Carla nodded. “I’m very pleased to meet you all. We have a lot to talk about.”
Franz nodded. “Well, we have plenty of time.”
As evening turned to night, people drifted off in little groups, the secret crew included.
Vasily, Joyce, Viktor, and Natalia remained behind with David, Josh, and Veronika. None of them wanted to leave yet, they had so much to talk about – the voyage of the Hope, their mission on the Inspiration, Earth and Serendipity.
But no one mentioned Grace.
In time the dynamic of the group shifted and David found himself talking to Joyce and Vasily. Joyce waited until she had David’s attention and asked the question no one else wanted to ask. “And what of Grace?”
David looked down at his hands for a moment. When he looked up again he knew Joyce would see the tortured look in his eyes. “She was shot.” He explained the circumstances, and where she’d ended up.
Joyce placed a hand on one shoulder, and Vasily touched his arm.
“Oh, David,” she said. “Take us to her.”
David’s eyes widened. He realized there was no reason they couldn’t look through the port on the lander door, but he’d never done it. He thought for a moment, then nodded. “It’s time I took you home, anyway. We’ll go past the stasis chamber on the way.”
He walked over to where Elizabeth sat with the children, their eyes locked on her as she told them the story of their adventure once again. The rescue had changed her; he could see it. Any vestiges of childhood that might have remained had burned away – she had become an adult now, exuding a quiet confidence that even the other teenagers seemed to recognize.
He scooped Emma up in his arms and kissed her, then dropped her back into Elizabeth’s lap.
“Would you mind taking them home?”
Elizabeth smiled up at him. “No, of course not. We’ll see you there soon.”
David nodded and walked off with Joyce and Vasily, his mind churning at the thought of seeing Grace again.
The stasis control room waited for them, dark and empty.
David led the other two inside, the only sound the quiet hum of the power converters. He flicked the lights on and glanced at the controls, confirming all was as it should be, then opened the door to the connecting corridor.
Their footsteps echoed against the metal floor, each step seeming to toll a warning in David’s ears. His mind fought against his will, telling him No, no, no! Don’t look, and it won’t be real!
But he had to do it. He forced himself to step up to the port. His hands touched the cool metal of the lander hull and he closed his eyes for a moment, then opened them to look inside.
He saw. He saw her lying there on the same makeshift stretcher, laid along the front row of seats. Her body heaped with ice. Her skin had a bluish tinge, and there was blood – red blood, her blood – everywhere.
He closed his eyes again and felt Joyce and Vasily place their hands on his shoulders. He opened his eyes, and this time a single tear rolled down his cheek. He fought to keep his voice even but his throat tightened. “Are you sure you want to look?”
A moment passed then Joyce spoke, her voice gentle. “She’s just sleeping, isn’t she? Waiting for the time when we can wake her again.”
“Da,” Vasily echoed. “Sleeping.”
David turned and looked at them, not speaking. At last he nodded his head and managed a wan smile. “Yes, you’re right. She’ll be back with us someday. Someday soon.”
He turned and walked away, but the set of his shoulders betrayed his thoughts. He didn’t know if he’d ever see Grace alive again.
The next day flew by for the newest arrivals as they explored their new home. Afternoon marched into the past and dusk settled onto the park, bringing relief from the heat of the day. Vasily felt mellow, the pleasant heat of the Haven evening mixed with Veronika’s vodka, smoothing over bad memories of the voyage and the unexpected excitement of the rescue.
Veronika stood and held out her hand. “Come,” she said.
Vasily looked up, eyes wide. He took her hand, feeling the years of hard work in the strength of her fingers.
David likewise invited Joyce, and Nathalie offered her hand to Viktor, and they led them to a place where the people of Haven waited. A sense of expectation hung in the air.
They asked them to stand in a line, and then three children – young adults – came forward to stand before them. One of them, a handsome boy who looked somehow familiar, stepped forward in front of Vasily, and looked him in the eye.
“You are Vasily Sergeyevich Abramovich, son of Sergei Nikolayevich Abramovich and Valentina Dmitrievna Barinov. Born in St Petersburg, Russia, Earth, in 2032, you went to school at Saint Petersburg Lyceum 239 and won honors for mathematics, physics, and gymnastics. You attended St Petersburg State University and graduated with a Master’s degree in physics. You joined the Russian Air Force and became a pilot with the 9th Fighter Aviation Regiment …”
The boy spoke for ten minutes, reciting Vasily’s life history and finishing, “In 2126, you arrived at Serendipity and became a citizen of our world.”
Vasily stood at attention during this speech, surprise written all over his face.
There was no sound, except for the distant calls of birds.
“Who are you?” he asked.
The boy smiled. “I am Vasily Davidovich Miller,” he said. “I am your name-child.” He stepped forward, and Vasily tensed but didn’t move as the boy touched him on the forehead with the index and middle fingers of his left hand, held close together.
“Salā,” he said. “You are one of us.”
He stepped back.
Vasily’s face moved visibly as he held back some great emotion. He turned and looked at Joyce, his eyes imploring. She smiled and wiped a tear from one eye.
Vasily’s salvation came from another young adult, a girl this time, who stepped forward in front of Joyce.
