L'Gem

  Chapter Twenty-four

  Everyone's skiing got better, even Bance, Jace and Silky improved. The ski pro at the lodge wasn't unhappy. Dandy had worked with her a bit on teaching technique and her students improved.

  Dandy had seen the Tellerlock Team Method among the former OJT's. He brought it up during a pre-Carnival interview by a sports broadcast network and said he was "astounded." The interviewer was delighted with the way he defined the difference between instruction and coaching, then the difference between personal and team coaching. Dale Leitmueller called Kail right after the interview was over.

  "Every coach and coaching instructor on the planet may use a vid of that interview. Putting that boy up there in that cabin was pure genius."

  "Putting him up there was he showed up with everything he owned New Year Eve, after color-clash abrupt departure from his previous place of employment. He wasn't the coach, but they preferred people not ask why not. He moved a young about-to-be daddy into his job and house, and happy U said thanks. We were sure he'd make good use of the cabin's proximity to the ski slopes. We've been giggling since he got there, and we've got a programmer who knows university departmental needs to help get set up too."

  "Something really likes BNU. My contract ends in two days, but I'll be on my way in about two hours. The after-season coach shuffle is surprising sportscasters, who were sure they knew who would go where."

  "And have been talking about what the coaches they were sure were going to go there would change. That's why several hold-outs suddenly announced retirement?"

  "It may be why they decided to retire. There weren't any real surprises and nobody moved up. Someone should have grabbed two of my assistant coaches as head coaches, when their contracts expired, several times. There are whispers of 'professional league' in the air."

  "No one was going to consider it under the oligarchy and IS."

  "No, they weren't. I don't want to coach professional, but I think there should be a league. They may ask me to help write the rules, and watch they aren't broken."

  "You think it will happen before next season?"

  "No, I think they'll push the idea during the season and try for a somewhat different play season, beginning later, so U playoffs are occurring as pro season begins to get hot, not so you're picking one or the other to follow. I don't think any of the other big team sports are ready for a pro league yet, and I don't think pro play in this one will hurt their support."

  "We'll do a sabbatical or something to give you the opportunity to assure a pro league has strong standards of sportsmanship and ethical conduct, Dale. We need you to build the team, but we want the best building a pro league too. We'll figure out some way to fit them together, and use it to non-obviously promote BNU sports."

  "Thanks. Any idea what we're getting?"

  "About twelve years of the finest athletes in a sports-playing population of a quarter-million, most first term students, plus a number of varsity-level second through fourth term transfers. Kids from here, who did attend universities, didn't play sports at them. They didn't want attention turned here. They got their pracs, or degrees if required, as fast as possible, with as little fanfare as possible, and came home. Most of those commuted to Mountain City, or Vairdslea, from here. Most just didn't go. You're getting a large number of young men and women who look like they work out with Larry and state it's just from 'working around the place and tossing a ball around with friends,' and they'll get into real shape and practice before they try out for teams. They plan to walk over every other U team on the planet, and don't doubt they can with the coaches we got them. And the Planetary Intercollegiate Sports Association wants to put us in A-two."

  "What?!"

  "Yesterday's communication said BNU should start there as a new school and work our way up to double-A. I messaged back our enrollment would exceed double-A cut off, and they'd rework their damn four-A schedule, or we'd just tell the sports networks it was because they wanted several years of broadcast rights payments before we smeared them all over the fields, courts, courses and slopes, and prove it every eighty-to-nothing game. They may try to negotiate for three-A."

  "Four-A is the only way we can hold pre-opening team formation practice, under the precedent set sixty-seven years ago in the Amber Coast University campus split."

  "Also a reason they don't want us to have four-A. We've got a lot of intend-to-be athletes who aren't doing much this time of year, and they'll be too busy for more than standard length preseason practice."

  "How's enrollment doing on supporting the four-A claim?"

  "Well over minimum in preenrollment, which they're saying isn't the same as enrollment. They pointed to our student housing as indicative of low actual enrollment expectations. That was an error."

  "It was?"

  "The town rezoned a large chunk of land group-residential, a new category. A developer association hired Lambert and Morelli, for one crystal, to design a scholarship and housing association development. The developer association then purchased land rezoned multi-residential, the other side of the north belt road, and Lambert and Morelli are designing a development of two-bedroom six-plexes, for one crystal. That happened between nineteen fifteen and nineteen thirty last night. They hired Tellerlock Construction, and all three hundred thirty-two working on the campus, to do the projects at seven thirty-two this morning. As of fourteen thirty, they still hadn't figured out who to give back how much of the excess needed to pay for it all. Tatton figures it'll take them about eighteen workdays total to do both projects."

  "How… so fast, everything?"

  "No configurable interiors, no specialized equipment installation, no heavy structural support, no oversize shipping required, no seam bonding, no colorbonding. The PISA made the BNU fans mad and they decided to West Side them."

  "West Side?"

  "When a community organizes, gets to work and gets done so fast it makes mouths drop open, it's a West Side. This one is going to be great fun. No two buildings will be alike, all will have 'charm and character appropriate to their northside location,' and all will be zapped into existence around everything from the ground up. Appliances, fixtures, computers and carpets will wear out, but nothing else will ever need maintenance. Even hinges and handles will be wear-proof."

