L'Gem

  Chapter Thirty-two

  They finally finished the longer test bank the fourth day. They'd made short trips to check their ships each day. That day, they docked them and rearranged furniture to make places for their pianos. They also built ship-type guitar stands. They began to slow and turn the flagship when they got back to it. They computed the course carefully and then began getting ready to move at thirteen twenty-two the next day.

  In the morning, they checked everything and began to accelerate the flagship and slow their still-docked ships, then they visited the clinic. They were there when Kail, Lillen and Carla came out of the maternity ward to go home. They were the only family 'present.' Kail and Lillen were "sneaking Carla out early," so the family and friends didn't all gather again.

  The five returned to the ship at twelve nineteen, checked everything and had lunch, then cleaned the galley well and packed Nev's brewer, teas, coffee roaster and coffees. At thirteen twenty-two, they began the docking maneuver. It didn't take long. At thirteen twenty-six, they successfully matched, locked and checked cargo hatch docking.

  The first things they moved were the two pianos. The small one was simple. They carried it through to the other ship, put it in the spot they'd created for it and secured it. The grand was not simple. It barely fit with the packing case on it, but they decided they'd rather work to maneuver, than take it off before they got it to the 'living room.'

  The piano made them even more pleased they'd decided to put 'odd' stairs down to it from the back of the bridge lounge. The galley across from the stairs, and bedrooms behind them, would make the living room a more used room. There were four, smaller, bedrooms behind the living room. They didn't expect to take guests on journeys often, if at all, but they did plan parties and all agreed places for bodies were a good idea. Case and Stats had three spare bedrooms in their ship.

  When they got the piano to the living room, they unpacked it, put the legs on, secured it, then called the piano tuner. They'd gotten most items out of the hold when she called to tell them she was about to arrive. They stopped to watch her tune both pianos, with the equipment Bard had bought for the grand, to learn to do it. When she finished, she played a moment.

  "It's mental! I do that wrong because I think it wrong. I've been blaming my left wrist for it for years."

  "Qualified. Your wrist may be part of it, but you now know the expectation is there."

  "Yes, Nev, I do. Did you find a piano teacher?"

  "Yes, on Verdantine. They don't have a daytrip facility yet, but we're going to start with basic comp instruction and checks by comm. We do plan to go to Verdantine, but he'll be coming to the ship before we get there. A friend we made there said he's not the finest performer, but he's the best teacher, and the finest performers agree."

  "The two aren't mutually exclusive, but musical talent isn't teaching talent. Too often, people assume a great performer would be a great teacher. Most often, they're pretty good. I was a little nervous about this, but it's wonderful. I must…"

  "Go. She'll say goodbye before she makes the return decision next time."

  "And called to apologize, Nev."

  "Yes, Blake, she… Answer comm."

  "I learned to get back."

  "That happens to many people the first time."

  "I'm a repeater. I decided in the middle of saying goodbye three times."

  "I don't feel quite as silly, Stats. I'm going to tell all my friends it was physically comfortable, lots of fun, and make plans to go many places."

  "Most people expect discomfort or disorientation the first time, but word gets around the expectation is just nervousness, because it is the first time."

  "I'll definitely help spread it, Blade. Have fun learning music."

  "We will. Thank you. Comm out. Let's get the rest moved."

  "Definitely, Bard. I want a cup of tea, and the brewer isn't here yet."

  "Let's finish the cargo hold and get the stuff they don't want out first, Nev, then we'll change to a forward hatch dock."

  "I'll start our brewer, Nev."

  "Thank you, Stats. I think."

  "We'll have yours all set up before the next one, Nev."

  "I believe you, Bard, because I'll stop to do it if it isn't."

  "I knew once was all it could be postponed."

  They finished the cargo hold, took out the cloak and weapon systems the space corps didn't want, then changed hatches. Emptying their quarters and living space didn't take long. Neither did cleaning the ship. They did that before they released the flagship because they preferred to use their usual equipment, and they'd find anything missed, dropped or left on a shelf by anyone. They found four items, put them in a container and Bard called Danny.

  "One pair of earclips, a hair clip and a thin gold chain recovered in cleaning. None in quarters, but the earclips were by Ronnie's bridge station."

