Less than zero (RN: Book 1) Read online

  RN: Book 1

  Less than zero

  David Gunner

  Copyright © 2014 David J Higgins. This book is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents are either the product of the author's imagination or used fictitiously. Any resemblance to actual persons living or dead, events or locales is entirely coincidental. All rights reserved. No part of this book may be used or reproduced in any manner whatsoever without prior written consent from the author.

  First Edition, 2015

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  BB & MB

  Contents

  Chapter 0

  Chapter 1

  Boo 2 excerpt

  Final word

  Contacts

  Resources

  Chapter 0

  John: This is the unabridged vocoder transcript from my interview with Air Marshal, Denz at the Royal Navy Orbital: Ministry of Intelligence, last Tuesday. I had to install the vocoder in my left eye, so if you hear any odd noises this is the reason. I tried to record it on my digital recorder, but he discovered it and I very nearly got arrested. However, the ploy worked and they suspected no further recording devices.

  I’m glad I listened to you on that one

  The interview went surprisingly well and Denz was neither as uptight, nor as bureaucratic as we feared. In fact, he was surprisingly open and revealed many facts and insights about the battle for Devon and the Koll invasion of Chinese space at LN-0R that I doubt anybody outside of the ministry is aware of. I had no idea LN-0R was such a massacre for the Chinese and that they lost so many ships and men. The transcript contains everything mentioned here and now we just need to figure out what to do with it without getting ourselves killed.

  I am also including the ‘official’ ministry transcript, which of course is a complete work of fiction and bears no resemblance to anything we actually discussed. It does make for entertaining reading, though.

  Let me know.

  BW

  Chapter 1

  “Show him in.”

  “Air Marshall, Denz, I’m Ben Warrant. Thank you for finding the time for this interview. I know you’re very busy and this is the first interview your department has authorised.”

  “We do what we can to accommodate our friends from the media. Please, take a seat.”

  “Yes, thank you. And thank you also for your speedy consent. I hardly noticed the seven months my application took to be approved.”

  “It can take still longer, if you’d like.”

  “Quite. If you don’t mind I’d like to make the most of our limited time and dive right in. I have a prepared list of –“

  “What’s that light?”

  “What light?”

  “Your satchel, I saw a blinking red light. What is it?”

  “My satchel? There’s nothing ...do you mind that’s private property! Air Marshall, you can’t just –“

  “It’s a pen! Why does it have this red light? What is this?”

  “That ...that’s my digital voice recorder.”

  “Recording devices are not permitted and should have been surrendered at the check point!”

  “Yes, I know. But I need it, for my work.”

  “The permissions we gave you stated that we record everything and you’ll be sent a solicited transcript. Secreting a recording device into this area is tantamount to spying. Do you know the punishment for spying is?”

  “I wasn’t aware it would be considered spying, but I was concerned I’d miss important details. I -“

  “Mr Warrant. Let’s not play the usual games. I’m sure you’re fully aware of the sensitive nature of the work done here, and yet you blatantly flout the restrictions of the Official Secrets document you’re supposed to have read, and did sign before being allowed access. We’re happy to accommodate the media to the permissible extent, but it’s actions such as this that prevent us from allowing your type of reputation in here.”

  “My type! I see. I’ve prepared a list of questions. Would you like to check the periods for micro-bugs?”

  “And this office has an exit. Would you care to use it?”

  “Touché, Air Marshall. I believe you –”

  “Could you remove the batteries from your device?”

  “It’s switched off.”

  “Please.”

  “If you insist.”

  “Do you have any other recording devices?”

  “No.”

  “You’re certain?”

  “Of course!”

  “Do I need to tell you, Mr Warrant, that If you overstep your bounds beyond the yellow line at the entrance to this wing, you’ll have no recourse, no civil protections. You’ll simply disappear. So I ask you to carefully reconsider your position regarding prohibited devices.”

  “ ...I …apologise, Air Marshall. It was stupid and callous of me to disregard the restrictions regarding these items. And if I may make an honest statement it’s that there was not the least thought of spying in my actions. I was fully aware that you’d send a solicited account to my office, but seeing as these interviews happen so rarely I took the chance of obtaining the unedited version. It would be my scoop of a lifetime and a sure shot for the golden coin. If I may be honest, I’m fully aware of my reputation for lack of ethics and this stunt was a stupid and arrogant supposition on my part. For what it’s worth, I’m sorry. This is the first time in my professional career that I immediately regret my actions. Not for any punishment that may be involved, but for blowing a once in a life time opportunity. If you wish to terminate the interview then I completely understand.”

