Haze Gray 94

Michelle looked around. The girls did too, wide eyed. Then they started walking toward the giant building. There was only one thing that could be. Michelle caught them "Girls wait on the cars." The girls turned to her, looked where she was pointing, and their jaws dropped at the line of haze gray classic cars. Leading them was a Plymouth P11 already flying three-star flags. The others were Packard seven passenger jobs, flying the Office of the First Lady flag seal and then a line of busses. Twenty-seven passenger Ford transit buses though instead of the cugly busses, still vintage, not near so cute. The girls headed for the first Packard. The Staff principles and senior executives headed for the staff cars, then did a left face for the first bus after seeing the flags, then the strap hangers charged the rest of the busses.

After a short ride, Admiral Painter opened the man door for the first lady and the full to bursting dock froze as she, and then the Admiral were piped aboard. Michelle looked at Taylor as her girls hug tackled her "You look tired Taylor. Let's get you in the dock."

Taylor hufffed "I have about fifteen operations going right now ma'am."

"And an excellent staff Taylor. How many times do we have to go through this, or do I have to call Mozah?" Taylor winced. "OK, let me get changed then you can tell me all about it. I think one of the problems is your yard manager has gotten completely carried away. Show me where the changing rooms are. The rest of these will be off on the tour, you the Admiral and I can talk.

"Is there a reason there are twenty ships overlaid on top of each other in here?" Taylor rolled her eyes. Maggie smiled. There was the teen back again.

Haze Gray

Admiral Painter nodded "Well, the coastal artillery issue will take care of itself, your folks will be trainers for that. You have maybe four full gun crews among them so not much else they can be. Meanwhile the Army and Marine Corps should have their troops in the new organization shortly for them to train. A set of trainers on both coasts won't go amiss.

"The Chinese plan, that's interesting. Let me study that one for a while. We'll talk to Seawolf and her associates. I think that could actually work. I know it can actually. We might be able to refine it a little.

"This thing with the Russians, well, you are righter than you know. We have to take down the larger organization. Hopefully at the same time we can stop the other, local and national, criminal organizations from filling the void. I think we need a meeting of the alphabets.

"Pushkin is not a surprise. He may lead you to others of the oligarchs though. Conceivably to Putin. This might be a bit of a problem. The Russian government is crap, but it is a government. I don't think we want another Somalia or what Argentina was. That's going to be something for you national leaders to discuss while the rest of us try to unravel the mess here and potentially in the NATO and Pacific allies. The Russians aren't the only one's trafficking people by the way. This is going to lead some surprising places.

"Now that you pushed the snowball down the hill, I think you have to have some tactical patience and see where it goes. Like that snowball though, I don't think we can stop. Certainly not until we clean up the Bratva here in the US and clamp down on our southern border. Up to and including getting one of your scanners and checking every train car on those rail lines, coming and going. That's the last hole in the wall and it needs closed. Should be easy as you have a controlling interest in the railways that own them. Or lead to the ferry docks for rail cars." He chuckled at Taylors arched brow, then the look she shot at Seawolf and the yard manager.

"We do have the same problem still though. Balancing the two continental Asia powers. I'm not sure it can be done. I think they are on a collision course and can't be turned. The question is what we do about it.

"I like this Post Panamax container ship idea and your containers. I'll want to see those. But where do you then put the people?"

Taylor snorted "That isn't a problem. Cuba decided they wanted layer cakes in their mountains. Between there and Hispaniola we can conceivably put everyone we evacuate. Then there are the stores which we can layer cake nearly as much as we want. That's leaving alone the rest of the islands in the Caribbean, and we suspect the Pacific, that are going to want layer cakes. Then, well, everywhere with fault zones, old mines, where a lot of oil got removed. We have a list of places clamoring for miners and constructors. Apparently preventing even small earthquakes is better than paying for the repairs after them and we can make jelly zones in deep water to relieve the stress into continuously, that way they dont cause tsunamis

"Same problem as always, how do we feed them, and who is paying for that?"

