Chapter 35: Tropical Paradise

Twenty-five days later...

Time: February 30, 8239 2 PM

Faisal passed me another large food tray. "Be sure to try the puffer fish," he said, pointing to one of the selections. "It's a Caribbean delicacy."

I nodded politely and wondered whether to trust that my host's chef had correctly removed all the poison sacs from the fish. Would Health try something as crude as a puffer for an assassination? It didn't seem likely. Still... Ah, all of life is a risk. A moment later I bit down into the fine grained and extremely tasty flesh. CL-30 Faisal grinned as he saw me smile at the taste and added, "And don't forget to try a few of the sea urchins too! They're my favorite!"

I was dining in Giza, in a panoramic circular dining area with views in all directions. I was having a late lunch at the mysterious township that was the headquarters of the Health Guilds. Located on the ancient island of Grenada, the township was fully spread out over a mere 344 sq km of land.

The cathedral where I was dining was on the southwestern tip of the island, with a magnificent views of both the bay and the land. I knew Giza was the smallest island in the world supporting a full township, and now I knew it was perhaps one of the most beautiful.

It is certainly one of the ones most managed. As I turned and looked inland to the east, I could see many tended parks and large cultivated fields. The island itself however is fully developed, no truly wild areas left. Hidden below the pastoral fields and modest looking buildings were massive underground transportation networks and the world's most advanced medical facilities.

It had been an intense period of education for me, spending the last twenty days touring the townships of the Caribbean. I was originally scheduled to begin my tour of the Health faction on the 13'th of February. I would fly into Nazert township on the main island of Answan (the ancient site of Havana, Cuba) and tour the Clinical Pathology Guild. But then a minor disagreement arose between High Tech and Utility and I wound up coming to the Caribbean on the 11'th and spending two days at Al Qaffey and Awasa, two Utility townships that co-inhabit the ancient island of Jamaica (10,831 sq km).

From there I went to Answan (110,860 sq km) and toured the five medical diagnostics townships there. From Answan I then went to ancient Hispaniola (48,730 sq km) and toured the four Guilds specializing in reproduction and child development. I finally got to see Metula from the ground and tour their fascinating embryonic research facilities. It was overwhelming, in fact a little scary how much power they have in controlling the miracle of reproduction.

With a total of twenty Guilds in the Health faction, this might seem a heavy concentration in diagnostics and reproduction. But the bases of the Guild structures were formed during the early Wild Times, when the survival of the human species was hanging in the balance. The focus back then was not to cure sick people, but to keep the healthy ones alive and vibrant long enough for them to reproduce. At its low point in the first millennium, the human population fell far below ten million. Exactly how far is a matter of some conjecture.

After Metula I spent two days touring Sarsis and Susa, the Surgery and Rehab Guilds located at the ancient sites of Cabo Rojo and Fajardo, Puerto Rico. And then on the last part of my trip, I had a series of overnight stays at the many one-town islands that make up the rest of Health's core territory. It was an incredible education, and I don't think Abdul Quddus himself could have been treated more royally.

Eighteen of the Health Guilds are right here in the Caribbean. The only two exceptions are my old township Jericho up north and Tobruk near the capital. Jericho specializes in infectious diseases, and Health wants a site far removed from their core territory for that. And as for Tobruk, well, it's officially in the Health faction but in practice the town is closely aligned to the capital and the Priesthood. It hosts the Virginity Drug Guild and is the site of the Nikahaldi academy.

"So tell me Ilias," Faisal said as he gestured to some female slaves to clear the table and serve the dessert trays, "How soon can we get a bullet line on Answan?"

I was distracted for a moment by the slaves. They were very scantily clad, barefoot and wearing only white halters and tight red briefs. Perhaps appropriate for the hot climate, and quite legal within the private dining areas of my host's cathedral, but still, a little surprising.

I finally returned to considering Faisal's question and laughed good-naturedly. "Funny Faisal, funny! Don't we have some negotiations to do first?"

"Oh, if we could get the same deal as Al Qaffey and Awasa, I'm sure Health would agree to the terms."

I laughed again, even more heartily. "You must know that Al Qaffey and Awasa haven't paid a single credit for their line! High Tech is absorbing the entire cost!" It was true. High Tech and Utility were building a 160 km line between Awasa, the Investment Banking Guild at the eastern end of the island at ancient site of Kingston, all the way to Al Qaffey on the western end, the agricultural Guild for sugar and bananas. There is also some bauxite-alumina mining and refining in the island's interior.

When completed, the bullet train would put the two cities within fifteen minutes of each other's train station. Faisal nodded at my mention of the cost-free construction, and then launched a calculated question. "Yes, we know that. How did that happen?"

I had been given very broad authority to negotiate the deal Faisal was seeking. I decided to tell him, but not immediately. "Oh, it's no big secret. Shameless bribes."

Faisal stared at me in astonishment, his jaw dropping. "The investment bankers bribed High Tech?!"

"No, not Awasa, Al Qaffey! You wouldn't believe how sweet and tasty the bananas at Dakar have been lately!"

Faisal squinted his eyes and shook his head. "Ah. So you're not going to tell me."

"Actually, I will. The contract between High Tech and Utility for the North and Central American bullet trains was finalized years ago. There was a little... ambiguity shall we say?"

"Ambiguity in the contract? That doesn't sound like High Tech."

"Yeah, well... For future service considerations, High Tech originally pledged to fund the construction costs for complete connectivity of the Utility outside of South America, with a single clause excluding runs over the Caribbean. Last year Utility started insisting the wording meant no connections over the ocean, which would be absurd. They still wanted the intra-island run."

"And High Tech agreed? I know a little of the history of this Ilias. Awasa and Al Qaffey were never part of the original negotiations."

"Oh, I know. High Tech thought Utility's position was mostly a test of our newfound friendship. In the end, we decided to be magnanimous." I laughed again. "But Faisal, you won't get the same deal!"

He smiled and made a small hand gesture. Several very attractive women came and offered me a selection of desserts. The conversation with my host returned to small talk.

"You must be relieved Ilias," said Faisal, pouring some wine, "about making it to the council. Many top Glorious Mufetos have died because there was no room in the council. But once past the barrier, it works in your favor. I myself owe my life to Abdul Nur, serenity be upon him."

I nodded politely and thought about the point Faisal was making. One of the many changes made at the end of the Wild Times was the promotion process for the Grand Mufetos on the council. In addition to switching Ruling Royalty into a self-electing body, Abdul Nur saw a great need to add stability to the Supreme Council and reduce the political and personal infighting. It should have been impossible to change, but somehow the Code of Bel'dar began to accept eight promotional gates at the Grand Mufeto level instead of the standard five, at intervals of 21, 34, and 55 years after failing the fifth promotional gate.