Chapter One Hundred and Seventy-Four: Logistics
Haynesville, December 15th, 3035
"Look, we need those supplies loaded up on the Mules and sent off to Kennard and Tancredi IV," David Hull-Kerensky instructed. "They've got massive amounts of civilian refugees to clothe and feed."
"Look sir, we can't take off without the proper authorization from AFFS Highcom," the officer in charge of the two Mules said bluntly. "We're not a part of your chain of command so I don't have to leave until I get confirmation that you're now my temporary CO."
David just stared incredulously at the dropship captain for a moment before turning and looking at his Mithril clad bodyguard that had been assigned to him by Mathis years ago.
"Please tell me that you're just making an off-color joke," David stated coldly.
"No sir, I can't load up the supplies and take off until I have the proper authorization."
"James, please throw this man in the fucking brig and get me his XO," David ordered his bodyguard detail. "We're loading up these dropships and getting them on their way if I have to do it myself."
"Sir, you asked for me?" A young woman was escorted to David.
"You're the XO for the Screaming Wind?" David asked.
"Yes sir. What seems to be the problem?" She asked.
"Your Captain has been relieved of command, so you are the captain now and will be overseeing the loading and departure of both dropships within the next couple of hours," David explained bluntly and without even a trace of emotion besides anger. "Congratulations on your promotion, now get these dropships loaded up and those supplies to the people who need them."
"Aye sir!" The newly promoted captain responded. "I'll get my crew working now."
"Good, I'll send someone out to get your records before you lift off," David responded before turning and heading back to his vehicle.
—
—
"People can be stupid," David groaned as he planted his face in his hands. "I just wanted him to do the job that he was supposed to do."
"Some people operate by the book so much that they forget to be flexible," Elsa reminded her fiancé. "Most of the people that you have worked with in the past understand that sometimes you just need to do something and sort out whether it was by the book or not later."
"I guess I have been spoiled in that regard," David agreed. "Care to help me go through the list of supplies again?"
"David, your math is perfect, and we've triple checked everything, aside from the minute amounts of missing material that probably vanished before it left the original starports we've got everything accounted for," Elsa said as she moved to stand behind David's office chair. "You're doing everything right, just relax a little bit before you blow up at someone."
"You might be a bit late for that," David chuckled. "I just had someone thrown in the brig."
"Were they doing what they were supposed to be doing?" Elsa asked.
"They wanted to wait for the transfer paperwork to come through the HPG," David sighed. "But the people that we've rescued from Kennard, Tancredi IV, and half a dozen other places can't afford to wait for that specific paperwork to come in." David sighed. "I'm literally in charge of all of the logistics for this campaign and he wouldn't listen."
"Just push past it," Elsa said. "Let's go get something to eat, it's around lunchtime anyway."
"Alright," David replied. "I need to talk about something with your brother anyway."
December 20th, 3035
"I'm pretty sure this qualifies as poaching sir," Lieutenant Dan chuckled as he read over the proposal that David had given both Adam Steiner and some of the militia.
"You act like I care," David replied. "I just need a yes or a no, and then I'll take care of everything else." David then smirked and crossed his arms. "Besides, it doesn't begin until your stint in the Haynesville Militia is over with."
"Well, the pay looks good, and it would work to our strengths," Adam told Dan. "And we could always do something else after this contract is up."
"We'll accept it, but we will be finishing our time in the Militia first," Dan told David. "And I'll go see if the rest of the battalion is in."
"That's all I can ask for," David said with a smile. "Make sure that your people are taken care of first, that's what's important."
"We'll get back to you in a bit David," Adam Steiner said. "I'm going to have to go over the contract with everyone individually, and it's not like most of us own the machines, aside from a select few they're all owned by the Haynesville Militia."
"We've got that part taken care of should you decide to accept," Elsa said with a side glance to David. "I'll pay for it out of my own pocket if necessary."
"Which it won't be," David assured both Dan and Adam. "We've got the machines, I just need the right people to be placed in them."
—
—
"I'm going to read over this again to make sure that this is a good offer," Sergeant Smith told Adam Steiner and Dan Rawley as the trio perused the contract over a case of beer. "But I'm pretty sure that this is as solid as you can possibly get for a contract."
"Well Sarge, we trust you and wanted a third opinion just in case it was too good to be true," Dan said as he took a swig of his beer before flipping over a steak on the grill.
"I'd triple check some of the legalese with a lawyer, but this looks pretty airtight and solidly in our favor," Smith responded as he continued working on his own beer.
"But why offer such a good contract?" Adam asked. "What do we have to offer that makes Hull-Kerensky want us for this specific job?"
"Fuck if I know," Smith laughed. "Why don't you go ask him directly instead of trying to just figure out his motives? Duke Mark Hull seems to be a straight shooter, it's likely that his son is as well, and if you ask he might just tell you the answer."
"Fine, we can go ask once we're finished with our hangovers," Adam replied after he chugged down the last of his beer and let out a great belch. "Last one to get drunk pays for the next round of food and drinks!"
—
—
"You are very hungover," David observed of Adam Steiner as he worked on rates of estimated ammunition consumption and the amounts that he would be shifting towards the front shortly.
"And you're too loud," Adam replied as he gripped the bridge of his nose. "But you don't hear me yelling at you."
"I'm not yelling," David cut himself off. "You know what, never mind. You came in here with a question?"
"Yeah, why do you want us for that contract?" Adam asked as he laid his head against the back of the couch in David's office.
"There's several reasons, but I'll start with the selfish one first," David replied. "The first reason is that you're going to be my brother-in-law in the near future, and I want you close enough that my fiancé and future wife can club you over the head if you try to do something stupid again. The second reason is that my parents are legends." David paused there and sighed before placing his paperwork to the side. "You ran off because you didn't want the responsibilities or the prestige of being a noble, but I'm stuck with a mom who is known as The Dragonslayer, and a dad who decided he didn't like the way the Inner Sphere looked and changed it." David inhaled and physically calmed himself down. "And it's up to me to not fuck up everything they've done over the last thirty years. Helping Hanse Davion now and Jonathon Davion in the future is how I'm going to keep everything standing. You thought this war was just about the Word of Blake?" David scoffed. "We're gearing the entirety of the Federated Suns to move to a unified logistics structure, with all of our weapons and ammunition being the exact same models and brands. No more will we have logistics nightmares, and we're talking it down the corporations throats along the way. The other way I'm going to be establishing myself as separate from my parents is this. Our militia will be rated as Elite, and will be outfitted with everything I can throw at them, the Terran March will be any invaders biggest nightmare because our militia will not only be better trained then the invaders, but better equipped too. I'm going to set up a spare parts factory on every single world that is in the Terran March and ensure that we don't lack the materials to continue production." David realized that he was ranting and cut himself off. "Does that answer your question? Is that enough for you?"
"We'll take the contract," Adam blurted out after David asked. "You've got a deal and I'll make sure that the others agree."
"Don't do that to them," David shook his head at the younger man. "Give them a choice and let them pick, it doesn't have to be decided anytime soon anyway."
"Have you told Elsa about all of this?" Adam asked David. "This sounds like something that she should know."
"Who do you think is helping me get everything arranged properly?" David chuckled. "She's been helping me get everything planned for years now, half of our letters were discussing how to do it properly."
Author's Note: David decided to get emotional and word vomit all over my nice clean chapter. But, it was fitting with his character and the chapter so I left it as is.