Book 7 of The traveler.

by Robin Miller

  Kitty, "that's a lot of clubs and hotels."

  I said, “it will give us one in each time zone, just like the radio stations we are building.”

  Kitty, "well I can guess what you will be doing for while. Supper will be ready in about half an hour, we are having duck soup with dumplings tonight." I said, "sounds good, need any more vegetables fromthe garden?" Kitty, "I have plenty right now, thank you," and she turned the radio on to get the news.

  Owsee and I sat around my small bar, with its opening to the kitchen, and listen to the news. I had missed the noonday news, of which this was a rebroadcast of. As usual there was 15 minutes of world news then 15 of local. He mentioned that lightning crystals were the new fad, and that stores were running out faster than they could reorder. Kitty said it was news to her. He said that there were three swarm ships that were repaired and put into service, so if you see one please don't shoot it down.

  Owsee said, "I better start flying high, just in case someone didn’t hear the news." Under more world news he said, "the sign “Store land Park,” was up on its new building, and it looks as if the only thing the park needs is an open day." I said, "and some employees."

  Then he said, "and in other news, the owners of the station are building 19 new broadcast stations around the world, one in each time zone. So soon local storytellers and other guests will be able to come in to their local stations for your entertainment. And for those of you that have been bad talking the space station for selling water to the corporate mining company, the word on the street is that the captain is charging the CM twice the price, andgiven the extra to his public service workers. What a nice thing to do while screwing the CM, my pardon to our younger listeners, but it is no mystery how we all feel."

  He then did the local news, as well as a few plugs for our sponsors. By the time the music started again supper was ready. We left the radio on, wondering what happened to the first storyteller. After a few minutes the DJ said, "our first storyteller just walked in so let's start story time."

  The storyteller was so into getting started and making up time, that he didn't tell us his name, but the story was so interesting that we didn’t talk during supper, so as not to miss a word of the announcer telling us who our storyteller was. He ended his story on time and thanked us for listening, then the announcer told us who he was and introduced next one.

  I said, "remind me to vote for that guy, he was good," everyone at the table agreed. For dessert we had a spice cake with chocolate frosting, and listen to another storyteller. But this one didn't have me on the edge of my seat, so when I was done with my cake I went out to the porch for a smoke. I could still hear the radio, but only if I listened, and I was not listening at the moment; at least not to the story. I was thinking about war plans, and how if we did dump water in space it would turn to ice fast, because of the cold. Soit would not work the way I wanted it to, unless we added something to it to keep it from freezing right off. Together with the fact that space is a vacuum, I could not think of anything cheap. Even salt water will freeze if it’s cold enough, but if we were to spray the water so it would freeze as very small particles, that may do the job of slowing the small debris, so the large is stuff would end up in front for us to shoot at. It was an idea worth telling the other planets about, as well as the mines. So I called the chief engineer on the station to tell his government what we were going to do, and to ask what their plans were. I told him to get back to me as soon as he could. Owsee soon joined me on the porch, and I told him about how the water would turn to ice, but if we sprayed it we may get the results we wanted. He said, "how stupid can I be, I mined ice for over 20 years and forgot that the water may freeze faster than we like."

  I said, "all three of us forgot, but ice will do the job if its smaller. And if the Plexons slow the debris field down a bit, it may miss us all together." Owsee, "now that's something I can get on board with, even if I had to pay for a taker of water myself."

  I said, "I'll donate the water, but if the government don't step up I will be stuck with the cost of the mines, we may or may not use."

  Owsee, "you can put me down for half of that, eventhough the government has not reimburse me for the last ones we made."

  I said, "being a hero can be expensive, but how often can you say I saved the world today?"

  Owsee, "I thought once was enough, but here we go again."

  Kitty, at the porch door, "here we go again indeed. I thought we were done with being invaded, and now the children tell me they are working on plans for mines to stop medal eating robot spiders. When were you going to tell me?" I said, "by the way Kitty, some medal eating robot spiders may get to this planet in a week or two, or they may not, FYI."

