Trade World Saga 1: Manual Interpretation (30 page)

"What about Rett, the alien? What happens to him?" Ivan said.

"We always get back to him one way or another, don't we?" Andrew sighed. "I'll go have a talk with him. Let's get some drinks and some snacks and go to the aft lounge for a little brainstorming exercise so we can set up a structural model for the next year. With some definite goals, it will be easier to push this treaty. People don't mind big problems if someone suggests viable solutions to them," Andrew paused, "you're welcome too, Mr. Oshira, if you want."

"I wouldn't miss it Captain." Oshira said experiencing the excitement and camaraderie around him by relaxing some of his prejudice against these crewmen. Maybe these people weren't so crazy after all.

"COLLEAGUES" BY RETT

Colleagues. As you will have noted from my journal so far, I have persuaded these
humans
to take me home. Given the proper guidance they can be quite inventive. They developed a large inertia-less field, an enlarged version of my personal belt, so they could complete more work in less apparent time.

They could not even get their device to function properly until I stepped in with my superior insights. I showed them how to adapt a neutralizer in steps so they could move their equipment through the field without turning the field off. It also gave them a portal to recycle their air and water.

It is demoralizing to be stranded, even temporarily, on this savage planet. There are now 10,000
humans
under this field with me, and the noise and smell of them is enough to make any ordinary Tros insane. I, of course, will bear the strain of this exposure.

There are so many
humans
working here on so many projects that I allow selected humans, I still can't tell them apart, to supervise the work. Colleagues. You cannot comprehend the trials I have been through to further the goals of our race. The native customs are incomprehensible.

CaptainandrewWilliams and the female, Susan actually shared names in public! Wait! That isn't the worst. They actually insisted that I come and watch! I would not bend to this breach of decency and went instead to my laboratory. I had the
humans
construct one for me on a whim. While their tribal ceremony was going on I worked to improve one of their field devices. These devices, primitive though they are, are simply clever adaptations of my work.

Dealing with these
humans
on a regular basis is demanding. These beings are deceptive. They are capable of capable of bursts of animalistic speed and strength. They are most dangerous when they are quiet and, what they call, polite and smiling. They have a habit of bearing their teeth to show you they like you. They eat meat, a lot of meat and do not even hide the fact. Even the female of the species can be deadly so be very cautious when you handle them.

Some of them eat no meat but I think it is because they are ashamed they kill so many creatures. Some of these “vegetarians” eat unborn animal embryos, sea creatures and drink “mammalian” lactating fluids as if these practices make them less of an omnivore. Spending any length of time with these
humans
is difficult since they age so rapidly. Just when you get one group trained, you have another group trying your wisdom.

By the time you read this, the
humans
I have dealt with will have died of old age. You'll have to break in your own so don't expect any of mine.

THE EARTH REGULATORY FORCE

"Oshira, the diplomat, got the ball rolling," Ling stated. "Brad's old commander may have helped but I can't be sure until I check the psychological parameters. Out of sight -- out of mind, I guess."

"How did you get the World Government to accept that we had actually signed a binding contract for an entire planet?" Andrew asked. "They're not giving us all this equipment and support for nothing. What do they expect out of all this?"

"I pointed out that this would be an opportunity to unify the planet with a common factor that affects everyone. Even the Unaligned Nations could benefit with new technology and trade. Most accepted the fait accompli. After they listened to all my tripe, they decided it would be a good propaganda focus. You realize they shield us from the masses so they can direct any publicity about us. That's why they agreed to support us. Plus they realized that everything was going to change with these advances in technology: transportation, energy, finance, communications, defense. My dad helped them see the light. Too many people got the new power supply designs to cover it up and if they call the shots on supplying us – they hope to control technology we unravel or create."

"Ling. You continue to amaze me," Andrew said as the comm set bleeped on the desk behind him.

Turning to the set, Andrew keyed the accept button and Brad's face appeared.

"Morning," Brad said with a disturbed expression.

""What's up Brad? Trouble at the lunar base? "Andrew asked referring to the abandoned multi-national base that was being converted to the new interstellar customs station.

Brad saw Ling standing in the background and hesitated. "If you're busy, I'll call back later," he said awkwardly.

Before Andrew could say anything, Ling tapped him on the shoulder and said, "I'll talk to you later. Bye." She hurried off.

"Don't rush... Okay... Bye," Andrew said briefly torn for attention between his two friends. He turned back to the display.

"Go ahead Brad. Something's bothering you. Are you worried about your new promotion?"

"No. Nothing like that. The Earth Regulatory Force is going to be a tough outfit. Have you seen any of the recruits?" Brad said in an effort to sidestep his main purpose.

"Yes. I saw some of the screening and proposed training. I couldn't believe your washout rate 'til you showed me those visuals," Andrew said thankful he wasn't one of Brad's new recruits. "What do you really want to talk about?"

Brad looked uncomfortable. "Tod and Desiree got married last month."

"Yes," Andrew answered patiently.

"You and Susan got married last week."

"Yes. I'm aware of that," Andrew said amused at his friend's discomfiture.

