GALACTIC SURVEY (COLONY Book 3)

by Richard F. Weyand

  “Absolutely. And my fault, after all, Mr. Grant. I insisted, and I outrank you.”

  “Yes, sir. Thank you sir. Right this way.”

  Ivanov turned around and winked at his companions. Moore and McKay were trying hard not to laugh, while Costa just wanted to get into that shower.

  The hangar did in fact have bathrooms with showers. They took over both of them, and emerged twenty minutes later showered, shaved, and changed.

  “Excellent, Mr. Grant. We are now at your disposal. Lead on, please.”

  “Yes, Mr. Ambassador. Thank you. This way, sir.”

  Grant led them out to the front of the building where a large groundcar waited. It was unmarked, and looked like it might be someone’s personal vehicle.

  “Not exactly a parade,” Costa noted under his breath.

  Ivanov caught it.

  “Not like Arcadia, eh, Mr. Costa?”

  “No, and probably no kiss from a pretty girl, either.”

  Costa didn’t notice that he hadn’t included what had been a nearly obligatory ‘half-naked’ to describe Miss Arcadia City. A month on Arcadia had changed his reality.

  Ivanov chuckled.

  Grant drove the car himself. They gazed curiously around as they headed into the city of Amber, which shared the name of the planet. Much more like Arcadia City than Bergheim, it was a big sprawling metropolis, unimpeded by circling mountains.

  Grant took to the side streets as they approached the city center, and approached the original colony administrative building from the back side. He stopped at a rear service door. A guard there opened the door for them.

  Grant gave the keys to the car to the guard.

  “Thanks, Frank.”

  “No problem, Mr. Grant.”

  “This way, gentlemen,” Grant said to Ivanov and his companions.

  Grant led them into the building to the rear elevator bay and up to a high floor. They got out and walked down a hallway to a small conference room. There were place holders on the table at their seats.

  “Please take your seats, gentlemen. It will be just a moment.”

  Grant himself took a seat and waited with them. Ivanov looked around.

  “I think I’ve actually been in this room before. On Arcadia.”

  Grant started, and Ivanov explained.

  “There were a couple different styles of administrative building in the original colonies, Mr. Grant, but Arcadia has the same one.”

  “Ah. I see, Mr. Ambassador.”

  Two men walked into the room, one obviously in charge, whom Ivanov recognized from his briefing as President Dufort. They all stood, and the two men came to their side of the table.

  “Mr. Ambassador?”

  “Yes, Mr. President. Sasha Ivanov. My companions are Paolo Costa, who is a QE radio installation and service technician from Earthsea, and Mr. Justin Moore and Mr. Gavin McKay, our pilots from Arcadia to here.”

  “My chief of staff, Mr. Ambassador. Vaclav Brabec. And you’ve already met his aide, Michael Grant.”

  “Indeed. Mr. President.”

  There were greetings and handshakes all around, and then Dufort and Brabec moved to the other side of the table with Grant. Dufort took the seat opposite Ivanov.

  “Well, this is a big surprise, Mr. Ambassador, as I imagine you appreciate.”

  “Indeed I do, Mr. President. But we could not let you know in advance we were coming. The big disadvantage of QE radios is that they are paired when manufactured, and one can only set up a link by dragging one of the pair to where you intend to set it up.”

  “So I understand. And now here you are.”

  Ivanov pulled a folded document out of the pocket of his suit coat.

  “My credentials, Mr. President.”

  Ivanov handed the document across the table to Dufort, who glanced at it and handed it to Brabec.

  “And your mission, Mr. Ambassador?”

  “To begin a conversation toward a trade deal among our three planets, Mr. President. Arcadia and Earthsea have executed such an agreement already, which we invite you to join.”

  “And the terms of this agreement, Mr. Ambassador?”

  “If you will configure computer accounts for us on your planetary system, Mr. President, I would be happy to push you a copy of it. But in broad terms, it is free and open trade, unhampered by, er, protectionist impediments.”

