###
The next morning during the Monday Staff Conference further bad news was given out.
“Sir Mike,” General Langtree stated, “I’ve now got enough space lift to start lifting people out. However without star lift we don’t have anything to lift them to. Mike we don’t have enough heavy star lift to go anywhere.”
“That and the fact that we don’t have a place to take them,” Wilson remarked.
“As of right now we have six months to get everyone off world.” The Queen said, “We don’t have a place to take my people. Our people are dependent on you and you guys carrying the ball. By the end of the week I want to know where you are going to take every one.”
The Queen got up from the table and stormed out of the room.
“Well folks,” Wilson replied. “I can’t say I disagree with her. We need to come up with answers, and we’re getting short on time. We need to locate star lift, and a place to take our people.”
“Sarge,” Lady Gray, who had been sitting in on the meeting spoke up. “You know the empire has moth balled several older attack carriers, they are in the Patton class. They are designed to deliver an entire army into battle with all their equipment, 40,000 combatants and enough materials for six months of war. I think that the IRS and the Imperial Navy have maybe a hundred or so heavy lift ships just going to pot.”
“And Marshal,” the Thonian ambassador who was now part of these meetings also, “I think my people also may have some vessels that we could donate.”
“Okay that gets the heavy star lift done,” Wilson turned to princess and the ambassadors and asked. “Princess, Ambassador, will you see that we get those ships for me.”
“Yes sir,” the princess replied. The Thonian nodded.
“Now what about a place to go,” Wilson said. “There’s got to be a place we can go.”
“Sir Mike,” Kellogg said, “I almost hate to say this.”
“Go ahead Kell,” Wilson replied, he found it ironic that one of the most notorious near criminals on the planet was setting in on this meeting.
“The company has several worlds. Many of them are unpopulated, and are used as training ground for the various closer teams and security personnel. We could buy one of those worlds and set up shop on them. There’s a world not too far from here twenty light years. It’s an Ag world the company uses it to provide food for a couple of breeding worlds. It was abandoned a couple of years ago as the company started to consolidate operations. It would be perfect.”
“The bios will go ape shit.” Wilson said.
“No sir, not really,” Kellogg said, “There is a difference between being shipped in as a slave, and another as a free person to settle a world.”
“He’s right sir Mike,” Lord Mercer said. “The clones I know would kill for a chance to thumb their nose at the company.”
“General Qoum.” Wilson turned to the militia commander, “You get Roustabout’s captain and Kellogg together. I want that expedition mounted in forty eight hours. Jonesy I want a full pioneer kit to go with them.”
“Sir Mike,” Lady Hawthorne said from the holodisplay she was attending the meeting from home. “I’ll have a list of people who have pioneer skills and have said they’d like to pioneer ready by this evening. Jonesy, if you can have the containers delivered to these souls ASAP we can pull this off.”
“Lady Hawthorne the Roustabout can’t carry many containers,” General Langtree spoke up. “They’ll be lucky to be able to carry the people and their immediate supplies let alone their belongings.”
Delores frowned, “how do we get their stuff to them?”
“The first ship after the Roustabout we’ll make sure their stuff is on it.” Jonesy injected. “That’s the best we can do now.’
“What about those who don’t want to pioneer,” someone asked.
“We’ll need to start getting those people off world too.” The labor minister said. “I had wanted to make sure every one of these people had employment when they left Trena. But that’s not going to be possible. The recruiters won’t come here because of the bombing. I can’t say that I blame them. But we can start sorting people out who want to emigrate.”
“Kellogg you said this world was somewhat civilized?” Wilson asked.
“Yes sir.” Kellogg replied, “It’s been abandoned for twenty years. But it has buildings to support almost three or four million people. But there’s plenty of lumber, a quarry, saw mill, just moth balled and ready to go.”
“Lady Hawthorne,” Wilson called to the holodisplay. “Start putting together some construction battalions. When they go I want them to be self-contained, logistics people, medics, carpenters, electricians you name it. I want them a self-contained team. I want them selected by weeks end and ready to embark in three weeks. Princess I’ll want the first of the heavy lift equipment here by then.”
“Aye-Aye sir,” The princess replied thinking it might be a close thing to meet his demand.
“Anything else,” Wilson asked. There was a chorus of no sirs and head shakes. “Good enough, I’ll defer the emigration decision for three weeks.”
“Foreign minister,” Wilson then thinking better turned to Lord Kenworth, “I want a letter prepared for the Queen’s signature asking that all star nations that we have diplomatic relations with to consider allowing our people to emigrate to their worlds. I also want a list of colonies that are phase two and three where they are ready for people with manufacturing experience and are past the pioneer stage on their worlds. Mrs. Ambassador, Mr. Ambassador,” He turned to the two ambassadors, “I would also appreciate what ever wheels you can grease to help our people. Your highness,” he turned to his friend, “anything you and your father can do I would appreciate. Now I need to speak with the Queen.”
Wilson got up and left. As he did he turned to Mac and asked, “Where is she?”
“The Queen is waiting in your office sir.” Mac said leading the way.
Wilson entered his conference room office and found the Queen sitting in his quest chair. She turned to him expecting him to lash out. But Wilson was much too professional to indulge in that type of theatrics.
“You mad at me?” The young woman asked sheepishly.
“No Aggie,” Wilson replied shocking her. “That outburst actually helped. It refocused us. Ebio has an abandoned a world twenty or so lights from here. Qoum and Langtree will be sending out the Roustabout again and will be doing a survey. You helped re focus us.”
“Michael,” The Queen exclaimed when she heard this, “That’s not one of your better ideas.”
“I know Aggie,” Wilson replied slumping into his chair, “but it’s worth a shot. If it’s abandoned, which Kellogg says it could be, it’s worth a shot. Something is nagging at me. Something about its ownership. If it’s occupied we’ll need to back track. I just wish what is nagging me at the back of my mind would get clearer. Oh well it will come to me.”
He was silent for a few minutes as he pondered what was bothering him then shaking himself as if to clear his head he turned to his Queen.
“Aggie,” Wilson said, “I’m sorry that we’ve let you down.”
“Sir Mike,” Aggie looked to the older man, “I’ve been in each and every one of your staff meetings, and I have listened to your plans and have endorsed the actions you have taken. I’ll let you know when you have let me down. To date you’ve done your very best. Continue to do so.”
“Thank you ma’am,” Michael replied.
“Keep at it Michael,” the young queen got up and left. It wasn’t lost on him again, that the Queen was not that much older than Jill.
Every Last Mother's Child Page 76
