TBntG-2 Chpt 30

=The Bull and the Genie=
==Chapter 30 - Book II - The Ninety-five Theses==
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==Interludes II: 3033==
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===Retaking the Future===
Skepptana, Federated Suns - 3033
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Su Lee was sitting on the fence when her friend joined her.
 
"They doing it?" Maria asked.
"Uh-huh!" Su said. She gestured down to the plain. It was just outside of their town on Skepptana. If you could call it a town and not a jumped up village.
 
But the DropShips hadn't used the port. They'd grounded here.
 
"What's that?" Maria asked.
 
"Plasma formers," Su said. "I read about them. The Star League used 'em, for everything." The two friends watched as the big trended machines advanced, feeding soil and rocks into their maws, and then, men and protective gear carefully watching, extruded slabs of swiftly cooling ceramics.
 
"Looks better than bricks," Maria said.
 
"Da said that when he was serving with the Prince, sometimes they went over roads that had been built before the Star League even, but they were made of that stuff and it was still good," Su said.
They watched through the day, along with others. The surface was finished, and then the central building, a low, pyramidal structure was made of the same ceramic, forged from the bones of their world. It cooled, and then men and women were putting the first internal systems in place.
 
Now big wigs were starting to show up. The Mayor, even the Governor was there, and Su and Maria hopped off the fence, and ran down to join the crowd.
 
<<"Greetings, ladies and gentlemen!">> The governor said. "<<By the act of our First Prince, and with the assistance of our new Regional Development Corporation, it is time to take back the future of our youth. It's not ready yet, but it'll be ready in time for school to start!">>
With that, he reached into a briefcase held by two soldiers, and revealed the gleaming form of a data core, before he and the press turned to walk into the structure to install the core.
 
"Mama told me that when she was growing up, you couldn't take books out of the library," Maria said. "Besides, it was a waste, you know? Didn't help with the farm." She turned. "Oh! Did I tell you? Papa and the village, they bought some electrical engines to replace our old ICE tractors and got a charger station! They're so quiet!"
 
"Yeah," Su said. Maria had always been satisfied, Su knew. She loved the fields and hills of Skepptana, but Su… She'd begged and plead and her parents had agreed, and she'd be going to school, full time! She'd seen the artists conceptions, of the five class wings for the school extending out from the core, everything from classrooms for the little ones, to kids her age and even college classes, well sort of college classes. Two years didn't sound like what you got from NAIS, but if you graduated with good grades Mr. Tims had told her that NAIS would look at her grades…
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She'd never dared dream of even leaving her village. Like her family said: Big dreams lead to big heartbreak.
But now… Now they weren't dreams, Su knew as she watched the ceremony conclude and workers start up again, putting up the frames, and running the cables that would extend to the core, providing data for classroom terminals and screens, as well as the high-speed printers that could make a book in thirty seconds…
 
And it was here. Right outside of her town.
 
And it wasn't the only one on their world. There were more, some bigger, some smaller, but…
 
But this is ours. I can go in and… Learn anything I want to.
Su Lee stayed until it was dark, and her mother came and got her, taking her back for dinner.
But she kept looking back at the flashing lights of the welders, fireflies against the bulk of the DropShips, set safely far away from her future.
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===What is old is New Again===
Federated Boeing Planetary Headquarters - Skepptana, Federated Suns
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"Gentlemen, the Liberty," Doctor Tims gestured to the holo image of the Jumpship in the Federated Boeing conference room. "Our newest project."
"That's ancient," Cassandara muttered.
 
"It is, but the last models were updated. Most importantly, it is old." Doctor Tims said. "Our directive was to start production of new JumpShips as soon as possible, and we'll be working with the Lyrans. Military jumpships are one thing, but if we are to take advantage of our new partnership, we need civilian JumpShips. A lot of them. The Liberty design is old enough that many of our factories can be refitted to build components without extensive rebuilds and to be blunt—it was designed to be rugged."
 
"One shipyard here," Michael Garcia said. "As a training facility?"
 
"The First Prince and Archon want production spread out. Once we get the kinks worked out here, the directive is to build the facilities needed for new production in other systems, then move parts of our trained workforce to them, using this facility as a training facility."
 
Everyone leaned forward. "So the Bulls still aren't selling?" Cassandara asked.
 
"No, and to be honest, from our reports, even with their expansion, every jumpship for the next five years is already spoken for." He chuckled. "C'mon, ladies and gentlemen, Edward gave us those nice, shiny cores; we can't expect him to do everything for us."
 
With that, they started getting to the nuts and bolts of the project.
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===Recalled to Serve the Court===
Imperial Palace - Luthien, Draconis Combine
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Takashi Kurita closed his eyes, letting the pain of the headache roll over him. Theoretically, these issues were beneath him. A Samurai did not concern himself with the issues of businessmen.
 
Such Samurai, however mighty they were on the battlefield, made for singularly poor generals, let alone leaders.
 
Theodore was building five more regiments, based on the lessons taught by the Wolfs Dragoons and his own work. His son wanted to officially offer ways that Unproductives could become warriors, not just at need, but honored by the Dragon, their families also honored, but there was opposition among the upper classes.
 
Why can they not see? Takashi shook his head. They could see. If a Yakuza, a dreg from the unproductives, could pilot a BattleMech, could serve the Combine, what did it say about their place? He knew what the Warlords were whispering.
 
A force devoted to Theodore. Perhaps his father has grown soft. Perhaps he does not see the viper he now holds to his chest.
 
Idiots. He stared at the readouts, graphs showing the projected increase of the Federated Suns and Lyran Commonwealth's economies, and then the projected increase of the Federated Commonwealth.
 
And beneath them, far beneath them, even given everything they were planning, the Combines's economy. Especially given the payments they'd made to the Taurians to keep mechs flowing to rebuild their units, and not even the bravest courtier would whisper the truth—they bought those BattleMechs because those factories were safe from raids—unlike those in the Combine.
 
Well there was one other thing he could do, as much as he would prefer to avoid it. He touched his pad and issued his orders.
 
"Inform Chandrasekhar Kurita that he is to return to Court. Immediately. The Dragon has need of his services."
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