Family Law 2: The Long Voyage of the Little Fleet (35 page)

"If that's your judgment fine. I don't know enough about glass to have any idea," Gordon admitted.

"They still grind very precision lenses and we cut them on a lath, we can make tremendously strong glasses by soaking them in molten salts, but they can form them that way without a secondary process. Things like that. It seems like a fair trade."

Gordon just nodded agreement and Prosperity realized he was over selling and went on.

"Trader wants a private deal to be provided a comprehensive list of all our games. Card games and casino games, as well as the older board games and even children's games like hop-scotch and jacks. He saw just enough on the partial web to want them all."

"But not video games?" Gordon asked. "That could get complicated for us legally."

"No, they don't commonly have computers that can run our games even if you rewrote them and I've refrained from pushing computer tech yet, because that gets into too many things that can be used in weapons systems."

"Ah, yeah. That's going to be a problem eventually," Gordon acknowledged.

Chapter 17

"I'm nervous about that Biter ship," Chance admitted. "We'll guard the
Dart
at dock, but tell me your thoughts on it. If you were the Biter captain and wanted to sneak back here to catch us at station how would you do it?" he asked Fat.

"I come around the gas giant retrograde. With the higher closing speed we'd have less time to react to them and they would have a better chance of deploying whatever weapons they have against us. It should be obvious to them we are not pushovers. They need every advantage they can get."

"So you see them making a fast pass and releasing weapons. What if we
all
docked? I doubt they know we don't have docking collars, or chose not to grab on a mast."

"I suspect they don't give a damn for the station and would fire on us at dock. At the rate they would pass I'd be shocked if their weapons were accurate enough to hit a ship cleanly and not the station."

"All right, I can see that. I'm going to advise Fussy to demand a dock on the trailing edge of the station. That way if they come around the gas giant retro' anywhere near in the plane of rotation it will be hidden behind the station. So where should
we
be?" he demanded of the more experienced man.

Fat Ortega pouted and his eyes narrowed. "Backing up just a minute, why do you think they might
not
be in the plane of rotation?"

"It's a much more difficult maneuver, requiring accurate data on the orbit of the moon and movements of a moon in a system of many interacting moons like this can be complex. So it is one we'd be less likely to anticipate. Also it would negate my action of docking the
Dart
to the trailing edge. I believe we have much superior radar to theirs, but still our coverage isn't total. We have to orient our ship so we are covering the section where they are most likely to appear and that isn't going to be over either pole of the gas giant."

"Do you really think they might do that?"

"No, I'd give it a five percent probability or less, but I have to consider it. I don't think they are that subtle and I have my doubts they have the piloting skills or computer capacity to carry it off. But I wanted to bounce the idea off you."

"I don't see it either. I'd put the
Sharp Claws
ahead of the moon, twenty or thirty degrees, in roughly the same orbit. That gives them a big lead seeing the Biters if they come back and a clear field of fire."

"And if they approach in chase instead, or over one of the poles?"

"
We
cover that by either trailing the moon in the
Roadrunner
and watching behind us, or assuming a tight, fast polar orbit on the gas giant so we can check the other side on a regular basis."

"Now that's why I pick your brain, because I'd never have thought of that last option. As attractive as that is it would take so much fuel to assume that station and lift back from so deep against the big planet that I'd need to refuel before we left the system. No, we'll watch behind and mostly take our chances with the polar approaches. Just peek now and then."

* * *

"Talker and Trader had a fellow today from the Badger government," Prosperity said. "They asked if they could bring him in first. I asked if they were getting any blow-back from their government about our business. They swear that's not the case, that he had questions and wanted to meet us since we had some authority to speak for our governments. He had a lot of questions about Derfhome and how the Mothers govern and somewhat less about Fargone. He seemed to find the Derf stranger than Fargoers. Talker told us that just to be clear, he's technically a government worker too, but this guy is higher powered than him though not his direct boss."

"He'll have a nervous breakdown if he tries to figure out Earth governments," Gordon said.

"He indicated he'll be one of the Badgers going to New Japan. What I got is that the Badgers only had what we would call police until they ran into the Biters. They haven't had any military for some generations. Now they have recreated a sort of militia based on local police leadership because of the Biter threat. The government is not interested in owning space ships, they want ship owners to cover the cost of their own defense, but they realize after talking with us that other places like New Japan may demand a central authority to deal with for defense. The ship owners also have a sort of trade association. They will be sending their own spox along too and he'll have the real financial authority, not the government spox."

"What about the other races? Are they sending anybody?" Lee asked.

"They are still negotiating. The Bills have the second largest number of ships and their own ship owners association. They are talking now about merging and the Bills might send their own spox, or even their own ship. They have a queen who I'd call an Empress, because she is appointed for life by a bunch of local matriarchs who sound very similar to the Derf's Mothers. The Sasquatch only have a handful of ships and the Cats apparently just go on the other's vessels. Talker intimated the Sasquatch don't have very good tech or ships and probably aren't worried about Biters pirating them because they don't have much worth stealing."

"I'm surprised the Badgers didn't send a government rep before this," Lee said.

"Talker said they had to get him interested," Prosperity said. "This may sound strange to us, but they don't routinely get involved in off planet affairs. They regard their planetary territory as their interest."

"Then their government didn't build the station?" Lee asked.

"No, it's a private station." Prosperity said. "Run on company rules."

"The station at Derfhome is private too," Gordon told him, "But all the Earth habitats started out under Grounder laws, until a few of them kicked the Earthies out or went over to Lunar influence."

"Derfhome station isn't under the Mother's law?" Prosperity wondered, surprised.

