L'Gem

by Sharon L Reddy

  Chapter Thirty

  The space corps and congressional information offices issued press releases detailing Space Corps base construction plans, recruiting and training programs, educational assistance programs and cooperative exploration and training offers being sent to other worlds' space forces. Earth Space Force Command issued a press release that negotiations for joint development of "exploration training" were underway. Carousel Space Navy Command issued one of joint development of world-seeding technology. Brammiser Cruise Lines issued one on development of passenger "trip ships" designed to reduce cost of travel by allowing people to daytrip to places of employment during journeys. The PGA of Earth issued one recommending daytrip golf to determine if consistent drive or putting problems were partially due to expectation. The Earth World Tennis Association added their recommendation. Worddance Publishing issued one that they were promoting the acquisition office OJT, who yelled for comm connect, as soon as he heard "book." They had three chapters and weren't worried anyone would think it won awards because of its connections. The Association of Broadcast Arts announced award nominations, and noted the six Teal and Gold and three Winter Carnival Recap newscast nominations were by vote of the members over eight preceding days.

  The Liberty Gem Space Corps issued a press release stating the five base golf courses were eleven through sixteen on Nev, Bard and Blade's schedule for the year. Congress issued one that their diplomatic reception area was fourteenth on Case, Stats and Drand's schedule. Nev answered comm. Case put Kail on a split screen.

  "I'm at Drand's."

  "Sorry, Dad, Drand to Case and Stats and them to us was the only way we could think of fast. If we'd done a list of allowed, we'd have forgotten someone and hurt feelings. 'At Drand's' wasn't planned."

  "The physics-to-art' shift was my idea. I got comm duty here when Case yelled, 'just you' while we were diving into the flyer. The, now Commodore, girl who's being Space Corps Information Office, a Lieutenant JG at Earth Space Force Command and an Ensign on Carousel, both ranks probably past tense, assembled the distraction and shift. I hope you like Worddance Publishing as much as Dawn's great-grandmother does. The OJT remembered that odd name from the soon-to-be-released bulletin list. She said they were good and get it done fast and I yelled yes. She got the three chapters you approved last night from Dawn's mom."

  "You also yelled she's agent?"

  "She did volunteer."

  "Who did the schedule?"

  "Joel, Gant and the kids watching the newscast with them at Millen's Tea Shop. My dad, Carler and Dorn volleyed it to them. They knew everyone who wanted in here and the new commodore and congress thought their suggestions and the numbers were great. You've got ten golf courses. Those were counted as one, two or three, and are on one or both schedules, depending on what they want included. Six want year-round. Four of those are in Frostlea, White Lake, Alpinair and Snowdale. Two are space corps bases. Veil Lake wants pro shop etc.. Three space corps bases just want courses. The four the other side of the pass are the kids' idea of how to fill lodges and cabins in other seasons and open some harvest jobs here for forest-agra students. The Growers Association thinks it's a great idea and are helping fund. The lodges plan six-course golf packages from snowmelt to snow fly, and to get the pro tour here at least once a year. The nursery here needs more space in their space and the rest of your schedules are family homes. Some of those count as two or three. Number and count aren't the same. The kids expect to get bonus points in at least one class each for the work they did on it, and Gant and Joel both have dates for the Spring Formal on Nineday."

  "Track tryouts?"

  "Next Twoday. The track coach is working with them a little before then. They asked for help finding what's right for them and the team. Today they figured out it's not sprint, jump or shot. Joel said being told he might be right for high hurdles after thinking, 'Oh-shit-yipe-yipe-oh-shit-yipe-yipe,' was strange. How soon can you come home for happy-tear hugs?"

  "We're about finished with systems checks."

  "You don't want to come home."

  "Backwards, Dad. We want to really come home, not trip home. These ships don't feel homey. Everything in them is too new, I guess."

  "They won't until you sprawl at the kitchen table, with the tea brewer burbling, fall asleep on the couch and wake up there, do laundry, sweep up snack crumbs and all the other things that will make it feel lived in. Right now, the flagship is the homey place for you, and that's tempered by knowing you're not staying, a thirty-day vacation suite. What are you planning, Tarse?"

  "I thought I was sticking with Nev."

