Delphi Exploration (Delphi in Space Book 7) Read online

  Table of Contents

  Chapter 1 Opportunity

  Chapter 2 Cabinet Meeting – March 1st

  Chapter 3 Changes

  Chapter 4 Propositions

  Chapter 5 Mission Planning

  Chapter 6 To the Stars

  Chapter 7 Landfall

  Chapter 8 Cabinet Meeting April 5th

  Chapter 9 Tyger, Tyger

  Chapter 10 I Feel Old

  Chapter 11 Terraforming

  Chapter 12 Board Meeting – May 3rd

  Chapter 13 A Deal with the Devil

  Chapter 14 Guests?

  Chapter 15 Pass the SALT

  Chapter 16 Run Silent

  Chapter 17 Welcome, Please Stop by for Tea

  Chapter 18 Do We Want the Stars

  Chapter 19 Board Meeting – June 7th

  Chapter 20 Who Are All These People?

  Chapter 21 Get That Sub

  Chapter 22 A Home in the Stars

  Acknowledgments

  Afterword

  Delphi Publishing

  Copyright © 2020 Robert D. Blanton

  Cover by Momir Borocki

  [email protected]

  All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review. Printed in the United States of America First Printing, 2020.

  This is a work of fiction. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

  https://www.facebook.com/StarshipSakira/

  Chapter 1

  Opportunity?

  “Didn’t you feed those reporters before the briefing,” Marc said after the conference finished.

  Marc had just finished a press conference where he had announced the formation of the Delphi Federation, an alliance between Delphi, Ukraine, the Republic of Kuban, Moldova, and Georgia. They had formed it after Delphi Nation had forced Russia to withdraw its military from the region, tacitly accepting the formation of the Kuban Republic, which covered the area of Russia between the Caspian Sea and the Black Sea.

  “No, we chummed the waters,” Blake said. “We all know how much you like a challenge.”

  Marc threw his tie at Blake. “Thanks a lot.”

  “Hey, what are brothers for.”

  “You did good, Daddy,” Catie said. Catie, Marc’s daughter, was on the Sakira, the starship Marc and Blake had discovered off the coast of Hawaii back in 2018. Right now, she and a team were establishing a space station in the asteroid belt that would act as the base for their mining operations there. She was connected to the conference via video link.

  “Thanks, Sweetie,” Marc said. “Hopefully, we will be able to take a break now.”

  “Um,” Samantha interrupted, “we have twelve countries asking to join the new Federation.” Samantha was the Minister of Foreign Affairs for Delphi Nation.

  “Oh, brother,” Marc said. “Any more good news?”

  “Yes!” Catie squealed. “We’ve found two planets.”

  “I think that’s too much good news,” Blake said. Blake was the head of Delphi Nation’s military.

  “Yes it is,” Marc said. “Sam, I don’t think we want to add more countries to the Federation at this time. That was just a way to get the Russians to move on the Ukrainian situation, and we just told the world that we want to work through the U.N.”

  “I agree, but I don’t think we want to just turn them down,” Samantha said.

  “Why don’t we tell them that we want to see the U.N. step up and represent and protect each and every nation. But if they don’t, we’ll consider having them join the Federation or find a way to force the issue.”

  “I’ll work on a statement,” Samantha said, who, in addition to being the minister of foreign affairs was also Marc’s girlfriend. Delphi Nation is truly a family affair.

  “What about the planets!” Catie shouted. MacKenzie Discoveries, the company Marc had formed to harvest the technology from the Sakira, had launched probes to search for other habitable planets earlier that year.

  “Define what you mean by ‘we found two planets’,” Marc said.

  “They are both in the habitable zone of their star; both stars are within ten percent of Sol’s mass and brightness. The planets both mass approximately the same as Earth; one planet has a single moon; the other has one large moon and a smaller moon. There’s plenty of water and no sign of intelligent life. But we have to survey the actual planets to determine that for sure,” Catie said.

