Chapter 14

F R E E   on   the  S E A 

 ARKON CH-14  Babylon, Joint Venture 

Babylon, WK-5, Friday, 0945

Debarking from the seaplane, Stakka and Renka crossed the Quay to the information kiosk by the entrance to Babylon. "Can you recommend an inexpensive hotel for a weeks stay?" asked Stakka. "The Three Palms has vacancies and a good reputation," said the agent, "But no dining room. Can I make reservations for you?" "Yes," said Renka, "For one week." "Very good," said the agent, "Here's an x on this ground floor map showing the check-in desk."

After a breakfast snack they headed for the Three Palms check-in desk. "We'd like to pay for our whole week now," said Stakka, "And can we get a receipt? We're on an expense account." "No problem," replied the clerk, "Here's your key card." "We represent Delta Ventures," said Renka, "And we'd like to make a 10-minute presentation to Boss Chako tomorrow. Can you help us with that?" "Certainly," replied the clerk, "I'll just connect you with his appointment secretary."

Renka booked a 15-minute slot at 1045 and they went up to their cabin.

Babylon, WK-5, Saturday, 1040

As they approached the receptionist desk she pointed to the door behind her and said, "Go ahead, he's expecting you."

They entered and Boss Chako, standing behind his desk said, "Please take a seat. I'm Chako." "I'm Stakka, and this is my partner Renka."

"Before we begin our presentation," said Stakka, "We have some personal private information for you. Is this conference room secure?" Chako pressed a button under his desk and there was a click as a red light came on over the door. "It is now," he said, "What do you have?" "We were informed by Arkon One two days ago," said Stakka, "That there is a contract on your life and El Lobo in the next 3 months. It was put out by the Yakuza who own Shangri-La." "I guess they're getting greedy again," said Chako, "They made an attempt 18 months ago and failed. That's when I put an agent in their workforce but have not heard from him recently. Thank you for your alert."

"You're welcome," said Renka, "Now for our presentation ... We represent Delta Ventures and are putting together a Consortium loan to build Arkon Delta, a small floating island, to be located halfway between Babylon and Arkon One. Their business plan will be medical tourism offering genetic enhancements, like tune-ups to boost strength, or boost reflexes, or cognitive skills, to young adults over 20 years old who have stopped growing. This will not be competing with Arkon One for geriatric enhancement.

"The shipyards that built Babylon continued building another Island on speculation. So far we are the only potential customer and they have offered a big discount, as the launch date is 5 months away. For the island and three AgroSembly modules they are asking 4 billion creds. At this time we are prepared to offer Babylon a 16% equity share. Arkon One has already taken a 26% share."

"We plan to offer Shangri-La a 16% share also," said Stakka, "Maybe this will stifle their greed for a few years, and having the same percentage should not cause envy." "We're booked at the Three Palms until this Friday," said Renka, "If you come to a decision before then." "Thank you for this opportunity," said Chako, "I'll discuss it with my associates and we will meet you here at 1700 on Monday." "Great," said Stakka, as they left, "See you on Monday."

Back in their Three Palms cabin Renka said, "This is going well and I sense Boss Chako will influence his associates to a positive outcome." "I agree," said Stakka, "Do you feel like this room is smaller than the one we had before?" "It is," said Renka, "And that gives me an idea. Let's make a little summary and stick it under Dingo and Tengo's door tonight. What we can do is put on our dress worker uniforms and just before midnight when there is a shift change, we go out and walk around in a circle and go past their door and then go for a midnight snack and come back here." "Amazing," said Stakka, "I like it. Were you a secret agent in a past life?" "Yes," she said, "And I was a Kundalini yoga instructor as well. Come closer and I'll show you."

Babylon, WK-6, Sunday, 1015

As they were walking around the C-deck balcony, the third one above the main deck and open in the middle with a good view above and below, Stakka said, "This reminds me of Stack City where I grew up outside Seattle. Kids at school used to call us stackers. That's where my nickname came from. They were remodeled shipping containers stacked 3 high and housing 10,000 almost homeless people."

As they walked around they noticed a pulsing red sign ahead in the distance. it was a little hole in the wall smoke shop so they went in and bought three 5-packs of Red Bangers.

Dingo and Tengo arrived 0945 for their second 4 week tour. They went to their cabin and read the optimistic note from Stakka and Renka.

At 1945 they headed out to Rusty Rooster with the tour jackets in a little flight bag, to meet with Karl and Robin.


Babylon, WK-6, Sunday, 2010

Inside the Rusty Rooster they headed for the back corner. As they got closer they saw two familiar faces which turned out to be Karl and Robin instead of Zak and Sophie. Taking a seat Dingo said, "I'm Dingo and this is my partner Tengo. You must be Karl and Robin, right?" "That's correct," said Karl, "How is the plan going?"

After the waiter took their drink order Dingo said, "Its going very well. In fact I have brought the tour guide jackets with us tonight. In the next 2 days you could pass them out to the other members. Then Tuesday night we'll meet here again for more details.

Babylon, WK-6, Monday, 1700

As the meeting got underway, Boss Chako made the introductions. "This is Stakka and Renka from Delta Ventures, on my left is El Lobo, my partner, and on my right is Django, my accountant. Renka, could you expand a little bit on your proposal?"

"Certainly," she replied, "We came up with this business idea while discussing genetic tweaking with some clones we met recently. They figured out they were clones because they have extra D-R / d4 allele repeats, causing more curiosity. Their intelligence is also quite a bit above normal. We are offering shares in this venture to the existing floating islands because they already understand the benefits of isolation allowing sharp focus on a business endeavor. A 16% equity share is 640 Mn creds. That could be payable over the next five months before launch, and we require 7 million of the price be 10 of your clones who are above-normal. They are only 1% of the total and will help us locate the lab where they were created; then we will make them an offer also. We do not object to Babylon owning clones, as they are taken care of better than corporate wage slaves were 50 years ago. What brought your clones to our attention was a snuff film on the internet from 5 years ago. There can be no more snuff films from Babylon."

"So you are secret agents as well as business agents," said El Lobo, smiling." "Not at all," said Stakka, "We just take our due diligence seriously."

"I was not aware of any snuff films from Babylon said Chako, frowning, "I will look into that." "It is possible they came from Shangri-La," said Renka, "They have a contingent of clones also. We came here first because it was closer."

"I think this would be a good investment said Chako, "What do you think Lobo?" "I'm in favor of it also," said Lobo, "Where do we sign?" "Here is a contract," said Stakka, "Your lawyers may want to review it first." "Of course," said Lobo, "We will meet here Wednesday at 1500 for the signing."

"Now that we are partners," said Stakka, "I wonder if you could satisfy my curiosity about the business considerations for using clones?"


"No problem," said Chako, "I'll let our accountant answer that."

