by Moulton, CD
"Next, Dockside Station is a province of Royal City and is far better situated for a city. There is no need of rush as time is not so important now. Royal City is still everything it ever was and more so all may live fairly well while a city is built to a careful plan at Dockside. The move can be slow and sure.
"Last, and the part that no one has noted, is that Royal City is a very wealthy city, regardless of what has happened to this point. You have all you need for a great trade: You see, all that gold is still here! The LOOK of the city was but illusion, but it was built right where it stands. Lape and Kemat brought gold here from outside and it is real! In addition, the demons removed the impurities and it is now much finer than the standard of exchange over all of Savaraj!
"That, however, is a decision you must each make for yourself. I am not of Royal City and already the old wanderlust overtakes me again. It is my fate to never rest, never know roots. I stay when there is a lesson to learn and go when I learn it.
"I was to tell of the rise and fall of Royal City. Its rebirth is another story, not yet told. If it is told or if it is not is not of my concern. That I leave to the people and to their good king and queen.
"And to the future. Make of it what you will. If you are good, good will come of it. You and only you can make good come of the evil that was here!"
The rest of the day was spent with Narum and Hisla. Thing "discovered" a tunnel under the rubble of the palace that led right to the gold – and there was a substantial supply of that metal (Augmented greatly by Maita and the other ships).
For the next few days Z told stories of cities he had seen and how some of them were well-planned and were true examples of plenty and efficiency. He told of a city he saw in his dreams that was really a model of a Zulian city. The streets were wide and all had parks down the center. Parks were a good idea because they could have tunnels under them to drain the cities while above there was the place for children to play and for adults to relax.
The dream city was laid out in a semicircular pattern with roadways radiating out like the spokes of a carriage wheel. All the houses and buildings had numbers corresponding to the wide central entrance boulevard that led to the modest palace in the central circle, which was beside the river. The palace was surrounded by a wide park that was open to the public and the first row of buildings on the fronting street were the government offices and some businesses.
Then he told of how the people of a town called Model he had visited somewhere made a large place on the river that was drawn off. The water was filtered through a tunnel filled with sand and gravel for several meters, then run through charcoal. It was the best water he had ever tasted!
He told of several other things he had "seen" that the crew felt wouldn't be pulling the Saj along too fast.
"Another thing I like for a city is something the demons did that was good," Z said. "It is true even the worst storm clears the air and waters the crops: The idea of the police. In a city with so many people there has to be some way to keep order. I think the police should be there to enforce the special laws of the city, though, and not to oppress citizens.
"Seemum was good at the job. His whole force was. Maybe make laws to stop the shopkeepers from stealing from their customers and let the police handle it. Maybe let them handle any thief of any kind. They can be made answerable only to you and you can make strong rules about it even a king can't overturn. Make very harsh penalties if a police officer breaks the laws. They are empowered to enforce the laws so they should have an added penalty should they break them themselves. Fair is fair!
"Of course, they will have to be paid well for their services.
"There are so many things I have seen. A little that is good here and a little that is good there. Keep the good and throw away the bad.
"I am an idealist, I guess, but I see great things for Royal City. The dreams brought forth by those demons can be realized through the efforts of the people themselves and they don't have to give up anything for it, really. It is all for their own good and for their children's good.
"I will return again someday to see how things are progressing here, but I really must go. Lape and Kemat are sailing soon and I have agreed to travel with them."
"Yes," Kit replied. "As one who knows the value of trade I would suggest the artists, for that is truly what they are, who produce the tapestries and rugs in this city consolidate and form what is called a cooperative. I will most definitely be interested in coming here on a regular schedule to purchase those items to vend in other places and will promise to pay the best prices. Those items are among the best art I've ever seen and should be seen in other places! It is something all Savaraj may display with pride. Anywhere! At anytime!"
"I don't suppose you would consider leaving little Zonn with us?" Hisla asked, knowing the answer. "I've become so used to it I hardly know when it's hanging on me sometimes! It's so relaxing to have its affections. I think it really helped me through this horror!"
"That's for Zonn to decide," Kit answered. "We'll prepare to leave early in the morning and it can make the choice then. It's actually very intelligent and it really does understand. I'm sure of it. If it wishes to stay here it will be of its own free will. None of us feel that Zonn is property that may be kept or disposed of. It's our friend and companion."
"It has the wanderlust all of you have," Narum said. "It has examined every little piece of this big city and is ready to move on. I often saw it – before the demise of the scientists – poking around the palace. I don't think there was a stone it didn't know intimately. It could move among what we thought were delicate pieces of art. I never saw it break anything!
"Perhaps it was confused as to why we would consider a large pile of sandstone a palace. I think you were right when you said the illusion didn't work with little Zonn!"
"Sandstone or marble is all the same to Zonn," Z agreed. "The sandstone is easier to climb around on because it isn't so smooth it ... say! That alone should have told us things weren't as we were seeing them! It would climb right up what we thought was a polished wall of marble!"
