Secrets in the Stars (Family Law)

by Mackey Chandler

  "I don't know about anything else," Gordon said, after he'd made some headway on his supper, “but I could easily live with the food here."

  "You've only tried one thing," Lee objected.

  "But I can tell somebody back there knows what they're doing."

  "What surprised you in the elevator?" Lee asked.

  "Oh, that! Didn't you feel it?" Gordon asked. "We got heavier before the elevator moved. Normally you'd be hanging on your toe straps with that setup."

  "I thought it worked pretty well," Lee said. "It just felt odd, because it was like somebody grabbed you by the ankles."

  "Exactly. They have something very much like the Badgers' gravity plates. The field is much stronger right by your feet than your head. It sure does feel weird. That's what I noticed too."

  "That shouldn't surprise us," Lee said. "You played me that conversation with Mr. Ellis. He said straight out they have high acceleration, so they must have some gravity tech, I expect the story about the crater and having pure fusion weapons will prove true too. Between that and everything Captain Roosevelt told us I'd say we didn't have any idea about what went on here before," Lee said.

  "Yes, I'm sorry I doubted Jeremiah and Captain Roosevelt both, quite strongly. I'm still having a hard time coming to grips with the things April told us, but I believe them, now."

  That seemed to embarrass Gordon to admit, and he ate silently for awhile.

  "You notice some of the folks here have spex without any lenses? Lee asked.

  "I wondered about that," Gordon admitted. "It looks funny to me."

  "Yeah, it will take some time not to notice it. I like the feeling that my eyes are protected, and you can't darken the lenses for privacy," Lee pointed out.

  "Maybe that's considered more polite, not to hide behind them," Gordon said.

  "You know, April didn't admit they have jump ships that don't need a strong vector on their targets to jump out,” Lee reminded him, changing the subject abruptly. "She avoided the subject instead of giving you a real answer. But I'd still bet everything in my accounts that's what we saw that time."

  "That's what we saw," Gordon agreed. "If it wasn't them it was somebody else. It wasn't any kind of an illusion. They're the best candidate, so I can't argue that one. The only reason she'd infer they had the tech when they didn't, would be to throw us off who does. I already decided she's far too much like you – a real straight shooter – to play those kind of games."

  "Yeah, I like her too," Lee agreed.

  "But I'm glad you didn't take her up on becoming a subject," Gordon said.

  "You still want to do some polishing on me, I know."

  "That's a fact," Gordon admitted. "I promised to do that." That was as close as he'd come in a long time to reminding her about her parents' death. She wasn't near as sensitive about it now.

  "Are you going to finish that?" Gordon asked of her sandwich. "It smells really good."

  "No way." Lee said; she'd eaten maybe half. "Finish it off and we'll get pie." She didn't bother to worry it might not leave him room for pie. It took him four bites.

  "That should be illegal," Gordon said of the pie when he was finished. They'd brought him a half pie still in the pan with vanilla ice cream filling the other half.

  "The chocolate crust surprised me. It works well," Lee said. Gordon found 'well' entirely inadequate.

  "Can you waddle to the hotel?" Lee asked. "Or shall I call a freight cart?"

  "It takes a lot more than that to make me waddle," Gordon assured her.

  * * *

  Gordon was favorably impressed with the hotel. The corridors were wide and the rooms suited to Derf. The entry door was a double and the shower looked like you could park a ground car in it. His room had a pad and Lee's a bed. It didn't have a garden like April's guest rooms on the moon, but there were a few live plants tucked in the corners and hanging in baskets.

  The message light was already blinking when they went in and Gordon took a walk through and tipped the fellow who brought their luggage in, even though it was led on an automated cart. He did hang some things and asked if they needed cleaning services. Lee declined having her things put away, because she wanted to know where they were without searching.

  "Huh, interesting," Gordon said when he read the message waiting for them.

  "What's that?" Lee was forced to inquire when he didn't volunteer more.

