Stand Against The Storm (The Maxwell Saga Book 4) by Peter Grant Read Free Book Online Page B

doing our best to make Sulawasa see reason and overturn your convictions and sentences. As soon as that’s done we’ll get you home; but it can’t happen overnight. It’s very much in your best interests to cooperate in the short term, to gain more privileges and a more comfortable situation for the medium term.”
    Chun thought for a moment. “You vouch for Senior Lieutenant Maxwell, Mr. Jiang?”
    “I do. He’s been straightforward and honest in his dealings with me. I’ve checked our records, and they confirm his long association with us. He’s been searching for something of incalculable importance to us for over ten years. If other Tong leaders have trusted him to do that, I think we can do the same in this situation.”
    Chun sighed, then nodded slowly. “Very well, Senior Lieutenant, we’ll cooperate. I’ll instruct our people to obey you as they would me, and work professionally with your people.”
    Steve wanted to sigh aloud himself, but controlled his overwhelming sense of relief. “Thank you, Captain. I’ll use your own officers and NCO’s to lead your people wherever possible, so as to maintain your internal discipline. I need your engineers and technicians to form one group. They’ll set up workshops to service and repair heavy equipment and transporters. Your medical staff will form another group and be in charge of Carsamba’s sick bay and all our medical supplies. The rest of your crew will form work parties – we’ll break out the particular skills needed in each group as we go along. You’ll use the same equipment, eat the same food and share the same facilities and accommodation as we do.”
    “That’s fair,” Chun agreed, smiling for the first time. “It’s certainly better treatment than we’ve ever had before on Eskishi.”
    “Then let’s go talk to the rest of your people and make sure they understand what’s going on.”
    ~ ~ ~
    Lieutenant-Commander Bell dropped in early that evening. “I’m on my way back to the spaceport,” he explained. “I thought I’d see whether your new labor group was working out any better than the old.”
    “Much better, Sir,” Steve assured him. He explained the approach he’d discussed with Gunnery Sergeant Kinnear, and the commitments made on both sides. “It seems to be working well so far.”
    He led the Exec out to the makeshift hardstand. “We’re handling two cargo shuttles at a time now, Sir. We’ve got two groups ferrying cargoes from the shuttles as fast as they can. Another group directs traffic inside the depot, makes sure the containers are stacked in the right places, and temporarily covers non-containerized cargo with tarpaulins. We’re erecting plastic laminate shelters as fast as a work party can assemble them and cast plascrete footings. A technical group is setting up workshops and service and support facilities in some of the shelters.”
    Bell studied the bustling activity in the fading light, squinting as the floodlights came on to illuminate the work area. “What if someone gets hurt? With all this heavy equipment and the frenetic pace at which you’re working, that’s no small risk.”
    “Yes, Sir. The Qianjin crews have a doctor and three medics among them. I’ve put them in charge of the sick bay in the administrative building, and tasked them with unpacking and setting up our Medbot units. Those things can stabilize almost any injury or illness, after which we can send the injured person up to one of our ships for more advanced treatment if necessary.”
    “I hope you won’t need them.”
    “That makes two of us, Sir!”
    “Let’s walk over here where we can have some privacy,” the Executive Officer invited, leading him away from the floodlit hardstand. When he was sure they wouldn’t be overheard, he went on, “There’s unsettling news from inland. Local forces had pushed the rebels away from Surush into the interior. They thought they’d pinned them against a range of hills a hundred