The Belt: The Kuiper Belt Incident

By Rick Badman

THE BELT deals with the mining operations found in the Kuiper Belt at the start. It is discovered that an alien world called Ortasia has salted planetoids with precious minerals and placed both installations and booby traps in the Kuiper Belt. One of these booby traps kills Space Corps personnel and the best friend of one of the main characters in the book.

Later on, an independent mining operator transports to Ortasia and eventually becomes a hero during the interstellar war he believes might have been caused because he transported to Ortasia. Come to find out, a malevolent empire uses his action to provoke a war and deceives other worlds to fight it.

The Ortasians had once been a galactic power. But 30,000 years before the start of the book they decide to become isolated, to some extent, and peaceful. The reason for the change centers around a secret hidden in the Belt that the malevolent empire eventually discovers.

The war involves our system, an empire, a confederation of planets, Ortasia, and pirates that want to take advantage of the chaos the war presents.

When it looks like the story is about to end, a dramatic twist is added that will make the reader believe the secret that is discovered is only one of many secrets that are left to be discovered in the Belt.

THE BELT is like a science fiction version of a western. There are mining operations like what we had during gold rush eras. Pirates are like the Indians the cavalry used to fight. The space stations Yukon, Siberia, Patagonia, and Tibet administer small portions of the Belt and are like the frontier forts the protected settlers a century and a quarter ago. There are vast unexplored areas full of potential riches and potential death. THE BELT could be the first in a series of books that will make the Kuiper Belt as interesting as our western frontier. Since our descendants may eventually live and work out there, someone needs to create the mythology and romance that will make the Belt inviting just like the dime novelists did for the Old West. They based their stories on truth and lies and provoked hundreds of thousands to go West to seek their fortune. If I can do the same thing for the Kuiper Belt, I might in the future become like Horace Greeley who told people to go West. My book THE BELT is my way of saying go to the Kuiper Belt and make your fortune as well as lead us to the stars.

THE BELT deals with a place that exists. It is a place where people will work hard. It will be where people have their last chance to succeed. Millions of people want to travel to the stars to find adventure. But those who are willing to get their hands dirty and take chances in order to strike it rich, the Kuiper Belt is waiting for them. Just like the area between the Coasts is called fly-over country, the Kuiper Belt is the future version of fly-over country. If THE BELT can show the public that an alien region closer to us than the nearest alien star exists that needs to be explored and utilized, my effort will have not been in vain.

• Language: English
• Publisher: Xlibris US
• Release date: Mar 9, 2000
• ISBN: 9781462828043

Rick Badman

Rick Badman was born in Warsaw, Indiana on March 21, 1956. He became interested in Science Fiction over 55 years ago at a time when what once was considered science fiction was becoming factual. He began writing science fiction stories back then and longed to have the public discover his ideas about futuristic technology and its possible effect upon the world. Rick Badman's Christian upbringing gives him optimism as he demonstrates in his narratives.

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Copyright ©1999 by Rick Badman.

All rights reserved. No part of this book may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or by any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the copyright owner.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places and incidents either are the product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any resemblance to any actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely coincidental.

This book was printed in the United States of America.

To order additional copies of this book, contact:

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Contents

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

CHAPTER 1

The mining foreman sat at the terminal on his desk and was uncomfortable trying to answer all of the troopers’ questions. The pair of blue-suited officers sat patiently in front of the desk and sipped coffee.

I wish that sometime you two could just come here for a friendly visit instead of needing to investigate some kind of trouble, he complained.

Hey, that’s what we get paid for, said Lieutenant Caston. Yukon could spare two or three guys, if you think you need them, he offered.

Are you kidding? After last month’s incident, I was reluctant to call you guys in, he said as he tapped out some instructions on his keyboard.

If you could control your people better, maybe we wouldn’t have to resort to force, complained Lieutenant Michaels. Just tell us who the troublemakers are and most of your problems would end instantly. Why are you so reluctant to give them up? It’s not like they’re irreplaceable, reasoned the officer.

The foreman swiveled his monitor around to show the officers some information.