  "Thor informs me the Caterpillar ship and Central have been carrying on protracted conversations with each other. At some point they apparently got across how to do encryption and everything stopped being in the clear at that point."

  "I wouldn't know how to tell them that," Lee admitted. "Sounds like they've already got ahead of us with them. I admit, I was just as glad the Caterpillars weren't pestering us while we were all involved with other stuff. I imagine April's people will share what they learned about communicating with them if we ask."

  "They learned awfully fast," Gordon said, skeptically. After making faces and thinking on it awhile he shared his thoughts further. "April said they are established off deep. Very deep. Maybe they have some experience already talking to Caterpillars. We have no idea how far they range."

  “Caterpillars or Central?" Lee asked, uncertain.

  "Both really. She spoke about the Centaurs like they weren't unknown to them," Gordon added.

  "Well yeah. If they leave huge buildings and junk abandoned all over like the stuff we found, that wouldn't surprise me." Lee said.

  "But April didn't say. I like her," Gordon added, before he sounded too negative, "but I'd be a lot more comfortable with her if she was more forthcoming. Even Gabriel volunteered things much more."

  "But that was because he was so smitten with me," Lee reminded him.

  "Hmm... Maybe I'm playing this wrong," Gordon suggested. "Are you up to a little eyelash fluttering and coy smiles? Pour the feminine charm on and get the fellow to babble everything?"

  "Probably not," Lee said. "I suspect my efforts might make Gabriel rupture something from the spasms of laughter, not babble secrets. I'll keep that in mind as a needed skill set."

  "Yeah, you probably need to start learning that stuff at about four years old," Gordon admitted.

  "If we see each other again I'll just ask," Lee decided. "I think he'll admire the forthrightness far more than any social wiles I can fake this late in the game."

  Gordon nodded. "You’re right. He's seen plenty of the other in a century. You're interesting because you're different, not the same."

  "This is scary, but I actually understand that," Lee said surprised. "I can even see how to cultivate it and use it. Which means I'm getting socialized, but not by becoming more like them."

  "Whatever works," Gordon said, shrugging.

  "No really, because I want to get along with people, but I haven't had any desire to become like them. It's encouraging. I know it's possible now."

  "Call him up if you want," Gordon said, making an effort to seem indifferent. "Since it's atypical social behavior he'll probably like it."

  "Is it really? Why's it atypical?" Lee asked.

  "I'm not sure. But if you watch enough old video you'll see that the social convention is that the female waits on the male to call her." He screwed his nose up and had that – thinking about it hard – look again. "I'm embarrassed to say I never questioned it, because Derf do the same thing to a large degree."

  "That seems silly," Lee decided. "If I want to call him I shall," she decided.

  Gordon said nothing.

  * * *

  Lee didn't know what to expect. She'd seen medical facilities when they came back in from the beyond. Mostly they had direct access to the rooms needed because of isolation. She had a vague idea of a real hospital having sterile white corridors and equally bright and antiseptic treatment rooms. Somewhat like in old videos, but updated. Patient tables with padded tops and all sorts of complicated electronic equipment that could be extracted from various cubbies and closets as
needed and then retracted.

  She didn't expect a room that wasn't obviously for treatment or business, not even as an office. By all appearances it was a very lovely room that might be more suited to a residence. It had a wooden floor, where wood was an ostentatious display of wealth. Lee felt like she should be required to scrub her shoes before she could walk on it. But the center of all that expensive wood was hidden by a rug with complex patterns and a fringe at opposite ends.

  They were escorted in by a young woman even Lee, with her lately acquired and limited understanding of the standards of human beauty, knew to be lovely. She didn't have on scrubs, but rather a long flowing skirt of some soft material Lee would call tan, but an Earthie might label camel. A pale yellow silk blouse that had complex patterns in the weave. She had a scarf around her neck with a profusion of life sized day lilies in oranges and yellows.

