GALACTIC SURVEY (COLONY Book 3)

by Richard F. Weyand

  “No transfer of technology is anticipated, madam. The hyperspace ships, the quantum-entanglement radios, and the medical nano-technology products would be traded, but not the technology behind them.”

  “And reverse engineering, sir?”

  “My understanding is that reverse engineering any of these technologies would be extremely difficult to pull off, madam. There is little danger of that, I think.”

  “Hmpf.”

  Sellick scanned through the proposed agreement again.

  “Well, this agreement may be all well and good between Arcadia and Earthsea, sir, but it will not work for Amber.”

  “Really, madam?”

  “Absolutely, sir. There are no protections for our domestic producers, while the Arcadians would control all the shipping prices. We could be flooded with imports, while our exports are priced out of foreign markets.”

  “And the guarantees of equal treatment, madam?”

  “Are completely inadequate, sir.”

  “What do you propose we do then, madam?”

  “The Assembly will take up the agreement. We will make it something Amber can approve. That is what the Assembly is for, sir.”

  “Very well, madam, if you are sure....”

  “Absolutely, sir.

  I was so hoping you would say that, Dufort thought.

  “That was much easier than I thought, Mr. Ambassador,” Dufort said. “How did you know?”

  “I have seen the type before, Mr. President. It’s as predictable as it is depressing.”

  Dufort nodded.

  “Well, she is off to the Assembly to work on the agreement now. I wonder what they will do, Mr. Ambassador.”

  “With no one to speak for the other side, Mr. President? They will load it up with preferences for Amber, with no concessions to Arcadia or Earthsea whatsoever. You did tell your bloc not to try to hold her back, didn’t you?”

  “I sent the word to a couple of trusted people, yes, Mr. Ambassador. The sort of people the others will look to, before they jump one way or the other.”

  “Excellent, Mr. President. Let them wrangle with it for a while, and then we will have a surprise for them.”

  Paolo Costa, meanwhile, had been hooking up QE radios. He now had links running from Amber to both Earthsea and Arcadia, and he had tested to check that, on the failure of one link, traffic would re-route.

  Per Ivanov’s instructions, the only people with access right now were Ambassador Ivanov and himself.

  The Star Runner

  Rob Milbank was initially surprised by Sasha Ivanov’s report.

  “It is not that surprising, Rob. Remember who was the whip for your party in the House just a few years back, when the hyperspace project had its first colossal failure?”

  “You think Josephine Sellick is a duplicate of Gerard Laporte, Sasha?”

  “Not a duplicate, surely, but she could be his sister. She sees this whole thing as a way to increase her power relative to the executive. It has nothing to do with space, or trade, or anything else.”

  “Then what’s our best path forward?” Milbank asked.

  “Let her hang herself. Let them go on with their debate, and their amendments. It will take weeks. And, like Laporte, she will be overtaken by events.”

  “Which events, Sasha?”

  “Star Runner, as I understand it, is within a month or so of being moved to Arcadia orbit for fitting out. While that takes a long time, an unfitted-out Star Runner looks much like a completed one from the outside.”

  “Yes, that’s certainly true.”

  “And the other events that are rushing at us are the return of the RDF satellites. We will soon have a lot of other planets to trade with. There is no need for an Amber deal at all, much less soon.”

  Milbank nodded.

  “And the tipping point, Sasha?”

  “It turns out that, while President Dufort must have the Assembly’s advance approval to sign any interstellar treaty, he doesn’t need any approval at all to open up public access to the QE radios, which are, for the time being at least, a gift.”

  Milbank’s eyes got wide, and Ivanov nodded.

  “Yes, Rob. Dufort can open the channels to Arcadia, and all the news about Star Runner and the discovery of the other colonies, to his populace without any additional authority. It will put The Honorable Ms. Sellick on the wrong side of history.”

  Milbank nodded. Gerard Laporte’s fall had been as fast as one might have hoped. At some point, he was just– gone. Still a member of the House, but out of the leadership. Unaccustomed to being a mere member, he had retired from politics and did not stand for the House in the next elections.

