by Power, P. S.
"Yes on the one, no on the other. I was up most of the night making copies. Of the new lights I built? Sam insisted that I do a batch of a thousand in three hours. It took me four tries. If it wasn't for the fact that I apparently have the best stepmother in creation, and she gave me a device to keep me awake, I'd be in real trouble about now." Possibly cut to pieces given his day so far.
His aunt put a warm hand on his shoulder.
"Make sure to tell her that? I bet it will make her week. Now, get out of here, before everyone thinks I'm giving you all the special treatment. They'll get jealous and think I don't care about them." She managed to be a bit wry while saying that, but seemed serious as well. "Get some rest. Even if it means skipping a day. You aren't going to school here, yet, so it's not like you can get bad marks for it."
Those words caused him to make a face, though he tried to get it under control. She noticed it though, and looked at him like she wanted to know what was going on. Sighing he shook his head. Telling on a Count and a King were probably things you didn't do in public, if at all. Especially since he didn't really know Petra that well. She had been, well, kind wasn't the right word, but attentive to him, and not totally unpleasant. Not that the practices with her weren't a horror show. Like a group of traveling players that did things like stick pins in themselves, and skewer their flesh, or hold hot coals in their bare hands.
Except that with his Aunt Petra, he was the one supplying all the entertainment that way.
It was useful, but also hard to really wrap his head around. He needed to be able to fight, and to win, but even being good wasn't going to ever be enough. Not that there wasn't a plan in place for all that. Yawning finally, he shrugged.
"I really should go, if I can. Hess from the new fleet is coming in. Or, one of them anyway. I'm giving them a few thousand of the new light units." Fighting it, and failing he yawned once again. "Right now they're just taking up space in my tiny hut. So, tomorrow? Or is that an off day here?"
Looking around she nodded.
"Oooh. Fair point. Most people don't have to work every day, do they? I suppose we could try something like that. As long as you plan to stay out of trouble? Still do your running." She waved him away then, and went back to her real students. There was a strange set to her shoulders, but when he stilled his mind and focused on her, all she was thinking about was the person she was watching, and how to improve their technique.
Thankfully the trip home wasn't a long one. In fact, it actually only took about seven or eight minutes in all, and he hadn't even tried to go fast. It would have taken less time, but there were rules about flying from space into the port, so even if he didn't have a ship, they had to be kept. On the interesting side, Hess's ship was there, in the spot nearest his pod, being loaded by Lyone, Brice and Sam. A Ysidril too, but this one wasn't Hess. In fact it wasn't even one of the other two that he'd seen in passing. He could tell, since this one was smaller, by nearly a foot and a half, and had a distinctly white tinge to some of the scales on their back.
They had stopped working, and stood looking at the light statues he'd left up. Clearly trying to force their mouth into a human smile to match the one on the giant Hess. It wasn't working, but did manage to look cute instead of like she was trying to eat someone, or planning to. At first he didn't understand how he knew that about her, that she was a girl, but she was. Younger, as well. There was a slope to the shoulders that was different than Hess anyway, and a broader mouth. Plus, he realized, he'd read her without meaning too. Which also meant she wasn't an Adversary about to attack.
"Hello!" He smiled, which got the girl to turn around, her alien form a little sluggish seeming about it, even though there was a sense of surprise. Chagrin, too.
Nearly three seconds later she finished the turn and stared at him, then shook her mainly purple and green head at him.
"You startled me. Hello. I'm Neesa. I'm not a danger to you, and am actually very kind and friendly. Please do not harm me. Thank you." Then the girl stood very still, waiting for whatever he planned to do. Ready to take it, without any action on her part, even if it meant her death.
That part was interesting, but it was what she was thinking, trying to ready herself, for anything.
"I'm Dare. I noticed Hess's ship, is he around too? I need to get in touch with him soon. I've just been so busy." It was probably rude to say all of that, to a person he didn't know, but the alien just made a tiny bouncing motion, speaking softly. So as to not scare him.
"Hess allowed me to make the voyage alone. I'm being trained to operate as the... Liaison between this world and the home ships. The one who will go and come, like this? This was a surprise! I had been told that we likely would have very little contact with the people here, because they would be afraid, like the other humans. You do not seem to be." She smiled, showing all her teeth, mouth open. He could see it as happy now, though at first that had been a bit intimidating.
"That would be because I'm not. Not about kind people such as you and Hess. I should probably help get your ship loaded then. Oh... Do you have a handheld? One of ours?"
That got the girl to stop moving and then step back, about three inches.
"No. Those are very hard to get. I think only the top people have them."
"Oh. You should get one, too. Let me see if I can set that up? It might take a bit, since I don't have any spares here. Which is a poor plan. Maybe the Ancient does?" He smiled, human fashion, and waved to Sam, who walked over, glancing at the Hess statue, and then staring at his.
"I guess it's being so big? My ears look huge on that thing. My mouth is so... Goofy. Well, can't be helped. I swear I don't look like that in the mirror. The rest looked right to me, so it must be true."
Dareg snorted and rolled his eyes, and then walked over and changed the image to really match the man.
