Chapter 3: Fixin’ To Part 2

It was a little past the afternoon of the following day. Darin stood in a small room inside the Rampage’s spinning ring. It appeared to be a small armory of some sort. Various old guns from ancient Earth’s past hung on the walls, along with safes, combat suits, vests, and other forms of combat equipment. Even the smell of gun oil and greased wood perforated the air.

Darin, dressed in his typical cowboy attire, stood by a small display unit. He was engaged in a live conversation with a man who was dressed in a suit and tie. The live feed itself was lightly distorted, occasionally hinting at disruptions or briefly fading in and out while the conversation was ongoing.

The unknown figure whom Darin spoke to had a large gray beard, a pale complexion, and was somewhat obese. He appeared to be an older fellow, a gentleman of great importance, or possibly even a politician. There appeared to be an Earth flag behind this individual, from where the man sat behind a vast wooden desk.

“Senator Faulknor,” Darin said in his thick Texan accent, pressing his hands to his hips. “There you are, you old pod.”

“Christopher Darin,” Faulknor replied with a gravely thick voice. “I always know it’s you the moment I see you in that old get-out of yours, sounding nothing like your father.”

Darin gave a nod to him. “Comes with the trade, Faulks. You wanted to speak with me?”

“I need to hear your report on what’s happening out there. Looks like the video reception is a little egregious.”

“Yep ... The Rampage is in an area known as the Hesik Expanse, a nearly forgotten region of the T’rintar and Shal’rein clans. We’ve jumped into orbit over a planet called Denji’Kei, a small colony at the edge between both clans. We’re using one of their two comm satellites to call back to you. I reckon they’re probably older than Texas itself. That’s not even addin to the fact that the dust in this region interferes with the equipment.”

“I see. Care to explain what you’re doing there?”

“I can only go into too much detail about it, Faulks. Knowing the T’rintar, I don’t want them snoopin into our business too much.”

“I can promise you that the feeds are completely secure from my end. Even if they were able to tap into our communications, they wouldn’t be hearing what I have to say. Maybe your end, but not mine.”

“Alright...,” Darin remarked, seeing that he was more at liberty to describe everything. “We’re currently looking for targets of opportunity in this region. Even with a rust belt and boondocks, such as this, the Itreans have little in the area. Even the Rampage can show her old teeth here.”

“Sounds like a...,” the picture briefly went into static. “ ... Nothing like Renlar...”

“I agree, Senator. We’re doing what we can here. After attacking Renlar, I prefer that we go into a refined scale with our attacks, spend time, evaluate everything carefully, and not barkin at a knot in areas that the Rampage can never win. Eventually, we go all in, leave everything in the breeze, as we attack and do as much damage as possible.”

“Any luck so far with your hunting?”

Darin shook his head. “My leads are runnin dry ... But I might have a target here in the Hesik Expanse. I won’t go into much detail until I have more information and the means to attack it. Even with the Rampage, the Itreans may have too much here for her to handle.”

Faulknor grumbled a little bit before he nodded his head. “Well, I do have some good news for you, Darin ... as much as I wish to withhold it.”

Darin’s eyes narrowed some. “What’s the news?”

“You probably already know that the Russians had the rest of the Theseus’s modules shipped to Waterville, DC, a couple of months ago. She’s been fully completed and launched successfully as of yesterday.”

The cowboy smiled. “That’s music to my ears, Faulks. I already spoke to Captain Ruslan and knew the Theseus was on its way to joining up with the Blue Buccaneers. Seems like everything is running on schedule ... But I can see the hesitation in you wanting to tell me that. Care to enlighten me?”

Faulknor sighed. “Darin ... there’s been ... discussion about pulling the Rampage back to Earth. These... ‘privateer’ missions of yours will have to stop soon.”

Darin looked away for a moment before he gave a hard look at Faulknor. “Who’s been talking about it? Who’s getting yellow-bellied? Let me guess ... it’s President Bryson, ain’t it?”

“Actually ... it’s me and a couple of others in Waterville’s congressional meetings that are discussing it ... not including some of Bryson’s followers...”

Darin gave a disappointed look at the politician. “You...? Bryson and his line of compadres, I’d understand, but you ... out of all the people, you were one of them who helped sponsor Project Frankenstein the most. You already know what me and the Blue Buccaneers are here to do.”

“I assure you that I’m not following President Bryson at all. I’d never betray you or your father. Listen...,” The man leaned back on his chair and rested his hands on his stomach. “There’s more than one reason to have you here over Earth instead of out there. Bryson wants you here because he’s following the T’rintar’s wishes.”

“ ... You mean that they just want us to sit at home ... be little good boys to the T’rintar clan?”

“Then there’s the other reason ... Darin, you’re no good out there. Our resources are finite. We’re still recovering ever since Earth was almost abandoned hundreds of years ago. BREECA’s promising to help you as much as they can. The ICDA is promising the Teh Sheng in a few more months. We got cruisers coming out by the end of the year. We’re doing everything we can to get Earth’s Defense Force in fighting condition again.”

“And what good am I sittin at home? The more and more you argue, the more you sound like Bryson.”

