by Guerin Zand
We stood up to greet Nancy and Milly, then Nancy continued to play her assigned part. “Dad said he needed your help with some of the dinner details. He wondered if you wouldn’t mind helping him out down in the den.”
“Sure, sweetheart. Let’s both go and give your father a hand. I’m sure Milly and Guerin would like a chance to talk privately.” The two of them made their excuses and left the conservatory. I was just standing there with Milly, and again I had no words, at least not any intelligent ones.
“Nice onesie, Milly. Some things don’t change, do they?” We started walking around the conservatory, mainly because I couldn’t sit still if I had tried.
“I wore it especially for you, Guerin.”
“You’re going to lie to me too? I mean that little act that Stella and Nancy just pulled off was bad enough.”
“Stella means well, Guerin.”
“I know, but she needs to know when to not stick her nose in.”
“I’m sorry I left the way I did last night, Guerin.”
“I wasn’t exactly at my best. I don’t blame you.”
“Did your daughter mention we had a few words at breakfast?”
“Yes. She seems to think it’s her job to look after me or something now.”
“You’re all she has left, Guerin. You’re her only family. Of course, she’s going to feel that way.”
“I was hoping you two would get along though. She shouldn’t be acting that way towards you.”
“She’s mad at the world, Guerin. Remind you of anyone?”
“No.”
“I don’t want to be your friend or co-worker, Guerin. We’ve shared so much that I can’t just act like there’s nothing else between us.” I started to stick my foot in my mouth again, but Milly stopped me. “I know we can’t go back to the way things were between us, but I’d hope you’d still confide in me, and trust me. I can help now that I’m on the Council.”
“Don’t you see that your being on the Council makes that impossible for me. If I confide in you, how do I know you won’t share it with the Council?”
“I wouldn’t do that, Guerin.”
“But you did go behind my back and you made a deal with the Council. I didn’t get a say in it. If I confide in you, why should I think that you won’t go to the Council if you think I need your help again?”
She didn’t answer. I didn’t expect her to.
“I’m not trying to be mean or blame you for things. It’s just the way it is. It’s the reason things have changed so much between us.”
“You don’t trust me?”
“No, I trust you. I trust Stella, but still, she set this up behind my back, didn’t she? I trust you would never do anything to hurt me, Milly. That doesn’t guarantee that what you do won’t hurt me. Do you understand?”
“Yes. So what do we do? I’m not going to act like I don’t care about you, or we’re just work acquaintances.”
“Let’s just not push it, ok? We’re talking. That’s a start. Like I said before, we’re just going to have to let the future take care of itself.”
“And if I remember correctly, I said that was a shit plan.” Milly finally smiled, and I smiled back.
“What are you going to do now? Are you going to stay on the ship for a while, or return to Earth? Have you even thought about it?”
“Of course, I’ve thought about it. It’s going to depend on what the team does. I don’t really want to go back to Earth. There’s nothing left for me there now, but I can’t just dump it on Roger and the rest. Maybe they want to move on. This hasn’t been easy on them either. I can’t stay here. What would I do here? I want to get Maria set up and then I’ll figure it out. Maybe I’ll contact some friends I made in the unaligned worlds and see if I can’t spend some time seeing the universe. That’s what I always wanted to do.”
“Guerin, if you leave the Collective’s protection you’ll be vulnerable. The Trogans want your head more than ever.”
“Then I’ll deal with those assholes. Maybe they’re the ones that should be worried.”
“I don’t like the sound of that, Guerin. What are you thinking?”
“Nothing. Like I said, I’ll deal with them when I have to. We should go. I’m sure Stella’s waiting to see the results of her little scheme.”
There was no way I was going to tell Milly what I had planned. So far only Katie and I knew, and that was enough. I put my hand on the small of Milly’s back and led her back to meet up with Stella.
The rest of the group was waiting for us in the bar. I still had my hand on Milly’s back. Simply touching her like that made being with her difficult. I couldn’t stop my feelings for her no matter how hard I tried. The look that Maria gave me changed that, and I dropped my arm back down to my side. She blamed Milly, in part, for her mother’s death. Maria knew that I took the job on Earth because of Milly. Maria believed I stayed on Earth when things got bad because of the promise I had made to Milly. That wasn’t true, but it gave Maria someone, besides me, to blame.
“Will you be bringing Milly to the dinner as your date, Guerin?”
“I was planning on attending with my daughter, Stella. I wasn’t thinking about bringing a date.”
“Sid already invited me as his date, Dad. I didn’t think you’d mind.”
“There then, it’s all settled. I’ll see the two of you at the dinner.”
“You really are a busybody, Stella. One day your scheming is going to get you in trouble. Don’t think I believe that Sid just happened to steal my date. I’m sure his mother was the one who put that thought in his mind.”
“You’re still just as paranoid as ever, Guerin.”
“It doesn’t mean I’m wrong, Stella.”