"It was revenge. I was up all night. Gah. So you get to look bad. That showed you, didn't it?" He shook his right fist, just a little, which was a fine enough thing for the streets of Canton, where people knew it wasn't a threat, but he didn't know if Ancients would get that kind of thing.
Sam sighed, instead of becoming upset however.
"I honestly didn't think you'd even be able to do a hundred at one time, yet. It really is good to push yourself though. One of the biggest hindrances to learning is thinking you can't do something. Do you have that list of new things to make?" He looked around, but laughed when Dare tightened his mouth.
He'd totally forgotten about it.
"No. I really don't. Can I turn that in tomorrow? I get the day off training with Petra, as a kindness after your harsh treatment. All I had to do for her was fight Baron Havar with a real knife. That went about as well as you would expect." To illustrate he made slashing and stabbing motions, then patted several places on his body. His clothing still showed the wound areas and the blood he realized, since he hadn't cycled his clothing yet.
That got a pained expression from Sam.
"Ouch. I've practiced with Havar. It can be rough. In that case I'll be kind. You can get me that list tomorrow. Early though. I want to go over your best idea for a build with you, and walk through some ideas about how to do it that might not have occurred to you yet. We won't do any building however. Now, you waved me over and I've done most of the talking, what can I do for you?" There was a glance at Neesa and a smile.
Dareg nodded.
"This is Neesa. You've met?" That got nods so he went on. "She's going to be doing the runs between here and the home ships, so I was thinking we needed to make certain she was outfitted for it. A handheld and good shield. Anything else that she might need. Survival gear in case she gets caught out, and that kind of thing? I'd take her to Harmony for it, but..." A perfectly timed, and not totally real yawn happened just then. He patted it with his right hand. "Sorry."
"Not a difficulty. I have some things that will work. Can you help load while I saunter to my place and get them?" He was joking, and walked away at nearly
a jogging pace, but it really would take a while. Neesa however followed him as he went to help Lyone and Brice. She moved slowly, so he waited for her.
"That is a lot to give a stranger. You have commerce here, don't you? Selling and buying? Some of the Forten do that. It isn't the Ysidril way, but we trade with them, if they have work or goods we wish, to make them happy. Won't this harm that system? Giving things to me, or... Am I to trade for it?"
"Nope. As long as you take the stuff away, and it won't hurt your economic system. Then it's fine. The problem comes with things coming in for free. That would make problems here. Harmony doesn't do that. Everything is free there. You have to work, but people want to, so it isn't a problem."
She got no response for a long enough period that Dareg figured they were busy walking and it wasn't talking time, but as they got to the door of his hut, words finally came.
"That is our way. Roughly. We share, and do not think of things as being our own, as well. I can't carry much here, the gravity is too much." It was a simple statement. Just telling him why she wasn't working, instead of doing her part.
"I've got this. If Brice and Lyone don't already." They really did have it almost all the way done. In fact, they both walked back with a few lights in their hands.
Lyone waved hers, not carrying as many of the brightly colored things. Four or so. They were stacked together so it was hard to tell.
"Prince Dareg! We counted and had a few more than two thousand. Can you go over how to use them with us? Especially Neesa here. She'll need to go and show how to do that."
It wasn't that hard. Even things like making light figures wasn't. The others weren't as good at it when they tried, but could all get basic forms to come out. Pyramids and spheres, as well as long snakes of very bright light that was hard to look at even during the day.
Clasping her lower hands, which had three fingers each and looked strong, Neesa smiled again.
"Your report understated these items, Lyone. They are a..." Then she turned and looked at the machine woman, and spoke in a strange, flowing tongue.
Lyone took a half breath.
"I agree. They are a marvel. Do you really think they will make that big of a difference in power use?"
They started talking, using Standard, but also going on in words that meant nothing to him, being without context. Taking pity on him, Lyone finally explained.
"Neesa was suggesting that we might be able to use the dim world for hydroponics, if we can have more of these someday. One of the ship world's power cores is dying. We have enough power to stop here, but not enough fuel left to take it with us when we move on. We would need ten times this however, just to light a third of it. It's small."
Dareg felt slightly sick at the idea. Then realized that it might not be so bad, if he wasn't stupid about it.
"All right. It will take a while. I'll try to work on that however. I mean, I made twice that last night. I just have to repeat that fifteen times, and we can light the whole thing. Most of it." That sounded right, but it was going to take improving, a lot.
A thing he felt too tired for, at the moment.
Again, Lyone snapped, showing she was happy. That, or very impatient and she was ordering him to do it right then. That wasn't happening however. Sleep was. First at any rate. Then list writing. He had an assignment after all. The one thing he'd really taken from school was that you had to get things done as well as you could, every time.
Sam jogged back, after the rest of them stood around talking for a while. A small crowd had come to watch them, mainly city people who were alternating between staring at the light statues, and them. Really, that was all for Neesa. It was covert however, and people seemed more interested than scared of her. Finally one of them, a man in humble enough seeming clothing, approached. Just as Sam was coming up, which meant the new fellow opened with a low bow.
The rest of them did it back, including Neesa, who seemed a bit stiff about it. Like her middle didn't bend all that easily. Dareg sized the brown haired new comer up. He was about Dareg's own size, being about five-six or seven, and was thinner. It was a rangy kind of thing, rather than the look people got when they were starving.
