by M. D. Cooper
Now thoroughly alarmed, Isa said,
Isa wondered if she should contact him again for more of a assurance that he would fix any damage the protesters caused. Singh was sympathetic to their movement, after all. Perhaps he was even taking part in the rally.
As Jude plunked down next to her on the blanket, Isa began to pull the feed from her drones and take out the lunch she’d packed.
Why couldn’t the Trojans go through the normal processes if they wanted something to change? The gripes and grumbles of New Canaanites who had spent hardly any time out of stasis after leaving Sol were usually amusing to Isa, but she found Trojans’ complaints annoying. Even though many of them were Taranians, they had no idea what true suffering was. In her mind, they were behaving like babies.
Troy was beginning to simmer with trouble. Isa only hoped that when the pot boiled over, no one she cared about would be scalded.
CHAPTER FOURTEEN
STELLAR DATE: 04.26.8941 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Messene Station
REGION: Troy, New Canaan System
Someone was coming up the strand and Erin checked the feeds to see who it could be. The space station was nowhere near operational, and very few personnel had the security access to make an impromptu visit.
Before she had pulled up the elevator car’s optics, a voice came into her mind.
Erin busied herself with completing a progress report for Tanis. She would have to send a copy to the Trojan government too, so she was careful to not include any commentary on Troy or its political climate. That wasn’t hard because not a single politician from the world below had contacted her. It was as if they’d forgotten all about the massive space station that was being constructed right above their heads.
The government’s lack of interest was unusual, but Erin wasn’t concerned. In fact, she was pleased about its non-interference. There was a lot to be said for not having to explain the finer details of orbital engineering to people who didn’t have a clue what she was talking about.
The station’s long arms were now in place, anchored by the additional strands, and the spaceport—set in the lower levels of the central tetrahedron—was nearly finished. Crews were busily installing the cradles that would hold the ships. Linch and MacCarthy were handling the service lines to the shells of internal structures that had already been constructed in the framework. Next on Erin’s schedule of work was building the maglev lines that would run the entire length of the station.
The place was slotting together like a gigantic puzzle. In a few months, it would be complete, and Erin knew from experience that she would feel a little sad because the fun was over. But no doubt Tanis already had another project in mind for her.
She monitored the elevator car’s progress as it climbed the strand, and tried to guess why Tony was paying them a visit. This was the third time. She guessed he didn’t have anything better to do.
She quickly finished off the final section of her report, adding a visual of the latest stage of the construction. She sent one copy in a packet to Tanis at Landfall, and another copy to the Trojan Office of Extraplanetary Development. She had no doubt it would lie in someone’s queue unread for months, if not forever.
The elevator had reached the station as she completed her report, and a few minutes later, Tony walked into the control room.
“I’m not sure what it is about this place that’s so enticing,” Erin said, “but it’s good to see you again. What have you been doing? Any news from Heliopolis?”
“I haven’t been doing anything interesting. No good news, that’s for sure. I’m here to report my sentence is coming to an end; I’ll be leaving soon and I wanted to say goodbye.”
“You’re leaving Troy?” asked Erin. “Damn. I meant to ask you to come over to our place for dinner one evening, but I kept forgetting.”
“Don’t worry,” Tony said. “Another time. I’m catching the first flight to Athens tomorrow.”
“Athens? Sweet,” said Erin. “I went there once, but I could only stay for a couple of days. Are you going on vacation or are you there to work?”
“I have some work to do. The regular earthquakes as the planet’s crust settles aren’t so regular now. I’m going to work with the geologists to see if inconsistency isn’t a symptom of something more serious. We might have to adjust the position of the orbital PETER and change its energy extraction locations so we can alter magma heat and density in a few regions.”
“Damn…I’d love to spend some time seeing how the PETER works. Are there risks to the surface?” Erin asked. “I’d hate for that place to be out of bounds. I’m hoping to go back with my spouses as soon as we get some free time.”
“From what I understand, it doesn’t. I might send our analysis out to the Transcend ships for them to relay to the FGT before we move the PETER, but it probably isn’t anything to be concerned about,” said Tony. “I don’t think that after terraforming countless thousands of worlds, the FGT got it wrong with this one. But it’ll give me something to do.”
“Well, if you’re traveling there on the Odyssey, say hi to Mikkail, the cocktail waiter for me. And if he suggests that you try a Slippery Black Hole, ignore him.”
Tony chuckled. “I’ll bear that in mind.”
“Core,” MacCarthy chimed in from his station. “I’ve drunk a Slippery Black Hole. I only know I had one for sure; I don’t remember anything after it. Even my mods were blacked out.”
Erin snorted, but didn’t challenge MacCarthy’s obvious hyperbole.
“I visited Mikkail’s cocktail lounge too,” said Linch. “I don’t remember a thing about the entire trip. But I was drinking Quantums, which seem to affect you before you drink them. I’m not sure, though. Never did figure that out.”
“I had a Quantum once,” Erin said. She frowned. “That explains a lot.”
“Whoa,” Tony said, laughing, “OK, I get it. No cocktails at Mikkail’s lounge.”
