Celus-5 (The Silver Ships Book 8)
Page 35
What amused Christie was that the old woman, as Bibi referred to herself, set a blistering pace to her nearby house.
“You’re planning to conduct your interview broadcast in a half hour, aren’t you?” Bibi asked.
“Yes.”
“I wish to be the subject of your interview.”
Christie started to question Bibi, but the elder held up a finger to forestall her.
“My beloved son is being an idiot,” Bibi continued, “and before he makes a greater fool of himself, I wish to counter his actions. I’m an admirer of your early works with your brother on New Terra.
“I didn’t know you were aware of those interviews.”
“Elderly doesn’t mean uninformed, young one.”
“Why do you want to be interviewed?”
“Instead, let me ask you a question. What does your brother intend to do with the Freedom?”
“Haven’t a clue.”
“Aha, and that’s the point. No one else I’ve spoken to does either. I’m probably one of the most well-informed individuals on Haraken, and I don’t have a clue, as you say.”
“So, no one knows, Bibi. That’s not really news. Alex has always been enigmatic when it comes to his plans.”
“Agreed. So should the Assembly sell him the Freedom at a reasonable price?”
“Of course.”
“Why?”
“Because he’s Alex.”
“Yes, and who knows that better than you or me, child?” Bibi said, hooking her arm in Christie’s, but she could see the confusion on Christie’s face. “Are you aware that the Assembly is composed of less than 32 percent of people who founded this planet? Newcomers have voted in their own people as representatives. This isn’t wrong, but the days of when Harakens would give Alex Racine anything he wanted are gone.”
“So you intend to make your case for Alex via my show?”
“Precisely, child. People need to hear a valid argument for supporting him. If they do, they’ll make up their own minds and comm their representatives with their opinions.”
“This won’t be an interview, Bibi, but a protracted sales pitch.”
“Call it what you wish, Christie,” Bibi replied, stopping outside her house and turning to face the young woman. “The question is whether you support your brother or not, and, if you do, are you prepared to do something about it?”
“I do want to support Alex, but we don’t have any time to prepare.”
“No, we don’t. We’ll have a quick meal, and then you’ll have to trust this old woman.”
There were few people whom Christie might have believed on hearing that type of comment, but Bibi had always been a huge supporter of Alex. While she didn’t always agree with Alex’s methods, Bibi’s public criticisms disappeared the day Alex brought Eloise Haraken home, along with Christie and Amelia, following their kidnapping.
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The Freedom
“This is the Racine Talk Time, and I’m your host, Christie Racine. Our scheduled guest has been preempted so that we might bring you an interview with our respected elder, Bibi Haraken. Bibi, you were adamant about wanting this interview time. Why is that?”
Bibi had to give it to Christie. She was no fool. She’d set it up with her audience so that they knew it was Bibi, who had pushed for the time slot. So be it, she thought.
“Time is of the essence, Christie. The Assembly members will soon finish their midday meals, and then they will reconvene to vote on a critical issue that will affect the future of Haraken.”
“You make it sound dire, Bibi. What’s the vote about?”
“Before I answer that, Christie, I wonder how many of your listeners are aware of the facts surrounding the founding of Haraken.”
“I think all of them know that the Librans and a few New Terrans founded Haraken under Alex Racine.”
“Yes, a simplistic enough summary. But, the often-forgotten part is that the Confederation was decimated by a giant sphere. The creatures that guided it were called the Nua’ll.”
Both Bibi and Christie skirted the point about the Swei Swee, who operated the dark travelers, unwittingly doing the Nua’ll’s dirty work.
“That sphere was destroyed,” Christie said, now beginning to guess where Bibi was headed.
“Yes, it was, but not before it sent a message.”
“Do we know the contents of that message?”
“Alien technology,” Bibi remarked. “But what message would you send and to whom?”
“I see what you mean,” Christie said. She drew out her words to underline the importance of Bibi’s comment to her audience. “So what does this have to do with the vote in the Assembly today, Bibi?”
“Alex Racine has asked the Assembly to sell him the Freedom.”
“What would Ser Racine want with a city-ship that’s sat parked in orbit for more than twenty years?”