She smiled and began, “You are Joyce Ann Martin, daughter of Thomas James Martin and Margaux Therese Young. Born in Los Angeles, United States of America, Earth in 2033, you went to school …”
“… and you navigated the starship Inspiration to Serendipity, arriving in 2126. You have become a citizen of our world.”
Joyce stood still as the girl stepped closer. “I am Joyce Grace Ng, and I am your name-child.” She reached out and touched the elder Joyce on her forehead with the two fingers of her left hand.
“Salā,” she said. “You are one of us.”
She stepped back.
Joyce smiled and nodded, and wiped away another tear, stealing a glance at Vasily.
Another child stepped forward, a boy this time.
“You are Viktor Petrovich Panin, son of Petyr Aleksandrovich Panin and Tatiana Alexandrovna Marinova …”
“… I am Viktor Ivanovich Coultas, and I am your name-child.”
He stepped forward, and touched the elder Viktor on the forehead with the two fingers of his left hand.
“Salā,” he said. “You are one of us.”
He stepped back.
Viktor’s eyes widened and he nodded once to his namesake.
David stepped forward and shook hands with each of them. “This is our way,” he said. “We remember those who have gone before by naming our children after them and learning their history. Of course, we didn’t expect any of our name-children would meet their namesakes.” His eyes twinkled as he said this, and they could tell he couldn’t be happier about that state of affairs. “We mean it when we say you are one of us now. You are all welcome here.”
“Now, we have seven more to join us,” he continued, and raised his arm in welcome.
Seven children led Natalia and the six secret crew into the clearing where they formed into a line, not quite sure what to expect next.
Veronika stepped forward and faced them with a smile.
“We hope you learn to love it here as much as we do, and that one day you will have name-children of your own.
We hope that will be many years in the future, though, because you will have long, happy lives.
“Our village, our town, our country, our planet,” she said spreading her arms. “We are young, so very young, but we have developed customs of our own. But,” she said, smiling, “not yet have we needed a citizenship ceremony.”
Josh stepped forward now and took Veronika’s hand. “Nor do we need one, yet,” he said. They turned, and held out their free hands, and their children, and all the children of Haven came forward, surrounding the seven of them. Natalia looked down at them and smiled at the flowers in their hair and the innocent faces of the little ones. The adults came then, originals and newcomers, no difference between them, and linked hands, standing around the children.
David stepped forward. “We need no ceremony. We declare you citizens of Haven by acclamation.”
Together, everyone said at once: “Salā! You are one of us!”
The emotions of the days just past all seemed to flow and mix to make one happy, sad, joyful moment.
In the distance, standing in her pavilion, Carla watched them, the only person in Haven to have received no welcome.
“How fucking touching,” she said.
CHAPTER TWENTY
The new council gathered, Kevin and Ernie pushing their number to nine.
John joined them by teleconference, a screen taking his place next to Nathalie.
One seat remained empty, to David’s left. No one wanted to draw attention to the gap in their ranks, but no one sat there either. Somehow, that just didn’t seem right.
David looked around the table. “So, are we agreed?”
For the past hour they’d discussed their plans for the future, everything from how to get John back to the surface to what type of political system they should adopt.
There were nods from everyone, including John.
They had many decisions to make, but David’s main concern had been to see them reunited again, so they decided to focus on rescuing John first.
“Good.” He nodded his head too. “We’ll continue with the spaceport project. That will take time – at least another six months to do it safely – so you know what that means, John.”
“Yep.” John’s current low orbit meant only a short lag in his replies. “It means I’m going to need Hope’s stasis suite.”
John didn’t have enough food to last six months, even if he’d been willing to tough out six months of carbonara, so he needed to go into stasis.
“We’ll make it as quick as possible,” Ernie said.
“No worries, mate, I won’t even notice.”
Everyone looked back to David.
“That’s it for today,” he said. “It’s been a hard few weeks. I’d like say how proud I am of your achievements. We started as two separate groups, but now we are together as one, tougher, more seasoned than before. From here on out, we can only get better.”
He smiled, but everyone could see the hint of sadness in his eyes. They were together, but what a terrible price they had paid.
“There!” Felicity said, stepping back and admiring her handiwork.
Sabine had arrived back from New Canaveral the previous day, and they smuggled her into the hospital where they had taken over a room for beauty therapy.
Marcella started with a new hairstyle for Sabine’s newly grown blonde locks. She cut and layered and sculpted her hair into an elf cut that not only made the most of her limited hair length, but also complemented the shape of her face.
Now Felicity applied the full spectrum of beauty treatments, ranging from a manicure and pedicure to makeup. She held up a mirror for Sabine to inspect the results.
Her mouth dropped open. “Is that really me?”
“It sure is, honey,” Felicity said with a smile.
“You look stunning,” Veronika said. She smiled her appreciation at Felicity and Marcella. “Now, there is just one thing left. Solomon?”
Solomon Perron had been a top-flight fashion designer on Earth. He’d been grateful when his partner Jesse had scored a slot on the Inspiration crew, but hadn’t expected his skills to be in demand in Haven, so when the opportunity to take part in Project Sabine had come his way, he’d jumped at it.
