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Beyond Hope
- Chapter 20 - A Thorough Housecleaning[]
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"...see that row of tables? That's all listening devices…some date back to the Star League Era…"
-Vice minister of intelligence Curiatis, October 3055
Reactivitated and Ready for Duty[]
Kowloon Embassy Compound
Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth (Lyran State)
June, 3055
"I'm not running the agency from those offices." Duchess Helena Drillson (Cameron) stated, "Not until we've finished removing the bugs. They go back like geological layers of time! Mount Asgard leaks like a sieve!!"
“Oh no… I know that look.” Jane said.
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Elizabeth "Jane" Cameron
“That’s right I’m running things from you again. Hopefully this time it will be a bit more temporary than last time.” Helena smiled.
“What about the office?”
“I have an idea.” Helena smiled. “Get me every holovid naval planning scene you have in your archives. Even blue water navy ones. They want to listen to something we’ll give them something to listen to.”
“Operation Deep Fake. On it.” Jane giggled.
"You're going to need an actual headquarters, Lady Helena." Commodore Alicia Li had found her 'your reserve commission has been reactivated' letter back in February, it took her this long, supervising construction along the way, to get to Tharkad to report.
Whereupon, Helena made the Rockjack stand, out in the open air while she pinned Rear Admiral's ranks on her overgarment.
“Yes I know. Until we can get something arranged that doesn’t have so many eavesdropping devices Jane is my best bet though.” Helena nodded.
"No, Jane's your office, you need a Headquarters, and having that many bodies tromping through her hull would drive anyone mad." Li insisted, "Say…for example, if someone were to turn your bedroom into a headquarters while you're trying to sleep? There's another option-I wouldn't bring it up if there weren't."
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Commodore Alicia Li
“Okay out with it.” Helena told Li
"Did you happen to notice a double-spindle with a pair of half kilometer rings, about half shot full of holes and long ago depressurized, about…half-way between Tharkad and the Nadir point in a strangely stable orbit? That used to be Fleet Base Heligolad Station, until the Dracs blew the ****** out of it in the 29th century, but it's not radioactive, and If it's lasted this long, it's probably structurally sound enough to fix."
“Which brings us back to the problem of all alternatives are going to take time before they’re ready.” Heena noted.
"Damage Control skills are every sailor's responsibility." Li said with a nasty grin, "And I know of at least four hundred Naval Officers who need to brush up on theirs, you'll find them around the Capital, in places like Madam Bonney's and The Leather Sling…and currently, they're not doing much of any jobs but schmoozing with corporate reps or political backers. I'll bet if we put them to work, we'll have a lot less dead-weight dragging down the payroll, or we'll have a nice station to serve as Headquarters Lyran Navy."
“Then I shall give them a choice. They can get suited up and get to work or they can be drummed out. I’ll even be nice and give them a few extra bottles of air so that if they drag their feet getting the place back into shape they might not suffocate.”
"You're probably going to have to drum some of 'em out anyway, but this way you'll get a lick of work out of 'em…oh, and since this is needs of the Service? Can I pretty please have a couple companies of Gendarmerie to deliver the message to them in their off-post entertainments, we are, after all, at war."
“No problem. I want it clear that people not willing or able to do their duty during a time of war are not welcome in the Navy.”
"It'll need a written order, you did say Her Majesty gave you carte blanch on how to run this…"
“I am on it.” Helena started writing out the order both on paper and her terminal.
"Let me get it typed up for you then, you can review, and sign it, or not."
“Way ahead of you. There is a reason Tranh Truk Ngo called me the War Witch.”
[]
-----------------------------------ACHTUNG! ACHTUNG!!-----------------------------------
Achtung an das gesamte Personal des lyranischen Mitgliedstaates Marinekommando der Streitkräfte des Föderierten Commonwealth!!
