by S. H. Jucha
“Who said he paid what they’re worth?” Millie riposted, as they entered the Freedom’s main corridor. She’d left her warming cape aboard the traveler and was wearing a typical Méridien evening wrap, designed to focus the eye on her attractive figure.
Durly and his male crew were surprised by Tildie, who they’d rarely seen in anything but work overalls or business attire. This evening she wore a form-hugging, New Terran-style, outfit.
The women led the way from the bay to the main park. Millie, who was comfortable on Méridien-designed vessels, was guiding them to the central garden with the aid of the city-ship’s controller.
When the Dark’s crew exited the lift that emptied into the huge, open space of the main garden, which was dominated by 15-meter high trees, everyone, except Millie, stumbled to a halt.
“Superb,” Millie whispered, and sauntered into the majestic venue, which was artistically lit by Cordelia for the evening’s festivities. Tildie hurried to catch up with her partner, and Durly whispered, “Close your mouths, men. Mingle and act like you belong here.” Unsure of what to do himself, Durly closed on Millie and Tildie, thinking that if any contacts were to be made, the women would manage it.
Millie was scanning with her location app, searching for Omnia’s prominent couples when she froze. “It can’t be,” she whispered and walked quickly through the park, following paths, but constantly reorienting her direction.
Tildie threw a questioning glance at Durly, and the two of them stayed close behind Millie.
The two women raced toward each other and hugged joyfully, tears spilling down their cheeks, as they laughed at their good fortune in finding each other again. When they separated, Millie introduced her partner and captain.
“Come, join us,” Svetlana said, taking Millie’s arm.
The crew of the Dark found they were introduced to nearly every prestigious individual on Omnia, and Durly found his mouth drying, as he shook hands with Alex Racine.
“What’s the uniform, Svetlana?” Millie asked.
“That’s Commander Valenko to you, Millie,” Svetlana said good-naturedly.
“But I thought that the only Méridien commanders who reported to Admiral Tachenko were Independents,” Millie said innocently.
“For the most part, you’d be correct,” Tatia replied.
“Oh, Svetlana, I didn’t know. I’m so sorry,” Millie said in horror.
“Don’t be,” Svetlana replied, “If I wasn’t on Libre, I wouldn’t be where I am today, and I’m one happy woman.”
“Seems Haraken has a way of collecting orphans and outcasts,” Durly commented.
“I believe that honor belongs to Alex,” Renée quipped.
“I might point out, Alex, that Captain Pederson delivered Omnia Ship’s supplies six days ahead of schedule,” Cordelia said.
“Congratulations on your bonus, Captain. I noticed the Dark is a Méridien freighter. Does your company own other Confederation-built haulers?”
“You’re pretty much looking at the company, except for a silent partner on Haraken. I wasn’t sure where my company was headed until I hired First Mate Hennessey, and she brought Millie aboard. The women have been a boost in the company’s economic arm.
“Women usually are,” Svetlana declared, and her comment was echoed by Renée, Tatia, Cordelia, Ellie, and Pia.
Alex pinged Millie for her bio ID, and the Méridien graciously added her extended résumé to Alex’s request. The conversation swirled around Alex, like a stream of water around a rock, as the group chatted and laughed. Even Durly found himself pulled into the easy-going conversation. Millie joined in the fun, but she noted Alex Racine was staring in her direction, although his eyes weren’t focused on her.
Cordelia smiled at Alex, enjoying where his thoughts were headed.
“Come, Captain Pederson,” Alex said, slipping his arm in Durly’s. “Let’s you and I walk and talk.”
-24-
Maria’s Deal
Maria Gonzalez spent nineteen days with Darryl and Frederick, carefully examining everything they could gather about Omnia — the projects’ scopes, the available machinery, the capability of the machines to supply the gamut of items the projects needed, and the extent of Alex’s workforce, humans and SADEs.
The threesome sat around a table in a small conference room set aside for their use. Frederick had secured a holo-vid to help his employers readily understand his computations.
“From every conceivable angle, the numbers don’t make sense, Maria,” Darryl declared, leaning back in his chair. “We keep looking for some answers, and we haven’t found any.”
“I concur, Sers,” Frederick replied. “Alex Racine and, by extension, Omnia Ships, must wait for a sizable credit flow from his traveler production to be able to purchase the services and supplies to complete his projects, unless his company borrows heavily from the Exchange.”
“Alex is allergic to debt,” Darryl commented, which required Frederick to expend some effort to comprehend the odd statement.
“My calculations indicate that the workforce is spread much too thin to maximize the company’s shell and frame production,” Frederick added.
“Alex’s intent on taking care of the Dischnya,” Maria replied.
“That isn’t the most logical means of reaching his goal,” said Frederick, which elicited laughter from Maria and Darryl.
Darryl patted Frederick’s arm, which the SADE found to be a more comfortable human expression of sincerity than those he had first experienced.
“Alex has never been one for pure logic,” Maria replied to Frederick’s frown. “He looks to ensure those who need help are taken care of first.”
