Junkyard Dogs 1: The Scrapyard Incident Read Free

future of the Spacer people and their place in the United Terran Federation. The Speaker was Bishop Steven Sinclair
of the Kiwi Group.

    UTFN Reclamation Center, Main Facility,
October 4, 2598.
    "Alright
recruits," said Commander Oscar Kresge ,
commanding officer of the Reclamation Center, "most of you've been here
for a week now. Time to see what you've learned. Might as well start with the basics. Who wants to give me a
quick rundown on the inhabitable planet in this system?"
    The Commander
looked around the briefing room at two rows of young Naval officer trainees sitting straight backed, perched on the front edge of their
military issue folding chairs. Seeing no response from any of the other young
officers, the newest arrival, a petite, attractive brunette on the end of the
back row, tentatively raised her hand. Though the Spacer tattoo on her left
cheek would have been more than enough to make her stand out from this crowd,
she was also the only one of the group wearing pilot's wings on her khaki
coveralls. Kresge gave the rest of the group another
couple of seconds before calling on her.
    "Ensign Carlisle, isn't it?" asked Kresge ,
with a slight nod in her direction. "Why am I not surprised? Okay, let's
hear it."
    "...System
stats... history... major trade...," the young woman started out haltingly
and then, as though she had gotten over some kind of mental barrier, seemed to
hit her stride, reciting the relevant facts in a clear and confident alto,
"Sir, New Ceylon orbits the star Naccobus in the Heard's cluster of the Santana Quadrant of United Terran Federation space. The orbit around the primary is an
ellipse that averages just over one hundred forty million kilometers in radius
-- very similar to Old Earth. The planet's surface is about two-thirds water and
one-third land, also similar to Earth. Other similarities include a nineteen
degree axial tilt that is responsible for seasonal changes, and temperatures
over most of the planet's surface that are within the range of minus forty to
fifty above Celsius, perfect for the abundant liquid water. Where the two
planets differ dramatically is that New Ceylon has a substantially thinner
atmosphere and occupants of the planet must use supplemental breathing
equipment at any altitude above about one thousand meters or so. Major exports
include coffee and tea, which were introduced, and an array of spices that are
derived from native plant species and several others that were also introduced.
From a military standpoint, the strategic importance of the region is,"
she paused to pick the right word, "...controversial."
    "That will
do, Ms. Carlisle. Not bad for having just arrived today. Now can someone else
give me a quick rundown this military post?" Kresge scanned the group and picked the tall, boyish-looking, blond male in the middle
of the back row. Ensign McConnell, tell me what you think you know."
    The young man
looked around the room a bit nervously before clearing his throat and almost
blurting out, "We're in the middle of the biggest junkyard known to man,
Sir!"
    "Junkyard?"
said Kresge , frowning. "Let's not waste any more
time. Lieutenant Harris, as a native of this system, can you tell these newbies
what we are and what our mission is?"
    Harris, an
athletically built man of medium height who appeared to be somewhere in his
mid-twenties, spoke up from where he'd been standing, a position behind and
slightly to the right of Kresge .
    "Listen up!
You'll need to know this information for your first exam and I'm only going to
go through it once. Our base's official title is The United Terran Federation Navy New Ceylon Strategic Materials Reclamation Center. We refer to
it as 'The Reclamation Center' or, more often, 'The Scrapyard.' We are located
in the L-5 point of the New Ceylon- Naccobus system."
    A hand went up.
    "What is it
Ensign Hart?"
    "What's an
L-5 point, Sir?"
    "That means
that we are in the same orbit as the planet only we're sixty degrees - - nearly
a