Under the Counter
© 2025 by Walter Reimer

“Thank you for coming to see me, Director,” Vladmir said as the roebuck was shown in.  Despite being only thirteen, the Indochinese leopard had been given his own office, and the desk bore two padds and a small pile of hardcopy.  “Do you know why I asked for you?”
‘M’ smiled and chuckled softly.  “Based on your current project and my taking Chen away from the Prime Minister, I would guess that it had something to do with your project.”
Vladmir nodded, waving the deer to a chair as he sat down.  “I’ve been thinking.”
“Yes, Sir?”
The younger man rested a paw on the desk.  “The time it’ll take to green Terra doesn’t matter.”
“Oh?”  The roebuck crossed one leg over the other and sat back, his ears swiveled forward.  “But the cost does?”
The Emperor nodded.  “All of Hlompho’s research shows that when something like this comes up, it’s always the cost that comes up.”
“I see.”  It was a sign of the Emperor’s youth and relative inexperience that he referred to Chen by his given name, and the deer decided to increase surveillance on the zebra in case he decided to take advantage of the familiarity.  “It would be a problem,” ‘M’ conceded.
“Father,” and Vladmir shifted in his seat, “always told me there are ways of solving problems.”
“Your father was a smart man.”  Felix had been more than smart; he had been clever, and ‘M’ respected cleverness.  “Have you thought of a way around this problem?”
“Well, if the government can’t do it, why not business?” Vladmir asked.
The roebuck’s eyebrows went up.  “Treat it as an investment, you mean?”  The leopard nodded, and ‘M’ smiled broadly.  “That’s an excellent idea, Sir.  But why tell me about this?”
Vladmir glanced away for a moment before he said, “Shamir suggested you could help.”
“Oh, he did, did he?”  He shelved attempting to divine the strategic planning AI’s second intervention in the matter, just for the moment, and said, “Shamir and the other AIs, Mei and Avril, are programmed to always think of what’s in Terra’s best interest.  With your permission, I’ll discuss things with him and try to work something out.”
Vladmir smiled.  “Thank you, Director.”
‘M’ stood and bowed.  “You are most welcome, Sir,” he said.  Vladmir gestured at the door and the roebuck left the office.
When the door had closed, Vladmir asked, “Will he help us?”
Shamir, his avatar a wolf dressed in a Fleet uniform, appeared in one corner of the office.  “I calculate he will, Sir.”

***

‘M’ had, like some other intelligence directors, had disdained the use of biocybernetics implants to enable them to communicate directly to the AIs or to access data.  His predecessor had used it however, not that her access had saved her when he had moved to take her place.
‘M’ smiled.
Well, he’d have a word or two with all three AIs when he got back to Terra; for now, though, he had a few ideas.