Eden Misbehaving Ch 01
- 2 years ago
- 22
- 0
"O.K., I'm listening. What kind of help?"
"Do you have a social engagement coming up, where you would be expected to have a wife accompanying you?"
"Not that I can think of. The Colony is not all that geared up for official social events yet."
"Nothing at all?"
"Not unless we manufacture one. The Colony COULD have an event for the department heads and deputies to get together with their wives/girlfriends for a dinner, as a 'get-to-know each others' families' evening. Would that suffice?"
"It would, provided the event was recorded in pictures on the Colony news web pages. What I am thinking is that if Gloria and I went as your escorts, one on each arm, that would make a good picture for Penny, without any overt claim that you were her boyfriend. In fact, she could just tell her classmates "I couldn't possibly say", if they asked if you were her boyfriend!"
"You are a devious woman, Gloria. You take after your mother. I love it! I can show up with two beautiful young ladies, and say nothing about them, other than you are my escorts for the evening. How does that suit your devious thoughts, my love?"
"Perfect! Can you arrange such an event, darling? I am sure Muriel won't mind, as it is for Penny's benefit."
John agreed, and phoned Evelyn.
"Evelyn? I had a thought which I want to run past you. I think the team would bond more if we organised a social evening for the members of your team and my department heads. We would of course invite our ladies to join us. That way, the ladies would understand who we are talking about when we have to have meetings to talk business. What do you think of the idea? Of course, the Colony would finance the evening, as it is part of the bonding process, helping our economy to run better."
"I see. Financed by the Colony? I fully agree with your sentiments, Governor. I am sure the ladies would also enjoy meeting their counterparts. Sometimes, a meeting might have to be held in the home of one of us, and knowing the people involved would make that much easier to do. By all means, Governor. How do you want to go about it?"
"I was thinking, Evelyn, that if I left it in your capable hands, you could find a date and location for the event that would suit everyone. Feel free to look into utilising Colony premises which are closed for the night, as the provision of recreational space in the settlement is extremely limited. I should think they would all jump at the chance of something like this, to break the ice of business discussions."
"Thank you for that vote of confidence in me, Governor. I shall endeavour to put on something suitable. I take it the budget will include alcoholic drinks?"
"Certainly, Evelyn, but keep it within reason. I should not like to go to my Treasury with a gigantic bill for drinks. It would not do my reputation much good!"
Evelyn laughed with understanding. "I shall be circumspect with the drinks, Governor. No need to fret over that. I shall get on with it, then. Farewell."
Gloria was still sitting beside him, having listened to his end of the conversation. She smiled sweetly, and leaned over to kiss him. "Thank you, darling. Just let me know the date and time, and we can sort things out. Penny and I may require new dresses for the occasion. Is that okay with you?"
"Yes, you minx. I knew you would get something out of this for yourself."
"Oh, no, my love. I merely intend that Penny and I have similar dresses, so that neither shows up the other. In fact, the closer we are to the same dresses, the more it will emphasize that we are both YOURS!"
John took another look at her seemingly innocent face. "You have already decided, then, have you, Gloria?"
"I don't see her as competition, darling. I know I have your everlasting love, and that is all that matters to me. Penny is a good friend now, and I would be happy to have her with us permanently."
"What do you think Muriel feels about Penny?"
"I could not be 100 per cent certain, but her vision of herself as a den mother, in charge of the family, would not be affected if Penny joined us; so I believe she will be fine with the idea. Do you want me to talk it over with her?"
"Would you, please? I don't want to get embroiled in a mother/daughter argument, where I could not win. I can't afford to take sides, so if you can sort it out in advance of me saying anything, that would be terrific!"
"Right. I'll find an appropriate time to talk to her, and let you know later."
"Thank you, Gloria, my darling. Am I glad I married you!" He came over and hugged her tight, concluding with a passionate kiss. As he went to release her, she commented, "You didn't fondle my bottom, John, like you did with Penny!"
"Oops! Sorry. I shall rectify that right away." His hands moved down to her rear, feeling her plump cheeks and giving them a squeeze. Gloria did much the same to John, to his surprise. "Cheeky!" he said with a laugh.
