10. Co-operative

  The 6th of January a Sunday. Aristonicus enjoyed his morning with a blowjob, Matho made love until both he and Thera climaxed. The two lovebirds bought the land off an existing hemp co-operative, but there was an issue of legality, hemp could do a lot of things it was true, even make bricks, but due to its proximity to weed they could be criminalised unnecessarily. Matho and Thera had recruited 100 party members, and at least some of them went to their hemp cooperative, located in Surrey they planned massive investment. Planting the seeds in the ground was one thing, but it came with possible legal hurdles.

  “If we get done by the police, we have a party behind us,” Matho said, “but that means we might get persecuted slightly, I hear Surrey might go to reform.”

  “Then we just need to make sure that the innovation party run the council,” Thera said, “that will enable us to fund a lot more, although I’m sure they have privatised most of their council land anyway.”

  The hemp co-operative began to attract people to the party by itself. It was green so that attracted some green party members, it was an interesting business idea so people who were interested in bettering their circumstances also wanted to join. The Innovation Party had quickly established a presence in the Surrey area particularly in Guildford among more social democratic minded people. Reform had a media presence, but the co-operative began winning followers, albeit it wasn’t quite profitable yet.

  “We’ll need 70 days before the first crops begin sprouting,” one of the workers familiar with the subject said, “then we have to think about what we’re going to process the crops into. Bricks, paper, clothing, food, insulation, all kinds of things.”

  “Damn it,” Matho said, “I don’t want to depend on Aristonicus too much.”

  “Aristonicus?” One of the fellow workers said.

  “A man who funds the party,” Thera said, “helped us acquire funds for the co-operative.”

  “Yeah?” The guy said, “that’s amazing.”

  “We should probably include drug legalisation somewhere in the party materials, we could fund so much with legal drugs,” Matho said.

  Thera immediately started laughing. The farmstead was some 21,000 square metres for about ￡200,000, a paper mill was being assembled for another 100,000. They could produce up to 24 tonnes of hemp when the harvest began, and about half of the pulp could be turned into paper. It was all at the beginning stages, but even if the profit was measly, it was something, and that something could drum support for the Innovation Party; an economic base from which to organise people and show them that change was possible.

  “With the average conservative thinking change is impossible, something small like this can mobilise people into true ‘socialism,’ what a polluted word that has become,” Matho lamented.

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  “No need to lecture me,” Thera said, “I know people use it incorrectly, you’ve already made that point a thousand times.”

  “Your average Reform voter literally thinks it means ‘government does stuff,’ the Roman Empire’s silver mines were socialist apparently,” Matho said, gesticulating wildly and sighing loudly, “worse are the people who think government does stuff is socialism and like the idea,” he muttered.

  “I mean Aristonicus does want to take over the government though, doesn’t he?” Thera said.

  “Invariably that faction of the party will develop and will be more ‘government does stuff,’ I imagine anyway,” Matho said, “Aristonicus has helped us, so I can’t begrudge him too much, but it will become factional, I imagine.”

  Matho worked on the fields with the others, planting and sowing, the simple tractor stood watch, and the rain soon came tumbling down on all of them. Thera walked to the car, and a flash of light hit her. Matho soon came running, extremely happy to see that Thera was fine.

  “My goodness what happened? Are you ok?”

  “I’m fine,” she replied, “somehow I’m completely unharmed.”

  “Really?” Matho said, a bit confused, “that’s good, I just see that this farming business, will take ages to mature, by the time we can expand our land holdings, who knows, it might be 20 years.”

  Thera took out her mobile phone and saw that it was on full charge, distinctly remembering it being quite low on charge. She stared at it, and Matho stared at her.

  “Everything ok?”

  “Yeah, it’s fine,” she said, “I must be imagining things.”

  Thera soon realised she was not imagining anything.

  “I need to check something Matho, you organise them.”

  She took 20 minutes before she arrived at 11 AM at exactly the same time as Aristonicus.

  “Sorry I am late to work, morning affairs got the better of me,” Aristonicus admitted.

  Thera stared at the lecher with a smirk and a knowing look.

  “I bet they did,” Thera said, “anyway I need to see something.”

  “Yeah?” Aristonicus said.

  Alex was there, playing Starcraft on the company computer and waving to both of them with a confused wave.

  “Thera?” He said, “why are you here?”

  She fed electricity into the generator like Aristonicus had done and both men’s jaws dropped.

  Aristonicus joined the woman in generating funds for Alt Energy LTD, Alex stood in awe at the sight before him. ￡5.4 million was made in an hour.

  “Well should be easy to repay me,” Aristonicus joked.

  “Deduct ￡500,000 Alex, you know after you’re done playing Starcraft.”

  “Ok so 3.2 for Aristonicus, and 2.2 for you,” Alex said, “you had what ￡9.2 after all the investments and the personal funds you put in your bank account.”

  “Goodness me Alex, I completely forgot about your share,” Aristonicus said.

  “His share?” Thera asked.

  “He get’s 10 percent, he knows how all the computers work,”

  Thera was going to argue but decided not to.

  “That’s very nice of you Aristonicus, sure, why not, I’ll give him 10% as well, are you in the Innovation Party Alex?”

  “Your political party?” He asked Aristonicus, “sure, I’m a supporter, I can’t say I’m too fond of the current government.”

  “So ￡2 million,” Thera said.

  “Yeah ￡2,” Aristonicus said embarrassed.

  “Let me just call Matho,”

  “Yes my love?” Matho answered the phone.

  “We don’t need any more charity from Aristonicus,” she said quietly.

  “What do you mean?”

  “I can do what he can,” she said simply.

  “Seriously?”

  “Seriously.”

  “Damn…” Matho said quietly, “we can expand the co-ops to a hell of a lot more.”

  “For sure my love,” Thera chuckled, “excuse me while I earn my keep.”

  “Sure,” Matho said.

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