Chapter 7: Staff Meeting
“We’re now four and a half months before impact.” Mylea began her briefing, “As of today we have only lifted about twenty five percent of our people to home.”
“We’re half way to the event and we’re still got over 75 percent of our people to lift?” The Queen asked.
“That’s correct Aggie,” Mike said, “But we expected this as we got our act together. It takes time to put a system in effect, and make it work.”
“Ma’am,” Marcie Johanna of the Interstellar Red Cross spoke up. “I have found that we spend most of our time in getting a disaster relief system that works efficiently only to have it working at peak efficiency the day we pull the plug. It’s one of the laws of disaster management.”
The Queen was quiet for a moment as she thought about what the IRC said, the Queen had been educated in the finest schools on Trena, with a two year course of study at the Realm School of Business on Trena. She had tutors from the Terran Imperial University, and a couple of private instructors from the Realm’s School of higher education. Lord Mercer, the Queen’s regent and guardian through her teen age years had insisted that she be well educated. Now the young queen was trying to come to a decision. Did she trust her staff? Were they doing the job that needed to be done? Had she chosen right? She looked at Wilson who simply nodded as if he was reading her mind he spoke, “Aggie. It’s quite normal to question what we are doing, how we are doing it. The question isn’t did you choose right, or wrong, but are we getting the job done.”
“Go on Sir Mike,” The Queen said.
“To date we’ve found a place for our people to be evacuated to. We have completed a census to determine who our people are. We have organized our people in scheduled lifts as to what skills are needed first on Home. We are seeing to the disposal of any property we can dispose of.”
“Okay,” The Queen said, “All right I see that, and you are working to resolve other issues that are popping up. Like the missing children.”
“Speaking of which,” Lady Hawthorne spoke up, it was time to change the subject a bit. “Wanderer now has a congregation of well over a hundred kids. She’s got them organized and moving. The kids haven’t figured out how she’s getting things for them. The SpecWars are convinced she’s an adult and has been through Black Guard Basic.”
Mylea didn’t know what to say. It was gratifying to know what other people thought of her daughter. But it was hard for her to accept though because she was still furious with Lamile. It wasn’t that she was afraid to let go. Lamile was a young woman. Mylea hadn’t been too much older when she first left home for O school. The truth be told though, she was proud of her little girl. It was only that she wished that Lamile had talked to her about what she was going to do. This was the first time or one of the very few times when, her daughter hadn’t confided in her what she was doing, or about to do. When she questioned Jill, she was clueless about it. She hadn’t even spoken to Mike about it. That surprised her more than anything. Since they had been on Trena, Lamile had become quite close to Mike, and Lisa. When she had grilled Lady Hawthorne, Lady Hawthorne had said when you are done just leave enough of her ass for me finish the ass chewing she’s got coming.
“No she’s not been through, Black Guard Basic,” Mylea finally said. “Though when that young woman gets home she may have wished she had been through hell week.”
“Easy XO,” Mike said he understood where his friend was going to, “she’s in good hands. Mylea for the record and before these good people, by all reports your daughter is doing a wonderful job. She is definitely her mother’s daughter.”
“Thank you,” Mylea said, “And Sir Mike, Lady Hawthorn if anything happens to her, you best will your souls to your gods, as your bones are mine; most assuredly mine!”
There was a series of chuckles around the table and then Mylea continued, “To get back on track. Our progress is right where we expected it to be your majesty. We’ve had some unexpected surprises, the children for one, and then the orbital industries giving us fits. But for the most part we are where we think we should be. Starting this week we’ll start lifting twice what we were. We’ll be lifting out of some of the improvised LZs. We’re not trucking the containers to a port. We’re stacking them in shopping malls and school athletic fields. The Tugs can take several of them directly to orbit.”
“It’s still a logistics nightmare,” Langtree said, “But it’s easier on my troops. We don’t have to maintain haul roads. The cops like it because they don’t have patrol roads and such.”
“Yes sir Mike,” Chief Jamieson spoke up, “as you know we still have some resistance from foreigners and other scum. We lost a bridge the other day we think it was sabotage. We still have not found that terrorist cell from The Theocracy. The new pick up points are easier to secure.”
“Anything else we’re not seeing on the yellows Lord Jamieson,” Larry Mercer asked.
“Not really,” Lord Jamieson replied, “We’re getting some looting, and the domestic abuse calls are up. We’re also getting an increase alcohol and drug abuse.”
“That does tie in with some other things we’re seeing too,” The doctor who had replaced Admiral Klond said, “The physc people are reporting an increase in depression which is leading to some substance abuse. This is to be expected. Some of it can be avoided and we’re working on it; but others well... it’s the stress of the situation. The more people we get off world the better things will be.”
