The small, pudgy man who had been introduced as "Sire Padilla" smiled and bowed again. "Ah!" he said, "It is indeed an honor to meet a young couple who respect the old ways." The tall, thin, older man introduced as Sire Belen smiled widely and nodded agreement.
"I hope you gentlemen will excuse our translators," Cale said as they took their seats. "I'm afraid Santiagan is not one of our skills."
Padilla waved dismissingly. "No matter. We appreciate your courtesy in making it unnecessary for us to speak standard."
"Well," Zant said with a tinge of impatience, "Let's get to it." He turned to Cale and Dee. "These gentlemen represent the Greener movement here on Santiago. I'm afraid Santiago's war with Ilocan last year has had unfortunate effects for their group."
Sire Perez was a slim, elegant, distinguished looking man. He snorted. "That foolish war has had unfortunate effects on our entire planet. It is not a pleasant thing to lose a war. And now, those fool politicians are trying to once again stoke the hate and resentment." He shrugged. "I was surprised that Presidente Calderon had the intelligence and the courage to admit defeat, and to even work with our former enemies. He will be destroyed in the election, of course. But to hear the opposition, they're ready to start the whole thing again. We must escape."
Sire Belen waved a dismissal. "Enough. We are not here to discuss politics." He turned to Cale. "In case Señor Jenfu has not mentioned it, we are what is called a "back to the land" movement. Our members yearn for the simplicity of an agrarian culture. No," he added hastily, "we are not those foolish extremists who wish to eliminate government and destroy civilization. We are very aware that we are as dependent on the trappings of civilization as everyone else. It is not 'evil' to use power to heat and cool our houses, or to cook, especially when that power is obtained through the natural process of radioactivity, or the energy of the sun.
"No, we simply choose to limit our use of what are called 'modern conveniences.' Our crops are grown in the soil and under the sun of Santiago, not in hydroponic tanks under growth bulbs. People, not machines, grow them without the use of chemicals. They are raised with care and love."
"And they show it," Padilla put in. "Our fruits and vegetables are the best on Santiago. We have been shipping them around the planet, and even off-planet, occasionally."
Belen threw him a glare as he resumed. "Our produce is a premium product, for which we have been able to command a premium price."
He frowned. "Unfortunately the war has thrown Santiago into a severe depression, and the tax increases enacted by our outgoing Senate are set to consume the little capital remaining. There are few left who can afford our produce." He straightened. "Our community has done very well. But the current and future direction of this planet seem intended to beggar us. We prefer to invest our wealth in relocating our entire community to a planet more amenable to our way of life. We are prepared to spend whatever is necessary to establish a colony on a suitable world.
"But it cannot be just any world. If we invest our futures, it will not be in a world that will develop a heavily urbanized culture in a few years. We must be certain that our planet will be an agrarian paradise, not just for us, but for our grandchildren and great-grandchildren."
Cale frowned. "You realize, sire, that such a planet is likely to be rather primitive. Agrarian planets are rarely technologically advanced."
Belen smiled and nodded. "Of course, sire. We are not naïve. We plan to take plenty of acceptable technology with us. We have actually invested quite a lot of investigation into the subject, and we are confident we will manage. But only on the right world."
"Yes," Zant put in. "And I would like to report, gentlemen, that we may have found that planet." The three men straightened in their chairs, and Padilla smiled brightly.
"Of course," he continued, "it will take a planetary survey to be certain; the planet to which I refer has been out of touch for some five hundred years."
"Five hundred years?"
Zant nodded. "Yes, sir. And it was not an agrarian world at that time. However, it seems virtually certain that it is such a world now, if it is even still inhabited."
There was a gabble as the three men tried to talk at once. Zant held up a hand. "Please, gentlemen. Permit me to be systematic in my description. That way I won't forget anything!"
That brought smiles, and the visitors relaxed slightly.
Zant consulted a screen on his desk. "The planet is called 'Jumbo.'" He began. "This is because it is much larger than most Earthlike planets, but is far less dense, with a gravity of only.84G. It also lacks most of the heavier elements. Scientists are surprised it was able to develop and maintain an atmosphere." He paused. "This lack of heavy elements makes the probability of future heavy industrial development remote.
"Toward the end of the Empire," he resumed, "Jumbo developed into a vacation world. Visitors came to relax in the low gravity, to swim in seas where they could not sink, and to soar in ultralight "aircraft" that could stay aloft for days. Tourism made Jumbo prosperous.
"The planet was never heavily populated; at its peak its population was just less than a hundred million, nearly all doing work somehow related to the tourist trade. The entire planet had only seven cities of various sizes, most located in favored tourist destinations."
He looked up as Belen asked, "It sounds idyllic. Now tell us the bad news."
Zant smiled and shrugged. "There was certainly bad news 500 years ago. The old Empire records indicate that Jumbo, like most Empire planets of the time, began to experience financial problems. As the Empire declined, fewer people could afford to vacation off-planet. Tourism declined, Jumbo's prosperity faded, and that led to the rise of anti-Empire sentiment. The planet's residents became increasingly hostile to the Empire and worse, to the Empire citizens that were their customers. This oppressive atmosphere on what was supposed to be a 'holiday' planet depressed tourist traffic even more and helped create a downward spiral.
"The Empire governor reported the unrest and the fact that the Empire was becoming a scapegoat for the planet's ills. By then, though, the Empire was too weak to be concerned with a planet that contributed nothing of substance to it.
"The Sector Viceroy sent a Minister Plenipotentiary to address the Planetary Council. The address turned into a surprise Independence Proclamation, the Empire "granting" the planet total independence, and recognition as a sovereign planet. While the Minister was addressing the Council, work crews from the Minister's accompanying destroyer were stripping the Empire Governor's Palace and evacuating the Governor and his family. As soon as the Minister finished reading the proclamation he boarded a shuttle, and in less than an hour, the Empire had abandoned Jumbo. The Minister had promised that an Ambassador would be appointed, but with the Governor's palace stripped and vacant, it was obvious even then that would not happen."
Perez shuddered. "Even for the Empire, that was pretty raw."
Zant nodded grimly. "It certainly wasn't the Empire's finest hour. The political chaos that followed frightened away the last of the tourist ships and traders. The last report we have is from an Empire Star Lines Beta-class liner. The Captain refused to ground his passengers because of 'civil unrest.' There are no further records."
"And you think that is our 'ideal world'?"
Zant's grin resurfaced. "Actually, yes, I do. Consider. The lack of heavy elements protects you against heavy development. The peak population was about a hundred million. If the chaos were that bad, I would expect that millions died. Without a continuing resupply of the heavier metals, the number of people the planet could support is limited, and recreation workers are not well equipped for survival.