Every Last Mother's Child
Page 115
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The next morning Jill, General Langtree, Marshal Wilson, Princess Carroll, Larry Mercer, and Jonesy the Boeing SpaceWorks Artificial Intelligence met in the Queen’s office. She didn’t waste any time coming to the point of the meeting.
“We can’t allow the refugees to trash Home as they try to build settlements.” Aggie said, “I know it is not my world and Jill owns it; but we both feel that we have to provide housing on Home without clear cutting the forests. What can we do to build homes on Home, without wrecking the planet?”
“Well we have been building the containers in such a way that they will hold the average family’s belongings. They are being designed so that they can be expanded to twice their size. They won’t be comfortable; but they’ll be warm and secure.” Jonesy said, “They are self-contained with solar power and a small fuel cell. We have been producing them for a month now and have about two thousand. A couple of more factories are coming on line. We were hoping some of the orbital industries would be building them also; but now that’s a moot point.”
“So your plan is to transport my people’s goods to Home and then let them live in the containers until their homes are built.” The Queen asked.
“That is essentially the plan,” Michael commented, “why?”
“Are they going to be secure and safe for people to live in?” Aggie asked.
“They won’t be the greatest thing in the world to live in but they’ll be dry safe and secure.” General Langtree spoke up. “They will be ugly and we will need to do something with them when we build homes for people; but they’ll do, until we get them built.”
“What are your plans to replace the containers,” Jill asked.
“We haven’t thought that far ahead,” Marshal Wilson admitted.
“I see,” Aggie took a deep breath and continued, “General Langtree, Jonesy, in about five months or so this world will be destroyed. That we can’t help, but we will not destroy Home in the process of saving our people from this disaster. Therefore I am directing you to use whatever it takes to bring housing supplies to Home. I authorize the wholesale harvesting of forests and natural resources from the Planet of Trena! I want you to build prefab homes and such that will be transported from Trena to Home.”
“Dad, General Langtree,” Jill chimed in, “I want those containers to be removed as quickly as possible. I want them off my planet or to be used in the building of homes, buildings and other facilities.”
The princess looked at the two younger women and then Jill in particular and said, “Gentlemen I will have a codicil added to the contract in a while. I have to go with the wishes of my ward in this matter.”
“Jonesy,” Langtree turned to the logistic coordinator, “Well where we start?”
“On the other side of the planet where it is still mostly virgin forest,” the fortyish appearing artificial intelligence said, “We’ll need to build a saw mill and production line. I have nothing on my ways right now so we could use Boeing.”
“Wouldn’t it make sense to take one of the attack carriers and turn it into a space going saw mill and factory,” General Langtree asked, “Cut the trees down, ship them to the carrier load it to the gunnels with the forest products and launch to it to Home? Have it building the homes in transit. It could be mostly automated.”
“General,” Michael spoke up, “Jonesy I see you have the task.”
“Aye sir,” Langtree replied turning to the AIs holographic image, “Jonesy I will give you Hooper and his sergeant. Will that work?”
“Yes sir,” Jonesy replied. “Miss Wilson, Your Majesties I will make this happen!”
The AI nodded as her image disappeared.
“Thank you general,” Aggie spoke to the general.
“Your welcomed your majesty,” General Langtree answered, “I hate to deforest this world; but it really doesn’t matter does it? It does make more sense than doing the same thing to Home. I am sorry your majesty. I don’t think any of us wanted to harm Trena any more than we had to.”
That was true she had seen their plans for the staging areas for both cargo and people. They had planned on using shopping center parking lots, as well as abandoned apartment building lots or the container yard at the main and smaller space ports. People were going to leave from the many landing pads throughout the kingdom. They were trying to not impact Trena any more than they had to. “I know General. I know.”
Jill saw the tears on her friends face and gently reach for her hand and squeezed her hand. She didn’t know what to say to the monarch. Every time she turned around it was brought to Aggie’s attention that her world was being destroyed. Sometimes it was more than Aggie could handle. Sometimes Jill felt overwhelmed by everything that was going on she hated to think how overwhelming it might be for the Queen. “Come on let’s get out of here for a while.”
Aggie just nodded and left with the young woman who was becoming a friend.