Henry Gallant Saga 2: Lieutenant Henry Gallant by H. Peter Alesso Page A
Authors: H. Peter Alesso
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disappearance, but exactly what happened to you had remained a mystery. No one expected to find any of you, or your descendants alive, let alone eleven light years away.”
He paused and waited to see their reaction and then continued, “Open warfare with the Titans didn’t happen immediately. Some sniper action and exchanging fire between small groups of ships would happen from time to time, but no large-scale actions, until the Titans launched a huge fleet to invade Jupiter Station and the Jupiter moon colonies.”
Once more he paused and frowned, the memories were painful. “I was a fighter pilot on the Repulse at the time, over three years ago. We fought them to a standstill initially. Later we discovered the Jupiter invasion was only a gambit to lure away the Mars Fleet. A second Titan fleet was waiting, hiding at Ceres of all places, to sneak behind the UP forces and destroy our Mars cities. Fortunately, their plan was discovered and the Mars Fleet drove them off. Afterward there were a series of minor skirmishes.”
“I’m sure those must have been difficult experiences for you,” said Hepburn.
Gallant nodded, but did not elaborate on the pivotal role he had played. “We’re hoping the Intrepid, and FTL ships like it will tip the scales in our favor and eventually allow us to take the war to Titan home planets.”
Hepburn and Alaina sat quietly, drinking in the information
Gallant crossed his legs, put down his glass of wine, and thought, I wonder where Junior is? Probably close by listening—which is unfortunate.
“Professor Hepburn will you give me a sense of the politics here?” Gallant tried to take the measure of the man, but his face revealed little. He could only hope Hepburn would be more open and honest than others he had met on Elysium, so far.
“Well, after our colony was abducted we spent thirty years on a Titan generation ship traveling to Tau Ceti. Once our colony was transplanted here, we were victimized by the Titans for experimentation until Wolfe miraculously produced his planet-wide force field blocking all Titan access. We have been under our own authority since then. Wolfe has been in charge, but there has been growing dissent.”
“What sort of dissent?”
“Well, corruption has been alleged, which is difficult to prove against a government that controls both the police and the judges. Nevertheless, groups of young people have been gathering and holding demonstrations.” Hepburn looked meaningfully as Alaina who had turned her head away, acting as if he shouldn’t be criticizing anything she had done.
“Oh, are they contentious remonstrations against the SSP?” asked Gallant.
“Are there any other kind, when you’re dealing with bullies?” asked Alaina. She rose from her chair and went to the front window. She swept away the curtain and looked around as if trying to catch someone sneaking about.
“We have advocated developing space technology to return to Sol, or at least communicate with Earth,” said Hepburn.
“Wolfe disagrees?”
“Of course. This is a tropical paradise for all of us, but especially for him. He practically owns the planet. Still I’ve maintained a vigorous political difference of opinion, always mindful to keep it peaceful and civil. As a result, he tolerates me. He recognizes that repressive governments that punish political opposition become isolated from the people and eventually vulnerable to revolution.”
“Does he allow organized protests?”
“Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to group demonstrations. Protesters as peaceful individuals have also been tolerated. Wolfe’s governmental policy has been to control the colony’s economics through a media monopoly. He runs our news media and communication stations. We do enjoy our entertainment channels. The net result is that he, his family, and cronies live comfortably while the rest of us work hard to grow our community.”
“How does he manage
He paused and waited to see their reaction and then continued, “Open warfare with the Titans didn’t happen immediately. Some sniper action and exchanging fire between small groups of ships would happen from time to time, but no large-scale actions, until the Titans launched a huge fleet to invade Jupiter Station and the Jupiter moon colonies.”
Once more he paused and frowned, the memories were painful. “I was a fighter pilot on the Repulse at the time, over three years ago. We fought them to a standstill initially. Later we discovered the Jupiter invasion was only a gambit to lure away the Mars Fleet. A second Titan fleet was waiting, hiding at Ceres of all places, to sneak behind the UP forces and destroy our Mars cities. Fortunately, their plan was discovered and the Mars Fleet drove them off. Afterward there were a series of minor skirmishes.”
“I’m sure those must have been difficult experiences for you,” said Hepburn.
Gallant nodded, but did not elaborate on the pivotal role he had played. “We’re hoping the Intrepid, and FTL ships like it will tip the scales in our favor and eventually allow us to take the war to Titan home planets.”
Hepburn and Alaina sat quietly, drinking in the information
Gallant crossed his legs, put down his glass of wine, and thought, I wonder where Junior is? Probably close by listening—which is unfortunate.
“Professor Hepburn will you give me a sense of the politics here?” Gallant tried to take the measure of the man, but his face revealed little. He could only hope Hepburn would be more open and honest than others he had met on Elysium, so far.
“Well, after our colony was abducted we spent thirty years on a Titan generation ship traveling to Tau Ceti. Once our colony was transplanted here, we were victimized by the Titans for experimentation until Wolfe miraculously produced his planet-wide force field blocking all Titan access. We have been under our own authority since then. Wolfe has been in charge, but there has been growing dissent.”
“What sort of dissent?”
“Well, corruption has been alleged, which is difficult to prove against a government that controls both the police and the judges. Nevertheless, groups of young people have been gathering and holding demonstrations.” Hepburn looked meaningfully as Alaina who had turned her head away, acting as if he shouldn’t be criticizing anything she had done.
“Oh, are they contentious remonstrations against the SSP?” asked Gallant.
“Are there any other kind, when you’re dealing with bullies?” asked Alaina. She rose from her chair and went to the front window. She swept away the curtain and looked around as if trying to catch someone sneaking about.
“We have advocated developing space technology to return to Sol, or at least communicate with Earth,” said Hepburn.
“Wolfe disagrees?”
“Of course. This is a tropical paradise for all of us, but especially for him. He practically owns the planet. Still I’ve maintained a vigorous political difference of opinion, always mindful to keep it peaceful and civil. As a result, he tolerates me. He recognizes that repressive governments that punish political opposition become isolated from the people and eventually vulnerable to revolution.”
“Does he allow organized protests?”
“Protests can take many different forms, from individual statements to group demonstrations. Protesters as peaceful individuals have also been tolerated. Wolfe’s governmental policy has been to control the colony’s economics through a media monopoly. He runs our news media and communication stations. We do enjoy our entertainment channels. The net result is that he, his family, and cronies live comfortably while the rest of us work hard to grow our community.”
“How does he manage
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