Copeland Supply, Salvage, and Resale

by cliff.west

This is a spinoff story. It takes place after "But a somehow a most melancholy" and" Hunted Tribes". Please read those before this bit of work. I will not be recovering those stories, but re-reading them will help you fallow this story. This fiction also will be slow on the combat action.

27. Chapter 27 2 Nov 3047

Chapter 27

By Cliff

Beta and Clean up: Not done

Reviewed by Hotpoint and Cannonshop

2 Nov 3047 the second run

Split star system

The Styx and her luggage arrived in the system, which was now labeled as the Split system on SliE's and Colonial navigation charts. The timing for the arrival was set, so that it was still early on the ship's clock. As soon as the Colonial made jump engines were shut down on the Styx. Crews started pouring out of the larger jumpship, like a disturbed beehive. Some of the space suited personnel were not taking in the securing lines. They were boarding the smaller Merchant class jumpship, and the Blockade Runner she was carrying attached to her long thin spine.

This time both conventional jump engines were already charged, when they got to this lonely star system. The reason for the almost rush? It was to throw off anyone, who might be looking for where Commander Copeland and his ships had gone. SLIC was taking operational security very seriously. The right or wrong people would know when the Styx had last left Ltzehoe, and they "knew" what a ship of that class could do. They would assume certain numbers, and those numbers would be wrong, very wrong. People were going to be spending years looking at travel times, jumps, and planets visited on the run that Copeland had done. The new and unknown technology along with some subterfuge was going to make it harder to track the Styx, than it had been to track the Exodus of the old and original Star League military back in 2784.

The engineers on both jumpships were given an 8-hour shift to report any issues back to the convoy commander. On the Styx. Only one department was not tasked with helping in anyway with taking care of the huge number of thick cables, which were being pulled back into the Styx as fast as they could. That would be the five person HPG team working in their special little room buried so deep within the Tramp's hull, that they were next to the jump cores. They had their specially modified HPG gear set first in passive mode, and the high-tech machine did its job. The Styx was on what was called the HPG bubble, for four different worlds. A target system was selected from those four possible candidates, and a message was slipped into the communications traffic by the highly skilled team.

The message used the proper ComStar codes, but it had a fake originating code. This new message was just one more bit of data in a still small but rapidly growing stream of the stuff. No issues were reported to the Convoy commander, and at the end of that inspection time. Both interstellar ships winked out of space within ten seconds of each other and reappeared at that same interval. They did not come back into "normal" space in the same spot, just as they had planned. Using the "normal" Inner Sphere designed interstellar drive. The energy wave of the Styx was picked up even before the ship was out of the Split system. It was picked up by traffic control of a world at the edge of what the local groups called the Periphery.

Jules looked up from his screens and turned to his boss. "Commander! We are in the Ltzehoe system. All ships report secured from jump."

Robert let a smile creep onto his face. "Thank you, Captain. Please contact the local traffic control. Let them know that we are here, and that we would like to land."

The bridge of the Styx was in Zero g and people were floating in and out of the space at seemingly random intervals. The powerful Radio was the "only" way to send messages between the jump point and planet, and it could "only" move at the speed of light. There was a clock mounted with a large display that was counting down to the earliest that a message would be able to make it back to them. The numbers went to all zeros, and then started to climb as the seconds ticked by. Robert was starting to wonder if something was wrong, when the large wall mounted timer hit pulse 20 minutes. Then the static in the background provided by the built-in speakers changed, and you could see the people start to relax around the command center of the jumpship.

A female voice that was a lot younger than Duke Terry's came over the old looking speakers. "Merchant Vessel Styx, this is Ltzehoe traffic control. Welcome back! The Duke said that when you are settled in, and the paperwork is done. That she owes you a dinner. She welcomes and approves you, and your escort all the way to the drop port whenever you're ready. Please contact traffic control, when you reach orbit for final landing clearance."

Jules and Jess's heads snapped up and over to look at Commander Copeland. Something was wrong. Duke Terry had known about the light carrier, which this mission had as an escort. The last two times they had been here, they had not needed it. The White Rabbit was never addressed as "escort", it was just another cargo carrier to most people. Robert made eye contact with each of his key staff members, and he gave a slight nod. That was all that needed to be "said" to show that he understood their concern. He held down the transmit button on his armrest.

"Traffic Control. We will be starting our burn in a few hours, with three dropships. We will contact you when we are in high orbit. Please pass along to the Duke. That we are looking forward to working with her again." Robert released the radio transmit button, to cut the line.

Jess, as the head of the intelligence section, was the first to speak. "Sir? Something must have happened. Do you think that she had a falling out of some kind with the local ComStar staff?"

Jules had his own ideas. He had the disadvantage of having not met, must less spent any time with Duke Terry. "It could be that. Or someone wants to separate the Hobgoblin and her fighters, from covering the Styx."

Robert was listening to both of them, but he had his own ideas. "I don't think you have anything to worry about, Jules. We have been able to get readings for the whole system. There are no ships at the other jump points, or anywhere else in this system. I think that your extended ranged large lasers and anti-missile systems should keep any unwanted guests away. I do think that something is going on dirt side, and she is giving us a warning about it."

Robert stopped talking and started slowly rubbing his chin. "I already said that we would be on our way. But do we? Or do we charge our drive, and move along?" Robert did not say anything for almost a minute. Jules was in command of the jumpship, but he was in overall command of this mission. It was going to be his call.

"Okay Jules, you're in charge out here. I'm going to be taking all three dropships with me. You know what to do, if things go sideways on us." He was the Fleet commander, and he had decided what the next move was going to be, and his orders were final.

Robert did not wait for the Captain of the Styx to say anything. Robert undid his safety straps and pushed off and up from this fix mounted command chair. He was floating to the hatch and was almost out of the hatch and into the corridor, by the time Jess could start the same maneuver. They were having to find a balance between the gravity plates and keeping up their 0g skills. So far it had been a steep learning curve.

In a little under 90 minutes, all three dropships were on their way to the life-giving world almost a week's travel away. The nice thing about the trip? It was that the gravity deck plating could be turned off on all the ships, as they used their engine thrust to maintain one normal g level of gravity. The only time they were in zero g? It was for about two minutes that was needed to flip the ships end over end, so that they could now slow down and fall into orbit around the targeted planet.

The three ships had just stopped 22,500 miles directly over the only permanent drop port on the planet. From the geosynchronous orbit, every eye that was on duty was looking to see if there were any threats in the surrounding area. Robert was about to call down for a second time about landing clearance, after they had been in that location for two hours. He was surprised, that an encrypted data packet was sent up for his eyes only. It would take a single key word to open the message. It took Robert and Jess almost an hour before they worked it out. They were just lucky that the message did not have an auto erase function if the wrong password was used.

The password had turned out to be Jagermech, what Duke Terry had asked them to bring some spare parts for. The message was still short, but very important. In the message. It told them that they might want to keep the Leopard CV in high orbit over the planet, and on alert. She told him, that Copeland Supply, Salvage and Resale was not very popular with ComStar and the groups that worked with them. She did not know if they would try something. But she wanted to warn them ahead of time, just in case.

Jess took a copy of the message. She would keep it with her files, for all the reports that had to be done as a requirement by higher command. Robert ordered the Hobgoblin to launch and maintain combat air patrol day and night. It would be made up of one fighter out and one ready to go. He did not pass along the warning Duke Terry had sent them. Too many transmissions or a very long transmission between the two ships, would have been picked up by certain ground stations. That was still a risk, even using the whisker thin laser coms each ship was outfitted with.

When ground side traffic control gave them permission to land, it was about 3 and a half hours after the three ships had made it into high orbit. The trip from 22,500 miles up to ground level was only another half hour of traveling, thanks to the powerful plasma thrusters mounted on the bottom of two of the craft. The two cargo dropships were directed to land at two open fire baked points next to each other. Not one word was said about the smaller dropship staying in orbit. The drop port was not empty. It had another two dropships that looked like spots from high orbit. One was another spheroid and the other was a more aerodynamic shaped ship.

