c. 2026 Rod Ice
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(5-26)
Lotharian Gardino was known for expressing blunt opinions when in the midst of difficult situations. And, for brooding in silence, when it appeared that he had suffered some sort of personal defeat. But the disappearance of their target in the wilderness that had once been called Ohio caused him to break every previous rule of conduct. He became a nuisance to those on his governance staff, and even other members of the ruling council. His obsession with what precipitated their failure to keep a watchful eye on the Digger shuttle would not abate. He pestered technicians and engineers at Toqua Platte to the point of verbal altercations, and a near mutiny.
Finally, he confronted Arbiter Goland Pick while the facility head was at his control console, directing operations for the day.
“YOU LET THAT PRIZE SLIP FROM OUR HANDS. AM I CORRECT, MISTER? WE NOW HAVE NO IDEA WHERE IT HAS GONE?”
The Calimex officer reddened with embarrassment. He did not appreciate being reprimanded in front of others on the technical team.
“Prime Keeper, we know that it apparently took off from its original location, south of the Lake Erie region. A C-drive signature registered on our sensors, but it was intermittent, and fluctuated in output. That is not normal by any measure, when compared to our compiled charts from previous sightings. We suspect the craft suffered some kind of damage, possibly when our Seagull bots deactivated themselves...”
Gardino did not accept this explanation graciously.
“SO, IT JUST DISAPPEARED THEN? DIDN’T WE SEND OUT MORE SURVEY DRONES TO KEEP TRACK OF THAT THING?”
Arbiter Pick grimaced over having to describe the incident in greater detail.
“Sir, our Seagull units take days to travel from this installation to the heartland. We sent a new wave of them out immediately, but none were present when the small ship departed...”
This response only intensified the raging tone of his superior’s voice.
“NONE WERE PRESENT? ABSOLUTELY NONE? YOU JUST ALLOWED THEM TO SIT HERE WAITING, WHILE THE OTHERS WERE STILL ACTIVE?”
The lead engineer was flustered by this ignorant remark. All of their normal procedures had been followed in a routine manner.
“Sir, we did what is customary when a group has already been dispatched.”
His answer only caused the tirade of insults to become louder.
“YOU IMBECILE! WE COULD HAVE BEEN PROACTIVE! WE COULD HAVE BEEN READY! BUT INSTEAD, YOUR SLACKING HAS PUT US IN A SPOT WHERE WE HAVE NO GOOD OPTIONS REMAINING! THIS IS RIDICULOUS! WHAT SHALL I TELL THE COASTAL GOVERNORS AT OUR NEXT MEETING? THAT WE SIMPLY DIDN’T KEEP UP OUR PACE IN THIS COMPETITION TO GAIN NEW RESOURCES?”
Pick was puzzled by this odd characterization.
“Competition, Prime Keeper? With who or what? None of the other enclaves have a sufficient level of technical skills to comprehend something like a C-drive system for propulsion. They would be completely dumbfounded by such an innovation. Indeed, we don’t even understand it ourselves...”
Gardino went wild at this candid admission. He shouted and stammered, and stomped his feet.
“NO, NO, NO, I WON’T TAKE THAT AS A STATEMENT OF FACT, GOLAND! YOU KNOW MANY THINGS, AFTER YEARS OF STUDY AND EXPERIMENTATION! YOUR CREW IS ALWAYS BUSY LEARNING NEW TRICKS! YOU ARE PERPETUALLY TRYING NEW IDEAS, DISCOVERING NEW COMBINATIONS, AND REVISING OLD STRATEGIES! THIS WAS A FAILURE TO EXECUTE YOUR RESPONSIBILITIES AS A LEADER OF MEN AND WOMEN! THE BURDEN OF GUILT RESTS ON YOUR SHOULDERS! YOU ARE THE ONE WHO MUST BE... PUNISHED!”
The Toqua Platte supervisor went pale. He felt a chill of fright run over his skin.
“Punished, sir? I must say that I do not understand...”
The titular head of their federated republic had to catch his breath, after such a long outburst. He could feel a drumbeat of cardiac elevation thumping in his chest.
“Alright Goland, once again if you please. Explain how the Digger shuttle was able to take flight and then disappear while we were tracking the signature of its unique drive system!”
Arbiter Pick covered his eyes with one hand. If was as if he were schooling a little child.
“Keeper, the transport initiated its impeller thrusters first. That produces a low hum of energy, it is difficult to detect with a distant array like our own. That sort of propulsion is very slow, we have something similar, but more primitive in nature. Their version has a level of sophistication we can’t duplicate. For whatever reason, after being in the air for a period of time, the C-drive was activated. Normally, that system is used for returning to a mother ship, which is in orbit. I cannot explain the event without more information. Then, for some unknown reason, the utility was terminated. That part of the continent was being buffeted by a cyclical storm, it had already passed over our area in previous days of the week. Maybe there is a connection? My suspicion is that the shuttle had already been damaged. Possibly, the meteorological conditions overwhelmed their ability to navigate, because of already being compromised. We could not tell from our remote scans. The Digger apparently circled over that large body of water, then turned south and perhaps, made a crash landing. The nearest Seagull we had in place was still at least 24 hours away. It wasn’t possible to document any details with certainty...”
Lotharian Gardino softened his facial expression. He understood, at last.
“Therefore, we can be sure that the craft is somewhere beyond that lake, directionally. It might be buried in the mud, covered with woodland foliage, or have even split into pieces, at this moment. Am I speaking the truth, Goland?”
Pick cleared his throat with a low groan of surrender.
“Yes, Prime Keeper. The Digger models are durable, we think, because they serve as a kind of workhorse for the Martian colonies. It is their conduit to haul goods and passengers between their interplanetary vessels, and the surface of whatever orb they are visiting...”
His head-of-state whispered with a deliberate growl.
“Then I task you with this – to stay on course regarding the Seagull surveyors. When we have more of them in place, scout around for that shuttle. Find it if you can. And if you cannot, then prepare yourself to stand before the council of governance. There will a hearing on this incident, and about your career as a servant of this republic. Do you get my meaning? We all have to be accountable for our actions. You do, I do, and all of my fellow governors do, as believers in the sanctity of this territory. Calimex exists because of our vigilance. It will survive because of the same. Failure is not an option, it is only a hindrance to us inheriting our birthright of greatness! We will endure, and succeed. That I swear is our manifest destiny! Let no one block our path to the ultimate goal of ruling this world and all its of people!”
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