  "They don't want them to come apart and reassemble in other patterns like sections of the dorms do?"

  "No, there will be enough different styles and room groupings for students to choose what suits them. Our changeable-furniture supplier has already been notified there will be more orders coming, but some places won't be furnished and some will have furniture that doesn't raise, stack, connect and others. They won't all be the same price, but they aren't being built to make a profit and only students will be able to get a room or six-plex unit. Houses, condos and apts will still be the choice of many, but they just poked a big hole in the rezoning argument of a couple big development corps that wanted to put complexes on the east side."

  "The east side?"

  "High rent condo complexes for all those well-paid working people, and summer people, the students will displace."

  "Grr, I'm not even there yet and I'm developing a regionalist attitude. It's a new experience."

  "I'm not sure that it's not contagious. We've got about three hundred who don't plan to stay who have it. When and where to transfer containers from flyer to transport?"

  "Razhel will be there and I don't have enough left to get cold before it's transferred. I think we'll go home, but she mentioned getting to the opening ceremony early three times, when I talked to her this morning."

  "It'll be nice to have you here."

  "I'm singing as I'm packing. See you at the ceremony. Comm out. Comm connect Willet Barldale, Silvertown."

  "Hello, Dale. What did they say?"

  "Coaches don't usually get 'a sabbatical or something.' PISA is trying to keep BNU out of four-A. If they do, next season
is going to be such a farce it'll take years to rebuild network interest."

  "It's a new U."

  "Lett, PISA is beginning to irritate the BNU fans. We said we belong in four-A. Anyone who ignores what we tell them will be shown they're fools."

  "Dale?"

  "I'm going home, to my dream U, my dream team and our dream home town. Tomorrow, Winter Carnival starts just over the pass, and my wife and I will be there in our teal and gold, cheering for our ski coach, like tens of thousands of other BNU fans. PISA is irritating us. We're going to West Side them. Comm out. Comm connect Kail."

  "Hi, Dale. Need?"

  "Tens of thousands in teal and gold, with lots of 'going to try for this team' groups sort of getting acquainted here and there, over twelve days, anywhere Dandy Doll is about to ski. The other coaches are a 'fan contingent.' West Side them. I just realized something."

  "It is?"

  "When it's time for BNU to get a different head coach, I'll help pick and apply for a job at the bank."

  "I understand completely. We've got an assistant coach who plans to show a cross-country race is a race, too."

  "I'll be cheering."

  "So will tens of thousands of others in teal and gold. Come on home."

  "Pack is about to be pitch and sort later. Comm out."

  Kail called Dorn, Andrea and Nev. Dorn and Andrea started on lists. Nev called Tarn. Bance was on live feed. As soon as he was off, Nev checked to make sure they'd heard the coach wanted to "West Side them." Silky said they'd heard and Bance was calling his dad.

  The various paraphernalia suppliers didn't know what was happening, but they knew something was. The president of a small company that had sent a sample to a ski shop called her mother and yelled for help. Her "teal and gold frame eyewear in four styles" had obviously been a great idea. Every store in the region seemed to be ordering "Rush, rush, rush!"

  No one else backordered either. They all knew Winter Carnival was about to begin and anything not there fast wouldn't be needed. Most had some stock. It went out immediately. In the early morning, much more was arriving in haulers that had delivery routes. A great deal of material had been dyed and garment fabricators were fast. So were people using them. Hauler drivers reported stores were open and full of people waiting at every stop, beginning about five.

  Most people in Teal Valley already had something appropriate to wear. It might be only a cap over a 'real hat,' but it was appropriate. There were a great many who had teal and gold winter hats, scarves, ear warmers and gloves, and nearly everyone had a pennon. City transports, growers' transports, and rented transports filled early, and joined the thousands of cars going over the pass.

  Everyone knew BNU had a huge tent in every town, where they could get warm, get hot tea, use flash-pot toilets, and buy things like therm cups and eye protectors. The big tents that had been set up late the afternoon before weren't the only ones flying BNU pennons. Every refreshment booth, restaurant, store and most ski cabins had pennons on them.

  By opening ceremony, held in all four towns at ten, the "tens of thousands" the coach had requested were "a sea of teal and gold" in the stands and the gallery areas of the slopes. West Side had turned out in force in Frostlea and had a huge teal and gold banner that said, "West Side for BNU; Magic Teal! Magic Swords! Go!"

  Dandy was in the opening run in Frostlea. He wasn't the only one with BNU pennons, but he was the only one with one on each shoulder and one in each hand, and in the teal with broad gold diagonal stripes uniform of the BNU downhill team. He wasn't carrying poles. It wasn't a race, just a nice show of skiers going back and forth across the slopes. He intended to be real easy to see. He succeeded. The crowd spotted him at the very top.

  China, in Snowvale, in the teal with wide gold V of the cross-country team, was also spotted by the crowd at the top. Two team "hopefuls" in ski-fan white with teal and gold bands were noticed in White Peak and Alpinair.

  Someone in every 'sea of teal' yelled, "We are Teal Magic!" and the response was 'thunder.' Bance was beside Kail at the bottom of the slope.

  "That was amazing, but not really surprising."