Gemäß den jüngsten Sicherheitsproblemen, die im Komplex des Hauptquartiers von Mount Asgard aufgedeckt wurden, und einer Überprüfung der Berichte und Aufzeichnungen der letzten 120 Monate sind die folgenden Richtlinien nun in Kraft:
1. Die Liste der verbotenen Einrichtungen wurde aktualisiert, die Beamten des Staatskommandos von Lyran werden darauf hingewiesen, dass Einrichtungen, die nicht auf der genehmigten Liste stehen, als tabu zu betrachten sind. 2. Vereinigungen, die nicht dem Dienst dienen, einschließlich politischer Vereinigungen, zivilgesellschaftlicher Organisationen, Veteranengruppen, kommerzieller oder finanzieller Vereinigungen und sozialer Vereine, sind hiermit dem Personal im aktiven Dienst verboten. Verzichtserklärungen können nur mit der ausschließlichen persönlichen Unterschrift des Archons, des Archontenfürsten oder des Marschall der Armeen beantragt werden. Ein Verstoß gegen diese Einschränkung führt zu einer Entlassung und Untersuchung als potenzieller feindlicher Agent.
3. Angehörige des aktiven Dienstes sind auf eine Urlaubszuteilung von 3 Tagen pro 90 Diensttage beschränkt. (6 Tage im aktiven Kampf).
4.Angehörigen des aktiven Dienstes ist es nicht gestattet, außerhalb des Postens zu leben, ohne dass eine vom Archon, Archon-Prince, ausgestellte Ausnahmegenehmigung vorliegt. Dies wird so lange andauern, bis die Feindseligkeiten beendet sind.
5. Personal mit Familien wird angewiesen, auf dem Posten eine Unterkunft für Angehörige zu suchen, Kommandos, die nicht in der Lage sind, eine solche Unterkunft zur Verfügung zu stellen, sollen Mittel und Wege finden, dies zu tun.
6. Persönliche Ausrüstungszuteilungen, abgesehen von Raumanzügen oder MOS-spezifischen Ausrüstungen und Werkzeugen, müssen auf ein maximales Volumen von zwei mal einem Meter sowohl für das Bordpersonal als auch für das Personal an den Bodenstationen beschränkt werden.
Persönliche Gegenstände, die das angegebene Limit überschreiten, müssen innerhalb von 30 Tagen außerhalb der Post aufbewahrt oder an die Familie oder die nächsten Angehörigen eines Militärangehörigen zurückgegeben werden.
Signed:
Helena Drilson, Naval Minister, Lyran Member State Lyran Commonwealth 7 June, 3055
Complication of Orders[]
Meeting with the Archon
Royal Palace, Triad
Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth (Lyran State)
"That's going to drive lots of people out of the service." Archon Melissa Steiner-Davion observed, "You're outlawing external associations and fraternities, corporate contacts, and political activity."
"We're at war…and the Lyran Commonwealth has a certain…unfortunate reputation. You didn't give me leave to outlaw social generals in the general AFFC, but I can do something about removing or avoiding Soziale Admiräle, by making the Navy the kind of place such persons don't want to be."
"This…looks like Li's ideas." Duchess Elizabeth Ngo was in a wheelchair today, still recovering. "The personal gear allotments practically shout it, 'travel light/pack tightly'."
"Some of the ideas are hers, yes. But we both agreed on one thing. Everyone needs to want to be there. I can handle a certain amount of lack of ability, because some of that can be corrected by training. But the house needed cleaning. Really though you're more concerned about the lack of material support, than about eight hundred O-5 and higher officers I've had to relieve for cause?" Helena asked, "I've got Captains doing structure work on Heligolad, some of them had to be put through the shake-and-bake vacuum course first, because they'd never done a moment off the desk!"
"And not much good AT their desks. I'm aware." Melissa nodded, "I did give you carte Blanche…but this is kind of harsh."
"I can ease it back when the point is made." Helena stated, "You gave me a 'navy' that is a good-ole-boys club of transport drivers with slack discipline and a truly astounding collection of foreign and domestic eavesdropping gear in our facilities, much of it disguised as gifts and decorations. When I actually got to looking for the staff I'm supposed to have, most of them were absent, some on estates while others were out working side-gigs, only about sixty percent of the full-time staff on the books, were fit for duty, Twenty percent of the unfits were nowhere near their posts…I found eleven officers drawing duty pay, who were out at Outreach working as mercs… Which is why I pulled Li off Boojum Three to come help run the shop."
