Henry Gallant Saga 2: Lieutenant Henry Gallant (10 page)

“I don’t think there is anything more we can accomplish today. Let us digest your request and when we’ve had time to consult with our leading citizens, we can get together again for a more detailed negotiation,” said Wolfe.

Gallant watched the interplay and the intention to exclude Alaina and her grandfather.

Alaina started to rise in protest, but relented and sat down once more, resolved to the situation as if she had half expected it.

Wolfe stood and shook Gallant’s hand. He pulled Gallant close and winked. Under his breath, he said, “You and I can get together in a day or two to resolve details which are best conducted strictly between us.”

Gallant recognized Wolfe was not a dilettante in negotiations and so accepted the situation.

As the meeting broke up, Alaina turned to Gallant. “Please come and see me tomorrow. Perhaps Grandfather will spend time acquainting you with our history and culture.” She slipped a notepaper into his hand.

“I would welcome the opportunity. I’ve much to learn.” He looked forward to the possibility he might see her the following day.

She smiled at him then left. To Gallant’s surprise, he felt a sense of loss. She had made an undeniably deep impression on him. A glance at the note in his hand revealed her address and a map.

He said his goodbyes to the others and started to leave, with Junior escorting him out of the building. They walked to the outskirts of the town along a narrow dirt road, at the end of which a tiny rustic wood cottage stood on a hill with a panoramic view of the countryside. The rural cottage had few amenities and was sparsely furnished. A single bed occupied one corner and a table with two chairs another corner. Sheets and bedding were piled on the thin mattress, along with a single towel, presumably to be used with the water basin sitting on the table. A door led to the tiny bathroom, which contained a shower stall and toilet.

Junior said, “Make yourself comfortable for the night. In the morning, feel free to explore our town. It’s called Hallo.”

Gallant spent the night in the country style quarters with the few personal items he had brought with him from the Hummingbird. He suspected, he would be kept under observation by Wolfe’s police every minute he was in the colony, but he looked forward to exploring the town and seeing what the colonists had made of this world. As well as visiting with the charming Alaina Hepburn.

Gallant awoke from a fitful sleep, out of spirits and slightly ill-tempered, filled with disturbing visions of violence and strange people. Still feeling the aftereffects of his wounds, it took several minutes before he shook off a variety of aches and pains. Without rising from bed, he noticed the Elysium sunlight stream in through his bedroom window and across the room. Slowly, his scowl changed to a more neutral acceptance of the day, and he gradually dragged himself from bed to begin his morning ablutions.

The shower’s cold water helped revive his spirits, and he lingered under the faucet beyond his typical military allotment of thirty seconds. Once dressed, he felt invigorated and prepared to start on the day’s agenda. He planned to see Professor James Hepburn, the leader of the political opposition, to discuss Elysium politics and to possibly gain leverage over Wolfe. In addition, seeing Hepburn meant seeing Alaina, which was an attractive idea as well. Anticipation drove him forward.

“First things, first,” he said, looking into the mirror to straighten out his uniform. He put on his cap and set off to explore the town.

Surveying the surroundings from his vantage point on the knoll outside his front door, he spotted huge active volcanoes far to the north of the town. Several kilometers to the East lay an ocean shoreline. A vast green forest with a few sawmills and lumberyards lay to the South. Westward was predominately farms and grazing lands while a few industrial facilities dotted across lands from northwest to southwest.

He bound from his habitat and walked with a spring in his step along cobblestone-paved streets of the colony, enjoying the fresh fragrant air. The town itself was unfamiliar to his eyes, but filled with buildings and an ambiance which was reminiscent of his hometown, New Annapolis, on Mars. After so long surrounded by metal bulkheads, hatches, and virtual screens, he welcomed the doors, windows, shutters, and fences. He smiled a greeting to the narrow brick-paved streets and overhanging shade trees. He was surprised at how easily he fit in with this environment, but this did not trouble or distract his growing good humor.

