by Ward Wagher
# # #
Franklin looked out the window of the shuttle as it descended over the continent of Ducat. "Well, crud!"
"Sir?" Hopper leaned over to see what Franklin was looking at.
Franklin was looking down at the unending white of the snow-covered mountains of Montora. "It's winter time. I didn't think about that."
"I packed a couple of enviro jackets from the ship, Sir. They should be fine down to any temperature we are likely to find planet side."
"Don't bet on it, Hopper. Winter in Montora village has to be experienced to be experienced. Besides, I wasn't worried about us. What about the rest of the crew?"
"Sir, the Exec has taken care of it."
Franklin glanced around behind him. The other passengers were unfolding the lightweight enviro jackets and putting them on. They looked like nothing so much as silvery Mylar rain jackets, but had excellent thermal qualities. They did not have the durability for extended use, but were useful in situations like this.
Franklin leaned back in his seat. "Just forget I said anything."
"Aye, aye, Sir.”
They stepped off the shuttle into the middle of a raging blizzard. A short distance away the jitney was visible through waves of blowing snow. Franklin nudged Hopper, and then plunged into the snow towards the small electric bus. Hopper followed in his wake carrying two duffels. They crowded aboard the bus along with as many of the passengers from the shuttle as would fit. Modest Marple was at the wheel of the jitney.
"Welcome back, Margrave," Marple said as Franklin slid by him and into a seat.
"Thanks, Modest. How's business?"
"I have a full report waiting for you back at the castle. In summary, not that bad. But, not that great either."
"I assume Gerry Blakely is keeping a list for me of things to work on."
"He told me he has a few things," Marple chuckled. "I don't think you will be bored."
Franklin rolled his eyes and shrugged. Hopper was perched on his seat like a bright eyed little bird taking in as much of the new environment as he could. “I've never been up here in the winter, Sir. This is impressive.”
The jitney lumbered through the rising drifts on the road to the village. The weight of the drive train plus that of the passengers ensured they would not get stuck. The wind-driven snow swirled through the treetops and accumulated on the trees in the forest along the mountainside.
"How long has this been going on, Modest?" Franklin asked.
"Just started this morning, Margrave. Looking at the map on the weather-sat, it’s a broad front coming in from the polar regions. I think we're in for several days of it."
"Lovely time to come home."
Hopper snickered.
"You laugh now, Spaceman Hopper. Guess who gets to run all the errands for me?"
Hopper looked at Franklin under lowered eyebrows.
"I can see you don't believe me, Hopper. Just wait." Franklin had an evil grin.
chapter thirty
"And so, Margrave, if you could initiate funding we could begin rebuilding the ducal palace as well as the repairs to the market square. The obvious damage is impacting our tourist revenues, and we would like to get them back where they need to be." Fenton Aldersgate, the mayor of Cambridge, continued droning on. "With the funding you would provide, we could begin work as early as the spring. I think that within a year we would see our tourism revenues begin to climb again."
Franklin Nyman leaned back in his chair and scanned the room. In addition to the mayor of Cambridge, Gerry Blakely, Alex Nesmith, Modest Marple, Yasmin Gris, and Gore Mittal were in the room listening to Aldersgate's supplication. In the corner of the room sat Joe Wilson, the Earl Paravel.
Franklin leaned forward and placed his elbows on the desktop. "How much work has been completed so far on repairs, Mr. Mayor?"
"Well... nothing. We have been waiting for funding. We can't do anything without money."
Yasmin Gris snorted audibly.
Franklin looked up at Blakely. "How long were we gone, Gerry?"
"Two months, give or take, Margrave."
"Has any repair work been done to the castle while we were gone?"
"Yes, sir. We have completed all of the repairs to the castle and filled in the crater next to the moat. The landscaping will have to wait for warm weather."
Franklin rubbed his chin with his thumb and forefinger. "And how much money did you have to spend to effect repairs, Gerry?"
