131 A Tour

Because the medical facility was situated next to another government building, Jet and Fort had decided to walk to their meeting.

That left the driver as Noble's only companion for the afternoon.

"I don't believe I caught your name."

"Apologies. I'm Collapsar, but I go by Cole," the driver pulled away from the infirmary.

"Cole," Noble repeated. "Care to tell me where we are going first?"

"I figured we would start at the water and then work our way inland," Cole commented over his shoulder while his blue eyes remained stalwartly forward. 

Noble's stomach clenched. Part of her wanted to object and say there was no need for her to get any closer to the water than they already were.

Her last experience with a port had been nothing short of horrific. But if she wanted to go to Antarctica, the ocean would be a fear she would need to face.

So the professor steeled her nerves.

The closer they got to the water, the bigger the metal behemoths floating in the water became.

Noble felt the rumble of the engine beneath the seats as they grew ever nearer. It was a strange feeling.

Were rides always this uneven and she was unaware?

Cole answered her question without being asked. "Sorry for the bumpy ride. This is only my second time driving in hover mode."

Noble tilted her head. "Oh? When was the first?"

"On our way to the infirmary." Cole shrugged.

"Oh. Well, you are doing a wonderful job. Do you need to return it to normal?" Noble liked the comfort of sitting, but she also didn't want to be responsible for a vehicle accident right after she arrived.

"No, it should be fine. I need the practice," Cole turned the wheel to avoid a pedestrian.

'If Cole wasn't chosen for his driving, he must have other skills.'

Noble quickly found out what one of those skills was. The man knew anything and everything about the fortified port.

"We have forty vessels in the harbor ready to head out in the next week or two. Each is equipped to house thousands of people and tons of equipment and supplies. This is one of four convoys set to head to Antarctica. Two such convoys are leaving from our quadrant."

Noble thought about the scale of the operation. The whole world was coming together for this catastrophe. "And the ships will return with refugees?"

Cole nodded. "That is the plan. It is the most efficient use of resources."

If two convoys were leaving from the Northern Quadrant and returning with civilians, then that meant half of the survivors would land on these shores. And most of those would likely end up in the NQSC.

'If all goes well, that is a lot of people. Almost an impossible amount to house.'

So many people would put a strain on the already stretched resources of the NQSC and the world. But the alternative was countless lives lost in the wake of nightmare gates.

There was no winning.

'We will just have to do our best. There is no other option.'

Pulling out her communicator, Noble began to make notes. This evening she would process all she had learned and transfer it over to the government datapad for her mother to see.

Cole continued to talk as she worked. He spoke of the dimensions of the ships and many other factors of the port.

Most of it was not relevant to her mission, but the end caught her attention.

"Saint Bloodwave and his nephew, Master Naeve, will be personally escorting these vessels southward."

'The House of Night really is putting in all their effort,' Noble was glad at least one of the major clans was committed to the cause. 

The day before, Fort had confirmed with his superior that Valor was true to their promise. For their part, Song was sending a small contingent as well. Both groups would be enough to make the clans look good but not enough to burden the houses of power.

And the government couldn't do much about it. At least not without alerting the public to the dire nature of what was coming.

Noble had gotten so lost in her thoughts that she nearly missed as they turned away from the docks and back toward the train station.

"Would you like to check out the trading town or the military outpost next?" Cole asked politely.

"I suppose the town. I would like to end as close to where we left Fort as possible." Noble hoped her husband would message her when his meeting was complete.

Taking the cue, Cole aimed for the trading village that shared the protection of the towering walls.

Housing thousands of people, it was dotted with identical dwellings along well-planned streets near the warehouses for storing goods.

Cole told her that all of the people who lived here permanently were either employees keeping the port running or their families.

While not a luxurious life, it was far better than living in the outskirts. 

With the military so close, things were usually kept neat and orderly.

Noble watched massive loaders pull cargo and place it on the train. The engine had already been turned around and would begin its journey back to the NQSC with supplies within the hour.

"The workers are the height of efficiency here." Cole nodded. 

The mundane employees operating the loaders looked like sorcerers lifting things fifty or more times their small size.

A handsome man with a hard hat was directing the work. His firm build and commanding voice spoke of authority.

"You over there, look alive! Get those things packed on the double before I hit you over the head with a sign. What are you doing? Yield! YEILD!!" The foreman hurried toward where two loaders were close to colliding. 

As they drew nearer, Noble could hear him speaking to the two workers who had almost caused the catastrophe. "What kind of prank was that? If you are going to gamble, save it for your off time. You know I do!" 

"Is everything alright?" The professor called out to the foreman from the PTV.

Dismissing the workers to finish their tasks, the man walked over to address the question. "I mean no one died, so it's a good day," he smiled. 

"Do people die normally?" The professor looked up at the loaders warily.

"It's a little foreman humor. Don't mind me," the man took off his helmet and ran his fingers through his hair. "Unless the military is giving out rides for fun, this isn't a social visit. Is there something I can help you with?"

"I'm Awakened Noble. I am reporting on the state of things here. You seem a bit busy though. I can come back another time."

The foreman barked a laugh. "Ha! There is never a dull moment around here. We work from dawn to dusk and a little extra to keep things moving." 

Noble nodded, "I see..."

"The name's Krasta," the foreman offered. "I don't know that anyone can see what goes on just from a brief look. Your eyes must be quite good!" 

"I didn't mean to imply..." The professor stopped as she saw Krasta's face split into a smile. "You almost had me."

"Maybe next time," Krasta chuckled. "Feel free to look around. I only ask that you don't touch anything." 

"Understood." It wouldn't be an issue. Noble had no intention of leaving the vehicle on the tour unless instructed to do so. "Thank you." 

"Happy to help," the foreman dipped his head and turned to leave. 

"Krasta?" An idea entered the woman's head. "Do you need any help? I mean do you have enough workers here for what you need?" 

The foreman's eyes went wide. "Are you kidding? We have been asking for at least a hundred or more people to support our increase in labor. But no one seems to want to come. I don't know what the problem is. It's not like our company is that lethal. We get decent wages for our work." 

"Thank you for the information. I will add that to my report and see if I can get you the necessary workers soon. Will one hundred be enough?" Noble typed into her communicator.

"If you send two hundred, I think we will finally no longer be breaking our backs all day." Krasta stretched to relieve the tension. 

"Noted. Can I find you here if I have any more questions?" 

Krasta placed his hat back on his head. "Of course. Someone has to keep things on track!" 

With that, the PTV moved on while Noble put as much information as she could on her communicator. 

'Two hundred jobs for the refugees found...only millions more to go...'