"What do you expect from a pregnant wife?" She demanded.
"I surrender! You have an argument for everything, haven't you?" he said with a loving smile. Gloria grinned her delight, and strode away to see to the children. She made a mental note to speak to Penny about that new dress.
Tabs was talking school with Penny in the living room, while Muriel and Gloria were attending to their children. "My chemistry teacher was astounded at what I had to say about the economics of chemistry. He declared that I was talking about matters that come up at college and university courses, not school level. I asked him if that meant I would not be prepared for my school chemistry exam. He said, "If I have anything to do with it, you will get a pass mark, young lady. You have shown more interest in chemistry than any pupil I have taught since I started teaching."
Penny was delighted. "That's great, Tabs! I knew that you were soaking up knowledge, but at last it is being recognised at school. I hope you are putting in effort in other subjects as well?"
"Penny! You know I am. I want to show our new parents that I am someone they can be proud of. They encourage me all the time, even more than Mum did. Of course, Mum had to put up with Dad, so there was a limit to what she could say. I think she didn't want Dad to show too much interest in us, in case he took out his anger on us as well. Penny – I still miss her, a lot!"
"I know, Tabs. So do I, but if we do our best now, Mum's love for us will show in how we blossom as individuals. I am doing my best at college, and you are doing you best at school. Mum would say, 'Well done, you two', wouldn't she?"
Tabs burst into tears. "You are right, Penny. I want to show the world that my Mum did a lot for me, even if she is not here to see the results. John, Gloria and Muriel are doing their best for us, but I am doing this primarily for Mum."
Penny comforted Tabs, thinking to herself: I could do with John's arms round me in a nice cuddle. I wonder if I can get in there and kiss him again?
She released Tabs once she was calm again, saying, "I'll leave you to your studies now, Tabs," and stood up to leave. As she approached the door, Gloria walked in.
"Ah, Penny. Can I have a word in private?"
"Sure, Gloria. Come to my bedroom."
Once they were inside, she asked Gloria, "What's this all about, Gloria?"
"Confidentially, you and I are going to buy new evening dresses."
"EVENING dresses? But that's for social events! What are you up to, Gloria?"
"I have spoken to John, asking if there could be a social event that he would be expected to be escorted to by one or more ladies. I am thinking you and me, Penny!"
"So what did he say? Don't keep me in suspense!"
"There is nothing in the schedules, but he got the action committee leader to arrange a dinner for the committee plus the departmental heads, along with their wives or other partners!"
"Good for John! So we go with him to this event?"
"Yes, once it has been arranged. I was thinking about this, and you and I need to know all the niceties of a social dinner. I can get Muriel to tell us what she knows; John as well; but we can do our own research to avoid social gaffes. You and I will probably be the two youngest women there ... and probably the two most beautiful!"
"Wow! John will be showing us off. That will be great! Why do you want it to be me and you, Gloria? Won't Muriel be upset if she is ignored?"
"No, Penny. You see, this whole event is being engineered to show YOU on John's arm. The media will be present to picture it for the news website. Your college friends will see that you are there, on the Governor's arm, and will draw their own conclusions."
"But you will be there as well, Gloria, as his wife."
"Exactly. I will be there, quite clearly happy for you to be there too. Conclusion?"
"That the Governor is my boyfriend? Damn it, that is great, Gloria! What do I say when they ask me about it?"
"Act as if it is something you can't talk about. Let them see that you are attached to the Governor, but NEVER say anything to confirm it. That has more effect than anything else you might say. You say, for example, 'I am unable to comment on that, ' or 'I couldn't possibly confirm what you may think. It would not be right.' Whatever you say has to be non-committal, leaving it up in the air."
"I can do that, Gloria. You are a wonderful woman, Gloria. I am glad I ended up in your family."
"Penny, we are only at the beginning. We have to get the correct social customs for a dinner. I know that with the cutlery, you start at the outside and work in, but other than that, I am not sure. You have to eat fish with a fish knife and fork, so we need to be able to recognise these. Perhaps John will take us out to a restaurant, to see what we can expect to find. Maybe he can get the restaurant to give us a lesson?"
