When the bales of shavings appeared, Zara piled them around the eggs and the larvae. Her cousin sent her down something to drink to ease her own parched throat, a sweat-band and replaced towels as soon as they became sopping.
Then slowly, the Queen worked herself free of her egg pile, crawling forward on her upper limbs.
Zara, keeping a respectful distance from those long arms and powerful-looking palps, remounded the shavings. The Queen continued to eat. When she stopped, Zara moved as far from her as she could, with the larvae in between. The Queen busied herself with adding more shavings, as if criticizing Zara’s efforts. Then she went into stationary mode.
Zara could sense nothing.
You’ve done what you set out to do, Zara, now report to the Module, her grandmother said but she didn’t sound angry even if her statement of what Zara was to do now was not something Zara would, or could, disobey. I suggest that you shower before you join us on Callisto. There was a thread of amusement in that addition.
`I’m in for it though,’ Zara thought, `but I did do what I set out to do. And the Queen will live now!’ To her surprise those on the Module did not attack her, or put a guard over her. The first thing Captain Waygella did was hold her nose and suggest a clean-up for the first priority.
`We’ve got a good recycling plant in the Module but, child, you’ll use up all the deodorants for the month.’ So Zara was led, at a jog trot, to the sanitary facility, someone thrust a big towel in her hand and someone else a knee-length tunic and some soft-soled station shoes.
Only when she picked up her suit, after a long shower, did Zara realize the pong she’d given off. At arm’s length she pinched two fingers on the leg and thrust it into the disposal.
Then she scrubbed the fingers again.
She was just opening the door, noting a female soldier outside when she was arbitrarily `ported to the shuttle and beside the carrier she’d hidden behind.
In you get, chi(d, her grandfather said. We’ll spare you what publicity we can.
Zara `sensed’ that Jeff Raven wasn’t exactly angry with her, more surprised than angry, but it was only him she could be sure of on that score.
She was right about that for when she arrived at Callisto, she was met in the yard by Gollee Gren, her grandfather’s first assistant, and the man who decided where Talents should be placed when they were old enough to have official assignments.
`You have surprised all of us, young Zara!’ `But, don’t you see, Uncle Gall, I had to do what I did. No-one else knew.’ `Zara, honey,’ and he put an arm about her shoulders, sort of guiding her towards the path that led to her grandmother’s house, `the only thing that saves you from being sent for ever to a boondock Capellan transfer station is that you did know. And you did save the Queen.’ Zara began to feel a little better and lengthened her step to match his longer stride. His arm was comforting across her shoulders and she `knew’ that she’d need comforting if her mother was in Grandmother’s house. She didn’t even dare `sense’ if her parents were there.
I’m here, and she felt the cool serenity of her great-grandmother lap over her. Your mother and father are far too busy pushing big daddies about the Alliance.
Then they were on the steps and the door was open.
Great-grandmother Isthia and, Zara’s eyes widened, the woman she was named after was there as well, Elizara. That sank Zara’s spirits.
She’d’ve known where she was with Mother and Dad, even with Grandmother and Grandfather, but Isthia and Elizara. . ! Uncle Gollee’s arm was still strong on her shoulders and she felt the touch of both her great-grandmother and the medic implacably – if kindly gathering her to them.
Rojer woke when he heard the klaxon of red alert.
He scrambled into clothes, wondering for a brief frantic second if he was supposed to go to his escape pod. But this was red alert, not abandon ship. He was supposed to report to the bridge for either yellow or red alert. He pushed his feet through the legs of the fatigue suit, found the ship shoes with his toes at the same time as he poked his arms through the sleeves.