Family Law 2: The Long Voyage of the Little Fleet (33 page)

"I know they have humor, but we haven't seen enough of them to know much either. We're still working on it," Chance explained.

"You'd better look fast," Frost said. "Before they are contaminated with Human ideas. We Derf had a much simpler wholesome humor before the Humans corrupted us."

For some reason that cracked Fussy up.

* * *

"We have a working model of the gravity machine. It only works for a circle about a half meter across, but I'm assured the principle is the same both up and down scale," Prosperity announced. "We also have the tech to make the superconductors it uses."

"What is that costing us?" Lee asked.

"A Badger ship is going to accompany us back to our space and get escorted to New Japan. We will see that he arrives safely with an armed escort, help with cultural differences with New Japan and use our resources and connections to get them set up with a embassy or a consulate as appropriate. We will apply a credit of fifty million Fargone silver Dollars, or the equivalent in other fungible credit, currency or metal, toward their initial purchase of weapons systems."

"You stole it!" Lee gasped.

"Hardly," Prosperity objected, suddenly defensive. "It was the number
they
suggested when we told them what we paid for our peashooters."

"Did they get uncomfortable when you didn't try to haggle them down?" Gordon asked.

"No, I
did
pause quite a long time and consult my computer. They looked like they wanted to talk a few times, but I asked them to give me a minute when they got fidgety. Finally I said yes, I could agree to that. They got sort of shy after the fact and asked if I needed to get a confirmation of that from Lee or Gordon, but I figured with all the claims we have I could easily guarantee it myself. I'm sure the lowest share will be much more than that. They did seem a little shocked when I said I'd guarantee it from my own funds. I don't think they really understand yet how much our explorers can make from a successful voyage. Of course, if you don't want the deal for the common shares I'd buy it," he offered.

"Do we look stupid?" Thor asked, amused, not angry.

"You look far too dangerous to answer that question." Prosperity quipped.

"We'll get all the Solar patents for this thing," Lee said. "Does Fargone have patents?"

"Yes, Fargone and New Japan too. There are even a few of the minor colonies where it would pay to file. If they can't make them now they might within the life of the patent," Prosperity suggested.

"It wouldn't be fair to everybody else, to not share out major discoveries like this to the whole company," Gordon said, "even if the Claims Commission rules don't cover alien tech finds. We simply never considered this sort of thing happening in our crew contracts. We need to correct that next voyage, or even ask for a revision on their contracts from the crew now. It's to their benefit after all. But I also think Prosperity should not go unrewarded for taking the initiative and getting us such a plum. Also for not trying to direct it to Fargone or steal it himself when it isn't covered in our contracts. He acted on principles. Not everyone would."

"Agreed, if only to make him comfortable that he
can
cover that fifty million," Thor agreed. "He looked a little worried to me when he said it."

"Five full crew shares," Lee said, with conviction. "This is going to make us billions."

Thor just nodded. "Agreed," Gordon said.

"Wow, I was planning on being rich, but this...it's fantastic. I appreciate it."

"Just keep it to yourself if you would. We don't need envy running wild, creating jealousy."

"No problem. I finally convinced them on the way out that I won't play poker with them, despite my falling off the wagon with the Badgers. This would get them all stirred up again to pester me to play."

Chapter 16

"They are OK with you docking on a stand-off boom," Fussy informed him. They'd let him arrange things since they had never met Humans or Derf. Badgers were comfortably familiar.

"They have the bare-bones report that the Biter ships in system 69 were destroyed," Fussy reported. "I have to admit I like that English phrase. Horribly graphic, but I'm going to start using it in Trade. Anyway...the system controllers in 69 took to heart your request not to publish the battle in their system scan. In fact they decided that it would be smarter not to export any of that data on outgoing messenger drones, as Biters elsewhere might get access to it, so their usual traffic summery was censored. I think that has the locals upset here. I've been around Bills enough to tell when they are upset about something, maybe not read the fine nuances, but these Bills are uncomfortable."

