''We'll also want to give our crews shore leave, get down, get our land legs back, meet the locals. Maybe paint an orphanage or poor house. You must know the drill.''
Kris's experience with port visits had been limited to saving a kidnapped kid and stopping six battleships from paying such a call on Wardhaven. A normal old-fashioned fleet visit was quite beyond her short experience in the Navy. ''I think the locals are planning quite a show,'' she said.
''And I think we can return the favor. Just make sure you're ready to render services, Longknife, and that there's plenty of beer dirtside. Don't want things to get out of hand, do we?''
''I'll look into that myself,'' Kris said, and found she was talking to thin air.
''Penny, where can I meet up with you?'' Kris asked, assuming that anything she said on net was being listened in on.
''I need to do some stuff at Pier 62. Can I meet you there?''
That being next to the Patton, Kris had no trouble being back up on Deck 1 when Penny sprinted down from the Command Center area to stop at Pier 62 where the Wasp was refitting.
''How's the Wasp coming along?'' Kris asked.
''Beautifully,'' Penny said. ''We've erased all its software right down to the stuff that was in firmware for permanent load. We've copied most of what we want from the Resolute's basic load. That boat has quite an interesting collection of software.''
''No doubt. Just how much did Abby help you in hiring it?''
Penny frowned in thought. ''I didn't think she did all that much. I was looking at a couple of other ships, but Abby pointed out their weaknesses. Resolute was strong in all areas. Even had a formerly military crew. I liked that. And the Doc almost was a doctor, not your usual first-aid type. Why, Kris?''
''Nothing. You know she's packing a pair of 14-inch lasers?''
''Yes. Now. I needed that software for the Wasp, so I'm glad it had it. Kris, are you concerned about something?''
''Just my usual question as to where Abby really comes from? What she's up to? You know.''
Penny shrugged and changed the topic. ''You called for me?''
''Yeah, I need to drop down to Chance. Among other things, Hank hinted if the beer runs out, his sailors might get rowdy. I need to talk to Ron where I can't be listened to.''
Penny nodded, then focused on something behind Kris. Kris turned to watch a wiry young woman race up the escalator three steps at a time. She arrived not even out of breath.
''You Miss Longknife?'' she asked. Kris admitted she was. ''We've got the Patton's sensors fully on-line and were watching the approaching ships. Kind of training, you know?'' Kris admitted that she did. ''Anyway, the chief said you might want to know that the ships have upped their acceleration to 1.5 g's. They'll be here well before noon tomorrow.''
''It's nice to have eager guests,'' Penny muttered.
''Penny, you've got the watch. I'll be dirtside,'' Kris said.
A yellow cab waited for Kris, driven by a kid that looked a lot like Steve but not nearly old enough to drive. At least on Wardhaven. But then, the kid didn't exactly drive, it was more like flying low in a racing skiff. Kris tightened her seat belt and managed to say nothing.
Ron was still at the sports arena. There were small rooms under the stadium, all now filled with tables, computers, and people doing things intensely. Ron came out to greet her.
Inside, Marta Torn and two men stood around a table with a map spread across it. Marta looked up and grinned. ''I hear you've heard from your lover boy.''
''News travels fast when some idiot uses an open net, and may I point out you only heard his side. We went to lunch once and dinner once. Not much loving. And my office was rocketed during the lunch and there was a bombing halfway through our dinner. Didn't even get to dance.''
''I hadn't heard about the lunch date,'' Ron said. ''But you left out how you ended up on his yacht late one night.''
''That doesn't count as a date,'' Kris snapped. ''I was looking to steal the fastest boat available. I didn't even know it was his.''
''Someday you must write a book about your love life,'' Ron said, grinning. Similar grins grew on the other faces in the room. Even his mother's. ''Me, I'm hoping to have a nice long chapter devoted to me. Lovingly,'' he added.
''You can hope for anything,'' Kris said, not really minding Ron's ribbing. Or was it a proposition. Certainly it didn't rise to the level of a proposal. They joined the group involved in the map exercise. ''What's happening?''
''We picked up your conversation with Hank,'' Ron said. ''The Beergartens along Hamburg Street will turn the whole five blocks into an Oktoberfest. They have plenty of practice and plenty of beer, right, Hans.''
''Bismark Park will be set up with arcade games, penny pitch, good fun stuff,'' said a round fellow with just a hint of an old German accent adding interest to his words. ''We garten owners have plenty of good beer, but only the prizes left over from last year. Our new production run isn't done yet.''
''Then we better have something lined up in case we run out,'' Ron said with a worried frown.
''The Highland Games are held here at the college,'' Marta said, pointing to a large area two blocks off of Hamburg Street. ''They do a caber toss, rock toss, and races. The prizes are just ribbons. I think we can stretch that out through a lot of match contests before we get to the prize rounds.''
''Gasçon is our Chief of the Peace. Can you handle it?''
A tall, lanky fellow a bit older than Ron shook his head. ''Mayor, I won't know until I see what I get. You going to staff me for a riot, or for a quiet night?''
''If we staff you up, we look like we're looking for a riot,'' Ron said slowly.
''And who's going to pour my beer,'' Hans said. ''We can't throw a party if you put everyone in an arm band, Gassy.''
The Chief of the Peace nodded. ''Ain't you glad you didn't lose that last Mayor race?'' Ron made a rude noise.
''You need enough folks pulling beer to keep it flowing fast,'' Kris said slowly. ''And enough safety and security people walking the streets to see that any problems are handled quickly, in the early stages before they grow into something ugly.''
''I know,'' Ron said. ''I've seen enough news to know how the Peterwald work this scam. We throw their sailors in jail, ‘on trumped-up charges,' they come down to liberate them from terrorists, and somehow, in the process, a government falls and another planet ends up in Peterwald's hip pocket,'' he growled at Kris, but the others around him nodded along.
Kris was glad to hear that from Ron. Apparently those years on Greenfeld hadn't blinded the mayor to what his benefactors did. But then Kris knew a Peterwald and wasn't in bed with him.
''You know,'' she said softly. ''Those ships are going to arrive at my station well before noon tomorrow.''
''No,'' echoed back at her.
''Yeah, the Greenfeld squadron has hiked up its g's.''
''Will they be down here earlier?'' Gasçon asked.
''No way of telling,'' Kris said.
''So they'll have more time to wander around your station,'' Ron said, rubbing his chin.
''A station that still doesn't have a working reactor,'' Marta pointed out before Kris did.
''This is not good,'' Hans said. ''Not good at all. Those auto guns need to be tested. My boy Alex is supposed to be up there checking them out before the ships get here. If he's up there, he won't be pulling beers down here.''
''We need power to test those guns,'' Ron said.
''How many back-up generators do you have?'' Marta asked.
''Two,'' Kris said. ''One for the aft set of shops that's going now, and one that we aren't using for the midship set.''
''So you could double what you have,'' Ron said, running his hands through his hair.
''The Patton's not taking any power from the station, or so my kid brother says,'' put in the Chief of the Peace. ''Could it kind of donate power?''