Starcorp 1: Escape from Sol

It took RG01 70 hours to gather itself together for the trip to Mars. Dozens of projects that were in the works had to be stored away or set adrift in preparation for the launch. At the end of this time five starships, seven factory starships, two agricultural starships, eight spaceships and one basestar began their push out of Saturn space. The first hour of the trip was spent accelerating into the trajectory that would bring them to their destination. Immediately after this, the passengers returned to the habitat rings to wait out the 2600-hour transit to Mars space.

A detailed explanation for this move was not given for the first 2,107 hours of this journey. The general population was simply told that the starcorp was relocating there and that they would be given further details later. This statement did not negate a torrent of speculation about this move. Nearly all of it was motivated by the restrictions on communication that they were traveling under. No transmissions were permitted to leave the confines of the ships. Lasers were used for ship to ship communication. To free up space on these laser links, communications between individuals in two separate ships was limited to text and video messaging. It was clear to everyone that their movement was being kept a secret, but only the people at the top knew from whom. This mystery created some agitation, but this faded out after the first two-hundred hours of their journey.

During the voyage, there was little to do that was constructive for the non-crew members of RG01. There was still some minor work that needed to be completed to the interior of the basestar, but the workforce needed for this was not large. Despite this work the basestar was operational. It traveled under its own power alongside the other RG01 space-crafts. Aboard the agricultural starship, the care for the crops, the protein cultures and the equipment that nurtured them was an ever ongoing process, but this too did not require a large workforce. For all other RG01 workers that were not active crew members, the journey across the solar system felt like a cruise ship vacation.

The holiday like atmosphere that RG01 members were experiencing was due to the starships Dominion, Oasis, Cambridge, Sonoma, and Amaterasu. Most long journeys that spacers endured were aboard spaceships. By comparison to a starship these were cramped little vessels. Starships were small cities. They were loaded with amenities that spaceships did not have the room to support. The clear majority of RG01’s inactive workforce spent most of their awake time enjoying the distractions to be found on the promenades of the starships.

For Wendy Beck, this journey back to the inner solar system had no great effect on her day to day existence. She was not a member of the inactive workforce. Her position aboard the Morelli Agricultural Starship made her participation there a daily event, minus days off. This was no inconvenience for her. She enjoyed her work and keeping an eye on her special projects never felt like a chore. This was true to the extent that it was not uncommon for her to look in on her job on her days off. Her attendance on the promenade was severely limited by this work ethic. In this she had no regrets. This was simply the way that it was. Despite this absence of change in her daily routine, there was one aspect of the RG01 downtime that did increase her pleasure. The opportunities it provided for her to be with her family was greatly enjoyed.

Meals in the Beck home became more of an event during this time. On this journey, Daniel had little to do. The work that was being done in the basestar was primarily the construction crew quarters and personnel spaces. His expertise in operating system of the basestar made him overqualified for this work. Still, he rotated in every ten days to supervise the work of others, but he had nothing to do that was hands on. When he was not at work, he made it his job to be present at all meals that Wendy attended.

Sawyer and Adam were less regular in their attendance at meals but were always present for dinners on Wendy’s days off. Sawyer’s spare time was spent with his friends. Between sports and the arcades, he had plenty of activities to keep him occupied. Adam spent the majority of his spare time inside Eric Pettorino’s Computer Science Laboratory. He and a few others were participants in one of Pettorino’s pet projects. Adam’s participation was far more in stressed assistant than worker.

Daphne’s presence at home surpassed her father. This was owed to Benjamin’s absence from the Amaterasu. His fighter pilot training kept him sequestered aboard the basestar and away from her. Between Benjamin’s training and the limitations on communications between spaceships, it was difficult for her to communicate with him. The time she would have set aside for him was available for other uses. Because of this when she was not at school she was at home. This was a choice that was made from sorrow. The amusements of the promenade had no appeal for her during this time.

