Hunter Legacy 5 Hail the Hero by Timothy Ellis Page B

you’ll report to Admiral Dingle, until a more senior American officer
arrives, or you’re recalled.”
    “Yes sir.”
    “General Smith, the Avon troops will
be remaining here. Debark them to the station, with enough supplies for three
days. The Senior Colonel has the command, reporting directly to General
Wellington. Move them to Custer, and have George dock her at the station for
the transfer. They can clean the station to keep them busy. Identify a place to
convert into an armoury.”
    “Yes sir.”
    “Commanders, your squadrons will be
returning to Dallas for repairs. Arrow formation ahead of the fleet please. No
point in having a normal CAP while we’re on the move.”
    Why did that sound like famous last words?
    “Sir,” said Greer. Miriam nodded.
    I turned to Alsop.
    “Commander, have you done provisioning
orders for the station yet?”
    “No, sir. I was going to inventory
before ordering.”
    “I think you can order without doing
that. The station will need a full complement of building, repair, butler, maid,
and cleaning droids. Add salvage, and search and rescue to the list, as well as
the normal amount of trolleys, shuttles and maintenance scooters. It needs a
new station computer as fast as one can be delivered. Assume the accommodations
will need rebuilding, or at the least, refurbishing, and order new beds, and
bed linens. Also everything else for kitchens, bathrooms, and Rec Areas. Order
enough food for five hundred people, for three months. Add whatever a normal
station administration requires, and anything Governor Wellington wants for her
comfort and wellbeing. Think of everything a station normally has, which a tech
hating people would destroy or remove. Get the order off as soon as you can. I
assume Avon will order from Dallas, and it’ll all be here tomorrow.”
    “Yes sir.”
    “Then you inventory. It’s faster to
assume there’s nothing on the station but empty space, and change orders after,
if need be. In the meantime, unless you find the miners lived high on the hog,
the Governor had better stay on Warspite until renovations are complete.
Talking of which, VIP quarters are first priority, followed by Diplomatic
meeting rooms, and administration. The Diplomats are going to be here for a
long time I suspect, and they won’t be wanting to sleep in tents on the
surface, or in some miner’s barracks.”
    “Understood sir. I’ll get right on
it.”
    “Governor?”
    “It’s been a long road for all of us. Most
of the fleet has had its brushes with death. Pass on to your people, it’s been
a job well done.” There were smiles and nods all round. “Good luck to
all of you who are moving on. It’s been a pleasure working with you.”
    The meeting degenerated into a general
expression of pleasure session, and broke up. Vonda remained behind after
everyone else had left.
    “Jon,” she said, “I never
did figure out if you were a homicidal madman, or not.” We both laughed.
“But in spite of your age, you’re a natural leader. You joining the
Australian Militia was the best thing you could have done, and three sectors
are damned lucky you did.”
    “I was drafted.”
    “Drafted? You’re not serious?”
    “Yes, I am. Australian sector lost
most of its pilots to pirates before I left Outback, and was down to only a
single patrol. I made ace on my first flight in a fighter, and General Harriman
drafted me when I arrived back at the station. I’ve never been happy about it,
but events proved it was probably for the best. It kept me on the straight and
narrow, and gave me some legitimacy. Without it, I might have become some sort
of pirate myself. I’ve skirted close a few times. Lacey was concerned yesterday
that I was turning pirate. I had to explain Privateer Law to him.”
    “Oh? What did you privateer this
time?”
    “Midgard’s original Orbital
station.”
    She burst out laughing.
    “You’re not content with a station
dressed up like a Battleship, and a huge shipyard,