External Relations

by Pam Uphoff

  "You need a lot more practice."

  "That's what everyone says. I’m here for Language and Math. You?"

  "Language Arts and History."

  Evil leaned around Ogg and nodded. "Me too."

  "We ought to be out of here, off to One World, lights, women, no parents." Ogg sighed. "And I suppose no matter what happens, you're screwed?"

  She scowled. "In every way except what you'd think is funny."

  He actually blushed. Governor Arry's precious son? He glared.

  "You shouldn't think so loud," he snarled. And hunched down and stared at the Counselor's door.

  "You're supposed to be learning how to shield, else One World will knock you flat." She couldn't keep the envy out of her voice. "Anyway, what are you worried about? You've already been gene-typed. Your parents took you to the One World for it before you ever went to school."

  He looked away. Hunched.

  Evil thumped his shoulder. "It doesn't matter."

  "No. Of course not."

  She frowned at them. What did I just miss? All right, there were jokes about Oghw inheriting nothing from Arry, but with a mother named Howd his name is hardly a scandal. Is he really not Governor Arry's son?

  They all settled down in an uncomfortable silence until Kian walked out of the Counselor's office and Flu was ushered in.

  "Congratulations, you passed both tests." The Counselor grinned. "No point in beating around the bush about it. Here's the chip. Now, Influenza, err, what an interesting name. I take it you haven't registered yet?"

  She shook her head.

  "Take this chip with you when you register, and it will get registered along with your genetic heritage, and the name you choose from the mix of the four highest prophets in your ancestry. You'll use that registry for attending college, here or elsewhere, and for employment and tax purposes. Your scores are excellent, you should consider college."

  "When I can afford it." She sighed wistfully.

  The Counselor stood and shook her hand, and ushered her out.

  Ogg was called in and she found herself outside, looking blankly at the chip.

  "How'd you do?" Kian was still there, probably waiting for some boy. She was so obviously a Oner, with her silky sandy brown hair and green eyes.

  "Passed Language and History, for all the good that'll do me." Flu shrugged.

  "Yeah. Reality has really hit this week. What do we do? We could easily lose our whole world. I wish our ancestors hadn't done that stupid Granite Peak Clan thing. We can't even throw ourselves on some distant relatives' mercy."

  "Wow. I hadn't thought about it like that. Not that I'm even Clan."

  "Oh, you tested? I'm so sorry . . . "

  Flu shook her head. "The Registry is booked solid for weeks. But if I'd lucked out, I'd have bloomed by now. But I can't do a One Damned thing." She thumped her back on a tree and slid down to sit in the dust.

  Kian sat down cross-legged beside her.

  Ogg came out a moment later. Shrugged. "Passed. Whoop-de-do. What good does it do me?"

  Evil trotted out a few minutes later. "Hey! A miracle! I passed! Let's go celebrate!"

  Kian scowled at him. "We're having a depressing pity party here, do you mind?"

  "Yes, as a matter of fact. On your feet, Grads! March. Dad gave me a tenner, so I can probably afford sodas for everyone."

  They pooled funds, and hit the store instead. They munched chips and drank sodas in Evil's father's old barn, with the radio playing, and more friends wandered in. Ogg and Evil called everyone they knew and Flu galloped over to her father's house and raided the kitchen, returning with both edible and drinkable loot. More com calls were made, more drinks, snacks and kids arrived. Dancing, laughing, talking. It was as close to a graduation party as they'd gotten. The cops sent them all home at midnight.

  ***

  Flu sighed in relief as she closed the last file drawer. Everything was scanned and indexed. Anyone who needed the information could find it easily. Historians who wanted the actual original documents could find them as well. I'm about to lose my job. Do I want to try for a permanent position, or should I just cross to One World and see if I can get a job there?

  She heard voices inside her grandfather's office and didn't knock. Stood close and listened.

  "What about the other Colonies? Will the government give us grants there? One, no. The land is expensive, and the established folk don't want a bunch of penniless refugees, especially they don't want any halfbreeds." Her grandfather sounded bitter.