"Should we change our plans and forego docking? I was starting to hope we could see one of these gems. But they might be afraid to even display one to us," Chance concluded.

"No, the Bills are not," he consulted his pad, "
timid
. If anything less then we Badgers. They enjoy some fairly violent sports we find excessive, but I've never known them to be mindlessly aggressive."

"I wanted to see this close up, but again, I'm going to skip going on station," Chance decided. "This time I'm thinking of to allowing the Sharp Claws a chance to dock and send somebody on station. They have a big enough crew I'd suggest they can put four crew on station, but I want two of them designated as body guards and armored up just as if they had a lock to guard attached right to the station."

"Do you mind if we dock the
Dart,
so we finally get a chance to meet some of your crew face to face?" Fussy asked.

"Do you have any serious security to guard your lock?" Chance asked.

"We do not normally expect any problem at stations run by our races. All we'd have are the side arms most of us own and our armory has a couple longer weapons you'd call shotguns. It isn't our custom to wear arms on board, I'm sure you have noticed."

"No powered armor or heavier weapons?"

"No, I've
never
heard of a ship being assaulted at dock," Fussy repeated.

Chase thought about it a bit, frowning. "We
do
have a history of docked ships being taken. In fact Gordon has done it, quite skillfully. He is rather notorious for it in fact. I assumed responsibility for your protection and I have this
itch
, on the edges of my thoughts...It's hard to explain. I saw the Biters left the system, but
we
sometimes make a run and fail to jump, we stop short and a jump out isn't as radiant as coming in, we could get suckered. Especially with that huge gas giant filling half the sky. Somebody could come up from behind it and over the horizon with very little time to react."

"That seems paranoid to me, but I can't say it is
impossible
," Fussy admitted. "I came near dropping your protection before and am glad I didn't. I'll take your advice, even tell the station we changed our mind and press on if you wish."

"No, no, let's visit, but we'll change how. Rather than dock two ships we'll stand-off and keep watch. Since you can dock, let's send a team of four over to the
Dart
from the
Sharp Claws
while we are still in transit, to provide security when you dock. Can you accommodate four for a few hours before and after docking? You have a crew of six, right? So you'd be crowded. More than doubled if one or two are Derf since they take more life support. But only by your leave. I won't demand putting anyone aboard your vessel if you don't want it."

"I'm not afraid of you," Fussy said. Then he paused and got what they knew for a Badger smile. "The software warns me that might be taken as a challenge. What I mean is, I'm absolutely
terrified
at your entire culture and technology, after seeing what happened to the Biters. However I am confident of your...damn this language! I want to say this exactly." He stopped and studied the pad at length and input a few inquiries. "I am sure of your
personal
goodwill. I think that's what I want to say. You could be ordering me about and instead you ask politely. I appreciate that. I will take your folks on my ship with no fear they have ill intent. There is room, if a bit tight for Derf and the life support could carry them all for a week, but why not send a couple of
my
crew across to the
Sharp Claws
? It would be a treasured experience and make it less crowded on the
Dart
."

"OK, everybody should carry a few extra days of basic rations, if only survival bars, in case something fouls up and they can't transfer right back," Chance insisted. "You can take one of my people on station with you and if everything is calm another later. But the two at the ship are going to be armored up and whoever goes with you will have on plain passive armor and go armed."

"You are very cautious," Fussy said, but it didn't appear to be with disapproval.

"Anything I can anticipate, no matter how unlikely, I'll plan for. Then when the unexpected happens maybe we'll have a shot at surviving it," Chance agreed. "We'd say I am a belt
and
suspenders sort of guy," he explained.

"Neither of which we need, lacking the custom of pants," Fussy said, examining his pad, "but I do take your meaning."

* * *

"I've showed them Bucky-foam, corrugated Bucky and seamless graphene. They have shown us flexible ceramics. We are agreed in principle to a straight across trade if I can get your approval as expedition leaders," Prosperity said to Lee and Gordon.