“That’s where you’re wrong, Darin ... There’s a difference between me and him. Most on both sides agree that we need an Earth Defense Force. Bryson would argue it for bolstering Earth’s defenses against the Aksren and the Shal’rein, but I see it as a valuable step. The UWA had no right handing us over to the T’rintar clan. If it were me, I’d order every Waterville soldier to prepare for war ... join up with BREECA and every dome on Earth and keep the damn lizards from setting foot on this planet. The only reason most of us said nothing was that we had almost nothing to fight back. Bryson, the traitor and laughing stock of Earth’s resistance...,” There was a brief moment of static. “He bent over to the T’rintar clan the moment they landed next to Waterville, DC. But, ... each day, Bryson makes more of an ass of himself ... he weakens himself to the opposition party for the next election cycle.”

“Then why send me back to the barn?”

“Because right now, we need the EDF here ... just in case we need the Rampage and the Theseus to push the Itreans off this world for good.”

Darin could immediately see why Faulknor wanted the Rampage and the new EDF ships to be built and launched as soon as possible. The very thought that Earth might end up at war with the T’rintar clan seemed insane ... even outright ludicrous, but even Darin felt some animosity towards both sides of the argument. Faulknor wasn’t the only one who felt this way. Darin had to choose his words wisely...

“Hmmm...,” Darin explained. “You’re forgetting the very reason I’m out here to begin with, Faulks. I didn’t just put my company on the line to build a warship for nothing. We’re still a part of the UHN, whether they choose to abandon us or not. Not just for mankind, but for Earth, the United States, for everybody back at home. I’ve seen enough that the Itreans carry some serious firepower. Even if we’re almost the same in fightin capability, but there’s less of us than them.”

“I know ... they can invade and conquer us without even firing a shot.”

“And the T’rintar know this, too. The T’rintar ... Yutilians, whatever you want to call them, survived for a million years. They can live a lot longer than us, too. Frankly, the T’rintar don’t have to do much at all. Even now, they can take us apart piece by piece, acre by acre, as we’re trapped in our own dome cities. By the time they clean up our environment, they’ll have complete claim over the frontiers that were originally ours, selling every piece of scrap to the highest bidders.”

“And then you took an Itrean as a wife too...” Faulknor reminded him, almost scolding him.

“That’s my business and mine to keep. Unlike our dear President, who decides to record himself in this... ‘porn propaganda’ of theirs getting sodomized by his own wife and thinks nobody would notice it back at home. We very much know that our collective sphincters are not theirs to take nor anything else of that matter.”

“I still can’t believe he did that ... gives them everything they want, ... a scandal that’ll promise his defeat in the next election ... assuming the Itreans don’t shut down the next set of elections...”

“That’s where we come in,” Darin continued. “Even if I fought the T’rintar clan at home, I doubt we’d gain much. No doubt the Blue Buccaneers would be ready for it. But the Itreans see us as breeding cattle or a nuisance, Faulks. They can pretend all they want, but to them, that’s all we’re good for.”

“But, in the end, you’re only helping them in this ‘Forever War’ of theirs. You take out a satellite here ... a small base there ... harass them ... Meanwhile, one wrong move and we lose a valuable asset.”

“And that’s what they think too ... all of them. These Yutilians know they can outlive us. They hadn’t survived by just tussling with their neighbors. They find other ways ... we underestimate them, just as the other Itrean clans see them. They’re cohesive as much as they’re opportunists ... they’ll find ways to dismantle us piece by piece. Waterville DC, the WEU, it’s the beginning of it. They just lie down and let it happen...”

“Not unless we can stop it.”

“ ... When I launched the Rampage and created the Blue Buccaneers, it wasn’t our goal to sit at home and do nothin. I reckon that’s what the T’rintar think. It’s what they would want, but instead, I choose to fight. Every little victory, the T’rintar notices. Whether it’s one ship or a thousand, we fight our way, Faulks. If they’re getting feisty with me being out here, then let them. They can’t control us as we finish this war for them. Eventually, some of those politicians of theirs realize that the people on Earth aren’t just cattle. Instead, we mean something to them ... really something that has a voice. That voice gets louder. Eventually, it gets so loud that Earth will be able to represent itself. Every political argument suddenly has meaning and sways the T’rintar to give us the ability to destine ourselves.”

Faulknor lifted his hands up briefly as static momentarily filled the screen. “Powerful statement as always, Darin. No one is here to argue against you on that. But I’m going to state what the general rebuttal is. The resources to keep the Rampage and every future EDF ship are finite. The more we build, the more the upkeep. The more taxpayer dollars spent, the more the people on Earth begin to notice. Even now, Bryson would use that very argument to ensure that any of Waterville’s funding is pulled from you, just as the T’rintar are telling him over and over again. I know you spent a lot of money to get the Rampage built and launched, but I know that even you can’t keep her running forever, not before you bankrupt your father’s business in the process. A few tiny victories here and there aren’t going to do anything. You’re simply overwhelmed, Darin. No matter how much determination you have, you’ll run out of supplies in no time...”

“Then you’ll get a good victory, one that will convince you and every sponsor a nice kick in the britches on why your finances aren’t being tossed away.”

“Unfortunately, we can only believe it when we see it. Our memories are short, Darin. The muck does that to you. Your achievements can be forgotten in no time.” Faulknor leaned forward onto his desk and clasped his hands together. “Look, ... just promise me that you do something in that region you’re in. Destroy a Shal’rein freighter, harass their shipping, anything ... give something for us so we can counter Bryson and his supporters.”