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Trudy’s next stop was at Langtree’s offices. She needed to discuss with him what tasks the ships she brought could do for the Evacuation command. She had met and talked to Jonesy, the evacuation team’s logistic coordinator. When she heard that they had ships, Jonesy had told Trudy to report to General Langtree, the transport and maintenance coordinator.
“General Langtree,” Trudy entered the General Langtree’s command center, a large hangar near the middle of the militia base’s flight line. The hangar was a beehive of activity. Every piece of hardware the evacuation command owned; cars, trucks, hover jeeps, armored personnel carriers, fire equipment, landing craft, star transports, containers and container movers were posted on screens around the hangar. If it could move Langtree owned it. The noise from the controllers issuing movement orders for the various commands in the Evac was almost bedlam. Even with the use of computers it was very noisy.
“I am glad you came by Ambassador.” David Langtree stood up and greeted the diplomat.
“Oh?” the biowoman asked.
“Yes I am wondering if you could take on a task for us,” the general asked.
“That’s why we’re here,” the ambassador looked up to the tall figure that stood easy eight inches taller than her.
“We have a problem,” David said, “I need transport for about two hundred containers filled with AIs. They are all in standby mode. We just need to get them to Home. If some of our folks knew we were doing that with the AIs we might have some problems. People think we shouldn’t spend our time and effort taking care of our AIs.”
“We can do that,” Trudy then remarking mostly to herself, “But that isn’t going to be much of a load.”
“We know,” General Langtree responded. “What I would also like you to do is transport several thousand containers of militia equipment.”
“I don’t know General....Trojack’s wants and needs to be neutral,” the ambassador replied, “If we transport your military to Home our neutrality going to be seriously challenged.”
“I know,” Langtree said, “If you think your neutrality will be put in jeopardy then we’ll get it done somehow. We were prepared to pay you quite handsomely.”
“How handsomely,” Trudy asked skeptically she had heard that the Trena treasury was going broke big time.
“We have several captured ships that we are going to scuttle. They are in moth ball orbits that will survive the asteroids. The crown is willing to give you ten of these vessels. Would that be good enough compensation?” Langtree asked. The ships belonged to the Theocracy and the People’s Republic they had been confiscated at the end of the last troubles. They had been sitting for the last twenty or so years in the ship yards ready to be broken up. Qoum’s predecessor had been loathe to do it just in case they needed to fight a serious war for the Trena system.”
“What type of ships?” Trudy asked.
“Frigates.” Langtree replied, “They’ve been sitting waiting for the crown to dispose of for nearly twenty years.”
“We can’t crew that many ships,” Trudy said, “We’ll go for five of them, and request two full reloads for the magazines. We would want a four year training contract. We would also enter into a treaty with Home to come to her aid should she get in trouble. We wouldn’t join a war of expedition, but we would join with you to either repel an invader from your home world or to help liberate a world invaded by some other enemy.”
“Go see Lord Mercer and Kenworth,” Langtree said, “I can’t sign this deal. I can dispose of the equipment; but I can’t commit Home to that type of treaty. I will say this though ambassador, I may be in need of a job after this, I would be willing to accept a contract to assist your people in training their maintenance forces.”
Trudy looked the man in the eye held out her hand. He took it and solemnly sealed the deal. Now if only the crown would approve it.
When Trudy got over to the ministry of foreign affairs, she was met by not only the Trena Foreign Minister, but the ambassador from Earth, and Thonia. A few minutes later another hand shake sealed the deal. Ray would be floored. He had sent her to be of use by the Kingdom of Trena to evacuate what clones and other people she could. It was an act of immense charity for a star nation barely a week old. Now the fledgling star nation had or would have in short period of time a navy and self-defense force.
Every Last Mother's Child Page 186
