Chapter Nine
0315 – Arkansas2 – Bureau of Science
151 – 2105
Chaos abounded. The heads of the Science Bureau had called a meeting of science and state but no one could locate the mayor.
"Grid's down to 13 percent. Even working 24 hour shifts, the best we can expect is 32 percent by week's end."
"24 hour shifts! We don't have the manpower to have 24 hour shifts and still handle all of the civilian search and rescue operations!"
"There isn't enough manpower to handle law enforcement either."
"There is now!" a voice boomed from the entryway into the conference room. The voice of authority immediately quelled the hubbub from the assembly, and all eyes turned to the Galaxy Ranger captain standing in the doorway.
"By the authority granted to me by the League of Planets, I am hereby declaring a state of emergency for Arkansas2. By this declaration, the Galaxy Rangers are hereby granted full authority to act on behalf of Arkansas2. In so doing, I am declaring a mandatory planetary evacuation."
A full minute passed in silence as the crowd took in the captain's words, and then an eruption of protests started.
"You can't do that!"
"Where's Mayor Landry? He wouldn't stand for that."
"What about you, Sheriff Bogsworth, you gonna let him get away with this?"
"Evacuation? Are you nuts! We don't have the resources…"
A laser blast struck the ceiling and silenced the group once more. Gooseman glared challengingly at the sheriff, and the local lawman lowered his hand from the gun that was still hanging at his hip.
"I can, and I am taking charge of Arkansas2! Now, the first item of business is to repair as much of the grid as possible. We're going to need the time we buy fixing the network to allow for an orderly and full planet evac. Secondly, we are going to reestablish the communications relay system. BETA Mountain had been making preparations for evacuation assistance, and we're going to let them know we need them. Thirdly, the Galaxy Rangers will be the ones overseeing the evacuation and law enforcement of Arkansas2 until further notice. I'm sure that Sheriff Bogsworth will be happy to comply and assist us in this matter. Now, I want all able-bodied grid and communication personnel to report to conference room 2D for assignment. The rest of you stay here with Ranger Gooseman."
Grudgingly, a few men and women headed for the conference room directed. Shortly thereafter, they were followed by a larger trickle of people leaving the main room empty with the exception of Captain Foxx, Ranger Gooseman, Sheriff Bogsworth, and three additional law enforcement deputies.
"Bit much with the weapon fire, don't you think?" Zachary asked Gooseman as he watched the last of technicians leave.
Gooseman shrugged his shoulders. "Worked, didn't it?"
Captain Foxx shook his head ruefully and asked as he headed out the door, "think you can handle the law enforcement assignments?"
"We'll manage just fine." Gooseman replied smiling with intent at the men still in the room.
After the captain's departure, Gooseman leaned his tall frame against the back wall and looked directly at the sheriff. "I see Deputy Reeves appears to be missing," he commented offhandedly.
At the mere mention of the man's name, Sheriff Bogsworth began to bristle angrily. "You mean, Ex-Deputy, Ranger. As of nine o'clock this morning, Daniel Reeves became a wanted man."
"You don't say." The lack of surprise in Gooseman's voice wasn't lost on the sheriff.
"You know something you ain't telling me?"
"Depends on what you know, Sheriff." Goose returned. "How about we do a little info trade in the interest of peacekeeping for this fair planet."
The sheriff looked at Gooseman long and hard before offering a slight nod of agreement. "About a month ago, a Reverend Lawrence came to me swearing that the mines were corrupt. Said he saw strange lights and noises coming from one of the mines that had been abandoned after it had been mined raw. I was skeptical, but put my chief deputy on to investigate. He never found anything. Shortly thereafter, the reverend came back and apologized for his claims. Said he was mistaken."
"The religious community tends to get a little cranky when science is involved, so I didn't pay much mind to it. Until almost exactly a week later, a science technician came into my office and asked to speak with me directly. Said he knew there was something fishy going on in the mines. Said I needed to keep an eye on my men too."