"I like the idea, Gloria. I am all for it. It would be a sort of practice run, wouldn't it?" Gloria agreed.
The mechanoids with their transmitters gradually forced the megabeasts further and further away from the mountains, and then to the fence line. Once they were beyond the fence line the mechanoids would add their transmitters to the fence posts, keeping the beasts well away from the fence, allowing it to be completed.
The Personalia were happy with their work, successfully expelling all the megabeasts in the enclave. In that, they were technically right, and unfortunately also wrong. There were nests on the ground, with eggs laid by megabeasts. In the warmth of the nest pile, eggs began to hatch. Like the dinosaurs, the hatchlings had to fend for themselves right from hatching, and their appetites were ferocious. In normal circumstances, many would be gobbled up by other megabeasts if the parent was not around, but now, not only was the parent not around, neither was the predator.
"Peter, how did you get on with settling the Yakovlev family the other day? I didn't hear any more."
Peter Parker, head of Admin, replied, "Governor, I assumed you would only like to hear if there were difficulties. There were none, so I left it at that. They chose the second house of the choices available, and as far as I know, things are fine."
The Houston homecoming was everything Meiersdottir had promised. Media coverage was extensive, and the entire staff of Eden Rescue was flown in to join the celebration. As the harrowing story of their narrow escape from the Eden system emerged, MacPherson and to a lesser extent Cromartie found themselves momentarily media darlings, much to their—and especially the captain's—embarrassment. Ironically, Mallet himself was also showered with fulsome praise for his and his agency's role in the...
He neared the river, and selected a hide for himself while he waited. As he sat there quietly, a small version of the sheep-like creature crept out of the forest and headed for the water. Hubert got out his handgun, waiting for it to come close enough for a fatal shot. It ambled closer, passing a bushy shrub, and as it did so, it jerked and then collapsed. A snake, or something very like a snake, slithered out and away from the animal that had disturbed it. Hubert thought, "Luck sometimes...
"I'm Amanda, and I'd like to give you welcome to our great ship, the Ark." Meiersdottir had allowed the Edenites a few hours to settle into their new and unfamiliar quarters. The ship had been broadly reconditioned to resemble as much as possible the surface of Eden. Its huge primary bay had been layered with the soil scooped up from the planet, into which had been implanted as much as they'd been able to gather of the foliage. The beasts they'd herded along were already grazing...
George nodded his agreement. "Gosh, NO, that would be far too long. I am sure you could calculate the optimum dimensions of the steel links between the cars, assuming them to be welded to the underside and lower sides of the car. These connections would have to be robust, remember: timber is heavy. Much would also depend on how great a diameter of log can be accommodated. Anything too large could be left for the trains to transport through the tunnel at a later stage. "Who is going to be...
A soft brown glow outlined the Wall, its sheer size dominating the horizon. Sigmund was holding on to his spear, surveying the landscape with a pair of digital enhanced binoculars, one of the last few still working. Upstream he could discern Lake Spagelow dry this time of year, again too soon for comfort. Still no sign of Jared and Ernst though, he thought to himself. He turned around to look at his eba, scrounging for food around the low bush, with little luck that day. "I told you the bush...
The jubilation at the headquarters of the informal "Eden Rescue" group put together by Toshimura and others was intense. In one two-day explosion Meiersdottir had brought the Edenites' plight to worldwide attention, initiated a tremendous upwelling of support for the rescuers' goal and completely defused SES opposition. It was beyond what any of them might have imagined possible, especially in so brief a span. But they had little leisure to enjoy their triumph. There was work to be done,...
For the past three years Meiersdottir had gradually detached herself from Eden Rescue. She remained chairperson of its board and nominal CEO, but Heisinger and Igwanda—AC—had between them taken over virtually all aspects of operational management, and her regular presence was no longer needed. Given her advancing years—she'd be 113 on her next birthday, which was only two months away—making the daily trek to the organization's offices was increasingly difficult for her, and she was rarely...
