by M. D. Cooper
“The owner put the place up for sale soon after the last tenant moved out,” Singh continued. “I believe it was because the company went out of business. Such a pity. I heard they supplied the best saffron in the system; you can’t buy it in Heliopolis now, you have to order it from the other side of the planet.”
“That is a pity,” Isa said.
“The problem is, if you’re running a company that exports to other planets, it’s hard to compete with Carthaginian businesses. In most cases, they were the first to be set up after the Intrepid’s arrival, so they were always one step ahead. Licensing fees imposed by the New Canaan government don’t help, either. You would think the system-wide government would give the younger economies a break, wouldn’t you? But it doesn’t. Everything has to be ‘fair’.” Singh made quote marks with his fingers.
They were strolling across the mezzanine to the rail where they could overlook the first floor.
“What is it you’re planning to do here?” Singh asked. “I can’t remember if you told me. The commercial use restrictions on the section are fairly open, though you can’t live here.”
“I won’t be living here,” said Isa.
She went on to explain her installations, but Singh didn’t seem to understand.
“So you’re going to open an art gallery?”
“Yes, a kind of interactive gallery.”
One of Singh’s eyebrows lifted.
Isa said, “Clients participate in recordings—”
“You mean it’s going to be a sim center? Heliopolis already has several of those. I’m not sure if you’re aware.” Singh looked glum, as if he expected imminent loss of his rental income.
“No, not a sim center,” Isa said. “I guess the best way to describe it is as something halfway between a sim and a deeper psychological experience.”
“Right,” Singh nodded, clearly failing to understand what Isa had in mind.
“You can come to the opening,” she offered. “Take part in a session free of charge if you want.”
Singh’s features brightened. “I might take you up on that. And I have some friends in the art world I can introduce you to. Anyway, as you can see, everything here is in good condition. Let’s cross to the other side.”
They climbed the steep walkway to the second mezzanine.
“Will your visitors be walking around the place?” Singh asked as they stepped off the stairs.
“They could, but they don’t have to.”
When Singh looked confused again, Isa said, “It’s a new concept, but I’m confident there’s a market for it.”
“I certainly hope so,” said Singh. “I can’t afford to have this place sitting empty, business isn’t good. The Trojan economy is weak and getting weaker.” His tone had become more heated and his eyes danced with ire. He went on, “It’s all very well for the big shots in Landfall to fix things to protect their local market, but they don’t seem to think about the effect on the rest of New Canaan.” He paused, leaned toward her, and murmured, “If you ask me, the faster Troy secedes, the better.”
Isa blinked. She didn’t know how their innocent conversation had evolved into a political discussion, or rather, a diatribe.
“Did you know there’s a parliamentary election next week?” Singh asked. “I’ll be voting for the Independence Party. They’re new, but feelings are running high. They might just win. If the New Canaan government won’t help us out, I say we make it official and stand alone.”
“Um, OK,” said Isa.
“The days of colonization are over,” Singh almost yelled. “It’s time we decided our own destiny. Central government has stuck their noses in and dictated to us long enough!”
“Right,” Isa said.
Awkwardness forced her to walk to one of the slim, rectangular windows that ran along the front and back walls just below the ceiling. She peered out.
It didn’t seem to her that Troy’s economy wasn’t doing well. Heliopolis was bustling with life. Shuttles and drones criss-crossed the skies, and the streets were filled with vehicular and pedestrian traffic.
Singh joined her at the window.
“Did you notice that the building can also be accessed from the roof?” he asked in an even tone, as if he hadn’t been ranting only seconds previously.
Studying her landlord from the corners of her eyes, Isa asked, “It can?”
He pointed upward. A hatch was embedded into the ceiling directly above them.
“The roof can hold two or three aircars,” said Singh. “And this is private property, so no one else can land there. That’s what the previous owner told me anyway. I’ll find the details and send them to you.”
“Thanks,” Isa said.
The option to land her aircar on the roof would be convenient. All in all, she was pleased with her choice of building. Everything appeared to be going well for her new venture…with the possible exception of the mental health of her landlord.
CHAPTER TEN
STELLAR DATE: 04.12.8941 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Elevator Terminal, Heliopolis, Ithaca
REGION: Troy, New Canaan System
After parting from Isa at the shooting range, Erin took an autocab directly to Troy’s space elevator, which sat at the far eastern edge of Heliopolis.
Other than a few drones working on the terminal’s exterior façade, the structure was all but deserted, something that would change once the station above was completed and the majority of off-planet transportation moved from the spaceport on the far side of Heliopolis to the strand.
A flare of light to the east caught Erin’s eye, and she knew it was one of the support strands waiting to anchor additional sections of the station.
Messene Station was the first full-scale, low-orbit station to be built in the system, and Erin was filled with pride that Tanis and Earnest had entrusted her with its construction.
