by Robin Roseau
“Everyone knows Colonel River Blue,” Cecilia said. “River has asked permission to set up two households on our planet.”
“Welcome to Talmon, River,” Baardorid said immediately.
“Normally, I wouldn’t require all of you,” Cecilia said. “But she brought us, well, not exactly a present. River.”
“Those big crates,” she said, “include all the equipment needed to build a power station for an average village. The smaller crates are for my new house here. I left a similar stack for my home in Indartha.”
“The first priority,” Cecilia said, “Is to do something with these crates. The little ones we can store here until River is ready for them. But I don't want to have to move the big crates. Darkside will deliver them for us if we can figure out where to bring them.”
“Why not the next village on the list?” Jim asked.
“Because this power station is the personal property of Colonel Blue,” Cecilia said. “And she has to be paid. She’ll take Talmon currency.”
“Oh shit,” Jim said. “Colonel, that is… Surprising.”
“I am making a commitment,” River said. “It’s more complicated than that.”
“The land is a sort of thank you,” Cecilia said. “Vendarti, I don’t have enough funds. I don’t have a clue how to pay her, and I’ve never asked one of the villages to pay for the things I’ve delivered. I don't want to start.”
“And that is why you have three of us here,” Luradinine said. “How much are we talking about?”
“It’s a small station,” River said. “I have all my receipts, which I will submit to the governor. Unless the exchange rate is fluctuating, it’s a bit over two million Talmon dollars. Depending upon the size of the village, there might be leftover supplies, or you might be short, but there should be sufficient power and storage for an average village.”
There was silence for a moment, and then Luradinine said, “Governor, Beacon Hill would have found a way to pay such a cost, if you had asked.”
“Beacon Hill’s cost would have been higher,” Cecilia said. “About six.”
“You gave us six million dollars?”
“About that, yes,” Cecilia said. “But you contribute to our operations here. The problem isn’t local currency. The problem is that local currency has no value once we leave Talmon. If it was only local currency, we’d have finished this two years ago.”
“Vendarti,” Sartine said. “Our villages do not need this equipment. We have power. We need to choose a village and bring the village vendart here. And we need to decide how much we will ask that village to pay.”
“As I understand it,” Baardorid said, “Some of these crates remain here. Perhaps we should see to that, and then we can have these discussions.”
“If we know where to put them,” River said, “My crew can see to my equipment. Then, if you please, Vendart, they would love to spend time in Sudden. Can we arrange transport while we discuss these issues?”
“We can,” he said.
“I’ll handle transportation,” Mordain said. “Leave that to me. What about the small crates?”
“There’s room in the hangar here,” I said.
“That will do,” River said.
“I’ll handle that,” Kalorain said. “And I’ll see you shortly.”
* * * *
Three vendarti, the governor, the colonel, and I met in the embassy. River said, “I would take a down payment and a promise.”
“Yes, but if we need to deliver it, we need the correct location.”
“Yes, I suppose we do,” she said. “Cecilia, have I brought a problem you didn’t want?”
“Don’t be silly,” Cecilia replied. “Vendarti, I don’t know what to do.”
“We do,” Luradinine said. “Give it to First. Beacon Hill will pledge a portion of this cost.”
“Indartha will pledge a portion,” Sartine said, “But we do not have the resources of Beacon Hill or Sudden.”
“Sudden will pledge a portion,” Baardorid said. He paused then turned to Luradinine. “Between us, we can underwrite this purchase and then accept donations from the other, more affluent villages of Talmon.”
“We’ll never be fully repaid,” Luradinine said. “Most can’t. Of the rest, some will help, but many won’t.” She turned to Cecilia. “We believe you should charge for your power stations.”
“No.”
“Not full price,” she said. “But something. And you could repay Sudden and Beacon Hill over time.”
Luradinine had used the Talmon name for First, and Colonel Blue hadn’t recognized the meaning. “This village. It is special?”
“First Landing,” Cecilia said.
“First Landing was not at Sudden?”
“No,” Baardorid said. “Our initial landing site was not as hospitable as was first believed. First struggles. Luradinine, your wisdom is boundless.”
“I wouldn’t say that, but it’s an elegant solution, if I may say so myself. Sudden and Beacon Hill can pay for our already installed systems, this partial payment we discussed, and then we can underwrite the remaining cost until other villages have paid for theirs. What do you say, Cecilia?”
“I didn’t want to charge,” she said in a soft voice. She nodded.
“How much, then?” Sartine said. “Indartha would have been hard pressed to pay for what we have received, not at full prices.”
“Indartha is far from the most affluent villages of Talmon,” Luradinine observed. “Life in the mountains is especially difficult. Cecilia, you could ask full price. You’d get it.”
“I don’t want to place them based on ability to pay.”
“Perhaps set a scale, then,” I suggested.
“I can’t ask anyone to pay for something I told them we were giving them,” Cecilia replied.
“Sudden will consider this a donation to First,” Baardorid said. “Depending upon the size.”
“Indartha could donate one hundred thousand plus the property we are granting to River,” Sartine offered.
