Hawk genesis peace hawk.., p.3
Hawk Genesis: Peace (Hawk Flight), page 3
John was pleased at the continuing stream of questions about the war. Many of the comments and questions elicited sharp disagreements, but Karl gently – for a Marine – reminded everyone that the association was focused on the greater issue of healing the wounds engendered by five years of war. He added, “Marines often disagree with their orders, yet we always carry them out, secure in the belief that our lawful obedience to the orders of a superior – even if that superior is in the Navy – will in the long run lead to the best results. I served with Captain Chamberlin for something on the order of two years, and later I served with Federal Commissioner Chamberlin on Grenoble. I did not always agree with his tactical decisions, but I trusted him to know what he was doing, and I trusted him to have the interests of our men and women first in his heart. He never failed that trust. He always listened to me, and, from time to time, he did more than listen, he modified his tactics. Today, we are beginning the creation of an organization that can and will have an impact on the lives of millions of people. Some of you have objected to anything that helps former rebels. I understand that you have lost family, friends, and all of you have lost comrades in arms. Understand also, that those men and women who fought against you also lost loved ones, and overall, they lost far more than we did. They fought bravely and courageously for something they believed in, and they lost. Now, today, they are returning to their home worlds, most of which are facing severe rationing and an uncertain future. You know that on frontier worlds, the very first step in colonization was to build orbital facilities. Three rebel worlds no longer have any orbitals, and few shuttles to take the results of their sweat and labor up to orbit, and no way to store them for the next federal freighter, whenever that may be. I’ll be frank with you, I have a great deal in common with the men and women we fought against. In some cases, more than with many of the people we fought for. However, that is beside the point: the federation once again includes the former rebel worlds, it includes all those millions of humans who today are suffering. Captain Chamberlin sees the future of humanity as leading in one of two possible directions: nuclear war, or peaceful reunification. I might add that in the last year of war, Admiral Grigorivich came to feel the same. I cannot tell you how I know this, but I know it to be a fact.” He paused, and added, “Hell, I can tell you – I heard it from his own lips.”
A woman stood. She was wearing the uniform of a Lt. Cdr., and after being acknowledged she asked, “What do you see as our first task?” Karl said, “My wife comes from Grenoble – yes, that Grenoble. She enlisted in the Federal Army. Her parents promptly lost their employment, and suffered a great deal. She ended up serving in the occupation forces on Grenoble, and became Commissioner Chamberlin’s aide. Despite competing calls on her loyalty, Lt. Schwartz gave her word, and she kept it. Commissioner Chamberlin promptly hired her parents, and when his appointment ended, he offered the three of them a new home on Maya. All three accepted. There are thousands of former military who have no home to go home to. I want to help them find new homes. Maya has already accepted three hundred demobilized federal military from former rebel worlds, but cannot take everyone. Therefore, our first task is to establish offices in all the frontier worlds and begin helping those in the greatest need to relocate. However, we want everyone to understand that our overall task is far greater – we will be initiating projects on former rebel and federal worlds that are designed to assist them to return their economies to a civilian footing.” Karl paused to take a sip of water. He glanced at John who nodded minutely.
Karl continued, “Grenoble offers an insight to how Captain Chamberlin thinks. He pushed and prodded Grenoble into a major effort to develop a civilian shuttle. As their design progressed, he learned that the Federal Army had dismantled the factory that produced their drives. He promptly obtained two shuttle engines from Maya, and it was with one of those drives that their shuttle was certified. Since then Maya and Grenoble have signed contracts for more drives, and the last I heard, Maya was negotiating for the rights to manufacture the shuttle under license. These efforts benefit both worlds, and in more ways than you might imagine. Historically, the vast majority of all commerce has been between Earth and the new worlds, what Captain Chamberlin calls a vertical, top down arrangement that benefits the guy on top, and isolates the bottom planets from each other. This was the only way those worlds could come into being, but now, today, it is prohibitively expensive to import from Earth. The Maya-Grenoble contract benefits both societies, produces jobs and will lead to increased horizontal contact and travel between these...enemies. One day they will be former enemies.”
An astonishing three quarters of those who attended joined the association as dues-paying members; sixty-two enlisted as either volunteers or employees. Four of them went to work for Karl, who suddenly had a security team.
As the meeting room cleared, Karl explained to John that a security team from Earth might present fewer problems with divided loyalty. John’s first thought was to wonder how “Two-by-Two”, or more commonly, “Two By”, the nickname for Sergeant Hassan, would fare on the mat against Karl.
Trying to sound casual, John asked Hassan, “Sergeant, what were your duties?” Hassan said, “Sir, I was in charge of the armory on the Baltimore.” John smiled, “A fine ship.” Sergeant Hassan looked carefully at John and asked, “Sir, were you ever aboard the Baltimore?” Karl laughed, “Sergeant Hassan, Captain Chamberlin toured the heap before it was commissioned, and we had to escort it around the system on its’ first workups. It was an immobile disaster. As you will learn, Captain Chamberlin has a distorted sense of humor, no doubt yet another result of being a squid. We try to overlook his quirks, and hope you will as well.”
