June 7:00 8:00 AM
The Mayor of Tokyo did not stand when Matthew Johnathan Boone Marmaduke came through the door.
She pointed at the chair across from her.
“You are late.”
Matt checked the clock.
“Thirty-six seconds. Your elevators need maintenance, Naname.”
“You were early when AgriSolutions wanted that civil engineering contract.”
“We wanted the contract.”
“You still want things, Matthew.”
“I already got invited upstairs.”
T’mari came in behind him.
The Mayor smiled at her.
“Lady T’mari, I am Naname Yamagat. Please sit. He becomes easier after food.”
T’mari answered in English.
“I have observed this.”
Matt switched to Japanese.
“I regret introducing the two of you.”
The Mayor answered in Japanese without hesitation.
“You should.”
T’mari looked between them.
Matt sat.
“This is going to become annoying.”
The room was informal enough that nobody could mistake it for diplomacy.
No flags.
No national seals.
No aides standing behind chairs.
Tea, breakfast, three seats, and windows looking west across Tokyo.
The Mayor had known Matt years before first contact made knowing him fashionable.
She had spent most of her career inside Tokyo government as a civil engineer and administrator, and only entered electoral politics at forty. Twelve years later she was Mayor, but there were still moments when she spoke about the city like an engineer discussing load, flow, redundancy, and failure points.
Her being the Emperor’s granddaughter gave her another understanding of power entirely.
Matt liked both.
During the old AgriSolutions bid, she had even visited the house Matt used in Ikejiri.
She still remembered which cabinet door hung crooked in the kitchen. She remembered Matt trying to bullshit her over wabi sabi.
Matt considered that an unreasonable amount of institutional memory. He had adopted the wabi-sabi argument until he just took the damned things off after Amy kept leaving them open. That was the danger of living with a short woman.
The Mayor poured tea.
“Five hundred.”
Matt reached for breakfast.
“Today.”
“Five hundred new candidates today.”
“Yes.”
“Not five hundred completed hires.”
“I would accept completed hires.”
“You are not processing five hundred household relocations before dinner.”
“I have staff.”
“You also have physics.”
T’mari smiled.
Matt sighed.
“Candidates.”
“Good.”
The Mayor leaned back.
“Now tell me what you are actually recruiting for.”
“Settlements.”
“Better.”
“New towns.”
“Much better.”
Matt looked at her.
“I have been saying that.”
“No. You have been saying you need five hundred workers.”
“I do.”
“You already employ more than five thousand people in Tokyo through Shirokawa Express and Marmaduke Logistics.”
“Yes.”
“If someone wants to work for you and stay in Tokyo, they can apply.”
“Yes.”
“You are not here because your Tokyo offices cannot find employees.”
“No.”
“You want five hundred people willing to consider moving into the new V’ren-majority settlements.”
“Yes.”
“Then that is the first sentence.”
Matt ate.
T’mari looked at him.
“She is correct.”
“Everybody is very comfortable correcting me this morning.”
The Mayor ignored him.
“Who do you want?”
“New graduates.”
“Good.”
“People who finished university and already know they may spend the next year living with their parents while they find the first real job.”
“Yes.”
“And possibly another year trying to get the first apartment.”
“Yes.”
“Young couples who want to start families.”
“Yes.”
“Families with toddlers.”
“Yes.”
“Families with grade-school children who would like another child.”
“Yes.”
“Families with teenagers who are looking at what the next ten years might offer their kids.”
“Yes.”
“Call-center workers.”
“Good.”
“Retail.”
“Yes.”
“Restaurants.”
“Yes.”
“Warehouses.”
“Yes.”
“Receiving.”
“Yes.”
“Stocking.”
“Yes.”
“Maintenance.”
“Yes.”
“People who know how to move a pallet without hurting themselves, the pallet, or anyone standing nearby.”
The Mayor pointed at him.
“Later.”
Matt frowned.
“That is an actual qualification I need.”
“I know.”
T’mari smiled.
The Mayor continued.