After the two new arrivals had cooled down and the great ships were refueled by large multi-wheeled tankers. Robert was able to use the White Rabbit's systems to check out the other two dropships on the space port's ground. One was a Mule class ship that just looked a little "to normal" to Robert's well-trained eye. The other ship was a burn marked, massive tank and infantry carrying Triumph class ship. While he was watching what was going on at the rural drop port. A radio message was sent to the Blockade Runner. It was a message that said Duke Terry was on her way over to have a meeting with him and Jess. Robert sent a reply that they would be ready to have a meeting on board the dropship. Robert order the side arms broken out and the weapons turrets fully manned, as soon as he had sent the reply message.

One hour later a very stylish hover car, that Robert had never seen before came into view from around a new built warehouse at the near edge of the drop port. It was not moving that fast, and it was not because it could not cover the km's very quickly. The reason for the slow speed, was the pair of escorts for the sedan. Trailing behind the hover car was a pair of walking combat machines. It did not take but a heartbeat for Robert to identify them as a 65ton JagerMech model JM6-S and a 50ton Enforcer model ENF-4R. Two machines that you would not expect to see in this part of space. That did not mean, that they were not effective and very dangerous machines. It was just that they were an odd pair to be see on this side of the MC.

All of the weapons turrets, on all the ships, were manned and armed. The pilots of the machines might not know that, all of the fire control systems were in passive mode. Still they did stop at about the same mark, which Robert had called out before, when they had been here selling things on the last run as a "fire line". The nice-looking hover car continued the rest of the way to the open personnel hatch without an escort. Robert was waiting on the ship's side of the access ramp hatch. He was not alone, Jess was there and two very large, and mean looking escorts. The escorts were not failed out infantry. On this trip only the best of a growing pool of trained and successful infantry were assigned to be the close ranged protectors of life and ships.

Duke Terry was alone and had a sly smile on, when she saw the two escorts standing next to the older man. She had popped out of her hover car like some kind of mutant jackrabbit, and she had almost jogged up the narrow loading ramp. "Robert, what you don't trust me!? I'm hurt! I thought we were friends?" The tone was lighthearted and was matched with a gleaming smile.

Robert held out his hand and he had his salesmen smile on bright. "We are Duke, but I was not so sure about your little escort you brought along today. I don't know of many people who feel the need to have over a 100tons of heavy firepower as an escort, for a Sunday drive to see an old friend. I think wars have been started over something a lot less."

Terry gave a bright beaming smile to both Robert and Jess. "So, do you like them? Don't tell anyone. But I never thought I would have one back in operation, much less both of them."

Robert did not say anything, he just pointed towards the briefing room. You never knew if someone with a directional mic might be pointing it your way. They only had to go up two levels to the modified briefing room. As soon as they had their seats, and the cool air was starting to combat the heat that they had brought in on their bodies. The meeting was ready to start.

Robert was at the head of the table and started talking. It was an icebreaker, and the whole room knew it. "So, Terry how have you been? By the looks of your escorts, some things have changed while we were gone these last seven months."

Terry looked relaxed rocking back and forth in the overstuffed office chair. "I used some of what I traded with you to get them up and running. They proved a surprise, when we had our last pirate raid. We think they were slavers, but we did not keep any of them alive to find out. After my twin thumpers, out there, put down three bug mechs before you could say boo? They pulled back, too fast for my pair of big boys to catch them before they lifted off."

Terry had a lost look in her eyes as she recounted the battle. "My militia was able to ambush two companies of vehicles. The two tanks you helped us make operational were able to take out a Saladin and a lucky mobility kill on a Pegasus hover tank. When the rest of the unit pulled back from that ambush? They left a Packrat, two wheeled APCs, a Swift Wind Scout car, and a Ferret scout VTOL that had engine issues. Anything that could not keep up, was left on the field. The rest were hover craft and again outran my people to their dropship. I can tell you. That they did not stick around to pick up anything that fell behind. As you say. Over a 100tons of mechs can make for a very impressive first, second, and third impression."

They were picked up by what we think was a Merchant class jumpship. We had no idea it was there, until what we think was a lightly loaded modified Union locked back onto it." She reached out and took a glass of water that was in front of her. "If you had not brought those parts, or had those weapons we used or traded to get more parts? My people would have been slaughtered." Her voice was cracking a little, and you could feel that she was still shaken about the event.

Robert wanted to give her a brake, and to let Jess catch up on the magnitude of what had happen while they were gone. "That is impressive. It's also impressive how you can support two mechs that are mainly Federated Sun machines, all the way out here. I know that it took me months just to find those few tons of parts I traded to you. Well parts that were not so over price, that I think they were drinking heatsink fluid when they told me the asking price."

Terry took another sip of water and made a face. "Robert, the sun has gone over the yard arm somewhere. Can we have something besides water?"

Jess almost choked on her own water. She had heard Colonel Tigh say exactly the same thing, but in an odd mix of Greek called Kobalian. Robert just smiled and ordered beer and wine to be brought to the meeting room. Both would be coming from his own limited stock, since they had not made any port calls to refill the ships general use stocks.

While they waited, Terry started talking again. "Robert the reason you had problems finding those types of parts. It was that you don't know who to ask, in the first place. We are close enough to the Cappies, and it's helpful if you know the right people. The Cappies don't like the Fed Rats one little bit. But they lost so much to them over the last few decades? Now, they have to use whatever they have on hand or can beg, borrow, or steal. It is not politically correct, to rely on the old Federated Sun machines for defense against the FedSuns or now the FedCom. So, they send them to the other edge of their space. That is where they are just happy to have a few battlemechs, and it does not matter their pedigreed or the planet of manufacture. That is where I was getting my parts, when I could afford it, and one of their ships would stop by. Most of the time I would trade them Bug mech parts I could get from MMM or another supplier. Everyone has bug mechs, and if you don't tell the Cappies that they were from a FedSun's factory. They will be very willing to trade with you. You just have to make sure the right places are acid washed." Terry gave another soft chuckle.

She stopped making any sounds when someone knocked on the metal hatch, then opened. It was the beer and wine. Bottles and glasses were set out and poured, but only Terry took a long sip of a New Dawn sweet and ice-cold white wine. Robert and Jess were sticking with plain water, they did not even have to explain that it was still early in their duty shift.

Robert could tell that Terry was back in more control, after sucking down half a glass of the sweet white wine. When she sat the glass down, Jess tried to get her talking again. "That make sense, but now it sounds like you were able to get a good bit of salvage. If it's not a state secret. What did you do with what the pirates left behind, after you planted your boot upside their heads?"

Terry looked at Jess over the fine cut glass wine cup. "I was able to temp hire a few more good techs from a mercenary unit, that was recovering between some long travel legs. They were able to use most of the parts to get a pair of Wasps back in order. It cost me what was left of the Stinger we brought down. I was able to keep the engine, and a medium laser, but the mercenary techs got what was not needed to get the two Wasps up and running."

She now was beaming a tooth filled smile again. "So, Robert. I finally have my ground lance that I wanted. It was a lot earlier, then I had thought I could get that job done. I also was able to save the Saladin and the Pegasus. I wanted to make sure that next time, someone would not be able to run so fast that we could not follow them. I was able to use the funds from autocannon ammunition sales to repair the two track APC's and the Swift Wind. The Packrat and the Ferret were too far gone to repair." Her smile went evil, as she was talking. "They did give up some spare parts, which have proven to be very useful for the militia."

Jess was covertly recording and taking notes like a mad woman. She was looking down and then back up and took another step down the information highway. "Well Duke Terry. That puts you well on the way to having a full armored Battalion to support. You also have a nice medium weight mech lance." She knew she had said something wrong, when both Robert and Terry had moved snake quick to look at her. She did not know what she had said that had been wrong, but she was smart enough to close her mouth and wait.

