by Chris Hechtl
~~~^~~~
Barry sent an amused pulse to the other A.I. watching or participating in the staff meeting. The arrival of two more heavy cruisers in Pyrax was a good omen as was the launch of four ships in the past week. Each of the Bekian ships had been overstocked with additional passengers. Once the ships made port, the additional passengers would be offloaded and reassigned.
By now we have the process down, the central A.I. reflected as he oversaw the operation. BUPERS had downloaded the personnel jackets and were sorting out assignments. Not all of the personnel would remain in Pyrax; that was too much to hope for. About half were destined for other postings. The Marines were most likely headed to Agnosta for reassignment there, though it would be nice for General Forth to send postings for them before they departed. That way they could go to their final destination and save time and the navy credits.
The Bekian ships would replace Pyrax-built ships in established roles as usual. The Pyrax ships they were replacing had already been replenished and were underway to their new postings.
If the protests continued, Admiral Subert might get a little harsh in his dealing with it. He had already had BUPERS dive into the various ship companies to cherry-pick personnel. The crews of the previous ships had been broken up over time; some of their personnel had been promoted off the ship to other ships or postings. Admiral Irons wanted a deliberate mix of personnel to keep everyone as one big happy family.
“Can we get away with sending a single cruiser squadron and supports? With a CEV? I understand some people want to pull them from the front lines,” Admiral Subert said. He'd endured a discussion to stop their production totally. He had so far refused it.
“It is possible, sir. A mixed squadron like Firefly's unit might work. It depends on what is in the star system of course and how much we're expecting them to stop, sir,” Commander Ch'n'x stated just as Barry got a fresh alert from the ansible.
“Sir, a CEV and a pair of heavy cruisers have just arrived in company at the Sargasso star system,” he stated.
Admiral Subert blinked and then the grins around the table broke out.
“If Admiral Logan and company keep this up, they'll match or exceed our production by the end of the year,” Captain SG I'rll stated as the group broke out into chatter.
“Make sure Antigua OPS knows about it. No doubt they'll want us to kick one of our CEVs clear. I'm not going to do it until the ship is through the rapids, but work on the selection process now,” Admiral Subert ordered. He turned to Commander Ch'n'x. “It looks like the CEV is taken care of, as are two of the cruiser slots. Let's see if we can steal a few ships from one of the other squadrons and maybe kick the Finagle mission into gear when the Admiralty wants it,” he stated.
The Veraxin indicated first-degree agreement. “Yes, sir. Just as soon as those ships get through the rapids,” she reminded him. He pursed his lips but nodded in agreement.
Act II
Chapter 23
Antigua
Governor Randall's office had to deal with a lot of things on a daily basis. Crises that hit major areas were top priority. Hard on the heels of the problems with the hurricane and the relief, there came the Midwest fires. By careful management Fire and Rescue managed to get them under control but the upcoming threat of winter storms lead to fresh concerns of mudslides.
It didn't help that the capital had just gotten a fresh dusting of snow that morning. It hadn't lasted, melting in the rising sun, but it had come as something as a warning, as had the mud and muck that had come with it. By evening when the temperatures plummeted, the mud would freeze and cause all sorts of headaches for the following day.
SAR had just finished the hurricane work and were headed back to their bases for their normal duty cycles. They were supposed to be stood-down for rest and maintenance.
“No rest for them. Not good,” the lieutenant governor murmured. “Mistakes can happen. Not to mention the issue of equipment failure.”
A familiar Veraxin buzzed and moved her truehands in a complex pattern. “Not much rest no, but they did get the majority of their maintenance done. And I'm already getting complaints about the equipment clock time and overtime hitting the budget,” the treasurer said with annoyance.
“Lovely,” the publicist sighed.
“We'll need a budget rider,” she stated with first-degree annoyance and reluctance. “It shouldn't be a problem given it is a crisis. No one is stupid enough to fight that. Just how we'll pay for it might involve some squealing though.” the Veraxin warned.