“You keep talking as though the V’ren need humans because humans understand Earth.”
“They do.”
“That is true, but it is not the whole labor problem.”
Matt stopped chewing.
“No.”
“Then say the whole thing.”
Matt set the food down.
“Fine.”
He leaned forward.
“The V’ren fleet is professionally heavy.”
T’mari nodded.
“Very.”
Matt looked at the Mayor.
“For every V’ren professional, there are only about two and a half V’ren who fit the broad ordinary-work category.”
The Mayor listened.
“That sounds like a lot until you try to build a town.”
“Yes.”
“A real town needs more like ten to twenty full-time ordinary workers for every doctor, engineer, accountant, competent office manager, technical specialist, and other professional.”
The Mayor nodded slowly.
“There.”
Matt continued.
“The V’ren have doctors.”
“Yes.”
“Engineers.”
“Yes.”
“Accountants.”
“Yes.”
“Teachers.”
“Yes.”
“Lab technicians.”
“Yes.”
“Managers.”
“Yes.”
“They also have retail workers, cooks, warehouse workers, maintenance people, clerks, drivers, all of it.”
T’mari said, “Simply not enough.”
“Exactly.”
Matt spread his hands.
“I think it is stupidly wasteful to take a doctor and make her a barista because the settlement does not have enough people to make coffee.”
The Mayor smiled.
“That sentence will work.”
“If someone spent years becoming a physician, I want the physician practicing medicine.”
“Yes.”
“If someone is a competent accountant, I want the accountant accounting.”
“Yes.”
“If someone is a trained lab technician, put them in the lab.”
“Yes.”
“But a hospital does not function just because it has doctors.”
“No.”
“It needs food service.”
“Yes.”
“Receiving.”
“Yes.”
“Cleaning.”
“Yes.”
“Maintenance.”
“Yes.”
“Administrative support.”
“Yes.”
“People in the shops across the street.”
“Yes.”
“Someone running the restaurant everybody goes to after shift.”
The Mayor nodded.
Matt continued.
“The same is true of the engineer.”
“He needs lunch.”
“Yes.”
“He needs a grocery store.”
“Yes.”
“A place to buy clothes.”
“Yes.”
“Someone delivering freight.”
“Yes.”
“A bar.”
Matt smiled.
“Absolutely.”
T’mari said, “Matthew considers this infrastructure.”
“It is infrastructure.”
The Mayor laughed.
Matt continued.
“So yes, I genuinely need humans to make coffee and lunch.”
“Good.”
“I need humans working retail.”
“Yes.”
“Restaurants.”
“Yes.”
“Warehouses.”
“Yes.”
“Customer service.”
“Yes.”
“Maintenance.”
“Yes.”
“I need humans doing the ordinary work that allows a V’ren doctor to remain a doctor and also allows a V’ren barista to have coworkers instead of trying to serve an entire town.”
The Mayor sat back.
“That is much clearer.”
Matt looked irritated.
“It was always clear.”
“To you.”
T’mari said, “Again, recurring problem.”
The Mayor picked up her tea.
“And the other reason for humans?”
“You know Earth.”
“Yes.”
Matt gestured toward the city.
“You know thousands of things you never think about.”
“What a customer expects.”
“How the school office works.”
“What a receipt means.”
“How to deal with a utility company.”
“How Earth workplaces communicate.”
“What people expect from a restaurant.”
“What happens when someone wants a refund.”
“What is rude.”
“What is merely annoying.”
“What Friday night looks like.”
T’mari nodded.
“And V’ren know our equivalents without thinking.”
“Exactly.”
Matt looked at the Mayor.
“That is why I want them living together.”
“Not simply working together.”
“Living.”
The Mayor waited.
Matt continued.
“They go to work together.”
“Yes.”
“Complain about the same rude customer.”
“Yes.”
“Play darts.”
T’mari smiled.
“Yes.”
“Go drinking at the izakaya some other couple opened.”
The Mayor smiled now too.
“Good.”
“Walk through the park eating ice cream from the shop another family owns.”
“Yes.”
