Guests

I

Kasarna lifts the hot chocolate container, pulls the foil top with a pop and takes a deep sniff of it. With a look of rapt expectation she spoons a measure of the contents into the drinks engine in front of her and it begins to gurgle. Eventually it spits out a mug full of darkly steaming liquid and she takes a long sip before looking back at me. The liquid is the same colour as her skin. Watching her drink I realize that there is no part of her that I do not love. Not her long shapely legs. Not the hair a shade lighter than her skin. Not the tiny scars that run up her arm or the whispery silver tattoos she uses to try to hide them. I love the way that her apron moves as she breaths. I love the long on her face as she drinks. I must be insane to ever leave her.

"You're staring." She looks up at me over the cup and blushes. It's appropriate somehow. I've never seen anyone who loves chocolate as much as my girlfriend.

"Just never saw someone in religious ecstasy before. Is it what you wanted?"

"Italian chocolate is the best." she takes another sip. "At least, until I figure out how to improve it. I'm going to replicate this blend so everyone can enjoy it" Her eyes twinkle and she leans over and grabs me for a kiss. Her mouth tastes of chocolate. The kiss breaks apart again after a moment and she says "I'm so glad your home. I missed you." Then we're back to kissing.

I'm just slipping one hand under her tee-shirt when house's phone begins to buzz. We try to ignore the instant bleeping for a long moments then finally sigh and break contact. "Fucking phone." Kasarna mutters, then sighs and puts the remains of her coffee back into the warmer as I tap the icon.

"Hello." The number is as unfamiliar as the picture that pops up a moment later. A civil servant by the look of her.

"Ms. Riya Jez." The woman on the other end of the line smiles. The phone name tag says "deputy secretary Yasmin Alenis" "Sorry to bother you on your day off but an urgent diplomatic matter has come up. An important visitor is arriving and needs an escort. Would you mind coming down to my office to discuss it?"

I sigh, look over at Kasarna who shrugs. Go says her expression. I nod to the suit on the other end of the line "alright, I'll be down there in half an hour." Whatever this job is it had better be important.

Landing is a big city. A tenth of the planet's registered population live here. The villa Kasarna, her friends and I built is on the flat plateau to the west of the city's centre, and has a magnificent view. I step outside and stop for a moment, admiring the vast spires and long streets. It was clear today, though on the horizon I saw a front moving in. In a few hours it would be raining.

I like Landing. It's vibrant and interesting and there's a lot of places to eat. I like how its full of off worlders and tourists blinking like fish through AR glasses. I like the music and the culture, the film festivals and the greenhouses full of earth plants. Most of all though I like how easy it is to get across it from anywhere to anywhere.

Leaving Kasarna's I walk down to a bus stop and get a bus down to the monorail station. From there it's across town to the foreign ministry. It's a huge old colonial bell, the ivy pattern of diamond inlaid into its front the only concession to aesthetics.

I step inside, a battery of scanners sweeping me, then follow a line in the air that takes me where I want to go. The building knows even if I'm not yet aware. Eventually I end up on the top floor, in a cool office with a green carpet. Behind the desk is Alenia in the flesh and minimalistic AR makeup. In person she's far shorter than I expected, but her grip is strong and she has a pretty smile which makes other smile too. "Good morning." We shake hands her expression turns apologetic. "Sorry to bring you in just after you got back."

"It's alright." I say, not because it is but because that's what you say. "So what do you need from me?"

She plucks a file out of the desk and sends it scooting into my overlay. I look through it. The front page is a photograph, female, older. Baseline but with the signs of an extensive refit job. Much older then. Her skin is dark and her face pleasant. "This is Rebecca Smith. American. From earth."

"Earth? She's a long way from home." Old too. The file says one hundred and fifty five years.

"She's rich enough to have her own private ship. A mulch-billionaire. Property and stocks mostly." I notice how Yasmin's expression flickers as she considers such foreign ideas. "Apparently very influential in the Democratic party. She's coming here, just landed, with no warning. We want you to show her around?"

"How did she get an entry visa?" I ask. Generally participating in that level of inequality is a pretty instant disqualification from getting onto Tempest's surface unless you're from another ZOCU power.

"The US Embassy gave her temporary status as one of their staff for her fact finding mission. Very influential as I said. They also wanted to send a protective detail with them but we vetoed that. You'll have a couple of DPS agents on hand though."

"Right." I frown, "so why is she so keen to get in?"

"We do not know." Yasmin smiles at me. "We'd like you to find out for us."