“Can we get some Federal assistance to defray costs?” Daffyd Bruneski, the governor's chief of staff, asked, looking directly at the governor.
Jeff shrugged the question off. “We can look into it, but we already got a matching program to buy the equipment and train our people. We'll see.”
“Imagine what this would have been like last year or when we didn't have satellites to warn us it was coming! Hell, you can look it up! Loss of life alone was ten times this,” Mitrian, the lieutenant governor, said. “Not that the media is quick to point that out or anything.”
“We all see room for improvement. Nothing wrong there as long as they don't start pointing fingers and finding too much fault,” Daffyd stated.
“We need to look into portable force fields to mitigate the damage. With enough of them on the coast, we might have been able to lower it altogether,” Charles Cartwright, the Industrial Board chairman, muttered.
“Or better yet, invest in a weather control system and direct the storm away from the coast altogether,” the lieutenant governor suggested.
“Good point. Then we wouldn't need SAR as much,” Charles said with a nod her way.
“But we'd still need them,” Daffyd protested.
“We need to look into the weather thing—long term,” Mitrian insisted.
“Set it up. Talk to the colleges and such. Whoever we might get involved in it,” the governor said with a wave of his hand.
~~~^~~~
Just before closing time Daffyd shook his head as he entered the office and handed over a file and an updated copy of the schedule for the following day. “It never changes.”
“Oh, I think it does,” Jeff stated. “The day-to-day stuff is always different, which keeps us on our toes.”
“True,” Daffyd allowed. “Still, I'm wondering if I'm ready for bigger and better things or you are,” he said, eyeing his boss.
“I've considered it. Sandra actually pushed me to consider it. We came to an agreement that we need to do something, but we got wrapped up in other things and then the admiral returned,” Jeff said offhand.
That admission apparently startled Daffyd. “Are you serious?” he asked, sounding slightly excited.
“E-yeah,” Jeff drawled as Evillin "Evil-lin" Sumner, the administration's human publicist, came into the room. She was dressed conservatively with her black hair done up in a tight bun. She was tall and thin with black nails and black lipstick to contrast her paper white skin. She was known to be severe but very good at her job. She stopped and looked from Daffyd to Jeff. “Something I missed?” the woman asked carefully.
“He's talking about a run for the vice presidency or the presidency?” Daffyd asked, eyeing Jeff.
Evillin paused and then pursed her lips as she looked at her boss.
“I said we'd considered it. And yeah, Sandra was onboard at the time. She was actually pushing me to do something,” he admitted. “And it would be the vice presidency, not the presidency.”
“Yeah, I could see that happening,” Daffyd said as he took a seat. He motioned for Evillin to do the same. “Any sort of schedule you have in mind?” It was clear he was excited. Jeff wasn't certain if the excitement was out of a fresh challenge or where the job would take him.
Jeff snorted. “This is a cock and bull session right now. We're dreaming,” he said with a wave of his hand.
“But, we can make it happen,” Daffyd said firmly. He looked to Evillin for supp
ort. She nodded once. “See?”
“We've actually discussed it for some time in the back rooms,” Evillin admitted. What she didn't mention was that her true master would love the opportunity it would present to her and him.
Well, if Randall did go federal, she would follow if the opportunity presented itself as long as the risk was minimized. She wasn't certain what sort of security check she'd have to endure, but she heard it could be tough to pass.
“Pity you weren't in charge when Irons was gone. Things sort of went rudderless even with Secretary Sema involved,” Daffyd said.
“Heh. That's because Irons left us in the charge of two Bekians while going off to stop their countrymen from killing Admiral Logan and getting into a civil war. I doubt he considered the politics there. The optics sucked,” Evillin stated, reentering the conversation.
“Have you considered what you are going to do, sir?” Daffyd asked, directing the question to the governor directly. “What sort of schedule for this?”
