Chapter I
This is the start of a new chapter....
It was raining. The howling of the shield generator was heavy over the mud track marked by deep furrows. Landcrawlers with wide crawler tracks used the runway several times a day to transport raw materials from the mines to the spaceport and supplies from there to the settlement.
Landcrawlers are huge trucks of 8-10m width, 10-20m height, and over 100m length. Mostly consisting of a tractor on two pairs of tracks, a semi-trailer with another pair of tracks, as well as another trailer consisting of a semi-trailer with an additional track drive as coupling to the front semi-trailer. Why Jack Steel volunteered for the safety team that secured the track, he couldn't say today, almost a week later, because the payment was moderate, it had been raining for 4 days without a break and the construction of the game barriers along the perimeter was more than sluggish.
One could not claim that Jack Steel was particularly attentive after an uneventful week in the increasingly colder air of the beginning winter. Something in the corners of his eyes suddenly caught his attention. Adrenaline washed through his body in the moment of shock...
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Zur gleichen Zeit, nur wenige Lichtjahre entfernt waren die klimatischen Bedingungen völlig unterschiedlich.
Landraupen transportierten große Mengen an Kupfer über sandige Strecken des roten Planeten.
Durch die Hitze und den Sand war der Verschleiß der Maschinen besonders hoch, ohne die reichen Kupervorkommen wäre der Abbau kaum rentabel gewesen.
Hans Gans, ein einfacher Handwerker war gerade dabei ein verschlissenes Getriebe einer Landraupe zu erneuern, als mit einem ohrenbetäubenden Lärm die Sirenen erklangen.
Auf dem Planeten gab es nur wenige Gebäude, da er hauptsächlich zur Rohstoffproduktion genutzt wurde. Die Sicherheitsvorkehrungen schrieben vor das Hauptgebäude als Versammlungspunkt zu nutzen.
Nachdem die Vorratslager gesichert wurden, brachten die Transporter alle Arbeiter zum Flughafen.
Das größte Gebäude des Planeten befand sich direkt nebenan. Viele waren bereits auf dem Weg zum Hauptgebäude, überall tuschelten die Menschen.
Merkwürdig, dachte sich Hans, beim letzten Probealarm war die Stimmung irgendwie anders.
In der Halle angekommen, wurde ihm endgültig klar, dass es diesmal kein langweiliger Test wie die letzten Male war.
Einige Kampfpiloten erhielten Befehle von ihrem Kommandanten, sie standen bereits in voller Kampfmontur bereit.
Das erklärt dann wohl die tuschelten Menschen und die Corvetten, welche abflugbereit im Hafen standen.
Einst war Hans selbst ein Kampfpilot, wegen eines Vorfalls mit der Sternenpatrouille wurde seine Fluglizenz beschlagnahmt. Das Kraut vom grünen Planeten war einfach zu verlockend.
Teils enttäuscht, teils glücklich stand er da in der Halle, wie bestellt und nicht abgeholt.
Das Funkgerät des Kommandanten krächzte: „Transporter 004 wurde beschädigt, Pilotenstaffel II wird den Hafen nicht rechtzeitig erreichen!“
Der Kommandant war kurze Zeit geschockt, bevor er sich aufrüttelte und die Initiative ergriff.
Zuerst rief er die verbliebenen Transporterpiloten zu sich, anschließend hob er den Zeigefinger Richtung Hans und rief: „Du! Wieso hast du noch keine Montur an? Ab in den Flieger mit dir!“
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At the same time, only a few light years away, the climatic conditions were completely different.
Landcrawlers transported large quantities of copper over sandy stretches of the red planet.
Due to the heat and sand, the wear of the machines was particularly high; without the rich copper deposits, mining would hardly have been profitable.
Hans Gans, a simple craftsman, was about to replace a worn out gear of a Landcrawler when the sirens sounded with a deafening noise.
There were only a few buildings on the planet, as it was mainly used for the production of raw materials. The security precautions state that the main building should be used as an assembly point.
After the depots were secured, the transporters brought all the workers to the airport.
The largest building on the planet was right next door. Many were already on their way to the main building, people were whispering everywhere.
Strange, Hans thought, at the last rehearsal alarm the mood was somehow different.
Arriving in the hall, he finally realized that this time it was not a boring test like the last time.
Some fighter pilots received orders from their commander, they were already standing by in full combat gear.
That probably explains the whispered people and the Corvettes who were standing in the harbour ready to take off.
Once Hans himself was a fighter pilot, because of an incident with the star patrol his flying license was confiscated. The herb from the green planet was simply too tempting.
Partly disappointed, partly happy he stood there in the hall, as ordered and not picked up.
The radio of the commander croaked: "Transporter 004 was damaged, Pilot Squadron II will not reach the airport in time!“
The commander was shocked for a short time before he shook himself up and took the initiative.
First he called the remaining transporter pilots to him, then he lifted his index finger towards Hans and shouted: "You! Why haven't you got any clothes on yet? Get on the plane with you!“