administrators
who were being difficult and thereby delaying Jutland’s departure. Every
additional hour his ship was delayed lessened the chance that she would get
back in time to join Lee’s Task Force for Operation Sorcerer. He saw the
colony’s Chief Administrator start towards him. Before Drake could speak, the
CA beat him to it.
“Commander,
this is outrageous! You bring two freighters full of scientists and engineers
here and expect us to have enough new accommodations ready! We told Sparta
after the first shipment that we couldn’t get ready for another batch that
quickly! The Head of the Project is insisting that the colonists take in the
personnel who can’t be accommodated elsewhere. We did that with the first
batch, and the colonists didn’t like being forced to do it. I was elected on
the promise that it wouldn’t be allowed to happen again.”
Drake
stopped walking and looked around at the city in the background. This was his
second trip to Zanzibar, and he remembered what the city looked like the last
time he was here. There was more new, barracks-style housing along the edge of
the spaceport but not as much as there should have been. On the other side of
the spaceport, he saw a new building whose function wasn’t obvious.
“What’s
that new, round building over there?” he said, pointing to it. The CA’s annoyed
look suddenly changed to something else. Embarassment?
“That?
Ah, that’s ah…our new cultural center. We were already working on it when you
were here the last time, Commander.”
Drake
shook his head. “No. I have a very good memory, and I don’t remember seeing any
construction at that location last time I was here. You people started that
AFTER I left, knowing full well what was expected of you in terms of new
construction for the war effort. How many barracks could you have built with
the materials and labor used for that cultural center?”
The
CA said nothing and started shifting his weight back and forth from one leg to
the other. When it was obvious that the CA wasn’t going to answer the question,
Drake turned to look at the Research Institute Project Head, who was standing a
couple of meters away.
“How
many of your people don’t have a place to live?”
The
Project Head stepped forward. “Eighty-nine, but it’s not just living
accommodations that are behind schedule. Some of the laboratories aren’t ready
either. We’re not even sure we can find enough space to store all the equipment
properly. If we leave it out in the open, it might become damaged from rain
and/or the heat.”
Drake
turned back to the CA who was clearly very uncomfortable. “God dammit, do you
people not realize that there’s a war on! Zanzibar joined the SSU voluntarily,
but you’re acting like you don’t give a fuck! This research institute just
might win the war for us if these people are allowed to do what they’ve come
here to do!” Drake stopped talking long enough to take a deep breath and calm
down. He stepped closer to the CA until they were only a few centimeters apart.
The CA refused to look him in the eye.
“Now
you listen to me carefully,” said Drake in a calmer voice. “I don’t care what
you have to do to solve this problem, but you better solve it and do it fast.
My ship can’t stay here to wait and see if your colony lives up to its
obligations, but I promise you this, Chief Administrator. If the SSU loses the
war because we didn’t make a key technological breakthrough in time, I will
personally come back here and shoot you myself. Look me in the eye, dammit!” He
waited until the CA met his gaze. “Do I look like I’m bluffing?”
The
CA shook his head. When he spoke, his voice was filled with fear. “We may be
able to set up temporary accommodations in the cultural center and ah…I’m sure
we’ll find room for the equipment too. We’ll start work on the barracks right
away,
who were being difficult and thereby delaying Jutland’s departure. Every
additional hour his ship was delayed lessened the chance that she would get
back in time to join Lee’s Task Force for Operation Sorcerer. He saw the
colony’s Chief Administrator start towards him. Before Drake could speak, the
CA beat him to it.
“Commander,
this is outrageous! You bring two freighters full of scientists and engineers
here and expect us to have enough new accommodations ready! We told Sparta
after the first shipment that we couldn’t get ready for another batch that
quickly! The Head of the Project is insisting that the colonists take in the
personnel who can’t be accommodated elsewhere. We did that with the first
batch, and the colonists didn’t like being forced to do it. I was elected on
the promise that it wouldn’t be allowed to happen again.”
Drake
stopped walking and looked around at the city in the background. This was his
second trip to Zanzibar, and he remembered what the city looked like the last
time he was here. There was more new, barracks-style housing along the edge of
the spaceport but not as much as there should have been. On the other side of
the spaceport, he saw a new building whose function wasn’t obvious.
“What’s
that new, round building over there?” he said, pointing to it. The CA’s annoyed
look suddenly changed to something else. Embarassment?
“That?
Ah, that’s ah…our new cultural center. We were already working on it when you
were here the last time, Commander.”
Drake
shook his head. “No. I have a very good memory, and I don’t remember seeing any
construction at that location last time I was here. You people started that
AFTER I left, knowing full well what was expected of you in terms of new
construction for the war effort. How many barracks could you have built with
the materials and labor used for that cultural center?”
The
CA said nothing and started shifting his weight back and forth from one leg to
the other. When it was obvious that the CA wasn’t going to answer the question,
Drake turned to look at the Research Institute Project Head, who was standing a
couple of meters away.
“How
many of your people don’t have a place to live?”
The
Project Head stepped forward. “Eighty-nine, but it’s not just living
accommodations that are behind schedule. Some of the laboratories aren’t ready
either. We’re not even sure we can find enough space to store all the equipment
properly. If we leave it out in the open, it might become damaged from rain
and/or the heat.”
Drake
turned back to the CA who was clearly very uncomfortable. “God dammit, do you
people not realize that there’s a war on! Zanzibar joined the SSU voluntarily,
but you’re acting like you don’t give a fuck! This research institute just
might win the war for us if these people are allowed to do what they’ve come
here to do!” Drake stopped talking long enough to take a deep breath and calm
down. He stepped closer to the CA until they were only a few centimeters apart.
The CA refused to look him in the eye.
“Now
you listen to me carefully,” said Drake in a calmer voice. “I don’t care what
you have to do to solve this problem, but you better solve it and do it fast.
My ship can’t stay here to wait and see if your colony lives up to its
obligations, but I promise you this, Chief Administrator. If the SSU loses the
war because we didn’t make a key technological breakthrough in time, I will
personally come back here and shoot you myself. Look me in the eye, dammit!” He
waited until the CA met his gaze. “Do I look like I’m bluffing?”
The
CA shook his head. When he spoke, his voice was filled with fear. “We may be
able to set up temporary accommodations in the cultural center and ah…I’m sure
we’ll find room for the equipment too. We’ll start work on the barracks right
away,
Similar Books
