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Chapter 47 - The Administrator[]
LCS Ming Jennings
Sampan IV class Cutter
Outer Asteroid Belts, Westerede System
Lyran Commonwealth
November 18th, 3147
"You know, sometimes I want to grab creation by the throat, turn it over and shake until sense comes out." Commander Natalie Stebbins-720 watched the telescope feed.
"What's got you on a twist today, Mum?" Lt. Levine asked, passing a self-warming bulb of premix carbohydrate and caffeine with a protein puncher to his CO.
"These guys...how in the ****** is it, they have great gear, outstanding training levels an encompassing superiority complex, and some of the worst ship-discipline I've ever seen. Their fighter pilots are trying to fly like they're in a blipping atmosphere, nobody's watching their six, and the rate they're burning fuel!"
"So they fly like Dirtyfeet. Why are you surprised?" Levine asked, "I could probably find enough raws out here to ****** retire. These belts are damn near virgin."
Natalie sipped her bulb, and checked feeds from one of the other satellites.
"Clumsy..." she muttered, "Look at what they're doing-south continent!"
"Huh. That's an open-pit mine, where's the heavy equipment?"
"See what I mean? They're using hand-labor." she said, "It is ****** inefficient."
"No...not that." Levine said, "I think I know what they're up to down there, and it's not good."
"What?"
Levine turned to her, "Look up 'thamzing' in the files we've got on Clanner culture, and Kerensky's 'ratios' for caste membership. That's forced-labor for the sake of forced labor down there. it's a technique for 'social re-engineering'. Fella named Mao pioneered it on Earth in the 20th century, but he was working with sources like Stalin and that Austrian painter who didn't like Jews."
"When's our check-in with Fleet again?"
"Nineteen hours, Mum."
"Right...nineteen hours. Keep recording and compiling, I think when she sees this, Her Grace is going to want to kill some folk." Natalie said, "I know just watching this, I know what I want to."
"Aye mum. Wonder what the units looking at the other three close targets are saying?"
she turned to the Lieutenant. "Same thing we are. Count privies, if nothing else, we can count on them staying segregated to their bases off-duty, There's nothing in the Ares Conventions about dropping rocks...and there are a lot of rocks out here. Target the Clanner bases and barracks with kinetic impactors and land proper ground forces with air-cover. I think we can take these bastards with fewer troops than were here when the planet was lost."
"Off the reservation?" Levine asked.
"If she gives us the green light. This is monstrous. Running Quarantine, you have to sometimes kill civilians but, this? This is abuse."