  Flu spun around and walked away. Cherry stuck her head out the door of the staff room and then followed her.

  "Wat's wrong?"

  "Same as before. No one wants us. No one even wants the pure Oners. There's only one source for Empty Worlds, so maybe I'll just go ask how much they charge." She walked out of the courthouse by the side door and stared across the unkempt square. There was the gate to One. And a hundred meters away, the gate to Embassy that Disco had placed there, without so much as a by-your-leave. There were guards around it. She gathered her courage and started walking.

  Kian waved from the shade of a tree. There was a flock of boys around her and a couple of other girls. They all trailed after Kian as she tried to catch up with Flu.

  Flu stopped in front of the guard station. "What do I need, to go through and come back?"

  The guard snorted. "What are you going to do there?"

  "I'm going to ask Disco to give us an Empty World."

  Someone choked, behind her.

  "Flu, are you insane? Why would they do that?" Evil pushed up next to her.

  "Because if all of us youngsters just walk off, and refuse to pick up our parents' grudges and baggage, they will eventually follow."

  The group of teenagers stared at her, and started swapping speculative looks.

  "We could have our own farms, not work for free and hope to inherit something worth the effort." Evil started smiling.

  Some of the kids were chickening out, fading back, but Ogg looked at the guard.

  "Well, what do we need?"

  The crowd had drawn the Watch Sergeant out and he bit his lip. "Just scan their IDs. Take a head count and make sure you get the same ones, all of them, back."

  And so that easy, on a whim, they were walking through a Gate and out onto another world. Walking into a white whirlpool and out onto a stone paved plaza that put the town square to shame. There were hundreds of gates. A huge fountain she could hear, even though it was probably a quarter kilometer away.

  Tall buildings. She tipped her head back and turned in a circle, to take them all in. She stopped, facing a menacing black geometric heap.

  "Is that Disco?" Ogg gulped audibly. "Department of Interdimensional . . . that's it."

  Flu tried to force her feet to move. To walk toward that building. It's just black basalt, like the Kobe mountains. There's nothing scary about polished black rock.

  "What do you want to bet they think we're a school field trip that's lost its teachers?"

  Evil's cheerful tones broke her trance. She crossed the street and set foot on the black rock.

  "Maybe they'll think we killed him and ate him."

  Kian started scolding him. "Honestly, Evil. You'd better mind your manners once we're inside. We should look business-like." Her eyes widened in dismay as she looked down at her spaghetti-strapped sundress and sandals. The half dozen guys were worse, in rumpled shorts and sweaty shirts and holey mocs. "Well, Flu, at least you're dressed for work."

  Flu nodded and started up the steps. The doors at the top were huge. Wooden slabs with carved dogs and horses. They swung outward as she walked toward them.

  The interior was a shocking contrast. Pale tan through deep red layered-sandstone tiles. Warm honey colored wood. Recessed lighting. Artwork on the walls. A receptionist, a young woman with a white streak through her long black hair. Flu thought she looked more like the exterior than the interior of the building.

  The woman snicke
red. "How true. Who are you here to see?"

  "I . . . have no idea. I wanted to talk to someone about Empty Worlds."

  "Umm, that would be Q, but she's awfully busy today, they're trying to figure out what to do about Granite Peak."

  Evil stepped up beside her. "That's where we're from."

  “Oh?” She sort of looked like she wasn’t looking at anything.

  Another woman walked out of the side hall beyond the receptionist. Tall and fit looking, brown hair in a smooth, short professional cut. Wearing a dark gray pants suit. “Is there a problem on Granite Peak? Oh, sorry, I’m Quail Quicksilver. Call me Q.”

  Flu swallowed. “I’m, umm, Influenza. Umm, Cherry, Evil, Ogg, and Kian. We, umm.” She straightened up and got her thoughts in order. Started over.

  “We’re the younger generation on Granite Peak, and we see no reason to put our labor into farms that we’ll lose. A lot of us are part Nomad, or part Miner from who-knows-where. Or both, in my case. We’re not welcome anywhere, so we, umm, I thought, umm.”

