The Anomaly

[Rodent]

[font=Comic Sans Ms]Chapter 16-Profiteering

The lush plains were filled with crop. Men, of various origins, slaved in the fields. Crates were being packed, and loaded into transport-ready containers, to be transported to a nearby spaceport, where the buyers awaited. It was the usual hive of activity around a farm, A Cardamine farm.

Sanchos Riviera spurred the men on brutally. Supervision was something he excelled in, and sympathy something he lacked. It had been a few weeks since a strange man with a strange accent had contacted him over short-wave communications, and asked him to take over this job. Now, Sanchos was already doing well as a supervisor of about five different landowners, but the payment offered to him by this queer man was staggering. He signed up at once.

And now this Casa was producing as much as any self-respecting plantation would, rather, more than any self respecting plantation. It's owner had spared no expense in slaves, fertilizers,water...whatever he had asked for. The goods kept rolling in, and he put them to good use.

The containers were all loaded, and the hover-trucks glided away swiftly. Sanchos, pleased as any man at a job well done, went in to make a communication.

***

It was quiet aboard the Adeline. Ship was on auto-pilot, built specially by Jean for reducing the need of crew members, and most of the remaining crew was asleep. The captain's cabin however, was shining with light. And inside, Ansel rubbed sleepy eyes as he pored over figures and diagrams. He had been investigating possible ways of improving the Adeline's construction with Sirian technology, which he was picking up via the Outcasts.

Then the transmission came in.

Senor, Casa's fully operational. We've shipped off the first shipment to buyers.
Sanchos

There was no reaction. Ansel had picked the best man for the job. And he had stretched his resources and his will, bringing in all that was needed for it to work. Orsini had helped him shave the costs a bit, but his reserves had been burnt through. This would help, he would begin marketing the Cardamine, and his expenses would be covered manifold.

Money is power. Information is Power. Contacts are power. Ships are power. But the real power lies within a man's mind.