Against the Wind
May 7, 2440 1:25:00 PM
“You wished to see me?” M’rak asked knocking on the door frame, which seemed to be a long-held tradition in his office as you could feel the indentations of centuries of knuckles.
“I did and I hope I am not pulling you away from your family time.”
“S’rala is asleep and I asked them to let S’baj stay for the second story time if I am not back to collect him.”
“I hope he is enjoying them,” Matt sighed. “Beer?” he asked, fishing two out of the icy bucket beside his desk.
“Please and how can I help?”
“I got reports a storm had come over the mountains this morning,” Matt said throwing his tablet display to the wall screen and handing over the beer. “It is good we needed the rain, it has been hot and dry for nearly six weeks, but it is also producing lightning storms and fires. I would be fine to let this area burn as no one lives there anymore,” he said highlight western Kansas, “but as we move east there are a lot more people and a lot of farmers with ripe or nearly ripe crops. T’mari said you would know what resources are available.”
“Do you have better imaging?”
“Unfortunately, no. Despite all my wealth I can’t fund the satellites and no one else has maintained the ones we used to have.”
“That I can help you with, but that is for later. What you need right now are people to assist in putting out the fires you have, and keep others from starting. Then you probably need some flood control if the ground isn’t absorbing all the rain quickly enough.”
M’rak scrolled through his data pad and put in a call. “K’tang S’rai, Freeholder Marmaduke has requested our assistance. I need you to begin prepping a shuttle for meteorological deployment. How long will that take? I will have you a crew and permission to launch by then.”
“K’rem,” M’rak said hitting another icon. “I am with Matthew, oh I can wait for Angelina to be done with you. We are in his office.”
“Smart move there,” Matt chuckled and wondered if he should have called for snacks to go with the beer.
“What’s going on,” Angelina said walking through the open door with K’rem in tow.
“A storm pushed over the Rockies through the night as this morning the lightning is started grass fires out west.”
“Shit!”
“That was my thought, too. Before T’mari took her turn in the orgasmatron she told me to get with M’rak.”
“You should really quit calling it that,” Angelina laughed. “Where are we at with things?” She asked pulling out her tablet, ready for a list.
“I have a shuttle prepping right now to give us eyes in the sky. I wanted permission to draft people for fire crews and if needed humans to provide a local interface if needed,” M’rak explained.
“By all means,” K’rem said, accepting a beer from Angelina and looking at the map. “Is this to scale?”
“It is,” Angelina said, looking for the snacks that should be present for any serious work session. “I’ll call Larry,” she said pulling up the staff kitchen app and placing an order. Even while she was waiting for the fire chief to pick up.