  Evil stepped up beside her. “We wondered how much you’d charge for an Empty World that might solve the Granite Peak problem.”

  Ogg nodded. “If we just leave, the old guys can either join us, or rot in place.”

  Flu swallowed. “The world should probably be a part of the Empire, but everyone with Granite Peak antecedents, can come and be a citizen, the equal of everyone else. Even pure Earthers, Miners, Natives, and Oners. If the Empire doesn’t want us, all of us, then I guess we’ll just have to try to make it on our own.”

  Q blinked, and started grinning. “I believe we can come to an accommodation. In fact, I may be able to get you a world with a starter set of shelters and supplies. Let me get all your names. I’ll check with the Empire about this ‘everyone’ and get the paperwork started.”

  ***

  Flu wasn’t sure how she made it out of the building and to the fountain before her knees gave out. She thumped down on the broad rim of the fountain.

  "Hey, you know what? I think we're going to have to name our world Influenza.”

  “Evil!”

  “And maybe we should be Clan Influenza."

  "Evil, you are . . . evil." Cherry snickered. “I like it!”

  Chapter Sixteen

  21 Rajab 1408 yp

  Gate City, One World

  "So Governor Arry and Subdirector Wiggly are old school chums. I just hope he remembers we've a meeting tomorrow with the Granite Peak committee." Izzo eyed his guest at the Horror for the night.

  Ashe Withione, our ambassador to Embassy.

  "That could be bad with a hangover."

  The Ambassador sniffed. "We're negotiating with one group of those stiff necked damned Earthers, and as far as I can tell, the committee is negotiating with a different group. We keep getting our wires crossed. I suppose Earth likes it that way; whichever of us has the best deal for them, they'll take."

  "How are you doing with the Nomads?" Izzo watched irritation flash across the man's face.

  "Damned arrogant . . . Excuse me, Ladies. The High Chief has moved his herds to the summer pastures. He says his young men do not raid. He will speak with us again when he returns. Unless, of course, we've departed in the meantime."

  "That makes it a bit awkward. I mean, given Comet Falls' excessive weight at Disco, one must consider that they'll be biased in the Nomad's favor."

  "Do you think so?"

  "Well, we've invaded Comet Fall and killed some of them, the Earth has invaded Comet Fall and killed some of them, including, I heard a rumor, their archmage. So they know all about how the One and the Earth treat native peoples."

  The Ambassador scowled. "We don't have to do as they order. We could call their bluff."

  "It would be more fun if we could get Earth to do it first, and see what Disco did."

  The Ambassador blinked at him, and a tiny smile crept out. "Indeed."

  ***

  While the meeting was being held in Gate City, inconveniencing the Committee this time, rather than the Governor, the Ambassador and the Director, Izzo wasn't an active participant at this point.

  And I hope to One Hell I never have to send the Action Teams in for anything worse than guarding against a few Nomad raids.

  What I need to do is put some pressure on the other colonies to admit new settlers from Granite Peak. Yeah, they're going to be underfunded, and they will have a lot of Halfers that are half Nomad and maybe Earther or miners from one of their labor worlds. But they’ve got to go somewhere, and I’d really like it to be freely, of their own choosing. And that’s not going to happen.

  Izzo pulled his attention back to the meeting as Governor Arry interrupted the head of the committee with a curse.

  "Maybe you should get off your high horse and come to Granite Peak. Go talk to the Earthers. We don't have much to do with them, but we talk enough that I can set you up with a meeting, no problem."

  The head scowled. "I have talked to them on Embassy. They are as stubborn as you are. Now, their counter offer . . . "

  And neither side is even thinking about moving. What a circus.

  The Governor sent a glare down the table toward Izzo. "And your Teams need to be able to shoot any Nomads who think they can raid us. Or we'll take care of the problem."

  "Stunners only. Unless you want Disco stepping in early." Izzo met his glare evenly, and the governor looked away. And somehow I don't think you'd like my talking to the Nomads, so perhaps I won't mention that plan either.

  ***

  Xiat heard the loping hooves and walked down the path.

