A pain shot through her and she gasped.

"Uh-oh," syrona said. "Doc ..." "bring her over here." jon was beside her in an instant, helping syrona lift her to her feet. He half-bent to pick her up, but she stopped him.

"Walking's useful," she said, and then gasped as a second, far sharper pain caught. "Maybe not this time." he grunted as he settled her in his arms and made a joke of groaning at her weight, depositing her quickly within the diagnostic unit as extendibles moved to preprogrammed positions.

Casper and tim were herding the children out again, leaving jon and syrona to cope with the delivery.

"We've got this down to a fine arrrrrrt-" Nimisha's gasp cut off her attempt at humor and syrona was pulling the voluminous smock up over the swollen abdomen even as the couch adjusted itself for the task ahead.

"This is going very fast, nimi," doc said. She felt the cool of the hypospray, and then a third unbelievably intense contraction was cut off.

"What happened?" she cried, alarmed.

"You won't feel a thing now," doc assured her at his most persuasive.

She exhaled a relieved sigh and leaned back against the pillows now propping her into a more comfortable position. Jon took her left hand in his and, with the other, dabbed at her face with a cool cloth.

"Thanks, love." she couldn't feel but she could see the action of the uterine muscles, and she adjusted her breathing accordingly. At doc's urging syrona pushed down on Nimisha's abdomen and, with a startled cry, kept the emerging baby from a headfirst collision with the foot of the couch.

"A boy," syrona said.

"But I can't have had one so soon," Nimisha exclaimed, noticing no appreciable diminution in the size of her belly.

"Take it, jon," doc said quickly.

"I'm having more twins?" Nimisha demanded, furious.

"No," doc said calmly. "Triplets." Nimisha was speechless, which was just as well, because both Jon and syrona were too busy handling three babies and the afterbirths. Syrona, holding the first son, rushed to the open hatch and called casper back.

"doc?" jon said in a tone of outrage that gratified Nimisha.

Yes, yes, I knew, but as you also know, Nimisha didn't come near me during the first trimester. This is all your, or her, doing. Or maybe there's something in erehwon's soil that is increasing human fertility. I don't know, but I swear upon my hippocratic oath-" "you're an ai, you never swore one," Nimisha roused enough to protest weakly.

"Lord naves did," doc replied so caustically that Nimisha realized he had not tampered with this pregnancy, though how he could have, she couldn't guess. "I'm replacing your implant right now," he added.

"Saves me insisting," jon said firmly.

Nimisha groaned. Holding the girl he had taken while casper coped with the third, another boy, he strode to the head of the couch and kissed her tenderly.

"I don't mind having so many children from you, Nimisha boynton, but I don't like you so distressed." "She's perfectly healthy, jon," doc said. "I wish I knew what to look for to isolate the factor of so many multiple births in you two women. The good aspect is how far up this will raise you in the esteem of the sh'im." "There is that." despite herself, Nimisha started to laugh almost uncontrollably and was immensely grateful for the analgesic that prevented her abdominal muscles from hurting at the abuse of laughter.

"No, she's not hysterical," doc said when the others looked concerned. "At least she sees the funny side of this." "I'm not sure I do," jon said almost savagely.

The need to placate him sobered Nimisha and she pulled his face closer to her, stroking his cheek and then parting the wrapper of the child he held so she could see the face of her latest daughter.

"She looks like cuiva did," she said, blurting it out, and then she was crying as uncontrollably as she had been laughing.

"I'll handle this one," was the last thing she heard doc say as a friendly oblivion overtook her.

She woke in her own bed, jon dozing in the chair, his head propped on one hand. She was sore, but at least she could see her toes again, and she breathed such a sigh of relief that jon woke with a start.

"How are you?" he asked, dropping to his knees beside the bed, clasping her hand and then smoothing her hair back from her face.

"I feel a little sore, and a great deal foolish for that emotional show." he smiled. "Shock is what I'd call it. Does the girl really resemble cuiva?" "As she was at birth," Nimisha said, trying not to let the sadness she felt color her words. Then she looked around. "Where are the babies? Are they all right? I never even looked at them." "They're fine, uk, eloo, and lal are minding them in the spare cabin. They've been bathed, fed, and are sleeping." "You look so tired, love," she said, fingering his silvering hair back over his right ear.

"I am," he admitted. "Doc did replace your implant. Five children are more than enough. More than enough." "I haven't really minded, jon, but having them one at a time in the normal fashion would have been much easier." he gave a tired chuckle. She patted the other side of the bed, which he normally slept in. "If the babies are in sh'im keeping, you need your sleep." he slid in from the foot of the bed so he wouldn't rock her, but when he measured his length beside her, she snuggled against him, grasping his left hand in hers and pillowing her head on his upper arm. He was asleep almost as soon as she dropped off again.

Chapter 10

Nimisha did not join the welcoming committee when the acclarke landed on the field. In the days since the news of their emergence and contact with the beacon, she had been slow to recover from the birth of the triplets. Neither doc nor jon had to appeal to her common sense to remain resting in the fiver.

She was alerted by helm when the acclarke was on insystem drive and he could initiate contact at her command. Which she did almost immediately, unable to wait until anyone else could join her, so eager was she to speak to those on the acclarke.

"Lady Nimisha boynton?" the astounded captain asked, staring at her with disbelieving eyes.

"Boynton, yes, indeed, captain ... ?" "Nesta meterios," the other woman said quickly. "And most gratified to see you alive and so well." Nimisha managed a brief smile. "Not half as pleased as we are to know you've survived that bloody wormhole." then she had to ask. "By any remote chance, is my daughter, cuiva, on board, captain meterios?" "No, my lady," and meterios sounded shocked at the very idea.

"The acclarke is a navy vessel. But I do have good news in that regard lady Nimisha. A pulse giving the location of your beacon was received four years ago, and the five b, with captain caleb rustin, your daughter and her companion, and six other handpicked crew set off by interstellar drive to rescue you."

"Oh, cuiva," Nimisha sighed, her throat closing and her heart pounding at the very thought of seeing her daughter again.

"Lady Nimisha?" captain meterios asked anxiously. "Are you all right?" I am overjoyed to the point of being speechless, captain. Have you any idea of their eta?" "They can't be but a few months away now, my lady. The acclarke, however, is carrying mail packets that have accrued on board in case the wormhole opened. Which it obviously has, since that is how we got here. You are living on the fiver? The planet is dangerous?" the captain could see no more than the pilot area, so Nimisha grinned.

"I'm on watch, captain, but not at all alone on this planet." she had one ear listening for the babies who, for once, were all asleep at the same time. "In my initial survey of this world, I discovered four other crashed ships. Two groups survived. The most recent, the fsps pootheg, has four survivors-" she named them.

"And the other group has been here even longer, and we owe much to them for their survival skills." "How fortunate for you." "Indeed, captain, especially since the second group are aliens." Nimisha managed not to laugh at the stunned surprise on the captain's face. She heard a male voice excitedly asking for more details.

"That was lieutenant commander globan escorias, my xo, lady Nimisha." the captain's voice had an edge that suggested she did not appreciate the interruption. But the screen widened to include the dark-visaged officer, bouncing about in the seat beside her in his urgency to know more.

"Aliens, lady Nimisha?" he asked. "Sentient aliens? Humanoid "they are not merely sentient, but we consider them sapient, too." noting the dismay on the captain's face, she added quickly, "from a space-faring, colonizing species, so we have not compromised their evolution. They are our friends and valued allies," she said as firmly as she could.

"Yes, yes, of course," the xo put in hastily. "Sapient aliens.

This will astound the civilized worlds." "Erehwon may now be included in that number, commander." "Oh, yes, decidedly, yes, of course it would. My congratulations lady Nimisha." "And our thanks for your design," captain meterios said, firmly taking over the contact. "The acclarke is the model four, my lady, from your ship yard, with some alterations and upgrades for naval use. Truly, without an independent ai helm we would not have survived the journey through that appalling wormhole." no, you would not. The pootheg and the other three ships, who had no such AI reflexes, were badly damaged by their passage.

"We were also able to rescue the survivors of the space station ," the captain said.

"Space station?" Nimisha repeated, confused.

"A space station, the wormhunter," meterios explained with a vacuous smile, "was set up to monitor such phenomena and located ten thousand kilometers from your mayday marker, lady Nimisha"-Nimisha grimaced at this constant use of her title; she ad become far too accustomed to erehwon informality, although lady Rezalla would not approve-"safe enough, we thought, but the wormhole opened just in front of it. I ordered them into escape pods and to net up tightly." "No space station exists that could survive a trip through that wormhole," Nimisha said, shaking her head.

Exactly, lady Nimisha. It broke up very quickly by the force exerted on it and went through as a twisted mass. It and the escape pods were drawn in well ahead of the acclarke. Powerful as the engines are, my lady, we were unable to reverse out of danger." I thought you were supposed to enter the wormhole and find me," Nimisha said.

"Yes, but we would have preferred to enter on our terms, my lady," the captain said crisply.

"Yes, of course. How many pods were there?" Nimisha asked.

"Twelve, but only eleven exited. Those who had fastened the netting securely came through in much better shape. Some did not respond quickly enough to the order to abandon the station. They tried to bring things with them." the captain evidently expected instant obedience. Dangerous as it had been to stop and collect equipment or personal effects, scientists operated on different standards. "That's why the group's leader, dr. qualta, was so badly injured. She is now recovering satisfactorily." "Another one of my units, no doubt," doc said rather smugly at that point.

Jon with casper close behind him arrived at that moment, so Nimisha introduced the two pootheg officers.

"Captain meterios has informed me that caleb rustin is bringing cuiva on the five b, the long way round," Nimisha said, clinging to jon's hand. He pressed back, giving her a quick encouraging smile.

"Your arrival is eagerly anticipated, captain," jon said. "Helm, have you given the acclarke our exact coordinates?" "Yes, it has," captain meterios replied so smartly that Nimisha wondered if the woman disliked using AI units. "We shall touch down in approximately eight hours and twenty minutes, lady Nimisha , captain svangel." "Be prepared to celebrate, captain," jon said warningly.

"Our allies, the sh'im, enjoy every opportunity to do so, and this is certainly a special event. My compliments, captain meterios, to you and your crew." Nimisha nodded once again in farewell; what little energy she had was depleted by the exchange and the knowledge that cuiva was on her way here. Then a thought struck her forcibly.

"Oh, shaggit, whatever is cuiva going to say about having five siblings?" she exclaimed.

"She's your daughter, nimi. She'll handle it just fine," jon said, darling.

"Oh dear heart, there won't be any news for you and syrie and casper." he hugged her. "That's a very small concern, believe me.

Career naval personnel learn to think of their shipmates as all the family they need. And I believe that's true enough. Even though we were very close as children, I don't think I saw my twin sister but once after I graduated from the academy. She was killed in a highspeed rail accident on the cross-orient express." he gave a sigh and a little shake of his head. "A long time ago, love." "What's happened?" syrona cried from the open hatch, hurrying in with tim, who was leading hope by the hand.

Jon recited the tale as he acquired a restorative from cater and brought it to an exhausted Nimisha.

"Your daughter is on her way?" syrona cried, slipping into the seat on the other side of Nimisha. "Doc, does nimi need some help?" "For once I think the only problem with her is intense joy and relief," doc replied. "If she would deign to lie upon the couch, I'll check her over." "I'll be all right, really, I will," Nimisha said, waving her hand in an aimless fashion and then starting on the warm drink jon had brought her.

He took the cup and hauled her to her feet. "One can have a bit too much joy all at once, you know, and I'd rather the incoming didn't see you looking quite so pale, as if you'd seen a ghost." "Which I have, in a way," Nimisha said, and even as jon swung her feet up on the medical couch, she started to weep quietly.

Jon smiled and leaned down to kiss her cheek. "It's all right, love. It's all right." she didn't even protest when she felt several hyposprays; penetrate her arms.

"Bed rest for you, nimi," doc said at his gentlest. "Syrona, who's available to manage the babies?" "I'll go see," syrona said, but she paused by the medical unit on her way out the door and kissed Nimisha's cheek. I am so happy for you, nimi.

"I'm rather happy for myself, really, in spite of my tears. Tim, where are perria and sven right now?" tim chuckled. "Getting dirty, nimi. Don't worry about them.

You listen to doc." "He sounds so grown-up," Nimisha murmured to jon.

"You wouldn't think so if you heard him with the sh'im younglings," jon said with a disparaging snort. He slipped his arms under her body and carried her to their cabin, despite her protests.

"He's the ringleader of most of the trouble the pack gets into." I guess I won't worry about them," she said, sniffing back her tears, but they seemed to keep coming despite her best attempts to cease snivelling.

Jon threw back the top fur, lovingly created by sh'im female hands, and settled her on the bed, tucking it around her flaccid body. Then, he sat down beside her, taking her hands in his and caressing them, speaking in soft, soothing tones.

I know you don't like to admit to any weakness, dear lady

Nimisha Boynton-Rondymense," he said, grinning at his sudden formality, "but I know how very much you've missed your firstborn and body-heir. You wouldn't realize how often you speak her name in your sleep. I could almost be jealous," he teased, stroking her hair back from her tear-flushed face.

"Doc gave me something ..." she said, her voice thick and her enunciation beginning to slur.

"I hope so. You need the rest." she tried to grab his hand, because she had to say something to him before she lost consciousness.

"My apologies to the ...

She thought she heard him chuckle as her eyes inexorably closed and everything went dark.

Jon was quietly moving about their cabin when she roused from the induced sleep. She lay there, eyes barely open, watching him dry his tanned, muscular body. It was very early in the morning, or late at night, so she suspected he had just returned from the welcome party.

"What are they like?" she asked, her voice thick with sleep.

"Awake, are you?" he leaned over the bed and kissed her. His grin was devilish, and he quirked one eyebrow up high so that she knew she would get a candid rundown. "The children are all taken care of, love so don't fret over them." he chuckled. "A bit of a surprise for our visitors. Or, I should be more specific, the naval ones.

Captain meterios was shocked out of her skivvies, and I doubt I shall ever restore myself to her good opinion, even after syrona had a go at her." he cleared his throat. "We neglected to mention syrona's rank, and I think I'll predate a field promotion to lieutenant commander for her, for bravery under unusual circumstances.

Which indeed is justified by her admirable courage under trying circumstances."

Despite being sleepy, Nimisha had caught the edge in his voice, mentioning this captain meterios. But he would be senior to her no matter the nearly twenty years he'd been stranded on erewhon.

"Globan escorias had just joined the acclarke for his ninth tour of duty on her," jon went on, sliding under the furs beside her and settling her comfortably against him. He chuckled softly.

"He'd only time to report in when helm sounded the alert. Officers get high-risk pay for a four-month tour, so he's never minded the duty. And finally got what he'd been waiting for-and more than he expected. He'll fit in; so will the other acclarkes. Mixed crew, praise be." "The scientists who survived the station disaster?" "Dr. qualta was brought over here for our doc's second opinion. She had severe internal injuries. Mid-sixties, but her general good health and fitness are a big asset tight now. Doc did a little more internal work, since he's grades higher than the one on the acclarke-that was always only for the usual shipboard injuries and ailments-and she'll recover with rest and care. The sh'im have assigned one of doc's best trainees to her, and I must say, she's adjusted to the aliens better than anyone else." "What sort of specialist is she?" "astrophysics, but old enough to have plenty of sense." he really had tangled with meterios then. "And the others?" "I could wish for a broader range of specialties among'em," he said with a grimace, "but they're all welcome. Then, too," he added in a thoughtful tone, "I don't think anyone's going to want to turn around and do another four- or five-year trip back home right away." he gave a little grin and rubbed his hands together, rolling his eyes in an outrageous expression of chicanery. "Who knows how many'll want to stay on. Especially since I know some of the people coming on the fiver b," he added quickly. "The chief engineer's wife is a semantics expert.

"my test pilot!" she wriggled a little in his arms to hear such good news.

"Apparently he also tested the five b, so he was a natural backup in a mixed crew. Gaitama rezinda got special training from hiska to be sure nothing went wrong." Nimisha laughed. "We'd never have got hiska aboard, but I know gaitama, and if hiska trained her, she'll be topflight. Oh, both will be tremendous assets, jon. Who else?" "All too young for me to know by name, except caleb rustin." he gave her a quick look, and she laughed and patted his side in reassurance. "His xo is kendra oscony, tops in communications and mathematics, so escorias assured me. Ensign mareena kawamura who's got botany and biology; chief hadley will be yet another astronomer; and cuiva's companion, perdimia ejallos, from a service family, has good martial arts skills." she could hear something he wasn't saying. "And she prompted him.

He wiggled his long legs and squirmed.

They came along to be sure your daughter and body-heir was properly instructed during the long journey." "Oh!" Nimisha smiled proudly over that achievement before regarding jon again with some suspicion. "I could understand her wanting to accompany a mission with the goal of rescuing me, but how did they talk my dam into letting cuiva go on a four-year-long trip?" "I didn't think we'd fool you for long. According to escorias, lord vestrin was trying to get possession of the yard because you were lost, presumed dead." "The pulse that was received should have dismissed that notion." "I'm sure it did. The five b carries mail for you, and there's a rather large lockbox of letter packets awaiting your pleasure. Your mother used your family's private code, so you should have no trouble opening it. Mail could only be slipped in, not removed."

I still do not understand why my dam would allow cuiva to take such a long journey. And you know why." she gave his jaw a mock-punch.

"Granted escorias has friends in the first family circles, so possibly his gossip is accurate. Certainly the fact that cuiva was sent along substantiates it." "substantiates what? Tell me, jon. It's my right to know." she felt anger surging within her. She didn't want to be angry with jonagren svangel.

"There were two very clumsy attempts to harm cuiva." his arms tightened to keep her from rearing up in outrage. "They failed because your friend caleb had the sense to double surveillance as soon as the mayday was received. Lord vestrin had been loud in his complaints about how his father's estate had been divvied up." "More like lady vescuya disliked it," Nimisha murmured angrily.