Terry had pain in her eyes, again. "Yes Jess, who uses the name Emma and a fat suit to send messages at the ComStar compound. It only cost me thirty people dead, and another hundred hurt to one degree or another. Yes, I would agree that we are well on the way for a nice little planetary defense force." The tone was beyond ice cold. It was just this side of a nonverbal threat.

Robert jumped into the situation that was looking like it could turn ugly. He needed to help his fellow officer, who had not spent that much time with other combat leaders outside of her home planet. "What Jess was referring to, Terry, was that you have done a lot to help protect your people in a very short amount of time." He shot a look at Jess that said for her to keep her Fraking mouth shut, for the rest of the meeting. Jess turned a little pink and kept her mouth shut.

Terry slowly turned back to face Robert, and her back visibly relaxed some. "We have, and it is in no small part thanks to you and your people Robert. After the attack. I was able to force threw some short-term tax increases, which allowed me to quickly expand our ammunition manufacturing. I am proud to say. That my little planet can now supply LRM, SRM, machine gun, and general class 2, 5, 10 and 20 autocannon ammunitions. We are the go-to resupply point, for almost 75 light years around us. If you need expendable ordnance? We are the place to come."

The smile was back, and she did a double rise of her eyebrows. "We had to add two work shifts to the ammo factories just to keep up with the demand going off planet. I know you are wanting to ask, but you are still working on how to get around to it. No, the Com Guards did not come out to help us during that last pirate attack. We still have been selling ammunition to them, and once to a returning Explorer Corps unit that was almost a full battalion. We don't know what they got into, but they had very low ammunition reserves when they came calling."

Robert now was concerned. Did Terry blame them, as the reason that the Com Guards did not come to help them defend against the pirate attack? "I'm sorry to hear that Terry. I hope it was not something we had done, that has caused the issues?"

Terry now was not smiling at Robert, but she also did not have a threatening look on her face. It was more neutral, but not still. "No, Robert. You might have pushed it forward some, but it was always in the cards and I knew it. Oh, by the way? Our favorite ComStar Demi Percenter? He was recalled about a month, after you left. I don't know if that was good or bad news. His replacement is, well call it indifferent. They have increased the number of ships and units coming through my system, by about fifty percent. And I have been selling more and more ammunition, every week to them. I don't know how long that will last. The reports of pirate raids have started to drop off. They have a long way to go until they are back to the decade average, but it is getting there. And as long as they are buying ammo? I will keep taking their money and just keep planning for a rainy day."

She took a very small sip of her wine. "I am going to make as much money as I can, while it last. We have even grown in population. It started just before your first visit by the way, but it has really picked up lately. We now have about half a million people living under my authority. We have some new mines working full time to support the new or expanded ammunition factories. We have more farms in production to supply food to everyone. I have opened more schools manned by only locals or people moving here from less prosperous systems. ComStar does not like change or growth, unless it is their growth and they have a finger buried deep into the education system."

Terry stopped talking again and took a longer sip of wine. "Robert? Did you know that between the landing fees, items that we are selling to transient units, and our export ammunition sales? That I am clearing almost a million c-bills a month, in pure profit on average?"

Robert did not know any of this, because the SLDF in Exile did not send people all the time into the Inner Sphere without some very important reasons. He decided to try to cover his lack of current knowledge of what was going on locally. "I had heard that you were doing well, and I saw the new warehouse on the edge of the drop port. What are you going to do, next?" He had a feeling that Terry was not just content on letting things stay static, for too long.

Terry did not say anything for a heartbeat. "I changed the laws, and if anyone wants to buy heavy weapons of any kind out of their own pocket? I'm okay with it, as long as they spend one weekend a month or more working with the militia with those heavy weapons. I won't even charge an import tax on those heavy weapons. By the end of the month? We will have four brand new LRM carriers, four Bulldog tanks, and two SRM carriers. All NOT paid for out of my defense budget! I even have been able to retire those half assed gun trucks, that made up the militia's light armored company from before I was born."

The beaming smile was back on Terry's face. "I was hoping that you would come back. I was putting a lot of the extra money away, sometimes using it as credit for others to keep it growing. But only if I could be able to pull it out quickly in case, I needed it. Do you still want to sell some of those Aero Fighters?"

Robert and Jess smiled. It was just as the pair of them had discussed about one of the reasons to stop here. Now for the second reason, that she wanted the Hobgoblin closer. Robert let his salesmen smile show on his face. "Duke Terry! Yes, we do. What were you looking at? I have a wide selection of fighters for sale."

Terry rocked back in her comfortable chair. "That is a good question. I was first thinking I would like something fast, like a light fighter to chase down raiders. If you did not come back, after a while. I was thinking about contacting MMM and picking up a lance of the Sabers that they make. Then I got to thinking, one night. What would they do if they caught those raiders? I don't think light fighters would do much against a medium sized raiding dropship, like that Union. Do you still have those Vulcans for sale?"

Robert was following every word she was saying, and she picked the craft that fit what he thought she would use best. Besides it was the pair of craft he wanted to get rid of first, anyway. "Yes, I do, Terry. I have to remind you that the second Vulcan airframe, is not flight worthy. I don't even know if you could repair it, or not. I have been showing it as just a parts donor craft."

Terry smiled and her white teeth showed. "I remember. So, what is it going to cost me for the pair? We are talking about a bank transfer and not cash this time, I'm sorry to say. It will be drawn off of The Bank of The Magistracy, so you should have no problem converting it."

Robert put his hand flat on the table. "Okay Terry, I can deal with that. We have been able to change a few of the rules that we were working under on our last visit. I want five million for the operational fighter and three million for the second one, for a total of eight."

Terry's face did not move one millimeter, and her voice was flat as glass. "Not likely Robert. Four for the one in orbit and two for the wreck, for a total of six million C-Bills."

Robert let his face go bland, but he was jumping up and down on the inside. The bets back home, were that those two ancient 80ton fighters were only good for recycling for their base metals. He knew one of Admiral Frank's staff had said that if Robert got 100k for the pair? He would be looking at charges of theft to be filed against him by the unfortunate locals. Six million in almost SL script? That was a lot more than 100k. When they got back home, someone was going to be eating a member of the Rook family for dinner.

"Okay Terry, you have a deal. You can have the one crated frame, this afternoon. I need to keep the other one, until we get ready to leave. The day we lift? I will have it land with a full load of ammunition, along with a Mark VII landing boat bringing down what we have left of spare parts. I do know that we don't have much left that will fit them. Maybe a few tons that are Vulcan specific, but you will get everything we have. I know it will not be enough to get the second frame ready to use, but it might help until you can find someone who has more parts that will fit them."

Terry held out her hand and shook both Robert's and Jess's hand, sealing the deal. "Now, I would like to take you both to dinner tonight at my place." She already had four people's names that had come to the top of her head that would work at putting butts in those cockpits. It would take longer to find a person to supply them with parts, than it would to work out who would be behind those controls. She was counting on the second craft being repairable. She had just spent enough money to buy 4 new built Sabers with a small support package.

She looked around and both nodded that they would like to have dinner with her. Terry now sat taller in her office chair. "Now back to work. As the head of the local government. Are you going to be offering any items for sale, while you're on planet? If so, can you give me a list and a starting price on the items you're looking to move while you are here?"

Now it was Jess who would have input into the meeting. It would give her an opportunity to recover from putting her foot in her mouth, all the way to the hips. She reached into a folder and passed over the thin plastic sheet. "Duke Terry! This is the list of items we are looking to move. At the top of the list are the fighters, but you can let them know that the Vulcans are now not for sale. Next, we have Star League KWI type cannons, new built Blazers rifles, and a dozen high end office computer systems. We think they are about as powerful as the ones we sold on our last trip, but we cannot guarantee that."