“Property?”
“She’s setting up a couple of homes,” Baardorid said.
“Beacon Hill is far nicer than Indartha.”
River chuckled. “You wish to give me land, Luradinine?”
“She just wants someone with her own jumper living at Beacon Hill,” I said with a grin.
“I do not!” Then she laughed. “Okay, I suppose I do.” She sighed. “Is it wrong to fight for my village?”
“It is not wrong,” Cecilia said.
“I will come visit you, Luradinine,” River said. “We could be friends.”
Luradinine considered River. Then she looked at Baardorid and Sartine, one after another. Then she said slowly, in Talmonese, “I heard our guest address two of you by your titles.”
Nearly everyone began laughing, everyone except River, who had no idea what the joke was.
“Indartha would happily offer a Galatzi Trade,” Sartine said before Baardorid could offer. “As long as we may hold our raid first.”
“There’s a catch,” Luradinine said immediately.
“She’s an imperial colonel. She’s worth four of anyone you have.”
“You’re probably right,” Luradinine said.
River turned to me and surprised me, speaking German. “What are they discussing?”
I smiled. “I bet you can guess. Luradinine is asking for a trade. Sartine is offering one.”
It was River’s turn to laugh. Then she said in English, “They are free to try, but if they fail, then I get to keep anyone I capture.” Then she smiled and gave Luradinine a thorough look. “Beacon Hill Vendart must be part of the raiding party.”
Luradinine considered River then turned to Sartine. “You would make me come to Indartha?”
“We’d provide friendly transportation in and out,” Sartine offered. “And we wouldn’t fight for her. However, it is likely we would enforce what appears to be her only two requirements.”
“How serious are you?” I asked in German. “I’m not sure, but I think Luradinine is. Sartine is playing with her.”
River considered me carefully, finally saying, “I actually don’t know. I’ve thought about this little tradition since we rescued Cecilia.” She sighed. “I also know that Cecilia wants her to remain Beacon Hill Vendart.” She switched back into English. “Luradinine, we’re getting sidetracked.”
“I’m not sure we are.”
I didn’t even see her move, not until it was after the fact. Colonel Blue was out of her chair and behind Luradinine, one arm around her throat and the other controlling one wrist, her face pressed against Luradinine’s ear.
Cecilia and I leaned back in our chairs, watching. Luradinine stiffened. “I didn’t even see you move,” she said in Talmonese. I softly translated into English.
“You couldn’t take me,” River said. Cecilia translated that into Talmonese, in case Luradinine had forgotten English as much as I would have forgotten Talmonese in that situation.
Then, River slowly released the woman, who looked up at her, eyes a little wide. River put a hand on Luradinine’s shoulder. “I hope I didn’t hurt you.”
“You know you didn’t, don’t you?”
“Yes. But I also know I startled you, and you’re not the only one.”
Luradinine stood up and faced River. The two considered each other.
“River asked for a few more things,” Cecilia said. “She asked for an immersive Talmonese language course. The homes of all three vendarti currently speak English. But that is not the question that needs to be finalized right now.”
“Beacon Hill and Sudden do not need to underwrite my equipment,” River said. “If they are offering a donation to First, and if I am offered the land I asked for, and if I am making a new friend or three, then I’ll take the down payment, and repayment of the remainder as others contribute to this donation to First. But I want help settling in, and more help outfitting my homes. I don’t even know what to ask for more specific than that.”
Luradinine looked River in the eye. “Come to Beacon Hill with me. We’ll teach you Talmonese and the other things you’re asking. We’ll make a good, Talmon woman out of you, if that is what you wish.”
“River,” Baardorid said. “We are happy to give you the land we have offered. But I think perhaps you find Luradinine’s offer intriguing.”
“Governor Grace,” River said, now back to German. “Is there a trick?”
“No.” Then Cecilia switched to English again. Oh, I was going to have a headache for sure. “Baardorid, I believe it is time we consider a better road from the embassy into Sudden. I would like to drive our ground vehicles into Sudden, at least to a location that can more readily let us switch to horse or carriage. The embassy does not have the staff for this, nor do we have a sufficiently steady need to justify adding the staff.”
“And so when River wishes to visit Sudden, she may do so more casually than currently is required, landing at the airfield.”
“Yes,” Cecilia said. “And others.”
“I agree with you. We can make that work.”
River hadn’t taken her eyes from Luradinine, nor Luradinine from her. Then River said, quite slowly, “I believe I would like to visit Beacon Hill. I have never been there.” Finally she turned. “Do we have agreement on my equipment?”
“Vendarti,” Baardorid said. “Do we require additional conversation? I like Luradinine’s suggestion.”
“I do, too,” Sartine said. “But we really need to determine the amount we’ll ask for Cecilia’s power stations. Governor, this may not be the last time something like this happens. You won’t get another village to treat like we would treat First. I would propose you give them to the villages that cannot afford something. I could pay one hundred thousand now. If we deem that is insufficient for a town like Indartha, I could pay an additional hundred thousand over five years. More would be difficult.
