He saw the warning gleam in Dominiques eye. I think Ill decline, thanks.
Coward. Dominique pouted.
Parris dropped the grapes onto a side plate, and wiped his hand with a napkin. So how did you do it, Joshua? My captains dont get three thousand cases, and the Vasilkovsky line has been making the Norfolk run for fifty years.
Joshua activated a neural nanonics memory cell. Confidentiality coverage. Agreed? His gaze went round the table, recording everyone saying yes. They were legally bound not to repeat what they heard now. Although quite what he could do about Ione was an interesting point, since her thought processes were Tranquillitys legal system. I traded something they needed: wood. He explained about the mayope.
Very clever, Dominique drawled when he finished, though there was a note of respect in amongst the affected languor. Brains as well as balls.
I like it, Parris said. He studied his cut-crystal glass. Why tell us?
Supply and demand, Joshua said. Ive found a valuable hole in the market, and I want to fill it.
But the Lady Macbeth hasnt got the capacity to do it by herself, Clement said. Right?
Joshua had wondered how smart the lad was. Now he knew. A real chip off the Vasilkovsky block. Thats right. I need a partner, a big partner.
Why not go to a bank? Dominique asked. Charter some ships for yourself.
Theres a loose end which needs tying up.
Ah, Parris, showing some real interest at last, leant forward in his seat. Go on.
The power mayope has over Norfolk lies in keeping it a monopoly, that way we can keep the price high. I have a provisional arrangement with a distributor on Norfolk whos agreed to take as much as we can ship in. What we need to do next is pin down the supply to a single source, one that only we can obtain. That is going to take upfront money, the kind which cant be explained away to bank auditors.
You can do that?
Parris, I have never been on a planet more corrupt than Lalonde. Its also very primitive and correspondingly poor. If you, with all your money, went there, you would be its king.
No, thank you, Parris said sagely.
Fine, but with money pushed into the right credit disks we can guarantee that no one else gets an export licence. OK, it wont last for ever, administration people move on, traders will offer counter-bribes when they find what were doing; but I figure we ought to get two of Norfolks conjunctions out of it. Two conjunctions where your ships are filled to capacity with Norfolk Tears.
Every ship? I do have quite a few.
No, not every ship. We have to walk a fine line between greed and squeeze. My Norfolk distributor will give us most favoured customer status, thats all. Itll be up to us to work out exactly how much we can squeeze them for before they start to protest. You know how jealously they guard their independence.
Yes. Parris nodded thoughtfully.
And what about Lalonde? Ione asked quietly. Her glass was dangling casually between thumb and forefinger, she rocked it from side to side, swirling the champagne around the bottom.
What about Lalonde? Joshua asked.
Its people, Symone said. It doesnt sound as though they get a very good deal out of this. The mayope is their wood.
Joshua gave her a polite smile. Just what I need, bleeding hearts. What do they get at the moment?
Symone frowned.
He means they get nothing, Dominique said.
Were developing their market for them, Joshua said. Well be pumping hard cash into their economy. Not much by our standards, I admit, but to them it will buy a lot of things they need. And it will go to the people too, the colonists who are breaking their backs to tame that world, not just the administration staff. We pay the loggers upriver in the hinterlands, the barge captains, the timber-yard workers. Them, their families, the shops they buy stuff from. All of them will be better off. Well be better off. Norfolk will be better off. Its the whole essence of trade. Sure, banks and governments make paper money from the deal, and we slant it in our favour, but the bottom line is that people benefit. He realized he was staring hard at Symone, daring her to disagree. He dropped his eyes, almost embarrassed.
Dominique gave him a soft, and for the first time, sincere kiss on his cheek. You really did pick yourself the best, didnt you? she said challengingly to Ione.
Of course.
Does that answer your question? Parris asked his lover, smiling gently at her.
I guess it does.
He started to use a small silver knife to peel the crisp rind from a date-sized purple fruit. Joshua recognized it as a saltplum from Atlantis.
I think Lalonde would be in capable hands if we left it to Joshua, Parris said. What sort of partnership were you looking for?
Sixty-forty in your favour, he said amicably.
Which would cost me?
I was thinking of two to three million fuseodollars as an initial working fund to set up our export operation.
Eighty-twenty, Dominique said.
Parris bit into the saltplums pink flesh, watching Joshua keenly.
Seventy-thirty, Joshua offered.
Seventy-five-twenty-five.
I get that percentage on all Norfolk Tears carried by the Vasilkovsky Line while our mayope monopoly is in operation.
Parris winced, and gave his daughter a small nod.
If you provide the collateral, she said.
You accept my share of the mayope as collateral, priced at the Norfolk sale value.
Done.
Joshua sat back and let out a long breath. It could have been a lot worse.
You see, Dominique said wickedly. Brains as well as breasts.
And legs, Joshua added.
She licked her lips provocatively, and took a long drink. Well get the legal office to draw up a formal contract tomorrow, Parris said. I cant see any problem.
The first stage will be to set up an office on Lalonde and secure that mayope monopoly. The Lady Mac has still got to be unloaded, then she needs some maintenance work, and were due a grade-E CAB inspection as well thanks to someone I met at Norfolk. Not a problem, but it takes time. I ought to be ready to leave in ten days.
Good, said Parris. I like that, Joshua. No beating around, you get straight to it.
So how did you make your fortune?
Parris grinned and popped the last of the saltplum into his mouth. Given this will hopefully develop into quite a large operation, Ill want to send my own representative with you to Lalonde to help set up our office. And keep an eye on this upfront money of mine youll be spending.
Sure. Who?
Dominique leaned over until her shoulder rubbed against Joshuas, a hand made of steel flesh closed playfully on his upper thigh. Guess, she whispered salaciously into his ear.
Durringham had become ungovernable, a city living on spent nerves, waiting for the final crushing blow to fall.
The residents knew of the invaders marching and sailing downriver, everyone had heard the horror stories of xenoc enslavement, of torture and rape and bizarre bloodthirsty ceremonies; words distorted and swollen with every kilometre, like the river down which they travelled. They had also heard of the Kulu Embassy evacuating its personnel in one madcap night, surely the final confirmationSir Asquith wouldnt do that unless there was no hope left. Durringham, their homes and jobs and prosperity, was in the firing line of an unknown, unstoppable threat, and they had nowhere to run. The jungle belonged to the invaders, the seven colonist-carrier starships orbiting impotently overhead were full, they couldnt offer an escape route. There was only the river and the virgin sea beyond.