"Her possible connivance was definitely rumored. Then there was the derelict freighter full of explosives approaching the yard on a trajectory to crash into the five b's gantry!" "What!" "Ssssh, you'll wake someone. The spare cabins have station personnel in them." he waited until Nimisha relaxed. "By then the fleet and the yard had tripled security, so the missiles took out its engines and a tug netted it tightly before the explosives on it could detonate. That would have caused a real mess, flicking fragments all over. Both fleet and apg were investigating all possible leads. Two other devices were discovered before they could be activated." "And naturally lord vestrin was on a hunting party," Nimisha muttered sourly, "and who knows what that virago of a mother of his came up with as an excuse." "Precisely, so your dam sent cuiva to safety."

"But, if she's away from rondymense "I think your dam solved that in her devious fashion. We know that cuiva is on her way here, but a cuiva has been seen in company of lady Rezalla. At least until she should have been necklaced." Nimisha felt tears of relief and joy trickle down her cheeks.

"I'm a leaky ula-ooli-la," she said, burrowing her face into jon's bare shoulder.

She could feel his chest shake with the chuckle. "My dear sweetheart, you are never a ula-ooli-la. Not that there is a basic synonym for that particular device." he stroked her hair and very shortly, warm and infinitely relieved with that especial news, she slept again.

When she finally met captain nesta meterios three days later, Nimisha found it even more difficult than jon to like the woman.

She had had occasion to know many career navy officers from the yard's proximity to the vegan fleet headquarters. There were some, competent within their specialties, who were worthy folk and about as much fun to be around as a wet towel. They also never seemed to notice their lack of social graces, or even that they lacked the wit and competence that would put them in line for rapid promotion.

Meterios was from a service family with several relatives who had had distinguished careers. Quite likely, her performance during the wormhole passage would receive a commendation. That was only because, as jon said, the preprogrammed AI had kicked in with its ferntosecond reflexes, removing meterios from command-and from making any fatal error. Escorias did mention that the crew was certain that the helm had saved all on board the acclarke as well as meterios's butt.

Jon and doc had kept Nimisha quiet and in bed until they, and she, were certain her strength was sufficient.

"I'll warn you, hone she thinks a necklaced first family female ought to restrict herself to a body-heir, end of sentence," jon told her, his eyes twinkling with amusement. "She's hot on rules and regs, and is uptight because we donated a lot of what we stripped from the pootheg to the sh'im. Gave me the old 'misuse of naval perty line until syrona showed her that their home is furnished entirely by recycled 'navy property." recycling is also very nav.

Frankly, erehwon is beyond her. You destroyed her faith in you by having five children here and a grown one on her way. I can't imagine why someone with her basic inflexibility was given command of the acclarke." "I can," syrona said later when she was visiting Nimisha. "I did my first tour under her uncle, captain georgius meterios, and he was no joy either. He never got command of anything more than a light destroyer, usually assigned to convoy duty." "Then posting her to the acclarke is damned near an insult," jon said, irritated.

"I'd consider it one," casper said with a snort. "Except that, with helm to take over the moment an emergency occurred, she couldn't mess up with indecision, could she? Dr. qualta said that no astronomer or astrographer expected the bloody wormhole to reappear any time short of another ten years." "So she was shunted to a minimal command like uncle georgius ?" Nimisha gave a sniff, not sure she liked the implications.

"Guess she got the biggest surprise of her life." "And had nothing to do anyway," jon said with a snide grin.

"Helm was programmed to take over the instant the wormhole opened." "Oh, yes, so it was," and Nimisha felt less like a lost parcel no one really wanted to find.

So it didn't matter to the result of the rescue if she, or someone "more ambitious and capable, was captain."

"Globan says most of his friends applied for the duty in the hope that they'd be lucky enough to be there when the hole opened. Pay was good and the tour short enough so no one died of boredom," casper added.

"Boredom wouldn't bother a meterios," syrona said, giggling.

"They thrive on it." when jon and syrona escorted captain meterios for an official visit to lady Nimisha Boynton-Rondymense, Nimisha took instant refuge by imitating her dam, deftly putting the captain in her place.

The others had a difficult time restraining their amusement. Metenos was properly obsequious, appropriately apologetic for bothering a first family scion, and during the refreshments offered, she sat bolt upright on the very edge of the chair as if she were still a first-year cadet. Syrona bustled about fussily as if this were her normal way of attending lady Nimisha and only once lapsed into a less formal manner. Jon did his rendition of admiral-on-the-bridge, punctilious in his crisply pressed dress uniform, another of the items that had been brought back when the pootheg was stripped of any useful items and equipment.

No matter what captain meterios privately thought of Nimisha's fecundity, no mention was made of it. In fact, conversation flagged very quickly until Nimisha decided to fade away, pretending exhaustion. Meterios flushed unattractively at this tacit reference to her maternity. So the captain, bowing far more respectfully than lady Nimisha's rank required, finished her formal visit and that was, fortunately, the end of any social intercourse with her.

And Nimisha returned to the task of reading five years of accumulated reports from her dam and from jeska mlan in her role as managing director, as well as notifications from admiral gollanch and other general notes that had been forwarded. One note from lady Rezalla mentioned sending on the necklace so that Nimisha could officiate at that ceremony.

"For the benefit of those who might think it odd if we didn't do something on cuiva's minor major day, we shall conduct a very private affair, complete with a paste imitation of coskanito's necklace. He is so discreet and understands the necessity for safety's sake. No one has realized that it is not cuiva living here with us.

The child is a nice little thing and, although I have had to reprimand her several times for conduct unbecoming even her supposed place in our society, she does resemble your body-heir sufficiently to fool almost everyone. Certainly my dam is deluded.

But then, lady astatine is half blind and almost completely deaf.

Her rejuv treatment was one of the first, and she really ought to have waited until the procedure was thoroughly tested. But your grandam never took advice from anyone." Nimisha chuckled over that remark.

Nimisha had wondered how her dam had dealt with such an auspicious day as necklacing in first family society, but lady Rezalla had contrived admirably. Since Nimisha was definitely alive and able to send pulses back to vega in, and her body-heir was residing in acclarke, any spurious claim by lord vestrin rondymense-waleska to reclaim the disputed patrimony would be disregarded.

Once Nimisha was genuinely physically fit enough to attend to such delayed tasks as erecting a new hoist for the iron mine in the hills above the town, and a second lift for the copper mine deeper in the eastern mountain range, she limited her encounters with the acclarke's captain to the minimum. Especially after she witnessed meterios's totally egregious attitude toward their alien allies.

"She's a xenophobe," Nimisha said, voicing an opinion shared by everyone else. "One of those humanity supremacists, though the fact that she attained a commander's stripes proves that there are gaps in the screening, jon." he agreed. "But then, while she was capable enough to command a ship with an ai program, aliens were not an obstacle she was likely to encounter." the sh'im would not understand a person disliking them because they were not human. Especially after they had been treated on such an equal footing with the ones they had already encountered after the initial and short-lived misunderstanding. Before meterios's xenophobia was revealed, ay and bee-who had the best command of basic, assisted though it was by the translator units they wore-had been assigned to guide the captain anywhere she wished to go. She didn't wish to go anywhere after her first visit to clifftownla-ull-losss in sh'im. She said she hadn't understood a word of the gabble she'd been subjected to. Unfortunately she saw enough of clifftown to notice bits and pieces of recycled metal parts that could only have come from the wreck of the pootheg. She logged in a long and detailed report of such illegal use; globan heard part of it and crept away. But since she had encrypted it, there was no way the entry could be altered, and she had forwarded it by pulse message. Eventually it would reach vegan fleet headquarters, where it might be totally disregarded.

"Let it stand," jon said, shrugging. I doubt I'll ever stand a court-martial over it. For that matter, I've racked up so much back pay, I could pay for twice as much as we recycled." when meterlos did, reluctantly, have to venture outside, she had an armed escort. Whichever crewperson had that duty was patently unhappy about it. No one else of either her crew or the wormbusters was troubled with xenophobia. Some might not give the sh'im as much credit for the intelligence they continued to display as others, but most took to them and their ingratiating ways.

"On the one hand, xenophobia wouldn't affect her commanding a ship," casper said, still the optimist. "It isn't as if she'd be likely to encounter aliens on picket duty. Since we were fsp explorers ' branch, we had very in-depth screening on attitudes toward 'others."" he bracketed the word with his index fingers.

"How would anyone suspect she'd get her knickers in a twist meeting such amiable and kindly folk as the sh'im?" the scientists, whatever had been their specialty, were quite willing to muck in with the sh'im, learning as much as they could from the dark-coats and noticing how tools had been adapted for their three-fingered use. They had suggestions of their own to increase manageability for some tools. In her dash to her assigned escape pod, dr. qualta's assistant, valina kelly, had grabbed two small telescopes, the most portable of the equipment to hand. She'd strapped them into the second shock pad in her pod. Dr.

Qualta owed her injuries to the fact that she had been trying to secure her data disks and her scanner rather than herself. Being tightly netted in, the equipment had suffered no damage at all while she had nearly died of her injuries.

Qualta, globan, and kelly, with the enthusiastic assistance of fascinated sh'im, set up an observatory on the far side of the cliff above the town, in an area still protected by the repeller shields.

They were busy mapping and evaluating the visible stars every evening with the help of five ululating dark-coats.

"Had we had more warning," dr. qualta said, "we'd've brought along the sort of equipment to do an in-depth spectral analysis of such unexplored territory." "Lordee, qualta," valina replied, "we were lucky to escape with our lives. I couldn't find even a small microscope, or the main computer. We're lucky we can read what disks we managed to scoop up," she added. "I'm very glad we could pilfer astrogation equipment from the pootheg." "That's not enough," qualta said scornfully. "That system is so obsolete we're better off using what we managed to save. But," she added with a sigh, "it's better than nothing. Is globan absolutely sure that there's nothing left of the space station that could be salvaged ? The sh'im are such clever metalworkers."

She had admired the mining operations and the repeller protected farm crops-which she sampled, raw and cooked-and watched with keen interest when young sh'im started training boks. Luthen drayus and tezza ashke of the acclarke, her radial completely knitted, happily accompanied hunts with casper, tim, and his sh'im cronies.

About the only thing meterios did right was use the acclarke's missiles during an avian raid. It had the fringe benefit of scaring the captain out of much of her disgruntlement with the unauthorized use of pootheg weaponry. She had been standing outside when the raid began and the sight of the immense raptors had sent her scurrying inside the acclarke. She had the gall to boast that she had saved the settlement.

Globan had another side to relate with a grin. I took the liberty of programming defensive action into helm after you told me what those avian monsters could do," he said. "So it was helm who bagged the nineteen beasts in that raid, not nesta meterios." "It's probably too much to ask that she'll start believing us when we tell her other minor victories," jon said with a weary sigh.

He'd suspected as much from the excellent marksmanship the acclarke had displayed in destroying so many of the attacker though he and Nimisha had accounted for almost as many, and the sh'im manning the cliff batteries had taken out those that had come in too low for the ships' guns to bear on.

Globan grimaced. "I don't think she realized just how much the ai can do without her direct commands. I think we should keep it that way." "Wasn't she briefed on its capabilities?" Nimisha asked with justifiable rancor. I mean, even if I didn't consider the four up to my expectations, she makes a grand courier ship as she is." I did study the specs, Nimisha," globan said. "Gave me something to do on my tours. Not all the captains assigned to the Acclarke have been as narrow-minded as captain meterios," he added to cheer Nimisha.

"That's reassuring," she replied.

"How often do those attacks happen?" globan asked casually.

"I'm sorry to say, less often, globan," jon said, rightly assuming the young officer would have liked to man the acclarke's gunner station. "But they do come in more numbers as if they could overpower us with sheer mass, so you may still get a chance." "One more thing, jon: I think she's trying to turn helm down. I saw her under the main control board, but I don't think she saw me. She's a control freak, you know." "Control freak or not," Nimisha said with some heat, "she can't dismantle helm without losing all control of ship function. Stupid git of a woman. However, I can fix that." she rubbed her hands together with anticipation. "Just get her out of the four for half an hour so I can add a certain little chip and she can fiddle with the program as much as she likes but she won't disconnect him. Do you remember where I put my tools, jon?" she asked.

"I stashed them in the garage locker under your private code." "Good idea." "Of course, the problem will be getting her out of the acclarke," globan said, not at all optimistic.

The addition of 'a certain little chip' was accomplished just be fore captain meterios took it in her head that svangel had exceeded his authority in allowing the pootheg to be dismantled for the benefit of the ship. Or "them," as she insisted on referring to the sh'im, a habit that irritated even the equably tempered dr. Qualta.

"They have a name for themselves, captain," dr. qualta said, and you will be good enough to use it. Sh'im. Sh'im. Sh'im. Very easy to say. Very nice folks when you get to know them." meterios was visibly shocked at such vehemence from dr. Qualta and kept out of her way. Since she was already avoiding Lady Nimisha whenever possible, qualta and Nimisha had some relief from the woman's company.

Jon, casper, and syrona were not as lucky, since they were, after all, naval officers. Jon cited his seniority in both command and length of service and was punctilious in all his dealings with her.

Casper and syrona were not as lucky, but fell back on the fact that they were jon's crew, not hers.

With calculated reluctance, jon finally gave permission for her to visit the hulk of the pootheg.

"Once she sees the gouges in the hull, she should be able to realize that the ship could never have been repaired this side of the main mars yard," jon said.

"Especially since we couldn't even get the cladding off to be used where it would do some good here," casper added.

"It'll be a relief to have her out of the way," Nimisha said.

"She's beginning to get on everyone's nerves." meterios had gone through the broken bird wreck with brad karpla-or rather those areas of it humans could access.

Karpla had been keen to see what sort of weapons the ship had mounted.

Jon had explained that, according to the sh'im, they had carried only asteroid deterrents, but meterios and karpla had to make a hands-on verification. Since the "cannon" had been situated in the now-broken nose of the ship, they were inaccessible. Karpla could find no other defensive or offensive gear and came back rather grumpy after a hot day's climbing through the wreck.

"She got real dirty," tim announced with a massive grin on his face. What he didn't say, and which the adults knew from other sources, was that he and his particular sh'im cronies had shadowed the pair.

"Captain meterios? Dirty?" Nimisha said, feigning surprise. "That would have been worth seeing." "No," tim replied. "She was real angry, too, and we kept out of her way." "just as well, or you'd be in for another chewing out," Nimisha said. In meterios's opinion, children should be seen and never heard. Tim usually ordered his sh'im gang about in a voice that a drill sergeant would have envied.

I don't know how she keeps her uniforms in such impeccable condition, but she always turns herself out properly," syrona said, trying hard to find something positive to say about the woman. Nesta meterios was not a tall woman-just making the height required by naval regulations-and skinny, rather than thin. She might have been attractive if she'd tried to emphasize a finely textured skin and rather large eyes and if she'd chosen a more flattering hairstyle.

"Does it herself, I'm told," casper said. "Not that those uniforms would last long if she were working the way we are." "Not that she'd ever demean herself to do so," Nimisha said.

Meterios had elected to go on the mission to the pootheg, reassembling the entire crew complement of the acclarke at a time when jon, Nimisha, and casper had been counting on the extra hands to help raise a windmill to power a new well. The only person who went willingly, in fact, was valina kelly, who wanted to scan the night skies on that side of the planet. Meterios had been difficult about including a "civilian" on a naval expedition until dr. Qualta intervened and reminded meterios that after all valina's official and top-priority clearance to be a member of the wormhunter space station guaranteed that she was cleared for a minor reconnaissance operation.

When the acclarke lifted at dawn, Nimisha happened to be up, soothing a fractious son. Bouncing him on her shoulder, she hurried into the pilot compartment.

"Helm, are you in constant contact with the acclarke's AI?" "Yes, lady Nimisha. We have established a permanent link.

I can screen their progress for you, if you wish."

I do. Keep it up at all times on the b screen and please inform me of any untoward occurrence you two may notice." "Yes, ma'am." later that day, Nimisha cornered jon for a quiet conversation with him over the disruptive presence of captain nesta meterios.

"I want her out of here before cuiva arrives," she said.

Jon raised his eyebrows in surprised query. "Why then?" "I'd have to invite her to cuiva's necklacing, and it be damned if I'll give the woman that satisfaction." jon chuckled. "We don't like her, do we?" "No," Nimisha said flatly. "This is our adventure, venture, colony, world, whatever, and her attitude could affect our relations with the sh'im. They're not stupid." "We can't just send her off on the acclarke," he protested.

"Why not? Helm would get her back." "True enough, but her xo doesn't think she received any new orders in the packet he handed over." Nimisha considered that. "And she's not the personality to do anything without orders to cover her butt. I'm surprised she went to the wreck." "I'm not," jon said with a wry chuckle. "She's going to do all she can to find fault with me or casper or syrona. She's welcome to. We are different branches of service, and what holds for a courier does not hold for an explorer." "Then how is she trying to fault you?" "Misuse of naval property." "You used it to survive, didn't you? Which you once told me was your second operational procedure." I did and it is, and on those grounds she cannot fault me. But that sort of personality has got to try." Nimisha let out an exasperated sigh. "Well, we have to do something about her. I'm not having her at cuiva's necklacing."

"I agree, love" jon said. "Too bad the rest of the crew is so nice-with the exception of that flat-faced toady, karpla. He takes an altogether unholy delight in hunting. Tim says his wholesale slaughter goes against sh'im notions." "That's what casper said, too." "May I suggest a way out of the difficulty?" doc said.

Nimisha swung round. "You have one?" "If you're looking for answers, you find them," he said at his most sententious. "What exactly were captain meterios's orders?" jon and Nimisha regarded each other. "Helm, ask acclarke's helm the exact wording of meterios's original orders." yes, ma'am," was the quick response. "I quote 'captain met

Ilerios, naval id "skip the heading, helm, and get to the essence of the orders," Nimisha said.

