"How is he going to be in two places at the same time?"
"Let me worry about that."
"All right. Approved. Did you see those combat shots from Traunair?"
Snow Leopard smiled and his pink eyes glowed. "It warned my heart. It was surely unusual, seeing all those combat shots from the perspective of inside Omni battle armor helmets. And all those dead Demons! Wonderful."
"And did you note all the hits were right at the weak spot on the D helmet that we had ID'd for them?"
"Sure did. So this is their way of saying thank you?"
"I believe so,” Tara said. "The D's are still swarming over Traunair, but it appears they are now in retreat. That's what our drones reveal."
"That's great! So now we can hopefully stop worrying about the O's and concentrate on the D's."
"A nice development."
"Now, what about the A's?" Snow Leopard asked.
"I'm forwarding a proposed treaty of alliance to the ConFree Council. It will say that a military attack against ConFree, the Assid Confederation or the Biogen People's Solidarity Accord will be considered an attack on all three nations, and all three nations will respond in unity against the aggressor."
"I normally don't like those kinds of open-ended commitments," Snow Leopard said. "But in this case, I like it fine. We owe them – both. Big-time. And ConFree stands by its friends."
"Treaties are crap," Tara replied. "But ConFree is always deadly serious. Yes, we stand by our friends and we don’t need any piece of paper to remind us of that. We'll respond, treaty or not, if anyone attacks the A's or the Biogens. But the treaty will put the galaxy on notice. Think twice before you do anything stupid. Or you'll regret it. The Biogens and the A's are not galactic superpowers. But ConFree is. They need our friendship. And they've earned it. Also, – Dragon said he'd like to pass our individual A-suit cloaking technology to the Biogens. I approved it."
"Fine. You want to let them in on the IDAG technology, too?"
"I'm still thinking about that. Maybe let them send an observer. But no tech stuff until we decide to do so."
"All right. We'll do that," Snow Leopard said.
"Keep me posted on the chron viewing thing."
"I will do that, Tara. You take care."
"Bless you, Snow Leopard." And she made the Legion cross, before his face.
Δ
"We're being transferred!" I announced excitedly to the others, still clutching the printout that Twister had handed me. Ice and Saka looked up in surprise from the snack table by the picture window in our TDY quarters in Galactic Info Hqs. I was still reading the details.
"So soon?" Ice asked. "Wow! The docs didn't say anything about this."
"Is it back to Galinta?" Saka asked, hopefully.
"No. No. It’s not. It's Pandaravos!"
"Pandaravos! How did that happen? Is Delta back in Pandaravos?" Ice appeared stunned.
"No. No. There's no mention of Delta at all. That's strange. That worries me. Normally transfer orders mention your squad if you're in a squad. This one just says report to Galactic Information at ConFree Embassy Sajadhervana."
"That just means we're going back to the hole!" Saka exclaimed. "They won’t mention Site 888 or Site S in unclassified transfer orders." He was beaming. It meant he'd get to see Lan Hwa again.
"This is wonderful," Ice said. "I'll see Kwan again. I'll see Kwan again!" She got up, stumbled over to the bathroom and emerged holding some tissues to her eyes. "I'll see Kwan again!"
"I'm so happy for both of you," I said. "But I don't get it. Why are they sending us back to the hole if our dreams and visions are so important? And what about Delta? Are they still on Galinta?"
"What did Twister say?"
"She said those are our orders and it will become clear when we arrive at the Sajadhervana starport. She claimed she doesn't know anything about Delta. And I believe her. But these are our official orders and it's for us three. Effective immediately. She's working on finding a flight for us. Pack your bags, folks! No more doctors, no more shotbooks, no more nurse's dirty looks! Goodbye Doctor Well, goodbye Nurse Grim, goodbye Nurse Twit! We're out of here! Happy times are here again!"
