The Outer Ring by Martin Wilsey Page A

FTL, tomorrow. No one knew how long they would
be in orbit around the next surveyed planet, so they had to be
ready for long days.
    “ Morning, Chen. What the
fuck do you think you’re doing?” Barcus said, with an amused
tone.
    “ Don’t just stand there,
asshole. Lift that end and set it in those lock points. Or, is it
too heavy for you and your skinny little arms?” Chen
taunted.
    Barcus didn’t ask why she
was mounting a 10mm canon inside the belly of her Emergency Module
(EM), a spider-like all-terrain vehicle. As he muscled the
receiver end into the sockets, he saw there were ammo belt feed
cases already installed.
    “ Where the hell did you
find this hellish lead storm?” he asked, referring to the massive
gun. He moved to the muzzle end, helping her snap it into place.
“Fixed forward fire, I see. Do you have a targeting module in the
EM’s AI yet?” he asked.
    Chen answered with a roll of her eyes.
She laid the belt of ammo across the receiver, as she said, “Em,
cycle the 10mm and then close it up.” The first round cycled into
the chamber, as the access panels closed so tight there was no
visible seam.
    “ Aren’t you worried that
Captain Everett might get pissed off that you armed the transport?”
Barcus asked. “Besides, who gave you the weapons mounts? Sweet
setup . Can we try it in the vacuum,
tomorrow, while we’re out?”
    “ The STU-1138 class
shuttles are just big enough to have their own parts fabricators.
Can I help it if I have friends with access to design specs?” She
smiled, wiping the lubricant from her hands with a dry
rag.
    “ Morning, all,” said Jack
Miller. He was already out of breath. The 2G outer ring did that to
most people. Barcus worked with hundreds of maintenance guys on a
ship this size. Many, like Jack, had just started their tours four
months ago. Barcus had been there longer than any of them. Just
over twelve years.
    A security squad of sixteen men ran
by. They were in full combat gear, including Frange carbines. They
were also followed by a couple of unit drones that scanned
everything as they ran by.
    Chen patted Jack’s belly. “Don’t
worry. They won’t eat you.”
    Jack was a good guy. He was a hard
worker. He was great at detail work, especially the really fine
schematic work that sometimes left Barcus unable to see the big
picture of his project. ‘First tour spread’ often haunted people
when the gravity was low and the food was good. Jack was determined
to be physically fit when he returned to Earth in three years,
eight months.
    “ Rumor has it you’re
joining us heavies in the outer ring, ” Chen stated, as she
rolled the toolbox to the far side of the EM. Barcus saw Jack look
at the piling that was Chen’s artificial left leg.
    “ Good-looking, on you. The
chicks will dig it, right Barcus?” Chen said.
    “ The chicks will dig
what?” Rand asked, as she walked up. She chugged from a water
bottle. She noticed Jack, just then. “Mr. Miller has come back for
more. We need to requisition this man a backpack!”
    “ He’s even moving to the
outer ring, soon, ” Barcus said, before he chugged
water from the bottle Rand tossed to him. Rand was part of the
security team. Not only did she run with a weighted pack, she
wore two handguns in thigh holsters and a Frange carbine on a
strap that hung from her shoulder.
    Jack, breathing easier now, said, “Did
you know all the quarters out here are singles and are way bigger?
No waiting list. I move in tomorrow.”
    “ Jimbo!” the heavies said,
all at once.
    Another voice said, “Don’t tell
anyone, but we also have our own kitchen down here.”
    Barcus added, “Good morning, Commander
‘shirking your duty’ Worthington. What the hell, man? Your shift
isn’t over until 0800 hours.” He slapped backs and shook everyone’s
hands. “Jimbo, this is Jack Miller, our latest victim.”
    “ Nice to meet you, Jack.
Don’t listen to these asswipes. Down here, I’m just Jimbo.” He
shook