“I have no answer to that, Christie, but a critical clue is that Ser Racine said he would no longer be a Haraken resident.”
“Do you think he intends to live on that newly explored planet, Celus-5?”
Bibi smiled at Christie. She was a clever interviewer, leading her subject right down the path that both of them wanted to walk.
“Alex Racine says that he won’t be a leader of those who settle the planet, if the aliens even permit Harakens to live there.”
“So, Bibi, let’s get back to the subject at hand. You don’t know what Ser Racine wants to do with the city-ship, and you don’t know where he’s going with it. Then, why is the Assembly’s vote important to you?”
“Alex Racine has always protected the people. He traded tech to New Terra to return lost Méridiens home. He fought the Nua’ll sphere when it would have been safer to run home. He and his people worked tirelessly to save the Librans, and, recently, he kept our worlds from being overrun by United Earth before the system changed its ways. I say this: If Alex Racine wants a city-ship, sell it to him, or, better yet, give it to him.”
“How can you be so confident in what Ser Racine intends to do with that ship, even though he’s not said one word about it?”
“My mother, Fiona Haraken, who remained purposefully on Libre with other elders, while younger Independents were evacuated, told us … no, she warned us, to keep that wide-shouldered young man with the four stars on his collar close to us. She called him our protector. I see no reason to change my opinion about the man. Whatever Alex Racine intends to do with the Freedom, it will only serve to protect us.”
“That’s putting a great deal of belief in Ser Racine, Bibi. All humans make mistakes.”
“Quite true, Christie. And I won’t say that I’ve always agreed with the man’s methods, but I dare you to argue with his results. Whatever Alex Racine’s intention, my message would be the same. Let the man have the ship … if not for the future, then for the past. No one deserves it more.”
“Thank you for your time today, Bibi. I see that midday meal will soon end. To my listeners, I can only say that if anyone has a vested interest in the future of Haraken and its people, then it’s Bibi Haraken, who you’ve heard expressing her opinion today on an important Assembly vote.”
Christie signed off, and returned the broadcast to her media station. She stood up and was immediately embraced by Bibi.
“May the stars protect you,” Bibi said, and rushed out the door of her home.
* * *
The representatives never got to enjoy their full meal time. Their comms were flooded with questions about Alex Racine’s proposal. How did they intend to vote? For those Assembly members who expressed thoughts to deny the sale, Harakens wanted to know why. What were the representative’s concerns? Were they founded or imagined? Could the first sphere have called home? Is a second Nua’ll ship a possibility?
What the populace was reminded of by the broadcast was that Haraken was once the site of the first Confederation colony to be destroyed by the Nua’ll sphere. That alone did more to wake up the peopl
e to the important role Alex Racine played in establishing Haraken, more than twenty years ago. Bibi had been right when she told Christie that people quickly forgot their own history.
The Assembly reconvened, and Jason was the first to state his opinion that the representatives should block the sale. He’d been bombarded with comms during his meal, as had the others, but he stood fast in the face of the Librans who had queried him as to why he was against the sale.
But, it quickly became evident to Jason that he was in the minority, and within an hour, the vote was taken, and the sale was approved.
* * *
Tomas took a moment to digest that last statement. What would you want with a vessel larger than a city-ship, Tomas wondered.
Alex could hear Tomas’ chuckle when he referred to the single credit transfer.
After Tomas’ comm ended, Alex sent the message out that the sale of the Freedom was approved. Everyone, who received Alex’s comm, noticed he never said he owned the ship just that the Assembly agreed to the sale.
* * *
Alex’s first stop, after receiving Tomas’ news, was Sadesville. Winston wished to communicate the thoughts of the SADEs who chose to stay behind on Celus-5 to the SADEs resident on Haraken, and he’d asked Alex to accompany him.
For Alex’s part, he stood idly by while Winston managed his exchange with the SADEs via comm. At one point, the entire assembly swiveled their heads to look at him, but then returned to staring at Winston.
When the SADEs’ conversation finished, Winston turned to Alex with a pleasant smile on his face. “A consensus has been reached, Ser. The SADEs will help with the refurbishment efforts of the Freedom in exchange for passage to Celus-5.”