  “So, both are good candidates for the Paraxeans?” Marc asked. The Paraxeans were the aliens that had sent the starship to survey Earth. Marc had found it in a dormant state, and now controlled it and its technology. They had recently defeated a Paraxean colony fleet that was coming to colonize Earth after losing the ability to colonize a wild planet. Their move was in violation of Paraxean law, but that wasn’t any help to Earth when they arrived. After their defeat, Delphi Nation had assumed control of the Paraxean ships, so they now had control over even more of their technology.

  “Yes, one for the Paraxeans and one for us,” Catie said.

  “For us?” Blake asked.

  “Yes, we should start an Earth colony on the other planet,” Catie answered.

  “That might help to energize the countries on Earth to pull together,” Samantha said.

  “It might, but first, we have to determine if either or both are truly viable candidates,” Marc said.

  “To do that, we have to finish my scout ship,” Catie said.

  “Your scout ship,” Blake said, giving Catie a hard stare over the video link.

  “Well, I designed it,” Catie said.

  “But who built it?”

  “Okay, our scout ship.”

  “Catie, what’s the status of your mission?” Marc asked. Catie had been tapped to lead the mission to build a space station in the asteroid belt. Not necessarily because she was the most qualified, but she was qualified and a member of the inner circle of MacKenzie Discoveries. Marc was holding as many cards as he could close to his chest.

  “The station should be ready to start the build-out next week,” Catie said. “We should be able to spin the station up early next week. Then, after a month of construction, we should have enough of the habitat ring finished so people can move into it.”

  “Okay, that sounds like you’ve accomplished what we sent you there for. Plan on coming home next week so we can address how we want to deal with these new planets,” Marc said. “We’ll find someone to replace you.”

  “Great,” Catie said, pumping her fist.

  “Have you named the station yet?” Blake asked.

  “I didn’t realize I got to pick the name,” Catie said.

  “Do you have a suggestion?” Marc asked.

  “Gemini Station?”

  Marc nodded his head. “Works for me.”

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  “Blake, who do you recommend to replace Catie?” Marc asked. He and Blake were having a beer in Blake’s condo later that evening.

  “I was thinking of Commander Desjardins.”

  “How do you think Captain Clements, Commander Frankham, and Commander Fitzgerald will feel about your old XO getting the job?”

  “I’ve talked to all of them. Only Desjardins wants to work for MacKenzie Discoveries. The others want to stay on active duty with the Delphi Defense Force. I don’t think they like having to deal with civilians,” Blake said.

  “Then go ahead and set it up,” Marc said.

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  Catie watched with trepidation a
s Nolan and his crew aligned the ring of Gemini Station with its hub. It didn’t look as complex as threading a needle, but they were really big objects to be moving around. The spokes that would connect them and provide the lifts between them were floating close by, ready to be attached. In two days, the station would be ready to spin up, and Nolan would have earned his case of scotch and his crew the thirty percent bonus for getting the station spun up before the six-week deadline. Of course, Nolan had figured out how to give them a five-day jump on the schedule.

  “It was worth it,” Catie thought. She had been worried that the lure of a big bonus might compromise the quality, but she trusted Nolan’s pride in his work, and he hadn’t let her down. Everyone had worked hard and been diligent. There had not been any quality issues found in the numerous inspections that they had carried out.

  The Oryx that would be taking her back to Earth was due tomorrow, which meant that she wouldn’t be there to see the station spin up. “Oh, well,” Catie thought. “Like Daddy said, I accomplished what I came here to do.”

  “It’s looking good, Captain,” Morgan, her bodyguard, said as she walked up to stand beside Catie.

  “Yes it is,” Catie replied.

  “Sophia is waiting for her interview,” Morgan informed her. Sophia was a teenage friend of Catie’s. She was sixteen-years-old to Catie’s fifteen, but Delphi Nation being less than two-years-old created opportunities for everyone regardless of age. Sophia was the owner/publisher of the Delphi Gazette, Delphi City’s first, and still only, newspaper. Sophia was happy to use her friendship with Catie, the President’s daughter, to get the inside scoop.

