Chap. 75 Contract for the artifacts (long)

Chap. 75   Contracting for the artifacts (long, but I couldn't figure where to cut it)

The three dragon riders were just as shocked at the unexpected 'end' of Jason Harmon, but they didn't leave. The capsule, after all, was K'ndars.

After several moments of reflection, Raylan said, "Well."

Shawn came back in, with a large box. "Alright then, we'll just pick these things up and take them in back for further research."

He began to collect the artifacts. K'ndar put a hand on the nearest one, the camera.

Shawn stopped as if to say, "Yes??" but his expression said   'why are you louts still here?

"That capsule and all the contents? What do you intend to do with it?" D'mitran said.

"Well, um, we're going to look at everything, catalog everything…why do you ask?"

"It's K'ndar's find. Don't you think you should include him in what you're planning?"

The tech frowned. "It's not…it's not.."

"Oh, yes it is," D'nis said, "It most definitely IS K'ndar's. If you're going to insist on keeping it, it's only right that you gain his permission FIRST."

"But…but,"

K'ndar stepped into the fray.

"But it seems to me that you have already decided that it's yours. You didn't ask who owned it." He looked hard at the man. Shawn's feelings were all over his face…and they were of contempt.

It starts already, D'nis thought. We've not been a month without Thread and already they forget who and what we are. This feeling that dragonriders are nothing but stupid louts.

The tech took a deep breath…and then let it out.

"Yes, you're right. I didn't ask who owned it. I just assumed you were here because everyone else was."

"So, let's try this again," K'ndar said. "What are your plans for MY artifacts?"

Shawn bridled. "What do you want me to do with it?"

"Now that is the right attitude," D'nis said.

K'ndar was thinking as fast as he could.

"I…I want to see all these things reproduced. This camera, for instance. I want several made, so that people can use  them. I want at least two of them for myself. Any others, I want to be given to Elene in the library, for loaning out. Can you reproduce them?"

Raylan stepped in. "Now that we know what it IS, yes, without a problem. All that we need to do is ask the computer to produce the plans for it, and it can be made. It will take a few weeks, you understand, but we should be able to make more of these."

"And the….data link? Does this thing mean that I can talk to the Aivas computers from, say, my weyr?"

Raylan picked the tablet up, carefully, and examined it closer. He noticed a depression on the back.

"K'ndar, given that we've not investigated these things at all, I can't say that that is what this does. But I'd bet you are correct. In fact, if you look at this depression, here, it seems to match the disks in the bottle. If I were a betting man, I'd bet that those disks are some sort of ….memory, like a chip. So I'm thinking, it might not only be something that can link to our computers here at Landing, but also can be used as a book. In fact, let's try that."

He picked up the bottle. There was a small depression on its top and bottom. No cap. He pressed both and the bottle opened lengthwise. "Clever," he said. Still wearing gloves, he picked one of the disks and inserted it into the data link.

The screen lit up, with the words, opening files. From there, there appeared many lines of file names. He clicked on one at random.

The screen opened up with a video with subtitles.  The words said, "Plate Tectonics, Pern, 250 million years before present." It showed a massive continent, all in one piece. Then, the year counter began to count down at a frantic pace, showing the continent breaking up and the pieces rotating and moving about until they assumed their current positions. He clicked on what was the repeat button and the video repeated.  

"Is that what Pern looked like, what, millions of years ago?" D'mitran asked.

"That's what it looks like. I don't know what 'plate tectonics' means, but I'm guessing that you're right," Raylan said.

"Amazing. This disk must be all science, " Raylan said. He clicked on another file. 

This one showed a woman…they later learned it was Kitty Ping, demonstrating how she'd genetically altered the fire lizard into the dragons of the day. Her accent was unintelligible but still, they were able to understand the gist of her seminar.

"Yup, " Raylan said, and was about to insert another disk when Shawn interrupted.

