All That Glitters Ch. 02

They had been whisked to the Francis Liramor Memorial Building, named after the man who had started Liramor Holdings so many generations ago. Liea was impressed with the level of attention that they received as they arrived at the building but then, she was in the presence of Annette Liramor.

A young man approached them as they were hustled into the building. "Bonjour, Madame Liramor." He said with a warm smile.

"Hello, Sebastian. Terran Standard please for our esteemed guest, Liea Samson," she stated.

"But of course, madame. But are you not heading away from the VIP elevator?" he asked of the Director.

"We will need the freight elevator as we have some assay material with us that Senior Management needs to see," Annette told him, pointing out the workers shepherding the various boxes she had with her. "We will go up with those, while the remainder of the staff may use our usual elevators."

Sebastian moved quickly to herd the small group of security personnel and workers pushing anti-grav units with the heavy boxes on them toward the freight elevators. He got them all into two elevators and pressed his wrist to the lift's controls, unlocking them. They rose swiftly to the executive suites high above.

Annette marched down the corridor and into the large Liramor Holding conference room where a business session was in full swing.

Antoine Liramor saw his daughter as she stepped into the room and stopped the ongoing presentation.

"Annette, mon amoure!" he exclaimed; his arms open.

Annette moved into his hug and gave him kisses on each cheek.

"Father, I would like to introduce to you Liea Samson, half of the partnership of Clark and Samson from Liramor-23," she said in standard, indicating Liea.

"Enchanté," he said, taking her hand with a genuine smile.

He looked at his daughter, raising an eyebrow in question.

"May I take over the brief?" she asked.

Annette took the floor as Liea was given a seat at the main table. She called up an image of the claim 35-9 nestled in cage three from her comp and queued it to the holo-suite.

"The rock in question is as valuable as first indicated." She opened up one of the boxes that had been brought in and showed a diamond that she had to use two hands to lift from the box. She smiled as she listened to the comments on its size.

"This is one of the smaller diamonds taken from inside the rock." Annette said placing the crystal on the table in front of her father and called up an image of the hollow. To further surprise them, she moved over and snapped the latches on one of the larger boxes and had the workers carefully lift the cover, exposing the eight-meter long diamond to the room. Now, she definitely had the rooms undivided attention.

"This diamond is eight meters in length and more than a meter in width. It is one of several hundred and is not the largest of those.

"The other boxes contain core samples that you will want to look at. I randomly drilled them myself, so they are not doctored samples fed to us by the Liramor-23. They will show you heavy concentrations of ferrous metal liberally sprinkled with rare and exotic minerals. In addition, there were veins of gold, platinum and cadmium in nearly pure concentrations that are several hundred meters long. We do not yet know the full value of those veins. I have some assay samples from those as well.

"Because of the density of the rock, we are only able to accurately survey approximately 300m into it. That is scratching the surface on a three km wide rock. So far, the agreed value of the rock is C500 billion. That figure will only increase as we process the claim.

"Most rocks we process have very little mineral wealth, somewhere in the order of five to fifteen percent. We dump better than seventy percent of the material as waste, often more. This rock will reverse that trend. Assay samples indicate that we will process upwards of sixty percent of the rock as mineral wealth.

"It is the smaller portion of the claim. If you can call a five and a half by three-kilometer rock small. The Rockhound who found it cut it from a much larger piece." She called up the imagery of the cutting operation showing all of the claim. Imagery indicates that what was left behind is more than twice as large as what was brought into station.

"In ferrous minerals alone, this piece of the claim we have now will likely triple in value. Add in any additional surprises, which the rock insists on providing, and who knows how much it will be worth. Then there is the larger portion of the claim.

"In all, we will likely be processing this claim for more than a year. This claim will considerably bump our profits this year, which ends in two weeks, next year, and possibly the year following. When gem specialists hear about gem quality diamonds ten meters in length, they will go nuts. There will be a bidding war for those gems."

