Home again, p.18
Home Again, page 18
“That’s what I figured.”
“About those advisers of mine you absconded with. When will I get them back?”
“I’m not sure which group your particular people wound up in, and I’m not sure what kind of sentences they’ll be looking at, in either case. However it works out, they’re going to be in jail for quite a while.”
“What country thinks it has the right to jail my advisers?”
“Not country, multi-planet government. One of them is an Empire, and the other a Commonwealth. Which one they got shipped to depends on where they have bounties out on them. I have to keep this fleet in the black, don’t you know.”
“You’re saying they were criminals?”
“Well, I know for sure they were working for a criminal enterprise. Whether they had personally done things in the Empire that made them wanted criminals, or not, I don’t know. Even if they hadn’t, the Commonwealth considers Earth to be their protectorate, and they would object strenuously to those people interfering in Earth’s culture.”
“Don’t they object to your interference?”
“My father-in-law is one of their cops, and I consult with him before I act, to see just how much I can get away with. The fact that I’m originally from Earth gives me more latitude, but I still get close to the line, more than I would like.”
“Is that why you aren’t able to supply us with the technology you use?”
“It is. I know that is a big problem for you, but I’m not willing to get in trouble with the Commonwealth, just to make you happy.”
“We’re just one planet, and if you have to, you can fly away, and never come back?”
“I’d much rather it didn’t come to that, Mr. President, but if you insist, it might.”
“I see. Well, I’ll talk to my people, and see what we can do about a lease. You know they are going to want some kind of technology transfer as part of the price, don’t you?”
“I know they are going to want that, yes. I also know there are limits on what I will be able to agree to.”
Saucy said, “Boss, you’re needed on another call.”
“I’m sorry, Mr. President. I’m needed elsewhere. I’ll call you later, thanks for your time.”
“Goodbye, Admiral.”
“Yes, Saucy?”
“Amelia needs to speak with you.”
“Put her on speaker, please.”
“Yes, Boss.”
“Admiral, I have a problem.”
“The fellow you were speaking to didn’t have the right recognition signals to receive your report?”
“Yes. How did you know?”
“I didn’t find out until after you had gone inside, that the fellow occupying the office isn’t the actual President.”
“I see. Things have changed, since I was here.”
“The confusion about who the President is, is my fault, I’m afraid. We upset them a bit, when we were here last.”
“Well, I do need to give this report to the proper authority. What should I do?”
“Are you secure inside your ship?”
“I am.”
“Liftoff, and hover about two thousand feet up. I’ll see what I can do for you. Do you mind leaving the line open?”
“Not at all.”
I turned to Saucy, “Do you think you could get the President back on the line?”
“Of course, Boss.”
“Admiral, I need more time than that.”
“I’m sure you do. I’m calling on another matter, that only you can help with. We were right, the fellow in the Oval Office didn’t have access to the right codes to receive the report. Do you have all the obsolete codebooks with you?”
“As a matter of fact, I do.”
“Would you be able to receive an in-person report from an agent who has been out of touch for quite some time?”
“That would entail her getting access to this bunker, would it not?”
“That would be up to you, I would think. I assume you have some sort of arrangement with the people who own the house above you, don’t you?”
“We do, as a matter of fact. What are you proposing, Admiral?”
“You meet her in the house above, and get her report, then she comes back to the ship, and leaves you in peace. You can return to your bunker, or go deal with the usurper, as you see fit.”
“How do I know you haven’t made a deal with the other fellow, to get me out in the open?”
“You don’t, I suppose. We could provide security for the meeting, if you would like, but I had assumed that wouldn’t be something you would want.”
“I think it’s clear that if you wished me harm, I would already be harmed. You’ve gone out of your way to keep from harming me, even while you were digging a moat around the White House. I don’t see any reason to refuse your offer.”
“I thought you were of the opinion that I was in league with the other fellow.”
“I just wanted to see how you would respond, to tell you the truth. I’ve never dealt with anyone as straightforward as you are.”
“Give me a minute or two to establish a perimeter, and I’ll have the agent ring the doorbell. Is that acceptable?”
“Sounds remarkably fast.”
“I need to let you go again, so that I can get things moving.”
“I look forward to talking to you again, Admiral.”
“As do I, Mr. President.”
I turned to Topper. “Andre has launched, Boss. The fighters doing the fountain have been retasked to provide air cover.”
“Good work. Amelia, did you catch all that?”
“I did, Admiral. Are you sure this fella’s heart will take the strain?”
“I think so. I gave him enough hints about being sure to bring his obsolete codebooks, surely he’ll be ready for you.”
“I hope so. I wouldn’t want to be the cause of the President dying.”
“I’m sure he has medical people standing by to take care of him. If it looks too bad, take him to your ship and dump him in the autodoc.”
“Yes, Boss. Don’t you think his people will have something to say about that?”
“Not much, I wouldn’t think. Andre is providing security for the meeting.”
“That would tend to calm them. Where am I supposed to meet him?”