"We have a very bad case of the 'I should have seens'," Hisla chided. "It is sad that it took so long.
"What should we do about medical attentions to my people?"
"That is something I've seen both here and in other places," Z answered. "It's something the demons did, however much we forced them to do it, that was good.
"Remember when they made the medicine for the scabby rots? They kept saying it was spread by touching?
"Well! Suppose there's a fluid or maybe a little piece of the disease that is too small to see, but that can grow. Like the greengoo in water. You know how you can take a tiniest drop of water from a pond with the greengoo, look at it as closely as you can and can't see anything but purest water, yet that one tiny clean drop has SOMETHING in it because if you put it into a large and clean pond you will have a pond full of greengoo in a day!
"What if there is something like that in the scabby rots and other sicknesses? Something that makes it spread through touch? If not, how does it spread?
"The demons knew about sickness. They spread it themselves, but then they say not to touch when they want it to stop so it doesn't spread anymore. There MUST be something too small to see that spreads it. My idea is if that is true there should be something like the salve they made that a medical person can rub on his hands every time she examines anyone. That way they will know THEY aren't the ones spreading anything!
"If it does no good, what is hurt? If it's true it will help. To do it will maybe do good and CAN'T harm anything!"
"I know!" Kit cried excitedly. "You know how the elementals used the distilled alcohol to wash the skin of people with scabby rot and other things on their skin? Maybe the alcohol would stop the greengoo, too. It would be easy to see. Put a cup of water with lots of greengoo in it in a little alcohol, then see if it stops the greengoo from spreading if you put some of it in other water. If it stops the
greengoo it'll stop the scabby rots and many other things. Make a law that there must be a bowl of alcohol in every place where approved medical help is to be found and a LAW that hands must be washed in it before any examination! If some of these things stop spreading when such measures are undertaken we'll know it works. If nothing changes the law can be dropped and no one's hurt."
"No," Narum argued. "We know greengoo is a plant because it forms long strings when it gets old and alcohol doesn't harm plants. Perhaps there is something different when animals are involved because alcohol will kill many animals. Enough at one time will kill even US! If it kills animal things that are too small to see it would suffice to stop those things.
"I am not saying it well. Do you understand?"
"You are saying that things that stop diseases in plants are not the same as the things that stop diseases in animals and that we are animals," Kit agreed. "I think that is true. We use the copper solution formed when acids are added to it to stop the moldy rots in vegetables and it doesn't kill plants unless a lot is used, but a little will kill animals. Alcohol is like that in reverse – and I didn't say it any better than you did, but we all know WHAT we are saying."
They used that technique to make various further suggestions, presenting them as logically as they could and in terms the Saj would understand. They knew Hisla and Narum would try any of them from the respect they had earned already.
When they left in the morning Thing went to wrap its tentacles around Hisla and Narum and to squeeze a bit, then went to Z's shoulder. It had made its choice.
The crew took the cart Larj always pulled around, packed it with the many mementos they were given and set off for Dockside Station, then sailed away in their boat and to the spaceships where they were picked up and were soon in orbit.
"It's great to be going home!" Z said.
*We're not. You forget that we still have to find if there's another colony like this one – and we damned well know there's at least one! Get into the medical boxes and I'll turn you back into you.*
That's the way it goes. Z's orchids would just have to wait.
Finding the Camp
"How do we handle this?" Z asked as they headed for Grlaq. "Make a Jornian out of me?"
*You and Thing remain in your natural forms and Kit and Tab go in guises they used before. TR and T Six still have their disguises in place so that won't be a problem. Kit's known here as Marq and Tab's called Ford. I'll show you pictures to let you know when they're the ones you're talking to. I'll speak with Sarnof on fastcom after I identify myself as emperor. Maybe he'll give me some clues, but this is one you'll have to play by ear. TR, T Six and myself will be using everything at our disposal to trace where any such colony may be. I don't know what to tell you. You're pretty good at thinking up things. Just make some kind of plan and follow it. Be sure the others always know the kind of thing you have in mind so you don't negate each other's efforts. I'll use empire machines to trace supplies or some such thing. T Six and TR can choose an agenda for themselves. Let's get this done!*
[ Everyone knows you as the emperor's ship so Z and I will naturally be empire representatives. Our names are well enough known. Maybe our presence with you will make someone nervous enough to slip up. ]
"Keep a close watch on where any fastcom messages go when we show up," Z suggested. "I have an idea or two Tab or Kit could probably handle easier than I can, but that's how it goes.
"Tab said these people keep handwritten records, probably in special codes, so it's too bad Thing can't be some exotic pet or something. It could get away with looking things over, that way."
*Thing will certainly be recognized here so none of that matters. We're in orbit. Here come T Six and TR now. I think we can do our own individual snooping for awhile, then we can meet to pool what we find and can make a plan. Use your own ideas. All of you. I can't stress enough that individual initiatives and new ideas are needed.*
[ You sure sound pompous! Don't lose sight of the fact it'll be all Jornians doing it if there's anything being done. If we uncover something else we'll report it and come back to it after we find what we want to know about what we want to know it about – or something. ]
"Maita's pompous and you sound like Z!" T6 said. "Why not say we should stay to a plan for now and do other things at other times?"
