Hawk genesis peace hawk.., p.33
Hawk Genesis: Peace (Hawk Flight), page 33
She concluded, “John, from the outset I held great hope for this project of ours, but I also prepared for the…other contingency. As a result, if your proposed purchase goes forward, I’ll increase your general fund, which is one way of saying the contingencies are not going to be needed. If the purchase fails, I would not be surprised if you weren’t looking at investing in Maya, Grenoble and Fujian orbital manufacturing. The hardware required for this type of manufacturing are, for the next year or so, readily available; however, as soon as Earth’s economy comes out of recession, they’ll be much harder to acquire. This is a hint.”
John took a deep breath and told everyone, “She likes it. Let’s call the Captain.”
John commed the Navy office with a formal purchase order, including a warrant for one hundred ten million dollars. Peter shook his head, “As children, we thought one dollar was money.”
Ten minutes later Captain Schreiber commed John, needlessly verified that he’d sent the comm, and asked, “Mr. Chamberlin, your bid is lower than required.” John said, “Yes ma’am. However, we’ll have to expend a considerable sum of money to return these ships to the status they are being advertised as possessing, as well as having to replace all the seals on their cargo hatches. As you know, many to most commercial shipments require that the hold be aired, and these ships are largely unable to maintain a seal. Our own estimate of their worth, with the repairs included, is the amount we have tendered. On a related note, within a matter of days we expect to receive a new LLC, including the extension of our earlier permits to mount offensive and defensive armaments. If our offer is rejected based on not meeting your minimum estimated valuation, we’ll of course have to reconsider our interest.”
She said, “Mr. Chamberlin, there are no other ships in human space that are remotely similar to these four.” John said, “I not only agree, it’s the reason we’re interested. However, our own estimates of operating costs indicate that within as little as five years the current shortage in commercial freighters will be made up, resulting in a steady decline in shipping rates. Additionally, the period of unrest and armed attacks may not last beyond a few years, reducing the demand for these ships.”
She seemed to be attempting to sell John, piquing his interest. She continued, “Sir, I do not believe that we can accept your tender.” John heard something in her voice – a note of uncertainty. He said, “I appreciate your personal attention, greatly. Our reasons for purchasing these four ships have much to do with jumpstarting the economies of as many as ten colony worlds. All have suffered greatly since the conclusion of the rebellion, and the Federal government’s policies are to allow them to recover on their own. I don’t care a whit about politics, but I do care about the future my children will inherit, and if we don’t solve the immense issue of hatred that the war has left us, our descendants will have to try. Making money is important, and we think these ships might make a bit, at least long enough to help the systems get off their backs, but they have to at least break even or this immense investment will be wasted.”
She asked, “You say this is not a commercial project?” John said, “It is absolutely commercial: Fujian, Orleans, Maya and Grenoble have tens of thousands of out-of-work veterans, nearly all of them trained in the art of killing. If we can find work for them, they’ll get married and have children instead of blowing us all to hell. If they have work, they’ll eventually forget how much they hate each other.”
She was quiet for a moment before telling him, “I’ll forward your proposal, and as soon as I hear something, I’ll contact you.”
John thanked her. He suspected that it was her decision to make, but she was kicking it upstairs.
He was very tired of sitting idly by in Elyse, so they undocked and headed outsystem. They were going home.
Chapter 34
Two days after returning, Peter announced that he was bringing Lucia home for supper. The senior Mrs. Chamberlin made certain that the house was spotless and that everyone was home. John smiled at the way his mother could effortlessly snap the whip. She caught his look of amusement and mildly asked, “And, my middle son, are you going to be home for the birth of my second grandson? For that matter, are you going to be here for the birth of my first grandson, an event we expect to occur at any time?”
John smiled, “Yes mother, two times yes.” She narrowed her eyes and said, with just a hint of frost, “I raised my sons to respect others, and must I remind you, I belong to the subset of ‘others?” John smiled happily, “I can remember when I was thirteen, and a good six inches taller than you. I had a friend over for lunch – the girl who took me out at the dojo? You had that trick of grabbing me by a finger and putting me down on the floor. I said something, probably to impress her, and without raising your voice or exerting the slightest effort you dropped me onto my knees. That was more than twenty years ago, and she still tells all my friends.” Milla smiled proudly, “Had? You think I won’t do it again?” John jumped up, hearing her contented chuckle as her son, the former commander of an entire Navy fleet, fled.
As it happened, Michel was visiting, and was calmly asked by John’s mother to present himself for supper, and to be on time. He almost bowed.
The meal was wonderful, and the house was full. Lucia was enveloped in a graceful hug by Milla, and only then did the rest of the family get to greet her. John grinned and said, “Me…brother…Peter.” She started, and then smiled, “Congratulations on your obvious improvement.” Jessica, who was now gloriously pregnant, hugged his arm and said, “We’re all just a little amazed at the progress.”
James and Castidad were present, and one of them was about ready to burst.
