by S. H. Jucha
Cordelia’s laughter rang in Alex’s head once the SADE understood what he had implied.
Cordelia sent, the excitement ringing through her crystals.
* * *
As the guests filed out, Helena reached out to Cordelia. The two old friends could not contain themselves, and their comms filled with praise for one another and excitement over the opportunity. They spent the evening planning the new venue. Cordelia linked Julien into their conversation and offered him a tentative list of equipment.
Julien was placed in a small quandary when he received Cordelia’s paltry equipment list. He reviewed and eliminated tens of responses attempting to craft one that would not belittle her request before he finally chose the most diplomatic option.
Cordelia pulled from her databases a series of design layouts of the Freedom and began pointing out small, out-of-the-way spaces that might be satisfactory.
Julien, knowing Alex’s admiration for Cordelia’s art and his ultimate intent, signaled Alex.
Alex replied.
When Julien detected Alex boarding the shuttle for the return trip to the Rêveur, he waited while Alex settled into his seat. Once his friend’s comm was quiet, he piped in a collection of Mütter’s favorite female singers, a collection of music she called “arias.”
Hearing the wonderful voices Julien sent, Alex linked his comm to Renée. The two sat side by side, holding hands, ignoring thoughts of the war to come, enjoying the pleasurable moment.
In the meantime, Julien was reviewing the Freedom’s designs. He found three prime areas near the extensive central gardens where people would tend to congregate and relax, and highlighted them for Cordelia and Helena. Both of them reacted as if Julien had struck them.
Before either Cordelia or Helena could object, Julien contacted Tomas and Captain Cordova, apologizing for bothering both of them at the late hour. Then he proceeded to share the three areas selected and highlighted the one preferred by the Admiral.
Cordelia and Helena had their site. A more premier location could not have been found. The three of them worked into the night to design a one-of-a-kind reality-vid venue. Julien worked to ensure it would be so. I will make you proud, Alex, the SADE thought.
-10-
Alex, Renée, the Rêveur’s officers, and their key subordinates met with the operators of the manufacturing and mining concerns in Gratuito’s town hall. They had expected a handful of key individuals to attend, envisioning a meeting with ten or so people around a single table. Which is why, when the Rêveur’s contingent walked through the building’s side door into a hall with over 400 filled seats, they were slightly taken aback.
Tomas motioned Alex and his people to the front of the hall, which was set up with a long table and chairs. Everyone took their seats while the twins stood behind Alex and Renée. Tomas took a seat next to Alex and looked expectantly at him.
Reluctantly Alex stood up, thanked the audience for coming, and began outlining their needs for equipment, resources, facilities, and personnel. As Alex was speaking, he noticed foremost in the rows a young man, who appeared about twenty, which Alex calculated would be twenty-seven or twenty-eight. He was urgently gesturing back and forth between Alex’s table and an older man seated beside him.
“Excuse me, Ser,” Alex announced in a strong, clear voice that caught the older man’s attention. He pointed to the young man beside him. “Please, I would like to hear what he has to say.”
The dark-haired, slender lad stood up and glanced uncertainly around at the hundreds of other Independents. He turned to Alex, his nervousness evident. “Your pardon, Admiral, I was telling my father that there exists confusion and someone should explain this to you so that your time is not wasted. As an important Leader, you should not be dishonored in this fashion.”
“What’s your name, Ser?” Alex asked.
“I am Sergio De Laurent, Admiral. This is my father, Guillermo De Laurent,” Sergio said, pointing to the man next to him, who nodded to the Admiral.
“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Sergio. I would value your assistance in explaining the confusion to me.” Alex hoped appealing to the boy’s sense of honor would do the trick, and it did. Sergio’s posture squared as he drew his slender shoulders back.
“It would be my pleasure, Admiral. We came to help,” Sergio said, gesturing to the crowd.
Alex wasn’t sure how this helped, but he was loath to let the only one willing to stand up and talk to him off the hook. “And what precisely is the problem, Sergio?”
“The Admiral is very kind to explain to us what he requires,” Sergio said earnestly, “but he does not need to be so considerate. We are ready and waiting.”
“And what are you wa
iting for?” Alex asked.
“Why …” said Sergio, glancing at his father for support, who nodded to him, “… for your instructions, Admiral.”
Alex looked at the hall and the expectant faces. All of them were nodding in agreement with Sergio. Then it clicked what was transpiring, and Alex immediately changed tactics.
“Your services are much appreciated, Sers. Are the selected volunteers present?” Alex watched as the entire first four rows of men and women stood up. You’re slow, Alex criticized himself. The volunteers had been given a place of honor at the front. “And the facility operators—mining, manufacturing, and large warehouses—are they here?” Alex asked. And many others, who were still seated, now stood up.
Alex introduced his officers, explained the assignments of each one, and spread them out around the hall. The Independents had carefully tracked the officers’ placement, so when Alex asked the volunteers and operators to join the appropriate group—mining, manufacturing including crystals, fighter assembly, and fighter training—it was an orderly flow of people. Which was how, within an hour after landing, the Rêveur’s officers were not in an extended meeting but on their way to the Libran facilities in transports the Independents had readied for their use.
Andrea rode in the first of three transports, exclusive to her contingent. Curious as to why such a large group was accompanying them to the first site, an engineer answered that the sites had been shut down and it would take a few hours to return each site to operational status once she approved the facility.
* * *
Tatia and Sheila found themselves on two transports full of volunteer flight crew and pilots headed for Gratuito’s secondary runway. An elderly woman, who sat next to Tatia, explained that their destination was a warehouse next to the runway, which the Independents used as their shuttle repair site.
Once Tatia, like her fellow officers, realized she had a runaway corps of volunteers, she decided the best thing to do was get in front of them and have Julien relay the freighter’s landing bay specifications.
Julien picked up Tatia’s view and followed her as she walked around the warehouse. While he did that, he employed the ship’s telemetry to examine the runway, approving its length and condition for their Daggers.
On Tatia’s approval of the facilities, the volunteers immediately went to work, hoisting and floating old shuttle parts, wings and engines, out of the warehouse to make room for the new training facility. Tatia shared the specifications for the freighter’s flight bays with the Librans, who used the specifications as layout guides. As floors were cleared and cleaned, the Librans began outlining three bay areas.
Both officers were slightly embarrassed as the elderly woman, who had sat next to Tatia, guided a grav-pallet under a section of shuttle wing and motioned them out of the way with an apologetic, “Sers.”
* * *
Alex started laughing so hard he began choking and was immediately offered cups of water from those around him. He waved them off while he regained his breath.
* * *
As Libre’s late summer sun finally set, a very tired team of Co-Leaders, officers, and engineers climbed aboard the Outward Bound for the return to the Rêveur. It had been a long day for everyone. For most, it would be their last trip back to the Rêveur for a while. The next morning, the shuttle would transport the engineers and officers, except for Andrea, back to the surface and the Bau Zwei station, where they would work and live while they developed their part of the long-term plan. Planetside, the Rêveur crew members would stay with the families of the volunteers since Gratuito had no temporary housing. Libre had no tourists or visitors—only inmates.
-11-
In the middle of the night, following the day’s whirlwind revitalization of Libran assets, Alex slipped out from under Renée and donned his robe in the main salon. His role in the long-term plan had occupied every waking hour of the day, but he had an important item to deal with before any more time passed.