This is a list of the new people that were hired to work here in the last couple months and a production chart. Before they were added to the crews, this planetoid was barely making a profit for the company. More ore is being mined, more shipments are getting through, and claim jumping is nearly nonexistent, the foreman bragged.

Sure, if you kill anyone suspicious who comes within a kilometer of this rock, said Caston.

What were we to do? We were losing an average of one guard every week because their humanity was getting in the way. What we needed were men who could kill without hesitation, he said as he spun his monitor around again.

Even if it means murdering innocent people? asked Michaels.

You lose your innocence fast out here in the Belt. Sure the pay is good. What are you guys pulling down every month; 120, 150 thou?

We do all right, Caston said modestly. Anyone who volunteers to work out in the Kuiper Belt deserves more.

I have two ex’s and child support to pay. I was lucky to put away anything each month back on Titan. I intend on putting in my time out here and going to Mars after I retire. I hear there are some areas where you can go out without a suit and it actually gets warm.

The buzzer on the foreman’s intercom sound. He pushed the button and said, Yes?

Chief engineer Timmons is out here to see you, sir, said the young man in the outer office. He says it’s urgent.

Send him in.

The office door slid open and in rushed a wild-eyed man wearing dirty coveralls who looked like he hadn’t visited a barber in years. He slammed an ore sample onto the foreman’s desk.

Look at it, he demanded as the two officers from the space station Yukon stared at him. This is impossible.

The foreman studied the ore for awhile as the engineer spoke.

That isn’t ore. If I didn’t know any better, I’d swear someone filled a rock mold with platinum.

How is that possible since we’re the first people to crack open this rock? asked the foreman as he passed the sample to Caston to examine.

It’s like someone planted the stuff for us to find; probably some alien race. But it just doesn’t make any sense, said the engineer. He removed an adjustable power ray chisel from his tool pouch on his right hip and plugged it into his power backpack.

Lieutenant Michaels handed the ore sample back to the engineer who placed it on the desk far from the computer terminal. He set his chisel for a depth of five millimeter and a pulsation rate of 150 strokes a second. The rock pealed away from the platinum like it was a banana skin. The slug of precious metal was easily separated from the rock which crumbled into pebbles and dust.

That was much too easy, said the engineer as he stashed the platinum in his sample pack on his left hip and put his chisel away.

"It’s 100% pure. Only the ingots we ship from the smelter are

that pure. But the ‘ore’ was removed from the vein several hours ago."

How much do you think we’ll find? asked the foreman.

I have no idea. The vein might produce a billion ounces and make everyone obscenely rich. Then again, it might be played out tomorrow, he reminded the foreman.

For all of our sakes it had better be closer to 10,000 tons than 1000 ounces, said the foreman.

I’m still young. I could work two or three more rocks like this before calling it quits and heading back to Earth. This is the end of the line for you, old man, the engineer teased the foreman.

Don’t you have some more ore samples to analyze? the foreman asked, annoyed with the man who was half his age.

The engineer left the room.

I’d be angry if it weren’t true, the foreman admitted.

If an alien race put the stuff in, there’s no telling what else they may have planted for you guys to find, said Caston. If someone finds anything suspicious, contact us immediately.

Caston’s communicator beeped. He removed it from his belt and flipped on the screen. It was Colonel Neff.

You two had better get your butts over to K-327. All Hell is breaking out over there. Pirates are attacking the mine and your ship is the closes one in the area.

We’ll beam up and check out the situation, Caston assured his commanding officer.

The men beamed up to their ship and minutes later, they were nearing the planetoid that was half the size of Earth’s moon. All the ship’s weapons were brought on line and maximum field density was achieved around the vessel.

The pirate vessels were an assortment of surplus fighter crafts that had never seen service, some hybrid crafts that looked none too sturdy, and a battle cruiser/carrier that was the mobile base for the marauders. Power rays, mags, and field discharge weapons were inflicting punishment on the interlopers. But they were pulverizing targets on the planetoid with the same intensity in which they were pounded from below.

The craft from the Yukon discharged a dozen smaller attack crafts the size of coffins to keep the swarming pirates occupied as the main craft took on the cruiser.