She looked over at Joseph Kelter, Chief Assayer of Liramor Holdings and passed him the diamond that she had placed on the table.

"Care to give your assessment of this diamond?" she asked.

Kelter held the diamond up to the light, twisting it back and forth. He pulled a small sensor from his pocket and placed it on the diamond. It hummed briefly before he looked at the device, his eyebrows raising.

"This diamond is absolutely pure and crystal clear." Kelter began. "A raw diamond this size would be worth fifty to a hundred million credits even if it was flawed. I do not know of any diamond anywhere near this size that has no flaw in it. This one has no apparent flaws. Its clarity, its absolute lack of colour means this rock could easily exceed C500 million credits. Possibly more if it went for auction in select locations. Once it is worked, it will more than double its value," he finished.

"The eight-meter diamond is just as clear and flawless." Annette said. "It was chosen to impress us, obviously, but I have to admit that I am impressed. I'm seriously thinking of paying Ms. Samson and her partner with a few of those larger diamonds. As it is, I want to cut two one billion credit checks, one for each of them, as a sign of good faith.

"Their claim, and all follow on claims at Liramor-23 will be paid out at fifteen percent." She said looking at her father. She knew immediately that he wasn't pleased. "It had to happen sooner or later, Papa." She said to him in a mildly scolding manner, the ends of her mouth curving into a little smile.

"By the end of next month, we'll have a better idea of the true value of the rock at Liramor-23. But I won't doubt that Liea and her partner will eventually be owed somewhere close to C100 billion by Liramor Holdings. That will be the largest royalty check we have ever given." Annette finished.

There were smiles all around the room. Liramor Holdings was always loath to provide royalty checks due principally to the effort it took to get the minerals. But, in this case, the money they were giving up was going to be easily acquired.

"And the other matter?" Antoine Liramor asked.

Annette had security and the workers step out of the conference room, sealing it before beginning.

"It is real and as serious as first indicated," Annette stated firmly. "We will likely be attacked at some time within the next sixteen years. We could lose Liramor-23. The TUSN will be needed. Terran Government Scientists will be needed. The finds are incredible. They will shake the foundation of humanity and of human faith.

"We have already identified several new devices that could be of benefit to mankind as a whole. As the Local Authority, the development of those devices will fall to Liramor Holdings, so long as we play nice with Terran Government Authority and the TUSN. Piss them off, and we could be shut out.

"In this, Fiona Marsh, Director Liramor-23, and Captain Raymond Clark of the TUSN Civilian Liaison Authority, have set Liramor Holdings in good stead with the powers that be, as well as leaving Liramor Holdings as the Local Authority in the Piscium system." Here she called up an image of Capt. Clark in full regalia.

The staff immediately recognized the trappings for the Black Lightning Combat Engineers. The medals and his natural good looks didn't do any harm either. They were immediately impressed with Capt. Clark.

"However, there is the real risk that the original inhabitants of the Piscium system may return," she stated pulling up the relevant imagery of the green-gold coloured aliens. "Even if they are forced back by the Terran Navy, they could demand that we leave the system. From what we have determined, we believe they consider the system to be a cemetery. The Terran Union would comply with such a request." Annette said.

"How could we prevent that?" Asked the CCO.

"At this time, we really don't know. From what we can tell, the original inhabitants left the system some 24,000 years ago. Legally we might have a legitimate claim, however, it is unlikely that the original inhabitants will respect Terran Law.

"Capt. Clark believes that they probably don't have FTL drive. His indications are that the second group was attacked and destroyed some forty years after arriving in system. Which means we can expect an attack within the next sixteen years or so if history repeats itself.

"Making contact with them before they arrive in system would be our best strategy. We would have to determine if there was anything that they would trade for, something that they would want or need. We would have to guarantee that we would not spoil historical sites, but we could agree to that. We are, after all, looking for mineral rich rock which would be found deeper in the planet. Historical sites would have been on the surface.

"There are two potentially habitable planets within twenty light years of the Piscium system according to data from the original local star survey made sixty years ago. We could send probes to determine which is inhabited and then send in Union Diplomatic Corps personnel to make contact.