"Say for clones," said Django, "15 to 55 is 40 years service, one million creds divided by 40 is 25,000 creds per year, a cheap salary. They have an excellent immune system and stay healthy and they don't overeat. They learn fast and the turnover is very low so we don't have to train new hires. As a product they are consistently good. Plus the company delivers to our doorstep.

"For off the street civilian hires, we have to maintain a recruiting organization and human resources and training. Then they will often leave after one to three years service. And they may be unknowing carriers of some serious disease or disruptive ideas.

"If we used slaves, which are available today for 5 to 20,000 creds, there are of course training cost, language and cultural obstacles and health maintenance cost and they often resent their condition. There are also travel costs and risks associated with going to a North African slave market. We would need overseers to maintain order and discipline. Plus I am not in favor of forcing someone to do something. It often results in sabotage."

"Thank you Django, that was very interesting," said Renka, "We'll see you Wednesday then."

Back in their cabin they put on their dress employee uniforms and prepared a note for Dingo and Tengo. It read as follows, "Everything going okay. Go ahead and pass out tour jackets before Wednesday night. We'll sign contract Wednesday 1500. Suggest we book seaplane to Monterey and leave Thursday morning 0730."

After they delivered the note and back in their cabin, Renka said, "We need to have some cover story for the crew on Joy Luck 8. Like 'These are refugees from a village in Canada destroyed by a resource War', or 'Refugees from the Chicago collapse'."

"That reminds me of another problem," said Stakka, "When we get on Joy Luck 8 we should try and contact Arkon One and see if they can make a secure area with 7 medium sized cabins and a conference room holding 15 to 20 people, maybe two cabins with a wall cut out. The trip may take 10 to 15 days so they might put something together. I wonder if we should consider light plastic surgery or theater makeup. The rain hoodies on the tour jackets will help conceal their face. When we see them all together we can decide if they look too much alike or just close relatives. We don't want people speculating about the existence of clones."

Babylon, WK-6, Tuesday, 2010

Dingo and Tango met Karl and Robin in the Rusty Rooster and gave them additional details for the exit plan. They would meet in the Rusty Rooster Thursday morning at 0600 for breakfast and proceed to seaplane at 0700.

Babylon, WK-6, Wednesday, 1500

"We have no changes to the contract," said Boss Chako, "So when we have all signed it my receptionist will witness and notarize it." After they had finished signing and notarizing, Chako asked, "What about progress reports?" "We'll fly out every three to five weeks,"  said Stakka, "We have business interests in Monterey also."

Babylon, WK-6, Thursday, 0730

Karl and Robin, dressed in their tour guide jackets, stood outside the Rusty Rooster at 0600 and directed their friends to a table in the back corner. The table was already set with egg sandwiches and coffee. By 0700 everyone had finished and they headed out to board their seaplane.

Stakka and Renka boarded last and they took off at 0730. As the Monterey Peninsula came into view about 0930, Stakka said to the pilot, "We have a little detour in mind. For an extra 1000 creds we'd like you to drop down to just above sealevel, make a right turn, and go at higher speed parallel to the coast, less than 20 km. We're looking to offload most of the passengers to a large Clipper cargo ship. Then you will go back to the original course at high speed and make the usual landing with Dingo and Tengo still aboard." "This is a welcome change from routine," said the pilot, "And I will enjoy the extra creds."

The Joy Luck 8 came into view at 0945 and they made a smooth landing just off the starboard bow. A large speed boat was quickly launched and came to pick them up. Dingo and Tengo said goodbye and wished them luck while giving them their tour jackets.


Joy Luck 8, WK-6, Thursday, 1015

Alexis met them at the forward loading bay, saying, "Its good to see you again. You remember Tanya?" "Yes, of course," said Renka, "These are our friends who recently lived in a small village in Canada. There was a resource conflict that drove them down to Monterey where we intervened to help them. This is Karl and his friend Robin, and over here is Zak and his friend Sophie. They are leaders of this group." "We are happy to meet you," said Tanya, "You will be safe with us." "Are there cabins separate from the crew?" asked Stakka, "We don't want to disturb them." "No problem," said Alexis, "Come I will show you." "Captain Kuznet will meet Stakka, Renka, and Karl and Robin after lunch for a debriefing," said Tanya.

Joy Luck 8, WK-6, Thursday, 1430

In the conference room Alexis said, "Karl, Robin, this is Captain Kuznet. Captain, you remember Stakka and Renka?" "Yes, of course," said the Captain, "Please be at ease, this will be informal. Stakka, could you summarize your adventures for me?"

"Sure thing, Captain," said Stakka, "But first an opinion from Alexis and Tanya. Do these villagers look like identical twins, or close relatives?" " I would say close relatives," said Tanya. "I agree fully," said Alexis. "Thank you," said Stakka, "Now for the summary."

"The first week on Babylon we and the other team both detected clones. The things that stood out were: 1) in the bar they were very calm and drank very slowly. The other thing we detected was: 2) there were micro hesitations when we questioned them about childhood or early youth. I would say someone who has not spent time in several different noisy bar situations might not detect a difference so quick.

"To confirm our suspicions we had another meeting with them, which was very surprising. Because no one had continued a conversation past 20 minutes in the bar for a whole year, they concluded that we had detected them because we were looking for them. So they confessed they were clones and asked for our help to make a safe place and conduct a business. And here we are. 

"The meeting with Boss Chako and El Lobo to make a business presentation went very well. He appreciated the notice of an impending hit from Yakuza.

"To avoid speculation about clones while we're on Arkon One, we would like to contact them and see if they can make a secure area accessed by key cards with 7 medium sized cabins and a conference room holding 15 to 20 people, maybe two cabins with a wall cut out. Even though we look at them and think 'Must be close relatives', another person looking at a group of four or six very similar individuals might think 'Holy Cow! are these clones'?"

"This is very interesting," said the Captain, "Thanks for the update. We'll send a message to Arkon One at sundown. My Navigator tells me the trip could take two weeks. That should be enough time to make the alterations. Also, Vostok Shipping Company would like to take a 16% equity stake in Delta Ventures."

Joy Luck 8, WK-8, Friday, 1515

After 14 days of smooth sailing, they spotted Arkon One on the horizon just after 1500. At 1700 they received a message from the Harbor Master on the Harbor Common hailing frequency, "We've cleared the protected anchorage between modules 3-4 so you have a private berth. Look for a flashing blue light on each side of the entrance." "Thanks for that," replied the XO from the bridge.

(expect posts Sat 8 am EST)

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Chapter 13

F R E E  on  the  S E A

ARKON CH-13  Monterey, First Shore Leave

Monterey, WK-5, Sunday, Airport, 0940

The seaplane touched down in the bay and taxied up a shore launching ramp to the terminal. They bought a snack and were walking towards the exit when Rico called out from behind, "Hey! wait up." "Sergei and Natasha are back at the office," said Lola, "We didn't want a welcoming crowd at a small airport." "Good idea," said Stakka, "We're happy to see you again." "How are the baby zingers?" asked Tengo. "Heh, they're growing like weeds," laughed Lola. "Is the link to Arkon One set up?" asked Dingo. "Yes," replied Rico, "And they've tested it twice."