  Lee knew how to tie a number of practical knots, but she had no idea how to tie a big square of fabric like that so it hug attractively. The woman was coppery tan herself, an interesting color Lee hadn't seen yet on people. She had on bracelets, an oddity for a spacer to see. In fact she must have at least a dozen. They weren't plain, and didn't all line up neatly so it was hard to tell exactly. If that wasn't all exotic enough, she wore a dagger in an embossed gold sheath, which flipped up on the end to make a J shape, and just between her eyes a little yellow dot painted that matched her blouse.

  Gordon took a seat in the corner of a L shaped sofa that offered sufficient support with an ottoman pushed in the corner. Lee took the end on the long leg.

  "Would you care for some refreshment?" their attendant offered.

  "Coffee please," Gordon said. He had enough confidence not to ask if they had appropriate cups.

  "Something wet. Surprise me," Lee said. "I'm not picky."

  Gordon was the one surprised. He's never seen Lee do that before.

  When she returned Gordon's coffee was in a silver service with cream and sugar. She presented Lee with a tall cold glass full of a slush, and watched expectantly.

  "Ah, you didn't disappoint me," Lee said. "It's good. Some of the flavors seem familiar, but I have no idea what is in it.

  "Pineapple and coconut milk blended with ice, and just a little lime and salt. If you added rum it would be a Piña Colada. But I wouldn't presume to add that when you are conducting business," she added. "If you need me just speak up. The house computer will summon me."

  "Pretty fancy," Lee said after their escort left.

  "For an orbital hab? It's fabulous," Gordon agreed.

  Their drinks weren't gone before a casually dressed fellow came in.

  "Good morning. I'm Gerald Ames." He was a bit loud, but enthusiastic, not aggressive. "I understand you’re from out-system. We don't get a lot of customers from outside the solar system." He made himself comfortable in a chair.

  "Customers or patients?" Lee asked, surprised at the word.

  "Well, I'm not an MD. I'm Doctor Ames several times over but not the right sort, and I think demanding to be addressed that way is pretentious. You may call me Jelly. Most of my customers know that I'm not an MD, but it's an old habit from when some of them might take patient to imply I was... "

  "We didn't know we'd meet you," Gordon said. "We have an appointment today to look into treatment for Lee here. We'd have asked about meeting you if it seemed warranted for our other needs."

  "Lee wouldn't strictly need to meet me for treatment, but April dropped me a message to say you were coming. She said your group was interesting, so I wanted to meet you myself."

  "April Lewis said you were a vet. That doesn't put us off at all," Lee assured him. "In fact we are in the market for more than treatment for me. We'd like to buy the literature and papers to apply the tech to Derf like Gordon here, and for some other star species we met recently. We'd like to hire somebody to head the development for us."

  "Well, your treatment is no problem. There aren't any conditions that preclude it, although a serious illness might have to be treated first before starting. You don't have any raging infections or cancer, known parasites or active autoimmune disorders do you?"

  "Not to my knowledge," Lee said.

  "Not that we won't scan you and take samples temple to toenails," Jelly said cheerfully. "If you do the full course it will take about three days. By the time you are done I will have answers about those other needs. I'm not aware of anyone who has undertaken a project to apply LET tech to aliens.”

  Jelly looked embarrassed. "There are some services I do by referral. Things I won't do in my company, that may apply. I'll look into that, but may have to send you to the people involved."

  Lee was concerned. This didn't sound like the ethical standards April had implied.

  "April mentioned you wouldn't sell anything you wouldn't use yourself," Lee repeated. "That sounded like an excellent standard for us to stick to."

  Jelly looked confused for a second and then laughed. "For humans, yeah. We don't like to talk about it in the trade, and I personally think they are nuts, but we have some customers who want LET for their pets. Now some of the tech was developed with mice, primates are just tremendously expensive to use for testing, and you have to wait almost as long as actually using humans to see the results. Very few people seem to request life extension therapy for their pet mice for some reason. But they do ask it for dogs and cats. Enough of them that people have ported the tech to them," Jelly revealed.