He’d created a sleeveless red dress with a less-than-modest neckline and layered skirts that complemented her new hairstyle. He pulled the dress from a garment bag with a flourish and grinned at her reaction.
Sabine’s hands flew to her face. The look in her eyes gave Solomon all the thanks he needed.
“And,” he said, “this dress would be nothing without accessories.” He opened a box to reveal sandals in matching red.
Sabine opened her mouth to stammer her thanks, but he made shooing motions with his hands.
“Go! Put them on!”
She needed no further encouragement and disappeared behind a screen to do just that.
A few minutes later she reappeared to model her completed transformation. Well, almost complete. Veronika stepped forward with a gold necklace. “This I brought from Earth. It’ll look great on you.” She helped Sabine put it on.
Felicity had earrings, and Marcella added rings.
At last they finished and stepped back to admire their work.
“A masterpiece,” Solomon said.
Sabine wiped a tear from one eye. “I don’t know how I’ll ever thank you enough.”
“Oh, we do,” Solomon said. “Right, girls?”
“Oh, yes, we sure do,” Marcella said.
Sabine looked at them. “How?”
Solomon smiled. “We just want to be there. You know, when Simon sees you for the first time.”
“Oh,” said Sabine, and blushed.
He turned to Veronika. “It’s time.”
Veronika nodded. “I’ll go find him. I think … the garden behind the hospital.”
Solomon smiled. “Perfect!”
Veronika found Simon down by the lake, sitting on a park bench, leaning forward with his chin cupped in one hand.
A picture of dejection.
He looked up as Veronika approached, and as he recognized her she saw a flicker of hope in his eyes.
Veronika smiled. “She’s back.”
Simon leapt to his feet. “Where is she? Can I see her?”
Veronika wrinkled her nose. “No!”
Simon’s face fell.
“Not until you shower!”
Simon looked down at his sweat-soaked clothes and grimaced. Haven’s warm climate made it impossible to work out without breaking a sweat. “You’re right,” he said. “Where is she?”
“The garden behind the hospital.”
Simon nodded and turned to go.
Veronika smiled as she watched him sprint across the park.
Sabine twisted her hands together as she waited in the little dell of flowering shrubs and plants. Roses, camellias, and rhododendrons filled the air with their fragrant scent. Veronika, Solomon, Marcella, and Felicity formed a discreet little group off to one side, near the path to the shuttle bay.
Sabine had just bent to smell one of the heirloom roses when Simon entered from the path that led from the hospital.
“Sabine?” he asked, his voice hesitant.
She looked up and smiled, her eyes crinkling as she drank in the sight of him. Nothing would ever change his rugged appearance, she thought, but changing him would make him less perfect in her eyes. He’d dressed in a clean white shirt and slacks, and stood there, looking very unsure of himself.
“It’s me,” she said, stepping forward. She held her arms out. “I’ve changed a little.”
Simon nodded and swallowed.
“I wanted you to see the real me.” She looked up at him, biting her lip.
“I liked you the way you were,” Simon said, the words tumbling out unfiltered.
Sabine’s face fell. “You don’t like the way I look?”
“Oh no! I mean yes! I mean – you’re beautiful, you’re a million times more beautiful than
someone like me deserves to be with. I meant, you didn’t have to change for me, I …” he stopped, running out of words.
“You’re wrong.” Sabine stepped closer, and Simon’s eyes widened. “You do deserve someone like me, and I want you.” She placed her hands on his shoulders and looked up into his eyes.
“I love you, Simon. I don’t want anyone else. Will you have me? As I am now?”
“Sabine … I’ve loved you almost since the first moment I saw you. I didn’t care what you looked like because it’s you I loved, not how you looked. You’ve made me the happiest man alive.”
“Then for God’s sake, kiss me!” she said.
Simon swept her into his arms and did exactly that.
Solomon stood watching, his hands clasped to his chest. “Oh my,” he said, wiping a tear away. “That’s the most romantic thing I’ve ever seen.”
Veronika shook her head, but smiled as she said, “And the most painful.”
Nathalie frowned as she looked at the computer analysis.
A week ago, she’d set up a new search program with the help of John and Hope. Her lips twitched in a smile as she thought of the ship’s name. They had to accept their ship had become self-aware, or at least so close to a genuine artificial intelligence they couldn’t tell difference. She had become self-aware, Nathalie corrected herself. Just as they had to adjust from Hope to Hope, they’d had to accept that Hope not only considered herself to be aware, she most definitely thought of herself as she.
Perhaps I should be jealous. Her up there, alone with my John. She paused, and frowned again, wondering if maybe she really should be jealous, then pushed that thought aside and returned to frowning at her computer screen instead.
Nathalie had given in to Sheldon’s plan to scan the outer asteroid belt, but she’d never been happy about it for some reason she couldn’t quite put a finger on. Then she realized that before the change, she’d had the luxury of using the second telescope to do quick scans of the entire visible sky to pick up any new moving objects. Now they couldn’t do that. So she worked with John and Hope to create a new program that used both telescopes for a few hours every day to run a quick scan.
The Seasoning Page 27