Δ
We rode the cosmic highway, into the out and out to the in, punching a hole in the vac, cheating time and space, hoping the Gods of the starry sea were unaware of us, powering our way into our own sparkling wormhole and praying we would emerge intact on the other side. The C.S. Deliverance was our magical chariot. It was a Fleetcom cruiser, chock full of troopers and ordnance, all set to annihilate our enemies. The troops were bound for Pandaravos. Some of them were from the 9th Legion, our own, the Outvac's End, and some were from the 10th Legion, the Black March. I couldn't figure that one out. When they discovered we had been there, they asked us a lot of questions about the planet. We kept our answers general and asked what their mission was. They did not know. They were just troopers. They did what they were told.
We rode one of the many assault shuttles down to the starport, crowded in there with many Legion troopers in camfax fatigues. It was a bumpy ride. Saka had his nose against the simport, taking in every detail of his ancestral world. I could tell he was hyper excited. Ice had one hand on her chest as if she was afraid her heart would pop right out of there. She appeared terrified. I had never seen her that way before. She was trembling.
"What’s wrong, Ice?" I asked, taking one of her hands.
"I'm all ugly," she said. "All these scars. I'm scared! What if he doesn't love me anymore?"
"Stop it, Ice. That's stupid. Just stop it."
We deboarded into a mass of camfaxed humanity. The terminal was swarming with soldiers. The Professor stepped out of the crowd. "Prophet! Over here! Welcome back! Ice, Saka! Great to see you!" he said.
Lan Hwa suddenly appeared and flung herself at Saka, leaping into his arms, whimpering. Kwan appeared too and opened his arms and gathered Ice in like a particularly delicate bouquet of roses, and then held her tightly in a crushing embrace.
"I'm not pretty anymore," Ice gasped. Kwan did not reply. He just held her, and they stood there trembling, and they were both crying. Finally Kwan found his voice.
"You're the most beautiful thing I have ever seen in my life. Will you marry me now?"
I didn't hear the reply but I heard Lan Hwa telling Saka, "The Gods have answered my prayers! I am your slave, for all eternity. Tonight we will visit the temple and thank the Gods. We will mix our blood together and pray to our ancestors and ask for strong brave children to serve the Gods!" They were crying, too.
Δ
The Prof drove us in an aircar out towards the hole, but we did not drive into the forest where the hole was hidden. We bypassed the forest and cruised past a river and along the shore of a deep black lake that glinted like a gem in Algenib's lovely blue sunlight. We approached a sprawling white building complex that was by the lake but surrounded by ancient trees. The complex was apparently brand new and still under construction. Assidic military construction crews were swarming over the place, clad in camfax fatigue trousers and green sleeveless undershirts. We parked in a large lot to one side of the structure. We walked towards an imposing entrance. Bird stood there, opening his arms in welcome. By then I was getting used to these emotional reunions, but it sure was great to see Bird again.
"Welcome to your new home," he said.
The Prof and Bird showed us around the place. It was huge, a great entry hall, several separate but interlocked two-storied building blocs, with wonderful open courtyards in between them. Classrooms, meeting rooms, labs, rooms stacked with boxes of unopened scientific equipment, a big mess hall, a big gleaming kitchen, an auditorium, luxurious residential apartments, a gym with shipping cases full of exercise equipment. And a huge swimming pool! I was impressed.
"This entire installation is for you three – Prophet, Ice and Saka," the Prof said. "The rest of us are just here to help you develop your talents and exploit whatever we can for ConFree. I'
m the installation commander, although I still have responsibilities for the ship and Louie, down in the hole. Oh, I'm an officer now – a captain. And I report to Ambassador Wester. He reports to Galactic Information. This is a Galactic Information project. They originally thought about setting it up on Quaba, but decided it would be better here. Maybe because your mission is so closely tied to Project S."
"Just for us? Wow," I said. "What do you call our project?"
"We don't have a name yet. It's a cosmic secret project, just like 888, but we need an innocuous name for public use. I'll come up with one shortly. For now we can just call it the research center."
"Professor," Kwan asked. "What happens to Lan Hwa and me? We're both still assigned to the hole, and the AC military is going to expect us to show up for work as usual. As you know, we're both planning to get married. I'd like to live with Ice, and Lan Hwa feels the same way about Saka. Is there any chance…"
"We're working on that, Kwan," the Prof said, with a smile. "I am hopeful, and I'll let you both know."
