Tad said, “Hey, this is my first time coming through here.”
Galen said, “It looks a lot better now, with the lighting strips installed and the surface paved and marked. And the center divider, I like that too.”
Tad said, “Construction ahead, for the logpacs.”
The skimmer slowed as it went past the construction. Work crews used grinder machines to cut into the side of the tunnel and a boring machine to make a smaller parallel tunnel long enough to hold an entire logpac convoy, plus enough room to store two more pallets of logpac supplies.
Galen said, “It’s a brilliant idea, we should have planned for it before.”
Tad said, “Well we didn’t know we’d be picking a fight here. Now we do.”
“I wonder what else we should store down here.”
Tad shrugged. “I don’t know. We’re not making this our permanent home; we’ll be gone in about a year.”
“You’re right, let EugeneX worry about it.” Galen adjusted the chin strap of his ground troop helmet.
A metal cylinder a meter across and three meters long hung from the tunnel’s ceiling, directly above the median divider of the roadway. It held a turbine fan that ran to push air along. Galen noticed that one was hung about every eight hundred meters or so. Some turned slowly, others were off and a few ran at full speed.
The skimmer ascended the up-slope of the end of the tunnel and came out through the compound built around the exit. The defensive lasers and rail guns were installed, and Hellcat tanks and light Hornet tanks and IFVs were in smaller bermed positions on either side, and fixed bunkers were built into the berms as well as two meter high half-crescent concrete structures behind the bunkers to provide sleeping areas that were resistant to light and medium artillery.
The skimmer exited the secure area and turned right and skimmed along at half a meter above ground at near top speed. Galen leaned forward and looked at the nav screen; Sevin’s rendezvous point was clearly marked, less than eighteen kilometers away. The vehicle skimmed smoothly over dry creek ruts and stubborn little scrubby plants, although the driver did decide to detour around a small crater that was about twelve meters across. At the marked coordinates, the driver glided in to an easy stop and let the vehicle sink to the ground by letting the fans wind down on their own, the power to them put on standby. Galen and Tad dismounted by jumping over the sides, something a lot easier to do here on Juventud, with its gravity of only point eight Gs.
The ground rumbled, then twenty meters ahead, a steel rectangle a meter wide and two meters high emerged from the ground. After it rose and much of the dirt and dust fell away, Galen recognized it as the roof extension of a command post carrier. Its door opened and Sevin stuck his head out.
Sevin waved to them. “Hey, come on in!”
Galen and Tad entered and climbed down the ladder to stand inside the command vehicle. It was a tight fit, but Tad and Galen stood to either side of Sevin. He took a half step forward and turned around, his back to the wall. “Gentlemen, welcome to my humble abode.”
Tad said, “So how’s it going up top?”
Sevin waved his left hand at a command terminal. “Here we have position and location information, and on my right is a control panel that’s wired in to the heavy guns and mortars. Behind you are two more stations, ready to give and receive orders and reports.” Then he pointed toward the driver’s compartment, “and my lovely assistant.” A Chief in coveralls slept, slumped over, head resting on the steering yolk, a block of packing foam his pillow.
“You’re tied in to Guns already?” Galen said.
“That’s right. The 240mm batteries went hot this morning, and the space defense lasers are on-line too. The ground-mobile rail guns are rotating through to charge off the Hornets every twelve hours, to keep their batteries above eighty percent. There’s some delay for fire response at times, because the guns with live crews have to approve their weapons fire, to ensure they are safe.”
Tad said, “You expecting some action?”
Sevin smiled. “Not yet, but it seems that in a few days we’ll be up against some professionals. I’ll be ready for them.”
Galen said, “I heard that Seventh City was taking bids.”
Tad said, “Why don’t they come fight us themselves?”
Sevin said, “They have more money than courage. Besides, all their muscle is tied up with racketeering. Extorting protection, loan sharking, and guarding their turf from other gangs. They have nothing left to fight us.”
“Well let me know if you need anything,” said Galen.
Sevin said, “I’ll do that. I don’t hesitate to ask for help.”
Galen said, “Okay, now prepare to be challenged.”
Sevin stood at attention and said, “All right, what is it?”
“I’m going to get in your business and tell you how to run your unit.”
Sevin’s eyes narrowed. “What’s wrong?”
Galen looked into his eyes. “You and your battalion and the recon troop have been up top this whole time. You can’t all stay up here forever. You will come up with a rotation plan, where your people spend fully one third of their time in the crater, goofing off, walking around in garrison caps, taking it easy. This is a requirement, it includes you, and it begins in three days.”
Sevin relaxed. “Is that all? I thought it was going to be something stupid I’d have to fight you about. No problem, Smaj, I’ll work it out.”
Galen said, “Well, I’ll be going now.”
“Later,” said Sevin.
Tad and Galen climbed the ladder and stepped away. The roof extension retracted back into the command post carrier. Tad and Galen kicked loose dirt back onto it and got back into the skimmer. The driver brought the fans back up to speed and headed back to the tunnel.
Galen said, “Now what?”
“Back to your office.”
Galen checked his wrist chronometer. “We’ll be back in plenty of time for the chow hall’s first real meal.”
“I heard about that,” said Tad.
“It’s a big deal, like a grand opening. I’ll give a little speech and cut a ribbon.”
“Ah, the burdens of command.”
Galen stood in front of the chow hall, Karen to his left and the chow Chief to his right. A yellow ribbon three centimeters wide spanned the main entrance door. A growing crowd of nearly three hundred troops waited, ten minutes before the official chow time, to enter. It was the Brigade’s first real meal, made from fresh ingredients.
Galen raised his left hand in the air to get the attention of the troops. They became quiet and turned their attention to him.
“All right, troops. I have spoken with the chef and he has declared this food fit for human consumption. Jeff?”
The head cook said, “We got some meat and some eggs and some veggies from the town five hundred klicks away, and I’m impressed with what my cooks managed to do with it. I think you’ll like it too.”
Karen said, “This is only the beginning. Real food for you guys from now on.”
Galen held up a meter-long pair of plastic scissors and cut the ribbon. “Enjoy.”
Karen, Jeff and Galen stepped out of the way and let the troops enter the chow hall. Jeff leaned in close to Galen and said, “Do you think they’ll notice we don’t have any fish?”
Galen smiled at the line of troops and said quietly, “Probably not for a while. I don’t think it will be a problem.”
Jeff said, “Good Friday is in five weeks. Could you help me out with that?”
Galen said, “I’ll see what I can do. Most likely, I’ll come up with something.”
Karen elbowed Galen gently. “I’ll make it happen.”
Galen was happy that the lack of edible fish on this planet was one of his biggest problems. For now, anyway.