At lunchtime in Rock Fortress, everyone gathered in the dining area.
Long wooden tables had been pushed together. They were rough, but large enough to seat the base's current core members.
The air was filled with the smell of food, mostly vegetable soup simmered in large pots, baked mixed-grain flatbread, and rationed smoked meat.
It was not exactly abundant, but it had enough calories and nutrition to get everyone through the afternoon's work.
Most of the combat teams without outside assignments were gathered at several tables, loudly joking with one another.
Carver seemed to have recovered from the frustration of fixing the firing pin that morning. He was gesturing animatedly as he said something to Turner and Mike, making them burst into laughter from time to time.
Leah sat alone a little farther away, eating quietly.
Merle and several equally tough mercenaries were gathered together, chewing on flatbread while he spoke in his usual rough, hoarse voice, drawing frequent nods from the people around him.
The newly joined Daryl and Michonne had chosen seats near the corner.
Daryl ate in silence, his eyes habitually observing his surroundings. Michonne sat perfectly upright and ate quickly, though her movements were not crude.
Shane and several former National Guard soldiers sat at another table.
Evans, Felipe, the dentist, the pediatric nurse, Mr. Howard, Martha, Mira, and the others staying at Rock Fortress were gathered at a table closer to the middle, eating while quietly discussing the tasks they were responsible for.
The others from Rock Fortress, Mrs. Howard, Joey, Tom, Guillermo, Miguel, Morgan, Duane, and Little Jimmy, were eating at Blackberry Ranch because they worked there.
They commuted by car between Rock Fortress and Blackberry Ranch every morning and evening.
Dr. Jenner was usually the last to arrive. At that moment, he was carrying his tray and looking for an empty seat, his face still carrying the thoughtful expression he had brought out of the laboratory.
Calista carried her food, her gaze sweeping over the crowd before finally settling on a table near the inner side of the dining hall.
Rickson's tall, bald figure stood out clearly there. He was eating quickly while listening to the person beside him report something.
Calista walked straight over. The person reporting beside Rickson immediately took the hint, picked up his plate, and made room for her.
"Rickson." Calista sat down beside him.
"Calista." Rickson set down his spoon. "How was the inspection this morning?"
"Some progress, and some new problems." Calista picked up her spoon and took a spoonful of warm vegetable soup.
"At Blackberry Ranch, I saw the two people taking care of the livestock working very well together. Are there more cases like theirs in the base?"
Rickson nodded slightly and swallowed his food. "Yes, I've noticed. There are a few pairs like that in the base. It means people's hearts are settling down. That's a good thing."
"It is a good thing, but it also creates new needs," Calista continued.
"I asked Mrs. Howard to put all the feminine hygiene products and contraceptive supplies we collected before onto the point-redemption list.
"Reusable items like menstrual cups and menstrual discs will be promoted first to conserve our stock. Condoms are consumables, so we need a long-term plan."
Rickson immediately understood the key issue and frowned slightly. "Those things can't really be reused. Even if you wash them a few times, it's unsanitary and they're easy to tear. The base's stock is limited. That is a problem."
Just then, a young woman sitting on Rickson's other side put down her spoon and took a slightly worn tablet and stylus from the canvas bag she carried with her.
She looked about thirty, with a neat short ponytail and intelligent, focused eyes.
This was Ellie, who had previously been transferred out of the logistics team and had volunteered to be an administrative assistant.
She mainly helped Rickson handle the base's increasingly complicated personnel scheduling, supply records, and daily administrative arrangements, greatly reducing his burden.
Ellie unlocked the tablet with practiced ease, opened a note, and quickly typed keywords on the virtual keyboard: "family planning/hygiene products, point-redemption system, promote reusable options, condom shortage."
Calista glanced at Ellie and continued, "The site for Elena's water project at Blackberry Ranch has been confirmed, and Phase Two is starting. Prioritize coordinating the manpower and materials she needs.
"She evaluated wind and solar power, but neither is ideal for now. We're short on solar panels, and what could be found around Knoxville has basically already been found."
"Also, there was an unexpected discovery." Calista mentioned Ming. "Ming, Elena's Chinese student, comes from a family background in traditional Chinese medicine. She suggested using herbal medicine for preventive livestock care.
"I think it's worth trying. Have her make a list of the medicinal herbs she needs and give it to the combat teams responsible for reconnaissance and scavenging so they can keep an eye out. This may help ease our lack of veterinarians and prevent livestock epidemics."
Surprise flashed through Rickson's eyes, but he quickly nodded. "Preventive herbal care is low-cost and low-risk. It's worth a try. I'll notify Maya and Lieutenant Welles to add medicinal herbs to their routine search items."
He looked at Ellie, and Ellie immediately nodded and wrote it down on the tablet.
"As for the flight team," Calista said, cutting off a piece of smoked meat, "they're seriously short on ground crew.
"I agreed to transfer Allen Miller from the Tennessee National Guard over to them, and they'll also select a few reliable people from among the ordinary members to form a ground crew.
"Aviation fuel and key parts are lifelines. The search range has to be expanded. Nearby airports and training bases all need to be included as targets."
Rickson thought for a moment. "Miller's technical background is definitely suitable. I'll work with Thompson and Oliver to screen the ground crew candidates.
"As for fuel and parts, I'll update the priority search list and raise their priority."
Calista lowered her voice slightly. "My requirement for them is clear. At this stage, it's not about tactical strikes. It's about strategic deterrence.
"The target is any major faction we may encounter in the future. We have to ensure we have air superiority.
"So our reserve resources and the pilots' condition must be maintained."
Rickson nodded heavily. He fully understood the strategic thinking behind it.
Finally, Calista reached the main point. She lightly tapped the edge of her plate with her spoon, drawing Rickson's attention.
"The most important issue is the weapon repair workshop. Ancheta's progress is slow. Tools, parts, reloading materials, everything is a bottleneck.
"We can't keep settling for this kind of small-scale patchwork."
A sharp light flashed in her eyes. "We must take Knoxville Industrial Park.
"The weapon production line Lorenzo left behind, the precision machine tools there, and the potential chemical materials and metal stockpiles are our only hope of breaking out of this situation and truly gaining a sustainable military-industrial capability."
Rickson's expression turned extremely serious. He set down his utensils and leaned forward slightly. "You've decided?"
"I have," Calista said decisively. "This winter will be our preparation period.
"The reconnaissance teams need to refine the intelligence on the industrial park as much as possible. Layout, defenses, resource points, all of it.
"Next spring, when the snow and ice melt, that's when we make our move.
"We'll retake that place and try to restore the production lines for weapons and some basic daily necessities."