Sorry for the delay, work went crazy and I haven't gotten a weekend since June 5th. You can blame my boss for the delay. ;) Should be back to normal next week. v.
Chapter 42
“Ah hell,” Elena muttered to herself as she skirted the Docking Facility. She had expected it to be busy this far into the season and she wasn’t disappointed. She had been hoping to avoid Riko for a little while longer though and in that she suspected she was doomed to fail. Docked next to her Aunt Catherine’s ship was Riko’s. There was a free docking space right next to Riko. Elena thought about circling to see what else was free but decided that would be childish.
“Maybe she won’t be near the ship,” Elena said wistfully but without much hope. She docked the Storm Chaser and she and Benjamin left the ship. Spin decided to stay in her cozy little nook rather than brave the crowds. Elena tried not to envy her as Riko came into view. She wondered how long the councilor had been waiting.
“Elena,” Riko said, holding out her hands in greeting. “It has been a while since we last spoke.” Elena gripped her hands in token greeting, letting go of the dry, papery soft skin as soon as politeness had been served.
“It has Councilor, are you well?”
“I am,” she said. Riko looked around Elena in a somewhat exaggerated motion. “I notice your cousin is absent, is he well?”
“He is,” Elena said with a guarded smile. “He had business to attend to earthside.”
“Really?” Riko said an eyebrow lifting in interest. “Profitable business?”
“One hopes all business is profitable,” Elena replied. Many people had slowed and were starting to pay attention to the conversation.
“Of course, of course. And you?”
“I am well and my business is profitable.” Elena answered. The smile was beginning to feel tight.
“Good,” Riko said nodding. “That pleases me. You have expanded your horizons then?”
“I am looking into additional avenues of commerce.”
“Diversification is always a good idea. I would like very much to speak with you about these additional avenues. After all I too seek to expand my commerce.”
“Of course councilor. I would be happy to speak with you once I have investigated those avenues. It does one no good to discuss something without a firm knowledge of the topic.” At her answer Riko’s smile tightened.
“Do you expect to have the answers you wish before the close of the season?”
“That is my expectation, yes,” Elena replied. “However I fear I will be cutting the season fine this year.”
“I see,” Riko replied, her expression easing somewhat. “I wish you fair winds then.”
“And a good journey to you,” Elena concluded the formal parting.
“Good journey,” Riko replied. She nodded slightly at Elena and moved off. Elena tried hard not to sigh with relief although she did jump when a hand was placed on her shoulder. She turned to find a familiar face grinning at her.
“Aunt Catherine, don’t do that,” Elena said as her aunt chuckled.
“Sorry,” she replied, no sign of contrition on her face.
“You know you could have shown up earlier so I could plead business.”
“And interrupt Riko? No thanks,” Catherine replied with a shudder. “Besides it wouldn’t have helped.”
“Maybe not,” Elena conceded. Catherine squeezed her shoulder in sympathy. “Why don’t we get the cargo transferred quickly then.”
“Works for me.” The cargo was transferred between the ships and Elena begged off family dinner with the need to conduct some business. Catherine let her go with a shake of her head and a smile.
“Too much like my father,” She said as Elena took off. Elena acknowledged her with a salute, then turned and made her way down the corridors. She moved quickly and hoped her pace indicated that she was not in the mood to stop and talk. She passed through the marketplace, ignoring the sounds of commerce. Her stomach was less inclined to ignore the smells of cooking food but she told it they would stop on the way back.
‘Besides,’ She thought to herself. ‘You can’t bring food where I am going.’ She shuttered to think of the reaction. She left the marketplace behind and worked her way through quieter corridors. She smiled as she drew nearer to the Docking Facilities library. She had always enjoyed coming here as a child. Admittedly it was for the books that told of the adventures of older pilots that she came. She may make a practice of outrunning raiders and understood that Peter and Riko’s dealings could often be called shady, but the earlier pilots were much more pirate like. In the archives she found stories fully the match for Blackbeard and Anne Bonny.
The archival area was much larger than the part she had access to. The corridor had many doors in it, none of those doors had handles on her side and she knew they were not for her to enter. She moved quickly down the path and found herself facing two large double doors. They were propped open, admitting entrance to all who wanted it. She had never seen them closed. Elena slowed her pace and smiled, as she always did at the sign above the door. It seemed an odd line for a library and it never failed to amuse her.
“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. So is a lot. Albert Einstein” She stepped through the open doors. As always she looked straight up. There was a large dome over the top of the library that was composed of a clear substance allowing a perfect view of the outside and giving the impression that the library stretched upward for an infinite amount of space. It made the library seem much grander than it was, although the room was still impressive. It was large and it had shelves filled with data, but it lacked the paper and leather smell most libraries seemed to possess.
