Part 28 (1/2)

”Very funny,” Isabel said, taking it from him. ”I can't believe you actually performed that stunt again. As part of an official event. And roped Papa into doing it with you.”

”Well, you know,” Holloway said. ”It's a good trick. And anyway, Papa is pretty much ruler of the fuzzys and I'm its Minister Plenipotentiary. It's not like we're going to get in trouble for it.”

”Jack Holloway,” Isabel said. ”You always did know how to stay ahead of trouble. But it proves I was right right about you teaching Carl how to set off explosives.” Isabel poked Holloway in the chest to make the point. about you teaching Carl how to set off explosives.” Isabel poked Holloway in the chest to make the point.

”You finally caught me,” Holloway said. ”You win.”

”It is a sweet victory,” Isabel a.s.sured him.

”I'm sure it is,” Holloway said. He looked around. ”So where is your husband? He missed the fireworks.”

”He's still on a conference call with Chad Bourne,” Isabel said. ”They're going around with that tourism group again about why its proposed jungle tour is a bad idea for anyone who doesn't like to get eaten.”

”As long as the fuzzys get their cut of the tour fee, I'm perfectly happy to let tourists get consumed,” Holloway said.

”It will cut down a bit on repeat business,” Isabel said.

”Hey, I'm the idea guy,” Holloway said. ”Chad and Mark handle the details.”

”Don't think I haven't noticed how you did that, by the way,” Isabel said. ”There's very little point in Mark and me being married if you keep him so busy that we never see each other.”

”It's not just Mark who's busy, Dr. Isabel w.a.n.gai, Minister of Science and Exploration for the Nation of Fuzzy Peoples,” Holloway said, employing her full t.i.tle.

”This is very true,” Isabel said. ”But at least my work is interesting. The work you have Mark doing is pure drudgery.”

”Being Attorney General is not pure drudgery,” Holloway said.

”It is the way you make him do it,” Isabel said.

”Building a nation is not all parties and fireworks,” Holloway said.

”Said the man at a party, setting off fireworks,” Isabel said. ”I have an idea. Why don't you, you, Mr. Minister Plenipotentiary, go get Mr. Minister Plenipotentiary, go get my my husband and drag him up to the party. So he might enjoy the fruits of his nation building. And then give him and me both a week off, so we might finally have our honeymoon. So he and I might enjoy the fruits of our marriage.” husband and drag him up to the party. So he might enjoy the fruits of his nation building. And then give him and me both a week off, so we might finally have our honeymoon. So he and I might enjoy the fruits of our marriage.”

”An excellent notion,” Holloway said. ”And for the honeymoon, I've heard that there might be a very nice jungle tour coming along.”

”You first, Jack,” Isabel said, and gave him a peck on the cheek. ”Husband, please.”

”On it,” Holloway said. He headed off toward the roof exit, stopping only to extract two bottles of beer from a cooler.

Holloway found Sullivan in his office, formerly the office of Janice Meyer.

Holloway knocked on the open door. ”Your wife sent me to retrieve you,” he said. He walked into the office and handed Sullivan a beer.

Sullivan took it. ”Good. I'm ready to be retrieved,” he said. ”Have I missed any thing important?”

”You missed the fireworks,” Holloway said.

”I saw them out the window,” he said. ”Did you have Carl set them off?”

”Seemed fitting, since we changed the name of Aubreytown to Carlsburg,” Holloway said.

”The universe's first planetary capital city named after a dog,” Sullivan said. ”We are truly a nation of firsts.”

”To the Fuzzy Nation,” Holloway said, raising his beer bottle.

”To the Fuzzy Nation,” Sullivan said. The men clinked their bottles and drank.

”How did the jungle tour discussion go?” Holloway said.

”They settled down once Chad sent them some video of the zararaptors in action,” Sullivan said. ”Nothing like b.l.o.o.d.y predators to encourage introspection. Of course, a few minutes after we got off the call with them, one of them called up Chad and proposed a hunting tour instead.”

”The entrepreneurial spirit is always restless,” Holloway said.

”It's not always very smart, either,” Sullivan said. ”I'm tempted to let the hunting tour run, so long as it's only equipped with knives.” Holloway grinned at this. ”But I'm not actually concerned about the eco-tourists,” Sullivan continued. ”It's the mining companies who are bothering me.”

”We've been pretty clear about it,” Holloway said. ”No commercial mineral exploitation of any kind for twenty years at least, and only minimal after that.”

”There is always someone who thinks they're going to get around that,” Sullivan said. ”Particularly when it comes to sunstones. You know we've already caught a couple of freelance prospectors. They come down with the academics and then try to sneak off. One of them actually managed to liberate a skimmer and headed out to that seam you discovered, Jack.”

”What did you do to him?” Holloway asked.