Monterey, Sunday, SafeHouse, 1030

Natasha and Sergei greeted them on the porch, saying, "Come inside and warm up. We have hot chocolate and snacks."

As they were sitting around the table Rico explained, "We will send the message to Arkon One just after sundown, about 1900. So this afternoon if you guys could put together a written message, we'll have our reader convert it to text and sent. We can expect a reply just after, or tomorrow same time. We use the ionosphere reflection at sundown to send and receive with Arkon One."

Stakka looked around the table at his team, who all nodded affirmative and said, "Yeah, we can do that."

At 1600, their reader, who spoke clearly and distinctly, started reading into the speech to text app. "There are 1000 clones but only 10 who are curious about their origin. The earliest memory is an orphanage in Kazakhstan. They come in three basic heights: 1.4, 1.6, and 1.8 meters.

"They have proposed a smaller floating island named Arkon Delta as a genetic research station and medical tourist site. They could offer genetic tune-ups to boost strength, or boost reflexes, or something, and not be in competition with Arkon One. Their focus would be on younger people, say 20 years old or more, after they have quit growing. 

"We have come up with two plans: Plan A is, we go back to Babylon dressed as tourists and make an appointment for a business proposal to Boss Chako, majority owner of Babylon, and have 10 clones be part of his down payment for a 16% interest In Arkon Delta. We form a holding company, Delta Ventures, to put together a Consortium loan to build Arkon Delta. 26% held by Arkon One, 25% held by Arkon Star, 16% by Babylon, 16% by Shangri-La, 17% by Beijing University. If Babylon declines to participate, Plan B is to find other parties interested, and smuggle the 10 clones out as tourists via chartered seaplane to Joy Luck 8.

"Thank you for the resupply of red and blue zingers. We will send you samples of Green Rockets which we would like you to develop seeds for.

"Sincerely, Stakka, Renka, Dingo and Tengo."

After proofreading the text they copied it to a thumb drive and went to the small room where the HF transceiver was located. Natasha copied the file and added some header text. She explained, "How this works is Arkon One sends us a little burst signal at 31 mhz every 15 minutes starting at 1900. After we hear a loud one twice, when the ionization is high, we hit send to transmit at 30 mhz and wait for them to send back an acknowledgement of receipt. Then they might send us an additional message of their own and wait for us to send acknowledge receipt." "What we're doing," said Sergei, "Is using the ionosphere to bounce a signal from here to the ionosphere and back down to Arkon One. There is usually a window of one or two hours immediately after sunset where this works well."

Ten minutes later they got the message acknowledged signal plus an incoming which read as follows, "Good work. Plan A and B sound okay. Looking forward to green rocket sample. Here is info our agent on Shangri-La picked up. Suggest you give to Boss Chako for free as goodwill token. Shangri-La is run by Yakuza and there is talk of a contract hit on Boss Chako and El Lobo in 3 months to take over Babylon and reduce competition. Best regards, Arkon One, over."

Natasha sent the message acknowledged signal and they all went out back for a barbecue.

After the main course Stakka asked Natasha, "Can we send a message to Joy Luck 8 tomorrow?" "No problem," she replied, "They're just leaving San Fran and coming this way." "Ask if they can send a small boat to a pier or sheltered cove at night," said Stakka, "And pick up this sample of Green Rocket and buccal clone swabs and deliver to Arkon One." "We have a pre-arranged cove just south of the peninsula," said Natasha.

"Rico, as part of Plan B," said Renka, "We will need 10 light blue cheap windbreaker style jackets and 10 light green for the Alpha and Beta Tour Companies. Is there a cheap tailor shop here that could deliver by Thursday night?" "There are two," said Rico, "So we will split the order. Who should we use as a model?" "If Natasha doesn't mind, she looks tall enough," said Renka. "I'm happy to help," said Natasha.

"Dingo and I have a business project we would like to discuss," said Tengo, "We got the idea when we bought the mint Green Rockets. The red Zingers and Rockets are 7.9 mm diameter by 85 mm long and 5 to a pack. We propose a brand called Red Dragon for Chinese markets, that are 6.5 mm diameter and 90 mm long packed seven to box, and sold for the same price retail. Besides two extra cigarettes they get a total of 10% more volume to smoke. Our filter inserts are only 10 mm long and the standard is 15 mm. Also we would use papers that are colored, like red for the Red Rockets and green for the Green Rockets. Rizla has been making rolling papers since 1660 and have a nice selection of colors. This could develop a source of income quickly before Arkon Delta is launched. Then we could transfer the process to Arkon Delta and grow the red, blue, and green cannabis on the AgroSembly module and process into cigarettes and packages down below." "Wow!" said Sergei, I like it." "I bet you've already checked used equipment in China," said Stakka, "And Vostok shipping charges." "Yes," said Dingo, "And delivered to Monterey, cost 750,000 creds. Our hazard pay won't be enough, so we need partners." Stakka and Renka whispered together, then Renka said, "We pledge 250,000 creds from our Arkon One hazard pay account." "We pledge 300,000 creds," said Natasha. " And we pledge 100,000 creds," said Rico. "Hot Damn!" said Dingo, "We're in business. I'll go into town tomorrow, register Dragon Products, and open a business account."

Monterey, Monday, SafeHouse

Rico and Lola go in to town early to order the tour jackets and also register their business and open an account at a local bank with International connections.

The rest of the team spent the morning trimming their grow, stirring up the soil, and adding a top-dressing of Rose food.

Then about one, Rico and Lola showed up with some takeout for lunch.

"Natasha, I was wondering," said Renka, "Does Joy Luck 8 ever pick up any large shipments of marijuana from Ukiah?" "Yes," she replied, "There are three Brokers that run a kind of co-op for the Growers. One handles the North Coast, one covers the interior, and the other covers with South Coast. They buy the plants from the Growers after they've hung upside down in a black plastic bag for 2 weeks in the sun as a curing process. They hire locals and migrants as needed to trim the leaves, collect the trichomes, and run the leaves through a shredder for blending with ribbon cut very mild tobacco. We as a company pick up 500 to 1500 kilos with every ship going by. The peak, of course, is in September through November, but there is always something due to indoor grows. The trichomes are processed into cannabutter and the stalks are run through a decorticator and processed into dry hemp fiber." "That's really good information," said Stakka, "Do they separate the plants into sativa and indica?" "Yes," she replied, "And some even have a recognized flavor brand like blueberry and peach." "Have you heard of one called mint?" asked Tengo. "There are small irregular bundles of mint," said Natasha, "Maybe only one or two growers for that strain." "We could order a few hundred kilos of mint," said Dingo, "To start our Green Dragons while Arkon One works on the genetics." "We could also lease a big empty field nearby," said Rico, "And contract with locals to grow mild golden leaf tobacco." "Always a good idea to have a secure local supply chain," said Lola.

