Cash, Cargo, and Capitalism Part 1 (BotH AU)

==Description==
Bases on the events triggered in the Blood on the Horizon main story, focus on a team of men hired for special salvage operation
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==Story==
===Chance of Revitalization===
Date: January 1st, 3008
Location: Taurus, Taurian Concordat
"You want to take everything in your fortune and invest it this way?" Thomas Calderon poured a drink for William Bruce and fished a cigar out of a humidor.
 
"I'm read-in on some of what's going on at WarWorks, Thomas," William raised an eyebrow. "Everyone in the business knows something's goin' on between your family, that Merc unit, and the revived WarWorks factories. I know that I'm not the smartest man 'round, but my folks raised me to see opportunity. All I want is the chance to see whatever find it is that led to this revitalization. That's all I ask," William puffed on the cigar as he gathered his thoughts.
 
"I've got the JumpShips, and you know I've got the cash reserves to do something with whatever I find. I'm not even asking for the full navigational data on the system. I'd rather survey it myself, just in case whoever did it the first time missed something."
"Look," Thomas sighed, swirling his whiskey in a glass. "You know I can't promise anything straight up. I'm not the Protector yet; even if I were, I'd have to run it by some people."
 
"I just want the chance to take my case before Zarantha and whoever she's put in charge of this," William said, looking out at the city below, the fireworks beginning to light up the night's sky.
 
"I'll pass it up the chain," Thomas finally agreed, tapping some ash from his cigar into a nearby ashtray. "In the meantime, though, how's Robert getting along? I know his term of service isn't up yet."
 
"He's doing well enough," William shrugged. "Like most young men his age, he rarely writes home. But what letters do we get from him tell me enough. He's in love with his 'Mech, and uses it to great advantage when it comes to the local bars!"
 
"It's a good trick," Thomas defended his younger self. "You can't deny that it worked for both of us in college."
 
"It sure did," William took another puff of his cigar. "Shame they don't make the floors of the cockpits more comfortable. I'd have liked to avoid the back pain from some of the more entertaining ones."
 
"That's all you," Thomas laughed. "I found Katherine pretty quick."
 
"I didn't do too bad myself," William's gaze turned introspective as he swirled his liquor in the glass. "Well, let's drink. To the next generation, may they be better than we ever were!"
 
"To Edward and Robert, may they be as good friends as you and I!"
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===Echos of the Past, Providing Opportunities for the Future===
Location: System Codenamed Eidolon
Date: May 28th, 3008
 
"Well, I'll be damned," William whistled as he glanced at the initial sensor reports. "There's a veritable goldmine here."
 
"Don't get your hopes up too far just yet," Captain Summers of the Footloose warned his friend and boss. "We've no idea if any of these are even worth salvaging, much less trying to limp back to Taurian space."
 
"You know that we're the best-damned salvage experts this side of the 'Sphere," William chewed on the end of his cigar. "Especially with equipment this antiquated."
 
"But even we don't make estimates until we've surveyed everything," Summers reigned him in. "Don't count these chickens yet. We haven't even put 'em in the incubator."
 
The two went silent as the Fancyfree and Worst Case detached from the Footloose.
 
"FancyFree to Footloose, how copy?"
 
<<"Solid Copy, FancyFree, we're receiving on all frequencies.">>
"Worst Case is going to head down to the surface, see if there's anywhere we can set up temporary shop. We're going to begin survey operations. My sensors officer tells me he's got a feeling that these old wrecks aren't the only thing out here."
 
<<"Understood, FancyFree, we'll stay in touch.">>
William simply gazed at the old Conestoga that hung in the distance, the white metal reflecting back through the viewport.
 
"You see that, Summers," Will reached for a pack of matches before stilling his hand and fiddling with the cigar instead. "That's not only history we're looking at. That, that's the future."
 
"Depends on whether we can get 'em up and running, doesn't it?" Robert Bruce floated onto the bridge. "It's not like these are functioning JumpShips."
 
The younger Bruce paused and glanced at his father. "That said, the dropshuttles are ready with the Salvage and Recovery Teams if you want to head out with them. See for yourself if there's anything of value here."
 
William grinned and rubbed his palms together.
 
"There's always something of value when you're salvaging something," he laughed. "You just need to know where to look."
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===Sizing up the Situation===
Location: System Codenamed Eidolon
Date: June 21st, 3008
"Will, the FancyFree just finished her survey of the local asteroid belt," Summers handed the reports to William. "Turns out their gut feeling was right. There is more than just wreckage here. There's a bunch of raw materials needed for manufacturing DropShips and JumpShips. Along with a handful of deposits of Germanium in the belt itself. But that's not the real prize."
 
"Then what's the real prize?" William asked.
 
"The damaged DropShip maintenance facility attached to one of the larger Asteroids," Captain Summers pointed out the correct page in the report. "It's not a full manufacturing facility. It's mainly just the bays, basic repair facilities for dropshuttles, and the old JumpShips that carry them. But the team aboard the FancyFree thinks that if we can get it working again, expansion to a full JumpShip and Dropship production facility would be possible."
 
"Then that settles it," William muttered as he reviewed the reports and the cost estimates for the repair facility. "Robert!" He bellowed, " Find my son and get him in here!"
 
"What's wrong?" Robert tried to catch his breath as he floated in a few moments later.
"You're going back to the Concordat," there was a gleam in William's eyes. "I'm putting together a list of equipment, personnel, and other assorted odds and ends that I want brought here."
The older Bruce's gaze turned serious.
 
"If any personnel don't pass our checks, they don't come. I don't care if we need a specialty or not. If any of this leaks, the Protector will yank this entire find out from under us. We're being given a chance here. Let's take it."
 
"When do you want me to leave, and what funds am I supposed to use?" Robert asked. "I don't think any of the accounts I have access to will be enough to cover anything other than the bare minimum of what I think you're asking for."
 
"I'll get what you need to you before you depart," William replied, rummaging through his desk. "Now, you'd best be getting ready."
 
William started scribbling furiously in a notebook, his gaze darting from the report to the paper and back as he chewed his cigar.
"Go get your bags, son," Summer glanced at Robert. "Knowing him," he nodded at William Bruce, "We'll be leaving within the hour."
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--FINI--
*Note from the Author: Credit to Panther Al and his story The Bull gets its Wings (Battletech Non-SI) for the Bruce Family, their Jumpships, Dropships, and assorted crew. (I actually remembered to ask first before writing and borrowing characters this time.
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Cash, Cargo, and Capitalism Part 1 
Cash, Cargo, and Capitalism Part 1 
Cash, Cargo, and Capitalism Part 1