A Dubious Peace

by Olan Thorensen

  “There’s also the Fuomi,” said Yozef. “Who’s to say we couldn’t eventually come in conflict with them?”

  “So? What do we do?”

  Yozef was silent while he looked back at the map. “I don’t know. I’ve thought a lot but need more time. I’ll ask you to do the same. What can we do?”

  He turned again to Mark.

  “As glad as I am that you and Heather are here, I suspect things might only get worse. If the Narthani convinced the Kolinkans to come after me, and they were after you for knowing something about America, what are they going to do when they realize we’re now together on Caedellium? And more . . . when word gets out about what developments are underway?”

  “Well . . . speaking of developments, we’ve finally got a functional steam engine working to pump water or air. We can demo it as soon as you want.”

  “How about now? I could use some positive news.”

  They walked the mile to a restricted part of the industrial area west of Orosz City. Four structures of different sizes housed various projects Mark was working with locally. A ten-foot-high wooden fence surrounded the entire area, and a guard manned the gate they entered. At night, dogs and roaming guards kept the curious away.

  They went to the largest of the structures. Yozef could hear the sounds of equipment coming from all the buildings, the loudest from the one they entered.

  “It’s to the right.”

  Mark led the way around machine tools, stacks of metal bars and sheets of various sizes, workers doing whatever they were doing, and metal objects. Yozef didn’t know if these were something in the process of being built or were discards. The noise level rose the farther they went. They reached a cluster of men surrounding a smoking metal apparatus whose components included an arm going up and down, a six-foot wheel, and several barrel- and box-shaped pieces obviously doing something. Piping ran from the apparatus to a smaller outer door in the building.

  “It may not look like it’s performing a function, but it is. Stand over here.”

  Yozef followed Mark, who pointed to a short piece of the same type of piping as was connected to the other side.

  “Hold your hand next to the pipe opening.”

  Yozef complied. “Hey . . . it’s drawing air in, so it must be expelling on the other side.”

  “Right. We’ve tested it enough that I’m confident this steam engine will function to circulate air in the copper and tin mines in the northern provinces. We had to shut down two shafts because the dust particles being produced got too bad. Now we should be able to circulate enough air volume to reopen.

  “It will take a few modifications and a bigger engine, but I think the same basic model will work for pumping water out of shafts that are threatened with slow flooding. It should revolutionize mining not only in Caedellium but in all of Anyar. That is . . . if we share it.”

  Yozef slapped Mark on the back. “Congratulations! The first functioning steam engine. I don’t have to tell you what a game-changer this is.” Yozef smiled. “I assume you can now read my mind?”

  Mark laughed. “When are steam trains and ships going to be ready?”

  “The Great Karnak! You are a mind reader.”

  “No need. We both have had fantasies of ‘if only we had X.’ As for trains, I’ll show you our first small model locomotive. It’s not really working yet, but we’re close. The first steam train engines won’t look anything like you may have seen in pictures on Earth . . . say . . . from Civil War movies to the last steam trains around the mid to late 1900s. There’s the gearing to work out, testing boiler configurations, and all the rest, but I’m confident we can have the first model ready in three to four months. It’ll be relatively small from where we’ll eventually go, but they’ll pull many times what the horse-drawn trains can and will go a lot faster.”

  “Three or four months!” said Yozef. “That means we need to start planning rail conversion right away. Otherwise, your first engine will only be a stationary oddity.” He looked back at the map. “The first big question is where to start the change-over. For practical reasons, it needs to be the Cherona line connecting the iron ore fields west to the iron and steelworks in coal country.”

  Mark nodded. “Yes, but that presents two major problems.”

  “Only two? I can think of more than that. Of course, some problems are interrelated.”

  Anticipating him, Mark held up a hand, extended his fingers and a thumb, and counted off, closing digits as he tallied problems.