"Bird, they recalled you here from Delta on Galinta?" I asked.
"Right. I had no choice. They needed me here. We're doing wonderful things with the ship."
"What’s happening with Delta? Is everyone all right?"
"Everyone was tenners when I left, but Doggie wasn't happy. He only had four troopers left. He thought they might disperse the squad."
Δ
I was depressed about Delta, but didn’t know what I could do. Ice and Saka and I were amazed that Galactic Info was doing all this just for us. The installation was amazing. We each had our own separate apartment suites. We did what we could to help, opening boxes, planning where we wanted things to go, and looking over proposed schedules for what we would be doing once we got to that stage. They had a whole slew of scientists, doctors and researchers of all types who were to be permanently assigned here, just to do research on us.
"Prophet? Are you free?" It was the Prof, looking in on the library as Saka and I were setting up some d-screens.
"You the boss, Prof," I said. "If you need me, I'm free."
"Could you come with me to the starport? We've got more people coming in."
"Certainly! I'll drive."
Δ
We awaited the newcomers in the terminal building. It was early morning and there were not too many people there. A shuttle had just landed and some people were entering the terminal.
"Who are we looking for?" I asked.
"Some admin types," Prof replied. "We can sort them out later. We're going to be getting a lot of visitors, and I want to greet every new arrival personally."
"That's a good policy," I said. Some Legion types in camfax fatigues wandered in. One of them had a dog. What the hell?
It was Doggie, Scout, Arie, Bees and Smiley! I stood there stunned, my mouth hanging open. Blackie rushed at me, barked, and scratched at me with his front paws. Then he greeted the Prof. I walked over to them like a zombie, grinning like a loon. Bees fell into my arms. Arie pounded me on the shoulder. "How ya doin', man?" Scout and Doggie and Smiley were delighted to see us.
"Where is Ice?" Bees asked me.
"She doesn't know you're here yet," I said. "Let's surprise her."
Δ
Back in the research center, I found Ice and Saka unpacking boxes. "Ice! Saka! Follow me," I said, sternly. "The Prof wants to see you, right now. Move it!" They seemed quite surprised by my harsh tone, but followed silently. I led them into the Prof's spacious office. Doggie, Scout, Bees and Smiley stood there grinning as the Prof sat behind the desk. Blackie barked. Ice shrieked once and seized Bees for a tearful reunion. And all I could think was that the Prof was a miracle worker.
"If the kissing and crying and hearty handshakes are all over, I'd like everyone to follow me," the Prof said. "I've come up with a name for our installation." He led us right out the front entrance and we stood there looking around. He directed our attention to the installation name, which had been carved into the stone above the entranceway: DELTA RESEARCH. Perfect!
Δ
"All right, folks," the Prof said, as we relaxed in airchairs in the lounge, sipping dox. We were all there except Bird, who was busy in the hole. "As you all know by now, Delta Research is a Galactic Info creation, but for public consumption, should it ever become known publicly, it is documented as a subsidiary of Matheson Engineering. Bird has kindly lent us his company as a cover. Our product, once we have a product, will be cosmic secret. So we don't talk about what we are doing here – to anyone. Matheson Engineering does not reveal what kind of research it does, and neither does Galactic Information, so there's no need for you to explain yourself to anybody.
"Now, as I am the installation commander I get to pick my personnel. Since I needed an experienced security element and I knew Squad Delta was about to be disbanded due to transfers and casualties, I took advantage of that and had you folks transferred here. I hope you all approve. Doggie, you are the security element leader. Scout, Nitro and Smiley are your troopers. And Blackie is your attack wolf. Feel free to give them whatever responsibilities you want, after you learn what the mission will be. Bees, you are to be in charge of our medical office. You are also to be in charge of faith and motivation, should anyone prove to be in need of that. Prophet, Ice, Saka, you report directly to me. Bird is not formally in our organization chart, but he is a consultant and available when we need him. That's the core of Delta Research. I'm sure we are going to do wonderful work. Our specialists, doctors and psychers and others are going to be doing whatever they can to nurture and grow your talents.
