Galatzi World (Galatzi Trade Book 2)

by Robin Roseau

  It was tedious, and this was why I didn't begrudge Margotain's image being more common than mine. I could complete my duty of helping to produce a year's new coins in an afternoon. It took her three days. But then I had far more official duties than she did, as well, and so it all evened out in the end.

  The year I'd turned eight, I'd been so excited. I had been far less excited when I was nine.

  And so, these were the coins we would exchange for Imperial currency. Several years ago, Cecilia had worked out an exchange rate based on the cost of common goods in each currency. She collected prices from various places around The Empire and averaged them after removing any extreme prices due to regional excess or shortage. She then collected prices for similar goods on Talmon, where possible. Everywhere we went, man ate bread. We wore clothing and shoes. We produced flour, sugar, and salt. Nearly every planet in The Empire had sheep, and sheep produced wool. Many planets had imported cotton or had some regional equivalent. Cecilia's goal was to ensure that the most basic commodities cost the same, as measured in Imperial Credits -- which I thought was a stupid name -- on Talmon as it might cost on Centos Four.

  Of course, that wouldn't be a perfect arrangement. Prices varied across The Empire for a variety of reasons, after all. If you measured all prices based on the price of a kilogram of sugar, for instance, you might find that a pair of shoes cost twelve kilograms of sugar on some planets and three times that on another. And so, Cecilia skewed the results so prices for produced goods -- such as a pair of shoes -- would be similar, but other goods might be more or less expensive than they appeared elsewhere.

  There was no way to make a perfect system, but she assured us she was creating a system designed to be fair, and that was good enough for the Talmonese.

  * * * *

  And so, it seemed like half the planet prepared for the arrival of Cecilia's family. Oh it wasn't really like that, but it seemed like it.

  We managed to accelerate installation of the modern conveniences, as Cecilia called them, in Indartha, and a solar farm arrived at Sudden. My childhood home was second to receive the benefits, immediately after the communal bathhouses, and followed by other public business such as the taverns.

  A variety of events were planned, beginning with a reception in Sudden in the evening the transport ship was due.

  Gifts were produced, and the craftsmen of both Sudden and Indartha were scrambling for the best information they could obtain, hoping to impress the Governor's parents with the small gifts they had planned. Cecilia tried to squash that, but she couldn't outright forbid it.

  "Let them buy the things they want!"

  But this was Talmon. We welcomed our guests.

  And then, finally, high in the skies above us, a silver light flashed from west to east.

  The transport had arrived.

  Arrival

  The only landing field on Talmon large enough for an orbital lander remained outside Sudden. Yes, Colonel Blue could land Darkside wherever she wanted, but she tended to cause fires unless she dipped the ship in a lake to cool it. And so, we all gathered at the field near Sudden.

  Cecilia stood side-by-side with Sartine, and the excitement was radiating from her. I knew she was pleased to greet her family, but I also knew she was nervous. I didn't know all the reasons, but I knew she worried her family would be unimpressed with Talmon.

  I didn't realize it at the time, but she confessed to me later that she was worried some members of her family would be rude, sneering at the Talmonese or our home.

  With one exception, she needn't have worried.

  I stood with my family, but I would be needed shortly after everyone arrived. I had duties, after all. I was the center of all arrangements. If anything went wrong or needed to be adjusted, people would come to me, not Cecilia, and I would handle it. The goal was to allow her to enjoy her time with her family.

  None of us told Cecilia that. She didn't need to be concerned. "We've got it, Governor," became a common phrase in the last few weeks, and it would remain the catchphrase until after her family again departed.

  Half of Sudden was also there and the entire embassy staff. Maddalyn stood with Kalorain, but of course, she would have a great many duties herself. Landings of the orbital craft had always drawn a crowd, but this landing was the most anticipated in years, and the field was overfull with spectators.