  "Not what that look in your eyes."

  "We're planning impossible, Kail, and it has to stay that way, probably for a millennia or two. We're not sure we trust us with it, but we're sure it's going to be needed someday."

  "I trust you with it, Blade. Choose fragrances. Work out in them. Have the comp analyze them and reproduce them for you. Memorize them. If you can do more than one, fine, but start with one you always wear. You must be so sure that's how you smell, you 'wear' it when you trip."

  "Who does?"

  "Brasserd, and his wife noticed it's not quite the same. He doesn't smell how his body changes it. Calm down. He's high psi and the fragrance is part of his identity."

  "You knew we didn't expect it."

  "I spent three hours working out how he could, Bard. The answer is it's him and more probable his perception of himself affects people than changes the air around him. You won't find any psi tests in planetary reference. Try Earth. Comm out."

  "Oh, shit."

  "Yes, Case. We underestimated the power of personal perception. We say 'high psi,' but we don't even try to quantify it."

  "Dad realized no one on this world wants to know. Why?"

  "It was dangerous, Nev. It was a survival trait we needed, but awareness of its strength could have made every high-psi child a potential secret weapon. We were about to build a device without testing the main component, ourselves."

  "Stats says now. Comm out."

  "The ship systems can check themselves."

  "Yes, Nev, they can. Let's set it up."

  "I think we should create our own fragrances."

  "That's an art, Blade."

  "Yes, Bard, it is, but some of that art is making one that won't smell odd on anyone and tens of thousands will like and think, 'That's me.' Let's start with us and build to suit us both physically and psychologically. We don't wear fragrance often. Nev has a wardrobe of them, but he still doesn't, except to go with an occasion. Perhaps we should do more than one each, but let's find out who we are in all ways, then figure out how to say it with a fragrance. Put it in context. You don't need to know how you run to run around the yard, but you do if you're on a track team. You don't need to know how fast you can respond to drive to the store, but you do to drive a racecar. The trip chairs are drive-to-the-store. There are people who could be racecar drivers doing it, but they're just people who can respond fast in drive-to-the-store cars. We're about to get in race cars. We don't have doubts we can drive them well and respond fast enough, but finding out how fast is a real good idea. Training may be a good idea."

  Blade's analogy helped Case and Stats, too. It took them a while to get ready, but by the time they found good "psionic talent" tests, they'd gotten somewhat frustrated and stubborn. The tests came from Verdantine, third-most-distant world from Liberty Gem. Bard thanked the Director of the Talent Research program in the College of Psychology at Helene University and sent the test bank to Liberty Gem planetary and Bressler and BNU reference libraries.

  He sent a message to Alden telling him how far they'd had to hunt for tests that would aid in assessing who had talents that would aid exploration and judgment of planetary suitability. Then he called the director again and suggested she also test people when tripping and see if talent was more or less, to determine if it was inhibited
by expectation. He told her he thought exactly the same was the only result that should not be expected, because people usually over or underestimated abilities a bit.

  "Yes! Thank-you-thank-you-thank-you. You severely underestimate yours, probably in everything but science. I look in your eyes and at your hands and want to hand you a cello and bow. The cello is my favorite, and it's always 'cello' when I think of large hands on strings. You kids already had to accept you have more talents and abilities than is comfortable for anyone. Mentally prepare yourself to accept who you are. You chose to bear that name. Knight is simpler. It only illuminates a part of you. There is far too much mythos involving true name for us to waive it as primitive superstition. Blade, Case and Stats all prefer those nomers because they're closer. Tarse-Nevin doesn't really care. I searched for Tarse I think it may be a corruption of targe, which is a light shield, but that may be me trying to find something that feels better. The Nevins is a river. That isn't bad, either, but I'd love to get him in the class where we spend a good part of the term discovering true names. It's interesting how many 'bunches of sounds' turned out to mean something in one of our many ancient languages."

  "We're going to try to create fragrances for ourselves."

  "That's a wonderful idea, Blade. I'll add it to my who-am-I class program. None of your people have visited us yet. We do plan to visit you. We think the trick with the planet name is hilarious and just what they deserved. Do something to relax before you start, not something to make you alert. We usually schedule them at mid-afternoon-groggy time. We don't say it's because people's expectations are less domineering if they're having to work to keep from blinking. If you're extremely tense, a very small amount of that mild euphoric herbal tea your people use may aid.