What was not on this list were the second generation PPC's. Robert had pulled those off of this list for some reason. Jess thought, that he was thinking about needing them for defense of the ships. That would be a breach of written orders, but a fleet commander had historically been given a lot of leeway when they were away from the flagpole.

Duke Terry sat up even taller in the chair and looked at the sheet of plastic. She pulled out a pen from her jacket pocket and lined out the area that had the fighters she had just agreed to buy. She had a slight grin on her face. "I see the price listed. Will I be able to do some trading like you did with me on the last visit?" She went fishing on what the rules might be. Besides it never hurt to ask. What was the worst he could say… no?

Robert let the corners on his mouth drop some. "I'm sorry, Terry. At this point and time. We need capital or items from our list, that our clients want or need." On cue Jess passed over two additional sheets of printed plastic.

Robert went into professional mode, as Terry took the pages and started looking at them. "Duke, you may post this as you see fit. You don't have a centralized information network, but we will not be hiding what we are looking for."

Duke Terry was going down the list, line by line. It was an extensive list, no matter how you looked at it. As she was reading it? She was going over in her mind over what she might have, that could fill those needs cheaply and for the most bang for her buck. "Robert, I will post this at the drop port and make a public announcement. I know that the two mercenary units will like access to the cannons, and I know a few other people who would not mind having more computing power at their fingertips. I think you will be able to do some business while you are here."

The three talked for another hour, covering a lot of different topics. She did go into detail about a strange Invader class jumpship, which kept making stops in the system with a Mammoth class dropship attached. After the first stop, it never had a full load of dropships, but it always had the one massive cargo ship. It never made land fall, and none of the other dropships it carried from time to time made land fall while the jumpship recharged its engine. It just would pop in and radio to someone on the planet in a very complex coding system. Sometimes they would not even contact Traffic Control to let them know they were in system. When they did? They did not use the same name or id number in the messages. They would stay seven to eight days at the jump point. It was just long enough to recharge their jump drive, and off they would go again. It was very strange. Before she left the White Rabbit. Terry made sure to let them know that she would send a car and escort to pick them up at dusk for dinner.

Duke Terry was only gone for a few hours. It was just long enough for Robert to complete and submit the proper paperwork to Traffic Control and the new position of Port Master. That was when the first messages came in, to double check on what the two dropships were selling. The dropship's crew were told that they were on all of the "news" services about what they both might be selling, and what they might be looking at buying. They just wanted to make sure of the facts.

The fourth message went straight into the Lisbon Maru's bridge. It was an invitation to display some of their items that were on the market in the nearby warehouse. It was scheduled to open at noon the next day. Robert sent word that they would show some samples. At the agreed-on location and time. The two ships were not quiet, as they waited for the little show and tell.

Off to one side of the Lisbon Maru. A massive crate was pulled off of the egg-shaped ship by four massive loader mechs. It was what was left of the Vulcan, which the Battlestar Pegasus had recovered so that the Cylons could not get their metal claws into it. The massive flatbed that had picked up the load, had an escort made up of the Saladin and Pegasus scout tank. The massive nose mounted class 20 autocannon looked very intimidating sticking out of the shipping crate on a hover skirt.

Just as the sun was setting. A hover car escorted by two 20ton Wasp class mechs approached the White Rabbit. They announced that they were the ride for Jess and Robert. They were in their nice dinner clothes and not ships suits for tonight's event. The ride to Duke Terry's place was not long and they were followed all the way there by the two bug mechs. While they were being escorted, Robert got a closer look at the two machines. He could not see any signs that they were FrankenMechs. They looked almost like factory fresh WSP-1A and a WSP-1L. The techs Terry had hired must have known their trades. Both machines had seemed to have no problem keeping up with the hover sedan moving at over 80 Kph. This was a good baseline to know what the insides of those machines must look like, and it matched the outside.

If the Duke's house had been back home? It would have been a huge palace. Compared to the average Duke level home in the rest of the Inner Sphere? It would have been call quaint or rustic, at best. The dinner was just the three of them. It was held in a small private dining room, and not the massive hall that was for showing off to the locals.

The evening was not eventful and so was the trip back to the dropships around midnight. Everything looked normal, and for the most part it was. That is, except for the 3-person scout team that had just settled in. They had started watching the two dropships from a well-hidden position. They had been part of the local security detachment for the ComStar Compound. They had moved into the pre-scouted location just after the local sun had gone down and it was truly dark.

They were "only" leg infantry, so they did not have the special skills or equipment that a ROM team would have as standard issue to do something like this. Their job was only to watch and report what was going on around the two newest arrivals to this planet. They were a completely passive team by accident, more than plan. This helped them stay alive and unnoticed, because they were not picked up on any of the two dropships systems.

The two other dropships were also keeping an eye on things, and two of Duke Terry's mechs were walking around the drop port at all times of the night. Rumors were rampant about what other Lostech items might be held by those two cargo dropships. They were the stuff of dreams, and life changing events. That is, if you could live to take them from the new arrivals.

The only thing that did happen, that was out of the ordinary. It was that the HPG was sending out wave after wave of messages to all points of space around this star system. It was acting like a super high-tech lighthouse, only it was announcing its place in a larger universe. Each message burst was picked up by the Tramp class jumpship sitting at the jump point. They still could not read them, but thanks to the massive computer power used back on New Circe. They had broken all of the codes that they knew of.

The lighter weight computers on the jumpship would take some time to run the counter code software. But in around 24 hours or a little more for some of those intercepted messages? They should be able to read them but making any sense out of some of them would take quite a bit longer. The local ComStar site was sending word to everyone they could. That the Copeland Supply, Salvage, and Resale Company were sighted again. After dropping off the face of the universe almost four months ago, trouble had returned out of the deep dark to bedevil ComStar's operations again.

When the sun came up over the drop port the next morning. The Cargo Masters on both ships started moving cargo out of the massive cargo bays and putting them outside on the fire baked ground. Soon four cases, which each held one ultra-class autocannon was on the ground. They were next to four desk top office computers, each in a space safe container. Along with four containers that held ten new built Blazer rifles in each container. Last to come out were ten aged looking wooden boxes that held the old Colonial supplied weapons. Robert had decided, after the dinner with the Duke to add these weapons to the display. It would give him an idea of the value of those weapons on the edge of human controlled space.

Soon a large flatbed truck showed up and the power loaders from the two dropships uploaded the truck. Those same loaders would walk beside the slow-moving truck. They followed it all the way to the Warehouse, before they could start the unloading. They were joined by a dozen people from the two dropships. It did not take them long to workout, that this was not just a normal warehouse. It was also a full-on showroom and military range. Already on display, in the warehouse, were the full range of ammunition, which was made on the planet.

The items from the Mule and Trojan were quickly set up, in an open area marked with the company's name in glow in the dark paint. It was not as nice as the permanent displays around them, but it would work for what was needed. Robert, Jess, and the two Cargo Masters were the last to arrive from the dropship at the "Warehouse". Robert was making his rounds talking to all of his crewmembers that had been assigned to this task. All were armed, today with weapons that were common around the Inner Sphere and some that were not. Robert was not going to take any chances, and they were not the only ones packing a pistol and the occasional odd rifle in the building.

Robert had only reviewed the document that had been sent the evening before about how things were supposed to work today. He had assumed that anyone who wanted to buy what he had to offer would just come up one at a time to his area. That was how they had done it in the past. That was not how the Duke ran things, in this building. It was noted that he could have up to a dozen armed escorts, to keep an eye on his samples. Later he would call that last change a push, when it came right down to it.

An odd bell sounded around the large warehouse, which brought the members sitting at the other displays to their feet. Robert more felt the door open than saw it, as he quickly turned almost 180 degrees from watching the locals standing on their feet. As he finished his turn. He saw Duke Terry leading a very odd mix of personnel into the main open area of the warehouse.