I said, “Saucy, send her the location, please.”
Amelia said, “Got it. Thanks, Saucy.”
Saucy said, “Any time, Ma’am.”
Amelia said, “I better get off the radio, it looks like a tight landing spot. Talk to you when the meeting is over, Boss.”
“Good luck, Amelia.”
The line went dead. Saucy put Andre’s view on the main screen. We saw Amelia come in for a smooth landing, and get out of the ship. She walked to the front door, and rang the bell. A lady who looked like a normal housewife came to the door. I would have bought it, if it hadn’t been for the pistol in the pocket of her sweatpants, making them hang funny. She invited Amelia in, and Andre turned back to look for threats inbound. Sue said, “Boss, with all the Marines around that place, I’m able to get a decent picture of the inside. Would you like it on the screen?”
“Might as well. It beats waiting and wondering.”
The picture we got was clearly built from different electronic sensors, not visual. We got shadows of people, not really images. Sue had attached labels to each of them, so we could keep them straight. Amelia was seated, and the lady from the door was standing behind her. Another group of shadows entered the room, one labeled President, and the other two Security one, and Security two. Amelia stood, and shook the President’s hand. Sue wasn’t able to get any audio, so we had to guess at what was happening. It wasn’t long before Security one bent over and got a book of some kind, and started flipping through it. He looked at the President, and nodded. It appeared as if the President and Amelia exchanged a few words, and all the security left the room. The President appeared to start a recorder, and Amelia started talking. I lost interest after the first five minutes, but I wanted to stay on the bridge in case something went wrong. I asked Topper, “Skipper, did anything happen last night that I need to know about?”
“Not a thing, Boss. Seems like things have calmed down since we borrowed all their instigators.”
“Funny thing, that. Clean out the nasty Squirrels, and everything gets nicer.”
“Captain Branham and Captain Sloan left last night. Captain Sloan got back this morning. Haven’t heard from Captain Branham, so I assume the new drive is performing alright.”
“That all sounds like good news, Topper. Surely you have something else to tell me?”
“No, Boss. No more tungsten rocks appearing out of nowhere. Nothing unfriendly at all.”
“Stop it, Topper. You’re scaring me.”
“How do you think I feel, Boss? We’re in orbit above Earth. Things should be happening.”
“So it’s not just me?”
“No, Boss, it most certainly is not.”
Sue called out, “Emergence, outer system, no flash, looks like one of ours. It’s the Grissom, Skipper.”
Saucy said, “Captain Mason on the line for you, Boss.”
“Put him on, Saucy.”
Steve appeared on the main screen. “Hi, Boss. Got those folks settled in. I took the liberty of putting the males and females on different islands. I don’t think they’ll be able to get together, so we don’t have to worry about a BSR-hating colony growing out there.”
I replied, “Good thinking, Steve. Anything else to report?”
“No, Boss. Smooth flight, didn’t see any derelicts, or anything else of note.”
“Join us in orbit, then. We’ve got a tricky bit of business going right now, but things may steady out, after that.”
“Do I want to know what you consider a tricky bit of business, Boss?”
“Amelia had to deliver a report to the President. The fellow in the Oval Office wasn’t the real President, so we had to hunt him down for her. She’s delivering the message as we speak.”
“How did she hold on to a paper report all those years?”
“She didn’t. Memorized the whole thing, is what she said.”
“I wonder if it is all from her flight, or there are things in there from later?”
“I’m pretty sure she’s telling all she was able to figure out about Commonwealth technology, Steve. Whether that will be enough for them to get headed in the right direction, or not, is anybody’s guess.”
“But since she was an Earth agent, on an Earth mission, even if it went more sideways than anybody could have foreseen, she can tell them all she knows, right?”
“I’d have to check with Bill to be a hundred percent sure, but it sounds right to me. If it’s already done, the worst he can do is punish me, I think.”
“Why you, Boss?”
“I let her go down there, with what she knew, and I assumed she would tell them all she could.”
“That does sound like you would be the responsible party. Maybe being an Earth native will cut you some slack.”
“That’s what I’m banking on. See you when you get in.”
“We’ll be there shortly. Mason out.”
“Wilson out.”
Amelia was still reciting her report. I decided to look through my inbox while I was waiting. Sue had sent me a report, I wondered why she hadn’t just told me about whatever it was, so I opened it. I could tell right away why she hadn’t mentioned it in front of anyone else. It was embarrassing, at least to me. I should have known mentioning the fact that an autodoc could take years off you would result in tons of rich folks trying to get ahold of me to buy time in one. Sue had found at least fifty people putting up messages on social media, trying to get me to sell them a few more years. I didn’t like the idea at all, but if we put the price high enough, it might keep the coffers full. I’d have to think about it. I went on to more palatable subjects. Dingus sent a report, detailing how much he had deposited in the company accounts. I wondered how much it would take to buy a lease on Saucer Holler. It seemed to me that free trade with us would be worth a lot to the US, and having us around would be something they would want. I figured I wasn’t seeing it from their point of view. I sent a message back, thanking Dingus for taking care of it. The second message in the stack was from Sally Crane. It was a neat little thank you card, with an animated GIF. I smiled, and Saucy asked, “What did you find, Boss?”