He was overwhelmed by the hug he got from Tracy, then she called softly, "Hasan! He is here." Hasan walked towards the door, carrying several bags. He eyed his visitor. "John? You came yourself?" "Anything for an old friend. Where are the boxes of books?" Hasan indicated a pile of cartons next to the door. John started to carry the first out the door and over to where the platform sat. As the family trooped out, he indicated the platform. "Everyone get on there. When ready, say NOW,...
"An ark?" she repeated. "Yes! A spacegoing ark! We don't want to go back to study them or gloat over them or any of the stuff you said. We want to rescue them!" Her face still tear-stained, she gave him an unbelieving look. "How is that possible?" she asked. "It can be done, Amanda," he replied. "Not all of them, of course, not even very many. But enough; and they'll bring all the others with them, in their mind. Remember, you told me when you got back from the second trip,...
In all of human history there has, however, never been a cause behind which all could unite. Peace, love, mercy, justice, every such ideal has found its detractors at any given time; education, individuality, achievement are all opposed by a tenacious few who have determined them to be somehow evil. Human beings can't even agree on their origins, there are still those who continue to insist that the Earth is flat, and many of most inspirational leaders of the past were in fact murdered by...
The Ark's captain would be Angus MacPherson, a dyed-in-the-wool Scot who was reputed among the most flamboyantly daring of the starship commanders. To balance his bravado SES had selected stolid Warren Cromartie as second in command, "as sound as they come," Mallet told Meiersdottir. Only a skeleton supercargo would travel on the outbound run. Heisinger and Igwanda would be joined only by biologists Watesi and Yuan, chemist Johann Paulssen and astronomer Yisheda Amuri for the voyage....
"It is, Tabs, but it is a burden you have to bear, if you are to be trusted with other important matters later in life." "Understood. Wow! Penny getting married!" "Perhaps, Tabs. It is all at the "depends" stage. Now, can you back off with your questions; questions I cannot answer?" "Yes, sir. I will stop, and keep things to myself. Thank you for trusting me. I won't let you down. Penny, wow!" She halted her enthusiasm. "Does this mean I can't speak to Penny about her wanting...
"Well, Carlie, it's time." He smiled, and leaned over to kiss her forehead. "Good luck, Grandmother." "I hope I don't need it." Pushing on the armrests with both hands she stood up unassisted and turned toward the door. They were in the "green room"—the waiting area—of the most popular worldwide late-night holograph show, on which she'd appear within, now, only a few seconds. It was a painstakingly arranged, and widely publicized, appearance. A week earlier she'd called the...
Hatred, Meiersdottir mused. Unreasoning hatred. And unreasoning fear, too. How terrible that they drive so much human thinking, and by thinking actions as well. In the two days since the dramatic confrontation in MacPherson's cabin there had been a great deal of activity. First and most immediately, the Ark's course had been righted. The ship had been on the proper trajectory, merely moving far too slowly to reach worm speed in anything like adequate time. But with all of its thrusters...
The choice turned out to be dictated by the anatomy of the Ark's Eden passengers—partly the Edenites themselves, but considerably more the wildlife accompanying them. It took Heisinger a great deal of effort to describe the situation clearly enough for the Edenites to understand. They had only the vaguest notion of the concept of gravity, and none at all that it could be variable. To them one remained on the ground simply because it was natural for non-aviators to remain on the ground, and...
"You shall have it, Muriel my dear. I hate to think how much this will set me back, but it was worth it! The dinner is, what, three days from now?" Gloria responded, "Yes, dear. Three days from tonight. The dresses arrived just in time. Now Penny and I need to pick up our necklaces, to set off the dresses." "Necklaces? You have necklaces? I don't remember seeing them." John expressed his doubt. Gloria smiled sweetly. "They are being made for us as we speak, darling. Nothing...
The research station was nearing completion, as The Personalia mechanoids hurried to attend to all the tasks that were required to turn the jigsaw of parts into a working building. It never occurred to The Personalia that they were conducting tasks which a human would normally attend to; they did not know, so went about their work as only they knew how. Knowing the timetable for the station to be ready for occupation, they phoned Hubert Swanson, saying "Hubert Swanson, the station is ready...
