L'Gem

by Sharon L Reddy

  Chapter Twenty-one

  The election took place before other news services could get ships to Gradelode, in response to the reports from the first. They'd been surprised none of the local services had bid to be affiliates, and just send coverage. A few had figured out why, one hundred fifty years of being ignored.

  Most of the former police and IS had dropped old habits fast, but newly appointed judges, prosecutors and court-appointed defense counsel were quite busy. Since real rehabilitation programs were proving extremely successful, prisons weren't becoming overcrowded. Universities, tech and business schools weren't either, but most were at capacity. They didn't plan to expand, yet. The number of students would drop again after those who'd been denied education for economic reasons graduated.

  The government programs to educate and employ wouldn't run out of money, but their funds would decrease to what would be needed for far fewer people in a healthier economy. Nineteen more patents of new tech had been granted, none to Bressler, when the second news service ship arrived, just ahead of the start of a steady stream of corporate representatives. The corporations didn't understand why comm deals weren't considered, but didn't wait for explanation.

  Two little Teal Valley companies had won five and two of the ten design awards available. The company with two had placed second in three other categories, behind the one with five.

  One hundred twenty-nine days after a hole had been made in Horgen Field, Danny got a message her code had been re-authed. She jumped in and began to hunt. The government of Gradelode was in trouble. The interplanetary court had ordered all expenditures other than essential services be halted, pending investigation of criminal action and human rights violation by interplanetary court treaty signator.

  The pro tem appointments were being investigated. If they were found to be illegal, the election would be nullified.

  The class action suit being brought by the persons, also charging criminal abduction, and seven corporations, would result in seizure of assets and revocation of the planetary charter, voiding the constitution and placing the planet under the control of a court-appointed colonial governor. Danny yelled for Larry and they went to work.

  Forty-nine hours after Danny's code was re-authed, billions of credits poured into a fund established to sustain gov programs and file suit against the Interplanetary Court, for dereliction of treaty enforcement, resulting in the oppression and abuse of the people of Gradelode.

  Every person had been asked to donate one credit and report one instance of abuse of authority. Most people donated more and reported more. All trade negotiations were halted. All patent licensing was suspended. A legal firm on Earth was notified it had been selected to represent the people of Gradelode and warned the compressed data burst of testimony would begin in fifteen minutes and last for twenty-three. They would need fourteen terabytes of storage for compressed text.

  Newscrews that had been sure people's statements, 'everyone sane participated in changing the government,' were exaggerations learned they were not. They also learned no one would talk to them. When they attempted to ask questions, people said they'd been told the story and the truth and hadn't reported it.

  The attorneys on Earth did talk. Often tearfully, usually angrily, always remorsefully, they told of the testimonies they were reading, the result of no one bothering to verify government supplied information, or even ask why no news was reported, no people traveled from it, and no businesses tried to establish interplanetary trade.

  The news services and court were sure 'everyone sane' couldn't have wanted the government changed, but for over a century they'd been sure everyone on it was isolationist and boring. The legal firm on Earth loudly filed petition for an injunction, to halt all research and development based on the discoveries made on Gradelode and physicists on two hundred fifteen worlds screamed.

  When the court didn't grant the injunction, the legal firm filed suit against it in Earth Superior Court and filed charges of charter treaty violation with the office of the Earth Prosecutor General. The interplanetary court hadn't sent investigators to Gradelode. It was 'investigating' in one hundred fifty years of gov-filed reports and mining corporation records.

  The Interplanetary Human Rights Commission joined the suit against the interplanetary court. The next day, the president of Earth introduced a motion to rescind the treaty creating the court. The Chief Justice of the Supreme Court 'reached down and yanked' all related cases from the lower court on Rimland. The Interplanetary Supreme Court handed down a unanimous decision sixteen hours, seventeen minutes later.

