Amelia invited Alice to visit, but she felt she’d been away far too often. Mary and Jane were aghast when she admitted to refusing Amelia’s invitation.
“You must do the things you wish to do, Alice,” Mary said. “We love that you are creating a life for yourself, making friends, experiencing the wonderful things this world has to offer. See Amelia, spend time with her and invite her here for a visit. It will be splendid.”
Jane was in complete agreement, so Alice arranged to visit Amelia the next day on the mainland.
That evening, the registry beeped an incoming link. Alice desperately hoped it was Noah, feeling guilty when she saw Patrick’s signature, she managed to smile brightly to cover her disappointment.
“I hear you have been spending time with dull old Ryan!”
She pursed her lips. Noah was anything but dull.
“His aunt asked him to show me some of the sights,” she said tartly, but Patrick was oblivious to her tone. “A little extra education about Earth.”
“Principal Katya told me, Alice. I’m coming to the surface early tomorrow, and I really would like to see you. In fact, you are the sole reason I’m coming.”
“Aren’t you busy?”
She wasn’t sure she wanted to see him again so soon after the events of the morning at Machu Picchu.
“I was a little overcautious,” he admitted. “Oakes is handling things well, but at present, there is no chief engineer on the Accessor, she left to get married, and the new one doesn’t start his assignment until just before the Significator leaves, so I am ‘it’ for now.”
What could she say? He would be hurt if she refused, and Alice wasn’t in the business of hurting people. So she lied.
“Well it would be lovely to see you of course, but I made plans to go to the mainland to see my friend Amelia.”
“Well, I can come with you. I’m happy to do that if it means I can spend some time with you.”
He lowered his voice—a voice Alice suspected he used to seduce. He could try, she thought, but it would never work.
“I miss you,” he leaned closer to the registry. “We don’t have enough time together.”
“Patrick…I.”
“I know, just friends,” he resumed his normal, cheery voice and sat back. “At least I can be sure Ryan won’t win you over with his charm.”
“Don’t be unkind, Patrick. He’s very nice, and he is very knowledgeable about Machu Picchu. I learned a great deal from him.”
“Not surprising, his family love it there. He and his parents and sisters visited there often during family recess. I went with them a few times.”
“I liked it, Patrick. I find I like history. My aunties suggested the Top of the World, but it doesn’t sound so historic. Noah thought I would like Machu Picchu instead.”
She hoped he wouldn’t notice her use of Noah’s name. He didn’t, thankfully.
“That’s because he prefers it. The Top of the World isn’t historic. It’s more a romantic adventure. I planned to take you there myself, if time permits, I would still like to.”
“Romantic?”
“Well, Alice, apart from the phenomenon itself and the rainforest, the ambience is manmade. It’s not like the historic sights, more a place a man and a woman get close to each other. It’s a place of discovery, if you know what I mean?”
How often would she have to tell Patrick romance was out of the question? He was relentless, though she thought she would be happy to go there with Noah.
An incoming call signature from the Significator blinked in the corner of the registry. Noah!
“I lost you there for a second, Alice.”
“I’m sorry, Patrick, I’m tired. I’ll see you in the morning.”
“Yes, can’t wait,” he smiled, blowing her a kiss which she ignored.
Alice waved her hand over the responder, and Noah’s face came into view.
“Hello, Alice. How are you?”
“Hello, Noah. I’m fine thank you. It’s nice to hear from you,” she tried not to show exactly how nice and wished her heart would slow down. This giddiness was for teenage girls.
“Are your aunts at home?”
“They’re in the parlour.”
“I understand Patrick is coming to visit?”
“Yes, tomorrow, but I already planned to see Amelia—Educator Sebel.”
“That would have disappointed him.”
“He didn’t say so. In fact, he invited himself along, then talked about taking me to the Top of the World before the Significator leaves.”
“Did he now? Well, you must do what is right for you.”
Noah hated the idea of her going with someone other than him.
“He says it’s romantic.”
“For Patrick, everywhere is romantic.”
“You might be right, Noah,” she didn’t notice his hint of sarcasm, and he was glad, he had no business making such a comment.
“I don’t want to go to a romantic place with him,” she said, “but he doesn’t take no for an answer.” Alice was shaking her head, her lips a firm line. It would seem, Noah thought, Alice no longer considered Patrick her protector, but he was bemused, not to mention relieved, that she would probably be the only woman on the planet who didn’t want to be romanced by Patrick.
“Do you have a personal registry?” he asked, remembering the registry at her home was communal.
“I have a registry in my room. Auntie Mary turned it off for me when I arrived.”
“Why?”
“I don’t like the little command thingy. I feel like it’s watching me.”
He raised an eyebrow at her.
“And you say you don’t have an imagination?”
She shrugged.
“It’s an interesting description, Alice, ‘command thingy’. It’s meant to listen so it can do your bidding. It’s a servant.”
“I expect I’ll get used to it, Noah. I’m still learning.”
“Yes, you are, now, I’m calling you from my registry in my quarters. I won’t be back for a few days. I hope to see you again, but in the meantime, now I’ve caught up with what was waiting for me, I’d like to call you. If you prefer your aunt’s registry...”