Contrary to the norm, Wendy was the only member of the family at home when Joshua Sloan chose to break his silence and communicate the reason behind this move to Mars space. In a speech, which was broadcast throughout the convoy, Sloan identified himself as RG01’s overall Project Director and advised all that he answered to the BX01 Starcorp League and none other. He explained that the RG01 Board of Directors managed the civil life of the starcorp and how they had no jurisdiction over him or his project. He advised all that he was to be the Commanding Officer of the RG01 War Machine when it was completed. He explained that RG01 was joining up with the other starcorps to make final preparations for a launch towards the nearest neighboring star. In the first thirty minutes of the telecast, he explained how all of this came about and the new technology that made it feasible. At the end of this time, he told the RG01 members that he was given special powers to complete this task by the BX01 Starcorp League. He explained that they did this with the sanction of their respective Board of Directors. After giving this report, he paused to give weight to these words.

“Per my orders from the Starcorp League,” Sloan commenced again. “RG01 Basestar Orion will be separating from the group in exactly ten hours from now. Our course will be for Earth space. My orders are to entertain any hostile movements from Earth forces for whatever amount of time necessary to secure the Mars launch. The civilian space crafts and personnel in this convoy will continue on to Mars. On arrival, anyone that wishes not to be a part of this adventure will have the option of disembarking there. I know that this news is a shock to everyone and probably a big decision to make. Whatever you decide I wish you the best of luck.”

Sloan took a long pause to emphasize that he was moving on to a new subject and then he began to speak again.

“On top of being responsible for the construction of this weapon system, I have been tasked with the job of assembling and training the servicemen to operate it. I was counting on another year to complete both. Recent events on Earth has shortened this timetable.”

Once again Sloan paused, but this time it was to give emphasis to what he was about to say next.

“I need volunteers,” Sloan began in a solemn tone. “I need a minimum of two-hundred additional servicemen with appropriate skill sets to operate this war machine efficiently. To meet this number, offer packages will be sent electronically to all qualified RG01 personnel at the end of this transmission. You will have one hour to submit an application by return E-mail. Seniority will be given precedence. If I fail to get the numbers I need with volunteers, then I will exercise the special powers given to me and activate compulsory enlistment in reverse seniority order.”

Sloan paused here to give weight to what he was about to say.

“Anyone that ignores this call up will be expelled from the BX01 Starcorp Community and left behind on Mars.”

This final declaration produced a moment of astonished silence among all that heard it. It was the belief of the RG01 members that conscription went against the founding principle of the Starcorps. The state was an integral part of the market system. The government was subject to market forces wherever possible. A forced enlistment was the last thing that all had expected to hear. Despite this thinking, all suspected that Sloan was capable of doing what he said.

This suspicion was supported by Sloan’s declaration that all the Starcorps were signatories to a statute that gave him this power. The Board of Directors was capable of expelling anyone when given just cause, and just cause was defined by the laws that they made. The populace was dependent upon their influence over the Directors as voters and shareholders to protect them from unpopular laws. No one expected any Starcorp to produce a law that would discourage new members, chase away the ones that they had and downgrade the value of their stock. This action would put that starcorp at a competitive disadvantage with the others. However, if all the starcorps signed on to this statute then there was no disadvantage and Sloan could do as he said.

Wendy’s astonishment exceeded most others that heard Sloan’s speech. For her it was proof that a war was coming and her family was about to be caught in the middle of it. For several minutes, she panicked over this in silence, and then her thoughts turned to a new possibility. What if Daniel was called up to serve? By comparison to the other members of RG01, he was in the bottom two percent in seniority. His intricate knowledge of the basestar’s systems would likely make him an ideal choice. Wendy’s fears doubled with this realization. One minute later she sent off a text to her husband. In it was a request for confirmation that he would not volunteer.

Over the next hour, Wendy’s fears played havoc with her nerves. She knew if Daniel knew he was not going, he would have notified her of this at his earliest convenience. She understood that a return message might take several minutes to arrive because of his location aboard the basestar, but one hour was far too excessive. Ship to ship text communication was not that slow.

“Daphne,” Wendy blurted out as her daughter stepped through the front entrance. “You’re home. I suppose you heard like everyone else.”

Wendy began rising off the couch even as she spoke. She noted Daphne’s dazed expression. Her eyes looked to be studying the air around her.

“It’s going to be okay, Honey,” Wendy spoke as she moved towards her daughter. “We’ll be fine.”

“I’m leaving, Mom,” Daphne declared with a discernible absence of conviction.

“What do you mean? What does that mean?” Wendy challenged with a perplexed expression.

“Benjamin is going to be on that basestar when it leaves. And I’m going to be on it too.”