"Maybe I didn't make myself clear, earlier," he said, "but, seeing how I am the Acquisition officer for Landing, I have things to do. Raylan and Jansen will examine the disks later. For now, thank you, dragonriders for bringing these things to Landing, and good day." He began to put the artifacts into the box.

Jansen, who'd not said a word, frowned and shook her head behind Shawn. Shouldn't be doing this, dumbass.

K'ndar stood his ground. 

"I don't think you understand,Shawn. Maybe you're thinking I'm some dungbooted idiot who only knows how to ride a dragon and get thread scored. I know that's how you treated me last time we met, and it seems that is how you treat everyone here. But I assure you, I'm not naive."

Shawn began to protest. This was NOT the way he expected things to go, because he DID consider dragonriders to be fools. "See here, dragonrider, these are valuable artifacts that I'm certain you don't have the capacity  to fully…. to properly examine in your weyr. You were wise to bring it to someone who does. Now if you'll excuse me, I have work to do."

K'ndar said, "No, YOU see here. These are my artifacts. I am not GIVING them to you. I've learned that Landing works by SELLING things, like books. Now, if you want these things, it's going to be under a contract, do you understand 'contract'?  I am not interested in making money, but you aren't going to get these for free. You are going to reproduce these items, all of them, and give me TWO each, to include the disks. Then you are going to make several more for Elene's Library."  

Shawn was scowling. K'ndar was beginning to enjoy this. D'mitran and D'nis certainly were. 

As was Jansen.

"Anyone who wants to will be able to borrow the items as long as Elene can be assured that the person will care for it properly and returns it in the condition it was when it left her control.

Only then will Landing be able to make more of the same for sale.

Do you understand?"

Shawn, furious at being treated like he treated others, refused. 

"I understand, but I am not willing to do that. You ask too much. I'm not willing…Landing isn't willing to spend money on things like reproducing artifacts to just give away. It's expensive. I can see, maybe, after I look at the budget, making one thing for YOU, but all of them? and your other demands? Out of the question."

K'ndar then carefully moved all the items closer to his chest.

"Fine. Then I'll take all of these artifacts, all of MY artifacts, and fly my dumb dragonrider self out to sea and dump them."

Behind Shawn, Raylan's face registered apprehension, but he knew a bluff when he saw one. Jansen was openly grinning.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOO!!" Shawn cried.

His face screwed up and his fists clenched. Was he going to physically attack?

K'ndar realized he didn't care. He was ready.

Raylan said, "Now, Shawn, being that you're Acquisition Officer, you KNOW you have the funds, the account was specifically created for you by the Council for precisely this sort of transaction."

Shawn whirled in fury. "YOU have no business telling me how…"  He could see the money he'd come to think of as his slipping away. 

Raylan was ready, too.

"Me? I’m being honest. With you AND K'ndar. AND the people of Pern, who deserve this sort of information. These artifacts belong to K'ndar because of Lord Toric's setting a precedent, but you know, he could easily have taken to them to Toric right away, got a lot of money for them and we'd never ever see them again. So, come down off your high dudgeon, and give K'ndar the price he's asking. It's a fair price, considering he's not asking for marks;  it encourages him and other dragonriders to bring in artifacts, and it's good for Pern."

Shawn, still furious, but realizing that he'd been out maneuvered, backed off.  He'd been hatching plans to do precisely that, sell them to Toric. Now that was gone. 

Turning back to K'ndar, he said, "Fine. Raylan is correct. What are your….terms for selling these artifacts to me..to Landing? How much is this going to cost?"

"Believe it or not, I'm not so much concerned with making money. What I want is what I said earlier. Two copies of every one of these items, for me. More copies…let's make it five each, to include the disks, for Elene's library. SHE will control them, not you. I trust her judgement-and her ethics. Only then will Landing be able to produce more for itself, for sale."

Shawn was silent.

"Maybe you should be, um, writing this down? So you don't forget?" D'nis couldn't resist the dig.

Jansen perked up. "No worries, sir! This entire thing is being recorded. In fact, the council is watching as we speak, I opened a link to their office at the very beginning. They wanted to see the artifacts, too! It's just good business, you know," she was smirking, because she knew it was the best fired arrow that brings down the prey. She was enjoying this. 