“Winston, Harakens might not be welcome there. It’s something we just don’t know yet.”
“This is understood, Ser. If the Harakens can’t settle Celus-5, you’ll still need individuals to maintain the ship. These individuals are willing to remain with you.”
“Winston, you’re talking about an annual stipend for nearly 140 SADEs, for the stars know how many years. That’s an amount of compensation that I wouldn’t be able to pay for more than three or four years.”
“Leave that to me, Alex. I believe I have an idea that will further both your goals and ours, but I’ll need to discuss this with others first.”
* * *
Mickey, Claude, Julien, Cordelia, Winston, Hector, Esther, Didier, and most of the Confederation SADEs, who were free of their contracts, took two Exchange travelers to inspect the Freedom.
Cordelia organized the SADEs, detailing their assignments. As the original SADE who controlled the city-ship’s construction and who flew it for nearly five years, Cordelia knew the vessel better than anyone. In her mind, she was sure that this was the reason Alex chose this ship over the other city-ship, Our People.
The SADEs and engineers crawled over the ship from bridge to bays, reviewed the maintenance crew’s reports, and tested everything from engines to filtration systems. Every analysis was filed with the ship’s controller, and Cordelia and Julien organized the lists and computed the costs for replacement equipment and labor.
The effort took several days. As the last inspection report was filed and every SADE acknowledged they were finished with their assignments, Cordelia sat in the captain’s chair for several moments, summarizing the extensive lists. When she produced her final accounting report, Winston regarded Julien.
“Alex hasn’t enough to cover the refit,” Julien said, “much less afford to pay a significantly sized crew to maintain it.
“I’d hoped as much,” Winston said with a smile. “I believe this is an opportune time for the SIF directors to speak privately with the Exchange directors.”
Mickey glanced at Claude, and said, “I think that’s our cue to exit, Claude. Why don’t you and I go claim the spaces we want for our labs and manufacturing locations before they’re gone!”
-31-
Alex’s People
When the Freedom’s review was complete, Julien, Cordelia, and the SIF directors met with Alex and Renée at their home. As the guests were SADEs, Renée merely prepared thé for Alex and herself and invited the SADEs to be seated.
Even though the SIF directors were prepared to stand and lock their avatars, they followed the example of Julien and Cordelia, who not only took seats but adopted relaxed hu
man poses.
Alex hid the beginnings of a smile behind his cup, noticing the SIF directors copied Julien and Cordelia’s various positions exactly. You learn by imitation, Alex thought.
Cordelia waited until Alex had an opportunity to enjoy his thé before she sent him a summary of the Freedom’s refit costs.
Alex scrolled through the lengthy list, shocked at the number of items and their associated costs. He jumped to the end and set his tea down. Alex knew better than to question the report’s accuracy, but it saddened him to see that the total was twice the credits he held in his Exchange account.
“Ironic, isn’t it?” Alex said. “The Freedom was built and outfitted without a single credit changing hands. Now a simple refit is expected to cost more than sixty-eight million credits.”
“We inhabit a capitalistic society, Alex,” Julien commented.
“Well, I can afford half the refit,” Alex said. “Can we accomplish half the work and still launch, Cordelia?”
“Alex, credits can be saved if we reduce the human accommodations,” Julien replied instead, angling to get a hint from Alex of his plans for the ship.
“I want the ship refitted for humans, including food stocks, cabin furnishings … the works. I was hoping credits could be saved on the technical side.”
“There’s little that can be shaved off the refit from a technical aspect. Equipment must be upgraded, and it will take labor to do. I regret that our efforts there would result in minor cost savings,” Cordelia replied.
“Perhaps, you won’t have to skimp on your refit, Alex,” Winston said, leaning forward to place his forearms on his knees, as he had seen humans do innumerable times to emphasize their points. “The SIF directors, in concert with the Exchange directors, have proposals for you.”
“I’m listening,” Alex said cautiously.
Winston laid out the transitional phases of the Confederation SADEs, enumerating the challenges many of them were going through after liberation to adjust to life with Méridiens and Harakens. He summarized the complaints about Sadesville and the hopes of those on Celus-5. He would have continued to expound on the background for the proposals, but Hector cut him off.