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this crew…No, you don’t give up. I
 am however warning you that it has to be done lawfully and
 getting the base to stay open is literally an act of congress.”
“An act of congress…” She retorted.  I replied, “Yes, the
 appropriations committee, sub-committee for base closure.”  
To which, with a dismissive turn of the head she said, “I
 think that’s actually the senate honey, but I get what you mean.”
At that point they disbanded, but then that was the ones in
 front of a large crowd. Those in the back of the crowd were less
 inclined to be intellectual about things and violent outburst hit
 the crowd. Fortunately base security had been on scene for about
 twenty minutes.
A loud male voice erupts from the scuffle, “So the military
 tells us what to do now? What are we at, martial law!?” To
 which a security officer of the base, a second class petty officer
 loudly voice in reply, “Martial law means military rule…this is a
 military base; a navy base and you have been under martial law
 on this base as long as you have worked here.”
Those directly in the scuffle were arrested by base security
 and detained until they calmed down at which point they were
 fired. The protestors move just off base to the other side of the

gate. Many of them called out to people they knew still on base
 and asked them to tell their bosses, whom they specifically
 named, that they quit.
Our days in long beach were not entirely uneventful.
 I went out to the pier and stood there, the snow was up to
 my knees. The phone call to the governor’s office went well and
 our personnel chief was onboard and faxing the scenario to the
 governor’s office. The weather hadn’t been this bad in a decade,
 even the locals were awestruck. Once again I wondered how far
 back in social and technical development I had slipped by being
 transferred to another duty station; I often joked that it was a
 matter of time travel serving in the navy.  
“The fax went through, guess were going to martial law..?”
 said Athena, she continued, “Shitty day to have duty”. I struck a
 reserved pose, “I would rather have duty today snowed in then
 the day after tomorrow when it will likely be out of the
 way…and, it’s not martial law it’s just legal stuff.” I said.
Athena had been standing messenger of the watch since 7:45am;
 it was now about 2pm. She was cute and friendly and responded
 well to my flirtatious attitude so long as there was no one else
 around to think anything of it. “Well, I’d be making a snowman
 or snow angel or something…they were out here earlier having a
 snowball fight, even the X.O.”
I looked at her with an amorous smile and said, “At least
 someone is having fun.”  
She asked, “What do we have to do with all of this legal stuff
 you’re doing?” and she gestured with her hands as though she
 was rolling her hand in coil of yarn.
I replied, “Restoring electricity, clearing roads, and getting
 everyone here to work; it’s mostly national guard territory
 though.”
    “Oh...” she replied with a hint of disappointment.
I said, “You could call for a working party to clear the pier with
 whatever we have that’s close to a snow shovel.”
She looked at me with a smirk and grabbed my bicep and said,
“sounds like good job for you…your only a third Rob. Unless
 you have something better to do..?”
I responded slightly more authoritatively, “You mean like all
 this legal researching and phone calls, and determining
 jurisdictions and legal obligations and paper work I’m doing
 now?”
She responded as though I didn’t get the joke or didn’t fall for
 the ploy and said, “Whatever”. I followed her up the steps and
 across the brow back up to the ship.
We were waiting for confirmation of the orders and
 instructions we planned to send the National Guard and the local
 police, as