by M. D. Cooper
“I’m sorry,” he said after a few moments’ additional laughter, “but you should see your face.”
“I’m sorry too,” said Lark as she returned to Erin. “It was all his idea.”
“Hey,” Fazir said, “don’t put all the blame on me. It was you who said it would be good to do something to break the ice.”
“Yeah, but it was you who wanted to take it to the next level.”
“It’s okay,” said Erin. “I have to admit, you got us good.”
She wondered if Lark’s reserve when they had met had been a part of the joke too.
“Maybe it was a little crazy,” said Fazir. “To be honest, things have gotten boring here over the years.”
“I guess they must have,” said Erin.
Lark and Fazir had been tasked with maintaining the PETER ever since the Intrepid’s arrival. For a qualified engineer, it was a simple, low-grade job; both Lark and Fazir had come out of stasis at New Canaan qualified, but with minimal work experience.
Yet they were by no means dumb. As such, their work days must have been very unstimulating. Prior to the decline in the PETER’s efficiency, the years must have passed slowly for them.
“Tony said something similar,” Erin continued. “About getting bored, I mean. He told me several times that the FGT had left him with little to do.”
Fazir’s jovial expression faded at the mention of the planetary engineer’s name. “I hope you don’t think—”
“No, no,” Erin said. “I wasn’t imagining you two had anything to do with Tony or his crimes. I’m only bringing him up because I was wondering if he’d ever worked on the PETER. I didn’t see his name in the work log, but he might have paid an informal visit. He told me once or twice he was going to Athens due to some anomalies that had been spotted in the stabilization process.”
Erin had no reason to suspect that Lark and Fazir had been involved with the dead agent of Myrrdan who had tried to steal the picotech. According to all the information she had on the two engineers, they had rarely left Athens. That was one reason Tanis had thought it was safe to invite the Transcend engineers to assist them.
“I seem to remember he was supposed to come here at one time,” said Lark, “but we hadn’t set a specific date. Nothing major had happened at that stage. We’d only begun to see readings that were slightly off. We weren’t even sure anything was wrong, everything was within the tolerance range. Things only looked abnormal when we compared them to what we’d seen when we arrived. So when we didn’t hear from Tony for a while, we didn’t think anything about it.”
“He’d been over a few times prior to that, though,” Fazir said. “Just to shoot the breeze. I thought he was a great guy. I had no idea what he was really like.”
“Neither did anyone else, unfortunately,” said Erin. “I’m not going to rule out interference from him. Walter will be going over everything he did with a fine-tooth comb.”
“Do you know what might be wrong with it, then?” Lark asked. “We’ve been over everything so many times, it’s driving us crazy.”
“I have a few ideas,” Erin replied. “Don’t worry. We’ll get it fixed.”
“What do you think about the Transcend’s engineers coming here too?” Lark asked. “I’m not afraid to admit I’m more than a little nervous. It’s going to be weird having them around.”
“That’s a second thing not to worry about,” said Erin, giving what she hoped was a reassuring smile.
The less Lark and Fazir knew about what was going on, the better.
* * * * *
Martin supplied not one, but two words.
Isa shook her head, but just asked, “How far is it to the place you wanted to set up camp?”
“Not far. We’ll be there in a couple of hours, and we can rest up for the afternoon. And you’ll love it. I promise.”
Isa certainly hoped so. So far, she hadn’t enjoyed their expedition as much as she’d thought she would.
They hiked another seven kilometers or so, getting beyond the bare, exposed, volcanic zone and into a young forest that had sprung up on the north-facing side of a group of hills. The ashy ground gave way to lush undergrowth, and the air lost its sulfurous odor. A clear, warm stream appeared, tumbling down from the higher ground and flowing into round pools before gushing away in what sounded like a small waterfall farther down the track.
Tree ferns and giant, wild fig trees crowded the spot, draped in vines and hanging moss, and among the verdant vegetation, the exotic colors and sensual shapes of orchids peeked out.
They had arrived at a tropical oasis.
The place was beautiful, yet for perhaps the first time since arriving in New Canaan, Isa found she couldn’t enjoy the natural scene.
“This looks like the perfect place to set up camp,” said Martin.
“Yes, and it’s getting really hot now,” Erin replied. “Let’s look for some level ground.”
When they quickly found an area of flat forest where they could put up the tent, Isa was filled with relief.
“Do you mind if I rest while you two set up?” she asked.
“Sure,” replied Martin. “Take it easy. This is a job for two people anyway. Any more than that only complicates things.”
Isa took off her pack and dropped it on the ground before sitting on it. She leaned back on a tree trunk. She wasn’t actually that tired, or at least not physically. But she had been out of sorts ever since they had arrived in Athens.
She’d been whiny too, she knew. Martin and Erin were being patient with her, and she was grateful to them, yet she also couldn't seem to stop herself from making subtle complaints. Something was making her uncomfortable, but she couldn’t put her finger on it.
