Laurent nodded and Diakos carried on.
“So we sent a ship past each planet, capturing what radio emissions we could. We analyzed those radio transmissions to determine what Amber and Earthsea might be like.
“Amber, we now know, is a parliamentary democracy like our own. They are a little further down the path of encysted bureaucracy than we are, because we went through a period of one-man rule under successive council chairmen before that regime was overthrown and our own parliamentary democracy established.
“Interestingly, Amber has medical nanites that treat diseases like heart disease, stroke, and dementia, and they are well along the way to beating cancer.”
“Really, Mr. Ambassador?”
“Oh, yes. They will be a fantastic trading partner with those nanites to sell, Madam Director.”
“And yet you approached us first, Mr. Ambassador? At least, that’s what Prime Minister Milbank said.”
“Yes, Madam Director. Our analysis of the data we received from our ship’s flyby of Earthsea informed us of your government, which is a loose confederation of more or less independent city-states.
“We also surmised that you have quantum-entanglement radio.”
“How did you come to that conclusion, Mr. Ambassador?”
“Two things, Madam Director. First, the colonist rolls for Amber indicated that the colony project headquarters concentrated on Amber those colonists who were most active in medical nanotechnology on Earth. It was almost inevitable they would make major breakthroughs in medical nanotechnology with those resources concentrated in such a small population.
“A similar analysis of Earthsea indicated that the colony project headquarters did a similar thing here, concentrating in one colony the colonists who were most involved with investigating quantum entanglement.
“Second, in analyzing your message data, we discovered multiple copies of identical messages, with identical timestamps. We also learned of your unique topology. It was apparent to us that you had solved the QE radio problem. You were using it to communicate over your mountains without expensive and difficult radio repeaters on mountaintops, then repeating the signals over radio in your city-states.
“Together, hyperspace transportation and QE radios are a powerful combination, Madam Director. QE radios can give instantaneous communications over interstellar distances, but one end of the radio link has to be physically transported.
“Similarly, hyperspace transportation can make interstellar trade in delicacies and technology – like Arcadian teas, Earthsea cheeses, and Amber nanites – possible, but the communications to make such a trade work would be much enhanced by a communications network.
“So we approached Earthsea first.”
“And you came to Earthsea to put together such a trade deal, Mr. Diakos?”
“No, Madam Director. I came to Earthsea to propose you send your ambassador to Arcadia with a QE radio. Then you, Prime Minster Milbank, your planetary council members and our parliamentary leaders can all negotiate the larger deal in real time.”
Laurent sat back in her chair and considered. Putting together such a large deal was a matter that took some time. It would necessarily be done in stages, and refined with time and experience. That usually involved messages back and forth between key players, all aggravated by the time of travel and the lack of face-to-face discussions.
This was a much more workable plan than trying to put a large deal together right off. She had been afraid Diakos was here to try to cobble something together on the spot. He was ambitious enough – he had all the signs – but he was also smart enough to have attainable goals. She was happy to see she was working with people on Arcadia who knew better than to go for a short-term deal. Who were in it for the long haul.
But he was wrong on one thing.
“But surely you mean send an ambassador to Arcadia with four QE radios, Mr. Ambassador.”
“Four, Madam Director?”
“Of course, Mr. Ambassador. One at Arcadia that links to here, the second at Arcadia that links to a third for Amber, and the fourth for Amber that links back to here. Six in total to link the three planets, with two remaining here. You can take Amber’s units to them when you first approach them.”
It was Diakos’s turn to consider. What the director proposed would certainly make the Amber deal go better. The ability to open face-to-face meetings between heads of state on the first visit. She had also as much as admitted the existence of the QE radios in her reply. She had certainly not couched her response in conditionals. ‘Were such radios to exist’ sort of thing.
But there was one more thing that had occurred to Diakos, just since this morning, and Laurent had missed it. Too close to see it, no doubt.
“That would certainly make a lot of things easier going forward, Madam Director. Your insight there is on target.
“There is one more thing I think you should be considering as we proceed, however.
“Earthsea’s century of experience in handling the balance of payments between your city-states is unique. We certainly have no such experience in Arcadia. It gives you a leg up in another area.
“Together with the QE radios, that experience means the Bank of Earthsea would most likely be the best clearing house for planetary payments among colonies.”
Laurent’s eyes grew wide.
Return To Arcadia
Later that day, Laurent and Romano were sitting in Laurent’s office.
“Sal, I think you’re my best option for ambassador to Arcadia. I need someone I can absolutely trust, who isn’t going to go off on his own agenda. What do you think of a probably three-year assignment?”
Romano was stunned. Ambassador to another planet? That was a huge assignment. But he understood why trust was such an issue. The last thing Laurent needed was some political operator working his own agenda.
As for being off Earthsea for three years, his personal life was in such a shambles right now, it would probably be an improvement on that score. His marriage had fallen apart earlier in the year, and he had buried himself in his work to avoid the inevitable self-recrimination.
“I’m honored by your confidence in me, Madam Director. I would be pleased to take the assignment.”
