Chapter 29

"Prissy, what's happened this time involving TJ and Morg. We both know the Navy sacked them — a move we'll regret for a very long time; SHOW has just filed formal notification of a price rise in the equipment they provide. Rise? Hades, more like an explosion and don't bother asking, the justification is solid. SHOW has been providing the gear at cost without allowance for R & D expenses. Damned fools! And there is that reconnaissance drone they have developed that we want even though they passed it to us for advanced work. That witch, Gabrielle Comminantes, had a weasel clause in the contract that while the developers were serving in the Navy, the work would be done gratis. Sorenson didn't have a hand in the drone and Hobson and Morgan are beached so it is going to cost us."

"How bad, Joe?"

"I've got to ask for additional funds from the Admiralty; my discretionary won't carry it and I have a suspicion First Space Lord's wont either. The request will have to go to Treasury and probably Parliament. So what other good news have you got regarding them?"

"It's the Naval arrest warrant."

"I hadn't heard there was one. What is going on?"

"The last courier from Admiralty brought with it a warrant for the arrest of the officers and crew of "Tulip" who served during the last trip to New Liege. No one has explained what we were doing sending a vessel to Harbouria — last I heard it was shoot on sight. However, a warrant has been raised and wasn't served when "Tulip" returned to Settlement so it chased the crew down here..."

"All of them, Prissy?"

"All of them, Joe. The charge is espionage during the trip..."

"Hold on a bit; our lot are charging members of our Navy for spying on an enemy or did they spy on us and tell the enemy?"

"Its just a bit confusing, Joe. Seems the mission was under a flag of truce and they should not have been spying, yet TJ showed me the orders telling him to spy."

"Run that by me again, Prissy. I am now totally confused. Or better still start from the beginning."

"Suit. Four weeks ago, actually the day after they returned to Gorgipest, TJ and Morg Windsor met with me at their request on 'a matter of urgency'. They explained the change of command, their promotions and presented copies of the Gazettes which I confirmed as we had them on secret file. They showed me the orders TJ personally received and they appear authentic — needless to say we don't get copies of those documents. He then showed me the 'last minute' orders he received ordering him to conduct an intelligence read spying mission under cover of the flag of truce. Morg then introduced me to the wonder of Jane's Space Warships and produced a still taken by Lieutenant Woods as "Tulip" left harbour last time she was here. I've asked your ADC for advice as to "Tulip's" capabilities as shown by Jane's and that still. I showed him the 'spy' orders and his comment was extremely rude — something about a wet dream but basically, Tom says "Tulip" might have been able to find her way out of a fog but not much more.

TJ and Morg also made similar comments. TJ then tells me that at Maureen's Moon, he discusses his 'spy' orders with Admiral Zukak. She apparently raised merry Hades and confirms that "Tulip" was just not capable of complying even if the order was legitimate. Zukak's comments are hearsay at this point but I've no doubt if put to the test will be confirmed.

There is a sting in the warrant's tail in that "insubordination" is foreshadowed..."

"Prissy, I know you have no sense of humour where the law is concerned but are you seriously telling me that if "Tulip" spied the crew can be arrested and if they didn't they can be arrested for insubordination for not spying?"

"That is what has come down from on high, Joe."

"Prissy! Now listen very carefully what I am now going to say to you. I order you on pain of court martial for insubordination, to take no action in this matter. None whatsoever and don't try that "I'm the JA" crap because I'll literally have you in irons up on the asteroid if you in any way proceed with that warrant. If we are very lucky we might just quash this before it gets started because if we don't, this will tear the Navy apart as well as destroy Parliament's faith in the Admiralty. This stinks and the odour is Brown Hollow and his rodents."

"That's easy, Joe. We got served with an injunction as soon as the SPs went to arrest them and even if I wanted to, I can't touch them — that trip to New Liege was under the command of the Winsor Principal King at Arms and covered by Crown Immunity. I just got the news from Lady Alexandra, Gorgipest King at Arms and she is fit to be tied. She is Morg Windsor's partner — well one of them anyway; Hobson's and Windsor's relationship's with sundry females leaves me confused."

