(A bit late to the game. I had my doctor's appointment today: good news is that all my labs are normal. I test well.)
Space Captain Rey Donald, of the Outer Guard, brought his ship, "Brute Force and Ignorance", to a halt, just 100 km from Salvation Station.
"All right, Rusty. That's close enough. Set up a channel with them and let's get down to business," he said.
"Aye, aye, Cap'n," his First Mate Rusty responded cheerfully.
Captain Donald looked at Salvation Station: a non rotating black cylinder over five hundred meters in length, Salvation Station was a recent addition to the moons of Saturn. Captain Donald had orders from Mars:
"They're up to something, Rey; and we need you to find out what," said the Admiral.
Rey sighed. "More Vandiver Probes?"
"No. Self replicating exploration 'bots we understand. This thing they are building out at Saturn has permanence. Earth does not do permanence. Not out here, past the asteroid belt. We need you to come back in and check it out," said the Admiral.
"They have not declared their intentions?" asked Rey.
The Admiral snorted.
"Of course they have. By Common Registry it's a fully operational battle station; three RC Dreadnoughts assigned; standard compliments of nukes; and quantum capable, although not quantum armed. Standard 'Jane's' bullshit, in other words. What we need to know is why Earth is mucking about in the outer system? What are they stitching out there? Why Saturn?"
Rey leaned back in his acceleration couch. Earth was local: the Moon, the moons and the inner system was Earth's bailiwick. Mars, the asteroids and the outer system belonged to the Players, humans of Rey's kind. While Vandiver Probes would sniff about, there was something incredibly odd about Earth establishing a permanent residency in the outer system.
"Ok, got it. I'm tracking; Rusty and I will head back in and check it out."
And a month later, Captain Rey and Rusty settled 100 km away from Salvation Station.
One hundred kilometers was considered a polite hailing distance, here in the outer solar system. The 'Brute Force and Ignorance' was a small 10KT Orion Pusher Plate class ship. With controlled nuclear detonations as her means of propulsion, 'Brute Force' was not capable in a quantum level war; but she could do serious damage conducting a randomized jihadi attack.
Thus the 100k limit.
"I've got the Station online, Cap'n," said Rusty.
"Salvation Station 001, this is the Outer Guard ship 'Brute Force and Ignorance', Captain Rey Donald commanding. Do you copy?"
"'Brute Force and Ignorance', this is Salvation Station. I copy. What is the purpose of your visit?"
"Trade." said Rey, easily. Here's where it gets tricky, he thought to himself.
"You have something I wish to know?" asked the Station.
"Martian Outer Guard ship dispositions, fleet plans..." the feed died immediately.
"Cap'n!" said Rusty, visibly agitated. "What are you doing!"
Rey sighed. He knew this would be difficult.
"Dickering, boy. Dickering with Earth."
"By giving away all the fleet secrets? Cap'n, if we ever go to war with Earth, then..."
Rey smiled. Kids these days, he thought.
"Rusty, if Mars, the Stroids and all the outer planets lined up against earth, the war would last precisely as long as it took Earth to fabricate some remote control dreadnoughts, send them out here and kick our collective backsides." said Rey.
"The Outer Guard would fight..." said Rusty.
"Sure we would. Valiantly. Bravely. With honor. And at the end of the day, it's not going to matter. Look, kid, run the numbers. Once you get outside Earth's gravity well, there's what, one, one point five million Player Humans. Now, look at Earth, the Moon and the Orbitals: something like two billion humans there. And that's not even counting the sentient and near sentient slaves..."
Rusty winced.
"Sorry, kid. I mean biobots. My point is that ninety-nine percent of the species is still down on that little blue ball. They largely ignore us, and we like it that way. Being unimportant has its benefits. But every once and awhile Earth sticks its toe in our pool: and that, Rusty, is what we in the Outer Guard really do. We keep tabs on Earth."
"So, you're not going to tell Salvation Station the truth about the fleet?"
"Goodness, boy. I'm going to tell salvation Station everything I know to the best of my knowledge. Got to wrap a lie in a lot of truth, boy, if you want someone to swallow it."
Rusty considered for a moment.
"I guess I got a lot to learn about interplanetary doings, Cap'n."
"We all do, Rusty. Now turn the feeds back on. I got a whole Earth station I need to play."
Rusty went to work on the communicator.
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