31. Johree
JOHREE
“What are those?” Jesse asked me three days later, pointing to shapes crawling across a field full of kilt-ha.
“We call them dung beetles,” I replied, “because of their shape and what they do.”
He blinked.
“Those are machines, aren’t they?” he asked, sounding rather unnerved.
I laughed.
“Yes, but designed to look and smell like the real thing, only on a much larger scale so as not to cause panic within the herd.”
“So, dung beetles, um, they eat shit, right? But these are machines, so what? They process it?” he hypothesized as several scurried out of the pasture to go sit in a line by the side of the road we rode along.
“They do. Send them into a pasture on the ‘collect’ setting, and they pick up the dung left behind, storing it under the massive shells you see they have. Once full, the farmer takes them back to the farm and sets them to ‘test’ mode, testing the pH of it all and checking for signs of an infection running through the herd or a need for something nutritional to be added to their diet. Then he changes the command to ‘process,’ and they dry it while turning it into a fine powder, which is then excreted either directly into a field or into a storage pen for later gathering and dispensing.”
“A fancy-ass muck-spreading system. That’s awesome. Y’all would make millions selling this on Earth.”
“We are awaiting final permissions,” I informed him. “We have clearance on our end, but the humans are holding us up. They wish us to simply give them the schematics and patent it as a human invention.”
“They’re worried about competition driving their large companies out of business.”
I nodded.
“So they have said, and it is understandable.”
“So, why not give it to them? Not this version, but the very earliest model of its kind. Patent it yourself there, but issue a free license to manufacture it to any of the manufacturers who wish to make one, as well as a few start-ups. Maybe even offer some venture capital as a grant to the smaller companies with a proven track record in the industry. Then, a few years later, if these take off like I think they will, offer a later—but still not as advanced—model to a few of those, with the understanding that it is a partnership. Make a new company they can buy into and share the cost of building and marketing them. Have the beetles painted in different colors to reflect the particular partner selling one of the shipments through their dealerships, but add a set of Dragonii wings to them as a badge or something.”
I considered his suggestion carefully.
“This is a thing that is done on your world?”
“Oh, yeah. One company comes up with a banging tractor or a combine another one wants, they go into partnership and build them under license. Everyone knows who designed it and that it’s just got the other company’s colors and maybe name on it some which way.
Sometimes it’s on its own, or the two companies make up a new name, or join them together just on that model. ”
I made a mental note to send this information to Father so he could broach it with the Grand Council, who would then direct the Ministry of Trade’s negotiator dealing with Earth.
Jesse glanced around.
“You know, sometimes I can’t believe this planet is real.”
I looked at him in surprise.
“Did the information pack you received not mention this was a terraformed world?”
He glanced away, his cheeks pinkening.
“Maybe? I might have kind of not read it, on account of being positive this was a mistake and then I’d get quietly shipped off to one of the other two planets so the embarrassment could be allowed to fade away.”
I chuckled.
“Not any of it?”
“I read the part where it said it was pretty warm all year round and that it rained an average of three times a week, always before sunrise. Also that there were two tidally locked moons but only inland seas scattered evenly around the planet. Okay, letting myself say that, I feel kind of stupid now,” he laughed.
“It’s rather obvious it’s a designer planet, huh?
But how do y’all keep the weather so uneventful and predictable? ”
“That I’m not entirely sure of. We weren't the ones who terraformed New Haven. Every now and again, terraformed planets that have been left unpopulated are discovered, and there are always at least two artificial moons with still-working apparatus that handles the weather.”
“Seriously? Any idea who?”
I shook my head.
“None at all. The control apparatus are always inside sealed structures that scan visiting ships. They never hail them. They simply scan and decide if they will allow the ship to orbit or land.”
“So, what? Sometimes they don’t?”
I nodded.
“Cartels and conglomerates have tried to set up shop, either to create a hideaway for themselves or to take advantage of the rich minerals or the lack of population to establish a manufacturing facility that would eventually poison the planet. Somehow they know, and a shield goes up over the planet. According to reports I’ve heard, the scan breaks into the ships’ databanks, no matter the encryption.
Whoever put the system in place is not only ancient but so advanced that everything we have is like a child’s attempt compared to theirs. ”
“But if it’s merely surveying for a peaceful company, it allows ships to land.”
I nodded, placing a hand on his knee reassuringly.
“They do, but the shield is why we only have need of a single Corsair. The Corsair is there to defend friendly ships in the system that would be outside the shield if it went up.”
“And the system is happy to allow it and the Mylos ships to approach because you’re both geared for defense, and it can tell from reading y’all’s databanks that y’all don’t start stuff, but damn well finish it if you can.”
“Precisely.”
“Just... wow.”
He licked his lips as I executed a three-point turn to take us back home.
“Okay, change of subject. It’s been four days, and we haven’t heard back about my horses. I’m kind of freaking out that it’s because something went wrong and my dad is trying to fix it, hoping not to upset me any more than they already did.”
“I will send a message to Rishka and ask him if the ambassador’s office has had an update on when we can expect them.”
“Thanks. I know I could do it, but I still feel weird approaching even an aide to somebody as important as an ambassador. And I didn't want to ask Bob to do it, as he’s busy with all the new building work and legal code he’s helping you draft, as well as everything else.”
I looked at the new dirt roads that had been created, laying out the town in a small grid so the building parcels for new businesses and colony infrastructure were clearly defined.
I smiled when I saw a sign had been erected on one parcel, proclaiming it the future location of the hospital we were recruiting medical personnel and support staff for.
Another announced the future location of the school, which already had the 3D-printing rails and their laser guides in place so work could begin tomorrow.
The colony was growing, building by building, and the program had become inundated with applicants since our wedding.
More colony worlds had opened their doors to take the influx of those we were not ready for yet, preferring to have the necessary infrastructure in place before we accepted many more farmers.
Applications were being thoroughly scrutinized as well, as some applicants insisted they only wished to come to New Haven, wanting to meet us personally with the idea that we would become best friends and make them YouVid famous.
One woman had even decided she was destined to become our third mate and had actually put that in her screening application, complete with quite graphic detail about the imaginary mental messages she received from us urging her to go get tested.
She was blocked from testing and referred for a psychiatric evaluation.
I turned into the drive leading up to the manse.
Saplings of the local ‘walnut’ trees lined the drive, with pasture fencing behind them, as we’d both decided a divided pasture for the horses and kilt-ha was preferable to a lawn.
It would serve to drive home the pastoral nature of our world to any visiting dignitaries and help strip away some of the pretensions that came with state occasions.
“Home, sweet home!” Jesse said, beaming at me. “Whatcha reckon Rosie has for our dinner tonight?”
“I’m certainly ready to go in and find out,” I admitted, parking the flitter beside the steps leading to the back door.
“Me too,” he replied, hopping out as soon as we stopped and taking the steps two at a time.
I chuckled at his antics, thinking how much better my life was with him in it. I thought back to that day when my fathers had summoned me to the palace to tell me about my new governorship and my duty to get tested.
One of the most auspicious days of my life, eclipsed only by our bonding day.