After lunch Stakka said, "Let's discuss our preliminary plan for returning to Babylon." "I think you and Renka should go back on Friday," said Tengo, "And Dingo and I will return on Sunday. That way we will still appear as workers." "That's good," said Renka, "I believe they have facial recognition and we should change our appearance a little bit when we go back as tourists."

Monterey, Tuesday, SafeHouse

After breakfast Stakka said, "For Plan B we need 7 green baseball caps and 7 blue ones. Also we need 14 short sleeve baggy Hawaiian flowered shirts for tourists." "Sounds like we need to visit a Market Mall," said Renka, "Is there one in Monterey?" "Yes," said Lola, it's not far from here." "Do they have a Zinger shop?" asked Dingo. "Yeah, they do," said Rico, they're called Red Rockers and Blu Rockers. They're a little bit harsh but cheaper than Rockets."

At the Market Mall they got their caps and shirts and a collection of red and blue Rockers. For lunch they stopped at the food court for a nice selection of seafood.

Back at the safe house, Stakka said, "Here's the next part of Plan A. Renka and I will go back dressed as tourists Friday morning and check in to a cheap room. Then we will arrange a short business presentation for Boss Chako when he arrives Saturday." "You could wear western-style hats and Hollywood style sunglasses to conceal your faces a little bit," said Dingo. "Also you might try to enter with a mob of other tourist so you don't stand out," said Tengo.

"We don't expect an answer before Monday at the earliest," said Stakka, "He will want to consult with his staff and possibly El Lobo." "You might consider sending a little note to your boss saying you had a personal problem and would contact them Wednesday," said Natasha. "Since we expect to be followed after the presentation," said Renka, "We will act extra touristy." "Oh," said Stakka, "I just remembered, we have an appointment at 20 hundred with Karl and Robin at the Rusty Rooster. So Dingo and Tengo will have to attend and bring them up to date, and arrange to distribute the disguises to the other members." "How will we recognize them?" asked Dingo. "Even if they can tweak the facial genes," said Stakka, "There will be a family resemblance to Zak and Sophie."

Monterey, Wednesday, SafeHouse

"We need to develop our Plan B a little more," said Stakka, "If Boss Chako refuses the offer, or locks us up, Dingo and Tengo will have to get our friends off of Babylon and on to Joy Luck 8." "How how about we do this, "said Renka, "If we don't slide a note under your door before Monday night, start contacting our friends and passing out the tourist disguises." "So we pass out all the disguises Tuesday and that night contract a sea plane for all of us to leave Wednesday morning early," said Dingo. "Then we should arrange for Captain Kuznet to cruise slowly after he passes the Monterey Peninsula," said Tengo, "So we can catch him Wednesday." "I'll send him that message when we meet tonight and give him the green mint," said Sergei. "One other thing to consider," said Lola, "Is if you leave too early Wednesday morning you might be the only tourists wandering around. You might want to leave at 0830 instead of 0630. Maybe meet in a food court and have breakfast first."

Monterey, Thursday, SafeHouse

After lunch Rico and Lola went into town to see the tailors and pick up tour jackets.

Monterey, Friday, Airport, 0530

As Stakka and Renka headed for the gate to the Sea Plane, Rico wished them good luck and safe journey.

(expect posts Sat 8 am EST)

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Chapter 12

F R E E   on   the   S E A

ARKON CH-12  Babylon, First Weeks

Babylon, WK-1, Wednesday, 2230

On the way back to their cabin Robin said, "Oh Karl, I'm so happy." "Me too," he replied, "It's been nearly a year with no contact."

Once back in the cabin Robin tuned in some music and turned it up a little bit loud to cover their conversation. Karl asked, "Do you think they suspect something?" "It doesn't really matter," said Robin, "They are the first ones who have stayed to continue a conversation. Of course we will have to be careful." "They seem more intelligent," said Karl, "And have more worldly experience." "It's been such a long time," said Robin, "Remind me again of our plan, heh."

"First, there are 10 of us on Babylon," he said, "Who figured out through reading in the library, curiosity, and old movies, that we were created by design and not natural born."

"Second," he continued, "We don't have a specific plan right now, other than to find out why we can't sustain a long conversation with normals, heh."

Continuing, he said, "I have no desire to rule the world, have zillions of creds, or have hundreds of sex partners. Mostly, I want to be free to travel and satisfy my curiosity, with you by my side."

Babylon, WK-1, Thursday, 2330

Karl and Robin were preparing for bed when Robin got an excited call from Sophie, who said, "We need to come over for a nightcap, is that okay?" "Sure," said Robin I'll put some hot water on for coffee."

Ten minutes later Zak knocked on the door and he and Sophie came in, visibly agitated. "Calm down," said Karl, "I'll put on some calming rythm from our little machine here." "We made contact with two recent arrivals from Monterey," said Sophie. Robin and Karl looked at each other, and Robin said, " So did we. Last night in a small employee bar." "That means some organization is aware of our existence," said Karl.

"We agreed to meet them again next Thursday night," said Zak. "And we agreed to meet our contacts next Wednesday night," said Karl. He then repeated the thoughts he and Robin had discussed last night.

"There are six others on the Babylon who are aware," said Karl, "So tomorrow Zak and I will inform them and ask them to think about building our own Island or other solution for a couple days, and this Sunday afternoon we will come by for their ideas." "Then we four will meet in a noisy crowded restaurant at 2000 and discuss a plan."

Babylon, WK-2, Sunday, 2030

After the waitress seated them in a corner booth at the Rusty Rooster, Zak said, "I was surprised they all considered a small floating island as a good solution. One even suggested we get El Lobo and Boss Chako, who own Babylon, to invest as a good business venture." "Would that really be a good idea?" asked Robin. "Well, we wouldn't have to sneak around and try to keep secrets," said Karl. "Lets share our secrets with the Monterey Mob this Wednesday and Thursday," said Sophie, "And have a meeting here on Friday night."

Babylon, WK-2, Wednesday, 2010

Stakka and Renka arrived a little early at the Two-Toed-Turtle and secured a quieter corner booth. Their drinks arrived just as Karl and Robin showed up. They ordered rum and coke, with a cherry on top. "We're celebrating being together one year," said Robin. "How romantic," said Renka, "We've been together nearly 11 years." "For us this is very unusual," said Robin, "We've never been together with anyone longer than 2 weeks in our whole lives." "And after studying old books and movies in the library we think we figured out why," said Karl, "We are not normal; we are different than you guys." "We would like you and your organization to help us confirm it," said Robin, "We think we're clones." "Since Robin and I met we've always felt comfortable and attracted to each other," said Karl, "But we can tell you feel a little bit uncomfortable around us." Stakka glanced at Renka and said, "Well, this is a surprise. I bet you're wondering how we detected you." "Yes," they answered in unison. "Every time we asked about your childhood or early youth, there was a micro hesitation before your reply," said Renka. "Plus, our organization told us to be looking for clones," said Stakka.

