PYRAMID SCHEME – snippet 55:
Chapter 31
“I don’t see why we have to go,” said Fenrir sulkily. Liz’s rule against his just gobbling huge volumes of soft meat, and insisting on him getting some bone-meal had definitely eased his aches and pains, and thereby his temper. It hadn’t done a lot for his teenage demeanor, though.
“Because Lizzy asked us to,” said Jörmungand. “And Papa-Loki and Step-Mama Sigyn.”
1634: THE BAVARIAN CRISIS – snippet 42:
“Is he alone?” Keith asked. “Or are there others who think like him? That may be crucial.”
When Ollie answered Keith’s letter, he put it a little differently.
Even if you break the cartel, they aren’t thinking about the tonnages that we’ll be needing for major industries if we go for nineteenth century technology. Not the amounts of raw iron that we’ll need for the railroads. Not even for the telegraph lines. But if, with just basic help with things such as pumps, they can get back to their 1609 capacity pretty quickly and supply the needs that they were supplying then—after that, the production from any new mines that we open up can be directed to new industrial development. We won’t be backpedaling, trying to meet the old requirements as well as the new ones.
1634: THE BAVARIAN CRISIS – snippet 41:
Chapter 22
Ferrum Redux
Amberg, Upper Palatinate
“The production levels were?” Keith asked.
Lambert Felser was assisting his boss and Duke Ernst’s secretary Böcler with translations. Keith’s German was not bad, but he apparently found Böcler’s accent, which was Fränkish modified by study in Alsace, difficult to follow. For his part, Böcler was devoting some time every day to the study of English, rising an hour earlier than was customary for him, but he found that his progress was slow.
Böcler pulled out a copy of the 1609 survey. Everything appeared to go back to the 1609 survey.
PYRAMIP POWER – snippet 54:
Outside the club, while they waited for the limos, Senator Martinez leaned over and said softly to Melvin: “I still can’t believe she was dumb enough to authorize such a wild-ass project.”
1635: THE BAVARIAN CRISIS – snippet 40:
Augustin Arndt was enciphering his latest report to Landgrave Wilhelm Georg. Usually, he saw no reason to bother. Not that he had a great deal of news. It was the absence of news that bothered him most. He stated frankly that he was afraid that he must be missing something. Even with a woman inside the Schloss itself, he was getting only information to the effect that the women from Grantville appeared to be doing only things that were in accordance with the overtly stated purposes for their being here. Carefully, he reported on their clothing; on their hats. Indeed, thanks to his informant, he reported on Frau Admiral Simpson’s underclothing. He also included a careful description of her jodhpurs. He hoped that the information might be of some use; it was all that he had been able to obtain.
PYRAMID POWER – snippet 53:
As he listened to the byplay, Melvin Steinmetz found himself wondering whether he’d backed the wrong horse in this race. Unlike everyone else at the table, Melvin didn’t really have a personal stake in the outcome. True, if the policy he advocated were to be adopted by the administration in place of Tremelo’s, his think tank would land a very juicy contract. So what? The Future Enterprise Institute was one of the three or four most prestigious and sought-after independent research and policy development outfits in the nation. They already had plenty of juicy contracts.
1634: THE BAVARIAN CRISIS – snippet 39:
“So,” Veronica said at lunch, “it seems that I must beard the Jesuits in their den. In the company of Elias and my lawyer, of course.”
Keith and Cavriani were off somewhere, talking about iron at what was undoubtedly tedious length. A very high percentage of Amberg’s male population appeared to be interested in discussing iron.
PYRAMID POWER – snippet 52:
PART IV
When Hel freezes over
Chapter 30
The senior CIA official looked at the list and frowned. “Remember, Miggy, I never said this to you. But, these men… three of them were ours. They were… well, we were trying to get rid of them. They should never have made it through training. We had a bad patch a few years back.”
He made a face. “The truth is the agency was furious when the PSA was formed. We were asked to second some staff.” He pointed to the list. “Guess who.”
1634: THE BAVARIAN CRISIS – snippet 38:
Chapter 21
Mulieres Intrepidae
Amberg, Upper Palatinate
The trade delegation had taken quarters in an inn, at Cavriani’s urgent recommendation. Over the past century, there had been numerous episodes of serious tension between the metals cartel, the Hammerinnung comprised of the owners of the mining enterprises, smelters and mills, and the various other businesses that transformed metal into finished products, and the rulers and their officials. Episodes caused, largely, by the suspicion of the owners that the rulers of the Palatinate would be quite happy to impose monopolistic controls on the iron trade, to their own profit. Which, indeed, they would have been. The counts of the Palatinate had been mercantilists before mercantilism, so to speak. It would be bad, Cavriani insisted, to give a first impression that the Grantville delegation was directly sponsored by the regent.
PYRAMID POWER – snippet 51:
A little later Jerry sat with Liz, on the cliff-top, their fingers entwined.
“I need to work on Sigyn,” said Jerry.
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