Garia tries out her new training gear with mixed results. A visit to Parrel's workshop in the afternoon includes mention of toilet paper, blast furnaces, glue and canals!

Somewhere Else Entirely

by Penny Lane

24 - Back to Business

Disclaimer: The original characters and plot of this story are the property of the author. No infringement of pre-existing copyright is intended. This story is copyright (c) 2011-2017 Penny Lane. All rights reserved.

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By chance Garia and Jenet were among the first to arrive for breakfast the next morning. They stood around watching the servants lay the table, Garia noting that almost everyone now had a fork laid beside their plate. Captain Bleskin came into the dining room from another door and stopped suddenly when he saw Garia before walking slowly towards her.

"Mistress Garia, good morning," he greeted her. His expression showed more emotion than she had ever seen before. "Your attire does honor to the Guard."

This threw her completely. She was wearing her new tunic and skirt as she intended to go and exercise immediately after breakfast, and she had decided that it looked quite good. Not sure how to respond to Bleskin's comment she reddened and stammered, "Thank you, Captain."

Seeing her confusion he said, "If any woman should be entitled to wear the colors of the Guard, Mistress, it would be yourself. Even though I have not seen them yet for myself I have heard reports that you have skills which would be welcome in any of my men. Seeing you attired thus, I assume you are ready to resume your training?"

"I am, Captain," she replied, recovering her poise somewhat. "At least, I shall use today to see if I am recovered or not, or whether I should wait a little longer. I promise that I shall show you in a day or two what I am capable of."

Bleskin smiled at her. "At your own convenience, Mistress. I would not wish you to suffer unnecessarily on my account."

Keren arrived then, eyes widening as he took in her appearance. "Garia! Good morning. I like your outfit! Is that what you wanted all along?"

"More or less, Highness. I'll be giving it a try-out after breakfast." She gave him a look. "Care to join me?"

"Of course, Mistress." He gave a sidelong look at Bleskin. "I think I've had enough practice at being a porter for now."

Bleskin gave him an indulgent smile back. "As you wish, Highness. From what I am told, working with Mistress Garia is tougher than any portering would be."

"It's not so much the portering, Captain, it was all the dust. I hope it never gets that bad again."

"I'm writing up standing instructions so that it never does happen again, Highness. Once is entirely enough, I believe." Bleskin turned to Garia. "Your hall awaits you, Mistress. I think you'll find it suitable for your purposes. If there is anything else you require, you have but to ask."

She curtseyed to him. "Thank you so much, Captain."

At that point the King and Queen appeared. Robanar stopped and stared at Garia, then looked at Bleskin over her head.

"Sire, I believe she has earned the right to wear the colors," Bleskin said.

Robanar gave Garia another searching glance, then nodded his head once at her before turning to his seat. Terys came towards the group.

"You look very nice, dear. Who made you that?"

"Rosilda, Your Majesty. It isn't a gown, it's actually a separate tunic and skirt. I wanted something I could exercise in."

"I remember, dear. Will you let me inspect it sometime? It's always interesting when people have new ideas for clothes, isn't it?"

"Of course, Ma'am. Is the King... upset because I'm wearing the Guards' colors?"

"I don't know, dear, I'll ask him. It's silly, of course, no-one could possibly mistake you for a guardsman, could they? Come and sit down by me, dear, and we'll talk about it."

After breakfast Garia, Keren, Merizel and the two maids made their way through the palace to the area used by the Palace Guard for training. As usual, Garia turned many heads during her progress but she had become accustomed to that now. The large room was empty so they headed for the smaller one they had been given by Bleskin.

"Wow, that made a difference, didn't it?"

"Told you. Mind you, there was a lot of grumbling and cursing while we emptied it out and cleaned it all up." He gave her a sidelong glance. "Of course, that all stopped when Captain Bleskin told them who they were emptying it for."

Again Garia was at a loss for words. The thought that the entire body of guards had willingly cleaned out a room just for her benefit was a lot to handle. She wondered what the captain had told them. She wondered what they all thought of her, and she was afraid of the answer.

The room itself, as might be expected, was shiny clean. Laths had been affixed to the side walls at head height - Keren's head height - and fitted with numerous wooden pegs, from which dangled scabbarded swords and other weapons, complete suits or parts of armor, robes, flags and bags of all shapes and sizes. From the ceiling three long poles hung, with captured standards or banners obviously won in battle. On the floor, covering the rear third of the room, were trestle tables, and both on them and under them were other items of war, most bagged to keep them clean. The whole array made Garia realize that the Palace Guard, small though it might be, had played an active part in the defense of Palarand in the past.

