he adventures of the Star Traveler Andromeda that started in Among the Stars, Beyond the Farthest Planet, and So Far From Home, continues in the final chapter The Voyage Home.
Kacey flew back to Andromeda with the aliens seated on the fold down beds. They flew over the perimeter and landed close to the big ship and after landing, escorted Ti and Caton into the Hanger to Kacey's office. Kacey pulled up the map of the the planetoid they were on and pointed to an area.
"This is where you were. There is not a whole lot of water around there" She brought up another view. "This is where we are right now. On this side there are several large bodies of fresh water. More than enough to sustain the large group of people you have." She pointed to the lake that was farthest away. "This one, however is the watering hole for different species of animals. We have seen very large cats and some horse like animals."
"Are their animals under the water?" Ti asked.
"Our sensors picked up many types of fish. Nothing overly large or dangerous. Although we did not take any reading in the deepest parts." Kacey admitted.
"We have no way of seeing what is in the deepest part of the lakes." Kate stated.
"Actually Kate, we umm... we never tried." Kacey acknowledged.
"What are you talking about?" Kate demanded.
"We have several divers on board. We never sent them into the water to check things out. But if you do not want to send any divers in, three of the shuttles can go under water."
"Which shuttles?"
"Three, four and, ahh, and mine have that capability. Or we could drop sensor cameras in the deep water."
"I would rather not send divers or shuttles in the water. How long would it take to get the cameras ready?"
"Twenty minutes tops."
"Do it." Kate ordered.
Ti and Caton listened to their conversation, their heads going back and forth between the two of them. "What do these sensor cameras do?" Ti asked.
"They take pictures and map out what is under the water. We can watch from any computer or our large view screen. Let me get my people going on this." Kacey said as she pushed her communicator. "Mike I need you Jere and Dan to report to my office immediately."
"We are on our way." Mike responded. Seconds later the door chime rang.
"Come in." Kacey called out. The men walked in. "Mike how many sensor cameras do we have?"
"We have two dozen"
"Break out a dozen and divide them up between shuttles three, four and five. What I need you to do is turn them on and drop two into the middle of each lake on this side. Have them transmit the pictures to this computer."
"Give us ten minutes and we will be ready to go." Mike stated.
"Thank you. I know I am asking you to give up part of your shore leave."
"That is not a problem Colonel." Mike stated as they left the office.
"Ti, Caton, please have a seat while we wait. Can I get you something to eat or drink?" Kacey asked as she headed for the replicator. "Three black coffees and one tea hot."
They watched as the cups materialized. "What is that machine that gives you what you ask for?" Ti asked.
"These are replicators. They can give you anything you ask for as long as it is in the inventory." Kacey stated as she handed out the beverages. She pulled a jar of honey from the cabinet under the replicator.
"What is this coffee it gave you?" Caton asked.
"It is a beverage both Kate and I are addicted to. If you have never had coffee, I would suggest you add cream and sugar. Black the way we drink it is an acquired taste."
"We will try this coffee." Ti stated.
"Two coffees with cream and sugar." Kacey grabbed the cups and handed one Ti and Caton. "It is hot." They both took sips and smiled at the taste.
"This is very good." Caton stated.
"First Councilor you said you came through the Kuiper Belt. What you called the ice field. What direction did you come from?" Kate asked.
Ti put the cup down on the desk and walked to the large picture of the galaxy that hung on the wall and pointed to the area. Kacey looked at the area.
"This is the area we ran into that band that attacked us. Ti the ones that attacked you and forced you from your home, what did their ships look like?"
"Their ships were not like anything we had ever seen before. I am not sure of the word to call them. We thought they were just large rocks until they attacked."
Kacey pulled up the video of the rocks. "Did they look like these?"
"Yes, those are the same. We did not expect to be attacked. How can the rocks attack and force us from our home."
"The war ships were hidden inside the rocks."
"Yes, yes those are the same. We were not prepared and many, many Vidag were killed. We had many ships, but some were lost in battle until we were able to hide in the ice field and we could escape."
"Ti we have a common enemy. We can help you get settled on this side of the planetoid and show you how to protect yourselves." Kate stated.
"We thank you both." Ti stated.
"What are you thinking Kate?"