Martin and Erin had removed the tent from Martin’s backpack and placed it in an open spot. They stood next to Isa to avoid being in its way while it expanded. Isa watched as the structure popped up, almost too fast for the eye to follow.
“I’ll start up the environment control,” Martin said. “It’ll be nice and cool inside in no time.”
He disappeared into the tent, and Erin began to unpack the cooking equipment.
Isa recalled the previous time their family had gone camping. It had been during their ill-fated, short-lived stay on Troy. She had suggested a trip to a high plateau called Aeolia, with the idea that a change of pace and scene might kick Martin and Erin out of a disagreement they were stubbornly clinging on to. Her ploy had worked.
She also remembered that, at the time, she’d been dying to vacation on Athens. She’d counted the planet as her favorite place in New Canaan, though perhaps not for living year-round. Now was her final opportunity to enjoy Athens before their babies were born, so why couldn’t she?
“You can go first in the shower if you want,” Erin said, startling Isa out of her reverie.
“Thanks. That’ll be good.” Isa had felt dirty since falling down during the earthquake. “We aren’t at risk of a river of lava heading down here, are we?”
Erin laughed. “No. Well, it’s only a tiny risk. And you saw the speed lava flows—we’d have plenty of time to get out of the way.”
“And the ground isn’t going to open up and swallow us?”
“Nope.”
“Hmm…”
“You aren’t having much fun, are you?” asked Erin.
“You can tell?”
They shared a smile. Erin stopped setting up the dinner things and sat down next to Isa. They sat shoulder to shoulder in silence for a while. Isa listened to the invisible waterfall, finally feeling somewhat peaceful.
“I guess this wasn’t the best choice of vacation activities,” Erin admitted.
“No, it isn’t that. I’ve traveled and hiked plenty of times to make my installations. I usually love it.”
“So what’s wrong?”
“I wish I knew. I’ve felt bad ever since stepping off the shuttle at Attica Spaceport. I know this must sound crazy, but Athens is giving me the heebie-jeebies.”
“Maybe you’re sensitive to the heightened seismic activity.”
“Huh?” Isa turned to look at Erin. “Is that possible?”
“It can ionize the air, so it’s possible.”
“Maybe it’s only that I’m missing Jude.”
“Maybe. I miss him too, though I know he must be having a whale of a time with Cary and Saanvi. Hey, while Martin’s occupied, I want to talk to you about something.”
“I know what you’re going to say. This is about the names he’s been thinking up for the triplets, isn’t it?”
“You read my mind,” said Erin.
“I’m sure he wasn’t serious when he suggested Huey, Louis, and Dewey. He had that big fat grin on his face.”
“I know, but I don’t like the way his mind is working. I don’t think we should call our girls something cute that draws attention to the fact that they’re triplets. They might be sharing a womb, but they’re individuals.”
“I understand, and I agree. By the way, I don’t think I ever told you how much I love the fact that they’re together as they grow. I wasn’t sold on the idea at first, but now I see what you mean about keeping each other company.”
“Exactly. After seeing you when you were pregnant with Jude, a proxy womb seemed a kind of cold way to gestate a baby. Though I’m sure there aren’t any negative effects from the process. It’s only how I feel about it.”
“What we’re doing is a great compromise. I’m so looking forward to seeing them.”
“Well, you could always have them birthed when you and Martin get back to Carthage.”
“No way! You have to be there. Besides, we’ll need you around to look after them. Sometimes I worry about what we’re letting ourselves in for by having three babies at once.”
“Okay. I’ll try to speed things along with the PETER as much as I can. You never know, maybe I’ll be home before the Landfall Anniversary.”
“That would be great.”
Martin poked his head through the open tent flap. “Everything’s ready. It’s nice and cool in here. Want to come inside?”
“Great,” said Isa, standing up. “I need a shower.”
“While I was working,” Martin said, grinning, “I had another idea for the triplets’ names. What do you think about Eeenie, Meenie, and Minie?”
* * * * *
Erin offered to brush Isa’s hair after her shower. It was one of her favorite things to do. She sat cross-legged on the bed and Isa sat down in front of her. Erin grasped a tress of her wife’s hair and began to brush it.
“So, back to Attica in the morning,” said Martin as he joined them on the bed. “It’s been fun, but…”
“It hasn’t really been fun,” said Erin. “My fault. But the torture will soon be over. Tomorrow, we’ll be back at the hotel, basking in luxury and indulging our every whim.”
“I like the sound of that,” said Martin.
“And then I start work on the PETER.”
“Yeah,” said Martin, his tone suddenly flattening.
“What’s wrong?” asked Erin.
“I don’t like the idea of you working with the Transcend’s engineers,” he told her. “They’re practically our enemies. What good is going to come of inviting them into New Canaan?”
“Tanis explained it all when we dropped Jude off,” Erin replied. “She’s hoping the friendly gesture will help forestall them trying to seize our tech. The longer we have to prepare, the better. Didn’t you hear her?”