  Kitty, "very funny."

  I said, "well we are not even sure they will hit us, and it just didn't come up during supper. It’s I told the children not do tell you, I just didn't get to it yet, but don't worry there is no danger. They don't want to eat us, just your cake pan." Owsee, "and her sauce pan, and her frying pan, and her stove."

  I said, "that's enough of you."

  Kitty, "and my sink, and my refrigerator, and my replicator."

  I said, "go on and on if it makes you feel better, I'm just not going to let it bother me, and I don't feel like fighting."

  Kitty, "I'm sorry, I’m not picking a fight, I justthought to make fun of it like Owsee."

  I said, "yeah well, right now it's just not that funny. I want to make light of it, after all it may not even be a problem, but if they do come out our way this planet will look to me to save it. Can you imagine what kind of pressure, I’m under?" Kitty, "I'm not saying another word about it, but remember, as you said, "they may not even be a problem."

  Kitty went back in the house and I said to Owsee, "I should not have snapped at her like that, or you."

  Owsee, "it's all right, I understand, you have been through a lot in a short time and now this. You don't think I'm worried? You can move your space station, but my port will be a main target, and if these things can swim or even function under water the World Bank computers may be destroyed. That will be it for the world economy, not just all my money, but the bank and all the credit around the world. That's why the World Bank is under the sea, it's the most important thing/place in our world. So don't think I’m not just a little bit worried myself."

  I said, "you're not making me feel better."

  He then got up, went in the house and came right back out with a bottle of bud liqueur, saying, "if this don't do the trick we will have to find mushrooms." That at least got a smile out of me, as he poured some into my glass and I drank it down. He then poured me some more then had some himself. I relit my pipe and said, "you’re a good friend Owsee."

  Owsee, "thank you. I try to be as helpful as I can to my friends, and to have as few friends as I can, so I have more me time."

  I said, "some people say you can never have too many friends, but I think friends are like gold, nice to have but hard to carry too much. I can be friendly without being someone's friend."

  Owsee, "I feel the same way. That's why I only have three friends, you, Kitty and Goo da wa. And I sort of feel like the Twins are my little friends as well. I like Gripper, he’s a good man and all, but I would not call him a friend yet. We maybe getting there, but I just don't feel the same way about him as I do about you and Kitty, or Goo da wa."

  I said, "it takes time, more with some than others. I'm still getting to know each of you, and deciding how you fit into my life. Even my own children are part of that, “let’s see what we can learn about each other today,” thing that brings people closer together."

  I took another drink of my bud liqueur, as Owsee knocked out the ash in his pipe and said, "I'm thinking about the ammunition cases for the fighters. If we jack the suspense on the front wheel up a bit, we can get twice the ammunition in place." I said, "sounds good to me, it's just a matter of how much time we have to make the changes. See what you can get done."

&n
bsp; Owsee, "the only problem I foresee is bringing the fighters back in. The fork will need to be stiff or the ammo cases will knock the deck. I'll do some tests to see what we can work out."

  I said, "I'll recall the part-time pilots or train new ones for the other 50 fighters we have on lunar-one. And talking about calling people, I talked to all my suppliers today about making enough to take care of the next nineteen hotels and clubs. It's such a big order that both they and I want a bank agreement for COD on a daily basis. So I need the bank to call them for an agreement. We are talking about a 35% discount."

  Owsee, "give the list to my assistant, and he will take care of it, don't forget to tell him about the discount."

  I said, "with all your other interest, your assistant must be doing more of the main work now."

  Owsee, "I still approve high payouts or loans, buthe does a fine job on the dayby-day contracts."

  I said, "well just so you know, I gave all the workers on the station an extra 100 credits from the extra I charged the CM for water. And so people will stay happy, each time we screw the CM for the water they need, the extra credits will go to the workers at 100 credits each time, you know I’m making more than enough to cover it."