In front of her the floor was covered by two of the felt mats, both much cleaner and in better repair than those they had used in the other room. At either side, facing the mats, some benches had been provided for spectators.

"Those were my idea," Keren said, pointing to the benches. "Not everyone is going to be making fools of themselves on the mats, are they? Might as well have a comfortable seat to watch from."

"And you've left enough floor space for us to do the Tai Chi on," she noted. "Well, let's begin."

Moving over to the benches Jenet stripped off Garia's skirt and re-tied the sash. Keren took note of the modified tunic shape and nodded in approval before the three took position on the floor, Merizel and Bursila sitting on the bench to watch.

"How much do you remember?" she asked the Prince.

"I hope I remember all of it," he replied. "I've been doing it in my room the last few mornings before I came down to breakfast."

"I'm impressed! So, let's get started, then." She took position and began the first form.

It was obvious that Keren had been taking the whole idea seriously. As far as Garia could determine as she moved through the exercise his positioning was faultless. Jenet was less accurate but Garia expected that, the woman probably didn't have a single martial bone in her body, but even she was progressing well. Garia taught them two more forms before they broke for a drink.

Eventually they got through the preliminaries to arrive at what Garia mentally called 'the main event'. Keren faced her across the mat, ready for action. They both moved, she sidestepping and going for his tunic, he evading and lunging for an arm. She was forced to duck, twist and change her grip to a flattened hand, angling for the ribs under his right arm. He swayed back but it wasn't enough, her blow unbalanced him and he fell, but he was able to grab her arm as he went and pull her down as well.

"Ow!"

"Whoops, sorry! Did I hurt you, Garia?"

"No, not really." She hurriedly scrambled up, away from his body. "Parts of me are, uh, a little more tender than I expected. Give me a moment, please."

She stood, swaying, trying to calm her body, as he climbed to his feet facing her. Breathe. Breathe slowly. Slowly. Take your time, get it under control. You still have those damn hormones flooding your body. But part of her knew it was more than that. A woman's body wasn't meant to be as strong or as hard as a man's, and she had one of the former now. If she was to continue with the exercise regime she had chosen, she would just have to work that much harder than ever she had done before. There's no going back. I've chosen this path, I must stick to it, and if that means hard work, so be it. She looked at Keren, his face full of concern for her.

"Is it too soon, after..?" he asked. "Should you not have waited another day or two?"

"Jenet says not, she says that the quicker I can get back to normal routine the better. There will always be four days or so every month where I just can't, but the other days I should be fine." Business, not pleasure. God, his body is hard. "So, tell me, what did you just try to do?"

Analyzing their moves proved to both that the other was taking the lessons seriously. Garia was dismayed to discover that her reflexes were not as sharp as she expected and her strength appeared weaker than the last time the two had trained. Nevertheless they persisted and managed to make some progress before she reluctantly called a temporary halt for a drink.

"I'm sorry, Keren," she told him, "I'm not operating at the level I was... before. Perhaps it is too soon to be doing this."

He looked at her, his gaze one of concern. "I'm not surprised, really. Obviously I don't know what a woman's body goes through when Kalikan calls, but I do have two older sisters and I remember how it affected them at times. Personally, I'm surprised you've managed this much this soon. I do know that as well as affecting you emotionally it can affect you physically, and so perhaps you need to build your strength up again before you exercise to your previous levels. Remember, this is the first time it's happened to you, and you'll probably need two or three months to completely adjust to what happens each time."

"Yes," she admitted, disappointment evident in her voice, "Perhaps I am being a little too enthusiastic. Oh, I had so hoped..." Her voice trailed off and she took another drink before continuing, "It seems I have yet to learn to accept the limitations of my new body."

He gave her an encouraging smile. "I wouldn't worry, if I were you. There's still a huge amount you can achieve even if you just sit there and don't lift a finger. There's nothing at all wrong with that fine mind of yours, as you have demonstrated many times so far. There must be other things you can teach me, things that don't involve us throwing ourselves at each other on the mat."

Garia was startled. She had been so wrapped up in her own unsettled feelings and the disappointment over the session so far that she hadn't considered what else she might do. Her eyes narrowed as she considered the possibilities, and then she smiled.