  "Not to us, Bance. This is the first time the BNU fans have been able to show their colors, and they're assuring everyone sees them. People in other regions don't understand when we say, 'fans.' The university is still being built, and hasn't even started classes."

  "How can the teams have supporters?"

  "That's the question they all ask. The university, and every team, is a dream coming true. Hundreds of fine athletes from this region are preparing to start university classes and play on teams. They didn't leave here to play on U teams after secondary. Even if they left to attend a university, they didn't play sports. Especially the last fifteen years, they were very careful not to turn attention this way."

  "We all grew up knowing that, Chancellor. This is a sport-loving region, but after secondary, we played in parks. The Planetary Intercollegiate Sports Association isn't listening to BNU?"

  "No, they're not. BNU will be a four-A-sports-level university when it opens. We won't be the biggest by a very long way, but our pre-enrollment is well over minimum, our coaching staff is superb, our fan support is incredible, and our teams will be four-A-level. It's unfair to force smaller universities to play us, and us to play them. Four-A universities have some chance against us. Not a great deal, but at least they'll give us a good game."

  "People will think you're overconfident, Chancellor."

  "Bance, secondary schools in this region still aren't planning to compete outside it. Why not?"

  "We'd kill them, and that's not nice."

  "Precisely."

  "Bance Neardon, Channel Forty-eight, reporting from the Frostlea opening ceremony of the Winter Carnival. Kail, a couple of the network boys say some of the four-A U's don't want BNU in the level because they need the broadcast rights money, and they know BNU would pull it."

  "They wouldn't need it so badly, if they didn't spend so much recruiting athletes to get it. Our stated policy of not recruiting is probably also irksome."

  "No doubt. Hi, Blade. You're still running around without a companion. That isn't safe."

  "Not safe?"

  "They're all going to realize you don't have one 'over there somewhere' soon, and you'll be mobbed."

  "Thank you. You look good in your fan ski suit too. Look for Knight's head above the crowd for me, please."

  "That way, obviously looking for you."

  "I will definitely wait for him here. This is a tall, dense crowd."

  "I've boosted several people to look over, Blade."

  "Thank you, Jace, for not mentioning they were all women."

  "Blade!"

  "Knight, I would like a stepladder I can fold and put in a pocket. They would sell very well in this crowd."

  "No doubt. We had scouting parties looking for you and now we're looking for some of them. Blade, get on my shoulders. I'm not tall enough for them to see."

  "For you, that is a new experience. Don't worry about the ladder. This is perfect."

  "Love you too. Deely has a tall friend with her. There!"

  "Uh, huh. Who is that woman, Knight?"

  "Jilli Farrigan, assistant hoops coach. Two meters two of fast-moving, fast-thinking hoops champ, and a math professor."

  "Math?!"

  "This is her first trip here, Blade. She came in from Crosston U on Peridot at four twenty. The first question she asked was who did the 'pure math' for the money design. The second was if we could find a fan jacket for her."

  "You obviously had a ski suit waiting, Kail."

  "For every coach coming in, Blade."

  "That was a good idea!"

  "I certainly thought so, Deely. Hello, I'm Blade. I'd get down to meet you, but there are several other not-tall people using me as a guidepost, which is a great excuse for not admitting I'm so short I got lost and they're all reli
eved to see me."

  "Only crowd I've been in I needed to jump to look over since I was twelve, Blade. The math is gorgeous!"

  "It was also fun."

  "Finally! I could see, but we couldn't get through. Keeva yelled she's a professor and she'll flunk them if they don't notice her in class, and laughter parted the crowd before us. We were sure you'd find us, Blade, and looked anyway."

  "Love you too, Nev. Bance, Ronnie and Essa just gained the assistance of a young man Larry's size and shape, getting through the crowd. Dandy and Danny are having no difficulty. Everyone steps back to admire. Case and Stats are close. Elise is having no difficulty, either. Kady, Reesa and Day are escorting. Who else was looking for my little body, Knight?"

  "Drand and Dawn."

  "Found them. I also found the coach contingent. The entire group is moving this way. They're having no difficulty, either."

  When Lillen also arrived at the mobile unit, because she knew it had a toilet closet, Bance called the facilities manager. He told him the pregnant women were going to spend Carnival going back and forth or standing in line. He yelled, "I'm stupid!" Coaches were still meeting hope-to-be team members around the mobile unit, when six people ran out of the lodge and cleared an area for a flyer drop.

  Two big flyers appeared in the distance and one dropped altitude and speed, passed between the lodge and the ski cabin viewroom, then four men pushed a big bundle out the cargo hatch. The six people were opening it before the flyer had regained altitude. The crowd cheered when the people ran in several directions with flash pots, heat units and pastel bundles.

  In moments, little pastel tents were being set up, a heater and two flash pots going in each. A woman ran from the lodge to the closest and people waited to see what she was stenciling on the door. When she left, the waiting people laughed and cheered. It was an obviously pregnant stick figure. The facilities manager and two others carried a stack of folding partitions out of the lodge and Bance 'caught him' at a tent. He used the opportunity to thank the Azure Bay events supply company that had "come up with something" and gotten it to them that fast.

