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Lord Mercer and Lord Kenworth had been made aware of the transports sitting at Out Bound Station. It was mostly a passenger hub, and not a cargo facility. Main Station was the kingdom’s oldest station and was for mixed cargos, a hundred years or so ago the new passenger only station was built to support the coming and going of interstellar passenger liners, and the docking of private vessels. Since the announcement of the evacuation, it had not seen much traffic so the Traffic Control AI thought sticking the transports at Out Bound was a good idea. Now after discussing what they were offering to the people of Trena with the Marshal and the Queen the, two nobles were thinking about moving them into low Trena orbit. The ship owners were not going to be happy. Now as the two men entered the meeting room Mercer wondered how rocky this meeting was going to be.
“Good morning,” Larry started the meeting, “I won’t keep you long. My name is Larry Mercer; I am the Queen’s Attorney. This is a cross between the Monarch’s primary Counsel, and the Attorney General of Trena. The Queen, or the Queen’s Bench and Possibly the Parliament are the people I answer to. Lord Kenworth is the Foreign Minister. The Queen and the Marshal have tasked us to come up here and brief you. I will brief you on the legal requirements of the Crown and Lord Kenworth will discuss the foreign department requirements. Before any of you wish to see the Marshal, or the Queen, you should know that where you are concerned we have been tasked to resolve any and all issues. That what we say has the same weight as if the Queen or the Marshal has said it, and if it helps the people of Trena there will be no problems.”
There was silence in the room, as Mercer continued, “First off you will certify that you have the authority and permission to take any evacuees aboard to a world that has agreed to resettle them. Secondly every individual you board will certify that if they are alone, that they are not leaving any dependents behind, and should they have dependents, every one of their children, and spouses are accompanying them! There will be a crown officer sitting with you at your intake table. You will make provisions to carry all of the goods they choose to take with them off world. The Crown will provide the containers and the transport to your ship for the containers. There will be a Trena Mounted Patrol Officer who checks every person’s identity as they load, and make sure that you are getting who you say you are getting. Customs will check your landing craft. Should you violate any of these rules you will be arrested, your ship will be confiscated, and the people aboard will be taken to the first world that will accept them. On the screen before you is the contract that you will all to sign before we allow you to recruit.”
“I want you all to read that contract,” Mercer said, “Once you have read it we can complete the next step.”
“Which is,” Pastor Gloria asked as she began reading the contract.
“I will accept your documentation,” Lord Kenworth said, “then will discuss with you the emigration policy of the worlds you are taking people to. Lord Mercer is to ensure that the contracts and the services you are offering are legal, I am here to make sure that no interstellar law is broken, and that the worlds you are taking my fellow citizens to are not slave pits, or other worlds that the Crown has no relations with or have human rights violations.”
That got a look from more than one of the captains, and 20 or so people around the table.
Once the contracts were read Lord Kenworth spoke to them.
“Okay folks,” he started, “You have all read the contracts, and the contracts all state that you are now a onetime agent of the Court of Trena. As such you must abide by all the rules and such that the Crown has instructed me and the ambassadors we have dispatched around the galaxy on the people of Trena’s behalf. Part of that means, that you may not transport any person who may in any way have their human rights compromised. If you take a bioperson to a world that treats them like property you have violated the contract.
“If you take the people who want to go with you to a world that doesn’t allow religious freedom you have violated your contract.” Kenworth continued, “Now to make this easier for all of you. There is an office across the hall and that is where I am going to accept your credentials. That way if there is any problem with them we can discuss them in private. Lord Mercer assures me that should you wish to not sign the contract there will be no problem.”
Both noblemen left the room and went to the small office just off the meeting room. A few of the captains looked at the contract then others and left. Part of the contract said at no fee to the people they were transporting. A few others saw that the planets who had commissioned them were on the prescribed list. When it was all said and done only ten ships met all of the requirements of the contract, and the crown. Kenworth met with all of the remainders and signed off on the contracts.
Every Last Mother's Child Page 81