"Why the station?"
"I need a naval Headquarters facility, one that lets my staff work and interact, but Mount Asgard's penetrations are too damned deep, so…I'm moving the office to the Station once it is ready. Li’s right that I can’t run things from KCGS Elizabeth Cameron for long but until the work is done it has to do, and letting the men I've got fixing it now, know that that's where they're going to be stationed when it's done. Something elemental in a man's psyche, when he knows the hole he's digging is the one he's going to be in when the balloon goes up-he won't slack if he understands that shoddy work will kill him."
"You're not letting those Chairforce Warriors do that work unsupervised, are you?" Elizabeth asked slightly aghast.
"No, Li's brought me a gift- three hundred Rockjacks to serve as both guards, and instructors while the cream of Tharkad's Naval Brass re-learn how to be spacers."
"How's Arthur doing?" Liz asked, "I mean, he's branch-selected for Naval…"
"Your fiancee is doing well, Liz, he's passed most of Li's tests so far, and some of Jane's testing."
"Not yours?"
"Mine is waiting for when he goes from 'midshipman' to 'Ensign'." Helena told her. "Right now, his class-group is out in the local equivalent of the Kuiper Belt, restoring a Star Lord class ship to operational condition with a team of Li's engineers." Helena shifted a stack of folders, some thicker than others. “All the reports, studies, and projections are in here if you wish to review them.”
Elizabeth looked like she was about to say something, and both Helena and Melissa, simultaneously said, "No."
"I am not lifting your Waiver." Helena told her.
"I'm not going to let her lift your waiver. You'll get your five years of service, Elizabeth, but not in a uniform…Helena, what do you think, Tax office, or Auditor's office for the Budget?"
“We can afford to risk one of us, not both of us. Given Elizabeth’s talents, Auditor would probably be best.” Helena nodded.
Liz flinched, "Not education?"
"That would be a reward before you've done the work, Lizzie." Melissa told her. "First, you have to slog through your time as a regular bureaucrat, then we can talk about fantasy assignments." she winked at Helena.
“Don’t worry. I’ll have a billet when the time comes if you really want one and the treatments work. This is not going to be a short war. I can already tell that much.” Helena smiled.
"Auditors…hmmm so I'll be examining what?" Liz asked.
"Expenditures. Where the money is going, looking for waste, for fraud, and for abuse of authority. When you find it, you report it, and…well…we do something about the problem." Melissa explained. "I'll start you off easy, with relatively small, focused tasks."
"An internship." Helena prompted, "Until you have finished your formal coursework for your degree. I think both the Archon, and I, would prefer it if you didn't wind up with a poor reputation for being ill-educated."
“By the time we’re done with you you’ll have your degree, a body of work from which to build upon for your other projects, and hopefully a reputation to serve those ends.” Melissa smiled.
"A better one, than 'duchess headshot'." Helena quipped.
“I guess it is better than the alternatives.” Elizabeth nodded.
"What, you don't want to play in the mud with the Civil Engineering Corps?" Melissa teased.
"Actually…"
"NO!" both women cut her off.
Damage Control Training[]
In Orbit
Pandora College of Military Sciences
Pandora System, Federated Commonwealth (Lyran State)
"Cadet Morgan? Katherine Morgan?"
Katherine looked up. "Present, Sergeant Major!"
"Good. you're moving to the secondary repair team. Congratulations, you're not going to kill yourself by opening your suit."
Pandora College of Military Sciences' "Naval and Aerospace" training had changed with Helena Cameron's appointment to navy Secretary, and Katherine's relaxing time in school had been replaced by what was now going on sixty days continuously working and living in null-gee at a distance from the local sun that made it only a slightly brighter star.