"Now, me and my men are a pretty tight group, and any insinuation that there was corruption in my office was not taken kindly. In fact, I was madder than a bronco with a hide full of bee stings. I told the man to get out of my sight and never come back."
"This man that came to see you, his name wouldn't happen to be Andrews would it?"
The sheriff stopped talking and looked at Gooseman carefully. "Why yes, I believe it was, Sherman Andrews. How did you know that?"
Rather than answering the sheriff, Goose just shrugged his shoulders and waited for the sheriff to continue. "Anyway, originally, I didn't think much more about Mr. Andrews. But then, the reverend showed up dead and right after that the quakes started. And, well, I started to get a little suspicious. 'Course bout that time you yahoos showed up. Uh, no offense, Ranger." Gooseman raised an eyebrow to the term "yahoo" but nodded for the sheriff to continue.
"Like I said, I don't mean no offense, but we locals believe in handling our own affairs. We don't like it when the governmental bigwigs butt in especially when we weren't the ones inviting them. You have to understand that many of us came out here to work and make a decent living. But, we ended up finding a permanent place to put down our roots. Those of us who started out brought everything we had. Many of us brought our entire families, those who didn't ended up making 'em right here on Arkansas2. This is not just a mining camp for Metallurgy Conglomerations, it is our home."
"If this is your home, then why not call BETA with your suspicions especially when all of the quakes started?"
"Thought we could take care of it ourselves. Did I mention that we're proud too?"
"All right, but why now. What's changed?"
"Two things." The sheriff replied. "One, I decided to investigate the allegations of corruption myself. Yesterday evening, I found a connection between the mayor's office, Deputy Reeves, and the Science Bureau dealing with the illegal use of some mines. And, I believe that these unauthorized activities may be causing the quakes shaking this whole planet to smithereens."
"And, the other reason?" prompted Gooseman.
The sheriff shoulders slumped and his face aged at Gooseman's question. "The other is Sarah Jamison. She is…was…"
"His daughter." Ranger Niko supplied gently from the doorway.
"Niko." Gooseman said in surprise and with some concern as he took in the additional scrapes and bruises mixed with streaks of grime decorating her face.
"I'm fine, Shane," Niko assured Gooseman verbally as she waved him off knowing her bedraggled appearance contradicted her statement. "Doc and I just had a little run in with a couple of walls at the infirmary." She walked up to him and glanced at the bloodstain on the lapel of his shirt. "Looks like you had the same kind of encounter."
"If you're going to get into an argument with falling rocks, it's a good idea to have a healing factor." Goose advised.
"That would have been nice," Niko muttered softly as she absentmindedly fingered a small knot behind her ear. "Where's the captain?"
"He officially declared a state of emergency for Arkansas2. He is currently meeting with the heads of science and communications to contain the situation and prepare for a full planetary evac. My turn, where's Doc?"
Niko smiled. "He decided to take it upon himself to get a relay going to BETA. He took Ranger Two into orbit and is trying to set up communications."
"Well, that takes care of your pressing matters," the sheriff stated. "So what about my corruption issue?"
Gooseman's eyes took a hard edge. "I think that problem worked itself out."
"How so?" the sheriff asked perplexed.
"Captain Foxx and I found an emergency escape elevator in the mayor's office during our surprise visit this morning after the fire." At mention of the fire, the sheriff's eyes moistened, but the lawman contained his emotions. "Seems that he got a phone call originating from the sheriff's office prior to our appointment. Enough time to eliminate all evidence of what was truly going on, but not enough time to clean it up."
"Anyway, we decided to follow-up and take the elevator down. It led to an abandoned mine with tunnels directly under the government offices. It also led to where Mayor Landry and Deputy Reeves were hiding out. We interrupted them. Reeves pulled a gun on the mayor and was demanding safe passage when the last quake hit. The tunnel collapsed. Zachary and I barely got out before the entire shaft caved in. The mayor and Reeves weren't so lucky."
"So, it's over?" Niko asked.
