Outsystem (Aeon 14) by M. D. Cooper Read Free Book Online Page A

and Forensics was Terry Chang. Though Terry was a colonist who would be making the trip, until they debarked she would be listed as one of the GSS contractors. Her primary qualification was several years managing New Seattle’s police labs on Mars and her record showed good performance.
    Net Security was headed up by Lieutenant Caspen. He was Mars Security Force, attached to the station, and from what Tanis could see his record wasn’t particularly impressive. He had a few complaints against him for insubordination and some of his COs had private and rather unflattering comments on his file. From what Tanis could tell, it was not immediately apparent why he would be on an assignment like the Intrepid .
    She left his file open on the desk’s holo and shifted her attention to First Lieutenant Amy Lee. She was the only person in the SOC that was TSF Marine branch and not Navy or Regulars. It would explain why she was down at the physical perimeter.
    The MSF liaison was a Commander Gren. Because MSF followed more traditional naval structure and not the mixed format that the TSF used, Gren technically outranked Commander Evans. In the TSF the rank of commander was analogous to the old rank of captain. It had been renamed when the structure merged to avoid confusion with ship captains. Gren’s rank was functionally the same as Tanis’s. She was getting a better picture of why Commander Evans had struggled so much to get cooperation out of the Marsian personnel. A perusal of several incidents showed that Gren tended to treat MSF and MOS security personnel as though they were under his direct command. On top of that, a MOS security liaison was present as well—a Sergeant Davidson. Davidson’s record was better than most of the personnel that the MOS had supplied to the Intrepid , but Commander Gren overrode any good suggestion the sergeant made.
    Shipstats listed the Intrepid ’s current population at just over ten thousand, and once the colonists began to arrive to be put into stasis daily averages would be several times that number. In preparation for that time an internal police force was present, headed by First Lieutenant Ouri of the GSS. Ouri seemed competent enough and was temporary crew on the Intrepid with a permanent colony position upon arrival.
    The Intrepid was unlike most colony ships in that it was designed to make multiple trips. Upon reaching New Eden it would detach the cylinders and cargo pods. Once the orbital habitat was functioning, the ship would return to Earth to pick up more cargo pods and a pair of new cylinders.
    Typically the entire ship remained at the colony, usually being salvaged or turned into insystem transport. This was the first GSS to have a permanent crew that would not be staying at the destination.
     Tanis asked Angela. Angela replied.
    
    
    
    
    
    
    Angela gave the mental equivalent of a sigh. Tanis said.
    
     
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    Tanis sat at the head of the conference table sipping a cup of coffee. It was just before 1600 and the various department heads and liaisons began to file in. Tanis had requested a physical meeting as it was much easier to read people when they were