  Every single one remained behind the line we had drawn for them, laid out by the simple means of setting a section of cut tree log every two or three meters. Some of the shorter members of the crowd were standing on the logs, but absolutely no one pushed so much as a toe over the line. And so, Cecilia and Sartine stood alone, out in front of everyone else, with some of us in our positions of authority or honor behind her.

  Like Cecilia, I was excited and nervous. I wanted her to enjoy this time. She hadn't seen her parents in years. She did so much for us, and at a great expense to herself, and so the entire planet wanted this time to be special for her. I knew there would be mixups; you can't have something like this go without the occasional snag. But I wanted to isolate Cecilia from those concerns as much as we could, and I would do everything in my power to assure she never found out about a single problem until long after everyone left.

  I knew I couldn't keep everything from her forever. If nothing else, I knew she would ask.

  I also wanted this to be a special time for her family. It was important to all of us that they enjoy their time here. And it was important for the planet. These were the first visitors to Talmon, not counting the people who worked directly for the Imperial government. These were our first tourists, and they could go home later and say good things about Talmon, or bad things.

  Cecilia trusted her parents and sister to give us the benefit of the doubt, but the further removed the people were from her, the less she knew about them, and she had no idea how fussy some of her nieces and nephews, twice removed, might be.

  * * * *

  We all watched as the lander descended, the entire process taking a great deal of time. It was first visible as the flash of light high overhead, but it took two hours before that flash of light resolved itself into something resembling an aircraft. The ship made great circles over the region, but then it flew far, far to the north, disappearing from sight for thirty minutes before it flashed southward, still high overhead, following the coast.

  I tried to imagine the tour the occupants were receiving.

  It disappeared to the south, reappearing noticeably lower ten minutes later. It made two wide, wide circles of Sudden, flew up and down the coast once more, and then did a large circle of the landing field before setting up for the final landing.

  The craft was huge, absolutely huge, larger than any of the ships bobbing at anchor in our harbor.

  It approached the field from downwind, coming in quickly, and then lifting its nose, just like the jumpers did, bleeding off momentum. The great engines fired, the ship rotated to point away from us, and then it came to a rest, the rear landing a moment before the front.

  Cecilia called out. "Remain well clear! The ship is hot enough to burn. You could cook dinner three meters away."

  Up and down the line, we repeated her caution.

  We were of Talmon. No one broke ranks, not even the youngest of children.

  There was a pause; it seemed like forever, but it was only a few minutes. I was so nervous I worried I would be ill. I couldn't imagine how Cecilia felt. She clutched Sartine, who stood as a rock beside her.

  Sartine was far better for her than I could have been. I was okay with that now, although I hadn't been for a long time.

  Then the tail of the ship opened, a wide ramp descending towards the ground, unfolding further to provide a smooth -- and just as importantly, cool -- ramp to the ground.

  Several uniformed people descended the ramp, checking the descent and the footing. They gestured, and a moment later, a man and a woman appeared, stepping into the sunlight and looking around for a moment.
Their eyes found Cecilia, and they lifted hands in greeting.

  I had separated from my family, moving to stand a few paces behind Cecilia, ready to assist as necessary, and I heard her say quietly, "Mama. Papa."

  The couple, holding hands, strode forth. When they had closed half the distance to us, Cecilia broke into a run. They held their arms open as she drew close, and she threw herself into their embrace. The three held each other for a long time.

  I stepped up beside Sartine, standing firmly, watching them. She glanced over to me.

  "This is what she gives up to help us," I said quietly.

  "She has two great-grandchildren she hasn't even met," Sartine said. "And she told me once she hadn't seen her sister in fifteen years, although I met her when we went to Centos Four. And you would not believe the technology they take for granted. She brought only the utter basics with her."

  "She told me she's rich. She told me she is paid almost nothing for this job. Why does she do it?"

  "Why did you give up Luradinine?"

  "To help Talmon. But this isn't her home world."

  "It's her home now."

  "She didn't want this job."