"A further word of advice, Prissy, don't run foul of the Windsor Women — they are Hobson's Harem and I don't want to have to send you comfort rations when you command the Military Prison on the Asteroid."

...

TJ had used the time of the yacht voyage back to Gorgipest considering the possibilities of CID's options as well as attending to his 'crew's' questions and where appropriate comfort.

He found Clare Gillard a bit down because she had been dismissed off Crusher and the Service in what the Commandant had admitted was blatant political viciousness. But, like so many before him claiming that the overall good of the service was more important, he handed her the orders dismissing her. She had spent several weeks in abject misery at her fate until her Soyn PDA had delivered a sim message warning of "Tulip's" fate. She got her act together quickly and warned TJ and the rest is history as they say. She accepted her fate was tied to TJ and Morg and bluntly stated that at the brainstorming sessions held.

The sessions discussed their futures but no one even contemplated separation of the group. The idea of not staying in Gorgipest or any other part of the Kingdom held considerable appeal to them.

A chance conversation with the captain of the yacht, a two striper, yielded some interesting information.

"I know you from somewhere, Mr, ahh, Lightoller" TJ stated and identified the officer from his nametag."

"Yessir, I was 'Second' on "Titan" when you rescued us - I had the port airlock so you probably saw me there. After your marine coldcocked the Captain, I went aft to the boat station and got an emergency boat assembled and you shot-putted us through the boat bay force field; demned good piloting, that."

"What on Sol are you doing driving a charter yacht? To be Second on "Titan" surely you've got your Master all tonnage all space?"

"Don't mean a thing. None of the officers from "Titan" will ever reach First let alone command anything bigger than this and never with a regular shipping line. Headmale wants to forget about "Titan" and anybody who had anything to do with her. Same thing happened to my ancestor but at least the Enkland Royal Navy had more sense than this lot and he came out of that war as a full commander with DSC and bar. Still couldn't get command, though, in civvy street. Wouldn't be surprised if you were tainted with the "Titan" curse."

"No, there's another reason the Navy got rid of us but it didn't involve the crew. That was sheer bloodymindedness. So, we are all stuck with one another and looking for something to do with ourselves. Been thinking of getting a small freighter and travelling the galaxy dealing in galactic fashion — take a year to saunter around a race track sort of thing. In your travels have you seen anything we might use?"

"Not really. There is a rather unusual vessel you might by some stretch of the imagination call a freighter anchored off the scrapyard in Gorgipest. It's a prize apparently condemned by the Admiralty but no one wants her. No one has claimed her either and I know for a fact that notices were sent out of her capture to at least Bhute and the southwest and to the USW. Word is they'd give her away if someone would take her away — seems she has a fission pile for a power plant. Scares me silly just to think about it."

"You'd change your mind if you could command her, I'll wager" TJ laughed.

"Got to admit you have a point" Charles Herbert Lightoller XIV smiled.

Otherwise TJ, Morg, Cedric and Orville brainstormed ideas about reconnaissance drones, missile weapons and other things which might make things safer travelling about the galaxy — no one questioned that would be their fate as they had seen the profits from both House of Tulip and Tulip Inc. Orville did surprise everyone by announcing that he could build a missile / drone power plant using no more than a good Naval Medium Repair Vessel's workshops. And then proceeded to prove his point — at least theoretically; his research on the Adama Wartzillo or whatever had given him the idea of miniaturising the power plant of that prize "Tulip" had piggybacked. Morg ran the figures through his brain and then checked them on his PDA and conceded that Orville might just be onto something.

And what was happening about the prizes, anyway? Blank looks. Another item on the to do list.

Coming out of hyper at Gorgipest, Morg had commed his family to appraise them of arrival — they had been told of events prior to Settlement hyper using the private link. The yacht was still under charter so there was no rush to unload the goods but it was planned to fly the flivver off.