  "You know about mopweed?"

  "We study all culturally accepted botanical substances. This program has been part of ongoing psychological research here for eighty-seven years. Your revolution did surprise us, but because we were still trying to figure out why that whole area was so damn boring and you were included in the question. Class time. Do visit. Comm out."

  "Next world?"

  "We'll plot a course with visits to convenient rest stops between, Stats."

  "I'll make some tea."

  "I don't… Yes, Nev."

  "Shield and river, interesting."

  "Yes, Blade, it is."

  "You're going to be fun to find a fragrance for, Stats. You're a very complex person."

  "Yes, Blade, he is, and he's not sure he wants a fragrance that shows it."

  "It shows in his eyes, Case. You two will be less surprised than we will be, I think. You looked more deeply into yourselves when you chose your studs than we did. Kail's right. The ships won't be homey, until Nev's making tea."

  "Let's just go get them after Mandolin. I'd like to go get them now, but were only four days from Mandolin and… eleven back that way is a little silly. Three or four doesn't seem so."

  "Let's go get them on the right course, Stats."

  "Blade agreed with me, Bard."

  "So did Stats, Case. You're the only one excited, not half dreading this."

  "I'm not as too-much-more-already as you guys are. I'd love to find out I have musical or acting talent. I know I have some psi talent because I've gotten 'Yes, that way,' since we started in the physics program. You needed a kick in the rear to keep you from limiting yourself because you could be exactly, and only, what you expect. So could Nev, Blade and Stats. Danny and Ronnie both could, but Ronnie would, will, feel like I do. Dawn will be open to the idea and completely surprised there's anything but tech there. Bance won't be surprised by anything. Jace will be a little and Silky will stumble over and run into things for days. Essa, Elise, Larry, Kendra, Kady and Reesa won't be surprised and Mike and Loren will be shocked. Dandy will be delighted and so will Deely. Kail will look for an excuse to miss the scheduled time. So will my dad."

  "Answer comm. Hello, Jilli."

  "Hi, heroes. Blade?"

  "Case is impatient, so he and Stats are changing the course of our new ships to straight for Mandolin, then we'll go back for them."

  "Absolutely sensible idea. I want to introduce someone to Blade."

  "You found someone special."

  "I'm not sure 'found' is the right word. I've known him since he was born. Four days ago, he yelled I was not leaving this continent without him and showed up at my place with a gym bag stuffed with memories. Clothes and such didn't occur to him. Neither did the importance of secondary graduation. I called his parents and told them he was here. They said they'd been making winter vacation plans since he disappeared, with the holo of me teaching him how to hold a ball, when he was four. He'll be eighteen in twenty-two days. He likes to watch sports, but thinks of a ten-K hike as the way to get produce for dinner. I got him enrolled in forest agra. It hadn't occurred to him to enroll anywhere."

  "Why not?"

  "Family-owned restaurant he's been working in since he could say hello and lead people to empty tables. His mom just had a baby. He suddenly realized the kid they hired loved working there, he didn't and he disliked Blade intensely. My parents decided a playmate a lot closer in age was appropriate. There adopting a baby. Yoohoo, every woman who got a surprise wasn't happy about it. Every clinic on the planet watches for women trying to be happy and matches with couples trying not to be heartbroken it's just a bit too late. Every child is wanted, but some are an impossible dream come true."

  "Blade will understand that well."

  "His understanding is why they were on a clinic's 'dream' list."

  "Jilli!"

  "Hi, Blade."

  "Ow time?"

  "You expected it?"

  "I know how special you are. I admit very selfishly hoping you didn't find someone else special for a while, and severe pangs of jealousy, but I did expect it."

  "This is, literally, the kid next door, Lance."

  "Literally."

  "I'm not as young as I look, quite. I'm old enough to know living without her would be… no sunshine in my life. I've always loved her. It matured as I did. I'm not typical. I've worked since I learned to walk. Dropping everything and coming here is probably the most immature thing I ever did, but you were on the news, again, and I was growling at you, again, and I suddenly realized why. I was on a public transport on my way here before the newscast was over."

