Refugio, Trade Arrives, Change Goes On…
Mandy Doe, the Port representative in Refugio, got word from the far speaker that Paul Jones ship was arriving early in the morning. The entrance to the harbor had been cleared when the settlement was established but in the years since the stranding, coral growths had made the entrance risky under sail. The electric motor gave more control. Mandy met them as they tied up.
“Hey Mandy, thought you were a Pin in those coveralls,” Paul called to the young woman. “Won’t be able to tell us apart anymore. Heard the way of wearing stuff is changing all over the planet.”
“Much easier to wear this than either the Port baggies or the long robes the women were wearing here,” Mandy laughed. “Hope you have some sea silk because a lot of the women are lining their coveralls with it. It is stronger than the pod silk they make here.”
“We got a few pieces but mostly the dried fish and those lined baskets,” Paul said. “Do we have a warehouse yet?”
“Serept got us a place near the main plaza. I’ve got a pushcart to move the goods.”
“We’ll off load and let you handle it. My crew is ready for some time at the hostel. Had trouble getting back to sleep after that yell for help last night. What the hell happened?”
“Rumor says some low lives were trying to kidnap someone. I’ll see what I can find out and check with you later,” Mandy said as she began loading the baskets of dried fish into the pushcart. The owner of the cart helped her balance the load, so it was easier to pull up the hill to the main plaza. The warehouse was centrally located, and Mandy had been told it was an excellent location. It was just across from the cathedral and near the central market and food distribution center. Their customers would easily find them as would the curious.
Ser Barra had given them a lower charge on the storage space because he knew there would be many coming to look at what the Port people had brought. The traffic delivering the things for shipment to Port and those who would be getting their deliveries from Port were all traffic that would profit his business. He decided to go ahead and order the two new wagons his daughters said he needed. Having the girls help with the business really improved it.
***
Everyone in Ciudad Centro had been awakened in the middle of the night so the town was slow to begin the day. The fight at one of the houses with the runaways had aroused the whole city. One of the residents had summoned the patrol to his compound with a loud mental cry for help. His psy ability was impressive. The compound was being attacked by bandits and a fight had broken out between the bandits and the residents. Serept brought the report to Francos from the security patrol with his morning reports.
“According to security, a member of the Malfe family who had run away was the reason for the attack. The family wanted him back,” Serept reported. “He had some of the same issues as our friend Nio and refused to return. He also has a wife and children that were not acceptable to whoever is in charge at the hacienda.”
“What do the patrol say about the bandits they caught?”
“The men they arrested were well known to them and have been detained until Ser Path can have a hearing,” Serept said, “But, Roberto Malfe has filed a complaint with the House of Justice against you and the house leader. He claims you have lured these people away from their families to destroy those who oppose you. The rumors are he is going to call an emergency council meeting to consider deposing you and electing a new Overlord.”
“You would think the man would remember when Emiliano tried that,” Francos said. “Any word on when Megal will arrive?”
“They sail soon and will be using a coastal ship from Port so next week at the earliest.”
“Ask that leader of the runaways to question and see if any other of our new city residents have issues like this with their families,” Francos said. “We need to be ready if this is going to happen again. I thought when we ran off El Canalla we were over these bandits. Obviously, I was wrong. I am disappointed that we have people who will disrupt the peace for credits or goods.”
Francos returned to his office to finish reviewing the trade reports. The rotation of families in Utopia always caused shortages of basic supplies. Bread meal was the most critical but root vegetables and leather for shoes were also in short supply. He hoped the new prince would be able to make the changes. Tony had told him they were wanted by many of the Utopians.
***
Francos reviewed his morning messages and shook his head. Roberto Malfe was demanding an emergency meeting of the family heads. He was not getting much support from the other families. Most were tired of having meetings, and it was close to harvest time. Because of the rules for the Council of Houses, anyone could demand an emergency meeting and the Overlord was required to hold it. Malfe was still angry about his son’s punishment. He was also still upset about the disruption of his harem. Discovering that his wife was not the compliant, obedient creature he had always expected, but a very competent manager of his home, had turned his world upside down. Francos looked at his calendar and chose a day in a few weeks, hoping that Megal and Sarita would be home by then. Most of the harvest would be over by that time also.
***
Mandy met Paul Jones and some of the other sailors for dinner at the dockside hostel. They were relaxed and full of news about plans for moving to the new land. Mandy was surprised at how many wanted to go.
“Think about it Mandy, we could have real houses like in Utopia or here,” a cousin of hers said. “No more palm huts that blow down every time we get a storm.”
“Exactly, and maybe have more protein than goat meat and fish,” a woman sailor added.
“Swamp root has kept us alive but all of us know how good the food from the other settlements is,” Paul said. “We’re willing to do the work to raise it, but we have to have a place to do it.”
“I know you all are excited about moving, but from what Captain Julie said, it is going to be a lot of work to get to the point where they can even plant things,” Mandy said. “I know that the iron workers here in Refugio are making lots of saws and other cutting tools to be sent. The agreement says the new settlement will produce charcoal to trade for iron tools. Making charcoal is dirty work but they need the charcoal to make the iron so it will be an even trade.”
“Mandy’s right about what we saw,” a man who had sailed with Julie spoke up. “I was on that Magellan and was not sure I’d ever get on a boat again once I finally got home. I didn’t go ashore but the ones who did said it was thick with small trees and lots of thorny vines. It’s going to take lots of chopping to get it cleared.”
“Ser Francos said that it will take a couple of years before you’ll be able to grow your own food, so both other places will have to help,” Mandy said.
“That’s to be expected,” another of the sailors spoke up. “Back in Utopia when I was a little, my family got assigned setting up a new farm and it was hard work. We got more food because of the work but we really hated it. It was in a swampy area, and we all got the summer sickness. Most of ‘em died. No one lives there now. Our family gave up on it and no one else would move there.”
“I heard all the families want is real glass instead of crab glass,” Mandy said. “Serept said the negotiators found that even though Port can use the frames to grow big sheets, real glass is what they want. It lets in more light and crab glass will fall apart if it get wet too often.”
“One more reason to get moved,” Paul said. “We were counting on trading those chitin panels.”
“What’d you call them?” someone called out.
“According to one of the guys from Refugio, the stuff the crabs make is called chitin back on Terra,” Paul said. “Might as well learn the correct name.” This brought a laugh from his crew as his fascination with words was well known. The light moment signaled the end to the evening. In the morning, the ship would be loaded with the return trade and sail the next day. Mandy told Paul she would have a report ready for Spacer before they sailed.
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