Around him, the town’s populace moved past through the narrow, rustic pathways in the fashion of workers, off to begin their various daily tasks. The air of such a typical scene of quiet calm would have fit any early colonial town of Earth. A dozen or so people walked idly nearby, clearly intent on heading off to enjoy the nearby ocean shore, perhaps, for a fun sunny vacation day.

For a moment he considered stopping a passerby and engaging in a conversation. The townsfolk were obviously curious about him, since his UP uniform marked him as a member of the
Intrepid
crew, yet the citizenry had had no advanced warning of any crewmen traveling amongst them. For the most part they merely nodded and refrained from engaging him; however, after a while, several more venturesome individuals came up and greeted him with “Good day.” He smiled at such restraint; they must be bursting from curiosity and overflowing with questions.

He assumed he was being followed by the SSP and the inhabitants were aware of it, and so they we reluctant to approach him. Nevertheless, he didn’t let such matters concern him.

He let his nose lead him through the streets looking for breakfast. Soon he caught a whiff of what smelled like eggs and coffee, coming from a neighborhood café. He had no sooner walked into the café than a waiter approached and showed him to a free table.

The man grinned broadly and said, “Please sit. You’re our welcomed guest. Let me bring you a breakfast such as you have never had.”

The middle-aged man spoke with such joy, Gallant couldn’t refuse.

“I’m growing to love your various foods. Would you please select something appropriate for me?”

“I’d be delighted,” said the man and off he went.

Breakfast arrived quickly and looked ordinary enough. Eggs from a local fowl, meat from a small mammal, a warm leavened bread with a variety of jams, and a coffee equivalent that was surprisingly refreshing. Gallant ate the hearty meal and thanked his patron. Before leaving, he asked for directions to the address on the notepaper Alaina had given him.

It took only a ten minute walk to arrive at Hepburn’s home. Standing before its threshold, curiosity was upmost in his mind.

Gallant had noticed a lumber mill off to the edge of town, doing a brisk business reducing the nearby forest to planks and lumber supplies. The Hepburn’s house was obviously built with this local timber, and its construction was a remarkable simple two-story structure with windows and doors typical of the UP colonial style. All the houses along the road were similar wood structures. Despite the rustic appearance of the home, Gallant was surprised by its high level of technological sophistication, for when he reached the entrance, the door scanned him and opened automatically while announcing his presence to the residents.

A gray-haired gentleman extended his hand. “Lieutenant Gallant, I’m so glad to meet you. Please come in. Allow me to introduce myself. I’m James Hepburn. I was hoping you would come.” He was as tall as Gallant, with thinning gray hair and a fragile frame. He wore a simple short-sleeve blue shirt and white tropical pants, making him appear relaxed and comfortable.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you,” said Gallant, shaking hands. “Alaina told me about you and something of this colony, but I was hoping to hear more from you.”

Hepburn showed him into the living room, and they stood staring at one another for an awkward moment.

“But where are my manners? Please, sit down. These chairs may be old fashioned, but I find them comfortable. Have you eaten?” he asked. When Gallant nodded, he added, “Would you like coffee?”

“Yes, I would. Thank you.”

Hepburn scurried out of the room and quickly returned with an antique silver tray holding three cups of a steaming brew. “Our version of coffee is similar to Earth’s, in my opinion. I hope you like it.”

“I think it’s wonderful,” said Gallant brightly. “I’ve had to make do with synthetics, most of my life.”

Gallant sipped his coffee and they were still getting settled when Alaina entered the room. She was dressed in a simple blouse and shorts, but her wedged-heeled sandals accentuated her eye-catching legs.

Gallant rose.

“Did you have a good night?” she asked.

He smiled. “Yes, thank you.”

“Well, I’m glad you decided to come and see Grandfather. I wasn’t sure you’d show up, given your cozy relationship with Wolfe.”

“My relationship with President Wolfe is hardly cozy. I met the man yesterday. In fact, I doubt he looks favorably toward me or anyone from the
Intrepid.
I have the sense he would be happy to see our backsides as we leave.”

Something about the image which Gallant’s words conjured struck Alaina as funny, and she laughed out loud.

“I see my granddaughter finds you amusing, but now that I see you, I am puzzled by her earlier description.”