"If we can find a power source, then perhaps we can build shield generators to give them a safe area like we did on Brin."
Kacey studied the map until her communicator beeped and the door chimed. Anya walked in. Kacey held up her hand to signal for Anya to wait.
"Kacey we are ready to drop the sensor cameras. They are turned on and we have attached lights. They will transmit to your computer."
"Thanks Mike."
"What do you need Kate?"
"When we were here before, did you run any energy tests?"
"Yes we did. There are several deep pockets of gas in these hills here." She pointed to a section of the map. "There is another deep pocket here." She pointed to another section. "And still another deep pocket here." She pointed to a third section. "I estimate there is enough gas to last several centuries."
"If the Vidag move to this side, we can set up shield generators here, here, here and here." Kacey stated as she pointed to different parts on the maps. "We can piggy back the largest generators we can make. That will give them a safe area of four to five hundred square kilometers. The hard part would be sinking the wells and running the pipes. This will take time. How long did you plan of staying here?"
"As long as we have to. We can make up the time after we leave here."
"Kacey we have dropped the cameras." Mike's voice came over the radio. "They are transmitting."
"Thanks Mike." Kacey went to her computer and pulled up the images from the center of the first lake. They gathered around the computer screen. "From what we are seeing the first lake is clear of anything dangerous. Plenty of fish for you to eat."
"You can eat these creatures?" Ti asked.
"Yes and they are very good. After we can get everything done maybe we can have a good old fashioned fish fry."
"Let's see what the other lakes show." Kate stated. They continued to watch as each of the cameras began transmitting.
"All the lakes seem to be clear of anything dangerous. Although I would still advise you to leave the last lake alone after the sun goes down due to the animals that use it as watering spot. During the day it is safe, but not after dark. Do you need to see more?"
"I believe we have seen enough." Ti said
"Mike you can pull up the cameras and return to Andromeda. We have a big job to do."
"Will do."
"I will get you back to your people." Kacey stated.
"Prepare to move your people to this side and we will work on getting you protected." Kate told them.
Kacey stood in front of her troops, security and Andromeda's engineers and crew. Kate, Liam and Anya stood behind her.
"The Vidag need our help. They were driven from their home planet by the same raiders that attacked us. They chased them for months until the Vidag were able to lose them in the Kuiper Belt. We need to drill down to get to the gas pockets and run pipes. Then we will need to build at least ten shield generators. I know we are asking you to give up your shore leave. This is why workers for these projects are strictly voluntary. There will be no censure if you decide you would rather not give up your leave. The Vidag will be working with us so that we will be able to work around the clock. While we are replicating parts, I would like everyone who would like to help out to sign your name and your preferred shift on this clipboard."
"Colonel do we have a time table?"
"Not really, but we would like to complete this as quickly as possible. The quicker it is completed the quicker you can get back to shore leave. I need not remind everyone that these people will be allies of Earth. An enemy of theirs is an enemy of Earth. If there is a threat from a warring race, we need as many allies as possible. Look inside yourself and you decide if this is a good cause. Dismissed."
They watched the group disperse except for the Marines and several of the crew and engineers. "Colonel do you want us to start drilling first or replicate the parts we will need?" Mike asked.
"Divide up. Half can start drilling while the other half starts replicating parts. Then you can switch off. Those who will be working the drills work with Commander Jensen. She will show you where the best places to drill are. Use all the replicators here in the Hanger and if you ask nicely, Commander Torino may let you use those in Engineering also. Use half for the generator parts and half for the pipes and well caps."
"Do you want three or four inch flex pipe?" Dan asked.
"Go with four inch for the main pipe, along with connectors and star joints. We can run one main pipe and have all the others feed off of it which will turn into one inch pipe going into the generators."
"That will not look too pretty."
"We can camouflage everything with bushes."
"Or we can bury the pipe and only have to worry about hiding the well heads and generators." Don mentioned. Kacey nodded.
"Anya how far down are the gas pockets?"
"The shortest distance is twenty five hundred meters." Anya responded.
"Where do you think the best place to begin drilling?"
Anya went to the computer and then to the map. "According to the computer, this area between the two hilltops right on this plateau is the best and safest area. The gas pocket is closet to the surface and not surrounded by rock. The drills and drillers would have an easier time."