Jennifer, Jordan and Arsinoe came down in a clump of long hair and pretty dresses, at least one of which was new. Arsinoe was hugged by Lucia, who exclaimed over her brilliantly gleaming hair and beautiful complexion. Women.
Arsinoe was seated next to Michel, and across from Lucia. Peter was given the place of honor at the head of the table, with Milla at the foot. It was a long table, and included a guest from Armagh. His name was Thomas O’Hanlon, and he was an exchange student, probably meaning that Jennifer and Jordan were going to make his life a living hell, especially as he was bright and cute, in the words of a contented Jessica.
Additionally, they had Fidel, who was now back on duty, and they had the lovely young woman from Lubya, Miss Bong Cha Namgung, who, due to her youth, was in residence while she blew through the university’s courses.
It was a highly interesting guest list: Jessica and Castidad were pregnant, Lucia was for the first time meeting The Mother, Michel was girding up his shaky resolve to ask Arsinoe for her hand, and Fidel’s attentions had transferred from Miss Elsie Flaubert to the seventeen year old Korean Bong Cha. Fidel may not have been looking to get married, but he was definitely looking, so Milla had carefully warned all the young women in the house – there were seemingly a great many – to be a bit careful. She believed Fidel to be an honorable man, but she absolutely knew he was a man.
In fact, she’d had any number of opportunities to engage him in conversation. He was back in his own home, but while he’d been her guest, she’d verified that his brush with death may have refocused his thoughts on the future. She’d delicately suggested that she would be available to assist him in that regards, although Bong Cha was definitely not going to be part of that help. Learning of the conversations, John came to the proper conclusion that any revelations Fidel may have had would have been planted in his psyche by Milla.
The meal was wonderful, with a delicious French dish from the Flaubert’s recipe book, a Korean spiced meat dish courtesy of Bong Cha and an additional dish courtesy of a recipe from Mrs. Minh, who turned out to be the author of a recipe book.
The spicy nature of food from northern Mexico and Korea contrasted nicely with the rich French dish, but the conversation was far more interesting, at least to John and James and wives, who were casually paying a lot of attention to the interplay of emotions. Peter was quiet, Lucia quick to laugh, Arsinoe almost mute, Michel even worse. Fidel was casually interested in Bong Cha, avoided speaking to either Jennifer or Jordan, who in any event were easily up to the challenge of dropping his handsome ass down a verbal well.
John had a great time. He had to repeatedly bite his tongue from asking Michel if he was a little under the weather. The only reason he didn’t was because Milla flicked a glance at him, telling him that she could read his admittedly evil mind, and that she wouldn’t hesitate to drop him, and not verbally. Jessica kissed him on the cheek and whispered in his ear, “Your mother has an agenda this fine evening, and she doesn’t want you spoiling her well-laid plans.”
John muttered, “I commanded an entire fleet – you’d think I could handle my own mother.” Jessica giggled and put a hand to her mouth, “Oops, I shouldn’t have eaten that spicy food.” John had already been brought up to speed on the various side effects of pregnancy. To date, some of the more harrowing had yet to make an appearance. Both his sisters-in-law seemed to have made a study of those symptoms and had invested a certain amount of time and effort to acquaint John. They were kind enough to provide him with vividly graphic verbal descriptions as well as an intriguing variety of what appeared to be holographic programs sourced from hospitals and, possibly, morgues.
The three young girls hustled the plates into the kitchen and when everyone had tea or coffee – Milla didn’t permit alcohol at the dinner table and discouraged it’s presence in the house – Michel slowly rose to his feet. Everyone promptly went quiet, although they had probably just wanted to kick the terrified man under the table to get him off his chair.
He said, “Mrs. Chamberlin…er, Milla Chamberlin that is, I wish to thank you for your kind invitation into your home. There was a time, not long ago, when I could not have imagined that I would be here on this planet, or in this house. Much has changed and as my good friend John would say, a lot of water has passed under the bridge. Tonight, I wish to propose a toast.”
He held up his water glass and said, “Here’s to friendship, and to love, and to a better future.” Everyone had stood and they all raised their water glasses in response to his toast. It was a bit odd, since there was no alcohol, but it was a very odd gathering.
He remained standing when everyone else resumed their seats. He turned to face Arsinoe, who promptly turned white as a ghost, and he said, “Arsinoe Pakhomios, at this time, and in front of these witnesses, I wish to propose matrimony. I have no family – I was orphaned at a young age and brought to Grenoble from Earth – and I have little to offer you in the way of material wealth; yet, I declare before God that I love you with all my heart; If you accept my proposal of marriage, I promise to never leave your side, and to support you with everything I possess.”
Arsinoe’s eyes glistened, and tears streaked her cheeks. She slowly stood and said, “I am now an orphan. I have nothing to offer you save my own love. I promise you that I shall come to you as I entered the world, and I shall remain faithful to you for all the days of my life.”
Michel walked around the table and held out his right hand, in which a tiny diamond ring glistened. She held out her hand and in a tradition dating back many centuries, he slid a ring onto her finger. She blushed, but looked with wonder at the ring. He bent down and they shyly kissed. It would appear to have been her first ever. John smiled happily, thinking of all the practice the two would get.