“Watch movies.”
“Argue about movies.”
“Borrow tools.”
“Complain about the neighbor’s dog.”
“Date.”
The Mayor raised an eyebrow.
Matt shrugged.
“My last report counted more than a thousand registered human-V’ren couples in the immediate area around my home.”
She stared at him.
“Already?”
“Yes.”
T’mari said, “People appear to be very efficient at this part.”
The Mayor laughed.
Matt continued.
“That is a town.”
“Not a cultural exchange seminar.”
“Not five hundred ambassadors explaining humanity.”
“I need people who want to make a new town.”
The Mayor nodded.
“That is the center.”
Matt took another bite.
“You keep finding centers.”
“It is my job.”
T’mari asked, “What about the graduates?”
Matt looked at her.
“I cannot promise them the job they trained for upfront.”
The Mayor nodded.
“That needs to be said plainly.”
“I can promise them a job that pays well and treats them with respect.”
“Yes.”
“If I have the exact professional opening, good.”
“If not, work.”
“Live.”
“Get out of your parents’ house.”
“Learn.”
“See what you actually like.”
T’mari said, “You do not assume the degree determines the life.”
“No.”
Matt looked toward the Mayor.
“Maybe a literature graduate spends a year doing administrative work, falls in love with a V’ren, and the two of them decide their town needs a neo-cafe and manga shop.”
The Mayor smiled.
“That will make the papers.”
“Fine.”
“Maybe the biology graduate thinks they want research and discovers they love the greenhouses because it is quiet and plants make more sense than committees.”
T’mari laughed.
“Maybe the chemistry graduate gets into the hospital lab, works with three V’ren lab techs, and six months later one of them keeps trying to introduce the human to his sister.”
The Mayor laughed harder.
T’mari stared at Matt.
“That became very specific.”
“You wanted daily life.”
“I did not object.”
The Mayor recovered.
“Now housing.”
Matt groaned.
“Every time.”
“Because every time you bury the best part.”
“Ninety-six studios per settlement.”
“Size?”
“Ninety square meters.”
T’mari looked at the Mayor.
The Mayor nodded.
“Full kitchen?”
“Yes.”
“Sleeping loft?”
“Yes.”
“Rent?”
“One dollar per year.”
The Mayor looked at Matt.
“One dollar.”
“Yes.”
“For the entire year.”
“Yes.”
“You say that like you are describing a parking permit.”
“I need residents, not rent.”
“Family apartments.”
“Ninety-six three-bedroom apartments.”
“Courtyard.”
“Yes. Large courtyard.”
“For families who do not need or want the detached house.”
“Yes.”
“And detached houses?”
“Twelve houses per one-hundred-twenty-meter by one-hundred-twenty-meter block.”
“House size?”
“About three hundred eighty square meters.”
“Two stories.”
“Yes.”
“Six bedrooms.”
“Yes.”
“Four bathrooms.”
“Yes.”
“Garage.”
“Yes.”
“Yard.”
“Yes.”
The Mayor looked toward T’mari.
T’mari said, “I have seen them.”
“And?”
“They are large.”
Matt shrugged.
“It is Missouri.”
The Mayor smiled.
“Do not say that as though land density is a moral failing.”
“I didn’t.”
“By December?”
“About one thousand settlements.”
“So ninety-six thousand studios.”
“Yes.”
“Ninety-six thousand three-bedroom apartments.”
“Yes.”
“Plus detached housing.”
“Yes.”
The Mayor folded her hands.
“And you especially want families.”
“Yes.”
“Why?”
“Because I want towns, not worker camps.”
The answer came immediately.
Matt continued.
“A couple that wants children.”
“A family with one toddler thinking about another.”
“Parents with three kids.”
“Parents with teenagers.”
“Generations.”
“Children growing up there.”
T’mari said, “The V’ren want that too.”
“Yes.”
The Mayor nodded.
“Wages.”
“Most entry-level jobs start at the local minimum, one thousand Fiat per week.”
“Fifty-two thousand a year.”
