allowed. "I have some regolith from shadowed sites I'd like to try processing through such a machine. It's not like we will run up against critical lack of cubic for several weeks without the tunnel borer. We can switch all our resources to finishing the new two meter machine, and have it in service a little earlier. Are you talking about actually sending Dr. Holbrook to New Marseille, or having him work by com?"
"Physically sending him. I'm going to gift him with land as April suggested to me. If it doesn't anchor him here at least it should leave him kindly disposed towards us. I know you are using him for survey work, but he's really too valuable to waste on that if we can get him back in a lab where he has at least some equipment and his full time spent on research. I'm asking Jeff to work with them, which will be by com, and require a terrific high bandwidth to be encrypted to the level we desire. I'm urging him to get his mom involved too, but she is very independent, if not downright paranoid. Not without cause," Heather added.
Mo was nodding, looking thoughtful.
"OK, I know that abstracted staring off into space look," Heather said after a long silent pause. "What are you thinking? You look nearly as off in another universe as Jeff gets."
"Just looking ahead a little. We're going to end up fighting Armstrong again aren't we?" Mo asked.
Heather smiled, but didn't tell Mo how happy that easy we made her.
"Yes, I doubt there is any way to avoid it. Not all of Armstrong, most of them there have no interest in damaging us. But this faction being assembled, whose only purpose I can see is to attack us, yeah."
"You figure they are bringing weapons in again?" Mo asked.
"Do dogs have fleas?" Heather asked. "I've already taken...measures. I'm working on strategies to ambush any force that tries to project along the road, without destroying it. I'm very concerned with providing emergency shelter for the few people we have in surface facilities. It's a rather classic opening to bombard an enemy to soften them up before an attack. Is that what you are thinking?"
"Oh no, no. That's all fine and good. I expected all that. But what about after?" Mo asked.
"What about after?" Heather echoed.
"Well, say you have thwarted this invasion, and destroyed their forces not just effectively, but in detail I should hope. That's the only way to definitely end it. The road lays open the other way..."
"Invade them ?" Heather asked, surprised he'd consider it.
"Perhaps not in the same way they intended, but Dr. Holbrook and some of the others who've come to you are lacking their customary equipment. It seems like you should discuss with them exactly where it is, and what it looks like, and what sort of transport is needed to move it safely. Then send a raid in to grab it all. Well, as much as can be practically taken, and restore it to them. Not a general invasion."
"I like it," Heather agreed. "Actually I had in mind doing a sweep for heavy weapons if we gained control all the way back down the road to Armstrong. Trying to be as gentle with the civilian population as possible. But I doubt we'd be well received demanding access and doing inspections by force. I'd rather not turn the rest of them against us if possible. But it's the only way we'd know they don't have the means to try it again soon," Heather reasoned. "We might as well take what we need and they aren't using. It's not like we're stealing their air plant or something."
"The spoils of war," Mo said with a shrug. "That's how it works. Make a note. Sometime when you can, look up 'Operation Paper Clip'. That's the name for the action in which the Americans, the old USA, grabbed all the German tech they could at the end of the First Atomic War. They got jet engines and rockets for satellites and all sorts of things. Anything they could grab before the competing Russians snatched it first."
"You'll need to be very careful to maintain operational security about this," Heather
"Physically sending him. I'm going to gift him with land as April suggested to me. If it doesn't anchor him here at least it should leave him kindly disposed towards us. I know you are using him for survey work, but he's really too valuable to waste on that if we can get him back in a lab where he has at least some equipment and his full time spent on research. I'm asking Jeff to work with them, which will be by com, and require a terrific high bandwidth to be encrypted to the level we desire. I'm urging him to get his mom involved too, but she is very independent, if not downright paranoid. Not without cause," Heather added.
Mo was nodding, looking thoughtful.
"OK, I know that abstracted staring off into space look," Heather said after a long silent pause. "What are you thinking? You look nearly as off in another universe as Jeff gets."
"Just looking ahead a little. We're going to end up fighting Armstrong again aren't we?" Mo asked.
Heather smiled, but didn't tell Mo how happy that easy we made her.
"Yes, I doubt there is any way to avoid it. Not all of Armstrong, most of them there have no interest in damaging us. But this faction being assembled, whose only purpose I can see is to attack us, yeah."
"You figure they are bringing weapons in again?" Mo asked.
"Do dogs have fleas?" Heather asked. "I've already taken...measures. I'm working on strategies to ambush any force that tries to project along the road, without destroying it. I'm very concerned with providing emergency shelter for the few people we have in surface facilities. It's a rather classic opening to bombard an enemy to soften them up before an attack. Is that what you are thinking?"
"Oh no, no. That's all fine and good. I expected all that. But what about after?" Mo asked.
"What about after?" Heather echoed.
"Well, say you have thwarted this invasion, and destroyed their forces not just effectively, but in detail I should hope. That's the only way to definitely end it. The road lays open the other way..."
"Invade them ?" Heather asked, surprised he'd consider it.
"Perhaps not in the same way they intended, but Dr. Holbrook and some of the others who've come to you are lacking their customary equipment. It seems like you should discuss with them exactly where it is, and what it looks like, and what sort of transport is needed to move it safely. Then send a raid in to grab it all. Well, as much as can be practically taken, and restore it to them. Not a general invasion."
"I like it," Heather agreed. "Actually I had in mind doing a sweep for heavy weapons if we gained control all the way back down the road to Armstrong. Trying to be as gentle with the civilian population as possible. But I doubt we'd be well received demanding access and doing inspections by force. I'd rather not turn the rest of them against us if possible. But it's the only way we'd know they don't have the means to try it again soon," Heather reasoned. "We might as well take what we need and they aren't using. It's not like we're stealing their air plant or something."
"The spoils of war," Mo said with a shrug. "That's how it works. Make a note. Sometime when you can, look up 'Operation Paper Clip'. That's the name for the action in which the Americans, the old USA, grabbed all the German tech they could at the end of the First Atomic War. They got jet engines and rockets for satellites and all sorts of things. Anything they could grab before the competing Russians snatched it first."
"You'll need to be very careful to maintain operational security about this," Heather
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