Trilemma by Jennifer Mortimer

future undergrounding costs,” he says. “And we would need to be careful with the dispute and penalty clauses. Yeah. Okay. Might work.”
    Pita Lane looks alarmed. “I can’t support this. It is dishonest.”
    Hobb glances at him. “Vecson started it.”
    Stanton, too, is shaking his head. “Hera’s reputation would be damaged.”
    â€œHera would survive to have a reputation,” states Robert.
    â€œWe’ll put it to the vote,” says Stanton.
    He and Pita Lane vote against, and the other three directors vote in favor.
    Stanton clears his throat. “Record the decision that we’ve agreed to set aside funding for future undergrounding,” he says. “But not that we don’t plan to pay it over.” He eyes me. “That will be your job.
    â€œNext item on the agenda,” he says. “Hmm.”
    â€œMy shareholders think it better that we change the chair now, at this critical point leading up to the launch,” says Hobb.
    Stanton blinks. “You can leave us, Lin,” he says.
    At the end of the meeting, Robert comes into my office.
    â€œHobb won the chair,” he says. “Which might be a problem.”
    â€œWhy?” I ask.
    Robert stands by the window and stares out. “He cares about Ozcom’s interests and nothing else.”
    I tilt my head back and rub my neck. “So it depends on Ozcom’s interests.”
    â€œWhich are to protect their trans-Tasman business. They’re not at all interested in the residential services. Much of what is planned is totally irrelevant to Ozcom.”
    I look at him in surprise. “What do you mean?”
    â€œThey might want to change the plan. Dramatically.”
    I stare into Robert’s old, clever, artificially enhanced blue eyes. We know each other so well.
    â€œThat doesn’t make any sense.”
    â€œIt might make sense to Ozcom.” Robert walks to the door and pauses.
    â€œTake care, Lin,” he says, and then saunters out.

Chapter 18
    Tom and I have called a truce in our relationship. He is cautious about disagreeing with me, and in turn, I am letting him guide more of the decisions.
    â€œAny progress on the planning permits?” I ask.
    He shakes his head. “They’re not budging.”
    The council are playing us like a fish—they let us run then they haul us back in. We are caught on the line, flapping ineffectually this way and that.
    â€œCan the Government broadband people help?”
    â€œI’ll set up a meeting for next week.”
    Deepak walks in with a folder full of papers and a hangdog look on his face. “I’m worried about the figures, Lin. The salary costs are coming out higher than the figures I used in the model.”
    â€œFind out what has changed to increase the costs and then talk it through with Marion. Then tell me how you’re going to get the costs back down again.”
    The damned budget was too tight in nearly every aspect.
    Marion puts her silver head around the door. “Lin, do you have any time this afternoon?”
    â€œDon’t tell me. The union is demanding we change the contracts again?”
    Marion smiles. “No, we’ve got the final agreement with the union. We said we were thinking of setting up our own separate union, which seemed to do the trick. I just wanted to ask if you could say hello to our new graduates.”
    Hera is giving four graduates their first job, the most importantand the hardest to get. Old-timers sometimes complain that it’s too much effort to teach them, but Marion says that passing on knowledge should be part of everyone’s job.
    â€œWhen do you need me?”
    â€œCome and have afternoon tea with us. Three o’clock?”
    â€œHelen, can I do a three p.m?”
    â€œYou can do three thirty but only for fifteen minutes.”
    I turn back to Marion. “Will that do?”
    She smiles and pencils me in and I