He resumed his seat and Peter slowly rose to stand. He said, ever the practical brother, “I have an announcement. I have asked Lucia for her hand in marriage. We have not known each other long, but I feel I know her well, and I have come to love her. She has accepted, and we have spoken to her family, which has accepted my offer of marriage. I now ask for the blessing of my mother, and of my family.”
He went around the table and Lucia stood. They held hands and Milla rose gracefully to her feet. She formally asked, “Lucia, do you love my son?” Lucia answered, her voice suddenly very soft, “Yes, Mrs. Chamberlin, I do.” Milla turned to Peter, “Have you set a date?”
Peter said, “No, we have not.” Milla looked at Michel and then Arsinoe. She said, speaking gently, “Arsinoe, I hope that you will grant us the privilege of acting as your family, and of providing the dowry. In truth, we love you, and if you accept, we shall be deeply honored. I have spoken to Lucia’s parents, and everything has been settled. The terrible war has ended, yet we still live in uncertain times, and we all believe that strife and hatred will endure for many years. I am deeply proud of the people who sit at this table, for you strive to rebuild our shattered civilization. Peter and Michel, I suggest that you set early dates, and I also suggest that you consider a double wedding.”
Peter and Michel looked at each other, but Milla smiled, “No sense in you looking at each other, your fiancé’s will let you know. This time around, we have the means to provide a better wedding than the ones John and James had, although the results of those weddings have been most wonderful. Michel, would you consent to have a wedding here on Maya? I ask as the wedding is the responsibility of the brides’ family. You could of course have a ceremony in Grenoble as well.”
Michel smiled, “I hadn’t thought of that. If Arsinoe accepts, we could hold a reception in my home. I would like that.”
Milla smiled, “We’ll discuss the details later. Meanwhile, we have some champagne, Grenobian in fact. Jennifer and Jordan, would you please bring out the bottles and glasses?”
No surprise to discover that she’d been prepared. James loudly whispered, “If mother had been in charge of the war, there would have been a bake-off instead of a battle.”
Milla didn’t deign to acknowledge her impertinent son, but glanced at Jessica, who looked at her younger sisters and smiled her approval. Jessica and Castidad only took sips, but everyone else toasted the two new couples, even Bong Cha, for whom this was a new custom. She seemed to like the bubbly drink, as did the two devils.
John suspected that Bong Cha was destined to become Arsinoe’s replacement in the small but elite club of Girls Who Drive Boys Crazy.
Chapter 35
Four days later, two destroyers entered the Mayan outer system and captured a huge freighter. Federal Navy destroyers failed to arrive in time to prevent the takeover of the ship, and all three jumped out before the navy arrived.
Considering that it was almost impossible to take over a ship, short of destroying it, John assumed that the pirates had inside help, probably in the engine room.
That same week John was informed that the warrant for the four freighters had been deposited.
He took all four armed shuttles and four additional full crews, largely hired from the local veterans association, and headed for Elyse. The shuttles were not only armed, they carried loads of light missiles, capacitors for the energy weapons and military grade radar antennas and systems.
They spent a week bringing the ships back to life. They didn’t have nearly enough equipment to replace what had been stripped out of the ships, but Elyse was able to provide them nearly everything they lacked. John insisted that they bring their armament systems up to full operational status before he was willing to leave the inner system. They still didn’t know how the single freighter had been captured, although the speculation was that one or more people on the crew had sabotaged the drive.
When all four ships checked out, they departed for Maya, where they would receive some serious refurbishment.
John arrived home three hours after Castidad went into labor, but made the birth of a beautiful little girl named Caridad.
It took a full month to finish the first freighter. It now had two working energy mounts, it’s hatches had been repaired and given new seals, and the entire ship had been coated, itself an operation that cost as much as an armed shuttle.
The result was a small, fast, armed, armored freighter that could out-accelerate all first generation ships. John was working on several proposals for firing missiles out of a cargo hold. The problem was reasonably complex, since the ship would have to be able to acquire targets and control the missiles. It was a problem for another day.
One month before the expected arrival of his daughter, he accelerated out of orbit, two armed shuttles riding inside one hold. They were headed first to Grenoble, and from there they would travel to Fujian, Orleans and Lubya, which was finally beginning to get the first of its Russian colonists. They would spend two days in each system, and allow tours of the ships by not only their veterans associations, but by their political leaders and business people.
As soon as they jumped into Grenobian space, they launched the two shuttles and moved them off twenty thousand kilometers. As they moved inward, they ran targeting tests on each other, shaking the bugs out of the new equipment and training their crews.
The Federal pickets picked them up reasonably quickly, and John spoke to the OOD. He asked for the Navy to provide him with sensor readings, explaining that this was the shakedown cruise for a refurbished armed navy freighter.
They accelerated at 4 G’s until turnaround, and settled into orbit roughly seven hours sooner than if they’d been in a typical freighter.