“Yes.”
“The global median household income is fifty-six thousand four hundred.”
“Yes.”
“So one full-time worker is almost at global median household income.”
“Yes.”
“Benefits?”
“Full.”
“Healthcare?”
“Universal in my territory already.”
“So medical care is not dependent on staying employed.”
“No.”
The Mayor leaned forward.
“You understand that for a young couple this is not just an employment offer.”
“Yes.”
“It is immediate household formation.”
Matt thought.
“Yes.”
“For a graduate it is immediate adult independence.”
“Yes.”
“For parents it can mean space for another child.”
“Yes.”
“For families with teenagers it can mean moving the children toward the center of something new.”
“Yes.”
Matt smiled.
“Now you sound like me.”
“No. I sound like a Mayor who understands voters.”
“There it is.”
The Mayor ignored him.
“And now let us be blunt.”
Matt waited.
“Japan is around seven percent unemployment.”
“Yes.”
“Tokyo is close to eight.”
“Yes.”
“I have no interest in pretending that is not relevant.”
“It is extremely relevant.”
“You have empty jobs.”
“Yes.”
“I have people who want jobs.”
“Yes.”
“You have empty housing.”
“Yes.”
“I have households for whom housing is one of the largest constraints on their lives.”
“Yes.”
Matt leaned forward.
“So why are we making this complicated?”
The Mayor smiled.
“Because I have to govern the fourteen million people who do not move too.”
Matt nodded.
“That’s fair.”
“I want them to understand this is an option, not a judgment against Tokyo.”
“Yes.”
“Somebody can love Tokyo and leave.”
“Yes.”
“A graduate can move because the opportunity is faster, not because the city failed them.”
“Yes.”
“A couple can decide they want a yard and four children without declaring apartment life intolerable.”
“Yes.”
“A family can choose a V’ren-majority town because their teenager sees opportunity there.”
“Yes.”
“And someone can hear all of this and decide they would rather stay in Tokyo.”
“Absolutely.”
The Mayor nodded.
“That is the politics.”
Matt smiled.
“You want to solidify your base.”
“I want to ease fear and solidify my base.”
“Thank you.”
“I am not ashamed of being reelected.”
“That is why we get along.”
The Mayor checked the clock.
Seventeen minutes.
“Return policy.”
Matt sighed.
“My normal Freehold recruitment is different.”
“Yes.”
“If I pay to move someone into one of my Freehold communities, pay the relocation, give them the job and housing, and six months later they decide Missouri is boring, I am not paying to move them back out.”
“You have been very clear.”
“The V’ren will.”
T’mari nodded.
“For the mixed settlement program, the V’ren have agreed to fund return relocation if the human household decides the placement does not work.”
The Mayor looked at Matt.
“Even boredom.”
He made a face.
“Yes.”
T’mari smiled.
“Their standard is more generous than Matthew’s.”
“Obviously.”
The Mayor said, “That removes a major fear for families.”
“Yes.”
“They know they are not financially trapped.”
“Yes.”
“And the permanent Tokyo pieces?”
“Language center.”
“Yes.”
“Cultural liaison office.”
“Yes.”
“Continuing civilian recruiting.”
“Yes.”
“SDF recruiting separately.”
“Yes.”
The Mayor nodded.
“Good.”
She stood.
Matt checked the clock.
“We have six minutes.”
“I know.”
“What do you want me to say first?”
The Mayor smiled.
“Not pallets.”
Matt sighed.
“Fine.”
“Housing?”
“No.”
He frowned.
“Then what?”
She looked at him.
“Tell them what the town feels like.”
Matt went quiet.
The Mayor continued.
“Then tell them what it costs.”
T’mari smiled.
Matt stood.
“That is annoyingly good.”
“I was an engineer.”
“That is not engineering.”
“Of course it is.”
She opened the door.
“You determine what people need to cross the bridge before you show them how much concrete is in it.”
Matt looked at T’mari.
“She does this all the time.”
T’mari smiled.
“I like her.”
“That is becoming a problem.”
