As the hoist delivered them up the Deck Master was waiting. “Chief Officer’s respects and she wishes to see the Captain, sir.”
“That’s a coincidence,” Krausa said grimly. “Come, Son. Well both see her.”
“Yes, Father.”
They went around the passageway, reached the Chief Officer’s cabin. Krausa’s wife was outside. “Hello, my dear. The Decker said that Mother had sent for me.”
“I sent for you.”
“He got the message garbled. Whatever it is, make it quick, please. I am anxious to see Mother anyhow.”
“He did not get it garbled; the Chief Officer did send for you.”
“Eh?”
“Captain, your Mother is dead.”
Krausa listened with blank face, then it sank in and he slapped the door aside, ran to his Mother’s bed, threw himself down, clutched the tiny, wasted form laid out in state, and began to weep racking, terrible sounds, the grief of a man steeled against emotion, who cannot handle it when he breaks.
Thorby watched with awed distress, then went to his bunkie and thought. He tried to figure out why he felt so badly. He had not loved Grandmother — he hadn’t even liked her.
Then why did he feel so lost?
It was almost like when Pop died. He loved Pop — but not her.
He found that he was not alone; the entire ship was in shock. There was not one who could remember, or imagine, Sisu without her. She was Sisu. Like the undying fire that moved the ship, Grandmother had been an unfailing force, dynamic, indispensable, basic. Now suddenly she was gone.
She had taken her nap as usual, grumbling because Woolamurra’s day fitted their schedule so poorly — typical fraki inefficiency. But she had gone to sleep with iron discipline that had adapted itself to a hundred time schedules.
When her daughter-in-law went to wake her, she could not be waked.
Her bedside scratch pad held many notes: Speak to Son about this. Tell Tora to do that. Jack up the C.E. about temperature control. Go over banquet menus with Athena. Rhoda Krausa tore out the page, put it away for reference, straightened her, then ordered the Deck Master to notify her husband.
The Captain was not at dinner. Grandmother’s couch had been removed; the Chief Officer sat where it had been. In the Captain’s absence the Chief Officer signaled the Chief Engineer; he offered the prayer for the dead, she gave the responses. Then they ate in silence. No funeral would be held until Gathering.
The Chief Officer stood up presently. “The Captain wishes to announce,” she said quietly, “that he thanks those who attempted to call on him. He will be available tomorrow.” She paused. ” ‘The atoms come out of space and to space they return. The spirit of Sisu goes on.’ ”
Thorby suddenly no longer felt lost.
Chapter 14
The great gathering was even more than Thorby had imagined. Mile after mile of ships, more than eight hundred bulky Free Traders arranged in concentric ranks around a circus four miles across . . . Sisu in the innermost circle — which seemed to please Thorby’s Mother — then more ships than Thorby knew existed: Kraken, Deimos, James B. Quinn, Firefly, Bon Marche, Dom Pedro, Cee Squared, Omega, El Nido — Thorby resolved to see how Mata was doing — Saint Christopher, Vega, Vega Prime, Galactic Banker, Romany Lass . . . Thorby made note to get a berthing chart . . . Saturn, Chiang, Country Store, Joseph Smith, Aloha . . .
There were too many. If he visited ten ships a day, he might see most of them. But there was too much to do and see; Thorby gave up the notion.
Inside the circle was a great temporary stadium, larger than the New Amphitheater at Jubbulpore. Here elections would be held, funerals and weddings, athletic contests, entertainments, concerts — Thorby recalled that Spirit of Sisu would be performed there and trembled with stage fright.
Between stadium and ships was a midway — booths, rides, games, exhibits educational and entertaining, one-man pitches, dance halls that never closed, displays of engineering gadgets, fortunetellers, gambling for prizes and cash, open-air bars, soft drink counters offering anything from berry juices of the Pleiades worlds to a brown brew certified to be the ancient, authentic Terran Coca-Cola as licensed for bottling on Hekate.