you thought of a name for your erprise yet?”

  “I have.” He told his friend the name he had e up with.

  “Fitting, I like it,” he chuckled as he stood from the bench. “You keep being you, Alexander. Just try to stay safe out here ok?”

  He nodded. “I will. I have a meeting with the Hawks today to discuss that very issue. You stay safe as well.”

  “Oh that shouldn’t be much of an issue with the Hawks support ships patrolling the systems between here and Varlen. Oh, that reminds me, you may want to think about building an orbital dock as soon as possible. And a refueling station. Yoing to need both to tempt any other captains to even bother with this system.”

  Alexander sighed. “I’m w on it. The items I’m asking you t on this first trip should make it easier.”

  There was a series of beeps from Jasper’s vac suit. “Looks like Wilkes is back.” The man held out his hand and Alexander shook it. “I’ll see you in two months, my friend. I ’t wait to see what has ged in that time.”

  “It leasure flying with you. Tell your crew that I will miss them. As will Yulia.”

  The man smiled and gave Alexander a wave before hurrying off. He really would miss the Captain. Jasper had filled him in on so many of the things he didn’t uand over the long journey. He had even given him a crash course in how to fly a spaceship. And that would have been a crash course had there actually been anything to hit along their path. Flying a ship did not seem to e naturally to Alexander. However, he had improved slightly during the ter part of the journey.

  With Jasper heading back to the Zephyr, he turned and headed toward the Hawks’ little encampment. It wasn’t far away.

  “Mr. Kane, what we assist you with today?” one of the meraries asked as Alexander approached the barricade of their camp.

  “I would like to have a meeting with Captain Matthews and any Field Leaders that might be avaible.”

  The man nodded. “I will radio the Talon to see if the Captain is free.”

  After a short wait, the man dropped his hand away from an earpiece. “The Captain said he would be free in ten miravers and Jallehe only two field leaders avaible in this se. If you would like to wait in the a, they should be here shortly.”

  He thahe man and headed into the very familiar tent. It had a set of folding furniture and a video uplink to the Talon.

  It didn’t take long for the two Field Leaders to show up. “Mr. Travers, Mr. Jallen. Good to see you again.”

  “You as well, Alexander,” Travers replied. “We don’t have anythio report sineeting a few days ago, so I assume this meeting is about something else?”

  Alexander nodded. “I’ll get into it as soon as the Captain has ected.”

  Less than a mier, the s came on. “Looks like everyone is here,” Matthews spoke. “What we help you with Mr. Kary as he might, Alexander couldn’t get the Talon’s Captain to call him by his first name.

  “I’ve beely made aware that pirates still occasionally e through this system.”

  All three men nodded.

  “We have heard simir from the locals,” Travers firmed.

  “I expected as much but it's good to hear firmation,” Matthews stated. “This system isn’t that far off the normal spaes. It’s not a surprise that pirates would use it to travel. But I assume your main isn’t them passing through, is it?”

  “It is not. While this facility didn’t make a tempting target before, I’m afraid fixing it up is going to draw unwatention. I need advi how to best protect the p ohe Hawks leave. Unless you have residered my offer?”

  Matthews leaned ba his chair and rubbed his bearded . “I’m afraid not, Mr. Kane. While your offer is more than generous, there are extenuating circumstances you may not be aware of.”

  “Such as?” Alexander asked, making his avatar frown slightly.

  Matthews sighed. “We were going to discuss this at week’s briefing, but I don’t see any reason to wait. You are aware that the gunships that came with us are patroling from Edeo Varlen?”

  “Yes, you did mention that a few weeks ago.”

  “At their st stop, they received a Q from our headquarters. Pirates have assaulted multiple systems along the Eastern end of STO territory. We don’t have maails at the moment, but the leaders of Ganos have called in all avaible merary pao ehe local spaes remain safe for travel.”

  If Alexander had a heart, he was sure it would have skipped a beat at this news. Petrov Station was on the eastern fringe of STO space. Alexander hoped Petrov Station, or more specifically, the orphans were ok. If they weren’t Yulia would be devastated. “Does this mean you will be leaving early?”

  “No, Mr. Kane. Our deal came into effect before we were alerted to this ge. But I o longer extend our stay past the additional three months. As for the deal to upgrade the Talon’s Ehat will o wait until we return.”

  Alexander nodded. “Uandable, Captaiurn whenever you and I will make yht. With this upswing in piracy, I’m even more ed about safety.”