  Deely and Blade were walking between Knight and Jilli toward the ski cabin. Deely nudged Blade. She put her thumbs side-by-side, then extended her forefingers. Blade burst into laughter. Both Knight and Jilli looked down. Deely put on a look of total innocence and Blade sat down to laugh. Knight and Jilli looked at each other, over Deely and him. Jilli noted "being above it all does have drawbacks." Blade tipped over and rolled with laughter, in the snow.

  Keeva said, "No, Blade, like this," dropped, made a snow angel and sprang up. Nev fell on Blade. Deely told her "professor is pretty ingrained." When Case, with the Chief Campus Maintenance Engineer, Roma, Stats with Evva, molecular physics professor, and Danny and Dandy caught up, Deely and Keeva were the only ones on their feet.

  "Is this a frequent occurrence?"

  "Not recently, Dandy, and we have been worried."

  "I want to stay here and smile, but I need to soak in the spa, eat, meditate and loosen up well before the short slalom."

  "I know the food you need."

  "I'll show you to the kitchen, Jilli."

  "I'll be twelve in the spa. Comm connect China. Checking on your prep. I'm headed for spa and Jilli, hoops coach, is being led to the well-stocked kitchen. Be back. Comm out. Comm connect Larry. Find China a stretch partner before and after a short soak. She's 'excited tense.' Perfect. Thanks. Comm out. Comm connect China. A secondary gymnast is coming to help you stretch. Do standard eight before and after a six-minute hot soak. Don't go over. It's just to aid the stretch. I learned it from a dancer who got excited-tense four hours before. Comm out. Comm connect Clint. How you doing? Who have you got? Fantastic. Headed for spa with a hoops coach in the kitchen. She's next. Comm out. Comm connect Libra. Hi, Clint said he's got your usual champ-sitter. Who have you got? Good. Anyone else you know I should check. Comm out. Comm connect Snow Snark. Hi, Libra said you might not have a champ-sitter. Where? Bring them all here. We'll get them spread. Brandon, we have food. Get over here. Comm out. Damn!"

  "What's wrong?"

  "Nine hopefuls, all going to ski sometime today or tonight, Knight. All in a transport they're using as 'base.' One planned to drive to drop skiers off, get back here for his event, pick them up… They were about to look for a food booth without a long line. I know that's how it's done for fun, but I got possessive. They're my skiers, even if there's not a team yet. Comm connect Kail. Hi, I just ordered nine, who intend to be on the ski team, out of the transport that's evidently their temporary get-everybody-to-event home. Yeah, why we only found Clint and Libra. She gave me the comm code. Feed them first. Knight, how many cars do you have here?"

  "Six ours, eighteen we can yell for."

  "Move is not a problem. Coach overwhelmed competitor between the door and the spa. I'm sure Jilli got help in the kitchen when I added nine, I hope. I'm caught between wanting to watch over and not mess up their fun plans. Good idea. Thanks. Comm out. He said have Nev remind me it's 'half show, half competition, and they're not in training at frequent intervals.' Him, because the rest would forget."

  "Probably. You in the spa. My reminder, have fun showing off. Don't get 'intense.' You'll do well. You don't need to win. Everyone out there in teal and gold knows why the BNU picked you. The people you 'just helped out' are their friends and neighbors. You're not in training either. Danny will remind you."

  "Knight, every time I look at her I remember I'm not in training."

  They had fourteen before they got lunch done. China's gymnast stretch partner knew where two girls were. One was her second-cousin. They knew where two girls and a boy were. All but the two 'hometown kids' invited to ski in the opening were in Frostlea. They knew there were some others, but they were older, probably had cabins and might be only skiing for fun, not competing.

  Blade made a comm call and the kids, between eighteen and twenty-three, whooped when he told them they had "dome parking by facilities, including party tents." All the kids had planned to go home and return several times. That didn't change, but use of a spa, good meals, more transportation and "a little work with a coach" were added and they didn't mind, at all. All were given teal and gold patches that said, "I intend to make the ski team," and the few who didn't have them were given BNU fan ski suits, on which to put them.

  As the skiers were getting ready for the short slalom, Kail told Bance, and all the Channel Forty-eight viewers there would be I-intend-to-make patches for every team in the BNU refreshment tents and available on request from the registrar's office. They were fan-donated, free, and BNU would keep no records of who requested them, just check for preenrollment.

  Kail ran for his seat. Bance reminded the patches were for all teams, not just sports, and mentioned debate and chess as other team examples. Jace panned from Kail running to the top of the slalom course.

  Dandy Doll was sixth in the lineup, not the best position for snow quality on the course, but not bad. One of 'his team' skiers was fourth. Dandy watched and noted what they'd work on, and smiled widely when Lanly posted an excellent time for the first run of three, then it was his turn. He yelled, "We are Teal Magic!" as he got in position, then burst onto the course, as the reply rang out. The cheer was perfect accompaniment for his run.

  He knew it was fast and clean, and there were lots of BNU fans present, but he didn't expect the wild cheering as he drove for the finish line, and it didn't stop. He turned and looked at his time. It was the fastest he'd never done it, and 'shattered' the event single run record. He shouted, "We are Teal Magic!" then fell over.