"I'm not sure how we can help you," said Stakka, "We could take samples of your fingernail clippings and hair clippings and a buccal swab back to Monterey when we go on shore leave and have the DNA analyzed." "Our organization was set up to do climate research and promote better crop yields," said Renka, "We took on the task of looking for illegal clones at the request of a sister organization. You have no blame in this and now you have a place in society and a job, which is more than many normals." "We are concerned that whoever created you may have some sneaky plan to take over the world with an army of super clone soldiers," said Stakka, "Or something else of an evil nature."

"This is what I told Robin last night said Karl, "I have no desire to rule the world, have zillions of creds, or have hundreds of sex partners. Mostly, I want to be free to travel and satisfy my curiosity, with you by my side." "Our friends Zak and Sophie, whom your friends met, talked over possibilities with us. One idea we came up with was to get investors to help build a smaller floating island, maybe Arkon Delta, halfway between Babylon and Arkon One." "My earliest memories," said Robin, "Are waking up in an orphanage dormitory with other girls my age and going to school in a small village in Kazakhstan. After one year of general education a recruiter supplied us with passports and escorted us by bus and plane to Babylon. We've been here 5 years now. I'm not sure how we could help you find who created us." "Another puzzle piece," said Karl, "Is in casual conversations with other clone workers we have not detected any curiosity or dissatisfaction with their status quo. There are only 10 of us out of 1,000 who sense we are different." 

"When we leave here why don't you update your friends and we will update ours," said Stakka, "And let them have their meeting tomorrow night and discuss what businesses could be set up on Arkon Delta to make it a financial success." "Oh, and for your safety," said Renka, "Let us open the conversation with Boss Chako about a business opportunity after we come back from shore leave."

"That's a good plan," said Karl, "Then we can meet at 2000 Sunday night at the Rusty Rooster for dinner and discuss the next steps."

Back in their cabin Stakka said, "Turn on the hot pot and break out a Red Zinger." Renka took out her Como pod, called Tengo, and said, "Can you guys come over for a nightcap?, we have a surprise."

Ten minutes later Dingo was knocking on the door. Tengo started making their coffee and said, "Could you give me a toke of that Zinger?" "So," said Dingo, "What's the surprise?" "They guessed with our long conversation and yours, that they were found out," said Stakka, "And tonight they decided to share a lot of information with us."

After relating the details of their conversation, Renka said, "So go ahead and have your meeting tomorrow night and discuss what businesses could be set up on Arkon Delta to make it a financial success."

"This is getting interesting," said Dingo, "We'll give you a call tomorrow night after the meeting."

Babylon, WK-2, Thursday, 2020

The O!-zone bar was noisy and crowded but Dingo and Tengo found a booth near the back. They ordered drinks and waited for Zak and Sophie to show up.

Ten minutes later Sophie and Zak showed up and a waiter came for their order. "Here's some thoughts and observations I pulled together that may help your team," said Sophie. "When I'm on Goldfish Bowl duty, where we strut around in bikinis behind a glass partition, I have observed that we are mostly three basic heights: 1.4 meters, 1.6, and 1.8. I probably noticed this because I'm 1.8 and there aren't many other females this tall. Also, the 1.4 meter workers tend to keep to themselves. In talking with a few of them they seem to have been mentally arrested at a ten-year-old level as well as the physical shortness. Finally, I would say 10% are 1.4 meters, 85% are 1.6, and 5% are 1.8 meters." "I'm sure that will be helpful said Dingo, as he looked up from taking notes." "Here's a business idea I thought of," said Tengo, "Create chickens and other livestock that use chloroplast to convert sunlight to energy." "I have a plant idea," said Zak, "Make avocados and other high-protein plants that grow and mature faster and tolerate cold climate."

"We've heard Arkon One is focused on anti aging and health rejuvenation for older people," said Dingo, "We could offer genetic tune-ups to boost strength, or boost reflexes, or something, and not be in competition. Our focus would be on younger people, say 20 years old or more, after they have quit growing." "Good idea," said Sophie, "Like, Take control of your OCD and ADD: This gives you Divergent and Convergent thinking for maximum creativity." "Wow," said Tengo, "You should be in marketing or advertising." "Sign me up," said Zak. "How about enhanced vision for night work," said Dingo, "Or enhanced hearing or smell for hunting."

Babylon, WK-3, Sunday, 2015

In a corner booth at Rusty Rooster the Clones and Normies planned their next steps ...

"Robin, Sophie mentioned the 1.4 meter females seemed to stop maturing about age 10," said Renka, "Was that your impression also?" "Yes," replied Robin, "Why do you ask?" "Well, said Stakka, "We heard about a snuff film online three or four years ago with a short female redhead, and wondered if you recall one going missing at that time?" "Oh my god," exclaimed Robin, "One didn't show up for work about four years ago, and we were told a rogue wave swept her overboard. Her friends missed her terribly." "This is the sort of thing we'd like to stop," said Stakka.

"Please don't share this snuff information with the others," said Renka, "It would upset them unnecessarily and possibly call attention to us." "I understand," said Robin, "Just knowing someone may help us has them smiling more than usual." "I think an informal weekly meeting with the others will help them relax," said Stakka, "Maybe you and Karl and Zak could meet with a couple of the others each week and exchange information." "Everybody could keep thinking of business possibilities," said Renka, "It would keep them focused on something external and positive." "That's a good idea," said Karl, "I'll fix up a little schedule." "One thing I keep forgetting to ask," said Stakka, "Is how many normals are working in your trade groups?" "When I got here," said Karl, "The bodyguards had a high turn over but after 6 months they were all clones." "Sex workers are the same," said Robin, "After about one year there were only clones left and we have nowhere to go back to." "So that is another business reason for clones," said Stakka, "Let's meet again here next Sunday, if that's okay." "Good idea," said Robin, "We'll see you then. Bye."

When they got back in their cabin Renka said, "Let's call Tengo and Dingo and plan for the next two weeks." "That sounds good said Stakka, "I'll put on some water for coffee and find a Red Zinger."

Fifteen minutes later Dingo was knocking on their door. "Come on in," said Stakka, "We've got coffee and zinger for a planning meeting."

