WCGW Chpt 40

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==Chapter 40 - What Could Go Wrong==
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24 August 3041
Toten (Former Outworld System)
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Soft metallic clicks sounded down the corridor as Leftenant Colonel Mitchell, clad in his Marine Combat Suit, was led to where Adam Pallas, CEO Alliance Industries Diversified, waited. Reaching a door, the man leading him opened it and showed him inside. Adam Pallas was seated behind a desk in what looked like a triple sized stateroom. "Mr. Mitchell, how good to see you again. Changed your wardrobe I see."
"I am slowly growing fond of it. Shall we get down to business." Leftenant Colonel Mitchell said
"Direct as always I see. I have taken the liberty of writing out the contract, please feel free to read over it." Adam Pallas replied handing over 2 slips of paper with neatly typed words.
Taking it, Leftenant Colonel Mitchell read over the contract, pausing as he reached the second page. "You added in something we did not agree on, Pallas."
"Oh, if you read further, I have upped the amount to 1.5 Million C-Bills per Mining Mech, in exchange, any further Mining Mech discoveries in this system are mine. I think that is a fair deal, don't you." Adam Pallas replied
"You found a couple somewhere. Mining Mechs only, everything per our previous agreement still belongs to us. If you agree, then everything else looks in order." Leftenant Colonel Mitchell said, he leaned forward slightly and signed his name on the contract before passing back across the desk where Adam Pallas signed his name.
"Shall we record our video for the record now, our meeting up to now has been recorded already, but now we will read the contract aloud for the recording." Adam Pallas replied
After each of them read their portion of the contract, each received a copy of the recording and also a copy of the written contract was copied so that each would have a copy. "I will have the 133 Million C-Bills in your account the moment I get to a HPG if that is fair. And to fulfill my end of the rest of the contract, my personnel are at your disposal." Adam Pallas said
"That is fair. Once I return to my Jumpship, I will have the coordinates beamed over so that your people can rendezvous with us. My Chief Engineer is in charge, completely." Leftenant Colonel Mitchell replied
"Of course, we are just extra people and machines. But I must confess to something." Adam Pallas said
"Oh, and what are you confessing to?" Leftenant Colonel Mitchell asked
"It was more than a couple. We found a total of 31 Mining Mechs on asteroids so far, probably more than that out there. I win, Mr Mitchell." Adam Pallas said
Leftenant Colonel Mitchell could only smile and nod his head, he could not argue the man's point. He had been bested again by him.
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27 August 3041
Toten (Former Outworld System)
Under the watchful eye of Chief Zuniga, a team of technicians from Alliance Industries attached the patch to the ships fuel tank. Two Mining Mechs from Station One stood nearby with huge slabs of armor waiting to cover the patch. All along the Titan Fighter Carrier Dropship, teams of space suited personnel worked in shifts hand digging the lunar soil from around the downed ship. Two more Mining Mechs pulled cables attached to a piece of armor shaped like an L pulling away the lunar soil as it was piled up. It was going to be a labor intensive task to get this ship ready. A shuttle from SaRI Express had delivered enough people to barely get the Titan back to the SaRI Express, one of the Intrusives pilots would fly her back and dock her, having flown Aerodyne Dropships before.
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28 August 3041
Toten (Former Outworld System)
After fueling the Titan Dropship with 100 tons of fuel from the Intrusive, triple checking for leaks, checking the power cables from Intrusive which fed power into the Titan, he said a small prayer and started the fusion reactors start up process. While everyone had been digging, personnel from Captain Gweneth Rolando's company had carefully removed the crews remains and placed them into metal coffins. Each of these coffins were buried in the lunar soil. SaRI Express' second shuttle had delivered the Tramp crew for burial also. It seemed the proper thing to do, each was given a proper military funeral as best as circumstances would allow.
For what seemed an eternity, Chief Zuniga watched the power readouts being displayed along with core temperatures. Finally, he got a green light showing that the reactor had returned to life. Saying another quick prayer, he began disconnecting the large power cables. The last thing he wanted was a runaway reactor if the magnetic containment failed. He saved the large power cable connected directly to the reactor for last, this one was also connected to Intrusive's reactor and had conducted plasma into the long dormant reactor. Chief Engineer Jones had loaned it to him, explaining that they used it to start new reactors after swapping out old ones. He slowly flipped up the metal cover and pushed the disconnect button which flashed green then went out. What the hell does that mean, he thought in a near panic. Several Hail Mary's were silently said as he slowly disconnected the power cable, expecting to be incinerated by plasma at any second. Opening his eyes, he realized that he was still alive and that everything had gone right. He wasted no time in heading back to Intrusive, he needed to puke.
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30 August 3041
Toten (Former Outworld System)
Without a way to introduce atmosphere to the Titan Dropship, the ferry crew would have to wear suits the entire trip back to SaRI Express. Each suit had a 48 hour supply of oxygen and every crewmember had an additional supply of 48 hours. Having spent the last 2 days studying the Titan's controls, Light Commodore Vance Brown felt confident he could pilot the Titan back to the Jumpship. His main focus was on the ships diagnostic display, which did show that the Titan had lost one of it's thrust angles which allowed for STOL take offs. Instead of four, he had three of them available, normally this would cancel any takeoff, but with only .2g gravity to work against he thought they could pull it off. But there was only one way to find out, he engaged the STOL thrust, and the Titan literally rocketed off the lunar surface where it had laid for over two centuries. So fast that it scared the crap out of him. Forgot to adjust the amount of thrust being directed, he thought after seeing that he had it set for 100% power, normal for a 1g gravity of resistance.
Slowly he transitioned to normal flight and began the three-day trip back to SaRI Express. He wrinkled his nose, it was going to be a long three days, he thought as he shifted uncomfortably in the pilots couch.
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