“Beacon Hill makes the same comment, but at a quarter million.”
Baardorid nodded. “Sudden could pay full price for our system, but it would be easier if it weren’t necessary.”
“Perhaps a half million, Baardorid,” Valtine suggested. “We must set a standard.”
“Are these numbers sufficient, Governor?”
“Yes,” Cecilia said. “But I can’t go back to the other villages we’ve already helped.”
“No, but we can,” Baardorid said. “Some will contribute; some won’t. But no village should receive help if they aren’t willing to contribute, only if they can’t.”
She nodded. River smiled. And we had an agreement.
* * * *
Things moved rapidly from there. The group of us went to dinner. The following morning, with one of the embassy jumpers stowed away, Darkside flew to First. We all went. Cecilia and the three vendarti talked to the First Vendarti along with other village leaders. To say they were shocked was an understatement.
They had questions, so many questions. But we weren’t really taking ‘no’ for an answer. We offloaded all the equipment, the jumper, and Blaine and Aston. Darkside’s crew helped to move the crates where they were needed, and we all did what we were told for the next several hours. There would be weeks of work for Blaine and Aston, but we gave them a good start.
Darkside flew us back to Sudden. We dropped off nearly everyone, including River and Luradinine, and then loaded Cecilia’s jumper back aboard. Darkside gave us an accelerated ride back to Indartha, dropping us off before heading for the dark of space. We wouldn’t see her again for several years.
* * * *
We didn’t see River for a month and a half. When finally she popped in to Indartha, she was speaking broken Talmonese and looking quite satisfied with herself.
“I had to get away,” she said. “That woman is insatiable.” She grinned. “Let us talk about land, Vendart.”
River and Luradinine spent some time together, but they eventually became friends and confidants. River established her two homes, one at Indartha, high in the hills overlooking the town, and one outside Sudden. From time to time, River would show up somewhere with Luradinine, and I thought they were lovers, but only occasional lovers.
They were both a little too alike to share a home, or so that is what Luradinine told me one night.
Letters
“Cecilia, could I talk to you about something?”
“Of course, Maddalyn.”
“My employment contract specifies that I and any dependents are eligible for a trip home every five standard years.”
Cecilia froze, then nodded. “Of course.”
“I have been on Talmon for four years.”
“And so you are due next year,” Cecilia replied.
“My official start was on Tarriton a year and a half earlier.”
“You’re past due,” she said. “I should have thought of that. And you’re past due for rejuvenation.”
“I have rights,” I said. “Those rights mean I may travel to Tarriton or Frantzland. I may bring Kalorain with me. We may receive basic rejuvenation. We could also get pregnant, and then I have up to two years of leave, but that time would not count against my employment contract.”
“Yes,” Cecilia said.
“Kalorain and I have discussed this.”
“I imagine at length.”
“Yes,” I said. “We’ve discussed other things.”
“Oh?”
“The only reason to ever return to Frantzland is to see my mother. I have no other desire to go there, and I have no desire to bring Kalorain there.” The governor nodded but said nothing. “I miss my mother, Governor.”
“I understand.”
“I wondered.”
“Yes?”
“By rights, I could ask you to send Kalorain and me to Frantzland.”
“Yes.”
“And sending the two of us is twice the cost of sending only one, plus you would be without me during that time.”
“This is true.”
“So it would cost far less to bring my mother here. I know that’s not the rule.”
“Have you talked to your mother about this?”
“No. But she has said coming to visit someday is her dream. She knows she is the only reason I would return to Frantzland.” I paused. “There’s a second complication. Rejuvenation. I want Kalorain to experience her first. I would rather it was here. I know our plan is to help the eldest first. I don’t think it’s fair to ask for an exception. Cecilia, I don’t know what to do.”
“You’re offering to forego trips home if you can undergo rejuvenation here, and if I can bring your mother here.”
“I’m not asking you to pay for it. The empire should pay for it. It’s cheaper than sending two of us.”
“You’re right. It is. The cost comes from my budget. And I have significant leeway on decisions like this.” She looked away for a moment, and I waited until she was done considering the issues. “I can’t do you first,” she said. “And I might not be able to do you every five years.”
“We’ll wait,” I said. “But if you can’t do us in five years, then we’ll go to Tarriton.”
“Invite your mother, Maddalyn, and we’ll figure out rejuvenation for you and Kalorain.”
“Thank you, Cecilia. Thank you so much.” I hugged her then said, “Could I have a day off?”
“Of course. When?”
“Starting now. I’ll be gone over night and back tomorrow. I’ll need your jumper.”
“Are you going to tell me where you’re going?’
“Only if you insist.”
“I won’t insist.”
“Thank you, Governor.”
“My jumper will tell me.”
I laughed. “It’s not a great secret. I need to ask Luradinine something, and I want to do it in person.”
“I’ll see you tomorrow.”
* * * *
I went alone. Luradinine met me on the beach, and together we walked to her home. “Business first, Beacon Hill Vendart,” I said. “If you don’t mind.”
