Chapter 35
Year 4, Day 72, Endeavour, Terra Prime
Alexander was muttering profanities under his breath as he read the latest expenditure reports. The next week was going to be very busy, and he cursed the ESRO sliding research team for their lack of progress. He was looking at close to thirty trips if his mental math was correct.
The medical supplies he didn't begrudge, those at least were fairly small, only three thousand kilograms worth, but the amount of stuff that the military wanted was obscene. He made a note to talk to Mark Clayworth about the request for a freaking orbital defence gun. Unless they had a very compelling reason, that was ten tons he could scratch off the list.
The ESRO wish-list usually was another good one to pair down, and he put a question mark next to the request for more tannot root and chakan oil from the Farscape Universe. He'd got them a few hundred kilos of each just the month before, if they'd burn through that already he was going to have words, angry words.
While he agreed an energy weapon ammunition supply that you could grow was definitely something they should be looking at, he was suppose to be their leader not their pack mule.
At least he didn't have to deal with food anymore, apart from a few vitamin supplements and luxury goods they were self sufficient now. Feeding an ever growing settlement had always been a massive pain in the ass.
Early on Alexander had realised that there was a good likelihood of dissent fomenting due to perceived, or actual, favouritism. Mainly when it come to the availability of luxury goods, little things like Tim-Tams or Imported Coffee. Reaching back into his distant past Alexander had found a solution that would have made his grandmother proud.
He ran a raffle. Each week every citizen of good standing, meaning they hadn't been arrested for anything lately, was entered automatically into a drawing. The one hundred winners were each given a catalogue and told they could pick any items they wanted, adding up to no more than twelve kilograms. Apart from needing to implement a "win and miss the next drawing" rule after one lucky bastard had managed to win four times in a row it had worked very well.
This weeks winners were asking for the usual stuff for the most part, coffee was popular, as was chocolate, but one entry caused Alexander to raise an eyebrow.
"Why the hell does Buzz want ten kilos of raspberry flavoured condoms?" Alexander asked himself in disbelief.
Year 4, Day 82, High Orbit, Terra Prime
Alexander grinned like a loon as he listened to the clanging of his feet as he walked along the metal of deck of the Space Station orbiting Terra Prime. It had taken a lot of work, and been delayed by the war effort against the Kromaggs, but the core of the station had finally been finished. Compared to some of the stations he'd seen in the multiverse it was tiny, barely twice the size of the ISS on a contemporary Earth, but it was his.
They'd had the naming ceremony the day earlier, with one lucky school child pressing a button that sent a very expensive bottle of champagne spinning into the hull, that one act had symbolically given birth to the I.S.B (Imperial Star Base) Dawning Light. Alexander had been rather impressed with the names offered, but most of them were fairly martial in origin, and he didn't want to start a tradition that had things named Gutcrusher and Manifest Destiny. Come to think of it he made a mental note to keep an eye on the kid who suggested Manifest Destiny, he (or she!) might make a good officer somewhere down the line.
At this stage the Dawning Light wasn't much, basically just an air conditioned tin-can with grav platting and some computers, it only had a handful of point defence lasers to keep any micrometeorites from ruining all their hard work, but in the future? It would be something to behold.
Already the I.S.V Foundation, Terra Prime's first spacecraft, was being retrofitted for future trips to the asteroid belt, and plans were being drawn up for the dry docks that would build their first hyper-capable starships.
Looking down upon his world Alexander felt a surge of pride at all they'd accomplished a few short years and wondered just where they'd be in a century.
***
Year 4, Day 94, Washington DC, Earth 29 (Codename Stalingrad)
Alexander was dressed in an expensive savile row suit that was going more frayed around the cuffs as he fidgeted with them; he was currently waiting in a plush room with only two unsmiling men in black suits and dark glasses for company... oh yeah and he was in the freaking White House.
Alexander had never been much of an Americanophile in his old life, but not even a die-hard Australian patriot could fail to be indoctrinated by the sheer power that the building held, it's history, and right at that moment Alexander understood what they meant when they called it the 'ultimate home court advantage'.
The young king had been rather shocked when Archer had contacted him the day before and informed him that the President expected him at his earliest convenience. Part of Alexander rankled that some local politician thought they could give him orders, but most of him was more concerned how the American President had even found out about him in the first place.