"You are so right, Keren. There is indeed much that we can do, that we can all do, in fact. Let's go back to the beginning, then, and I shall start with the basics, how you might deal with a confrontation, for example. You three," she pointed at Merizel and the two maids, "I'm including you in this, as well. There's no reason why I shouldn't improve your chances when things get ugly."

"Us, Garia?" Merizel asked.

"Yes. Haven't you ever been in a situation where someone - a man, usually - comes towards you and you don't quite know whether they are going to attack you, or take advantage of you, or something like that? It's more likely to be a man, and it's less likely to be the Prince on the wrong end of it, but that kind of situation could happen to any of us, any time."

They nodded, and Garia continued.

"The important thing is not to freeze, and not to look upset, or anything like that. Carry on, look as if you know what you're doing, and that you know what you're about to do. That way, you won't allow the other person to take charge of the situation. This should make them uncertain what they're dealing with. Now, if they start to get physical, you should know the most vulnerable points to hit, to discourage them from continuing whatever they intend. Keren, if I could use your body as a token attackers body? Just stand there."

Keren stood and Garia pointed to his groin.

"Obviously, every man and woman knows that is where a man is most vulnerable. However, with the skirts most of us wear it's not easy for us to kick a man that high. You can use your knee," she demonstrated, "if you can get close enough, or your fist. Don't be afraid to hit as hard as you possibly can. If he's that close that you can reach him that way, then you need to make sure he has something else to worry about for a while. Of course, that's not the only place to cause an attacker grief."

Garia went on to describe other vulnerable points for both men and women, getting Keren to act as the attacker as she demonstrated, carefully, how to incapacitate anyone without needing to use excessive amounts of strength. The three women were aware of some of what she had told them, but putting it all in a concentrated lesson made them think properly about a subject they had all only casually considered before in their lives.

"M-Mistress Garia?"

Bursila spoke, Bursila who usually remained quiet and unobtrusive. Garia had already noticed that she was much quieter than Jenet and decided that in the environment in which she had served servants had much less freedom than she had observed in the palace. Of course, Garia's position was unique and so people reacted towards her differently than they might have the others in charge, but even so Bursila was usually somewhat more reserved than the average. Garia noticed that even though she addressed her, her eyes flickered towards Merizel as if wishing her permission before speaking.

"Bursila," she acknowledged the maid with a nod. "Please, speak freely."

"Mistress, why do you bother with us servants? I would not think that we are deserving of your instruction, surely? Are the servants treated this way where you come from, this other world?"

"On my world, Earth, Bursila, we don't have servants the way that people here do," she replied, and then thought. That's not quite true, is it. Hotel and restaurant staff, shop assistants, cleaners. "Um, we do have staff, but they aren't like those here, I guess." What about the White House? That's full of people supporting the President. "And we would expect someone like a King or Merizel's father to have servants, simply because they have a heavy job to do and they need help to do it.

"But the main point is that whoever you are and whatever job you do, you're still a person and there are still people out there who might want to do you harm. There are always some who will try and pick on those they think are weak and vulnerable in one way or another, so I see no problem in teaching anyone how to defend themselves against such people."

Both Merizel and Bursila have attitudes that are so ingrained that it might be difficult to get them to adapt. The question is, should I be trying to change them? I've been dropped into an alien society with different rules than my own. What right do I have to try and make them behave a different way?

Ah, well. I've started the Industrial Revolution snowball rolling, it's quite likely some people are going to get knocked over before it reaches the bottom of the hill. There's no way I can predict all the changes that are bound to happen.

"As you say, Mistress. But, for a servant such as myself, how are we to know how to deal with a Master or Mistress who intends something bad for us? I agree with all you've said so far but resisting the advances of our superiors would be dangerous."

"This is true, Mistress," Jenet added. "With another servant who tried to take advantage, then it would not be difficult to discourage him as you have suggested. But, someone of a higher status, what are we to do?"

This had Garia stumped. She shrugged.

"I can't say, Jenet. The situation you describe wouldn't arise on Earth. Anyone would have a go at anyone else who tried anything, assuming they could, of course. Hmm. I need to think about that one. Keren? Any ideas?"

"You're fishing deep waters here, Garia," he replied. "The injustices of a master or mistress taking advantage of a servant are as old as time. It's always been that way, but I don't see that makes it right." His eyes pierced her. "I think you and I need to have a long quiet talk sometime soon. Perhaps there are ideas from Earth which can change this situation."

Her skin prickled at the invitation of a long quiet talk with Keren but she knew that this matter could become potentially serious. "There are, Highness, and some of them could destroy Palarand."