II

My first sight of Rebecca Smith is her standing at the edge of the US embassy compound under a canopy, surrounded by a swarm of people and robots. She is handsome, motherly looking and clad in a very expensive tailored cool and dry suit of off world (and likely custom) make.

My first sight does not endear her too me, as her baseline staff are standing out in the rain and looking distinctly uncomfortable. Several of them are also looking more than a little sick. Probably just adaption flu, the environment takes a bit of getting used to. They're all clad in heavy AR specs, including Smith, blinking around at everyone. In turn people on the concourse around the Embassy park are giving the little knot of people distinctly odd looks.

I'm early, so I ignore Smith who's obviously waiting for me, pulling on an AR disguise with my foreign service privileges (A cheap enough trick and easy to beat if you know how, but I seriously doubted this group of specs has enough knowledge of the local system to do it) walked around the embassy and walked up to the south entrance check point out of the rain. I keep carefully outside the view of the actual security system and place a call into the embassy. It picks up third ring. "Hey Mark."

Mark Gannon is in his thirties, rake thin and bearded, with grey hairs temples. A total affectation he got in a clinic near the docks. He does not wear specs, having had his lace programmed to emulate local protocols. He's fascinated by ZOCU in general but wishes he'd been posted to Nidaros, Erebus, or Chosin (because he speaks good Korean) not Tempest, because the heat disagrees with him. He plays local MMOs to pass the time and is occasionally fucking the French military attaché's daughter. He cannot hold his liquor but embassy rules do not allow him to smoke marijuana, which is his preference.

He is my good friend, and so I am upset about just how hot and frazzled he looks today. "Riya. What's up?" He mops his brow.

"Got a minute? Come down to the south entrance, I'll take you to breakfast."

"How'd you know I skipped breakfast?" He grabs his jacket and begins walking down towards me, the picture flickering as the AR system stops using his desk cam and starts using whatever fake version of the embassy he had the CIA program into his lace.

"Yellow superpowers." I grin at him as he steps out. His office is a minute away from this entrance. "You look terrible. Come on." We walk down into a covered market and into a cafe I like. Kasarna uses this place to test new types of chocolate.

We find a table and I watch as Mark looks down the menu. Even for Mark he looks bad, sweaty and listless. "When did you last eat?"

"Uh, I had a sandwich, yesterday sometime. I was up all night."

"You're your own worst enemy you know that?" I program in some food. "Get a proper meal here. What's keeping you up all night anyway? There's nothing major on the calendar."

"You know what's keeping me up." Mark sighs as the robot arrives with iced tea and a bowl of bread. "That's why you're here." He smiles at me wanly. "It's because we suddenly have twenty people in, all carrying a plethora of germs from pestilent Gaia, meaning I have to get pumped full of meds, and as well as managing you crazies I now have to deal with the information requests of some millionaire groundling who has never been off earth before and has decided for some reason has decided she wants to find herself in a place where the rain gives you cancer!"

"Billionaire." I rest back as the food arrives. "She's a billionaire." Mark doesn't think he's hungry. His blood sugar is so low that he feels sick. He bites reluctantly into a spring roll, then realizes how good he tastes and his next remark is cut off as he fulfils a need lower on Maslow's hierarchy. "You're right though. I'm babysitting her. Wondered if you could tell me why she's here?"

"Nope." Mark takes a drink, "Not a clue. Rumours are she's here for secret negotiations with elements of your civil service about buying some land." he looks up at my expression around a wrapped prawn. "Yeah, that's what I said too."

"What's she like?" I ask.

"She's like a Billionaire. She's used to having stuff go her way." Mark starts on the bread. "If you do piss her off she's going to make a lot of stuff difficult for you with the current administration. The president and her are pretty tight. If she gets sufficiently annoyed then she can probably sink the current round of trade talks at least."

I realize again what an alien world Mark comes from. One minute it's like he's normal, the next it's as if he stepped out of another dimension.

"Well, you know us." I begin to eat my own food.

"Yeah I do. That's why I didn't get any sleep last night." Mark stabs his chopstick at me for emphasis, then decides he'd be better off using it on his food. I let him while I think what I'm going to do when I meet this Rebecca Smith.

III

Before I head to Smith I meet the two diplomatic protection agents who will be the physical presence of the team guarding us. They're loitering in a cafe near the embassy, eating pancakes. Both are much of a muchness. Tall, friendly, calm looking reds wearing dark police cool and dries which conceal a thick layer of body armour. I recognize one, who I met while I was with the team preparing for the visit of the chairman of Mazula. "Amanda." I beam at her as I walk up. "You're married now?"

