The Gypsy Comet

by London, Lia

  “Five!”

  “We should crack them open now to see if they have pearls,” he said. “If not, I can go back under.”

  “Oh no, you don’t. You need to rest up after that.”

  “But—”

  “Come on, Maddy. We’ll kick back nice and easy, and you can have some of the pina and goehy dough.”

  OOO

  That night, I collapsed into my bed at the inn and pulled out the SWaTT. Exhausted and happy, I sent a message to Dag.

  This has been an amazing day. I met a young gypsy diver, and together we found two pearls in the lagoon. His mother crushed them, and we made several blends and some pearl powder serum to share. Very profitable for both of us. And a sip of it took away the pain in my shoulders with no side-effects. I’ll have to give you some of it to analyze from a pharmaceutical standpoint, but I assure you this isn’t just gypsy lore. It really works. The scenery is beautiful, the fish are bright, and nothing is as sweet and fresh as the food.

  I chose not to mention the faneps because I still wasn’t sure of Maddy’s interpretation of the events.

  Before I drifted off to sleep, a light on the SWaTT indicated Dag’s reply.

  I’m glad things are better for you after the initial disaster. Two other ferry drops onto Tye went without incident, and the capsules have already returned to orbit to be picked up by the shuttles. I half wish you could have come back up with them. Now that you’ve taught me so much more about gypsies, I find I have even more questions.

  I smiled at this, even though I wasn’t sure how to answer. I have a question: How do I charge this thing?

  Anywhere with magno-electric links should have charging docks. You’ll need to stay close to civilization.

  Everything in Ikekane is close. I’ll be in touch. I turned off the SWaTT and drifted off to sleep.

  11 ~ Extended Stay

  Days stretched into weeks as I rode boards with Maddy to each of the three saltwater lagoons and returned each night to Ninetta’s camp outside Terrella. She guarded our belongings and concocted a variety of blends, using the ingredients I’d brought as well as the six more pearls Maddy found.

  We decided not to tell anyone where Maddy found them.

  “I’d be afraid of the exploitation,” said Ninetta. “Business people might rush in there with machines and destroy everything. Let people think the good diving is on the outer shores.”

  I accepted Ninetta’s concerns. The longer I knew her, the more she struck me as having a wonderful sense of people’s character. She read their faces, the way they talked, and even how they looked at the waves. Then she would select potential buyers of our blends. Four out of five times, on average, she closed a profitable deal, and all the while young Maddy watched and learned from her. A tender little family, they each trusted the other implicitly to do whatever was promised. Their sense of honor was a thing of beauty.

  I also had some luck vending the blends at the resort. Posturing myself as a wealthier native, I’d mingle with the guests and talk about the quaint ointments and elixirs I’d collected from gypsies. I’d sing surprised praise of their effectiveness and sell them in the smallest vials at the largest profit to spacey dignitaries suffering from the overwhelming effects of real gravity, sunlight, and air. My stomach always curdled a little to play the patronizing role of a stationary, but it helped me win over the pale-faced, petulant stationmaster’s wives and daughters.

  At length, it was time for Ninetta and Maddy to move on, and though I knew it was the gypsy way, I was sorry to see them go. As we said our good-byes, I wondered if our paths would ever cross again.

  “Are you likely to be back this way before the Arxon passes?” I asked.

  “You’re going to stay here that long? What’s tying you here?”

  When I blushed and hesitated, she nodded knowingly. “Oh, I see. It’s what’s tying you to the Arxon.”

  “I made a friend last time,” I offered, not as indifferently as I’d hoped.

  She chuckled warmly, giving me a side hug. “Tell him Ninetta says to be good to you.”

  “How do you know it’s a him?” asked Maddy innocently.

  “He is,” said Ninetta and I in unison.

  We used the passes Boss Bemis gave me to get back to Haikou, and I bid farewell to them. As with Dag, I hoped to see them again, but with gypsies, such encounters were harder to arrange. One never knew where they’d be.

