Turning The Tides
Chapter 16: A Show of Skill, A Clash of Power
A video chat pinged across their devices, lighting the screens in unison. Channing’s face appeared first, bright and energetic—except for the furrowed crease between her brows.
“Hey, gang! Hope you’re all sitting down because I’ve got an update. And not the good kind.” She took a dramatic breath, then exhaled in a rush. “The nursery open house is postponed. Actually, the whole project is temporarily on hold. Turns out, there are land restrictions—big ones. Part of the proposed site falls within Sabákari land, and another section overlaps Echo Canyon. Since EC has applied for National Historical Site status, everything’s tangled up in bureaucracy. They need to sort out the mess before we can move forward.”
A pause stretched between them.
Riley broke the silence first. “That’s disappointing. There isn’t a chance the entire project gets scrapped, is there?”
Cameron slid into view, gently nudging Channing aside. “We’ve been assured there’s no risk to the development itself—just some boundary adjustments. The ten acres in question will be shifted south, but a whole slew of agencies have to sign off first.”
Channing leaned back into the frame, her usual grin returning. “You know how bureaucrats are. One department passes the buck to another, and next thing you know, we’re filling out forms in triplicate just to breathe near the land.”
Skylar smirked. “We ran up against land disputes all the time on our digs. It was always hurry up and wait.”
“Hey, Riley,” Cameron said. “Where’s Ben and Raven? They’ll want to hear this.”
“They went up to the ranch to bring a few horses down to Raven’s. They’ll see the VID when they get in range of the tower.”
Cameron frowned. “They still have service issues out there? That shouldn’t be happening anymore.”
Riley shrugged. “Something about the valley’s position, I think. The mountains must be blocking the signal.”
Cameron turned to Channing. “Maybe when we set up the new solar power tower, we can check if it’ll extend coverage to Ben’s ranch.”
“Groovy, Cam! I’m on it!”
Skylar smirked. “Channing, you love those old-school expressions. Next thing we know, you’ll be woolgathering and lallygagging all afternoon.”
Channing crossed her arms, feigning offense. “Listen, I’m just keeping classic language alive! Someone has to balance out all this futuristic tech talk.”
“Oh, please,” Riley said with a chuckle. “Don’t get them started. Next thing we know, they’ll be playing mad scientists with that drone project of theirs.”
“Oh, come on,” Channing interjected, grinning. “You make it sound like we’re building robots in a basement.”
“Well… aren’t you?” Val raised an eyebrow, a teasing glint in her eye.
The group erupted into laughter, the conversation flowing into a comfortable rhythm.
“I’ve got one,” Skylar said, leaning forward conspiratorially. “Speaking of Chan and Cam, I had a run-in at the nursery last week. I went to grab a couple of plants, and guess what I found?”
“Please say it was Channing talking to a cactus,” Raven’s voice cut in dryly as she and Ben logged into the call.
“No, even better,” Skylar continued, her grin widening. “There was a drone hovering near the succulents with a little sign dangling from it—‘Test Flight in Progress—Do Not Disturb.’ And there was Channing, chasing it with a net like it was some kind of rogue bird!”
The screen erupted in laughter.
Channing threw up her hands in mock defense. “Hey, it was a minor glitch! We’ve sorted it out. No more runaway drones.”
Cameron shook her head, chuckling. “I swear, that thing has a mind of its own. It almost knocked over a customer’s bonsai before I caught it.”
Ben leaned back, smirking. “So that’s what all that commotion was about last week. I heard something about an ‘incident’ but decided not to ask.”
“Let’s just say it’s a work in progress,” Cameron admitted. “We’re not exactly at the smooth delivery phase yet.”
“And this is the future of shopping?” Val teased, one eyebrow raised.
“Absolutely,” Channing said, leaning forward with a twinkle in her eye. “But if it makes you feel better, I promise the drones won’t come anywhere near Echo Canyon. We’ll keep the flying robots on the other side of the lake.”
“Good luck explaining that to the Sabákari Council,” Raven said, appearing just over Ben’s shoulder. “They’ll have a field day with the idea of drones buzzing around the valley.”
Ben chuckled, shaking his head. “They’re not ready for that kind of excitement. But hey, at least you two are keeping things interesting.”
Riley, arms crossed, tapped a finger against her chin. “Speaking of keeping things interesting—Cam, how long do you think this land issue will take to sort out?”
Cameron’s expression turned more serious. “Best case, a few weeks. Worst case, months. It depends on how quickly the agencies move.”
Riley nodded, glancing at Raven. “Might be worth talking to the Council ourselves. If they’re on board, they could help speed things along.”
Ben’s brow lifted slightly. “That’s not a bad idea. The Council carries weight in these kinds of negotiations.”
Channing pointed a finger at Riley. “And that, ladies and gentlemen, is why she’s the brains of this operation.”
Riley laughed. “More like the one who doesn’t like waiting around for someone else to fix things.”
Ben nodded, his voice steady. “Then let’s get ahead of it.”
The energy in the group shifted, the teasing settling into quiet determination. Bureaucracy or not, they weren’t the kind to sit back and let things stall.
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