She looks up at me then notices my gaze on her wrist where a wedding bangle has got lose from her sleeve and blushes. "Yeah. Six months, to my childhood friend, the one I told you about."

"Congratulations." I give her a hug. "I'm so glad it worked out for you."

"And you, did you manage to get your house built?" We continue the last conversation we had as I sit down.

"Yes. I and my friends are well moved in now. The view is amazing. You can see the whole of landing and the bay. Really incredible when it's clear. Uh, sorry, I'm being a little rude." Her partner's name tag reads Jia Flosadottir.

"It's okay. I'm sure we can do that too next time we meet." Flosadottir extends a hand. "It's a pleasure to meet you."

"And you." I give them a quick potted briefing on the target, which they should have already but it never hurts to be sure. I end up with "Frankly the threat is pretty low. If she was going to get flash mobbed it'd have happened already because she's standing at the edge of the embassy grounds with a gaggle of servants and getting weird looks from everyone."

"No offence boss," says Flosadottir "but that sounds like she's a security nightmare if someone is gunning for her."

"Well she's the American's nightmare until we collect her." poor Mark. Poor embassy staff. I feel for them even as I laugh at their expense. "I have no idea what she wants to do, but if you guys feel you need to call backup just do it. We'll bill the USA for the resources used to protect her later if we go over budget."

Both agents nod and then have a quick discussion between the two of them before we head for the embassy proper. I walk up the street where Smith is still holding course and stop in front of her. "Ms. Smith."

She looks at me. "Ah, you're the person who'll show me around?" she reaches out a hand and takes mine. "You're so young." I'm in my thirties but she, according to her file, is old. She was twenty when the ship to Tempest left.

"That's right. These are Agents Flosadottir and Escobar, they'll be providing protection."

There's a round of handshakes and pleasantries. "Will two agents be enough?" one of the courtiers asks.

"We don't believe there's any danger of attack." Amanda responds. "Be assured response times for backup are very short.

"But . . ."

"It's alright James." Smith gets up and stretches. "This is their city. They know what's safe and what isn't better than we do. I've kept you all out in the rain far too long. Go back inside and get cooled off."

The courtiers break away, moving for the embassy and Smith steps forward. She still seems spry, and is, according to the scanners in the drone above us, about 58% inorganic. "Riya. Your name is Pakistani isn't it?"Smith asks.

"Yes."

"India has a female president now you know."

"I believe both India and Pakistan did in the 20th century as well." I shut myself down before I can needle her further. "So where would you like to go?"

IV

We stand on the Vnez bridge over the Silon river, watching the storm roll in. We're up in one of the bridge's observation towers, with Amanda at the back and Flosadottir standing behind us. "It's so bright even under the clouds." Smith marvels, peering forward. "This is amazing!" she looks back at me. "Have you ever been off world before?"

"Yes." The bridge has a magnificent view, showing the central meeting hall on one side, and the great landing theatre house on the other. Smith mostly watches the ships, only occasionally looking at the banks, occasionally glances at me.

"That where you go the arm?"

"You're very observant to notice." I drop the augmented reality around my left arm, showing it off in all its blue steel and black diamond glory. The whirling carvings glitter in the light.

"Why not just have it regrown?" Smith asks.

"It was a gift. During the war." I look out at the river. "I was the officer in an armoured battalion. We were working with a Nidarian divisioin. I was the liaison. One day EU war planes struck the HQ. I pushed someone out of the way of a falling beam. They got me this to replace what I lost."

Silence for a moment. "You've built a lovely city here." she looks at me. "Not as big as where I live though. The BoWash is quiet a place. Do you know it?"

"Yes. I've visited there. I was at our embassy in Washington for about a year." I say it mildly. She gives me a look that I can't read. Surprise. . . over something.

"I never left earth before this. Still haven't explored everything that's there. I'm glad I came though. I'm glad I saw this place."

I can feel the pause in the conversation, waiting for me to insert something. "Why did you come here Ms. Smith?" I ask. "I mean you wanted to see another world but why here?"

She chuckles "I was twenty when you left you know that? I was just finishing university. Such arguments there were over it. So many people hated you... your ancestors for leaving." A pause, the thunder rumbles. "Women as much as the men. Felt you'd betrayed the cause, cut and run. I almost got on the flight you know. Almost came here. A few people I knew did." I am about to insert another question but she beats me too it. "Where do you live?"

I point "up there. In a villa my friends and I built above the city."

"Would you take me there?"

"Alright."

IV

I call home, letting Kasarna know I'm bringing work. I think of taking a bus and monorail up, getting Smith among the people but it's not fair to the protection agents. Plus it's kind of a cheap play, so we take a government van instead.

