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In the centuries of their lone battle against the Hivers, the `Dinis had twice managed to pierce a Hive ship with projectiles and, they thought, punched through to the drive unit but each time the torpedo had failed to explode and `Dinis wished to know why. The firing mechanism on their projectiles was designed to explode. The fuel Hivers used would at least give the Allies an idea of how to explode it the next time. The monetary award offered to any one or any group who solved even part of the immense problem was secondary to the prestige such a feat would accrue.
`You’re lucky tonight,’ Afra said severely because Rojer’s mind exhibited his singular concentration.
`Zara and Morag went out by themselves.’ He noted that Rojer was chagrined by that. `Zara and the `Dinis picked enough greens to last a week and Morag stumbled across a warren. But you were to have led the hunt and preferably bring back enough to provide several days’ protein.
You know that Zara and Morag are much too young to go far on their own.’ `But they did it, didn’t they?’ `That’s not the point, Rojer, and you should appreciate the difference by now.
Rojer sniffed and hung his head, mentally sorting which excuses might propitiate his parent. `I just didn’t happen to look towards the digital.’ That was genuine enough.
`Not with your nose pushing plastic about, Afra said, trying to keep his tone severe.
`It’s my fault as well, Afra,’ Xexo said, wiping his hands. `He was helping me with the alternators, and then we both thought we recognized how these pieces,’ and Xexo pointed with the fine-tip driver to what was strewn on the table, `might link up. I should have reminded him that he had chores.’ `Xexo, every one of my children has a well developed and perfectly adequate time sense. You only needed to trigger an alert, Rojer. From now on, if you don’t do so, you will be sequestered. Do you understand that clearly?’ `Yes, sir.’ Rojer’s head was down and he tried to shield his thoughts but Afra wasn’t a T-2, as well as a practised parent by now, to be diverted. In any event, he was faster at reading than Rojer was at shielding. `I’ll have none of that sass, either, young man.
Rojer shot his father a guilty, but still slightly impenitent, look and sniffed again. Clear blue eyes met orange and began to glitter: the intent now carefully hidden from Afra’s sight.
`If Xexo and me did get a piece together, you’d be awful proud of us, wouldn’t you, Dad,’ Rojer said, smiling with the charismatic brilliance that this grandson had inherited in far too generous a measure from his mother and grandfather to suit Afra.
Even so, the Raven charm melted his severity.
`Your mother and I would be immensely proud, of course, but we’d be prouder if you could – at least once a week – remember you are needed for mundane duties.’ `I do my Tower duty like everyone else.’ `Few would consider those hours mundanely spent,’ Afra said, gesturing for Rojer to clean up his workspace and himself and hurry back to the house.
z’o ZI I `Leave it, Roj, Xexo said, rubbing greasy fingers along his jaw. `Not the pieces. I want to puzzle this a bit longer. It’ll be here for you tomorrow – if you’re free.’ The engineer shot a quick glance at Afra and received a nod.
`And do remember to feed yourself sometime today, Xexo, Afra said, although he sent word to Damia at the house to see that some sort of hot meal appeared near enough to Xexo for him to see, and eat, it.
`Sure, sure,’ Xexo agreed but he was already brooding over the artefacts.
DINNER TIME IS NOW, GRL, KTG, Afra added to the `Dinis who hadn’t looked up from their shoving and shirring.
HUNGER NOT IMPORTANT. MUST FIT PIECES. GAIN MUCH RESPECT AND ENLARGE THIS PAIR, Gil said but it jumped upright in the sudden way of `Dinis shifting position. Sometimes Afra thought they must have some latent kinetic Talent to execute such rapid displacements. And there was still the conundrum of how `Dini dreams could penetrate human subconsciousness.