  “Very well, I guess I’m ready.”

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  “Hello, Sophia.”

  “Hi, Captain,” Sophia said.

  “Catie,” Catie suggested.

  “Sure, Catie. So, you’re leaving tomorrow?”

  “Yes, did you decide if you’re coming with me?”

  “Yes I did, and no I’m not. I’m going to stay here until they actually move us into the station. Nolan says that will only be another four weeks,” Sophia said. “It’s kind of strange that they can build the whole thing in six or seven weeks, but then it takes six months to finish out the interior.”

  “Well, since we can extrude the shell for both the hub and the ring, those processes are mostly automated and go fast. The interior is a lot of labor and piece work. All those floors to install and doors and walls to build, then all the plumbing and wiring has to be put in.”

  Chaz Murillo, Sophia’s cameraman, and boyfriend, was quietly filming their discussion. Catie assumed that allowing Chaz to accompany Sophia on the mission was the main reason she hadn’t seen much of Sophia; they’d only spent a few evenings together in the entire two months that they had been on the Sakira.

  “Why aren’t you staying until after they at least spin the station up?” Sophia asked.

  “It wouldn’t be fair to Captain Desjardins,” Catie said. “It becomes his mission as soon as he gets here. I wouldn’t want the last captain hanging around after I took over.”

  Catie had actually argued with her uncle that she should be allowed to stay. But he’d told her what she’d just told Sophia. It was just bad luck that there had been a problem with the thrusters, which had delayed moving the ring into place. Blake had reminded Catie that there could be another problem when they were attaching the spokes, so how long did she think she should plan to hang around? And there were the other people scheduled to return on the Oryx with her, and they weren’t going to be interested in waiting until Catie could have her moment of glory.

  “I suppose so,” Sophia said. “What are you going to be doing when you get home?”

  “I’ll be working on some projects,” Catie said. “I’ll probably help out on the jetliner too.”

  “Has it flown yet?”

  “Yesterday,” Catie said. “Fred said that it had a pretty good test flight.”

  “So, you missed out on that, too.”

  Catie turned so Chaz wouldn’t have a view of her face. “Can’t win them all,” she said, then pouted.

  Sophia pointed to the specs she was wearing, reminding Catie that they were also filming the interview.

  “You’d better not.”

  “We’ll see,” Sophia said.

  “I’ll get even,” Catie threatened.

  “Still recording.”

  “Hey, I haven’t seen you around much,” Catie said. “What have you and Chaz been doing?” Catie knew that Sophia’s mother had been less than happy to allow Chaz to accompany Sophia on the mission, and she was hoping that bringing that up would give her some quick leverage over Sophia.

  “I’m writing a book,” Sophia said. “Chaz has been helping Nolan out. He says he’s learning a lot about construction and that it should help him with his engineering courses when he gets back to Delphi City.”

  “You’re writing a book! What’s it about?”

  “It’s a secret. So, how do you think your mission has gone?” Sophia asked, quickly changing the subject.

  “I think it’s gone pretty well,” Catie said. “We delivered critical material back to Delphi, which helped them win that spat with Russia about Ukraine. We’re slightly ahead of schedule. The station’s going to spin up in a couple of days. And nobody’s been hurt.”

  “Except for Morgan,” Sophia said with a snicker.

  “Sophia, I’m staying behind,” Morgan said in a low, threatening tone.

  “Oh, you mean you’re not going back with Catie?”

  “No, I’m here for the full six months. And I have friends back at Delphi City.”

  “Okay, I’ll edit that part out.” Sophia’s comment referred to the time that Morgan’s girlfriend had slugged her during a bar fight that Morgan was trying to break up. Morgan had pulled her away from the guy she was whaling on. She had turned around, looked at Morgan, and slugged her. Morgan had a black eye for a week, even after the doctor treated her. “There’s no way I can avoid Morgan for four weeks,” Sophia thought.

