We walked on and a minute later, Michelle took a deep breath and sighed and said, “Oh, hell. OK. We told those people who approached us from the club to do what we could, so how can we do less than they would? Jimmy, do you really want to do this? Help them?”
I looked at her and said, “Yes. But how?”
Michelle said, “We could wait until you are Galactic Emperor and then…”
I jumped in and said, “Outlaw the whole system and abolish it?”
Michelle said, “No. You can’t do that and you’d know it if your blood wasn’t so high right now. Civilization would collapse and outlaws would take over and treat them worse than they are treated now. Discrimination and persecution and mass killings would take place. You couldn't control it. We need Bailey and Alison to help us, but we can figure out something. When they get here, we’ll talk.”
I said, “How will they find us?”
Allie said brightly, “How will who find us?”
I was startled to see her at my elbow, just starting to take my arm in hers.
I said, “How will Bailey find us?”
Allie said, “Same as me, Silly. I can um…it’s that I…well, I guess you could say that I can smell you. I just followed your trail. And here I am. So what do we have to talk over? Michelle was saying we had to talk.”
I said, “We have to help the Units.”
Allie said, “I know. Aren’t they pretty? Don’t you just love them? Hey you! Come here! We aren’t going to hurt you. Come with us and we’ll get you some food and new clothes!”
The person she said this to was a Unit nearby. The thing was one of the large ones and it did have a need for new clothes. What it had was torn down the leg from waist to ankle. Half her butt was showing through the rip.
The Unit looked at the three of us and seemed frightened to have been addressed at all, but Allie grinned and coaxed it close.
Allie said, “You’re coming with us. If you want to. This is Captain Jimmy. He’s a wonderful captain and we’ll work everything out. Do you see that food stand right there? I want you to go and find all the castoffs like us that you know and bring them here right away. Free food. And then we’ll have a nice talk and everyone will be happier. Don’t take too long. Just a few minutes, OK? Hurry.”
The Unit started to ask something but Allie said, “Nope. No questions till after everyone gets something to eat. Go on. Hurry.”
The Unit looked at Allie and then at me and Michelle and Allie said, “I’m not teasing you. Go find the other castoffs near here and bring them to lunch. We’ll be waiting for you right over there. Now go!”
When the Unit was gone, Allie held herself against my side and said, “This is fun.”
Michelle said, “Is it?”
Allie said, “Yep. I get to take care of you and Jimmy and now I have a whole bunch of little girls to show how to help. I’ll teach them to cook and everything. They won’t sleep with us, of course, but they won’t sleep on the street. And they will live a long time.”
Michelle said, “Um, Allie?”
Allie said, “Nope. No questions till after lunch. I know just what to do. And if we need more money, I’ll put on another show. Bailey will be here in a few minutes. I can smell her.”
Michelle said, “Captain, it isn’t really smell exactly. But sort of. It is a combination of the fact that she has an implant attuned to ours, a bit of a scent that we are familiar with, that’s how Allie tracked us, and something else. It’s like we can see each other if we aren’t too far away. Anywhere on this station, we’d be able to find you. We should get in-ear communicators like yours though. It was dumb to come out without them. We’ll get them when we have a chance.”
Allie said, “Yep, this is going to be fun. I vote for blue and yellow.”
I said, “Blue and yellow what?”
She said, “When you tell them to change color. So that they know that they belong somewhere. Tell them that they should be blue and yellow, just like our uniforms. Jimmy, you are going to give them jobs. Me and Bailey will help you get what you need, but I am looking forward to seeing what you do.”
I said, “What am I going to do?”
Allie hugged my arm and said, “Just like you told me about doing the shows. Just stand up and tell a story. It’s going to be wonderful.”
We arrived at the food cart that Allie had told he Unit to go to and we stood and waited. Bailey showed up a few minutes later.
She said, “Hi. Um, what’s up? Is something happening?”
Michelle said quietly, “The captain has seen the Unit population and Allie has invited them to live with us.”
Bailey smiled and Allie said, “Yep. Mostly. Jimmy is going to talk to them and give them all jobs.”
Bailey said, “I had anticipated this. We said that we wouldn’t have our own factory, but I came to the conclusion that it would be inevitable about an hour ago. I’ve had some ideas. Are we waiting for something?”
Allie grinned and point and said, “Them.”
Moving in our direction was a group of about fifteen to twenty Units. All of them looked hungry and a bit afraid. I didn’t know what they could be afraid of, but I didn’t like the fact that they were afraid at all.
When Bailey saw what was coming, after Allie explained that she had promised all of them lunch, Bailey turned to the vendor with the food cart and said, “OK, here’s the deal. We are going to feed twenty…”
Allie corrected her, saying, “Forty or fifty.”
Bailey said, “A lot of hungry Units. You can have the business if you want it. I’m paying for everything. But I need a space where we can all sit down and eat and then have a meeting. If you have an idea, tell me what it is, otherwise I’ll find a different caterer.”
The woman, probably a Unit, agreed that she did want the job and said that she knew a place. Allie rushed to greet her guests and Michelle helped the vendor push her cart toward a doorway half a block away. We were told that the space was empty and sometimes served as a hangout for castoffs anyway.