  “As you should be. This attack will embolden the rest of those scum, that’s for sure. As for defehe easiest and cheapest will be to reinforce the crete above your facility. That will likely deter small pirate crews. The Talon has Gauss ons as its main armament, but we also have missiles. I don’t reeher of them for you.”

  “You don’t? Why not?”

  “I ahis one, Captain,” Jallen spoke up. Matthews o the man. “Other than being expensive, both require plicated processes for building and assembly. They also need multiple puter systems, which you have told some of the Hawks’ engineers you have a limited supply of.”

  “That is true, and most of the ones I currently have in stock are earmarked for projects already. What are my other options? What abuns?”

  “For pary use, that should be fine,” Matthews said. “But the railgun rails o be repced regurly. This makes them less than ideal for space-based ons as you imagihat’s why you don’t see them in use iO Navy. A Gauss on will do pretty much the same thing as a railgun and require a tenth as much maintenance.”

  Alexander didn’t even have a reliable way to get goods into orbit yet, so having to repair orbital ons systems stantly would not be very productive.

  “Laser-based ons would be ideal, but again, yoing to least a CPU per on. More if you pn on aiming them. I’m afraid you don’t have many good options for space-based ons. And even building the ground-based ones is going to be an issue unless you have the design pns for them. …You don’t happen to have design pns for any of these ons, do you?”

  Alexander wasn’t sure what to say here. Teically, he didn’t have any STO-purchased designs for ons but he still recalled the designs he had built ba his shop.

  “Yes, and no. I don’t have any STO designs, but I believe I build a railgun and maybe even some sers based on my teical knowledge.”

  “I suppose that’s not too surprising. Railguns aren’t all that plicated. I am a little curious as to how you know how to build sers though.”

  “Lots of maes use sers, Captain. It's just an application of trating the light and adding more power.” He really hoped the man didn’t dig further. Not that Alexander was doing anything illegal, not out here anyway.

  “I suppose that is an accurate enough description. You should focus your efforts on the ground-based railguns then. They will be the cheapest and easiest to manufacture and keep running. The sulfur air of Eden’s End would wreak havo ground-based ser optiless you stored them in air-tight silos. And that will just increase the cost and plexity of those systems.”

  The other two men nodded in agreement at the Captain’s assessment.

  “Defeurrets at the entrances would also be advised,” Travers added. “You remotely operate them, removing the need for plicated trol systems. Just print up and put together some simple circuit boards and pop a couple of flechette rifles into them and they would be a very effective deterrent for anyone. Heck, you could even repurpose those a Earth ons if you really wao. You would o gh them to make sure they were funal first though.”

  Why hadn’t Alexander sidered printing basic circuit boards? He had been so focused on future tech that he hadn’t even thought of building his own simple processors. They didn’t o be super plex or powerful. Not for some of the things he wao do.

  “Thank you all for the suggestions. I have a lot to think about.”

  “That’s what we are here for, Mr. Kane. Is there anything else we assist you with today?” Matthews asked.

  “There is. I was retly informed that this base has a Low Orbit Launcher. Are you familiar with the devices?”

  “I’ve heard of them. ’t say I’ve ever seehough. If my memory is correct, aren’t they just low-power railguns?”

  “I believe you are correct, Captain. The uncher is behind a sealed bst door. Do you think yineers help me cut into it to get inside?”

  Matthews shook his head at that. “If there are bst doors, it means they are there for a reason. I would reend against cutting through them. I have the engiake a look and see if they restore power and funality to the doors though.”

  Alexander left the meeting with a lot to think about. He was already thinking about a design for a railgun in his head that would be powerful enough to reato orbit. The gun was turning out to be the easy part. The limiting factor was the avaibility of power.

  The research facility relied on antiquated sor ahermal power. It did not have the more on fusion power pnt that was in use in this day and age. He supposed it made seo use easy-to-manufacture and repce items instead of something plicated and costly like a reactor. Sor ahermal systems were both time-tested and rugged teologies as well. The fact they were still w to this date proved the people who had built this pce chose wisely.

  Alexander knew how to struct a fusioor thanks to the pns he purchased for the Zephyr’s design. The pns included all the information and design specs he would o build one for himself. The problem was that he was nowhere he manufacturing capability required to build something like that. With fusion power a distant dream, he turned his focus to supercapacitors and batteries. They were much simpler to build.