  "Four days ago. His mom suggested I put him in secondary here and we get married on his eighteenth birthday. His dad suggested they sign consent and we get married now to avoid court costs for guardianship document filing, for twenty-two days. I suggested we go back and get him some clothes. I did not convince him to stay there. I gave up when my dad helped him pack and my mom sat in the driver's seat of my car until they were done."

  "We're getting married tomorrow. We'd like you to be there, but if you kiss my bride, they'll be scraping me off the walls of the reception room. I'm sure I'd splatter if you hit me for trying to slug you."

  "The jealousy is mutual. Time and place?"

  "Jilli's sending your invitations. She's inviting everyone who ran around with you at Winter Carnival."

  "Keeva will be there!"

  "Ow. We've got it. Thank you. Lance, I think you actually know how special she is. That's a nice surprise."

  "I like you. That's a big surprise."

  "Got to go. Class starts in twenty. See you all tomorrow."

  "Tomorrow. Comm out. He's a damn child! A scrawny kid! And he's taller than I am. He's going to make her very happy."

  "Drink this."

  "There's a lot of mopweed in this."

  "I added more as soon as I saw Jilli."

  "Arguing I don't need assistance untying the knot in my middle would be silly. I love you very much, but the knot is still yelling she's my girlfriend. And he's a damn kid!"

  There were a lot of tests and some required two peopl
e to test one. They nearly stumbled to bed when they thought they were done. When they got up, tests were waiting. They postponed them and went to a wedding. They went back to the tests that evening. They got up and tests were waiting. After lunch, the computer called them for the next session. They had dinner. The computer called them back. They nearly stumbled to bed again in the wee hours of morning. When they got up, they groaned and took tests, and tests, and tests. Fifty-eight hours, eleven minutes after they started, at thirteen thirty-six on Nineday, the computer said physical tests would commence in twenty-four minutes. They giggled through a tea break, went to the gym and started physical tests. They were two hours, four minutes from Mandolin, and needed naps, when the computer said, "All tests complete." Nev called his dad.

  "You started tests?"

  "Yes, Alden asked if he was going to have to activate me and order it. Do they end?"

  "Eventually. They were everything but academic, and a lot was the same thing different ways different times. Did that make sense?"

  "Probably, but I'm not currently a good judge. Larry is awed. Do you know they go back for evaluation?"

  "Yes. She told us a comp could only score, but the people evaluating don't know who, where, or if they're real results. It's part of the program training. Two teams of eight work on them until they develop a consensus every time, then that's checked against a team that's very experienced and they work to develop a consensus. She said it doesn't take as long as it sounds like it would because consensus is 'the usual' and not a struggle. We told her it was the usual on L'Gem too. Oh, they got the reason Liberty Gem and believed it deserved."

  "Next visit?"

  "Yes, with a couple interesting side trips. Get back to your tests."

  "Groan. Comm out."

  "Let's nap. Computer, wake us in one hour, thirty-five minutes."

  "Not the best place in the sleep cycle to awaken, but I'll take it."

  "Me too, Case. We have to pay them for evaluation."

  "Someone else has that duty, Admiral Terschell."

  "Ouch. Yes, Admiral Santiago, they do. I'll probably need more reminders."

  "They needed us gone, and we needed it too."

  "Yes, Blade, they and we do. Summer dress gray, gentlemen. See you in uniform."

  "The order?"

  "Only with formal, Case, and always with formal."

  "Agreed, Bard. It's not a military… order."

  "It's an honor without formal duties, Nev. We'll figure out if it should have some later."

  "Attending the swearing-in of a Prime Minister, Bard."

  "Agreed, Blade, that should be a duty."

