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Management Side
Week of 3 August 2015: Corruption Month 2015, first week

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Disclaimer: Any resemblances here to real people, places, institutions or events are purely coincidental. This is a work of fiction.

We pick up where we left off last week:

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Chapter 3

Finally, on the fourth light after I arrived, things got under way. The leaders decided to wait a couple of extra lights because some important ones had not yet arrived. When you are depending for transportation on those that prefer you dead, it is sometimes hard to meet schedules.

The Great Mother had us gather in the place where they used to keep the big brown square things. It was mostly empty, but there were a few of them about. The Great Mother and the Cadre jumped up on top of the brown square things. The room was crowded--there were thousands of us there. The Great Mother got ready to speak.

But first, I must spend a moment explaining the Great Mother. In our species, none of us know who are fathers are. They perform their function, so to speak, and then head off to find other females. So it is a matriarchal society. We hear other species, especially the big things, are more paternalistic in their organization, but we do not understand this. Children are always closest to their mothers in our species, so they are the leaders.

The Great Mother looked over us kindly, but with authority. She began to speak:

"First, I want to welcome you all to this place. I know most of you have traveled millions of quivers to get here. And, for many of you, this is a warm place. I caution you to not get too used to it, for when this conference ends, it is important for you to return from whence you came, in order that the matters we decide here may be spread throughout our species' world.

"Speaking of our species' world, I was probably too brief in my welcoming comments at the reception last twinkly time. For not so long ago, I would have been correct in saying, 'you have traveled millions of quivers to get here.' Today, however, our species' must work across the big waters, and I should recognize those of you who made extraordinary journeys on the vast waters in order to get here--probably billions and billions of quivers if we had any way to measure the distance. But more about that another time, just be sure to understand that the Cadre and I appreciate all of your efforts to come.

"The Cadre and I have been concerned for some time by reports from the field. As you know, our relationship with the big things has always been most tenuous. I understand they have made great businesses, although I must confess I don't quite know what that means, with the sole objective of eradicating us. Yet, at the same time, they don't quite want to completely do that, for then these businesses would have to close. Apparently for the big things, business is something good and once they create it they want to keep it. So, we live peacefully with them--we lose some, but we do not lose all.

"This policy has worked in all sectors, especially the subway sector, where we hear there may be more of our species than there are of the big things in those locales.

"But back to our problems. We have reports a number of you have been feasting on fresh materials, and this has incurred the wrath of the big things. We are concerned they may be more aggressive than normal in controlling our population. You know we only consume the waste, and as long as we consume the waste, the big things tolerate us.

"In the past, when the Cadre and I have admonished you individually, from a distance, to stay away from fresh things, you have not always obeyed. We have told you to not be greedy and selfish. Yet some of you younger ones have actually said, 'We are not as bad as the big things.' So that is why we have called you here. We are going to spend a great deal of time hearing about the big things' misdeeds. And then, with your input, the Cadre and I will decide how we shall operate in the future. Listen up! This is important for the survival of our species.

"So, next light, we will start. The Cadre and I have heard many anecdotes about the big things' misdeeds. If you have an anecdote you think we have not heard, tell your quadrant leader and they will pass it to us. We will decide if it is worthy of inclusion.

"Some of you have asked when you may go home. What an attitude! We have barely started and you want to leave. I will tell you this: we will stay as long as necessary and leave when we have resolved the matter. It is admirable for you to want to return to your home place, but do not be hasty--this work will take as many lights as it takes. We have set no timetable."

So Cyl was right! This conference is about reputation and honest dealings.

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Chapter 4

Rel

It was the twenty-seventh light since we had started. The Great Mother said, "Hopefully we'll get through this in a couple more lights. The evidence is far greater than we thought."

Then the conference got down to business again.

Rel was asked to come forward.

"What is your story?" the Great Mother asked.

"I am in a mill in a warm place. The big things have some of their species there that buy things. However, these people refuse to buy things unless other big things give them stuff."

"Let me get this straight--they buy things but only if other big things give them stuff? Doesn't make any sense."

"They buy things for the mill. But only if the other big things give them stuff they can use at their own nest."

"Aha! What we used to call 'swapping!'"

"Yes."

"But we outlawed swapping a long time ago--it caused problems."

"Yes, but the big things cannot seem to stop doing it. Even if important big things come and terminate the big things that are doing the swapping, soon the next group of big things does this again."

"You mean this has happened more than once?"

"Oh, yes, many times."

"At the same mill?"

"Yes, at the same mill--many times."

"Clerk!"

"Yes, ma'am?"

"Record this case."

"Yes, sir. I mean, right away, ma'am."

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Well, we are starting to reach the meat of the matter, so to speak.

The Rats are talking about kickbacks of course, and we need to talk about safety for a moment. Safety equipment bought by expecting kickbacks is so wrong on so many levels. Let's just take one level. Supposing someone has an accident and it is discovered that the safety equipment involved is not only defective, it was bought by a person expecting kickbacks from the vendor. Will the purchaser be held personally liable for the failure? Seems plausible to me.

Be safe and we will talk next week.

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