"Uh, Maybe a few hundred Centaurans for materials. That was about it."
"And how did the work get done?"
Blakely shrugged. "It was all volunteer labor from the village and the regiment. Didn't take long at all.”
Franklin nodded. He ran his tongue around inside his cheek as he pondered the conversation. He looked over at Mittal, who was sitting in the other chair in front of the desk. "I'm glad to get a chance to see you again, Mr. Mayor. Things going okay in Woods Crossing?"
The mayor gave a short, sharp nod. "Things have been quiet, and prosperous. With the regimental troops supporting the toll collection, revenues are back to where they should be. The brigandage has dropped off considerably."
"That's good news. Did you just drop in for a visit, today, or is there something I can help you with?"
The chubby little man cocked his head and glanced at Aldersgate, and then looked at Franklin. He licked his lips before he spoke. "I don't want to give the impression I have my hand out, Margrave. After the harvest, we began work on improving the road west from the bridge towards the border."
Franklin nodded. "That's interesting. What kind of work have you been doing on the road?"
"Mainly working on the ditches to improve drainage, and filling in the worst of the mud holes. We would like to start paving, however, the price of stone or brick makes that out of the question."
"How far did you get?"
"We only got a mile or so before the weather closed in. After the spring planting, I figure we could keep a crew working most of the summer."
Franklin smiled. "I know this is probably a loaded question, but what can I do to help?"
"Currently we are splitting the toll revenues half and half," the mayor said. "I would like to propose changing that to 60 -- 40 and use the additional funding to accelerate the roadwork. I think if we had a fully improved road across the lower Margraviate, commerce would pick up and we would see that money back in increased tolls."
Franklin looked over at Blakely. "What does that do to our budget, Gerry?"
"That's twenty percent of our toll revenue, sir. It'll have an impact."
Franklin picked up a stylus and started tapping it on the desk. He looked up at Mittal again. "Times are tough right now, Mr. Mayor."
"I know that, Margrave. We have a chance here though to get that money back. I think it's a good bet."
"I think it is too." He pondered for another minute. "Let's do this, I will go 55/45. I want you to put a surcharge on the toll for road improvements. Get with Gerry on the details. Once we complete the cycle of roadwork, I want to go back to 50/50."
Mittal nodded. "Thank you, Margrave. Under the circumstances, I think that is most generous."
"You are welcome. I appreciate your initiative. I hope the increased traffic will pay for further improvements. It would be nice to get this place on a sound financial footing."
"Now, what about my improvements?" Aldersgate said.
"I think the Prime Minister would allow you to spend about what we spent here for repairs," Franklin said.
"But that would not even begin to pay for the cost of the labor to do the work, Milord" the mayor sputtered. “You just approved significant expenditure for roads through the middle of nowhere. Surely you can spare something for Cambridge.”
"Have you heard the saying that the Lord helps them that help themselves, Mr. Mayor?"
Mittal made a choking sound. Franklin gazed at him with a small smile and turned his attention back to Aldersgate. "I'm glad Mr. Mittal was here today M
r. Mayor. I'm glad you heard the other things that are going on. First of all, I am not obligated to fund any of your projects. As you can see, I have plenty of needs in my own territory. Your projects normally come from the ducal purse. I'm also not inclined to help people that have not lifted a finger to help themselves."
"But, you have more power than I., sir."
Franklin scraped his teeth over his upper lip. "Gerry, how many people did you have to order in to make the repairs?"
"I did not, Margrave. They just showed up and started working. Well, Mayor Gris kind of leaned on them to get busy."
Gris raised an eyebrow as she sat with a smirk on her face.
Franklin looked back at Aldersgate, and raised his eyebrows. "I think, Mr. Mayor, you are going to have to show me what your town can do on its own. If we see some results, I'm sure I could encourage the Duke to release some funds."
Aldersgate put his hands on the arms of the chair and looked back and forth. "But that's... that's just no help at all, Margrave. Surely, you understand we have serious needs in Cambridge."
