Mike frowned and stepped down the cellar hall. The next door was locked.
“Vanner?” he asked, tapping on the door.
“Hi, Kildar,” Vanner replied as he opened the portal. “Welcome to the intel room.” There were two Keldara women in the room, seated at a table reading something.
Mike had devoted about sixty grand to general “intel” items. Vanner had apparently been shopping. The room was crowded with electronics gear including scanners, a couple of very large printers and three computers with oversized monitors. One of them displayed a portion of a topographic map that Mike could make out was the northeast end of the valley. It was marked with roads that had just been put in and the new training ranges and their buildings.
“Very nice,” Mike said, dryly. “What’s going on?”
“I’m training Lilia and Stella in the basics of updating maps,” Vanner said. “I pulled a couple of satellite shots off the commercial net and we’re updating the valley map using a commercial topography program. What we’re doing right now is looking over the output and doing an eyeball comparison since the program has a tendency to get details wrong. I also got Prael’s survey data and we’re using that to double-check the satellite data. After that I’m going to ask Colonel Nielson for funds for a full area satellite sweep. We can use that to get better maps of the Area of Operations. I got two map printers, cheap, so when we have better maps we’ll be able to produce them for the Keldara. And I ordered the most comprehensive mapset available from Janes so we’ll be set for most potential deployments, even though I know the Keldara aren’t designed for deployment.”
“What the hell are those?” Mike asked, pointing to a couple of what looked like very large radios.
“Oh, well…” Vanner said, clearing his throat. “I didn’t use the full budget getting the primary gear, so I pulled a couple of those off E-bay. They’re last-generation intercept gear. German. I’ve been teaching the girls about intercept. Most of the Chechens that use radios speak Russian and most of the girls know Russian. So we’ve been listening in on the Chechens from time to time, trying to figure out their operational pattern. They don’t use encryption systems, but they do occasionally use codes and their transmissions tend to be cryptic anyway. I got a freeware program that gathers codes and looks for patterning so we’re picking out some of their code words and we’re getting a feel for their shorthand. I’ve been using a remote site for triangulation, trying to get a feel for the movements. Most of them don’t have radios, anyway, or use sat phones. I can’t do much with those; you need a ferret satellite to pick up sat-phone transmissions. But we’re picking some stuff up. Nothing we can use, yet, but we’re establishing some patterns.”
“Oh,” Mike said, blinking. “Good.” When he’d budgeted for an intel setup he’d expected a bit of improvement in the maps and maybe a stab at pattern generation. Not this.
“I don’t get many indicators that there’s any special activity directed at the valley at the moment,” Vanner continued. “Only three out of sixteen indicators that the Keldara are a target. The term has come up twice, both in reference to changes in movement away from the valley. There may be a force forming near the Pankisi Gorge for an incursion into Chechnya, that’s got about a nine-point indicator rate with an almost three hundred percent increase in traffic in a localized region. I dropped that through our Russian conduit since it doesn’t affect us.”
“Okay,” Mike said, grinning.
“Is this a social call?” Vanner asked.
“No,” Mike said, shaking his head. “I want to set up a microbrewery so the Keldara can look at exporting their beer. I’d like you to do the initial research. Think of it as… intel gathering. I need a design for a microbrewery, how to run one, what goes into it, maybe a few consultants to contact.”
“Okay,” Vanner said, his eyes going distant as he nodded. “I’ll get started on it right away.”
“Thanks,” Mike said, grinning as the intel NCO turned away. “Have fun.”
Mike walked to the harem next, opening the door to the area carefully. Anastasia had started classes and he didn’t want to interrupt if she was lecturing. However, it seemed most of the girls were working on something when he came in.
The girls were seated on cushions, using short desks. He saw that Katya was frowning as she wrote something. The girl had been picking up reading fairly fast but her writing ability still left a lot to be desired.
He waved to Anastasia and walked to the small room on the ground floor she’d set up as an office.
“Yes, Kildar?” the girl asked as she followed him into the room.
“Three things,” Mike said, grabbing a chair in front of the desk and letting her have the swivel chair behind it. “I want to get computers in here, for one. Knowledge of how to use a computer, if not programming, is pretty much a necessity in modern life.”
“I don’t know anything about computers, Kildar,” Anastasia said, frowning. “I don’t even know how to turn one on.”
“You’ll have to learn, too,” Mike pointed out. “When we get them, I’ll have Vanner set up a network. They can be used for learning, too. Maybe I’ll just get each of the girls a laptop and a wireless card. But that brings me to the second item; we need to get a tutor for the girls. I know you’re used to instruction, and you might be better for basic instruction. But I’d like some of these girls to get to at least advanced high-school level by the time they leave. Not just basic reading and math but history, science, what have you. I’d like you to look into that. Look around Tbilisi. Female, obviously, and open-minded just as obviously.”
“Very well, Kildar,” Anastasia said, her brow furrowing. “I can find someone; I have hired people for the hareem before.”
“Great,” Mike said, one more detail handled. Hopefully well. “Last item: the girls. I’ll have a session with Klavdiya tonight. I’d rather spend some time with each, rather than deal with them assembly line. Does that make sense to you?”
“Very much so,” Anastasia said, relieved. “I would suggest that you spend quite a bit of time with each of them for at least a week.”
“I don’t know how much time I’ll have, day to day,” Mike said. “But I’ll figure something out. Now, any problems you can’t deal with?”
“Katya is, yes, very much a bitch,” Anastasia said, frowning. “Also smart and manipulative. I would have her out of here as soon as possible; she poisons all around her.”
“I told her if she gave me any trouble, I wouldn’t bother selling her, I’d just put her down like a rabid dog,” Mike said. “Is it that level of trouble?”
“Not… quite that bad,” Anastasia said, hastily. “But she is poisoning the new girls. She is a problem, but I don’t think she should be killed.”
“Don’t put a huge value on her,” Mike said, shrugging. “Her problem is she’s underutilized. I don’t mean sexually; all the trainers think she’s the greatest thing since sliced bread. But she’s got one hell of a mind. A rabid one, admittedly, but she’s intelligent and fast-thinking. Unfortunately,” he sighed.
“She has virtually no education,” Anastasia said. “So you can’t put her in the intelligence and communications section.”
“Wouldn’t think about that, anyway,” Mike said. “She’d figure out a way to knife me in the back. Let me talk to her after we’re done.”
“I think we are,” Anastasia said, smiling faintly. “I guess I’ll be missing your company for a while?”
“I think I’ll be a little busy, yeah,” Mike said, grinning sheepishly. “I don’t hold you as monogamous, though. Feel free to trip up a trainer if you’re of a mind. I know you think I own you, but I don’t. You’re a free agent.”