"Since we had good luck finding our clones so quick," said Stakka, "The next two weeks we'll have to spend role playing and not get caught." "That may be difficult," said Renka, "Now that we found the clones we'll be relaxed a little bit." "We can manage," said Tengo, "What did you find out from Karl and Robin?" "After hearing their update Dingo said, "That reminds me of what I read about slavery long ago in history." "It is," said Stakka, "Except for the snuff incident, these clones are being treated better." "But they have no legal rights," said Renka, "And we don't know about other venues where they've been sold." "How do we find the other venues?" asked Tengo. "And how do we find the manufacturing group?" asked Dingo. "And what about rights" said Stakka, "They are something that are controlled by the location you are in. For example, in Boss Chako's domain, his rights are the ones getting enforced. However, in El Lobo's domain, the rights maybe slightly different. Right here we have Babylon's rights. On Arkon One we have their rights; on Shanghai or some Continental Asian country we have their rights." "They may be broadly similar," said Tengo, "But the differences can be important to some groups." "So with no precedent for clones," said Renka, "Each domain may come up with a different policy." "As we see on the news, there are a number of places on the globe where Warlords are in charge and policies change suddenly," said Dingo, "Some allow slavery and some don't." "That will always be a problem," said Stakka, "But it highlights slavery is a modern problem, not just historical." "Actually indentured servitude between consenting adults has been legal since about 1850," said Renka, "Just think about corporate wage slaves, heh."

"It's getting late and we have lots to think about," said Tengo "We'll meet you here next week."

Babylon, WK-3, Wednesday, 2015

Stakka, Renka, Karl, and Robin meet at a corner booth in the Two-Toed-Turtle. "As part of our plan to keep free time from getting tense, we would like to have everyone walk around the low-cost tourist areas and observe how the tourist act," said Renka, "Do they walk hand-in-hand. Do they laugh and joke a lot. Do they stop and stare at objects." "This would be like studying tourists so we could act like one believably in a stage play," said Stakka, "And maybe even when we buy a ticket and get on a seaplane to Monterey, heh." "That sounds like a fun assignment," said Robin, "So for 2 hours on 3 different days, maybe in a different sector, everybody practice being a tourist." "Also, at least twice during the next two weeks, go by the sea plane incoming and exit terminal," said Renka, "And observe how they do things without being obvious or getting too close to the exit door, which could make the guard nervous and call attention. Look at what the tourist are carrying back home. Do they have a little suitcase or a backpack or what."

"Our Zinger supply is getting low," said Stakka, "Do you guys have a preferred ganja shop on Babylon?" "Yeah, we have two shops, replied Karl, "Ganja Goodies, which is mostly edibles, and Sativa Diva, which is mostly different brands of smokes. That's the one we go to." "Could we go by there after dinner?" asked Renka. "Sure," replied Robin, "It's on our way."

At the Sativa Diva Renka bought two packs of Red Rockets and one pack of Blu Rockets. "Come look," said Stakka, "Green Rockets. They are 50/50 Sativa- Indica with a nice mint flavor." "Go ahead and get six packs," said Renka, "We may not have another chance."

Babylon, WK-3, Thursday, 2015

Dingo, Tengo, Zak, and Sophie met again at the O!-zone. After ordering drinks Sophie said, "We are having a lot of fun playing tourist. Our biggest problem is walking a little bit slow and casual, not going in a hurry like to some specific place." "Something I never noticed before," said Zak, "Is there are a number of tour groups moving through Babylon. They are usually small, maybe 5 to 8 people plus one leader."

"The tour groups might be a good cover," said Tengo, "Did you notice anything else about them? Do they all have the same shirt color or a lightweight jacket with a logo on the back?" "Actually, we saw both kinds of group ID," said Sophie. "That's great," said Dingo, "We could have two small tour groups and charter a seaplane to Monterey sometime in the near future."

Babylon, WK-4, Sunday, 2015

In a corner booth at Rusty Rooster the Clones and Normies planned their next steps ...

"Next Sunday about 0600 we'll be boarding a seaplane for Monterey," said Stakka, "The tourist study groups are looking good, so if you want to slow them down or stop, it should be okay." "Okay," agreed Karl, "But they are having fun anyway, so we'll keep doing that once per week." "If something unusual comes up and we need to leave in a hurry, I have a plan," said Robin. "It's always good to plan ahead," said Renka, "What did you have in mind?" "First we get 5 blue tour group jackets and 5 green jackets made at a cheap tailor shop away from the tourist area," said Robin, "Then we book tickets or charter a seaplane to take us to Monterey." "That would work," said Stakka, "But don't even order the jackets until the emergency comes up so there's no warning." "Have you ever tried the Green Rockets?" asked Renka, "I brought one. There are 63 main terpenes and over 100 secondary ones. Depending on the ratios, they have different effects on the body. These Green ones seem to have a mild awakening alert effect but not too strong a buzz compared to the Reds." "Lets try it," said Karl. "I like it," said Robin, "It's very smooth."

"We shouldr be back a week from this Sunday," said Stakka, "Why don't we plan on having dinner here about 2000 that night?" "Okay," said Karl. "Have a good flight," said Robin.

Saturday midnight ended their first four week tour. Sunday 0615 they take an early seaplane flight to Monterey.

(expect posts Sat 8 am EST)

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Chapter 11

F R E E    on    the    S E A 

ARKON  CH-11  New Assignment

 Sunday,  2100,  Joy Luck 8

"Please help yourself to coffee from the sideboard and take a seat," said Captain Kuznet, "This will be informal."

"Last night I received a coded message from Captain Jenkins on the Arkon Star. He requested I contact you and bring you aboard for a confidential briefing on a potential world-changing problem. Beginning with the cult classic film Blade Runner in 1982, people have been fascinated by the idea of human clones. In this movie the Clones had a built-in lifespan of maybe 7 years. Following this film were others fantasizing about super soldiers and sex slaves and low-cost industrial workers. Dolly the Sheep was the first mammal cloned in 1996. Since then universities and private Labs have been working on human clones for spare parts, like in The Island, and other reasons. Pet clones were attempted starting in 1999 with the Missiplicity project, and the dog Snuppy was cloned in 2005. The ethical guidelines prevent them from allowing any cloned fetuses to live beyond two weeks.

Now about 8 weeks ago Commodore Kaiser was startled by an Arkon One film student's private message advising him he believed he had witnessed 3 snuff films of clones as part of his internet studies. He said except for hair color, they look exactly alike. An agent was sent to make inquiries in back- alley genetek shops in Tokyo and Shanghai. The agent reported that 5 years ago there were rumors of 15 year old male or female clones available from a lab hidden in the mountains of Kazakhstan. The price at that time was 1.5 million dollars. The lab techs only knew of pet clone Labs that were licensed; however, they believed it was possible that human clones were available.

"Looking at a map of Kazakhstan and trying to think like someone making illegal clones, the commodore staff suggested sending the agent to the two biggest cities on the Chinese Kazakhstan border. He visited several low life tourist bars and asked a few leading questions, but mostly just listened to the talk going on. In the second smaller City he did hear one drunk customer say he had sex at  brothels with twin sisters at opposite ends of the town. He asked them where they were from but they gave vague answers and didn't know each other even though they had identical birthmarks on their right butt. Expensive high-resolution custom satellite photos of surrounding mountains revealed nothing. However, it would be easy to smuggle the Clones into China and out via several exits.