  Owsee, "giving each worker a hundred credits each time the CM comes for water should make them very happy, and screwing the CM while doing it makes me very proud of you."

  I said, "I knew you would like that part. Hey, let’s go see Goo da wa for while before I'm too tired."

  Owsee, "I'm always up for visiting Goo da wa."

  So we took our glasses inside, and put them on my small bar while telling Kitty we were going to see Goo da wa; she said hello for her. We went out and my ship gave us a hop over the short 1 mile to the cave bar in the mountain. Goo da wa was always glad to see us. We told him about the metal eaten robot spiders and our plans to deal with them, while drinking some more bud liqueur and brandy. Goo da wa, "and people wonder why I live in a cave.First the swarm comes, now robot spiders, I'm glad I put a force field in at the mouth of the cave." Owsee, "building the bar in this large cave, less than 2 miles from town, was a great idea. In times of need the whole town can take shelter here." I said, "yes, it's close enough for that, yet far enough out of the away to be private."

  Goo da wa, "I could get more business in town, but it would not feel as safe as this place. I like it here, it's home."

  Owsee, "that's always the hardest thing to say or feel about a place." I said, "after 30 years of moving around, looking for work and never knowing just how long I would be someplace, this planet is about as close to home as I have gotten. Only it's better than what I left behind, so home is a concept I'm not sure I'm clear on, but I do love this planet."

  Owsee, "I think you put your life on the line for it, and us, too many times not to love it. Or do you just travel around saving people and planets, then moving on?" Goo da wa, "and defending people from assassins and freeing oppressed dockworkers."

  I said, "if you will remember, I was a cargo pilot looking for work when we first met. I still hold a free gate ticket."

  Owsee, "which you never use, you always find a wayto get around it, even when you're moving a fleet of ships."

  I said, "I don't like telling the CM where I am, even if I'm with others." Owsee, "I can understand that, but they will not try to kill you again, unless they are sure beyond doubt you will stay dead."

  I said, "I am reasonably sure my ship would take vengeance. So they can add that to the list of reasons not to try to kill me."

  Goo da wa, "if I may point out, there is also Nova, with the other you in it that may come back upon hearing of your death."

  Owsee, “that's right, they would have to make it look like an accident.” I said, "hey! Let's not start thinking up ways for the CM to kill me now." Owsee, "sorry, when we get together we are natural born problem solvers." I said, "well, work on the metal eating robot problem, if you please." Goo da wa, "I don't think the Plexons will do much to stop them, they will think they have plenty of firepower and wait until the very last moment to use it. They are not looking at the problem the way we are."

  I said, "so what now? We educate them?"

  Goo da wa, "their Plexon pride would not allow it. Maybe if you could bring the Plexon engineering teacher over to our way of thinking, he may be able to reach others."

  I said, "how did the universe get so screwed up that our problem is that they don't understand their problem?"

  Goo da wa, "Tronex will be most cooperative, if their planet is in danger, otherwise they will just let the problem pass by."

  I said, "a fine bunch of neighbors we have. The friendliest ones only stopped by to say goodbye as they left the galaxy, or at least this part of it."

  Owsee, "it may be just as well they're gone, their idea of a solution may be to supernova a sun and take out a solar system."

  Goo da wa, "I only heard of them doing that once, the ship was damaged so it went into a Sun and it went nova, taking the enemy ships and one solar system out. Yet the techno-sages ship was fine."

  Owsee, "luckily there were no people on those planets, although I don't think it would matter to a techno sake."

  Goo da wa, "I think you're wrong about them. I think they avoid people so they don't get mixed up in their problems. I think they are smart enough that they just want to be left alone."