Eden Cove seems to have it all: Turquoise waves rolling up white perfect beaches, surounded by tropical green dotted by a firework of gaudy exotic flowers. A lush wind cooling down bodies which are otherwise heated up to much by the radiant sun. Placed at this secluded patch of heaven on earth lies a top-notch holiday resort with all the extravaganza which can be offered by state of the art facilities. Eden Cove resort moreover seems to be populated only by the most gorgeous people you can...
The morning transmission began as tumultuously as Meiersdottir had expected. Toshimura, in particular, was outraged that she had departed so drastically from their plans aboard the Gardener, and spent the first two minutes expressing that with phrases like "cover-up" and "betrayal of trust" and "high-handed unilateral decision-making" sprinkled liberally throughout his tirade. "All right, John," she said when he finally began to run out of words, "but that's something I don't want...
Igwanda and Meiersdottir walked back to their mini-pavilion, as they had come to call it, in stunned silence. Meier was awake and cranky; "I changed him," Lee said, "but I think he's hungry. Can't help you there." "Thanks, Janet," replied Meiersdottir absently. "I'll take it from here." She took the baby and with practiced movements opened her tunic to give him suckle as Lee left. "Hey, ouch, little man," she said, "just suck gently ... ah, there you go." As the baby fed she...
It was officially called a "mission briefing," and was closed to the public and the news media. Even so, popular interest in the return to Eden had reached a sufficient pitch that a variety of SES brass who had little of substance to contribute took up the first 90 minutes with what were mostly tendentious platitudes. The keynote speaker was Abel Langston himself, who thankfully gave to those who'd be light-years away in the coming election an abbreviated version of his remarks (they'd...
Yet another time the Edenite mother seemed at a loss for a response. The silence went on for a full minute, longer. Meiersdottir and her companions simply waited. "You ask us to leave this world, to leave our home and go with you?" the alien finally said. "Yes," she answered. "There's no other way for you to live. Your world is going to die, and you'll die with it if you stay. But we can help you leave it." "All of us?" "No, I'm sorry," Meiersdottir admitted. "Even we can't...
Meiersdottir slept fitfully but long in her cabin that night. The trip down to the planet, and especially her excursion into the Edenite nest and the effort she'd put into her presentation to Gagugakhing, had tired her severely; at her age the whole thing had been exhausting. Even so she kept waking, brooding, and then dozing back off. As a result it was nearly noon by the ship's clock when she at last bestirred herself from bed. She showered and dressed and wandered down to the ship's...
"Before we shut down, who's got Eugene's key for the log?" asked Meiersdottir. The Ark had been emptied of all its living cargo save for the plants unneeded on New Eden within a span of less than twenty-four hours. As before, AC—Heisinger and Igwanda—had taken on the brunt of the effort, aided enthusiastically by the remainder of the ship's original crew. The Edenites were already ensconced in their new Earthly home, their animals grazed happily in the abundant fields that had awaited...
There was a substantial welcoming party waiting as the sub-orbital came in for its landing on New Eden. Meiersdottir's entire estate staff had all turned out to greet their mistress, along with the two of Igwanda's security detail who were currently stationed there. The bulk of his security forces were now based on another nearby island but maintained their vigilance to prevent unauthorized encroachments by either air or sea. And, in equal numbers—still numeric parity, she noted—were the...
Even before the Gardener reached orbit, it was evident that there had been changes in the century since the Argo's visit. Dramatic changes. The rest of the planet—the landscape, the elevations and prominences, the distribution of life, on which most of the ship's scanning equipment was trained—was roughly identical to what the Argo had seen. Even such changes as were detected were more or less to be expected: slightly altered shorelines, minor expansions or contractions of arid desert...
It was impossible, was the shipwide consensus. There was no conceivable way that a culture obviously in the early stages of agrarianism, with but a single field planetwide under true cultivation, could have advanced to organized iron mining and smelting just a century later. "It took us several thousands of years to cross that bridge," said Toshimura. "To even suggest that another species could make the transition in a mere hundred is nonsense!" None could argue with the proposition that...
Preliminary analysis of the specimens produced a strangely mixed bag of results. The air, as the Argo had found, was quite breathable without respiratory filters; it was considerably more pollen-laden than Earth's—an ecology without significant insect population would naturally rely more heavily on airborne dissemination—but the pollens were completely innocuous to humans. Likewise the water was perfectly drinkable; the natural sediments would simply pass through the human digestive tract...