"The ceramics are worth it?" Lee asked.

"They make
springs
from ceramics that work at temperatures metal springs won't. They make pressure vessels from ceramics. They can be made slightly malleable. And they are corrosion resistant in stuff were we'd have to use platinum group metals or gold. Honest, it's terrific technology."

Lee looked at Gordon and got a little nod. "Go for it then," she agreed.

"We have a plant trade worked up. We give them corn, sunflowers, kudzu, pearl potatoes, kelp, wild roses, sugar cane, two kinds of maple and balsa."

"Can they eat corn?" Gordon asked. "I've never cared for it myself, it upsets my digestion."

"They may be able to. Some of their small rodent like creatures can. However just the chemical stocks and plastics you can get from it interests them. They don't have many crops that can be grown in a totally automated system like corn. In less developed areas it might even be used as fuel that doesn't have to be pelletized."

"I hope they know not to let kudzu get away from them. It can take over an area and be horrible to eradicate," Gordon said.

"That is exactly why they are interested in it. They are expressing an interest in Terraforming some water worlds now that they know we are doing it. They have algae of their own, quite a few aggressive water plants and grasses, but nothing like kudzu."

"Why maple trees?" Lee asked.

"They saw pictures of tiger-maple and bird's-eye maple artifacts. Apparently such rich figuring is unknown in their woody plants. They want the kelp because they have nothing that concentrates iodine biologically like kelp. Iodine is horribly expensive. The cane sugar they can digest in limited quantity. Roses they want because it forms a barrier in climates where they have no similar dense thorned plant that will survive and they have some livestock they would fence with it that need vitamin C just like Humans. A thick tangle of thorned roses would fence and the rose hips supply the vitamin. All theirs barrier plants are tropical. Balsa, well I didn't realize how useful balsa is until I started reading. This is just a start. They are interested in bamboos,
many
trees and decorative flowers. It's a long list. Do you know what we didn't bring that they really want?"

"What?" Lee asked Prosperity.

"Bees. A lot of the plants will have to be pollinated by hand. We have to send bees back on the next ship. They are curious if the honey will be safe for any of their races too."

"What are
we
getting?" Lee asked.

" They're giving us a plant that concentrates heavy metals from poor ore, in a seed that looks like lentils. Gold, lead, uranium..."

"No kidding?" Gordon perked right up.

"A tree very much like
Copaifera langsdorffii,
what they call the 'kerosene tree', but it is easier to tap, grows in much colder climates and gets bigger trunks that make insect resistant lumber. We also get a similar tree that the sap is a mix of waxes after you boil off the volatiles and it is the basis of entire industries. In pre-industrial times they made candles from it and dipped food in it to preserve it."

"Impressive. Even if I never heard of the Copa...whatever," Gordon admitted.

"We also get a grass that is just about impossible to trample to death. You can drive over it on a regular basis and it doesn't get ruts. It's so short animals can't over-graze it. The root system is a mat that goes down a half meter, but it can get away from you like kudzu too. You could use it in a restricted area like a sports field though and maybe in Terraforming. There is a plant I'd call a succulent. It will grow in very brackish water and I don't know about Humans or Derf yet, but Badgers can live off the water in the leaves without any free water to drink."

"No food plants?" Lee asked.

"Later, both sides are testing like crazy. Some things will be safe, some not. It's going to take years to work through all of them. We also get a bush that when twigs are broken off it forms a drop of resin. I've smelled some and it is just a wonderful odor. It has medicinal qualities for Badgers, but just the scent is worthwhile. Then there is a tree that makes unusually strong lumber that is very resistant to splitting. A plant that grows fuzzy seed pods similar to cotton, but the fiber compacts like wool, it will felt or shrink down like boiled wool and it grows in poor soils. Another fast growing tree that has wood that looks pretty normal, but it ages to a bright scarlet all the way through. It's tough so they use it for parquet flooring. They want purple heart when we can get it back to them.