  I said, "I feel the same way about them, and know for a fact they work behind others to get things done they don't want to take credit for. They told me something was coming, without that said it may have been another week before we heard of the problem, with not much time to do anything about it." Owsee, "it was nice of them to sort of give us some warning, but it would've been better if they left us with a powerful weapon. Or maybe they did? You got more out of the Sages than a hello/goodbye, and by the way, didn't you? I bet they gave you something. Maybe a little something you're not telling us about?" I said, "keep answering your own questions Owsee, it saves me time." Owsee, "I knew it! They did give you something didn’t they? I bet it's powerful, as long as they don't take out this sun I don't care. But all the plans we have been making, must be some kind of if all else fails, last resort, hoping this works, kind of thing."

  I said, "no, that would be hitting the robots with a club if they make it down here kind of thing, but if it makes you feel better they did give me a little something that may help. But I don't want to talk about it, and we can't depend upon it to do the job. So we better be ready to fight, any way we can."

  Owsee, "we will fight all right, don't worry about that, and if those robots do have artificial intelligence they're going to wish they stayed on their own planet." I said, "we need to protect both moons as well, I don't want to have a problem at my mine, and I don't want the Twins U1&U2 to have aproblem on their moon either. They have been good to us, let's not forget them in this war." Owsee, "they have been good to us, besides that the moon is too close to let those robots take it over, I don't even want them in the same solar system." I said, "I would say the same galaxy, but they are a nice deterrent to any one mining crystals on Spectrownem. It's the only place to get the star light crystals, that I know of, and I have work it out so that I can get a good supply from time to time without hazard."

  Owsee, "you could always kill off all the robots, then mine all the star light crystals so no one else will ever get them."

  I said, "I could do that, but I just don't feel the need yet. It's such a long ways away I would not be able to keep an eye on things."

  Owsee, "I'm just saying, someone else may get the idea, then you would have to buy from them. If you want to keep making scarves and hats, with light-up in the dark star-dust crystals."

  I said, "the scarves and hats are a good seller, but it’s not going to break my heart to stop selling them. I have enough money, they're more for kitty to sell than a need for credits. Feel free to mine the star-light crystals on Spectrownem and sell them to me if you like."

  Owsee, "like you said, it'
s just too far away to keep an eye on."

  Goo da wa, "there was a time when either of you would jump at the chance to mine anything of value, now you probably would balk at mining gold." I said, "as a matter of fact, Owsee made me a deal to mine his gold in return for selling it to me at half off, for my new clubs. But I just have not found any time yet."

  Goo da wa, "now he has a gold mine and neither of you can be bothered to do a little mining. Well pour a round for the bar, and call us rich and lazy." I said, "not lazy, just busy. I'll for sure start mining a bit before my clubs need the gold. Each one will take about 250 pounds just to write the words "The read and drink club" on the floor around each table. A thousand credits per pound is cheap compared to some planets, but it all adds up."

  Owsee, "about 5 million to do all the new clubs. That's a lot for something people walk on and hardly noticed."

  I said, “but when they do see it, the impression stays with them, it's the little things that make my club the best. Like all the earwood on the walls, that's 15,000 for each club.”

  Owsee, "and the light panels for the ceiling ran 200,000."

  I said, "225,000. Like I said, it's the little things."

  Goo da wa, "you two still know the value of having credits, but you have lost the thrill of making them because you don't need any more. I remember when I got to point where I didn’t need to work anymore for a living. I had to find something to do, to prove to myself I mattered. Just like the two of you are doing by keeping yourselves busy."

  Owsee, "you're probably right, but I still get a thrill out of a good deal, maybe not as much as I once did, but it tells me I did something."

  Goo da wa, "your life’s ambition was to return as a storyteller, how much time have you spent doing that since we got here?"

  Owsee, "not much and you're right, I should spend more time at it." Goo da wa, "and you, the traveler, for 30 years your life has been all about what was over the next hill or on the next planet. Just the thought of a new place was a thrill, and here you are, a planet with all the things you need. Except for the unending horizon, you can't tell yourself there is a better place you want to go to, and you're just not used to not planning on leaving."