"Pretty much. All that is left now is to find the science technicians involved and of course deal with the dome instability and most likely the death of this colony."
"Sheriff, do you know what the unauthorized activity was in the mine?" Niko asked trying to fill in the last few pieces of the puzzle.
"Ma'am, I think I can answer that," came a quiet voice from the doorway that Niko had entered a few minutes ago. Everyone in the room turned to face Captain Foxx, and the man whom he was escorting and who had spoken, Mr. Sherman Andrews.
"I'm what you'd probably call middle management for Metallurgy Conglomerations." Andrews explained as he walked to the small gathering. "Several months ago, I noticed activity in one of the mines that had been closed off. After being ignored by the sheriff, I decided to look into it on my own."
"One evening in the mine, I saw Deputy Reeves and Mayor Landry speaking with some members of the Bureau of Science in one of the chambers of the mine in question. They were apparently arguing over a production line that included several costly and potentially dangerous materials. At the time, I couldn't tell what was being said. All I do know is the science technicians indicated that while the production line might be hazardous to the people working on it, it should not harm the settlement or the planet. Both the mayor and deputy agreed that the people working on this new line would be compensated with hazard pay and that they would be moving forward."
"Do you know what the production the line was?"
"At first, I thought they were going to mine the planet's core. But, as it turns out, the head of the Science Bureau, Beauregard Chambers, had discovered how to make starstones.
"Wait, did you say 'make starstones'?" Niko interrupted.
"Yes, ma'am."
"I'm not even sure if that is possible, but even if it is, as far as I know, there aren't any laws against making starstones," Captain Foxx stated.
"True," replied the sheriff. "To date, there is no law against making starstones. Though you'd have to be crazy to take the risk. But, no law would be broken unless you try to pawn simulated starstones off as the real thing. Which is what Landry and Reeves were planning to do. I found evidence of deals that had already been made with buyers, and credits that had already changed hands"
"But was Chambers successful?" Goose wanted to know.
"I'm not sure we'll ever know," answered Andrews. "Chambers was the first causality of the first planetary quake. From there, everything steamrolled out of control."
"To our current predicament," Zachary finished. "We're dealing with a jury-rigged grid system that is holding at thirteen percent, massive civilian casualties from the last quake, and a communications relay that is fried worse than pies at a Kirwin mating festival." Even without the imagery, the rangers could hear the frustration in the captain's voice.
"Well, I do have some good news for you." Niko supplied. "Doc is currently in Ranger Two trying to generate a relay to BETA. He thinks once he pulls outside of the black hole radiation, he can broadcast an emergency message."
"Now that is something!" Foxx smiled at the small victory. "Let's hope he has better luck than the rest of us have had. Now, it's time to get the word out to the public about the evacuation. A lot of people aren't going to want to go, so be prepared."
0725 – Arkansas2 – Main Communications Room
152 – 2105
"This is hopeless," Zachary moaned still tinkering with one of several electrical circuit boards in the satellite relay system littering the communication's floor. "Where's Doc when you need him?" At that moment, something started beeping. Zachary shot a look at Niko and Gooseman before he looked at his own wrist. Once again, Zachary's long quiet wrist communicator sounded.
"Captain Foxx," he announced to the wavering static filling the small video screen.
Do you read me?
It took all of Zachary's control not to jump for joy. "I read you loud and clear. What's the situation?"
Well, you're not going to believe this, but I'm on the Laredo.
"The Laredo?" Zach wasn't sure he heard correctly.
Yes, indeed! Even without video the rangers planet side could hear the smile in Doc's voice. And, they brought company too. The Hidalgo is here as well. We will be making dock in 2 hours to start the evacuation.
"Doc, how did you manage all of that so quickly?"
Wasn't me. You can thank our omniscient Commander Walsh for saving our bacon. There's a lot more too. Like for example, did you know that there are two black holes out here?
"What!"
Like I said, I've got a lot to tell you. See you in 2. Doc out.