Four of the strangers following the Duke were wearing street clothes, very nice clothes, but still just street clothes. A group of about a dozen were wearing what looked to be modified military uniforms, in about four different core styles. What grabbed both Robert's and Jess's eyes were the four people at the back of the group. They were dressed in long, hot looking head to toe white robes with blue trim. The pair knew without a doubt, they were from ComStar.

The group led by Duke Terry stopped at the two nearest displays to the main door of the showroom. They had some kind of short and fat missiles that Robert thought might be SRM's of some kind. As he was watching them. He had to fight down a smile, because most of the group kept looking Robert's way and not at what Terry was showing them. They knew what they wanted to see, and it was not a local made short ranged Inferno jell filled missile.

When Duke Terry finally walked the group to Robert's first display, the group was all smiles. After all it was what everyone had come to see in the first place. Robert held out his hand toward the Duke. They might be friends, but she was in her public mode, and she would not show "friendship". That was not the way she conducted business, and Robert was smart enough to know this information without being told. "Duke, thank you for letting us display our few trinkets in your facility." He had his trading smile on, as they shook hands in public.

Duke Terry was smiling, but it was one of her political smiles, and not like one of the ones she had on last night. "No! Thank you, Captain Copeland, for coming by with so many hard to find items out this way."

She dropped his hand and did a half turn. She started pointing at the group following her. "I'm representing the Government of the planet. We also have another member of our government, which controls the budget for the militia. We have representatives from some of the visiting Mercenary units, and of course we have some representatives from our ComStar compound." She was pointing to different people as she was talking, so that Robert had an idea of who was who.

Robert nodded as she was talking, and when she was done. He was ready to go into full swing sales mode. "Nice to meet you all. As Duke Terry said, my name is Captain Copeland of Copeland Supply, Salvage and Resale." He did a little bow to the group.

He gave a salesmen's smile, as he came back up to eye level. "I had hoped to start at the other side and save these babies for last. Looks like we will start with my big guns instead. What you see before you are a Star League advanced autocannon in the Class 5 range. Some of them are KWI made and others are not, but all are of the same capabilities. Each one is used but it has been cleaned, and completely serviced. They will take about any type of standard ammunition of that type. So, if you have an Armstrong J11? The ammunition will fit them. It will just go through it twice as fast as your normal Class 5. It turns a Class five into a Class 10 cannon in damage, but at almost twice the range of the heavier cannon." Robert stopped talking and let the cannons speak for themselves.

The group took a few steps closer to the mass of metal, it was almost a surge but more controlled. One of the Mercenaries in uniform looked up at Robert and then back down at the weapons on display. After looking at two more of the weapons in the metal shipping containers. He had an odd look on his face.

"So, you only have four of these weapons for sale? I was told that you might have more." The sound was a little on the whiney side, and a little dejected sounding to Robert's ears.

Robert was betting that the whiner was from the smaller or more cash strapped mercenary outfit. "No, we have more. As you all know, we are at the edge of civilized space. We have a measure of trust with the local government, but it only goes so far. We have set out these four weapons, to show that we are not joking, and we are not willing to play games."

Robert looked around to the group of armed strangers. "The way I do business, is that we agree to a price. Then you inspect the product. You only take and pay for, what you agree are weapons that are up to your standards. The price per weapon is 400,000 C-bills. The number of weapons you buy is between you, me, and the local tax man." He turned and gave Duke Terry a sly smile. He knew she was going to be getting a cut for the introduction and the sales tax. Two paydays for not doing anything was nice, when you could get away with it.

The whiney voiced man was blinking wide eyed at Robert. Robert was betting that they all, but Terry, were thinking they were going to have to get into a bidding war for the few weapons on display. Robert was still in full powered sales mode. "Please see Jess." He pointed to her, and she held up her hand. "She will set up an appointment for you to view and inspect the weapons. She will also brief you on our rules when you come by to inspect our offering. You will also need to make sure, that a representative from the local tax collector is present. I will not pick up that bill. I have enough to deal with already, and I do not have time to deal with that headache."

Robert let them look at the mech scale weapons for a few more minutes, and when he felt the time was right. He moves ten feet away, to a different set of open top boxes. When he was centered on the four boxes, he pitched is voice to carry the distance. "Now down here? These are the new Blazer over and under laser rifles. They are new construction, and not rebuilt. If you would like to test them? You are welcome to use your own output testers. You never know, I might be full of something best used on a rice field." This last bit of levity got everything from a grin to a soft chuckle from the group in front of him. It was a very common sales trick to make people at ease around the salesmen that wanted to take as much of their money as he could.

Now that Robert had an idea that he was not wasting oxygen, he got into the salesmanship game. "We are set on 2,300 C-bills per unit."

The Blazer rifle was not light, but it was man portable. Soon hands reached into the box and the 7kg weapon were put to shoulders and the action was worked. The double-barreled weapons were passed around the group. Sharp eyed crewman knew where every one of the weapons were at all times, till it was place back into the shipping box. Robert was thinking that he should have asked for 3,000 a weapon, but that might have hurt sales with a 40 percent markup. Even at the lower price, the Colonials were going to make some money off of each one. They had a very low to almost no labor cost invested into each weapon.

The next boxes were filled with the Colonial weapons. "Now if you will look at these. You will not find these for sale on any world. Yes, I know that will make you worried about ammunition. Each weapon will be sold with a supply, so that you can copy them or order them from any local supplier you might have an arrangement with. I have no idea of when they were made, or by who. I just know that they work, and they have a pretty good kick when you pull the trigger. They have a punch, which you would not believe. My partners and I think they might have been made for ether security or a special ops team that has been lost in time after the fall of the Star League."

Duke Terry and another civilian were looking closely at the over and under Colonial made pistols. She looked up and made eye contact with Robert and straightened her back. "Captain Copeland, can we test fire these weapons? We have an indoor firing range." She was not just showing off for the crowd about her interest in the handheld weapon, but she wanted to show them all of the amenities her showroom offered.

Robert used his chin to point to one of the standing guards. He was rewarded with the almost two-meter-tall man reaching into two different boxes and pulling out a Colonial rifle and one of the over and under pistols. A second person opened a small plastic box and pulled out some ammunition, which the weapons could use. Having the rounds handy had been only because of a last-minute addition to the load. One of the group unloading had sent someone running back to the dropship for it, after seeing the small range inside the Warehouse.

Robert, the armed security guard, and the rest of Duke Terry's group walked to the other side of the warehouse. It was a very nice indoor range going all the way out to 300 meters. The thick-walled area was like a dark cave, until recessed lights came on showing the firing lanes. The correctly armed crewmen passed around hearing protection. Then he took aim at the target, which was a full-sized person cut out in thick steel. The metal silhouette was set at ten meters from the firing line. It was close enough to the firing line that the on lookers could see that the target had some dents from other shooters.

When the almost two-inch-thick low-grade steal was hit with the small caliber upper barrel of the pistol, it "only" blew two holes all the way through the metal. The larger under barrel, blew the metal cutout head clean off at the neckline. The automatic range system quickly brought the damaged steel target back to the firing line for display. The whole group was impressed by the damage. While they were looking at the damage. A second target was hooked into the tracking rig by members of the warehouse range staff.

A body armor set was put on a second target, and it was sent to the 100-meter zone. Roberts escort used the rifle and put three rounds into the dead center of the body armored covered metal target as fast as he could pull the trigger. When it was brought back to the shooting line? The crowd was shown the holes blown threw the top plate of the body armor, metal target, and the Ballistic fabric armored back. The fluff line holes were very noticeable by the entire group of on lookers.

Back on New Circe there had been much debate, about these Colonial made weapons in public and in private. Some had pushed, that if they were sold? That they are not sold with "normal" military grade rounds. A few ideas had been kicked around, that had been focused on the advanced propellant and the cutting-edge bullet shape and design. The metallurgy of the bullet, sucked, compared to what SliE could make for their weapons. After one of the debaters had asked what they were worried about. Some House unit getting shot or maybe it would be good against the Clan infantry, if they came back. That had ended any debate, and the weapons and ammunition were officially offered up as possible cargo to leave the planet without any complaint by the public.