"Is to maintain the acclarke courier vessel, 4cg 2440, in constant readiness at all times. To launch the specially constructed probe the instant the wormhole should appear. To instantly pulse a message of its reappearance flash override to fleet headquarters on vega in. To maintain the beacon and all drone beacons in the assigned patrol area. To assist as required the scientific personnel on the space station. If feasible to traverse the wormhole and acquire sufficient stellar spectrum analyses to establish proper coordinates in the space grid. To establish, if at all possible, the current location of lady Nimisha Boynton-Rondymense. To return at top speed with all pertinent information regarding the wormhole for analysis and dissemination." those are the orders. Shall I prepare hard copy?" "Yes, but I think we have the one we want," jon said, rubbing his hands together with a gleeful expression on his face. "She has not 'returned at top speed with all pertinent information for analysis and dissemination' and is therefore delinquent in her duty we've got her."

"Undoubtedly, because top speed is going to take her four years," Nimisha said.

"Unless she plans to go back the way she came in the next five, that'd be my assessment.,, "four years is not so long," Nimisha added, delighting in the prospect of how bored meterios would be. "But I'd hate for her crew to have to go with her." "They needn't," doc said. "Acclarke's helm is as capable as ours in getting her back to vegan space. She wouldn't need the crew." "Yes, but she is their captain." "Hold it right there," jon said. "Helm, what orders govern the rest of the crew? Didn't globan say something about short tours of duty?" "He did, he did," Nimisha said.

"Technically speaking, they would be off duty at the end of those tours, whether or not they have been returned to base and a new assignment," jon said, rubbing his chin. "I'd have to check regs on that." " If you'll pardon me, commander," helm said, "you are correct in your assumption. Globan will have served the full four-month tour in another three weeks and five days. The others, with the exception of brad karpla, who is serving a year's tour as he is checked out on the special piggyback probe, would all shortly have been replaced. Several, in fact, are overdue for reassignment." "Meterios could argue that they are not in a position to be rotated in the normal fashion," jon said, thoughtfully, "and are therefore still nominally under her command. I outrank her, and exploration has the right to draft additional naval personnel to assist in emergency situations, but I don't fancy trying to argue the matter with her. She can stump me on some unknown paragraph in a footnote in new regs that I couldn't contest."

"I could, sir," helm said. "The latest updates were added to my memory banks by commander rustin on the orders of admiral gollanch." "That's good to know," Nimisha said.

"That would be useful if meterios happened to admit the infallibility of artificial intelligence." "She denies it?" doc said, indignantly. "Maybe I can help out here." "So globan says, and I'd hate to lose him. He's fitting in here so well. And we need more colonists. Almost none of the science crew want to leave-not with all these undocumented primaries and systems to be listed." he grinned. "Qualta's in heaven and hopes her rejuv will last long enough for her to complete the maps." "My orders," doc began firmly, "are to assist lady Nimisha in all matters." "Even to shanghaiing an officer off-planet?" Nimisha asked, chuckling.

"If need be." jon rubbed his chin again. "Orders would work best. She can't with direct orders." "she's already ignoring one of the specific orders she was given, jon." Nimisha said.

"True.

"It won't be long before rustin's here," jon said. "He can say he intercepted new orders for her at the pulse beacon." "Any information reaching the beacon is supposed to be forwarded to both helms," Nimisha reminded him.

"But, if you tell rustin what's been going on here, wouldn't he help?" "Does he know captain nesta?" Nimisha asked.

"Whose side would he be likely to pick? Yours or hers?"

"Point." Nimisha said, eyeing him askance. "I'd rather we covered that before caleb reaches erehwon." jon cocked his head at her and she shook hers.

"We were very good friends," she said, "but having met you..

"Propinquity is a decided advantage," he said, pulling her into his arms and grinning at her.

"And five children," she added.

"Will you hold that against me forever?" he asked with a chagrined expression.

"Now and then, perhaps," she admitted. "It's just as well we have the sh'im to take over, or my attitude would be considerably different." "You do have your implant operational, don't you?" he asked.

"As of the day I delivered the triplets." "Then shall we?" "I was wondering when you were going to get up the nerve to ask again." "Jon," she began later, "speaking of orders, can you be ordered away from here?" "Hell's bells, love I was on an exploratory mission that, with due modesty, I can say I have acquitted to the best of my ability.

As well as taking a cursory look at two other m-type planets in the immediate vicinity. I'm certain that we have a case for making erehwon the center for further investigations. Since my knowledge of the area is intimate, I might even get bumped up in rank to administration. Which would suit me admirably." "You want to be an admiral?" "That'd keep me in administration, which wouldn't hurt my feelings. Depends on how my initial reports and performance are received."

"Another good reason for getting meterios out of the picture and on a long and uninterruptible trip back," she said.

"I agree. I like erehwon. I like the life we've been carving out here. I love you." she stood up and curled her arms about his neck. "I rather thought you might, but do you realize that's the first time you've admitted it?" "Out loud." he curved his lips in a very tender smile. I rather thought you'd've guessed as much." "I did, but I'd rather hear you confirm the situation." "Then, lady Nimisha, I respectfully request a similar confession from you," he said softly into her ear, holding her very tightly.

"I do love you, commander jonagren svangel," she said softly, "though I certainly never expected to." "Well, you have designed the perfect long-distance yacht: you are free to set that inventive mind of yours to new challenges." "Hmmm. What a good idea." john gave her another long and deeply stirring kiss before he on swung his feet over the bed and reached for his discarded coverall.

I want to have a private word with some of meterios's crew. And dr. qualta." "And I think I'll just dash off a little note to await caleb's arrival at the beacon. Something about orders he's received for the acclarke." they'd have to be at the beacon," jon said, stamping into his boots. "Headquarters would have had word by now of the loss of the space station and the acclarke, but he wouldn't have any pulses while on is drive. So make it clear he's stripped them from the beacon now that it's been repaired and we can get messages to and from." "Dear heart, don't worry. I come from a very long line of devious women."

Her first instruction to helm used the cipher she and caleb had set up for private messages. He'd know to accept and read it by himself. In the opening paragraph, she suggested that the five b helm beam orders directly to captain meterios on four's comunit.

That would be less suspicious than for him to have documentation to give her. While a pulsed beam message carried no signature, caleb did know one of admiral gollanch's private codes to give authority to such new orders. By citing meterios as a xenophobe, she'd gain caleb's understanding of their need to rid the planet of her presence. A pulsed explanation would reach the admiral well in advance of the acclarke. She also asked caleb how to keep the useful crewmembers on erehwon. The long trip home under such a captain was likely to cause severe disciplinary problems. Since the original tour of duty had been four months, not much attention had been paid to matching psych profiles. With a helm to guide a ship through is drive, no human watch was actually required, and helm could always rouse the captain for any emergencies requiring human intervention. Not that Nimisha had much faith in meterios's ability to handle real emergencies. She must have exhibited some initiative to get to be a courier captain but Nimisha couldn't imagine it.

When jon returned, unable to check with all the people he wanted to speak to, she showed him her message.

In any case, we have her for not attempting to return back to base as her orders specifically state," he said. "Send it." she did, and marked off yet another day until she would see her daughter again. The waiting was worse now that cuiva was so close. While she had been busy, while she had been making a new life here on erehwon, and with jon, she had been able to censor painful thoughts and the realization that she had missed so much of cuiva's youth. And the necklacing. That was such an important moment in a girl's life. it had been in hers, when she was suddenly about to take her place in society and be allowed to talk to adults without waiting to be spoken to: to be grown-up! She only hoped that her dam had not constricted cuiva to what lady Rezalla thought was proper for a first family body-heir to learn. And in that, Nimisha would be to blame, having such an unusual interest stand up for any individual interests she might have developed.

as ship design. Cuiva would have had no one like lord tionel to well, lady Rezalla was fair ...

Chapter 11

"we are emerging into normal space, captain rustin, in precisely nine minutes at my mark," helm said. "Mark." "About bloody time," was caleb's soft murmur.

He had risen well before time and enjoyed a leisurely breakfast before translation could occur. Kendra had joined him; since she was such a light sleeper, she woke no matter how carefully he had tried to slip out of the bed. He devoutly hoped that Nimisha would accept his new alliance without rancor. He suspected she would be sensible, but she'd been alone a long time. Would kendra understand ? Probably. They'd developed a very good rapport. Although the five b's initial orders had only covered a three-month trial run, he had been careful to match the sych profiles of all aboard the five b to form a good environment for cuiva's benefit. The result had been felicitous, if startling, when mareena favored gaitama and nazim and perdimia had paired off. He wondered how cuiva would take to that, but perdimia had made it clear to nazim that cuiva remained her first order of business. Since he was a rondymense employee, he accepted that equably.

Kendra joined caleb in the pilot compartment, slipping into the second seat and netting in. Translations out of interstellar drive were not likely to be as rough as entering, but this was totally unknown space. There had been bets that Nimisha, discovering herself alone in a strange section of the galaxy, had taken the obvious out and gone into cold sleep. So the fiver would be nearby. Knowing Nimisha better, caleb wagered that she'd been exploring-if that had been an option-since she was not the sort of person to avoid a challenge. They'd soon know, and caleb had helm plot reentry well away from the beacon so that, if the fiver were there, they'd not run into her.

Nine minutes can, seem a long time. Kendra was tapping her fingers on the armrest by the final second countdown. By then, the entire crew had gathered in the main lounge in the couches that had security straps.

"Eight ... seven ... six," helm's voice counted down, and then exactly on "one" they were out of the dark gray interspace and back into black space and a bewildering mass of unfamiliar stars.

Helm went into instant evasive action, veering away from a turnbled mass of twisted metal.

"Jasassssusss," kendra said, tightening her hold on the armrests . "That can't be the fiver!" caleb's heart had twisted violently at the fleeting view he'd had of the object, but a second's sober thought steadied his heartbeat.

Nimisha had managed to send pulsed messages. So what was that tangled mess of wreckage?

"Messages are pouring in from the beacon, commander, and analysis suggests that the debris is the remains of the wormhunter space station, not the fiver." "What the hell would the space station be doing on this side of the fragging wormhole?" caleb demanded.

"Latest messages first, captain," helm said. "From captain meterios-2' "meterios?" kendra's voice squeaked in dismay.

"of the acclarke courier stationed on the other side of the probable site of the wormhole." "She shouldn't have been drawn into it," caleb said. "Her position was a hundred thousand kilometers from Nimisha's beacon."

"How do we know that that wormhole has a stable point of entry?" ian hadley asked. "The space station wouldn't have stood a snowball's chance in hell if the wormhole opened within even fifty thousand kilometers of it. Can helm check to see if there are any pods in the wreckage?" "Later, later," caleb said. "Let's get the latest reports." "I shall screen the earlier ones in the lounge, sir," helm said.

"The acclarke reports that it saved eleven out of twelve pods, chief astronomer dr. qualta having sustained the worst injuries." "How did the acclarke weather the passage?" nazim asked excitedly. He had helped build the fours that vegan fleet had ordered.

"Later, later," caleb said again, shushing them. "Go on, helm." "Messages in the beacon indicate that the acclarke proceeded immediately to the coordinates left by lady Nimisha for the first of three m-type planets." "Nimisha went exploring?" caleb grinned, having won that bet.

"There are reports of her investigations, with commander jon svangel, of the other two m-type planets relatively close to the initial one. She has named it erehwon." "Erehwon?" kendra exclaimed.

"That's nowhere backward," cherry absin-hadley said with a grin. "Appropriate." "There is also an encrypted message for you, commander, which I will forward to your cabin," helm said. "Numerous pulsed messages have been sent back to vega, sir. Including the latest from captain meterios, dated five days ago, vegan time." "What's she still doing here?" caleb demanded in a rhetorical tone. "I know what orders the acclarke was given. In the event the courier got drawn into the wormhole, she was to ascertain if lady Nimisha was alive and then proceed with all possible speed back to vega."

"She would first have had to deposit the space station survivors wherever lady Nimisha is," kendra remarked. "The acclarke could not manage eleven more passengers." "In cold sleep it could," caleb said grimly. Because the entire complement of the five b's crew was listening, he did not voice his private thought: whatever had possessed anyone at vegan fleet command to give nesta meterios a tour of duty on the acclarke?

He answered himself: it was possibly one of the few places in which she could do the least damage, excluding the sudden appearance of the wormhole, which it should have had the speed to outrun. The acclarke helm had been programmed to take command in any emergency, including the reappearance of the wormhole. Nesta the nothing would have been merely a passenger.

While helm kept trying to present a coherent report, everyone had questions, especially about the world erehwon. Caleb wished to know who this commander jonagren svangel was. Mareena handed him hard copy access from fleet files, and consequently he learned that pootheg had been the last known ship missing in this general area. Captain panadus querine had been captain of record with it. Commander jonagren svangel listed as executive officer. The pootheg was an exploratory service vessel with a crew of ten. Caleb experienced intense relief that Nimisha had not been alone for nearly six years. Not that she wasn't capable of surviving by herself, but to have had company-and the pootheg had had a mixed crew-would have made her life there more agreeable.

Captain," kendra said suddenly, "they have made contact with"aliens also shipwrecked." "Aliens! Kendra grinned at the vehemence in his voice. "Sapient ones, too, since their ship crashed on erehwon." "Ship? Space-farers? How fascinating! Work for you, my sweet," ian said to his semantics-trained wife.

"Well, I never," was her astonished response, her green eyes sparkling with anticipation. "Oh, dear, I'd better see if I can locate the translators. I brought them along sort of as an afterthought.

Never for one moment thought I'd need them." "You signed cuiva off on their use, too, you know," ian called after cherry, who was running across the lounge. "We'll have plenty of time, honey - -." he shrugged as she continued on her way to find the equipment.

"Pretty good detail on the pulsed reports," gaitama called out, as she was the only one watching the screen in the lounge and the earliest reports. "Planet has some real nasty life-forms.

Mareena, come take a look." mareena joined the biology ensign in the lounge and gulped when she saw the size of the avians and the immense shaggy creatures. Nimisha had added a human figure to the image to show comparative size.

"Nimisha found other wrecks, not as lucky as the pootheg," she added, rewinding the tape to show those.

"That's ancient," nazim said. "Must have been first diaspora." "All right, crew. Helm has stripped the beacon of formal messages ," caleb said, half an eye on the screen as he delivered orders. "Helm's sending a pulse beam indicating our eta at erehwon.

They've put up an operational comsat so they'll know we've made a safe translation. I'm assuming that the acclarke has informed them of our imminent arrival." "An operational comsat?" kendra repeated with a respectful glare in her eye. "Well done." "Any crew member wishing to add a message to a pulse going back to vega in should have it ready in twenty minutes," caleb went on. "I don't intend to hang about here. We'll be resuming is drive in twenty minutes." "Hey, that's not long enough, caleb," nazim protested.

"Write your reams during is drive, nazim, and helm will relay them when we reach erehwon. Our first priority is to deliver our sleeping beauty to her mother as fast as possible." "Aye, aye, sir," was nazim's prompt reply, and he bolted down the corridor to his own cabin.

"Twenty minutes, nazim," caleb called after him.

"Helm, is there anything worth saving from that space station?" caleb asked.

"The metal and perhaps smaller objects," helm replied.

I shot a warning and light beacon over to it, captain," kendra said, "to ward off any possible collision." "Good idea," caleb said, as he netted in for translation. "Though why meterios neglected to do so is something I shall have a word with her about. I suspect there'll be more traffic rather than less if Nimisha's planet has aliens. just like her to find some." some people do have a knack of turning disaster into triumph ," kendra said with a mischievous grin.

"Nimisha certainly does," he agreed, and gave her hand on the armrest an affectionate squeeze.

Her ability to maintain a light touch was one of the qualities about her that caleb particularly enjoyed in their relationship. He'd never been quite sure when Nimisha was being humorous or subtly sarcastic; being able to relax with kendra had been an especial boon on this long voyage. She was also assiduous in separating their personal life from their professional.

"Fifteen minutes," caleb said over the com. "Sent your pulse, kennie?" "First in," she said.

"If you'll be good enough to send the official pulse to fleet headquarters, I'll have time to send lady Rezalla reassurance." she nodded and began to key in the obligatory notice while caleb, pausing to word his note carefully, sent a privately encrypted message to the boynton house. He discreetly commented that lady cuiva was enjoying excellent health, had completed all the lessons and tutorials sent for her instruction, and was looking forward eagerly to rejoining her mother.

"Translation in thirty seconds," helm announced and in the main lounge, caleb and kendra heard the scurry of people making for secure seating.

don't know what it is, karpla," doc said, and Nimisha had an image of lord naves stroking his chin and shaking his head in perplexity as he regarded the state of brad karpla's naked body under the plastic canopy. She could see the dust that oozed in little gouts from the pustules.

He had been complaining of a skin irritation for several days and, although he had seen the acclarke medic, when the irritation began to spread with alarming speed to cover even the soles of his feet, captain meterios had insisted that he consult the more sophisticated system. They had been a ludicrous pair on their entry, the smaller captain supporting the taller, heavier gunnery officer up the steps and to the diagnostic unit. Traces of the gray powder that the irritation exuded clung to her uniform, and she had asked permission to use the fiver's facilities to wash and brush it off.

"Use the farthest cabin, captain," Nimisha said. "The children are presently asleep in the two closer ones." "Where have you been, karpla?" doc went on, his extendibles busy brushing the powder onto slides, disclosing the odd boil-like pustules covering karpla's body.

"Hunting," karpla said, squirming on the couch in an attempt to ease the intolerable itching on his back. "Took a gang of the sh'im kids-with permission, sir," he added, craning his neck around to address jon, "to hunt in the mountains." "Did they warn you about any of the vegetation?" doc asked.