The next day, TJ and Morg had requested an urgent discussion with the Naval base's Judge Advocate whom they had met during the "Tangerine" pirate affair. They were greeted cordially and their explanations taken under advisement. After leaving the base, TJ had a short period of intense neuronal activity and as a result he had dragged Morg to LUST where another interesting discussion was held with Aunt Gabrielle. She had as suspicious a mind as TJ's and sooled her inhouse legal sharks onto the Supreme Court applying for an injunction against the Navy restraining that Institution from any action against the named persons in the injunction. The injunction was issued but not served immediately.

Gabrielle was able to inform them the captured gunship had been condemned as a prize and bought into Customs and Excise for the planet. The 'freighter' had been towed over to Chas Ferguson scrapyard just to get her out of the way while so far fruitless inquiries were completed. Preliminary proposals for her disposal as a functioning vessel had met with nil responses primarily because of her power plant. The Environment Department had intervened when a suggestion that she be sold for scrap was put forward — again the power plant. The disbursements for the gunship had come through and for a matelot represented a very nice bonus whereas Gillard's share as captain would be a nice retirement fund if care was taken.

While TJ and Morg were dashing hither and yon, the new arrivals were introduced to the intricate financial arrangements about TJ and Morg in which several of them were involved through Tulip Inc ... Cedric and Orville were informed they had been granted shares in SHOW for their contributions in the further development of "Lone Ranger" — Orville was totally at a loss and was told to question TJ and Morg.

The mere males in the gathering were told to explore the town while the females were to be shown over the various establishments. The ladies did not immediately depart however. Ally continued her dissertation, but this time on a much more basic level,

"Just to clarify things so there is no misunderstanding. The Windsor Women consist of Julie and her four daughters of whom I am the oldest. We are TJ Hobson's; locally we are referred to as Hobson's Harem. Pat Sweeney is my brother Morg's partner, lover, paramour, mistress or however you care to describe her. While our men are in Gorgipest, they are ours — exclusively. You get them when you accompany them elsewhere but we want them when here and we will fight for them. Also be warned there was a thing going between TJ and Ivy Sorenson which might have gone off the boil. Those of you interested in Cedric, Orville or Colin Bolem are clear of this squabble same for those with no great interest in TJ or Morg."

"Hey! No fights, suits?" Clare faced the Windsors with palms held up. "We knew there were dirtside interests and sort of accepted it. Now I'm faced with it — and I'm back in his herd again — I can live with that. I've got two questions; what happens when the bull wants a particular cow and now they are out of the Navy, why not come with us?"

Julie answered,

"Second first, there are the financial foundations here and my daughters each have a part of these as special interest. If the bull wants a cow that's between them and the residents have to accept that. I can see we will have to think again if they remain dirtside for long but they have not finished wandering yet and they'll be off again. When they settle, wherever they settle, we will work things out because speaking for myself, whatever TJ wants, I'll kill to get for him."

Those hearing that and seeing Julie's face as she said it, understood it was meant literally.

"Whose interest is in Morg?" Pat asked, "You're 'Nita James? Right? No more? 'Nita let's you and I have a little talk" and led 'Nita out of the sitting room.

Dell took the women who had no special interest in TJ or Morg down to the gym.

The discussions held were cordial and sometimes derisive but harmony prevailed.

Cedric commed TJ as soon as they hit the Sloane Square pavement not only to let him know events but to see what was going down with the group. They met up at a restaurant outside the main gates of the Naval Ground Base. Information was exchanged with TJ and Morg looking askance at one another and then shrugged. They decided to take a shuttle taxi to the yacht, retrieve their skinnies and hard suits and inspect that freighter using the flivver as transport — TJ and Morg admitted they were looking for a space going vessel in which to tour the galaxy and expand the House of Tulip which would pay for the expense — they hoped.

The group picked up an extra as Lightoller expressed interest in having a 'dekko'.

Discussions were had with the Admiralty court about purchase of the 'freighter' at scrap prices. The crew of "Tulip" were the potential purchasers except for the five who had disembarked at Settlement.