All prior stations she had built needed to be further out on the strand to generate enough centripetal force for comfortable gravity. Messene was different. At only five thousand kilometers above Troy’s surface, it was almost gravity neutral without the use of a-grav systems. A benefit was that construction was much simpler, but it also meant that Erin had to take extra steps to ensure that if the a-grav systems failed, the station and its occupants would be safe.
If the work on Messene went well, she’d take that expertise and begin to plan for an even larger station over Tyre.
She stood outside the facility for a minute longer, looking up at the glinting light from the body of the station that hung far above. During the last few days, her team had brought in the central hub and anchored it to the strand. That five-kilometer-wide tetrahedron would become the anchor for the rest of the station, which would come in at over five hundred kilometers in length.
She pulled her eyes away, thoughts lost in plans regarding the impending delivery of the main arches from the manufacturing facility on Troy’s furthest moon, as she walked to the terminal’s automatic doors. As they were sliding shut, the sound of a vehicle approaching caught her attention and she turned to see an autocab.
She’d expected to ride the elevator alone, but as soon as the car’s occupant exited, he called out her name. She was surprised to see Tony, the planetary engineer she’d met on Tyre.
“Long time no see,” Erin said as he approached.
“That’s right. OK if I tag along?”
“Be my guest. Things too quiet for you on Carthage?”
“Waaaay too quiet,” Tony replied as he followed Erin into the terminal where automatons directed them toward the first available elevator car. “That’s why I thought I’d come over and see what’s happening on Troy. But I’ve had a little fun over the last couple of days fixing an underwater sinkhole.”
“No kidding. I heard about that. My husband’s working on the marine project at that site.”
“Really? I think I might have met him today.”
They walked through the security ar
ches to the departure area, continuing to exchange pleasantries as they approached the departure area and Car 01.
The current conveyance up to the station was a small car that rode a single strand. Later, the full-scale cars that would encompass three strands each would be in operation, but given the low population of the planet, there was no need for bulk transportation yet.
Settling into two of the twenty seats in the car, the pair silently gazed out the window as the car started to rise. Heliopolis quickly grew smaller, and Tony shook his head with a sigh.
“The FGT really didn’t leave much for me to tinker with on any of the planets except Athens,” he said. “I’ve been at loose ends for a while now. It was pure luck I happened to be around when the sinkhole opened. How about you? I bet you’re looking forward to building Messene.”
“Am I,” Erin replied. “This is my favorite part of my job.”
“I was a little surprised to hear you were in town,” said Tony. “I heard you were back in the inner system more or less permanently from now on, but I didn’t think you were coming to Troy for a couple of weeks.”
“I was supposed to be going on vacation, but then there was a change of plan. It’s fine, though. I don’t mind. Manufacturing is ahead of schedule, and I want to be present for the major segments coming in anyway. My team’s good, but in all honesty, this is the best part. Then once that’s done…well, let’s just say that I have so many ideas for this place, I can’t wait to get started.”
“I bet,” Tony replied. “What’s in the cards?”
“The spaceport comes first of course. Tanis wants that completed and loaded up with defense drone production facilities.”
“Of course,” said Tony. “Hey, is it true that you were hollowing out moons in the outer system to build military shipyards?”
“Yeah, that’s right. I guess it’s pretty much an open secret now.”
“Glad to hear the rumors are true. It’s good to know we’ll have some surprises up our sleeves when the time comes.”
“Exactly. Which is why the spaceport is the priority. Then we’ll be building enough accommodations to house the populations of several cities.”
“Really?” asked Tony. “Is there a need for that yet? I know New Canaan’s population has increased a lot over the last few years, but the planets can hold billions, and we’ve not crossed over ten million.”
“We aren’t, but you know New Canaanites. They love to breed. I even have a little one myself, and if his dad has any say in the matter, we’ll soon have more on the way. It wouldn’t be wise to be caught napping when it comes to providing homes for everyone. Besides, there are plenty of people who never got used to living planetside, and we want to keep our worlds as pristine as possible. There’s a demand for returning to the black, even if it’s only above a planet’s surface. I sometimes feel like that myself.”
While Erin and Tony had been talking, Troy’s horizon had developed a pronounced curve. The blue sky had transformed to the darkness of space. The car’s interior began to rotate, using a-grav systems to make them feel comfortable while the planet’s surface shifted from ‘down’ to ‘up’.
“You do?” Tony asked. “I’ve gotten used to the ground under my feet, personally.”
“I thought you might feel like that, I watched your interview with Isa in her infomentary on Tyre,” said Erin. “Hey, I don’t think I ever thanked you for your help with extracting the antimatter bombs the SSS planted. Couldn’t have done it without you.”
“Thanks, though I’m sure you would have done fine without me,” Tony replied. “Thank stars only one blew. What a freakin’ disaster that could have been. But the Tyrians got everything back on track pretty fast, and the planet’s thriving now. So tell me more about your plans for Messene.”
Erin told him at length. It was a while before she realized Tony couldn’t get a word in edgeways. She decided she’d better wind down.