"well, I guess they did, but it was much quicker to go through the thickets. We'd spotted a covey of a-alli and you know what good eating they are. 'Sides, these coveralls are pretty impervious to most of the thorns and prickers this planet grows. Would you for mercy's sake stop the fraggin' itching, doc?" the gunnery officer's plea came out as a nearly hysterical invocation.

"I've already given you a broad antihistamine, karpla. It should be working," doc said. "Let me get some idea of what causes it, and I'll knock you out until we come up with a remedy. You'll skin yourself if you keep on doing that." karpla was writhing violently.

Jon could now see how karpla had scratched all over himself in an effort to ease the discomfort. His fingernails were bloody and broken, with the gray powder caked under them.

"That fragging thicket caused it. Nothing else on this fragging planet's bothered me. Has to be that." "Describe the plant?" "Jasssus, will you stop the itching!" "I must be sure no one else is caught out as you've been." karpla wailed in anxiety.

I suspect the sh'im tried to make karpla avoid the bushes.

Surely you've enough for analysis now, haven't you?" jon didn't have much use for the dedicated hunter, but the man's suffering need not be prolonged.

"Pullease. " Karpla was patently in anguish.

Jon didn't see the hypospray, but abruptly karpla's arching body relaxed, eyes fluttering shut in the next instant.

"Don't come any nearer, jon." the extendibles within the diagnostic unit were spreading a sheet over karpla's inert body right up to his ears. The pustules, which had crept up his throat to his face, had stopped on his chin, giving him a vile gray lumpy "beard" along the jawline.

Suddenly the air circulatory system came on full blast, plastering jon's coverall to him.

"Nimisha, stand near jon and let the vents clear any possible spores that might have reached you, too," doc said. "I suspect the powder is airborne. Whether it's infectious or contagious, I haven't yet decided. But you don't want to run the risk." "The children?" Nimisha realized she'd sent the captain down the passageway past the doors to their cabins.

"Good tight seal on those doors, and helm's already ordered a complete vacuuming." "But what is it?" Nimisha asked, hand on her throat in her anxiety. Jon started to put a comforting arm about her and canceled the action.

"Should we shower?" he asked.

"I'd advise it, and I'm preparing a thoroughly stinky but quite effective gel to use." "How do you know it's stinky?" Nimisha asked, irritable with anxiety. "You have no olfactory organs." "Because my program tells me the components stink." "oh.,, go shower." quite a breeze whipped through the ship since doc had helm open the garage hatch and all doors but those on the children's cabins.

"What is going on?" captain meterios demanded, leaning into the wind as she returned. It abated just as she reached one end of the medical unit. A quick peek proved to her that karpla's body was now decently covered.

"Clearing the air, captain," doc said.

"What's the matter with karpla? You've sedated him?" "The irritation was quite unbearable, captain. if you will call a stretcher team, he can be returned to his own quarters on the acclarke." "Your diagnosis?" meterios stood hands behind her back, looked provoked.

"an extreme allergic reaction to vegetation. I have found no comparison for either the dust or the pustules in my exotic disease data banks. An empirical treatment to relieve his extreme discomfort was necessitated." "Allergy?" "Karpla, on his most recent hunting expedition, apparently plowed through bushes which the sh'im avoided. I suspect he would have been wiser to follow their example," doc said at his mildest.

Meterios was severely irritated as she spoke into her wrist com and ordered a stretcher team on the double. "How long is he likely to be afflicted with this ... this local allergy?" I am running tests on it at this moment, captain, and will forward the results to you at the acclarke." "I shall have to set up a watch on him, I suppose." "That won't be necessary, captain. I've put him in cold sleep." you what?" "Medical necessity. Can't have him infecting anyone else until I've "discovered what antidote can prevent its spread." "Its spread?" "It could, you know," doc said. "But you had the good sense to wash immediately when you arrived, captain. I would suggest that you shower with this gel as soon as you return to your ship." a vial of a dark brown liquid rolled into one of the unit's apertures.

Jon and Nimisha exchanged quick glances, and just then the gurney team arrived. Doc's extendibles had by then encased karpla in a full cold suit.

"Put him in your medical unit in the acclarke and advise it to monitor him. I'll send what information I discover directly there," doc told meterios.

She gave a sharp nod toward parappan and amin, who had brought the transport, and left without further comment.

"What happened to him?" ace parapplan asked as he and the yeoman, fez amin, loaded karpla's body on the gurney. "where the sh'im told him not to," jon said succinctly.

"Yeah, he liked hunting with the little guys," ace remarked.

"Good shot all right, but won't listen to anyone," fez said.

"You put him in cold sleep, doc?" asked parappan.

"Only safe place for him right now. Don't touch the body bag again. Roll him into the cold sleep unit and when it's closed, take a thorough, long shower with this gel." two vials rolled out of the dispenser drawer.

As fez put the vials in his thigh pocket, he turned to jon and said casually, "we got our four-month resupply, sir, just before the wormhole ate us. In case there was something you might need." "Semon, fez," parappan said, but he winked at jon as they guided the anti-grav gurney out of the hatch.

Doc waited until they had left.

"Into the shower with you, too. Grab the gel in the dispenser and scrub yourselves well. I'm closing the ship and will add a powerful detox to finish cleaning the air." "The children ..." Nimisha started toward their rooms as jon scooped up the large bottle of brown liquid.

"They're in no danger. I instigated emergency closure and oxygen the moment I had a good look at karpla's condition," doc said.

"Get scrubbed." they did, with none of the foolery that often accompanied their showers.

"We didn't need this," Nimisha said, dressing in fresh clothing.

She could see that their cabin had been vacuumed, and the air had a decidedly medicinal taint to it. Fortunately when they reemerged into the main lounge, the air there smelled once again of erehwon's summer aromas.

"Doc, meterios was in close contact with karpla. Will that detergent keep her from getting it?" "Too late for her, I fear," doc said. "The dust is contagious. She had it on her hands and face and then tried to brush it off when she came in here. Helm informs me there is no trace of powder now in this ship." "Fraggit!" jon muttered.

"I don't think I'd wish that sort of allergy on anyone, much as she makes me dislike her," Nimisha said. "How long before she starts scratching?" "I can't tell, nimi, but I suspect by tomorrow, she'll be showing signs." "Then tell her crew to stay the hell away from the acclarke," jon ordered.

"helm has already done so since I declared a medical emergency ," doc said.

"I have warned everyone," helm said.

"What about those poor guys carrying the stretcher?" Nimisha asked.

"They'll be fine," doc said easily. "That's why I put him in a body bag. No further danger of contamination. Hopefully the cold will also wither the powder, since it thrives in heat." the medical made a throat-clearing sound. "It occurs to me, lady Nimisha almand commander svangel," he went on formally, "that treatment for this condition may only be available back where exotic diseases have been studied. And often cured." jon and Nimisha exchanged glances, and jon began to chuckle.

"You didn't have a hand in this, did you, doc?" f! "Me, sir? No, sir," doc said with what sounded like a genuine indignation. "But it does give us a legitimate reason to send the acclarke back to vega as fast as helm can take it. Karpla is, and meterios will shortly be, dangerous to both humans and sh'im.

Their condition is unlikely to deteriorate once they are both in cold sleep ...

"Especially since those were meterios's original orders," Nimisha said drolly.

"And they can be dealt with by medical authorities on their arrival. I strongly urge you to take my advice in this matter." "Doc?" Nimisha began, her expression severe.

"One grabs occasions as they arise, lady Nimisha," he said at his most courteous and cryptic.

"What was it they used to say about gift horses?" jon asked, raising an eyebrow as he gave her a charming lopsided grin. "And whatever they got in that four-month resupply should be appropriated as fast as possible." "Jon, we shouldn't," Nimisha said, aghast.

"Why not? Those two won't need it, and if there's some fresh homegrown produce-" "there is," doc interrupted. I had helm check with four's helm. Do you want the manifest?" "We can make sure the crew it was designed for get it, love," jon said, touching her elbow. "Sure won't last four years back to vegan headquarters. And we'll be having visitors who'll have run out of the supplies they came with." "Yes, we will, won't we?" Nimisha wavered.

The next few days were fraught with nervous tension, begun when captain meterios informed captain svangel in a tone bordering on hysteria that she had awakened to find herself itching unmercifully.

"Your doc can handle it," jon said, "but if you have anyone else in the acclarke, get them out!" "As you well know, commander," she said, her voice dripping venom, "my crew-" she paused to emphasize her displeasure. "-prefer the native accommodations." "As mine do, for that matter, captain. Get into the medical unit. We'll be over-" "you shouldn't risk it," nesta meterios said, her voice frantic.

"Once you're in the medical unit, our doc will tell yours the procedures to instigate, captain meterios," jon said firmly. "As I am senior serving officer, I hereby formally relieve you of your command, captain meterios, and it will be noted that your illness came about in succoring a member of your crew. Please proceed immediately to the medical unit." when there was no outraged refusal, jon and Nimisha exchanged surprised glances.

"You heard karpla," doc said. "She can't be as bad off as he was when she brought him here, but that doesn't mean she isn't suffering a lot." jon strode down the passageway.

You will, of course, not go in there without full decontamination gear," Nimisha said.

"Damn sure," was his reply as he hauled open the storage units.

"That won't be necessary," doc said soothingly. "Helm decontaminate the entire ship once meterios is in the medical unit.

And she's wasted no time either." Nimisha crossed her arms over her chest and, foot tapping, regarded the medical unit. Somewhere it should have eyes that she could pin with her glance when necessary, like right now. She could almost appreciate those who did not like dealing with AI units on the grounds that there were no eyes to contact or anything humanoid about them except their programmed voices.

"How often do you ai's talk to each other, doc?" "Only in emergency situations, my dear Nimisha. And this is one, you'll grant." "Yes." jon came back into the main cabin, properly accoutered, masked, and wearing an oxygen tank.

I told you that it won't be necessary," doc said, sounding peeved. "As if I would risk anyone else." "You risked meterios," jon reminded him.

I did not. Karpla did. The contagion had already passed between them when she assisted him here. I even give meterios full credit for that act of mercy." "She probably couldn't stand karpla's complaints," Nimisha said unkindly.

Lady Nimisha!" doc said in a chiding tone. "Surely that good must redeem her in your estimation." "I'll try to let it," she replied.

Helm, muster the acclarke's crew at the skiff hatch," jon said.

"We can get those supplies off now that the captain's ... being taken care of." Nimisha was almost shocked at the malicious twinkle in his eyes as he waved her a farewell.

As soon as jon left, Nimisha went to the bridge of the fiver and watched him trudge across the sun-baked dusty landing field to the other vessel. Fortunately, decontaminate suits used air-conditioning, so he wouldn't be too uncomfortable in today's heat. On the way, she saw first globan, then drayus and the other crew members, fall in beside him. Whatever explanation he gave them stopped them in their tracks. Then globan started giving orders, and ace parappan and fez amin, with tezza ashke right behind them, found an empty four-wheeled cart, which they pushed to the stern hatch of the acclarke. Some of the sh'irn came along to either investigate or help.

"Now hear this, Nimisha Boynton-Rondymense speaking," she said, using the traditional hail. "Captain meterios has become infected by whatever allergen brad karpla brought back from his latest hunt. The acclarke is officially in the strictest quarantine. If anyone is experiencing a body-wide itching, please report here immediately. You there of the acclarke crew, do exactly, and only, what commander svangel orders." "That includes the sh'im, Nimisha," doc said sternly.

"Including sh'im. We'd like to speak to those who accompanied brad on his most recent hunt, to determine which plant caused his condition. Karpla and captain meterios are resting comfortably while an antidote or a treatment can be found." which I can't find without the full resources of a naval medical facility," doc added sourly.

Jon had barely returned from his several duties on the acclarke, telling Nimisha that captain meterios had been put into cold sleep, when helm announced a contact.

Fiver, this is fiver b calling." Nimisha gulped at the sound of caleb rustin's unmistakable baritone.

-"fiver b, this is Nimisha receiving you loud and clear.

Where are you?" there was a brief pause that told both Nimisha and jon that the fiver b was still a long way off.

"we have just translated to insystem drive at heliopause and are reducing our speed preparatory to landing at the coordinates on record." "Is cuiva with you? May I speak to her?" Nimisha said, knowing she didn't need to shout but doing so in her excitement. Tears ran unheeded down her cheeks, and she felt jon's hand gripping her shoulder in comfort.

She thought she'd expire during the time it took for her message to reach the incoming ship and the answer to get back to her.

"She's in cold sleep. I promised cuiva not to wake her until her birthday morning, Nimisha," caleb replied. "She's also a junior officer now. She put her travel time to good use." "Then she has her necklace with her?" "Yes, and yours, too." Nimisha could not restrain her sobs then. "Oh, the dear, dear girl. Oh, my darling cuiva!" jon edged into the second seat and took over.

"Lieutenant commander jonagren svangel speaking. Lady Nimisha is temporarily overcome with joy at your message." pause.

"Svangel? Delighted to know that Nimisha has not been alone on that planet." "Not half as glad as we were, captain, to see a fresh face, and have the advantages of such a well-equipped ship." pause.

Best ship ever built for this type of duty. Has meterios departed for vega iiit' "captain meterios and a crew member, gunnery officer brad karpla, have been stricken with an unknown, virulent allergic reaction to local vegetation. Medical advice has put them in cold sleep until they can receive treatment." pause.

"How long has meterios been in sleep?" "Since this morning, captain rustin." pause.

"She had orders to return immediately to vega as soon as she had found lady Nimisha and established her well-being, captain." "Lady Nimisha pointed this out, but meterios felt obliged to remain until you had arrived." pause.

"Too bad. What of the rest of her crew and the surviving space station personnel?" "They have all been accommodated in other quarters since their landing here and were not in contact with the affected personnel." pause.

"That's fortuitous." even the distortion of their relative distances did not quite rob the remark of its drollness. "Captain svangel I am sending you the necessary data for the acclarke helm to return immediately at the fastest possible interstellar speed to Vegan fleet headquarters. Under the circumstances, it's reassuring to know we have that capability in the fours. They are much in demand." I shall so enter that order in the log and dispatch the acclarke within the hour." pause.

"We shall send a pulse message, announcing the ship is in a quarantine status and must so be regarded. Have helm answer any hail with that warning." "Yes, sir. Complying." pause.

"is lady Nimisha still there, captain?" "She is." with that, jon tactfully removed himself from the cabin to allow them privacy. Nimisha had got over her initial reaction to the long-awaited news, although the brilliance of her eyes told him how excited she was.

"I'm told she has the necklace with her, is that right, caleb?" pause.

"Yes, it is. Lady Rezalla was determined that cuiva's own mother would do the honors, and cuiva voluntarily went into sleep to be sure you were able to follow that tradition." "Has she changed much since I last saw her?" pause.

"You'll notice it." caleb replied and jon-though he tried not to listen-heard a chuckle. "She's not a little girl anymore. But I need to know more about the aliens, Nimisha. There's some consternation about that situation, to judge by the messages at the beacon." "They must be relatively new," she said, "but then, I have to admit we've been pretty busy and don't strip the beacon as often as we should. Then the acclarke xo told us the beacon had sufem

fered damage so we actually didn't receive earlier messages." she felt a little miffed at caleb for changing the subject. "The pootheg's an exploratory ship, with appropriate crew, and the three survivors had enough training so that we could make a proper contact, according to fsp protocols, when we encountered the sh'im. That's what they call themselves. Their ship was also caught by the wormhole while they were on an exploratory voyage, hoping to find a new colonial world. So they fall into the same classification humans do. We've managed to adapt speakers to catch their language ; some of their sounds are out of our auditory range, but we have established very good working relationships." pause.

"We have a semantics expert on board who will be most disappointed ," caleb said and chuckled.

I doubt it. We haven't got more than basic words, action verbs, and general ethical ideas. No abstract philosophy or much history yet. We're beginning to need better communication on the mechanical level, so they can learn how to manage some of our equipment." pause.

"They're that intelligent?" "They probably have had space travel a lot longer than we humans have," Nimisha said.

pause.

"Accepted, lady Nimisha. Now get that quarantined ship off your planet." jon slipped back in. "Helm has programmed the acclarke, captain. You will be able to see her in the night sky in approximately two hours from my mark." he watched the bridge chronorneter. "Mark." pause.

"Over and out for now. Check with you later." the speaker went dead.

"How'd you program the acclarke helm from here?" Nimisha asked jon, surprised.

He pointed to his wrist unit. "Actually, I did most of it when I went to check on meterios. She was out of it already, so what she didn't know wouldn't give her a chance to complain." I could almost feel sorry for- there she goes." the acclarke was making a stately vertical liftoff, her thrusters stirring up dust from the landing area, Nimisha flicked off a salute. "Bye, bye, nesta. Oh, fraggit, jon, did the crew have time to get their gear off?" "Crew have already had their gear off a long time, love" he said with a chuckle. "Longer than meterios knew." they went to the hatch to watch and saw that many were observing its departure, its crew saluting until the main engines kicked in with the telltale flare from the rear tubes.

As jon pulled Nimisha back into the fiver and into his arms, they both heard the muted wakening cries from the open comunit in the babies' cabin.

"You're not anxious, are you, love?" "Of cuiva's coming? No, no. I've longed for the sight of her." she jerked her thumb at the babies' cabin. "She'll be surprised, but I think she'll be glad to have brothers and sisters." "I hope so because she's got a passel of them." "Passel? Where do you get such language, captain?" "I was raised wrong." he kissed her to prove it before they went to see to the needs of their offspring.

As the five b neared its destination, conversations became easier, pauses shorter. Syrona conferred with kendra oscony on how she had constructed the comsat she had sent up, and kendra approved. It would certainly suffice until the pulse message load increased. Oscony informed syrona that there had been advances in pulse messaging: the current pulse time to this area of space had had two months shaved off the original year and four months. Jon and casper spoke at length to chief engineer ian hadley, who was able to offer advice on the mining operations. Much botanical data was uploaded to bring mareena kawamura up to speed on those parts of erehwon that had been investigated in any depth. There was plenty left to be explored and documented.