He picked up on the mode of address and knew she hinted at something dangerous.

"Very well, we'll talk soon. Do you object to Merizel's presence?"

"Of course not, Keren. Nor our two maids. But, we won't talk of this to anyone else yet. Agreed?"

"Agreed. And, before we get diverted by other serious matters, the three-quarter bell has gone and the men will soon be returning inside. Perhaps it is time we returned to our suites to change before lunch."

Jenet reattached Garia's skirt and the five walked out of the Training Room... to find it full of guardsmen. There was a jostling and clattering among the men which soon died away as they spotted Garia and the others emerging. The silence spread as the men turned to face the group, and then, as one, they stood to attention and bowed. Flustered, Garia made a gracious curtsey towards them before the five made their way into the palace corridors.

"What just happened then, Keren?" she whispered to him.

"Your attire, Garia. Compared to almost every other woman in the palace, it is quite martial in appearance, very like a guard uniform. I can't be sure but I think the men approve of your choice of color and style. They already know, of course, of your familiarity with weapons, so I think they are showing you respect."

"My familiarity with - Keren, I can't do half what those men can do. I'm just a young girl."

He grinned. "And that makes them respect you even more. They expect their own sons - when they know who they are - to take up fighting, as that's a man's occupation, but for a woman to do so is extremely unusual."

"That means they are going to expect... Keren, I just don't need this extra responsibility, I have too much going on already."

"You describe my own life, Garia. Sometimes, we just have to take a deep breath and accept whatever comes our way."

"As you say, Keren."

I should have figured it out when I met Bleskin this morning. Now I have to make good on everything I might have hinted at to the Guard. I suppose that gives me an incentive to train harder, if nothing else.

~o~O~o~

The carriage clattered to a halt in the courtyard and someone outside opened the doors to allow them to exit. The heat of middle afternoon hit them like a blow, the cobbles of the yard and the enclosed space trapping the energy of the sun but preventing the breeze from cooling anything. Two young men, apparently apprentices, ushered them into the large workshop where it was darker and a little cooler. Waiting for them were Parrel, Tarvan and Tanon as well as some others she recognized but didn't know the names of.

"Welcome, Mistress Garia, Your Highness, Lady Merizel." Garia noticed that she had been named first, disrupting the order of precedence, but then this whole show was for her benefit after all so perhaps that's how the local custom worked. "If you would come this way, we will show you the results we have had so far."

Guildmaster Parrel led the way but stopped before he reached the closest of the benches.

"Mistress, since we anticipate your presence in our workshops on future occasions along with that of your staff we decided to present you with protective coverings of your very own, cut to suit your, um, different sizes. Behold."

Tarvan came forward and presented each of them, including Jenet and Bursila, with a leather apron sized to suit their very different figures. Each was new and therefore clean and undamaged but they were utilitarian garments designed for practical use, not decorated ceremonial items as Garia had first assumed. The five slipped the straps over their heads and then secured each other's ties.

"We anticipated that you would soon be visiting the Glass-maker's Guild workshops where some protection will be essential," Parrel continued. "It is possible that you would visit our new experimental iron-making facility as well, so providing these aprons is a practical gift as well as a small token of gratitude for what you have given us so far."

"Thank you, Guildmaster Parrel," she replied. "We did not expect these but the thought is appreciated."

At the bench, he gestured to an array of paper sheets displayed on the surface.

"As you can see, Mistress, we have tried many experiments to see what different papers we could come up with. Some of these are suitable for writing on, as you can see, but we are not sure of the value of some that we have produced."

Garia walked along the bench looking at the various samples. It was only as she examined and felt each of the sheets that she realized just how pervasive paper was to Earth society. Paper didn't just mean reading and writing, it entered every corner of life. She fingered a sheet of thin, cream paper.

"Shiny."

"Aye, Mistress. Even using the most closely-woven silk Master Tanon could find, the surface has a kind of roughness which can sometimes make the use of a pen awkward. I know, it may mean that we have to change the design of the pens perhaps or the composition of the inks but Master Braydor had a different thought and that is what has led to the sheet you hold now. Instead of using a press to extract all the water, just enough was removed to allow it to retain a shape and then it was fed through two closely-spaced rollers. We discovered that this would give a shinier surface than the original method, and in fact extracts more water, but handling the paper is more difficult."

"Rollers is a good idea, Master Parrel. If I may, I'll show you in a minute how to best use rollers, and at the same time it will speed up production immensely. But first, I'd like to talk about the different samples you've shown me."