“If I include everything I have in mind, the project will run for several months, but I don’t have the budget for the extended plans yet. In all honestly, when I’m ‘done’, most of the station will still just be a vacant shell.”
“Things always seem to come down to productivity and credits these days, don’t they? Not like before, when all we needed was Tanis’s approval.”
“Huh, I wish that’s all it took now,” Erin said. “Tanis would approve what I want to do here in the blink of an eye. She has the vision for it. But the system and local governments? Not so much.”
“Tell me about it. These are the people I have to deal with all the time. Have you been following the local news? Did you hear what’s been happening in their government?”
“No, I haven’t heard anything. We only just arrived, and, honestly, I’m not that interested in politics.”
“Well, I hate to be the bearer of bad news, but there’s a breakaway faction arguing that Troy should secede from the rest of the system. They’ve formed a new coalition party in the wake of the recent elections and, from what I hear, they’re gaining support. For now, they don’t control a majority, but if they get one, it could spell trouble for your project.”
“Stars, what do you mean?” Erin asked.
“If the new faction gets their wish and Troy secedes, all bets will be off regarding planning agreements. Troy could renege on the whole deal if it wants. If the government decides to withdraw its portion of the funding, there won’t be anything anyone can do about it.”
Erin asked, “Surely Tanis won’t let them?”
“She might not want to, but she’s only one person, even if she is governor. She’s the one who established the federal parliament and planetary legislatures, ceding her power to them. She’s still the head of the military, but for things like this, she has to go through channels.”
“Well, shit. Does the charter even allow for secession?”
Tony’s shoulders rose and he cocked his head to the side. “So much of what was in the charter is null and void already, getting anyone to stick to what’s left is well-nigh impossible.”
As he spoke, the elevator car reached the tetrahedron that was Messene Station and passed through a grav-field airlock before slowing as it rose to a debarkation platform.
During the ride, the car’s pressure had adjusted to match the station’s, and the ‘safe exit’ light came on without delay. Erin and Tony rose from their seats and walked out onto the bare platform, unadorned plas and metal surfaces surrounding them.
“Cheery place,” Tony said with a laugh, and Erin shrugged.
“It’s getting there. In a few days, we’ll have plants in place, and the walls will be vistas from the four planets.”
Tony inclined his head in acquiescence, and despite her new disquiet over the political issues on Troy, a comfortable familiarity settled over Erin. She could tolerate living planetside, and spending time with Isa, Martin, and Jude was great, but she wondered if she would ever truly feel at home anywhere except in space.
They took a station car down the large concourse leading off the platform and drove the short distance to the control center, while Walter checked the progress that had been made.
Erin’s team was already hard at work. MacCarthy and Linch were there, as well as a few other engineers she’d worked with when she’d been hollowing out Laconia and the other moons. When she’d put out the call for a team to build Messene, she was able to pick the best of the best.
After greeting the team and introducing Tony, she took her seat. She laughed softly when she saw that someone had already placed a cream soda next to it.
Erin wished that her pleasure at embarking on an exciting new project hadn’t been tainted by Tony’s news. Now that she was finally getting to build her space station, were some stupid politicians going to pull the rug out from under her?
“OK, folks,” she said, “let’s get to work.”
CHAPTER ELEVEN
STELLAR DATE: 04.13.8941 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Hel
iopolis, Ithaca
REGION: Troy, New Canaan System
Myrddan’s agent paused on the wide avenue that led up to Troy’s Government House. The building stood at the center of Heliopolis, and the city’s main roads radiated out from the imposing structure. The architect who had designed the place had been ambitious and blessed with a visionary imagination. Four round towers occupied the outer margins, each marking the corner of a square. The fifth and main building filled the central space: a rising spiral increasing in width to the middle and then decreasing again up to the final floor, which was topped by a spike. At night, the spike glowed, repeating rainbows of color that were visible from all across the city.
When the spike wasn’t lit, the government building’s only color was white, like most of the constructions in Heliopolis, yet the simple hue didn’t diminish the imposing effect. If anything, the plain color added solidity and an air of ancient strength, as if the place had been built on Earth tens of thousands of years ago and brought along on the Intrepid to be reconstructed piece by piece.
The building was far more impressive than Carthage’s parliament, and it epitomized the pride and deep-seated desire for independence that had increasingly characterized the Trojan spirit as the years of colonization wore on. It was this spirit that Myrrdan’s agent had been inflaming for the last few weeks.
The agent’s gaze shifted from Government House to the people, likewise standing and staring or walking up and down the avenue. Most of them were tourists, many probably from other planets, recording their views of the attraction. Some of the pedestrians would be governmental employees arriving for work. A few would be politicians—a parliamentary session was scheduled for that afternoon.
The agent’s challenge was to impart mind control to a select number of key individuals. The task was a tricky one. Physical contact with the subject was required to implant the control, but one could not simply approach and touch certain required people without attracting notice and perhaps arousing suspicion.