Prevail (The Pike Chronicles Book 2) by G.P. Hudson Page B

DLC?”
    “They are larger. Population growth on the other colonies is not as constrained as it is on the DLC station. On the planets there is much more room to thrive and grow.”
    “So there are millions of people living in the other colonies?”
    “Billions, Captain.”
    Jon blinked, trying to grasp what he just heard. Billions of people? If that was true, the number of people living in the colonies outnumbered the population of Sol itself. The Juttari invasion had wiped out much of Earth’s population. The survivors lived in squalor for centuries. Not ideal conditions for population growth. Out here, however, they flourished. It made Jon wonder what would happen if Sol and the colonies were ever reunited. How would the colonies see Sol? Earth may have been the birthplace of humanity, but compared to the size of these worlds, Earth would be seen as a province at best. They were in for a major wakeup call back home.
    “AI, what happened after the Juttari invasion?”
    “The corporations shut down their jump gate and travel between Sol and the colonies ceased. Trade had already developed between the colonies and continued. The other colonies replaced Sol as the main customers for DLC exports.”
    “What about war? Five hundred years is a long time. Did the colonies fight against each other?”
    “There have been many disputes as the colonies expanded their influence. These disputes have been mainly over territorial rights. In many cases full scale battles have been fought, but it was agreed early on that war would never be waged on the core worlds, including DLC station.”
    “So they don’t always play nice with each other. War usually escalates, why didn’t anyone break the treaty?”
    “After the Juttari invasion there was no way of knowing what happened to life in the Sol System. Before closing their gate, the colonies received reports of Juttari ruthlessness. They knew of the orbital bombardment and didn’t know if anyone had survived. There was a real possibility that the colonies were the last outposts of humanity. That was considered too precious to destroy through warfare.”
    “So they keep the fighting away from the civilian populations?”
    “Yes, Captain.” The display showed various warships and fleet formations. “If there is a dispute over a region of space between two parties, they may resolve the dispute through the use of force, but the conflict is restricted to unpopulated regions.”
    “Like a duel.”
    “Yes, Captain. Precisely, albeit on a much larger scale.”
    “Is that why I didn’t see much military activity in this system when we arrived?”
    “A couple of DLC warships are usually kept in the system to deal with the raider threat, but the main fleets patrol their valuable resource rich regions.”
    “Are these regions unpopulated?”
    “No, there are mining communities, but their populations are so small that none of the parties consider fighting there a violation of the treaty.”
    “Is there any information on the raiders?”
    “The raiders were originally a DLC mining community.” The display showed a mining operation on a barren planet.
    “A DLC mining community?”
    “Yes, Captain. DLC miners worked in some very inhospitable places. Injuries and loss of life were common. Much of the hardship was blamed on long work hours and outdated equipment. There were several strikes, which were ended each time through the use of force.”
    “DLC sent in troops?”
    “The company used armed security personnel to end the strikes.”
    Like those two prima donnas with Kulberg, thought Jon.
    “Then there was an uprising. The miners killed their managers, seized any available vessels, and disappeared.”
    “Was there a specific incident that sparked the uprising?”
    “The source says they suffered from Miner’s Fever. A type of mass dementia.”
    “Sounds like bullshit to me.”
    “Would you like me to access the restricted sections to verify this information? It would be