  Twenty-one days after Danny's code had been re-authed the justices found the interplanetary court system guilty of dereliction and treaty violation, rescinded all actions against the elected government of Gradelode, ruled the exile had been "restrained and humane disposition of members of an oppressive oligarchy and their families" and granted the injunction, for a period of two years. One hundred nineteen accounts of the IS bombing of the most advanced university physics research laboratory on Gradelode were appended to the decision. Physicists read of years of research, a discovery and all equipment being destroyed in the attempted murder of the finest student researchers on a world, and why, and didn't scream.

  Eleven hours later, the families boarded ships. All family names had been changed. Communication between families during the ship journeys was prohibited. All would be delivered to settler embarkation points for one of nine worlds, no two families to the same one, and no two destined for the same settlement.

  None knew the new name of another. All had been told, with all family members present, the people of Gradelode had chosen to give them the opportunity to construct new lives and futures for their children, or the court would have prosecuted every adult among them. The children were told their parents didn't know right from wrong and to pick other examples.

  The government of Gradelode bought Earth currency and paid their attorneys, then asked the people what they'd like done with the rest of the money. In a GGN interview, the Center Continent Northwest Region Representative suggested an independent educational foundation be established, with the mission of assuring schools had the physical capability of educating children born in the next three years. She explained, though the government had resources to fund their education, that didn't mean schools could locate classroom space, or design programs to handle the temporary surge in students. The government would aid any who asked, but most didn't know what to ask. She believed a foundation to develop physical and program designs of many types, then aid schools in individualizing the one believed most suitable, so they knew exactly what to ask the government to aid them to do, was good use of the money. She didn't expect it to all be used, so design aid would always be available, when a town or city needed it.

  She said she thought architects would really appreciate someone reducing the number of times they submitted plans to school boards and heard, "That's not quite what we have in mind." Eleven professional architecture, design, construction and educator organizations made statements in support of the suggestion in the next three hours.

  When representatives' opinion registries opened in their regions, "the School Help Foundation," as GGN newscasters suggested it be called, was such an overwhelming favorite, representative aides called people who'd registered other opinions to discuss the issue raised. It worked extremely well. People who suggested the money be used for something else had seen a current or future need not being filled.

  Tatton attempted to lease equipment from other builders, when they stopped using it for the season. They offered to donate its use and asked permission to watch and learn. Tatton warned them people wouldn't believe them if they told him some of the techniques being used and invited them to come to a "foundation appearance" to start. At eight the next weekday morning, Tatton handed enrollment forms to seven builders.

  "You're the first class on this campus. Kail set it up so there someth
ing that says you learned it all, officially. This is a four credit seminar with a two credit lab. We'll figure out times around your winter work schedules. I'm going to teach everything from how to use equipment and materials to how to train three hundred OJT's."

  "Three hundred?!"

  "Yes, Carel, three hundred. The fourth batch, fifty more, start this morning. All of the original forty-eight I got have a training crew of five and twelve have six, as of this morning. In ten days, they'll take a little test and graduate. They'll get scale for general construction labor. At that time, they can choose if they want to move out of the barracks or stay in it, either paying for it, or having it provided, if they wish to continue aiding in training others. Most want to learn something specific, but they'll probably stay in the barracks until there's a dorm done and they can buy cars. After they graduate, the second batch will be the training crew chiefs. After they've scheduled everyone on their crews to be familiarized with all the equipment and trained on a specific piece, and worked as general labor at a bunch of different tasks, they'll get to take their tests and make their choices. The next crew chief's job is see to it the training crew of four does some of everything. When that one graduates the three left on the training group will pick another crew to join up with to be a job crew. They'll figure out who should be chief on what type of job and that one will study it, so whatever they're given to do, one knows more, and when to ask questions. Those crews won't be broken up when some graduate. They'll join up with another crew with different knowledge. They'll do the same next graduation. They have to do it all themselves. They'll get help figuring out how, and help each other. They're all going to leave this job with crew-chief experience, because that's what builders are going to need. Everyone will pick something to learn really well, and some will choose training others. We've already got three we're sure are going to want to put OJT trainer on a resume."