  Case and Stats stepped over the ropes, picked him up and handed him to Knight and Nev. He was laughing too hard climb over and skis made crawling under difficult. Blade removed them during the hand-off. Danny said, "Thanks," and gave Dandy a kiss. Bance and Jace got that and the next s
kier yelling he hoped he'd made tracks.

  Both I-intend skiers in the event requested their coaching session, while the course was being groomed for the second run. Dandy laughed" and told them to yell, "We are Teal Magic." There wasn't time for them to work on technique, and even hints could slow them until they were practiced.

  After the second run, Dandy and his skiers were all laughing. The 'coaching' had helped. Both had faster times the second run. Dandy's was very close to his first run. All three posted their fastest the third, and took first, second and third place. In the other venues, 'their' skiers were yelling and doing well in events, and more skiers had requested patches.

  China was very happy. She'd found three cross-country skiers. By the end of the last event of the day, I-intend BNU skiers had won all but three of the day's events, and their coaches had won two of those. The other winning skier was Frostlea's ski instructor, and she'd worn a BNU fan cap for her event.

  Winter Carnival wasn't a world-rated competition. The events were part of the fun. They were mixed in with shows by ski and skate clubs and classes, open skiing, and parties and nightlife. None started early or ended late. Morning and night skiing and skating were for everyone. So were club shows and dancing, if you could get in. If you couldn't, you could find a party. There was one at every bar, most ski cabins, many houses, and in at least one big tent in every town, opening night. It was Nineday, biggest party night of the tenday all over the world. That night, there were Winter Carnival parties in homes all over the northwest region of Citrine, as well. "Dandy Doll," "China Blaze" and the "future BNU ski team" had made it a night to celebrate.

  When 'the neighborhood' met at the Frostlea Lodge lounge, Larry described the look on China's face when she heard "China Blaze" the first time. Roma bowed to applause. She'd come up with "the natural," when Bance asked for suggestions, just before they left to cover her race in Snowdale. She was attending a party, in her honor, in a big tent there.

  Early in the morning, as the BNU tents were being stocked for the day, a group from one of the elders' clubs arrived at each one. Each group had two sewing machines and a transport full of blankets and little heaters. The volunteers in the tents quickly gave them places to sew on I-intend patches and make heated "foot pockets" in the blankets they'd dyed BNU teal. They also gave them a container full of BNU fan patches.

  The elders wouldn't charge for sewing on I-intend patches. The "foot pocket lap blankets" were their scholarship fundraising project. There was a girl in her second year of secondary in White Peak, who wanted to be a geriatrician. They wanted to pay for her education. Bance, Jace and Kail got there as 'kids' from the Frostlea campus-construction-team tent were carrying loads of blankets to it.

  "This is a great idea."

  "This is a my-feet-get-cold idea, Chancellor."

  "It's not from being outdoors in winter. We prepare for that better than for sitting on the porch on a cool evening, but yesterday we noticed younger people wrapping scarves around their feet."

  "My wife borrowed heater socks from her mother after the opening ceremony. Her mother never turned hers on."

  "It's quite individual, Kail, and if it was actually a circulation problem, physicians would do something about it. Some of us just slow down more when we're sitting awhile. Going in the house to put on heater socks to watch a sunset isn't convenient. Neither is going to the car. I'll keep my foot-pocket blanket by the door, so I can just grab it, whether to watch the sunset, a BNU game or my favorite drama series in the living room."

  "Or go to the elders' club. My feet sometimes get cold when I'm playing bridge."

  "You're selling them to raise scholarship funds for Telia Frensterbach."

  "Our government would assure she gets the education she wants, Bance, but we want to help. We're going to need her by the time she's finished, even if another geriatric specialist begins practice here before then."

  "Our elder population is growing. People who have come to this region every summer for years, are making it their home and going south in winter."

  "We think that's going to increase, not decrease, now. Spring and autumn sports at BNU are going to add to the year-round attraction of the region."

  "We've got a patch! Jon's going to wrestle for BNU!"

  "Zip, zip, pin! PISA is definitely irritating us. We can't buy season tickets until there's a schedule!"

  "And we'll be furious if they put our kids in the position of breaking smaller school teams' hearts."

  The special election was in the middle of Winter Carnival. As soon as it was official, the region's representative delivered the minting machine. Three grad students assembled it and taught them how to use it; enter number of denomination desired, fill hoppers with specified materials, push pad. It would tell them when hoppers needed filling and wouldn't mint with the wrong materials.

  The Treasury Minister pushed the pad to begin minting Liberty Gem crystal and facet coins at nine Lodestar time, the day after the election. At fourteen twenty-two, the Great Seal of Liberty Gem was delivered to congress. By sixteen the next day, the planetary emblem had been changed on every government vehicle and document and new money was being delivered to banks. That night, service techs began changing vends.

  The northwest region of Citrine switched money the tenth day of Winter Carnival, on Eightday. That evening, as they were preparing to have a party, Kail slammed in the cabin door.

  "PISA tabled it and recessed for two tendays!"

  "What?!"

  "They didn't even talk about it, Dandy."

  "We scared them and they ran. Who the hell are these people?"

  "Everybody from retired coaches to alumni fans, Blade. The board is elected out of the membership. Their job is monitor and promote intercollegiate sport, and we are a threat to the system. Broadcast networks have sports coverage budgets determined by subscriber share. BNU is a sudden big attraction that's going to throw the expected U shares up in the air for grabs, if it's in four-A."