"Fenton, you are not listening to me! We have serious needs everywhere on this dirt ball. While I was out rescuing your Prime Minister, my people were back here repairing the village on their own centime. I am very unimpressed by what you managed to accomplish. Did you even ask the local citizens to pitch in?"
Aldersgate sat with his mouth hanging open, but said nothing.
"I think we are done here. Mayor Aldersgate, thank you for coming today." Franklin looked at Mittal. "Can you stick around a couple of hours and have lunch with me?"
"Of course, Margrave," Mittal almost bowed in his chair. He stood up. "Come on, Fenton, these people have work to do." Aldersgate struggled to his feet, and then stumbled out of the room behind Mittal.
In the corner Joe Wilson began applauding slowly. "Bravo, Margrave. I think you're almost as good at that as your father."
"What I really wanted to do was to kick his can around the keep. Idiots like that infuriate me. It amazes me how so many people hold their hands out and expect you to supply their every need and want."
"Mittal did you a huge favor today," Wilson said.
"That's why I asked him to lunch. I need to thank him."
"That sent a message to Aldersgate, too."
Franklin smiled. "It did, didn't it?" He rubbed his hands together. "Okay, what do we have next?"
"Can we talk about the funding requirements for Canopus?" Wilson asked.
"Why not. I don't suppose you have a magical pot of money out in your lands we could draw on for this."
"Ha! I'm even more broke than you are. If it wasn't for our previous idiot Duke, I think we would be in pretty good shape."
"If it wasn't for our previous idiot Duke, my mother would still be alive. And yes, we would be in a lot better shape right now."
Wilson colored slightly. "I'm sorry, Margrave. I should not have gone there."
Franklin shrugged. "Don’t worry about it. The truth of the matter is none of us have a pot to pee in. I talked Charlie Steelmaker into selling me the armaments for Canopus with some creative financing. You know what that means."
Wilson whistled. "And how big a piece of you did he take?"
Franklin shrugged and raised his eyebrows, but said nothing.
"Okay, you've made your point, Franklin. I can cover the cost of the people from Paravel when you have them on active duty. Are you suggesting I borrow money to help support the cost of the ship? I have no way of making payments on that. In fact, my seneschal would not let me bring the checkbook with me today for fear of what I might do."
"I don't know, Joe. I don't have any money. You're in even worse shape. Carlo Roma was keeping Foxworth on a tight leash after the debacle with the old Duke. I don’t see him loosening up under the current circumstances. My dad is going to freak when he finds out how much I borrowed to pay for the missile load out." Franklin grimaced and looked down at his desk. He looked up again at Wilson. "But, it had to be done."
Wilson gave Franklin a sly grin. "Are you going to give Aldersgate any money?"
Franklin snorted. "Heck, no! Aldersgate is on his own. If he didn't know it before he walked in here, he knows it now. I suspect Gore Mittal gave him a few facts of life after they left."
"My merchants are not going to be happy about the surcharge on the tolls." He quickly held up his hands in front of him. "No, no. I understand why you are doing this and support you. It's just part of what we're going to have to do to dig ourselves out of this spot."
"Exactly," Franklin said. "The only thing I can think of is for us to market the daylights out of our tourism business. Did you get a deal put together on your hotel?"
"Yes, I think we'll get it started in the spring. Once you understand the Woogies, they are not hard to deal with."
"Did Bridgitte drive a hard bargain?" Franklin asked.
Wilson thought about it for a moment. "I would call it a fair bargain. I actually ended up with forty percent of the hotel, and I didn't put that much money into it. That was far more than I expected."
“Any problems understanding her?”
“Not really. The vocoder that your people threw together was decent. I could read between the lines well enough to understand what she was getting at.”
“Any problems with her command of Anglo?”
Wilson looked at him closely. “What are you getting at?”
“Oh, malapropisms, misuse of verbs, etc.”