  "The chain is mine. I thought I lost it in Lodestar. The hair clip is probably Ronnie's too, but we all… Dawn's. Drand gave it to her and she hasn't noticed it's missing or she'd be in tears."

  "We're going to send them on the ship. It's the only way."

  "Understood. Work?"

  "We finally finished the longer tests."

  "I think 'how long is this thing' is part of it, and they had to change the length."

  "Reasonable deduction. We miss you. All of you. And we miss home. Almost a year."

  "Sixteen days. Mike, Loren and Elise should have a son two days before. Kendra is due any time."

  "This is the last thing to do. Top right drawer at the helm station. Next time you see me on this ship I won't be here, for a while."

  "Bard, don't test it out there. Please."

  "Danny, it's where we are."

  "Please. We'll figure out how when it's done. Please."

  "I don't feel like anything will go wrong."

  "Neither do I, but I'm expecting a surprise."

  "We won't try it out here."

  "Thank you."

  "Thank you. Comm out. Answer comm. Hi, Stats."

  "That's an interesting expression."

  "Danny got a promise no test out here, right after she said she expects a surprise."

  "We won't test it out here. Set the comp to like us and leave. I'm ready to trip over and start it home, before Nev yells it's teatime."

  "Comm out. Computer, answer and open comm channel for calls from personnel list one, and location list four. Forward general comm to Bard of Braighton Blade, if no personnel aboard. Forward personal for personnel and comm code list one-a to Bard of Braighton Blade, personal for personnel and comm code list one-b to The Case is all Stats, if personnel are not aboard. Commence."

  "Forward routine established."

  Bard walked off the flagship and smiled at his feeling of farewell. He hit the hatch seal pad when he walked through. Nev commed Stats and told him they were clear. Forty-nine seconds later, the flagship curved away. Stats and Case came through the hatchway from their ship, Castanetta, a few moments later. Case sniffed the air.

  "He's not wasting any time getting Nightwing Dancer homey."

  "He's baking bread, has a timbypod casserole in the oven and created a new tea blend just for the occasion."

  "Sounds like we should help you 'sprawl' in the galley, Blade."

  "We were waiting for you to come over. I think he plans to send fresh-baked bread to Netty, so she smells as homey as Dancy, Stats."

  "Netty and Dancy, I like it."

  "He's really working on it, Case. He's homesick, I think."

  "We are."

  "We are?"

  "Yes, Case, we are. Nev knows we all are and is working to make the ships home too, so here or there, we're home."

  "You're right, Stats. We're homesick. I felt a pang both times you said, 'home.' Ow."

  "I think driving our cars will help. A sailing yacht."

  "What every well-stocked traveling mansi
on should have, Blade. I loved Larry's expression when he listed it. Mmm, smells wonderful in here."

  "I like the breadmaker, Case. It's as easy as Loren said. I'll get one for home."

  "Pang."

  "Homesickness is epidemic, Nev. We discovered we all have it, as soon as we weren't too busy to notice. You're doing something to affect a long-term treatment. We sincerely appreciate the effort. And the aromas."

  "Thanks, Blade. I didn't think I was the only one, just worst case."

  "We're going to start doing something about it this evening, install the systems in both ships and set up the physics lab."

  "That wasn't what I had in mind, Bard, but I do want that long-term solution too."

  "They're just prep, Nev. When they're done, we'll go home to work."

  "We have something else to do that's been postponed for some time, fragrances."

  "The piano tuner smelled faintly floral. I'm glad Kail told us about it. I'd have been real worried."

  "This is going to be a very interesting process."

  "And a fun first use for our chem lab. After we go home?"

  "Sometime in the next few hours, we'll go to greet another baby, Nev. Jace and Day are about to be daddies too."

  "I don't think they'll call us for those, Bard, to tell us, but not to be there. Neither will be in Teal Valley and they're their mothers' family."

  "You're probably right, Stats, but I'll like it if they do. I like greeting new babies."

  "Answer comm. Time?"

  "The doctor said within the hour, Nev. Kendra said our son is starting off sensibly, not in the middle of the night. Finish your tea. I'm pacing and they're running out of places people can get their toes out of danger."

  "I'm sure they are, and there's a parking lot party too."

