I felt you two should know first, Damia added lamely. Why had she expected her parents to solve her parenting problems when neither she nor Afra could?
Because you are closest to us, dear heart, said her father, having picked up on that thought. Don’t be hard on your daughter when she is what she is.
She is what most people aren’t right now, sorry for that wretched Queen. The mental tone in which Damia said `wretched’ indicated that she didn’t apply the usual meaning.
Leave it, Damia. Just love Zara, the Rowan said.
And consult with Isthia and Elizara.
Damia withdrew then, but not without a farewell surge of affection and approval from both parents. Wanting to sort this out now she’d admitted her reservations about her daughter, she checked the time differences. And swore under her breath.
Isthia would not enjoy being awakened from sleep.
When she tried for Elizara, she touched a mind that was intensely occupied in something vital. So Damia desisted, waiting for a more opportune moment to reach the two healers.
Maybe her parents were right: Zara would settle when her cycle did. She’d wait a few months and meantime give Zara the benefit of unconditional support. That was, after all, what Afra had recommended.
He’d lived through her mother’s vacillations and vagaries . and her own. He had always shown how much he understood – and loved – her.
And he was very gentle and understanding with Zara. That might be all the child needed.
When Rojer, Gil and Kat appeared at the captain’s mess for dinner that night, his presence was welcomed by officers keen to hear more details to flesh out the official communications that Rojer had brought.
`Bare bones of the matter,’ Captain Osullivan said. `I believe your brother went on with the KLTL to check on the exact location of the nova and where the Hive homeworld was supposed to be.’ `Did you know about the great Hive wreck, sir?’ `That was the last communique’ we’ve received,’ Osullivan said.
`Then you don’t know that three pods escaped.
Rojer asked.
`Three? But they only mention capturing one -, `That’s the only one so far located, sir `Any survivors?’ asked one officer.
`Any live survivors?’ asked another.
Captain Osullivan held up his hand for silence as his usually orderly mess erupted into minor bedlam of information-starved queries.
`Shall we let our guest explain in his own time? Then, if there are additional questions, they can be dealt with in due course.
Rojer took a deep breath, sending his recall back to the proper sequence of events and gave as comprehensive a report as possible. The only thing he left out was his own participation, limiting it to mention of nameless Talents. He had `picked up’ that most of them identified him as a `kid’. He didn’t want them to add `cocky’ to that.
`We have tapes, gentlemen,’ the captain said when Rojer had wound down, `but these can wait until after a very good dinner. Provided, I might add, by the arrival of Mr Lyon and eight supply drones.
We’ll all be the better for a meal.’ However, there were questions put to Rojer that he was not able to answer. Some he knew nothing about and others he replied to not as fully as he could, but as fully as he should. When pressed by the engineering officer, Rojer had the chance to describe how the great Hive ship was being painstakingly reconstructed. This venture, aided and abetted by so many autonomous groups throughout the Alliance, aroused the interest of many of the officers. They were suddenly obsessed with the notion of initiating their own piece table Once again the captain’s table erupted into excited babble. When order was restored, Rojer had to disappoint them because he hadn’t brought his spec files with him. It hadn’t occurred to him that the Genesee wouldn’t have their own on board.
Every other ship, world, city, town, settlement in the Alliance seemed to.
`While it would have been a nice leisure-time activity during the long pursuit,’ Captain Osullivan said ruefully, `I think we will soon be concentrating on more immediate concerns, especially if that is indeed a Hive-colonized system.’ Then he leaned on one elbow towards Rojer. `With your permission, Mr Lyon,’ Rojer felt awkward being so formally addressed but he tried to look relaxed, `I feel you should personally report all these details to the Arapahoe and Captain Quacho, and the KTTS and Captain Prtglm. I’ll signal them to join us at 1230 tomorrow for the midday meal. Is that all right?’ Rojer grinned.