“Oh?” was all Gallant could think to say. Feeling somewhat lost, he turned to business. “I was hoping you could tell me about the political situation on Elysium.”

“Patience, patience. We have much to discuss and learn from each other. Eventually I hope we will reach an understanding,” he said. “You must realize you are the first visitor to our colony since its founding twenty years ago.”

Everything in the living room seemed normal and relaxed. The windows were open, and a slight breeze billowed and rippled through the curtains. Hepburn appeared at ease, but Gallant sensed an undercurrent of tension. He decided to bide his time and let events unfold at their own pace.

“Perhaps you’d like to try a glass of my wine. It’s a vintage from my own vineyard out back. I’m rather proud of it.”

“In that case I’d be delighted.”

Hepburn reached for a decanter, but Alaina had already picked it up and was pouring three glasses. “Thank you, my dear. She anticipates my every want and need,” he said smiling.

“To your health,” he said, raising his glass.

After the three clinked glasses to finalize the toast, Gallant took a sip. “Excellent,” he said.

“Thank you.”

“I understand you are a professor of cybernetics,” said Gallant.

“Yes. I was installing a new comprehensive AI control system for automating Ceres’s entire mining operations when the Titans captured us.”

“Have you been able to develop other AI systems?”

“Unfortunately we lack the infrastructure for serious chip manufacturing, but I’ve managed to make small contributions, here and there.”

“Do you have any other family members on Elysium?” asked Gallant.

“My dear wife died during our voyage. Alaina’s parents died a few years after we arrived. She’s been looking after me and the household ever since.”

“What about exploration of this planet? I assume there have been extensive efforts to study the species of plants and animals, as well as to map the terrain.”

“Council President Wolfe discourages exploration. He doesn’t like people to wander away from his immediate influence.”

“Isn’t that rather strange?”

“One might think so.”

“It’s a crime really,” chimed in Alaina.

“Oh, so you’d like to see more of the planet?”

“Of course. And I will.”

“My dear child, you know there are significant dangers, including predator animals. We already know about some, but there might be others lurking out there as well.”

“You could frighten me into staying close to home when I was a child, but I’m grown now, and I can take care of myself.”

Gallant had no doubt she could.

“Never mind,” said Alaina, frowning at her grandfather and changing the subject. “I’m anxious to learn about you. . . . Ah, . . . oh, . . . I mean . . .” she said, fumbling with her words. “I mean, we would like to learn about the current United Planets’ situation. And I imagine you’re interested to learn more about us. To start with, can you tell us how the UP is doing in this war with the Titans?”

Gallant gazed out the front window. “From what I learned from President Wolfe yesterday, the Titans abducted the UP Ceres colony fifty years ago. At the time, the UP assumed you disappeared along with a great deal of your equipment as a result of a natural disaster, such as an asteroid collision. It wasn’t until several years later the UP detected a Titan scout ship in the asteroid fields. Some people speculated that the Titans were responsible for your disappearance, but exactly what happened to you had remained a mystery. No one expected to find any of you, or your descendants alive, let alone eleven light years away.”

He paused and waited to see their reaction and then continued, “Open warfare with the Titans didn’t happen immediately. Some sniper action and exchanging fire between small groups of ships would happen from time to time, but no large-scale actions, until the Titans launched a huge fleet to invade Jupiter Station and the Jupiter moon colonies.”

Once more he paused and frowned, the memories were painful. “I was a fighter pilot on the Repulse at the time, over three years ago. We fought them to a standstill initially. Later we discovered the Jupiter invasion was only a gambit to lure away the Mars Fleet. A second Titan fleet was waiting, hiding at Ceres of all places, to sneak behind the UP forces and destroy our Mars cities. Fortunately, their plan was discovered and the Mars Fleet drove them off. Afterward there were a series of minor skirmishes.”

“I’m sure those must have been difficult experiences for you,” said Hepburn.

Gallant nodded, but did not elaborate on the pivotal role he had played. “We’re hoping the
Intrepid,
and FTL ships like it will tip the scales in our favor and eventually allow us to take the war to Titan home planets.”