Princess Rescue Inc (107 page)

“Both?”
Deidra asked.

“Remember?
Two ways?” He used his hands to illustrate. Her face cleared and she nodded. He
turned back to Wanda. “So we're going with the carrot and stick approach. For
some it's a straight buy out. For others it's a land swap, either for another
empty parcel nearby or three times as much land on the border now that we're
expanding.”

“Ah,”
Wanda nodded. “And the stick is the feudal thing?”

“Got
it in one. I think we'll have a few hold outs, but not many,” Ryans shrugged.
“Most will either be die hard I've lived here for generations or people fishing
for more money.”

“Yeah,
good luck with that.”

“Gee
thanks,” he deadpanned.

“Anyway,
some parcels are only getting lightly shaved so they don't have to move. Also,
since the train doesn't need a lot we can repartition the land for resale or
swaps.” He shrugged. “We're also looking into tax write offs and other things
to sweeten the pot.”

“You
can't have it all your own way,” Wanda said shaking her head.

“We
can try. The hardest part is getting the line to go on the straightest,
shortest, most level route. Don't even get me started on physical obstacles.”

“Ah,”
Wanda smiled. “So where is the first line going?”

“All
roads lead to the sea,” Ryans shrugged. “Or at least some. We're going to run
two lines, one to the nearest mines, and a second main line to the ocean port
of Nautilus.”

“Ah,”
Wanda looked thoughtful. “I'd think you'd want to run a line to Duke Pryor's
back yard.”

Deidra
nodded. “Oh we will. It's on the agenda at least, but the logistics are a
priority. Una is getting more iron.” Deidra answered, one finger raised. “Duo
is expanding the trade to the coast and beyond.” She darted a glance to Ryans.

“That
is if our resident experts can get their acts together,” Ryans said, waving to
the train wreck.

“So
it's a diesel engine? Thought you wanted to skip to electric?” Wanda asked.

Ryans
frowned. “We do. But we don't have the infrastructure. Not to mention the
batteries.”

It
was the chemist's turn to frown. “Ah. Yeah, there's that.” She looked rueful
for a moment. “I'm working on it.”

“We
know Wanda. We know.”

“It's
I mean, it's not easy,” she said and grimaced. “The acids are one thing. But
the lithium...”

“We
know Wanda,” Deidra said nodding patiently.

“What
about steam?” Wanda said looking up from her ruminations after a second.

“What
about it?” Ryans asked.

“Don't
they use coal for heating?” Wanda asked suggestively.

Ryans
nodded. “And for the foundries. Not much though. I'd like to stay away from
that path if possible.”

Wanda
blinked. “Oh.”

“Besides,
if we did steam engines we wouldn't have coal for fuel in winter. And since
it's a long long winter...” Deidra said.

Wanda
frowned. “Right. I get your point. And it's not like you can cut down trees
easily or use natural gas.” Wanda said grimacing again.

Ryans
held up a finger. “Yet.”

“Yet,”
she smiled, good humor slowly returning. “I take it that's a project we're
working on?”

“Something
like that,” Ryans said chuckling. He hated being stuck in long winded meetings
trying to explain, and then re-explain in shorter sentences what they were
trying to accomplish. Some of the lords got it, others were just bricks. Some
he had come to realize were being obstinate on purpose. “We're actually doing
things a bit different than on Earth, we're tapping a lot of our own waste from
the get go for recycling.”

“Ah?”
she asked hopefully.

“Waste
like city trash,” Ryans smiled. “We're recycling a lot now, but now that we've
some organization underway we're starting to compost some of the waste outside
the city. We're going to bury it with tubes embedded...”

“Oh.
To siphon off the methane,” Wanda smiled. Deidra looked confused. Wanda turned
to her. “Methane is a form of natural gas. It's given off by living things and
decomposing things,” Wanda explained. Deidra frowned.