“Oh no, that isn’t what we mean,” Erin said. “If you don’t drink cocktails on the Odyssey, your trip isn’t complete.”
“Now I’m confused,” Tony said.
“What we mean to say is,” Erin said, “if you want to remember anything at all about your journey, take it easy in the cocktail lounge. On the other hand, who wants to remember a run of the mill trip between planets?” She took a sip of cream soda and fleetingly wished that her drink was another Quantum, or even a Slippery Black Hole.
“So, how have things been going up here?” asked Tony.
Erin launched into a long, detailed explanation of all the work the team had completed since his previous visit, highlighting the effort involved in situating the structural arms and the four starships it took to do each one simultaneously.
After ten minutes or so, she noticed that his attention had flagged. She had a suspicion that it had done so several minutes before, so she quickly filled him in on only the last few, important details.
“You haven’t heard anything from the Trojan government, then?” asked Tony when she’d wrapped up.
“No,” Erin replied. “Not a peep. Why? Do you think I should have?”
“Probably not. The legislature must be preoccupied with all the protests.” In response to her ‘I have no idea what you’re talking about’ expression, Tony continued. “The movement to secede, remember?”
“Damn!” she exclaimed. “It’s escalated to protests? In the streets?”
“Yeah, marches and everything. Nonviolent, though. I’m surprised you haven’t noticed, it’s been on all the media outlets.”
“I guess I need to pay more attention to the feeds. Most of my focus these days is on my inbound shipments from the
moons and Carthage,” said Erin.
“Well, maybe you should check them more,” Tony said. “Remember the extra budget you were saying you needed to properly fit out all the decks for future expansion? Do you think a seceded Troy will want to spend their credits on a space station, or might they think the money would be better spent elsewhere?”
“Hey,” said Erin, “I thought you came here to say goodbye, not ruin my day!”
Tony smiled ruefully. “Sorry. But forewarned is forearmed.”
“Yeah, OK. I get it.”
“I don’t know what would be best for you to do,” he admitted. “But maybe keep an eye on the political situation from now on.”
“OK. Thanks for the tip.”
“Thanks for your advice about the cocktails on the Odyssey.”
CHAPTER FIFTEEN
STELLAR DATE: 05.11.8941 (Adjusted Years)
LOCATION: Family home, eastern shores of Ithaca
REGION: Troy, New Canaan System
Isa was in her closet, trying to decide what to wear for the grand opening of the gallery that evening. She was tense, unable to shake the feeling that the event could make or break her business, even though she knew that probably wasn’t true.
At least she had a large dollop of luck on her side. The worsening political situation on Troy had prompted New Canaan’s governor to pay a visit, and Isa had seized the opportunity offered in both fists and invited Tanis and Joe to her gala.
Tanis had accepted, and Isa’s grand opening had transformed from simply one more business starting up in Heliopolis, into the media event of the year. The governor’s presence would provide an abundance of free publicity. Isa couldn’t have wished for a better coincidence in timing. The only downside was that Tanis’s presence would clearly affiliate Isa and her gallery with the political faction that was against secession, but she didn’t care about that. She was against Troy’s secession. She thought it was a stupid idea, and if that put people off visiting her business, so be it.
She expected reporters from the popular media outlets to show up, but she had limited the press passes to only two. She didn’t want to impose on Tanis by allowing her to be swamped by journalists all evening. The rest of the media representatives could wait outside the venue and maybe catch a glimpse of the governor arriving and leaving.
Isa took out one of her favorite dresses. The shade of deep green complemented her skin and hair, and the dress fit well, narrowing to her waist before flaring out over her hips and then tapering to handkerchief points halfway down her calves. She put on the dress and fastened it at the back. Then she set about fixing her hair. It was a pain in the ass to put it up in a bun, so she rarely bothered, but this occasion called for a classy look.
As she worked, Isa ran through a mental list of the opening’s attendees. Erin and Martin were coming, naturally, and she asked them to invite their colleagues to help make up the numbers. Jude would be there too, though probably not for the entire evening. Much as she loved her son, Isa didn’t want the event ruined by the crying of a tired child. It had been agreed upon that if it all got to be too much for Jude, Martin would take him home.
Isa had also remembered to send an invite to Elora Pennypuddy. It made professional sense to include the other artists in the event. Singh had readily agreed to come, as had the handful of parents Isa had gotten to know at the daycare center Jude attended. She had also told Tanis to feel free to invite any Trojan dignitaries she knew.
Roughly thirty people would be attending the opening, which was a good number for the available space. She hadn’t decided whether the attendees would be able to participate in one of the installations. Four were set up and ready to use, but she would see how the evening went. If everyone began to relax, then a trip on one of her landscape journeys would add to the fun, but if the atmosphere remained sedate and formal, she wouldn’t suggest it.
Isa checked her reflection in a mirror and pulled two strands of hair down from her bun to frame her face. Satisfied that her appearance would pass muster, she tried to find the little suit she’d had specially made for Jude for the occasion. She’d been avoiding dressing him until the last minute so that he didn’t have time to dirty it before they left. The suit seemed to have disappeared, however. She wondered if Martin had taken it and was getting Jude dressed himself.
