“With the helicopters and ships being military craft.”
“And some not. I am thinking of a mural sized installation. I call it a bulletin board but that’s not really accurate. Commander Gundar had a large section of two walls recovered so we could use the wall itself as a bulletin board.”
Marley stared. “Wow, when the commander goes, he goes large.”
Charlotte nodded vigorously, her gold hoops swaying. “He certainly does.”
Marley shifted in her seat. “With the spread of ages that we’ll have, how are we going to handle reading and math? Are we going to split them off into smaller groups?”
Charlotte leaned forward excitedly. “Oh, no. That’s not how the Mylos do things at all. It’s all rather exciting! It’s sort of a mash up of different styles and more than a little old school.” She clapped her hands together. “It’s all hands on learning. Oh, there will be counting games and such and story time and the children are free to pick up picture books to look at by themselves, but for the most part, it’s guided play. We concentrate on citizenship ideals, such as helping, getting to know the roles of adults in society, such as the commander, security, and so on. Finger painting, building with blocks, playing with clay, exploring the habitat zones with magnifying glasses, that sort of thing.”
“So, no phonics?” Marley asked faintly.
“The ABC song and there will be an hour after lunch for rest. The children will be read a story and encouraged to nap. For those who cannot sleep, the parents elected to have Xero play Sesame Street and Mr. Roger’s recordings, in original broadcast date order. Tuesdays and Thursdays are set aside for Mylos language instruction. On those days, focus will be on Mylos culture and language specifically.”
“You speak Mylos?” Marley was in awe.
Charlotte shook her head. “Sadly no. But Xero does, and we will be learning some basic words and phrases alongside the children. The children’s programming on those days will be dubbed in Mylos as well. The commander is also having the ships’ AIs create dubbed versions of Scooby Doo and the most requested children’s films. It’s all part of the licensing deal the Fleet has, so is all above board. Anyway,” she continued, “three months into the school year, the children will be given the dubbed only versions, to help immerse themselves, and those with Mylos parents are being asked to speak to them in Mylos. Lunch and breakfast on those days will feature meals from the Mylos worlds, including different areas of Earth.”
Yikes. That sounds intense, but then, the kids will probably pick the language up faster that way and most of them are citizens of Mylos so they really should learn the language and culture.
Charlotte stood up. “Would you like to see our classrooms?” Marley jumped up from her seat.
“I’d love to!”
“Come on then, let’s go give them a good look over together and get started on firming up our design ideas for the walls.” Marley eagerly followed the other woman out the door.
Chapter Seventeen
Marley couldn’t help but steal admiring glances at Charlotte as they worked. The woman was simply amazing, being warm and friendly, as well as beautiful and insanely talented as an artist to boot. The two women had a large roll of craft paper stretched out upon the floor, the edges weighted down picture books and whatever else they could find. Charlotte’s ebony curls slipped over her dark brown eyes and she tossed her head to clear them away. Marley chewed her lip, feeling inadequate as she watched Charlotte’s hand move quickly, the pencil within her grasp creating a Mylos shuttle coming in for a landing beside a large building with seemingly little effort.
Marley stood abruptly. “I’ll be right back. Our lunchroom area has a replicator. I know they can make small non-food items as well so I’m going to see if they can make us some headbands so we don’t paint on our hair or something.”
Charlotte lifted her face and met Marley’s gaze with her own. “That’s a good idea. And this lock of hair is starting to drive me bananas.”
“I hear ya,” Marley agreed. Her own hair had gotten into her mouth a few times as they crouched over the paper working. She decided to see if she could replicate a couple of no tangle rubber bands as well. Moments later, she found Xeranos not only could create what she wanted with their replicator, but in classroom cameras meant he could match the headband fabric to what Charlotte was wearing. Quickly finger combing her own hair into s ponytail, she returned to their work area and proffered the soft fabric headband to Charlotte.
“Wow! How did you get it to match my tunic?” She asked.
“Xero used the classroom cameras to look at your outfit and replicated the pattern,” Marley confessed as she began to braid her ponytail.
“Oh. I’m still getting used to the whole ‘computer can see you thing’. It still kinda creeps me out if I think on it too hard,” Charlotte confessed as she took the headband and adjusted her hair beneath it.
“I know what you mean, but then I think of all the CCTV cameras back home, and then I'm okay with it. I start to feel safer because I know that unlike those, some part of Xero is always monitoring so if anything happens, help can be sent right away.”
Charlotte looked thoughtful at her words. “True. I guess it’s a tradeoff. Still kinda creepy, though. No offense meant, Xero.”
“None taken,” the AI responded. “I would be most surprised if it was otherwise. Your animal ancestors would have developed strong survival instincts, including an awareness of being watched by predators.”
Charlotte’s lips twisted into a wry grin. “You’re not saying that you’re going to hunt me down, now?”
