The crew assisting them off of the shuttle were all old friends of Moore and McKay by now. They led the four into the hyperspace facility to the washroom, where they all took showers and shaved. They dropped the fleece loungers and booties in a pile and put on street clothes for the parade.
Moore and McKay wore normal flight suits, which were basic coveralls with unit patches for ‘Hyper-1’ applied. Romano and Costa put on business suits. They had picked items out of their wardrobes that looked most similar to suits they had seen in Prime Minister Milbank’s video to Director Laurent.
Then it was into the open car for the trip into downtown. Romano noted how much larger Arcadia City was than any of the cities on Earthsea. There must be a million or two million people living in the capital city.
As their car got closer to downtown, it joined the parade proper, with another couple of open cars, one with the prime minister, and one with the mayor of Arcadia City and Miss Arcadia City. They all proceeded the rest of the way behind a band and a float with a model of the hyperspace shuttle on it. It was quite a production for short notice.
When they got into the downtown proper, it was clear a good number of the residents had turned out to watch the parade. As the car with them and their pilots passed, a cheer went up from the crowds they passed. Many of them were waving their lavalavas over their heads as they cheered.
For someone born and raised on Earthsea, seeing tens of thousands of naked people cheering and waving what scanty clothing they had over their heads was extraordinary.
Romano was glad they had been warned.
At the end of the parade route, they all ascended the stairs to the raised stage. There must have been a hundred thousand people in the square and side streets that Romano could see.
Prime Minister Milbank, aware of their fatigue, simply announced the return of the first manned interstellar trip to another human planet, and introduced Ambassador Romano and his aide.
The mayor then gave Romano the keys to the city, and Miss Arcadia City – every bit as beautiful and underdressed as Moore and McKay had promised – gave them each a kiss on the cheek. Costa, just twenty-eight years old, blushed all the way to his toes, but the crowd loved it and, nude, cheered and waved their lavalavas over their heads.
Salvatore Romano had never seen anything like it.
First Meeting
Salvatore Romano woke up in the hotel room in downtown Arcadia City. Unlike Loukas Diakos two months before, he knew exactly where he was when he woke up. He lay back in bed and luxuriated in the feeling of gravity once again. Zero-gravity sleep for him had been full of nightmares of falling.
Like Diakos when he arrived on Earthsea, Romano had gone to bed early the night before, and had slept ten hours before waking up at dawn.
Romano went over to the windows and pulled back the sheers. He had a view out to the east, over several miles of city, a couple of miles of green parkland, and the ocean. It was a beautiful day.
Romano ordered breakfast from room service. It was delivered by a young woman, perhaps fifteen, wearing a lavalava and flip-flops and nothing else. He acknowledged the tab with his communicator and she left.
That was interesting. His communicator worked. Well, they seemed to be on top of things here.
Milbank sent a message to Ambassador Romano, telling him to get in touch when he was up and about and had breakfast.
Yesterday, after their initial conversation, Milbank had had a text exchange with Justin Moore. Moore had told him about the arrangements on Earthsea, in which they had found they had accounts on the local computer system, including a planetary account to bill expenses to.
Milbank decided that was a good idea and had his secretary arrange the same for Salvatore and Costa.
Moore also confirmed that Romano had brought four QE radios, each one being the size of a twelve-foot by twelve-foot by eighty-foot shipping container.
Romano checked his mail. He acknowledged the email from Milbank and accepted the prime minister’s invitation to lunch. With time to spare, he went down to street level and walked around the downtown. He made sure, as the prime minister had, that Paolo Costa was copied on his reply.
Romano walked down the broad boulevard to the next block. Here the street became a pedestrian zone, among the steel-and-glass buildings that had been delivered with the colony.
Romano walked into Charter Square. There was a statue of a woman on one side, holding up a document labeled ‘Charter’. Diagonally opposite her was a statue of a seated bald figure. The label on this closer one said ‘The Chen,’ which reminded him to arrange to meet the current Chen.