The work was a lot harder, than filling out exam sheets, and she'd learned things about her fellow cadets she wished she'd never imagined.
"Reporting Sergeant Major Sir!" she gathered her 'snivel gear'-a vacuum survival shelter ('bubble'), compressed insulation sleeping sack, and her spare powerpacks for her suit's PLSS, and headed into the derelict they were working on.
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Tharkad Class Battlecruiser, LCS Tharkad
The Tharkad Class Battlecruiser, LCS Tharkad had been 'sunk' in the Pandora system in the First Succession War. Her class were in the process of repairing the hulk to the point it could be moved to Pandora's shipyard.
THIS had replaced 'Damage control theories and practices' in the course work. That is, she was learning how to actually do the damage control tasks.
"Morgan?" PO Lundy met her near the ship's core.
"Sir Yes, Sir!"
"Good, they tell me you've got a good eye for detail, so while the meatheads practice welding, you're going to be working with the Electrical gang replacing conduit, fiber, and wiring. Once you've shown proficiency, you'll be handed to the Core Crew for your KF Engineering Theory and Practice practicals. Expect to be in my team for the next two or three months, nobody gets it earlier than that so far. You understand, Boot?"
"Yes, sir!"
"I think there's a static charge, what was that?"
"Aye, SIR!"
"Better. Go portside, look for a two-stripe named Diegs, she'll show you where to stow your gear…dismissed."
As Katherine made her way portside, part of her mind dwelled on how titanic the mistake she'd made by choosing a Naval instead of Mechwarrior training truly was.
The only solace was that she wasn't the ONLY one who thought it would be all shirtsleeves and port bars, driving MechWarrior and viewing combat from afar.
“Welcome to female enlisted country. No men past this point. If you need to scratch that particular itch, find somewhere else. If you’re into women, still find somewhere else to scratch that itch. I hope you’re not shy because life on a ship isn’t for the modest. People will see you naked or in your skivvies. Not to mention the skinsuits. This is your bunk.” Diegs found Katherine first. “Break these rules and you’ll find yourself in for an even worse time than before because this isn’t just about creating discipline, it’s also about creating something of a sanctuary so to speak. Hopefully you'll understand sooner than later.”
“I have to share?” Katherine’s eyes went wide.
“Head and shower too.” Diegs nodded.
“What have I done?” Katherine lamented.
“Joined what is quickly becoming a professional navy.” Diegs nodded. “God, I’ve waited so long for this…but hey, cheer up. You're not sharing a bubble on the hull with the boys from Structures anymore."
Katherine nodded.
The ‘boys’ as Diegs put it were a bit rowdy and obnoxious..except for one whose name she never learned, who'd lost it in week One, climbed out of the bubble he was sharing with two other guys, and took his helmet off in hard vacuum.
She'd heard about it, and seen the body being packed for shipment back to New Capetown.
Injuries and even death during training were something she’d always heard about but actually being this close to it?
It was unnerving to say the least.
"You're looking instead of moving, Morgan, something on your mind?"
“Just can’t help, but feel like this is all so wrong. The Navy is regarded as an ‘easy’ assignment…” Katherine shook her head.
Diegs started laughing, "Oh Boot…boot boot boot…Yeah, it was, which is how we got our asses kicked for three centuries…Let me set it to rights for you. Five Percent." the female NCO said, "That's not the survival rate, that's our by-law acceptable casualty rate, it has been since the Star League era, but the training was dumbed down so much they never had it in the training, so we had to lose people in active service instead. This ship? The LCS Tharkad? She wasn't sunk by enemy fire. She was sunk, because the Rear Admiral in charge didn't know not to run an O2 atmosphere during combat ops. She was gutted by secondary damage via fire. Our first class through had to remove the charred remains…and that was nasty, let me tellya."
That was when it dawned on Katherine that it didn’t matter if Helena really was Helena Cameron, the fabled War Witch from the past, because that is what she was now for these people and they were eating it up.
“We’ve let something dangerous inside the realm and they are welcoming it.” Katherine muttered.
