Duty

by P. S. Power

  Trice simply smiled and nodded.

  “Oh… nice. Yes. Terrance Baker. Terry. He’s the Ancient of Tellerand. It should be… about mid-morning there, already. After the early prayers, or it will be in a few minutes. That gives you… Like half an hour to come up with a sales pitch. You can do it. If you run into trouble, get with me. Really, get with Tor first, if you have to. That’s kind of cheating, of course, if you actually have a good idea already. He’ll just give people gold, if you ask for it. The trouble with that is anyone who’s paying attention will get that the funds flowing to the Tolland’s are a bit obviously connected to other things, if you do it that way. There are people who make a living, doing nothing except watching the comings and goings of Tor Baker’s coin. Where that flows, interesting things tend to follow. Which doesn’t work in this one case, all that well. Still, your real job isn’t to hide things, it’s to save the farm. Metaphorically. They actually have a place in town. The capital there, which is also called Printer.”

  Then, as if they were close, the woman hugged him.

  She wrinkled her nose as she moved back.

  “Get cleaned up first? You might be visiting people. Good plan that.” Then, as if that weren’t horribly rude to say, she left, using the personal transport hut that was set up in the front room there.

  Sniffing under his left arm, covertly, he realized the woman was right. He wasn’t sweet smelling at the moment. To that end he showered, imagining what to say to an important Ancient. One who had no reason to listen to him at all. Really, the man probably had people coming to him to ask for things a thousand times per month.

  That was going to make it hard to get his attention, no doubt.

  Without thinking, Albert turned his clothing amulet on, then brushed his hair, which was a little less than tidy, hanging straight to his shoulders like it did. Too short to properly hold back with a string or tie, too long to be considered particularly efficient. It fit him though, with his skinny face.

  He spoke out loud, the handheld in his right hand, finger over the sigil that would annoy the Ancient of Tellerand. Terrance Baker.

  “Would it be cheating to have a few drinks first?” It wouldn’t be, of course. What that might do was make him less than mentally sharp, if he had too much. A few sips would probably be allowable. The only problem with that was, when he glanced around, that someone had seemed to drink all of it. Getting more would mean going out for it.

  That or setting up one of the Tiera food devices, since the woman had left him with all eight of them, even when he’d tried to give them back. Which, if worse came to worse, he could sell one of, to generate operating capital to help the Tolland’s, if on the black market.

  Tapping the glowing blue words, he waited, figuring that it might be a while before the device was noticed, if there were still prayers or devotions going on.

  The man who appeared looked familiar enough, actually. A bit like Dare Canton. Different, but with enough similarities that it was clear they could be related or pretend to be.

  The man on the other end was in plain black clothing, with a wooden cross around his neck. The sign of some one god believers. When he spoke, it was in Tellerand, his voice fluid and words fluent. Albert answered the same way, if a bit hesitantly. Most of the things he knew how to say in that language were about taking drink orders and asking people to move, so he could sweep where they were standing, or clean up other things.

  “Hello? This is Terry Baker.”

  “Hello… I am the man of the Moon, Albert Benoist. I would like many and all of your handhelds, thank you.”

  There was a puzzled look, then a baffled head tilt, as the words switch to Standard.

  “I’m going to have to ask you to say that again, I think. What? I mean, I suppose you can have all the handhelds, if you want, but… It’s a bit odd of a request. Most people are happy with one, or possibly two of the things, really.” There was a smile to go with the words. All of which seemed friendly, instead of the man thinking Al was insane. Yet.

  “Ah, that’s better. I was… Well, honestly, I kind of need a few million of the devices. So, you know, just send those along? To rent out? I want to try a program out for the common people of Noram. Possibly Afrak and Soam, as well? We trade small amounts of coin, work or even goods in different locations, in exchange for the use of a handheld. It won’t really make you any funds, because I was thinking we could take anything that’s generated and turn it back into emergency coin for anyone that’s in dire straits.” Which probably held no allure for the Ancient there.