Michelle nodded "We'll work on that Taylor. Aren't you building Mozah a layer cake and dock as well, they have used mercenaries in the past? A large modern well-equipped army and navy could have a stabilizing effect on that region."

Connie nodded "We can change the seeds on the property we own too. Plus, everyone is buying our seed already. Might be short rations, but no one will starve.

"We sort of had to as we never stopped the disease thing, and it didn't get shot down. It's doing south America right now. And the propagation of Amy's killer killer thing is much greater than we thought it would be in places there is a lot of disease. We widened it out to a strip every five miles and its really covering some ground now. Eating molasses and water like a rum distillery too. The yard got a line in limited low rate production on spray Dash too.

Anyway, mortality is way down. Infant mortality especially. The smarter of those folks have already gotten in contact. They want our seeds and equipment as well. I changed the plan and had them send us their open pollinated seeds, the ones that already do well in their areas. Amy is going to need to modify them once we get the test crops up. Oh, I used a a level of one the layer cakes for that test farm. About five thousand acres. Divided up into different zones and controlled for light, rain, barometric, pressure, soil type, and acidity, temperature, all of that. Running on real time sensors the people who want the seed put in where they are going to plant. We quick crop it all."

Taylor snorted "I don't think you impacted us too much."

Connie smiled "Yeah I didn't think you would mind. The yard got seriously carried away. Anyhow if it works like I think we should see some pretty spectacular results even in the first generation. Or they should. Charging them a percentage of the crops so we won't make real money, but we will save a lot. We can build mills, creameries, and canneries. Slaughterhouses and tanneries too. We got a bunch of ruminants and chickens to work on too. Maybe just layer caked stores. That seems to work best anyway, and we get permission to put those up easy.

"Meanwhile we can set the first generation to go quick, thirty days, on each rotation. We'll need some Amy magic plant juice and a shed load of minerals but if we layer cake we should find them anyway. Another selling point.

Ginny nodded "We will just barely be into the first load from China by then. They will go to Johnston. Unless we put more ships in service."

Noelle nodded "There are eight or nine more ten thousand TEU plus COSCO ships idle and in port. I expect we could lease them fairly easy. They could run to Johnston and be back for their next load fast. For Russia if we find a way in..." She drifted off.

Admiral Painter nodded "A layer cake under joint base Elmendorf could come in damn handy. Much better than Attu or Adak." Taylor huffed and stuck her tongue out at him. He chuckled. "I hope you are doing those two from underneath. The Russians will put people ashore to check them."

Kim smirked "Not and have them live. Ziz is pretty jealous of the Aleutians. Its where her favorite plane comes from."

Maggie huffed "Is she the Jelly Fish Princess or Hoppou."

Taylor shrugged "I think she is Hoppous age maybe. I'm going to hope Hoppou too. One of us got shot last time we had to fight one of the Endbringers but she jumped right in on Cuba."

Jack frowned "Hoppou was the northern princess?"

Taylor nodded "In the later, wilder, mostly fanfiction, lore, she defected to the fleet at Sasebo? Yokosuka maybe, and Nagato, or one of the other BBs, sort of adopted her."

Cassidy hmphed "Better summon her then. I got enough trouble."

Kathy smirked "Nagato was the flagship."

"Oh hell no." Taylor announced.

Danny smirked "You already sent her clothes and toys."

"Ack!"

Amy sighed "My girlfriend everyone, so eloquent."

"Imma get some JDF girls in here."

"And now you want other, exotic, girls." Amy grinned. The Chinese girls all pouted in that creepy synchronized way they had.

Taylor sighed. Everyone chuckled. Michelle patted her on her back.

Aisha came to Taylor's rescue "So is her making goofy musicals about her mom's home movies?" Sort of. Taylor grinned at the spluttering Amy.

Haze Gray

Later in the day they all were looking at the containers. "Sixty four coffin racks in a forty footer. Plus this ladder section. Then food storage, dry, refrigerated, and wet. A latrine, Shower facilities for each sex. This waste recycling container.

