Need Help, Ask a Ranger!
The Duty Officer at New Texas Station was used to many strange things, having one of Paul Greens acknowledged smuggling vessels ask for an approach and personnel transfer was not one of them. When the vessel docked one person came down the tube and as he walked the deck the ship asked for departure instructions. Stopping in front of his desk the lone figure in obvious old Earth clothing with the silver badge on his chest just handed the young Lieutenant a small slip of paper and said, “ I am here to see this man if possible. Never met him but, I think I know his type.”
The young LT read the single page from a pocket notebook looked strangely at the badge and replied, “I would guess you do Sir! Have a seat, I’ll have some coffee brought up while I burn some serious electrons. No offense but, you are a new type case for this desk!”
CAPT Rick Sanderson G Company New Texas Rangers was deeply involved in his least favorite thing ….paperwork. It was part of the territory and every Law Enforcement Officer knew it. Things were much simpler when he was in his other uniform as a SOCOM Commander but, that meant a war and he could live without that thank you very much! The ring of a Channel 3 priority communication broke his thought train in a heartbeat, keying his comm unit he saw the scan of a single page of paper and his breath almost stopped. He paused for all of two seconds, “New Texas Station send him on down on my authority and copy Security with the release.” He leaned back in his chair, “Beats the hell outta paperwork and this ought to be good.”
Early the next morning Rick was again in his office when the secretary tapped on the door. “Your visitor is here Boss, can I be a fly on the wall?”
“Why not, this may be something so you might as well keep an official record on. At least you won’t have to cheat.” Connie stuck her tongue out at him as she then smiled and left the room. Just minutes later she returned leading an average sized individual with reddish thinning hair and a gun belt straight from the Earths Southwest with a Texas Ranger Star on his chest. Rick had to grin despite his attempt at control, he had seen this man before up close and personal!
“Boss, this is Gabriel Lisby from DFW back on Earth, his papers say he is a Captain with the Texas Rangers and he has a piece of paper that says you know him.”
“I do know him but did not know his name. Welcome to New Texas CAPT. Lisby, hope you had a good night.”
“Well I almost had a heart attack when I saw the place they took me to, I don’t have that kind of money. Then the nice young lady at the desk told me it was a New Texas Rangers courtesy room. How do you guys have that kind of pull with a place like the Lone Star?”
“You mean the place that half the people in uniform think was probably the Intelligence hub for the revolution? How about Mama Webb loves us, take your pick cause I ain’t gonna argue either way. So, pull up a chair and tell me why you are here!” Waving a hand at the three luxurious chairs in front of his desk Rick smiled and waited. The figure looked around and tried to hide the edges of a smirk as he took a seat.
“Y’all got a hell of a better place than I do that’s for sure, bet you the old FedGov did not pay for this.”
“Welcome to the Outer Worlds Ranger, my Dad built this place when he lost a Hold-Em hand to my brother. Kinda the way things get done out here! What exactly is it I can do for you? I don’t think you came all this way just to visit!”
Lisby squirmed visibly in the chair and finally spoke, “Guess this is the fastest way.” He pulled the weapon on his hip, spun it butt first and handed it to Sanderson. Rick reached out and took the proffered heavy revolver and snapped open the cylinder, frowned and looked it over. Closing the cylinder and spinning it butt first he made his first comment, “You don’t have to carry it unloaded around here, the Outer Worlds are adults about weapons.”
“But you see CAPT. Sanderson, that is the problem. I carry it empty because I don’t have any ammo for it. The whole Ranger organization is rapidly facing the same problem. Thus I am here with what precious metals we have to use as currency to try to get some help.”
Sanderson merely sat for a few moments with his eyes in a state of glaze, then the computer which was his mind came up with a plan. “Had breakfast yet Gabriel?”
“Uh no, I was more worried about getting in to see you.”
“Good, come on let me take you to a place I like.”
After a brief flitter flight they were walking into what looked to Gabe like a large bustling cafeteria only to be met by what seemed to be a casually dressed very confident head waiter. “Good morning Ranger Sanderson, would you care to go back to the restaurant, bar or one of the private meeting rooms?”
“We will stay out here thanks, just a working brunch going on here!”
“OK, Breakfast or Lunch menu then?”
“Breakfast I would say and start with coffee if you would.”
Sitting at the table Gabe just started around and asked, “Anything you want anytime of day, what is this place?”
“It’s a place that supports a major industrial area, major office locations, the premier Medical facility on the whole planet and the headquarters of the biggest commercial entity in the entire Outer Worlds. It’s somebody’s morning at any time and the farther back you go the more high class it gets.”
“No objections but, why are we staying out in the front section?”
“Because the guy I want to talk to is gonna stop here!”
“Who would that be?”