“Farts.
You know,” Ryans made a farting sound. Deidra and Wanda rolled their eyes.

“He's
real subtle isn't he?” Wanda asked smiling slightly. “So much for his
training,” she teased.

“Hey
I got the point across right?” Ryans said giving them a look. “We can get
methane from trash and from biological waste. Compress it and then we can burn
it,” he said, trying to keep on track and not rise to Wanda's bait.

“Oh,”
Deidra looked a little confused but then shrugged it off. She'd figure it out
later she thought.

“And
we get to recycle the waste later too. The biomass breaks down into fertilizer
over time,” Wanda said grinning. “Mix it with other types of fertilizer and the
crops will grow like never before.”

“Ah,”
Deidra smiled, face clearing. “That's good. Very good.” She was glad something
could be done about the waste. The gaijin had instituted a trash removal
service the first month they had arrived. The healer Carter had insisted on it,
something about disease and animals. It had made the river look better in a
short time, though the abandoned valley and mine they were using to store it in
had been turned into a wasteland.

“Exactly.
I see what Ryans is getting at. By using every part of the industrial cycle we
can kill many birds with many stones,” Wanda said, nodding thoughtfully.

“Mixed
metaphor there I think,” he teased.

“Oh
shut up,” Wanda sighed.

  <==={}------------>

On
their way back to the castle they passed a toy maker's stall. Deidra paused,
looking at the models.

“He's
been busy,” Ryans said, pointing to the little wooden truck. “A hummer.”

“No
way,” Wanda burbled, eyes lighting. She looked. “Stryker too. I like the little
ships myself.” She pointed to the ship. It had string rigging and cloth sails.

“Can
I help you?” an elderly man asked. His hands shook a little. He wore a dirty,
worn leather apron.

“Oh
we're just looking,” Wanda waved dismissively.

“I
see,” the man nodded, sounding suddenly disinterested in them.

“Japeto?”
Deidra asked, brushing her bangs away. “Is it you?” she asked.

The
old man looked startled then, paled as he knelt. She came over and rested her
hands on his shoulders. “Yes my liege,” he said quietly.

“I've
missed you,” she smiled. She patted his shoulder. “Get up old friend,” she
said. She looked around for a moment, smiling as her eyes caught sight of the
rocker in the corner.

“Is
that a
branack
?” Ryans asked, hand touching the painted wood. “rocking
branack
?”
he asked, clearly amused. He could just imagine a kid riding the thing. At
least they had done one without the horns and spikes. Wouldn't do to put a
kid’s eye out.

“Guess
so,” Wanda said nodding. “One of those stick horse thingies too. With a
branack
for the head as well.” She pointed to a group leaning together in a corner.

Deidra's
hands toyed with the miniature harness on the rocker then turned to trail along
the fabric of the dolls. “Is she?” she asked quietly and turned to the
toymaker. The old man shook his head.

“Last
winter,” he said softly.

“I'm
sorry to hear that,” she said, face falling. She ran her hands over the doll.
“I'll take the lot,” she said looking up.

Japeto
looked startled. “My liege I...” She waved it away.

“I'll
have a servant come for it,” Deidra said firmly.

He
nodded, face wooden.

“And
of course with your pay,” she said smiling. His face cleared.

“Can
you make a chess set?” Ryans asked. The old toy maker blinked. Ryans pointed to
a game nearby.

“It's
similar to that. I can get you the specs. Sixteen pieces on each side. One
black set, one white on a checked board.” He thought for a moment then
shrugged. “I've got a program but I'm curious to see what you can do with the
idea.” He'd liked them in plastic but he'd love to see them in wood with the
right stain. The King's had been plain black and white and not very detailed.
You'd think with an entire winter to carve and nothing better to do some people
would take to carving better and more intricate things.

“Ah
yes Dominus,” Japeto said, bobbing his head in confusion. He looked to Deidra.
She smiled.