  "I've heard of some asking about other species, even parrots, which is interesting, because they are long lived anyway. However when they are informed what the development costs will be for an entire new species, even billionaires suddenly reassess their attachment to their pet ferret. So yeah, I won't try LET for Fido. God only knows what it would do. Screw up some metabolic pathway or hormonal balance big time. You could bet it would induce a new disease. But the techniques those folks have for porting LET to other species might be applicable to Derf or whoever."

  "Ah, I understand now," Lee said, embarrassed.

  "No, no. Don't be. People have done some weird gene mods with people. Webbed hands and feet, super night vision, and big steerable ears like a fox. We don't get into that though."

  "You do offer more practical mods though, right?" Lee asked.

  "Sure. Faster reaction time. Vitamin C synthesis. The ability to do multitasking. Increased physical strength, but it does alter your appearance," Jelly warned. "We also clean up any known genetic defects and tweak your metabolism to handle a modern diet better. We can speed it a bit if you like."

  "Added strength bulks you up?" Lee asked.

  "No. It's surprisingly counterintuitive, but in slims you a bit and makes the musculature a bit more sharply defined. There are some others I offer with reservations. Especially if you aren't local to have them removed if you decide you don't want them."

  "Those are the ones we heard about. I want that package," Lee said. "But not any of the ones that change personality."

  Jelly nodded. "I'll hand you off to a technician then. Are you going to stay with your daughter or do you need a guide for the hab or entertainment?" he asked Gordon.

  "I'll stick with her. I have my pad and can check on business and have a few videos and books I've been waiting to view."

  "What does it cost?" Lee remembered to ask.

  "A bit over three million dollars Ceres right now. I understand you two have claims on a Class A planet?" Jelly asked, clearly amused she'd mention money.

  "Oh yeah, but I still like to ask," Lee told him. "Bill the Bank of Derfhome in my name."

  "Fine, Doctor Evans will be right in to get you started," Jelly said, and left.

  "Did Jelly seem a little manic to you?" Lee asked.

  "No, not really. He just seemed happy," Gordon said. "I don't see it that often, it's true. But rare as it is I don't think we should elevate it to a disorder."

  The lady who came to take them to treatment did have on scrubs.

  Chapter 32


  Most of the treatments consisted of relaxing in a recliner with monitors attached while some fluid was slowly released into a vein. Lee did some reading too, until she was tired of it. Lee just relaxed and listen to some music for most of it. When a tech asked brightly what music she enjoyed he was surprised it was what he considered oldies. Her music growing up was all what her parents had liked.

  When they released her she was amazed that three days of sitting around was exhausting and she apologized. Gordon didn't seem surprised she just wanted to go to the hotel and sleep.

  "The stress of having strangers do things to you that you don't really understand is a perfectly logical reason to be tired. I'm tired from watching it done to you. Do you feel any different?" Gordon asked her.

  "No. I think it takes some time to work on you. Maybe it makes demands on your body, and that's part of why I'm so tired. I didn't think to ask."

  "I'm going to order some room service in. Try to eat a little something before you crash out," Gordon advised. He did look a little tired too.

  They'd been very well-fed in the clinic, but it was cute how solicitous Gordon was of her. Lee agreed and had a some fruit salad, before flopping face down on her bed.

  Both felt better in the morning. Gordon was talking quietly with Talker and Singer on comm. Lee got some coffee and was just half listening, because it was calm and they were discussing when they would return to Derfhome and then on back to Far Away. Gordon couldn't have been up long because pretty soon he ordered in breakfast for them.

  Lee looked in the public directory and found a Central code for Gabriel. He didn't seem at all surprised when Lee showed up on his screen. He was so calm she had this irrational desire to shock him, just to prove all his experience didn't mean he could predict everything.

  "I wonder if we might get together?" Lee asked. "I have some questions piled up to run past you." That got just a momentary pause that Lee enjoyed causing.