I met the first night down here, thinks we're the Antichrist and wants us destroyed."
"I guess you stay to the south side of south continent."
"Not that easy. There're almost eight million people here. Most Covenanters may be up north, but they got churches in Lander's Refuge. They're not the worst problems. Refuge and New Haven split over something the original captain did early on. I've got six different versions of what that was, and none agree. But there's a pro-captain and an anti-captain faction to this day, and a big chunk of the antis moved south to New Haven about two hundred years ago. Now, if one says it's day, the other insists it's night. I think the pro faction is a bit more in favor of exploiting the planet's resources, but I can't swear to that."
"Sounds like fun."
"Yeah," Ray answered. Mary was up to her knees now, meeting each wave as it came in with a jump and a happy giggle. Ray had never seen Mary as anything but a hard-driving marine officer. This was a whole new side of her.
For a moment, the question flitted across his mind. How many sides are there to the people I'm dealing with? He'd have to remember that. "The farmers we started with are interesting. You meet a girl with flaming red hair, a diction straight out of Joyce, and a name like Nulia Anne Moira Chang. Tells you why her brogue is a bit off."
"Chang?"
"Don't ask me how the Irish took over and the Chinese didn't. Such history is oral, and I don't trust it. There's even a legend that St. Patrick showed them how to plant potatoes."
"Sounds like a nuthouse. Sure you'll be okay while I duck in and out of system? Once we've got acceleration on, it'll take me a while to get down here." Matt had his work cut out for him, too. Speaking of.
"Matt, I'm trying to get my hands on the log of the old Santa Maria, but no luck yet. Refuge, New Haven, Richland, that's the Sterlings' mining town, Vicky owns it lock, stock, and barrel, and even some of the Covenant towns had copies of the original database. But original media last only so long. First- and second-generation local manufacturing wasn't all that good, so the data got corrupted. Ship's log was low priority, so it got cut to save space. Vicky claims she's got a complete copy, but she's only handing out vague samples. Wants mining equipment and technology before she'll share the good stuff."
"How's that going over with the rest?"
"Poorly. The Sterlings have had these people by the short hairs for two hundred years. A lot of people would like them taken down a peg."
"You going to do that?"
"I'd like to stay on everybody's good side."
"Never had much success at that myself," Matt chuckled.
"Probably a bit late in life for me to be trying it, too. How you coming with those survival canisters?"
"Last two go dirtside tomorrow morning. Have you seen what's in them?"
"I approved everything Andy and Elie recommended. Didn't expect to be using them. Glad for them now."
"Yeah. Make sure you open the right one. They sent you everything from a chip fabricator to a bomb factory."
"Andy wanted all the bases covered."
"I'm leaving you a shuttle. I'll be in system every few days. A week at the longest."
"I'll try not to holler wolf. Could you drop that shuttle down here tomorrow at the blimp base? Say, tenish. I don't want to beg a ride back to my base on anyone's blimp."
"And it'll show these folks the power they're dealing with."
"Something like that.
"Good by me. I'll see you when I see you. Out."
Ray leaned back in his seat. The moons were above Mary. The luminous waves rose and fell, casting dim light on her. Ray could see the joy on her face. He could see everything else, too. "Oh, Rita, I miss you."
"You lost them!" Victoria Sterling shrieked. She had deigned to receive her security chief in her gilded coach and four. Grandpa Jason had included six horse embryos in his personal effects. The Landers who squirreled away survival gear among their private goods made it big here. The kids of
"I guess you stay to the south side of south continent."
"Not that easy. There're almost eight million people here. Most Covenanters may be up north, but they got churches in Lander's Refuge. They're not the worst problems. Refuge and New Haven split over something the original captain did early on. I've got six different versions of what that was, and none agree. But there's a pro-captain and an anti-captain faction to this day, and a big chunk of the antis moved south to New Haven about two hundred years ago. Now, if one says it's day, the other insists it's night. I think the pro faction is a bit more in favor of exploiting the planet's resources, but I can't swear to that."
"Sounds like fun."
"Yeah," Ray answered. Mary was up to her knees now, meeting each wave as it came in with a jump and a happy giggle. Ray had never seen Mary as anything but a hard-driving marine officer. This was a whole new side of her.
For a moment, the question flitted across his mind. How many sides are there to the people I'm dealing with? He'd have to remember that. "The farmers we started with are interesting. You meet a girl with flaming red hair, a diction straight out of Joyce, and a name like Nulia Anne Moira Chang. Tells you why her brogue is a bit off."
"Chang?"
"Don't ask me how the Irish took over and the Chinese didn't. Such history is oral, and I don't trust it. There's even a legend that St. Patrick showed them how to plant potatoes."
"Sounds like a nuthouse. Sure you'll be okay while I duck in and out of system? Once we've got acceleration on, it'll take me a while to get down here." Matt had his work cut out for him, too. Speaking of.
"Matt, I'm trying to get my hands on the log of the old Santa Maria, but no luck yet. Refuge, New Haven, Richland, that's the Sterlings' mining town, Vicky owns it lock, stock, and barrel, and even some of the Covenant towns had copies of the original database. But original media last only so long. First- and second-generation local manufacturing wasn't all that good, so the data got corrupted. Ship's log was low priority, so it got cut to save space. Vicky claims she's got a complete copy, but she's only handing out vague samples. Wants mining equipment and technology before she'll share the good stuff."
"How's that going over with the rest?"
"Poorly. The Sterlings have had these people by the short hairs for two hundred years. A lot of people would like them taken down a peg."
"You going to do that?"
"I'd like to stay on everybody's good side."
"Never had much success at that myself," Matt chuckled.
"Probably a bit late in life for me to be trying it, too. How you coming with those survival canisters?"
"Last two go dirtside tomorrow morning. Have you seen what's in them?"
"I approved everything Andy and Elie recommended. Didn't expect to be using them. Glad for them now."
"Yeah. Make sure you open the right one. They sent you everything from a chip fabricator to a bomb factory."
"Andy wanted all the bases covered."
"I'm leaving you a shuttle. I'll be in system every few days. A week at the longest."
"I'll try not to holler wolf. Could you drop that shuttle down here tomorrow at the blimp base? Say, tenish. I don't want to beg a ride back to my base on anyone's blimp."
"And it'll show these folks the power they're dealing with."
"Something like that.
"Good by me. I'll see you when I see you. Out."
Ray leaned back in his seat. The moons were above Mary. The luminous waves rose and fell, casting dim light on her. Ray could see the joy on her face. He could see everything else, too. "Oh, Rita, I miss you."
"You lost them!" Victoria Sterling shrieked. She had deigned to receive her security chief in her gilded coach and four. Grandpa Jason had included six horse embryos in his personal effects. The Landers who squirreled away survival gear among their private goods made it big here. The kids of
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