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safely and in one piece." "But not unaffected," her mother stated, noticing the strangeness in her daughter's eyes. "No, Mother, not unaffected. There will be no wedding." Before that lovely woman could reply, Casperdan turned to her father. "Dad, I want the contract of Control. I intend to begin as director of the firm eight o'clock tomorrow morning. No, better make it noon ... I'll need some sleep." She was smil- 127 WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE ... ing faintly. "And I don't think I'm going to get any right now." On that she was right. Dandavid, that usually even-tempered but mercurial gentleman, got very, very excited. Between his bellows and her sobs, her mother leveled questions and then accusations at her. When they found out about the incipient changeover, the investors immediately threatened to challenge it in court law or no law, they weren't going to be guided by the decisions of an inexperienced snippet. In fact, of all those affected, the intended bridegroom took it best. After all, he was handsome and intelligent (if not as rich), and could damn well find himself another spouse. He wished Casperdan well and consoled himself with his cello. Her father (for her own good, of course) joined with the investors to challenge his daughter in the courts. He protested most strongly. The investors ranted and pounded their checkbooks. But the judge was honest, the law machines incorruptible, and the precedents clear. Casperdan got her Contract and a year in which to prove herself. Her first official action was to rename the firm Dream Enterprises. A strange name, many thought, for an industrial concern. But it was more distinctive than the old one. The investors grumbled, while the advertising men were delighted. Then began a program of industrial expansion and acquisition unseen on somnolent Calder since the days of settlement. Dream Enterprises was suddenly everywhere and into everything. Mining, manufacturing, raw materials. These new divisions sprouted tentacles of their own and sucked in additional businesses. Paper and plastics, electronics, nucleonics, hydro-logics and parafoih'ng, insurance and banking, tridee stations and liquid tanking, entertainments and hydroponics and velosheeting. Dream Enterprises became the wealthiest firm on Calder, then in the entire Stone Crescent. The investors and Dandavid clipped their coupons 128 Dream Done Green and kept their mouths shut, even to ignoring Cas-perdan's odd relationship with an outsystem mal. Eventually there came a morning when Pericles looked up from his huge lounge in the executive suite and stared across the room at Casperdan in a manner different from before. The stallion had another line of silver in his mane. The girl had blossomed figuratively and figurewise. Otherwise the years had left them unchanged. "I've booked passage for us. Put Rollins in charge. He's a good man." "Where are we going?" asked Casperdan. Not why nor for how long, but where. She'd learned a great deal about the horse in the past few years. "Quaestor." Sudden sparkle in beautiful green eyes. "And then will you give me back what I once had?" The horse smiled and nodded. "If everything Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html goes smoothly." In the Crescent, Dream Enterprises was powerful and respected and kowtowed to. In the Imperial sector it was different. There were companies on the capital planet that would classify it as a modest little family business. Bureaucratic trip-wires here ran not for kilometers, but for light-years. However, Pericles had threaded this maze many times before, and knew both men and mal who worked within the bowels of Imperial Government. So it was that they eventually found themselves in the offices of Sim-sem Alround, subminister for Unincorporated Imperial Territories. Physically, Alround wasn't quite that. But he did have a comfortable bureaucratic belly, a rectangular face framed by long bushy sideburns and curly red hair tinged with white. He wore the current fashion, a monocle. For all that, and his dry occupation, he proved charming and affable. A small stream ran through his office, filled with trout and tadpoles and cattails. Casperdan reclined on 129 J WITH FRIENDS LIKE THESE . .. a long couch made to resemble solid granite. Pericles preferred to stand. "You want to buy some land, then?" queried Alround after drinks and pleasantries had been exchanged. "My associate will give you the details," Casperdan informed him. Alround shifted his attention from human to horse without a pause. Naturally he'd assumed ... "Yes sir?" "We wish to purchase a planet," said Pericles. "A small planet... not very important." Alround waited. Visitors interested in small transactions didn't get in to see the subminister himself. "Just one?" "One will be quite sufficient." Alround depressed a switch on his desk. A red light flashed on, indicated that all details of the conversation to follow were now being taken down for the Imperial records. "Purpose of purchase?" "Development." "Name of world?" "Earth." "All right . . . fine," said the subminister. Abruptly, he looked confused. Then he smiled. "Many planers are called Earth by their inhabitants or discoverers. Which particular Earth is this?" "The Earth. Birthplace of mankind and malkind. Old Earth. Also known variously as Terra and Sol III." The subminister shook his head. "Never heard of it." "It is available, though?" "We'll know in a second." Alround studied the screen in his desk. Actually it took several minutes before the gargantuan complex of metal and plastic and liquid buried deep in the soil beneath them could come up with a reply. 130 Dream Done Green "Here it is, finally," said Alround. "Yes, it's available ... by default, it seems. The price will be . . ." He named a figure which seemed astronomical to Casperdan and insanely low to the horse. "Excellent!" husked Pericles. "Let us conclude the formalities now." "Per," Casperdan began, looking at him uncertainly. "I don't know if we have enough ..." "Some liquidation* will surely be necessary, Casperdan, but we will manage." The subminister interrupted: "Excuse me ... there's something you should know before we go any further. I can sell you Old Earth, but there is an attendant difficulty." "Problems can be solved, difficulties overcome, obstructions removed," said the horse irritably. "Please get on with it." Alround sighed. "As you wish." He drummed the required buttons. "But you'll need more than your determination to get around this one. "You see, it seems no one knows how to get to Old Earth anymore ... or even where it is." Later, strolling among the teeming mobs of Imperial City, Casperdan ventured a hesitant opinion. "I take it this means it's not time for me to receive my part of the dream again?" "Sadly, no, my friend." Her tone turned sharp. "Well, what do you intend to do now? We've just paid quite an enormous number of credits for a world located in obscurity, around the corner from no place." "We shall return to Calder," said the horse with finality, "and continue to expand and develop the company." He [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ] |