“I don't know. As I said, Sandra pushed for it but when Irons came back we dropped it. I'll bring it up to her again when I get the chance.”
Daffyd nodded and looked at Evillin. She returned the nod. “Yes, sir.”
“Just to be on the safe side, keep it quiet. No leaks. I'm serious. If we do get into this, we'll need to sort it out carefully. I don't even know if it is possible and how to go about it. I suppose he'd have to appoint me or something.”
“We can look into that. I can also draw on the campaign staff to form the nucleus of a campaign if necessary. And we can look into funding and other concerns. Quietly,” Daffyd offered.
“The paper study sure. Don't go looking for backers until we're ready to commit,” the governor said as he rose and went over to the coat rack to get his things.
“Yes, sir,” Daffyd said, glancing at Evillin as they both rose from their seats. “Have a good evening, sir,” he murmured.
“You too,” the governor said to both of them as they left.
“What's eating you?” Sandra asked as she sensed her husband's mood as he entered the room and tossed his jacket on the coat rack. He took his scarf off and draped it over the hook and then kicked off his boots. The snow hadn't lasted more than a couple hours, but it had turned to mud. And no matter how much catering he got in being moved from the residence to his office or to other places, he still found ways to get out for an occasional walk to meet people and inventively get dirty.
And since Sandra had promised her wrath to anyone who mucked up the new carpet and floors, he and the kids were on notice to clear out everything in the mudroom. He absently slipped his house shoes on and brushed past her with a brief kiss.
“Deep thoughts,” he mumbled as went into his office in the residence and took a seat. He turned and stared out the window for a long moment.
Sandra paused in the doorway gauging his mood before she came over. There was nothing in the news, so something else was up.
“Okay, give over,” she ordered as she came over to him and began massaging his shoulders.
“Eh?”
“What's wrong?”
“Nothing. Okay, well … do you remember not so long ago we talked about the future? My political future?”
Sandra paused as she went through her memory and then nodded slowly. After a moment her hands resumed their massaging motions. “Yes?”
“Well, my staff brought it up in passing. I mentioned our conversation and things sort of got giddy. Daffyd wants me to ante up. The problem is timing. I don't know if I can do it.”
“Bullshit. You can handle it just fine. That's not the real reason, bub,” she growled, pretending to strangle him.
He made a choking sound and then chuckled. “Can't fool you, can I?” he asked as he looked up to her.
“Never,” she said reprovingly. “I don't know why you try.”
“Sometimes I wonder too. But it is fun to pull the occasional fast one on you or at least pretend to get away with it,” he teased.
She smiled indulgently at him and then leaned down for a kiss. After the kiss broke, he smiled a bit more.
“Better,” she said. “So, you are thinking the vice presidency? Just so we're on the same page?”
“Yeah.”
“And you are okay with playing second fiddle to John?”
“Yeah. I think I can handle it. He'd treat it as a partnership I think. I know who's ultimately in charge though. Tying me to his ticket might be an issue long term whenever he steps down though.”
“True,” she murmured. Some thought that the XO stepped easily into the shoes of their boss when the reins of power were handed over. That wasn't always the case, especially with a fickle public. Sometimes they voted for someone even though they weren't at all qualified just for a change.
She considered it from her perspective and then decided that she needed to be supportive. Slowly she wrapped her arms around him from behind and hugged him. “I think we're never going to have a better time,” she said softly, committing herself.
“But what about you and the kids?” he asked, looking up to her. “It's a big change, Sandra. Really big.”
“We'll adapt,” she said after a moment of thought. She straightened up but kept her hands on his shoulders. After a moment, she spun him and his chair around enough to face her. She fluffed her hair and then lifted her skirt enough to allow her to bend her legs and sit in his lap and wrap one arm around his neck again for support. “The kids are young enough to handle the transition without a lot of fuss. Timed right they'll be moving from one school to another so it will be a new exciting thing.”