“Keep us advised,” the Queen said. “If the numbers get to be too bad we’ll have to pull in some folks, or do something to take people’s minds off things.”
“Aye ma’am,” The surgeon said.
“General Qoum, your next,” Mylea said.
“Marshal,” the general said, “Your highness. We got a big problem.”
“What sort of problem,” The Queen asked.
“We have over four million tons of munitions that we have to deal with.” The general said, “In good conscience, I can’t leave the stuff behind. It will be a boon to whoever can get their hands on it. It’s all GaTO standards. It can be up loaded to Thonian, Terran, Moreland, or other treaty world war craft. Some of it is EmpQuar or Mountain Level security. Other stuff like laser and blaster riffle charges is no problem. We have mines, demolition charges, and missiles, everything a modern star nation needs to defend itself.”
“The empire could take a good bit of it off your hands.” General Alpine said, “But not that much.”
“Likewise,” the Thonian Ambassador commented, “But not nearly that much.”
“We’ll have to destroy it in place.” the general said, “The orbital stuff we can transfer to munitions ships. We’ve never kept much in orbit. We thought and still do think it is safer keep it on Trena where our good friends from the Theocracy would have to fight their way past several layers of defenses.”
“How big a bang,” Mercer asked.
“Well if we detonate it all in place we could do some serious planetary damage.” The general said.
“No!” Mercer said flatly. “If we detonate those munitions and damage the planet those people who are lining up to sue us in court will say plain and simple the asteroids were a ruse to cover our own incompetence.”
“Then what do we do with it?” The general asked. “We can’t let it loose on the universe we could be sued for that too couldn’t we.”
“We can move it off world. To an asteroid arms depot, and detonate it there or on one of the moons. We can’t just leave it.” The general said.
“Sir Mike,” General Langtree spoke up, “I don’t have enough space lift to move it and keep up our civilian evacuation. That includes using Thonian, and IRS ships.”
“I might be able to build a couple of special weapons barges. They could be AI driven. They wouldn’t have to be terribly smart for an AI.” Bob from Boeing SpaceWorks injected. “Just a big bloody engine and a large cavernous cargo hold. We would on
ly want to destroy the strategic weapons. The defensive weapons, the anti-space craft missiles, lasers, and blasters would not necessarily be a problem. The small arms weapons could be safely transported to Home, and stored safely. They could be a continuous lift almost automated with only enough human supervision to prevent the weapons from falling into the wrong hands.”
“It’s got to be secure,” Qoum said, “It could be extremely bad news if this stuff gets into the hands of people who have for lack of a better word evil purposes.”
“Mike how are you planning to defend Home,” the Queen asked.
“I hadn’t really thought about that.” Mike said, “Not more than relocating the militia. We don’t have the finances to build an orbital defense system like we have here on Trena. It took centuries to build that.”
“Your majesty I had been planning to put the surveyor system back in service on and around Home. I also was making arrangements with the princess’ government to leave me one of the older attack carriers. Thinking I could make it into a mobile orbital defense station. I don’t think we need much. We just need to be able to hold off any attack long enough for the word to get out to our friends and them to get to Home.”
“Queen Aggie,” Princess Carroll spoke up, “My father’s government doesn’t intend to abandon you. We were expecting to rotate an IRS hospital, and other marine, and navy resources through the system. That will be a discouragement to some of the clowns who might like to cause you problems.”
“Look my late father, and my grandmother, and all of the Trena monarchs have struggled to prevent our little world from becoming a vassal colony or client state of any nation. I won’t allow Home to become such either. There is no guaranty that I will be the ruler of Home but I will not allow my nation to become the client state of any other nation.”
The room was quiet for a minute as everyone digested the Queen’s remarks. Wilson finally cleared his throat and said, “I may be speaking out of turn, and the Queen may not support my position. Home will be independent. The people of Trena, who are immigrating to Home, came to Trena not to have to mess with the governments of Earth, of Thonia, of the Peoples Republic, and the Theocracy. They want their independence. Every adult on Trena and on Home is a member of the militia. We will fight to the end to keep our independence.
“We will welcome port calls by the Thonian Realm’s War Ships, and those of the Empire. Your troops may take liberty and leave on our new world. Eventually we will be able to service your ships and provide what we did in the past. But it will take time. Yes we will need your continued support. If some lousy piece of shit or tin pot decides he wants Home we may need your help in making sure we remain independent, but damn it we will be our own masters! We will guide our own futures. With the help of our friends and our people we will be great.”
The room was quiet again. The Queen locked eyes with Wilson and nodded. She hadn’t known that Wilson felt that way. She had a good idea that Lisa did but not Mike.