  "She did, once. And then I kidnapped her."

  "We almost ruined everything, didn't we?"

  "Almost. She forgave us. In the end, this could not have become more perfect."

  "No, I suppose not."

  "She won't leave now. Not just because of me. If she asked, I would leave with her, although it would be very hard. But she won't ask. Eventually, she will retire as Governor, and I will retire as Vendart, and we will see other worlds. But even then, we'll be back."

  But then we watched as Cecilia rubbed tears from her cheeks, and I saw her father do so as well. With Cecilia in the middle, the three of them approached us. I began to step backwards, but Sartine said, "Stay. You are nearly as important to her as I am. Please stay."

  And so I stood where I was.

  As they drew closer, I realized Cecilia's parents looked no older than she did, and perhaps a few years younger. I knew this was due to rejuvenation, but it was still shocking to be presented with the fact.

  Cecilia's mother didn't wait for introductions. She released her daughter and pulled Sartine into a deep hug. I thought she whispered into Sartine's ear, but if she did, I didn't hear. Then they separated, and while Sartine greeted Cecilia's father, her mother turned to me.

  "I know who you are," she said to me, and her voice was rich and smooth. But what was most shocking was she was speaking Talmonese. It was careful Talmonese, and heavily accented besides, but Talmonese nevertheless. "You are my daughter's dearest friend. I am so pleased to meet you, Chaladine."

  I received my own embrace, although shorter than Sartine's.

  "Welcome to Talmon," I said in English. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Mrs. Grace."

  "Oh, oh," said Cecilia. "Now you've done it."

  "You did not just Mrs. Grace me. Tell me you did not just Mrs. Grace me. Young lady, the last Mrs. Grace is my husband's great-grandmother."

  "I'm sorry," I said. "I-" I lowered my eyes. "I am so sorry."

  "Oh, don't let her cow you," Cecilia said. "She was just waiting for someone to call her that. Mother, stop teasing."

  "My name is Christianna," the woman said. She reached forward and lifted my chin. "If we are being horribly, horribly formal, you may call me Doctor Grace, but I would prefer my given name."

  "It is a pleasure to meet you, Christianna. And your Talmonese is quite impressive."

  "Don't let her fool you about that, either," Cecilia said. "I bet she's been practicing in front of a mirror for weeks. Wait until a real conversation. She'll be back to English soon enough."

  Christianna laughed. "I may last longer than that," she said. "And your English is also quite good. Perhaps I will speak Talmonese, and you will speak English, and thus we will both be understood. But you must greet my husband."

  The man in question held out a hand, and we clasped. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Sir."

  He guffawed. "Did you see what you've done, Darling?" he asked. "Now she is afraid to call me Mr. Grace, but does not know if it is safe to use August. So she calls me Sir." And that was also said in Talmonese. He looked back at me. "We are on Talmon, where you have only a single name. And you are my daughter's best friend here, after Sartine of course, and so please call me August."

  "I hope you enjoy your stay here on Talmon, August."

  "I am sure we will," he replied.

  And then we all turned to Cecilia, but she was watching the landing craft. "Mother, didn't anyone else come?" She sounded distraught.

  "Of course they did, Darling," Christianna replied. "They simply are giving us a little time for our greetings. I am afraid we have arrived in slightly larger numbers than originally reported. I hope we will not strain your hospitality."

  "You shall not," I said. "This is Talmon. We always have room for more friends."

  "Oh, Chaladine," she replied, "I see you are learning the words of a diplomat."

  Sartine and I both offered her a quizzical expression. "I do not understand," I said.

  "Mother is unaccustomed to such an important statement being offered so simply," Cecilia explained. "She is watching you to see if you are making secret signals behind your back, scurrying to make additional arrangements."

  "I do not know this word, scurrying."

  "It means to run around frantically as might a small rodent," Christianna explained.

  "Oh, I see. There is no need to scurry, as the Governor suggests. There is always room."