  Space Corps colors were pearl gray and pearl white. Pearl gray was three shades and more and less pearl for dress for work. Summer-weight dress gray was a light shimmering, long-sleeve, tightly-fitted double-breasted jacket and pants of the same color with a darker waistband. Officers had a narrow darker stripe down the outside of the right leg. Winter weight were the colors reversed. The shirt worn under was soft, not starched and pale pearl gray, summer-weight almost off-white. Rank symbols were embroidered, not pinned, on the left side of the soft, but erect, split collar and a beret that matched the uniform color. They were always shimmering pearl, even on formal white, though that uniform shirt was a softly draped tunic, with cuffed wide sleeves and long-pointed collar. The jacket was a hip-length vest, which had no closures. The pants were also softly draped white. A sash at the waist and head tie were both tied in prescribed manner on the right. The pants were tucked into soft midcalf-height, fitted pearl boots.

  Soft boots matching the jacket color were part of the dress uniforms too. Work uniform shoes ranged from ship slippers to high-shanked protective exploration boots. The uniforms ranged from shorts and short-sleeve shirts to enviro-suits, but most common was a shipsuit, a bodysuit of soft-stretch, which was rapidly becoming a very popular and broadly licensed material for shipsuits.

  Bard's insignia was a shield outline with a ring of five ships in it. The shield was 'defense.' Nev and Blade's shields had diamonds of four ships in them. Case and Stats' had three in a diagonal line. The number of ships were the same for ranks, but the ship types, as well as the outline, were different. Theirs were fighters. Exploration would have a star outline and exploration ships.

  They didn't know what those would look like yet. They did know what the supply ships that would go in a globe for support looked like. They'd built several. Training would have the same type in the slightly rounded-corner rectangle of a datpad, but those were just for admirals down through commodores. From captain down, a single shape in an outline would be duty-assignment specific and rank denoted by stars beside it. Enlisted insignia were duty-specific with bars.

  Earth Space Force had said the insignia wasn't easily recognized. Alden told them anyone who couldn't tell if someone else had more lines or stars at a glance didn't belong in the space corps. They had a tendency to use first names, and everyone knew who to listen to, or they'd send them home.

  The function of the space corps in their society was very different. It was to keep idiots from attacking them, try to "figure out a way to keep them from proving they're too stupid to survive," if they did, and find something useful to do with all the money they were making. The space corps wasn't needed to provide education or employment, though it would do both as part of its spread-money-around job.

  Bard smiled widely when Blade walked out of his room. He didn't realize the uniforms had been designed to look good on him, but the rest of them did. They looked good on them too, but they were easy. Longer or looser jacket styles would hide Blade's incredible taper and make him look blocky, even overweight. The formal uniform had been just as carefully designed to show his musculature and slim waist.

  Bard knew the hair tie had been designed for Danny, but he appreciated it too. Their space corps didn't specify hair a certain length. They provided 'bands' and caps for various uniforms. Hair below collar length was banded or caught in one of the two cap styles with work uniforms. With dress uniforms, it was brushed back and tied back or 'netted,' if a little too short to look good banded at the collar. The band was the width of the collar and should be even with it when the 'spacer' stood at attention. Bard handed Blade his.

  "You can do this."

  "I know, but standing straight while you do it is much faster."

  "You know the headband with a formal uniform was designed for you?"

  "I was just enumerating things designed for various people. I missed that one."

  "This beret is for Nev."

  "Definitely. The jacket is for you."

  "Oh."

  "Like everything else, it looks good on us all, but I can't think of any other style would look as good on you."

  "I concede. The boots?"

  "Maybe Case."

  "That's a good guess. I can see that. Did you get Stats?"

  "Hmm…"

  "The work uniform vest."

  "Of course. Pockets."

  "Big ones designed to be stuffed. We just haven't worn any of them but the ship suits."

  "Which are very comfortable, and would slide nicely into the covalls."

  "Also with many pockets. The only problem I have with the uniforms is we won't be wearing them."

  "Yes, we will, just not as part of duty. We already grab the ship suits for things. Comm connect Alden."

  "Obviously about to arrive."

  "You're taking tests?"

  "Yes, and hoping you're not just taking a break."

  "They do end. We like these. When and how can we wear them?"

  "Good question. My thought is whenever you wish, but there should be something to denote you're reserve, not currently active duty. Bency has an idea. She's sketching."

  "Do it in mother-of-pearl in something real light and pin or adhese over. My feeling is pin, but I'm not putting it on my collar. Raised like this, it'll be ob
vious there's something over the shield outline. 'Yes, denotes reserve status.' Show off you have them and will be putting them all in, or point them out next stop or whatever."