Shawn flushed, in a fury and in embarrassment. The thing was completely out of his control. Now his bosses knew what he was doing.  He hadn't thought that Jansen was that smart. 

"Fine."

"Now then, now that we have that understanding. All of the data? in the notebook, in the molecular memory, in the data link? I want it printed up in a book, as well as on the computers, for everyone and anyone to be able to read or um, access."

"That was my intention. Our intention. A copy for you?"

"Two, one for me and one for my weyr's library. Yes. And the disks, I'd like copies, please. I also want that to be accessible to others."

"Fine. We will do that."

Raylan interrupted. "I suspect, K'ndar, that each of the disks contains thousands of files. It would be impossible, I think, to copy them all.  We just don't know how to do that, until..well, until we found out how a molecular memory works. Seeing that the cameras have 'a' molecular memory, give me some time to figure out how to transfer the black disk data to something a bit more capacious.  And we can put it all on our computers here. How does that ride with you?"

K'ndar trusted Raylan. "That will be fine." He reached for the binoculars. 

Shawn tried to stop it. K'ndar froze him with a look, then picked it up, gently, and unfolded it. How clever, he thought, how it folded up. He looked through them….and gasped.

"What? What?"

"It's not…it's not a binocular."

"What is it?"

Without a word, he moved past the D'nis and D'mitran behind him, and went through the doors to the outside. The rest followed him. K'ndar, the binocular in his hand, bent over and looked through the optic.

He could see tiny insects crawling through the gravel that, at this magnification, looked like boulders. He thumbed the knob between the two tubes. The view expanded to show that the insects were covered in mites. Rolling it further, he could see the insect had mites that had mites.

"It's a…a..microscope. A GOOD one."

He handed it to D'nis, who gasped when he looked through it. D'mitran was next.

"But, no, K'ndar, it's not just a microscope, look at the horizon with it," he said, laughing. He handed them back to K'ndar.

D'mitran was right. Depending on where you looked, the binocular adapted. K'ndar looked at the slopes of Mt. Garben, the volcano behind Landing, seeing the structure of the rock slide, then bent over to look between his feet. The view, as it shifted from far to near, made his stomach lurch, but he was again looking at minute insects on the ground.

"It's BOTH. It's both!!"

He handed them to Shawn, who  looked through them, finally allowing himself to be amazed. 

"How did they do this…" he said, more to himself. Then he straightened up, facing K'ndar.

"Two of those for you, and several more for the library?"

"Aye."

They went back into the room.

"Anything else?"

"The capsule itself…what was that wooshing noise?"

Raylan said, "It seems to have had all the air evacuated, it's called a 'vacuum'. That's probably what prevented the notebook from deteriorating after 2500 years. And it's why I asked Jansen to put it back into vacuum until we can figure out how to transcribe the notebook entries without damaging the notebook."

"That thing seemed to be pretty handy. I'd like to see those made available, to anyone."

"NOT to the library?" Shawn said, in a snit.

"Well, you said this 'is getting expensive'. Do you think you could make money with the vacuum capsule?"

"Undoubtedly."

"Then I think it only fair for me to allow you to do so. This way I can have the things I want and it won't cost you so much."

Shawn sighed, in relief.

"That's kind of you," he said, sarcastically. He wasn't being sincere. But, K'ndar thought, give the man some due. He was obeying, like a horse who'd first refused to work, and only after one had a…discussion of who was in charge, did the beast acquiesce. Make it easy for the horse to do the right thing and hard to do the wrong. That was the best way to deal with recalcitrant beasts. Of any species.

"Is that all?" Shawn asked. 

K'ndar asked, "What did Jasonharmon mean, "Aivas account"?"

Jansen stepped in, this being her specialty.

"If I recall correctly, at one time, people could access the computer from elsewhere…probably using this 'data link' and that's how the computer would know him."

"Is that what you do now?"

