The papers are all filed, signed, stamped- completely legal and on record. The supplies and equipment are purchased and packed. The hands we hired will be here in a few days, and then it will take only a minimum amount of prep for us to be set to head east.
Prudence Caravans is almost ready to ride- the main branch subcontracted with the state caravans until we can find sustained regular business, and then my branch blowing investor money on poorly planned public interest work. One of the veteran guys we hired for the main branch suggested I keep a log, both of our inventory and expenses and our travels generally. He said we could never know when some notes could be useful, and not just to us but to whoever finds our corpses dried out in the desert. He seemed convinced that would be what happened, anyway, but I guess that isn't unreasonable given the circumstances.
His team left today after the contract with the state was signed. Once they reach the base they'll start whatever petty work the military and state has, and bring in some revenue for the investors. The governor assured me there would be plenty for them to do, lots of mundane work neither the military nor the teamsters want to handle but still needs doing. Safe work, and at a good rate per the contract. Should be enough to keep us in operation for the time-being while still subsidizing my own little adventures in the long run.
Now it's just us, waiting to head east. It took significant work and lobbying, but we are actually getting paid to do this project we've been talking about for a long time. Fish, fucking freshwater fish for Phoenix. And not as food for some upper crust trash, but recolonization of some lakes there. Old world fish to try and get a functional ecosystem going there eventually. Contract is to pack them up at the border and deliver them to a hatchery at Lake Pleasant. Feds won't touch the contract themselves, not with the stigma against former Macedon, and the military won't take a step past the border, but they approved the grant for us to do it all the same. Hopefully we won't start any diplomatic incidents on the way, but not doing this is foolish in the long run- at least that's what I told the grant commissioners. history [sic] books paint the old world as something vibrant and productive, a paradise compared to now, even at the end, even in the deserts. No reason we can't make it that way again, and now that we've found steady populations of fish inland, ecologists seem confident this sort of progressive reintroduction of old world species can help. The war is over, letting politics delay this any longer is insane to me.
We got the money, why am I complaining? The commission agreed with me, let that be the end of it. The ecologists seem confident this can work in Lake Pleasant as it has elsewhere. They paid for the fish, paid for the special tanks courtesy of the Office of Science and Technology labcoats, even paid part of this former OST fish specialist's wage for us to take on this little mission of ours. Young guy with radical perspectives, from what I hear- I can guess why he did not last in OST.
It's exciting. Lily and I sold the practice, I sold my townhouse, most of my things, and what's left is on its way to Mother's farm in Oregon. It feels good. No more writing wills for a while, and no more futile meetings with officials. We're doing a good thing- the kind we've been trying to do from the capital and the Senate House from the beginning. Gods, since school, even.
It feels good to be leaving, too, with Tabitha gone. It's time- and I think it is what she would want. Maybe. Actually, I bet she would prefer I not get killed on the road, but she would know I have to go.
Lily is coming too. I told her she didn't have to, that she could take her half of the practice sale and stay here, but there was not talking her out of it. Thank fucking goodness for that, I can barely function without her notes. She knows its dangerous, and I worry. The last thing I need is to have that on my conscious. She’s been reading up and practicing with the lever-action I bought her though, seems to be pretty good shot. She’ll be fine.
I opted for a little plinking .22 that breaks into two pieces in a pack. Between that, my revolver, and my dad’s older service revolver, I think I will manage too. I did go ahead and buy an old energy rifle though, the sort with the recharging feeder packs. Something to tinker with on the road, and you never know. The guy in charge of the other team shook his head at me whenever he saw me carrying any weapon though. Maybe he doesn’t realize my fieldwork from school or that I’ve been carrying since I started practice- no lawyer in the capital isn’t carrying. Or maybe he knows none of that translates to the trail.
I like him.
He insisted on taking meticulous inventory of the gear we provided him, and suggested we do the same. Never know what might go missing or long forgotten if there is no record. I’m making a brief note here of our funds, expenses, and my personal effects, but Lily will take the in-depth caravan notes, bless her.
Sold the office- $1400
Sold the townhouse- $2000
Sold effects- $812
Savings- $14250
Investments- $26000
Funding- $44462
Not a bad start. The full $26,000 from investors is going into the other team, either for gear, upfront wages, or into an expense account on file here. That was the deal, my own folly’s have to be self-funded until we bring money in. That leaves me $18,000
Some start costs:
Shipping effects north- $200
Filing with feds- $100
Filing with Visalia- $25
Then the wages for the helping hands- darling Lily has elected to profit-share rather than take wages. We’re expecting a bit more than a month of work to Phoenix and back to the border, we probably won’t be keeping them all on all the way back to the capital, the contracts are only for thirty days with the option to add as needed.
Four guards at $25 a day- $3000
Entomologist at $25- $750 (half from the grant, $375)
Outfitting the caravan wasn’t cheap, but we had an outfitter help ensure we got all the gear we needed for the wagon, as well as some quality oxen.
Three wagons with tokes and ties, good ones, we opted for some luxury- $1500
Oxen, twelve- $2000
Lily wanted horses, but that is not happening, and if I don’t get one she doesn’t.
Cooking gear (pots, pans, that shit)- $50
Tents, 3, waxed- $100
Bedding, bags, etc.- $70
Tools (ax, mallet, nails, you know)- $120
Spare wheels, axels- $180
Medical Supplies- $150
Charts, maps- $20
100 gallon drum (2)- $400
Lily’s rifle (a steal)- $190
Of my own things I’m pretty much only bringing the following:
Three sets of field clothes
Leather suit jacket
Statehouse Suit
This fantastic leather riding coat I found- $130 (it’s like what the explorers wear!)
My pocketwatch
Wide-brimmed helmet- $20 (old stock from the war with Macedon, with inlaid goggles)
My pistol, .22
My dad’s pistol, .44
.22 rifle, takedown- $150
Energy rifle- $200
This journal
Book trunk, loaded full
Munitions (.22, .44, one box each)- $90
New flask- $5
My field knife
Canteen
We purchased the following food and supplies, should be enough for most of the trip at the minimum. Contract puts providing food on us, so, enough for 5-6.
200 gallons water, pure $2000 (yikes, but worthwhile)
Flour, 200 pounds- $400
Dried fruit, 20 pounds- $150
Corn meal, 20 pounds- $50
Coffee, 20 pounds- $1000 (yikes again, but I know I want it. I’ll try and offload some in Phoenix for profit, I know they don’t have a supply)
Jerky, various, 10 pounds $120
5 bottles gin $100
Sugar, 2 pounds- $15
Anything else we can pick up on the way- it isn’t that long of a trip, with plenty of stops between. That put’s us down a cool $12,000 for a job that will only pay half of that. Not a great start, but most of these expenses won’t be reoccurring for some time. We’ll just have to hope the other team brings in some cash.
I’m taking the rest of the cash with, rather than leaving it here. What’s left of the $26,000 is here, you never know when you’ll need it. It’s not like it makes us more of a target, any thieves would never know until they kill us, and by then who cares if they take it? Won’t do my corpse any good, but make prevent me from becoming a corpse.
Soon. So soon. ~
ns 172.70.100.149da2
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