The online brochures for the floating cities of Shangri-La and Babylon talk about custom exotic fantasy scenarios available to high rollers, better than Fantasy Island, and very private.

"So, your assignment would be to apply as staff workers at the Babylon recruitment office in Monterey Bay. You would be accompanied by two locals who are Street Savvy and have worked with us before. I briefed them earlier so you would not see each other in case you decline. Stakka could work as electrician, mechanic, or fast food cook. Renka could work as a small appliance repair tech, fast food cook, or laundry cleaning staff. You would get double your hazard pay and not have to do anything dangerous except look and listen, don't ask any questions that would get you in trouble. They have a rotation of 4 weeks on, one week off so in a period of three months you should have some information. Tomorrow starts their quarterly hiring cycle so we don't have much time. I'll leave you two alone for an hour so you can discuss it in private."

When they were alone Renka asked, "Do you have any Red Zinger?" "Yes," said Stakka, "Let's share one while we consider our options." "I think Nobi and Loki can take care of the weather watch station," said Renka, "With the help of Jake and Karen." "I think so too," agreed Stakka. "I've always had a big curiosity about Babylon," said Renka, "And this way we get paid to explore." "What's not to like?" said Stakka, "Lets refill our coffee, and see if the captain can help us restock our Zingers."

When Captain Kuznet returned, Stakka informed him, "We're ready to go, Sir." Captain Kuznet said, "Excellent, I will invite Dingo and Tango to join us for the last part of the briefing so you can get acquainted." he buzzed the door open and two people entered. The taller one a male with long black hair streaked with gray said, "Hi, I'm Dingo and this is my partner Tango." She had short red hair with a little bun in the back. "I'm Stakka, and this is my partner Renka. Nice to meet you."

"To continue our briefing," said the Captain, "We paid for a hack on high wealth individual emails in a secret database for the last 3 years with special keyword searches and came up with some additional information: 1) the Clones muscles are 15% stronger without being bulky or losing fine motor control. 2) the bones in the wrist, hand, and fingers are 20% stronger. 3) the other skeletal bones are 10% stronger. 4) their blood carries 5% more oxygen and clots immediately on contact with nitrogen in regular air. 5) their reflexes and thought processes are 10% faster. 6) they can have babies and interbreed with regular humans. 7) their aggression has been modified. They are not likely to attack but will defend themselves.

"In conclusion," said the Captain, "If they could program in wisdom, they would take over the world; as it is, they might anyway due to our lack of wisdom. This is not a conspiracy theory, it is just a logical extension of the evidence. They are a much bigger risk to humanity than Skynet or advanced AI, which were just Silicon Valley red herrings."

"So on the Babylon we're likely to just meet them as bodyguards or sex workers? " asked Dingo. "That's right," replied the Captain, "The other application we see is to replace an expensive robot performing a technical assembly task." "What if they ask for our help to escape," asked Renka, "Should we get involved?" "Stall at first," said the Captain, "Try to find out why and what they plan to do next. Explain that you have to check with your family at the next shore leave." "Now that their cloning process has been refined, with fewer rejects," said Stakka, "They could produce a superior Navy SEAL for less than $1,000,000; a SEAL cost the government about $700,000. There would probably be a market for those in every country. Like nuclear weapons, if you didn't have one and your neighbor did, watch out." "So, we're doing the basic research to make a Blade Runner," said Tango.

"That's right," said the Captain. "Oh, and before I forget, here are two mechanical alarm clocks. Outside is an old beat-up van with a well-tuned motor and new tires for your ride to Monterey tonight. There are four comfortable reclining seats inside and the drivers will take you to a safe house on the outskirts of Monterey. In the morning they will take you to the recruiting station where you have an interview scheduled for 1000. Here are some letters of reference from your previous employers; however, do not volunteer them, wait until they ask; they may not. When your first shore leave comes up the van will pick you up at the pier and take you to the safe house for debriefing. Good Luck!" "Thank you Captain. One last thing," said Stakka, "Could you request that Arkon One send 6 cartons of Red Zinger and 4 cartons of Blu Zinger and 5 tubes each of the seeds to the safe house before our first shore leave? They make excellent ice breakers and we might use them for bribes, heh."

Outside they met their drivers Rico and Lola. Once on their way Rico said, "This ride takes 5 hours so you may want to recline and sleep."

Monterey,  0530,  Safe House

The potholes in the driveway to the safe house woke them up at 0530. Inside they had bacon egg sandwiches and coffee then set the alarm for zero nine hundred and went back to sleep.

When they woke Rico informed them they should leave their capes and handguns here. He then spread four different size metal link t-shirts on the couch. "Here's the latest in high-tech underwear, he said, "A chainmail t-shirt made out of titanium and guaranteed not to rip, wear, tear, unravel, or rust, heh." As they tried on their armor he put their guns and capes in a hidden safe. He said, "Lola and I will be living here and pick you up when you come back on your first leave." "We're ready for the interview," said Stakka, "Let's go"

Monterey,  1010,  Babylon Recruiting

"I see you've worked as an electrician," said the recruiter, reading his application, "Could you hold out your hands palm up please?" Stakka held out his hands and the recruiter passed his thumbs over both of them and said, "Very good, you have some callus pads." "Now please lift that 6 liter water bottle onto the table with your right hand. Very good, now lift it with your left hand and place it back on the floor. Very good, now raise both hands above your head and touch them together. Very good. Do you take any prescribed medications?" "No," replied Stakka. "The use of marijuana and alcohol is allowed," said the recruiter, "Provided it does not interfere with your work. Any other habit forming drugs such as heroin, cocaine, or methamphetamines, will be cause for immediate dismissal." "I understand," said Stakka. "We work on 6 hour shifts," said the recruiter, "And you will start 0600 to 1200 Monday. As for personal defense weapons, you are allowed an 8 inch belt knife and 7 watt laser outside your work area. You will have a locker assigned for changing into your work uniform." "That works for me," said Stakka.

"Congratulations and welcome aboard," said the recruiter. "Take this receipt down the hall to the security office where they will issue a debit card for your wages, an electronic ID badge, a como pod that only works on Babylon, and a ticket for the ferry, which leaves Thursday morning. You will arrive early on Sunday morning and have Sunday for orientation, and start work Monday morning."

After he finished the security processing, Stakka went out to the van and waited for the others with Rico and Lola. Tango came out 10 minutes later. She got hired as a fast-food cook. Five minutes later Renka came out. She got hired as a laundry Tech. 10 minutes later Dingo came out. He got hired as an appliance repair Tech.

They picked up some Chinese takeout food on their way back to the safe house for lunch.

During lunch Stakka asked, "Is there any way to get a message to Sergei?" "We have a shortwave transceiver but it's not secure," said Rico. "That's okay," said Stakka, "We just want to ask them to be here when we have our first shore leave. And if they have a secure link to Arkon One or Joy Luck 8, can they bring it to set up." "I'll give them a call after lunch said Rico. "Oh, just in case they have a plane, could you check the local airport around 1000 on our first day of leave? If we caught a plane at 0600 on Babylon we should be at the airport by 0900."