  “You’re pretty smart for a sixteen-year-old,” Morgan said.

  “Hey, I’m almost seventeen!”

  “Not so smart then.”

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  “Mr. Payne, please join me in my day cabin,” Catie said.

  “Yes, ma’am.”

  “Have a seat.”

  “Thank you, Captain,” Lieutenant Payne said.

  “This is my last day as captain,” Catie said. “I wanted to tell you how much I’ve appreciated all your efforts as my first mate.”

  “It has been an honor to serve you, Captain.”

  “I’m sure you’ve had your challenges dealing with such an inexperienced captain, but you’ve taught me a lot.”

  “And I’ve learned a lot from you.”

  “Thanks, Derek. I wanted to recognize your efforts. If you’re willing, I’d like to share some information with you. Only a very few people outside of the MacKenzie board of directors are aware of this information. If I tell you, you have to swear to keep the secret.”

  “Oh, so you’re going to tell me the truth about the Sakira,” Lieutenant Payne said. It had only taken him a couple of weeks to figure out that there was something unique about the Sakira compared to the Delphi-built space carrier he’d served on during the Paraxean war.

  “Maybe. Do you swear?”

  “Yes, I give you my solemn oath as an officer and a gentleman that I will not divulge what you tell me without your permission or the permission of someone from the MacKenzie board of directors,” Derek said.

  “Thank you. You are correct; the Sakira is much older than a few months. In fact, she is over five hundred years old.”

  Catie winced as Lieutenant Payne let out a shrill whistle. “That’s pretty old.”

  “I beg your pardon!” ADI interjected.

  “Mr. Payne, meet ADI, the Digital Intelligence we found with the Sakira,” Catie said.

  “Hi, ADI,” Li
eutenant Payne said. “Sorry if I insulted you.”

  ADI gave a light chuckle over the Comm.

  “I think she was just yanking your chain,” Catie said. “We’ve been working on humor.”

  “Oh, great. She seems different than the DI we had on the Enterprise. Does that mean she’s sentient?” Lieutenant Payne didn’t realize that ADI was the same DI as the one on the Enterprise, but she’d been careful to sound more like a simple computer back then.

  “Yes, I am!” ADI said.

  “She is, and she also listens in on most conversations unless they’re explicitly defined as private.”

  “How do you define a private conversation?”

  “I use the same definition that the U.S. courts use for a person’s expectation of privacy,” ADI explained.

  “Don’t worry, you’ll get used to her jumping into your conversations. But you have to hide it better. People are not supposed to know she’s so omnipresent.”

  “Okay, so what else are you going to share with me?”

  “The Sakira had over one hundred forty-five crew aboard her when my father found her. Including Dr. Metra.”

  “Dr. Metra is a Paraxean?!”

  “Yes. That’s why she always wears a headscarf, to hide her ears,” Catie said. The Paraxeans had larger ears than humans and could articulate them like a cat.

  “We used the ruse of capturing a Paraxean advance base on Ganymede as a way to explain all the Paraxean crew we brought out of stasis to help us in the war. But Dad brought Dr. Metra out before we founded Delphi City.”

  Lieutenant Payne let off another whistle. “That is a big secret!”

  “Yes, and now that you know, ADI will be able to help you if something happens. She has a lot of experience.”

  “Over five hundred years,” ADI added.

  Lieutenant Payne laughed. “How do you avoid tripping up when she interjects?”

  “She’s just having fun. She’ll be much more discreet when you’re in front of people who shouldn’t know about her.”

  “Okay. Anything else I should know?”

  “Not right now. Everything else is pretty much the way we’ve laid it out. The Paraxean colony ship was attacked and lost its cargo ship; their military leaders decided to come take over Earth since they couldn’t continue on to the original planet without the cargo ship,” Catie explained.