"All right, let's get everything loaded up in the rovers and get started." Kacey stated as she started to walk away. Kate grabbed her arm.
"Hang on there Colonel. You have been going straight out since we decided to help the Vidag. Natalia said you did not return to your quarters until after twenty three hundred hours and were gone before the sun came up. When is the last time you even stopped to eat?"
"Hey I grabbed a sandwich earlier." Kacey argued.
"How early?
"Kate there is way to much to do right now. Natalia understands."
"Lass you be listening to Katie."
"Colonel, we will get the drills and everything we need loaded up. We will be ready to go in an hour." Mike stated.
"Good, that gives you plenty of time to eat and take a short break." Kate pulled her towards the lift. Although Kacey knew she could easily break the grip Kate had on her arm, she allowed herself to be pulled to the lift.
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The Marines hauled the equipment up to the plateau and started the drilling equipment. The first day by alternating drills and drillers they were able to sink a hole close to a thousand meters.
While the drillers were busy, the volunteers assembled the shield generators and the feeder pipes with control valves and regulators, so that they would be ready to go when they broke through to the gas pocket.
Kacey went from group to group assisting wherever needed. She lived on coffee. Her meals taken on the run. Her tall form was seen striding around the work areas or sticking out from under a generator installing the shield matrixes. The engineers found that they could boost the strength of the shields if they used some of the diamonds the Brin had given them to enhance the power.
By the end of the third full day, they broke through to the first gas pocket. The pipe was lowered and the well capped with the control head, waiting for the pipes to be laid in the trenches that were dug. Once the first hole was capped the drillers moved onto the next pocket. The second hole was dug and capped by the end of the first week. The two wells were connected and waited for the generators to be moved into place. Three were completed and lowered into position by the shuttles and hooked up to the gas.
Kacey laid under the large generator making sure every nut, bolt and connector was tightened before she connected the meters to bring the shield matrix on line and synched up. She pushed out from under the generator and once again collided with Kate who was about to kick her foot to get her attention. Being on a slant, the force knocked Kate on her backside.
"Damn it Kate, when are you going to learn to stand off to the side." Kacey stated and held out a hand to help Kate off the ground.
"The very first thing I an going to suggest is that the Joint Chiefs make running shoes a part of your uniform. Those damn boots hurt."
"Your ankle or your butt?" Kacey bit her lip to keep from laughing.
"Both damn it." Kate stated as she alternately rubbed her ankle and her backside as she sat carefully on a rock.
"Are you all right?"
"I will be." Kate stated "How are things going?"
"Pretty good. The first generator is ready to be turned on and tested."
"When is the test scheduled?"
"Probably tomorrow morning."
"Then you are finished for today."
"Not really. I want to get..."
"I repeat you are finished for today." Kate interrupted. "You have been putting in sixteen hour days since we started this. You cannot keep this up."
"We are all putting in long days Kate." Kacey argued.
"Who exactly is this mythical we? Your people? Here is a news flash for you. You are driving yourself and your people into the ground. Not a single one of your Marines will stop until you do. If we were attacked you would not be alert enough to fly. Need I remind you that in your own words you said that tired pilots make mistakes. That also goes for all other aspects of your life and duty." Kate told her. "Why do you push yourself like you do?"
"It is called doing my job Kate." Kacey stated and started to walk away when Kate grabbed her arm.
"That is total bull shit Kacey and we both know it."
"Kate you know I could very easily break your hand, so I am going to ask you just one time to let go of my arm."
"There is no doubt in my mind that you could do just that. However, I am going to take the chance that you will not."
Kacey grabbed Kate's hand and squeezed slightly. Their eyes locked. For several heartbeats they stared at each other, before Kacey released her hold on Kate's hand.
"God Damn you, Kate." Kacey swore and turned away. "Did it ever occur to you that I am pushing myself so that my people do not end up cannon fodder?"
"Cannon fodder? Would you care to explain that statement?"
"The sooner we get these generators built and brought on line, the less likely my people will be sent into battle if those raiders show up or some other radical group attacks us. We are the first line of defense during an attack. Being this close to home I do not want to lose anyone."
"Oh I did not think of that."
"Evidently."
"Is that the only reason?"
"The only one you need to know." Kacey walked away quickly. Kate watched her crawl under another generator