"I was thinking," said Renka, "With the backyard having a high fence, we could put up a small grow for Red Zinger and another one for Blu Zinger." "We'd be happy to take care of it," said Lola, "For some free smoke." "We could go into town tomorrow," said Dingo, "And pick up the supplies and have it running before we left for Babylon."

With all hands working together they had a ten bucket grow on the left and right side of the back yard, both enclosed in clear plastic. Keeping them separated a little bit should cut down on cross pollination.

Thursday morning they left early for the pier hoping to get a good seat on the ferry.

Sunday,  0530,  Babylon

As they debarked from the ferry they saw a line of young ladies on the Quay, in the same uniform, holding up signs with people's names on them. Halfway down they saw one with a 'Stakka and Renka' sign.

As they got closer, she stepped forward and extended her hand, saying "Hi, I'm Anna. I will be your guide for the next 5 days." Stakka shook her hand and said, "I'm Stakka and this is Renka. Lead on."

They followed her into a hallway and down two levels to the second deck. As they walked they noticed it was very quiet. This steel deck was covered with a thin layer of neoprene. Anna handed them each a triple folded thin plastic brochure saying, "This is a general map layout of Babylon. There are six sections almost identical for most passageways. We are headed towards City Center in module 3 right now. All sections have an emergency clinic near City Center. Modules 1, 3, and 5 are on the second deck, and modules 2, 4, and 6 are on the third deck. They came to a big wide opening on the left and right and Anna explained, "This is like a ring road that goes all the way around the city. We'll take this left around to module 5 where your cabin is." When they reached module 5 they turned right for 50 meters and went down a stair to the fourth deck. Here they turned left and went back a hundred meters to cabin 487. Anna open the door with a key which she gave to Stakka and a copy to Renka. She said, "These cabins are 3 by 3 meters and I will leave you here to relax and unpack for an hour, then I will be back to show you to your work location and a cafeteria."

Babylon,  0700,  Sunday

Anna came back an hour later and said, "Let's go to the cafeteria first, I'm starving." They headed back towards City Centre and went up one level. Very soon they heard the clank and clatter of cafeteria trays and the chatter of a large group.

With full trays they followed Anna to an empty table and sat down. "The prices are very reasonable," said Renka, "I expected they might be higher." "We do make a small profit to cover costs," said Anna, "But save money by having you carry your own empty trays back for cleaning." "So Anna, I am curious," said Stakka, "Where did you grow up? I can't place your accent." "I'm not surprised," said Anna, "I grew up in an orphanage in Kazakhstan but have traveled widely since then. You both sound like you grew up in Los Angeles." "You're right," said Renka, "Is it far from here to our workplace?" "Not at all," said Anna, "Let's take our trays to the return window and I'll show you."

Back in their cabin after work and lunch on Wednesday, Renka said, "I want to call Anna and ask her to come visit us this afternoon, and answer some questions." "Okay," said Stakka,"I have some also." So she called Anna who was available to visit at 1500.

When Anna arrived, Renka said, "Would you like some coffee or a Red Zinger to share?" Anna laughed and said, "Yes for both. How can I help you?" "Well," said Renka, "Two of my co-workers in the laundry room said I should keep an eye out for 'Borgs'. She said they might not be human. She said when she was chatting with them in a bar, after 20 minutes of talking she felt nervous and closed the conversation. They were usually sex workers or bodyguards and she said she never felt threatened or endangered,  just that they were 'different'." Anna laughed and said, "I've heard this story before. What is causing the problem is those two classes of workers have spent two months prior to being hired in a special training program. They use advanced neuro-linguistic carrot-and-stick training methods to unlearn bad habits and pick up good ones, and this is apparently a benign side effect." "Thanks for clearing that up," said Renka, "One more item. Can staff play the slot machines and blackjack tables?" "Yes, that's perfectly alright," said Anna, "Just remember to wear your dress uniforms when you're off work in public spaces." "Don't think I'm unhappy with my job," said Stakka, "But when it's time for a break, is there a faster option to get to shore?" "Yes," said Anna, "You can pay an extra hundred creds and take a small seaplane, which gets there in 3 hours."

That night after dinner Stakka and Renka went to a small bar far away from the Tourist venue, called Two-Toed-Turtle. It was crowded with staff in public uniforms so they spotted a table with a couple and asked if they could join them. After 20 minutes of conversation Stakka asked, "Would you guys like to share a red Zinger?" "Yes," said Robin. "Me too," said Karl. After more conversation Robin said, "That was the best Zinger I've ever smoked, where did you get them?" "They are from special seeds a friend brought from Arkon One," said Renka, "I believe they are genetic hybrids. Plus, our climate in Monterey is very good for them also." Their new friends glanced at each other and Karl said, "It is amazing the improvements you can make with genetic tinkering." "You're right," said Stakka, "A guy I know in Monterey has a little Gibbon ape that has been gifted with speech. He is really funny sometimes." As their conversation slowed down Renka said, "We have an early start tomorrow, why don't we meet here again next Wednesday, the same time?" "That's a great idea," said Robin, "We'll see you then."

On the way back to their cabin Stakka took out his Como pod and called Dingo. "Would you guys like to share a Zinger back in our cabin in 15 minutes?" "Sure," said Dingo, "See you there."

As they all went inside Renka said, "I'm heating water for coffee if anybody wants some, help yourself." She also turned up the volume on their random noise surf sound generator to cover conversation. "I think we hit paydirt," said Stakka, "At a small employee bar we met Robin and Karl, who may be the mysterious 'Borgs'." "Fantastic!" said Tango, "What tipped you off?" "They had a micro hesitation when replying to a question about childhood or early youth," said Renka, "But they responded enthusiastically to a comment about genetic hybrid zingers. Which reminds me, where's our Zinger, Stakka?" "Here you go," said Stakka, "We are going to meet them again next Wednesday night. So that might be a plan for you guys on Thursday, is go to a small employee bar near your cabin and snoop around, see what you catch." "We realize this exceeds our mandate," said Renka, "But I believe the reward outweighs the risk." "I agree," said Tango, "What do you think Dingo?" "I'm ready," said Dingo, "Could you write down two or three questions we could try out on. them?" "No problem," said Stakka, "Just be sure and not steer the conversation too strongly. When they mention a keyword topic, you pop up with a childhood or youth question about that, allowing them to give an easy 'yes no' answer, or expand a little bit if they choose." "One more thing I noticed," said Renka, "They drink very slowly." "Oh, before you go out tomorrow night, take the question list and cut it into little tiny pieces and flush it." said Stakka, "We don't want any evidence that looks like this is a planned thing."

And with that warning, Dingo and Tango returned to their cabin.

(expect posts Sat 8 am EST)

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