Delphi Challenge

by Bob Blanton

  “They’re stubborn. I notice you didn’t try to dissuade them from coming down as soon as they could.”

  “Well, the ones coming down now knew they’d be staying in temporary accommodations.”

  “Doesn’t stop them from bitching,” Marc said. “Here’s our jeep, jump in.”

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  “Hello, Liz,” Samantha said. She was standing outside to greet them when the jeep arrived.

  “Hi, Sam. You’re looking good.”

  “Did you expect otherwise?”

  “Well you’re pregnant, so I thought you might be having a hard time. You know, morning sickness.”

  “Oh, well, there’s no morning sickness with the nanites on my ovaries,” Samantha said.

  “That must have been a relief.”

  “It was and is. Now, come in and have a drink and we’ll chat before I serve dinner.”

  “Don’t let me interfere with your cooking.”

  “Don’t worry, Macie has everything under control.”

  “Macie?”

  “One of the young ladies I hired to help for the evening,” Samantha said. “She’ll clean up while we’re having dinner, then she’ll head home.”

  “Convenient,” Liz said as she followed Samantha into the house.

  “Do you want a glass of wine or some scotch?”

  “Scotch, please,” Liz said.

  “I’ll put your bag in your room,” Marc said, carrying in Liz’s luggage from the jeep.

  “Oh, sorry, I forgot,” Liz said. “Just point me and I’ll take it.”

  “No problem, I’ve got it. You and Sam chat.”

  “He’s probably on a call,” Samantha said. “Carrying your bags serves him right.”

  Samantha handed Liz a glass of scotch and carried a glass of wine for herself.

  “Don’t tell me the nanites let you drink alcohol?”

  “No such luck. Alcohol-free wine. It’s not bad and lets me feel part of the group.”

  “Oh, that’s good. Hey what is she, like twelve?” Liz asked, pointing to the young girl in the kitchen.

  “Thirteen, I think. It’s just like Delphi City; the young children all have small businesses that let them earn money when they’re not tied up with school or chores.”

  “Impressive. What do they spend it on?”

  “Sweets and extra snacks, but you’d be surprised how many are saving up so they can buy a house or some land.”

  “Industrious of them.”

  Marc, Liz, and Samantha enjoyed a nice quiet meal, catching up on the activities on Artemis as well as Delphi City. Liz went to bed early, since ship time was shifted from the time in Orion City. She’d been awake for over twenty hours.

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  “How do you like our new chopper?” Marc asked as he, Liz, and Samantha prepared to go on their tour.

  “Why do you call it a chopper, it doesn’t have a rotor?” Liz asked.

  “Hey, big bubble in the front, engines in the back, and it hovers, so people just started calling it that.”

  “I assume it has gravity drives.”

  “Yes.”

  “Where’s the fusion plant?”

  “Doesn’t have one. We use a diesel fuel cell and capacitors,” Marc explained.

  “And capacitors, are you serious? Without a rotor you don’t have autorotation, if you have to make a fast maneuver, won’t it just fall out of the sky?”

  “The fuel cell can keep it in a hover,” Marc said. “The capacitors are used when you want to have a lot of lift, quickly.”

  “I guess that sounds okay. I still think autorotation would be nice.”

  “I’ll talk to our engineers about it. Now are you going to get in?”

  “Do you really know how to fly it?”

  “Of course he does,” Samantha said. “Trust me, I made sure the pilots gave him a grueling test before I’d fly with him.”

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  “That’s our great lake, Lake Diana,” Marc said as he flew the chopper over a small body of water. He set it down next to the lake and they got out.

  “I hate to tell you this,” Liz said, “but that’s not a great lake.”

  “It will be,” Samantha chided. “It just needs some time to grow up.”

  Marc laughed. “We’re putting about three or four ice asteroids into it each day. See that big island out there?” Marc pointed to the big hill rising up in the middle of the lake.

  “Sure.”

