A clash of ideals

By the late afternoon, two groups had formed in the room. On the left side stood a group, led by Mr. Duke, who was pushing for a free market society in which they would let the economy remain untouched by government hands. On the right side was a group that believed in the idea proposed by Sir Colton where they should make every citizen equal in pay and then allow those who earn merits to advance in pay.

Mr. Duke pointed to his chalkboard and said loudly, "You right-wingers have just never run a business that's why you can't understand the danger of letting everyone earn a paycheck without working. People won't put out any effort if they aren't forced to put out the effort. Who, in your perfect society, is going to clean the sewers? Who is going to want to be a maid? Who would choose to do the jobs that are awful?" He wrote a word on the board, 'labor gap', "This is what you'll end up. If we open the market and let the businesses make the choices they will pay according to what labor is willing to work for which keeps people working the worst jobs."

Dean Wilson snorted and said, "We have had a free market here in Connaissance before and it left us with black skies, soot-covered bodies and a population of slaves who thought they were free because they imagined themselves inventing a magic device that would make them as wealthy as you, Mr. Duke."

Mr. Duke stood tall and puffed out his chest, "That's exactly right, they could pull themselves up by their own bootstraps and become wealthy! That's the opportunity every man has in a free market!"

Dean Wilson laughed sarcastically, "Only you Leftists ended up buying the building the young bootstrapper was working from and evicted him from it. Then you went to all of his suppliers and threatened to boycott them if they sold him anything he needed to run his business. Then you show up at the young bootstrapper's shop just as he is moments from having to declare bankruptcy and offer him a sum less than a tenth of what his magic device is worth and if he doesn't take it, you simply reverse engineer his product and make your own version sealing his doom. Or have you not forgotten the last decade here in Connaissance, Mr. Duke?"

Mr. Duke's face went red and then he shouted, "Business is a war, Mr. Wilson! You wouldn't understand that since all you do is mooch off of us business leaders so you can read books all day and talk to young people to show them how many useless things you know!"

Emily cleared her throat and when that didn't work, she had Captain Alexander shout, "Quiet! Your Lady is speaking!"

All eyes in the room fell on her as she asked, "Dean Wilson, I am intrigued by the merit system, can you tell me who will monitor and keep track of the merits people earn under such a system?"

Dean Wilson ran his hand through his hair, "At first we thought it should be specified government personnel but then it was pointed out that this would be giving those people a job that would be rife with corruption. So we decided that it will be done this way... Every single citizen can propose merit be given to any non-family member. We will have several panels that will read the merits without names attached and determine if that merit deserves being awarded."

Emily nodded and said, "So then the merit panels would be new overhead, new jobs to be filled. What's to stop the panel from giving themselves merits until they are wealthy?"

Dean Wilson smiled and said, "The merits for the panels would be handled by a separate panel and that panel's merits would be handled by you, Lady Connaissance."

Emily frowned and then asked Mr. Duke, "Mr. Duke, in your free market system, what's to stop someone like me from simply putting every other business in the city out of business?"

He puffed himself up and laughed, "Lady Connaissance, no businessman wants to own all of the responsibility for every person in the city, don't be ridiculous."

Emily stared at him and asked again, "Listen to my question. What's to stop someone like me from simply putting every other business in the city out of business. I already have the responsibility you speak of and I am the wealthiest business owner in the city as well."

Mr. Duke chuckled and then asked, "I wasn't aware you owned any businesses, may I ask which ones they are?"

Mr. Hudsucker, Mr. Murray, and several of the other businessmen on the right side of the room coughed as Mr. Huduscker replied for them, "As far as I know, she now owns the majority shares of all the major businesses in the city aside from Duke and Duke and Hammer Industries."

Mr. Duke felt his back go cold with sweat, "I wasn't aware... Then the new Bank of Connaissance is actually Lady Connaissance?"

They all nodded at Mr. Duke.

Emily sighed and said, "The free market is flawed because those with the most wealth make the rules. This new merit system is flawed because it wastes labor for useless things. However, I am looking to solve a problem that is larger than these petty squabbles... Cardinal Pujols, you have your hand up, please?"

He stepped forward and asked, "Then you are looking for a way for the people to have faith in your plan for the future?"

Emily nodded, "In a manner of speaking, yes that's it exactly."

"Before anyone groans or rolls their eyes, please hear me out... Three thousand years ago Lord Léon Jean Reno was the greatest blacksmith of his era. The world was at war as the armies from the north armed with steel, cut through the rest of the civilized world seemingly unstoppable. In order to get the population to believe that there was hope once again, the First Cardinals of the Church of the Risen Son wrote the holy texts and um, may have exaggerated a few points about our Lord in order to give weight to the brilliance of the man who brought the secret of steel to the southern nations. The people needed to have faith and hope, so the Cardinal's Peter and Paul gave them that hope in the form of the Church of the Risen Son."