"It's the opportunity we've been waiting for!" Shaw fairly oozed excitement. "Now we can begin to truly interact, to see them in their homes, to really learn about them!" Igwanda noted dourly how the first officer, with no role in the mission other than as pilot, so eagerly used the first person plural to include himself in the ranks of the scientists. But he kept his observation to himself. And it was true that the scientific contingent, down to even the usually stolid Heisinger,...
"I see. Go ahead, then." "Piotr tells me that his pal's Dad – the name of the man is Hubert Swanson, by the way – it seems that he currently is a labourer on the rail track. He is a frustrated man, and takes out his aggression on everyone who has a better-paid job. He tells them that he is just as good as them, but they get better jobs because of their paper qualifications, not because they are better at their jobs. That doesn't endear him to his colleagues at work." John nodded....
I am NOT the author.am simply sharing Lauren takes a solo vacation and meets the sexy VP she hates from workI was beat, beat, beat. This last project had taken the wind out of my sails. Too many 11pm calls with China. Too many lunches eaten over my computer keyboard. In fact I'd spilled coffee so many times I was on my third keyboard. I told my pal in California that I was taking a vacation.“ I don't care if Mark can't make it- I'm just going to take off,” I said.“ Great,” said my pal Rob. “Go...
If anything, the pace of that progress was even faster over the next few weeks. The scientists were gathering an immense body of knowledge about both the planet and the aliens themselves. After hearing Meiersdottir's description of the mating process Heisinger and Komosaki were avid for a first-hand view; the Edenites showed no hesitation about allowing them entry to the nest to witness not only that but an actual hatching. "It's unlike anything on Earth," Heisinger reported afterwards....
Time was closing in on their departure from Eden. They'd been at the planet for nearly fourteen Earth months, on the surface for the great majority of that time, and Captain Ziang had set a deadline of only two more weeks before the journey home would have to begin. All the scientists were hurrying to cram as much additional research as possible into the remaining time. Many were already drafting the breakthrough papers they would publish after their return, papers that would forever...
Abel Langston was first and foremost a politician. He loved the trappings of power, the sense of control and most of all the limelight that his electoral successes had brought him in steadily growing measure. And he was determined that his new post on the five-member SES Board of Administrators would be neither his last nor his highest in his chosen field. Thus, almost as soon as he took his seat he followed the time-honored approach of all ambitious politicians and began casting about for...
The Gardener reached worm speed and negotiated the worm transit uneventfully. At the astronomers' request Captain Ziang left the external scanners on for a short while at the beginning of the transit, but the view was only of a featureless void and after a couple of the more agoraphobic members of the crew asked, she turned them off. On-board excitement built quickly as the ship exited its wormhole and began decelerating toward Eden. The astronomers and physicists busied themselves quickly...
The summons she'd expected, from SES Executive Director Eugene Mallet, reached her in her hotel the next morning. Would she please present herself in his office as soon as possible, preferably immediately? She was of course under no obligation to comply. It had been several decades since she was in any way beholden to SES, and they had no authority whatever to command her. But it suited her purposes perfectly to obey the peremptory directive; indeed, had it not arrived promptly she would...
Meiersdottir was true to her word; the following morning the chamber was again full. There'd been a good deal of grumbling about "unnecessary" meetings, but her prestige was such that she'd persuaded even the most recalcitrant among her scientific peers to attend. And, she noted with approval, his military ... task force, she remembered, were also present. After calling the meeting to order Shaw, as pre-arranged, immediately recognized her. "Thank you all for coming today," she began....
Cromartie's story had impressed them all so much that they were perhaps lulled into complacency. The days and weeks passed by in endless sameness and still they hadn't reached the critical worm transit that would take them to the Eden system where they could begin decelerating to make orbit and finally, via shuttle, planetfall. And time was, Meiersdottir knew, uncomfortably short. The original plans had called for arriving at Eden a full six months before the emissions of Chen's nova...