  Albert hadn’t even suggested they do the same for Tellerand. Then, people from there were slow to adapt to magic, even if it was free. If they wanted to do that, they’d need to have people go there and live in each town, to operate the things for the people, so they wouldn’t be tainted by the evil magic.

  He blinked, then nodded.

  “Some of the people, to pay for things, could work there, part of the year? Using magics to help people, if they need it? There are even one god followers who might be interested, so that should kind of work, for the people in Tellerand, right?”

  It was just a thought, and a lot to dump on a stranger, calling without warning like he was doing.

  Instead of raging against him, the man stroked his bare chin. He wasn’t old looking at all, seeming to be about thirty. No more than that.

  “A test you say? It will have to be done differently in each land. We use the funds or goods, if any come in, for aid projects? I can… Get behind that, actually. Where do you want to try it out first?”

  Swallowing, his voice shaking a little, which it had been the whole time, he made things up.

  “I was thinking we’d try the eastern coast of Noram, if I can get the correct permissions. Um, Cannor, Printer and Ward? Then, if that works and we can get things actually working, we should try it in Afrak. They’re different enough that it will be a challenge to work things out. My Afrak is even worse than my Tellerand, so… yeah.”

  That got a soft chuckle.

  “Get with Sam Builder then, first thing, and explain what you want to him. You have the devices. Albert Benoist, you said? That would be Lord Benoist?”

  The question was asking if Albert were important in any way. Which wasn’t true at all. So, he shook his head.

  “Nothing like that. I’m from Second City, on the Moon. Call me Albert. I call you the High Day Leader and Ancient of Tellerand?” He smiled, since he thought that might actually be correct. It was a mouthful, though.

  Not that he wasn’t willing to do his part, if the man was going to provide more magical devices than any sane person would think to ask for.

  “Or, you know, Terry? Can you arrange for shipment from the spaceport here to your initial starting point? We should probably do something small, for the first few months. Going big too fast tends to end up with things going missing. Not that I care that much, but I don’t want to promote theft as an occupation. People need to work, or they lose their reason for being.”

  Albert simply nodded, since he had that one down, more or less.

  “I can… Possibly get a ship in? I know a man who has one, anyway. I’ll ask. It could take a few days, even if he’s available.”

  “No doubt. If we can get something going inside a year or two, that would be making good time.” The fellow seemed serious.

  The only problem there was that Albert didn't have that kind of time.

  “I’ll be in touch. I’ll also see about doing better than that, time wise. I’m down as Albert, in the… In your system. That has to be annoying, having something like that named after you. I mean, it’s an honor and earned, but…”

  The man smiled, getting the poor attempt at humor and taking it well.

  “Not so bad, here in Tellerand. No one has that kind of thing, except my closest lieutenants and Day Leaders. When I go to the Moon, then it gets distracting. I keep turning around and asking what, when people are passing contact codes. It’s
embarrassing. Think I should change my name?”

  Albert simply shook his head.

  “No, I’ll just call you Terrance. Then I’ll probably sound like your mother, but that won’t be confusing, will it?”

  The other man laughed, at least.

  “Very well, Albert. Let me know when to have those units waiting for your man. Or woman. It might be best to come at night, if possible, and to keep the lights dim? The people here are doing better with magic, but still tend to be a bit scared if it’s sprung on them without warning.”

  He could see that. Or, well, not truly, but he’d been warned, which was enough.

  “I’m on the rest then. Let me get with… Sam Builder, first? That will have to wait for morning, I think. He’s the Ancient of Noram, so lives there?”

  “In the Capital, at their Space Port. The big place on the left from the transport box, near the school there. Go in person and it will impress him.”

  That sounded like a lot of work. Also fair, if he wanted to get the Ancient of Noram to help him in the current project. A thing that he’d made ridiculously big, suddenly. Not that it was a bad idea, since handhelds were useful. Trying to get them into the hands of poor people was daunting as a plan, now that he wasn’t just running his mouth.

