“Here is the number of discoveries in our department since Adia came to us.” This part of the graph split in lines with each of our colors. My purple reached higher than Derees’ orange?
“Adia has discovered five new catalysts per week in her two years with us. All of this work flows because we have a steady supply of new ones.”
“When she discovers her new fuel, Director Pragate will make her Lead Scientist, and I will not mind.” With a chuckle, Vonn patted my shoulder. Me? But surely he jokes.
Vonn’s blue line came next, and Tanda’s brown. My mind could not grasp this! How will they fare without me? I breathed more smoothly. Eicken is mostly scientists, 20,000 of us. There will be more. Surely one will choose ANW.
Ryee kept a hand on my shoulder, and calm filled me. Did he hear my thoughts? I almost reached for the twin fingers, as for Papa’s, Mama’s, Maia’s or Aronna’s.
Never would I hear the end of it from Ossy or Citsa! Your face gets so red with your upset. You should work to control your thoughts better, like a trader. How often has she said it to me, in two years? Another breath. Two.
Ossy’s gold dot sat on the bottom of the graph by Citsa’s silver.
“And, Tanda's research on nitrogen in unlikely sources. Another brilliant scientist on our team.” He pointed to Tanda’s brown line. “Because of her work, we need our breathers less often this year than last!” I smiled at her.
Another wave, this time, from Vonn. “See our work, before Adia came.”
There were ten lines besides Vonn’s and Derees’. Ossy and Citsa were still on the bottom. Five of those scientists left the department with red marks. Those lines were little higher than the silver and gold ones. The others, almost as high as Vonn’s, had little memorial wreaths.
I frowned. “What happened to them?”
Both men looked very sad. Derees took a deep breath. “They went to DF. This one is my dear wife, who cannot work. Everyone thought Patasia died, but she is at home. After DF, she is not the same.”
“Breathe, my friend. We remember all of them kindly, do we?”
I added my hand to his shoulder. So did Tanda. It made me feel good, that they are remembered. Perhaps they will remember me, when I am gone. Am I changed also, after DF? Breathe!
Ryee put his hand over ours and warmth calmed me. “Can you bring Patasia to Ye~? Pas knows healing for Areonians.”
“Oh, we do not have such trade—”
“We heal all who come to us! Many traders collapse, because they traded too long. Elshars say they are tough, but any man can carry too heavy a burden. Telepathy can kill.”
Derees startled. “They use telepathy as a weapon?”
“Sometimes a rival will, but more oft, it is overuse of the telepathy. In TS trading, one contacts friends so that they know an item they might need is on your table. So many contacts, and a man has damage to his mind. Hours of this, and he needs his healer!”
Telepathy, as a weapon. Oh, it scared me! I often had headaches after their stares. And, in Papa’s department from certain coworkers.
What do they gain if they injure us? Revenge, of course. I shivered. Stop thinking!
“We always station healers near our Spaceport, so that if they hear distress, they can enter a man’s ship. Our healers know DS codes which open any ship if there is need.”
“Is that not dangerous, for men to know codes like that?” Derees frowned.
Ryee smiled. “Is for emergencies. Ships have progs to detect such an entry. If the person is DS, TS, or a healer, entry is monitored. Also, these progs monitor the health of the person and his cargo. If a person is harmed by the person entering, TS is notified. Or if cargo is taken.”
Vonn chuckled. “I never knew that, and my brother was a lawyer! He had TS status because he advised the Areonic Council. Oh, I miss him.”
“He died? I am very sorry! What is his name?”
“Tan Links. He visited Ye~ often on his free days. Lawyers get more of them than we scientists.” Vonn’s gray eyes filled.
“O, Pas healed him once. He had severe mind pain after trading. Always, he was very polite. Our traders looked forward to his visits, and all complain that they ne saw him, long.” Ryonne~ also had tears in his large golden eyes.
“And, he had a wonderful sense of humor. His jokes made all the Kleideu ladies giggle! They enjoyed it as he danced with all the children.” Derees shared him dancing with me.
“I remember him! I was nine that year.” He sang to me as we danced and made me feel grown.
“That was you? We should change the subject. I am sorry, Vonn.”
Vonn rubbed a gray eye. “Dear friend, happy you shared that. Adia, remember him well, will you? It gives me great comfort—”
Ryee grabbed his shoulder, and he calmed. Tears dried on his hand. Did I think no one had them but me?