  "You're going to pay them all scale as general labor?"

  "Hell, yes, Black. We're going to finish this whole thing by spring."

  "Whole thing?"

  "Whole thing. Hop in the transport. You're all on scholarships."

  "Where are we going?"

  "To where we're actually working. We decided it would be more fun to do it from back to front and surprise the hell out of everyone, primarily because somebody in a big corp decided we couldn't possibly need in what goes in that building yet and sent the company assembling equipment for it a forty-five day delivery date, with possible preemption to ninety. We told them if they're preempted, cancel the order and we'll build them the equipment to assemble for us."

  "Say what?"

  "It's high-tech, Keefe, but it's not a field projector. If we can get those, and the equipment you're about to see, built, why couldn't we just say, 'build that piece?' Probably get something impossible that works better. That's what happened last time whoever builds it wasn't sure something wouldn't infringe on the 'spirit' of a patent use license. I'm not in contact. I slam a couple doors, yell problem a couple places, tell three or four people and get a delivery."

  "Used to be just the region was like that. Now the whole world's getting that way."

  "Sure is, Jol. Great."

  "Damn!"

  "It's moving right along, Black."

  "How the hell…"

  "You're about to learn, Lanter. I've got my seven students, Knight!"

  "At least they're not giggling. Ours are. Every time one of the new bunch asks what the scaffold is for, they all start again."

  "I didn't try to explain. I was sure I'd start giggling."

  "Those two tankers have the foundation material, half in each and it's a precise amount. The leads going into each always have to be used. If the material fills half of one teacup, both leads have to go in it. It doesn't matter how deep, but the ends must be in full contact, so it's easiest to just submerge if you're using a liquid. If you use two, it must be half each. If the material needs an additive to set, dump it in just before you do the fill. It'll mix completely in the transfer. If you need more than two, you can add, even years later. My crew's ready to mount the platform. You're on, Tat."

  "This building has twelve, six meter by point five meter foundation anchors. There are forty-two structural supports, eight exterior and thirty-four interior. The exterior columns and beams are set in place and held with bolts through their base plates. The bolts aren't needed. They just reduce the likelihood they'll get bumped and fall over. The form we're using is a strip of gansine. It won't come off. It's unnecessary, but it's the perfect color and this way they'll never have to colorbond. If we wanted gold or diamond dust, we'd put them in a light oil, paint them on something and define the something as outside the form. This technique can be used to do walls, but this material is a liquid and does require set time, so it's not really good for that. A solid is best, but it's usually not necessary or even desirable to have the bond this makes, so having it built to specs and installing is usually easier."

  "Wait. Built and installed?"

  "Most are actually poured around the interior bracing and connecting hardware, Black. We'll show you that after we finish the first floor this afternoon. The platform they just put up there will move across the scaffold. The mount on it is for the transfer device. It'll be delivered with the crane. It's not too heavy for Knight to get it up the scaffold, but this is less work than him strapping it on and Nev can give it to him with the leads attached. He can program the transfer dimensions in seconds, but he'll be showing the trainees how, so it'll be a couple minutes."

  "Tat, transfer."

  "From the tankers to the form, Carol, including in the holes for the anchors. On a smaller area, the moving platform wouldn't be needed, and a much smaller pour would be simpler. They'll do this one in four sections, so all four of the OJT's learn the programming. It could be done in two. They call it a 'magic trowel,' fills a hole and smooths it perfectly."

  Knight supervised the programming. The other three OJT's helped with it. They reminded what had to be included. If the gensine, columns, beams, and their base plates and bolts weren't defined as part of the hole to be filled, they wouldn't be bonded. The gensine would lift off and the only thing holding the beams in, or the building up, would be the plates on the columns and the beam bottoms.