  Now I stood alone in front of a commissary that catered to the Bosses, wondering if I should play gypsy or colonist for the remainder of my stay. I toyed with my hair, folding it into a tight knot while I decided.

  Clapping sounded around me, and a chorus of heyas rang out. I turned to see who was greeting whom and found Mama Biddy approaching me from one direction and Boss Bemis from the other. They converged at almost the same time, and in the flurry of greetings, I was exposed.

  “It’s our favorite gypsy! How’d your ventures go?”

  “Why, aren’t you the tourist from the Arxon?”

  “Tourist?”

  “Gypsy?”

  I drew a breath and smiled as widely as I could. “I’m both.”

  Boss Bemis scratched his receding hairline. “Both?”

  “My father’s a gypsy, my mother’s a colonist of Caren, and I’m a tourist here in Ikekane.”

  “Oh!” He rocked back on his heels, and I waited to see if his attitude towards me would change. “And you know her, Mama Biddy?”

  Mama Biddy laughed and slapped her arm around my waist. “We’re old ubbs. Ever since she got here.”

  I gave her a grateful grin and thanked the stars Boss Bemis seemed to respect Mama Biddy.

  “What are your plans?” he asked.

  “I want to stay a little longer, so I imagine I should seek employment and make myself useful.” I smiled demurely.

  Mama Biddy’s eyes sparkled. “We can set up a lean-to with cheap room and board at our place in Kohala.” She nudged me. “If you can pitch in a solar panel and power storage cell, we’ll even make sure you have a comfortable bed.”

  I grinned. “Now all I need is a job.”

  “Can you swim?” asked Boss Bemis, but he immediately scolded himself. “Can you swim! Of course, you can! You got yourself off the ferry and to shore, didn’t you? What do you think of beach patrol for the tourists? Making sure the spaceys don’t drown.”

  “Here in Haikou?”

  “And Kohala. The whole lagoon. It’s not so big, right? I lost a patroller a week ago. She’s six months pregnant, and it got too hard for her.”

  I chuckled at the heartiness of the natives. “I can certainly take her spot until she returns to duty.”

  “She’ll have leave for a few months after the baby’s born, too.”

  “That’s perfect.”

  OOO

  Interplanetary City-Stations orbited around the Granbo star in the opposite direction as the planets. Even at a slower speed and the detours to jog in and out the millions of miles to come within ferrying range of all three planets, it meant that, barring unforeseen delays, most rotations lasted about eight months from any given planet. That meant I’d have plenty of time to acquire more currency while I waited for the Arxon to swing back into Tye air space.

  Boss Bemis encouraged me to spend the first few days walking and paddling the entire shore of the lagoon to acquaint myself with danger spots where tourists might run into trouble. On my second time around, as I skirted past Kohala to the east, I heard the first cries of distress on the water. Several seconds passed before I found the source of the commotion in a place where giant ferns hung from an outcropping over a rockier stretch of the shoreline.

  Approaching by land wasn’t going to work as easily as by water even though I could run faster. With a yell to let the person know I was coming, I launched the board toward the shadowy area. The normally serene waters churned from beneath. Had a volcanic vent opened up?

  “I’m coming!” I assured the flailing person, a woma
n by the voice.

  “They’ve got me!” she screamed.

  They? I scanned the surface of the water and saw nothing. Dipping my gaze, I almost slid off the board. Faneps swarmed below me, swirling and rushing back out into the lagoon from the crevice where the woman now gasped, clinging to the side of a rock.

  “Are you hurt?” I called out, splashing up to her. My heart lurched with recognition. “Saloma?”

  Coughing, she turned to face me. She was soaked to the bone, wearing only a white chemise and underclothes. Obviously, she’d chosen this secluded spot to bathe.

  The board bumped into the rock and I let myself down into the water beside her. It was waist deep here, so I wondered why she gripped the rock, sobbing into her arms until I saw the blood curling up from her leg.

  “What happened?” I wrapped my arm around her. “Let’s get you on the board so I can see your wound.”