The hand-held weapons were just as useless against Mech armor, as the KEW's the Vipers had carried when the two cultures had met some many years ago. That was why the ammunition being sold, was right out of the Colonial's Navy cache. The City State was not making any new Colonial standard weapons anymore. They were buying up as many laser rifles and pistols they could. They still were making new ammunition to replace combat and training usage and being set aside as a backup. It was generating enough income to make it worthwhile for them.

Robert was keeping the salesman smile on his face, but he could hear what was being said in low voices around him. He was thinking that he might need to put on the list, more ammunition and all of the Colonial surplus weapons they wanted to give up. The walk back, Robert stayed three steps in front of the core of the local group. It would give the buyers some private space to talk.

When he got back to his display area. He went to the computers next to the boxes holding the Colonial weapons. The military uniformed people were now at the back of the group of on lookers. It was only the suits and the robes looking at the boxes with the computers. Robert put out the price per office computer, and it did not even get a raised eyebrow from this group of onlookers.

Duke Terry was standing to one side and made a head motion for Robert to come over to her. Robert stepped away from the display and Jess took over the display. She had answered a few questions from the group already. Terry had a wry smile and pitched her voice low to be masked by the back-ground noise, as Robert approached. This was not her first rodeo.

"Robert you are full of surprises today. I think you are going to be soaking all the money out of this group. Next time, can you bring just a few less expensive toys?" She was grinning as she was talking to take the entire sting out of the words. She was just as happy to get the taxes and consulting fees. She also was betting that Robert knew that she was only joking.

Robert just gave her a sly smile, while he was watching Jess. He did not hear what Terry had said next, so he got and elbow in the ribs. He then turned to look at the system leader. "I said! That I better get these boys moving, before they drool all over your merchandise."

Robert had a real smile on his face. "I would not want that to happen! Drool is so hard to clean off the weapons. It rusts them up something awful. Will we be seeing you later?"

Terry had a little glint in her eyes. "Yes, Robert. I think you will. Unless something comes up, that I can't get out of." She did not need to say that it would have to be something damn big to make her change her plans.

He reached out and held her hand a little longer, then he should have. "I would like that. I will have cold drinks set out or something stronger, if you want."

Before she could say more, one of her female aids came up on them. She had to pass a reminder to Terry, that they were on a time schedule and that they needed to move on. When Terry started gathering her flock of shoppers. The aid turned back on Robert and she was not smiling at him, more the opposite. She asked that Robert and his people stay in the Warehouse/Display House for another two hours. A truck would be sent around, to help them transfer there displays back to their dropships. When Robert gave the hatchet face woman a head nod, she quickly turned on her heals and followed the Duke.

When the group left the warehouse. Jess was reviewing her noteputor with some intensity. She had a smile on her face, which would not help with sales, but it might get her a date. They spent the next two hours in the Showroom. Robert decided to check out the other displays, but he had two armed escorts as he walked around the open space. He was let down, that there were not that many things that he or his people might need on display in the warehouse. That might change in the near future, and he noted every item that was made on this planet.

When Robert made it back to his people, they were already loading the local truck for the short trip back to the two dropships. Robert was watching them work, when Jess slid over to his right side. "Sir! I don't think you want to put the stuff back in the cargo bays when we get back. I have people starting to come over in two and a half hours to do some shopping."

She passed over her thin computer, on the display was a list of times and names. "I broke it down by time, group, and possible interest. We have three groups coming before dark today, and another two groups coming over tomorrow. I put ComStar down for noon tomorrow. It was kind of mean. I know that's the hottest part of the day, and with those robes? They will be cooking in their own juices." The look on her face was anything but apologetic.

Robert went to the times listed, that she was talking about and he bites his lower lip. He did not want to deal with those people again, but he had to admit she had a point. He was still trying to fight back a laugh, as he was thinking about the ComStar personnel in their thick and ornate robes in the high heat of the day without much shade and spending money.

"You did very well, and I think that time is perfect for them. Too bad you could not have told them the second Tuesday of next week at noon."

Jess looked at Robert a little confused. "But sir? There are not two Tuesdays in a single week on this planet?"

Now Robert could not hold it back, and he laughed. "Yes, Jess you're right." When it made it into Jess's brain what he had meant. She joined him in a good laugh. When the truck was loaded? The rest of the group walked back to the nearby dropship. This was the first time that most of them noticed. That the two landing pads holding their way home, were on the closest marked landing pads to the warehouse.

Robert and the walking group were slower to make it to the dropship, and when Robert saw a loadermech take a box into the White Rabbit. He had to grab his little radio out of his back pocket. He advised, both Cargo Masters. That they needed to prep a dozen more boxes of the displayed items, but not to bring them out until directed.

Robert walked the rest of the way to the dropship Lisbon Maru, without saying a word to anyone after the radio message. The items were on display by the time they arrived, but even in the shade. It was hotter than in the Warehouse that they had just left. Robert had someone set up inflatable field chairs and some portable shade put up over the displays, guards, and techs. Most of the shoppers would just have to make do with the slowly moving shade of the dropship. What could not be seen from the outside? It was that there was a group of very large, armed, and armored infantry squads near the access hatch on the dropships ready to go.

A little over two hours later. A group of small cargo trucks and two sedans, with a pair of Goblin medium tanks as escort, made their way down the marked road toward the two dropships. The Goblin was a medium class tank at 45tons. It carried a good deal of armor along with a large laser and an infantry bay, which was a nasty surprise on a tank. If one did not know that they were there. They could add an unexpected attack avenue. Still the pair of tanks were not a match to the weapons turrets, on the Blockade Runner.

According to Jess. This visitor was from the tank and infantry Mercenary unit from on the other side of the port. They called the flame scarred Triumph home. To Robert surprise, they were checking out the computers first. They spent about ten or fifteen minutes checking them out, very closely. Next, they then went to the boxes that held the Blazer Rifles. That was when an older woman, who was maybe the head of the unit techs, checked out the offered weapons. She ran test after test, on the weapons.

From the double-barreled lasers. They went to the other Colonial weapons. Robert had directed his people to give the shoppers some space. He was closer, and he overheard one of them talking about the range test to a fellow shopper. They were thinking that if their primary plan did not work, whatever that was. Then they could put these strange weapons as bailout weapons for the tank crews. That was a good idea, and even the SLDF had thought about that use for the ex-Colonial made weapons. That was until they were tested against the current made cut down Mauser. The Colonial weapons had not done well against the lighter lasers.

From the Colonial weapons, they went to the big dogs. The massive mech scale autocannons. Now more techs had hands in the shipping boxes. It was an hour before it looked like they were ready, but before they could talk business. They had to wait for a local government representative to come out to the dropships. As it turned out. This was in the form of Duke Terry and a 10-passenger wheeled van fitted out as a mobile office.

Duke Terry and Robert had a pair of chairs set up in the shade while Jess, locals and mercenaries worked out what they wanted. At least this time, they did not have to haggle about prices on any of the products. Robert had put out the pricelist at the warehouse and Jess had a few extra copies. They could take it or leave it. Robert knew that he could get the listed prices on the other planets he planned on visiting.

Terry was watching the mercenaries closely as they moved around the heavy weapons. She used her chin to point two out from the group. "Robert, those two don't look very happy. What do you think happen?"

Robert made a face but noticed that Jess was walking their way, and she was smiling. "I don't know, but I bet my partner in crime does." They waited until she was almost in the shade of the awning, after spending some time with the pair Terry had pointed out. "So, Jess? What were those two up-set about?" He used his head to point to the pair in question.

