Arguing the Basics (4 page)

“I noticed your strength on a few of the punches you landed. With a bit of training, you will truly be a force to be reckoned with.”

“How long are you staying on Lowel?”

He shrugged. “I need to return to my clan ship tomorrow. I don’t know when I will be back, but I definitely will return.”

She hid her disappointment. “Thank you for your efforts on my behalf. You have made my first day here a lot easier, aside from my kissing the mat time and time again.”

He grinned. “You have done very well. I foresee great things for you.”

Sookar poked his head above the table and chirped.

“You too, Sookar. Take care of her, or I will come back here and remove your fluff.”

Sookar chirped with irritation in his tone.

Koara got the feeling that if she wasn’t holding him, he would have been up on the table and pecking at Ioko’s eyes. His healing instincts seemed to be reserved for her alone.

She was about to say something about thanking him again, but a predatory screech rang through the dining hall, and a black and grey raptor with glowing eyes landed on the edge of their table with a thud.

The urge to protect Sookar was strong, but he wiggled, and Koara lifted him to the table so that he could meet with his parent.

Ioko chuckled. “That is Smudge, Yaluthu to Winera, a scorcher. The Yaluthu here on Lowel are mostly her children, his children. I am never sure.”

“Is this what Sookar will look like when he is all grown?”

“Well, he will probably remain pink, but the shape will be the same.” Ioko smiled. “And here are Winera and Hyl, and Wiali and Braenar. Winera removes oxygen from a space, Hyl grows things, and Wiali is descended from two Avatars. Braenar was an Avatar until his world died.”

“Oh. Wow. Even my skills can’t make sense of that combination.”

He laughed, and as the others came over, he made the introductions.

Winera admired Sookar’s name and smiled in surprise when she learned he was a he.

“With that colouration, we have been telling him he is a pretty girl the whole time. How embarrassing.” Winera smiled and reached out to touch the pink fluff.

He lifted his rounded beak and puffed out his little chest. His grandma was finally proud of him and acknowledging that he was male.

Koara blinked. “He calls you grandma.”

Winera grinned. Wiali laughed.

“Iara must have her hands full with a Yaluthu and a baby.”

Winera smiled. “Harmony helps out. Yaluthu are excellent babysitters, or so I have been told.”

Hyl grinned. “We have yet to try it out.”

Winera chuckled. “I have been busy.”

Wiali grinned. “Us too.”

Koara sighed. “No rush. You need to be able to assure that your child has a safe environment. Mind you, once Iara’s infant is a little older, it will be the perfect place to have childcare as well as a school for visiting dignitary children. While their parents go in for lectures, the children can learn about each other.”

Ioko explained her words to the others. “Koara is a long-range strategist. That is her talent. If she has seen it, it might actually be feasible.”

A few more Yaluthu came hopping up to their dining table and were fed by Smudge. They did not belong to any person in particular, but they all were interested in communicating with Sookar. Learning what they could from their sibling about the process of finding their person.

Tether took over her physical training, and each afternoon, she spent time explaining to an auditorium full of listeners how the projection of social activity could be manipulated by small changes in environment.

The sea of faces stared at her with rapt attention as she explained how to monitor the small changes for viable results. Social engineering was something that many worlds were interested in, to make the most of their exposure to other societies.

During the question-and-answer period, someone raised their hand and asked. “What happens if we use these techniques on another world? A world not our own?”

“While the changes outlined would work in the short run, the moment that the origin point was identified extra-planetary, there would be an uprising and it would have a backlash across the trading centres.”

The dark purple woman nodded solemnly, and Koara could see her mind rearranging whatever she had been planning.

“Social engineering is a dangerous activity. You have to make sure that the only place the society could go was in the direction you wanted it to. It is to speed up existing practices and traditions until the society evolves to a natural conclusion. You are not trying to change behaviours; you are trying to reboot a failing system, giving the majority a voice.”

When she had been young, her mind had been focused on taking over the places that had been denied to her. As she aged, it became obvious that not everyone had an aptitude for the new social positions available. Her first shove at a world had set Trimel on a course that could not be altered, but monitoring it was her primary concern. She needed to make sure that everyone was where they were supposed to be and that the social changes were accounted for as she eased folks into their new lives.

Regular checking in with the hot spots was part of her communication regimen. She constantly had to keep an eye on her parents’ situation, the local news and the mental health of Trimel himself. If he held fast, it would all come out in another decade.

“Has there ever been a world you regretted altering?”

Koara lifted her head and met the dark gaze at the back of the auditorium. “Yes. My own.”

The crowd murmured.

The man yelled out, “Why?”

“I saw it with my talent but with a child’s wisdom. I saw unfairness and moved to make everything fair. Life is not fair. Luck, genetics, intelligence and personal drives were not accounted for in that original plan. I have spent every spare moment since the day my first plan was implemented altering it and shaping it to bring the maximum benefit to the most people, in the longest timeline. Undoing and changing my decisions has taken far longer than it took to make that first fateful plan.”

She addressed the rest of her audience. “Change is easy. Managing the change is hard. Imagine spilling water on a flat surface. It runs in all directions, finds the smallest crevice and evaporates. If you don’t have a plan to control everything before you start the change, your plans will come to nothing.”

Another hand went up. “If change is so hard, why try it?”

“Because diverting funds for one round of new vehicles for government rental or even delaying the new vehicles by six months can cause a new plant to be designed, a new harvest to feed hundreds of thousands. That small diversion can save lives and begin the building blocks of a new society by removing the stress of finding food. One small change can turn a world from subsistence to thriving within a decade. All it takes is the foresight to see it.”

The chime rang and ended her lecture. “Thank you all for coming.”

As most of the crowd filed out, a few of them came forward to speak to her.

