by Robin Roseau
“No!” someone yelled.
“Pause it,” I said, but Mordain was already handling it.
The Hollern Vendart jumped to his feet. “She must be mistaken.”
“Governor Grace?”
Cecilia stood up. “Twelve square kilometers on Centos Four would be a small farm.”
“Perhaps this is for grazing of animals,” said the man.
“In a bit, we’ll see what they farm,” I said. “And we’ll see how one family holds so much land. And we’ll see why I brought all of you here today.”
Sartine stood. “I saw these farms on Centos Four.” She barked a laugh. “I asked if we could walk the perimeter. They laughed at me and suggested if I wanted to see the entire property, we should fly, or it would surely take a week.”
“No,” said the man.
“This wasn’t a single family,” she continued. “Cecilia called it a corporate farm. But I imagine it is operated the same as this family farm, but with more people.”
“Yes,” Cecilia said. “Almost certainly.”
Sartine gestured up. “I’d like to see the rest of what Chaladine had to say, but on my word, she is speaking the truth, and she is not mistaken.”
“How?”
“Watch and see,” I said. “Mordain?”
We saw an aerial view of the farm, and then we zoomed closer and saw one of the large vehicles working the field. There were six total. Chaladine let that go without commentary for a while. But then she said, “I’m sorry. It isn’t harvest season anywhere on the planet, and Maddalyn asked for this as soon as we could send it. I’ll try to send more once harvest season arrives.”
But then we saw the family. Chaladine introduced them. There were twelve total, with two of them teenagers. The rest all looked to be about thirty years old. Chaladine reminded us of rejuvenation, and then we took a tour through the buildings. The farmers took turns describing their equipment, with Chaladine translating into Talmonese for us. Then we went to the control center, and we watched two images, one of Chaladine seated at a control screen, and the other while one of the pieces of equipment came to life and moved from its stall.
“Someone is driving that,” Luradinine suggested.
“Chaladine is controlling it,” Cecilia said. “But it will run on automatic. And did you see how big it is?”
“They come smaller,” I said. “Some people use them for their own gardens.”
I let it play out after that. Then it returned to Chaladine, and she was somewhere else. “I’m home now. I just want to say Hi to everyone. I miss you, but I’m learning as much as I can. Mother. Father. I miss you so much, and you, too, Margotain and Rordano and Mordain and Cecilia and Sartine. Luradinine, I’m sorry. I wish I could be in two places at once, but Talmon needs me to learn of these things.” And then she wiped away a tear before the image faded.
I let people absorb that for a moment, then I stood before they could begin talking. “There is something interesting,” I said. “The equipment we saw is very large and very expensive. But farmers are like people everywhere. They like to have the most modern equipment. Oh, they can’t always afford it, but they try. And often, their old equipment is no longer up to modern standards, but it still works very, very well.”
I paused, looking around. “As you saw, there are different types of equipment. There are tractors that either push or pull devices for tilling, planting, or doing other jobs, and there are combine harvesters that are used to harvest the grown grain. They require a significant source of power, but it turns out that used, they aren’t that expensive.”
I paused once more. Everyone was watching me.
“In fact,” I said. “It turns out that I could personally afford a tractor, some basic implements for it, and a small combine harvester. I’m sorry, but I won’t be able to buy any refrigeration units for a year or two. They’re waiting on Tarriton, and if Governor Grace can ship them here, then all we need to decide is what to do with them when they get here.” I smiled at Cecilia, whose mouth was agape as she watched me. Then I walked over and sat down beside my wife. “I think perhaps the vendarti need to decide if they wish to bring this sort of automation to Talmon.”
* * * *
No one spoke for perhaps ten or fifteen seconds, and then Sartine slowly stood up. “Maddalyn. How small?”
“Small,” I said. “And they’re old, but they’re in good repair, or so I’m told. They’re slow, which is why they were inexpensive, and I could afford them. Barely.” In actuality, I had borrowed against the imperial portion of my paycheck. “I think one family would be able to work one or two kilometers of various grains. But none of the farms we have are that big, and these are very inefficient on small fields. I’m not really sure what to do about that. But I’m told one of the devices is used to detect and remove rocks that would damage the other devices, but it requires direct oversight. If we need to clear land of trees, there are devices we can obtain that help with that, but I’m not bringing any, and I can’t pay for anything else for a while.”
Cecilia sent a message to my implant. “How much did you spend?”
“No more than I was willing,” I sent back. Then I added, “I borrowed against my pay for a couple of years.” Okay, for three years, but who was counting?
Cecilia stood. “I find the timing of this meeting interesting.”
“I would think the timing is obvious,” I replied. “Urban Green remains in system. If you’re going to bring my farm equipment here, you have time to send word with her. Governor, I can’t do that part. I just can’t. But you told me if I could obtain equipment, you would get it here. I thought we should try it first. This may fail. I don’t know. But don’t we have to try?”
“This won’t eliminate all possible mishaps,” Cecilia said. “Vendarti, what do you think?”
Hollern Vendart stood up, a large man named Roldano. Hollern was twenty kilometers inland from Sudden and a pure farming community. “With this small equipment you have purchased, one family could work as much land as three families do now?”