“Not unless you are lost. Are you intending to get lost?”
Marley and Charlotte regarded each other in surprise. “Did Xero just crack a joke?” Marley whispered. Charlotte nodded her head in reply.
“I think he did,” she whispered back.
“Ba da bing!” Xeranos said. “You can catch my next act right here the next time we speak.”
The two women laughed. “Don’t quit your day job!” Marley teased the AI.
“Don’t worry. I know I can’t trust anyone else here to do the job right.”
“On that note, I think it’s time for some coffee. Then we can start coloring this in,” Charlotte said, referring to the mural they’d drawn.
“Sounds good to me. Markers or paint?”
“I think paint would be quicker to fill it in but it takes a while to dry.”
t“What if we paint the grass and sky after using the markers to color in the buildings, vehicles, and people?”
Charlotte stood up and stretched. “Good idea. Then we can leave it to dry overnight and pin it to the board first thing in the morning.”
“Yeah,” Marley replied, turning to join her coworker as she walked to the door leading to the corridor.” We’re not having coffee here?”
“After being so hard at work in there all this time, I think we’ve earned a change of scenery, don’t you? There’s a mess hall just up the way a bit if we take the elevator. We can grab something to eat as well. I’m starving.”
“Sounds good to me.”
“Let’s not celebrate just yet” Charlotte quipped as they walked down the corridor. “We need to see what they’re serving first.”
Marley laughed. If Charlotte was going to be like this all the time, work was going to be a hoot. The mess hall turned out to be a small one, and it was serving dishes from across Mylos. The two women gingerly selected foods that the servers recommended.
Charlotte sat down and picked up her fork, selecting a small purple chunk of meat. She took a tiny bite then said, “It’s not bad at all. Kinda tastes like roast pork.”
Marley tried the grey stringy looking mass on her plate. “Kinda like a cross between chicken and pork,” she announced. “But still not nice to look at.”
“Chicken! Now you’re talking! How about tomorrow afternoon we go to my place, and I’ll make us some jerk chicken using my family’s recipe? We can talk shop while I coo
k, stuff like picking which books we’ll read the first week and what kind of related activities to offer the children. You can take some of the food home to your man afterwards.”
Marley’s heart jumped in her chest. She was being invited to her home to do friend type things! “It’s a date!” she beamed.
“Good!” Charlotte took another bite of her food and talk turned back to the art project they’d just left behind.
Chapter Eighteen
“This place has gotten so busy,” Marley said, taking note of the crowd filling Rosa’s. In the few weeks since it had opened, the place had been getting steadily busier.
“Well, the food is good and we can’t say anything. We’ve started coming here once a week ourselves,” Darla replied, referring to their one off lunch date having become a weekly ritual.
“And it’s Saturday,” Melissa chimed in. “With the fleet following Earth conventions time wise, it shouldn’t be a shock that places get busy on the weekends.”
“Just a shame Steven couldn’t join us today,” Marley said.
“Are you kidding me? I’m totally jealous! A whole week end in Paris, including two days at Disney, is much more awesome than lunch with us, even if you count the cannoli,” Melissa declared.
“The line looks kinda long. You gonna be all right standing on your feet waiting?” Darla asked, glancing at their pregnant friend’s ankles doubtfully. Melissa was saved from answering when Rosa herself approached them.
“It’s nice to see you ladies here again this week! No need to stand here in the line, you’ve got a standing reservation,” Rosa said, herding them into the outdoor seating area. The women quickly took their places.
“Why, thank you, Rosa. It’s very kind of you to remember our standing lunch date,” Darla said.
“Every week for six weeks, of course we notice!” Rosa smiled as she spoke. “It’s always an honor to have the Fleet Commander’s wife here at Rosa’s! I hope everything is all right. Your group seems short one today.”
“He’s off to Paris for the week with his mate and son,” Marley said.
“Oh, nice,” Rosa said. “I won’t hold it against him then,” she said with a soft laugh. Rosa beckoned a waitress who came and delivered a set of menus and took their drink orders as Rosa bustled away.
“Marley, I got to tell you, the kids are loving going to school. All we hear about is Miss Marley and Miss Charlotte this and that,” Melissa said. “They seem to be learning so much!”
Marley flushed. “I think Charlotte and I are having as much fun as the kids, to be honest,” she confided. “And all the kids are so smart!”
“Gundar mentioned that he’s heard nothing but good things about the program y’all are running there. He’s had a few parents from other ships ask about transferring their kids over. One of them has gone so far as to put in for reassignment as crew,” Darla confided.
“Really?” Marley was astounded. It was no secret amongst the fleet as to who she was. She’d been floored by all the friendliness she’d encountered, though not surprised at the few covert stares she’d had from time to time. To find out that she was accepted to the point where people wanted to place their children in her care specifically, well, that blew her away. Her eyes teared up and she sniffled. “Well, I don’t know quite what to say about that, what with before and all.”