“A worthy attitude, but lacking in financial efficiency,” Frederick replied.
Maria leaned her forearms on the table to focus her stare on the SADE. “Agreed, Frederick,” she said, “but understand this … we like Alex the way he is.”
“Your point is made, Ser, and I will adjust my thinking to give Alex’s preferences greater weight, in the future,” Frederick said. The SADE had considered there would be some minor differences between working with humans in the Confederation and New Terra. Within days of his employment, he admitted he’d been in error. Every day since then, Frederick spent time adjusting expectations and reorganizing his protocols — and today was no different.
The one thing that Frederick found oddly comforting about his new employers was their manner of correcting his thought processes and then moving on, as if the error never happened. There were no recriminations or, worse, a series of engineers hurriedly running extensive testing on his kernel, as there would have been at House Lemoyne.
For instance, Frederick found Maria’s smile, while she eased back in her chair, an example of the inexplicable nature of his employers. But, if he’d learned anything, it was to ask questions about what he didn’t understand. The New Terrans expected his participation in their strategies, and to be an informed participant required knowledge.
“Ser, you’re smiling. Is that because you’re pleased that Alex Racine will encounter great obstacles in completing his projects?” Frederick asked.
“Yes, Frederick, but not in the manner you might be thinking,” Maria replied. “Alex is facing tremendous challenges and so is New Terra. Our analysis shows he ne
eds us. We can help him, and he can help us.”
“His needs are your world’s opportunity,” Frederick said, understanding Maria’s intent. “To what degree will our information present a financial windfall for New Terra?”
This was the second time in this session alone that Frederick’s statements had produced laughter from his employers. It seemed to be the way in which New Terrans reacted to comments he made, which indicated his logic had arrived at entirely the wrong conclusion.
“Alex may have some strange priorities from the viewpoint of most people, especially Méridiens,” Darryl said. “But when it comes to negotiations, you’d better buckle in tight. The acceleration gets nasty,” Darryl added, chuckling.
Frederick filed another of the minister’s unusual expressions for future review. The SADE was relieved that Julien, Cordelia, Z, and Miranda helpfully translated the New Terran euphemisms.
* * *
Maria requested a private meeting between her team and Alex. She didn’t expect Alex to be alone in his suite, but he was.
“Are we waiting for others?” Maria asked, while Darryl, Frederick, and she were seated.
“No, go ahead, Maria,” Alex said good-naturedly, while he fixed thé for the three humans.
Frederick eyed the holo-vid sitting on the small table in front of him. It reminded him of how connected Alex Racine was to his people, including the SADEs, and he found that reassuring.
Maria and Darryl had spent the previous evening reviewing possible strategies for how they would approach Alex, without coming to an agreement. Darryl finally said, “Maria, this is Alex. Forget all the titles he’s carried. I say treat him like the captain we first got to know.”
After Alex set their cups in front of them and most of it was consumed, Alex set his cup down and stared at Maria. Recalling Darryl’s advice, she said, “We can complete travelers as well as Haraken can.”
“You haven’t the technical capability, Maria,” Alex replied.
Maria and Darryl mentally breathed sighs of relief. Alex didn’t disagree with Maria’s statement. He was arguing details.
“You have the specifications for what’s needed to complete the travelers, and we have Frederick and ten other SADEs, who can ensure that the materials we produce meet your specifications,” Maria replied.
“I’ve only the one carrier, the Our People, for shell delivery, and there isn’t time for the ship to make second trips to New Terra without reducing its production efficiency,” answered Alex.
“And that’s the beauty of our proposal, Alex,” Maria said, smiling. “You give us the tech; we make the materials; and we come to Omnia to buildout the travelers. Or are you saying Haraken has a monopoly on these shells?” Maria asked, wondering if there was something in Omnia Ship’s agreement with Haraken that she didn’t know.
“There’s no monopoly,” Alex replied. “But I’ve only got the one location for building the shells.”
“So, what’s the orbital terminal’s purpose?” Darryl asked, warming to the negotiations.
“Passenger transfer and ship construction,” Alex replied.
“Warships,” Maria pressed.
“Among others,” Alex replied casually.
“So, traveler shells could be laid up at the terminal and assembly completed there,” Maria said.
“Once the orbital platform is completed, but that’s in the future,” Alex said, offering a small shrug.
Frederick wished the New Terrans had implants. His algorithms pressed to communicate privately with them. Alex Racine’s very words contradicted what he implied, but then he recalled the New Terrans’ laughter at his thought that his information would give his employers the upper hand in negotiations. Fascinating, Frederick thought, and relaxed to carefully analyze the strange conversation, which seemed more about what wasn’t said, than about what was said.
“Unless New Terra helped you complete the terminal early,” Maria said.
“Haven’t the credits nor the workforce,” Alex replied.
“We have both, Alex,” Maria said earnestly.
“And you know we have the tech and experience to build these, Alex,” Darryl added.
“Generous offers,” Alex replied. “And what are you expecting for this largesse?”