“There you are,” said Erin, poking her head into the closet.
“You’re home at last. I was worrying you might not make it.”
“I wouldn’t miss this for all New Canaan. I had some things to pick up in Heliopolis on my way home. Hey, I recognize that.” Erin walked up to Isa and gently grasped her shoulders. “That’s what you were wearing the first time we met.”
“That’s right,” Isa replied. “You have a good memory.”
“As if I could forget.” Erin wrapped her in a hug. Releasing her, she said, “But Martin and I have bought something different for you to wear. Come and look.”
Taking Isa’s hand, she led her out to the bedroom and across to the bed, where a flat, rectangular box lay.
“Is it a dress?” asked Isa. “This is so sweet of you guys.”
“Isa, you’ve been working like crazy to get your art business off the ground, as well as looking after our son more than half the time. Of course we got you something. It’s the least we can do to show our appreciation. Go on, open it.”
Isa lifted the lid off the box and unwrapped the tissue paper to find a folded black dress. She took the dress out and held it up.
“Core, Erin, it’s beautiful.”
The material was delicate and reflected the light in a soft sheen. The fabric’s texture felt strange but also vaguely familiar.
“Go and put it on,” Erin urged. “It should fit perfectly. I tried it on myself, since we’re almost the same size.”
Isa returned to the closet and slipped out of her old dress. Erin had been correct: the new dress fit smoothly over her curves. It was a little lower at the front than she was usually comfortable with, but for the occasion, it wasn’t inappropriate. She picked out her black shoes to match.
“I love it,” she said as she returned to the bedroom. “How do I look?”
“Stunning.”
Erin was still wearing her work clothes.
“What are you going to wear?” Isa asked her.
“Darn it. I hadn’t thought about it. I guess I can find something that looks halfway decent.”
“Why don’t you wear the dress I was wearing? Like you said, we’re the same size.”
“Your dress?” Erin looked surprised and more than a little alarmed. “I haven’t worn a dress in…I can’t remember the last time I wore a dress—other than trying that one on, of course.”
“Why not make an exception tonight? You would look great, I’m sure.”
“OK. I’ll do it. Just for you. But there’s something else we have to do first.” Her eyes flicked upward as she spoke on the Link. “Wait here for a minute.”
She walked out of the bedroom, and Isa heard her footsteps going down the stairs. A moment later, more footsteps resounded from the staircase. Heavier and lighter ones than Erin’s. Martin and Jude were coming up to the bedroom.
Martin entered the bedroom first, wearing a suit. Isa’s mouth fell open. She was so used to seeing her husband in old swim shorts and a worn t-shirt, his hair rough with salt water and uncombed, that she almost didn’t recognize him. He looked amazing. But Jude stood next to him, and the little boy outshone his father.
Jude’s suit was identical to Martin’s, only about ten times smaller. What a pair they make.
Jude’s cherubic little face was grinning, as if he knew the deepest secret in the world.
Erin stood behind them both.
“Give Mommy Isa her present, Jude.”
“Another gift?” Isa asked. “You guys are spoiling me.”
“Not any more than you deserve,” Martin said.
Jude ran forward, bringing a box out from behind his bac
k. Isa reached out, and he thrust the box into her hands.
“Open it, Mommy Isa. Open it! It’s so pretty!” He bounced up and down in excitement.
“Don’t spoil the surprise, Jude,” said Martin. “Let her find out for herself.”
Isa undid the small catch and opened the box. When she saw what lay inside, she gasped.
“Sweet stars, this is too much. It’s beautiful, but I can’t accept it.”
Sitting on the red velvet cushion inside was a necklace made of a silvery metal. Five slim chains looped across the front, studded thickly with pearls and opals. They linked together into a single chain that went around the back of the neck.
“This must have cost a fortune. What’s it made of?”
“Rhodium,” Erin replied, “with a little platinum mixed in.”
“Rhodium?” Isa squeaked. “I appreciate the gesture, but I really can’t accept this. I can’t wear it. I’ll be too worried I’ll lose it.”
“Stop being silly,” said Erin. “Turn around and let me put it on you.”
“But—”
“Isa,” Erin said, “if you don’t wear this necklace, all Martin’s work will go to waste. He grew those pearls for you at his site on the Med.”
Isa’s gaze lifted to Martin’s. He nodded. “I seeded the oysters the day after you gave birth to Jude, and I harvested the pearls before we packed up everything to send to Troy.”
Tears sprang to Isa’s eyes.
“And I mined those opals for you from an asteroid,” Erin added.
“You did?” asked Isa.
“No, I didn’t, actually.” Erin chuckled. “I bought them at the jeweler in Heliopolis where I commissioned the necklace. There, it’s on.” She kissed the back of Isa’s neck.
The necklace felt cool and light against Isa’s skin. The jewelry was easily the most expensive thing she’d ever worn. It was probably worth more than all the credit she’d earned in the last decade. She could feel herself choking up.