"We would have to be part of that contact though if we are expected to keep any of our holdings in the Piscium system. That would be our grand strategy.

"Capt. Clark believes the second group does have FTL and his logic makes sense. He thinks they didn't return because some managed to escape the destruction and inform their kind of what was facing them. Since the original platform wasn't armed, there is a real possibility that the second group may not be warlike in nature. Not being warlike, they may have opted to not return to an obvious threat environment. On this, we are simply guessing here.

"He thinks their FTL drives are superior to ours as humans are now spread out in a rough circle 300 light years across. Where we are in the Piscium system, it is a forty light year jump to the edge of human space. The most recent star survey does not show any habitable planets within thirty light years from the local edge of space in that area. That would mean a minimum seventy light year jump. Possible to do in multiple jumps, but what if it was done in one jump? Or in larger jumps currently beyond our abilities?

"It took us three jumps in a highly modified FTL ship to get here from the Piscium system, seventy light years from here. Our supply ships need five jumps. Would we be interested in jump technology that could span those distances if it proved true? And that is technology 200 years out of date from today. What updates have they made to their technology in the interim?

"In addition, we seem to have found one of the victims in what appears to be suspended animation." And here she pulled up the short vid of the oddly shaped shuttle with its mysterious cargo. "Anything that could keep such a large specimen alive for 200 years would be invaluable to humankind. We do not have suspended animation of this sort.

"If the mechanism is what we suspect it is, and is compatible with human physiology, it would be a boon to mankind. Many 'what ifs', I know, but such suspended animation capabilities alone would be a financial windfall to Liramor Holdings if we could exploit it. We MUST keep local authority in this issue, and that means playing nice with Terran Government Authorities.

"For now, that means keeping this all under wraps until such time as the government authorities releases the information," Annette finished and sat down next to Liea giving her a smile.

The stunned audience of very senior personnel had no idea where to begin.

Marie Laurentien Memorial Medical Facility, Liramor Prime

Sean Murphy and Nurse Heyya arrived at the Laurentian Medical Facility forty-five minutes after landing. They were greeted by senior medical officials for the hospital.

Not long after being assigned a room the medical staff began a long series of medical investigation, poking and prodding the defenceless Murphy. Heyya had to fend them off at one point, scolding them for their conduct.

The senior administrator finally arrived to speak with them on their situation.

"I am Anne Moreau, Senior Administrator for the hospital. The ship that brought you will not take you further on your journey," she told them. "So, you will remain here until our administrative staff can search out a hospital on another planet that will take you in and is capable of handling your requirements.

"This kind of regen work is time and personnel intensive. As a result, there is a wait time of over a year at this facility. Liramor Holdings has indicated that they want you to be rehabilitated within 18 months. We cannot meet this objective.

"Other than ours, the best hospitals for that kind of work on Liramor Prime are the local veteran's hospital and the local children's hospital. They will not take you as your injuries are not military injuries nor are you a child.

"I understand that you had been informed that there was the possibility that you would not be serviced on Liramor Prime. As soon as we know your end destination, we will advise you.

"In the meantime, we will provide quarters for Nurse Heyya, and ensure that you have everything that you need. Are there any specific requirements that you have?" She asked.

"Is it possible to have a holo-vid unit?" Sean asked. Anne and Heyya both laughed at this. An hour later, his holo-vid unit arrived. That was all it took to keep him happy.

A smiling Heyya looked around her very well-appointed room in the hospitality section of the hospital. "I could get used to being a personal nurse," she spoke aloud to no one in her private quarters.

TUSN Frigate F10735 Wimple, Piscium-8 Gas Giant, Piscium Star System

The FTL wave front announced to all who could see it the arrival in system of the warship the NS Wimple. But the commander of the vessel didn't want the powerful electro-magnetic burst to be seen, so had dropped the ship into the ionosphere on the back side of the gas giant Piscium-8 to hide the vessels arrival signature from the Liramor-23 mining platform.

