After not quite a week in Caelaarn, Maertyn hadn?t yet discovered what else Minister Hlaansk had in mind for him. He judged it wouldn?t be long before he did. Marcent, Josef?s long-time assistant, had been scrupulously polite, and so had everyone else. That worried him as much as Hlaansk?s decision to have him act as assistant minister.
At just after ten on the twenty-sixth of Ninemonth, Maertyn finished reading the routine memoranda for the morning and turned to scan the news. The second story caught his eye.
…crop yields, even with biologic stimulation, continue to decline on a worldwide basis…largely as a result of the shorter growing seasons in the northern hemi sphere…trend has historically been countered by expansion of croplands, but further expansion threatens the ecologic balance…
As he finished reading, the message indicator chimed. He frowned. The chime indicated that the message was from Hlaansk and urgent. He touched the screen panel once more, and the first sheet of the message appeared in the surface of the desk.
From:
Minister of Science
Unity of Caelaarn
To:
Maertyn S?Eidolon