  “No more illegal devices?”

  “Absolutely! If you feel the need to check my possessions, I won’t –“

  “Then we’ll consider the matter dropped and I’m happy to continue.”

  “Thank you. That’s very gracious of you. Now, let me see ...the Coalition President made his annual address yesterday. Did you hear it?”

  “It’s required listening for all senior Royal Navy Orbital officers.”

  “In the section regarding planetary security, he made efforts to downplay reports of pirate attacks on the shipping lanes, and spoke of how EDP forces will make a concerted effort to quash the bandit menace once and for all. This caused several notable columnists to vocally assert their concerns that EDP forces are stretched too thin, and that bandits are no longer limiting themselves to single traders outside the system. That they have grown sufficiently bold to attack convoys within the solar system itself. Is any of this true? Does pirate activity represent a substantially increased threat?”

  “The threat is quite real and it’s even worse than your columnist friends claim. And frankly, there’s not a lot we can do about it. You look a little shocked.”

  “I am. I... I just wasn’t expecting you to be so open.”

  “You’re here for the truth, I suspect?”

  “Of course, yes. But I –“

  “Then the truth is all you will hear.”

  “Thank you. I ...eh. If you can give me a second to ...”

  “Certainly.”

  “Yes …okay. I’m finding it a little difficult to believe that pirates can operate at will within the Sol system. I mean, this is - the home system. Despite, The Koll, I’d always thought of Sol as being impregnable. That any citizen can go anywhere without fear or prejudice.”

  “It’s an unfortunate thing for one to hear, but, and despite what the constitution says, Civis romanus sum has never been anything more than platitudes and the words of fine speeches. Do you know how long it takes to travel across the solar system at the speed of light?”

  “I’m sorry? I don’t see the relevance. So can we return to the subject of peop
le’s safety?”

  “Humour me.”

  “Air Marshal, I –“

  “Please. You’ll see my point.”

  “I’m not really sure. Spatial mechanics was never my strong suit. But, and seeing as you request it, light is pretty fast so ... I’d say about …an hour?”

  “Almost eleven hours.”

  “Really!”

  “Really.”

  “I had no idea.”

  “Most people don’t. It’s an unfortunate sign of the current social ignorance regarding what you so freely refer to as - the home system. Since the adoption of hyper-velocity and FTL drives that allow us to travel from one star system to another in weeks or days, most people have come to regard our local system as a little more than an extension of their own backyard. They don’t having any idea of the distances involved, distances which are simply staggering.”

  “It pains me to admit that I know very little regarding spatial mechanics. And as my posting does not require me to consider such details, they’re not very relevant to me.”

  “My point exactly. Why do I need to know that as I’ll never use it, is an all too common reason for not being aware, these days. If we can return to the eleven hours for the moment, the reason I mentioned it, is this: If a trader on one side of the system called for help and we were on the opposite side, eleven hours is what it would take us to get there if we travelled at the speed of light. However, we don’t travel at the speed of light, and even if we did any raiders would be long gone by the time we arrived.”

  “I don’t understand. Why don’t you travel at the speed of light? Are your ships incapable?”

  “Our patrol ships are capable of exceeding FTL by many factors. However, and with certain exceptions, all military vessels that operate within the system are limited to sub-light speeds. The Tokyo limitations apply to us just as much as they do to civilian vessels.”

  “What! That’s preposterous. You mean to say that if you receive a distress call, you cannot use your maximum capabilities to assist?”

  “Only our maximum conventional velocity is available within the system.”

  “I’m staggered.”

  “It is the way it is due to the limitations placed on civilians and the military alike in regards to travel within the system. Limitations you press were vocally in favor of.”

  “But the Tokyo limitations were proposed after the Othion disaster. She hit an asteroid fragment whilst transiting to FTL and hundreds died. We wanted to save lives!”

  “Yet, ships continue to hit asteroids as often as two or three times a week. People still die by the dozen in these accidents and I don’t hear you repeating their names in your column.”

  “That’s unfair. We can’t be expected to report on every single star ship disaster.”

  “No, just the sensational ones.”

  “Oh, c’mon, Air Marshal, I must protest. I never came here to be –“

  “We’re drifting. I suggest you continue with your line of questioning.”