"I'm not sure I'm cut out to be head of the Regulatory Force. I heard you were offered the Earth Regulatory Force command including the three exploration ships that were just commissioned," Brad said. “Imagine a ground pounder commanding stuff that flies. Guess you’d have to cut the Air Force some slack.”

"Well. Your intelligence sources must still be pretty good. I was only offered the command yesterday…including the Brattor," Andrew said referring to the brand-new ship named after John Brattor, the chemist who was injured in the early field experiments. "You can't lead from the front this time Brad."

"You're needed here," Andrew said. "Fran needs you," Andrew stated swiftly and watched his friend grimace.

"I'm not ready to get married," Brad said with difficulty. “I don’t want to be a rear echelon m…f… either.”

"Brad. You're not going to run away on the Brattor."

"Fran is too rational for me. It will never last," Brad said grasping for objections.

"Brad. How long has Fran been working in the relative time field? She is the logistics officer for the whole installation." Andrew asked. "How often do you see her?"

"She's been there about two months. I get to see her once a week but she's always got too much energy for me," Brad said still not catching on.

"You've been working to develop the Regulatory Force, mostly in real time. With a relative time field of thirty, Fran has been there for five years. She's been seeing you about every seven months, her time. No wonder she's anxious to see you.

The look on Brad's face was pained.

"She never told me. I never realized... " Brad stammered. "No wonder she has been so quiet and she looked so tired. I have to get her out of there. This could really mess up our relationship."

"Relationship. Multiply that by ten thousand people and you get some idea of my problems. Do you pay everyone for real time or relative time? Right now we're working on patriotism and real time wages plus a bonus. Think of waste disposal alone. You accumulate it thirty times faster. Supplies are always late to people inside."

"I had no idea," Brad said astonished. "I was so busy I didn't even think about it."

"I try to get out about two hours of real time every real day just to keep the outside agencies coordinated. We had been turning it on and off to move supplies through. Imagine recycling air for this size enclosure. Rett came up with a way to move through the field so we gave him his own lab.”

"How is the gray ghastly?" Brad asked.

"Still as inhuman as ever. I keep trying to judge him by human terms and he's not. He starts getting agitated every time I act polite. I can't even smile around him without him acting weird. By the way," Andrew continued. "Don't invite him to your wedding," Andrew chuckled.

"What!" Brad said.

"I found out why he didn't come to my wedding," Andrew said still chuckling. "He even gets upset when you introduce him to someone. It seems that if you are a Tros, you never exchange names with another except right before joining sexually. They really have some sensitive customs about reproduction I suppose. I guess I would get upset if I thought that everyone I was introduced to was about to ravish me. I still don't know all that goes on but it must be a sight."

"Strange. I can't imagine his being interested in sex."

"Only strange by our standards," Andrew mused. "I suspect this will only be the first of our upcoming culture shocks and 'got-yas'. That's why you're going to have to quarantine all our traders on the lunar base first."

"Now I hate the thought of spending real time in the field."

"Fran will wait."

"I know, but for how long?' Brad said grimly.

THE ENCLOSURE

Rett looked around his quarters. He felt snug and comfortable as he fondled the computer terminal before settling down at his specially molded chair. He then keyed the access and record keys of his custom keyboard. He began to summarize his last 'years' on Earth as the machine faithfully recorded his soliloquy in voice and hard copy.

Colleagues. Though I have only been on this planet for one half solar revolution in real time, I have spent fifteen
Earth
revolutions of relative time with these
humans
. Though I have not bothered to learn any of their primitive jabber, many
humans
now speak
the language
,
Trade
. I despair at the thought of never seeing another Tros, so calm and rational. Living in close confinement under a relative time field with these darting creatures is disturbing.

This relative time field covers 10,000 of them and all their equipment. I feel I will never be rid of the sweet stink of their bodies. This field would never have been practical for us, my colleagues because it is enormously inefficient. They don't have enough room to grow food for those under it and supplies and air must continually pour through the locks, or permanent portals I designed.

There are always reminders about their fragility and unstable emotions. Often I would see pairs or small groups of
humans
begin hitting each other with their appendages. Yes. They can be quite impressive when they flail each other. They have a 'sport' where pounding each other in the head is the norm! They are so temperamental. One even tried to hit me when I asked about his new child that lived outside the field. They say it is the strain. What strain? They live with their own kind. Living here -- even drives their own species insane. I agree with them on that.

Seven
humans
were torn to small pieces once when one of the portal canals through the field malfunctioned. You would not believe how upset these creatures became about one insignificant incident. Some of them even tried to blame me as if I had anything to do with it. They built it and it was their equipment that failed. They could not have followed my designs properly. Many
humans
who regularly transport supplies through these portals cannot stand the strain of the hazy, overlapping fields. Their brains seem to produce some type of organic dysfunction.

Be cautious. They have now all their ships with the molecular disruptor and intense light beams that cut metal. Though primitive otherwise, they are most creative with weapons. I have secreted plans for these death beams. They foolishly lied -- saying they were so commonplace that they weren't secret. I see through their lies. They are quite skilled in making small electronic devices. They even have machines. They call them
computers
, and they do their calculations for them. The making of these devices is very menial or we, Tros would have done it ourselves. This report is even being made on one of these computers. I about have them figured out as I can now work this one easily.