"They never displayed any interest in it. It would be – awkward – to assert it as under their purview. My Red Tree Mothers went up there to negotiate with the North Americans, but they never issued law on the station
about
the station. Now, you bring up a very interesting point. A lot of Derf have an ownership interest in the station now. If they declared they would rather be governed by a triad of Mothers instead of by company regulation I wonder how it would go over? They would have to have a majority of course. But in a normal Derf clan there is no ownership like private cubic on a station or real estate in a city. There is no private entrepreneurial activity or even directing your own education and career as station and city people presume. It would be interesting to see if the clan arrangement could be flexible enough to adapt to the different circumstances, wouldn't it?" Gordon asked, smiling.

"That's the sort of interesting I'd rather see from afar," Prosperity assured him.

"Consider if the reverse happened," Lee suggested.

"What would the reverse be?" Gordon asked.

"What if a majority of Derf in a clan told the Mothers they wish to run their own lives, or they will leave and go to a city or to space, stripping the clan of most of the labor force?"

"What would that leave for the Mothers to do?" Gordon objected.

"A great deal. If they didn't have to micromanage what will be served for breakfast and what the math lesson for the school children will be today, they still could decide the laws about how people treat each other, they could still manage the farming and send hunters out on the clan land. It's just they'd have to
recruit
for jobs like that and pay wages instead of ordering people to work at this or that."

"I'll have to think on that awhile," Gordon admitted. "It's too different for me to see how it would work all at once."

"I know my knowledge of Derf custom and clans is limited," Prosperity admitted. "But I could see such a change being forced on the Mothers
long
before a majority of a clan spoke up and said that's what they wanted to do."

"How so?" Gordon asked.

"All you need is for the
best
of the young people to leave. Maybe one in ten or one in every eight, but the ones they would have wanted to retain and given the best jobs. If there is one thing I've figured out from working with your third Mother, it's that the Mothers aren't stupid. A few years of that and they'd see they have to adjust or the clan will go downhill over the long haul," Prosperity asserted.

Lee smiled. "That's already happening."

"It is?"

"Yeah, Gordon got up one morning and walked to town rather than make barrels and furniture the rest of his life. He went to space and made his fortune. They didn't kick him out when he went back filthy rich either. Has anybody else done that from Red Tree, Gordon?"

He looked uncomfortable. "There have long been a few who went to the traditional trade towns, such as Fish Town, even before Humans came. I know some never came home, or just to visit and leave again. I'd hate to see the clan structure disappear completely," he said.

"That from somebody who walked away from it," she noted. "I like the stability I saw in your clan," Lee agreed, "but I wouldn't mind it being a little less oppressive. The way so many were terrified of the Mothers is no way to live."

"Well, you made it clear when we were in discussions with our bank that you'd support using your money for some social changes. I agree with that actually, but I'm glad to hear you see some good in the clan too and don't just want to rip it out and replace it with Human ways."

"Oh, not at all," Lee assured him. "I didn't like what I saw on Earth either. I want the best parts of both cultures. Maybe the Hinth and these new folks can teach us a few things too."

Prosperity followed that exchange keenly, looking from one to the other. "Well, just warn me please, when you decide to do a make-over of Fargone," he begged.

* * *

The Derf Mozart was given a courtesy peek at the flight deck of the Badger courier, the
Dart
, but none of the acceleration couches would hold him. He thanked them for the tour and retreated to the common room they used for off shift and to eat. The ship was half again as big as a Human courier. On the
Roadrunner
he'd have been a cork in the main corridor. He brought a floor mat along as the Badgers used tables.

The human in charge of their group was Bob Morgan, a former USNA Space Marine and cook, assigned to security on the Sharp Claws, Mozart was second. The next two were of equal rank. Bartholomew Wu was a hired security man from Derfhome. He was unaccountably familiar with the armor despite claims of never having served in any military and doubled up working maintenance when his primary skill was not needed. Felicity Birkenshire, was male despite the name and a citizen of Derfhome, but of Fargone origins, who was back-up navigator and a sensor board tech, but also skilled with arms. He was unlikely to be busy with his regular duties until the
Sharp Claws
left this system. The Badgers made themselves known and said not to worry if they had a hard time telling them apart at first. They didn't wear rank emblems. They joked that they might get Mozart and Bob confused because they both had brown hair.

"What is your pleasure, once we dock?" Bob Morgan asked Captain Fussy. "I'd suggest we put two armored up guards on the dock just outside the lock at first, but do you want a bodyguard to accompany us on station?

Before he could answer, his XO Dauntless spoke up. "I am obligated to advise you."

"Indeed. I've never seen you shy to do so."

"I think the action Chance decided on, staying with his command, is worth emulating. I'm sure you would like to play the host and show these people around, but the situation is not normal here. We are nervous about the Biter's departure, unsure they may not return and the Bills are sounding stressed to me. I can't blame them either, they may be as worried about the Biters as we are. If it were mine to say I'd strongly suggest to Captain Chance he find another station to visit."

"But you see, the whole point of this little circuit was to show the Little Fleet we gave them a true chart and are hiding nothing from them. If I start steering them away from anything it defeats that."

"I think we've proved the chart is accurate to them. I don't see us obligated to open every corner and closet to them, but it's your call. I
do
object to your being one of the first out the lock on station."

"That I can agree to," Fussy allowed. "Do you have a suggestion who to send? I don't want them sent off on station alone. We have a fairly robust Trade translator now, but they are still unacquainted with the others who are not Badgers. And as you said they may have concerns after hearing of violence with the Biters. Even with them gone off station, these folks have no proof the confrontation was all the fault of the Biters. Especially when the details of it in the plot are withheld."