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Chapter 29 - Self Configuring Modular Robot[]
"The house was our grandfather's retreat from his roles..."
...as Duke, and as chairman of Ngo Industries." Duke Patrick explained.
"I'm a little concerned about the cliffs." Melissa commented, "but the view is, indeed spectacular."
"Well, it's remote, but close enough to the city for easy resupply, there's a private drop-port..." he suggested
"I don't recall rejecting the site, Patrick." she chided. "How is security?"
"Well...it could be better. We're close to the peripheral edge here and there HAVE been pirate and bandit raids in the past. I intend to change that state of affairs, with your mother's approval, and as you're her heir..."
"Learning already."
"As my granddad said and my sister keeps reminding me, there's work to be done. It won't get any MORE done if I delay." He answered. "The Ia Drang House is large enough to handle staff if we use the outbuildings. It's isolated enough to be easily secured with good sight-lines and the terrain is defensible...and it's far enough from the Capital that spies are not likely."
"Spies?"
"You're growing a think-tank. My sister's part of it, think-tanks draw spies the same way corporate R&D does." He clarified, "Presumably you and your husband aren't letting my sister play with dangerous substances and equipment on a lark?"
"Have you given some thought to cover stories?" Melissa asked.
"Yeah. I'm going to convert the old Ducal residence in Nha Tranh into a university, and, with the help your Mother offered, we're going to set up a military prep school on Giap Island, with another one set up on the third moon-Lizzie's idea, not mine, but Her Majesty seemed to think it was a good idea to have more than one academy feeding the Naval branch as their primary focus."
"Wait...you're giving up the established ducal residence for a school, and this place for our project...where are you going?"
"I'm going to relocate to the Mosovich Ranch down by Golden Lake, it's fifteen minutes to Vinh Drinh Lap and a four hour drive to Hue at ninety KPH up highway one, and we've got the facilities to use it there-your royal visits will have proper accommodations and everything. For Daily Ducal business, I'll just have to commute, or use the planetary network and telepresence. The civil government's pretty solid, so I don't actually expect to have to do a lot of 'running things directly'-granddad managed it system-wide, and if there's anything I really absorbed during my tour through the Nagelring, it's the importance of a competent staff...and that's also fifteen minutes by helicopter from where I'm hoping to set up the training ranges for the Regiment your Mother asked for."