“And it will be easier,” I said. “Yes. They may need a little help at harvest time, as they would be bringing in so much more grain, and I don’t know what happens to it after it is harvested. It is possible you could find ways to work even more land if you can spread out when you plant and when you harvest. I know very little about farming, so I’m not sure.”
He nodded. “Our farms are clustered together with four families living in homes together at the mutual corner, and their farms around them. If they combined fields, there would be larger fields to work.”
“This is more complicated than what to do with one set of machines,” Baardorid said. “You heard Maddalyn. She can’t bring enough for the entire planet.”
Roldano turned to Baardorid. “I heard her, but Sudden Vendart is perhaps the last vendart here who should talk about sharing the gifts from the empire.”
“Sudden Vendart arranged a Galatzi trade with the imperial envoy as the Sudden portion of the trade,” Cecilia pointed out. “Sudden Vendart has offered his own daughter in a second Galatzi trade. Sudden Vendart has done more than anyone, except possibly his daughter, to help support the imperial presence on Talmon. So please, can we avoid infighting?”
“Sudden has been well rewarded for their support,” the man replied.
“Does Hollern enjoy the electricity and ample water we installed two years ago?” Cecilia asked. “There are twelve vendarti present today. I depend on all of you, which is why the vendart of a small village like Hollern is here. You make a valid point, Roldano, but so does Baardorid. In fact, in a way, you are both making the same point, and it is an echo of Maddalyn’s point. How can we possibly do this fairly?”
“We can’t,” Luradinine said. “We have to accept that. We would need a thousand of these tractors to do this fairly.” She paused. “And perhaps no one has been paying attention, but Maddalyn paid for this equipment with her own, personal money.” She turned
to me. “And while she hasn’t admitted it to me, I rather suspect this was not as easy of a purchase as she has tried to portray.”
“Talmon is my home,” I said gently. “I’m trying to help. I thought we should try it, you know? Bring in enough for a farm or two. See if it’s better. See if this is something we want to focus on.” I smiled. “Because focusing on power and water and sanitation and rejuvenation isn’t enough.”
Cecilia snorted at that, and a few other people offered brief smiles.
“Maddalyn has asked this group,” Luradinine said, “to decide a few things. Should we bring this technology to Talmon? It may be that we do not believe this is for the best.”
“Why wouldn’t we want the tractors?” Roldano asked.
“Because it is disruptive technology,” I said. “I know Cecilia worried that hot showers would disrupt the way the Talmonese visit the public baths. This could be even more disruptive. We don’t want to do anything that changes the nature of the Talmon people.”
“We have to discuss it,” Luradinine said. “And then we have to discuss what we are going to do with this equipment Maddalyn has obtained. I suppose we have to discuss whether we can even get it here.”
“We can,” Cecilia said. “I’m allowed a certain amount of mass each time Urban Green visits.”
“And we should discuss how we will compensate Maddalyn,” Luradinine added.
“No,” I said.
“Yes,” said Baardorid.
“So does that mean you will begin charging rent for Kalorain and me?” I asked.
“The two issues are unrelated,” Baardorid said.
I switched to German and turned to Cecilia. “They couldn’t possibly compensate me, Cecilia. You know that. This is a gift for my home, just like the refrigeration units have been.”
“Oh, she tries to get the governor on her side,” Luradinine accused. “Which is ironic, in that we’re trying to pay her for this equipment.”
Cecilia was watching me and then said, in German, “How much did you pay?”
“None of your business.”
Her eyes narrowed. “I want the sales receipts.”
“Nein.”
“I know how they can compensate you in a fashion you’re going to love. I need the receipts, Maddalyn.”
“You suck,” I said in English.
But I asked Melina to forward the receipts. Cecilia paused, staring into space, and then said, now speaking Talmonese. “You lied to me, Maddalyn.”
“I rounded down a little,” I said. “That’s hardly a lie.”
“Maddalyn is paid in a mix of Imperial credits and local Talmonese dollars,” Cecilia explained. “She told me she borrowed against two year’s of pay. This looks closer to three, Maddalyn.”
“This is an investment in my home!” I said firmly. “But if the vendarti don’t think it’s right for Talmon, I can give them back.”
“At what cost to you?”
“A down payment,” I said.
“Baardorid,” Cecilia said, still watching me. “If we decide to bring this equipment here, then I believe we have already discussed how to compensate Maddalyn.”
“Have we?” he asked.
“Dance club and furnishings,” Cecilia said.
“No,” I said.
“You be quiet.”
“No,” I said. “Sudden isn’t the right location, Governor. We have vendarti from six villages that are purely agricultural communities. My equipment should go to one of them, but none of them can afford to pay me remotely what they’re worth. And it’s not fair that Sudden pays for equipment that is going to Hollern or one of the other villages. So they’re a gift.”
“What if they were for Sudden?”
“They’re not.”
“What if, Maddalyn?”
“Fine. Then that would be different.”
“What is this dance club?” Roldano asked.