“Please come with to my office, and we will discuss your issues further.”

Koara scooped up Sookar and her data pads and display crystals. They walked to her office and settled in the large conversational area, talking about the particular issues of their worlds and how to fix them.

The one that caused the most consternation was a continent beset by drought. Koara and Representative Lalupi sat with their heads together looking over data until the problem reared its head.

“You have to be kidding me.”

The representative looked at the information. “What?”

“These plants and trees. They require irrigation.”

“Of course. They have made that area financially thrive.” The rep had a solid share of pride.

“They have traded money for water. Until the weather stabilizes, you are going to have to sacrifice the trade goods. The land didn’t grow those plants naturally because they couldn’t withstand the drought. With grazing agriculture and settlement, folks have sucked that continent dry.”

“What do we do?”

“Sacrifice the industry that has the least impact. Stop watering the trees and either slaughter or move the cattle to another area. It isn’t pleasant, but it is practical. It won’t solve the drought, but it will stop it from escalating.”

“We have been putting in individual water restrictions.”

“Industry takes ninety-six percent of the water. Restricting the four percent that the locals consume isn’t even going to touch the issue.” Koara shrugged. “I have given you what I could. Tampering with weather never ends well so...”

The rep paused.

“And you already tried it, and it has made things worse.” Koara rubbed the back of her neck. “Fine. Try desalinisation. Make the seawater potable and keep your people hydrated. Do
not
use this water for your crops. The plants would shut down in a matter of months if they had to process that kind of volume.”

The rep made notes, and Sookar murmured, images of food dancing in his mind.

“Please excuse me. It is time for the evening meal. It has been nice to meet you, Rep Lalupi. Remember, that all attempts to alter the behaviour of the people will be met with changes in how they think. Those changes might not be what you expect.”

“Understood. Thank you for your time, Miss Ulings.” The rep got to her feet, bowed and left the office.

The others had left during the research portion of the discussion, so Koara was left cuddling Sookar to her as she made her way to the dining hall. She had definitely earned her dinner.

Iara and Agren arrived while Koara was eating her dessert.

“Hello, Koara.”

“Citadel Master, Agren, Harmony. Good to see you again.”

Sookar hopped across the table to greet his sibling.

Harmony rubbed her fluffy cheek against his, and they muttered quietly to each other.

“You are going on assignment, Koara.”

Koara had been delving into the bottom of the bowl with the tip of her spoon. “I am?”

“Yes, the Alliance has determined a new use for your particular skill set. You are going to assess a society that is approaching space travel.”

Koara felt a weird sense of excitement. “I am?”

“You are. You will have to leave Sookar here with me though. They are not ready for an alien species on your shoulder. Or any alien species at all. They want to know what effect space-faring races would have on the population, and you are the best judge of the societal fluctuations.”

“Wow. Without Sookar? That sucks.” In the past few weeks, she had gotten used to him. She was even used to the way he nibbled at her fingertips to get her to wake up in the mornings.

“He will be safe here. You will be dropped from a shuttle, and that shuttle will hide behind the moons while you travel the globe and learn what you can.”

Iara slid a small, flat pad over to her. “Here is all your information. It is coded to ocular and fingerprint scan. When you are on the surface, there is also a genetic component activated to keep it secure in case you are separated from it.”

The first image that came up was an average female, and Koara looked at Iara. “I am guessing that there is some physical work that will be necessary.”

“You will need some temporary alteration.” Iara shrugged. “We have a staff member for that.”

“Clothing as well?”

“It will match your transformed body. They have it on board the shuttle.” Iara sat Agren up in her lap, and he flexed his chubby arms toward Sookar.

The Yaluthu waddled over with a sense of resignation and let the infant pull him in for a cuddle.

Agren didn’t pull, didn’t yank, he just buried his face in the fluff and giggled.

Iara smiled. “It is weird. Sookar is the only one he does that to.”

“Well, if I have to get up early for the shuttle, I am guessing that I should get to bed. Sookar?”

Agren let him go, and Sookar waddled to her with a look of relief on his features. She stroked him and got to her feet. “Will I see you before I go, Iara?”

“Probably not. Just bring Sookar to the dining hall, and I will find him when we come out for the morning meal.”

She grinned. “I will try to remember to feed him before I head to the zip corridor.”

“Your escort will come and get you. You are leaving through the new station zip.”

“The what?”

Iara got to her feet, put Agren fully in the sling and tucked Harmony onto her shoulder. “You will see in the morning.”

It was as much promise as threat. Koara carried Sookar back to her quarters, thumbing through the data and vid provided on the subject of the world Gol.

The cosmetic alterations were going to be minor, but they would make quite an impression. She wondered what she was going to look like with slate-grey skin and a shaved head.

Back in her room, she changed into a loose sleep shirt and crawled into bed with Sookar at her side, commenting on the images with short chirps.

It was an industrial society, and they had chosen to pursue crystalline technology. It would be an interesting thing to see, as well as investigate. With the information she was taking in, she made a list of places to visit around the globe. Nine different museums would shine light on how the Golums had evolved. If she knew where they had come from and where they wanted to go, she would have a good idea on what to put in her report to the Alliance.

With her plan taking shape, she set her alarm and nodded off with Sookar curled against her, enjoying their last cuddle together until she returned.

Tomorrow, she had to get her skin changed and shave her head.

Koara followed her guide to the secure zip. Illuma had long blue hair and a strange shimmer to her skin. She also didn’t speak much.

“So, the secure zip is on the opposite end of the base?” Koara felt chatty in her effort to stave off the loneliness of leaving Sookar.

“It is. Are you prepared for what I have to do to you?”

“You are the one to make the cosmetic changes?”