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Oil and Water
© 2024 by Walter Reimer
Thumbnail art by
Ahro
Meredith waited for the doors to open and took advantage of the pause to take a few deep breaths. Imperial Chartering had contracted her, via Transcosm, to discuss a possible deal with a Terran who was stopping at This Far before moving on to Gorietta.
Traveling to This Far on company expense enabled her to bring Fuji and Jinzi along. Their daughter needed to see a sky overhead and feel natural soil under her hooves, and her parents were pleased to have their granddaughter meet her slightly older uncles. Jinzi seemed happy to meet Amir and Berto, and after reading through the business offer and a digest of notes, Meredith went to visit the trade delegate.
The doors of the storage room at This Far’s groundside spaceport opened, and the golden palomino mare entered.
She stepped inside and waited until the doors closed before bowing. “My name is Meredith d’Estcourt,” she said.
The creature paused in its pacing around the room to regard her. The orca femme was quite a bit larger than the mare, the cetacean dressed in a powered environment suit that kept a layer of circulated water flowing between it and her skin. Cybernetic implants enabled her to move about on four stout legs and manipulate things with two paws.
Cetaceans – dolphins, orcas, whales – had emigrated from Terra before the oceans became too inhospitable to a world that had been terraformed to their needs. Akwatika was mostly ocean, and the inhabitants had largely turned their backs on all things terrestrial. They were mistrustful of strangers to their planet, and severely restricted immigration or long-term visits.
A point in their favor was that the cetaceans had wanted nothing to do with either the Terran Confederacy or Empire, despite Akwatika being in the Core. Successive Terran governments had made a point of ignoring the planet, which suited all parties just fine.
Meredith understood why Imperial Chartering had asked her to speak with the orca, and hadn’t sent a shlan. Intelligence had never arisen in the oceans of the Imperial Homeworld, and such a creature ambling about on dry land with the help of cybernetics would make them shudder.
The orca’s vocalizer said in a pleasant tenor, “I am Seeeock, which will suffice as you cannot pronounce my name. I have been ordered to go off-world and meet with you and others.”
“Thank you for agreeing to see me,” the mare said.
One paw made a negligent gesture. “Come, let us see this offer you bring.” The orca stamped over to a table and lowered herself until her suited belly rested on the ceramcrete floor.
Meredith pulled her padd from her skirt and unfolded it, spreading it out on the table. “Imperial Chartering has been interested in developing and exporting the mineral deposits found on the floor of Akwatika’s Minor Sea,” she explained as a hologram appeared showing the locations of the deposits with accompanying data glosses. “All seafloor mining would be performed by robots.”
A large blue eye moved to regard the golden palomino mare. “AI guided?”
“No. The Kashlani don’t trust AIs. The robots would be teleoperated by Terran employees on the nearest landmass.”
“I see. Show me the steps the shlani will take to keep the waters clean.”
Meredith smiled. “Of course.” A few motions of a fingertip, and the 3-D map vanished, replaced by lines of text in Basic and graphs. “Efforts will be made to minimize stirring up too much sediment, and Imperial Chartering understands and sympathizes with your desire to reduce the impact on your world to a minimum.”
Seeeock gave a slight up and down bob of her head, some bubbles sneaking from her blowhole around the breathing apparatus. The circulators washed the stray bubbles away. “I have read about the efforts they have made to keep their own home clean,” she said, her own robotic paws extending to scroll through the data on the padd, now studying the business side of the contract. “They offer a fair price for our minerals,” the orca observed.
“Yes,” the mare said.
There were, in addition to the funds that the Kashlani were offering per metric ton, amounts set aside for environmental controls and insurance.
The orca femme tapped her fingers against the table as she considered. “The terms are acceptable,” she said finally, and her signature appeared on the contract.
Meredith brightened. “Thank you, Seeeock,” she said, adding her signature as the broker for the deal. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
“No, and I thank you.” Huge tail flukes twitched. “I must wait here until my flight to Gorietta. They are a matriarchy, and I shall be at home there.”
“Akwatika is also a matriarchy?” Meredith asked.
“Indeed. Fair currents, d’Estcourt-jih,” Seeeock said. Her four legs flexed, raising her body up, and the orca resumed her pacing around the room as Meredith transmitted the signed contract, folded up the padd, and left.
Walking back to the spaceport’s terminal, she reflected that her new job was certainly helping her meet new people.
© 2024 by Walter Reimer
Thumbnail art by
AhroMeredith waited for the doors to open and took advantage of the pause to take a few deep breaths. Imperial Chartering had contracted her, via Transcosm, to discuss a possible deal with a Terran who was stopping at This Far before moving on to Gorietta.