  I hoisted her onto the board where she lay on her belly, breathing hard. “Those stupid faneps came right out of this rock.” She waved a hand vaguely at a dark patch below.

  “Did they bite you?” I fingered the gash in her left calf, uncertain about its origin.

  “They grabbed me and pulled me under with their claws,” she said. “Is it bad?”

  “I’ll need to clean it out and wrap it. Just lie still.” There wasn’t enough blood to indicate a sliced artery or anything. “Can you move it without pain?” I asked, wondering if the wound reached to any muscles.

  “Hold still or move it?” she spat. “Make up your mind.”

  Given her frightening circumstances, I ignored her snapping tone. “I want to make sure.”

  I worked as quickly as I could to clean out the wound with waterproof supplies from the saddlebags attached to my board.

  “How’d you get a job?” she asked, calmer now.

  “I needed one, and they had this available.” I shrugged. “Just lucky timing, I guess.”

  “Are you even qualified?”

  I snorted. “We’ll find out if you ever walk again, right?”

  Saloma snickered, and her eyes locked with mine. Something in her expression softened. “I’m lucky it was you. A couple of years ago, I cut my foot worse than this on a sharp shell. The native board runners didn’t want to give me any help. They said I deserved it for using the lagoon as a bath.”

  “That’s silly. Tourists and natives swim in the lagoon. What’s the difference?” I finished tucking the gauze bandage around her leg.

  “The difference is my heritage.”

  “Is it really that bad?” I gave the board a little push, intending to float her to a better place on the shore to get out.

  She stared at me. “How can you ask that?”

  I searched my memory and couldn’t find behavior as rude as she’d experienced in my own life, though I’d certainly heard others talk about the anti-gypsy slurs. Had I been so sheltered by my parents? Had they really kept me from the worst of the ugliness out there? Or had they simply shown me a better way to navigate through the three societies of the Granbo System?

  “You never think of trying to blend in?” I asked, kicking off and paddling the board with her still sitting on it. “Maybe tie the hair in a knot and change your—”

  She turned on me so fast it almost knocked her into the water. “Why should I have to do that? Why should I have to hide who I am and what I am? Why is there this inequality—this prejudice? It isn’t fair, but you won’t see me hiding behind a safer mask.”

  Her words stung, and I lowered the bottom half of my face into the water to cool my shame as I continued paddling to the shallows. She was right, of course. I’d been able to take the easy way out of relations by hiding my identity so often. It wasn’t fair I should have it so easy just because my skin was a little lighter and my hair a little straighter.

  “It’ll get better,” I offered weakly.

  Saloma shook her head and picked at the blouse, transparent against her skin. “It’s getting worse, Brita.” Her eyes implored me. “Won’t you join us in the Gypsy Network? Your ability to play all these different parts could really help.”

  “I…don’t know.” My thoughts flew to Dag on the Arxon. I couldn’t be with him and the Gypsy Network at the same time, could I? “Where are your clothes?” I asked as my feet touched bottom again.

  “Back there, of course.” She pointed the way we’d come, and I rolled my eyes. Why hadn’t I thought to bring her things with us?

  “Wait here,” I said, cramming the tip of the board into the sandy shore. “If you walk around like that, you’ll attract too much attention.” True, native fashions didn’t cover much of their bodies, but the wet chemise left nothing to the imagination.

  “I’m fine.” She heaved herself up onto the land. “Just… think about it, please.” Without a glance back, she limped by land back to the place we’d left. “We need you,” she called back.

  I sat on the board and let it drift to the middle of the lagoon while I pondered the differences between Saloma’s reality and mine. The dissatisfaction I’d harbored in the past swelled to the front, not for my sake, but for the other gypsies I knew who couldn’t as easily fade into conformity.

  And besides, Saloma was right. They shouldn’t have to.

  I knew this time away from my parents—from the gypsy and the stationary—would have to be a defining one. The days ahead would need to bring me to a decision. Which identity would I embrace, and how would I use it to live out my grandmother Levia’s legacy?