The weapons computer and targeting system analyzed the weaknesses of the cruiser to allow the officers to concentrate on flying the craft and firing upon individual targets that harassed the vessel.

The cruiser’s engines were disabled first to make the lumbering hulk a drifting target. The rear weapons were smashed next and concentrated charges of energy were pumped into the gaping wounds in the stern. One of the bundles of energy blasted through the containment vessel of the main reactor and caused an explosion that disintegrated the cruiser and rocked the planetoid and crafts. The craft from the Yukon diverted energy to the forward fields to protect the occupants from the massive waves of radiation expelled by the exploding cruiser. The officers hoped the defenders of the planetoid had sufficient protection.

The remaining pirate crafts sped out of the area to avoid certain destruction. When the last one was out of sight and the smaller attack crafts were collected in the hold of the mother craft, Lieutenant Caston contacted the commander of the small base at the North Pole of the planetoid.

You guys down there all right? Caston asked as the screen on the ship began to lose the snow and reveal people.

Yeah. Is that you, Joe? Our screen was damaged in the attack. You can see us, but we’re blind.

Yeah, this is Joe. Kirk Michaels is up here with me.

Hey Kirk. How’s your mom doing?

Fine. Thanks for asking. Many casualties down there?

Reports are still coming in, said the first officer who was sitting beside the commander watching the monitors. If you guys hadn’t come when you did, I don’t think our base would have remained intact. Field strength was down to 40%. I don’t think we could have withstood much more of the constant barrage. Forget about it if the cruiser had bared down on us with its main guns.

We’re glad we could be of service to you, said Caston. Do you know why the pirates attacked you today?"

A few days ago they laid off some disgruntled miners. The foreman here, Pete Crosly, said a big strike was made in the number three mine and the guys partied a little too hardy. They got drunk, smashed up the bar they were in, and were stupid enough to take on some troopers from the base, said the commander. I would have sent them back to Earth on a military transport. But the foreman insisted on sending them back on a company ship. They hijacked it and. . . . well, you get the idea.

The foreman on K-314 was shown an ore sample that wasn’t really an ore sample, said Caston. Did someone mention something like that to you?

They don’t tell us much here unless there’s some trouble going on, said the commander.

Is the mining office intact? asked Michaels.

Yes, said the first officer. In fact, I’m looking at the foreman right now.

Put him on, said Caston.

Pete appeared on the screen and said, Thanks, guys. What do you need to know?

Caston said, Back on K-314 the mining engineer showed us what looked like an ore sample that he claimed wasn’t one. It looked like someone had melted platinum into a rock mold. Did any of your engineers show you anything unusual?

Yeah. Come to think of it, the uranium ore was purer than any I had ever seen before.

Like it was covered by a layer of rock? Caston asked expectantly.

Yeah. You could slug it and insert it into a reactor.

I bet it’s 100% pure, added Michaels.

Precisely. It’s as if it was planted. I’m not complaining, mind you. Far from it. Why those pirates thought they could succeed is beyond me, he confessed.

Greed can make the stupidest people even stupider, Caston said.

Thank God for that. But if you guys weren’t so close, I don’t know what would have happened.

If you don’t need us any more, we’ll be going, said Caston.

Go ahead. If the strike we made is as big as I hope it is, planted or not, we’ll celebrate the next time you’re around.

We look forward to— Caston’s attention was grabbed by a distant explosion of planetary proportions. What in the. . . . Turn on your surface cameras, he told the foreman.

Seconds later, the foreman’s jaw dropped as he stared at the expanding percussion waves. Lieutenant Caston fired up the engines and ducked the ship behind the planetoid to put it between the ship and the destructive surge. Minutes later, the waves slammed into the planetoid with the force of three gigatons per wave. The body was rocked so violently that Michaels suggested to his partner that it might be safer to move the ship out a bit further.

After the quakes subsided, the foreman managed to reestablish contact with the ship but only on an audio channel.

It’s chaos down here. Those percussion waves knocked out our field defenses and disabled our main reactors.

At least you’re alive, said Michaels, relieved. We had better go check it out.

By all means go ahead.

Do you need any help down there? offered Caston.

"I think we’ll get by. It’s going to take awhile before we’re up and running