‘Probably because there is no paper or leather,’ she thought. This library was more or less a digital archive. The materials were stored on memory cards. To access the information you went to a central terminal and typed into the search engine. It brought up a list of relevant material as any library data base would. Then the library patron would move to the shelves as if the materials were traditional books. Each data chip was stored in its own little archival box and marked using the old fashioned Dewey decimal system. All a patron had to do was take the memory chip from the box, insert it into their own personal electronic reader and hit copy. The file would then be added to their personal library.
Elena took her new copy reader out of her bag. It was still shiny and smelled like new plastic with an electronic tang. For a long time the guild required all personal readers to be kept on the Docking Facility. Those regulations were beginning o loosen as regular technology began to catch up. The advent of items like i-pods and kindle readers made the standard readers more or less blend in. These new readers actually looked a bit like a kindle reader and she strongly suspected someone had made a deal with the company.
“It would save someone the effort of a manufacturing facility,” Elena muttered. She set her empty reader down next to the database console and began to scan. The Docking Facility’s library was quite impressive. The collection had been built up over centuries and ranged through nearly every culture the guild had come in contact with.
Over time it had grown too large to store in one place so electronic copies had been made for everyday use and left at the docking facility while the library ships contained copies of the originals and stayed on the move, searching for information to add to the guild’s data banks. After all knowledge was power. The Librarians were a family unto themselves under guild law and were the only entity Elena knew of to rival the power of the Council. After all it was the librarians who knew the history of each trade route and could, and often did, settle disputes.
It was this information that Elena was beginning to search. While she didn’t think opening new channels had a precedent, she knew she would have to establish that she had a right to the channel she was opening. To do that she had to make certain she wasn’t just opening up a back door into someone else’s holdings. Much of the information regarding the planet’s location was unknown. Some would be gleaned from the information Mateo was gathering, more would be learned once they went through the channel and on to the planet.
Elena would still have to make a formal presentation to the Council and bargain for the rights even if she had an alliance with Riko. Previously her grandfather had been the one to negotiate the rights, and in truth Elena had paid little attention beyond memorizing new star charts and route details. This time she would be on her own. If she expected to stand as an independent household head she could not rely on him to negotiate for her. Elena sighed and realized Benjamin was right, she may hate politics but that really didn’t seem to matter any more. Elena rubbed her forehead and wondered how long it was going to take before people began expecting her to take her mother’s place.
“Maybe she won’t be near the ship,” Elena said wistfully but without much hope. She docked the Storm Chaser and she and Benjamin left the ship. Spin decided to stay in her cozy little nook rather than brave the crowds. Elena tried not to envy her as Riko came into view. She wondered how long the councilor had been waiting.
“Elena,” Riko said, holding out her hands in greeting. “It has been a while since we last spoke.” Elena gripped her hands in token greeting, letting go of the dry, papery soft skin as soon as politeness had been served.
“It has Councilor, are you well?”
“I am,” she said. Riko looked around Elena in a somewhat exaggerated motion. “I notice your cousin is absent, is he well?”
“He is,” Elena said with a guarded smile. “He had business to attend to earthside.”
“Really?” Riko said an eyebrow lifting in interest. “Profitable business?”
“One hopes all business is profitable,” Elena replied. Many people had slowed and were starting to pay attention to the conversation.
“Of course, of course. And you?”
“I am well and my business is profitable.” Elena answered. The smile was beginning to feel tight.
“Good,” Riko said nodding. “That pleases me. You have expanded your horizons then?”
“I am looking into additional avenues of commerce.”
“Diversification is always a good idea. I would like very much to speak with you about these additional avenues. After all I too seek to expand my commerce.”
“Of course councilor. I would be happy to speak with you once I have investigated those avenues. It does one no good to discuss something without a firm knowledge of the topic.” At her answer Riko’s smile tightened.
“Do you expect to have the answers you wish before the close of the season?”
“That is my expectation, yes,” Elena replied. “However I fear I will be cutting the season fine this year.”
“I see,” Riko replied, her expression easing somewhat. “I wish you fair winds then.”
“And a good journey to you,” Elena concluded the formal parting.
“Good journey,” Riko replied. She nodded slightly at Elena and moved off. Elena tried hard not to sigh with relief although she did jump when a hand was placed on her shoulder. She turned to find a familiar face grinning at her.
“Aunt Catherine, don’t do that,” Elena said as her aunt chuckled.
“Sorry,” she replied, no sign of contrition on her face.
“You know you could have shown up earlier so I could plead business.”
“And interrupt Riko? No thanks,” Catherine replied with a shudder. “Besides it wouldn’t have helped.”
