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Doc nodded and stood up. He paced a little in thought, tapping his pointer finger on his lip as he thought. Stopping a moment, he gave part of his reply.
"I do like your proposal, Good Sir, and Med Force Enterprises is always looking to establish a presence somewhere new."
He turned in place and took a few steps. "We had Canaria Medical for years back when the Zoners ran the planet, back when I had my home there and it worked well. I just wish I knew of its fate after the occupation by Bretonia."
He turned again. "Even the Bretonian refugees of Port Jackson respected us. We respected them and I built a lot of friendships." He then turned toward Daniel, "Did you know that those same refugees lived amongst Cretans who sought a better life?" He then turned back in his thought. "Yes, there are true stories you will never hear from the Bretonian Crown that I witnessed myself. Why? We did something the Crown finds unacceptable yet life was peaceful because of it."
He turned to face Daniel. "I personally am interested in your proposal. I would just need to consult my staff to discuss it. Dr. Jill Xi has been my equal partner for quite some time and Dr. Sonja Wilke has been exemplary as well. I will seek their opinion in this."
He sat and sighed. "I am concerned thought about the Zoner population. Most of them see Planet Erie as a Zoner world. The Liberty government was asked to help with the then problem of the Rogue pirates only to find that same government exert its authority over the system hence the mistrust of not just the government but corporations as well. They will want someone to represent them as a whole.....but how? Erie needs a voice in Liberty, a governor if you will but..." He tapped his finger on the table, "....how to advocate that person?"
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Daniel J. Lennox sipped the rest of his sake and folded his arms on the table while listening to John Holliday's loud musings. While his businesslike body language and the color of his suit at the moment suggested a rather indifferent or neutral attitude about the whole issue, Lennox smiled amiably after Holliday's question.
"As in any society or community, there are only two ways a man can become a leader - he is elected or he elects himself. It's a fairly simple principle, though the execution tends to vary across communities and cultures.", Daniel J. Lennox answered his question, interlacing the thin fingers of his hands in a universally lecturing gesture, "For fundamentally disunited Zoner communities such as yours, you will have to rely on a limited number of themes in your efforts - themes that are large enough to affect all of you, without exception. Any more specific topics will overload the attention of your potential audience and be subject to controversy among them. What do you really want to give your people besides a voice? They will want to know what you have in mind, what their ultimate goal should be, and they will decide whether or not to listen to you based on that. Will you want to work with Liberty or fight for your freedom and the independence of this system? The communities here are afraid of their future because of this strange status-quo that denies them the ability to plan for the long term - will they eventually become Liberty citizens, with all the positives and negatives that entails, or will they resolve their fear of Liberty by getting a system for themselves and anyone else that respects their freedom?".
After asking his questions he paused for a moment as he considered his next words while looking John Holliday directly in the eye through his dioptric glasses, "You don't have to answer those questions right now. It's something you'll have to think about and prepare for. I don't know who will be able to help you with the first option, but my company can help you prepare your potential audience for the second option by building smaller and technologically simpler shelters disguised as, say, wine cellars, though the funding issue will have to be worked out one way or another. My company does not have unlimited financial resources and we'll be straining our resources with those two large community shelters and underground hospitals already. Another potential help for you may be the know-how of the Xenos, who are as ordinary as the people of the communities here, and there are quite a few of them among your people. And they have experience in fighting for their freedom against Liberty.".
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Doc thought a moment as he didn't answer his questions as now wasn't the right time but they did swirl in his head a bit. Governor Holliday did have a ring to it but it would be a lot of work but then, he was used to hard work.
He liked the idea of "simpler shelters" as Lennox called them. "I like it," he replied sharply. "Making the hospitals look more like the local buildings instead of your traditional, large hospital would be what the people want as they value their privacy. Yes, that would be appealing but the Xenos....."
He paused in thought, "Mind you I have no issue with them and I get what their fight is about but can they ever be nasty..."
It was clear that the subject of Xenos had him on the fence about them as his best friend was a Junker.
"Funding? We can help on that front. As with your company, Med Force Enterprises is not unlimited in resources either but we will do our part."
He then gave Lennox a smile, "So far, I like where we are headed good Sir!"