  "Daughter, is this the attitude you attempted to convey to us, this welcoming nature of the Talmonese?"

  "It is. It is one of their most endearing features," Cecilia replied. "Perhaps you will find better words to describe it than I have."

  "I shall make my attempts," Christianna replied. "Oh, I do believe I am going to enjoy it here. Ah, but look. There is finally movement."

  A wall, slender woman strode down the ramp, coming to a stop and looking around for a moment. That would be a pattern followed by everyone to follow. I could only imagine the view through their eyes, and I wondered if someday I would do the same on a distant planet.

  The woman had shoulder length hair, straight and black, and was dressed in simple clothing, although it was as good as anything produced on Talmon. She wore blue slacks that I would learn were called jeans, a red blouse, and a light, wool jacket, also red. I couldn't have explained her shoes, but I later heard Cecilia refer to them as athletic shoes.

  She smiled, waved, and strode forth. Cecilia ran to her, and they hugged then looked at each other for a moment, holding hands before they wrapped arms around each other's backs and walked towards us. Cecilia was beaming.

  Cecilia's parents stepped aside slightly, Christianna taking a place beside Sartine with her husband next to her. And so Cecilia led the woman to Sartine. As they drew close, Sartine said, "Hello, Savannah. Welcome to Talmon."

  The woman released herself from her sister and exchanged a quick hug with Sartine. Then she turned to me.

  "Sister," said Cecilia. "I'd like to introduce you to Chaladine, my dear friend, and second right hand. Chaladine, this is my sister, Savannah. I hope the two of you become friends while she is here."

  Savannah extended her hand, and I said, "It is a pleasure to meet you, Savannah. Welcome to Talmon."

  "Oh, you speak English," she said. She smiled and withdrew her hand. "I knew I wouldn't need all that dreadful study that Mother and Father underwent." Then without removing eyes from me, she switched languages, speaking rapidly in words I didn't know, but she sounded much like Maddalyn did. Cecilia answered her, and the two carried on a hasty conversation. Somehow I knew I was the subject.

  So I grinned at Christianna and switched to Talmonese. "What are these unusual clothes your daughter wears? Is this as informal as it appears? She travels across the stars but cannot brush her hair before greeting her dear, dear sister."<
br />
  Savannah's hair was perfect, of course, and I hoped Christianna understood I was making a joke.

  But Savannah's hand flew to her head, and she looked startled for a minute. Then her eyes narrowed at me.

  Oh shit. She had understood me.

  But then she smiled. "Sister, you didn't warn me this one had teeth. She rightfully determined we were discussing her, and so she makes her own joke with Mother." It was all said in Talmonese, also deeply accented, but in proper Talmonese.

  I dropped my eyes, embarrassed to have been caught. But Savannah laughed. "I do believe, Chaladine, you will find I am at least two steps ahead of you, and I shall remain at least two steps ahead of you."

  At that, I looked up, decided to trust my instincts, and used a phrase Maddalyn sometimes used. "Wir werden sehen." We shall see.

  Savannah stared, and I detected a blush. "No," she said in English. "You are bluffing."

  I smiled sweetly and said nothing.

  On Sartine's other side, Christianna and August were chuckling.

  Then Savannah laughed. She moved to my side and took my arm possessively. "Oh Sister, I like this one. She is going to be a challenge. May I keep her?"

  "That is between the two of you," Cecilia said. "But are you sure you can keep up with her?"

  I said nothing, but I let Savannah keep my arm.

  While Savannah and I had been teasing each other, two more people appeared on the ramp, a man and woman. Even from this distance, I could see the man was huge, and once he drew closer, I would realize he was the biggest man I had ever seen. The woman was of a more moderate size, perhaps only a centimeter or two taller than I was. We all turned in their direction, and a moment later, Cecilia asked, "Who is this, Mother?"

  Christianna tsked. "What is the world coming to when a mother doesn't recognize her own children?"