Everywhere he went, there were people in the most outrageous variety of dress he had ever seen. Here in the downtown, there were people wearing business suits, of course, but also the lavalavas, with most of the women wearing those being topless. A few percent of the people he saw, male and female, were completely nude, and no one batted an eye. They just were, that’s all. So what?
Remarkable.
At ten to noon, Romano went into the administration building behind the statue of the woman holding the charter, and presented himself to the young woman at the front desk for his appointment with the prime minister.
She was topless.
“Ambassador Romano. Good to see you,” Milbank said, getting up and extending his hand.
“It’s good to see you again as well, Mr. Prime Minister,” Romano said, shaking his hand.
“And Mr. Costa. Good to see you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Prime Minister.”
“Let me introduce my companions here. Haruki Tanaka is a senior member of my party in the Chamber.”
“Mr. Tanaka.”
“Mr. Ambassador.”
“And David Bolton, who is a senior member of the Chen-Jasic family.”
Despite his name, Bolton was at least part Asian. Chinese, Romano guessed.
“Mr. Bolton.”
“Mr. Ambassador.”
“So let’s all have seats. Our custom is to leave serious business until after food. Is that all right with you, Mr. Ambassador?”
“Of course, Mr. Prime Minister.”
They were all seated, and the wait staff brought in the salad course. They were in the Prime Minister’s private dining room, so there was no one else present.
“Although I do have a small gift for you that is perhaps best presented now, Mr. Prime Minister.”
Romano reached across the table to put a small cylindrical container, perhaps five inches in diameter and two inches high, in front of Milbank.
Milbank took the lid off the container to find a small cheese wheel. Ever the gourmand, Milbank sniffed at the cheese appreciatively.
“What an outstanding bouquet. Martin, can we serve this as well?”
“Of course, sir,” the head waiter said.
Romano took a bite of his salad. The salad dressing was a vinaigrette with a number of spices in it. He knew all the spices available on Earthsea, and some of the spices in the salad dressing were not available at home.
“What a remarkable dressing, Mr. Prime Minister.”
“Yes, Mr. Ambassador. Mr. Bolton’s family brought seed stock and cuttings of many of the Earth’s exotic spices with them from Earth in their personal cubic. We have all benefitted since from their foresight.”
Romano inclined his head to Bolton, who bowed in return.
“I was advised that I should meet with the Chen at some point, Mr. Bolton.”
“I can arrange a meeting with Chen Zufu and Chen Zumu for you, Mr. Ambassador. The heads of our family, and my superiors. Just mail me when a time is available for you.”
“Thank you, Mr. Bolton.”
Bolton just bowed his acknowledgement.
“I detect Mr. Diakos’s involvement there,” Milbank said. “It’s a smart move. The Chen-Jasic family is likely to be our biggest exporter. They also are driving the hyperspace project.”
“Not the government, Mr. Prime Minister?”
“No. We tried that, and it didn’t work out. All the decisions on the project are technical decisions, while any decision made by government is by definition a political decision. So the government contracted the project to the Chen-Jasic family, and the quality of the decision-making improved dramatically.”
Romano nodded.
The main course was next, and with it was served tea. Romano sipped his. It was a different tea than he had had in the first meeting on Earthsea, but it was just as delicious.
“This is a different tea than was presented to Director Laurent on Earthsea, I believe, Mr. Prime Minister.”
“Yes, Mr. Ambassador. This is Oak, a personal favorite. I believe that one was Walnut.”
At Romano’s quizzical look, Milbank chuckled. It seemed Milbank was never far from a chuckle.
“Oh, they both have Chinese names, Mr. Ambassador, but I can’t pronounce them. Most people refer to the Chen’s pricier varieties by the wood of the box they come in.”
“I see, Mr. Prime Minister. Yes, I believe that one was Walnut.”
The main course itself was a stir-fried pork dish, with vegetables and a delectable sauce, and with a seasoned rice on the side. The pork was wonderful, very tender, and the rice was delicious. The seasoning in the rice was something Romano couldn’t identify.