"Which is damn clever providing gas to the generator and reefer, and on the very bottom of a stack a fuel and potable water container.

"Why not portals?" Jack asked.

Lucy shrugged "One, or rather three for the ship, waste, fuel, and potable water, and those facilities are connected but we want them as self sufficient as possible.

"Once it's up and running the only containers that get lifted will be the rack containers."

Maggie nodded "And these flotation bladders?"

"Containers go overboard, we saw videos online."

The Admiral nodded "So the containers go in, get shipped to where the people are, sealed, get loaded, and then moved by train or truck to a port and loaded on the ship. Then crew hook them up and set up the ladders."

Meili nodded "And our paid off inspectors and officials don't make a peep."

Admiral painter nodded "Until they want their families and themselves out."

Meili conceded the point "By which time we might be doing the general civilian population to get them out of the way of a war."

Jack nodded "All of the deepwater container ports. The question is can you make enough containers?"

Amanda shrugged "They're fiber reinforced resin. We print them. If we want more we add a printer. Right now we have lines running them off at about seven a minute. Hanging and hooking up the refrigeration or HVAC units takes about fifteen minutes apiece. Testing systems and weather tightness happens at the same time.

"We were already making reefers for our own containers, plus the specialty tanktainers. Then we put them in a freight portal and shoot them to here, or anywhere else in the system that needs high priority freight. Where we load the ships with them is the question."

Maggie offered "Alameda took carriers, its deep enough to take the ships. A rail line in a tunnel with electric locomotives, well cars and lifts on the Alameda end. Actually there is a container port over there that isnt real busy Seawolf."

'Hey, hey.'

Maggie nodded at the KNAS Alameda commander "I thought so, already having electric switch engines you just need to lay the track and put in the catenary. Wait, you already did the tunnels and lifts?"

'Hey.'

Maggie narrowed her eyes then looked at Taylor who was rolling hers. Taylor supplied "Bad ground is their excuse for everything."

Maggie nodded "Container handling facilities and you are good. Already laying the tracks aren't you? Got telehandlers somewhere, already don't you?"

'Hey'

"Psst, lots. You guys are a pain in the ass."

Taylor nodded "Tell me about it."

Jack nodded "So a week until you can load ships. Meanwhile Johnston will need a container port. Really it already needed one. We need to check and make sure someone thought of that though.

"How are you going to move the folks between these bases though?"

Taylor shrugged "Smaller container ships. COSCO has eleven hundred. Four hundred of which are idle and rafted together at Long Beach taking up space. Those will work until we build our own. Maybe buy some of those and rework them. They are fairly efficient but could be way better. Cogen for one thing."

Jack nodded "So two weeks and the China plan is a go. The plan can be refined but I think you can lift and shift fires to the Bratva."

Lisa nodded "We have a preliminary target list. We need to move lift and troops. We can lease airplanes. I think we should do all the locations at one time. It's the top ten major metro areas and two outliers, Miami and DC."

Emily nodded "We'll need Mulder and her boy toy. That ATF guy too. Chaos will be upset he is missing the fun."

He walked in the conference room "I would never."

Emily groaned "Aren't you supposed to be at Chosin or somewhere, freezing.?"

He smirked "Bit at loose ends. That seems under control for now. And there are troops down here not fully engaged. Got a call from the Boss. He said we were getting the band back together."

Emily looked at him "For an acoustic session, you know, quiet."

"I can do that." Emily hoisted a brow.

Haze Gray

Taylor looked at Lucy "So you didn't design this turbine, none of you did?"

"No, the yard came up with it somewhere. It's pretty sweet though. A recuperated turbine with a monocrystalline metal ceramic compressor and power section. Pretty much the same life as a reactor. Half the weight. None of the shielding though it does have a water jacket. Magnetic bearings so this aux motor and generator to power those up that can function as limp power too.

"Two of them because why not apparently. One would be spinning idle but adding heat for the steam turbines. She won't ever lack for power. Eighty seven percent efficiency so about the same as you and the BBs on fuel.