"Gentles? I'm Alec Strom. If I may have a word?" Then he looked down, but not all that humbly. It was about right really, for a merchant class person.
Sam smiled at him and spoke politely.
"Certainly. What may we help you with?"
The man glanced at Neesa, since she was different, but his topic was totally different.
"I've heard that the port was hiring planting crews? Work has been a bit hard to find lately. I have seven years experience working farms and two on a tree crew up in Thompson. We logged, but spent part of the year planting too, for the future." Then he went silent, not asking for anything directly.
Trying to still his mind, working hard at it, though it was a good bit easier now than it had been the day before, thanks to all the recent practice, he felt the man. He seemed real. Like a whole person that belonged there. That could mean he simply wasn't ready to attack however, for all Dare knew. It was paranoia. The kind that was hard to stop, once it got going.
Neesa bobbed in place a bit, getting Dareg to look at her.
"You have something, Neesa?"
Her mouth opened wide, smiling, and Alec stepped back a bit, but smiled and looked down when she started to speak, not noticing it.
"We, the home ships, have botanists that would love to come and be part of planting on a natural planet. Is that a thing that would be allowed? Even if the Ysidril cannot come, seeming too scary or strange, it would be..." She went silent, and stilled a lot.
Having been reading Alec, to see if he were an insane killer from wherever the Adversaries came from, it was easy to switch over to her. It turned out that she was feeling embarrassed, or close enough to that kind of thing he got the idea. It was linked to asking for even more from these people, who had done nothing but give them things so far.
Dare nodded.
"Can you set that up? Alec, this is Neesa. She's a Ysidril. They come from a different world, off in space? They're also very kind and gentle beings. We keep trying to hire someone to run this, but it hasn't worked out, so far. If I put you in doing that, can you work with Neesa's people on that? You'll be in charge of doing the actual physical work, and getting crews around for it, but they might have ideas that we wouldn't. There will be travel involved. Do you have a family?" The man looked old enough to, being in his late twenties or early thirties, but he just shook his head.
"No, sir. I had an engagement, but it fell through. She found a man that was heir to a tannery. That's hard to beat, when you do pick up labor most days."
Dareg could see that. If you didn't have resources, you didn't get a woman. That was just the way things always were.
"This will start at a silver per week. That goes up to a gold a week, if you do a good job, after two months. Possibly with perks, like magical items, every now and then." He waved at Brice, who, instead of setting up the light for an example, handed one of the tiles to the man, with a bow. Making it a gift.
Sam grinned, but didn't say anything, probably expecting Dareg to bristle at it. Instead he turned it into a lesson on how to use the thing, and then waved at Neesa, being mean.
"There. Alec will be the head of the work crew, if your people decide to come help. If not, that's fine, too. We still need people to do the work. Alec, Lyone here is in charge of payroll, she's also one of Neesa's people, from space. Some of them are human, like we are, but some are actually machines. Kind of like Austran technology? She's actually one of those, which is weird, but she's a good person, so it isn't that big of an issue." That let him pass the man over to her, and Neesa to get back to her ship, after getting a handheld and shield off of Sam.
Actually, she got a box of both. A floating case of them, which followed her on to her craft. From the window she waved, getting Dareg to do it back.
"What a nice girl. Now
, Alec... You should coordinate with Lyone here on hiring. I figure that we need at least fifty people here. Not all the time, but there will be need to go other places. Speaking of which, I need to go and review the other locations soon. Which..." He groaned a bit, and shook his head. Then he looked at Sam. "How long can a man go without sleep?"
Sam shook his head, "about a week. Why?"
"Because I need to go and check some things out finally, and this is my off day. The rest of today and tomorrow." He yawned, and Lyone rolled her eyes, looking just like a pleasant city woman. Even in skin tone, and very clear of eye.
"Sleep, then do the work. Damaging your health won't get the projects done. Not well at any rate."
Brice nodded along, but then, he would, Lyone kind of being his partner, or boss. Sam did too however.
"Agreed. Get at least six hours. We'll leave you alone, so you can get to that. Good work, by the way. See you in a few days."
They all walked off, leaving him to go and climb into his bed, for several hours, uninterrupted. Nearly eight, until his handheld went off, insistently buzzing in his pocket where he'd left it.
"Dareg here." He was answering it in the dark, shadows on his face from the small image in his hand.
The picture was that of Hess, so he smiled.
"Dare? You are in resting period? Forgive me! I must have gotten the time calculation off... I can get back to you later."
Before he could hand up, Dareg smiled, sleepily.
"Nope, I'm just getting up. I... Was up for a long time, and slept strange hours today. What can I do for you?"
"Ah. I sent Neesa earlier, to get a shipment of lights from you? We have received them, by the way. Very incredible! She admitted to me that she spoke... Out of turn, and perhaps pressured you into allowing some of our science crews to come there? Botanists. There is much interest on this side in doing that, but we didn't know how many will be allowed to come, or if Ysidril are going to be allowed?"
He nodded at the being, then closed his eyes. Thinking.
