BoTH Chpt 23

==Blood on the Horizon - Chapter 23 -==
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===Employment Offers===
"This is the sign-on bonus?" Thomas whistled and leaned back against the tractor. "I might be willing to take you up on this, what's the rest of the contract look like?"
 
"It should be on the attached document," I replied, glancing at Thomas' fiance. "I'm not looking to make a sales pitch here, just an offer."
 
"Cessa," Thomas called her over. "You're the law expert here."
 
"Tom, I told you I just read the law for fun," she leaned over his shoulder to look over the contract. "I ain't bright 'nough for actual law school."
 
"Now, you know that ain't true," Thomas corrected her before looking back down at the contract. "But there's this clause here," he pointed out part of the contract. "And you can have them pay for this if we opt in."
 
"Sure, but you're not looking at this part," Francesca pointed to a part of the contract before turning to face me. "I think we're going to need some time to look this over before we can make a decision."
 
"Here," I handed them the card with the phone number to the hotel I was staying at. "I'm staying at the Breakwater Motel, and I'll be there for a while, I'm trying to pick up some Dropship and Jumpship crews."
 
"Damn," Thomas winced. "You might be here for a while."
 
"I put out an advert via Comstar," I shrugged. "I'm hoping to find some good folks who respond."
 
"Well, if you're looking for some infantry," Francesca pulled out a notebook from a skirt pocket and jotted down a number. "My cousin, Raymond Packer, and his buddies just got out of the Militia, they qualified for basic 'mech piloting, but they're pretty content with being ground-pounders. If you're looking for some good folks, you can't do much wrong with that bunch."
 
"Thanks," I nodded at the couple. "Give me a call when you make your decision. Now, I won't take up any more of your time, I know y'all likely have a lot more to get done around here."
 
"Thanks for the offer," Thomas shook my hand firmly and met my eye. "I'll try to get back to you by the end of the week."
 
"I'll be around," I smiled and turned to leave the ranch, intending to walk the rest of the way back to my vehicle before a truck pulled up, Thomas' father waving for me to climb on in.
 
"Well, I didn't expect you to just make the offer an' leave like that," James glanced over. "Now, I'm likely gonna try and convince them two to sign on. He's my second son, and his brother is already set to take over the family farm. And while Thomas pretends to enjoy the farm life, I know that he and his woman would like the adventure."
 
"I'm just making the offer," I shrugged. "What they decide is up to them."
 
"Well, I'll get you to your car and then be on your way," James winked as we pulled back up to the big house. "Just know that should you ever drop by not on business, I may have a meal waitin' here for you."
 
"Thank you," I closed the truck door behind me and climbed into the Jeep that I had bought for my stay here. "Have a good one!"
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===Frustration of Gathering People=== 
"So many people," I took a sip of my drink, leaning back against the back of the chair and looking out at the stars again.
 
"Really now?" Jack Sheppard took a seat across from me, tossing a signed sheet of paper onto the table. "Who'd you end up with?"
 
"Well, seeing as you've filled out the contract," I looked through it and noted that he had someone go over it and highlight where he needed to sign. "That'd make you the XO."
 
"Right," Jack waved over a waitress. "Thanks for the cash, by the way, it helped me settle a few debts. So, who have you spoken to?"
 
"Here's my list," I slid my notebook over. "If there's a checkmark by their name it means they were willing to at least hear me out. If the name's crossed out, then they're not likely to be employed."
 
"Peterson's good," Jack sipped at his beer. "So is Packer and his group, I worked with them when I trained with the militia before deploying against the Capellans. But who's this guy?" He tapped a name.
 
"That's Corporal Dunham," I shrugged. "He's apparently a local who worked with MIIO some. He's not really allowed to tell me all that much, but I at least managed to take a look at his resume."
 
"You gotta be careful around spooks," Sheppard sighed. "But I'm willing to work with him if you think he's on the up and up."
 
"I think we need someone who's at least somewhat tuned into that world," I responded. "I've got the beginnings of some ground forces pretty well figured out. It's the dropships and jumpship I'm having trouble crewing."
"I can't help you there," Sheppard smiled at the waitress as she topped off his beer. "You might have better luck on a world that gets more traffic."
 
"I've got some potential Jumpship crew coming into the system in a month or so," I flipped the notebook over to a different set of names and CSVs. "We'll see how they stack up once I get to meet them."
 
"Well, if they check out, you might want to see if we can stop by New Syrtis or somewhere like that. Might be able to get some crew there."
 
"One problem at a time," I thanked the staff as my food was brought out. "Besides, I'm still waiting on some of these people to get back to me."
 
"Packer and his bunch will sign on," Sheppard tapped the infantryman. "So will Paige. She went to get trained as a Marine over New Syrtis but then got grounded and told to work with the PBI. You give her the team and job she wants, and you'll be lucky if she ever retires."
 
"I did get the impression that she felt wasted in her old and current jobs," I agreed.
 
"We'll get everything figured out and squared away," Sheppard grinned. "So, once you get the signed contracts back from these guys, we're going to need somewhere to train."
 
"I've got that covered," I smirked.
 
"What do you mean you got it covered?" He asked.
 
"I have Indy-'Mechs as cargo, and Pierce has a surplus of two things. Food, and land. I worked out a deal with a couple of ranchers in exchange for the 'Mechs."
 
"So what'd you end up with?" Sheppard asked.
 
"About five to six hundred acres squared," I shrugged. "I've already got a couple of prefabs being set up there, it won't be much, but it'll be a home away from home should things go terrible for us."
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===Getting Plans in Place===
"I'll say," Jack shook his head. "Get some berms and a range set up for 'mechs and infantry, we can expand to Vics later."
 
"That was the plan," I chewed thoughtfully. "I've got some ideas about security, but I could use some better advice."
 
"I'll take a look tomorrow," he tossed back the rest of his beer. "And I expect you'll have a message back from Peterson and Packer when you get back to the Breakwater. I'll meet you there first thing in the morning to take a look at this property you've got."
 
"Sounds good to me," I returned to my meal. "Well, dinner and bed. I think I've got a long few weeks ahead of me."
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Chapter 23