  “When the lake is full, it’ll reach that tree line. We’ve removed all the foliage below the lake’s final level.”

  Liz looked around eyeing the depression to get a measure of how big the lake would finally be. She couldn’t see the other side of the depression and had to remember how it looked before they landed.

  “I guess that might be a great lake. How big will it be?”

  “Almost the size of Lake Huron,” Marc said.

  “Wow, that is big. How long will it take you to fill it up?”

  “We’re losing about half the water to seepage and evaporation, but that will start to stabilize. With the Skylifter, we’ll be able to direct about half the ice asteroids we’re bringing in to the lake. Right now, we’re only managing one per day, but we’ll take that up to three or four a day.”

  “So how long?”

  “Another year,” Marc said.

  “What’s going to keep it full?”

  “The lake will create a local microclimate. It should help to increase the rainfall in those mountains. Plus, we expect the climate to moderate as we increase the foliage here and at the equator.”

  “What formed the basin?” Liz asked.

  “A glacier,” Samantha answered.

  “If a glacier formed this, then where did all the water go?”

  “Dr. Qamar thinks that Artemis had a close brush with a big asteroid and it stripped off about half of its atmosphere. That led to excessive evaporation and very high temperatures, so a lot of water vapor leaked out into space,” Marc explained.

  “Well, at least it didn’t hit the planet.”

  “That might have been less destructive, but you’d have to ask Dr. Qamar. Now back to the chopper and we’ll go look at the canal.”

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  Marc flew to the river where the canal started. It cut east through the higher plain where the city was built. It didn’t have any water in it yet. They followed along its path, passing the huge excavator that was digging it.

  “Wow, that’s a big digging machine,” Liz said.

  “Yep, we’ve kept it busy since we landed. First it had to dig the channels for all the roads in the city, but since then it’s been digging the canal. We should break back through to the river in another month.”

  “Why not build the city closer to the river?”

  “We want the city out of the flood plain. This gives us the best of both worlds, no risk of flooding, and easy access to the river. The city is twenty-six meters above the river; we’ve built locks about a mile from the city on both sides, so we can raise the ships up to the city’s height. It gives us easy access to the ocean. We’ll expand the fork that comes from the great lake once we finish filling it, that’ll make it easy to take a barge up there. We’ll be expanding our farming there next. We’ll probably even build a small city by the lake.”

  “That sounds like a nice place to live. Hey, what’s that small lake for?” Liz asked as she pointed to the lake just on the outskirts of the city.

  “We have fish there. Lots of the locals like to go fishing, but mainly it’s the water reservoir we’ll use for the lock. We will pump water up to it continuously, then when we need to raise a ship, we’ll grab the water from the lock. That will save energy and time.”

  “Let’s go to the fishing village,” Samantha said. “I’m looking forward to some fish and chips.”

  “Yes, Dear,” Marc said, ducking as Samantha tried the slap him on the back of his head.

  ◆ ◆ ◆

 
; “This village is eighty kilometers from the city. The fishermen like it because they can get right to work, avoiding the two to three hours of downriver sailing. It makes a nice place for a short vacation. We have several cottages on the beach that people from the city can use,” Samantha explained.

  “It also houses our salt production plant,” Marc said. “You can see the marsh area north of the river. We’ve got a five-acre section at the edge that we use to trap the water and let it evaporate.”

  “How much salt do you need?” Liz asked.

  “Not as much as we can produce. The plant only runs long enough to generate one load a month right now. We won’t exceed its capacity for a few years.”

  “Enough about salt, I’m hungry and I want to go to Felicity’s for lunch,” Samantha declared.

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  “This is our mining town,” Marc said.

  “Isn’t that where your friend, O’Brian is?” Liz asked.

  “He’s not a bad guy, just a slow learner,” Marc joked. “Anyway, you can see we’ve set quite a few cargo pods next to it. Hopefully we’ll have all of them full for your next trip to Paraxea. Right now, we’ve only got six ready for you.”