Chapter 28
The Committee Dinner
I had just finished dressing for dinner when the doorbell rang. I made my way to the door and opened it. Milly was standing there. She had come to pick me up since it was on her way to the Cyletherean compound. She looked as beautiful as ever in a stunning dinner dress. I invited her in for a second while I went to find a pair of shoes. I came back from the bedroom and found Maria standing there with Milly. Maria looked every bit as beautiful as Milly. She reminded me so much of her mother. Anna was not much older than Maria when we first met, and I couldn’t help remembering that day as I looked at her.
“Is Sid going to come pick you up?”
“No. I’m meeting him there. I guess I’ll ride with you two.”
“What sort of loser doesn’t come to pick up his date?”
“You mean like you?”
“That’s different, Maria.”
“Why’s that, Dad?”
“Because I’m your father, that’s why.” That was an automatic response. Every father has this in their basic programming.
We let Maria drive the transport pad to the compound. She still thought it was cool and so did I. It was a typical night on the ship. It never changed since there was no weather in the domed cities. There was some magic sprinkling system that made it appear to rain in the green areas at regular intervals, but that didn’t count. Looking out at the nebula in the distance was like looking through a telescope. It was something I could sit and look at for hours, and I often did.
We arrived at the compound and were walking through the gardens to the main residence when Maria spoke. “So, Milly. When does Earth get their own compound?” Yes, it was the same question she had asked me. She was looking to pick a fight with Milly, and I knew it.
“When they become members of the Collective and assign an ambassador to the ship.”
“My father doesn’t count as an ambassador?”
“Officially speaking, no. He is our emissary to Earth, though he does act as an ambassador of sorts, I guess.”
“So when do we get to join the Collective?”
“Your father must have explained all of this to you, Maria.”
“Sure, but I want to hear it from you.”
“That d
ay is far, far in the future. Humans have a long way to go before they are ready to join the Collective.”
“Until then we’re what? Just your puppets, playthings, pets?”
“Maria, you obviously have something you want to say to me, so say it.”
“Ok, Milly. We’re just your pawns and you’re using us. Maybe you’ve charmed my father into thinking that’s ok, but not me. My mother is dead because of your little games. You could have been more open with my father and perhaps things would have turned out different. Now you’re worming your way back into his life. What bullshit are you going to put him and us through next?”
“That’s enough, Maria.”
“No, it’s not, Dad. She’s just going to pull the same bullshit on you again if you let her.”
“Maria, don’t ruin this dinner for everyone just because you want to pick a fight with Milly. You can do that some other time. Please, drop it.” Maria huffed and said nothing more.
We arrived at the main residence. Stella and Sid were there to greet us. Maria took off with Sid. Stella led Milly and me back to the bar where most of the guests were gathering before dinner. I grabbed a Pappy’s for Milly and me. Then we made the rounds catching up with members of the committee I hadn’t seen since the last time I was on the ship. We finally met up with Bart and Gladys.
“Guerin, it’s good to see you again. I hear things are going well since our last visit to Earth.”
“Well, relatively speaking, yes they are, Bart. It’s much better than when you were last there, but there are still problems. Did you and Gladys catch much flak for helping us, or those unofficial visits to the surface?”
“No. The committee and Council thought we did what we were supposed to do, and that was to support you. If anyone’s in trouble it’s you, as usual, Guerin.”
“Well, maybe they’ll come up with a little more original sort of punishment this time. Gitmo was child’s play, and it got a little boring towards the end, Bart.”
“You always have such a positive attitude, Guerin.”
“That’s me, Gladys. Mr. Positive.”
“I wanted to talk to you about a possible venture, I guess that’s what you’d call it. When we went back home the story of our adventures had spread and become quite popular. One of our entertainment conglomerates was wondering if you would mind if they used you, and Earth, as a basis for a new reality entertainment series.”
“What do you mean?”
“As you know we like to do these reenactments, and when they heard what fun we had on Earth, everyone wanted to experience it. They were wondering if they could get an exclusive contract with you to provide performers as enforcers, or villains if the need should arise again at any time in the future.”
“You guys kill me, Gladys. Sure, why not. My people can get with your people and work out the details, ok?” Gladys and Bart smiled.
Nancy came over to join us. She gave me a big hug. I returned the hug and gave her a peck on the cheeks. “I’m so glad you made it, Guerin.”
“It wouldn’t be a proper human sacrifice without me, now would it?” We all laughed but I was sure there was some truth to that statement.
“You are still coming to the gathering tomorrow night, aren’t you?”
“Yes, I’ll be there.”
“Good. I promise it will be fun. You’ll see.”
Stella came over and announced dinner would be served soon and asked we proceed to the main dining room. Stella and Sly were seated at one end of the table with Stella to Sly’s left. I was seated next to Stella and Milly was to my left. Sid was directly across from me and Maria was directly across from Milly. At the other end of the table, Sammy was there sitting next to Julie. My team was there, the full crews from Sammy’s and Bart’s shuttles and even the twins. The rest of the guests were members of the committee.
When the guests had all been seated the staff went around filling their wine glasses and providing whatever other beverages the guests requested. When this was done Sly stood.