Nimisha had conversations with perdimia ejallos about her daughter and was much reassured that cuiva had coped well when the voyage had been extended past the initial three months. Perdimia told her how hard cuiva had worked to get her junior practical officer's rank and had "signed off " in all she had studied. She spoke also with gaitama and with nazim, who was disappointed that the acclarke had already left. It was one of the ships that he had personally test-flown and he was sorry to miss her. Nimisha did not remark that he was the only one who did. Hadley had long discussions with dr. qualta and valina kelly concerning their progress in charting the new stars. He didn't wish to duplicate their efforts, since there was so much to be analyzed and documented.

Fiver's cater was informed of the need for special dishes for cuiva's necklacing ceremony, slightly complicated because it would have to be held outdoors so that the sh'im might witness the event.

Tim explained to his friends that it was a sort of coming of age for a dark-coat's eldest child.

"I am not a dark coat," Nimisha said, pretending to take umbrage and tossing over her shoulder the thick braids in which she kept her luxuriant dark hair. "Not by a century or so, but the analogy is basically correct," she added, relenting when she saw that her teasing remark had startled tim.

"The sh'im are cooking up a storm and I've got to go hunting , nimi," tim said, settling around his waist the heavy belt to which he attached his various weapons. He was tanned, well muscled, and looked more like an ancient primitive hunter than a modern space-age ten-year-old. "Oh!" he turned back at the hatch. "Can I go on calling you nimi? Will I have to start with the lady bitr "we're all in this together, tim, but it might be proper for you to be formal during the necklacing ceremony, when we'll all observe strict protocol as tradition decrees." she'd said the last in a very haughty tone.

"Oh, of course, lady Nimisha," he replied in a plummy voice, having a keen ear for mimicry. He leaped from the hatch to the ground, giving the liquid-tongued call to assemble his fellow hunters. He was the best sh'im speaker of all the youngsters: but then, as they grew older, they'd acquire a more useful vocabulary , too.

The hunters would be after a-alli today, the small treehoppers of karpla's last hunt. They used their wings only to glide from one branch to another in the forested slopes east of clifftown. Their dark flesh was very tender and succulent, so the creatures were much prized as a protein source, but they were not easy to catch.

Hunting them was reserved for special occasions and could occupy several days before sufficient numbers were acquired. Their feathers were of various hues, helping them blend into the blossoms or leaves of their roosts, and were used as adornments in the crowns, or wreaths, the sh'im wore on special occasions. The down could be stuffed into winter robes for extra warmth, the offal used as bait in fishing, the tendons dried for thong ties, and bones crushed for fertilizer.

With so much to do, even with everyone organized to help, Nimisha did not have much time to worry about the long-awaited meeting with cuiva, or the problem of explaining so many siblings.

In planning the actual landing, caleb decreed that it should be dawn, to keep his promise to cuiva that she'd be awakened on her birthday. Every human was awake well before sunrise that day, making last-minute preparations. Caleb had suggested a private breakfast for mother and daughter on board the five b.

"The crew will want to be out and about and as far away from the b as possible the moment we land," he said, chuckling. "And I need to have some time to speak to the other naval personnel before the ceremony begins." "That sounds ominous," Nimisha said, wanting to be present at the first meeting between jon and caleb.

"Why should it? It's to their credit that the three of them survived as long as they did," caleb replied. "Anyway, one of the pulses I collected from the beacon are commendations and promotions for them, which I will take great pleasure in presenting." "Oh, why weren't they forwarded to us then?" Nimisha asked.

A promotion for jon would have given him more clout in dealing with meterios.

"Navy regs," caleb said.

As the five b settled gracefully onto the landing field at clifftown in the predawn light, captain jonagren svangel, Commander casper ontell, and lieutenant junior grade syrona lester-pitt, sweating in their dress blues-the only uniforms they had left formed an escort for Nimisha, stylishly dressed in a cool tissue gown, one of a closetful of elegant outfits she'd never bothered to use once she landed on erehwon. She and syrona had altered the dress to fit Nimisha's new dimensions.

The main hatch of the sleek golden ship opened, the steps were lowered, and the crew emerged, fanning out and trying not to break their attention stance to eyeball their new environs. All of them were in dress whites, the naval contingent saluting while those not in uniform placed their right hand on their hearts, a gesture that caused Nimisha's heart to jump. Jon pressed her arm against him and then brought them both to face caleb rustin.

"Sir, lieutenant commander jonagren svangel, welcoming you and your crew to erehwon," he said, with a crisp salute.

"So good to see you, caleb," Nimisha said. She stepped forward and greeted him with the four cheek kisses of long-term friendship.

"It is very good to see you, lady Nimisha," caleb said, bowing formally. "May I present the crew and its civilian members?" "You may, of course." then caleb bent toward her and added in a murmur, "cuiva is not quite awake yet, so we're stalling a bit until she is." he gestured toward the woman first in the lineup. "My executive officer, lieutenant commander kendra oscony, lady Nimisha." between oscony's smart salute and then her acceptance of Nimisha's handshake their eyes met, and Nimisha's smile broadened. She need not worry about caleb. Kendra had paired with him on the voyage. Relieved on that score, Nimisha concentrated on meeting the other naval personnel. To both gaitama and nazim, she gave the two kisses that acknowledged their long acquaintance and her pleasure in seeing them again. Perdimia was last in line, and although Nimisha did not know her, she accorded the bodyguard two kisses and warmly shook her hand.

"I owe you much, perdimia ejallos, for protecting my daughter so diligently." perdimia, flushing with pleasure at the accolade, dipped in a respectful curtsy. "She has been a pleasure to serve, lady Nimisha." then jon introduced his shipwreck companions and the acclarke navy personnel who had remained behind, as well as the wormhunter contingent. He introduced valina kelly, roscom granjor, and adjudic kwan, explaining the absence of the others by saying that dr. qualta had done a long night's duty with her staff and they were sleeping late this morning.

"If you've granted shore leave, captain rustin, I think our group would be very happy to show your crew around a bit.

The sh'im aren't up yet." jon gestured to the tip of the sun just showing over the forested eastern slopes. "Tim's here to help with translations until your units can be programmed to shim speech." "Ready when you are, sirs and ma'ams," tim said, lifting his translator from his chest in demonstration.

"Let me add that tim is an indigenous human resident of erehwon, having been born here," jon said, "as well as our most valuable translator." I may ask for an hour or so of your time later, then, tim lester-ontell," caleb said without any condescension.

"Happy to oblige, sir," tim said, beaming broadly.

Caleb turned to Nimisha then. "Now that we've acquitted the formal courtesies, lady Nimisha ... " "let's ditch the titles, shall we, caleb?" Nimisha said, an edge to her voice. She kept finding the return of formality annoying.

Without further delay, she marched up the steps. At the top, she stopped and turned.

"Permission to go aboard, captain rustin?" she asked in a meek tone.

"Permission enthusiastically granted, la ... Nimisha," caleb said, grinning as he waved her up the steps.

Though she could hear the others breaking ranks at caleb's "dismiss!" and tim renewing his willingness to translate, she was stricken with sudden hesitation as she stood in the hatchway.

"Go on, nimi," she heard jon say, softly, supportively.

So she did and stopped because, although the dimensions of the five b were the same as her fiver, it was subtly a navy ship, and furnished as such without the more homey touch she'd managed on hers.

"She's just rousing, lady Nimisha," doc said, startling her. The AI's voice was that of lord naves, which she hadn't expected.

Her "oh" of surprise elicited a chuckle. "Well, I am the best they have in medical ai's, you know, lady Nimisha. Captain rustin chose me because lady cuiva would recognize my voice and be comforted. Come around to the unit. Speak to her. That will complete awakening." Nimisha felt her eyes fill with tears as she walked around to catch the long-awaited sight of her daughter. Cuiva was stretching sleepily, arching her back and pulling her knees up. Nimisha indulged herself with a long look at the rousing child who was a child no longer, having developed a slender womanly form during their separation. Cuiva was subtly rhidian with the line of her brow, but more boynton than farquahar-hayakawa in coloring and form.

She'd been dressed in a knee-length tunic the same color as her eyes, the neckline leaving the body-heir tattoo on her neck uncover. Nimisha drew in a long breath, trying to slow her joyfully beating heart and shaking hands so eager to embrace her daughter.

Her eldest daughter-and that mental correction settled Nimisha's nerves. Of course, without lady Rezalla to glare disapproval for a totally unacceptable display of excess emotion, Nimisha could do what she damn pleased, but she did not think she should confront her waking daughter with a tearful mother, and took firm control of her emotions.

"Cuiva. dear, happy birthday," Nimisha said lightly, joyfully, and dropped a kiss on a sleep-flushed cheek. Cuiva smiled, still not fully awake, and hearing a dream voice.

"She's in excellent condition, lady Nimisha," doc murmured.

We've been careful to maintain muscle tone during her sleep, so she should have no ill effects. She's to have small meals to reacquaint her stomach with food, but cater knows. And she can have judicious portions of her necklace banquet food." "Thank you," Nimisha murmured. Then, in a stronger, teasing tone, no longer able to delay, she said, "cuiva, you sleepyhead.

Wake up. It's your fourteenth birthday and there's a lot to be done before your necklacing." the gentian eyes flew open, caught sight of her mother's grin which Nimisha hoped was neither doting nor dopey-and then the girl was clasping her mother to her with strong young arms, cheek against cheek.

"Oh, mother, mother, mother," cuiva cried, standing up and then whirling her mother around and around in an exultant dance.

"Easy does it, cuiva," doc said.

"Oh!" like a child caught misbehaving, cuiva put one hand to her mouth and grinned mischievously at her mother. Nimisha felt the girl's body quivering and deftly upheld her, walking them both to the nearest chairs.

"And it is my birthday? Caleb kept his promise?" "He has indeed. It's just dawn on erehwon-that's what I named the planet," Nimisha hastily explained.

"Nowhere?" cuiva's fingers squeezed tightly on Nimisha's hand, which she had not released. She giggled. "Just the name you'd pick, isn't it?" "It has seemed appropriate," Nimisha agreed. "Whatever, subjectively this is the morning of your fourteenth birthday." cuiva looked around. "Where is caleb?" she demanded, seeing no one else. "And perdimia?" "Did I hear my name?" caleb said, poking his head through the open hatch.

"And perdimia!" not that cuiva had released her firm hold on her mother.

"Perdimia," caleb called out the open hatch, "your presence is requested." perdimia, with a respectful bow to Nimisha, stepped into the lounge, at which point cuiva lost all formality and, jumping up, hugged the woman, kissing her cheeks four times in the formal manner before she started effusively thanking her for all her care.

"I think food might be the next order of the day, cuiva," doc said firmly. "Cater, I do believe you have organized the appropriate sustenance for lady cuiva?"

"But where is everyone else?" cuiva demanded, looking about.

"I can't start my birthday without gaitama and nazim and cherry and kendra and ian and mareena. That wouldn't be proper, would it, mother? They all cared for me. As you did," she added, raising herself on tiptoe to kiss caleb's cheek. The way she hung on his arm made Nimisha wonder if she had a young girl's crush on the attractive man. Caleb had developed quite an air about him, new to Nimisha; a subtle improvement.

"We thought to give you a little private space with your mother, cuiva," he said.

Cuiva stood upright, reminding Nimisha so much of herself at that age and on the day of her necklacing that she thought her heart would burst. "It is my birthday and I've waited long enough for it. So I do the choosing, now that I'm legally old enough to have a say in what I want to do." caleb scratched the back of his neck. "Then I apologize for not discerning your wishes first, my dear, because I dismissed the crew.

Some of your mother's friends are showing them about." "Oh, how selfish of me," cuiva said, remorseful.

"Not at all," caleb said quickly. "Very thoughtful to wish to include them. Give them a little walkabout time and then I'll recall them for elevenses. This is a glorious planet at dawn." "They have all been cooped up longer than I was," cuiva said, still repentant.

"We'll join you while you eat, dearest," Nimisha said, going for the dish that had just appeared in cater's dispenser. Returning to cuiva's table, she spotted jon lurking outside. "Well, there's one who hung about to meet you. Jon, please come in and meet my daughter." "Permission to come aboard, captain rustin?" jon asked formally in the hatchway.

"Permission granted, captain svangel." deciding to make it plain where jon stood in her regard, Nimisha met him, linked her arm in his, and led him to the table. "Cuiva, this is jon svangel, one of the three survivors of the pootheg, which had the misfortune to meet the wormhole that snatched me, too.

He and the others have been my very good companions." cuiva gracefully held out her hand, but at the angle to be shaken, not kissed.

"My congratulations on achieving your minor majority, lady cuiva," jon said, shaking her hand first and then turning it to drop a light kiss on it. "This is just as much an occasion for us as it is for you." cuiva smiled back at him and shot a mischievous glance at her mother and a quick sideways one at caleb.

"I am most relieved to know that my mother had companions." her formal phrasing was accompanied by a radiant smile of relief.

Jon shot a quizzical look at Nimisha and then at caleb, who shook his head.

"There's a lot more you'll need to know, my love," Nimisha said, slipping into her chair again. "I could stand caffeine, cater, and something more substantial for breakfast. Caleb, perdimia?" "I'll get it," jon said, giving her shoulder an affectionate pat that he intended everyone present to notice.

Perdimia didn't know where to look.

"What more should I hear first?" cuiva asked, though her eyes followed jon to the dispenser.

"You weren't awake when we arrived at the beacon, cuiva," caleb said, "your mother and her friends have also made contact with aliens. Sapient aliens." "Oh, mother, you didn't! How marvelous! What are they like?" "We haven't seen any either," caleb said with a laugh.

"I have," perdimia said. "They're small, gray, furry, I think-" she looked to Nimisha, who nodded. "-and there seem to be a great many of them." Nimisha laughed. "We're in the largest of their six settlements.

This is the main one. Their wrecked ship is on the other side of the cliff." "Oh, mother, how wonderful. Sapient aliens! But, if their ship crashed, then they're not indigenous, right?" cuiva's curiosity did not allow her to make much progress with her bland breakfast.

"Eat," her mother said. "Quite right, they're not indigenous to this planet, but they are space-farers, so we can treat them as equals." Nimisha settled a stern look on caleb and cuiva. "Weor rather tim lester-ontell-have acquired a fair amount of basic terms and verbs. We've managed to program translators, but we're nowhere near understanding abstract terms yet." "Cherry absin-hadley will be glad to hear that," caleb remarked with a grin.

"The main point I'm making," Nimisha continued, "is that we haven't compromised the evolution of a new species. That would be a major breach of fsp regulations." "They couldn't exactly expect you to hide in a cave for five years, could they?" cuiva asked indignantly.

Jon laughed. "No breach, and as my ship was on an exploratory mission anyway, we followed protocol. In fact," he added, turning to caleb, "we've been adapting the pootheg's gig for three-fingered hands, so they can learn how to fly it. That is, captain rustin, if you have no orders to the contrary. We've found the sh'im to be intelligent quick to assimilate and learn from demonstration.

"They're allies," Nimisha said firmly.

"No reason not to continue on that footing," caleb said, raising his hands in accord. "They've obviously impressed you." "We've mining operations under way, since we've exhausted what we found in the freighter-" "freighter?" caleb asked, surprised. "Your initial report mentioned four wrecks. Where did that come from?"

"First diaspora, from the design of it," jon said. "Most of its pods survived the rough landing and we put them to use." "Meterios took exception to that," Nimisha began.

"To your use of jetsam?" caleb frowned. "Survivors have the right to use any material to hand." "We felt that included recycling whatever we could use of the pootheg," jon went on.

"Of course it would," caleb said firmly. "Don't worry about meterios. She's in trouble anyhow for delaying her return." "Actually, her delay worked to our advantage, caleb," Nimisha said, grinning. "We couldn't send the rest of her original crew back on a quarantined ship. And most of them were on short-term tours, so ...

"So, as senior serving officer, captain rustin, I take responsibility for keeping them here until proper orders could be transmitted. Were there assignments in the messages at the beacon?" jon asked.

"Not yet," caleb replied with a slight grin, "considering the time it takes for a pulse message to get where it's going and return. Frankly, svangel, I doubt headquarters would fault your decision to retain them here when you can use their skills to advantage." jon started to shake his head in the sh'im manner, but Nimisha's nudge had him change it to the appropriate human one.

"A tip on local protocol," she said, leaning across the table to caleb. "The sh'im have reversed the meaning of nod and shake.

When they shake their heads, they mean yes. A nod implies the negative. We're used to it now, but you'll need to know." "Sorry to mar your birthday breakfast with naval matters, cuiva," caleb said.

"I don't mind, caleb. It made this goo go down without me noticing that it doesn't taste like much at all," the girl said, regarding the final spoonful with no great enthusiasm. "And it's so good to be awake. You don't dream in cold sleep, you know.

And now I'll have to catch up on all that's happened. So confer away.

Caleb acknowledged the invitation. "Since headquarters does know from your flow of pulses that an alien contact has been made, you couldn't be in better odor with fleet and the federated sentient planets right now." "that's a relief," jon said.

Caleb started to shake his head-then nodded, practicing the sh'im fashion, grinning as he switched. "Forget meterios. She had her head so far up her ass her eyes were brown." they all laughed at that, though cuiva's laugh was more tentative having never before heard that particular phrase.

"I beg your pardon," caleb said hastily, bowing to both Nimisha and her daughter.

Nimisha was laughing too hard to do more than shake her head.

"Incoming avians," helm announced, startling everyone at their leisurely meal. "The fiver forwards the alarm. How do I respond?" caleb, tell your crew to seek immediate shelter and do not, I repeat, do not attempt to return here," Nimisha said, as she and jon leaped out of their seats and toward the bridge. Jon grabbed her arm before she automatically took the pilot's chair. "Your permission captain?" jon said.

"Helm, lady Nimisha and captain svangel share the conn," caleb said, and then spoke urgently into his wrist com.