  “Are you able to mine that much already?”

  “Yes, O’Brian is pretty efficient when he sets his mind to it. There are five large mines within a few miles of here and the big gold mine is here. The smelter runs twenty-six hours a day, seven days a week.”

  “Pretty impressive,” Liz said.

  “You can see the stockpiles of ore waiting on the smelter.”

  “Do you have problems with pilferage?”

  “Not really, we’re the only buyer, so what would you do with it? Security is tight; with cameras and Comms, we know where everyone is.”

  “How do the miners keep their Comms from getting knocked off?”

  “Most of them have the mini Comm from Catie. They wear it right above their boot when they’re working, and as a watch when they’re not.”

  “Catie’s gotta love that.”

  “Yes, she was pleased about the order you’re bringing in.”

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  “Hey, I’m heading back to the Dutchman today,” Liz said as she carried her bag from her room.

  “Why so soon?” Samantha asked. “Your guys won’t finish loading until tomorrow.”

  “Right, but I’ve been down here while the rest of the bridge staff has been rotating their shore leave so we always have someone on watch. It’s time for me to take my turn.”

  “You’ve had your head buried in that HUD half the time you’ve been here. I’m sure you’ve done your share of work.”

  “But everyone needs to get a break on the surface. I’ve got to go up, so Ms. Griggs can come down and have a day off to explore the city.”

  “Okay,” Samantha acquiesced. “Let me give you a hug to take to Catie for me.”

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  “First Mate, are we ready to break orbit?” Liz asked.

  “Yes, Captain. Cargo pods are locked in, engineering and navigation are showing green,” First Mate Hayden Watson announced.

  “Then let’s head home,” Liz ordered.

  The Dutchman broke orbit and started its two-week climb out of Artemis Prime’s gravity well.

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  “Hey, Cer Marc, how are you doing?” a young girl and her friend asked as they caught Marc on the sidewalk in front of City Hall. Marc figured them for about ten or eleven years old.

  “I’m doing fine, what can I do for you young ladies?”

  “We want to open a business. I’m Katya, and this is Sebrina.”

  “Very enterprising of you; how can I help?”

  “Cer Sam told us we need a permit.”

  “Yes, you do, but that should be easy to take care of. Come on in,” Marc said as he held the door open for them. He led them over to his office and indicated they should have a seat. He pulled his chair around from behind his desk and sat with them.

  “Okay, let’s talk about what you need.”

  “First, we need that permit,” Katya said.

  “What kind of business are you going to open?”

  “A delivery and errand service like they have on Delphi Station.”

  “I see, just a minute,” Marc said. He messaged his assistant. “Melinda, can you set up the two ladies I have in my office with a permit?”

  “What about the fee?” Melinda asked.

  “Charge it to me.”

  “Yes, sir, I’ve got their names from their Comms, so I should have the permits ready in a couple of minutes.”

  “Okay, will that take care of your needs?” Marc asked.

  “Well, we are hoping for more,” Katya said.

  “And what would that be?”

  “Some kind of exclusive license deal, like a franchise.”

  “Oh, I have two budding titans of industry here. I don’t see how we could give you a franchise on delivery services, you’ll just have to come up with a way to make your service unique.”

  “But the big boys can run faster than we can, and they have bigger backpacks,” Sebrina cried. “Cer Sam suggested that you’d be able to help us get an edge.”

  Marc nodded his head. “Oh, I see, you two have important connections. I guess you need a way to level the playing field.”

  Katya shook her head violently, “No, we want to tilt it in our favor.”

  Marc laughed. “Okay, so your problem is, you need to deliver the goods fast and in volume.”

  “Right!”

  Marc leaned back in his chair, thinking. “I’ve got it, why don’t you use bicycles?”

  “We would if we had them. Can we get them, and can we be the only ones with them?”