When we arrive the villa smells of chocolate. Kasarna is mixing stuff up again. A desktop chemistry unit stands to one side, its top dusted with several spoons of the chocolate I bought her, as it digests and analyses it.

Smith looks around interestedly, peering at everything. Kasarna fusses slightly, seating her, offering her a drink. Smith seems charmed. "You make chocolate?"

"Yes. I really do." Kasarna smiles "I well, I try to make it so everyone can enjoy chocolate too. Right now I'm trying to figure out how to make this kind of chocolate."

Smith nods. Her expression sours a bit and she walks across the kitchen. "You know you're stealing right?" she asks after a moment. "Someone put a lot of effort into that and you're stealing it from them."

Kasarna blinks, surprised. "I just want people here to be able to enjoy it."

"Well if they want to enjoy it they should buy it from the people who came up with it." Smith looks back at the both of us. "Not buy it stolen from you."

Kasarna looks confused. "But everyone off world can still get it. I'm not hurting anyone by replicating it. They'll even get likes so if they ever come here they can get stuff back."

"You never asked them though. It's theirs! Their idea, their labour. You're taking it without asking."

"Ms. Smith." I cut in. "Why are you yelling at my girlfriend?"

"I don't like theft." she struts to the window and looks out. "Are many people watching me now?"

"Some." I'm live uploading this, so is Kasarna.

"Well then let me answer your earlier question. Why did I come here? Because I wanted to know if I was wrong to come here before. I wanted to see your world and see what it was like. . . if I should have come here a long time ago."

She looks at me. "I don't think I should have though, because well. I'm proof aren't I. I'm proof that you were wrong to leave." she looks at me, and through me all those who are watching. "We could win you know sisters. You all said we couldn't but we could win and we did win on earth. The system wasn't so bad after all. You didn't move to this poison place. You didn't need to reinvent the wheel and steal and scrape. You didn't have to turn yourselves into monsters and go to war. We won on earth. We're ahead now, and you're stuck in the past."

The storm frames her. "It turns out we didn't need to build a new society at all. Our old one was fine after we were through with it. All you did was go out here and die young. Die young and relearn racism."

I open my mouth to yell at her but Kasarna beats me too it. "Ms. Smith, can I show you something?"

Everyone pauses. Smith stops for a moment and then nods. Kasarna pulls on her rain jacket and leads us out of the back door, down the twisting and turning path into a cave in the rock. Smith bulks slightly but Kasarna silently urges her onwards. We walk down the tunnel, dripping, and into one of the vaults dug into the plateau.

It's filled with machinery, huge tubes and runnels dug through the rock, filling the vast space.

"These are bio-engines." Kasarna runs a hand across one. "They're down here so their roots can go up into the soil without people having to live underground. This one makes milk, this one makes coco, this one..." she pauses "will make another kind of coco for Italian style chocolate."

"So what's this meant to prove?" Smith asks. "We have food on earth."

"Yes, but you ration it." Kasarna folds her arms. "I may not be as seasoned a traveller as my girlfriend." you big fat liar "but I've seen other places. Everyone on earth gets money every month and they buy stuff with it. Food or music or whatever. We don't do that here. We know we make enough food that everyone can eat as much as they want, so why ration it? You called me a thief earlier but what have I stolen? An idea? That's not a real thing. Just because you came up with something first doesn't give you the right to deny it to other people."

"If you've ever been off world you know that earth is much richer than Tempest. Many core colonies are. I ... I don't understand why you'd do this to yourselves. Why put yourselves through all the effort in this place?"

I break in "because it's a lot more complicated than rich and poor. Because on earth we could never have built a society like this. Because ultimately whether you won on earth really ceased to matter to us the moment the ship landed. Because there are people who cannot afford to buy chocolate and you have your own star ship."

That last hits home. Smith stops and frowns. "I really can't persuade you can I?"

"No." I say. "Did you ever think that you could?"

She pauses, looks at us then begins to walk back up the passage. I look over at Kasarna and then put an arm around her as we go up towards the surface. Smith stands at the entrance looking at the rain. "A friend of mine left you know. On the ship." the old woman looks out as water sloshes. "A very dear friend. We argued just before she left. I said a lot of the things I said to you."

I walk up beside her. "Grandmother, there's one place I haven't shown you."

She looks over at me. I point out of the entrance and over the city towards the single diamond spire that reaches up out of the city's graveyard. "It's not us you should be arguing with Grandmother. If you want to find your friend, go down there."

"Will you take me?"

"Yes. I'll take you."