After Earth - Chapter 10 - Salvage Operations

"Murphy."  He lifted his head.

"Sir?"

"Arm yourself.  If this weasel has dug itself in, we may have trouble dealing with the rank and file who believe they are following orders."

"Understood, sir.  How should I deal with those types?"  He waited for a few seconds, and wondered if he should ask again.

"I'll tell you when we encounter resistance.  Just be prepared to draw your weapon.  Keep the snap open."  He nodded.

"Never thought I would have to use a gun on someone I worked with.  Flex here and there, intimidate, bulldoze when necessary, but execute?  This world really has gone to shit."  Talia turned towards the cockpit.

"Low altitude descent on visual!  Everyone get strapped in for the drop!"  Talia smiled slightly at how professional Coral handled her new role, even after her recent experiences.  She was almost back to how she was before her nightmares came true again, but still different.  Almost stronger.

She was a great choice for a pilot.





"Sergeant!"  He cocked his head.

"Cadet?"  She shook her head.

"Take in the pips, Sergeant."  Murphy said at her shoulder.  "I'm no longer a lieutenant, but Talia is.  And Ayers is now the XO."  The sergeant frowned.

"The XO?  But I thought...."  Talia's eyes narrowed.

"I take it the XO of the Fenix has embedded himself here?"  He nodded.

"He took over not long after the last shuttle liftoff.  Didn't you get the orders?"  Talia growled.

"Sergeant, you didn't get orders from anyone other then the former XO.  He's incompetent and caused the delay, if not outright jeopardized the entire mission, by six months in the least."  The sergeant closed his eyes.

"I knew something was up!  That whiny bastard has no business in the training of recruits, but he's taken over the whole operation!"  Talia looked behind her.

"Coral, get back to the shuttle, and lock the hatches.  Murphy, guard her with your life."  He looked back to her.

"Are you sure, Lieutenant?  You don't need my assistance?"  The sergeant stood at attention.

"I know who is in charge.  The progenitor."  He looked at Talia.  "You give me orders, sir, and they will be carried out."  She closed her eyes.

"Keep that to yourself, sergeant.  My orders come directly from the Commander, who also answers to the progenitor.  That is the chain of command.  The XO has been relieved of duty, and no longer has any right to protection under Fenix law.  Understand?"  He nodded.

"Yes, sir!"  He looked around.  "I'll retrieve a few of the noncoms, sir.  We'll need the muscle here."  She nodded.

"See to it, sergeant.  And quickly!  That worm sent us two psychos who were borderline eaters, and one cadet who was so green, she might not last the integration phase.  This worm endangered the life of my pilot."  She grit her teeth.  "My squad!"  He nodded.

"At once, sir!"  As he jogged off, Murphy sighed unhappily.

"I was hoping to pull the trigger.  Alright, I'll guard her, sir."  He looked at Coral.  "After you, Pilot."  Coral growled and looked at Talia.

"If you get hurt, I'm biting tonight."  She turned and left the area, and Murphy had to stifle a chuckle as he saw the red in Talia's cheeks, even if she didn't move a muscle.  She was too disciplined to respond, but she was still human.  She couldn't help but be susceptible to that saucy grin, and the seductive sway of her hips.

Coral was her mate, after all.




The removal of the former XO went more smoothly then she anticipated.  He was already on everyone's nerves, and his inability to command should have been obvious to those aboard the Fenix when he was assigned.

"How did he get into a powerful position like that, Lieutenant?"  She controlled her tone, but the stiffness of her posture gave away her emotional state.  She was still angry.

"He still had some influence from his family name, and the cash they put up to help get this operation on its feet.  He would have been better suited to a non com role, or something simple where command wasn't necessary.  Instead, his family pushed him into the chain of command, and he paid the price for their ambitions."  She looked around.  "Is there anyone else who does not belong, Sergeant?"  He shook his head.

"This training camp will soon become unnecessary, so most everyone is being trained with skills in mind.  When Operations is moved to the Lunar base, everyone, including unskilled labor, will be transferred there."  He didn't beat around the bush, which is what she liked about him.  "What are you orders, sir?"

"We're behind.  That idiot canceled the hydroponics bays, and waste reclamation.  That means a lot of materials that had been earmarked for those operations were used elsewhere."  The sergeant's mouth fell open.

"He did....what a blooming fool.  So that means we're going to be short on needed supplies."  She nodded, her arms folded over her chest.  This wasn't her normal stance.  She had too much anger right now, and all she wanted to do was continue to kill the already deceased former XO.

