Duty

by P. S. Power

  That was done on a handheld. It wasn’t even a thing of splendid difference or in a color that was strange to Albert. In fact, it looked almost identical to his own, made of soft white focus stone. The kind of thing generally manufactured on the Moon.

  After a few moments, Sam started speaking.

  “King Richard! How is the day finding you, so far?”

  “Well, actually. Is there an issue? You normally don’t contact me this early in the day, unless there is.”

  That got a chuckle, which seemed heartfelt.

  “See, I’m not even a decade into the job and already growing predictable. Which is correct, so good pattern recognition on your part. It isn’t a bad thing this time, thankfully. Far from it. I managed to open up a chance for us to get in on a new program. To bring communications devices to the lower classes. Albert Benoist already has Terrance Baker and Dare Canton making devices for it. All of them that are needed. The plan is, eventually to get this kind of thing to most of the world.” He outlined the whole plan to the man, who didn't say anything for a long time.

  No one did, so Al just sat there as well, not wanting to interrupt the train of thought. Finally, the monarch, his voice very deep, spoke.

  “It’s a worthy test. Something else is going on here, do you think?”

  The Ancient glanced at him, then nodded into his own hand.

  “I’m up on what Mr. Benoist knows, so far. He believes it to be true and simply explained it all to me, which is enough for me, at the moment. Trice, though, so we need to be careful. Related to the other issues, given that. The woman does have irons in the fire, doesn’t she? We have your blessing though? Plus… Say, total tax relief on things related to the project?”

  Albert hadn’t even considered that part of things. Not really. He might have been born in the Capital of Noram, but the Moon didn’t require any taxes or tariffs at all. It wasn’t hard to get used to not paying people for things like that. Worse, different places would have rules that he didn’t even know about that way, most likely. The whole thing was, it was clear, going to end up being a lot more difficult than he’d thought it might be.

  The King went on then, after only a very brief pause.

  “Hmm? I suppose, if the goal is only to benefit others and not enrich yourselves. We could speak of that later? Perhaps after dinner tomorrow evening, if you and Mr. Benoist are available?”

  The Ancient didn’t ask if he was or not, simply agreeing for them both. That seemed to be the type of thing that one did with Kings and that sort of person, after all. Even Ancients largely held to it. The other man spoke for a long time, then nodded to Albert, as soon as the device went dead in his hand.

  “There. Now we just need to get with the others involved. This is going to take physical visits, I’m afraid. I’m calling first. Countess Cannor is a sweet woman, but she will imagine she’s being invaded if people show up unannounced.”

  Chapter seven

  Apparently, Sam Builder was moving fast that day. According to him, anyway. They were in Printer with the Countess not six hours later, having already secured deals in County Cannor and County Ward. The same deal in each place, which he explained to the tall woman that sat across the table from him and Sam.

  “Basically, we provide a chance for people to rent handhelds, and put in to public use communications magics for free.” He paused for a moment, the woman, who was forceful in her speech, rarely letting him get more than a sentence out without interjecting, did it again.

  It was a bit frustrating, since Albert knew that he could have covered the whole thing in a few minutes if she’d just let him do it.

  The Countess gave him a serious look then.

  “What do you expect in return for this project? I suppose I could pay a bit… Call it ten thousand gold, annually?” She held her breath, as if she understood that she was asking him to provide millions of golds worth of devices for what had to seem like nothing, to her.

  Albert shook his head then, smiling gently. At least that was what he was going for. He had no clue what his face actually looked like. Probably a bit stern, given how people tended to respond to him, most days.

  “That shouldn’t be needed at all, if all goes well. From you, if you’re in with us, we’d like some tax relief. So that we can use the funds we bring in for emergency relief programs. The workers will be paid, of course, in the coin of the realm they are working in. So, silver and gold here. Um…” He shrugged, and powered forward, since both Ward and Cannor had been amenable to the basic idea when he’d brought it up before.

  “If you have people that are behind on taxes, say… About to lose their home or farm? We could ask if they want to help us, at the start. Then you just forgive that tax debt or rent in arrears and they might make enough to pay you next time. It isn’t certain and you could lose out, if the project doesn’t work, long term. Still…” He didn't really know what to add then.

  The Countess did, smiling herself. It didn’t look real, totally.

  “Still, indeed. Taxes aren’t coin. Land rent almost never gets paid off, if we have to remove people from their homes. If it does, it could take years. So that won’t really cause a great loss of revenue for me. I just pull the rolls and give you their names?” She seemed slightly sly then. “I have that here, of course. There’s a family in the city here in fact, that has been mentioned to me that way by Admiral Orange of Space Fleet. Tolland, I think the name was? There was hinting that I shouldn’t kick them out of their home, without a willingness to explain why that was.”

  Feeling hyper, due to the fairly massive amount of accella in his system, Albert tilted his head, trying to not give things away, even if the woman was being decently astute.

