Harold and Gladys waited impatiently for the Ramsey clan to return from their expedition to Yule Point. They wanted to tell them about the gold. But when the Ramseys did return, everything was turned upside down.
Dave was limping very badly, and sported a black eye. Sean's face was dark with bruises, and one of his eyes had swollen shut. But it was the brave, confident Jason that got hurt the most. His face on one side had been flayed open. It was bleeding badly, and so were half a dozen other wounds on his arms and neck. The man he'd hit at the beginning of the fight had taken revenge once the fighting was over.
The women didn't fare so badly. Maureen had been slapped around a little for being slow when the leader of the attackers ordered her to hand over the bag with water and implant kits. Jessica was threatened with rape and got her bottom pinched so painfully that she squealed, which caused much merriment among the ruffians. They were in a very good mood after they'd found the implant kits - so good that they didn't carry out their threat to rape both women, and beat the men senseless.
The injuries the men suffered anyway were bad enough to qualify for a hospital visit, back in the old times. Fortunately, no less than three doctors were present: Dave, Sean, Maureen. Dave had a cabinet full of medical supplies at home, including surgical needles and thread. They came in very handy: Jason alone required a total of thirty one stitches. It was late in the evening by the time everyone was patched up.
Harold and Gladys were horrified to see what had happened to the Ramseys. Neither of them said a word about the gold they'd discovered in the New World. They had plenty of questions to ask, instead. When they'd learned everything about the ambush on the road to Yule Point, Harold said:
"I have a feeling those thugs are connected to Rizzo."
"Interesting," Sean said thickly. He had difficulty speaking: one of the blows he received had nearly dislocated his jaw, and another caused him to bite his tongue so badly it was swollen to twice the standard size.
"He's working for the government, so he would have known about the colony launch locations. When he was in the drug business, he had a number of scummy types working for him. They probably still do."
"Never mind all that," Dave said wearily. "What matters is that they've stolen six implant kits."
"Don't worry about that," said Harold. "We'll dig into our secret supplies."
"We don't have that many left there, if you consider the seedlings and animals we planned to replicate once everything legal. And anyway, I'm not going to let this slide. I'm going to see Henry first thing tomorrow to give him a piece of my mind. Harry, can you come along?"
"Of course."
"There will be no more of this Yule Point nonsense. And I'll demand replacement kits for the ones that got stolen."
"That might be tricky."
"Oh, things will get tricky all right," said Dave through clenched teeth. "But not for us."
They all went to bed soon afterward, and Harold hadn't had the chance to tell Dave about the gold until they met up in the New World.
This turned out to be unnecessary. Harold and Gladys went to sleep after the Ramseys. When they arrived in the New World, Dave and Susan already knew all about the gold.
They killed and roasted two rabbits in celebration, and seriously depleted the small store of mead they'd made from wild honey. The New World Dave had none of the injuries sustained by the original, and they all got very enthusiastic about their life in the New World.
After a heated discussion, they also decided they'd follow Rizzo's advice, and register a mint. It seemed the sensible thing to do given their golden find, but no one was very happy about that. Operating a mint meant a lot of work that meant spending more time back home, and less in the New World.
Dave and Harold also had a long talk about sharing power in the New World.
"Gold changes things," Harold said, and Dave agreed. They decided not to tell Sean and his family about the gold for the time being, and swore their wives to silence.
Early next morning, following a frugal breakfast, Harold and Dave set out for a showdown with mayor and governor Henry Deacon. Mayor and governor Henry Deacon kept them waiting for almost an hour before they were admitted into his august presence. It made them more feisty than they had planned.
Deacon rose from his chair to greet them wearing the look of a lord being bothered by some of his less intelligent minions. However, his expression changed quickly when he saw Dave's injuries.
"Crikey! What happened to your face, Dave?" he said.
Dave was more than happy to tell him. Dave told him everything from start to finish, sparing no detail. He concluded his story with some insights about the role Deacon played in the incident.
"You nearly got us killed, you fuckwit," shouted Dave, and it was one of the milder statements he made about Deacon's intelligence.
"By pals of your crooked tax collector," added Harold. That really hit Deacon hard. He blanched, and hid his hands behind his back: they'd started trembling.
"Pals of my tax collector? What makes you think that? Have you got any proof?" he asked, doing his best to appear both outraged and calm, and failing miserably.
"I've seen those bogans before," said Dave. "They worked for Rizzo when he was pursuing his previous career."
"They probably still are," said Harold.
"They stole six implant kits. More than half! You're going to replace those kits, Henry."
"I'll do everything I can to resolve this situation," Deacon said evasively. "Harold, you were there with Dave?"
"No."
"Ah," said Deacon, a note of satisfaction appearing in his voice. "Dave, do you, um, have someone to corroborate your statement?"
"Yes, I have!" shouted Dave. "My whole fucking family. You want me to bring them over? They all want to meet you. They all want to talk to you. They are all dying for a chance to tell you how much they appreciate your bright ideas."
"All right, all right," Deacon said hurriedly. "I will trust you on this, Dave. Six implant kits? You want them now?"
"Of course I want them now."