  “Complete and test first functional steam engine train. Tear up the existing track. Replace with steel rails. Produce enough steel rails. Loss of service until replacement is finished. And best of all—” He added the other thumb. “Won’t be able to hide the results from the Fuomi and probably the other ambassadors. I could probably go on, but that’s enough for starters.”

  “You showed me stacks of rails at Elmor. I assume you kept producing them. How far can we go with what we already have?”

  “About thirty miles, which should cover from Cherona just into Stent Province. When you visited Elmor, we had three Bessemer converters operating and one more being built. All four are now operational, and with more rollers we could now produce about fifteen miles of rail a day. Of course, that’s if nothing breaks, and the raw materials are available. That last is the bottleneck. We can’t keep the converters going full time until a set of steam trains is operational to provide the iron ore, and the new rails are in place all the way from Cherona to Elmor.”

  “A chicken-and-egg problem,” mumbled Yozef. “We knew this was coming. I guess I didn’t think about it as much as I could have. Maybe I didn’t quite believe it was all going to work.”

  Mark didn’t directly respond. He had raised this and other issues several times without getting satisfactory responses. There was no need to complain. They had problems to solve.

  “I have a suggestion,” said Mark, “but it would take a mobilization that you would have to push. The existing horse trains and iron-capped rails are faster than regular wagons and can carry more weight on a per-horse basis, but that doesn’t mean we couldn’t use wagons to transport ore—it would just take lots of wagons, more horses on a per ton basis, and more wagon crews. That becomes critical when we start replacing rails, and there’s no train service, horse-drawn or steam. Wagons might be able to fill the void.”

  “How many wagons?”

  “Hard to say for sure, but no point seeing how it goes without starting with at least a hundred, and they would have to be sturdy wagons. Best would be specially built ore wagons, but that would take time and more coin.”

  Yozef shook his head. “Go ahead and make some estimates of what it would take to get rail production up, and we’ll talk about it some more. As for coin . . . it’s already a problem. Trade with Landolin and the Iraquinik kahsaks is picking up, but there’re still issues with how some of the resulting coin gets to the central government. So far, I’ve gotten away with requiring a version of a tax by claiming it’s part of developing markets. We don’t have a formal tax structure yet. I’ve depended on mostly voluntary support by the hetmen and income from what I’ve introduced.”

  Yozef shook his head. “Christ. I’ve had Nylan Wantik working on this. As little as I know about setting up such systems, I think he’s making progress, but I wish we had more expertise.”

  “Well, then, who actually owns the mines, mills, and future trains?”

  “Another nebulous question. So far, I’ve assumed I and the hetmen are the owners. At the same time, I’m pouring most of my own income into these projects, along with most of the income from trade. In a way, I’m a conduit. Similar for the hetmen. They are holding ownership—or partial ownership with me—in trust for their clanspeople. Part of both my and Wantik’s attention is being sure the hetmen do what they’re supposed to and don’t sequester coin for themselves.”

  Yozef held up both hands.

  “And no, this can’t last forever. We’
re definitely flying this economic plan out of our asses. If I ever thought the outside threats were gone, I’d say the hell with being Paramount. I’d stick to the university and whatever innovations I could introduce in whatever time I had.

  “One other thing, Mark. Although today we’ve focused on economic and industrial issues, I’ve come around to wanting to put more attention on practical ways to push our military capability to a new level. Give it some thought. I’ll be busy with politics for much of the next month, internal and external. Let’s say . . . can you give me detailed thoughts one month from today?”

  Mark nodded. “That will also give me time to push people to finish a couple of items by then.”

  Mark made enough progress that when the occasion arose to arrange demonstrations for individuals Yozef needed to impress, Mark was ready.

  Train and Horse to Alwyn’s Dell

  Three days after returning to Orosz City, Synton Ethlore informed Yozef he would be gone for a sixday or more while he made his vowed visit to Alwyn’s Dell, the Pewitt village home of Sergeant Ulmar Rynston, Pewitt 1st Dragoon Battalion. Synton did not travel alone. Yozef said he would go, too, and they would also visit the home of Steva Wynton, the Pewitt dragoon leader, who had stood with ten of his men at the first stand to delay the Kolinkans.

