"Brandis, why couldn't you have revealed this project before our current crisis?", the General called out to him.
The Motorpool colonel rode his Lone Wanderer up to her. He still had a broad smile on his face. "What was that General?" As soon as she tried to speak, he revved the draw down on the fusion power supply making the coolant pumps rattle the radiators. "I'm sorry. What was that?"
Annoyed even more so now, the General reached over his arm and deactivated the motorcycle. "I had said.", she told him warningly. "Why couldn't you have revealed this project before our current crisis?"
"What crisis is that, General?", he asked in an all business voice.
The General folded her arms. "So you haven't heard that our only overland route to the Capitol Wastes has been blockaded by both the Brotherhood of Steel and Talon Company."
Suddenly the man was all business. He turned side saddle on the motorcycle. "They'er working together?"
The General turned to Desdemona. "We don't think so."
Brandis stroked his beard. "I don't see how the very, very one of these I managed to fix up would get us out of the problem anyway. We ship things to the front with Zao. And it's not like one of these can take the load that a brahmin does for civilian traders. I was thinking this would be put to use for recruiting postmen, so letters and Publick Occurences could become a more timely thing."
The General paused. "Okay, that makes a lot of sense. I'll have to have Garvey find ourselves someone for the mail and decide whether the bike puts them under your command of the information puts them under Radio Freedom's."
Another pause lingered. "Alright, look alive. Civilian shipping can resume if it's naval. The Brotherhood of Steel doesn't have any naval capabilities besides walking a power armor out to sea. Rivet City becoming a proper port could probably help them regain community status, not just by the economic boon of more potential trade coming through but the cultural influx of regular visiting. We have civilian ships in the Commonwealth already."
Desdemona started questioning. "You're not going to have Zao take over."
"I don't want to.", the General hesitated. "We're able to fund - and yes, it's funding by using economic output even if no cap exchanges hands - our Navy with the settlements and, if we need to, what the communities have contributed which we've most stockpiled after paying off the Trigger...Vault 114. For chems, not, you know...rackets or anything.
"Should I authorize a fund for prostitution shore leave? That would build Vault 114's reputation as the Atlantic city of the Commonwealth. That alone could bolster the economy by adding a tourism industry, which would cascade into Nuka World becoming a family friendly alternative. But then I'll never be able to rescind it. And do I match it with a chem allotment?"
The woman physically waved the thought away. "Sorry, one problem at a time.
"Anyway. If we start shipping then we're actually in over reach territory. Why trade with civilians when you can meet the government for cargo? Which means the civilian trading collapses when civilians can't afford to be traders. Which collapses Bunker Hill and Canterbury Commons. Which collapses scavvers as their demand outlets disappear and they can't become traders because we've taken the niche."
Brandis pointed out, "But we're taking trade over already if we're going to have mail."
The lawyer shook her head. "No, we're subsidizing.
Benjamin Franklin realized that a disconnected country needs a regular exchange of communication to maintain an identity. We're the Commonwealth because people trust the Minutemen, value having a certain belonging to other communities, the shared radio stations, even my own celebrity. That's why I part of why I promoted Radio Freedom to major: we need to have that uniformity across all of the Commonwealth's territories now that they're farther flung. That cultural identity is more integral to national security than, and I hate to put it this way, losing an important place people are surviving. We could more easily survive the Brotherhood of Steel nuking Sanctuary Hills than the citizens at large not respecting that the Minutemen are the neutral arbitors of the borders of their communities.
"But that's why. The how is that official mail service is a new thing. Traders carry stuff and go where the dealing is. Mail can take a scheduled route through secure territory. We specifically limit what can be sent and charge a very specific price for things; a cap a post card, two for a letter up to a few pages, that sort of thing. Even if it's not quick to get from the Cathedral of Happiness to Acadia, it's then known. There's a reason to use it. It's a different thing from anything on the market. And while we're in ownership of the bike, and the uniform, and we're supplying the carrier from settlements it's still possible down the line to let it become private. Even though we probably won't, as we'd stop supplying and the carriers would try to figure out market rates and route efficiencies on their own which could risk destroying the entire enterprise.
"So mail - settled. Anne gets us a uniform, Garvey recruits someone, we announce the schedule but not the route and prices on Radio Freedom, done."
The General took a breath. "But we need to keep actual trade in actual civilian hands. The problem is that I don't think anyone capable of handling a ship at sea isn't already doing so."