“The guy who a year ago was your worst fucking nightmare!
Gabe was fully stuffed after what was called a Farmers Breakfast which was marked as being two New Texas dollars. It was the first time in years that he had actually seen more than he could eat on two huge platters and he had to ask. “How can this place survive at these prices?”
“They don’t have to make a profit. This place is a perk for employees of Webb Enterprises and not everyone can get in here.”
“So how do the Rangers get in here?”
“Like I said, Mama Webb loves us!”
At that point Gabe froze in his chair and the short hairs of his neck stood out in classic alert response. He turned slowly in his chair and stared at the entrance and two people fell immediately into his vision. Both were wearing casual clothes, slacks and what were still called Polo shirts on Earth. One was huge and built like a damn tank while the other was as tall but built like a whippet. Both exuded an aura of dangerous power and both turned to look straight at his table. The voice which rang out from one of the two settled his nerves in a flash. “Rick, what drags your lazy butt over here this early in the morning anyway.”
“Got someone I want you to meet and figured you would be here, drag up a chair or two.”
The two finished rounding up their plates from the buffet and wandered over, casually pulling up two chairs. As they did so Gabe Lisby was slightly nervous, as an experienced LEO he had a sixth sense for the sheep and the sheepdogs. Rick he knew to be a sheepdog but from these two he caught the faint scent of wolf but, someway different. No direct threat jangled his nerves just, something he could not really explain. He had experienced the same feeling less than a month ago when he had meet with the security head of the Clans. Rick Gaithers had sent that same shiver up his spine but he knew that man had been Commander of the legendary SOCOM, thus a known killer by any stripe.
Then Sanderson spoke, “Gabe let me introduce the Webb brothers. The big lug is Andy and the sneaky bastard is Chris.” Lisby sat as if frozen, the two names that whatever remained of the FedGov was trying to make the ultimate boogeymen to a generation; yet appeared to be as friendly as they come.
“I have to admit those names are not well revered on certain parts of Earth these days. Although on other parts friendship to them might just open some doors! Although the doors they might open can give us no help.”
Sanderson spoke up, “Gabe why don’t you show them the problem, it will save some time.”
Lisby drew with that smooth motion spun the weapon and offered it butt first to Andrew Webb.
Taking it he flipped it calmly open and gave it a fast examination. “Ruger Redhawk in .41 Remington Magnum, hell of a collectors item but you don’t have to carry it empty here. Chris check out he serial number, it’s interesting.” As the Webb’s exchanged the weapon Lisby spoke up.
“The reason its unloaded is our problem. The Rangers of Texas, New Mexico and Arizona have no source of ammunition. The plants were taken over by either by the stubs of the FedGov or the Mob and they guard them with everything they have. The Clans nor the South African Zulus can provide us ammo that matches our weapons and they seem to be getting most of their stuff from shall we say ‘Parts unknown’ which does us no good at all.”
“Chris give him back his boom-boom, we need to take this up to my office. I am fairly tired of this shit even a year later.”
“Suits me Bro, not to mention that serial number ain’t far off. His family has to go as least as far back as ours!”
“No Shit, gentlemen my place please?” The entire group stood and deferred to Andy Webb to lead the way.
Gabe Lisby was fairly sure the path taken was to give him some kind of education. First he was astounded when the elevator went down instead of up, Second the length of the ride was a heads up, there was more here than met the eye! Finally was what he saw in the corridor they walked down after leaving the elevator. They moved through a hall that was clearly the people transport corridor for what seemed to be an endless succession of Labs and Production facility’s. He had seen more CRC machines and clean rooms than he thought existed, this was the engine behind the hammer that had fallen on Earth, why was he being shown it? Then they came to the door at the end and he could barely suppress a laugh, the sign clearly hand lettered by someone with a sense of humor read “Chief Asshole and Butt Kicker what be in Charge” with flowers scattered around the inscription! The office they entered put the Rangers office he had been to shame, who was this guy? Then he took the proffered seat and looked at the desk and saw the nameplate on the desk.
Andrew Webb
CEO Webb Enterprises
CIO DEW Holdings
Gen. Chief of Staff Outer Worlds Forces
He knew about the bottom line, the first two were the surprise. This really was the man he needed to meet! He was surprised when he did not sit down but walked to the wall behind his desk and contorted to place his hands flat on what appeared to be two very precise places on the wall. More people than Gabe in the room were surprised when the wall split open, Sanderson beside him even gasped “That’s where it is.”
It was an Arms Safe that just happened to be about seven strides deep and looked to contain enough firepower to equip a small company. The tall figure strode to the back wall and removed one weapon, as he returned to the desk Gabe could see what rapidly appeared to be a twin of what was on his hip.