  "A rather large one, Bard. The town office just closed and no one went home. Comm out."

  There were four people there they didn't expect to see, Larry's and Kendra's parents. Kail was there "for all three of us" and working on "introduce without overrun." Bard walked over and gave all four hugs and told them they'd done a "fantastic, spectacular, incredible, unbeatable" job as parents and he'd wanted to tell them so, since he'd met their children, then he asked for "terrible twos" stories to tease with and the neighborhood 'assembled' around them quickly. Larry said, "Dad, you wouldn't." His father grinned widely and his mom began to giggle.

  Blade raised an eyebrow, put a finger against Larry's cheek and announced he was blushing. Everyone in the room applauded, Larry groaned and his dad told the story of their perfect son escaping nursery and diaper and leaving a large deposit right outside the chapel doors at the huge wedding of the daughter of his mother's employer, which smeared in perfect arcs when the doors were opened for the procession from the chapel. A nurse opened the door and said, "Very close," and Larry yelled, "I love you, Kendra," and escaped the peals of laughter.

  Bard, Blade, Nev, Case and Stats went back to the ships for dinner after greeting Vincent Cartier. Larry called them, as they were putting it on the table.

  "Thank you. It worked magnificently. We have house guests and they're running up the comm bill bragging they're grandparents. Neither of us realized they wanted us back in their lives. They didn't. We've got grandparents coming too. They were still afraid they'd identify me. Kail told them I had an unshakable identity and people would say, 'Of course he saw it coming and did what he could to slow it,' if they knew."

  "It's true."

  "He wouldn't say something that wasn't. You're missed."

  "We're missing. Were going to finish getting moved in tonight, then we're going to spend a lot more time there."

  "Several of us got our evaluations."

  "They said?"

  "We'd traversed Hell and emerged victorious. We're all above the eighty-fifth percentile on psi talent. Kail is above ninety-fifth. Silky, Jason and Bance came in at ninety, ninety-two and ninety-six. Alden's eighty-seven. Other talents are spread. Kail's a bit embarrassed he's got so many. So is Case's dad. My talents are 'grouped.' Stats' mom's and dad's are 'polkadots.' Overlay the graphs and you about get a dotted line. Some things we don't have. I should be supervised when in the kitchen and watched closely in a workshop. According to those evaluations, Mike and Loren found just right for themselves. The rest of us knew we did. Essa, Lillen, Elise and Kendra are looking forward to taking them. We told them they'd realize why we were all sure they were a little odd. We're waiting to see what the nine of you, who took them over, did."

  "We all started immediately and took a day-night off."

  "And everyone else started after. The second set are enough different I think they're going to work with both."

  "We noticed they were longer."

  "Yes, Blade, they are."

  "They really are different."

  "I'm planning a trip, after the evaluations come back, and our son is older. Basically, when I can stand to leave them to go to work."

  They installed the systems from the flagship and the one from another ship they'd kept. The rest were all just components in parts bins, and some elements. They'd emptied all of the element bins from the flagship into theirs and wiped the record. They didn't actually know what they had for the physics lab until they unpacked it. When they did, they realized Deely had known they hadn't every time they'd seen her at the clinic. They called and Nev, Blade, Case and Stats told her she was "fantastic," "beautiful," "perfect," "wonderful." Bard said, "I like you, too," and she burst into laughter.

  She'd seen the lab design, knew what-goes-there and sent it all. They didn't have to build anything. She'd also sent elements not usually found in recycle bins.

  They finished setting up the lab at two fourteen and went to bed in their space homes for the first time. Bard awoke sure he'd had odd dreams, but he couldn't remember them.

  They checked on the flagship that morning, then officially 'turned her over.' Bard left her when a space corps lieutenant arrived on her. He felt the same slight nostalgia when he returned to their ships, and smiled. She was under Corps command and they had the duty of getting her home. He'd shown them the 'lost and found' and told them to whom the items belonged. They'd return them. When he walked out of their trip lounge, there was a surprise waiting.

  "Billie!"

  "Hi, Bard! Aunt Wendy and I came for our first daytrip! It's fun!"

  "Yes, it is. Wendy's giving a guitar lesson?"

  "Yes, she had to start right away, because she has to go back when she gets them caught up to you and everybody some more."