John asked, “Is the DeKlerk still in commission? You might ask around.” Karl laughed, “Not going to happen sir.” John asked, “Sergeant Hassan, in addition to your armory duties, did you perform any others?” Karl shook his head, managing not to grin. Hassan said, “Yes sir, I taught martial arts, hand-to-hand combat, led the boarding party team, and a few others.”
Karl suggested, “Sir, since Sergeant Hassan taught martial arts, perhaps you might benefit from his expertise?” John laughed, “We both know I could end up in the hospital – what I was wondering was if you could benefit.” Karl nodded, “Absolutely sir. We could have adjoining beds.”
Sergeant Hassan didn’t seem to have much of a sense of humor, because he said, “Master Sergeant, most of my workouts were with inexperienced recruits, but I rarely ever injured them.” Karl managed to suppress his mirth.
John asked him, “What are your plans as regards the security of this…enterprise?” Karl nodded, “Sir, we have made a start on our physical security needs; I am working on finding some good people for communications. To that end I have tracked down the Navy etechs who worked in your offices on Grenoble. They weren’t the best, but they knew that and worked very hard at becoming the best. Most have not yet obtained employment, and I’ve taken the liberty of hiring them. They’ll be settled in at our new headquarters in Chavez by the time we return. Oh, well, except for one, who happened to be from Earth. She’ll be here tomorrow.” John commented, “A start?” Karl took him seriously, “Sir, there are four of you, plus Rachel, and there will be others. So, yes, a start.”
John turned to Rachel and asked, “Where are we?” She said, “Sir, James and his wife have been delayed, and have not provided us with a new arrival date; we are scheduled to spend the next week visiting locations popular with tourists, as well as visiting Merkovich LLC, a shuttle manufacturer in Europe. We are also scheduled to visit Lockheed, based roughly fourteen hundred kilometers south of New York. Lockheed is the company with the patent on the Hawk coatings. They’re not going to tell us the time of day, or even what day it is, but we’re attempting to learn as much as possible about what their product does, with the aim of finding an inexpensive alternative. I’ve been in contact with the new government on Grenoble, and we’ve been invited to visit their shuttle factory. As I understand your notes, you believe that Grenoble may be able to satisfy the federal governments’ requirements for gaining full independence within as little as one to two years. Once that happens, federal forces will return jurisdiction over Grenobian space back to the system government, and the commissioner and all occupying forces will leave. You believe that their shuttle, coupled with an inexpensive alternative to Lockheed’s coating, would produce a reasonable craft for system defense, one that Grenoble could produce. The federation would not permit a military buildup of true warships, but shuttles are not able to jump and would therefore pass under the radar. I have just received a package from Maya. It includes a preliminary assessment of the proposed contract between Producciones Padilla and Consortium LLC. It’s long and involved, but the synopsis is that both sides would benefit. It is believed that the contract will go forward. Estimates are that Padilla could begin to produce a licensed version of the shuttle within two months following an agreement. As per your request, we have begun lining up representatives on frontier worlds. They would be able to market the civilian shuttle, the only difference would be the place of origin. If it is marketed as you suggest, on a cost plus basis, it will run to about two million dollars and change, delivered. That is significantly lower than the alternatives currently being marketed, mostly by Elyse and, of course, Earth. If this project becomes successful, it would drive Earth out of the shuttle market, which in any event is a very low margin segment. You seem to believe that Earth will use its legislative clout to attempt to block the Grenobian shuttle through tariffs and safety concerns. To that end, through Padilla, we have requested that the shuttle design be reexamined, and any safety or longevity concerns be addressed with the aim of overbuilding it. On Maya, we’re awaiting word on your bid for the Chico Building. I believe yours was the best offer. We have received confirmation from our attorney regarding our request for incorporation; it’s been approved, but we don’t yet have the actual seal.”
She paused to consult her notes, and continued, “Karl has already requested permits for the four new security personnel, and has inquired about obtaining a license for a security firm. He was told it would not be easy. However, it appears that your reputation here on Earth makes it possible. Finally, I am awaiting word on your itinerary. Communications with frontier worlds are not dependable, so I hope you’ll forgive this failure.”
John shook his head, “Your failures are everyone else’ successes.” She blushed, and Karl beamed with pride.
Jessica asked, “It’s Jessica’s turn: you remember, the one who married you? Where are we going tomorrow, and what do we wear?” John grinned, “In other words, what do you need to buy?” She laughed, “For a man, you are reasonably astute.” John replied, “For a woman, you are astonishingly beautiful and graceful.” She asked, “Are you trying to ingratiate yourself with me?” John asked, “I am supposed to ingratiate myself?” She said, pityingly, “Every day. Didn’t you read the marriage contract?”
The next day the six, now grown to ten, visited various locations in the city. Lost in the forest of immense structures were a few ancient icons of the New York’s past glories: the Chrysler building, the Brooklyn Bridge and the Statue of Liberty. The manicured Central Park was a disappointment, but they came from a world that was practically empty of buildings and the signs of civilization, so a few hundred acres of carefully designed park didn’t seem all that impressive.