"Sotto voce, Morgan, you were transmitting…and yeah, but we'll kick the Clanners back out and things will be better." Diegs chuckled, "Come on, it's time to get to work."
“Yes, Seaman.” Katherine nodded.
"Okay, we're starting at the portside PDU on level Twenty two, it's pretty slagged so you'll want your vision filters on high…"
Just what kind of viper is Helena really? Katherine nodded.
Royal Assignment[]
Training Hulk, LCS THarkad
The Stars were amazing this far out. Cadet Arthur Morgan finished repacking his shared survival bubble-his partner buddy Von Schrakenberg was already rechecking the PLSS powerpacks to make sure they were actually taking a charge.
"What're we doing today?" VS asked.
"Chief Vao says we're going aftside, to finish Second Gang's rework on the number two primary station-keeping thruster, apparently Sissons tested up to Bridge deck, and so did McLarty, so we're off the body work gang and into systems."
"Does that mean what I think it means?"
"Only the Chief knows for sure, but I think it MIGHT mean we'll get some time in the pressure envelope." Arthur acknowledged, "hope you brought extra soap, I'm willing to bet we both smell like a sewer line rupture in a lockerroom."
“Almost certainly. I have to admit I’m surprised you’re schlepping with us Enlisted. You’re smart enough you should be on officer track.”
Arthur chuckled, "VS? What makes you think I'm NOT? Hey? As an Officer how am I supposed to know what I'm looking at if I never see it in the practical?"
"Wait, you're on officer track?”
"After you guys graduate, I get to spend countless hours in classrooms, then come up and do this whole fifteen weeks all over again, only THAT time, it's as an instructor." Arthur explained, "for which I'll be rated and graded harder than the NCO's, because…? OFFICER. I make it through THAT, and I get to spend a tour as a Junior officer on a ship, followed, if successful, with the potential of winning a command. Unlike you guys, I gotta know all of it."
“Shit. Here I thought you officers had your own training programs away from us enlisted schleps.”
"We do, you don't see it, because you're not sent there." Arthur teased, "which is good, because who really wants to take four weeks of financial accounting or Logistics lessons, or endure nineteen months of law school?"
“Sounds like hell.”
"It is, it's boring, but I already maxed out my theoretical engineering credits so I have to take the rest of that stuff for 'rounding purposes', because no matter what branch you train for, if you're an officer, you get sent where there's an opening, not necessarily where you want to go or be."
“Yeah. The new Admiral sure is changing things.”
"Funny story, VS. On the way out here, you saw those guys working on the Station?"
"Yeah?"
"Those guys? They're having to do this after already being officers. They got Captains being supervised by junior Petty Officers and other NCO's, to re-learn the job."
“No wonder they’re starting to call her some less than pleasant things.”
"Dad used to say nice guys don't win disputes, sit on feuds, or make the common man's life better-only hard nosed bastards can do anything good and make it stick. You'll be glad when you muster out alive, that the Secretary of the Navy put Alicia Li in as chief of staff."
“There is one upside for sure. The War Witch has made sure we actually have the stuff we’re supposed to for a change. I remember when it would take us months to get a survival shelter like what we’ve been sharing.”
"Like I said, it takes a hardnose bastard to get anything done, which is why when I make officer, I'm going to lean heavy on the hard-nose bastard NCO's to guarantee things actually work."
“Considering I know who you really are, I’ll believe it when I see it. Some people just aren’t made that way.”
"Yeah, but if you're smart, you can fake it." Arthur chuckled, "Kinda the difference between a guy like Morgan Kell, and a guy like, say, that dude everyone forgot about because he got his command killed. Uncle Morgan's a decent person, but he knows how to be a hard-nose bastard."
“You’re a lucky man Art. And this is an interesting time to be in the service for sure.”
"You've got no idea, I've got a fiance, and she's ******' amazing…and she'll wait for me, unlike the ones in the Joe-Dee cadences in basic training."
“You should still put a ring on her then. Women like that don’t come around often. So don’t wait.”