Mr. Duke chuckled and asked, "Wait, you mean you have always known the church was phony?"

Cardinal Pujols stood up straight with his chest out, "It's not! Nothing is phony, the Church may have been built on a few exaggerations, but our Lord was real and did deliver our people out of subjugation and into a three thousand year period of peace and prosperity!"

Princess Teslaimia started to laugh, "Emmy, the fat priest is hinting that you should become a living deity."

*****

Amelia had been held in a dark room for many hours before the door was jerked open. The Young General she had met before was standing behind a handsome young gaudily dressed man who stepped forward with a bright smile on his face, "Good afternoon, how may I address you?"

Amelia squinted against the harsh light holding her hand up trying to see him better, "My name is Amelia Earnhardt, I'm an inventor and an adventurer. Why am I a prisoner? I didn't do anything wrong!"

The young man laughed and then spoke in Kruession, "Bring her outside for me, Gorki." The young General stepped inside and grabbed Amelia dragging her to her feet and then pulling her roughly out through the door into a long corridor that faced out into a courtyard. The young man smiled at Amelia and asked, "Amelia. Did you invent the Ballon machine?"

Amelia nodded and said, "Yes! And the automobile."

The young man smiled and nodded, "I need you to give my people instructions on how to make balloon machines. Can you do this?"

Amelia turned a little red, "I know how to put certain parts together, but I don't know how to build all of the parts involved."

The young man smiled and then said in Kruessian, "Gorki, bring the interrogators to the red room. It seems like she is starting to find some courage." He said softly in Langlish, "Come, walk with me, let's see my courtyard. Are you hungry? I can have my chef prepare something nice for us to eat. Maybe have a little wine?"

Amelia let out the breath she had been holding, "I'm sorry. I can tell your people what I know, it should be enough for them to build their own machines..."

The young man waved his hand dismissively, "It's alright, I know you will tell us what you know, for now, let's chat, tell me about this adventuring." He led her around through his courtyard laughing and chatting as she told her usual stories.

Gorki rejoined them after an hour and said to the young man, "Nicolas, they are ready. Our people have taken her balloon apart. They need to know about the gas in the balloon the rest can be built again and even improved upon."

The young man nodded and then asked Amelia, "I wonder Amelia, can you tell me about your balloon, what is the gas that keeps it in the air? The balloons we build here in my country are inflated with hot air."

Amelia smiled and said, "Oh! Yes, that's called Helium, it's not as light as Hydrogen but its also not flammable like Hydrogen."

He smiled at her and asked, "How do you make this Helium?"

Amelia shook her head, "I don't know, I just borrowed some from a professor I know in Langland."

He frowned and shook his head, "That's not good Amelia, I can't save you if I can't have this information... Don't worry though, I will find a way to stop the interrogation. Hold out as long as you can and I'll be back with help to stop it. I know you are a good girl who wouldn't lie to us about these things. I'll go see someone more important than me..." He made a face showing how troubled he was.

He spoke to the young General in Kruessian, "Have them break her, Gorki, no bones or cuts, just the rest for now."

The young general smiled, "I'll let them know to teach her how to be a woman again."

*****

Cardinal Gibson and his procession arrived in the City of Connaissance. They were shocked when they found that carriages and horses weren't allowed in the city and had to travel on foot or by pedicab to get to the Church of the Risen Son. By the time the group arrived at the Church they found a small A-frame sign out front and a pretty girl passing out flyers. Cardinal Gibson asked, "Excuse me, my child, I am Cardinal Gibson, may I see Cardinal Pujols, please?"

The young lady passing out flyers smiled, and said, "Of course Mr. Gibson, let me see if the Cardinal is seeing visitors yet, he just returned from an important meeting." She walked over to the door and spoke to a young man there who went inside. A short time later he returned and said, "Cardinal Gibson? The Cardinal will see you now. The rest of your people can come inside and wait."

Cardinal Pujols was beaming as he came out of a backroom, "Bob, you're just in time, come back here I have something to share with you!"

The two older men returned to the backroom the Cardinal had just walked out of moments earlier. Cardinal Gibson cut Cardinal Pujols off, "Albert, I feel that I may have... No, I did commit a grave sin. Thanks to my incompetence, millions of loyal men were killed."

Cardinal Pujols nodded and said, "That's because this City was far beyond our understanding. Even my unshakeable faith has been tested. Bob, about this city... I have found another Léon Jean Reno."

Cardinal Gibson made a strange face, "Albert, you understand we have burned men at the stake for saying such things."

Cardinal Pujols smiled and nodded, "The girl, the daughter of William Smith. She's the one who built this city. I mean, actually pulled down the existing city and is rebuilding it like that." He opened the blinds on his window and pointed to the new residential buildings and the massive Airship port, "This City is powered by her wealth and her will."