Setting up her cart, Bailey told the woman to start handing out food.
Allie ushered her ducklings into the hall and announced, “Now, everyone get something to eat and as soon as you eat one hot-dog, you have to run out and find another friend who needs to eat. When you get back, you get another hot-dog and some salad and a drink.”
She grabbed the Unit that she had sent out at first and said, “Not you. Sweetie, you did your part. You take as much as you want. My name is Allie. I’m your friend now. Stay with me and take whatever you want. Your life is going to get better now.”
Chapter 23 - Space Recruits
Bailey and Michelle huddled up to me and asked about a plan.
I said, “I trust Allie. And both of you knew that this was coming somehow. I’ll tell you what we’re going to do and you tell me if I get it wrong. Let me think. OK, we need to first identify castoffs and chameleons. I assume that it’s easy to go chameleon here because they all look the same. We’re going to register everyone that wants it. Otherwise they get a free meal and a doggy-bag to go and they leave. The ones who want it, we employ. First as salvage team workers. We give them a safe working environment. Bailey, all of these were probably space-yard workers at some point. Won’t a lot of them be skilled engineers or something?”
Bailey said, “I expect so. I’ll take an inventory of who was trained for what. We need to get organized. Michelle, you handle sorting according to whether they have a current registration or not. I’ll start finding out what they are suited to. Jimmy, what are you thinking?”
I said, “I’m thinking that we take them with us and let them start work on whatever hulks we deem most viable. Maybe they can get some working to the point where they can be run under their own power. Maybe some can be sold as damaged rather than scrap. Maybe we can take a large vessel and make it livable and the Units live there and work in the debris field. As long as it’s safe. We have them find another fast ship or what
ever it takes and they make supply runs for food and essentials.”
Bailey said, “I think that works. We’re going to blow through some money getting this going. We have enough though. Our first salvage payments will come in a few months from now. The problem will be getting set up. It will take a while to take on 300 new recruits all at once.”
I said, “OK, but we have a plan. Wait. 300?”
Bailey said, “Look around. They are still coming. We might have 1000 by the time lunch is over. Give it a few more minutes for them to eat and then start telling your story.”
Michelle and Bailey started walking through the crowds of bald gray women, surreptitiously checking ID implant information. Allie and I cheerfully acted as waiters, taking food where it was needed and encouraging everyone to eat what they wanted. The vendor was busy but keeping up now. No one was eating more than a small meal and we had enough for lunch.
When it seemed that most of those that were coming were fed and settled, I found a chair to stand on and started my story.
I said loudly, “Hello! Welcome! I suppose you want to know what’s going on. Mostly we wanted to give you something to eat. I have more to say, but lunch was entirely on me and you can leave when you want to. If all you needed was lunch, you are free to go. But! If you want to stay for a few minutes, I might be able to help you more than I have already. Go ahead and finish up, and help clean up the trash, and we’ll thank the food vendor for the meal and make sure she gets paid and on her way.”
A voice shouted, “Unless you need a cook, Captain!”
I looked toward the sound and saw the vendor standing and looking at me.
I said, “I might. If you are somehow free of…never mind. You stay and listen if you want to.”
I watched as the place was cleaned and then Allie had everyone sit on the floor facing my platform. There probably were about 400 of them.
When it seemed time, I said, “Now. Here’s the thing. No, wait. Michelle and Bailey, is there anyone in the room that you think should be invited to leave before we start?”
Bailey came and stood beside me and said loudly, “Captain, everyone here is a Unit. Many are castoffs. Many are unregistered. Only our cook had a current registration. But I have spoken to her and believe that she is sincere in her interest to be here. I think that she has the right to consider her options.”
I said, “OK. Good enough. You all heard that. All of you are either castoffs or chameleons. I want to thank the chameleons for being so civil and not competing with each other while we had lunch. Trust me, this is not a trick. Several of you appear to have been combat units, and you outnumber us and I know that. I hope that what I am going to propose makes sense to you. None of what I am going to propose is technically illegal, as long as we do it carefully. It’s unusual to say the least, though.
To get to the point, I want to offer every one of you a new job. A safe job. And possibly more than a job, now that I think about it. The job comes with a partnership offer and a registration. My goal is to have us work in a way that gives you enough to eat, comfortable living conditions, and does not put you in danger. I want this to be the best job you ever had.
I represent the Eevona Space Command Galactic Salvage Conglomerate. My Name is Captain Jimmy Raskin. That is my First Mate, Michelle. That is my Diplomatic Chief Engineer, Bailey. And the one who brought us all here is my Chief Personnel Officer, Allison.
For those of you who have never heard of Eevona, we are a developing nation far from the galactic center. We operate by our own rules. One of those rules is that we welcome citizens who were once Units. Yes. We welcome Units as citizens.”
I paused and waited.
I said, “The way that citizenship works is different and the details aren’t important right now. What is important is that we view you as persons, not expendables.”
Someone called out, “Are you a Unit?”
