Chapter 5

The rest of the afternoon passed quickly and quietly. Thad and I bunked in the cat, not from any concern over the strangers. But mainly because we wouldn’t have to pay for a room.

The following day, we were rejoined by our passengers, and once the headcount was correct, we headed back home. I didn’t mention it to Thad, but I kept a close eye on our scopes. I didn’t want any surprises.

Life on the homestead went on. Everybody went about their business. Some folks contributed time to the community. Others spent their time on their projects. It was quiet, calm, and ordered.

Once a month, we would have a community get-together. The cooks in the group would compete for bragging rights. The selections of cakes and pies at first were limited. Until one of the folks with a Caribbean ancestry got ahold of some sugar cane, he was able to become quite famous at Armstrong and further out for his rum and cane sugar. He became the prime sugar producer for the sector.

With a ready supply of sugar, the candy and pastry selection exploded.

Other items, such as canned and preserved foods, also showed up. The competition for the potluck winner of the month was fierce.

These get-togethers also became a social focus for our kids. That is until Doc Adams pointed out some scary facts about genetics. It became standard practice and a mandatory course for the kids to learn of the dangers of reinforced genes. We solved the problem by providing regular trips to Armstrong and encouraging matches made outside of the homestead. It became an unwritten rule to make a trip to Armstrong or even Mosley for your mate.

In between these adventures, life plodded along.

Until I was once again called by the duty officer in the surveillance shack.

It was early by station time, around 03:00, when I was woken from a sound sleep. “Mr. Sawyer, we’ve got a fast-approaching inbound, sir. I don’t think this guy is a friend.”

“Ok, Freddy, I’ll be there in 5 minutes.”

“Better hurry, sir. he’s coming in hot.”

When I arrived at the command pod, like me, others were coming. Fred Mays and our security chief Sybil Boyd were looking at the radar/lidar screens. When Sybil saw me, she said, “on my order, sir. I painted him with both. I’ve also tried to hail him. no answer.”

“Ok, folks, let’s go to a red alert. we’ve done this before.”

The alarms started sounding, and Fred began sending out the warning messages.

Within minutes more people started arriving and taking their positions.

Soon after, messages started coming in from other areas.

Sybil reported. “Sir, the non-combatants are being moved to shelters now. We have all gun crews accounted for and ready. All the airtight doors are secured, and we are purging the unused corridors and tunnels. They should be oxygen-free in 30 minutes. well, begin pressure checks at that time.”

“Very good security. commo any word from the inbound?”

Fred Mays spoke up. “Negative, sir. I haven’t sent another hail yet, sir. waiting for your order.”

“Hook me up, Mr. Mays. let’s see what our visitors want.”

“Hailing frequencies open, sir. your mike is hot.”

I paused for a moment to calm down and gather my thoughts. “Ship approaching Sawyer homestead this is station master Gideon Sawyer. please identify yourself.”

After a minute or two of silence, I started again. “Ship approaching Sawyer homestead. identify yourself.”

Again, there was no answer. “Sybil, let’s spin the weapons up. Start the targeting radars. let’s let him know we have teeth.” I looked over at her. She was pale, but there was a determined look to her face. “Aye, sir. Weapons hot targeting hot.” there was a distinct crack in her voice.

“Steady, Sybil, you’re doing great.” she looked grateful for the assurance.

I keyed up again. “Ship approaching Sawyer homestead. identify yourselves immediately, or I will be forced to consider you as hostile and commence defensive actions.”

Almost immediately, there was a reply. “Hold your fire, Sawyer. This is Federated Nations naval ship Thor. We are on a health and welfare safety inspection of asteroid belt stations. we are not hostile.”

Unimpressed, I replied, “for someone that isn’t hostile, you sure aren’t acting very polite. Coming in hot and heavy, not responding to hails. That’s a good way to get shot. That having been said, who the hell are you. I at least gave you the courtesy of naming myself. who the hell are you?”

“My apologies, sir. I am Captain Donald Anchor. commanding the federation ship Thor.”

“Ok, Anchor, besides scaring all of my people to death, what the hell do you want?”

“As I said earlier, sir. We will be conducting a health and welfare safety inspection of your station. Am I correct in assuming you have weaponry on board? projectile weaponry?”

“I don’t think that’s any of your business, Captain. Speaking of which, what gives you the authority to do any search of this station. We are not a member of the federation. and don’t recognize your authority.”

“Nevertheless, sir. We will be inspecting your station. And if we find any proscribed items, we will be confiscating them. Additionally, any individuals wanted by the federation will be taken into custody. I am prepared to carry out my orders by force if necessary.”

While this was going on, Fred Mays was trying to get my attention. I cut my mike, “yes, Fred, if it’ll help, what have you got?” Fred didn’t say anything. He just pointed at the radar screen. There, in all its glory, was another fast inbound. Good lord, my cup runneth over.

A new voice came on the air. “FN ship Thor heave to. This is the Mosley Confederation ship Freedom. You will cease operations against Sawyer homestead. You have no authority or jurisdiction here. you are in violation of the Mosley/Earth treaty.”

What followed was a 30-minute argument between the Captains of the two ships. When the Mosley ship Freedom began powering up her particle beam weapons, the FN ship Thor started backing off.

As the Thor was moving off, the Mosley ship called us. “Sawyer homestead, this is Captain Dean Ashburn commanding. It seems we’re just in time. I would like to come down and speak to you folks in person. is that possible?”

Martha had joined us and was standing to my left. “Gideon, Mosley is also looking for Hezekiah. He said there wasn’t any love lost when he disappeared. I don’t think they just want to talk.”

“Your probably right, honey. let see what happens.” I keyed up my mike, “Captain Ashburn, I thank you for your assistance. But as it stands right now, I’m not really in the mood for visitors. I’m sure you can understand that.”

“No, sir. I’m afraid that I must insist. This is a situation that requires an on-site meeting. We have information that you may be harboring a wanted individual. if necessary, I am prepared to force the issue.”

I turned to Sybil, “paint him, Sybil. let’s get his attention.”

“Aye, sir targeting the Mosley ship now.”

“Whoa, Sawyer, no need for that. I’m trying to keep this friendly.”

“Really? It’s friendly to tell me that you’ll use force to ground on my property? I’ll start shooting if I see any kind of landing procedures or a launch. In fact, why don’t you back off and join that other pirate ship? I’m feeling very threatened right now. and you know that us uneducated civilians are likely to act foolishly.”