He was no more than a step behind them into the bridge as they slipped into the seats, jon touching in orders for the missile launchers as soon as he could reach the pad.

"Helm, Nimisha Boynton-Rondymense here. Accept orders from fiver on emergency procedures."

"I am accepting emergency procedures from the fiver," helm replied.

"Magnify main screen to northwest at eleven of a clock port side," jon said. "Arm missile launchers. Targets are coming in fast in uneven deployment. Fire when locked on." the forward screen magnified the advancing waves of avians, looking, so evil that both perdimia and cuiva, standing out of the way at the entrance to the bridge, gasped at their appearance.

"Aren't we going airborne?" caleb asked.

"No need," Nimisha said. "Lordee, they've got some big ones today, haven't they, jon?" "Are they all that size?" caleb sounded properly awed.

"I mean the boulders they're carrying to drop on us," Nimisha said. "It's not the size of the predators that makes them so dangerous. It's their payloads." "Why?" caleb asked. "Repellers should be able to cope with rocks." "Screen's giving you a false picture of their actual size, cal.

Some are bigger than the fiver from that armed tail to the nasty snout," Nimisha said. "The sh'im are as good marksmen as we are, but we've learned to shoot down as many as possible before they get in too close, because any hits over the repeller shields leave an awful mess to scrape off. Not to mention a stink in the summer." " I think we'll catch most of these before they get anywhere near the perimeter of the shields," jon said, making a minute correction in trajectory just as the fiver opened up. "Good man, casper." "Not if globan got there first," Nimisha said, her expression gleeful.

"Not this time. Globan's manning the gig, don't you remember?

Syrona's in the skiff." he turned his head slightly toward the three observers. "We managed to fit the fiver's skiff with homemade rockets. And our allies are operational, too," he added as the batteries on the heights began bracketing the still distant avians.

"Used the pootheg's ordnance-what hadn't been destroyed by scraping along the wormhole. That's proof enough for me of the wisdom of having ai helms for emergencies." I gather that the acclarke's AI took over when it was sucked into the wormhole?" caleb asked.

Nimisha gave a wicked laugh. I got the distinct impression that meterios went paralytic." "Then wasn't it fortunate that the ai was preprogrammed," caleb said wryly. I gather the pootheg was not?" "Captain querine was a damned good pilot, and peri swanick was the jig on helm and had taken us safely through two asteroid belts earlier on-" jon nodded sh'im-like. "-but no human reflexes are fast enough to handle a transit as treacherous as that wormhole. You'll see that from the state of the other wrecks." "Fiver got off with only minor scrapes and helm is still apologizing ," Nimisha said.

I think I see what you mean about the attackers." caleb pointed to the screen as they all watched avians disintegrating in the air, their disparate parts leaving bloody trails as they dropped to the plains well before the spread of the settlement. "Your confederates are good marksmen." "More avians attacking from starboard, coming in over the hills," helm said.

"Order globan and syrona to intercept," jon said. "Hoping to catch us with the sun in our eyes, are they?" "The avians have that much intelligence?" caleb asked, surprised.

"Whatever they use for brains is sufficient to make them a real nuisance," Nimisha said. "We'd hoped that doc's little ploy would work." "What was that?" caleb asked.

"Leaving out treated bait that would inhibit yolk-formation in the females," Nimisha said. "We haven't had a raid in so long I was hoping that had done the trick. In the last two spring seasons we've cleared out as many nests as we could find." "Don't you hunt them?" caleb asked.

"Constantly," Nimisha said.

"You never hunted at home, mother," cuiva said in a scared little voice. She was standing right up against perdimia, who had a comforting arm about her.

"Hunting here is not a sport, cuiva dear. It's a necessity-both for food and survival, as you are witnessing," Nimisha said.

"I perceive the distinction, mother." "We've spared you this, believe me," jon said, his fingers busy on the touch panel to adjust the launchers' trajectories. "The avians have an uncanny instinct for appearing at precisely the most inappropriate moments.

"Like when our crops are ready to be harvested," Nimisha added, desperately trying to find some way to alleviate cuiva's distress . "You don't have to watch, you know." "If this has been part of your life, mother, and will be part of mine, I must learn to accept it." "Well said, cuiva," was caleb's accolade.

Cuiva stood up straighter, gently disengaging herself from perdimia's support. She watched for a few more moments while the five missiles joined the hails from the smaller ships, cutting down the avians as they tried to swoop down on the eastern side of the settlement.

"Aren't aerial displays often put on to welcome visitors to new planets?" cuiva asked, trying for a lighter tone.

Not quite this kind," Nimisha said, but she gave her daughter a grateful glance. Then a heartbeat later, she added, I think that might have been their last fling. At least today. We certainly have decreased the numbers they can put in the air. Fiver?" "Yes, ma'am?" "Do the cliff batteries see any more incoming from the east?" "Casper here, Nimisha. Syrona, globan, and I are going to make sure. Reset the trajectories to lob shots over the hills, will you? Just in case?" "Will do," Nimisha said, glancing over to see jon's fingers busy on the touch controls.

"Reset," he said, his hands poised to hit the toggle at the first "any ground casualties?" caleb asked with understandable hint of more trouble. concern.

Nimisha started to nod, then switched to shaking her head AI and asked helm to bring up the side screens to show where his crew, the other humans, and the sh'im had taken refuge well under the repeller shield that protected the settlement. A siren blared out the end of the emergency. Those in the five b could see the excited reception of the all clear, with humans dancing around with the much smaller sh'im as if they had established friendly relationships during the air raid.

"There's no ill wind that doesn't blow some good, is there," Nimisha said, rising and stretching the tension out of her shoulders before she embraced her daughter. "Better now than during the necklacing." when jon saw the stricken look on the girl's face, he added hurriedly, "they're dawn or dusk attackers, lady cuiva. Your ceremony's safely scheduled for noon." "So my birthday fireworks were a little early," cuiva said and, though her voice was a little shaky, she managed a fairly humorous grin.

"Attagirl!" jon grinned approvingly at her.

"Do you have any more surprises like this on your erehwon?" caleb asked in a dry tone.

"None quite as dangerous as those," jon said. "As Nimisha mentioned, we haven't had a raid in a while. Either they saw you landing and thought to catch us off guard.

"If they're clever enough to think of such a thing," Nimisha put in.

"Which I doubt," jon replied. "They should have got the message that now we've got ships, the cliff batteries and enough ammunition to keep hammering them until they leave, that maybe they should give up." "Or," and Nimisha didn't like to voice the suspicion, "they've called in reinforcements from the other continents and that means they're more intelligent than we've suspected." "Fiver's helm wishes me to inform you that the number of avian casualties are the largest so far on record," reported the five b helm.

"I can't say I'd be sorry if the species does commit mass suicide ," Nimisha said. "Oh, I shouldn't say such things, love," she added when she saw the stricken look on cuiva's face. "But those monsters killed so many of the pootheg's crew." "My deepest apologies, captain svangel," cuiva said with formal but sincere remorse. I had no idea you had suffered any casualties from those dreadful creatures." "How were you to know, lady cuiva?" jon said kindly.

"Briefly, are there any other predators of that ferocity that we have to guard against while we're on-planet?" caleb asked.

"There's a smaller continent," jon said, "that has some very large grazers that can be dangerous if something stampedes them but we tend to stay clear of their herds whenever possible. The smaller grazers are easily frightened and very fast in making strategic retreats. We haven't seen any of the slime slugs on this continent..

"Which is just as well," Nimisha said with a grateful sigh.

"Plenty of scavengers, usually small and ground burrowers that are attracted by the smell of blood. In fact, I suspect they're already at work on this morning's carnage," and jon gestured to the hills from which the last attack had come and then the distant area beyond the repeller screen, "cleaning up the ... remains.

Lakes and rivers, other than the ones we have seined out and made safe here at clifftown and the five sh'im towns, are not suitable for bathing. I'd warn your crew, sir. We have domesticated deer-like creatures to use as a farm and draft animal and the sh'im are trying other types that might be stronger for such things hing to get some as hauling heavy loads." "Sir--' kendra oscony, ian hadley, and nazim were all trying to get through the hatch at the same time. Kendra, being the slimmest, slid in sideways, saluted. "Reporting for duty." "Good of you, xo," caleb said, "but I'm given to understand that the natural ... denizens of the planet will remove the ... remnants of the recent air attack." "They will?" hadley asked, his eyes wide. "Some of those--2'

He cleared his throat hastily and rephrased what he had been about to say. "-monsters are the biggest things I've ever seen alive." jon explained about the scavengers, and caleb issued the warnings with the advice to pass them on until he could post the notice as well as vids of the indigenous wildlife.

"Those sh'im are dead shots," hadley said, shaking his head in approval.

"with only three digits to work with, too, on controls built for five," nazim said.

"I gather you had a chance to become acquainted with our allies ?" jon asked, grinning.

"Hell's bells--sorry, ma'am," ian interrupted himself with a grimace at his rough speech. "Before your com message reached us, we'd been tackled and sat on, so we couldn't make a dash back here to assist." "Whoever was flying that gig is some pilot," kendra said approvingly.

"Globan escorias, formerly of the acclarke," jon said.

"Escorias has a reputation for being a clever pilot," kendra said with a grin. "Then who was manning your fiver, ma'am?" "Please address me as Nimisha, kendra," she said firmly, and kendra made a grimace of apology. "Helm handles the fiver's offensive." "And the five b's, as well," caleb said, forestalling kendra's next question.

"Sort of makes gunners redundant, doesn't it?" hadley said with dismay.

"Only if you're shy of personnel, ian," Nimisha said. "We need marksmen when we hunt for food here on erchwon, so if that's an interest of yours and your commander has no objections, I'm certain you can join a hunt." "Young tim tells me he leads them," ian said, still slightly miffed.

"Young tim?" cuiva asked.

"Syrona's ten-year-old," jon said. "He's our resident language specialist." "He was displaying his skill during the raid," kendra said, grinning. "And taught us a few words and when to nod and when to shake our heads," she added with feeling.

"That's where cherry is," ian hadley said. "She's got units she'll want to adapt but she's vowel deep in the sounds the sh'im make. You never mentioned their size or their three fingers "there's a lot we haven't had time to mention," Nimisha said, thinking of the other surprises in store for her daughter.

I think lady cuiva's feeling a bit faint, lady Nimisha," perdimia began.

Even as Nimisha rushed to help get cuiva to the nearest chair, she added, "Nimisha, please, perdimia. And cuiva. We don't have my dam to scowl at us for dispensing with formalities.

Sometimes we've precious little time to worry about protocol on erehwon. Cater, what's cuiva to have next?" "Broth and it's ready." "oh. Would you get it please, perdimia?" "Is it just dizziness?" caleb asked, anxiously.

"I'm fine, really I am," cuiva replied, but the hand she tried to use to dismiss her problem was noticeably shaking.

"What do you expect, overloading the girl with so much excitement barely out of sleep?" doc said. "Cater's put the necessary additives to the broth." "Perhaps if you took her to the relative quiet of the fiver," caleb suggested.

Nimisha and jon exchanged guilty glances. "Relative quiet" with young triplets depended entirely on their whimsical feeding times.

"Casper's?" jon suggested and immediately cancelled that idea.

No, hope and the twins will be there." "What's the matter with the fiver? It's only a step away. I'll carry her," caleb began.

"Let's let her drink the broth first, shall we?" Nimisha said brightly.

"She can stay here, of course," caleb said, "but we thought you'd like her with you." kendra cleared her throat. "I think that perhaps there are others staying in the fiver?" she managed to avoid direct eye contact with Nimisha by striding over to the dispenser and asking for two coffees. She brought one back to hand to caleb, who absently thanked her.

"Yes," Nimisha said, still not quite having the moral courage to deal cuiva yet another shock, "that's right, kendra." low-" "we have children," jon said bluntly. "We had no way of knowing how long any rescue mission might take," he went on, addressing cuiva more than the others.

"Understandable," caleb remarked amiably. "First duty of the marooned explorer is to survive." Nimisha was relieved at how well caleb reacted to the initial announcement. If only he doesn't fault jon when the full truth is known.

"It is one reason exploratory crews are mixed," jon added, carefully choosing his words and still looking straight at cuiva.

"You mean, I have a brother or sister?" cuiva asked.

"Not slow on the uptake, is she?" kendra remarked drily.

"Twins, in fact," jon said very brightly. "They run in my family.

I'm a twin." "Oh, mother, if you knew how I yearned for siblings ... " cuiva had recovered sufficiently to hug her mother enthusiastically. "Boys or girls?" she asked jon.

"Actually, both." he cleared his throat, and rattled on, trying to get to the critical part-the recent arrival of the triplets. "Tim was the only child who survived our initial attempt to increase the human population. There was a pretty nasty fever we couldn't seem to reduce with what medicines we had left. just before Nimisha arrived syrona got pregnant with hope, who's four now. Then syrie had twins, too." "She did?" cuiva replied, blinking.

Caleb was beginning to wonder at the curious recital of erehwon genesis, but all cuiva heard was the last.

"Twins?" she exclaimed, her eyes round, "mother, you had twins?" Nimisha gave a nervous laugh.

"Two sets of twins did much to increase the esteem in which the sh'im hold us humans," jon continued laboriously.

"More than your ability to destroy those avians?" caleb asked, more confused than surprised. "And erect repeller shields?"

"I think it's a species sort of thing," Nimisha put in. "Sh'im females start breeding at two years, have two to three offspring every year for the next ten." "But we're humans," caleb said in objection.

Kendra cocked her head and then ducked away, grinning.

"Oh, please, mother,"could I meet our twins right away? How old are they?" cuiva asked eagerly.

"I'd say about three years," kendra said. "They were with dr. Qualta and valina kelly when the attack started. Your sister resembles lady Rezalla. Don't know who the boy looks like." "Then will you kindly tell me exactly what's bothering the pair of you?" caleb asked in a command tone. "You've acted with common sense and practicality, considering your situation." "What bothers us-" jon began again, and stopped.

"Is that our doc"-Nimisha rushed in with the rest of the explanation-"is of the opinion that there's some element in the soil of this planet that encourages fertility. Grazers and even the boks have multiple births, too." "So who's on the fiver?" cuiva asked.

Triplets," Nimisha said and pointed a finger at jon and then at herself. "We've named them tionel, tyrone, and teresa." cuiva stared, shocked, for a long moment at her mother, gulped and then burst out laughing. "So I'm big sister to five brothers and 7 sisters?" "I'm afraid you are, dear heart, but don't for an instant think that diminishes my love for you, my firstborn and body-heir." cuiva embraced her mother so tightly that Nimisha gave a little squeak. "Of course not, mother mine. Only we'll have to figure a way to keep such news from lady Rezalla. She'd be appalled!" the tension that had been growing during that drawn-out recital evaporated in laughter and congratulations.

I must say, mother, you have certainly provided me with a spectacular birthday," cuiva said, standing and urging her mother to her feet. I must see them. I really must." she turned to the doc.

"And don't you dare deny me." "Joy is a far greater stimulant than any I could give you, young cuiva."

Chapter 12

>> to suggest that the rest of that auspicious birthday was anticlimactic would be inaccurate. Once the skiff and gig had returned, caleb ordered that the five b's stored gig and the disassembled shuttle be put into service as quickly as possible. However, the pootheg gig, piloted by an eager nazim, would accommodate quite a few, if they didn't mind a little crowding on the short hop to the broken bird. Ool and ook indicated that they would be guides for a tour of their ancient vessel. There was space to accommodate the senior officers of the five b: caleb, kendra, chief engineer hadley, and tim to act as interpreter. The officers were fascinated and frustrated at the number of sections of the crushed ship that couldn't be accessed.

"The sh'im don't know much about the ship really, sirs," tim said. "Jon thinks it came down about a hundred and fifty of our years ago, and the sh'im life span is only about thirty, so it's dim, dark history to them." "would they mind me poking about?" hadley asked, seconded by nazim.

Tim made the request. "No, not since you arrived in such a fine ship with no marks on it at all." he grinned.

I gather they came through the wormhole," caleb said, "but the ship doesn't appear capable of making a surface landing. Not the right design." I got into one of the cargo holds, commander. They did have landing craft, but they're all messed up. And, sir," tim went on, grinning with mischief, "don't tell 'em you didn't come through the wormhole. They were real impressed with the fiver having only a few scratches. Since there're none on the five b, it'll raise you in their eyes if they think you did even better." "Good point, tim," caleb said while the others grinned.

"Think cherry'll be able to sort out her translators, ian?" "She won't have any trouble, captain," tim said. I showed her a lot already, so she could get right to work." they had reached the gig and now went aboard.

"I'd like to see more," caleb said, taking the seat beside nazim and peering out the wide front screen at the sun-parched landscape "but I think we'd better return to the settlement and file an initial report." "Yeah, there's a lot to be done," tim said with a grin. "But your being here is the best. Of course, you wouldn't be here if the necklacing wasn't to be done, would you?" "Not entirely, tim. We came to rescue Nimisha once we knew where to find her. However, the necklacing is an event we have looked forward to now for a long time," caleb remarked. Then he and the others took the short trip up and over the cliff, observing the battery installations where busy sh'im were servicing the tubes, and down to the landing strip. "I see that the gig is missing." I think globan promised to take cherry and mareena to see the avian corpses," tim said. "They're xeno and biologist, aren't they? That's what they told me during the raid. Right now's a very good time for them to record the scavengers." he gestured directly east and then to the north where most of the avian corpses would be.

When they landed and disembarked, tim said something to the dark-coats, who shook their heads.

"If you'll excuse us now, sir," he said. "They've got to go, too." the dark-coats, shading their eyes, bowed formally to the humans and set off at a good pace beside tim, heading for the settlement. That there was great activity was obvious by comings and goings and the construction of some sort of a circular edifice, being garlanded by colorful summer foliage and blossoms.