“What is the seasoning in the rice, Mr. Prime Minister?”
“Two, actually, Mr. Ambassador. Ginger and sesame.”
“Well, it’s wonderful, Mr. Prime Minster. As is the pork. Very tender.”
“Both also from the Chen-Jasic family, Mr. Ambassador. I’m afraid we’re trying to impress you with the things we have to export to Earthsea.”
“Then you’ve accomplished your mission, Mr. Prime Minister.”
“Excellent. And this cheese is wonderful as well, Mr. Ambassador. I don’t think I’ve ever had this variety before. Not something we have on Arcadia.”
“That’s a favorite of mine as well, Mr. Prime Minister.”
Dessert was a chocolate cake that was spicy. Romano took a taste and raised an eyebrow to Milbank.
“Five-spice cake, Mr. Ambassador. Clove, fennel, cinnamon, star anise, and pepper.”
“Of those, I think we only have cinnamon and pepper, Mr. Prime Minister.”
“We will rectify that, Mr. Ambassador. We will rectify that.”
Romano nodded and dug into his cake with gusto.
Once the dishes were cleared away, and everyone’s tea refreshed, the serious business began.
“So what do you think of Arcadia, Mr. Ambassador?” Milbank asked.
Romano couldn’t help it. He mentioned the first thing off the top of his head.
“The dress code will take some getting used to, Mr. Prime Minister.”
Milbank chuckled, and Romano tried to backpedal.
“I guess I’m surprised no one objects,” he said.
“To what, Mr. Ambassador? To how someone else does or does not dress? How is it anyone else’s business?”
“There are no laws on this, Mr. Prime Minister?”
“No, Mr. Ambassador. Nor is there any law against red shoes, paisley shirts, or anything else someone might object to.”
“Well, I understand those things, Mr. Prime Minister. But completely nude?”
Milbank shrugged.
“There are only two kinds, Mr. Ambassador. Seen one, seen ‘em all.”
“I suppose,” Romano said, but he didn’t sound so sure.
Milbank’s chuckle was back.
“What else about Arcadia, Mr. Ambassador?”
“The size of the city surprised me, Mr. Prime Minister. There is no city of this size in Earthsea. We simply don’t have a space this big.”
Milbank nodded, and Romano continued.
“I’m surprised city services – water, sewer, electricity – are able to be provided effectively to such a large, crowded area.”
“It’s not without its challenges, Mr. Ambassador. But all those problems were solved on Earth long ago, and we have all their records.”
“Of course, Mr. Prime Minister.”
Romano shifted in his seat, and the bulky document in his pocket reminded him of its existence.
“Oh, and we should take care of this little detail, Mr. Prime Minister.”
Romano extracted the document and handed it across to Milbank. The prime minister opened it and saw the header, ‘By nomination of the Director of Earthsea, and confirmation by the Council, be it known that the Honorable Salvatore Romano is hereby named Ambassador to Arcadia....’
“Excellent, Mr. Ambassador. Thank you.”
Romano nodded.
“And now, Mr. Ambassador, since this is your mission, what is next on our agenda?”
“I have brought two things of interest with me, Mr. Prime Minister. The first is a container of our cheeses, a gift from the people of Earthsea to the people of Arcadia.”
“Thank you, Mr. Ambassador, on behalf of the people of Arcadia.”
“The second thing I brought with me is four quantum-entanglement radios. QE radios exist in pairs, Mr. Prime Minister. Two of these are paired to each other, one for here and one for Amber, so one will stay here and the other you can take to Amber when you contact them. The third is also for Amber, paired to one on Earthsea, and should also go to Amber on your mission. The fourth stays here and is paired to one on Earthsea, to establish communications from Arcadia to Earthsea.”
“And that fourth one is the one we should hook up immediately, Mr. Ambassador? To be able to talk to Earthsea?”
“Yes, Mr. Prime Minister. Now, Mr. Costa here is not a diplomat. He is instead a QE radio technician and installer. He will be able to tell you the requirements, and to bring the link up.”