“It will be a lot easier than Mr. Diakos’s assignment, because we’ll be in touch as soon as the QE radio is powered up. You won’t be on your own.”
“Understood, Madam Director. I’ll have to think of who I take as an aide.”
“You can pull anybody in the government you want, Sal. This is more important than anything else going on.”
“Thank you, Madam Director.”
“So this Romano guy is going back with us?” Moore asked.
“Yeah,” McKay said. “He’s OK. Just a little stuffy, but that’s because we’ve only seen him when he’s on-stage. You know.”
“OK. What about his aide?”
“That guy I don’t know.”
“Well, I guess we’ll see what he’s like on the way.”
Romano met with Diakos before he departed for Arcadia. They had moved to a first-name basis when Romano was named ambassador to Arcadia.
“What’s Prime Minister Milbank like, Loukas? To the extent you can tell me. You know.”
“Straightforward guy. He can be subtle when he wants to, but the best approach to him is straight at him. I don’t think you’ll have any problem with him, Sal.”
“That’s good news.”
“I’ll give you one piece of advice. Meet with the Chen.”
“The who?”
“The Chen. Chen Zufu and Chen Zumu, the heads of clan for the Chen-Jasic family, the wealthiest and most politically connected family on Arcadia. Pay a courtesy visit. Open up a channel of communication there.”
“Will they meet with me?”
“Yes. They’ll be curious. But they’re behind the scenes of a lot of what goes on. You definitely want a channel there. Just trust me.”
Moore and McKay looked ov
er to the stack of containers, three wide and two deep, they were taking back to Arcadia.
“Geez,” McKay said. “How much shit we taking back, anyway?”
“Four of them are those fancy radios. Whole container for a radio, believe it or not. Then we got the supplies one with the water, plus the personal cubic for Sal and the other guy. And there’s one more that’s a gift to Milbank. Cheese, I think.”
“We got a whole container of cheese?”
“Yeah.”
“Well, at least we won’t starve.”
“Yeah, if you wanna hold your breath while you go get it.”
“There is that.”
“Let’s get her up on the stack.”
The shuttle barely lifted off the parking pad, a mere thirty feet in the air. Moore sidled it over to the stack of containers, then lined it up with finicky precision on the stack.
The shuttle lowered, adjusted, lowered again, and settled on the stack.
“Bull’s eye,” McKay said.
Moore shut down the engines.
“Latch ‘em up.”
The next day was departure. The four Arcadians had been on Earthsea almost two weeks. Diakos and Laurent were on a first-name basis in private now. They watched the preparations on the pad from a viewing window in the freight terminal.
“I’m surprised you had three multi-channel QE radio links ready to go, Valerie.”
“Those are our big units, Loukas, for connecting our bigger cities. We stock spares.”
“And if you have a failure now?”
“We’ll manage. We can use multiple smaller units in the meantime if we have to. We’re working our spares stock back up now.”
Diakos nodded.
“Well, this is a tremendous day. QE radios on a hyperspace shuttle. It’s a major game-changer, Valerie.”
“Yes, and thank you for your part in that, Loukas. You painted a compelling picture, and represented Arcadia well.”
“Thank you. It’s been fun. And I think both planets will do well by the deal.”
“No argument there.”
Diakos, Dunhill, and Laurent said goodbye to the pilots and the newly minted ambassador and his aide before they boarded. They were already dressed in comfy loungers for the long, boring trip.
“Well, thanks for the lift, fellas. Have a good trip back,” Diakos said.
“OK, Loukas,” Moore said. “You take care.”
When Diakos shook hands with Romano, he had a reminder.
“The Chen. Don’t forget, Sal.”
“I won’t, Loukas. We’ll be in touch in six weeks or so.”
When all the handshakes were done, the four – Justin Moore, Gavin McKay, Salvatore Romano, and Romano’s aide, Paolo Costa – climbed up the boarding stairs to the cockpit door, now twenty-eight feet off the tarmac.
Diakos, Dunhill, and Laurent took the electric cart back to the freight terminal and watched the take-off from behind the viewing window.
“It’s strange to see them taking off straight up like that, Loukas, without heading off to one of our cities,” Laurent said.
“Yup. Straight to space. It’ll be a day before they’re far enough away to go into hyperspace, though, Valerie.”
“And then in six weeks, we’ll get a call from your boss. Mr. Milbank.”
“Won’t that be something?”
They had made the transition to hyperspace, and given Romano and Costa the obligatory look at hyperspace. Both men were happy to have the windows re-blanked, and the four were settling in for the long trip.
At one point, Moore and McKay turned their pilot seats around to face their passengers.
“Uh, there’s one thing we need to talk to you guys about,” McKay said.
“Yeah, we didn’t make a big deal of it back on Earthsea, but you sorta need to know if you’re going to Arcadia,” Moore said.
They looked very serious. Romano didn’t know what it could be.
“Uh, what’s that?” Romano asked with a half smile.
“Well, there’s no nudity taboo on Arcadia,” Moore said.
“No nudity taboo?”
“Nope,” McKay said. “Arcadians don’t wear clothes to go swimming. People at the beach are all just naked.”