For the first time, Maria saw Alex’s eyes sharpen. She had her answer. Alex’s moral integrity demanded he take care of the planet’s species, his people, the humans and the SADEs, before he focused on the one thing he wanted.
“New Terra wants in on the tech, Alex,” Maria said. “Our world is changing fast. The public has weathered the massive shift caused by the explosion of Méridien tech. Our Assembly members are responding to the improvement in their lives, and they don’t want to be the orphans or stepchildren in this corner of the galaxy.”
“I can simply license the tech to you for compensation, Maria,” Alex replied. “We don’t need to dance around the subject like we’ve been doing.”
“That’s true, Alex,” Maria replied. “The tech is just part of it. The Assembly wants warships. I thought of requesting that we build sting ships together, but after what I saw in Mickey’s lab, I’m thinking there’s a huge opportunity for us to work together.”
“You’re not the Assembly or the president, Maria, even though I would wish that you were,” Alex said. “Do you think you could sell your proposal to Drake and the Assembly?”
“Alex,” Darryl said, chuckling, “the Assembly would fall all over itself to be the first government to build a relationship with a new world, complete with humans, SADEs, Dischnya, and Swei Swee.”
“Don’t forget what I said earlier, Alex,” Maria added. “That club, which you initiated because of the work on the Our People, will ensure that Drake and the Assembly back our agreement. Black space, Alex, I would be bringing them everything they asked for and more. Now, let’s talk numbers.”
Frederick finally got an opportunity to join the conversation, but he discovered they weren’t alone anymore. Alex linked with him and a group of SADEs. He found he was challenged to keep up with their analyses routines. They were experienced negotiators and knew what Alex wanted for his people. If this had been a conflict, he would have been dead by virtue of the opening salvo.
Frederick discovered that one element kept communications in balance, including preventing him from being overwhelmed. It was Alex Racine. As negotiations proceeded, Frederick relied more and more on his employers. He projected the summaries on the holo-vid for their comments. They provided the strategy and he provided the options, which allowed negotiations on New Terra’s behalf to make headway.
To Frederick’s relief, the discussions were halted for midday meal, and Frederick requested a private table so he could plan with Maria and Darryl.
The discussions lasted two more days, as each side angled for what they wanted. When the agreement was concluded, which the SADEs recorded, Darryl, ever the detail-minded, asked, “How do we get this started, Alex?”
“Already in progress, Darryl. Part of our recent cost projections examined the supplies needed for the next six months and the year following that period. Captain Durly has just delivered the supplies for the first six-month period. You’ll be receiving the list of materials required to drive the next year.”
“But are your needs our needs?” Darryl asked, pointing first at Alex and then at Maria and himself.
“Our needs,” Alex said, imitating Darryl’s gesture, “were always my intent. In this case, we’ve only speeded up my timeline, and I’m sharing our tech and ship production for your credits and workforce.”
Maria looked at Darryl and tipped her head to the side, as if to tell him I told you so. Alex had ensured that the agreement did not force him to deviate from his plan. He simply shared the bounty with New Terra of what his people intended to accomplish.
“Mickey and Julien are standing by to transfer a standalone device with crystal memory and controller to the Rover. Your readers now have a code, but the device
has no access panel,” Alex said.
Maria and Darryl didn’t bother checking their readers. They were fully aware of what Alex could do with his twin implants, including bypassing their reader’s encryption programs.
“Wait,” Darryl exclaimed. “No access panel, but then how do we —”
Alex forestalled Darryl’s question by raising a hand. “Maria, you’ll need to have Frederick present when the Assembly passes the agreement, without amendments, I might add. Once Frederick witnesses that event, you give him your passcode, which he can use to signal the controller and access the crystal memory.”
“Being awfully careful, Alex, aren’t you?” Maria asked.
Alex continued, as if Maria hadn’t asked a question. “If the agreement isn’t ratified, return the device to me. If you’re successful, Maria, your eleven SADEs will secure the data and distribute it, as you direct them.”
“What’re we getting, besides your one-year needs list?” Maria asked.
“First, I expect that list to furnish us with about six months or less of supplies with the accelerated support of your workforce. We included the technical specifications to manufacture any item on the list. It certainly doesn’t encompass everything we’ll need to fulfill the agreement, but it buys my people time to complete their research on the warships and define their future requirements.”
“Then that’s it?” Daryl said, asking Alex for confirmation.
“One more small detail … more a favor,” Alex said, standing, and signaling the suite’s door open. Durly, who Cordelia had waiting in the corridor outside the suite, stepped through the doorway.
“This is Captain Durly Pederson of the Into The Dark, which his crew calls the Dark. Durly knows this system, having dispersed his load at our sites. He earned a bonus for his early delivery and has an excellent crew. Two more pluses … the Dark is a Méridien-built freighter, and his people know my people.”
Maria recognized the subtext of Alex’s introduction and said, “I’m sure we can use Captain Pederson’s services, once the agreement is approved.”
Durly nodded gratefully to Maria for the consideration.