Daphne’s reply added to Wendy’s confusion rather than dispel it. She did not think it possible for an offer package to be extended to her nineteen-year-old dependent daughter. This is why she did not entertain it as a thought until this moment.

“Did you get an offer package?” Wendy questioned with a hint of terror in her voice.

“I volunteered,” Daphne returned in a flat voice.

After a moment of silence between them, Daphne turned away and set off for her room. An instant later Wendy followed behind with a shocked expression.

“You can’t volunteer,” Wendy insisted as she followed her daughter into her room. “You’re not even in the workforce. They haven’t sent you an offer package.”

“Yes I can,” Daphne countered while searching through her closet for clothing she would need to take with her.

“They won’t take you,” Wendy argued. “You’re a dependent.”

“I won’t be after I’m accepted,” Daphne corrected.

Wendy was momentarily confused by this reply. She took a moment to toss off this sensation before speaking again.

“What does that mean?”

“It means that I had to agree to drop my dependent status before they would take my application.”

Wendy was stunned into silence by this report. She could do nothing but watch as Daphne continued to sort through her clothing for items she believed she would need.

“I’m sorry, Mom, but I have to do this,” Daphne stopped to explain mournfully. “I’m not a child anymore. I can’t just leave Benjamin. Wherever he is, that’s where I want to be.”

Wendy took a moment to note the sincerity in her daughter’s tone before speaking the thought that was foremost on her mind.

“Are you sure they’re going to accept you? Did they tell you anything?”

“They’re insisting on a minimum number,” Daphne explained with a plaintive stare. “But they will take more if they can get them. I’m going, Mom. I’m just waiting for them to get back to me.”

Wendy could think of nothing more to say after this. Her daughter was determined to join the RG01 Space Force. She watched in silence for another five minutes as her daughter picked through her belongings. She held on for every second she had to be with her as though it was her last. At the end of this time, Daphne’s com-link bracelet began to chime. Wendy gasped at the sound of it. With her breath held she waited for the news that she expected to come through this communication.

Daphne took a second to look at the Caller ID on her com-link bracelet. The display message indicated that it was a video call. Daphne activated the phone with a voice command. After this, she touched the bracelet to the monitor that was built into the wall. The large rectangular screen flickered on. The visage of a man nearly filled the width of the screen from top to bottom. The name displayed on the bottom right of the screen was Sergeant T.F. Gleeson.

“Ms. Beck, I am calling to notify you that your application has been denied,” Sergeant Gleeson reported with indifference.

Wendy sighed out a breath of relief after hearing this. Daphne went into wide-eyed shock as she shouted out the question that popped into her mind.

“Why?”

Sergeant Gleeson was unfazed by this outburst and responded to her inquiry with continued detachment.

“We can accept only one volunteer from a family group. A member of your family has already signed on to the Space Force.”

At the hearing of this Wendy blurted out her fear an instant before clasping her hands about her mouth.

“Daniel!”

Daphne took a moment to cogitate Sgt. Gleeson’s report, and her mother’s response, before responding.

“But I dropped my dependent status,” Daphne insisted with a startled expression.

“Your status would have been changed if we had accepted you,” Sgt. Gleeson began to explain with his usual dispassion. “But your application is denied. Your status remains unchanged.”

“So, change it,” Daphne insisted with more than a hint of hysterics. “You have my permission.”

“That’s not my department,” Sgt. Gleeson countered with a soft shake of his head.

“So, I’ll change it,” Daphne argued back. “Just give me a few minutes to make a call.”

“That won’t work,” Sgt. Gleeson advised with his customary neutrality. “Your independent status would have had to have been in effect before the start of this recruitment drive. Your application will not be accepted at this time. Good day.”

Behind that curt response the monitor switched off. Daphne was stunned by the report that her application was denied and that there was nothing that she could do about it. Wendy was stunned about the reason that her application was denied. Mother and daughter used this silence to assimilate what had just transpired. A few seconds later Wendy activated her com-link with the voice command, “wand, call Daniel.” Five seconds later the message “Daniel’s Voicemail Box” appeared on her bracelet.

“Daniel, you can’t do this,” Wendy pleaded into her com-link. “You hear me? You can’t do this.”

With her next voice command, Wendy disconnected the call. She then gave her daughter a look and noted that she was dealing with her own distress in silence. Wendy thought to say that she was sorry she could not go. But this was not true, and she could not bring herself to say otherwise. It took her three seconds of thought to come to this conclusion, and then she left for the family room to wait for Daniel’s reply.