  12 ~ An Associate

  I soon adopted the unhurried rhythm of the atoll, rising with the sun and helping Mama Biddy and Mittur set up their stand before packing a brunch of fruit and goehy dough to fuel me for my nine-hour shift. Between walking and paddling, I got in plenty of exercise and fresh air. When the sun touched the west side of the crater, I returned to the community racks of boards and replaced my gear. Then I’d walk the rim road out to help my new ubbs tear down the shop. We all strolled home to Kohala before more than a handful of stars appeared, and Mama Biddy cooked up something from the sea or her garden. The nights were then mine to rest and ruminate.

  Because my work required so little mental effort during the day, I enjoyed the intellectual stimulation of talking with Dag via the SWaTT. It wasn’t until we’d conversed for several nights that I realized he sacrificed hours of sleep to do so, but he assured me he didn’t mind.

  He told me of the people he met in Quarantine, and I told him about the tourists. I shared things I’d learned about remedies and cuisine, and he taught me about medical practices he preferred. More and more, I appreciated our shared gift for getting along with people from different cultures, though he, of course, could never pass for anything but a spacey with his fair skin.

  The same day the patroller gave birth to her baby and announced her return to my post in three months, Dag shared news which I’m sure he thought wonderful: he’d been promoted to third-in-command of the Arxon Medical Team. It was a huge advancement, especially for one so young, and the stationmaster and his colleagues deemed him the brightest doctor of his generation.

  I read his message about this several times, trying to conjure an equal measure of joy for him, but an ugly prickle of self-interest clouded my response. If he became one of the top doctors on board the Arxon, he’d hardly be allowed to fraternize with the Quarantine Deck guests. He’d be too busy. Too important.

  All my waiting suddenly felt so stupid. For a passing interest in some spacey medic, I’d missed how many ICS transport opportunities? I could’ve been back on Caren by now, reconnecting with my parents. Even if I took the Arxon, I might not see him.

  I half-heartedly tapped in a reply. I’m sure you’re very happy. This is big news for you.

  His next message was not what I expected at all. I’m most happy that you didn’t die in the ferry drop.

  Shuddering at the memory of the pilot’s bloody face, I answered, It hardly ever happens.

  My mother an
d father were both killed in a bad drop. Wind gusts blew the parachutes around, and they ended up crashing onto land. 60m further along, and they would have survived.

  I cupped my gaping mouth with my hand. How old were you?

  17.

  Three years younger than I was now. I shook my head. I can’t imagine what that was like for you. Your parents would have been so proud to see what you’ve become.

  I don’t know. I’ve become a bit of a coward. Ferries and shuttles terrify me.

  At his bittersweet confession, I wished I could brush his bangs from his eyes. Instead, I typed, They would have been proud of your medical career. #3 Doctor on the Arxon. That’s stellar.

  That’s me trying not to feel powerless to help people ever again.

  I stared at the screen, understanding of his inner motivations piercing my heart. You’ve helped me. I meant it, though I couldn’t quite define it. Our silent, written conversations had staved off loneliness and connected me to a world I didn’t previously know. If I were crazy enough to admit it, I’d become very fond of him. But I couldn’t be that crazy, could I? We came from different worlds. It could never amount to anything.

  Spaceys, colonists, gypsies. There had to be a way to bring them all together in harmony. My grandmother’s dream felt possible here in Ikekane because prejudices were not as often voiced. It allowed me to believe they were not as often felt, too.

  I repeated my text. You’ve helped me very much Dag Artemus. I hope we’ll see each other in person soon.

  OOO

  When the ferry cleared the atmospheric barrier without mishap, I hazarded some small talk with the other passengers while we waited for the shuttle that would take us back to the Arxon.

  “Did you enjoy your stay on Tye?” I asked the woman next to me.

  She blinked slowly, as if trying to summon the strength to respond. “I suppose I would have if I hadn’t been so weighed down the whole time.” Her voice rose and fell almost musically despite the inherent whine.