Δ
Thus began Delta Research. After Galinta, after the House of Horrors, it was a warm and happy dreamtime for us all, a time to celebrate life and laugh at death. We had a double wedding for Saka and Lan Hwa, Kwan and Ice. We held it outdoors, under the trees, and there were hundreds of guests, Assidic and Legion and even Biogen troopers. Saka and Kwan wore traditional Assidic male garb, glittering golden and crimson treesilks, and Lan Hwa wore a traditional Assidic wedding gown, white and gold hothouse silks, and Ice wore a traditional Magna wedding gown, soft white silk and icy silver brocade, fitting for an ice princess. We burnt incense to strange Assidic gods and prayed to Deadman and Bees prayed to God and blessed them and we pelted them with white blossoms and wished them a thousand years of love and life.
Δ
"Prof, do you have a mo?" I asked. He was behind his desk, pondering a d-screen.
"Always for you, dear Prophet. How can I help?"
"Um, I was just wondering. Your daughter. Obviously, I know how she got here. 'Cause I was part of it. But how do you document her? Is she just off the books? Are there any bean counters back in Quaba who are outraged because you have a dependent daughter who's not supposed to be here?"
"Oh, you have to have more faith than that, dear Prophet. You already know how kind and thoughtful Ambassador Wester is. Carol's all documented. She's my dependent."
"But I thought Site S did not authorize accompanied tours."
"Oh, they don't. But that's Site S because it's so highly classified. We're cosmic secret, too, but that's just the product. The actual installation – Delta Research – is not cosmic secret. There's nothing for any spies to see except you three."
"But…you mean Delta Research is an accompanied tour?"
"Yes, I thought it best to do that because of my daughter. And Ambassador Wester approved it."
"An accompanied tour!"
"Yes. Why do you ask?"
"Well, Professor, let's just suppose – as a random example, you understand, that a Legion soldier assigned here has recently married, and wants his wife to accompany him here – would it be possible?"
The Prof stared at me in surprise, then spoke. "I am so sorry, Prophet. I am so sorry."
"You mean, it can't be done?" I was crushed.
"No, I mean – of course it can be done! I mean, I am so sorry I did not think of that myself. I've been so busy. I
t never entered my mind. Of course, you want your wife to come here. And of course, she can! This is an accompanied tour. If your supervisor approves it, it will be done."
"Will you approve it?"
"Of course, I will! I am so sorry, Prophet. I am a thoughtless boor."
"Don't say that, Professor. You are a genius! I'm so happy! But I have one more question."
Δ
I found Arie on one of the lounge balconies, taking a break with a cup of dox, enjoying the view. Of course, I had already briefed him on my marriage to Honeyhair, and filled him in on Blondie and how much she missed him. I knew he was depressed that he was here, and Blondie was there.
"I love this place!" he said, bravely. "What a wonderful assignment!"
"Pack your bags," I said.
"Huh?"
"Pack your bags."
"What for? I just got here."
"Well, you're leaving."
"What? Why?" He looked really alarmed.
"You've got a mission," I said.
"Oh! Wow, you scared me for a mo. What's the mission? Where am I going?"
"Well. Where do you want to go?" I gave him my best stony face.
"Where do I want to go? What is this, Prophet? What do you mean, where do I want to go?"
"You're going on leave. Where do you want to go?"
"On leave? On leave? What does that mean? Did I do something wrong?"
"You didn't answer my question," I said.
"What’s wrong, Rich?"
"You don’t understand the question? It's perfectly clear. Where do you want to go? Let's say you could go anywhere in the galaxy. Where would you want to go?"
"Anywhere in the galaxy. I wish you would quit screwing with me, Rich. All right. Anywhere in the galaxy. Let's see…all right, I'd like to go to Providence, and see Blondie. Where the hell else?"
I handed him an envelope.
"What’s this?"
"One week's leave and a Space-A ticket to Providence. Oh, and the return tickets are for two. Assuming your companion is your wife. Bring her back here, Arie. I'm sending away for Honeyhair. I've just learned Delta Research is an accompanied tour."
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