"Mistress."

"This one, if you can make it a little thicker still, we would call cardboard. It will be sufficiently strong to make boxes out of, up to about half a stride in each direction. Make the sheets much bigger and they can be folded. You will need glue or other methods to keep the shape." She briefly described staples, which the metalsmiths grasped straight away. "Moving on, this paper is thin enough that you can make bags out of, like this." She gently bent the sheet into a cylinder. "Glue this, a simple paste of flour and water should work, shape into a box and then fold one end under. This kind of bag or small sack can hold seeds, powders like flour or other small items. On Earth we sell foodstuffs in bags made from paper like this." Or we did, until plastic came along. We can't go there yet.

"Master Tanon, you can use sturdy tubes of cardboard or thick paper to provide centers for your rolls of material, that will prevent it creasing during transport or storage. This very thin stuff on the end, we would call tissue paper, it can be used to protect clothing and other delicate objects. This one, which I can see cloth fibers in, we would use to print money on as it is so hard-wearing. I don't suggest you start making paper money yet, because that would introduce all kinds of other problems, but it could be used for important documents like Royal Decrees, for example."

She turned to address the whole group.

"On Earth, I have realized we use paper for a great many things other than just putting words on. We cover the inside walls of our houses in it, for decoration. In one part of the world, the walls are made of paper. We make lamp coverings in it, boxes, bags, packages which can be sent round the world. We wrap our lunches in it if we are going out, if waxed we can even drink out of paper cups. So many things I can't think of them all. We blow our noses on it. We even," she lowered her voice, "wipe our backsides with it."

This provoked a variety of responses from puzzlement to disbelief to sniggers and she was quick to explain what she meant.

"We use a special variety of thin paper, not unlike this," she held up a flimsy sample, "which holds together well enough when dry but disintegrates once in water, which means it won't clog up the sewers. I will remind you that as you experiment with what you have managed to make you'll find your own uses for different kinds of paper. I've just given you a few ideas to start you off."

"As you say, Mistress," Parrel said, looking fiercely at the sniggerers. "I'm sure we will."

"Ah! I see a blackboard over there," she said. "Do you mind if I use it?"

"Of course," Parrel said. "It was put there in case you wished to explain anything to us."

Garia gave Parrel a careful look but it seemed the gesture was genuine. She crossed to the board and picked up some chalk.

"Now, I was thinking about the rollers you mentioned, and about something you said at our last meeting. Suppose you do this." She started drawing on the blackboard. "Instead of mounting the silk or other cloth in frames, instead you use a very long strip of it, as wide as you wish your paper to be, and you make it into a continuous loop with the ends sewn together. One end of this loop -"

Garia sketched out a cross-section of a production-line version of the paper-making process, leaving most of Parrel's associates with their mouths open. Some of them had encountered Garia before but most hadn't realized just how much she understood of the world they moved in. Soon all were gathered round the diagram as she explained the workings of the paper plant she had drawn.

"Of course, this will require you to make metal rollers with enough precision to allow the paper to be uniform in thickness," she concluded. "Do you think you can do that yet, Master Parrel?"

"Aye, Mistress, probably," he replied. "So many, though! And, it seems to me, that you'll need one of those engines you described to turn these rollers?"

"That's right, Master, but you can start off with a watermill, as we discussed before. Steam engines will come later."

Several of the others perked up at the mention of steam engines but they knew that their curiosity would doubtless be satisfied in time.

"Oh! While I'm at the blackboard, here's a way of making a strong, lightweight material out of paper." Garia went on to describe corrugated cardboard.

"Hmm," said Parrel. "Looks like I have to find some people to start a workshop investigating different glues, doesn't it? Thank you, Mistress, you have given us all much to think about."

~o~O~o~

They had stopped to take drinks, because it was still hot in the workshop even though the open doors allowed a breeze to flow through. At this time of afternoon in what was apparently late summer the air was still very warm. Garia wondered how long it would be before they could produce air-conditioning and refrigeration.

Copper piping, check. Alcohol for a working fluid, check. Compressor or pump, hmm. To start with, wind or water as available. Then steam power. Finally, electricity, but that introduces its own problems and opportunities. I could spend a year just talking about electricity and all the attendant uses, and really we have to concentrate on the basics to start with. So, coke, steel, steam. Possibly piped gas, as that's a bonus by-product.

"Master Parrel, I am impressed by what you have shown me so far."