“Japeto,
royal toy maker, this is my sponsus Eugene Ryans,” she smiled to him. He smiled
back.

“Your
majesty,” the toy maker tried to kneel but Ryans stopped him with a hand on his
arm.

“Save
your knees my good man, really.” He smiled. “Do you have a lathe?”

The
old man nodded. “I use it for many things my liege.”

Ryans
waved it way. “Think you can make a Kingdom version of some of the toys we've
got in mind? And the chess set of course.”

“It
would be an honor.”

“For
your sale as well,” Ryans said smiling. He nodded to Wanda pushing a wooden
hummer back and forth. Deidra was running a finger over a wooden mock up of a
rifle. Ryans reminded himself to have Wanda or Charlie check for lead in the
paint when they received delivery of the toys.

“I
would suggest an apprentice though, from the looks of things you should be
getting some interest soon,” he said. He turned to see a group of people
nearby. Japeto looked relieved.

“I
hadn't hoped...” he said then sighed. “I had carved for the war effort but then
was laid up sick for some time...” he curled his hands.

“We
know. A lot of people were. You’re lucky to have survived,” Ryans said nodding.
A minor illness had hit the capital while they had been away. Dozens of people
had become sick. A few had died. Sue had found out when they had returned and
hadn't been happy about it.

“These
toys are new. I made them yesterday,” Japeto said nodding to the truck. “But
I'm out of material,” He waved his hands in despair. “Lignum and similar
material is so hard to get now...”

“And
we're not helping anything by buying it up for various projects,” Wanda said
looking a little guilty. She shot a glance to Ryans who nodded.

“I
tell you what; once you're paid you can get more to replenish your stocks. Once
you do I'll see if we can work you into the plastics or ceramics program.”

“Ah?”
Wanda said turning to him.

Ryans
shrugged. “Sure, if he can sculpt like this for a master...”

“Ah,
yeah, I get it,” she nodded. He shrugged as Deidra and Japeto looked confused.

“We'll
explain later. It's a bit confusing, but once you get the hang of it then you
should need a lot less wood and it will be much easier on your hands,” she
explained. He waved to the elders curled hands.

Japeto
nodded, looking confused but relieved. “As you will it.”

 Deidra
nodded. “I do. And I want to know if anything untoward happens Japeto, you are
after all the royal toy maker.” She smiled, darting a wicked glance to Ryans.

The
old man's eyes widened theatrically. “But your majesty you and your sister are
too old...” Japeto started then caught the glance between Ryans and the Queen
to be. “Ah I see. Well, bless you both. Mithra and I were never blessed with
younglings, though we loved them with all our hearts,” he murmured.

“Well,
it's a bit early, but what the heck, let's just say we're putting our order in
now while we can,” Ryans replied, he glanced over his shoulder to the crowd.
Some were near enough to look at the Terran style toys. A bidding war was
starting over a green hummer.

“Looks
like the holiday toy rush is here and you've got other customers. We'll sort
things out with what he has left later,” Ryans said taking each of the women by
an arm. Japeto nodded.

“As
you wish. Thank you for easing an old man's fears of a cold winter.”

“The
honor is ours old friend,” Deidra said smiling to him as they exited behind the
guards.

“Japeto?”
Wanda asked surprised.

“Your
guess is as good as mine,” Ryans said shrugging. “I take it you and Zara loved
his toys?”

Deidra
nodded, looking a little torn. She looked back to the besieged toy store.
“Mithra made the most incredible life like dolls,” she said softly. She
clutched her free hand to her chest. “I grew out of it after a time, more
interested in the knights and such.”

Ryans
nodded. “Tomboy right. Swords and stuff?”

She
smiled in fond memory, “and the rocking
branack
.”

“Ah?”
Wanda asked looking over to her.

Deidra
grinned slightly; glad she was one up on the gaijin. “It's used as an early
riding aide. To train children to ride. And later to train squires to joust.”