  "Kail, they're acting like nothing changed. The education funds will assure every kid can go to school. They don't have to hoard every 'credit' to assure they have money to support programs and provide scholarships for athletes. Fans have more money to support their favorite teams, but the only U that seems to realize anything changed is Bressler."

  "Blade's right. They're trying to maintain a system that was built to support U level sport, despite lack of gov assistance and with a great deal of interference. We know why broadcast networks aren't offering the money the gov's not taking. The pro league will cause a bid war. The U's… Rigor mortis?"

  "That may be a good description, Jilli. Cabin comp, comm connect Teal Valley, Delton Hammison."

  "What's wrong, Bance?"

  "The networks are putting money in savings accounts for a bid war, if a pro league forms. U's are acting like sports programs will die if another U gets broadcast rights money. PISA tabled BNU and ran for twenty days. If they put BNU in a small school level, it'll make the season ridiculous, and maybe kill interest in a pro league. I'm looking for a link between rigor mortis in U budget planning and PISA stupidity, and it may be fear of a pro league taking the money they still seem to think they have to have to fund sports programs and athlete scholarships. That party you're going to may be a place to look in some heads and see what they're seeing."

  "It may be. I saw a couple enrollment estimates. They're way too low. The U's seem to think everyone below middle income is going to go to trade school."

  "They haven't started pre-enrollment."

  "No, they haven't. Thanks, Bance. I'm going to enjoy this. I haven't gotten to hunt down the links in a while."

  "Have fun. Comm out."

  "That didn't occur to me, Bance."

  "Twenty days is too nervous, Kail. I remembered who they are too. There's no fee for pre-enrollment. They may believe those figures are bunches of excited people filling out the form, w
ho'll change their minds when it's time to pay up and commit to 'go away' to school for years. BNU is in a small town and the nearest city has a U. It can't be a commuter university because there aren't two hundred thousand people in a thirty K radius. People in their late twenties and up have jobs and mortgages."

  "Why can we see there are millions who dream of learning who will seize the opportunity and they can't."

  "They don't know any of them, Danny."

  "They're also sure people with low income are going to pick fast and easy ways to raise it, because university classes would be too much work for them."

  "I want to deny that, Blade, but I can't. Comm connect Larry."

  Larry agreed with Bance and Blade as soon as he heard, "recess." Kail called the chair of the Board of Regents. She listened to their theory and added a few things she'd observed that didn't "add up." She said people with enough money they didn't need university degrees had "a better understanding of the desire to learn for the joy of learning," than people who'd gone to universities with the goal of getting good jobs, and it felt a bit odd to realize it. Kail agreed. She told him the board was "getting used to holding impromptu meetings" and disconnected.

  Seven minutes later she called Kail. She told him to open enrollment, and they'd have it open there by noon Oneday. Danny and Dandy both got on comps. She updated the infonet site. He checked everything was ready, then started the program to send class schedules and enrollment and financial aid packages to all pre-enrolled students. Bance interviewed Kail.

  "The Bressler Board of Regents decided flooding the education funding program office next summer would make it difficult for the office, the students and the universities to get everything done for the start of the term. Our pre-enrollment figures indicate most universities are greatly underestimating the number of people, who are going to seize the opportunity to obtain a university education."

  "They've got jobs. Why invest four years?"

  "Or choose a four-year course of study, when a term at a trade school would raise their income. Bressler isn't career-oriented. They're more aware how many choose university study for the joy of learning, not getting a good job. Our pre-enrollment is primarily upper twenties through forties. We have almost as many in their sixties as eighteen to twenty-seven. We have many in their seventies and some older, including several in their nineties."

  "People who didn't have the opportunity before."

  "People to whom higher education has been a dream they believed they would never make come true."

  "What about house payments and such?"

  "That's covered by financial aid."

  "It is?"

  "It is if you're commuting. If you aren't, there are other supplementary programs. Frankly, most people who have been buying homes somewhere probably plan to move after university. If you sell a house with intent to relocate after obtaining a prac or degree, the sale price is excluded from financial aid computation, if you put it in an account, specified for the purpose of investing in another house. Our financial aid staff has information on the type of account and will help establish it."

  "Do you think more people will choose higher education than trade schools of some type?"

  "No, not more, but some published enrollment projections indicate many universities expect nearly everyone at low or low-middle income level will choose a trade school or an OJT program. Our studies indicate about twenty-eight percent will choose higher education and most of those will pursue degrees, not prac programs. Art, literature, music, philosophy, social sciences and all other 'non-practical' degree programs are listed as intended major in unprecedented percentages. People want to learn. We increased our Humanities course schedule three times before we published it. Art, music and theater had such high interest we developed transfer programs specifically for them, then we did it for other humanities and social sciences. We expected it for technology because this is a rather high-technology-use region. We developed a transfer program for teaching. We knew we needed a solid phys Ed program, but the number of people indicating they plan to transfer after completing a four-year degree is very surprising."

  "Interest in graduate education is high?"

  "It's astounding. So far, we have almost as many who indicated they plan to obtain doctorates as pracs."

  "What?!"

