"Yes, you'll want to," Lee agreed, "because landing spots are very limited in the city." She was starting to wonder how big that shipping container was. She'd never had a view of it.
They got down the road a few kilometers, and everybody's pad alerted them. Lee looked at her pad. She always had it set to privacy mode.
"Ah, Darius sent us a list of properties and map," Lee said. She didn't ask if theirs was the same. Anything else would be too big a coincidence. But attached to hers was a note.
Thank you for the new business. A finder's fee of 50k/Ceres$ has been added to your accounts. We appreciate your business. Darius for the Bank of Derfhome.
The Foys must have made a substantial deposit, Lee decided.
* * *
Singer was happy to meet the Foys, and took them into the embassy courtyard. They had a good start on establishing a decorative garden. It would be beautiful when it matured. Singer inquired after Talker and was delighted to hear they had a limited treaty and were going to protect the Derfhome system. He noted the hour and implored them earnestly to have lunch. It would have been rude to turn him down.
It was about halfway through lunch before Lee realized something. As dear as Talker was to her, Singer was much more social. She'd seen Gordon do this same thing, cheerfully expound on trivia, and make small talk to establish a relationship, without really saying much of anything. Schmoozing he called it. Lee wondered if Singer was aware that his targets and potential new neighbors were centenarians or near to it? She had no idea if Talker had briefed him. But she suspected, from her own experience with Lunarians, that they would be very hard for him to manipulate.
They talked about local building practices. Derf had no zoning laws but very set customary practices by local craft guilds. Small quakes were common, and larger ones to be expected within the useful life of a building. Five hundred years of expected service was not unusual. They had customary joints and sizes in posts and beams. Roofs floated instead of being attached. They were suspended on brackets that sat in a cross notch, allowing the roof to move with a quake. Power tools were quickly adapted, but the traditional forms retained. If you wanted to build to alien specs with metal hangers and joints you were welcome to do so, on your own. The locals wanted no part of it, because they had designs that worked.
Singer asked if the Foys would like a video of the embassy construction? They accepted that gladly. After lunch he led them up on the roof where there was a walk and an awning with chairs. The embassy was on a hill, and the view very pleasant.
"There's a bare hill over there," Singer pointed. "I have no idea if it is available, but it would be great to have you for neighbors."
"I don't know," Victor looked at it intently."It's rather close. We like to party on weekends. When we set up the speakers out on the patio and dance until the sun comes up some people don't appreciate it. There are the fireworks on our national holidays, and blinking lights at Halloween and Christmas. We like to run some carols over speakers. Then there's the question of whether the property is deep enough for a decent length shooting range," he said, pointing off into the indefinite distance.
Singer froze, but the effect was ruined when Lee started giggling.
"I believe the English idiom is, You got me," Singer admitted.
"Now seriously, the point is you hardly know us," Victor said, "what makes you think we would be so desirable as neighbors?"
"Talker said you have really advanced tech, so I figure the safest place on the whole planet is going to be tucked in close under the umbrella of protection over your own embassy," Singer said, hand describing an imaginary shield over the distant hill.
"Singer, your reasoning is good," Lee said, "but their tech is so advanced any hostiles will be stopped far short of the planet."
"One may hope," Eileen said, making no promises.
"Oh, that's good too, all the better, but if you should buy it anyway, a very effective strategy in my culture is to invite all the neighbors in when you have a party so they can't complain."
Victor looked astonished. "Singer, I think we might get along just fine."
* * *
They called another cab. Lee looked intently at her pad, and the Foy's didn't want to interrupt her. A couple kilometers down the road she turned it and showed them the screen. The bare hill Singer had recommended was shown in an aerial view, with property lines imposed. It was for sale.
* * *
Eileen was quiet for awhile, thinking."We're going to have to adjust our strategy a little," she finally said. Victor nodded. Lee had no idea what Eileen was going to say next. If Victor knew he had to be a mind reader as far as Lee was concerned.
"We're used to putting up a new house or small utility building in two days, three max. I think Derf architecture is dramatic and reasonably comfortable, but so slow! We don't have the bots a colony world uses anyway, so we might as well make a virtue of necessity and celebrate the local design. I sense it will just look good, and they will appreciate the money entering the local economy," Eileen said. "It will buy us some local goodwill."
"But we should rent a place," Victor said. "Or even buy something modest. I don't want to live in a hotel, not even in a nice suite of rooms. You don't have privacy and I wouldn't trust stuff like our com gear to their security."
"It's sort of amusing, Talker thought it very speedy to have the building shell up in mere weeks instead of months. The big difference being how many people the Derf apply to the job site compared to Badgers. But you need your own security whether in a hotel room or a rental or your embassy once built," Lee stated absolutely.
"We're new at this game," Eileen complained. "We have no previous Voices acting as ambassadors to ask how to do things. Heather didn't give us much instruction, nothing in the way of details, beyond protect the system and make Central look good if possible. If that's impossible we're at least to try not to piss everybody off. She values initiative, and never micro-manages. Who would we hire? Who is reliable locally, and we have no idea what local custom is. Do the Mothers allow armed security? If it was the Moon I'd have some idea."