But for the next several days she had no opportunity for another visit. Heisinger and Igwanda had worked out a rough revised schedule for the rescue operation once they'd reached Eden, but they needed her input on many details as the only crew member who'd ever been on the planet. For almost every waking minute the three of them were in constant discussion, calling often on Watesi, Yuan and Paulssen for consultations. Amuri was pressed to refine estimates of the arrival of the Chen's nova...
By the time the planning revisions were complete the Ark had, at last, entered worm space for its faster-than-light transit to the Eden system. As MacPherson had noted in his greatly abbreviated pre-launch briefing, the transit was in objective terms instantaneous; from the moment they entered the wormhole to the moment they emerged no time whatever would elapse in the physical universe; the two events would occur simultaneously. Subjectively, though, it would seem aboard the Ark to last...
"I won't be here tomorrow," she warned MacPherson. "And today must be a short one. I need my rest; I'm going down to Eden tomorrow." "Ye gae yersel'?" he said in surprise. "Why?" "Long story," she told him. "But I need to be there, on the first landing. Does it frighten you, knowing we're here now?" He gave her a long, speculative look. "Nae, Missus," he said at last. "Wha' I did, I did forr rreasons I ha'e tol' ye, an' I do no' know still if they werre guid...
"I know you said this could happen, Amanda, but I still can't believe they'd actually refuse us!" said Heisinger. The humans were gathered in the pavilion watching as the Edenites industriously helped assemble the first load to be ferried back to the Ark. This would be, as they'd long planned, mostly soil along with a few basic horticultural specimens. The massive bays of the mothership would have to be conditioned into a reasonable approximation of Eden's surface before they'd be...
The work went on virtually non-stop, with periodic slow-downs when one or another of the humans was too exhausted to go on. Heisinger and Igwanda rested in relays, one of them always awake to guide the operation and ensure that it hewed to the plan; the others snatched such sleep as they were able when they were able. They were in constant communication with Cromartie aboard the Ark to ensure that the on-board arrangements likewise followed the plan, and twice Igwanda made quick visits to...
"Married?" said Meiersdottir in surprise. She was on the communicator with Igwanda, who with Heisinger had alone remained on the surface. The others, together with both landers, had repaired to the Ark as soon as what had been intended as the final loading was finished for a much-needed night's sleep. It was now early afternoon planetside in what was their first day of inactivity since they'd arrived at Eden. "Al and I originally planned it when we started," Igwanda told her. "We...
"You say that name of this ship, Ark, has much meaning to you," Gagugakhing remarked to Heisinger. "Would you tell us this meaning?" The younger woman had quickly adopted the practice of alternating with Meiersdottir in interacting with the Edenites on their voyage. Actually the brunt of the effort fell on Heisinger; the old woman was increasingly feeling the ravages of her advanced age and the efforts she'd put forth in their visit to Eden itself, and as little as an hour was enough...
At long last, after five grueling weeks of crushing on-board gravitational excess and unremitting tension, the crucial day had arrived. There remained but hours before the nova's killing burst of radiation would reach the Eden system, and before the Ark would at last attain the minimum speed that would allow it to pass into worm space and escape. And Meiersdottir was still in a coma. Even the optimistic O'Bannion now referred to her condition as "critical," and was increasingly guarded...
What developed, as Igwanda had predicted, was a second day of virtually no predatory activity. Two flying creatures stooped on small ground animals, one successfully and one not, but other than that and a brief territorial display between two of the hexapods the day was a bucolic repetition of the previous one. The scientists spent most of it again collecting specimens. Observing closely, both Komosaki and Heisinger were able to collect ground plants onto which some of the grazers and...
"Wonderful, Roxanne. Isn't it wonderful, Hasan? You are going to be a father again, dear." John Wells looked Hasan in the face. "Hasan! You and Roxanne? I hope you are going to make an honest woman of her!" Hasan, looking shell-shocked, automatically mumbled, "Yes, of course," at which Tracy said, "Congratulations, Roxanne. Welcome to the family as a wife to Hasan. You have been close to us for a long time, and we have slowly become a family, together. Now Hasan has agreed to make a...