Jess tilted her head and did a slight turn, to see who he was talking about. "Oh them? The one on the left, is with the armored unit. He wanted more of the ultras. The heavy set one on the right is part of their supply department, and he is mad that we would not come down on the listed price for the Ultras."

The supply department on New Circe had spent a lot of computer time and brain power working out when they were going to have to drop the asking price down to 200,000 C-Bills on the KWIs. The running best guess was that it would be not long after MMM started making their own weapons of that class. That should be in less than five years from the first mission. Robert had said that it would be a lot shorter timeline, than what the supply department thought.

Duke Terry looked at Robert and then at Jess, so she was looking at the other woman when she started talking. "So, how well did you do."

She saw the off worlders head go back and her back straighten. It looked like she was going to balk at releasing that information to someone who was not part of her crew or company. Terry launched a disarming attack first. "Now, now Jess. All I would have to do is go ask my tax collector for that information. You are just saving me the time and energy of walking out in the hot sun to find out that information."

Jess looked at Robert, who gave her a slight nod. Jess returned to make eye contact with the Duke. "They picked up two of the ultras, a dozen Blazers, a dozen projectile rifles, twenty pistols and one of the computers."

Robert was a little surprised by the mix of equipment the mercenary unit had picked up, and it showed on his face. "That is…..odd. I would have thought they would have focused on only one type of items that we are selling. I was betting on them wanting every Blazer that they could afford. Having this many for sale and all of them being new builds? That would have let them increase their heavy weapons or anti mech squads almost overnight. Or they would get more of the mech scale heavy weapons and make them into a towed system, if they could not put them in their tanks right away." The confusion was even coming threw in his voice.

Terry was having fun and wanted to get one more dig in. "Now, now Robert. You have never commanded a ground unit. Your ships all have built in computers. All to help you manage things or store data for some maybe future contracts. Ground units don't have access to that kind of support, that often. Also, a unit out this way. That has a million and a half c-bills in the bank? That is hard to find. If I was a betting woman? I would bet that they are going to "only" use one of those Star League cannons and sell or more likely trade, the other one sometime down the road. They had a lot to choose from. They had to take a little of each, so that the overall unit is improved. If they are doing something like that? It makes them look better, when they start looking for their next contract."

Robert, Jess, and Terry watched the unit load their new pieces of equipment onto their own cargo trucks. The sun was past noon and getting closer to midafternoon, when the next customer showed up almost an hour early. It was the other major mercenary unit currently on the planet. Robert would have bet, that they had seen the other unit getting ready to leave the area and had decided to come on over as soon as they had cleared the area. Robert pressed some flesh, but Jess was going to be working the sales today. The only distraction was when some of the Dropship's crews left the ship, to go to town. Robert could tell that these representatives where from the Battlemech unit without needing to be told. They seemed to be a little let down, when they noticed that there was only one of the high-speed firing cannons left on display.

Jess asked how many they were interested in. It took a few minutes of talking, but finally they said they had been hoping to see two more of the cannons. Jess radio to the cargo bay, and within ten minutes. A pair of power loaders were bringing out another set of 9ton boxes. Robert could see, from his seat that their eyes had grown into the size of saucers.

This new group did not stay as long as the first, and when this non-escorted convoy also left the area around the pair of dropships. They had taken three of the ultra-cannons. They had not accepted one of the cannons, and a third fresh one had been brought out of the dropship. They had also picked up a couple of Colonial rifles and ten of the twin barreled pistols.

Robert was watching the van/office and the people inside seemed very happy after the second unit had left with their acquisitions. This got Robert to thinking. "You said earlier. That you were getting a sales tax on this. What exactly are you charging, for a sales tax on them?"

Terry had been watching and drinking a cold, and lightly alcoholic drink. She had been enjoying the setting and had been caught flat footed by the question, but she recovered quickly. "We have different levels of sales tax. If they bought weapons or other stuff from my people? They are not charged a sales tax, at all. If they buy weapons from a visiting merchant? They are charged a 2 percent fee." She stopped talking and turned a little flush. "I told them that with some preferred suppliers. We only charge a one percent tax for those purchases. We told them, that you were one of those preferred suppliers."

Robert kept his face still; this was new information. "Thank you, Duke. That was very nice of you."

Terry waved her hand in the air. "It's not that big of a deal. This is your third stop at my planet. All within less than a half a decade. I can tell you that the numbers of other merchants that have done that, they are very small. Maybe that will change in the future. I sent a message to MMM the other day. Letting them know that we would like to work with them on some side projects, that might be good for both of us. Even if they just nibble on that, it will be a boost for my planet."

She gave a mild laugh that led to a sarcastic noise. "I don't know how many other little planets out here, have done something like that. But what is the worst they can do to us, say no? I was out just the cost of the HPG message. I have made longer odd bets that have paid out, in the end."

Robert did not have a comeback and he just let it set. The sun was now casting longer shadows and it was just starting to cool off. Robert had someone from the bridge call the catering truck, to come out and feed his dropship's crews. The food truck was on the way to the dropships, when the third group headed out towards the grounded dropships, and everyone went on edge.

Terry stood up and smiled. "I hope you don't mind. I told my people to come out at one time as soon as the last group had left. I hope Jess does not mind." Terry had a sly grin on her face. She knew that sometimes she played games a little too hard with some people.

72 hours later the two dropships were getting ready to lift off again. It would not be two dropships taking off, but three. After Robert had contacted the Hobgoblin, sitting high overhead. He had been given some bad news. It was that some of the Vulcan parts were too big to fit out the personnel airlock of the small craft. The Leopard class dropship did not normally have small boat bays to land craft larger than 100 tons. The plan was quickly changed so that the modified Leopard would land at the drop port escorted by the one 80ton fighter.

After the odd shaped carrier landed, taxied to the correct spot, and cooled down. A loadermech and three small cargo trucks took the spare parts from an open fighter launching bay. Instead of waiting, Robert send the trucks to the other side of the drop port to the largest "normal" landing field. A few hours later an aircraft tow truck came over and slowly pulled the massive fighter to its new home. The local crew seemed very happy to have a new addition to their defense force.

Robert was not going to waste the time, so he had all of his power loaders crewed and deployed outside of the dropship. They started to pull out shipping crates. No one watching would know what was being off loaded from the Blockade Runner and publicly moved to the more combat-oriented dropship. After one of the larger metal crates was loaded back into the carrier, and the launch bay closed. The loaders went back the way that they had come. The crates would return to the cargo dropship two shifts later, and then they had to put the now empty metal crates away. One of the metal crates had went from massing almost 70 tons to only massing five tons, when it was removed from the Leopard back to the cargo ship. It might have been better cargo management to just dump the empty metal box and let the locals recycle it. Unfortunately, that would let unwanted eyes know something about what had been transferred to the fighter carrier.

Before they lifted off, Robert was in the briefing room on the White Rabbit with Jess. They were going over the sales that they had done on this planet. It was a good time to make sure all of the books were balanced. It was also a good way for them to get into a pattern that was most effective to do the job. Robert was not exactly gloating about the stop over. But he was looking forward to bringing up how well it had gone, when he got back home to Commander Xi. That did not mean that he was gloating, he was just satisfied, like the cat who had just eaten the prize canary.

"So, Jess? I understand that Duke Terry split up her buys, into small bites. Did she say why?"

Jess had to look at her notes more closely, before she could answer. "Yes, sir. She wanted to keep items for personal use, non-military, and military use, all separate for bookkeeping reasons." Now that she remembered the issues and was working on their own books. She could appreciate the effort to keep things like that clearly separated.

Robert was looking at some information on his own noteputor. "So, what was the breakdown for her and the robed religious nuts?"