  “In the meantime, Sasha, President Dufort, you, me, Director Laurent and Ambassadors Romano and Diakos should probably all be in cahoots,” Milbank said. “Can you open up the QE radio channel to Dufort on your end? So we can have some discussions about all this?”

  “Of course, Rob. I think that’s a good idea, but I wouldn’t do it without your OK.”

  “No, we’re good. Let’s get that done.”

  “Mr. President, it’s good to speak with you,” Milbank said.

  “And to you, Mr. Prime Minister,” Dufort said.

  “My friends call me Rob, Mr. President.”

  “And mine call me Jean, Rob.”

  “Excellent. Jean, I want to tell you a story.”

  “Does it have a happy ending?”

  “Oh, yes.”

  “I’m all ears, Rob.”

  Milbank told Dufort the inside story of the downfall of Gerard Laporte, and how Milbank had engineered it. Dufort listened raptly.

  “A very similar situation, Rob.”

  “Yes, and your situation could have a similar denouement.”

  “You canceled the project.”

  “Yes, and then ensured it was carried on anyway.”

  Dufort nodded.

  “I see. I think I see. At some point, after people have gotten all excited about it, I can announce the treaty is dead.”

  “Yes. Exactly. Arcadia and Earthsea have lost patience with Amber, and gone off to plow more fertile fields among the other colony planets. Too bad, but that’s what happened, due to the Assembly’s actions under the Honorable Ms. Sellick.”

  “Oh, I like it. I like it a lot.”

  Dufort stared off into the distance for several seconds, then focused back on Milbank.

  “You know, Rob, I think getting the trade agreement approved may not even be as big a benefit as the removal of Ms. Sellick from a position of power.”

  “Now that, Jean, is something I understand completely.”

  While Hyper-1 sat in the hangar on the Amber Shuttleport, Hyper-2, -3, and -4 were busy in Arcadia. ChaoLi had authorized the construction of two more of the hyper-capable shuttles, and new crews were trained up.

  Now all three shuttles ferried containers to the Beacon Shipyard. The shipments of copper, water, and ball bearings continued, of course, for the construction work on Star Tripper and Star Gazer. In addition, computer modules, hyperspace drives, nuclear powerplants, and chillers – all containerized, and all in redundant pairs – were transferred to Beacon and installed in the waiting receptacles of the aft, completed, portion of the Star Runner.

  When, finally, her bows were complete, the metafactories would shove her loose. With her powerplants, hyperspace drives, and computers aboard, she would be independent.

  Star Runner would then make the trip to Arcadia under her own power.

  As the weeks went by, Ivanov’s prediction proved correct. The Assembly on Amber was producing a lengthy and cumbersome document, with set-asides and preferences for Amber and guarantees and requirements on Arcadia and Earthsea.

  Dufort’s faction of the majority party, under instructions from his lieutenants, sat back and watched, first in horror and then in bemusement, as Sellick’s faction and the minority party loaded up the treaty with provisions that no other planet would ever agree to.

/>   To any suggestion that they might be going too far, Sellick responded with a breezy, “They’ll sign it. They have to. They want our medical technology. Who cares about cheese and tea if you can have a longer lifespan? We’re in the driver’s seat here.”

  The news that visitors had arrived on Amber from Arcadia and Earthsea got out when the Assembly started hashing out their version of the trade agreement. There was no way to have such a debate in the Assembly without it leaking.

  The press started to pressure Dufort for information. In response to the repeated questions, about a month into the Assembly debate he – oh, so reluctantly, of course – opened the interstellar links to Earthsea and Arcadia to the general public.

  Dufort coordinated the timing with Milbank. They wanted to be sure they had the links open to the public before Star Runner appeared in the sky above Arcadia.

  Before the Arcadia news wires went wall-to-wall with pictures of the first interstellar cargo and passenger ship.

  The original three metafactories finally quieted down. They pushed Star Runner out of the way and started on Star Dreamer.

