They met no-one but they could hear the usual low murmur and occasional curse as a hoped match dissolved. Rojer was greeted by a few noddings but the attention of most was on their fittings and piecings.
Prompted by their `Dini dreams, the three strode about the table Gil and Kat with their heads bent so the poll eyes were fastened on their objective.
Rojer scooped up one piece, moved down the table, extracted a second and found the third as far to the centre of the table as he could stretch. By then, everyone was watching, sensing an Incident.
Rojer held his breath and carefully turned the one piece on its rim, for it was rounded, fitted the s&nd to its longer side and the third to the short one. There was no question of the fit. A cheer rang out and those nearest him were slapping him on the back, nearly upsetting Gil and Kat, and rejoicing in his success. Chief Firr was roused from his bunk with the news and it percolated quickly through the ship. Rojer’s piecing was registered. The fact that he was one of seventeen others in the Alliance, six `Dini and eleven humans, to have found the same match did not reduce the jubilation on the Beijing.
Enjoy this moment with discretion, Rojer, his father said but did not hide his pleasure at Rojer’s achievement.
Count on that, Dad, Rojer replied without bothering to dampen his private elation. After all, his dad wouldn’t think badly of him if he kept the lid on a public display. Besides which, I was not the only one.
You are in very good company, for all the others are trained engineers. I believe that perhaps your mother and I have erred in appreciating your positive vocation. We will discuss this on our return.
Your grandparents will be pleased. Ah —Association had brought to the surface Rojer’s inadvertent eavesdropping the previous night and his father had unerringly caught it.
Well, that can’t be helped. Rowan was too distraught to narrow her thought. We are to return today. You timed your success perfectly. My compliments, Rojer.
We couldn’t possibly go by way of Heinlein Base, could we? The request was out before Rojer could censor it. Everyone and his uncle’s brother’s cousin’s grandson would be trying for a chance to visit Heinlein Base. What made him think that he had a priority on visiting?
I believe we can make a case for ourselves, his father replied.
I didn’t mean that to be heard, Dad, believe me!
There was a chuckle through his father’s voice. I do. You’re high from your success because, I must assure you in my turn, I was not invading your privacy.
The significance of that mild statement capped Rojer’s day.
Talented parenting involved the perquisite of reading a child as deeply as possible – especially highly Talented children; to correct any psychological quirks before they became established and warped a personality. That Afra had resigned that prerogative meant he considered his son adult enough to function with no further acute surveillance.
Then his father went on. It happens that I, too, wish to see the escape pod closer than at the end of a long tether. Screen definition is very sharp but there is a certain quality that one perceives only in the presence of the object of scrutiny. We will have the opportunity to scrutinize it.
This exchange occurred while the general celebration was continuing, with many of the dedicated puzzlers examining the fit, doing and undoing the pieces. When Chief Firr arrived, he put the three sections under the `scope and verified the fit. He couldn’t have been more pleased than if he’d done the deed himself.
`It’s up to you guys now,’ Rojer said when the excitement had calmed down sufficiently for him to speak. `Dad and I have our orders: we’re to `port back to Callisto.’ `Hell, man, why’nt you just `port over to the Moon and get a good look at that al’ pod?’ one of the mates asked.
Rojer grinned. `Rank has some privileges…
`Rank?’ the chief asked, his eyes widening.
`I’m a civilian after all,’ Rojer said, deceptively meek.