Hidden Empire - Kevin J. Anderson [241]
This sent mutters through the audience hall, and she let the gathered people express themselves, building upon each other's confidence.
"So, what are we to do, if we can no longer harvest ekti from gas giants? Our entire economy is based on this. Should we just surrender to the inevitable—maybe join the Big Goose after all?" She shook her head. "We dare not become more dependent upon the Hansa, after working for more than a century to wean ourselves from suffocating ties with Earth."
"Then how do we survive?" shouted someone from the audience. "Without ekti we—"
She cut him off with a sharply raised palm. "Since when have the Roamers been bound to a single option? Gas giants are merely the most convenient reservoirs of hydrogen. But it is the most abundant element in the galaxy. We must look at alternatives and begin to harvest ekti in other ways."
Cesca smiled down at a man seated in the front row of audience benches. "I have recalled Kotto Okiah, one of our best inventors, from Isperos, where he was building a new Roamer colony in the heat and lava. I have asked him to apply his ingenuity to this new problem. It may prove more difficult to harvest ekti elsewhere in the Spiral Arm...but will that stop us?"
She forced a laugh. "I don't think so! We are Roamers. Let us apply our imaginations, our creativity, and face down this challenge. Look toward the Guiding Star we all know is out there. We can come out stronger if we work hard enough and demonstrate our true brilliance. We've always been good at considering long-term plans, haven't we?"
Cesca lifted both hands, looking at all her people. "Every one of our inventors and designers and engineers must join in. We have no time to lose." Relieved but giddy, she took a step back from the podium and raised her voice. "We will find new ways."
111 TASIA TAMBLYN
The Goliath rode in a stationary orbit, while Platcom Tasia Tamblyn's Thunderhead crouched close to the Hansa mines plowing through the colorful Jovian skies. The enormous factories sprayed exhaust plumes shaped like anvils high into the rarefied air.
Day after day, the EDF escorts stayed at high alert. The Juggernaut loomed at the edge of orbit; Manta cruisers soared above the skymining operations. Survey flights of Remoras streaked through the cloud layers while Thunderheads hovered overhead, scanning Jupiter's storm systems and weather patterns for any anomalies. The cloud patrols returned to their base ships at hourly intervals, reporting nothing unusual. The edgy suspense never waned, though many crew members began to doubt that hydrogues lived at the core of Jupiter.
Tasia did not allow herself to stop watching, though. The cloud-harvesters were like fishing boats drifting on the sea, while the hydrogues were monsters lurking at the bottom of the deepest ocean trenches. Admiral Stromo, aboard the Goliath, continued to stage response drills and weapons practices. Everyone remained ready.
Robb Brindle, who commanded the Thunderhead's surveillance Remoras, grew more optimistic. He stood beside Tasia, looking down at the lumbering ekti factories like fat cattle grazing on the upthrust storm systems.
"Two possibilities, Tamblyn. Either the hydrogues don't live here, and we can keep processing ekti to our heart's content. Or"—he turned to glance behind him at the bridge crew—"our kick-ass fleet has scared the aliens away."
Tasia didn't offer the third explanation that came to mind: that the hydrogues simply hadn't shown themselves yet. She did not want to shatter his confidence, knowing that the happy bravado was, in part, a response to extended anxiety. "I hope you're right, Brindle."
Within three hours, however, the first alarms started to ring.
A Remora survey squadron returned, signaling instant alerts