Jess was ready for this, now that she had her own "books" in front of her. "She bought two ultras and two of the computers. I think she is going to put one of the cannons on the Jagermech and then she is going to sell the other one. The local militia picked up one ultra, but they also picked up a dozen Blazer rifles and matching number of Colonial rifles and pistols. I was asked to sign a memo for record, in triplicate. That said we were okay for them to try to make their own ammunition for the old Colonial weapons. We sold four of the computers to the other suits. I don't know what they did for Duke Terry, but I would bet they are working for her in some way or the other." In the back of Jess's mind, she could see one of the suits hooking up one of the computers in a new or expanding autocannon ammunition manufactory.

Jess put her notes away. "The ComStar people were a little mad at us, again. They did buy our "last three" ultra-cannons. This confirms what Terry had said that the local Com Guards did not have as much late Star League grade weapons, as they wanted everyone to think that they do. What upset them, was that they wanted to buy all of the computers. I told him that all we had left, where the ten that were on display. I don't think they bought it, not that we care. I would suggest that we be more careful about being to open with the rest of them."

Robert was running the numbers. He was thinking that they might should have tried to sell more items here, but he had the feeling that the locals were running out of money. "We will just have to deal with them, like we did on the last trip. If we take them back home? That would not break Commander Xi's heart. Great job. At our next stop, we will have to move those funds to a real bank. Well what we don't use at Dunianshire."

Jess was not surprised by the name of the planet he dropped. "So, you're still planning on going there? Why not just start going straight to Canopus?" She was still in training, so she felt that it was okay to ask why he had decided to make this move. Besides the last time that they were in that system. They had wasted time, and fuel to just get a lot of stone walling.

Robert let out a little breath. "Yes, but that is the only place that has one of the Families. The only one that we know of in this area. She is also the one that had time to look for someone who had the money to pick up our other jumpship. Anything after that? That is just bacon on our eggs."

Jess nodded her head in agreement, and she did not say anything more. She also was not going to say anything about when a certain person, had stayed over in Robert's room overnight. He was a grown man and Terry was above the age of consent. He had not done anything that others had not done a time or two on the last supply run, and he had not broken any protocols.

The lift off and the burn to the nadir jump point was noneventful. Robert was quiet for the whole six-day trip to the jump point. He had sent private messages back planet side a few times. Jess as the head of the intelligence section, could and did read them without telling the convoy commander. Just as Robert knew she would. And he knew that she would only find approved types of communications in those messages. Then again, he was the master of slipping things in a message that had double meanings.

The three dropships docked with the larger Styx, and three hours later. They had left the system to arrive in a lifeless star. While they were traveling, the command group was briefed on what the HPG team had been able to pick up while in passive mode. The reason for the stop was for two reasons. One was to make it a little harder for them to be tracked by spotting reports that could have been sent out by "someone". The second reason. It was that it took some time to fully decode some of the copied HPG messages. They did give them some information that might be useful. They were three days into the recharging cycle when the HPG team dropped the bombshell on the command staff.

Jess was looking at Robert along with all of the other officers in the room. This was a full command meeting of the small fleet. After the briefer had sat back down. He just shrugged his shoulders, at least he had some time to process what had been found by the reclusive team. "Well we know that they were watching us, and they had done so on all the other missions. Now we know that they want to find our people. And now we know that they have not worked out that the other missions were also part of our people. The way that they were screaming at the top of their lungs. I think that they think. That we were going to burn down their compound, because they tried to follow us a few months ago. The question is, what do we do about it?"

The Captain of the White Rabbit shakes his head side to side. "We cannot go back home yet. Even if we did not have to pick up the other crews, at Canopus. We should drive on with collecting a full load of cargo, but we must stay on alert."

Robert nodded in agreement to what was said. "Now what do we do, to protect ourselves? I have to choose. Do I keep the Hobgoblin with the Styx, or do I keep it close to the cargo ships?" Robert stopped talking for a minute to let the others think for a while with the peace within their own skulls. After almost one full minute of silence. Robert felt that no one else had an idea of how to react to the information, which had just been dropped on them. He was the fleet commander, and it was his job to take any action. But sometimes you have to see what others were thinking, or you would not be a commander for very much longer.

"Okay! This is what we will do. On major worlds, like Dunianshire, that has a powerful defensive force at the jump points. We will launch all three dropships towards the planet. When we are on some of the more minor worlds? I will keep Hobgoblin close to the Styx, with the Lisbon Maru still attached to her sides. I will be on the White Rabbit on those runs. We will just have to take care of ourselves, if things go sideways. Those are my orders, and those are the ones that I will enter into the log under my name."

Jess looked at the other Captains. "In the reports we intercepted. It did not say anything, about organizing any attacks on us. They were only trying to find out where we were getting all of the powerful computers, and the Late Star League aged weapons from. There was only one reference to an attack. It is now that we know it was two different ROM teams, which tried something on the last run. One had tried a little breaking and entering on the last trip. Do we think they might try something more aggressive on this run?"

The Captain of the Lisbon Maru made a sour face. "They were talking about the break in, but I would not put it past them to be the ones who paid for that pirate Leo to attack us. Now that we sold the Vulcan, and don't get me wrong. It was a hunk of junk, and I am not talking about the hulk. It could take out a light fighter with a single hit, and it would even give a smaller dropship a bite big enough to make them think about it before it did something dumb."

The Captain of the Hobgoblin had a little sly smile. "If you don't mind, Commander Copeland. I will take this one." He turned now to face the Maru's captain. "Yes, we lost the pair of good hitters in the Vulcan and they were good hitters. If any of them had lived, you could have asked that crew of the pirate leopard how good they were. What we gained, is a second Ironsides. So, we lose the two midsized autocannons and gained twin PPC's with the same damage to target. As we sell the other fighters? We will pull out, up to three more Ironsides SD1s. The now matched pair of Ironsides will start patrolling in a few hours."

This was new information for most of the Captains, but it was not new for Robert and Jess. The news went over very well. Robert made a note to review one of the plans that the head tech over on the Hobgoblin had sent up his chain of command. He had a feeling that things might go sideways, quicker than the brain trust back on New Circe might have thought when they had left.

Robert was hiding a smile from the others. "Okay, so we have the concern about our fighter screen taken care of. I want both security squads ready. We will still have only one on duty at any time, but it will be backed up by ships crews. We did this on the last trip, and we will do it again."

Robert looked around the room, and then they went to the next topic. Robert ended the meeting an hour and a half later, when they started rehashing things for the third time. He knew that each of the officers would be looking back threw the HPG logs, to see what else might be hidden in those lines of code.

Five days after the meeting was over. They were showing up at the Zenith jump point of the system that held the planet Dunianshire. They were just about 20,000 miles from the massive space station standing guard at that lonely point in space. It did not take them long to be welcomed into the star system. The only problem had been when Robert told them that they would be taking three dropships, and not the normal two ships coming into land on the planet. That delayed them getting the clearance to launch from the Jumpship, but only for a few hours. Robert was thinking that most of that delay had been just sending a message to the planet to let them know about the change.

Notes:

Sales tax on weapons. One of the ways the Wolf's Dragoons made money was acting as middlemen on any weapons sale being done on Outreach.

Stripping mechs or tanks to get others back into working order. This would be a skill that would have to developed and not just in this part of space.

Why do the local Com Guards need to buy SL tech weapons? There is a limit to even what Tera could support. In the Module Tukayyid, on page 27. You had to roll an 8 to get more level two gear. I was thinking that if half to a third of the mechs and tanks in that battle were "3025"? Then some place out in this area, so far from Terra would also be that way.

Current Ltzehoe OB. Jagermech, Enforcer, 2 Wasps. Saladin, Pegasus, 2 tracked APC's, 4 LRM, 4 SRM, 4 bulldogs and one INF BN. Backups and citizen soldiers are 4 LRM, 2 SRM, 4 bulldogs, Vedette, 2 INF BN. ComStar OB is still the same.

Captain to Commander. Copeland was "frocked" to Commander and his XO was promoted to Captain. This cleans up the chain of command. Jess has position over rank compared to the other dropship's Captains. Her mission, after taking command would be to get the mission back to New Circe.