“Well, I got the odd word or two from Loncie that when they’d gone out to collect Scobie’s snocle, some womanAsh-sen-see-on,” he said, stumbling over the name, “was more or less in charge. But she was gettin’ a lot of argument from folks who said the Shepherd didn’t like women bosses.”
“Out of the deep freeze and into the permafrost,” Sean groaned.
“That was before the tsunami, a’ course,” Adak added. “Some of the people left of the Bogota group might resettle in the Vale. I hear it’s freezing up proper again now.”
Then all three fell silent, each wondering privately if there would be resettling along the lines that had worked so well for Petaybee so far.
“Any more surveys on that equatorial island chain that’s emerging?” Sean asked, the light of mischief dancing in his silver-gray eyes.
Yana wondered briefly if he’d known that would happen.
“Ah, yes,” Adak drawled, grinning to show all his even strong white teeth. “There’s copters up, and Johnny and Rick and that other bozo flitting down, doing runs. Right smart-sized islands blossomin’ like fireweed, and where it’s warm, too. Don’t ‘spect that was in anybody’s plans, now was it?” Adak looked sharply into Sean’s face, which wore a bland expression, except for the twinkle in his eyes.
“Well, with volcanoes emerging here in the north, it’s possible that there’d be a reaction elsewhere. Though speaking scientifically, the odds are low of so much crystal activity occurring.”
“But Petaybee is an unusual planet,” Yana said equably, her expression matching Sean’s, “so we can expect just about anything!”
“Shouldn’t wonder. Won’t, either,” Adak said, and drained the last of the coffee. Rising, he gave a quaint little bow in Yana’s direction, grinned at Sean, and then paused at the door. “What should I be listenin’ for now, Shongili?”
“The names of our latest visitors.”
In point of fact, it wasn’t Adak who brought Yana and Sean that news but Marmion Algemeine, her poise shaken, and Whittaker Fiske, looking glum.
“It couldn’t have been a worse selection, really, it couldn’t,” Marmion said, making for one of the chairs at Yana’s table as if her legs would support her no further. With an agitated flourish of one hand, she went on. “I’ve got my aides checking every man jack of them. And it is every man, too. I was so hoping Metuska Karianovic of KCCE would elect to come, but she’s off having some sort of rejuv treatment. Wouldn’t you just know!”
“Who did come?” Yana asked as she poured coffee all around.
“Mostly Matthew’s palsies,” Marmion said with a raising of her arched eyebrows. She pouted her lips. “Though Chas came: Charles Thraves-Tung. He’s always reasonable, I’ll say that for him. And he does think. He’ll appreciate a reasoned argument, which is more than I can say for Bal Emir Jostique.” She gave a little shudder of revulsion. “Greasy old man. He’d enjoy having prepubescent girls as wives: as many as he could get.”
“He has ‘em already, doesn’t he?” Whittaker said, regarding her with mild surprise.
“He’ll never have enough, but even he has to wait until they’re fourteen!” She gave another little spasm of her elegant shoulders, clad today in a soft, dull brown leather. She raised her hand to tick off names. “So we’ve you, me Chas Tung against Matthew, Bal, that old bag of bones Nexim Roberts Shi-Tu, with Farringer Ball on the monitor acting as chair again.”
Whittaker raised his eyebrows. “Do you know that Chas is with us?”
“How could l? You saw how Matthew scrambled his broad young men between us and the new arrivals so we didn’t have a chance to say more than ‘hello, safe trip’ before Matthew whisked them away on his ‘survey tour’? Nor was there room for one of us to go or send someone.”
Whittaker gave a bark of laughter. “I wouldn’t have wanted to go on that trip! And I don’t think Matthew won any points by insisting on flying them over the equator. Turbulence was fierce, and neither Nexie nor Bal like their innards disturbed any more than the indigestion their fancy foods give them. Speaking of which, did you notice what was being unloaded from the shuttle for their delectation?”