Traveling to This Far on company expense enabled her to bring Fuji and Jinzi along. Their daughter needed to see a sky overhead and feel natural soil under her hooves, and her parents were pleased to have their granddaughter meet her slightly older uncles. Jinzi seemed happy to meet Amir and Berto, and after reading through the business offer and a digest of notes, Meredith went to visit the trade delegate.
The doors of the storage room at This Far’s groundside spaceport opened, and the golden palomino mare entered.
She stepped inside and waited until the doors closed before bowing. “My name is Meredith d’Estcourt,” she said.
The creature paused in its pacing around the room to regard her. The orca femme was quite a bit larger than the mare, the cetacean dressed in a powered environment suit that kept a layer of circulated water flowing between it and her skin. Cybernetic implants enabled her to move about on four stout legs and manipulate things with two paws.
Cetaceans – dolphins, orcas, whales – had emigrated from Terra before the oceans became too inhospitable to a world that had been terraformed to their needs. Akwatika was mostly ocean, and the inhabitants had largely turned their backs on all things terrestrial. They were mistrustful of strangers to their planet, and severely restricted immigration or long-term visits.
A point in their favor was that the cetaceans had wanted nothing to do with either the Terran Confederacy or Empire, despite Akwatika being in the Core. Successive Terran governments had made a point of ignoring the planet, which suited all parties just fine.
Meredith understood why Imperial Chartering had asked her to speak with the orca, and hadn’t sent a shlan. Intelligence had never arisen in the oceans of the Imperial Homeworld, and such a creature ambling about on dry land with the help of cybernetics would make them shudder.
The orca’s vocalizer said in a pleasant tenor, “I am Seeeock, which will suffice as you cannot pronounce my name. I have been ordered to go off-world and meet with you and others.”
“Thank you for agreeing to see me,” the mare said.
One paw made a negligent gesture. “Come, let us see this offer you bring.” The orca stamped over to a table and lowered herself until her suited belly rested on the ceramcrete floor.
Meredith pulled her padd from her skirt and unfolded it, spreading it out on the table. “Imperial Chartering has been interested in developing and exporting the mineral deposits found on the floor of Akwatika’s Minor Sea,” she explained as a hologram appeared showing the locations of the deposits with accompanying data glosses. “All seafloor mining would be performed by robots.”
A large blue eye moved to regard the golden palomino mare. “AI guided?”
“No. The Kashlani don’t trust AIs. The robots would be teleoperated by Terran employees on the nearest landmass.”
“I see. Show me the steps the shlani will take to keep the waters clean.”
Meredith smiled. “Of course.” A few motions of a fingertip, and the 3-D map vanished, replaced by lines of text in Basic and graphs. “Efforts will be made to minimize stirring up too much sediment, and Imperial Chartering understands and sympathizes with your desire to reduce the impact on your world to a minimum.”
Seeeock gave a slight up and down bob of her head, some bubbles sneaking from her blowhole around the breathing apparatus. The circulators washed the stray bubbles away. “I have read about the efforts they have made to keep their own home clean,” she said, her own robotic paws extending to scroll through the data on the padd, now studying the business side of the contract. “They offer a fair price for our minerals,” the orca observed.
“Yes,” the mare said.
There were, in addition to the funds that the Kashlani were offering per metric ton, amounts set aside for environmental controls and insurance.
The orca femme tapped her fingers against the table as she considered. “The terms are acceptable,” she said finally, and her signature appeared on the contract.
Meredith brightened. “Thank you, Seeeock,” she said, adding her signature as the broker for the deal. “Is there anything I can do for you?”
“No, and I thank you.” Huge tail flukes twitched. “I must wait here until my flight to Gorietta. They are a matriarchy, and I shall be at home there.”
“Akwatika is also a matriarchy?” Meredith asked.
“Indeed. Fair currents, d’Estcourt-jih,” Seeeock said. Her four legs flexed, raising her body up, and the orca resumed her pacing around the room as Meredith transmitted the signed contract, folded up the padd, and left.
Walking back to the spaceport’s terminal, she reflected that her new job was certainly helping her meet new people.
Category Story / General Furry Art
Species Horse
Size 71 x 120px
File Size 48.6 kB
Listed in Folders
Have you ever read the fanzine Tales of the Tai-Pan Universe? There was a dolphin character who was uplifted rather than anthropomorphised. He was fitted with a harness that had two mechanical arms and it also made him float as well as keeping his skin wet. Your description of Seeeock sort of reminded me of that.
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