"All right. And I'll arrange for someone to escort you home," said Deacon. "Oh by the way, Harry. Have you launched yet?"
"Yes I have," said Harold. He bent his head and spread his hair with his fingers, revealing the glowing blue dot.
"Excellent," said Deacon. "Wonderful. Actually, I was near your site in the New World the other day. Thought I'd drop off a couple of useful things, like basic clothes and tools. But the bloody boat struck a reef and we turned back. Had no idea there'd be a reef there. That stretch of beach in front of your house is free of reefs. You launched from your house, am I right?"
"Yes," said Harold. "And that's where Dave will be launching, too. No more of that stupid Yule Point business. You've already agreed we can merge our ventures into one."
"Now, that is not the way it should be done," Deacon said. "I have clear instructions - "
"Henry," said Dave. "You can shove your clear instructions. Anyway, you can tell the moron that issued those instructions that they were obeyed to the letter. Can't you?"
"We're just being honest with you, mate," said Harold. "We could lie and say yes, sure, Yule Point it is, and then do what we want to do anyway. But we prefer to be upfront with you. We want to have good relations. And I think it's in your best interest as governor to have good relations with the people colonizing in your district."
"It wouldn't be bad idea to reconsider your choice of tax collector either," said Dave.
They hammered away at Deacon until he was ready to do anything just to get rid of them. They registered their mint, and left carrying six new implant kits in the company of a sulking soldier who resented having to walk several kilometers in the heat.
Everyone was waiting for them at Harold's house, traditionally and now officially the base for their colonial operations. Susan and Gladys were asleep, while Sean and Jason nursed their wounds in grim silence. Maureen and Jessica were gloomily assembling a meal in the kitchen.
The atmosphere improved considerably when Dave plonked down the kits on the table and announced complete success. Susan and Gladys were woken up, and two celebratory tins of sardines were added to their lunch.
"We really have to start sending food from the New World," said Susan. "I came across a couple of pieces of tiger rock the other day, and brought them in. We definitely have enough now to build a decent-sized platform."
"Good idea," said Harold. He looked Sean in the eyes and added:
"And speaking of the New World, I am pleased to announce that we've found gold."
"Gold?" said Sean. "Gold as in gold?"
"Yes. It's hard to say at present how much gold there is, in the location where we found it. But it's highly likely we'll find more places like that. This changes things. We were thinking of focusing on food, and selling the surplus here."
"You can't eat gold," said Jessica, in the stern tone teenagers use to announce a new belief. She had become remarkably outspoken ever since her older brother was silenced by the line of stitches running down the side of his face.
"Indeed," agreed Harold, "You cannot eat gold. But gold can buy plenty to eat, even when there's a scarcity of food. Anyway, that's beside the point. The point being, Dave and I have registered a mint today at the town hall."
"A mint? As in a place that makes coins?" said Sean. The blows he'd taken to the head seemed to make him unsure about everything. Maureen worried about damaged blood vessels, but Dave knew that a beating often had that effect. Especially the very first beating ever: it invariably shook up one's worldview, sometimes permanently.
"Yes," said Harold. "We'll be making money, in more ways than one. In addition, next week I'll be introducing eight new colonists that I've recruited. It's high time we got properly organized. It wasn't a concern when there was just the four of us: myself, Dave, Gladys and Susan."
"Properly organized? Like setting up a hierarchy?" said Sean.
"Exactly," said Harold, and Dave thought: Sean is about to undergo a radical adjustment to his worldview.
"We want everyone to have a say," declared Harold. "But we - the founders of this colony - shall have the final say."
He looked at Sean and added:
"In practical terms, this means that if I tell you to jump, you jump. I'll happily listen to any objections you might have, because they may make sense. But if I overrule them and insist you jump, then you jump. Is that clear?"
Dave looked at Sean, then at Maureen, and finally at their two children. Jessica couldn't care less one way or the other. Jason's eyes were dull like the eyes of a dog regularly beaten by its owner. Maureen's were full of acceptance. Sean's showed obedience.
"Yes. It's clear," Sean said.
"Absolutely," said Maureen. "It's been your show from the start."
"Everything's fine by me," said Jessica, affecting boredom. Jason nodded silently, then parted his lips and hissed:
"Fine."
"Excellent," said Harry. "You know of course you'll be getting a cut of all profits - from the mint, from trade, and so on. We'll work out the details as we go. Because now that we have an agreement, I think we should get going without any delay."
"Right away?" asked Sean.
"Right away."
"I'm not in the best shape," said Sean. "Neither is Jason."
"And neither is Dave. But he's perfectly fine in the New World."
"I was fine when I was replicating over there," said Dave. "It may not work that way with them."
"From what I know, they can heal over there as well as they can here. Maybe better?" said Maureen.
Everyone looked at her, because no one had expected her to speak.
"You'd like to go now? As in, this minute?" said Sean.
"Yes," said Maureen. Jason nodded and hissed:
"So do I."
Jessica said:
"Is it true that we will be completely naked when we arrive?"
"We'll pick a discreet spot," Maureen told her. Jessica smiled.
"Then let's go," she said.
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