  "You don't?"

  "Not really."

  "You need an invitation extension, make longer."

  "Yes. I can't have lunch with you, but I can keep you company. It smells like good lunch."

  "You can taste the bread Nev's baking, then we'll give you a big slice to eat, when we get to Mandolin."

  You tell me how to taste without eating, because I don't know that."

  "Put a tiny bit in your mouth and roll it around on your tongue, until you get all the taste. If it's little enough, nobody notices you sort of wipe it off the end of your tongue when you're done. Let's comm your mom, then I'll show you our ship house, until Wendy calls me and we'll continue after our lesson."

  "Comm code Tripsy Dippens."

  Wendy was pleased. All of them had worked on chords, and got the strings pressed to frets, so the sound was clean. They didn't learn instantly, but they learned fast and practiced correctly. They were also physically precise. They were the best students she'd had. That day she taught them an ancient folk song and discovered all had good voices, and all could sing harmony. They weren't sure they agreed with that, but did know they'd get better with practice.

  Billie's 'why tour' of the two ships and her visit were fun for all of them. She went back at fourteen forty. She said she wanted to stay, but it was because she liked having all their attention and she was prett
y sure they had other stuff to do.

  Bard told her they were planning a daytrip to visit Nev's new baby sister. She extracted a promise he'd take her to visit their other house, see BNU and meet Nev's baby sister, while they waited for confirmation her dad was at the daytrip tour facility. When it came, she said goodbye then disappeared. The five of them went to their trip lounges and went to Teal Valley.

  They didn't go to the mine that day. They visited friends and family, Nev's family. Drand took Case and Stats "around." His 'side' had been relocating to Veil Lake "in a steady stream," as they found places to buy or rent until homes were built.

  They weren't clustered as Kail's side of the family were, but there were many more of them. Milla's sister and her husband's parents and grandparents, and their daughter, son-in-laws' parents, grandparents and great-grandparents had all decided to move there, too.

  Case and Stats learned their extended families were moving to the area, along with Dawn's, when Case's dad called Drand to remind him to "tour" Teal Valley. They were rather relieved the elder members of their families had decided they liked the idea, the designs and the amenities of the condo complex being converted to all owner-resident, with older couples and singles in mind.

  The complex wanted on-site power generation, field wall and cap and precipitation 'catches,' so the complex water bill would also be small. Case, Stats and Drand designed the system and gave them the manufacturing settings for the projectors while they were at the office finding out what they wanted, then they found them a construction company to do the work at a nice price. They were feeling rather smug about the quickie, until they got calls from three more complexes before they got home.

  Danny found a small engineering company delighted to learn the technique and with the addition to their business. The two engineers flew to Teal Valley immediately and Case, Stats and Drand taught them how to do it on the three complexes. Bard, Nev and Blade showed them how to compute projector sets, if they got projects that weren't boundaried by parking lots and roads. Case and Stats complained they still hadn't spent any time at home when they went back to the ships at twenty-three fifty.

  In the morning, they did a "real workout," practiced guitar, then went to Teal Valley. Bard, Nev and Blade laughed when Case said, "Don't tell anyone we're home," and he and Stats ran out the door. They did understand. They wanted to be home too.

  None of them hid. They mowed their lawns, trimmed their hedges, washed their cars and got homes ready for summer. That evening, their West Side friends came over to 'sit around' with them.

  Barrett brought someone special. They were in love and he was about to change houses, but he wasn't moving far. He'd met her when she bought the house behind and one over from theirs. She didn't live there yet. She was BNU's ceramics instructor and had a piece of term left at Baskinsun Art Institute in the southern hemisphere of Citrine.

  Donce and Chal both had ladies too, but they were as confirmed single as the men. They too were still living elsewhere, but they'd both bought duplexes. One was on the campus facilities staff. The other was a botany professor. They'd met when they were moving things into across-the-street duplexes. Donce had met his lady when Kail referred her to him for "non-hype" recommendations for vends and suppliers. His former usual companion had met an assistant soccer coach and he was expecting a wedding invitation.

  Several other West Siders had met interesting people and the area was rapidly changing to young-family-owned, as Tarn had predicted not quite a year before. Long-time summer people were buying places and making them primary residences, as the elders had predicted at Winter Carnival. The town wasn't growing so fast or so much it would change it greatly, but BNU had added to its year-round attraction and job opportunities.