  “And both planets have agreed to this, Mr. Ambassador? Both Arcadia and Earthsea?”

  “Yes, Mr. President. It is expected that the cost of interstellar shipping will be impediment enough to importing products which are already available locally.”

  “I see.”

  “But as our first step, Mr. President, I would recommend installing the QE radios here, and then you can discuss the potential agreement directly with your fellow heads of state.”

  Dufort nodded. That made sense.

  “Very well, Mr. Ambassador. And I am hoping you might brief me a bit on the personalities involved. To make things go more smoothly.”

  “Of course, Mr. President. But I think right now what is most in order is dinner and a good night’s sleep for me. Zero gravity makes for disturbing dreams.”

  “Yes, of course, Mr. Ambassador. We will put you up close by here downtown. I will ask all you gentlemen to keep your, er, provenance a secret for the time being. The political situation here could make things more difficult than they need otherwise be were you not to do so.”

  “I understand, Mr. President. We will be happy to do so.”

  Pushback

  Sasha Ivanov luxuriated in the feeling of a bed with gravity again. He had had a wonderful night’s sleep, and lay back now just enjoying the bed in the hotel suite in downtown Amber.

  The room-service dinner last night had been good, if a little bland for Arcadian tastes. Their culinary efforts would also benefit from the availability of Arcadia’s spices.

  Ivanov’s computer account had gone live while he was eating, and he had pushed President Dufort a copy of the Arcadia-Earthsea agreement before collapsing into bed.

  Now to check mail and see what was on the schedule.

  “Did you look at the Arcadia-Earthsea agreement, Vaclav?” Dufort asked.

  “Yes, sir. It is remarkably straightforward.”

  “I agree. Surprising, really. I expected preferences and set-asides, requirements and concessions.”

  “I didn’t see any, sir.”

  “I didn’t either.”

  “Unlike Prime Minister Milbank and Director Laurent, though, you can’t sign it on your own authority, sir.”

  “Yes, I know. Sooner or later I have to run it past the Assembly, and that means dealing with the Honorable Ms. Sellick.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  Dufort sighed.

  The founders of Amber’s government had assumed that there would eventually be contact between colony planets. They had built into Amber’s constitution a ban on the president signing any interstellar treaty without the advance approval of the Assembly. Not just advice and consent after the fact, but advance approval.

  Which meant – despite how clean the agreement was, how little nonsense there was in it – he would have to bring Josephine Sellick into the conversation sooner rather than later.

  It was not a prospect he looked forward to.

  “When are we next scheduled to meet?”

  “Not until next week, sir.”

  The way he said it told Dufort what Brabec was thinking. He could instead have said, ‘Soon, sir. Next week.’

  “You’re probably right. We’re going to have to bring her in sooner than that. Let’s meet with the Arcadian ambassador today, and get this Costa fellow installing those radios. We can plan on talking to Ms. Sellick tomorrow or the next day. Look for a spot in my schedule.”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Mr. Ambassador. Thank you for agreeing to have lunch with me today,” Dufort said.

  “And thank you very much for the invitation, Mr. Presi
dent,” Ivanov said.

  Dufort waved Ivanov to the seat opposite himself at a table for four in the small dining room next to the president’s office. Brabec was also there.

  Salvatore Romano, the Earthsea Ambassador to Arcadia, had assisted Ivanov in selecting a present for the president of Amber. Ivanov had selected Arcadia’s present himself. Ivanov withdrew both from his suit coat pockets now and set them on the table.

  “While the discussion is on food, Mr. President, allow me to present gifts from Prime Minister Rob Milbank of Arcadia and Director Valerie Laurent of Earthsea.”

  The gift box for the Arcadian tea was crafted from solid maple. The Chen’s Maple tea was a favorite of Ivanov. The Earthsea cheese gift, packaged as the one to Milbank from Laurent, was also one of their premium varieties.

  “Why, thank you, Mr. Ambassador.”

  Dufort signaled to the head waiter standing nearby.

  “Can we serve these with lunch, Cindy?”

  “I’m sure we can, sir. I’ll take care of it.”

