“This could be a really important find. And somewhat less importantly, it could be good for me. I’d like to think that still means something to you.”
While Isabel spoke, Holloway reached into his cupboard, pulled out a small bowl, and filled it with water from the sink. He presented it to the cat thing, which crouched down and drank from it, pursing its lips like a human, rather than lapping from it like a cat or dog.
“Well, they are definitely interesting creatures,” he said.
“So,” Isabel said.
Holloway directed his attention back to the infopanel. “Of course you can come out, Isabel,” he said. “I’ll be happy to see you. I don’t know where I’ll put you, but I’ll be happy to see you.”
“Thank you, Jack,” Isabel said. “Don’t worry. You won’t even notice I’m there.”
Holloway cracked a smile. I doubt that, he thought to himself.
He glanced back over to the cat thing, which had finished its drink. Holloway had expected the creature to be eating its fruit, but what it was doing was taking a second slice of bindi and hefting it and the first slice under an arm. Then it sat, used its legs and feet to drag its fuzzy butt over to the edge of the kitchen counter, and jumped off. One of the bindi slices fell out of its grip when it landed; the cat thing collected it and then set off for the door.
“When do you want me?” Isabel asked.
“What?” Holloway said. He had been distracted by the cat thing.
“When do you want me to show up?” Isabel said. “I don’t want to get in the way of your schedule.”
“When do you want to show up?” Holloway asked. By now the cat thing had completed its journey to the door, and stood by it, as if waiting for someone to open it. It coughed. Holloway picked up the infopanel and started to move to the door, but then Carl got up from where he was sitting by the work desk.
“I’d like to be there this afternoon, to be honest,” Isabel said. “But I have things I need to do here first.”
“I thought you said you didn’t have any work these days,” Holloway said. Carl had walked to the dog door and stepped through. As he went through, the cat thing slipped under Carl and out the door, the dog’s hindquarters following.
“I didn’t have any work,” Isabel said. “And then someone apparently found a huge sunstone deposit, and I’ve been told to prepare a biological impact report, double time.”
“Sorry,” Holloway said. He walked over to door.
“You should be,” Isabel said. “Because the biological and ecological impact is going to be huge. The exploitation office here has filed an ecological exception request with CEPA. They want to tear out that seam as fast as they can get to it. It’s going to make a huge mess of things, and they want me to sign off on it.”
“Are you going to?” Holloway asked.
“I don’t think I have much choice,” Isabel said. “The jungle flora and fauna in the area they want to exploit aren’t significant or unique. The biome scans and the robotic sampling I’ve done in the area don’t show any unusual species. ZaraCorp can argue that it’s not tearing up anything that can’t be replanted or couldn’t move back in from other parts of the jungle when they’re done. That it will still wreak havoc with the area regardless is sort of an aside.”
Holloway stepped through the door of his cabin and walked outside. Carl was sitting near the door, lazily thumping his tail. Holloway walked over to him and patted his head. The cat thing had walked over to the spikewood Holloway had seen it leave by on its last visit.
“Anyway, an eco exception request means extra work,” Isabel continued. “I’m getting through it as fast as I can, but I don’t see me being able to get out there for three more days at least, and more likely four.”
“Four days works for me,” Holloway said.
“All right,” Isabel said. “I’ll see you then, then. Don’t make any more major biological
While Isabel spoke, Holloway reached into his cupboard, pulled out a small bowl, and filled it with water from the sink. He presented it to the cat thing, which crouched down and drank from it, pursing its lips like a human, rather than lapping from it like a cat or dog.
“Well, they are definitely interesting creatures,” he said.
“So,” Isabel said.
Holloway directed his attention back to the infopanel. “Of course you can come out, Isabel,” he said. “I’ll be happy to see you. I don’t know where I’ll put you, but I’ll be happy to see you.”
“Thank you, Jack,” Isabel said. “Don’t worry. You won’t even notice I’m there.”
Holloway cracked a smile. I doubt that, he thought to himself.
He glanced back over to the cat thing, which had finished its drink. Holloway had expected the creature to be eating its fruit, but what it was doing was taking a second slice of bindi and hefting it and the first slice under an arm. Then it sat, used its legs and feet to drag its fuzzy butt over to the edge of the kitchen counter, and jumped off. One of the bindi slices fell out of its grip when it landed; the cat thing collected it and then set off for the door.
“When do you want me?” Isabel asked.
“What?” Holloway said. He had been distracted by the cat thing.
“When do you want me to show up?” Isabel said. “I don’t want to get in the way of your schedule.”
“When do you want to show up?” Holloway asked. By now the cat thing had completed its journey to the door, and stood by it, as if waiting for someone to open it. It coughed. Holloway picked up the infopanel and started to move to the door, but then Carl got up from where he was sitting by the work desk.
“I’d like to be there this afternoon, to be honest,” Isabel said. “But I have things I need to do here first.”
“I thought you said you didn’t have any work these days,” Holloway said. Carl had walked to the dog door and stepped through. As he went through, the cat thing slipped under Carl and out the door, the dog’s hindquarters following.
“I didn’t have any work,” Isabel said. “And then someone apparently found a huge sunstone deposit, and I’ve been told to prepare a biological impact report, double time.”
“Sorry,” Holloway said. He walked over to door.
“You should be,” Isabel said. “Because the biological and ecological impact is going to be huge. The exploitation office here has filed an ecological exception request with CEPA. They want to tear out that seam as fast as they can get to it. It’s going to make a huge mess of things, and they want me to sign off on it.”
“Are you going to?” Holloway asked.
“I don’t think I have much choice,” Isabel said. “The jungle flora and fauna in the area they want to exploit aren’t significant or unique. The biome scans and the robotic sampling I’ve done in the area don’t show any unusual species. ZaraCorp can argue that it’s not tearing up anything that can’t be replanted or couldn’t move back in from other parts of the jungle when they’re done. That it will still wreak havoc with the area regardless is sort of an aside.”
Holloway stepped through the door of his cabin and walked outside. Carl was sitting near the door, lazily thumping his tail. Holloway walked over to him and patted his head. The cat thing had walked over to the spikewood Holloway had seen it leave by on its last visit.
“Anyway, an eco exception request means extra work,” Isabel continued. “I’m getting through it as fast as I can, but I don’t see me being able to get out there for three more days at least, and more likely four.”
“Four days works for me,” Holloway said.
“All right,” Isabel said. “I’ll see you then, then. Don’t make any more major biological
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