"It sounds like you need a complete review of how things work on Derfhome. The Mothers make laws by decree, and they are published, but they exercise very little control over the areas outside their clan territory, including the trade towns. Each has built up its own customs depending mostly on trade association rules, and agreements between guilds. Didn't you get a briefing or search for material on Derfhome customs and history?" Lee asked.
"I don't think you have any idea how sparse such information is," Eileen said. "A great deal of what's public is from the first couple years after contact, and a great deal of it is contradictory. Have you looked at the literature? It's mostly from academics, Xenologists, not business people. There's nothing in the way of guides for tourists, and no sources for legal matters. You'd think from the web nothing much has changed since contact."
"I'll look at the web fraction and tell you what I think of what's there," Lee promised. "But you shouldn't have to pay to hire security. I'll ask the Mothers to take care of it. You're doing them a service and they have lots of labor available. The duty will probably be used as a training exercise for their military."
"But are they capable security? Not just a ceremonial guard to stand at the front entry, but people who understand electronics and data security?" Eileen worried.
"Eileen, remember they wiped out an invasion of Space Marines with a radiation enhanced nuke, and fought the USNA space navy with superior Fargone and New Japan weaponry," Lee reminded her. "They aren't savages with axes and spears. Although you might be shocked what they can do with an axe. The Mothers own a destroyer and have a small but very professional and effective military."
"In the abstract I knew about your war, but we still sort of expected everything to be quaint and old fashioned. Having automated cabs and the way our bank does business was a shock. We do see a lot of Earth news, propaganda really. I guess even thoug
h I know how unfairly they treat us, some of it still prejudiced me," Eileen admitted.
"And that's moderate compared to what Mars says about the Derf," Victor interjected.
"I saw a little of that when I was on Earth," Lee said. "Those people are raving nuts."
Victor just nodded.
"Then I suggest you ask about rentals or buying a small house for right now," Lee said. "That's the kind of thing I'd call our bank and let them handle."
"You said they never close," Eileen remembered. "So I can call them right now and maybe they'll have something to look at in the morning?"
"You can call them in the middle of the night, but I suspect the sort of people who deal in real estate have more limited hours, and the bank could only leave messages late. I bet you're looking at stuff by lunch though. I've been thinking," Lee said. "I have contacts at the University. I'll ask them to see what can be had in English about recent Derf history. I bet it exists, but just would never be promulgated into the Earth system."
They were back at their hotel. "Message us when you're done and we'll go out to supper and compare notes?" Eileen suggested.
"Works for me," Lee said.
Chapter 27
Born looked surprised and had to shift mental gears when Lee asked him if he had any contacts in the History Department. Born took a basic history course years ago and didn't even know if that instructor still taught, he might have retired by now. Born promised to inquire if there were any texts written in English, and recommended machine translations, but Lee was skeptical. She usually referred to AIs as Artificial Stupids.
Born promised to investigate and was surprised she wanted an answer tomorrow. Things didn't happen that quickly at the University, but she was his patron, so he promised to see what he could do. He hoped there was at least something in the library catalog to offer her.
When she started reading what she could find about Derfhome and Derf history in the web fraction they already owned she was confident. After all, they greatly expanded it on the visit to Central. They even bought quite a bit on their last visit to Fargone, because that planet and nation keep certain areas of study up to date, but apparently not Derf history. Everything she knew of Derf history was spoken to her, most of it by Gordon or the Mothers.
The conclusions researchers came to by direct observation were sort of funny, if you discounted the fact they were serious. A lot of their mistakes could have been avoided by simply asking the Derf why something was their custom or how many years it had been since some invention. It reminded Lee very much of what Gwen had said about practicing medicine for Red Tree, when Lee inquired how it was going. She said most doctors should practice veterinary first and then work with people, because the medical schools taught them to disbelieve anything their patients said. They squandered the advantage of a talking patient. History professors seemed to have the same automatic disbelief of oral tradition, and also assigned written Derf history the same status as fairy tales, epics, and the profusion of conflicting sacred texts. In reality, most written Derf history was the record of Mother's decrees, so it amounted to legal documents.
If Lee ever had a chance to interview one of these fellows, she'd like to ask him if he realized his own work would be treated with similar contempt in a century or two? Amusement and disbelief only stretched so far and by the time she should be going to bed Lee was simply angry at the stupidity of it all. If scholarly texts got Derf history so badly wrong could she trust the things she'd learned under her father about Babylon and Assyria as trustworthy? Would an ancient Egyptian be left rolling on the ground in laughter over what was written about them? Was there any reason to believe the recorded rise of European civilization and the Americas were any better for being newer? Well, less so with photography, and then there was video. But even that got creative with proper editing, so that by the middle of the twenty first century video too was easily faked beyond detection.
Eileen called and canceled for dinner. She was tired beyond her expectations.
* * *
The next morning, lo and behold, Born left two texts on Derf history on her pad. Not machine translations, not professional translations, but written in English by the Derf author. Lee was impressed, and happy to have something for the Foys at breakfast.