  "That was supposed to be my evening news, Bance. The Minister of Education requested we send a query to our pre-enrolled students. Late this afternoon, the response number reached the preliminary reporting percentage."

  "BNU is the only university that's had pre-enrollment open for an extended period."

  "Precisely. We are currently the best source of information on the coming term."

  "Most people didn't have time to prepare for the current term."

  "Which may be much of the reason other universities don't expect a large number of older students. We're in a region that didn't have an institution of higher education. That makes us more suitable as a statistical source for low and low-middle income area educational funding request predictions than others. The reason we have so many who didn't continue beyond secondary is fundamentally the same."

  "The former gov, especially IS."

  "That's the reason. This afternoon, the Minister of Education asked if we really thought all our first-term enrollees belong in first term classes. We replied, "Absolutely not." I think we may see a placement testing program from the Department of Education, which establishes term levels for a rather well self-educated population, and gives students the credit hours and grade point average to put them in the level which is correct for them. It just doesn't make sense to pay for four years of higher education for people who only need one or two, or should be in graduate programs. There are going to be quite a few of those in the subsidized districts."

  "Why there?"

  "A young man from Roper district said you had to be smart and careful to survive to have children. We've seen the truth of that in the high intelligence of the campus construction workers. They had no difficulty whatsoever with the type of computation required for the work. Basically, the planetary library was the only entertainment those very smart people could afford."

  "The people of the sub districts have higher than the planetary average intelligence?"

  "Of course. The gov was using economic hardship, physical oppression and drugs to conduct a selective breeding program, to produce slaves capable of operating and maintaining very high tech equipment. Tens of thousands succumbed to the enforced boredom and were rendered incapable of reproduction or died in the last three generations, of the seven those populations have been under extreme duress. That's why the former gov replaced texts in the social sciences and removed reference listings, for those and a great many studies of animal population and adaptation to extreme hardship, in the planetary library, almost thirty years ago. The average intelligence of the entire planetary population rose over the last three generations, and so did our average physical health. Both rose most in the most stressful environments. The proof the former gov was far too successful in eliminating access to two thousand years of accumulated knowledge in social science, is that everyone doesn't know that, and far too many still believe the former gov propaganda all those people are lazy and dumb. Anyone who has any understanding of environmental science sees that's impossible. Lazy and dumb died without reproducing."

  Jilli recognized a protective formation when she saw it, and one had formed around Blade after Kail had delivered a slap in the face to other universities, and a very large number of bigots. Keeva, Evva, Roma and Dandy were also watching. Deely was in the formation. Kail wasn't, but she saw he'd expected it before he left.

  "Blade, five of us don't know what's going on, but we all know none of the others can keep from hovering over you."

  "I'm from Roper district, Jilli. My parents were murdered when I was five. My education wasn't on a comp after that. There weren't many ki
ds who ended up on the streets."

  "He found homes for all the kids younger than he is who did, and paid all the bribes and gov fees, so nice people could adopt them."

  "I never said that, Danny."

  "No, Blade, you just carefully avoided denying it."

  "Blade, we all know who you are. You heard every child who cried in loneliness and fear. You gave them your love and care, until you could give them loving homes, like the one you had known."

  "Yes, Stats, he did."

  "Knight!"

  "The gov isn't going to learn who was doing it and who you entrusted with the task now, Blade. If this one did, you'd probably get medals. Only in Roper district were children made safe."

  "I was an assassin, Jilli."

  "Only he knows who he killed, but we all know they were monsters."

  "That's what heroes kill, Nev. Now I understand the incredible physical precision."

  "Why are you still… hiding?"

  "Dandy, they overthrew the gov, took out the IS, built the new government system and invented all the new tech. They really don't want all that attention."

  "Even I wouldn't want that much attention, Deely."

  "Nev's my nephew, Kail and Lillen's son."

  "It must be very hard for them not to shout it from the rooftops."

  "Most people around here know who they are and what they did. No one had to tell them, and they don't feel a need to mention it to anyone else. Case, Stats and Dawn's parents all work for the U too. Two asked and four were drafted."

  "I feel blind, Bance."

  "Dandy, I worked very hard to keep blinders on you until Winter Carnival was over, because you would have worried about the attention you were attracting to me, and I felt guilty using you to spread it."

  "We used all of you to spread it out, to make us and-also fans. It was my idea, and I was dodging feeling guilty in a personal way, for about an hour, and then I met Jilli."

  "I feel much better. I kept telling myself your renown aiding my hoops team promotion was just happenstance and I shouldn't feel guilty about it, and figured out how to bring up the hoops team every time someone focused the cam on famous-design-award-winner you."

  "I mentally said, 'Bless you,' every time you did."

  "Deely knew I was getting behind her."

  "Keeva figured it out quick."

  "We knew why Case and Stats were always behind us, too. I have a question."

  "Yes, Roma?"

  "Are we going to be ready to have a party, Nev?"

  "Damn! Kitchen crew!"

  Bance gave Ronnie a hug and whispered in her ear. She gave him a kiss. He checked his chron and they counted it down. Precisely at nineteen, the kitchen door chime rang. He told her it hadn't been the stall he planned, but he'd used that one sometime when it was his turn to fix dinner.