  Star Runner drifted away from the asteroid. It sped its departure a little bit with real-space thrusters that had been charged from the fuel tanks that were the last containers loaded.

  Several hours later, far enough away from the asteroid to engage the hyperspace field, Star Runner disappeared from normal space-time.

  One hour later, it appeared back in space-time a couple of days out from Arcadia orbit. It started using its real-space thrusters to slow the big ship to orbital velocity from its hyperspace exit velocity.

  There was no one on board. Star Runner had flown itself.

  When the ship arrived in Arcadia orbit, there was a huge celebration. Milbank had saved his cheese-tasting party for when the Star Runner arrived in Arcadia orbit, and it was a crowded festival. It was made more festive by the ship passing overhead every ninety minutes. The huge vessel was clearly visible to the naked eye, especially lit by the sun against the evening sky.

  The ship was now in the hands of Chen Shipfitting. Cargo shuttles had started running supplies up to the ship in earnest before it even arrived, meeting it in orbit. The first container was full of compressed air tanks, to fill the passenger and crew spaces. Other early containers held redundant environmental systems for the big ship, galley and mess for the work crews, and fitting-out supplies, especially paint.

  The other thing those first shuttle trips did was beam down cockpit videos of the ship being serviced by multiple shuttles.

  The news wires, of course, covered all these events in breathless detail, all of which was being piped to big display screens around Arcadia Square and its side streets, where people cheered and waved their lavalavas over their heads at every new shuttle docking.

  These events were also being piped to Amber over the QE radio link President Dufort had opened to public access. The people of Amber were treated to images of the huge starship being serviced by the relatively tiny shuttles, mixed in with views of the Star Runner from the ground and scenes from the big party of half-naked – and naked – Arcadians celebrating in the capital city.

  Karl Huenemann and the design group, together with their spouses, were celebrating, too, watching everything in the big three-dimensional display in the conference room of their downtown facility. They took turns running down for cheese samples whenever they ran out. Huenemann had also popped for a number of different beverages, including a very nice red wine that went well with the cheeses.

  When the shuttle cockpit views came on and the Star Runner was shown on the screen against space, being serviced by shuttles, it reminded everyone of the simulation Wayne Porter had done two years before.

  Huenemann walked over to where Porter was standing with Denise Bonheur, his wife, and clapped him on the shoulder. Huenemann pointed at the display.

  “Nice job, Wayne. Really nice job.”

  “Thank you, Karl. Lot of other people involved, too.”

  “Oh, I understand, Wayne. But the vision for that was yours.”

  Huenemann looked back at the display.

  “That’s fuckin’ great.”

  “Well, they sure are an enthusiastic bunch, aren’t they?” Josephine Sellick asked Bertrand Leland, her chief of staff, as they watched the celebration on Arcadia.

  “Yes, ma’am. Does this change our calculations on the trade agreement in any way?”

  “No, Bert. If that bunch of naked savages can build a starship, so can we. Actually, I think this undermines the counter-argument that it will take us twenty years to duplicate the feat.”

  “Ah. I see. We’ll have to make sure we make that argument before the Assembly, ma’am.”

  “Of course, Bert. I wouldn’t miss an obvious opportunity like that,” Sellick said.

  With all the hoopla on Arcadia around Star Runner, it brought attention to the other people involved. In particular, it brought attention to ChaoLi, the CEO of Jixing Trading Company, who had run the hyperspace project for the Arcadia government.

  ChaoLi was interviewed by one of the news wires at the urging of Rob Milbank. They discussed his goals for the interview, and why it was important to their Amber strategy.

  ChaoLi thought she would be nervous for the interview, but she would have some editorial control of it. In particular, she could edit any answer where she really messed up. Compared to meeting with Chen Zufu and Chen Zumu, especially when she was younger, the interview wasn’t that big a deal.

  Daniel Nordstrom, a reporter for Arcadia’s biggest news wire, came to her downtown office and interviewed her in her office. She wore one of her business suits.

  “Tonight we are talking with Chen ChaoLi, the CEO of Jixing Trading Company, which will be spacing Star Runner and other starships to other colony planets. Hello, ChaoLi.”