"Lord Harlow" Alexander was jolted out of his thoughts when a middle aged woman came into the room and spoke to him, "The President will see you now."
***
The Oval Office was smaller than he expected, that was Alexander first impression when he walked into the famed room; his second thought was that the President of the United States was shorter than she looked on TV.
Melissa Row, the first female President of the United States in this universe, was standing in front of a large wooden desk, dressed in a dark pantsuit, her appearance almost alien in it's perfection, not a hair out of place, but what startled Alexander the most of the tiny flash of silver he spotted on the back of her neck. She was wearing a mind-shield.
Alexander hesitated for a moment, mid-step, before steeling himself and stride forward resolutely, ignoring the half dozen very large secret service guards tensing at his movement. He stopped a few steps away from the President and stuck out his hand.
"Pleasure to meet you Madam President" Alexander said smiling.
The woman glanced at his hand, before lightly taking it, "Indeed Lord Harlow, we have a lot to talk about."
There was some smalltalk and pleasantries before Alexander was guided to a comfortable seat on one of the sofas on either side of the Presidential seal. Refreshments were served and Alexander asked for a cup of tea, he was trying to cut down on his coffee intake.
"So, you're the one plotting the overthrow of my government" Row said mildly after taking a sip of her coffee.
Alexander almost choked on his tea, before sitting it down. "I'm sure I don't understand what you mean Madam President"
Row raised a perfectly plucked eyebrow, "Really? Secretary Archer has told me everything"
"Than you know my actions have been in the best interests of this world" Alexander said, twitching his fingers in a preset pattern to prime his emergency transit marco.
"Have they?" Row asked, "You've been recruiting people from governments the world over with tales of killer apes from dimension X planning on invading our world. I'd be a fool not to consider that the whole thing was a setup, some convoluted plan of yours"
"If that's the case why are you wearing the mind-shield?" Alexander asked as he picked up his tea and took another sip.
Row's hand half reached up to her neck before going back down to her lap, "Touche, Lord Harlow. No, the Kromaggs are real, we knew about them before you even showed up, we're not stupid, but I still don't trust you."
Alexander blinked, "You knew?"
Row laughed, it was a bitter sound, "Of course we knew, we found out within weeks of their arrival, telepathy doesn't work on computers"
Alexander smiled and leaned back in his chair, "They compromised someone you had under surveillance didn't they?"
It was Row's turn to be taken aback, but she rallied quickly, "You're not as reliant on your advisors as we were lead to believe"
"Oh I am" Alexander said breezily, "but that has more to do with a natural laziness than a lack of intelligence"
"So I see" Row said, covering a smile with her coffee cup. "The question is where do we go from here?" she asked after a moment.
Alexander smiled and rubbed his bottom lip with his thumb, "Isn't it obvious? We stop the invasion, and free every last human the Kromaggs have enslaved"
Excerpt from Alexander Harlow's Personal Journal. Year 4, Day 120, Endeavour, Terra Prime
It's been almost a month since I first met President Row, and if I didn't have DNA evidence to the contrary I'd think the woman was part shark. She is utterly ruthless. In a month she managed to bring every major military power on her world into a coalition against the Kromaggs.
A Fucking Month.
Between MI-6, the CIA, FSB, and a few dozen other acronyms the Kromaggs infiltration force is covered day and night. They're refraining from any overt action while they plan a combined defence against an invasion.
Speaking of the defence, that's another area where the dear President has been badgering me. She wants sliding tech, and I'm very hesitant to give it to her. Without LVIOS targeting upgrades, which still aren't working, the Kromagg drives can't go very far, dimensionally speaking, but given time, and their advantageous location in the multiverse that's something they can overcome.
The very last thing I want is to replace the Kromaggs with a Human pan-dimensional empire. The other tech isn't much of an issue, I've had Matt and Arkady handling that, they've given them a few bits and pieces, mainly gravity drives and old, as in Sith War era, blaster tech, which is still worlds ahead of the Kromagg stuff.
If it wasn't for the fear of them getting sliding tech off the Kromaggs when things kick off I'd consider issuing a blanket "NO WAY IN HELL", but if they might get it anyway...
What the hell have I done?