"We're angling for an October wedding." Arthur told him, "when she gets out of the hospital for good."
“Then I officially hate you just a little. I can’t even seem to get a date for next liberty.” He said with a chuckle.
Arthur grinned and held up part of his 'two cubic meters'-a holoflat. "This is her."
"You're marrying Duchess Headshot? Okay, now I know you're too crazy to be an officer! Awesome!! Wow…" VS disclaimed.
“Best part is she won’t be mad at me if I wing man for you. So I’ll do my best to make sure you get a date for your next liberty.” Arthur chuckled.
“You’re too good for this reality, Arthur.”
"That's why we're going to make a better one, VS. A better reality for everyone…ah, cool, they didn't leave the tools drift this time!" he started muscling the locker open.
“Hot damn. Love it when I don’t have to go chasing after tools too! Praise be to Admiral Helena Drillson, the War Witch!”
Raid[]
Tharkad City
Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth (Lyran State
Major Pol Nguyen motioned the team forward. They'd had to wait for the 'go' signal from higher up.
'Pomeroy's' was on the off-limits list, a gambling den and brothel disguised as a night club, and it had gained a certain popularity as a location where under-the-table business is done.
Her Majesty had bought them Gray Death Scout armors, and he'd managed to get through the Q-course for using them without tearing his limbs out or breaking his bones.
These, had certain custom features, including a stencil on both chest and back that said "Gendarmerie", and they had modified grenade launchers that shoot flash-bangs and riot cartridges.
He brought his boot up, and the doors went inward with a kinetic crash.
"HANDS BEHIND YOUR NECK THIS IS A RAID!!!"
His HUD identified three Field Grade Naval officers, seven Field Grade officers from the AFFC's ground branch, two Flag officers, and four known foreign agents whom had been left untouched just for this mission.
Including one man whose post at Lohengrin had accumulated enough 'errors' that he was likely to be a Mole for either SAFE, or ISF.
The company sorted the civilians away from their quarry, while Squad Two hit the upper levels, the 'locked level' where the more…immoral activities were going on.
"Do you know who I am?!?"
"You, are General Simon Gallagher, Supply department, AFFC ground forces." Pol rattled off the man's displayed name, "You are in violation of AFFC regulations just by being here, herr General, you are under arrest for suspicion of treason against the Joint Monarchy, including but not limited to implication in a conspiracy against Her Majesty, the Archon Melissa Steiner Davion. Please Kneel with your hands behind your head, or I will make you."
“I have powerful friends. Ones who will make your life hell for this!” Gallagher shouted.
"I have a warrant, a grenade launcher, and a stun-stick, Herr General, I also have my orders, you will comply in five seconds, or my orders are to break your legs. Are we clear on our relative positions, sir?"
“You wouldn’t dare.” Gallagher accused.
Pol delivered a 'horse leg kick', the power armor shattering Gallagher's shin bones in both legs faster than he could even fall over.
“AAAUUUGGGGHHHHH!” Gallagher screamed.
"Sir, I take my orders seriously. Corpsman! Casualty!!" he turned to the other gathered officers, "Now, who wants to argue next?"
Nobody argued.
A ping on his command net showed an NCO from Arluna was reporting an emergency situation.
He switched to the internal net and pinged the NCO. "Go?"
"We're going to need a coroner, sir…and JAG. Private Dumfries just ripped a Generalleutnant's heart out, and we're going to need child protective services up here with an actual goddam investigator."
"What?" Nguyen exclaimed.
"Victims appear to be between eleven and thirteen years old, female, and they've been used sir…I think…"
"Secure the situation upstairs, I've got to call in the local LEO's and make an immediate report. Continue with detaining suspects, Nguyen Out."
He squatted where Corpsman Tiel was securing Gallagher to a backboard, "You better be able to prove you didn't know what was upstairs, Herr General, or you'll be doing a space-walk without a suit…" he then looked up at the Corpsman, "Is he bleeding out?"
"No, sir."