"In a way. We use the Yokohama for long distance data transfer.  I'll figure out how to do it. Do you want an account for yourself?"

"I'd like one for my weyr, the library we're building at Kahrain Steppe Weyr. So that anyone in my weyr can access the computers here. Using the datalinks!"

Jansen smiled. "I think we can arrange that."

"Finally…I want the items…well, I don't know what to call it, but the original items, I think, should be kept here at Landing, so that people who want to can see them. Not handle them, because, because, well, like you seem to think of me and my dragonriders, some people might not be too careful in how they handle them. And they're old…I don't know how much handling they can take."

Shawn heaved a huge sigh, more out of embarrassment because that is what he felt-he couldn't stand the idea that a dragonrider was handling the items. He'd not been Properly Trained. The fact that there was no training program conveniently slipped his mind.

K'ndar continued, "I want people to be able to see what an Ancient looked like. Sounded like. I'd like ..well, for people to see what he looked like, this Jasonharmon, hear his accent. Maybe put a picture of him or the video? and a story of what happened to him."

Jansen spoke up. "That's called a 'museum' and we ..well, I, have been pushing to have something like that created. Like with other items that people find."

"Do we credit you?"

"What do you mean?"

"When this …exhibit  is created, do we say K'ndar of Kahrain Steppe Weyr found it out on the steppe?"

This was a bit too much attention, he thought.

"No, please, but no. I don't need the…fame? But even more, I don't want a bunch of people out there, hunting around the steppe for artifacts."

Shawn pounced.

"Why? So you can keep them all to yourself? Sounds selfish, to me," he sneered.

The three dragonriders glared at him.

D'mitran, who liked Shawn less and less with every moment, seemed to grow to add to his already tall height.

He spoke in a voice that sounded like that one uses to a child.

"Did you see how Jasonharmon died? DID you?"

"Of course," Shawn said, quailing. 

"That is how people usually die out there. Accidents happen and they are a thousand kilometers out from any help. That's how far out WE were. There is no water out there. No trees. No 'link' to Aivas. If you want to eat you must hunt, but be aware, didn't he say the wherries were waiting on him to die, so they could scavenge his bones? He didn't mention the lions. We were attacked by lions.  We were staging out of a cothold on the edge of the steppe every night. The only safe way to go out onto the steppe is by DRAGON, a creature and a craft you seem to hold in despicably low regard.

 Jasonharmon died in helpless agony because of a tiny insect. We didn't find a bone, not any indication that anyone had ever been out there. Now if you want to publicize this, you go right ahead, but I suggest that, in the interests of true scientific research, you go out there, by yourself, with only three horses…you do know how to ride, don't you? No? Well, then, walk..before you send others out there to do your searching."

Shawn gulped. "OK." he said. "No mention."

Raylan, biting his lip to keep from laughing, looked at K'ndar. "I'll have these reproduced for you in about a week. I'll also tell Elene how and why she's getting the 'library' ones. I think she'll appreciate them, "

"Or maybe not," Jansen said, "it's going to add to her workload."

"Aye, but from the little I know of her, she seems to be adamant that everyone learn as much as possible."

"OK. NOW, Shawn, now that we have a contract, I'll allow you to take possession of the artifacts. Thank you, and you especially, Raylan and Jansen." K'ndar and the two others shook their hands and left.

"Sharding dragonriders. Useless scum," Shawn grumbled as they left.

Raylan looked at him.

"What did you have for dinner last night?"

"What?"

"WHAT did you eat for dinner last night?"

"Fish. Fresh. It was very good. So fresh it was still flopping when they brought it in."

"Yes. Do you think it swam here all on its own?"

"Don't be stupid."

"A fisherman caught it. It was fresh because it didn't come by horseback or oxcart. No, a dragonrider brought it, still wet from the net. MY Dragonrider. My wife, Francie, brought the fish on her green dragon. That's the value a dragonrider provides. So watch your mouth before you start sneering down your nose at dragonriders. Unless, of course, you don't want to eat."