I replied, “Sally Crane sent a thank you card. Would you like me to put it on the screen, so you can see it?”
“I’ll split the screen for you, Boss.”
“Probably best. We wouldn’t want to lose track of Amelia.”
I sent the card to the screen, and all the bots said something about how cute it was, and how nice it was for her to send it. Once that died down, we took it down, and put the sensor data back to full screen. I kept going through the inbox, hoping for something to do, to take my mind off waiting. I found another message asking for help, from an old fella trying to keep from having to give up his grandson to Family Services. Something about it didn’t feel right. I thought about what to do with it for a moment, and realized it sounded like a job for the man who wasn’t there. I’d never dealt with him directly, so I forwarded the message to Joanna, since she and Max had done business with him. She could get him to see if the guy was on the up-and-up. A message from Jeeves said that Bert and Ernie had finished all their courses, and Ernie was in the autodoc getting sped up. I finished the inbox without finding anything that I could possibly justify working on personally. I looked at the screen, and Amelia was still going. Apparently, she had seen a lot in eighty-plus years that she thought the President needed to know about. I asked Saucy, “Could you send that feed to the screen in the office? I need to get up and stir around a little.”
“Sure, Boss.”
Topper asked, “What are your orders, if they try to take her hostage?”
“Stun ‘em all, and bring her back. If any of them are stun-resistant, do what needs to be done.”
“Understood. Hopefully it won’t come to that.”
“That’s for sure. It seems like we’re finally getting along with the President. I’d hate to have to screw that up.”
Topper nodded, and I went to the office. Jeeves said, “I figured you were coming, when the screen changed.”
“Interrupting your soaps, am I?”
“No, Boss. I was watching Earth entertainment, but it was a game show.”
“Wouldn’t it be faster to just download it, direct to memory?”
“It would, and I have done some of that, but I wanted to see what it was like for humans, to watch it in real time.”
“What did you find out?”
“Commercials are annoying.”
“I could have saved you the trouble, and just told you that.”
“I think there’s a difference between hearing it, and experiencing it yourself.”
“That sounds right. Would you mind rounding me up a cup of coffee?”
“Not at all.”
I thought back on what Steve had to say, and decided I still wasn’t satisfied I had done the right thing. I wondered for a minute what I could do to settle my mind, and remembered that maritime lawyer I had spoken to, what seemed like a lifetime ago. He could tell me if I was right or wrong. I found his number in my phone, and called him. A female voice answered, “Otis Law Office, how may I help you?”
“I’m Bob Wilson, I’ve done some business with Mr. Otis before, and I was wondering if I could get a consultation on a matter that came up recently.”
“I can make you an appointment, Mr. Wilson. When would be convenient?”
“I’m sure you could, and that’s very nice of you, but a telephone conversation would be adequate, I think.”
“Let me check if he has time to talk right now, Mr. Wilson.”
Mr. Otis’ voice came on the line, quickly. “I’m sorry, Mr. Wilson. I truly don’t know how my receptionist failed to recognize your name. It’s Admiral, now, isn’t it? Congratulations on your promotion.”
“Thank you, Sir. My captains decided if I was running the outfit, I needed the rank. I need an opinion on some action I had to take, if you don’t mind.”
“Certainly. You still have a lot of mileage on that retainer you sent. What has you worried this time?”
“We found a planet that had people tricking ships into landing, and not letting them take off again. They were killing some of the crews, and enslaving the rest. I sent them into exile on a different planet, with no means to communicate, or leave. The captain I sent on the mission took the further precaution of putting the males and females on separate islands, so that we wouldn’t have the future problem of a colony with a grudge against the company. Was I within my rights?”
“You say they were guilty of murder, and piracy?”
“Yes, Sir, I did say that.”
“If anything, I would say you let them off easy, Admiral. You would have been within your rights to execute them.”
“I have enough faces in my nightmares already.”
“I understand. You pay me to tell you the law, not give you moral advice. I admire your restraint. Anything else you need?”
“I have another issue, but I’m not sure it’s in your bailiwick.”
“Never hurts to ask, Admiral.”
“Do you have any knowledge of long-term leases on the government level?”
“I’m not positive I understand what you’re asking. Could you elaborate?”
“Things like China leasing Hong Kong to the British Empire, or Panama leasing the Canal Zone to the US. That sort of lease.”
“Okay, that’s what I thought you meant, but I couldn’t see how you would have any use for something on that level.”
“I don’t know how much you know about our troubles, the last time we came home. The government took a dim view of us being on the planet without turning over our technology to them. They went to some effort to try and drive us off our land in Missouri. We were able to turn away their attacks, but it made having a restful time off rather difficult. I spoke to the President earlier today, and discussed leasing the area from the US, to keep that sort of thing from happening again.”