"We need seeds.  Water.  Rations.  Steel.  Copper.  Glass.  Plastic tubing.  Charcoal, which can be acquired by burning wood until its reduced to coals and putting out the flames.  There are a few other methods, but that's the simplest.  We also need soil, to get the crops started earlier, and if it can be found, algae."  He frowned.

"Algae?  Oh, wait, is this what that magazine talked about?  Biofuel?"  She nodded.  "There might be some growing along the shorelines.  We'll gather samples of different types, transport it, and then it can be grown in large bins until there is enough to test and press for the oil.  Then we'll know for certain."  She smiled a bit.

"Well thought out, sergeant.  Get these raw recruits set up to start some salvage runs to the ruins of the old city nearby.  Cars have a lot of what we need, and so do collapsed homes.  Also see if you can find an old hardware store that hasn't been looted down to its bones.  Find flux cored mig welding wire reels, as many as you can.  The essentials will go up on this flight, and depending on what you can salvage, we'll arrange additional supply runs."

"Understood, sir."  He smiled and chuckled.  "I still remember when she ran Alpha into the ground, and now she's a pilot.  You had great eyes for talent, Lieutenant."  She smiled.

"She's not just a pilot.  She's one of the best, and will probably be running the training school when we get our first station set up in Mar's orbit.  She's a class 1 asset to this project."  She turned away.  "Get to it, Sergeant.  I'll be visiting my home with Coral for a few days, which should give you enough time to get the first load started.  And be cautious.  The cities are not completely abandoned."

"Aye, sir."  He watched her walk towards the shuttle, and grumbled a bit.  "She should have taken command long ago.  That iron will of hers is what started this project, and its what kept it on track.  I wonder how old she was when she started planning this?"

The Sergeant had no way to know that Talia's grandfather had listened to her talk about space when she was only four, made plans and started to put them into action when she was seven.  Space, as dangerous as it was, would be safer then their own planet within a decade or two.

All her training since then had focused on all the skills she would need to survive in space, plan the entire project, and move it forward with sheer determination.  It had been no easy trip either.  Children were born to rebel, and it took a few years to train it out of her, but when he was finished, Talia had graduated where his own daughter had failed.

She became smarter, tougher, and harder then anyone else he knew.  Even himself.  That's why there was a smile on his lips when he felt the blade slide through his flesh.

His family would survive.  His goal was complete.





"She's so beautiful, Talia!"  Coral said softly as Shayna was laid in her arms.  She looked up at the new face, slightly tilted her head then smiled and giggled.  Talia smiled, something she rarely did lately.

"She's the one good thing about my life, baby."  Connie took in the pet name, and smiled slightly, only to feel her daughter's gaze turn towards her.  "I leave my child with my mother, and hope she remembers what I'll do to anyone who threatens my family."  Her eyes were cold, and she felt an involuntary shiver go down her spine.  Her daughter reminded her so much of her father now, it was almost scary.  She shook herself mentally.

"How does the Fenix fare?"  Talia straightened up.

"The moron XO nixed the waste reclamation and hydroponics bays."  Her mother closed her eyes.

"Idiot."  She then opened them.  "Is that why you're here?"

"Not completely, but its part.  The sergeant is ready to take the squads into the ruins of the city to salvage metals and materials."  Connie's eyes narrowed.

"You understand how dangerous that is, don't you?"

"I am not a fool, mother."  Her words had not warmed up.  "That worm weaseled his way back into the system and sent us two psychos, and one green cadet who might not make it through orientation.  I'm angry, and need to kill some things."  Her mother nodded.

"I understand.  The high powered rifles are where you left them, along with enough ammunition to kill hundreds.  There might be a rudimentary faction still there, savage and cannibalistic, that should curb the sharp edges."  She pursed her lips.  "Might I tag along?  I'd like to see how Coral handles it."  Talia growled slightly.

"She's not been trained to wield weapons, but she's proficient at hand to hand.  She'll be my lookout, using the scopes and glasses to scout the area.  I'll be thinning their ranks, and give the squads a bit easier time when they are attacked."  Her eyes narrowed.  "You'll be taking the bird in the bay to the colony in less then two years.  Make sure your stores are ready, as well as the grounds.  You won't be coming back home."  Connie sighed and looked around.

"It's been a good home, Talia.  Are you sure we should abandon the planet like this?"