I kept quiet as Cecilia, Luradinine, and Baardorid explained, and then Baardorid added, “It is a surprising style, but we are hosting an evening tonight, so you are free to experience this for yourselves.”
“We can send a jumper to collect your families,” Cecilia added. “If you choose to stay for the dance.”
“Let us see how these conversations go,” said the man. “Maddalyn is right. Hollern could not build this club.”
“Hollern has a mill,” Baardorid said. He turned to me. “You mentioned equipment that is used to clear land.”
“I don’t know that word: mill,” I said.
“It is where trees are cut into boards for construction materials,” Roldano said. “Sudden Vendart, I am unsure we can provide what you’re suggesting.”
“Do you have extra capacity at the mill, if you could have trees delivered at a greater rate?”
The man considered. “Maybe. It is a balance between people who collect and transport trees and people who mill the lumber. Plus there is the need to dry the lumber before final trimming.” He smiled. “If we had electric lights at the mill, we could operate into the evening.”
“So we have solution,” Baardorid said. “Perhaps we should discuss whether we wish to introduce this disruptive technology to Talmon.”
* * * *
I remained out of the conversation. Cecilia explained her concerns and did a far better job than I could. But she mentioned, “The Talmon way of life” more than once.
They went around in circles for a while, then Sartine asked, “Governor, what do you think?”
“I think that we’ll never be able to introduce all the technology we would like to the entire planet,” she said. “The planets that achieve high levels of technology all are able to produce that technology locally. You don’t have ready access to the materials required. You have iron deposits, but copper, gold, and silver are all quite elusive.”
“We can only do what we can do,” Luradinine said.
“Yes, exactly. If we can find ways of drawing money into the system, then we could use that money to buy technology.”
“My tractors won’t do a thing for that,” I said.
“No,” she said. “They won’t. They will, however, give us a chance to see how they work, and while they were personally expensive for you, ultimately it’s a relatively small cost.” She looked around. “I think Maddalyn is onto something, although she may not realize it. I think it makes sense to import a sample of the other technology available. I have focused on rejuvenation, power, water, and sanitation. Maddalyn added refrigeration to the list, and now farm equipment. I think that’s a good list, and now I’m going to be wondering what we should add to it.”
“You recommend bringing these tractors,” Luradinine said.
Cecilia turned to me. “You mentioned equipment for cutting trees.”
“It’s another attachment for the tractor,” I said. “It cuts the tree down and then into predefined lengths. They come in different sizes based on the size of the trees you want to take down. I don’t know if you can select particular types of trees.”
“We would need to avoid mother trees,” Baardorid said.
“That’s what I was getting at. It may be that someone would need to pick each tree, but it would still be far faster than sawing them by hand.”
“I imagine,” Cecilia said.
“I can’t afford one.”
“I know,” she said. “I can.” She smiled. “I like the idea of being a minority owner in your dance club.”
“So we’re tentatively agreed,” Luradinine said. “If we can decide where to send this equipment. We’ve been discussing Hollern, but that is in part due to Hollern Vendart speaking up firmly at the beginning. What do the other vendarti think?”
The others looked around, and then Chasatain, vendart of another farming village called Mallishta, said, “I believe we would all like to host this experiment, but only Hollern has a mill to repay Maddalyn for her equipment.”
“That shouldn’t be the deciding reason,” I said. “I kept telling
you: they’re a gift.”
“Maddalyn has become, as Kalorain likes to call her, a good girl of Talmon,” Luradinine said. “I, of course, am biased on this, but I believe Maddalyn should be compensated as best we are able.”
“She’s my mother-in-law,” I reminded people. There were smiles and a few laughs. “And I also want to point out this experiment could fail.”
“Could the equipment be moved from village to village?” Sartine asked.
“If there were roads, you could drive them,” I said. “The tractor isn’t that big and would actually fit into the governor’s jumper, but it would take extra trips for the attachments. The combine would arrive disassembled, and I’m not sure you’d want to take it apart and put it together again.”
“There are several months a year the equipment would be in storage,” Sartine said. “None of it would be used during the winter months.”
“Unless we’re cutting trees,” I replied.
“That’s my point. We could pick any village for the far equipment but transport the tractor to Hollern in the winter to help feed the mill.”
Roldano frowned. I knew he wanted all of it, and I didn’t blame him. But this wasn’t my decision at all, and I kept my mouth shut.
“How about this,” Baardorid said. “Sudden will accept the financial risk. We will build and furnish the dance club, or will if the people of Sudden appear to embrace this style. We will pick a village for the farm equipment, but Cecilia will obtain the extra attachment for cutting trees. That attachment will go straight to Hollern. In the off season, when the tractor would sit idle, we will move it to Hollern. Hollern will compensate Sudden with one tenth of the increased capacity this gives them, if any, for twenty years.” He smiled. “And perhaps the first trees to be cut should be to produce a better road from Hollern to Sudden.”
“There is no way we can distribute this equipment in a fashion anyone would consider fair,” Luradinine added. “We can only do what we can do. Beacon Hill could use this equipment, but I believe it would be better suited at one of the other villages. I have a personal opinion which I prefer, but that is largely due to a close relationship that village has with my own.”