  "Great idea, Bency, for any rank. We're too close to work on it right now, but we'll send you specs."

  "Thank you, about-to-be-reserve Admiral Loden."

  "We'll try to come up with a way to put them on so they stay there, but come off easy when desired without pinning. Later, Bard."

  "I have an idea. Three minutes!"

  "I hope it's only three. I much prefer he do the landing. He'll remember 'protocol.' I might get busy and forget I'm not just looking for a place to park. Three minutes and I've got a math assignment?! Somebody land us! Comm out."

  Nev landed the ship. He'd run onto the bridge when Blade yelled and had no idea with the others were doing, just they were in the lab. They came onto the bridge, grinning widely, just as he got a landing beam. He heard Stats call Alden from the communications station and say, "Sending specifications," but he was talking to the spaceport traffic control. As soon as they were down, he yelled, "What?!" Bard dropped two shield outlines in his hand.

  "Put them over shield insignia to denote reserve and wear uniforms when we feel like it."

  "Nice little storage dome. They won't come off until you run a swab with alcohol around them. Shortest math assignment he's given me. Short ones it took me a long time to do don't count."

  "Answer comm. Hello, Dr. Smith."

  "You're going to hate me, Nev. You have to take them over."

  "What?!"

  "Everyone who went out to play all night, in their day, in the middle does. Both teams yelled they had a 'double-polarity reversal.' Since we'd never heard of even a single, it was significant. They saw you change day and night and reorient. We're building a new bank for you."

  "My little sister is due soon."

  "Your mother is sure you won't be interrupted. I called to see how many we had there first."

  "We have things to do here… She's going to be early, or late."

  "Calm down, Nev. Doctor, we need to talk to these people. Send them when they're ready."

  "Yes, Admiral Bladesly. Gorgeous uniforms. Comm out."

  "Comm connect Liberty Gem, Teal Valley, TV General Health Clinic, Maternity Ward, identify."

  "Hello, Admiral. Gorgeous uniforms."

  "The unanimous opinion, Dr. Greller. I called you, not Kail or Lillen's family, to get a transpatial node there. They would be way too much assistance. We have three days of tests, at least two days of being polite here, and Nev's mother is sure we'll be there and not interrupted. Nev's saying, 'early or late,' and I'm thinking, 'middle of the night.' If there's a node there, we know we can get there on time, even if we have to finish a test session or run for the ship. We'll get Kail and Lillen and down there and reduce the downhill race some too. Many of her family will be at our place, beds for seventeen."

  "Fantastic idea. I'll try for comm code magic teal baby basket. Basket should make it unique enough. If not, I'll call."

  "Thank you. Comm out. Comm spaceport TC. Hello, please apologize for our tardiness. We're doing comm call assurance we're present when Admiral Terschell's sister is born, in the next few days. We won't be much longer."

  "We'll let them know, Admiral Bladesly."

  "Thank you. Comm out. Comm connect Carler."

  "Hello, Blade."

  "We have to take that long test bank again."

  "So Drand complained, to everyone."

  "I understand perfectly. Lillen is sure we won't be interrupted. Nev panicked, but experience indicates middle of the night is more probable than early or late. I arranged a comm node at the clinic. If Kail aids others to do the test bank in the neighborhood, and he and Lillen stay there, and people borrow the beds at our house, the night race down the hill will have fewer participants, and reduce the stress level of many."

  "Excellent suggestion. Our house and theirs are developing floor-space reservation lists. We'll overrun the Terschells' new homes. They'll love it, and Chiefs Walkinson and Dennon will sleep better."

  "Thank you. We have a planetary president staring at the hatch, with many cams focused on him. Must go."

  "I'm watching. You're right, but they just announced why it's not open yet. Nev, thank you. Thank you all. We love you. Comm out."

  "Feel better?"

  "Yes, while sleeping didn't occur to me."

  "I love you."

  "I love you too, Bard."

  "I love you two three?"

  "Let's go tell people they're welcome and we like them too."

  "After you, Admiral Loden."

  "I thought I got to go out last, Case."

  "Do you want us to form an honor guard?"

  "Follow me, boys."