"These storms are going to increase in strength, and number over the next fifty years.  Once they have shredded all the infrastructure and dispersed enough heat, they will begin to calm down.  Until then, this world will try to kill us at a more ferocious pace then space ever will."  Coral put her hand on her shoulder.

"Will we be alright in space, love?  There is no fallback plan if something goes horribly wrong."

"I know, but what options do we have?  Try to wait it out underground?  The power of these storms is even stripping away the topsoil, and heaving large stones into the air.  How long would our bunker last if its exposed?  We have the lunar base as an example of what we can do, and have worked out several flaws as we expanded into the facility.  We are ready for Mars.  We are ready for space.  Besides, this solar system isn't the only option."  Her mother frowned.

"What do you mean, Talia?"

"Think about it, mother.  The remnants of the former governments and industries are still trying to survive.  They will join us out there.  That means competition, and eventually war.  For maximum safety, we will need a far reaching plan that extends into the future long passed our lives.  That means we will be the first.  We'll leave our solar system and go somewhere new. We may not be alive to see it, but Shayna's children will be."  She smiled down at her daughter.

"She is our future."




Talia began to relax.  The high powered rifle fired smoothly, and the cannibals who attacked her squads died one after another.  The sergeant kept their formations in cover, and ready to respond to attack, just in case one of the ferals were able to approach close enough to be dangerous.

"Three o'clock, two hundred yards."  Coral called out sightings, and Talia responded with deadly accuracy.  "Two more.  Twelve o'clock.  Larger group, one o'clock.  Five in total."  Talia reloaded with a spare magazine and quickly fired off the shots.  This was not a sniper's rifle, but an old World War II army rifle that her grandfather kept in pristine condition.  The power of the shells made sure each hit was almost a guaranteed instant kill.

"Grandfather always said that this rifle could kill a grizzly, and he was correct."  She said as she squeezed the trigger and watched another feral fall.

"Behind us.  Trying to flank."  Talia smiled.  Coral had near animal keen senses from her time locked away in that basement, and trained to be a dog.  She could smell almost any human from any direction, just like a dog, and had a keen sense of any person who tried to approach her from stealth.

"Keep your eyes forward and I'll take care of it."  Coral didn't need to turn as she heard the rifle fire.  She heard Talia growl and a second shot.  "Tough one.  Must have been running on adrenaline."

"Last two.  Dead ahead."  When she said last two, Talia knew she wasn't kidding.  They killed a feral tribe this time.  Not like the native tribes of the old North American states, but a group that banded together to hunt.  Ferals tended to stay together as groups for protection.  "The tribe leader hasn't yet stuck his head out.  Wait."  She sniffed the air.  "Nine o'clock."

"He was a big one.  Must have been the strongest."  The hole in the middle of his skull was huge.  That was the effect of this old rifle.  Very little survived contact with it.  A lethal weapon of war.

"Signal the sergeant.  Start salvage operations, and do not enter the buildings unless they are scouted first."

"Feeling better?"  Coral asked as she took out a green flag and waved it high in the air.

"Not until we're back aboard the Fenix.  The planet is not home any longer."  Coral sighed softly.

"The squads are heading out."  She picked up the glasses again.  "Salvage operations commencing."  She looked down at Talia who continued to scan the area through the scope.  "Shall we go scout a few structures?  I don't want to leave any alive who might make it near my daughter."  Talia smiled.

"You always know the right things to say, don't you?"  Coral blushed a bit.  Talia didn't reprimand her for daring to say she was also a mother to her lover's daughter.  She gave her blessing.





"Smooth, and professional.  Doesn't cower, or flinch.  And she didn't freak out."  Gita put the glasses down, and went back toward the bunker, her fingers entwined with Tonya's.

"A good choice for a mate for Talia.  I never thought she would thaw enough for one."  Gita nodded.

"True.  I hope Shayna doesn't get the same way when she is given her lesson."  Tonya looked at her from the corner of her eye.

"Be careful, Mistress.  Talia will kill you if she hears you even hint at it."  She closed her eyes.  "I had hoped these lessons had stopped with his death."  Gita pressed her lips tightly together.

"But he was correct, Tonya.  The one closest to you can hurt you the most."  And Tonya now knew that the largest threat to Talia's family was Talia's own mother.

I hope she doesn't kill you, Mistress.  But if she doesn't, its going to be a lesson you'll never forget.