She was already standing. No, she wanted Noah to herself.
“Shall I wake the one in my room?”
He looked down and away from her as if checking something out of frame.
“Yes, I’ve found the signature, but as you say, it’s inactive, so I would need to place another link. Do you know how to reactivate?”
“Do the opposite of what Auntie Mary did when she turned it off?”
“Yes, it’ll come up with a grid of red lines and take a moment to connect. Do you want me to wait while you do it?”
“Yes please.”
She glanced at the aunties pretending to be engrossed in the entertainment registry in the parlour, then hurried to her room. She ran her hand over the back of the registry. Nothing happened. She tried the flicking movement, which worked on the second attempt. The red grid came up as Noah said. In a moment, it connected, and the feared command icon blinked at her.
At the other registry, Noah waited.
“It looks active now, Alice.”
“Yes, I think it is.”
“Ok, I’ll place another link, your personal registry will record my call signature, then you can also call me, if you wish to of course.”
She nodded. “Yes, but I probably won’t. I’m almost certain to call when you are busy. My life is more predictable. Better you contact me when you are available.”
She thought he was about to say something, protest maybe but instead, he told her to go to the other registry and wait for the link.
It came through immediately, and Alice closed her door.
In the parlour, the aunties grinned at one another.
“Patrick, and Ryan,” Jane said.
“Yes, but it’s Ryan she’s speaking to privately. I think she likes him, really likes
him.”
“He’s a principal, possibly it’s private.”
“Maybe, but she’s seeing Patrick tomorrow, and if he is here and Ryan is there…well, who knows?”
“I knew you were the one for me right away,” Mary slipped her arm around Jane’s shoulder
“I knew too.”
Alice and her entire room was swathed in red lines and lights.
“What did you do?” Noah laughed as she appeared on the registry.
“I don’t know,” she swivelled her head around.
“Did you make a command to the responder?”
“It doesn’t have a responder, it’s just the panel.”
“From the signature, it looks like an old-style registry, used for games and communication only, usually for children. They do odd things sometimes. Can you see a small curve, like a half-moon on the panel?”
She nodded.
“Touch it.”
She touched it, and all the lines disappeared.
“Like I said. I’m learning.”
He grinned. “Well, you looked very nice in red, Alice.”
They talked about every subject from sport to food to space to planets. A large part of the scientific topics went over Alice’s head, but to hear Noah speak of the things he’d seen, made her long to know more. She wished she’d paid more attention when she was coming back from Saturn, that she’d tried harder at school, and not listened to her mother when she told Alice she was stupid.
But Noah recognised some of these things were new to her, and answered her questions patiently, even though she knew some were simplistic. He told her about the holographic interface navigational system on the ship, and an amusing, fascinating tale about how technology was scaled back to limit the population’s reliance on household and personal gadgets, painting a hilarious picture in her head that made her laugh. They viewed images together of remarkable inventions that were in use for a while before being discarded. He laughed along with her, but at no time in their conversation, did he offer any endearments, or make remarks that might make her uncomfortable. They were just happy to chat easily and enjoy each other’s company, even though he was orbiting the world in a magnificent ship, and she was tethered here on Earth.
Hours later, after he said goodnight, she sat staring at the blank registry. The command now having lost its menace. She thought of her earlier conversation with Patrick, always about what he might gain from a situation. He wasn’t unkind, in many ways he was quite dear to her, but her lack of romantic interest in him had intensified since she spent time with Noah. Patrick would never accept that she wasn’t remotely attracted to him, and she found it difficult to think of Patrick without comparing him to Noah Ryan.
Chapter 19
Mary and Jane insisted on tidying up and tending the animals and garden after breakfast next morning, leaving Alice to prepare for her visit to the mainland. They watched from the window as Alice waited on the lawn for the shuttle to land. Patrick greeted her with a hug, lifting her feet from the ground.
“You are more beautiful each time I see you,” he said as he put her down.
“It’s not been that long, Patrick.”
“Feels like an eternity,” he whispered, lifting a strand of hair from her shoulder. She’d deliberately dressed modestly, passing over her favourite off-the-shoulder blouses in favour of something more sedate. Her change in style did not affect Patrick.
The aunties waited a respectable few minutes, then came out onto the verandah, the distraction allowing Alice to wriggle from Patrick’s embrace.
“Ladies,” he bowed, kissing a hand in turn. Jane couldn’t stop beaming, as far as she was concerned, between Ryan and Patrick, Patrick was a clear winner.
“You’re quite the charmer, Statesman Patrick,” she giggled.
“I beg to differ, Dr Greer, or else I’m out of practice. Alice here spurns me, and I cannot muster anywhere near enough charm or cajoling to make her fall into my arms.”
Alice sighed, casting a wearied look to Mary, who sent her a small, private smile in return, remembering the evening before when Alice chose to speak to Principal Ryan behind closed doors.
The aunties saw them to the shuttle, telling them to enjoy their day, and that they looked forward to entertaining Statesman Patrick for dinner, an invitation he accepted with unconcealed pleasure. They watched as the shuttle headed towards the mainland.