“And the family?”
She made a brushing motion. “Who says we have to leave the planet? Sure, we can stay on the Administration Station. But we might not even need to move there full time. And if we do, that doesn't mean we can't take vacations on the planet and summer on the ground while you work,” she said with a playful smirk as her eyes danced a challenge at him.
“Lazy butt,” he teased. Her eyes flashed but he leaned in and kissed her then rested his forehead to hers. “I don't know what I'd do without you. I'd be lost,” he said huskily to her.
“That's right. So don't you forget it,” she said softly right back before she kissed him.
~~~^~~~
Evillin considered her options carefully as she walked home. She clutched at her purse, glad she had the time outside to think but very much aware of the exposure it entailed.
She was contemplating exposure of a different kind however, one that was long term and very dangerous. But that was the game she was in; it was the path she'd chosen for herself. Her deep cover seemed intact. She needed to maintain that. She considered her options very carefully. Should she pass the knowledge on to her true employer?
She nearly slipped as she dodged a group of kids playing. She flattened herself against the side and let them pass. She started to continue but held her place when she noted a ground vehicle noisily driving up on her side of the street. Sure enough it hit the dip and mud puddle and splashed thick gooey muck all around. It just missed her though it did spatter a few people standing on the corner.
She smiled an astringent smile, not quite of sympathy as she projected but more of amusement, as she continued on her way past them. No, her employer had no need of the knowledge just yet she judged. It was all talk at the moment anyway. It was also unsurprising; there had been discussions about it for years.
No, some things were best kept to herself for the moment she judged as she arrived at her building. She nodded politely to the doorman as he opened the door and then went inside, wiping her feet only briefly on the carpets before her clicking heels made their way through the tile foyer to the elevator.
She smirked as she looked over her shoulder to see the imprints she left behind. It almost filled her sadistic side to see the note of annoyance on the receptionist's face at the mess.
“Sorry,” she said as she stopped at her postal box, che
cked, then continued on her way to the elevator.
“It’s okay, ma'am; we're expecting it,” the receptionist muttered as the elevator car arrived with a soft ding.
Evillin smiled cheerily as the doors opened. She let Mrs. Gonzalez pass with her yammering pet and then stepped inside. She couldn't help but smirk as the old woman put the pet down only for it to immediately relieve itself on the potted plant near the door.
“Now muffins! I told you to wait and hold it!” the old woman wailed, clearly scandalized by the lack of decorum on her pet's part.
~~~^~~~
When he had a cancellation in his schedule and therefore had a free moment, he put a call in to Admiral Irons. It was near lunchtime, so he knew that the admiral would be wrapping things up.
He was right; Sprite intercepted the call and with minimum fuss and waiting he was put through to the admiral.
For his part, Admiral Irons nodded patiently but remained quiet as he heard him out. “That's great, Jeff, but there is one problem. Well, more than one, but we'll start with the biggest and knock them down.”
“And that is?” the governor asked, keeping his voice even.
“We established the Federation government now. If you'd come in before, you'd be here and established. Now we have to run a special election.”
Jeff blinked. “Oh. Okay, not a problem I assume.”
“Ordinarily, no. But remember, you are running for a Federation office, not just Antigua. That means you have to be known by the other population centers. All Federation star systems get a say in this Jeff, not just Antigua.”
Jeff pursed his lips as he considered that problem. Slowly he nodded. “You're saying I'm an unknown elsewhere. Even though they see me on national news from time to time.”
“Right. And some people are going to throw their hats in the ring when the word gets out. The locals will gain more traction there. You'll need to travel, at least to the nearest worlds to get a bigger base and to show your face.” Jeff grimaced at that idea. Before he could ask, Admiral Irons shook his head. “I can't lend you a diplomatic courier since you would be on your own. But, I might be able to lend one to the governor of Antigua. I am not sure; we'd have to figure that out.”