Junkyard Dogs 1: The Scrapyard Incident by Phillip Nolte Read Free Book Online Page A

the old
ships, disassembled pieces of ships, and other assorted scrap in the huge
junkyard. Points of light, straight and jagged lines of light, light reflected
in any and all shapes imaginable, some recognizable, some not. The myriad
shapes of light contrasted starkly with shadows of absolute blackness. All of
this was framed against a backdrop dusting of glaring starpoints in the pitch
black matrix of space. Directly over their heads was the thicker band of stars
that made up the spiral arm of the Milky Way Galaxy. The incredible panorama
filled the entire celestial sphere. Carlisle stopped for a moment or two,
taking in the glorious scene. Again she began talking to herself, seemingly
unaware that she could be overheard.
    "Such
beauty...so many stars..."
    "Kind
of takes your breath away, doesn't it?" said Harris.
    "Oh,
sorry, Sir. I only got a brief glimpse of this
yesterday after we arrived. I never imagined that the Scrapyard would be
so...incredibly beautiful! Do you ever get used to it?"
    "I've
been here for nearly three years now," replied Harris. "I can still
stare at it for hours at a time."
    She
couldn't stop herself from keeping the greatest share of her attention on the
spectacular view as she followed Harris towards the docking area.
     

Chapter 7
    UTFN Reclamation Center, Main Facility,
October 5, 2598.
    Outside
the door to the main cargo airlock, the two officers each clipped a tether to
the rail of the waiting utility sled. The sled bore the neatly, but obviously hand-lettered
moniker " Reclamation Rover I "
and, having been extensively modified over the course of countless years of
service, bore little resemblance to a standard Naval-issue utility sled. At
first glance, it was barely distinguishable from the nondescript bits of scrap
and other debris that made up the Scrapyard, it had so many bits and other
modules added. Closer examination revealed a great deal of thoughtful
modification, including a full, overhead crash cage with a sunshade to block
the harsh light and radiation of the system's star. The space-suited form of
Hawkins looked up from the cargo module he was making fast to the deck to
acknowledge the arrival of his two new shipmates.
    "Let
me introduce you to engineering technician Angus Hawkins," said Harris.
    Since the three
of them were to be together for the next several days, all had been tuned to
the same suit-to-suit communications frequency. Hawkins had actually been
monitoring the previous conversations between the two officers and thus had
been expecting them. One of Kresge's innovations was a muting down of the level
of military protocol required for small operations in the Scrapyard. With
everyone in spacesuits and usually in small groups of less than five people,
regular shipboard procedures such as coming to attention, saluting, and other
military protocols were deemed a low priority because they could be downright
dangerous in some situations, and a more relaxed interaction between officers
and enlisted men was encouraged. Each member of the small party chose a call
sign to ensure the brevity and clarity of their communications.
    "Hawkins,
this is Ensign Tamara Carlisle," said Harris. "You'll need a call
sign, Ensign. What do you want us to call you?"
    "Um... Vixen, will do just fine," said the young woman.
    "Vixen,"
replied Hawkins, with a slight nod of his head inside the clear bubble of his
spacesuit helmet. "I be Hawk."
    "Java works
for me," said Harris, rounding out the introductory remarks.
    Hawkins too was
enamored with Carlisle's new suit.
    "Goodness
me, Lass, but that be one fancy suit you're wearin.'"
    "Thanks...Hawk.
I was just telling Harris about it. It's a prototype. I'm testing it out for a
few weeks."
    "Looks t' be
a wee bit flimsy?"
    "Meta-kevlar...nanite
architecture...Actually, it's not. I know it almost looks too good to be true,
but the fabric is a brand new polymer. They claim it's not only stronger than
the material of the old suits, but that its