Muriel intervened. "Everyone sit down. I am about to serve the soup. John, see the girls to their seats, will you?" The meal was a wonderful means of breaking the ice, and by the end, they were all chatting together, mostly about the children, but John spoke to Tabitha about the bedrooms, the time of breakfast, and other non-baby subjects, as he had remembered Penny's comments about Tabs. He asked Tabitha about her schoolwork, questioning her about her possible career choices. Being a...
John pursed his lips in thought, then said, "Why don't we make the railway system a company owned by the community, with each family issued a share on arrival, or two shares if they have been here more than a year. We could reward our committee members with an additional two shares for their work on the committee. That way, it is in their interest to see the colony expand successfully: the rail network will show that success, I believe." "Neat trick, Governor. I think they will go for...
"The Landerships going down in tandem were carrying lengths of cable for the wires between the fence poles, and delivering mechanoids to weld them to the fence posts. The cables are heavy, so only a few can be delivered on any trip. We found that the practical delivery is the cable links between two posts, so this is going to be a long job, with thousands of deliveries to be made. We have had to collect additional fuel for the task, so other Base ships have been detailed to have their...
Tracklaying supervisor Gerald Kreusch had heard that the cable car transport was operational and wanted some answers about the rail tracks. He contacted Peter Parker. "Mr Parker, this is Gerald Kreusch, tracklaying supervisor. I would like to get started on laying track on the other side of the mountain, now that the cable car system is in use. Can you do anything to expedite this?" "I can certainly look into it, Gerald. What do you need to get up and running? "A number of things, Mr...
"Fine, Welty, at least up until a half an hour ago. I hear you have a murderer and two frightened girls here." "Yes, siree, Gov'nor. The boys brought him in. Noisy he was. Once they had him manacled to the cell wall, they put a gag on him to shut him up. He was a mix of anger and tears, he was. They said he had torn up the room where his wife died, so we didn't want to take any chances, so that's why the manacles and the gag." "I do hope he has not been allowed to suffocate,...
"No. We are testing the strengths of various cables that are on sale. Most cables are designed for pressure strains, and not protection against physical attack, so we may have to go for armoured cables, which are much dearer; however, we need so much cabling that we should be able to strike a good deal on the purchase. We anticipate at least four cables between fence posts, and then cross links of the same quality, welded in place, with the wire mesh added on the inside." John was...
"Perfectly right, darling. Just as you did with me, only I was too drunk to feel the pain. Penny gets the whole shebang, lucky girl." "You wanted this to happen, the pair of you?" "Yes, dear", said Gloria; "Yes, dear," said Penny. Gloria added, "I made sure Penny got protection, as she is not ready for a baby, so you can give her the works, John." "You really want this, Penny? Sex with this old man?" Gloria was incensed. "Old man? You are younger than my mother, John, and she...
"Oh, my!" exclaimed Penny in wonder. "Yes," Muriel affirmed, "So she then called the Security guards, and ordered them to deport Bert for attacking Colony personnel. Bert's boss had seen the whole confrontation, and confirmed that Bert did the attacking. He was gone by the next day, and our marriage was automatically annulled for that reason. "Gloria had to go to the Admin Department to sort out our housing situation, as the house was in Bert's name, and there she met John. It was...
They both rushed to meet him. Muriel demanded, "Well?" "It was as I feared. Spontaneous abortion; happens in about 15 per cent of all teenagers, often for no apparent reason, but usually because of a genetic abnormality. I am assuming no history of drugs, smoking and drinking of alcohol." "Nothing like that, Doctor", said Gloria, "And she eats well - we make sure of that - so not a nutritional problem." "In that case, just a non-viable foetus. There should not a be any problem...
I was beat, beat, beat. This last project had taken the wind out of my sails. Too many 11pm calls with China. Too many lunches eaten over my computer keyboard. In fact I’d spilled coffee so many times I was on my third keyboard. I told my pal in California that I was taking a vacation. “ I don’t care if Mark can’t make it- I’m just going to take off,” I said. “ Great,” said my pal Rob. “Go for it. Where to?” “ I’ve got a great spa picked out. Actually, it’s down your way. Santa Barbara. Eden...