"Get upstairs, they've been doing things to children. You're needed there, not here." Nyguyen
“Yes, sir. You know she’s going to flip her lid about this…” Corpman remarked.
"I'm just hoping we can get a pardon for Dumfries, we were supposed to secure the suspects alive." Nguyen confided. People are going to hang for this.
"Squad four, find the ****** pimp, make sure they're alive enough to be interrogated, but you don't have to be gentle about it."
“Yes sir.”
&$*&*)#@(*… I can’t imagine a worse situation than this.
Aftermath in Personnel Raids[]
Private Office of the Archon, Triad
Tharkad, Federated Commonwealth (Lyran State)
"...it's a criminal conspiracy, Highness." Commander Linda Sithers stood at parade rest, "we've identified four other locations where this…conduct…has been going on. The head of the snake is Domestic."
"How domestic?" Melissa Steiner didn't like the sound of this at all.
"A member of the Supreme Court, your majesty, his business partner, a prominent investment banker, and a former head of LIC's domestic branch have been identified as both organizers, and…clients. This ring included a blackmail operation implicating several dozen active and former seats on the Estates General, as well as senior city and province officials."
“This sort of corruption and perversion, on such a large scale… It clearly had to be going on for sometime and with active cooperation from Lohengren.” Melissa almost gasped.
"Records go back to Alessandro Steiner's reign so far." Elizabeth Ngo said from her seat, "Lots of my present suspects for other forms of waste, fraud, and abuse of office, Majesty."
“We did have to restrain then sedate Helena when Navy personnel were identified too.” Jakob said.
Sithers was impassive, then she said, "Maybe un-sedate her. Her reaction to this is appropriate and necessary, Highness. I've worked this kind of case before. treatments don't work on this kind of offender, but a rope? Rope always keeps them from reoffending. You tie it around their neck, and kick the barrel and they dance, and then, they don't offend again."
“She was proposing less humane options, but yes we will have to allow her to do her job soon.”
Seether nodded, "Yeah, I guess that's justification for giving her the be-quiet-dammits. She'll do what needs doing, if you frame it the right way, I expect."
"Oh? And how's that?"
"Remind her that it's enlisted people who didn't commit the crime that have to clean up the mess afterward. A hanging or spacing doesn't leave a big mess for ordinary enlisted to have to clean up."
“She did also say something about a dropship with the controls locked to the local star and insufficient life support and no supplies…” Jakob said grimly.
"Dropship's too good a grave gift." Seether suggested. "We need them to be Dropships, not funeral pyres for the unworthy. Ropes, on the other hand, can be reused, and they're cheap."
“Indeed. She just needs to gain control of herself again.” Jakob nodded.
"Budget." Melissa looked at Elizabeth, "We still have to give them a fair trial before we execute them. How much is this going to cost the realm?"
Liz started doing the maths. "Properly done it's going to run about a quarter million Kroner per offender, per offense." she said, "Not including appeals. You can use National Emergency provisions on the implicated military personnel-their whole package should only run about one hundred Thousand, since we can do all the charges in a single tribunal each, another ten or eleven Kroner for the ropes…or…other methods, but that's not Lyran. As Duchess, I'd have those ****** standing in file and line on a sand bar, with a bluewood stake rammed up their asses, but this is Tharkad, and these are Lyrans, so it shouldn't cost more than a couple hundred Kroner for the gallows after they've been sentenced, including rope." her eyes were hard, shark's eyes.
"Hold the trials, Elizabeth, supervise the construction of a Gallows, make it large enough to handle ten at a time."
"Yes, Your Majesty." Liz paused, "what about the recovered victims, your Majesty? They're going to need treatment, and likely fosterage…"
Jakob snapped his fingers, "THAT will distract Helena from her vengeance." he said, "She KNOWS how it felt…feels…you understand, right?"
"I get it." Seether said. "Yeah, we're going to need some serious help for the kids and other victims of this crime ring…"
“Make sure you take lots of holo-recordings when Helena meets with the kids. It’ll be great for the archives AND play great in the press.” Melissa smiled.