"That's a nice ]ad," hadley said. "Not at all self-conscious and certainly knowledgeable." "Makes a nice change from the kids in the restrictive upbringing in some of our planetary societies," kendra remarked.

"I'd say that the most amazing aspect is that the four of them survived as long as they did," caleb said. "I'll want to learn more of their history. Later. Right now, we have reports to make." as soon as the officers had left on their tour of the sh'im wreck, Nimisha escorted cuiva to the fiver. Jon accompanied them, and perdimia followed a short step behind, carrying the long coskanito necklace case and the dress box.

"See the scrapes, cuiva dear." Nimisha pointed to the marring on the port side. "Helm kept damage to a minimum." "Quite a feat, as you'll be able to appreciate," jon said, "when you see the condition of the other wrecks on erehwon." "So we came the safer way," cuiva said, not quite concealing an eager nervousness. "This is a very pretty valley," she added, glancing beyond the landing field and its hangar to the sh'im cliff and its settlements. "Is that large house over there where your friends live?" she asked.

"Yes, thanks to the prefab units in the freighter pod we found----' "you found, nim," ]on corrected her.

She rolled her eyes at his qualification. "All of us," she began in a starchy tone, "were extraordinarily lucky that so much of its cargo had been destined for a colony. We could use everything there was." "Weren't there any survivors?" cuiva asked softly.

"None we ever found," Nimisha said gently, patting her daughter's arm. "We think it originated in the second diaspora, so it's quite old. I don't know how they managed to fly such a crate, much less expect it to reach its destination. Which it didn't. Oh, dear," she added, for muted howls could plainly be heard through the open hatch.

"They're in good voice today," jon said with a chuckle as Nimisha hurried up the stairs ahead of them.

"They're hungry," Nimisha explained in a slightly apologetic tone. "Ah, food is on the way," she added as a sh'im female, clasping three feeding bottles to her furry chest, made her way from cater to the first cabin. The sh'im shook her head at Nimisha and kicked the half-closed door open. Nimisha caught sight of tezza ashke inside the room, jiggling tyrone, who was always loudest when hungry, his face contorted and red with outrage.

With an inaudible mutter, perdimia pushed past the others and hurried into the room, closing the door on all the hungry voices.

"That's good of her," jon said with a sigh of appreciation.

"Do you think she might take over? Or is that outside of her expertise cuiva?" "I suspect not, considering the alacrity with which she reacted ," Nimisha said, grinning and turned to look at her daughter.

"As I'm now fourteen, if not yet necklaced, and I'm certainly not anywhere near lady vescuya or lord vestrin, I don't think I need a bodyguard anymore." cuiva caught and held jon's eyes.

"Not with both your mother and me to be sure of your safe keeping ," jon said with a courtly bow.

"Thank you, jon," cuiva said with gentle dignity. "I'll need to know a lot more about this world. Before I went into cold sleep, caleb explained that, once we found you," cuiva put her fingers firmly around her mother's arm, "he never doubted we would, you know." Nimisha nodded. "Even when we got here. -."nowhere'-" cuiva giggled while the other two grinned at her amusement. "-he said we'd have to send a pulse-which they have managed to speed up by another giggle-"three months and then wait for its answer. Because what happens next depends on what's been found here. And you certainly have found a lot. All exciting, too!" "Tomorrow your mother and I demand the honor of showing you around, lady cuiva," jon said with a wink at Nimisha.

"But it's been an exciting morning, young lady, and if I may be so bold as to interrupt your reunion, I think a short nap might be advisable," doc said.

I was about to suggest one," Nimisha said, "but we could use another snack. Cater, have you something savory on hand?

This morning's raid shorted me on breakfast." "I do, lady Nimisha, and helm has informed me of lady cuiva's special needs. May I welcome you to erehwon, ma'am?" "I'm very glad to be here, I assure you, cater, and happier to be awake again. But mother," cuiva said, turning appealingly to Nimisha "how long do I have to eat that awful stuff?" I have prepared a broth and toast, lady cuiva," cater said with bright encouragement.

"I'll leave you, then, since you have perdimia to help now. I've got some checking to do." jon bent to kiss Nimisha's cheek, gave her daughter a quick bow and a grin, and then strode away.

Cuiva waited only until she could no longer hear his footsteps and then she smiled joyfully at her mother. "Kendra will be so relieved mother." "Ah, I thought that was the way the wind blows," Nimisha said.

"She's nice, and a very good mathematician. I learned a lot from her." "I'm told you qualified as a junior officer. And signed off very high in all the specialties." Nimisha gave cuiva a big hug for her achievement.

Cuiva flushed. "Well, I had to learn all I could if we were to find you, my mother, so I thought learning about astronomy, mathematics physics, and all that might prove useful." "Which it still can, since it would appear that we're stuck here for at least two years-unless they've also made significant changes in how to speed up pulse messages. Now eat, my pet," Nimisha said.

"Then can I meet my siblings?" cuiva asked, looking over her shoulder at the closed cabin door.

"Yes, and then you may all have a morning nap." when casper and syrona got back to their quarters, they found neat packages awaiting them.

"Now that's real thoughtful," casper said as he saw the tropicalweight dress whites. Since the hat was on top, he settled it to his head at the proper angle. "Someone's clever at guessing sizes." "That tunic's a new cut," syrona said. She fingered the material. "Much lighter, too. You won't know you're wearing it." she held up trousers that had a crease almost sharp enough to cut a hand. "I guess I've got the same," she said with a sigh. She and Nimisha had fashioned a very elegant sarong-length skirt and sleeveless top for the necklacing. Nimisha could design clothing as well as spaceships.

"We can change once the ceremony's over, but we are navy," casper said, appreciating her reluctance after spending so much time making the special outfit.

"Are we, casper? Still?" "Until otherwise notified." then he added, in quite a different tone of voice, "I don't know about you, syrie, but I'd hate to have to leave here. We've made such progress, and there's so much I want to see done." "Me, too," she agreed softly, turning away to open her parcel.

"Well, at least we won't swelter," she said, tilting her uniform hat at civilian angle on her head. "I'll have to do something with my hair after all." she'd let it grow long and usually wore it in a braid.

"Braid it up, like you used to. I'd hate to see you cut your hair, dear. But I sure need a trim if I'm to be correct in uniform again," casper said, regarding himself in a mirror that had been retrieved from the pootheg.

Syrona was doing that for him when tim burst in, full of his successful escort duty "chief engineer ian wants to see as much as he can of the broken bird and the freighter and that ancient wreck that Nimisha found and nazim's one o'olio of a pilot. Ook and ool said so. With two gigs, the skiff, and two fivers, can we do more exploring now, huh?" "I shouldn't be at all surprised," casper said, grinning at tim's ebullience.

Hey, casper, looks good," tim added, then frowned as he peered into the open parcels. "Don't I get new clothes, too?" "You will also notice that these are uniforms, and ten is too young even to be a cadet," syrona said with mock severity. "You'll be a lot cooler in the clothes I made you than we will come noontime. We'll be changing out of uniform as soon as we can, I assure you. Now go shower. You've got rust on your legs and arms again.

Showing off in the broken bird, were you? You be sure to put antiseptic on any cuts under all that dirt, hear me?" she listened for acquiescence delivered in a disgusted tone of voice.

Then she ran one hand over the smooth fabric of the dress whites until casper, changing into his uniform, noticed her apathy.

"What's the matter, syrie? You're not annoyed by the whites, are you? I think it was a damned nice gesture so we wouldn't have to wear the only proper attire we have left." syrie sank on to the end of the bed, her face at once sad and angry.

"When I think of what we went through ... never knowing ...

and all our friends dying, the children. Tears leaked from her eyes, and casper immediately settled beside her. She tried to push him away. "I'll get your brand-new tunic all wet." "And it'll dry in five minutes outside. Now what's the matter?

This isn't like you." "Why, if Nimisha hadn't got trapped by that wormhole.

"Oh, syrie, darling, that's not fair. You know that searches were made for us. But Nimisha managed to get a mayday out. We didn't.

No one knew where to look for the pootheg. Anyway, globan told me while we were rigging the tarpaulin that navy listed the pootheg at the top of its 'look-for' list, and every explorer ship went out with its specs and crew complement. They even had details rooting through junkyards now and then, in case parts of the pootheg could be located. And an undercover agent in that pirate gang that occasionally raids in the sirius sector. We've been found, sooner or later." he chuckled, catching her chin with gentle fingers and making her look at him. "Cherry told globan that cuiva was so determined to find her mother that everything she learned on board the five b was aimed at doing just that. Cuiva pestered the life out of hadley, who's the astronomer on the five b. And drained kendra oscony of advanced maths. And signed off on all the major specialties as a junior officer. That girl would have searched for her mother for the rest of her life. For that matter, so would captain rustin, even after he paired off with kendra. Seems he said he owed Nimisha and he was going to pay her back if it took his lifetime too." syrona began to sniffle again. "I didn't think I could have such mean thoughts about Nimisha after all she's done for us! But when the uniforms came ..." "That wasn't her idea, syrie," caleb said with a chuckle. "Rustin didn't miss us sweating in the dress blues."

" No matter what I just said, casper, I don't want to leave here.

Tim's first family on erehwon. Back in any of the colonies he'll just be a-nothing." caleb gave an amused snort. "I doubt our tim will be a nothing anywhere, syrie. You know how smart jon and Nimisha think he is, and I know he's already proved it to caleb rustin. Look how he's helping their semantics officer adjust her translator units." "But what if we're ordered to leave erehwon, casper?" she asked in a muted wail.

Casper pulled her to her feet and into his arms, where he held her tightly, smoothing back the short hairs that had escaped her braid. "If it comes to that, syrie, I'll resign. You can, too, and we'll all be colonists. We have that right under exploratory service regs." "I'd forgotten that," she said, and began to cheer up.

She rubbed her cheeks dry. "I won't take long to change, dear. That's one advantage with uniforms," she added, carefully picking up her new one and making for the bathroom she had designed for their private use. "No problems about what to wear and when to wear what." jon had had a chance for a private conversation with caleb rustin in his cabin, though caleb dodged most of the initial questions about his current orders and if there were some pertaining to the shipwrecked crew.

"There are two points that I didn't mention in any of the pulses, captain-" "caleb, jon." "Thank you, sir ... thanks." "And what could you have failed to mention in the full reports I'm still reading?" caleb asked, gesturing to the disks on his desk.

"The first oddity is that, when I computed the vector of the wreck we found in space on our way to secondo, it had not---' jon paused. "-come from the same area of space in which our wormhole ejected us. Of course, as we know now, that wormhole moves about on the other side; after all, it caught the space station and meterios, who were both supposed to be well beyond its range.

So-" jon hesitated again, dubious. "I wonder if there could be more than one wormhole emptying into this general vicinity." caleb considered that for a long moment. "We know so little about wormholes that you could be right." "I'd rather not be," jon said ruefully.

"Hmmm, yes, I agree. You said two points?" "Yes, and maybe it is part of the first. On our way back from checking out the third m-type planet, the one Nimisha calls tertio, I answered a muted alert from helm. Nimisha was sleeping a lot just then, pregnant with the twins. I certainly didn't want to wake her unnecessarily. What alerted helm was an old emission trail." "It was?" caleb sat up straighter, elbows on the armrest, his fingers linked. "How old? What sort of fuel trace?" "That we couldn't establish with any accuracy, but several months old at the least. The course just brushed the heliopause of tertio. We diverted to see if we could pick up stronger traces. It was heading off our port side. Helm took readings of the stars in that direction , but none of them were close enough to be an immediate destination." caleb leaned back in his chair and steepled his fingers thoughtfully.

"That's extremely interesting, jon, because we found traces not that far from the beacon." "You did? Meterios mentioned nothing." caleb snorted. "She only saw what she expected to see, although I'm willing to give her the benefit of the doubt in this instance . She was probably too busy catching loose pods and dodging the space station debris to notice anything as nebulous as that was, even three months earlier. But it's there. And we have it on record.

Did Nimisha mention seeing anything on her way in?" "No, and helm would have mentioned a previous sighting.

The one we saw was probably months old. Helm's a lot more sensitive than other ships." "I think we might do well to set up a few drone-eyes," caleb said. "And possibly a discreet installation on the farthest moon. As I'm sure you've gathered, we're here until further orders can be pulsed through to us. I hope you don't mind." "Mind!" grinning like an idiot, jon shook his head in the human fashion. "Having new people here?" "I rather thought that would be your reaction," caleb said drolly.

"In any event, we've enough equipment and certainly the skills to produce a good early warning system, even if we have to manufacture some things here on erehwon." jon turned serious again, too.

"Two sightings might mean a reasonably regular shipping lane through this area of space. On the other hand, maybe the trail was from a ship heading away from another wormhole exit. I think I prefer shipping lines." "I think I do, too," caleb said with a grin. "But shipping what and by whom? M-type planets are rare enough. Since the sh'im were caught by the wormhole, those traces might not be from their colony ships. I think we need more evidence before we put it on the worry list. I'll include your observations in my report." jon nodded. "Then, too, the sh'im would prefer a dimmer primary than this one, or those of the other two m's. Sh'irn eyes need shading. That's why we borrowed the tarpaulin." jon gave a droll smile. "For an unpopulated area of space, this sector shows more traffic than certainly I thought there'd be." "We'll just keep optics up there to spot the next batch of traffic.

did you ever see any exploratory probes while you were here?" jon gave a bark. "Not so much as a con trail. Though we were scarcely in a position to do any signalling once the shuttle was crocked. Sure had the surprise of my life when Nimisha flew in to our site on the pootheg's gig." "Yes, but then she's been surprising people since she was necklaced. Which reminds me, jon ... " caleb rose and picked up a neat package from his bed. "Think these might come in handy for today's ceremony. And they've improved tropical dress whites while you've been gone." jon didn't waste any time opening the parcel and grinned with real pleasure to find the hat fit his head perfectly. "I appreciate this, caleb, more than you know. Those dress blues are not for this climate." "Got to preserve all the naval traditions we can. When the fun's over, let's get our com experts together and see what we can come up with"-caleb held up a warning hand--'without exactly explaining why we want the equipment." "Since when did the navy explain more than need-to-know?" jon asked with a cocky grin. Then he noticed the wall clock. "I'd better go get dressed. Thanks again." jon ended up showering and changing in the only empty cabin.

He was buckling the white web belt-an item of uniform that had never altered-when there was a quick knock at the door and before he could say anything, syrona, exceedingly correct in her whites, entered and closed the door behind her.

"I'm here to trim your hair, captain svangel." jon's right hand went to the damp hair well below his shoulders. Syrona grinned and held up scissors and comb.

"Casper didn't complain, and you better not." "You haven't cut your hair, have you, syrie?" jon demanded anxiously.

She turned her head so that he could see the intricate braids that extended below the back of her hat.

"sit," she said, pointing to the stool and draped his damp towel over his shoulders. "It won't take long. And may even look better than the job I did on casper, now I've got the hang of it again." "Hey!" jon protested when he heard the first snip.

"Oh, relax. I've never cut anyone's ears, and you simply have to look as good as you can to match nimi and cuiva. That is, when her mother and perdimia finally made her stop playing long enough with her brothers and sister to get dressed. You'd think they were more important than her necklacing." jon chuckled, careful not to move his head. "Got over that one easily, didn't we?" "Cuiva's a nice person. Everyone on the five b-and we have got to do something about proper names for those ships, you know-thinks the world of cuiva. Do you know she intended to keep looking for her mother if it took her entire life?" "Dedication seems to be a boynton trait." he felt her comb through much shorter hair. "Sit still. I need to clip ... just ... one or two. There!" she gathered up the towel carefully from his shoulders to keep the cuttings from escaping.

Jon blinked twice in the mirror at his new elegance and grinned.

"Thanks, syrie." "Now finish dressing. It's nearly time to take your seat." placing his hat correctly under his left arm, jon made his way out of the cabin and into the main lounge of the fiver. There he stopped short, his jaw dropping as he saw lady Nimisha boyntonrondymense and lady cuiva boynton-farquahar looking every inch the first family scions they were. Nimisha was now clad in the filmy delicately blue gown, no doubt from the box perdimia had brought over from the five b. Her luxuriant hair had been plaited into a high coronet on the crown of her head, with jeweled pins that picked up the colors of her necklace, making the hairstyle truly regal. The necklace was magnificent in its intricacy, covering exactly the heir tattoo beneath it as cuiva's necklace shortly would.

He had trouble breaking his eyes away from Nimisha, for he'd never seen her in her role as a first family body-heir, despite knowing every whorl of her tattoo. She smiled gently, as if she understood his confusion at her transformation.

Reassured by that smile, he took time to regard cuiva, dressed in a subtle, not quite formfitting white gown that flowed about her slender body, outlining young breasts, slender waist and hips, reaching to her ankles, her feet in white sandals. Her hair was also dressed high on her head with ringlets that cascaded down but were somehow held on a level with her delicate ears. The neckline of her gown had been designed to show the body-heir tattoo that would soon be covered by her necklace. She was as radiant as her mother, but she dropped her eyes shyly as he stood there, mesmerized.

"I gather we pass inspection," Nimisha said, breaking the spell.

"I've never seen you look so beautiful, nimi," he said in a rough, low voice, and then laughed softly when she blushed. "And you, lady cuiva, must be the most radiant minor major body-heir ever seen in the entire galaxy, including this sector." he accorded her his deepest bow.

Perdimia entered the room, her shorter hair somehow more elegantly arranged. She was clad in a long pearly gray gown, its elegance understated. She carried the coskanito box that held cuiva's necklace.

"May we," doc began, "the ai crew of the fiver, congratulate you, lady cuiva, and salute you on your first step into maturity.

May you live long and be happy." "Here! Here!" chimed in helm's tenor and cater's alto.