“Now let’s get back on track,” Mylea said. “General Qoum, You will work with Boeing Space Works to get those munitions dealt with. Lord Jamieson I want you to work with Qoum’s MPs and lay on additional security. Chief Able, I want you lay on an extra Fire unit when those bombs are loaded.” She looked to General Langtree and asked, “General Langtree do I need to say anything else?”
“No XO you don’t. I’ll have my top weapons people work with the general to get his stuff ready to go.” Langtree said. He wrote on his pad “Hooper.”
“Lord Mercer,” Mylea consulted her agenda, “Would you brief us on our legal troubles.”
“Well you are aware that the parliament has dropped their inquiries.” Lord Mercer began, “You know although I will shed no tears over the capture and execution of one Martha Hozenbur, I may have to send her a thank you card.” The brought a round of chuckles around the table, “Her assignation of Lord Ramsey has more or less made the opposition think twice about challenging us. Some of the opposition believes it was a hit by the Queen. They haven’t said anything official and it’s mostly rumors. I know, I know, but they don’t want to be associated with Rammer, as his episode with Hozenbur makes him look like a traitor and so they don’t want to be brushed with that odor.
“As for the courts,” Lord Mercer said, “There are a couple of cases running up from the regional courts. As you know the Counts are the lowest court in the land. Most of the cases have been appealed to the Dukes Court, which are the large regional court. Most of these cases have been turned back to the county level as the filers have no standing. There are a couple of good cases winding their way to the Queen’s Bench. A couple of business people are suing the crown in the Trenaport District for restraint of trade. They claim with our freezing wages and prices that they can’t make a living. The Trenaport District has ruled that it doesn’t have jurisdiction and referred them to the Queen’s Bench or possibly the Speaker’s Court.” The speakers court was a panel of made up of the speaker of the parliament, the president of the House of Commons, and the chief justice of the Queen’s Bench. “The one by the Orbital industries that is going before the 1st orbital circuit is going to be jolly. I might go up and try that one myself. They have sworn a complaint against Lord Wilson, and Mr. Dupree and Jonesy that they conspired to misappropriate the resources of Orbital Industries. They are also accusing Jonesy of Piracy.”
“All Right,” Jonesy’s voice yelled from the communicator. “That’s a new one for me. Yo Ho and a bottle....”
“Enough Jonesy,” Bob called chuckling.
“I am not worried about it,” the Queen’s Attorney said, “Once Orbital Industries said that they flight certified the vessels in question they became the property of Boeing SpaceWorks. Me and Jonesy worked on those contracts there are a couple more loop holes; but they favor the crown and the Evacuation Command. No this one will be jolly to fight in court.
“Other than that a lot of the cases are chicken shit and are not getting too far up the feeding chain.” Lord Mercer said.
“Anything else anyone,” Mylea asked.
“A couple of things,” The Red Cross representative said, “The Disaster Relief ship Clara Barton will make orbit day after tomorrow. Her manifest states she has three field kitchens aboard, thirty Emergency Response Vehicles. Her personnel roster includes about 500 souls.”
“Wow,” The Queen said, “I didn’t know you folks had anything like that.”
“She’s only deployed for planetary emergencies. She was deployed at the behest of the Interstellar Red Cross to assist your people during the last days of your evacuation. When you might have some problems feeding your people. We like to get the equipment down to Fletcher and mobilized to your assembly areas.”
“Do you have anything else in the pipe line?” Wilson asked. He had known about the Clara Barton. But really didn’t think they had need of her. She was what the Red Cross called a mass care vessel. Her mission was to feed and shelter people during an emergency, when a planetary government couldn’t handle the work themselves. Or when the people themselves didn’t have the resources to feed and house themselves.
“No sir,” The woman said, “Do you want the portable shelters dropped too?”
“David?” Wilson asked his maintenance group leader, “Would they be in your way at the assembly points. “
“Hell no Sir Mike,” Langtree said, “If we can get a couple of their shelters up it would save me some problems. Lord James’s Mounties won’t have to be strung so thin, and our immigration people will have a little easier time getting things handled. Our lift plan needs to be flexible and those shelters give us that. Do you have enough lift?”
“General,” the woman said with some pride, “the Clara can deliver her entire complement in four lifts without calling upon governmental resources. And before you ask you tell us where you want them and we’ll get them there.”
“Okay,” Wilson replied, he understood how the Red Cross worked, and wou
ld only offer assistance if they asked for it.
“Thank you,” The Queen said making a mental note to talk with the Red Cross in a very private setting to thank her more formally.
“Okay then,” Mylea said, “let’s get back to work.”
When Mylea arrived at her desk the next day someone had posted a sign Commander Mylea Atomi, XO Trena Evacuation Command. From that day on her name was XO.
Every Last Mother's Child Page 144