  The summer influx would be less because so many people had decided to purchase former rentals, but the harvesters would have no difficulty finding places. Many duplex tenants would happily sublet furnished places for off-term. There would be fewer of those looking for places in a year, when the four ski towns had summer attractions and many students stayed through to work harvest.

  Roundin Lake and Ambertown were both benefiting from the reduction of summer rentals available in Teal Valley and Veil Lake, happily advertising they had them, and upgrading and expanding a bit, too. Talon Peak and Willaville were also growing a bit, but every town and city on the world was. Obstetricians and birth-aides were very busy people.

  Early the next morning, the Department of Education released its enrollment projections and the placement test bank. PISA had stopped arguing BNU didn't belong in four-A quite some time before, but they hadn't released a play schedule. That day, they finally did, and also gave permission for team formation practices. People in the region weren't happy they'd waited so long, but had assured all hopeful player families had harvest aid.

  Bard, Nev and Blade arrived in the midst of a region-wide celebration and "moving frenzy." Dorms, housing associations, fraternities, sororities, and six-plex units opened doors for incoming athletes. The permission was for every autumn sport, and the schedule was as hard as they could make it.

  BNU had scheduled placement testing for every new student by noon. The Education Department had given all who tested at graduate level the option of choosing to be classified as fourth-term students. The decision wasn't for the benefit of BNU. The request petition had come from Lovington University in southeastern Garnet. The psychology department had gotten backing for their opinion, many self-educated students would benefit emotionally from a year of undergraduate environment, from Helene University on Verdantine.

  The group didn't go to the mine that day either. They ran around and added muscle and know-how to aid arriving students. Both Student Housing and Campus Facilities had them, Dandy and other coaches, Teal Valley residents students and last-term students from Teal Valley, Willaville and Veil Lake secondaries, plus many other volunteers, getting everything up and running and people moved in, one hundred thirty-four days before first term began.

  A lot who weren't athletes were moving in early, as well. Housing associations, dorms, Teal and Gold Student Center and others needed people, especially in kitchens. Most of those would be resident staffed, and residents, who could, were getting there to staff them. Very few had made last-minute decisions to move. They'd been waiting for the doors to open, many with cars, transports or light haulers packed.

  The frenzy continued the next day, but nine weren't in it. That day, they went to the mine. The two ships were only two days from Mandolin, people were wondering when they'd begin projects and they still hadn't begun on fragrances. They didn't finish that day or the next, but the third morning they finished the design and began building the tech. The two ships were twenty-eight minutes from Mandolin when they finished the first unit.

  "Now how do we test it?"

  "We don't have time to even figure that out right now, Danny. We have to land our ships and do 'social promotion' this evening."

  "Maybe what we should do is build another one and test it ship to ship, on the ground, there."

  "Ahg! We won't be there if you do that, Blade, but I got less nervous about testing when you suggested it."

  "So did I, Ronnie."

  "Everyone agree with Ronnie and Stats?"

  "I think I'm just an echo of Ronnie's 'Ahg,' Nev."

  "I do understand, Dawn. Got to go land ships."

  "And drive our cars."

  "Ye...!"

  "Nice work, Blade. You got both Nev and Case. Tease material for days. Bye!"

  "Farewell."

  "Bard?"

  "One of those I-have-more-in-my-hand-than-I-know feelings, Danny. Like the trip chairs and fields, uses I'll see constantly for days, but I can't see how. This one stays here for now. See you all soon."

  "Something is going to be a real surprise."

  "If he doesn't see what it is, there's no doubt of that, Danny. Did you find out where Nev is
on the book?"

  "Too 'ridiculously busy' to read a line, Ronnie. I suspect they're all going to hit max speed to clear the schedule, very soon."

  "That's supposed to be at least a half-year's work."

  "Do you think it will be, Drand?"

  "No, I think I'm going to be reminding them twelve years does make a difference and I need two more hours sleep to keep up days."

  "You do?"

  "No, Dawn, but Loren won't be following me around trying to figure out what he can do to replenish my overworked, under-slept body with two more."

  "True."