Brandis asked, "Why couldn't Zao train some civilians? Or even have one of his crews turn civvy?"
"Because then what separates the Minuteman from the civilian?", the General replied.
"In my time, a person served a specific term and should they survive then they went back to civilian life with whatever they've earned. They could then leverage their skills in the civilian economy. But look at the situation we're in post-apocalypse.
"There's never been a Minuteman leaving the service that's been a good thing. Yes, death takes us all and we're on the front line of that. Even this uniform comes from a corpse of my predecessor. But the Minutemen fell apart because people didn't have any hope of surviving the forces that were set against the Minutemen. Libertalia. Quincy. There's value in not reminding the public of any of that. There's value in keeping every piece of experience in the service. Considering how dangerous the world is, there's value in us not expecting to survive our service even if we all make it to Shaw's or even Zao's age. There's value in no one really having an idea of joining and then leaving. I'm not saying it's not allowed if say...someone sends word up the chain because they want to start a family and turn civilian in a settlement. But it is something that we want to think about and require at least Garvey to sign off on if not myself.
"So if Zao trains them, even for this purpose - what does that mean? Are they civilians trained by the military? Why wouldn't every civilian want military training, to the point where we no longer train recruits? The benefits of civilians being able to handle themselves is going to be so massive that we're going to easily overshoot the point of diminishing returns into straight losses. Do we decommission a crew? Because that would be more destabilizing than the first idea - what enterprising civilian wouldn't want to join the Minutemen to get trained up on resources and then expect to take those resources to start some business venture? Back when we had airlines, piloting was a nearly expected ex-military pilot's job."
The General took a breath. "Alright, you tell me if this is corrupt. Because if it is, I won't do it. What if I tell Piper what we've discussed. Instead of just announcing the threat posed on the road to the Capitol Wastes, I tell the owner of Publick Occurrences that there's an opportunity to enter the ferry market which will still be there in the future because it'll be faster than the overland trek anyway. Then whoever in the populace that wants to become the next sailor can do so."
"What's the corrupt part?", Desdemona asked.
The General turned to her like she was crazy. "My using personal influence to seed public opinion."
The woman nearly playfully pushed her. "Get the fuck out of here. If that's your corrupt thoughts then we're all criminals.", she announced, falling for the General manipulating her opinion again.
"How are they going to protect themselves?", Brandis asked. "Zao's told me that they've seen some wild things at sea."
"How to caravan hands protect their traders?", the General replied. "I mean, we'll do what we can. I'd rather coast guard to the point of one to one escorts than attempting to merchant marine for all the reasons we've discussed."
"So what about the blockaders themselves?", Desdemona asked.
Brandis shrugged. "I'll get some flyboys on it."
"Can't.", the women said in unison.
The General continued. "Apparently, they're camped out at places that an aerial assault would destroy the route for good.
"What we can do is blockade them. Ensure they're not resupplied. When the dangers of the road and a lack of supplies force them to confront us, it'll be in a place where they're under artillery fire let alone air support. Hopefully, we can get some surrenders particularly on the mercenary side. I want inside intel on Talon Company."
Desdemona's mask nodded. "Considering they were more likely trying to squeeze people for tolls than actually cut us off, that's likely."
"Dammit.", the General cursed. She drew her laser out and pointed it at Desdemona.
"What?", Brandis exclaimed.
"Right! What?", Desdemona exclaimed.
The General pinched her brow. "It just dawned on me that you're fully covered to protect your identity as an Intelligence officer. But there's vampires to be concerned with. I need for you to expose yourself to sunlight but I'm the only one with the authority to witness it. And if it turns out that you're somehow disguising yourself as our colonel to the point that I'm fooled by your voice and you're as swift as the wind, then I need to outdraw you. So we need to take a walk away from the castle, alone. Then I can let you go on with your business while I start issuing orders for the mail and this blockade."
Desdemona nodded. "But the general shouldn't be left alone with a potential vampire. Maybe I should wear handcuffs until I'm cleared?"
"And when you have the strength of ten men?", the General countered.
The woman shrugged. "At least have Sarge come along. It can be literally sworn to actual secrecy about what I look like. And if I show up in mirrors, that's a point in my favor - right?"
"Sounds like a plan.", the General agreed. "We need to bring in Vance's people by hook or crook, peace or war, now. We were always vulnerable to your replacement due to your need for disguise. But trying to anticipate powers is getting ridiculous."
