TA13

==Chapter 13 - The Armada==
Unity City, Terra
Sol Star System
Wolf Empire
3167 CE
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[Private Quarters of the Star Lord...]
"You know, this is an insanely expensive operation." said Star Lord Alaric Ward.
Admiral Sharon Ngo, SLDF Navy, laid a hand on the table.  "You do recognize that, right?"
"What do you need?" Alaric asked.  "You never bring up money unless you need something."
She sighed.  "Trillian ratted me out?"
"She did." He nodded sagely, "Unlike some people, I bothered to study up when I requisitioned you from the LCN."
"We have eight planned 'waterpoints' to refuel and recharge vessels to allow hot-charging, each of those points has a minor repair and maintenance facility similar to the sort of bases my mother commissioned to service the Quarantine fleet...which means..." said Sharon
"Which means we can afford more extensive service and maintenance, quiaff?" he asked.
She nodded.  "It will be expensive, but it's five percent faster turnover. Which means potentially we can run more dropships on the circuit. Additionally it means shorter turnover times at Anchor Point."
He mused.  "Is it doable?"
"It's doable, the problem isn't doing it. It's paying for it." she said, "Workers don't work for free-even when it's for a good cause. We're running out of contractors I can trust not to gouge."
"Is corruption becoming a problem?"
She shook her head, "Corruption is always a problem." she stated, "Where it lands? That we can control a little bit, but on an operation on this scale. Even small-scale stuff adds up quick. There's enough money and resources in play that it's worth it for the dirty money to go after the inspectors keeping them honest."
"How did your mother handle it with the Quarantine?" he asked.
She laughed,  "She bribed the smart ones and killed the dumb ones." she said, "I don't think Mom's methods will work here.  Maybe Grandma's...she was really a hard-ass bitch with her contractors. She made 'free use' of both legal and illegal methods to keep subcontractors in line but, that was in the Commonwealth. It was in the ass-end of the Commonwealth, where everyone was too afraid of losing to your lot to really address some of the less legitimate methods grandma used. To get this where I'd like to see it, we're going to have to eat some costs."
"How much?" he asked.
"Do you want it expressed in round numbers or scientific notation?" she countered, "As it is. We might be able to raise funds through some alternate methods, but it means embracing the urge of people to pursue the vice of gambling their savings away.  What I'd like to do is put a special task force on it. Real hardass investigators, not just soldiers with community college time. They will start going after corporations that aren't meeting contract, dig into their supply chains and find the graft, then find the guys taking that graft, and only then do we start talking penalties."
"What kind of penalties?" he ventured
"Toothpicks." she said, "Not in the literal sense-don't look so shocked.  Asset forfeitures, seizures, and auctions-some men will stand tall in the face of death. You threaten to ruin them and destroy their family reps...they'll do literally anything to avoid it. This is including following the rules."
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