At that, Buck spat a mouthful of sandy saliva onto the cracked earth in contempt. "And what happened? Those bastards took the money and immediately spent it on cheap Hallucinogens from the Black Market. They did a shit job, turning the soil less than half a meter deep. Who the hell did they think they were fooling?"
"When Kais found out, he was so furious he smashed cups in his office, all that fat shaking. But he didn't dare say a damn word."
"He was afraid of offending Kruger, and even more afraid those people would actually down tools and strike."
"If that delayed the planting and he failed to meet the Imperial Tithe, the big shots upstairs turning him into a Servitor would be getting off lightly."
"So he could only swallow his anger and suffer in silence."
Buck looked at Rovi again, with a little more awe in his eyes.
In this man-eat-man world, fists alone weren't enough, and neither was money.
"You're the one who knows how it's done. One document brought them to heel, and a pack of cigarettes let them save face. You tamed those troublemakers so thoroughly they even had to thank you for it."
Rovi showed no sign of smugness at Buck's flattery.
He watched the black soil churning in the distance and said calmly, "Kais was cheated not just because he was weak, but because he didn't understand."
"He didn't know the metal fatigue limits of the plow blades, or the fuel consumption standards of the Deep Plows."
"On this Industrial World, ignorance is the greatest weakness."
Rovi looked away, patted Buck on the shoulder, and headed toward the other side of the camp.
"Come on, Buck. Turning the soil is only the beginning. If we don't solve the acidity problem, however