[tshiggins]

(...continued)

The rest of the group accepted Frank’s reasoning, albeit unhappily, and asked if some way might exist to pass along a warning. However, they reluctantly concluded they lacked both the knowledge of who might be involved with the poachers, and the time to develop such contacts.

The group agreed with A.J. that they should head back to Nieuw Haarlem as quickly as possible, so as to complete repairs and get started on the construction of their own platform. Henrietta also said she really needed to learn as much as possible about the history of the area.

After all, they’d just used some of their stored spells, and without any sacred space, they couldn’t cast any replacements. Moreover, Henrietta couldn’t cast the rituals needed to allow them to find the portal to the 1711 world.
The two airships departed on schedule, and the trip to Nieuw Haarlem passed much more pleasantly than the voyage out.

As soon as the Paradise was moored and the crew debarked, a messenger arrived with an invitation from Gerda Jonckers for a second luncheon the next day. The group secured the airship and made their way to the luncheon the next day.

The director of the Nieuw Haarlem Company congratulated them on a job well done, and reported that she has authorized the agreed upon line of credit of $50,000 in company scrip, exchangeable for $100,000 in 1919 dollars on the other side of the portal. That should allow them to complete construction of the platform for which they’d already made the down payment, Jonckers said.

The “directeur” also noted that she’d received a letter from Dael van der Berg in Orchard, and had decided to approve the sale of the carbines. While no big deal, this time around, Jonckers said, in the future she’s appreciate it if the members of the Red Rocks Lodge let her know before they started dealing arms to people in Nieuw Haarlem territory.

Frank apologized and said he’d stumbled on the deal and jumped at the opportunity. Jonckers said she understood, and had no problems as long as such transactions took place with company employees. She just wanted some advance notice, next time, and Frank agreed that seemed quite reasonable.

Jonckers also said the successful mission allowed her to make other company resources available to them, including the consultation services of the Nieuw Haarlem company’s mage, Dr. Sander Vandergross. While he would charge them an hourly fee for his services, Jonckers said, Dr. Vandergross would willingly assist them with any reasonable request.

After the luncheon, the group went about their separate business. A.J. went to the offices of De Bos Houtbedrijf, to arrange for the trip to tow lumber back to vicinity of the Nieuw Haarlem and construct a moored platform. The directeur, Anika de Bos, said she could have a crew and ships ready to go in five days, and reminded A.J. of the agreement that the Paradise and her crew would provide physical security in exchange for a discount.

A.J. said he and his group would be ready, and five days would give them time to complete some repairs. With that, he took his leave, and began to shop for tough netting to reinforce the inside of the wooden lattice work.

(In a subsequent discussion, Anten said they could probably earn some funds from their own platform by allowing visiting dirigibles to moor to it, rather than pay Nieuw Haarlem’s docking fees. They’d fence off the center of the platform for private use, and allow the visitors to travel around the rim of the platform to reach the bridge to the town, proper. He’d seen that other platforms did the same sort of thing.)

Meanwhile, Henrietta made her way to Dr. Vandergross’ office, made an appointment, and learned the mage charged $50 per hour in company scrip. A little later that afternoon, the company mage welcomed the anthropologist and congratulated her on the successful completion of the mission.

Henrietta thanked him and, in response to his query, said she’s like the chance to visit some of the company schools to learn their curricula and pedagogy. As a professor, herself, Henrietta said she’d welcome the opportunity to perhaps teach a class or two, herself.

Vandergross hesitated for a long moment, and then said that while it might be possible for her to observe some of the classes, she would need to establish a solid relationship with the company before they’d allow her to teach classes.

Henrietta expressed surprise at this requirement, and Vandergross proceeded to explain. The curriculum at the company schools strongly emphasized practical knowledge that would give them happy and prosperous lives as either company employees or contractors, and would seem quite “vocational” as compared to what she was used to, the mage said.

Basically, each child was carefully monitored and steered toward subjects that suited them best, Vandergross said. The most talented children learned corporate management skills – economics, finance, budgeting and other such topics. These tended to be the children of the stockholders, Vandergross noted, and the curriculum was quite challenging.

Those who had displayed talents for engineering or science were steered to manufacturing or product research, while those who lacked such talents were moved quickly into classes that provided vocational training – carpentry, plumbing, agronomy, and other such topics.

As a general rule, Vandergross said, the company had little use for such “frivolous” classes as those he understood were part of the “core curriculum” of “unproductive ideas” on her world. Subjects such as the social sciences or the arts had little utility to the company, Henrietta learned, although anybody who had artistic talents was encouraged to pursue them as hobbies.

If their works proved marketable, the company would provide ongoing support for such activities, Vandergross explained.

At that point, Henrietta asked about the company’s policy toward “poaching” settlements, and said it came across as the sort of oppression that led to long-term social instability – or even revolution.

Dr. Vandergross replied that harsh reprisals delivered swiftly were specifically designed to prevent that sort of thing, and noted that the vast expanse of the Orbital Realm of Jupiter made it easy for malcontents to create their own settlements far away from company territory.

As it was, he added, political revolutions only took place when Looters organized enough Moocher parasites to seize control of a society from the Producers who made its prosperity possible. A revolution condemned any society to degeneration, Vandergross said, and lead to its eventual self-destruction.

Without batting an eyelash, Henrietta agreed that the differences in curriculum meant she probably should observe for awhile, but noted that it might help if she had access to some of the company archives, as that would allow her to better grasp the context of the decision-making.

Vandergross said that, while the archives really had limited utility, he could certainly understand her interest, given her vastly different background. As such, he said he could make one of his staff available who knew English well enough to help her translate the Dutch documents.

Henrietta thanked Vandergross for the help, and then spent the next several days sorting through dusty files with the help of a very patient worker who, nevertheless, gave the impression she felt rather put-upon.

During her perusal of the records, Henrietta learned that the early years of the settlement consisted of “bringing order” to the surrounding territory, which was then inhabited by “independents.” As the records progressed, Henrietta noted that the term “independent” began to more frequently give way to the term “poacher,” and expense reports indicated the need to replace weapons and ammunition, and recruit personnel, declined steadily after the first decade.

The anthropologist noted the increasing success of efforts to “integrate” people into the “company system,” but kept seeing references to the term, “grapple.”

(continued...)