  He also had hours to kill, suddenly. Since he didn't have to work until the next evening, over a day away in time. It meant that he was at loose ends, really. It was day time, which meant that he didn't know what to do with himself. Except find something to help him stay awake, which meant that Jeff would have been useful about then.

  “Ah!” He did have some accella left. A lot of it, actually, since he’d gotten a little floating case set up, with useful things in it, in case of an emergency. That was in his room, near the ceiling, with most of the transport huts, Tam-cars, magic houses and food units in it. He had one of each on him, along with the healing amulet, in case something came up on the fly.

  Digging in it, a bit clumsily, he grabbed one of the small yellow pills, swallowing it dry. Then he secured the thing again, and stood there, in his bedroom, not moving, for nearly ten minutes. It was only when he heard noise from the other room that he went out, to see what Jeffery was getting up to.

  The man was actually there, this time, along with a few other people. Ones that Albert didn’t know. Two of them were women, both of whom looked to be from Austra, from their wild clothing and facial tattoos. One of them was all green, the other having a moving picture that crossed her face and upper chest, both of which were bare. It was like a movie, that played out without sound. One that Albert had seen, years ago. Boxed In. It was a cute show about a magical box that ran around with a rather foolish and inconsiderate Prince.

  The other two people were different. One was a man, the other… Was impossible to tell that way. The person looked good, but could have been a soft looking and attractive man, or a hard looking and attractive lady. Which, Albert decided after a moment, was fair. He wasn’t dating them, so it wasn’t his business to know which was the truth.

  “Hello!” He waved, getting a nod from several of the people and a wave in return from the one whose gender he couldn’t understand. He decided to like them best, just for that.

  Jeffery grinned.

  “Albert. I didn't think you’d be…”

  “Sober? I know, it wasn’t in the plans. A new project came up, helping some people, so I used the healing amulet. I have to head to Earth in a few hours, it looks like. Getting handhelds for the poor? To the poor, really. It’s kind of a big idea.”

  No one called him on that, the girl with the movie playing over her skin simply snorting.

  “If they’re poor, they don’t need handhelds. Who are they going to call? Other poor people? Rich people that they bother with begging and asking for favors? We coddle the poor too much. If we keep doing it, they’ll drain the people that make the world run and leave us all crippled.” She was snotty enough that it made him angry.

  Albert tried not to let it show. After all, a lot of people from Austra probably felt that way. It was a bit strange to see from a person on the Moon though. Except that the woman sounded like her accent was Noram Standard, not Austran at all. Even if she was decorated in a strange fashion for that particular land.

  “I know that’s what I do with mine. We all get them, here and manage, somehow. It’s just a test program that the Ancient of Tellerand, the Revered One, Terrance Baker, is trying out. I was just recommended to him, because I work for free.” He was lying, but the thin person that might be a man, or a woman, nodded.

  “That seems like a good plan. You’re attempting to get around the economic barrier that has been noticed, in commerce between worlds, by creating a secondary system of interaction?”

  Albert barely followed the words, but understood enough of it to nod and not seem like a perfect fool. Instead he probably was going to come across as an imperfect one, which was slightly better, in regards to not being a thinking person.

  “Not just a second one, a different version of it for each land, since they all have different ways of measuring things like that. It might not work. I also can’t manage it personally all the time, so have to hire other people to do that for me. To distribute the handhelds and log in who has what, take in the rents and then make sure those go where they need to. Mainly for humanitarian reason. You know, to help the poor, or people in trouble? We have the ability to do it and really, it’s not costing us anything in particular.”

  The two highly decorated women seemed to not like hearing what was being said at all. The other man, who hadn’t spoken yet, who was also highly dressed and decorated, if in a more normal way, with what seemed to be makeup from an amulet, not a special image generator, seemed fine with the idea. Under it all, he seemed to be of an age with the rest of them there. Everyone seemed to be in their early to mid-twenties.