The next two days were spent touring Lockheed and the German shuttle factories, then four days in a whirlwind tour of as much history as they could fit in. On their last day they ate supper in an incredibly ornate restaurant on the top of the tallest building in China, the Beijing Imperial Heavenly Ascent. Ten years earlier it had been the tallest occupied structure on the planet - for all of two weeks, until the New Luxor topped it by three meters. Their waiter told them, with a great deal of disdain, that the top four meters of ‘that ugly abomination’ consisted of an abnormally high railing. John thought about Chavez – the tallest building in the city was twenty stories, and few cared. Earth seemed to care a great deal about status.
Two hours later they boarded a shuttle. Three hours after that they boarded a passenger ship for Grenoble. Jessica, Jordan and Jennifer went on alone to Maya. Jessica had volunteered her services and they were looking at an administrative post for her – they just didn’t know which one. Both sisters wanted to do something, and John felt it a splendid idea. He didn’t voice that thought until after Jessica assented.
Grenoble was not a happy planet. The Federal Commissioner had mandated a series of measures that prohibited public gatherings in excess of twenty-one people. Places of business were excluded from this restriction, including factories and restaurants. As a result, restaurants were experiencing record attendance. She also prohibited any forms of personal weapons, despite the fact that there had been exactly zero instances of the illegal use of personal weapons during her tenure – or John’s for that matter.
A representative of the mayor met them at the shuttleport, and after a minimal greeting quickly waved them to a bus. She seemed eager to get them underway and out of sight. Once they were moving, she confirmed that impression, “Sir, the Commissioner is unaware of your visit, and it is believed she would attempt to place as many obstructions in your path as possible.”
John grinned, “Knowing as I do the citizens of your fine planet, you have managed to peacefully and totally non-aggressively irritate the hell out of her.” She tried for a stern look, but gave it up and smiled instead, “Yes sir, our natural proclivity to avoid direct confrontation, coupled with your repeated and rather famous instructions have caused the Commissioner a small amount of frustration.” John said, “Small amount? My advice? Double your efforts. Aim for apoplexy.”
She gave up all pretense of formality and said, “Sir, your reputation appears to be merited. I am deeply pleased. My instructions were to transport you and your party directly to the shuttle factory. We believe that will give us a few hours before she…reacts.”
John said, “We’ve got a lot of questions, and a proposal to put to you from Padilla. If your Commissioner attempts to interfere, I believe we have enough firepower to hold her at bay, possibly better. She’s a politician with goals beyond Grenoble. I can help her to achieve the next goal, which is to get posted to Earth, which, from your standpoint, would be a double win. In order to accomplish that, we have to figure out how to overcome her tendency to create mayhem and chaos out of peace and stability. Unfortunately, the most likely path seems to be personal gain.”
She asked, “Sir, why do you say, ‘unfortunately’?” John said, “Because, Madame Bisset, humanity is in a bad place. In order to move toward reunification, we must have leaders who are honorable, who put the interests of humanity ahead of their own gain. I strongly believe that the vast majority of people will respond positively; I also believe that they are hungry, in all senses of the word, and will follow strong leaders in wrong directions if they think that is their only choice.”
She said, “Sir, I’ve recorded this conversation. With your permission I’d like to retain it.” John asked, “Madame Bisset, understand that if the Commissioner obtains a copy, it would cause difficulties for me, and your people as well.” She somberly nodded, “I live here sir.” John sighed, “Granted.”
The plant was humming with activity. Four shuttles were in various stages of construction in the main assembly hall. The nearby drive facility was still not operational, in large part due to the Army’s rough treatment of their aged fabricators, and they had been unable to obtain the replacements necessary to get the plant up and operating. Money was part of the problem, the Commissioner the rest. Unfortunately, once Padilla’s license was granted, his company would be unable to fulfill both factories orders. As a result, before departing for Earth, John had signed a secret agreement with the Consortium; in return for ten shuttles, he purchased the necessary fabricators, which were at that moment being transported from the shuttleport to the factory. He would lease nine of them back to the Consortium, which would form a new transportation company, nearly doubling Grenoble’s present shuttle capacity. The tenth was to be transported to Maya where Padilla would use it as a mule in the development of an armed shuttle. Once a design was finalized, Padilla would begin manufacturing them alongside the civilian versions. At the moment, there was zero market for armed shuttles, but John was anticipating a gradually increasing breakdown of civil order in the outer reaches of human occupied space, and the sixteen former rebel worlds had been totally disarmed. He hoped he was wrong, but he didn’t think he was wrong.
They sat down at a desk on the factory floor and discussed progress: the consortium had already produced seventeen shuttles, and had made running changes to ensure that nobody would find anything wrong with the craft, save possibly for other manufacturers.
They reached an agreement for the licensing of their design, and signed additional papers creating the shuttle company in which John would be a silent partner. The actual shuttle that would be turned over to Padilla was at that moment in orbit, finishing its tests. In fact, it was the first of the ten in the agreement. John was deeply impressed with the way they were moving, and told them so.