  “That sounds fine. I can’t promise that these people will work out, or even get the job, or take it, of course. I can give them a look, to help out your friend, I guess. I’m working blind, anyway, so why not?” He glanced at Sam, who nodded gently, as if to tell him that he needed to give the Countess something extra, to keep her happy.

  The Countess smiled a bit larger then, not acting as if he were deflecting at all.

  “Good then. I can’t ask for more than that, can I? Or, well, I could. They are local however, and no one ever told me they were lazy people, in particular. They had a fire last year, that destroyed the leather working business the family owns. Then they got behind on rent and had trouble rebuilding. On the good side, they’re close by. We could walk over, if you wish? It’s still early enough in the day.”

  Albert stood up, since the woman was already moving.

  “Let’s do that, then? If they won’t help… well, hopefully someone will. It won’t pay much at first, so they might not want to do it. Still, if you’ll help us by forgiving their debts to you…” He shrugged. It was a risk, if the people were ready to leave.

  Then, if they had another plan in place, they might not need his aid at all.

  It seemed convoluted to him, even if the plan was his own. Not for the first time it seemed like it might have been faster and simpler to just borrow some gold and pass it to them. It truly wasn’t likely that they’d be watched, in particular, now that he thought about it. Which… if they weren’t, the whole thing, including his involvement in the first place, was suspicious.

  Trice would have no particular reason to ask him to see to the work. Not when she could have walked in coin just as easily as anyone in the world. Alice Orange probably could have done that as well. The woman even had her own spies, which was the issue of the moment. Having one of that sort bring some extra funds to the family of another of her secret workers was probably easier than having Trice ask him to do something like that in secret.

  Still dressed like a workman, all in brown, with plain boots and no jewelry or makeup, Albert followed along as the Countess herself led them out of the giant stone keep, onto the street. There was a lot of stone used, trimmed to shining by the magical blades that did the work. It was pretty, after a fashion. Eclecti
c, with many different types of rock having been used for the various projects.

  Sam Builder was in front of him, and wearing a green visiting uniform. It was much like a suit, with shining black shoes and shining black buttons on it. The Countess was in a brown vest, with a red silk shirt and tight trousers that hugged her behind well enough that it showed the lady, who was in her forties or so, hadn’t let herself go. She was shapely enough there that he had to look away, smiling as he did it.

  After all, he wasn’t going to be picking the woman up. Looking at the goods when buying wasn’t an option was a poor plan, he knew. Especially for a man like him. Certain women would take offense at him looking at them, or could. Sam wouldn’t have to worry that way, most likely, since he was attractive enough that the woman kept glancing at him, off to the side. It was clear that she barely recalled Albert being there at all.

  At least that was the case until she stopped at a nice enough looking home, with a half burnt building off to the side. She knocked on the green painted wood, firmly. There were flowers in a pot, next to the door. The container it was in was made of wood shanks, banded with an iron ring. He could tell that for a fact, because it was slightly rusted.

  After a few moments, perhaps twenty seconds, there was a noise at the door, which opened, a smiling woman standing there, looking up at them. Even at him, meaning she was about five-six. There was silver in her brown hair, which was loose, hanging around her shoulders, instead of down her back.

  “Hello?” There was a bow then, and a curious look.

  That was understandable. Two of the people there were tall, which meant nobles. On the other hand, this was, for the time being, this woman’s home.

  Countess Printer smiled at the woman.

  “Mrs. Tolland?” The use of the name got the woman to seem concerned for some reason.

  “Yes… Missy Tolland… May I help you with something?” The uncertainty in her words was nearly palpable. It actually left Albert feeling like he was wronging the poor woman, for a few moments.

  Then he recalled why they were actually there. It wasn’t a bad thing at all.

  Holly, which was the Countess’s first name, even if she hadn’t suggested he use that with her in particular, nodded.

  “Possibly. This man here is Albert Benoist. He’s looking to hire some people for a very special project. I’ll let him explain, if you don’t mind?” She glanced at Sam, then back at Missy.

  The woman, seeming a bit worried still, wrung her hands.

  “Come in? I don’t… We could use some work here. My husband and two of my sons. We used to have the shop, next door. Making leather goods. Is that what you’re hiring for, Mr.… Bennet?”

  Albert shook his head, smiling. He’d heard that one before.

  “Benoist. It’s a bit of an odd one, as far as names go. Call me Albert.” They headed in, the woman fussing at them for a few moments. The place was tidy, though it was clear that these people had been packing up to move. There were canvas sacks filled with things, three deep, off to the side. All of them were tied at the top, except for one, which was folded over, showing that there were pots and pans inside.

  When the woman settled with them, a man walked into the room. He was older than the woman by a few years, his face showing lines at the edges. He smiled when he saw people, then bowed, going low, toward the Countess, meaning they all had to stand up and bow back.

  Then Missy explained who Albert was, by name.

  “Mr. Benoist is hiring people. I’m not certain why they came here, in particular.” The words were leading, so, after sitting, he looked the man in the eye.