  “Hello, Dan.”

  “Before you were the CEO of Jixing Trading, you were actually the manager of the hyperspace project, is that right?”

  “Yes, that’s correct.”

  “How did you end up running a project like that?”

  “I was in the financial group that oversees the Chen-Jasic family’s business interests. When the government hyperspace project failed, the Chen-Jasic family bought the land the project was on out at the shuttleport. We looked at the project and thought, Can we finish this and make it work?”

  “And clearly you did make it work. One only needs to look up in the sky to know that. But didn’t the government ultimately fund that project?”

  “In a way, Dan. The government made advance payments for starships. We used those payments to carry forward the project. And the payments got larger every time we got closer to the goal. Every milestone.”

  “So the income stream of the project was advance payments from the government?”

  “That’s right, Dan. As a result, the government of Arcadia owns all the starships coming along right now. Star Runner, Star Tripper, Star Gazer, and Star Dreamer. They all belong to the government.”

  “Yet Jixing Trading will be running these ships, ChaoLi?”

  “Jixing Trading has contracted with the government to lease those ships, Dan. They’re still the government’s ships. We will be leasing them to run passenger and freight business to the colony planets.”

  “Will you have a monopoly on interstellar shipping?”

  “Perhaps for a few years, we will. My assumption, though, is that the government will continue to build additional ships. I know Denise Peterson’s design group is working on the next generation of starships right now. We may lease some of those future ships, but I assume the government will also be leasing them to other companies.

  “They will be your competitors, then, ChaoLi?”

  “Of course, Dan. My assumption is that Jixing Trading will be operating in a competitive environment against other shipping companies, based here or elsewhere, who will also operate ships leased from the Arcadia government. We will have a head start, and
I intend to use that to impress our initial customers with our efficiency and customer service, but medium term we will not have a monopoly on interstellar trade. That would be silly.”

  “Why would that be silly, ChaoLi?”

  “Because monopolies are inefficient and wasteful, Dan. I want to compete, to provide services that please our customers. That’s also the easiest way to please your employees. Put them in a position where they can know they are doing a good job.”

  “Thank you, ChaoLi. That’s fascinating. We’ve been talking today with Chen ChaoLi, CEO of Jixing Trading Company, and the person who managed the hyperspace project that resulted in the Star Runner.”

  After the interview, ChaoLi asked Rob Milbank how she did. She had sent him a copy of the pre-release video for his review. Mostly she wanted to know if they needed to edit anything.

  “How did I do, Rob?”

  “You were great, ChaoLi. Truly.”

  “Really?”

  “Oh, yes. Don’t change a thing. You got in every one of the points I wanted to make.”

  “And that will help with Amber?”

  “Oh, yes. We are knocking the props out from under Ms. Sellick’s position, one at a time. You got a couple of them in there.”

  ChaoLi sent Daniel Nordstrom permission to air the interview as it was.

  “What did you think of the Chen ChaoLi interview, Jean?” Milbank asked.

  “It’s perfect, Rob. She’s beautiful, smart, well-spoken, and credible,” Dufort said. “That’s going to help a lot here.”

  “Excellent.”

  Return Of The RDF Satellites

  The deployment vehicle had completed the pickup of its last RDF satellite. Now with its full complement of four, it energized its hyperspace field, disappeared from normal space-time, and headed for Arcadia.

  The six deployment vehicles had been sent out in the six galactic compass directions from the Arcadia, Earthsea, Amber, Earth cluster in JieMin’s bubble map: galactic north, up from the plane of the galaxy’s disk, determined by the right-hand rule on the galaxy’s direction of rotation; galactic south, down from the galaxy’s disk; galactic west, inward along the Orion Arm toward the center of the galaxy; galactic east, outward along the Orion Arm toward the edge of the galaxy; spinward, across the Orion Arm in the direction of rotation of the galaxy, toward the Perseus Arm; and anti-spinward, across the Orion Arm against the rotation of the galaxy, toward the Sagittarius Arm.