  It wasn't at all complicated. The sensors gave the exact shape of the target area, but all the attachments and areas had to be remembered and entered. Knight checked it, nodded, and the OJT pulled the trigger and they moved to the next.

  The second trainee worked faster. It was expected and needed. The material was extremely viscous, but it was liquid. She got done before she had to redefine due to sag. They moved the platform and the third programmed. She was so fast, the others yelled, "Blazer!" as the platform was moved.

  The OJT's watching from below cheered and applauded. It meant accurate and fast. Accurate was always first. It was essential. Fast came with practice of accurate. The fourth wasn't as fast, but he didn't have to redefine for sag. He touched the trigger pad and Knight yelled, "No redefines! Blazers!" Tatton grinned at his students.

  "Redefining for liquid sag is expected. Working fast enough it's not necessary is exceptional. No one is ever slow. If all of them had needed to redefine the area for sag, he'd have yelled, 'accurate' or something else that meant they'd done it right. Some are better at some things than others. 'Better at' is always kept together. 'Better than others at' isn't said. It's one of the first things taught. People can't be better than, only better at. Keep the words together so you don't ever forget the 'at' has to be there."

  "That's very wise."

  "They're far too wise, Lanter. Get in and I'll show you the training area. They'll spend about two hours showing the new kids what's been done and answering questions. We'd just do all the foundations, but we want all the OJT's to see a couple. They won't all do a piece of the foundation, but they'
ll all fill a hole. The northwest corner will eventually be a big parking lot. Right now, it's an equipment practice area. They learn to lay a strip of road, take out a strip, grade it flat, lay a walk, take it up. Plant a tree, move a tree, hook things up, unhook, trench, fill, place, remove, everything we do, including learn to drive."

  "Drive what?"

  "Everything, Carol, beginning with a car. You can't buy one on subsidy, there isn't much parking in sub districts, and public transport ran infrequently at odd times, and past, not through. If you walked eight to ten blocks, through neighborhoods where you weren't welcome, you could get to a transport that would get you to work on time. Of course, sending an employee register with the sub address was an invitation to the IS to visit. 'Smart and careful' is the description of them all, because you didn't survive to have kids if you weren't."

  Blade grinned at the woman not looking at him and walked over to her. She was the third who'd recognized him. There had been two in the second batch. When she saw him coming, she motioned two others over.

  "I'm Silverin Bladesly. They call me Blade. The man is a friend of mine."

  "That's not a surprise. I don't know why here is."

  "Shouldn't be, Mirsa. It was the most free place on the planet."

  "You've got a promise stud."

  "Knight and Nev, Corm. A date is the only place it occurs to me to go without them, and the reverse."

  "You changed it all for us."

  "I got to help, Lenny. Making holes in the walls around the subs was always top of the list. They just had to take the whole thing apart to do it."

  "They?"

  "Nobody will tell you who. When you see it, you won't tell anybody. Everybody around here knows, but they don't mention, a lot like Roper. You'll like and understand these people. The big surprise is that they were always mad the sub districts were boxes, and they get madder as they learn how hard it was to survive in them. Expect to be called, 'kids.' Tatton is sort of fond uncle about you all and age is irrelevant. You'll come out of this giggling because mouths are hanging open, and with everything you need to teach any good construction company, and their OJT's, how to do all this stuff, and get well-paid to do it."

  "We were hand-picked. We got told, 'go now, apply for this.' It's great for us or we wouldn't have been told, but the man thinks it's real important."

  "He knows Tatton plans to help you make it real obvious just how big a lie the gov propaganda about the people in the district was, Mirsa. The most fun you've ever had is about to begin. Your training crew chiefs are waiting to show you how much and watch you get excited."

  "I'm not sure I like mine."

  "You'll get used to Grim, Lenny, and like him real well, when he makes some comment that has you all laughing so hard you can't stand up and the expression on his face doesn't change. The goal of every OJT is crack him up. So far, Harmon and Nev are the only ones who have and they did it together."

  "Thanks. That fixes all my worries."