  “I’m from the Moon. Second City. I was recently placed in charge of a test project. Communications devices that will be rented for a decently low price. We’re also putting out free public communications devices, that anyone can us. All of it’s on the Terry system. The goal is to see if it will work at all. We have things going on here, up in Cannor and down in Ward, so far.”

  There was more, but before he could explain, the man gave a low whistle.

  “That’s big then, isn’t it? It’s two hundred gold for a handheld at the good magic store and I hear tell that’s cheap. How much do you plan to rent them for?”

  Albert knew that one, having thought about it and been asked by Count Ward. Countess Connor hadn’t bothered with the idea. She’d seemed to feel that anything Albert offered that way would be to the benefit of someone, hence was worth giving a try.

  “A silver per month. To start with. That might go down, if the project works. That won’t make it available to everyone. Not instantly. The job I’m hiring for will be in setting things up. We need a system to track who has what, to make sure payments come in on time and all that. That and pass the units out in the first place. Also, to set up the public communications devices. You won’t get paid a lot at first, but will be in charge of hiring, with a few caveats. If you sign on, the Countess here has agreed to forgive all current debts that she’s holding to you. I’d like the initial hiring to be other people in the same fix, if possible. They get that same deal. A silver per week, but you might not be paid, if the things can’t be rented. In that case… well, I’ll get you some food devices, so you won’t starve. It’s a risk, so I’ll understand if you can’t take it.”

  There was truth to that, if they had other, more certain sounding things, going on.

  Betters Tolland laughed a bit, then stood and bowed to the Countess again. That meant everyone had to stand up and return the thing, even if it wasn’t for them.

  “Countess! That’s a very kind offer. Thank you for thinking of us. Things haven’t gone well, since the fire.” He didn’t stand up from the low, bent over, posture while speaking.

  There was a chuckle, a kindly one, from the tallish woman.

  “Don’t thank me, Mr. Benoist asked after those on a certain list, simply to aid them. It sounds like real work, if you want it. Mainly to raise funds to help others, not just line his own pocket. If I understand this, what happens here in Printer is going to influence how this project works for the entire world. This is one of those moments where great things are about to take place. Are you in?” The woman seemed to be asking in a way that indicated she needed him to be.

  Missy nodded, but let her husband speak for himself.

  That happened with a laugh. It was a gentle thing, clearly moderated to prevent it from being taken as rude or dismissive. It was well done, to that end. A good trick that could be copied, if a person were careful about it.

  “Am I in? I’d be a fool not to be. This could be huge. I can get the boys in on this, I wager. Maybe get my oldest to come back from Space Fleet to help out… Or should I see to that list you spoke of first, Countess?”

  Albert waved at him, since there was a point in not getting the man back from fleet that the lady might not understand.

  “Do that first one. With the list. If you can see to that, I’ll be able to start getting handhelds in here in… call it a week? I’m not certain when the other devices, the public ones, will be ready…”

  Sam spoke up then, his face relaxed. Calm on a level that was thoughtful and almost meditative.

  “About a month. Dareg said he was doing an organic build on it? That can’t be hurried by too much, past that.”

  That sounded correct, so Al took a deep breath, then smiled at Holly.

  “Anyway, hire on the others that are about to lose their homes, if you can at all, first. We need to soak the Countess as much as we can that way. Though, getting the younger boys in makes sense, if they can do it while they aren’t in school? I don’t know their ages.”

  That, it turned out, was sixteen and fourteen. The younger one was finished with the mandated schooling, but didn't have an apprenticeship nailed down. It would have been in leather working, but the shop for that was gone, for the time being.

  Sam looked at the man then.

  “They can do both, most likely. Run this full time with you to start, th
en you can hire on outside managers, later, while you rebuild the leather works. This will have to come first, for now. It might fall through though, so best to have a fallback.” The words were spoken as if they were merely sensible.

  They hashed things out, but it didn't take a lot more than what they’d already done. Except that Al had to walk the Countess back to her castle, then get Sam to the Capital for the day, before running off to the magic shop, in order to get the Tolland’s a few handhelds. Ones that were part of the job, so didn’t require them paying for.

  That mean it was well into evening in Noram and early in the morning at home, when he walked into his dwelling. It was probably nine or ten, which meant time to go to bed, for all the good little Albert’s of the world. The accella had worn off already, of course.

  He had more, but rest was probably the better part of virtue, since he was going to be working at least part of the time, for a while. Running around and acting like he knew what he was doing.

  Instead of going to his room, directly, he plopped on the long-padded bench, in the dark room. Then he yelled, since there was someone lying on it. A person who screamed in turn, in response to the sudden loud noise.

  “Gah!” Dancing back, he moved to the wall, and slapped the sigil that turned the lights on. Full blast, all at once. That got another scream, if a muffled one.

  It came from the long, padded bench that Jeffery liked to keep in the front room for sitting, and apparently that night, sleeping, purposes.