  “Hmph! Yes. In regards to my prepared questions, they appear largely irrelevant to your subject matter. And if it’s all the same to you, I’d like to continue where you were going as I must admit my ignorance is making it all the more fascinating.”

  “As long as the questions remain within the agreed scope, I’m happy to continue.”

  “So how long?”

  “I’m sorry?”

  “If someone requested assistance on the other side of the system disc, how long would it take you to respond?”

  “The local system is a sphere, not a disc.”

  “A sphere! I don’t follow.”

  “It’s a common misconception. Most people consider our local system to consist of what lies along the celestial equator. When in fact the system is a sphere based on a radius from the system centre to some agreed tangible edge, which is a little past Pluto. Of course the actual solar system extends many times further than this, but extending the patrollable limit further, even by the smallest degree, vastly increases the volume of space we would be responsible for and we just don’t have the resources for such a scope.”

  “Of course, you’re right. I’ve never considered the system in such a three-dimensional manner.”

  “Current – social - ignorance.”

  “Quite. So how long does it take to cross the system at sub-light speeds?”

  “If we cook the engines, we can get there in maybe twenty hours.”

  “Twenty hours! Are you serious? You said eleven at the speed of light, and I imagine your ships must move somewhere near that.”

  “Point eight seven is the nearest our sub-light drives can take us. However, you have to take into account that there’s no linear path through the actual system. We have to go around the sun by a considerable margin on a parabolic route. More if it’s active, and further still depending on the proximity of the planets. Especially the gas giants as they offer enormous gravimetric influence that can significantly affect a ship’s speed run.”

  “So, how do you combat such lengthy travel times?”

  “How do you think we do it?”

  “I guess you occasionally break the rules by engaging your FTL and –“

  “More ships.”

  “What?”

  “More ships. We have more than one patrol boat.”

  “My God! Of course! How stupid of me. Of course you have more than one ship. Ha, ha. I’m such an idiot. How many patrol vessels do you have?”

  “The Earth Defence Pact currently has one hundred and twenty ships that can be considered patrol-class vessels. The measure of such a vessel being its size, speed, and most importantly, at least these days, its cost-effectiveness for the role.”

  “One hundred and twenty! That’s a lot of ships. Yet you still can’t respond in time when someone calls for assistance. The solar system is far larger than I imagined.”

  “I said we have one hundred and twenty patrol-capable vessels. I never mentioned anything about this number patrolling our system.”

  “So, how many do patrol the system?”

  “About nine at any one time.”

  “Nine! Are you serious? Where are the rest?”

  “You may remember that many of the EDP members have a presence on other worlds. Britannia alone has twelve colonies, with each of the other twenty-six members having their own colonies and interests to protect. Oh, and that number of patrol vessels also includes the ten percent that are mission incapable due to routine maintenance and repair. The rest are spread between patrolling the trade lanes, convoy duty, fleet maneuvers, search and rescue, exploration, deep patrol and a whole host of other activities.”

  “But still, nine seems an insignificant number for what must be an incredible volume.”

  “And the system is lucky to have that many. When Earth capitulated to The Koll, we agreed that no more than five ships would be on active local system patrol at any one time. The president took an enormous chance increasing the number to nine, but we had to do something in the face of the ever increasing bandit incursions into the local system. Do you have any idea of the number of emergency requests we receive weekly?”

  “No.”

  “Over two hundred, with a growing proportion of these related to bandit activity. Up until a few months ago we could just cope with one-on-one ship engagement, but the more recent incursions often demand two or even three ships respond to a pirate attack, and even then it can be touch and go. The bandits are getting braver, meaner and better equipped with every successful raid. Soon we may have to release heavier units for system security, and The Koll response be damned.”

  “Can’t you just do that now? Introduce heavier units to help combat the threat?”

  “Not without some careful consideration, no. Another part of the capitulation agreement was that the EDP police the outlying areas of this sector of space. Yet, The Koll increase this volume when they see fit and don’t allow us any more ships to do it with. They also promised
to send support units should an engagement grow beyond our ability to control it. Yet again, the size of the engagement before they commit any support increases with no forewarning, so we have to serve more space, against greater odds, with no increase in resources. When we encounter force, we have to respond with greater force, which means our capital vessels are constantly dashing from one incident to the next, or loitering outside some bandit stronghold for months on end to prevent them foraying out. This ties up valuable resources that cannot protect other areas and huge gaps develop where further bandit problems arise. Such situations place an enormous strain on men and machinery when they can’t stop for rest and repair, and our assets can only take so much.”