Datasets:
BlinAI
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Testo

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She smiled, not entirely suppressing the condescension-
Go ahead, Consuela, believe I'm not quick enough to see it all for myself. If you decide I'm a little dim now, you'll let your guard down later-
"Mr. Riordan, surely you know the value of oil."
"Of course. Even after it was phased out as a fuel, it remains essential."
"That's right: plastics, lubricants, fertilizers, chemicals. It is priceless."
Caine shrugged. "But at six shifts from Earth, the transport cost of oil from Dee Pee Three will eat the profits to nothing. Oil futures are still no more tha...
She nodded patiently. "Yes, it is. That is the state of the petroleum market on Earth. But there's something you're overlooking."
No, there isn't-but I'm glad you think so. "And what's that?"
"New worlds, Mr. Riordan. CoDevCo has moved beyond terracentric marketing assumptions. We are thinking in interstellar terms: our new oil industry on Delta Pa...
"How?"
"Well, let's do the math, Mr. Riordan. How much does it cost to move a one-liter volume of cargo from one solar system to another? Not freight charges: break-...
"Uh-about three c-dollars a liter, per shift."
She seemed surprised that he knew. "Right. And how many shifts from Earth to Delta Pavonis?"
"Six."
"Correct. So, in terms of interstellar transportation alone, it costs eighteen dollars to ship a liter of petroleum from Earth, the only known source of subst...
"If Delta Pavonis wanted oil from Earth, the cost would be immense: a base price of a dollar-fifty per liter, plus eighteen dollars more for six interstellar ...
"Yes, but that's only part of it. Right now, all the products that require fossil fuels must be made on Earth. That means that all those products also entail ...
"So you plan on building all those industries here on Dee Pee Three."
"Exactly. Plastics manufacturing, pharmaceuticals, lubricant refineries-"
Over her shoulder, Caine saw a collage of the fuchsia and indigo blooms. She's foretelling your extinction. "Beautiful, aren't they?" commented the robber-bar...
"Now do you see?"
"Sure: Dee Pee Three becomes a new industrial hub. Perfectly placed, too: most of our colonies would be within three shifts of your products."
"Precisely. Call it corporate greed if you like, Mr. Riordan, but the more quickly we can develop the oil reserves here, the faster and further humanity can e...
Oh, so this is your selfless contribution to the glorious future of homo sapiens? I mustn't laugh . . . so change topic: "Look, I also need to ask about these...
"And what does that have to do with anything?"
"There are those who feel that CoDevCo replaced the Navy survey with one of their own in an attempt to cover up possible environmental obstacles to just this ...
"Oh, so even on other planets, the energy companies are still suspected of ruining habitats, exterminating indigenous species-even intelligent ones?"
"Well, why else would you ignore the Navy survey? That was pretty much a slap in the face to both the Commonwealth and the original EU policy-makers, who asse...
"Well, the stakes certainly are high. However, our operations here haven't involved any environmental abuse-but you won't believe me until you've seen the evi...
And watching her from behind, Caine locked his teeth gently, acknowledging that, despite whom and what she was, a large and libidinal part of him was quite wi...
She stopped where the valley floor began its transition into a steep-sided mountain. As Caine approached, she pointed along the leeward base of a granite outc...
He looked. "That?"
She smiled more widely. "That, and about three or four others we've found like it. Is it an artifact of intelligent life? Unquestionably. But that's all we've...
"Have you dated the stones?"
"Not exactly the kind of equipment we carry, and if we had asked for it, there was always the chance that someone would ask why we wanted it. I understand it'...
Some significance? Could balance sheets really blind her-or anyone-to the immense implications of it?
"-but we're being careful not to disturb the sites, and it's not as though they're going to disappear. I realize the research they will stimulate is important...
He knew she was watching him carefully behind her vaguely coquettish stare. So Caine made sure that he appeared to be trying to keep his face expressionless-a...
He nodded, turned without a word, heard her fall in behind him.
As they got near the Rover, he swayed forward slightly, stretched out an arm, caught and steadied himself against the hood.
She was at his side-surprisingly swift-and did not miss the opportunity to put a solicitous hand on his left bicep. "Are you quite well?"
"Yeah. I just feel-a bit faint. The heat-I think."
"Well, we can always do this another time."
"No-no, I'll be okay."
She looked at him closely. "Very well, but I think we should end early today. Finish up with a visit to the executive pool. It's wonderfully cool. Soothing."
Caine looked at her. "That sounds-appealing."
She nodded slowly, her eyes constantly on his. "It's a great way to relax, to release the stress."
"I suppose it is." He straightened up. "But that's for later: what's next on our agenda?"
"Our own downport-and thanks for reminding me." She reached into the Rover for the radio, sharply informed whoever answered that she'd be there with the V.I.P...
Caine smiled, nodded, thought: That agenda is one item short of what Helger promised-and one item short of what I really want to see. "Great, but what happene...