I said, “I am not? Or am I? What’s the difference? I was not manufactured. I was not made to order. I was born and grew to this size. But I’m not convinced that is a significant distinction. As far as the law is concerned, Alison, Bailey, and Michelle are registered to me as their partner. My first offer to you is that we will register you as having a partnership with me, I’ll take you away from here and give you a place to work, and no one, no one will treat you as a throwaway or humiliate you or try to kill you out of a need to reduce competition.”
I paused again and then continued, “If you don’t want anything to do with this, you can leave. Take some more food with you. I wish you well. And from now on, every time I pause, feel free to leave if it isn’t for you. I don’t want to steal anyone who is currently employed. But if you were, you wouldn’t be eating this lunch.”
I waited and then said, “OK. Here’s some specifics. I have a very large debris field that I am mining. I can use a workforce. I can get along without one, but if you want a place to work, I can use your help. The job will be to find a viable command ship to use as a base, repair it so that it is livable, then explore the debris field and salvage what we can for profit. I don’t want anyone hurt. If the work is too dangerous, we either do it in a different way or don’t do it at all. I need combat units, engineers, diplomats, supervisors, cleaning crews, and cooks to feed everyone. That’s about all there is to say. If you have made a decision already, if you want to come with us and have an adventure as part of us, step over here and sit down. If you want nothing to do with it because you are happy enough with the situation you have, take some food and go your way.”
I waited. The food vendor was the first one to rush to where I had told the volunteers to go. But she wasn’t much quicker than at least 100 others. I smiled at as many as I could.
I said, “Wait. Let’s do something else. We don’t have time to shuffle around all day and there’s something else I want to ask. Here it is. Everyone stand up. Now, if you are coming with me, if you are leaving behind your life here and trading it in for a new one with me and my crew, I want you to show me by taking off those tattered clothes and drop them on the ground. Everyone who comes with me gets a new life, new clothes, a new partnership, and sleeps better at night. If any of you want to come but feel uncomfortable taking off the rags, let Alison know and she’ll do something for you.”
There was a flurry of activity and soon everyone in the room, except for me and the three girls, was stark naked. They had no shame about their bodies. They might have had shame in other areas, but being naked wasn’t something that bothered them.
I said, “Are there any questions or have I told you enough?”
There were some whispers and finally someone said, “Captain. It seems that the crew is ready to accept your terms. We can’t guarantee our loyalty until we have a registration, but we will do our best to believe that all that you have said has already taken place and we will trust you to make it a reality as soon as you can. We have no questions except how? And how is not important. What do we do now?”
I conferred with Bailey, Michelle, and Allie and Allie took my chair and stood on it and said, “There are two ways to proceed. You choose. Option One, we stay here and ferry a few of you at a time to our ship, wearing the rags you were given, trying to draw as little attention to what is happening as possible. Or Two, we march ourselves down the streets, naked and unafraid, straight to the hangar and we say to hell with the past, we belong to the future!”
By the end, she was yelling. This was a performance like all the rest. Allie was an emotional communicator.
She yelled, “Eevona Space Command! Attention!”
The Units all stood straight and put their hands at their sides.
Allie called out, “Form ranks! Straight lines! We have a parade march. We are Eevona! Act like it! If you are not able to stand tall and walk proud, change your name! Eevona Space Command form ranks! The captain will lead. First Mate Michelle will take up the rear. No talking until we are off this sinking tub. Leave the dead to bury their own dead. We are Eev
ona! Let me hear you!”
There was a shout, “We are Eevona!”
Allie yelled, “Women! We are the women of Eevona Space Command and we are leaving this past behind. We are women of the future!”
The crowd shouted, “We are Eevona!”
Allie yelled, “Our Captain and Commander!”
They echoed, “Our Captain and Commander!”
Allie shouted, “Captain, the women are ready! We move on your command.”
I hadn’t quite expected it to go this way, but I was good with it.
I snapped to attention and marched toward the door. Bailey and Allie fell in beside me and as we got to the back of the crowd, three columns followed.
I whispered, “Are we going to get away with this?”
Bailey smiled and said, “I think that we are. We’ve gotten away with so much already, why stop now?”
We marched through the corridors, me in my uniform followed by 400 naked gray cloned Units.
I said, “Bailey, you and Michelle were against this.”
Bailey said, “No. Not at all. We were against the idea of creating an army of Units for this purpose. These are salvage. We’re re-purposing them. They were throwaways. We are giving them a life.”
I said, “Good. We had to do it. Um, I think they’re kind of cute. That’s OK, isn’t it?”
Bailey smiled and said, “I think they are too.”
Allie said happily, “They are beautiful. I love them. It’s going to take some work, but I’m going to do a lot of it, so it’ll be OK. We will have to get them registered and get some clothes, I guess, but we don’t really have to, but we should, and we have to figure out where they sleep and they’ll sleep on a big starship but not right away and how we do all that and that means that they might have to sleep in the halls for a little while or something and we don’t have a table or kitchen big enough so we can eat around the clock and they can sleep at different times so that we don’t have to have so many beds but what are they going to do until we have work for them?”
First Recruits Page 25