  The wait staff brought in the salad course.

  “I think serious discussions should wait until after lunch, Mr. Ambassador.”

  “Always a wise choice, Mr. President.”

  “So what do you think of Amber, Mr. Ambassador?”

  “I quite like it, Mr. President. It is much like Arcadia. Oh, there are differences, of course. But people have been very friendly, and the city is big and vibrant. It has–” He struggled for the word, waving his hand in the air. “– It has juice, Mr. President. An essence. Substance.”

  “And Arcadia City is like that, Mr. Ambassador?”

  “Oh, yes, Mr. President. There is a vibrancy, with perhaps a slightly more youthful edge.”

  Dufort nodded.

  “We probably have a higher average age, Mr. Ambassador. Our life expectancy has been increasing steadily as a result of our medical advances. We have a life expectancy of close to a hundred now.”

  “Indeed, Mr. President. I knew something of the kind, of course, from our advance work, but not actual numbers. That’s most impressive.”

  “The end result is that many of our younger people strike out for opportunity in other cities, giving Amber perhaps a more adult air.”

  “That is it. That is it exactly, Mr. President. I think you’ve put your finger on the difference I perceived.”

  The main course was served, along with a plate of sliced Earthsea cheese and a pot of Arcadian tea. The head waiter served the tea in cups she brought out with the pot.

  Dufort sipped his tea and sat stunned. What a wonderful concoction. Ivanov noted his reaction and smiled.

  “This specific variety is a particular favorite of mine, Mr. President, though we have many others.”

  “That is astonishing, Mr. Ambassador. We have nothing of the sort here.”

  “Yes, the colony project stock teas were, at best, plebeian, Mr. President.”

  Dufort next tasted the cheese.

  “This cheese is from Earthsea, Mr. Ambassador? It’s extraordinary.”

  “Yes, Mr. President. The Earthsea folks have spectacular cheeses. We have nothing like this on Arcadia, I’m afraid. Until now, at least.”

  Dufort nodded.

  “But all is not lost, Mr. President. To tide you over until we can establish regular trade, I have brought an entire container of tea and cheese with me, gifts from the people of Arcadia and Earthsea to the people of Amber.”

  “Thank you, Mr. Ambassador.”

  Ivanov simply nodded his head once, like a bow.

  Once the dishes were cleared away, they settled down to business.

  “I read the Arcadia-Earthsea agreement, Mr. Ambassador. I was astonished by its clarity and lack of complication.”

  Ivanov nodded.

  “I was present for some of those discussions, Mr. President. The goal was to come up with a model agreement. One which any other colony planet might be invited to sign as an equal partner.”

  “Such as Amber, Mr. Ambassador?”

  “Yes, Mr. President, but the others as well. All twenty-four, we hope.”

  “You know where the other colonies are, Mr. Ambassador?”

  “No, Mr. President. Not yet. But we are looking for them. Our people have discovered a pattern in the way colony planets were located, and are exploiting that to send out RDF satellites to look for them.”

  “You hope to find them all in this way, Mr. Ambassador? That seems unlikely.”

  “No, we hope to find the twenty-fourth, Mr. President, and locate the rest with parallax analysis of the viewscreen recordings of the colony passenger compartments.”

  Of course, Dufort thought. If they found the twenty-fourth colony, they had, in effect, found them all. Even if they found only the twenty-third or twenty-second, they would find most of them in the same way that Amber had known where Earthsea was.

  But Arcadia had the means to go to each of them in turn, the agreement in hand, signing them up. And they would sign, too. The agreement was very well done.

  He just wasn’t sure if he could get the Assembly to vote for it. Especially if Sellick stood opposed.

  “I see. That will likely work, Mr. Ambassador, to find most of them at least,” Dufort said. “You may not find the exact last one.”

  “Exactly, Mr. President,” Ivanov said.

  “Well, as I say, Mr. Ambassador, the agreement is very well done. I think you will have a lot of takers. Whether my own political situation allows us to enter the agreement or not is another question.”

