Greenies

starting point.'

'I like the way you think, Major. You're showing some good old-fashioned WestHem gumption.'

'Thank you, sir. Now I'd better get cracking on this thing.'

'Of course,' Browning said. 'Right after you prepare a press briefing for me on this latest development.'

'Press briefing? Sir, time is of the essence here. Can you get one of the other staff aides to put together the briefing?'

'Nobody does them as well as you do, Major,' Browning told him. 'You have a certain flair for that sort of thing. You know how to put military terminology into terms the ignorant civilians can understand. Besides, what's another couple of hours anyway?'

Wilde sighed, said his 'yes, sir' and then went to work on the press briefing. As soon as it was complete General Browning delivered the 'good news' to the big three.

General Jackson and Major Sprinkle watched General Browning's briefing live on the main terminal in Jackson's office. Like Major Wilde both men were simply beyond astonishment at the stupidity of the decisions being made by their adversaries and by the fact that they were announcing them in advance. This one, however, was quite possibly the stupidest of them all. They had just stood down the space strikes indefinitely.

'And so it is felt,' Browning's image explained, 'that since the liberation and occupation of both Eden and New Pittsburgh are now imminent, there is little point in destroying the vital rail linkages that provide access and commerce to those two cities. These rail lines, after all, are what will allow us to move our own troops and equipment to other Martian cities and to quickly resume commerce and transportation as soon as they are secure. In particular we will need to move military supplies, steel, and manufactured products from New Pittsburgh to Eden and we will need to move food and other agricultural products from Eden to New Pittsburgh. These intact rail lines will also help alleviate the starvation and famine that has been rampant on Mars since the terrorist elements seized control of it four months ago.'

'So what do you think?' Sprinkle asked. 'Trans-Continental behind this one?' Trans-Continental Railways was the largest rail conglomerate in WestHem with an incredible forty-four percent market share of all passengers and freight that traveled by train. They were also the parent company of MarsTrans, the company who held an absolute monopoly on all Martian rail travel, be it passengers or freight, intra-city or inter-city. MarsTrans was, in fact, Trans-Continental's most profitable division — or at least it had been until the Martians had seized it.

'Undoubtedly,' Jackson replied. 'The same story as the rest of the corporations. They don't want their property destroyed in the name of liberating the planet — some other corporation's property is fine, but not ours.'

'It's what you said would defeat them,' Sprinkle said, sorry for all the bad-mouthing he'd done of Jackson since his decision not to engage retreating troops and his decision to hold all MPG units in place despite the threat of concentrated attack on Eden. 'You called it, General. You called it just like it is.'

'I used my common sense,' Jackson said. 'And now it's telling me that our WestHem friends can't possibly screw up their plan anymore than they already have. It's time to start shifting forces around. We'll move all combat units from Libby to New Pittsburgh and all combat units from Proctor to Eden. All space units up on Triad can stand down from general alert for now but they must remain on the base. Let's see if we can arrange for some booze and smokes up there for them — although it will have to be in shifts — they deserve it.'

'That sounds good, General,' Sprinkle said. He hesitated a few seconds and then said, 'What happens if the information the WestHems are putting out on the big three is merely disinformation? Suppose they land outside Libby or Proctor instead? Or suppose they send everything after Eden or NP as they originally intended?'

'Then we would lose whatever city they went after,' he said simply. 'There is no way around that. I don't believe, however, that what Mr. Browning is spouting up there is disinformation. They're not really capable of deception on that level.'

'We hope,' Sprinkle said.

'We hope,' Jackson agreed. 'I know it's not militarily wise to rely on hope in a campaign, but it's gotten us this far, hasn't it? We'll just have to hope a little longer and if we succeed, we'll make sure we never have to hope again.'

Sprinkle nodded. 'Well put,' he said.

'I'm going to the war room to issue the movement orders,' Jackson said. 'Why don't you start working your sources and trying to figure out if the WestHems are planning any surprises for us?'

'Yes, sir,' Sprinkle said. And though it wasn't customary in the MPG, he gave Jackson a smart salute before he left the room.

Jack Strough of the cargo handler's union gave his usual dose of trouble when the order came down. He called Jackson personally and complained that 'his people' at Libby and Proctor were being forced to unload several trains filled with agricultural supplies and food products and to move in dozens upon dozens of flatcars in order to make way for the stream of tanks, APCs, and soldiers that would be coming in the next morning.

'They're going to have to work all night long in order to get everything ready,' Strough's image told Jackson. 'We have strict union regulations against forcing employees to work before 0700 or after 1700. I'm telling you, my people may very well refuse to do it.'

'Your people are operating under emergency wartime conditions,' Jackson said. 'Under the existing planetary constitution a state of planetary emergency allows certain union regulations — particularly of the transportation industry — to be disregarded. One such regulation is the work hours your people are subject to.'

'That allows their employer to order them to work extra hours and night shifts,' Strough said. 'And it simply suspends the grievance process if they refuse. Their employer is MarsTrans and I hardly think MarsTrans wants them to stay up all night loading your military equipment.'

'Strough, you know as well as I do that under wartime regulations control of the Martian transportation system is handed over to the MPG and the Martian government. That would made myself and Governor Whiting the employer and I'm using that authority to order all available cargo handlers to work for the duration of this transfer of forces. I want your people working twelve-hour shifts with twelve off in between. Those train yards will run day and night until this move is complete. Any employee refusing to work without good cause will be fired.'

'There are those who would say that since this is technically an illegal seizure of the planet under strict rule of law, that you do not, in fact, have the authority to assume control of the rail system and that MarsTrans remains the true employer. Therefore our union regulations are still fully in place and enforceable.'

Jackson clenched and unclenched his fists a few times. He was very tired and had many more pressing things to worry about right now. He needed this shit like he needed a leak in his water bong. 'Look,' he said, 'I'm not going to argue semantics and legalities with you. I believe Governor Whiting has already been over this ground with you and your people several times. Those train yards need to run until this move has been made. Workers refusing to do their jobs will be fired. That is final.'

'It's also unenforceable,' Strough said. 'Even if my workers do agree to show up for these shifts you order, there's no guarantee that a work slow-down of some sort would not occur. In fact, I would think something like that would be very likely.'

Jackson really hated this man but he kept his face neutral. 'All right, Strough,' he said. 'A strike or a work slow-down at the rail yards would be a very bad thing right now. We need that armor loaded up as quickly as possible and sent to Eden and New Pittsburgh or we're going to lose those two cities to the WestHems. So how about we cut through all the bullshit here and you just tell me what you're after?'

'Well,' said Strough, 'it's not like my people want to hinder your shift of troops. Though it is the union's position that you and Governor Whiting have undertaken an illegal severance of political ties to WestHem and that Martian independence, even if it were legal, is untenable, many of the workers do seem to support what is going on here. They are concerned, however, about the amount of monetary compensation they would be receiving for this coming assignment.'

'Money,' Jackson grunted. 'I kind of figured that's what this was about. So how much do you want, Strough?'

'There are many things my people are dealing with here, General,' Strough said. 'They're working in a hazardous area under threat of bombardment, they'll be working to unload things they've already loaded, they'll be working with dangerous military equipment and explosives, they'll be working during non-traditional hours, they'll...'

'I get the idea,' Jackson said. 'How much?'