“Maybe not,” Elena conceded. Catherine squeezed her shoulder in sympathy. “Why don’t we get the cargo transferred quickly then.”
“Works for me.” The cargo was transferred between the ships and Elena begged off family dinner with the need to conduct some business. Catherine let her go with a shake of her head and a smile.
“Too much like my father,” She said as Elena took off. Elena acknowledged her with a salute, then turned and made her way down the corridors. She moved quickly and hoped her pace indicated that she was not in the mood to stop and talk. She passed through the marketplace, ignoring the sounds of commerce. Her stomach was less inclined to ignore the smells of cooking food but she told it they would stop on the way back.
‘Besides,’ She thought to herself. ‘You can’t bring food where I am going.’ She shuttered to think of the reaction. She left the marketplace behind and worked her way through quieter corridors. She smiled as she drew nearer to the Docking Facilities library. She had always enjoyed coming here as a child. Admittedly it was for the books that told of the adventures of older pilots that she came. She may make a practice of outrunning raiders and understood that Peter and Riko’s dealings could often be called shady, but the earlier pilots were much more pirate like. In the archives she found stories fully the match for Blackbeard and Anne Bonny.
The archival area was much larger than the part she had access to. The corridor had many doors in it, none of those doors had handles on her side and she knew they were not for her to enter. She moved quickly down the path and found herself facing two large double doors. They were propped open, admitting entrance to all who wanted it. She had never seen them closed. Elena slowed her pace and smiled, as she always did at the sign above the door. It seemed an odd line for a library and it never failed to amuse her.
“A little knowledge is a dangerous thing. So is a lot. Albert Einstein” She stepped through the open doors. As always she looked straight up. There was a large dome over the top of the library that was composed of a clear substance allowing a perfect view of the outside and giving the impression that the library stretched upward for an infinite amount of space. It made the library seem much grander than it was, although the room was still impressive. It was large and it had shelves filled with data, but it lacked the paper and leather smell most libraries seemed to possess.
‘Probably because there is no paper or leather,’ she thought. This library was more or less a digital archive. The materials were stored on memory cards. To access the information you went to a central terminal and typed into the search engine. It brought up a list of relevant material as any library data base would. Then the library patron would move to the shelves as if the materials were traditional books. Each data chip was stored in its own little archival box and marked using the old fashioned Dewey decimal system. All a patron had to do was take the memory chip from the box, insert it into their own personal electronic reader and hit copy. The file would then be added to their personal library.
Elena took her new copy reader out of her bag. It was still shiny and smelled like new plastic with an electronic tang. For a long time the guild required all personal readers to be kept on the Docking Facility. Those regulations were beginning o loosen as regular technology began to catch up. The advent of items like i-pods and kindle readers made the standard readers more or less blend in. These new readers actually looked a bit like a kindle reader and she strongly suspected someone had made a deal with the company.
“It would save someone the effort of a manufacturing facility,” Elena muttered. She set her empty reader down next to the database console and began to scan. The Docking Facility’s library was quite impressive. The collection had been built up over centuries and ranged through nearly every culture the guild had come in contact with.
Over time it had grown too large to store in one place so electronic copies had been made for everyday use and left at the docking facility while the library ships contained copies of the originals and stayed on the move, searching for information to add to the guild’s data banks. After all knowledge was power. The Librarians were a family unto themselves under guild law and were the only entity Elena knew of to rival the power of the Council. After all it was the librarians who knew the history of each trade route and could, and often did, settle disputes.
It was this information that Elena was beginning to search. While she didn’t think opening new channels had a precedent, she knew she would have to establish that she had a right to the channel she was opening. To do that she had to make certain she wasn’t just opening up a back door into someone else’s holdings. Much of the information regarding the planet’s location was unknown. Some would be gleaned from the information Mateo was gathering, more would be learned once they went through the channel and on to the planet.
Elena would still have to make a formal presentation to the Council and bargain for the rights even if she had an alliance with Riko. Previously her grandfather had been the one to negotiate the rights, and in truth Elena had paid little attention beyond memorizing new star charts and route details. This time she would be on her own. If she expected to stand as an independent household head she could not rely on him to negotiate for her. Elena sighed and realized Benjamin was right, she may hate politics but that really didn’t seem to matter any more. Elena rubbed her forehead and wondered how long it was going to take before people began expecting her to take her mother’s place.
1 comment:
I wish you good luck on your writing journey! Looks like you are far along! :)
God bless,
Taylor J. Beisler
www.taylorbeisler.com
http://www.eloquentbooks.com/ArintSaratir-WarriorsLight.html
Author and Freelancer
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