Citadel by John Ringo

Author:John Ringo [Ringo, John]
Language: eng
Format: epub, mobi, azw3
Tags: Fantasy, Humour, War, Azizex666, Science Fiction
ISBN: 9781439134009
Google: 07FzRAAACAAJ
Amazon: 1451637578
Barnesnoble: 1451637578
Goodreads: 8157267
Publisher: Baen
Published: 2011-01-04T05:00:00+00:00

"I'd rather be doing this than salvage," Butch said.

"This" was being part of the large team that was installing the new "civilian side" bay. Five times the cubic of the original civilian side, which was still not full, it was set up as a miniature city with much of the cubic designated as "organic fill." In other words, it was designed to grow in a chaotic manner like a regular city rather than being the carefully laid out and organized initial civilian support zone.

"Fricking Indonesians," Price commed.

Apollo had contracted with E Systems to take over the salvage of the Horvath scrapyard. E Systems, which had long done every kind of contracting from oil platform support to "hostile zone" security, had responded by pulling in experts in the oil field and anyone who was barely qualified to wear a space suit. They'd converted one of the marginally habitable derelicts into quarters and were running nearly a thousand people on the salvage operation. Most of them in conditions that would make a sardine scream for room.

Many of them were from developing countries and their training level was, to say the least, not Apollo standard.

"I hear they're dying like flies," Butch said.

"Not like flies," Price commed. "But fast, yeah. Guys from countries like that will keep signing up. Anything to fill the rice bowl and so what if there's still bits of the last guy in the suit? How's your bead?"

"Good," Butch said.

The crew quarters were modular and designed to be exposed, briefly, to vacuum.

But modular didn't mean quite like Legos. Stuff had to be connected and connected tight. Which meant welding.

Butch wasn't even sure that the parts he was connecting were for. They were just two flat bits of metal to be joined. Currently at regular time, but he figured by the end of the week he'd be on double time. Especially since it was inside work and they weren't taking rad exposure.

The working area was tight, though. They were "above" the new module in the small space between its insulation and the cut out walls of the battlestation. They had had to run in laser lines and wear just suits to get to the working area. After they were done welding the parts together, another crew was coming in to fit in the final bits of insulation. Still another was hooking up the plumbing and air systems. Altogether, about six hundred people were floating around in space suits working on quarters for six thousand.

"Fourteen Alpha, Welding Control."

"Go Purcell."

"How long?"

"Bout done. Fifteen minutes, give or take."

"When you're done, head over to sector one. The next module, as usual, doesn't fit."

"Roger. Sector One. Cut to fit."

"Don't over cut."

"Try not to."

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