  “I served in the House and then the Chamber on Arcadia for several terms each, Mr. President. I would be happy to work with you in whatever way I can to make this happen.”

  Dufort looked at Ivanov, and Ivanov merely shrugged.

  “All right, Mr. Ambassador. Let’s start with the situation inside my own party.”

  Dufort laid out the current political chaos on Amber with a frankness that more than once had Brabec raise his eyebrows. When Dufort had finished, Ivanov was thoughtful.

  “You know, Mr. President, there is sometimes an alternative to conciliation and compromise, once they have been shown to merely embolden the other.”

  “And that alternative, Mr. Ambassador?”

  “Goad them to rash action, Mr. President. Get them way out on a limb.”

  “Yes? And then?”

  “And then prune the limb from the tree.”

  After another hour of discussion, Dufort had one observation.

  “Mr. Ambassador, I believe politics on Arcadia may be even rougher than politics on Amber.”

  Ivanov nodded.

  “At one time it was, Mr. President. But you never really forget the old tricks.”

  Brabec simply looked on in astonishment.

  The Honorable Josephine Sellick did not get to be the majority party leader in the Assembly, the lower house of the Legislature, by being a shrinking violet, and she hadn’t become one since. She was more than willing to tilt with the president.

  Sellick had known this president would need watching. Every president did. They were always trying to expand executive power. That was the game. But this president played that game better than most, so she had remained vigilant.

  Sellick’s informants had told her something was going on, but individually they couldn’t put their finger on it. Considering all their reports in aggregate, though, Sellick thought she knew what was going on. It seemed incredible, but nothing else fit all the facts.

  It also meant she had been right, and Dufort had been wrong.

  “Good morning, Mr. President,” Sellick said as she was shown into the conference room.

  “Good morning, Madam Chairwoman. Please, have a seat.”

  Brabec was there, of course, so she had brought her chief of staff, Bertrand Leland. They took chairs opposite Dufort and Brabec.

  Sellick and Dufort were not on a first-name basis. To clear the cumbersomeness of titles, they usually referred to each other with a sli
ghtly frosty sir and madam.

  “You called me to this meeting, sir,” Sellick said, taking the initiative.

  “Yes, madam. Something has happened that I feel I should bring you in on.”

  “Indeed. And what would that be, sir?”

  “We have received visitors from another colony planet. Two, actually.”

  Ha! She had been right. Oh she was going to enjoy this.

  “Two visitors or two colony planets, sir?”

  “Two colony planets, madam. Four visitors, from Earthsea and Arcadia.”

  Earthsea, Amber, and Arcadia had been the first three drop-off planets, in that order. Just as Amber had known where Earthsea was, Arcadia would know where both Amber and Earthsea were.

  “So Arcadia came up with some sort of interstellar drive, sir?”

  Dufort couldn’t put it past Sellick. She was quick, if opinionated and mulish.

  “Yes, madam. Arcadia has an interstellar drive, while Earthsea has quantum-entanglement radios, which have interstellar reach.”

  “It’s a pity we didn’t do it first, sir.”

  “My understanding is that it has taken them over twenty years to be able to send a manned shuttle through space, from the time of their first theoretical breakthrough. If we had started it ten years ago, or likely twenty, madam, we would still not have such a capability.”

  Sellick brushed that aside with a wave of her hand.

  “So why are they here, sir? Have they told us their goals?”

  “Yes, madam. They have signed a trade agreement between them, and hope we will sign up as well, on the same terms.”

  “Do we have a copy of this trade agreement, sir?”

  “Yes, Madam. Let me send it to you.”

  Dufort sent the trade agreement to Sellick in his heads-up display. Sellick scanned it quickly. It was not a long document.

  “And what do they have to trade, sir?”

  “For Arcadia, in addition to the hyperspace ships, they hope to find a market for their teas, spices, and silks. For Earthsea, in addition to the QE radios, they have a variety of splendid cheeses.”

  “We’re going to trade our medical technology for a better grade of cheese, sir?”