“Welcome everybody. We’ve gathered here tonight to honor those people who have worked so hard over the last few years to move the Earth project along. It has not been without sacrifice. I’d first like to offer our sincere condolences to Diane Slater, who lost her fiancé Tim Hill, and to Guerin and his daughter Maria, who lost their wife and mother Anna Shida.” Everyone bowed their heads for a few seconds in remembrance. “This should remind us why this project is important. Earth avoided a crisis that could have cost millions, if not billions of lives. It’s not about the statistics, probabilities, and simulations to the people of Earth and we need to keep that in mind. Let us never forget Tim Hill and Anna Shida. Let their memories guide us in this endeavor to succeed and not let their deaths be in vain.” Sly raised his glass. “To the ones we lost.”
Everyone stood and raised their glasses. In unison we all repeated Sly’s words. “To the ones we lost.” We drank a toast, then took our seats again. Maria started to cry as did Diane. My eyes watered and Sly noticed the sadness that engulfed us all. Sly knew he needed to brighten the mood.
“We should not let these losses overshadow the accomplishments. Guerin, with his rather unorthodox ways and attitude,” there were several laughs and snickers from the guests, “was able to assemble a team that got Earth moving in the right direction. The nations of Earth are working together, not without incident, but more than ever before in the history of mankind to enter this new era. They soon will begin colonization of the planets and moons in their local system. They have already established permanent bases on both Earth’s moon and the planet Mars. Their rate of technological advancement has increased, and they’ve begun to bring their population explosion under control. Although Earth was on the brink of a major war, they are now headed towards a period of peace and cooperation.” Sly raised his glass again. “To the future.” And the guests toasted the future. “Well enough of my talking. Please, enjoy your dinner.”
Sly sat down and the staff took this as their cue to start rolling the food out. It was another elaborately coordinated event like the last committee dinner. A selection of various vegan appetizers were available to sample from. Maria enjoyed it, and I tolerated it as usual. She gave me a sick little grin across the table knowing how the whole vegan thing ticked me off. I was being polite though. The main course was interesting. Several members of the catering staff appeared, and the main course was prepared tableside for each of the guests. There had to be over fifty guests, so this was no little feat. The dish appeared to be a tofu type protein. Hell, it was all tofu to me if it wasn’t recognizable as a known vegetable. The staff stir-fried the tofu-like mass with vegetables in flaming pans that looked similar to woks, except they were shallower. The show itself was worth the price of admission.
When it came to dessert, there was the usual jello type items. Beautiful sculptures that were works of art in themselves. As I’ve said before, it wasn’t jello, it actually had flavor, but that is what it looked like. Then carts were rolled out with a selection of soufflés. There was the famous chocolate soufflé, but also a variety of fruit soufflés as well.
Stella waved to the tray our waiter presented to us. “We brought back some fruit from Earth for our chef. He was inspired by the chocolate soufflé, and when he saw recipes for different types, he requested we bring back a few items. We have mango, blackberry, strawberry and of course chocolate for you to choose from.” I went with the mango and a cup of coffee.
When we finished our deserts, the staff started to fill our after-dinner drink orders. Julie started to speak. “So, Guerin, have you discussed with your team their meeting with the Council?”
“No. I’ve been too busy watching cartoons and drinking.” The table laughed.
“Well then, let me bring you up to date. They have all officially joined the team and have accepted the upgrades, as you call them. There will be some changes.”
“Oh, goody,” I responded.
“I’m going to tak
e some time off as the head of technology at NFT, Guerin.” Diane seemed happy as she spoke. It felt good to know she was coping a little better with her loss. “I’m going to travel to one of the Bree stations to start with. I’m going to get to meet their research teams and work with them as sort of an apprentice, I guess. They’re going to show me their designs for that battery and how it works among other things. I may be away for quite some time, but Brian and Derrick should be able to fill in for me. I’ll get them squared away before I leave.”
“I’m happy for you, Diane. I know that’s something you wanted to do. Tell me though, Julie, why are you going to explain this technology to her, but I wasn’t allowed to know that?”
“Because, maybe I like her, Guerin.”
“Oh, that makes sense.” I rolled my eyes.
“As you know Maria will be my special little project and, well maybe she should tell you herself. Maria?”
“I’m going off with Sid to a university. I guess that’s what you’d call it. I’m going to learn about the Collective and the different races, but I’ll primarily be continuing my study of Astrophysics. There is a whole lot of math and physics I need to learn yet, but I’ll get to see all of those things I could only read about on Earth. Stellar nurseries, nebulae, and even black holes. I’ll be away for several decades to various locations, but we can keep in touch.”
“You’re running off with lizard boy? Someone, please tell me how lizard boy has anything to do with your education?”
“He’s going to be my guide and he’ll tutor me to get me up to speed where I need help.”
“Tutoring? Is that what we’re calling it now?” Everyone at the table seemed to be enjoying my angst. I could tell by the laughter. “Well, Stella, perhaps you, Sid, and I should have a little private chat about exactly what will happen to your son should he sully my little angel!” For some reason, people must have thought I was joking because the laughter continued.