“Excellent, Mr. Ambassador.”
“These units will be controlled out of the network operations center on Earthsea, Mr. Prime Minister. Whether they stay up and operational, and are ultimately turned over to broader traffic, depends on how your negotiations with Director Laurent turn out.”
“No more than I would expect, Mr. Ambassador.”
That was a relief to Romano. He had worried about that last bit. These radios were not gifts, they were loaners, so they could put the final deal together.
“What are the requirements, Mr. Ambassador?”
Romano turned to Costa and nodded.
“A forty-kilowatt power supply and a chiller loop, Mr. Prime Minister,” Costa said.
Milbank looked to Bolton, whose background was in engineering. Bolton nodded to Milbank and turned to Costa.
“How much heat transfer in the chiller, Mr. Costa?”
“Twelve tons, Mr. Bolton. A hundred and fifty thousand BTU per hour. Thereabouts.”
Bolton nodded.
“Are there any siting requirements, Mr. Costa? View of the sky, that sort of thing?”
“No, Mr. Bolton,” Costa answered. “They could be in a deep cave. Nothing can block the signal.”
Bolton nodded and turned to Milbank.
“At the powerplant, I think, Mr. Prime Minister. We can easily meet both of the requirements there, and it already has site security.”
Milbank nodded and turned to Costa.
“That will work, Mr. Prime Minister. As long as the radiation levels aren’t elevated.”
“Very well then,” Milbank said.
He turned to Romano.
“I think we have a plan, Mr. Ambassador. Mr. Costa will get the unit to Earthsea operational, and then I will speak with Director Laurent.”
Cheese And QE Radio
Rob Milbank had the idea of having a cheese-tasting in downtown Arcadia City, hosted by the Earthsea ambassador, but he worried about how much cheese there was, and if there would be enough.
With the shuttle moved off the containers to the parking pad, he directed the containers be unstacked and the weight of the cheese container be determined. They had container lifts out at the shuttleport that could move up to a million pou
nds.
More to the point, they could weigh it.
“Sir, the cheese container weighs almost half a million pounds.”
“How can that be?” Milbank asked his secretary.
“If the container were full, sir, it would be more like seven hundred thousand pounds. But some of the volume is taken up by packaging. Wood crates, cardboard boxes, voids between cheese wheels. Cheese is almost as heavy as water.”
“My word. So even if two hundred thousand people showed up, there would be over two pounds of cheese per person?”
“Yes, sir. Even allowing for the weight of the container.”
“That’s a lot of cheese.”
“Yes, sir.”
“All right. Thank you.”
Milbank knew a party like that in Arcadia City would draw a hundred or a hundred and fifty thousand people. Arcadians liked to party. But even at that, he would not run out of cheese. Not by a lot.
He started making plans.
Out at the Arcadia City Shuttleport, the Arcadia end of the Earthsea-Arcadia QE radio link was being set onto a truck. This would be a wide load, from the shuttleport to the nuclear power plant. The nice thing is it didn’t have to go through downtown. There was a direct route, along T Street, two miles south of the downtown, that cut all the way from the southwest side to the southeast side.
There was a storage building at the nuclear power plant site that had been built as part of another project. With that project complete, the building sat empty. It had four-hundred-amp service of 480 VAC, though, so it had plenty of power. Enough for two QE radio links and two chillers both.
Paolo Costa and some engineers from the hyperspace facility supervised the move and installation of the QE radio and the chiller.
By the end of the day, Costa was beat. He would try to start up the link tomorrow morning, when he was fresh.
“A cheese-tasting party, Mr. Prime Minister?” Romano asked.
“Sure. It’ll be a great party, Mr. Ambassador. You can be the official host. We’ll give away free slices of cheese to people. You know. Snack-sized chunks. And if they want to buy some of their favorite, we’ll sell them a pound and put that toward financing the Amber trip.
GALACTIC SURVEY (COLONY Book 3) Page 21