  That one shrugged, after a few moments.

  “That sounds like a good thing then, doesn’t it? Not to be a pain, but I think Jeff here was planning to help us get some drugs… Do you have those here, or… You mentioned that.” The man sounded a little diffident as if he wasn’t certain about what he was doing at all. An amateur when it came to imbibing in all the really fun things life had to offer.

  As if he thought that they might be illegal or immoral. An idea that the others there didn’t seem to be considering at all. At least the others started to talk about going to a party later. Not at the club, either. A thing that Albert had heard of, but seldom been invited to.

  After a while, the strange man or woman, who roughly supported the idea of his test, took the hand of the obvious man there, as if they were together. Which didn’t mean that the person was a woman. Not in Noram or on the Moon. The would be Austrans didn’t respond to it, though the green one slowly moved over toward Jeff, as if marking who she wanted for the evening. The other one stared at Albert, looking disgruntled as she did it. She didn’t speak until Jeff left the room for a moment, though, of course.

  “Great, so I get stuck with the ugly one? What’s with that, Erie? Jeffery is at least normal looking. Plus, he has the drugs. This guy is just… Bleh.” She made a face, which was hidden under her strange moving movie scene. It was the part of the show where the black box, the hero of the story, guided itself through incredible winds and rain to save a group of people from one of the old mega storms.

  A thing that a box, even a magical one, wasn’t designed to do. Then, Boxy was the most special of boxes, or so the tagline for the movie went. Albert simply pretended not to hear the woman, as did the man who was interested in getting his hands on something more interesting than alcohol. As if that were possible.

  The intelligent person looked a bit curious about things, but it was the green one who spoke. Actually taking her friend to task.

  “What the heck, Doretta? You know nothing about this fellow, except that he’s the type to be setting up programs on other worlds, with Ancients. Even if he’s not perfect looking
, even if he turns out not to be important, that’s no reason to be a bitch about it. So far he’s been nothing but polite to all of us.” She seemed ready to throw punches, in his defense.

  It was nice of her, he decided, even if violence wouldn’t be allowed. For one thing, they all had shields on.

  Jeff came back into the room, stopping as he moved across the floor, getting that something was a bit tense. The yelling was the key there, no doubt.

  “What’s going on now?”

  The one with the moving images on her skin spoke then. Her name clearly wasn’t Doretta, since that was a slur that only nobles used for each other, in Noram. The women were both tall enough for that, he supposed. About six-four, or a little shorter than that.

  “Sorry, Jeff. I just mentioned to Erie that I didn't want to be stuck with the ugly man here for the night. She was just about to apologize for hogging all the good ones. Again.” There was a glare then, from the mean one, toward the much kinder woman with the green face.

  Who, despite how they were dressed, wasn’t from Austra at all. Clearly. The magic being used hinted at them being from the Moon, or possibly Mars. The accents could even fit in those places, as well. What didn’t was the use of the term Doretta to describe a mean person who treated others unkindly. That was a thing that he’d barely heard in his life, to be honest. It was sort of a thing that only the nobles really used. As the son of a wagon maker, he’d seen that sort, and even talked to them, back on Earth. That didn't mean they’d visited regular, of course.

  It meant something about the women there, then. Possibly the man as well, and the strange person. They seemed to be more polite at least.

  Jeffery looked annoyed then. Upset that his friend was being insulted. Albert was as well, but didn’t bother to lash out at the woman. After all, they were there to pick up drugs, not him.

  “Don’t worry, miss. I’m certain that you’ll be able to meet someone a bit more to standards at this party. Like I mentioned, I have work to do in a bit. The Ancient of Tellerand is sending me to enlist the Ancient of Noram’s help in getting several nobles from there in on this test program. It’s a bit daunting, to tell the truth. I guess that the job was supposed to go the High Servants, but a lot of them went missing?”