134 Real Time Lies (1/2)
The moment they were back inside the house, Harold turned to Dave and said:
”I've just learned from Sean that Dave - your older son - won't be joining us for another week.”
Dave looked uncomfortable. He said:
”Yes, that's what he told me too. He's still got some things to get done before he can make a move.”
”What things?”
”He's assembling the equipment for a proper geologist's lab. You know, to examine minerals from the New World.”
”We can't send that lab there.”
”No, but we can send the mineral samples here.”
”Listen, mate,” said Harold. ”We really need him in the New World. We need to find metal ores. Those stone tools we've got - I needn't tell you how bad they are. Those clay blades Susan's been making are only useful for plants and hides. They crack and chip even on soft wood. We need metal tools, and to get metal tools we must find metal ore.”
”Exactly,” said Dave. ”That's why we must have a proper geologist's lab set up. To examine the minerals we've found for metal ore content.”
”But we haven't found any metal ore at all near our settlement.”
”Not with our skills. But Dave might very well find that minerals we've dismissed as worthless are actually worth something.”
”You think so?”
”I'm sure of it. We'll look really silly if we start sending expeditions to look for ore, and find out we had a good source sitting right under our noses all along.”
Harold sighed.
”All right,” he said. ”But there's also another problem, a big problem. In a week's time, I'm supposed to implant the youngsters I've recruited for our colony. They're going to arrive there and see a settlement that has obviously been founded a long time earlier. They could be bamboozled into believing we've managed to build all that in just over two months of New World time if there are plenty of settlers there. There's no chance of them buying into that if it's just me and Gladys. I know we can count on your family not to blab to anyone that we've had an illegal colony going for a while. But the people I've recruited - they will talk. They'll be all excited and eager to tell all their friends about their adventures in the New World, and you can bet anything you like that whatever they say will find its way to Henry.”
”Relax, mate,” Dave said. ”We've known Henry for a long, long time. He'll be flexible. As a matter of fact, I think he suspects we have something going over there already. It's not in his interest to make anything out of it. He needs established colonies. He needs them to produce as much food as fast as they can, he's told us that more than once. He's not going to revoke our licenses.”
”He'll be forced to when it becomes public knowledge that we've been running an illegal colony.”
”It's legal now.”
”All right,” Dave Ramsey said. ”You have a point. What do you propose we do about it?”
”You must go down to Yule Point first thing tomorrow, and go through the whole rigmarole of pretending to launch from there. When my recruits arrive in the New World and find half a dozen people present, they just might believe everything's been built in nine weeks.”
Dave Ramsey was silent for a while, and Harold had the disagreeable impression - for the third or fourth time that day! - that his old friend was hiding something from him.
”Well?” he said.
”You're right, in principle,” Dave said. ”But couldn't you try and postpone things? Tell those youngsters you've recruited that they'll have to wait another week.”
”I can't. They're on fire, they want to get going yesterday. I had to twist myself in knots explaining that ten naked, bewildered people arriving in a new world would mean a lot of discomfort, and that it was much better if I and Gladys went alone first to reconnoiter the area, and set up things. They've all been out of work for two months. They have no money and no food. They're desperate.”
”Fine. What do you propose we do now?”
”You go and break the news to Sean. And I'll have a quick look at our settlement. I'll try to view it as if I had just arrived for the first time. Could you tell Gladys to wake me up in half an hour? I don't need a lot of time there.”
”All right,” said Dave Ramsey, and yet again Harold had the impression that something was being left unsaid.
He thought about it while he made his way to his bedroom, and laid the silvery mat out on his bed. Dave was acting strangely, no two words about it. He had been late at the town hall - nearly two hours late. That was out of character; Dave Ramsey took pride in being punctual.
Harold lay down on his hiber bed and was asleep instantly, as usual.
It was raining in the New World. It was raining so hard he instantly became concerned about their dwellings. They were constructed of wattle and dried mud, and the dried mud was quickly turning into wet mud. He examined the ceiling of the hut that belonged to him and Gladys and saw drops of water already beginning to form on its ceiling.