“No, nothing like that. She would tend towards long pauses, but eventually the right words would come out. Why do you ask?”
“Louie had a tendency towards word choices which resulted in people rolling on the floor. Everyone thought it was a badly misadjusted vocoder, but now I’m not so sure.”
Wilson shrugged. “I guess that’s neither here, nor there. I’m more concerned about what to market, since I don’t have a hotel as yet.”
"I wish there was a way we could advertise, and put some people on your beaches this summer. Do you have any cottages or houses you could fix up and rent out?"
"I hadn't thought of that," Wilson said. "That's a good idea. I can dragoon some people into doing the work – call it a service day in lieu of taxes. Nobody can afford to pay taxes anyway. I could probably find enough cash to pay for some of the advertising if you would like to go in on this together."
Franklin looked over at Marple. "Modest, can you get with whoever Joe designates, plus Bridgitte and Louie and come up with something?"
"Already working on it, sir."
"I think I like you," Wilson said.
"He's already taken, Joe," Franklin said.
"Story of my life," Wilson said. “I don't know how you find all the good employees.”
“Your people are pretty solid, aren't they?”
“Yes, but your folks just find things to do and pitch in. I have to think of everything.”
Franklin scratched his armpit, then stretched around in the chair, popping his back. “Joe, I'm very lucky to have good people. I know that. However, I've learned that when you are trying to think of everything, people tend to let you. Try putting them on the spot. Tell them to figure it out.”
Wilson laughed. “That's easy for you to say. You don't know the disasters that causes.”
“No, Joe. You will have a few disasters, but honestly, if they're not making mistakes, they're not trying new stuff. Let them screw up. Then beat them about the head and shoulders and move on. I saw my parents do that over and over. They ended up with some great people.”
Wilson looked thoughtful. “I guess going from orbital welder to Earl means I have a lot to learn. It just never ends.”
“You're right about that,” Franklin said. “My problem is that I'm not as smart as I think I am, and I get beat up for it.”
“Yes, but you are still on a whole different level than I.”
Franklin shrugged. "Next item of business: what to do if we have another pirate raid."
&nb
sp; "And I was just starting to feel better, too," Wilson said, as he put his hand to his head.
"We will be running some drills to get a crew up to the ship as quickly as possible. I'm keeping a skeleton watch going up there at all times."
"You have my support on that," Wilson said. "What else are you thinking about?"
"We are going to need to coordinate our ground forces better. We did not do a very good job the last time around. I recognize I have the only significant military force on the planet here in Montora Village. The Cambridge police are not much good for this sort of thing."
Wilson looked down at the floor. No one quite wanted to look at each other. Franklin cleared his throat. "Joe, you're going to have to pull your militia together again. For self-defense, if nothing else. Would it help or hurt if I asked Boodles to send a couple of noncoms over to help you with training?"
Wilson shook his head. "I don't know, Franklin. I appreciate the offer. Let me talk to my Guard Captain. I think this will be one of those times where I will simply have to assume leadership and make my people get in line. It's not going to be easy though; I am still kicking myself over what I allowed Guilietto Roma to talk me into."
“Look, Joe, sometimes you have to let things go. We’re all guilty of the occasional stupidity. It’s just human nature. And I'm worse than most.”
“Yeah, well, my stupidity – and you called it right – got a bunch of my people killed. I still have nightmares about that.”
“Have you ever been in the military?”
“No. Why?”
“One of the things they taught us in the Academy was that you might make a bad call and people will get killed. You can’t forget about it, nor do you want to. But you do have to learn from it and move forward. When you are leading people, you will sometimes put them into dangerous situations. That’s part of your responsibility. I got a couple of people killed out at Victor and I have nightmares about that... and other stuff.”
“Yeah, I understand that intellectually. Still isn’t a lot of fun.”
The conversation subsided as everyone turned inward. Finally Wilson spoke again.
“Well, thanks for your time, Margrave. I’m sure you have plenty to do.”