  They sniffed and tracked the aroma to the kitchen. Mike, Loren and Chal had all gotten the evening off, and their favorite part of a party was watching people enjoy what they'd prepared. The others from the neighborhood and Donce, Barrett, Tarn and Bellin were with them and helping unload.

  Bellin, Kendra, Essa and Elise were escorted to the living room, all complaining they were pregnant, not invalids. Tarn told them he wasn't worried about them, but people could get hurt running into each other watching they didn't run into them. The four admitted that was true. Larry, Mike, Loren and Silky all gave him a pat on the back when he got back to the kitchen, then Kady and Reesa took the four special dinners to the living room.

  Elise told the other three women to pretend they didn't know they'd been gotten out of the kitchen and dining room, so they didn't notice their dinners weren't quite the same as the others, and they'd gotten them first. They all agreed they were spoiled and enjoying it.

  It was a great party. People arrived and departed to go to other parties from twenty until two, including many West Siders and many of the campus crew. By two twenty, the only ones left in the cabin were the six couples who had enjoyed sharing Winter Carnival so much. They had two more days of Carnival, then four had to return to other universities.

  Roma would return after she trained another to watch over the systems of a university on Garnet. Jilli wasn't going with the hoops team for their last two games and the tourney at the end of the season, but she had a half-term of teaching. So did Evva and Keeva. It was why they'd chosen that night for their party, to have the last two evenings just to be together. They planned to visit parties and such, but they didn't want to host.

  The group was walking toward the lodge for brunch, in the morning, when a man screamed. The others learned how fast Blade really was. They strung out, as they ran for the place the scream had come from. Blade had the pregnant woman in his arms and was running back toward the med-vehicle before others reached her. He handed her off to Knight. He could run faster carrying her.

  Blade ran past Knight, grabbed the scanner out of the med tech's hand, ran back to Knight and used it on the woman he was carrying. The med techs read the results on the base unit and got the treatment unit ready. Nev yelled, "Now!" and he and Blade began getting the woman's clothes loosened.

  Jilli caught the scanner and passed it to Case, then caught shoes and passed them to Dandy and Stats. The medtechs got out of the way as Blade and Nev got ahead of Knight to go through the door. They got her stripped and in the unit fast, then they got out of the way of the medtechs.

  Case and Stats saw an older woman carrying a big kit with the med insignia on it, running. They tossed shoe and scanner to others and went after her. Stats scooped her up and Case took the kit. Case gave her what they knew, as they ran.

  "She slipped getting out of the car. The back of her head hit the top of the car, then she bounced forward, hit the car door and landed on her stomach. Her husband was a meter away and it happened too fast for him to do anything but scream. We heard that. She's unconscious, the back of her head and nose bleeding."

  "That poor man is going to be blaming himself for not having a hand on her, parking in an icy spot and everything else."

  "We're working on him."

  "I heard the med call and saw a lot of people running. I expected a skier, but I'm here because something like this could happen. I'm an obstetric surgeon."

  "Mountain City?"

  "Azure Bay. My nephew said there were so many they needed a large number of toilets just for them. I yelled bring me a sleeper transport and grabbed that kit. It's got a preemie set in it. I came to Frostlea because it felt right. I won't ask why I'm in the right place, but I will say thanks. Thanks. I'd have been pooped, and still running. Jetti Watkins, OB surgeon! What have we got?"

  "An OB surgeon?"

  "With a 'preemie kit,' Nev. Her nephew is evidently the toilet tent supplier, and called her because there were so many. She's got one of his sleeper transports."

  "I like that man."

  "So do I, Blade. How are you doing, Prence?"

  "Scared, but the doctor made it a little less. I didn't even know where to take her."

  "Prence, I've got a feeling they're both going to be all right, and a real good record on feelings."

  "Dandy, you need to eat."

  "I don't know if I can leave, Jilli."

  "Comm connect Bance. You heard? We don't know yet. I called you because Dandy needs food and would get about five steps toward the lodge before he turned around. I'm sure you know who to call. Thanks."

  Kail brought the food for Dandy. He said at least eight would've gotten there before it, but Carler yelled, "Sit down." He noted even Larry had sat down fast. Carler had also told the lodge dining room manager the other eleven of them didn't need to eat at a specific time before a race, or they'd have sent for twelve. Nev said people knew why Dandy was eating there, but the rest would've felt a little guilty, then Blade's comm chimed.

  "Prence, they're both going to be fine."

  "Thank you. Oh, God, thank You!"

&
nbsp; "They had everything needed, and it's easier for both to heal, so you have a baby boy."

  "We have a son. We have a son!!"

  The crowd cheered, but no one left. Dandy had finished eating when Blade's comm chimed again. He told Prence to get ready to get in the door fast, so they wouldn't get much cold air in with him. When he was in position, Blade said, "Ready." The door swung open, Prence jumped in and it closed fast.

  Blade yelled they were going to take them to the med center and asked people to clear the way. The crowd moved back and began to disperse quickly. Another med vehicle arrived, to take the place of the one that had just left, before the twelve reached the lodge.

  Dandy had tea with them. He'd needed to eat when he had. Even a few minutes would have made a difference in the 'fuel' he had for the giant slalom. It was his premier event, and one of the kids he'd coached was going to make him really work to win it.