  They traveled by train to Penmawr for a brief memorial attended by the Wynton family. Then they continued by train north to within five miles of the Pewitt/Swavebroke border. There, they changed to horses and rode fifteen miles to the village of Alwyn’s Dell. The visit with Rynston’s family was mixed. Most members acted similar to the way Oston’s family had, but not all. Steva’s wife refused to speak with Yozef. Her one look into Yozef’s face was wrenching.

  “Understandable,” consoled Synton as they rode back to the train. It had somehow turned its direction back toward Penmawr. “She’s lost her husband and is left with three children. No matter the circumstance, she’ll wish it was you dead and not Steva.”

  “I know,” said Yozef, “but understanding doesn’t make it anything easier. I’ll have to speak with Hetman Pewitt when we get to Penmawr to be sure the family is cared for.”

  CHAPTER 42

  FUOMON ISSUES

  Caught

  “I have to be absolutely certain about this,” said Yozef. “It can’t be ‘probably’ or ‘most of the evidence points to.’”

  Halwis Stritton looked to the man sitting next to him. The man pushed a folder toward Stritton, who untied the string holding the flap closed and opened the folder. As he spoke, he took papers from the folder and slid them across the table to Yozef.

  “Banham here has made this the first major investigation since I appointed him Chief Investigator of the Justice Department. What I’m showing you first is a signed confession by an Orosz man named Bulwyt.”

  Stritton smiled. “He’s a worker at the steam engine project near Orosz City. The one I assume we are not supposed to know about.”

  “We’ll get to that later,” said Yozef. “You know, we’re lucky this Bulwyt is both naïve and loyal to Caedellium.”

  “That’s why I recommend we be lenient with him,” said Stritton. “Yes, he gave in to the promise of significant gold coin in return for what he thought was harmless information. But once he realized his mistake, he confessed to Mark Kaldwel, who contacted my office. That let us lay a trap to catch both the Fuomi contact and the person above him.”

  Stritton paused a moment to grind his teeth. “I take responsibility for not anticipating the reaction of the two Fuomi who met with Bulwyt under our observation.”

  “Not your fault, Halwis. None of us anticipated such violence would come from spying for information.”

  Yozef did not believe his words. He knew from past and current Earth history that predicting the level of violence humans were capable of was a losing exercise. There was no reason to believe it was different on Anyar.

  “Thank you, Paramount, but my opinion doesn’t change. The result was that when we attempted to take the two men into custody, they both drew weapons. Two of my men were wounded and one killed before we captured one of the Fuomi, while the other escaped. The meeting took place inside Orosz City, and an alerted patrol found a Fuomi man a few hundred yards away from the fight. He claimed he knew nothing about what happened.

  “None of my men got a good-enough look at the Fuomi who escaped, so, without evidence, we didn’t think we could hold him accountable. That’s when Ser Kaldwel made a suggestion. He says he got it from your other Amerikan countryperson. It took us a sixday to work out the procedure for taking these ‘fingerprints’ and test a thousand people to convince us the method was reliable. From a pistol the fleeing Fuomi was seen to drop, we got a match to Taponi Namaki. I found out he was an assistant to the Fuomi ambassador, Koskanin.”

  Yozef knew that fingerprints were unique enough for identification, but a thousand-size sample would not be enough for a firm conclusion in a society new to the method. Yozef saw no reason to muddy the waters, so he formally signed off on the procedure as soon as Stritton informed him of what was happening.

  Stritton pushed several sheets toward Yozef. Two sheets held ink fingerprints.

  “We can go over comparing the two sets of prints if you wish, Paramount. We brought a magnifying glass.”

  “I’ll take your word for it, Halwis. Go on.”

  Stritton pushed forward another sheet.

