Shoshone Station: The Galactic Consortium season 2

Episode Four: Meteors #15

As luck would have it, Dan's flight landed only a few minutes before the president was due to arrive on Saras. In fact, Aloka sent someone to meet him at the spaceport with his uniform. He took it with a thanks, ducked into a cubicle toilet to change, and sent his travel clothes and his bags back with them.

The subway had a route that ran the perimeter of the station, and Dan managed to climb off, run up the steps, and fall in with Blumenthal and the others just as the president and his entourage stepped out of their ship. Sweat stood on Dan's brow, and one of the president's men gave him a suspicious look.

Blumenthal merely muttered, "Good timing," and then "Walk with us, Oleson" before he fell into step behind the president. Dan walked beside the president's chief bodyguard, and they made their way out of the spaceport and down the steps.

The president stopped and stared off in the distance. "Amazing," he declared. "Absolutely amazing."

"That's what I thought, the first time here," Blumenthal said. "Wouldn't you agree, Oleson?"

Dan nodded. "Shin is amazing. Mars is amazing. This is . . . awe inspiring."

Blumenthal chuckled and gestured toward the street. The president's transport was finer than the taxis they normally used, but still open air and relatively small. The four of them climbed in and sat, Dan and Blumenthal facing the president and his bodyguard.

"Mars? Shin?" the president said. "Sounds like you've seen quite a bit of their world."

"And I'm sure he's got some interesting tales to tell," Blumenthal remarked, giving Dan a pointed look.

"Yes, sir, one in particular. Another on the way back that might be helpful too." He took a deep breath and plunged on. "Chief Magister Tarkana. He heads the council on Shin. It's democratic. He's up for reelection in a few months, and it's going to be a tough race for him."

"So they do have democracy," the president said, nodding thoughtfully. "What sort of process? What drives their politics?"

"Economics. Same as everywhere," Dan said. He could almost hear Sarvin in his voice as he said it. "Shin is experiencing unprecedented economic issues."

"Really?" the president commented. He was looking around, outside the transport. Dan couldn't blame him; the sights of Saras Station were spectacular.

"Yes, the plan was that when they arrived here they would connect with Earth's data cores and be a relay station for the exploration of nearby systems, except—"

"We don't have a data core," Blumenthal finished.

"Or anything close to it. Instead of connecting to our waiting system, the entire fleet has to start from scratch, mapping systems, doing preliminary scouting trips. It's delayed their entire expedition. There are hundreds of smaller ships just orbiting our system, waiting for something to do—others back in their galaxy, pegged for this mission but still in dock."

"And for Shin?"

"About a third or more of their data engineers, and it's a huge field there, are doing makeshift work. Their other main industry is deep-space technology, equipment for asteroid mining, terraforming, deep-space exploration, and the like. They're also in a recession, demand is limited, and such equipment and companies are plentiful."

"Interesting though this is," the president said, "what does this have to do with the council?"

"We believe the rumors of meteors originated on Shin," Blumenthal said. "It's been in their news, too, almost from the start. Did you discover anything about that?"

"Yes, sir. We probably won't be able to pin him down for sure, but even odds, Tarkana is the source. Or someone in his office."

"But why?" the president asked.

"This council is why," Dan said. "If you want to remove rogue bodies from our system, you will have to first commission a detailed survey of the entire solar system. Removing one body will affect the orbit of other nearby bodies, and you can't just remove asteroids willy-nilly. It's a very precise science."

"Requiring?"

"A huge data core, for one. Trained engineers and astrophysicists, for another. Lots of specialized equipment. There are two companies in our system currently that could handle the survey. Both are based on Shin. There are three asteroid-mining crews that could handle removing something the size of an asteroid."

"Let me guess; they are on Shin as well?" the president said.

"Two of the three. Mangiva Enterprises is a small Lavara fleet, separate from any large station. They will likely underbid Shin on the small jobs, but they are limited in what they can do. But the other two are based on Shin, Joshi Enterprises and Triva Inc. So, however this council turns out, Shin will almost certainly get the data contract and the majority of any removals. Puts their people to work, fixes their economy and Tarkana goes to the polls a hero."

The transport pulled into the cul-de-sac that contained the embassy. The front of the embassy had been repainted, and the American flag now hung over the alleyway entrance to the embassy proper. Aloka was dressed in a rich, civil-service kurtini. She had a handful of her staff with her, and they bowed deeply as the men climbed out of the transport.

"This other story?" Blumenthal inquired.

"Can wait," Dan said. "It might help us figure out how to negotiate this council."

"Over supper then," Blumenthal decided. He returned Aloka's bow, and she led them inside.