A large Fairling Class frigate, the vessel was a state-of-the-art naval ship ready and very capable of bringing harm to the enemies of the Terran Union. The vessel was new in that she had been commissioned less than two years previously. It was named after another very famous warship that had been decommissioned five years previously. In that regard, she was the ninth ship to carry the name, a legacy name for the Terran Union Navy.

The ship was 320 meters in length and 150 meters in width. It bristled with large quad-gun Mark-12 Pulse Cannon turrets: each gun capable of punching a large hole in a ship the same size as the NS Wimple. There were four such turrets on the ship, two dorsal turrets at the top of the ship, one pointed forward and one pointed rearward, and two keel turrets at the bottom of the ship, in a like configuration to those at the top. These four quad turrets could take on anything up to but not including a Burgan Class Battle Cruiser.

In addition to the Mk-12 turrets, the Wimple had two twin-gun Mk-48 Pulse Cannon turrets on the ship's lateral line port and starboard for self-defence.

The ships main weapons though, were the six 280cm and eight 150cm missile/torpedo doors in the bow of the ship. These doors opened to fire a selection of missiles or torpedoes dependant on what the ship's captain wanted to attain. Torpedoes were designed to attack ships. The could home in on the power wake of a ship and destroy the ships engines on impact.

Missiles could be launched against ships or against other targets such as space stations or even planets. Their yield, from damage to utter destruction, depended on the desired outcome of the engagement.

Naval ships had the capacity to generate powerful electro-magnetic fields around them to deflect the beams of pulse cannons, but these fields would not stop shrapnel from an exploding missile or torpedo, nor the high-speed kinetic impact of these weapons.

The power packs of both missiles and torpedoes, could spool up to near light speed in seconds after launch and could outrun most ships at lesser speed in minutes. Generally, the only defence a ship had against them was to jump to FTL as targeting such high-speed weapons with guns was exceedingly difficult.

The current ship's crew of 286 men and women were mostly the same who had been aboard on commissioning, so they knew their ship. As well, the ship carried a company of Marines and their equipment, used principally for security and fighting in close quarters. The Marines were useful if the ship was boarded or if they were to board an enemy or contraband vessel.

On this trip, the ship also carried a contingent of fifty-two specialist scientist who had not been informed of why they were required to be aboard. All they knew was that they would be looking at something new and that they would have to keep what they were investigating to themselves, as it was currently classified.

Of course, they were sure, that made what they were going to investigate some sort of military weapon from the War, though they had not heard of any Confederation of Planet strongholds this far from Terra.

Capt. Bouyé Alexander Whatt sat in the Captain's Chair above and slightly to the rear of operations on the bridge. He could see all of the stations from where he was and could slave any of them to his chairs twin 3D holo-vid monitors for immediate overview whenever he needed. The main viewer, a ten-meter monster, was currently split showing the view ahead with tactical information on the gas giant and the space around it.

"Science?" He snapped. His staff knew their jobs well and what their captain wanted.

"Wave front was absorbed by the ionosphere, sir. It is unlikely that anyone on Liramor-23 would have seen us arrive in-system," Lieutenant Davis advised.

"Tactical?"

"Sir, no vessels in detectable orbit around the planet. There are two ships, probably supply ships, near the platform as well as a number of smaller vessels, likely specialized mining ships. These are residual images as the platform is twenty-eight seconds light sir."

Whatt knew that the platform wouldn't see the wave front for just shy of twenty-eight seconds. It would take them several minutes to figure out what they had seen, if they noted anything at all and then send a radio query or a ship should they decide that they needed to investigate. With most, if not all, of the wave front absorbed by the gas giant's ionosphere, it was unlikely that they would respond.

Whatt, however, had been in the Terran Union Wars and was a cautious commander. He liked bored. He hated unexpected surprises.

"Ex O set a ten-minute clock. If there is no response from the station within that time, we will begin the exercise to take the station." He ordered.