  “The captured man was severely wounded. He was treated at the hospital. We . . . uh . . . may have given him the impression he wouldn’t be treated unless he talked.”

  Yozef suppressed a smile. The medicants would not have allowed anyone to mistreat a patient brought to them. That didn’t mean the same medicants wouldn’t hold the rope once the patient recovered.

  “Anyway, after we fetched someone who spoke Fuomi, the man talked so fast the scribe had trouble writing everything down. After being treated, the man refused to talk further, but we had what we needed. He confirmed this Namaki was his superior and had been directing spying on the steam engine project and several other activities here in Orosz City and elsewhere on Caedellium. We’re investigating the other allegations.”

  Yozef glanced over the confession written in Fuomi with a translation attached.

  “And it was the pistol that killed your man?”

  “Yes, the one connected to Namaki. The other man used a knife to wound two men.”

  “What about Koskanin?”

  “Namaki won’t say anything. He insists he knows nothing and should be allowed to return to the Fuomi embassy. The other man claimed he has never talked directly to Koskanin, but he assumes orders come from the ambassador.”

  Kivalian

  Yozef’s intent to schedule a serious talk with Reimo Kivalian was expedited. When the Fuomi returned from Nyvaks Province after passing through Adris City, he came straight to Yozef’s office. It took Yozef only one look at the man’s travel-worn clothing and serious expression to surmise a report on the status of the Nyvaks ready dragoon units would not be the topic.

  Kivalian wasted no time once he sat. “Fuomon is planning on moving their ships from Caedellium to ports in Landolin and the middle Iraquinik kahsaks.”

  Yozef took a few moments to digest the news. “Well . . . that’s the shits.”

  Kivalian frowned at the English words.

  “Uh . . . are you sure?” asked Yozef, switching to Caedelli.

  “I had stopped at the Fuomi naval station near Adris City to visit a couple of officers I wanted to say hello to. I assume word spread of my presence, and a junior naval officer seemed to be waiting for me when I left one of my friends. He walked a few feet behind me and mumbled what I just told you . . . that the ships . . . all the ships . . . will be moving from Caedellium next month. I didn’t have a chance to ask questions. The officer turned and walked in another direction from where I was headed. I can’t prove it, but the way it happened makes me believe a more senior navy officer was sending a messag
e, possibly even Admiral Mermi.”

  “Warning us, huh? Not like we don’t have enough problems.”

  Yozef thought for a minute, deciding now was the time for his “talk” to Kivalian.

  “What do you think brought this on and their not telling us about it sooner? It can’t be a sudden decision.”

  “This is the first I’ve heard of the intention. You must know Koskanin and I are not exactly on good terms. Eina should know more about Fuomon politics, but factional intrigue goes on all the time. Koskanin is from what’s commonly called the Surion Faction, after a man named Surion who believed Fuomon was destined to rule all of Anyar.”

  It was the first time Yozef had heard of such a Fuomi belief. The revelation was disquieting.

  “And how does that explain a rationale for leaving Caedellium?”

  “Again, talk to Eina. The only thing I can think of is it puts the ships closer to Narthani activity. That could be a tactical reason. I might believe it’s justified if it weren’t associated with a pompous nitwit like Koskanin.”

  “I’ll talk with Eina, Reimo, and thank you for passing this on to me. However, let’s have a talk I’ve been planning to have with you. There are things happening here in Caedellium. Big things. I don’t doubt you’ve wondered why specific places have been closed to you for travel in the last year, mainly around Orosz City. I’ll be honest. We haven’t been convinced about the level of commitment Fuomon has to Caedellium. Not that we don’t appreciate what Fuomon did during the war and since then. However, now with your warning, I can only assume Fuomon is making, or perhaps has already made, a reevaluation of its relationship to Caedellium. For our part, we also have been planning an adjustment, though, in our case, we anticipated a closer relationship, rather than the distancing I’ve come to suspect.