Derees remembered Patasia—they were both my age now in that memory—full of life, optimistic, and eager to have a large family. Now, she is often cross with their boys and he grieves the wife she once was. How would my family feel if I returned to them so changed?
My hand brushed the worn irradiation chamber by me. Patasia once sat here as she researched as I do. What did she study?
Vonn startled. “Director Ado Pragate is on his way here!”
Color drained from Ossy and Citsa’s faces.
Director Pragate rushed in. Ryee and I stood, to show respect. So did Vonn, Tanda and Derees.
"Please, friends, be seated. Ryee, glad to see you are down here.” Pragate did not offer his hand as a Kleideu would. His long, red face had a very hooked nose. His smile seemed genuine.
You might be reading a stolen copy. Visit Royal Road for the authentic version.
Brown eyes scanned our faces with a stern look at Ossy and Citsa, in their corner. Very rude of them not to stand when he came in. “Mr. Koch and Miss Wilnes, you need to hear this also.” They walked.
“I asked Ryee to help Adia with the ANW research. We need a breakthrough! Eriganh is not interested in D’gharr; the Kajarians want Areon’s ships; Areon’s aandats.” Oh, that name made me shudder! Ryee touched my shoulder.
“When D’gharr falls, Areon will be their next target, and we will all be researching for the enemy and farming aandat for the rest of our lives. Our ships must be ready to fly in the next few months. We require fuel! Council plans for our colony to move.”
Our entire colony! I felt weak.
"Times are most dire. I will ask you to make use of the old sleeping quarters. You will all be here, working all your waking hours, until you and the others on the Project can discover solutions. We desperately need a new fuel.“ He looked at me.” No one on the Eicken Project is close to an answer, except you, Madame Rayaline.
“Without a new fuel, only a few of us have ships, and small ships are easy targets for Eriganh’s soldiers. We have enough ships, at this moment, to transport Areon, D’gharr, and hundreds of other worlds that belong to our Hub. Who all wish to flee Eriganh’s armies! Ships that are useless without fuel!
“We used all of our Region’s resources to build them. If we fail to leave and take them with us, Eriganh’s army will use them to destroy the rest of the Seventh. He has no fuel shortage, because he steals what he needs.
“ANW is the only compound plentiful enough to supply all of these ships. Now you see how important your research is. Vonn, I want all of you to try to help Madame Rayaline in her work. Everyone with any knowledge of fuel research is at your disposal, and all materials Areon has.
“Vonn, as of today, the rest of Areon’s budget is in your hands. I will approve any amount of it you deem necessary for this new fuel. Areon’s budget is now our Region’s. All worlds in our Hub contributed trade and materials, those used in ships or fuel research. Also food for our workers, lodged on our ships.” A wave, and a display showed to my supervisor that made him pale!
“Ryonne~ will ask no special privileges, and you can make use of his longer waking period. He has pledged his assistance on this project for up to three weeks. His Science Council also, and all Science Councils of our Hub, will help.
“In return for your cooperation, I have ordered the EDs on this floor deactivated. You must mention it to no one, otherwise I will have to find other employment." He smiled.
"I will do my best." A chance to work, free of worry about setting off EDs!
“Will you tell me what happened? There was an explosion over the Barrens!”
I explained my experiment and waved up every step.
He studied them and nodded. “Safety will recheck all of their containment progs.
“Vonn, why did you let her use such an outdated irradiation chamber? Six months ago, you traded for a new mixing chamber. I am always quoting your love of budgets and wise use of materials.”
Vonn waved up several holodisplays for him. Frowned. “It was scheduled to be replaced. Ossy reported the purchase of two new ones. I discovered the mistake this morning, but I could do nothing to replace it. The other is also a disaster! Derees and I could not find a replacement on the Areon Hub.”
Pragate scowled. “Mr. Koch, care to explain this? Disobedience of a Section Leader is—”
“I will contact Traders Service and dispute the trade. The description was of a new one.”
“I was not aware that you had status with TS, Mr. Koch.” He waved up Ossy’s record. Frowned.
He flinched. His face turned bright red. “Not yet. I trade in Areon's Net.”