  "*ta break *ta neck, * know."

  The "tsking" click of Homestead.

  !Tok was back? Why hadn't Izzo mentioned that? She stopped where she was still concealed in the foliage. The horse loping circles around the pen was strange. A bay with dorsal stripe and slashes of black stripes over the withers and quarters. Izzo was riding her without reins. Xiat narrowed her eyes as she noticed his easy posture, experienced balance.

  "Just one more try, then I'll quit. You have no idea how hard it is to impress that woman." Izzo put his hands on the pommel, leaned forward and let the horse's bouncing stride toss him up to get his knees on the back of the odd flat saddle. Another stride and he was doing a handstand. Legs a bit wobbly, but pretty much straight up. Splits. One leg down in the center of the saddle, hands up and out, other leg straight back. His foot slipped a bit and he dropped back into the saddle, hands hitting first to cushion the bulk of his weight. "There. See? Told you I could still do it."

  "*ta still insane, too."

  "Am not." He flung a leg over and landed lightly on the ground. "Whoa, !Ti*l." Then he did a double take toward her bushes.

  "You're leaking, Princess."

  "There's only so long a person can hold in howls of laughter. 'Don't expect acrobatics' indeed." Xiat walked out to lean on the fence. She had her knuckles in her mouth to stifle the giggles. "I love the color."

  "But she's otherwise a bit different than you're used to?" Izzo led the mare over to the fence. "They're a high cold desert breed. Amazing endurance. I'm going to give a pair of them to the High Chief on Granite Peak. See if I can chat with him a bit."

  "Are you up to no good?" The horse had long legs with heavier bone than she was used to seeing in a lightweight horse, a long back, long sloped croup. Long, sloped shoulder, long neck, long ears, plain head. She moved nicely, though.

  "I'm hoping for a trading agreement, and possibly some land leases for several years so the Colonists won't be penniless when they depart."

  Xiat looked thoughtfully at him, and then !Tok. "So, how do I go about buying one of these creatures? I need to encourage him. I've known this man for twelve years and he still surprises me."

  !Tok chuckled. "I'll put one in quarantine, for you." His eyes twinkled. "Poor man's a natural hermit, has no idea how to be a proper husband."

  Izzo sniffed. "Just because you're still happily married after, what, fifty som
e years? I don't see that that makes you an expert."

  "I think Izzo's doing very well. He certainly just impressed me." She grinned as his face lit up. "I suspect he was a horrible child."

  Izzo and !Tok swapped naughty boy grins.

  "Oh. I see. Both of you."

  “We only ran away to the circus once.” Izzo’s attempt at dignity was ruined by a smile sneaking out.

  !Tok grinned. “We were horribly disappointed when our parents showed up in the fall and reclaimed us. Turned out they’d known where we were all summer.”

  Izzo snorted. “Apparently they even came and watched a couple of times.”

  Chapter Seventeen

  16 May 3523 ce

  Fort Arry, Granite Peak

  Jack looked at the barred windows on one “barracks” building. “Are you keeping people in or out? I don’t think kidnapping people is a good idea.”

  A sneer from one of the passing Oners. “Softy. They aren’t mad enough about a few missing cows.”

  Jack grit his teeth. They’re going to get us all killed.

  “After we’ve declared independence and made it stick, we really want as few civilians with personal issues—let alone actual crimes—to hold against us as possible. Think about it, before you start anything.”

  “Trust an Earther to be a weakling.” Iqne stalked up, Arrow behind him.

  She rolled her eyes. “Their plumbing is working now. Let’s get out of here.”

  Jack climbed back into the truck and headed out. The Oners had two warehouses, now. The one for ammo was dug in a bit with earthen berms against the side and back walls. Overkill for rifle and side arms ammo. They shouldn’t need anything larger, certainly not bulk explosives. But if they do . .. the big garage-style doors really ought not be facing their barracks. I’m getting the feeling that these Action Teamers aren’t actually military. Even my one term as an Army grunt gave me a little better grip on the basics than this.

  “Arrow . . . Why the hell do we have to be on the same side as those guys?”