  “I can get you the bicycles, but everyone will be able to get them,” Marc said.

  “Well, then we need more!” Katya demanded.

  “Okay, give me a minute. . . . I think I have something for you. What if you were the only ones with a trailer for your bicycles? Something you could load up with groceries or meals.”

  “That sounds good. When can we have it?” Katya asked.

  “Just a moment. Call Chief O’Donnell,” Marc told his Comm.

  “What can I do for you, Governor?” Chief O’Donnell asked, when he answered his Comm.

  “I’ve been told that it is high time we had bicycles down here,” Marc said.

  “Oh, have you now? Are we getting so big that people can’t walk from place to place?”

  “It’s more of a speed thing.”

  “Aye, well we can make up a few. What kind are you thinking?”

  “Let’s start with two three-speed bikes. Stand up,” Marc motioned to the two girls.

  “I am standing,” the chief said.

  “Not you,” Marc said. “I need to measure your clients.” Marc had his Specs take pictures and measurements of the girls. “And I want to add an exclusive feature.”

  “And what might that be?”

  “You know those trailers they make for hauling your kid around behind you?”

  “I’ve seen something like that.”

  “Well, these ladies want a trailer similar to that that they can use to ferry cargo,” Marc explained.

  “The bikes are not for off-roading, then?”

  “Correct. They want them for local deliveries.”

  “I can have them made, no problem; are we going to set up a manufacturing process for them?”

  “Let’s call these two prototypes. You can set up a process to make more later.”

  “That will take at least a month.”

  “Oh, it’ll be a month before anyone else can get a bicycle,” Marc repeated out loud so the girls could hear.

  “Alright!” Katya said.

  “Where do I deliver these bicycles and wagons?”

  “My office will be fine. How long will it take?”

  “I’ll have them to ya in two days.”

  “Thank you, Chief,” Marc said as
he held up two fingers.

  “Two days?” Katya asked.

  “Yes. I assume I’ll see you then.”

  “For sure. How much do we have to pay for the bikes and trailers?”

  “Why don’t we say ten percent of your earnings for two months,” Marc said.

  “Deal,” Katya said, putting out her hand to shake.

  Marc showed the two girls out of the office. As he watched them run down the street, Melinda came up behind him.

  “Ten percent for two months; you big softie,” she said.

  “Hey those two will be running this place in ten years.”

  “You think it’ll take that long?”

  Marc looked up and rocked his head, “Maybe not.”

  Chapter 8

  Hello Again

  “Hello, I’m Governor Marc McCormack. My brother had some personal business to attend to on our homeworld, so I’ve taken over as governor here on Artemis.” Marc was in the now real office that Blake had mocked up for the first communication.

  “We see that you are still approaching Artemis. However, I have to tell you that we are not willing to share the system. We’ve found that that just leads to problems. We are, however, willing to institute trade between our various worlds. In fact, we have just sent a shipment of grains and metal ores back to the homeworld.”

  Marc got up and walked around the desk. “I thought I’d show you a bit of our colony and indicate some things that might interest you.” Marc walked outside where they’d arranged for a busy group of people in the front yard. “Most of the colonists are still living in our capital city. Some of them will be moving to their farms or ranches later this year, but now we’re still focused on getting the colony off to a strong start.”

  Marc got into the jeep and had the driver head toward the city. “I’m a little remote out here, so I have an office in the city. That makes it more efficient for the colonists to set up appointments and such. It is a lot of work to manage such a busy colony.”

  ◆ ◆ ◆

  As they approached the city, Marc had them keep the camera angle tight so that it didn’t show the edge of the city. They’d declared the day a holiday, so there were the maximum number of people on the street, shopping, dining, or just strolling around.

  “We’ve followed the convention of our homeworld, setting things up so that people live close to where they work. That minimizes vehicle traffic, which cuts down on noise and traffic hazards. The people of Artemis like to stroll the streets and dine at our sidewalk cafés.”