“Areon's Net and not the Hub Net? You do not know enough Qvarn to trade on the Hub Net?” Pragate studied Ossy's holo and Citsa's, because her record was also attached. “Traders Service will not help you with local trade. If you had used the Hub Net, yes. You train Citstasia Wilnes on the Areon Net? Miss Wilnes, did you pass Traders in school?” Her record scrolled, and Traders was marked Unfinished. How did she get this position without passing all of her classes?
Papa said slavers oft put items in the Areon Net because Traders Service did not monitor any local tradenet. Safety wrote all the security progs for the Areon Net. That fact did not help Areon Net's reputation for misrepresented items.
“I trade very carefully. Why do you think we stay under budget?”
“If you had listened in your Traders classes in school, you would both know that Areon's Net is not for scientists. Did you know that the Areon Net uses the same tracking progs as the Hub Net? Your parents can afford your Qvarn tutors.” They both got very red in their faces.
Then, he waved Vonn's record. Smiled. “Both of you, this is how scientists trade. Excellent work.” A holo of the mixing chamber rotated. “D'sharr wants less trade for their items than Areon. And, their quality is high. Areon's strength is ships, not mixing or irradiation chambers. Replace all these outdated items, and put them back on the Areon Nets, where they belong.” He poked at many icons on Ossy's record, and on Citsa's. Pragate put his mark, a yellow warning mark, on both their records. Vonn put his, after. Their parents would get a holo from him.
No. There were two yellow marks from Vonn. Dated today. Two? They would have a personal visit from Director Pragate! Ossy would no longer be allowed to visit. Papa would be very angry if Maia saw him.
Everyone would see those marks if they traded with them. DF offenses vanished from my record the first time I traded on the Hub Net. In Traders, they taught us to avoid trading with anyone who had them. If you do, a note is put into your account. It harms your reputation as an Alliance trader.
Yet, DF offenses do not? A citizen of the Alliance, the intergalactic trade network Areon belonged to, had one record. All of it was public, to protect traders. Even one yellow mark disgraced a person's family.
Mama said marks remain on the record, for life. Any planet's law that involves intentional dishonesty or harm gets a mark if an official signs on it.
I felt sorry for them. Their income will suffer even if it comes from Areon Net. Everyone needs trade for healers, clothing formers, furniture progs, housing, alt storage for items.
Only basic food and needs came from our work. Food supplements will keep you alive, but who wants to live on them?
Ossy stepped close. “If Derees could just work a little faster, we would have something to report. If you notice, my work has a lot more polish.”
Pragate frowned and pulled a corner of the report with Ossy's holo on it. “Oh, yes. Polished mistakes. How is it you have Trednium instead of Tredium in your mixing chamber? Do you enjoy explosions, Ossy Koch?” He gave a pointed glance to the mixing chamber. Citsa startled and waved to stop it!
He turned very red in his face. “I—I know it's Predium—Tredium!”
Pragate pulled three holos. “I see this mistake in three places, Mr. Koch. If you spent a little more time, such as Mr. Jons does, I would not find such glaring mistakes. And, what is this expense for maintenance on your mixing chamber? Do you use simulants, Mr. Koch?”
Ossy put materials in the mixing chamber instead of using simulants, so he could take walks to my home to visit my sister. I said nothing. After I noticed, I watched him. Saw his mixing chamber on and unattended on many occasions.
Vonn and Derees never left their work area, and often stayed after even I left for the day. Ossy and Citsa always left early. They always left work in the mixing chamber. None of the rest of us ever automated work, not ever, with fuels. And, they complain that my work is dangerous.
Vonn sighed and looked at the two of them. “This is why the mixing chamber gets so much use, is it? More use than you and Miss Wilnes bother to tell me about? And then, Derees has to wait for his work, always, while maintenance runs. Yet, Derees is the one who politely organizes your results in your work area, is he?” His lips pressed together. I had never seen him upset, not in two years here.
Director Pragate frowned. “I see other discrepancies with these two workers. Vonn, come to my office. Mr. Koch and Miss Wilnes, you have trouble.”
Ossy and Citsa remained silent and expressionless as they followed Pragate out. Vonn was his usual matter-of-fact self as he sighed, "I am glad I do not have a family to miss me."
“My boys will miss you, Vonn.” Derees plopped a hand on his shoulder.
Vonn smiled at him. Then at me. At Ryonne~. Rushed to follow them.