“My,” observed Thomas, “such friendly people. I suspect they’ll be welcoming us with garlands. Of slip-knotted hemp.”
“Doubtful, but not impossible.”
“Larry, you were not supposed to agree with me. As the sunny-dispositioned American, your role is to dissuade me from my excessive pessimisms and ensure me that Everything Is Going To Be Just Fine.”
“Sorry.”
“Yes. Well, I wouldn’t have believed you anyway. So Kurzman went up to the aerodrome in Nuremburg?”
“Right. Figured they’d have a radio. Ran into me the day after he arrived, told me his sad story, and here we are.”
Thomas considered the American from the corner of his eye. “And why were you in Nuremburg to begin with, Larry? Rather far from Grantville.”
“Well, yes. About that. I’m actually preparing to travel even farther from Grantville. Much farther.”
“About which you can say no more.” Larry’s response to Thomas’ jocularity was a somber nod, causing the Englishman to reassess: so Larry is down here for some other reason, found out about this snag, was retasked to handle it. Probably via radio in Nuremburg. Which means that Larry has become a confidential agent for Stearns, or Piazza, or both. Poor sod. Aloud: “So fate redirected you to me.”
Larry looked at Thomas. “No: I was coming down here to find you, already.”
To find me? Well, this is becoming far too personal for comfort. “And to what do I owe the honor of your undisclosable interest?”
“Well, I can disclose some of it: I’m interested in hiring four of the men in this unit. For a little job I have.”
North raised an eyebrow. “I’m always interested in new business contracts—but not pertaining to men already in the field. Take up the matter of appropriate staffing with my business partner, Liam Donovan.”
“I already have—and with Ed Piazza. From what I understand, you’d be quite pleased at the deal they struck.”
North stared at him, appalled. “You’re going to take the men from me. While I’m in the middle of an operation.”
Larry stared at the fleecy clouds overhead. “Now would I do that?
“Of course you would.”
To which Larry had no rebuttal other than a sheepish smile.
***
When they stopped to water the horses, take a brief meal and rest, North’s temper was even enough to resume the conversation.
“Which four of my men are you taking, Larry?”
Quinn answered around a mouthful of bread. “Templeton, Volker, Winkelmann, and Wright.”
How nice: cherry-picking the very best among the regulars. Which means Larry had detailed advice from—“Donovan made the recommendations?”
Quinn chewed, nodded.
“So why are you still riding with us, then? Why not depart with your human loot, you pirate?”
“Because—as you no doubt suspect—I’ve also been asked to help resolve the situation in Biberach. And that will give me a chance to see the four men in action.”
Thomas’ eyebrows rose. “‘In action’? Do you suspect it was foreign influence that undermined Biberach’s commitment to the aerodrome?”
Quinn shook his head, gnawed on a small wedge of cheese. “Nope. Stearns and Piazza have pretty much ruled that out. The likely culprits lack sufficient motivation to go to the trouble of trying to sew dissension in our ranks. Bavaria’s preoccupied with internal post-war problems, Austria has adopted a posture of cordial entente, and it’s hard to see what the French would stand to gain. Besides, if there was an attempt at subornation by a foreign power, it would probably be aimed at the disgruntled Catholic population of Biberach. But Kurzman reports that all the burgermeisters—both Protestant and RC—were in lock-step about rescinding the aerodrome deal.”
“But you’re still expecting that our men might see some ‘action’?”
“Well, given how they tossed Kurzman out on his ear, there’s no knowing just how unfriendly a reception we’re going to get.” Quinn popped the last morsel of cheese into his mouth. “And besides, if the town fathers won’t reconsider their decision, it’s not like we’ve got a lot of options regarding what we have to do next. Biberach has been using our seed money to gather the oil and ethanol that’s needed further south at the aerodrome you’ll be establishing in Chur. And Biberach itself is at the transport sweet-spot the airships need. It’s less than one hundred miles to Chur, and not much more to Nuremburg. That makes it the essential hub between the two, given the airship’s operational range.”