“Well, that sort of makes sense,” Romano said.
“And on the bus going to the beach,” Moore added.
“Or on the bus going just about anywhere else.”
“Or in the stores. Maybe they’re buying stuff on the way to the beach.”
“Or not,” McKay said.
“Kids playing in the parks. People working in their gardens. People out in their lawns taking a shower.”
“They’re all naked?” Romano asked.
“Yup. Pretty much anywhere,” McKay said.
“Now, most of the time, most people wear a lavalava.”
“What’s a lavalava?” Costa asked.
“A wrap-around. Like a sarong or something.”
“Men, too?”
“Oh, yes. Men and women. Of course, women don’t usually wear anything else,” Moore said.
“Which means most of the women you’ll meet will be topless,” McKay said. “Everywhere you go.”
“Really?” Costa asked.
“Oh, yeah,” Moore said. “But it has nothing to do with you , and it’s not a come-on. You could be riding on the bus and the first runner-up for Miss Arcadia City gets on the bus, completely nude, and sits down next to you. All in a day, on Arcadia.”
“Now, if someone really is interested in you in that way, they’ll let you know,” McKay said. “Women on Arcadia are not shy about that. But having some completely naked gal come sit next to you on the bus is just a ride on the bus. Nothing else implied or intended.”
“We just thought you should know,” Moore said.
“So you don’t misinterpret things and get into trouble,” McKay said.
“Well, I appreciate the heads up,” Romano said.
“Me, too,” Costa said. “Thanks.”
“No problem,” McKay said, and shrugged. “You get so used to it, it’s not a big thing. But after Earthsea, it’s liable to be a bit of a shock.”
“Oh, and one other thing,” Moore said. “Most people on Arcadia start working at thirteen or fourteen. So you might go into a restaurant and have a fourteen-year-old waitress. Or stop by a store and be waited on by a thirteen-year-old counter clerk–”
“Who’s topless,” McKay said.
“– but that’s just how things are. The population is young, and we have a chronic labor shortage. So people start working young.”
McKay nodded.
“I see,” Romano said. “Again, thank you for the heads up. Anything else unusual we should know about?”
“No, not really,” Moore said.
“Except everybody drinks tea, because our teas are so good.”
“Yes, I can attest to that,” Romano said. “The tea Mr. Diakos brought to Earthsea was extraordinary.”
“Oh, and we like parades, so we may get a parade when we get there,” McKay said.
“Yep,” Moore said. “Nothing like a good parade.”
“Mr. Prime Minster, we’ve heard from Hyper-1. They’ve called in to Arcadia Traffic Control. They’re about twenty-two hours out.”
It had been fourteen weeks since they left, about the time when he expected the hyperspace shuttle to return from Earthsea. Now, what was it? Success or failure? He had a lot of confidence in Loukas Diakos, but he was walking into a completely unknown situation there.
“Can you get me a radio connection to them?”
“I think so, sir. Let me check.”
Milbank’s secretary returned minutes later.
“Yes, sir. We have a radio connection for you. It’s private to the pilot, so you won’t be overheard.”
“Excellent.”
“I’ve pushed you the link.”
Milbank activated the link in his display. It was sound only.
“Milb
ank here.”
“Justin Moore here, sir.”
“Am I correct in thinking I can’t be overheard by your passengers, Mr. Moore?”
“Yes, sir, but that’s not true of me.”
“I understand, Mr. Moore. I just want to ask you a few questions.”
“Of course, sir.”
“Was the mission a success or a failure, Mr. Moore?”
“The former, sir.”
“Does that mean you have their ambassador aboard?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Excellent. And did he bring a QE radio with him?”
“Four, sir.”
“Four, Mr. Moore?”
“Something about another planet, sir.”
“Ah, yes. Of course. Connections to Amber as well.”
“Yes, sir.”
“All right, Mr. Moore. And would your passengers be amenable to a parade?”
“We’ve already warned them of the possibility, sir.”
“Excellent. Well, we’ll see you tomorrow, Mr. Moore. Milbank out.”
Milbank checked the time. Three in the afternoon. They would need to shower and clean up. He had no doubt what they would look like after six weeks traveling in that cramped cabin.
Five o’clock was always a good time for a parade.
“Was that your prime minister?” Romano asked.
“Yes, Sal. He wanted to know if we would be up to a parade. So I said, Sure.”
“I hope we have time to clean up first.”
“Oh, that was on the schedule for our return from the start. Gavin and I knew we would need it.”
“Oh, good. So what does a parade involve on Arcadia?”
“You ride into town in an open groundcar. You wave a lot. And when we get to downtown, the prime minister shakes your hand, the mayor gives you the keys to the city, and Miss Arcadia City kisses you on the cheek–“
“And she’s topless,” McKay said.
“– and you say, Thank you. Then we get to go eat real food and sleep in a real bed for a change.”
“Sounds like fun,” Romano said.
The shuttle’s computer put the ship down on the dot on the transponder for pad twenty-seven, one of the pads in front of the hyperspace facility at the Arcadia City Shuttleport.
GALACTIC SURVEY (COLONY Book 3) Page 20