The Foys were pleased that Darius had a rental and property specialist on call to talk to them first thing. The fellow asked some questions on com and then suggested he pick them up after they finished breakfast to view a property. Lee didn't get to listen in on that, but she was going to go with them.
"This agent, Aeneas, said we could rent a business property with much better physical security," Eileen said. "I explained we wanted to have a residence and he informed us there is no barrier, at least in this city, to having an apartment attached to a business. We expected it to be prohibited, or like in California you could have an apartment over your store, but you had to have a separate entry and no inside access. We expected a lot more Human influence outside the clan areas."
"Much less than you think," Lee assured them. "I stayed up and looked at the web fraction articles about Derfhome, hoping to share them with you. They were garbage. What wasn't propaganda was arrogant projection and anthropomorphizing. Fortunately I have a fellow who does research for me at the University, and he found some better texts for you." She transferred copies to them.
* * *
"I have three more I can show you," Aeneas protested when the Foys accepted the first rental offered. "Don't you want to compare them?"
"We don't want to buy it and live here for decades," Eileen said. "It's just a temporary location until we can build something. It'll do just fine. The enclosed receiving area is perfect. We can park our air car inside. We'd rather not spend the time to look at all of them and weigh the advantages of each place."
"If you give me a deposit I'll post the contract and give you the lock codes," Aeneas said. "If you are building, are you working with someone yet to acquire a lot?" he asked hopefully.
"No, but will you see what you can find out about this property?" Eileen asked, and transferred the plot of the hill they'd received yesterday. "Send us the particulars and we may go walk the property. Lee here wants to take us out of town a bit. We'll be available again in just a couple days. We already have our bank investigating construction people for us."
Aeneas left a happy Derf.
"Let's go see your Mothers," Eileen suggested. "I think I'm more concerned about reporting in to them that you are."
"I could talk to them on com," Lee said, "but what is the urgency? You get the feel for how somebody is reacting to your report better when they aren't framed on a screen that hides the body language. With the Mothers I want to see how the other two react when I'm talking to the First Mum. Talking on com would cut that out entirely."
"I don't trust myself on Derf expressions yet at all," Eileen said.
"The ears say a lot more than with Humans," Lee said. "I remember the first time Brownie found out some Humans can't wiggle their ears. You'd have thought they were crippled."
"I've noticed the claws move," Vic said. "They may not come out, but you can see the digits spread a little. Sometimes you see the actual claw tip. I'm not sure if it is a controllable reflex."
"Depends on the Derf and how badly you scare him," Lee said. "But they have good conscious control. I've seen Gordon open a can of peaches without spilling any, and that's how my ears were pierced."
Victor blinked hard a couple times, picturing that undoubtedly.
"What should we bring?" Eileen asked.
"Your own set of silverware, toilet paper, and your usual toiletries," Lee said. "A step stool is very handy. A couple towels if you like. Derf towels tend to be coarse and big. Other than that just what you'd pack to stay in a hotel a couple days. You might want a serious computer if your hand pads are not up to what you want to do. That's about it."
"No food items?" Vic asked.
"They'll feed you really wel
l, two meals a day. If you need a snack you can usually beg something at the kitchen. Bring your own if you want something special like chocolate or coffee available to you on a whim. At dinner just push your plate away to the center of the table and they'll stop serving you," Lee advised. "Oh, unless there is some emergency, Gordon and I have been avoiding landing with an aircar. It's disruptive and just a bit too fancy. Do you mind landing and walking in a couple kilometers? It's a pretty walk in high country."
Vic and Eileen smiled at each other. "That would be welcome," Vic agreed.
"Then I'll book us for commercial transport in the early morning. That will get us there midday or a little earlier," Lee said. The Foys both nodded their agreement.
* * *
The Foys didn't say anything unkind about Derf aircraft. Theirs had actual propellers, but with complex scimitar shaped blades that nobody would mistake for primitive tech. It still managed to push the Mach very closely. Transonic transport was not only more expensive, it wasn't really a part of Derf culture to hurry that much. There wasn't the time critical sort of business climate with intense trading that made Humans say, 'Time is money'.
"Is this like where you guys lived in California?" Lee asked after the loud aircar got far enough away they could talk normally again.
"Not at all," Vic said. "I can tell they get a lot more rain here. The hills, mountains if you want to call them that, show a lot more rock back home. The really high ones, what I call mountains have snow on them most of the summer. This kind of terrain we'd call alpine meadow back home. Didn't you visit California when you were on Earth?"
"Just LA, and the Mojave desert, and the inside of various detention facilities," Lee said. "I saw much more of Michigan, where my Cousin lived. My parents side of the family went off to California from Michigan, and their people lost track of them. They didn't even know they'd gone to space. Michigan was pretty in its own way, less dramatic than big mountains, but a fresh water lake too big to see across is a wonder. Earth is wasted on the Earthies."
A Hop, Skip and a Jump (Family Law Book 4) Page 38