"THING sounds like me?" Z asked. "Don't get sidetracked. Keep notes. That should cover it."
They refrained from playing too much then. They all wanted to finish this project and to get back home – or Z and Thing did.
Kit and Tab landed at the same field they used before while Maita landed at the extension field by the empire offices. This world was an empire protectorate so there weren't many machines except the ones the legitimate traders used. Still, it made a stir when the emperor's personal ship landed! That huge platinum plated ship would always be recognized and would always cause comment. There was certainly no disguising it!
Thing checked over its floater and climbed aboard, saying it had one or two things it wanted to check out while Z went alone to the traders guild offices. Tab went to the hotel and Kit went to the bar where he'd made something of a friend of the bartender on his earlier trip.
Maita, TRD-60, and T6 each started its own kind of search.
*
Kit went to the bar and ordered a grain alcohol and citric acid mixed with flavorers. There were few people in the place at the moment. Just the neverending crooked card game. The only one he recognized there was the loudmouthed Bentan.
There was a different bartender so he sat at the table to play a few hands of Chances, a game not unlike what Z called "Hearts with a bit of Crazy Eights thrown in for interest!" It would pass the time.
"You get the job?" the Bentan asked.
"Nah," Kit replied. "I make more at the games. I'm too lazy to take on most of the crap they have available. I guess they have the kind of base crew they want before they get here. I ain't no common laborer for nobody.
"I'm called Ford and I know you're Namp."
"I'm called Zolk," the Eacheron introduced. "Eacheron, reptilian, if you're prejudiced. Some of you Jornians are. The Dravinian is called Plutus."
"I'm not prejudiced," Kit said. "I don't have time for that crap.
"Can I get in?"
"Ten credits to get in and you meet raises or drop out," Namp agreed.
Kit was dealt into the next hand and got an "almost" hand. It was designed to sucker him into raising and he would lose it because he would get no fillers in comets.
The game was straight when he played before. He would let Namp know he knew what was going on from the start. He dropped the hand face down and waited until it came around.
"Dead hand. I'm out," he said and sat back to sip the cool drink while the others played an impossible set.
The trouble with dealing that type of hand was that if the mark refused to play it set up a situation where no one else could win or lose so they would have to all drop out and redeal if they knew what was going on. Anyone who stayed in had no idea of what was happening.
Plutus met and stayed already so Zolk studied his hand and said, "Out!"
Namp grinned, shook his head and dropped his hand. He reached for the cards to reshuffle, but Plutus said, "You forfeit?"
Now Kit grinned back at Namp who looked startled then muttered it was a dead-hand game. He would redeal.
"Only if first player dead-hands," Plutus argued. "I met and stayed! If you all drop I win by forfeit!"
Kit pushed the forty credits to him and said, "Your deal. You won."
Namp and Zolk had probably been "skinning" Plutus all morning so it was good to see him take a bit of the money for a change. Kit looked Namp straight in the eyes while he said, "Plutus calls the game. What are we playing?"
Plutus shuffled and decided, "Straight Ups! Primary Stars wild!"
This was a game almost identical to what Z had taught him as five card draw poker except there was only one Primary Star
so it was like playing with one joker. With Plutus dealing only the marked deck would be an advantage.
"New deck!" Kit called. "Bad luck on transfers! Bartender! A deck!"
Namp was seething while Zolk was amused. He saw Kit was in a position where he could show them up easily so he would play the straight game. In a place like this if Namp made any wrong move Kit could see that no one would allow him in another game so he would have to take it and stew awhile.
"So you definitely are NOT prejudiced!" Zolk said. "I see you know cards. This should be an interesting game! I'll say the bunch of Jornians who come in here every thirty days or so would have set out to take ... play very differently. They would've made a stink about playing so ... simple a game as we were starting with."
"If I win and get the deal I'll show you a new game that was taught to me by a friend," Kit replied. "It's a simple game, but it's a deadly game. It's called Cutthroat. I would think any real gambler will like it – so long as he wins! It's a fast, and as I said, deadly game!"
"You'll have to explain it before we'll agree to play," Namp said through his teeth. "I don't play games with bad odds!"
"You don't play games with ANY odds!" Kit replied. "Go ahead and deal, Plutus! This should be fun! Skill won't be much help with this and won't be any help at all with Cutthroat!"
Namp bit his lip, but shut up.
They played for about two hours. Kit managed to use a few of his robotic talents to make sure that Namp lost steadily until he finally dropped out and stamped angrily off. Namp knew Kit was cheating, but couldn't discover how while Kit saw how Namp was cheating when he first sat at the table. There was no cheating among the other three players and the game became fun after Namp left. Plutus won back what he had lost and was slightly ahead, as was Zolk. Kit was almost where he started. All the winnings were Namp's money.