Wendy had been sitting on the living-room sofa in silence for nearly thirty minutes. She kept her arms crossed in front of her, and her eyes stared out into the space between her and the far wall. She fidgeted away the time with small movements with her feet and hands. As the wait extended her anxiety heightened. She knew that Daniel had to be in possession of all three of her messages. What she did not know was why he had not sent a response. She was beginning to believe that he was never going to transmit his reply when something else happened that she did not expect.

Daniel was not due to be back at home for another three hours from this moment. The sight of him rushing through the front doorway of their home took Wendy by surprise. She watched as he stopped in the middle of the living-room before jumping up to her feet and stepping over to him.

“Why didn’t you answer my messages?” Wendy demanded as she moved towards him. “I’ve been worried out of my mind.”

Daniel was too busy with his own inquiry, at that same instant, to note what his wife was saying.

“Where’s Adam?” Daniel exclaimed with a look near to desperation.

Daniel’s counter inquiry took Wendy unawares. She hesitated for a moment to sort through her surprise and then she responded to the question.

“He’s not here. Why?”

“I need to speak with him,” Daniel, grimly, declared and without hesitation.

Wendy was made all the more confused by this answer. She did not know what this had to do with anything. Shortly, this distraction from her worry began to annoy her, and she forced her attention back to subject that she wanted to discuss.

“You’re not leaving us. You’re not getting on that basestar.”

Daniel, quickly, recognized Wendy’s worry and responded to it with equivalent speed.

“I’m not going. I’m not going,” Daniel insisted in rapid succession.

Wendy was startled by this reply and paused to stare at her husband in wide-eyed amazement.

“You turned it down?” Wendy questioned with a ruffled brow.

“I never got an offer,” Daniel declared with a shake of his head.

Wendy was astonished to hear this. She stepped back to consider this with a look of shock. Daphne had entered the room a few seconds earlier. She too took this report with an expression of disbelief.

“You’re not going?” Daphne questioned with an inflection of incredulity.

“No,” Daniel reassured with a slight shake of his head.

Wendy awoke from her astonishment at that moment and rifled off the questions that Daniel’s report produced.

“Why didn’t you call? Why didn’t you respond to my messages?”

“I busy making my own calls, and running around searching for answers,” Daniel returned with a perplexed shake of his head.

“Busy with what?” Wendy challenged back.

Over the next five minutes, Daniel explained the whole series of events that brought him to this moment. He told his wife and daughter how surprised he was to learn that he was not going to get an offer. He told them he was busy trying to learn why others with lower seniority were given offers and not him. He told them about his discovery that another member of his family had been recruited into the Space Force and how this exempted him from service. He explained how he was out of the communication network for three-quarters of an hour during his flights to the Greyson Star-Factory and again to the Dominion Starship. And he explained his desperate search to find his youngest son.

“Adam? You think they recruited Adam?” Wendy cried out with a look of alarm.

“Who else,” Daniel retorted with finality. “He’s been working elbow to elbow with Eric Pettorino, the Director of Human Systems.”

Both Wendy and Daphne were stunned by the thought of this.

“He’s just fifteen,” Daphne insisted. “They can’t do that, can they?”

“The one thing that I have learned over the past three hours is that they can do anything they want,” Daniel corrected with emphasis.

Wendy awakened from the shock of this and woefully asked the question that was foremost in her thoughts.

“Where’s Adam?”

“I don’t know,” Daniel confessed. “I was hoping that he was here.”

“We have to find him,” Wendy declared with near frenzied trepidation. “They can’t take Adam. They can’t take my son.”

Daniel reached out to calm his wife. Just as he was about to speak the apartment door opened behind him and the room froze at the sight of the person standing there.

“What’s going on?” Adam questioned as he stepped through the doorway.

“Adam!” Daniel, loudly, acknowledged as he turned about to confront his son.

Wendy and Daphne followed Daniel’s lead and converged about the youngest member of the family.

“Did they recruit you?” Daniel questioned at a lesser volume.

“Me?” Adam questioned back with a start. “No, why would they send an offer to me?”

This answer momentarily confused all, and then Wendy asked the question that popped into her head.

“Where’s Sawyer?”