“He is one spectacular looking young man,” Jane declared. “And his manners—I think he is perfect for Alice. I thought so before, I still think so.”
“If it was just a matter of looks, Jane,” Mary countered, “perhaps there would be no contest, but I suspect Alice doesn’t bother about such things. Besides, Principal Ryan is quite handsome, and his manners no less precise.”
“Come on, Mary. He’s nothing like Patrick—and you can’t tell me Principal Ryan has an engaging personality. Plus he’s huge! He makes Alice look like a doll.”
“Yes, but which of them did she speak to for hours last night?”
“Good point. It’ll be interesting to see what she does.”
“She might meet someone different altogether.”
“That’s not beyond the bounds of possibility.”
Patrick was in a buoyant mood, now he was spending time with Alice.
“Your aunts are fabulous. I meant to ask before, what happened to Jane’s voice?”
“A disaster on Saturn Station, years ago—chemical burns. She does well considering she needs to coordinate her abdominal and throat muscles to speak. Auntie Mary says she has far more to say since I arrived.”
“What was her name before she married?”
“Scott, I think, I’m not sure.”
“I remember the incident on Saturn Station, it was when the station still served the geological teams in Saturn’s rings. I was still at school, long before you were transferred there.”
Patrick spoke to the registry. It displayed a text, along with images. Alice sat forward. A younger version of Auntie Jane appeared.
“Dr Jane Scott,” Alice read, “I’ve never seen this before, Patrick.”
“We don’t have time to read the full text, but as I remember, three doctors entered a control field after an explosion, to save the crew inside. No lives were lost thanks to them, but each one suffered injuries to varying degrees. Jane Scott was the last to leave; she gave her life support helmet to someone else, that’s why her voice is damaged. Your auntie is a hero!”
“I didn’t know the whole story. The aunties told me safety precautions were deployed.”
“The control field stops fires and the spread of gases, but if you’re caught within it and not properly protected, you’re on your own until you’re rescued. One person on the research team got complacent, Alice, using chemicals and minerals he believed to be predictable. The team only wore their contamination suits, which wouldn’t filter fallout from chemicals. It hasn’t happened since though, I doubt it could now. Safety protocols are paramount.”
“Poor Auntie Jane.”
“I wouldn’t say so, Alice. She has Mary, and now, she has you.”
Alice smiled. “I’m lucky to have them both in my life.”
“I wish you would make room in it for me,” he laughed, but she picked up a serious note.
“It was you who decided to poke your nose into the engines on the Accessor. I didn’t send you,” she pointed out.
“Poked my nose? Alice, what an odd saying, but that’s exactly what I did if you mean I supervised the work of someone else. Are you scolding me?” he grinned. “I promise I’ll try to get more time away, to be with you.”
She wasn’t scolding, and her comment backfired, she didn’t mean he needed to spend more time. She turned her attention to the side viewport. Any other woman would be flattered by his attention.
“I’m sorry,” he said, “I’ve made you quiet. We only have a few weeks before the Significator leaves, and I thought…well, you know what I thought.”
“Sorry, I’m used to getting my own way.”
Alice made no attempt to conceal her sigh.
“More like you don’t know how to take no for an answer.”
And he nodded, yielding without defence to the excellent point she made.
Amelia waited on the university landing pad. Alice sent her a message earlier to say Patrick would be accompanying her. He greeted Amelia formally, turned on the charm, and promised to spoil them both for the day.
“Have you ever been here before, Statesman?” Amelia asked.
“I have, Educator Sebel, I spent time at the university. My mother lectured in geology here for a while during my education. I know the harbour area well, and all the best pasticiums and eateries for miles.”
“They may have changed since you were here, Statesman, thirteen, fourteen or so years ago? Maybe more?”
“You wound me, Educator Sebel,” he said, pretending hurt. “I’m sure even at my advanced age, I am not too feeble to recognise important landmarks. I doubt things have changed too much—what do you think, Alice?”
He placed his arm around Alice’s shoulders, and kissed her on the top of her head, throwing all formality out the window.
“Here we go,” she groaned inwardly, smiling awkwardly at Amelia’s wide-eyed delight.
Throughout the day, observing Patrick’s easy manner with Amelia, Alice couldn’t help but notice how much more suited they were than she and Patrick. Amelia, beautiful, funny, bubbly, bright, curvaceous and, Alice conjectured, doubtless very sexy, and in possession of all the attributes that would attract a man like Patrick. Alice had no idea what Patrick saw in her, maybe because she stubbornly refused him, and rejection was not something he was prepared to accept.
Apart from the times when they stopped to eat or admire a view, Alice barely had time to catch her breath. She’d never been to Sydney—though no-one referred to it as that anymore. No iconic landmarks from her time existed, no opera house, no bridge, even though a monument stood at both sites. The schools and universities sprawled for miles, but the countryside along the river was pristine. Patrick took them to the mountains in the shuttle, following the river before turning inland to view landscapes she’d read about hundreds of years before, but never seen. She walked miles, but each mile was worth every step. Another wonderful step in a series of wonderful steps. It would have been perfect had Noah been there. She checked herself, not the first time she thought of him today.
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