"If you'll just get out of here now, jon," Nimisha said with a wide grin to take the edge off the order, "we can begin." the automatic bells signaled noon, and jon strode as fast as he could out of the fiver and toward the circle where the ceremony would take place. He couldn't quite shake off the amazing visions of mother and daughter until he was suddenly engulfed by the sunwarmed fragrance of the blooms that had been gathered to enhance this outdoor affair. The tarpaulin did provide shade for sh'im sun-sensitive eyes, but it also kept in the floral aromas, intensifying them. Bleachers that had been erected to accommodate the hordes of spectators were already crammed. He saw syrona taking her seat by casper and tim, and noticed there was an empty place on a chair-not a sh'im stool, for which he was immensely grateful-beside caleb, with his first officer just beyond him. So he made his way there. Opposite the naval contingent was a special raised section, designed so the view of the smaller would not be impeded by the floral decorations massed to create a circle.

Many of the humans were seated on couches and chairs, jon absently noted. Safer than those wretched stools.

The circle was broken by a few strategically placed gaps for exits and entrances. In its center stood a three-tiered podium.

That was where Nimisha would formally necklace her daughter.

Over the liquid vowel sounds of the sh'im, he heard music.

The musicians might have been professionally inferior to the fine orchestra that lady Rezalla would have hired for the occasion, but the strains of old earth tunes were, to his thinking, far more appropriate to rustic erehwon. As he took his seat, he thought maybe they should call the fiver "erehwon." not accurate, though: that ship would always know where she was! A hush settled. The soft music faltered a moment and then bravely started a triumphant march, not quite martial but vaguely familiar to him and in the proper tempo for a sedate progress. He turned his head, as everyone did, to see Nimisha, leading her daughter by the hand down the slight slope to the shaded arena.

Sunlight sent shafts of light from the jeweled necklace Nimisha wore. There were oohs and aaahs from the humans and the sh'im liquid sound of approval, certainly the most beautiful sounds they made and far more evocative of joyfulness than human exclamations. Cuiva kept her eyes down, not so much in modesty as to be sure of her footing on the uneven, sun-baked ground. Behind them came perdimia, looking as if she held back tears by sheer willpower.

Nimisha led cuiva into the garlanded circle through one of the openings, where perdimia halted. Mother and daughter continued around its circumference: mother on the inside. This was the point of the ritual, the presentation of a daughter to the mature spectators invited to a necklacing ceremony that signified the daughter's right to set childhood behind her. That none were relatives or highly respected family connections did not matter. Cuiva's only other near kin were fast asleep or being amused elsewhere, since even the twins were much too young to behave during this formal part of the day's ceremony.

Jon felt himself almost bursting with pride as cuiva inclined her head to him as well as to caleb. Having completed the circle, Nimisha led her daughter to the central podium and perdimia advanced slowly to them. Nimisha stood on the highest tier with cuiva on the one below, facing her mother. Perdimia held up the opened case. Slowly and gracefully Nimisha lifted up the exquisite necklace by its ends, the jewels sparkling from the glare of what sun did penetrate tiny holes in the tarpaulin.

"With this necklace, cuiva boynton-farquahar, 1, your mother, Nimisha Boynton-Rondymense, confirm that you have reached your fourteenth birthday and your minor majority. I confirm you unequivocally as my body-heir and eldest daughter." then cuiva turned her back on her mother while Nimisha carefully draped the beautiful jewelry about cuiva's slender throat, making certain that it fitted exactly over the tattoo that it replicated in gemstones, size, and design. She clasped it so that the drop sapphire exactly covered that part of the tattoo on Nimisha's back.

Nimisha stepped down to the same level as her daughter, signifying cuiva's new level in first family social ranking, and kissed her six times. Tears of joy streaked, but did not mar, their cheeks.

Cuiva stepped to the ground and gave perdimia the four kisses of deep friendship before she made her way toward the naval contingent and the space station personnel. They rose as one body, the navy saluting. Cuiva gave caleb the six kisses of kin relationship that plainly astonished him. Jon could see Nimisha's smile of approval. But when cuiva accorded him the same degree of relationship he had to blink away tears of surprise and unexpected pleasure, and swallowed against a huge lump in his throat. What a graceful way to accept a stepfather! She winked at him, her eyes full of mischief for a moment before she stepped to kendra, embracing her warmly and with two cheek kisses. She gave similar salutes to all those who had been on the five b. She warmly embraced syrona, casper, and tim, which syrona later told tim was more than they could have expected since they had only just recently met cuiva.

She shook hands with the acclarke crew members and the space station personnel before she made her way across the arena to curtsy deeply to ook and ool, graciously bowing to the others.

Then caleb rustin stepped into the arena, hat under his arm, walked toward the podium where Nimisha stood, and surveyed the crowd.

"Let us all give a rousing cheer for our lady cuiva on this auspicious occasion." he led the cheers, punctuated by the ululations of the sh'im, who jumped up and down and waved their hands high above their heads, spinning round and round in place until it was a wonder none fell. With a word to Nimisha, who looked surprised, he led her to his chair and gestured for cuiva to take the one kendra oscony immediately vacated, snugging a long black case under her left arm. The xo entered the circle, one step behind caleb as he strode to the podium. Caleb took the top level and pointed his finger at tim and cherry, who ducked quickly around the circumference of the arena to where ook and ool sat. There they crouched beside the couches so they did not obstruct the sh'im view of the next event.

"Lieutenant commander jonagren svangel, lieutenant casper ontell, ensign syrona lester-pitt, front and center." marching abreast and immediately in stride, the three came forward and halted.

"At ease," caleb said in his most official voice.

The silence was broken by two light voices doing their best to translate unknown rites into a culture that might have nothing similar at all.

"I received a pulsed message at the beacon that I may now read," he said. He took from his breast pocket a handful of the parchment on which commendations and special orders were printed; various colored ribbons and seals adorned the documents.

"Ensign syrona lester-pitt." she took one step forward to break rank, turned an exact forty five degrees to port, took two more steps, and smartly turned to face the commander, saluting.

"I have the pleasure to announce your promotion to lieutenant commander, retroactive to your landing here on erehwon twenty years ago." he handed her the promotion document, and kendra handed him the small box with the proper rank collar tabs.

He stepped down and attached them to her uniform. Then he saluted her with a broad smile. "Well deserved, commander. Don't move," he added as syrona started to turn away. "It is also my distinct pleasure to award you the galactic medal, gold class with two clusters, for courage and devotion to your service above and beyond the call of duty." syrona's eyes widened and she blinked against tears.

Kendra passed over the beautiful medal on its multicolored bar so that Caleb could pin it above syrona's breast pocket. This time his salute was held moments longer than necessary.

"Your courage is exceeded only by what you and your fellow survivors have managed to achieve in the most dangerous and primitive conditions. Your service has asked me to extend their deepest respect. Your name is already listed on the honor board at headquarters." syrona somehow managed to return to her place in rank and paid no attention to the tears still trickling down her cheeks or the fact that she had to sniffle.

Casper ontell was promoted to full commander and received his galactic medal, gold class with two clusters, and a repeat of the citation that syrona had been given.

"Lieutenant commander jonagren svangel, I have the great pleasure of confirming your rank as captain, retroactive to the date you assumed command on the death of captain panados querine of the pootheg." caleb's grin was broader than ever as he pinned on jon's new rank pins and handed over the promotion document.

I am also directed by federated sentient planet exploratory service to award you the galactic medal, platinum class with four clusters." I don't deserve that," jon murmured.

Shut up," kendra muttered back. "You bloody well do." "Quite right, caleb said, and attached the medal with its iridescent ribbon bar to jon's chest, saluting him with extra precision and length. He waited until jon had taken a backward step to fall in line with his companions before he held up the final sheet.

"If you are in accord, lieutenant commander lester-pitt, commander ontell, and captain svangel, it is the wish of your service as well as that of fleet high command and the senate of the federated sentient planets that you accept the administrative management of this planet and continue the fine work you have already done with your-with our alien allies. Such a decision, so far from your home planets and family, may not be an easy one to make and I am directed to allow you to consider the proposition until we have received further, or different orders sent by pulse messages. Additional support units are on their way-though we know they will take approximately four years to reach us-but any and all of them are subordinate to your commands and such titles as seem relevant to enforce the policies of mutual cooperation and development of equable human-sh'im relations." the audience, including those nearest the translators, erupted into cheers, hoots, hollers, calls, whistles, and other sounds that made some humans cover their ears in protest.

Caleb stepped down from the top level. "You'll have to draft a plan for development and exploration of this sector of space, you know," he said quietly to the three newly promoted and honored officers. "But we can take our time on that." "Who owns this planet then?" jon murmured, his face expressionless.

"The indigenous personnel," caleb said with first a nod and then a shake of his head. "Which I interpret as those born here." he looked directly at tim, so earnestly translating to ook and ool. "And the sh'im. Your lot, too, jon. Do you think Nimisha will stay on?" "You couldn't drag Nimisha away from here with a space gantry," the lady answered for herself, having quietly joined them. "How did you manage to blackmail so many people into agreeing to all this?" she asked.

I didn't do anything," caleb said, holding up his hands in mock defense. I was on my way here." then he relented with a big grin. "Now your esteemed mother, lady Rezalla, made certain that neither high command nor fsp senate was going to slight her body-heir, since it was your ship and inimitable wit and courage that precipitated the discovery of this brand-new sector of space.

And rescued our lost officers."

"Nimisha deserves a medal, too," syrona said, blushing a little when caleb gave her an odd look.

"Civilians don't get medals," Nimisha said. "They get greater responsibilities, but since I can pick mine-again-I'd rather stay it on erehwon with all my friends." she touched syrona's cheek, then casper's, before linking her arm in jon's and standing close to him.

"You've some time to kill here then on erehwon, caleb? Kendra?" "That's open-ended," caleb said with a grin and a quick glance at jon. "I'm still your naval attache, Nimisha. I can't seem to get relieved of that duty." "Onerous as it is," she said, pretending long-sufferance.

Tim burst into the small circle of them, hugging his mother around the hips and then pulling her down so he could see her medal, and then caleb's and jon's.

"Just how much did the sh'im understand of the honors ceremony, tim?" caleb asked, hunkering down so he was on a level with the ten-year-old.

"Well, we know they knew that cuiva's now an adult. They know that you got honors, and they were very impressed with the way you did it all, caleb," he said. "Looked right o'olio to them. But the best part is that we're all staying. They really didn't want us to leave." "As if we would," Nimisha said indignantly. "We still have to find their home world and see if tertio's m-type can be made habitable and- what are you laughing about, captain?" she demanded of jon.

Lady Rezalla knew what she was doing," jon said.

Lady Rezalla always knows what she's doing," her daughter said firmly. She kissed him enthusiastically while the others cheered.

"So it's just as well, isn't it," remarked caleb at his drollest, putting his arm about kendra's waist and pulling her close to him, "that lady Rezalla does not know the half of what her daughter's been up to."

"Mother?" cuiva's soft voice interrupted. "Can we start the dancing now?" "And the eating?" tim asked plaintively.

"Just a moment, if you will, timothy lester-ontell," jon said firmly. He pointed to where the sh'im had been seated, on couches and chairs. Without their occupants, it was plain that these were naval issue. "How did the sh'irn end up with acclarke furnishings?" syrona gasped, casper gulped, and both stared at their son in amazement.

"Well," tim replied, not at all dismayed by jon's or his parents' reaction, "captain meterios and brad karpla wouldn't be needing them, since they're asleep. And I thought ook and ool should have something more ... important looking ... than their stools." then he cocked his head questioningly at his adults. "I didn't do anything wrong, did I? We're always recycling stuff here, aren't we?" the adults exchanged glances and then Nimisha burst out laughing.

"We are indeed always recycling stuff here," jon said, trying very hard not to break into a smile. "But the acclarke's furniture falls in a different category, since she's going back to her base for reassignment." "Oh." it was obvious that tim did not quite understand the distinction jon was trying to make.

Casper and syrona both started apologizing at once until jon held up his hand.

"We can't give him examples and then complain when he follows them, can we?" he said. "We all have enough back pay to refit the entire ship if anyone complains." "No one will," caleb said firmly. "After all, the furniture was only bolted to the floor to keep it from sliding about in turbulence." they all began to laugh at that, while tim kept looking from one face to another, clearly mystified.

"is it okay for me to go eat now?" he asked.

"Yes, go on, tim," jon said and gave the boy a little push toward those crowding around the refreshment tables. "Only I want to be around when you two explain the difference to him," he added, cocking his finger at tim's shocked parents. "And he's got the right idea about eating. My lady?" he held his arm for Nimisha to take and led the procession to the necklace feast.

"How do they keep going?" jon asked in a weary voice, flapping a hand in the direction of the music still coming from the arena. That there were unusual sounds made by alien instruments and alien throats adding to the volume seemed only appropriate.

"You know how they love celebrations," Nimisha said, leaning her head on his shoulder. Her bare right foot touched his. She had long since removed her finery, including her necklace, and her hair, though still braided, hung down on either side of her shoulders.

"It could go on all night," casper said, glancing down at syrona , who was fast asleep, head on his shoulder, both hands curled about his upper arm. They were dressed in the more comfortable summer gear and occupied one of the two long couches.

They had all changed out of their formal dress uniforms, and found enough extra sarongs for kena, caleb, ian, and cherry, who were the other occupants of the fiver's main compartment.

Although the table near cater still displayed celebratory viands, most of the debris of a fine feast had been cleared away.

"Night's nearly over," kendra remarked into the silence that had followed casper's observation.

"So the celebration goes on all tomorrow-or today, since it's already today," casper said, lifting a hand briefly and letting it fall back across his leg. Syrona murmured sleepily and snuggled in.

"I should try and get some sleep," Nimisha said in an apathetic tone.

"Why?" jon turned his head toward hers. Her face was tilted against his shoulder; they were stretched out on the other long couch. "The sh'im ladies are on duty. They cope. In fact," he added, fatigue slowing both thought and remark, "from what cherry there said, they consider it a very respectable occupation." cherry opened her eyes. "Tim helped, but I got a lot of good detail of how they run their communities. Two years growing up, ten years producing, and the males are just as involved in the process as the females. Then, with any luck, they've got another fifteen or twenty to do what they want to: hunt, develop skills, build, and decorate ... I crawled into one or two of the caves this afternoon and they have murals-they make all their own pigments, you know." she paused, sighed, and picked up her narrative.

"Seems like there was some kind of competition that ook, ool, ay, and bee referred as to which females would be allowed to assist the i'l 'iliti.

"I thought that referred to the shaggy grazers," casper said, rousing slightly in surprise.

I "it now applies to you as well, but it's said in a different pitch and with much affection," cherry said with a slightly smug smile.

"I thought I recognized several different sh'im going in and out," Nimisha said, trying to focus tired eyes on cherry across the lounge.

"Probably. There were so many applying for the job that I guess they've been split into shifts," cherry said. "I'll have to check with them tomorrow, but that's how I figured they must have worked it out." "Casper," syrona roused enough to ask, "where is timmy?" casper inclined his head. "Outside." "He is dancing," helm said, "with young sh'im." "Oh," syrona murmured. "Thanks, helm." she resettled her self against casper. "I still can't get over him appropriating the acclarke furniture." jon and caleb both chuckled.

"Escorias has taken most of the blame for that," jon said. "Tim evidently asked globan to explain what he'd done wrong. He and tim had been working on the platform for the sh'irn to use at the necklacing before the acclarke left. Tim thought the couches would be nice. So escorias showed the sh'im how to undo the bolts." "That's a relief," syrona said. "I'd hate to think we had encouraged him in-" she paused.

"In taking ways?" Nimisha asked, grinning.

"Colonial recycling," jon said firmly, waggling a finger at we "the boy shows great initiative," kendra said approving could always give him junior officer training." "With cuiva showing him the ropes?" jon asked.

"The very person to do so," caleb murmured.

There was a companionable silence for a few moments, until Nimisha spoke again.

"You know," she began, "while it's good to know my dam has taken charge of rondymense-" she couldn't help a giggle over that. "-we are going to have to figure out some way to shorten the long haul from here to there. Is that why they're letting you stay on here, caleb?" caleb grinned sleepily. "You figured it out, did you?" but he turned his head just slightly to catch jon's eye and svangel nodded with a little smile.

"Finally. Does she have an attache too?" "Well, he's there more to assist jeska, who's got a good grip on design, too-" "she should," Nimisha interjected with a snort. I taught her all I knew, and hiska likes her. So did all the other department heads once they figured out how smart she was." "Didn't take them long," caleb said, "once they saw how she rushed five b through to completion." "And that reminds me," Nimisha said. "It's confusing to have two fives. They need names."

"They do," syrona said, rousing again. "Said so this afternoon to jon. " "do I still own them both, caleb?" Nimisha asked.

"You certainly do. Lady Rezalla had to give me official permission to remove five b from the ship yard to make our getaway." "Good. That settles that," Nimisha said. "I'd like to name this one -she pointed one finger downward-"the querine-weleda." syrona sat up, wide-awake, and jon turned to regard Nimisha with bemused admiration.

"Oh, that would be such a fitting tribute to them," syrona said, her voice thickened with emotion. "They were a very dedicated pair." "And what name have you decided on for the five b?" caleb asked, though by the expression on his face, Nimisha rather thought he'd guessed.

"It's not just filial respect that's involved, but gratitude for all she's connived at behind the scenes to be sure we get to keep what we've made. it's also letting my mother as she so often does, have the last word." Nimisha grinned. "I officially declare that the five b is now the lady Rezalla."

About the author

anne mccaffrey is one of the world's most popular authors. Her first novel was published in 1967. Since then, she has written dozens of books, of which there are more than twelve million copies in print. Before her success as a writer, she was involved in theatre. She directed the american premiere of carl orff's ludus de nato infante miriflcus, in which she also played a witch.

McCaffrey lives in county wicklow, ireland, in a house of her own design, dragonholdunderhill so named because she had to dig out of a hill to build it. There she runs a private livery stable, raising and training her beloved horses for horse trials and show jumping.

The End