“I heard her. I’m just not convinced. And I don’t understand why it’s you who has to be around those people. You know all about New Canaan’s defenses, and they’ll guess that from your position. Why are you in the firing line again?”
“It isn’t always me who’s put forward for dangerous work, and you know it. And this isn’t even dangerous. The Transcend’s people are only going to be consulting on the performance of the PETER. It’s the perfect job for them. They aren’t going to find out anything about New Canaan’s defenses out here in Athens. And Lark and Fazir are so out of the loop, they couldn’t tell them anything sensitive if they wanted to.”
“I hate the way Tanis is so free and easy with other people’s safety,” Martin said, as if he hadn’t heard a word of what Erin had said. “I’ll never forget that time she frightened the living daylights out of Jude.”
“Hey,” said Isa, raising her hands and looking from Martin to Erin, “let’s not go there, okay?”
A retort rose to Erin’s lips, but she left it unspoken. Isa was right. Going over what had happened at the invasion drill on Troy wasn’t going to benefit anyone and would only stir up bad feelings. Martin’s opinion of Tanis had soured at that moment and it hadn’t really recovered since. He would probably always look with a jaundiced eye at everything New Canaan’s governor had a hand in.
Erin continued to brush Isa’s hair, keeping her thoughts to herself. In actuality, she was also worried about working with the Transcend’s engineers, though not for the same reasons as Martin. She wasn’t concerned that they might plumb her for useful intelligence; she wouldn’t have any problems keeping her knowledge of the shipyards inside hollowed out moons and other military secrets to herself—her concerns were just about getting along with people whose government was not on friendly terms with New Canaan’s.
Erin had brushed Isa’s hair until it was smooth and silky. She put the brush down on the bed, wrapped her arms around Isa’s waist, and rested her head on her wife’s shoulder.
“Tired?” Isa asked.
“Uh huh.” Now that Isa mentioned it, Erin did feel tired. It was probably due to the long hike in the heat of the Badlands that morning.
“We can always have a nap now and explore the oasis later, after sunset,” said Martin.
“Mmmm, sounds good,” said Erin. She pushed gently on Isa’s waist, forcing her to one side. Isa chuckled and didn’t protest. Together, they fell onto the mattress.
Erin snuggled up against Isa’s back and closed her eyes. She felt Martin lie down too, and then felt the pressure of his arm as he stretched it over both of them.
Despite her tiredness, sleep didn’t come quickly to Erin. The memory of a recent conversation with Tanis bugged her. Her worries stemmed from the final part of the conversation.
“This will be a little different from what you’re used to,” the governor had said, referring to the PETER-fixing assignment.
“I don’t see how,” Erin replied. “It’s only another engineering job. The fact that my colleagues are from our adversary won’t bother me.”
“No?” Tanis asked. “It should. This assignment has to go smoothly, Erin. It’s the perfect opportunity to encourage a lessening of tensions between us and the Transcend, but that also makes it the perfect opportunity for something to go badly wrong. Working with representatives from the Transcend will be an exercise in diplomacy.”
“Diplomacy?” Erin echoed, like an idiot.
The thought that she wouldn’t only be dealing in practical things hadn’t occurred to her. Fixing the PETER should be a cinch. But diplomacy? She had suddenly felt entirely out of her depth.
“That’s what I said.” Tanis cocked an eyebrow. “Whoever they send, you have to do your best to avoid direct confrontation—as much as that sucks, honestly. The last thing we want to do is piss them off.
What we do want to do is send them back to Admiral Iysra’s flagship full of bonhomie for their New Canaanite friends.”
CHAPTER THREE
STELLAR DATE: 04.12.8942 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Attica
REGION: Athens, New Canaan System
Early the following morning, they ordered an aircar from Attica and set about packing up the camp while they waited for their ride to arrive. The heat of the Badlands had yet to penetrate the small open space in the tropical forest, and the air was refreshing and cool, if heavy with humidity.
Erin had finally slept heavily the previous night, despite her unease over the additional responsibility Tanis had placed on her with her latest role. Having her spouses close by always calmed her worries.
They had packed all their things into their backpacks and were only waiting on Martin to deflate the tent, when Isa suddenly grabbed Erin’s arm.
“Did you see it?”
She was looking in the direction of a clump of tree ferns, beyond which lay the waterfall they had visited late that afternoon.
“No, what?” Erin asked. Then she saw a flash of brilliant scarlet.
“There it is again! What is it?”
Martin paused in his work and looked up. “What did you see?”
“There’s something flying near the waterfall,” said Erin.
“Probably a—” said Martin, just as the creature flew into the small clearing.
It was a dragonfly, and what a dragonfly it was. The creature’s four transparent, veined wings spread a little less than a meter wide and its body was as thick as Martin’s arm.
“Cool,” he breathed. “I’d heard the FGT had seeded Athens with some ancient Earth species, but I didn’t know they’d included Protodonata.”
“What are they?” Isa asked.