Melissa gave her a reassuring pat on the arm. “Just be happy and keep right on doing what you’ve been. It’s obviously working.” Marley gave her friend a watery smile of acknowledgement.
“So,” Darla said, changing the subject as their drinks order arrived at the table along with their appetizers. “I hear Kranow has been asked to go take an instructor’s course. Is he going to do it?”
Marley took a sip of her orange Fanta. “He wants to but he’s not sure if leaving me so soon after our mating is a good idea. It’s a six week course at Aldorra Three and I can’t go with him. I’m worried that the real reason is because he thinks he needs to be here to help keep an eye on me, because of, you know,” she said, fiddling with the side of her glass.
“Why? Has he acted like he can’t trust you or something?” Melissa asked, concern coloring her tone.
“No. Just why else would he? I’d miss him, sure, but it means a promotion to junior flight instructor so he could run drills and stuff.”
“You should talk to him,” Melissa said. “He probably has no idea what you’re thinking.”
“Mmhmm,” Darla said. “He needs to hear this from you. I’m sure he doesn’t want you to feel this way. He can go, and y’all talk over long range comms can’t you?”
“I would think so,” Marley replied. “Okay, yeah, I’ll talk to him tonight.”
“Let him know you’ve got friends who won’t let you stay too damned lonely. You can come eat at our house sometimes.” Darla looked at Melissa as she spoke.
“And ours. We could get together and potluck and play cards even,” Melissa said, taking the hint and warming up to the idea.
“I imagine Charlotte wouldn’t mind hanging out with me here or at the mess hall or something sometimes, too. We can do some class planning,” Marley mused.
“See? Those six weeks would fly by!” Darla said.
Marley thought about their fledgling mating. After the first time they’d had sex, they’d gone on to have more in the days that followed. It wasn’t all about sex though, admittedly. They were trying to get to know each other as people, too. Was it possible that he was worried about missing her too much? “I guess,” she said aloud. She was relieved to see the waitress arriving with their food.
Chapter Nineteen
Kranow eyed the happy couple ensconced within his shuttle. Midshipman Talik had found his mate and the pair were headed down to Earth for a ceremony and honeymoon in the Seychelles. His mind flicked to the conversation he’d had with his own mate the evening before.
“I feel like I’m holding you back,” Marley said as she carried their dishes back into the kitchen. “Can you honestly tell me that if I hadn’t been involved with The Human Right that you’d be passing up this promotion?”
Kranow frowned. “I do not know the answer to this, as you were involved and this promotion came after our mating. I can tell you that my refusal is not because I do not trust you, but because I worry.”
“About what?” Marley asked him, turning to face him. He saw tears glistening in her eyes.
“I worry that you will encounter someone who treats you poorly because of your past. That you will have a bad day, homesick for your planet perhaps. I worry that you will feel lonely once you are at home, and your friends have gone for the day. I worry about all of these things happening and not being able to hold you within my arms to comfort you.” he glanced away, setting his jaw. “And,” he said in a near whisper, “I worry that you will be fine, while it is I who feels the lack of your presence deep within my bones.”
She gawked at him, the tears now spilling freely down her cheeks. “God damn it,” she cried. “You just had to go say something incredibly romantic, didn’t you?”
He swallowed. “It is true. You are everything to me.”
She turned away from him, placing the dishes upon the counter before speaking once more. “And you are everything to me. Can’t you see? That’s why you not doing this is tearing me apart.”
He banked through the clouds, admiring the view of the sunlit sea upon the viewscreen. Closing in on their destination, he initiated contact with local flight authorities. Once landed, he accepted the thanks from the couple and wished them well. Watching them depart, an idea came to him.
I could take the promotion and while away on my training assignment, plan a surprise wedding. I could speak to the commander about it first, when informing him of my decision to accept the promotion, and he can find out where we can go on Earth without incident. His face wrinkled. And maybe see if he can arrange for us to not have the ceremony a media circus like our matching was. Perhaps once the commander has the
information, Darla could liaise with Marley’s family in secret so they can be there. And if nowhere on Earth, then on my down time, I can book us somewhere romantic within Mylos. There are plenty of worlds with beaches, after all. He imagined the look on Marley’s face when he returned from training and whisked her away for a short vacation, only to find it was a celebration of their mating with family and friends also present. He smiled to himself the entire flight back. Marley would never guess the truth about it all, especially as we more or less shelved it at the time with a vague agreement about waiting a year. I could see the sadness within her at the time, but with everything else going on, it simply wasn’t the time to do anything about it.
He docked within the shuttle bay and jauntily strode from the craft. “Good flight?” called out one of the other pilots.
Kranow (Mate the Stars Book 4) Page 8