"Thank you, Mistress. Once the principles have been grasped, it is a simple process after all. I am already establishing a small... factory, did you call it? which I hope will begin producing small quantities of paper within two to three weeks."

"Mistress," Tanon added, "The provision of raw materials is what will determine how much paper we can produce, at least to begin with. Although most of what we require is already available, obtaining and transporting straw, wood, saw-mill waste and other stuffs to our factory is a new activity which requires planning, and of course some of the items are seasonal. I own only so many wagons, after all, and most are already in use for other purposes, especially at this time of year when the harvest is being brought in."

"Of course, Master Tanon," Garia nodded. "Until paper-making becomes an established industry, I do not think that anyone will object to the slow rate of progress. I had, of course, forgotten about the harvest."

"Is there anything else you would like to talk about, Mistress?" Parrel asked.

"Me? I could probably talk all afternoon, Master Parrel." She smiled at him. "Why don't you bring me up to date on what you have done so far with the other projects?"

They talked amongst themselves about telescopes, microscopes, semaphores, typewriters and printing presses. Naturally, Parrel's time had been filled with trying to set up projects to progress all of these, which meant that he was rather busy. Garia was able to solve one or two problems that had come up so far.

"You mentioned an experimental iron works earlier," she said to him. "I'm surprised you have enough detail from me to do that yet."

"I don't have enough, Mistress," he readily confessed. "But I know roughly what is needed in terms of land, water and roads, and I have asked the palace to give us a small grant of land near Crescent Lake, to the west of the city, to build the works on. Aye, I know you suggested the side of a hill, but for the first experiments a small-scale works nearby may be as much as we can manage at first."

"You're probably right, Master Parrel, and you are the expert in such matters. Perhaps I should take the time now to talk to you about coke production, and how a full-scale blast furnace would look?"

She led them to the blackboard and, wiping away the previous drawings of a paper plant, proceeded to show them how to make coke in enclosed metal containers, drawing off the gas as a by-product. She didn't know how gas was stored, but she vaguely knew it was held in great bellows-like tanks until needed. Next to it she drew a cross-section of a blast-furnace, this one exciting many comments from the metalsmiths surrounding the group.

"This pipe at the back, Mistress," someone commented, "which you say provides air to burn the impurities out of the iron. For a furnace of such a huge size, you would need enormous bellows!"

"We used bellows at first, but there are better ways, one of which might be a fan. A simple rotary fan," she drew one in the corner of the board, "can be driven by a watermill, or by any other means, since it is just a turning shaft, like so. Much easier to arrange than having bellows go up and down, and probably less wear."

"As you say, Mistress."

"I like it," Parrel mused. "And, by a strange coincidence, these fans might later be driven by these mysterious engines you talked about? Which means, we wouldn't have to build the furnace near a river?"

She smiled at him. "Exactly, Master Parrel. But, you'd probably need some kind of access to water in any case, wherever you built the furnace. Canals to bring raw materials from the mines and to take the finished products away." She considered. "For your experimental furnace, you could probably build one of these about three or four strides high, that should be big enough as a proof of concept. A full size one could be ten, fifteen, twenty strides high."

Parrel looked at the board. "Indeed, Mistress. I have my design. You have told us how to provide the materials needed to fill the furnace. I shall instruct my guild in these matters, and we shall start work immediately." He gave her a warm smile. "All Alaesia cannot thank you enough for what you have told us, Mistress."

Tanon looked glum. "I'd better order some more wagons, then. And," he hesitated. "I think you'd better tell me more about these canals of yours."

"There are canals all over Palarand, Tanon," Parrel told him.

"Not, I think, used the way the mistress implies they are used on her own world," Tanon replied. "Our canals are mostly drainage channels, after all."

"You're right, Master Tanon," she said. "You see, it's like this..."

By the time she had finished describing the barges used to transport goods during the early days of the Industrial Revolution, Tanon looked even more glum.

"I understand, now. Mistress, we customarily use barges on the rivers of North Palarand, especially the Palar of course. Using them on the kind of canals you describe is unknown to us. I shall need to employ someone proficient in boat-building as well, I see," he said. "I do not know sufficient about boats!"

"Master Tanon," Garia told him, "Don't forget, once a barge is built it can also be used for carrying heavy produce as well, or any of the other things you use wagons for. All you need is a large enough canal to get it close to the delivery point."

Tanon brightened up at that.

After steam engines naturally comes railroads, she thought. How is Tanon going to adapt to those? Is he going to become Anmar's first railroad baron? Hmm. Let's get steel production started first.