Andy leaned across that huge desk, “Ranger this hogleg should look familiar. Check out the serial number it should be real familiar!”
Looking Gabe got to the last two numbers before anything was different and he just looked up and stared.
“Yep, your Great to the something Grandpa was as damn crazy as ours, so let’s cut to the chase. In your three states how many Rangers do you have, how many vehicles do you operate and how many real honest to goodness sharpshooters do you have? Yes, I can make ammo for almost anything you have but you and I know that’s bullshit. You need commonality of weapons and ammo if you are going to be effective. Good God that’s why the Walker Colt was built back in distant history specifically for your predecessors, let’s not repeat that fiasco. So Ranger Lisby, talk to me!”
Gabe was taken aback by the bluntness until he noticed the rest of the room, the calm complacent faces with electronic notepads at the ready made it perfectly clear that this was business as normal. To buy some time to think he opened the cylinder on the Ruger and pulled out a round to examine it, true to what he expected to see it was a huge hollow point man-stopper. Closing the cylinder he spun the weapon back to it’s owner with his mind made up fully.
“What I have for all three states is 7,000 Rangers, 2,000 vehicles of all types and maybe 25 men and women I would call honest to god snipers. I could have 5,000 more men and women as Rangers if I could find weapons for them and maybe 70 or 80 more snipers. Ever try to get a real shooter to give up their piece for someone else? The truth is I am out manned and out gunned, most of my so called weapons are old muzzle loaders. Industry has not recovered enough to produce the high tech batteries the latest FedGov non-lethal ones need and of course they had the real guns locked away except the one paranoids like my family had buried or hidden.”
Andy leaned back in the chair and stared Gabriel square in the eyes for long moments, neither man blinked. Suddenly Andy snapped forward and slapped the commo unit on his desk, “What do you think Emmett? I think he’s on the level.”
“Sounds like a straight forward commercial deal to me Andy, why did you want me in?”
“Because I just got a green light from Walt we are going to make this a full-up Military Assistance Group operation and I thought you might want to get some of your people in on it.”
“I have no idea what the mix of people in the room is so I will refrain from saying what I think. I am beginning to understand why Hank could not quit drinking while he was working with you. I know this much, you have a plan don’t you?”
“Does the name Jacob MacRenolds ring a bell?”
“I will want to stick about six people in and we will need to piggy-back on your comms.”
“No sweat, see I’m not so hard to work with!” The entire room heard the ice hitting the glass over the speaker.
“Connie, get me Jake MacRenolds up here please.”
“Right away Boss.”
The tall lean man who walked into the room seemed to be a younger version of either Andrew or Christopher Webb, take your pick on size or facial likeness. There was no doubt that he came from the same general genetic stock. The figure looked around the room and grimaced, “Pardon me for noticing but, this don’t look good.”
“Tell me Jake, since you finished up Physical Rehabilitation Merriam tired of having you around the house yet?”
“She hasn’t said it but, pretty much. She thinks I am too much of a distraction for our son when he should be in class.”
“How would you like to pull a 90 day on site 30 back here rotation for a MAG team of around, oh 120 people. The bodies will be your pick from SOCOM or the Rangers.”
“Mission will be training and weapons familiarization on 10,000 M11 pistols, 10,000 M41 Rifles and 500 M81 sniper rifles. I think during the term of the Action Plan we will ship around 5,000 armored flitters with M53 weapons systems. See any major problems Brigadier?”
“Yeah, finding me enough people to train!”
“Brigadier, I have three states worth of the toughest survivors the old Earth ever saw. You get me enough weapons, I will find the people. My only question is, what’s the price?”
Gabe waited for the answer as the room went quiet and Webb rolled his head to stare at the roof. The silence was deafening as he held that pose for long moments. “You brought a shitload of precious metals here to pay for what you could get! I will take exactly one half. The other half you will deposit in a Bank on New Texas and will be controlled by the Financial Sharks at DEW Holdings. The proceeds from that fund will be used to provide for the education for the families of Texas, New Mexico or Arizona Rangers who fall in the line of duty!
“One provision will apply, if they are sent to New Texas for education, to include the surviving spouse; only their transportation will be charged to the fund. All else shall be borne by Webb Enterprises. Yes Ranger I am an Obsessive Compulsive Multitrillionaire who just happens to believe in Honor First!”
MacRenolds was the one to break the silence, “Time of Operation and Rules of Engagement Boss?”
“It’s the Rangers call, you are done when he says you are. ROE on the ground, his turf his rules! Force Protection, you will have 5 Boyd’s and 10 Eagles at all times; bring my people home Jake! Gabe you have any problem with that ROE?”
The room hung in deadly silence until they heard a sudden intake of breath, “How the Hell could I General!”
Page Author | OldDog October 19th, 2009