"Direct coupled for propulsion and running a generator. About four hundred thousand horsepower for propulsion. Pretty sweet. Her hull has the sharkskin built in."

Missy snorted "Skinny as fuck, humungous bunkers, and all that aft."

Aisha nodded "Them guns too. Must be the elevators, right? Maybe the flight deck and armored deck that's the hanger floor?"

Taylor nodded "Any idea when they will wake up?"

Amy shrugged, "They are just sleeping now, out of ordinary. Building up stores I think. Four thousand crew, a huge hospital, all kinds of shops, a marine company. I would need some sleep too. She holds what, ninety aircraft? Do we have that many?"

Amanda snorted "We didn't. Now we do. Good thing we found lots of titanium. F 14, A6, S3B, SH 60, A10, E2, C2, V22. I guess the Air Stations are going for commonality. All of those are K types. The A10s are a Marine favorite. The Air Stations build them with folding wings. I don't even know how that works and the wings don't rip off.

"The nose gear when they shoot them either. Its already off center because of the cannon. And the thing carries all the bombs. One day they are going to shoot one and fling one of those nose gear into an escort."

The girls all grinned at the mental image. Taylor nodded "Speaking of escorts."

"Des Moines. More Juneau than Atlanta like Missy and Aisha. Gearings Like Sammy. Our type PTs. All up to the current K mods, all Aegis, those with the freeboard and superstructure plus the power generation. All SH 60 and or K dash. The K dash have ceramic core turbines though. That's apparently a mod they are all going to get as they wear out their barrel engines. Saved weight, upped efficiencies." Lucy shrugged. "I expect now they know the trick we are going to see a lot of the ceramic core turbines. I so want to know how they are doing that."

Tess sighed "It's a byproduct of a tinker device Leet and Bakuda came up with. The cores." She blushed heavily. The Gearings and Fletchers tittered and blushed. Tess looked around and sighed "It's kind of both of their magnum opus and they got a device manufacturing the thing that makes them working deep in the mantel. Tremendous pressure and heat and then a really exotic explosive built around a pile of metals and minerals and bam, core."

One of the Chinese Gearings blurted "And bam, cored. At least Bakuda. Leet makes tarzan noises."

Tess scowled "We broke into the feed from camp Xray. We won't do that again." She informed everyone.

Taylor and the older girls were laughing so hard they were crying. Danny who had walked up chuckled "So I don't need to give the talk then." The escorts shook their heads rapidly. Danny nodded "Maybe not show the pictures but you all still need the talk." Maria nodding had the escorts wide eyed. Maria herded them away. A few Gearings stayed.

Taylor arched a brow. Sammy B shrugged "I was enlisted, and of age."

One of the Chinese girls nodded "We're married."

Aisha snorted "Way to give up your squadron mates."

Maria cleared her throat behind her and Missy. Missy glared at Aisha. The others were laughing again.

Haze Gray

Whirlygig was pouting. Tyrone snorted "On an airplane or on your own hull, but you are going to get checked out by the Havens and meet the boss. We got this."

"And who will provide naval Gunfire support to the home port?"

"Eight Perry's, Eight Burkes, four Ticonderoga's three of which are in port at any given moment. So from three inch to BG109's. Oh Two Virginia class and two Los Angeles. Any Boomers Mark?"

"Couple. All those Orions and Poseidons over at Pease. The Subchasers, Marine artillery. Those three inch on the shore batteries. Then you know, sixteen inch rifles in the shore batteries. Hmm those FAST Marines and the Army guys here have mortars and artillery too."

Whirlygig sighed "Fine. OK, lets get me suppressed. I want to do this in one hop though."

Tyrone smiled "Tradewinds run every day, twice a day. You can catch an overnight. Be there first thing. The Russian girls will probably wake up then and you can all go out together."

Whirlygig rolled her eyes "Great."

Tyrone laughed "OK try it."

Mark snickered "You look like you're pooping."

"Let's see you do it smart ass."