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Oh someone has to help her! I'll call Grandmother Isthia myself if you won't.'
`You will not disturb your grandmother. Either one of
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them.
And you will stop this hysterical nonsense immediately Rojer recoiled slightly
at the force of his mother's peripheral `pathing.
She was both trying to calm Zara and making certain the girl could not project
a call. Even Damia couldn't `path all the way to Deneb without some
assistance. For that matter, Rojer was on hand - but his sympathies were oddly
on Zara `5
side.
`Ah c'mon, sis,' he began in a drawl, sauntering across the room to them,
`Look there now! They just put food right by her palps.
Roddie's getting good at making deliveries.' `Roddie...' Mention of their
cousin surprised Zara and she blinked her tear-filled eyes and looked back at
the screen, seeing the neat piles of food in easy reach.
`How d'you know Roddie did that?' He sensed that it mattered that a member of
her family, sidereal or not, was involved in actively succouring the Queen.
`He's the only Talent up there, isn't he, Mother?' Damia agreed with him
vocally and mentally, glad of any diversion for her daughter's
over-sensitivity.
`I know he `ports the fresh food in daily. And, if you'd stop and think a
minute, she has been assisted in every way as soon as her needs were seen.
Like the shavings. Every xenbio and xenzoo's watching the screen as closely as
you. Stop fretting so much. And if you're really worried, I don't think
Roddie'd mind if you shot him a query or two.
Do you, Mother?' Damia regarded him a moment longer and Rojer knew he'd
surprised her.
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`If it would ease your anxieties, Zara, I don't think Roddie would mind. But
you're not to bombard him with inane questions,' Damia said, raising a stern
finger. `He has duties to perform and he can't be distracted any more than
your father and I, even if he isn't a Tower
Talent.' `Mother, you never liked Roddie,' Zara said, picking up on that
aspersion.
Rojer felt his mother relax: her remark had been a deliberate attempt to keep
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Zara diverted from the Queen. Zara had always perversely stood up for Roddie,
simply because her brothers and sisters detested him.
`Look, Zar,' Morag said, `she's eating!' Zara was instantly back in her chair,
eyes glued to the Queen's activity. Her movements were slow, but she'd
laboured mightily and she would be drained.
Rojer watched until he saw her carefully putting seeds and pips to one side
and then he went to seek his father. With everyone else involved in something
else, he'd have a chance to speak to his father who was taking an evening
swim, without being interrupted. He descended to the pool level and shucked
out of his clothes.
They swam a companionable few laps and then Afra caught the edge and turned to
his son.
`Something's on your mind and, for the first time in your life, I
can't get a hint of it,' Afra said.
Rojer grinned, having the opening he needed.
`That's just it, Dad, I can block and I am also hearing a lot of exchanges
that I don't believe I should. But I swear, Dad, I'm not
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trying to hear.' Afra lazily swirled his free hand and both feet to keep
balanced in the water and he smiled thoughtfully.
`I'd say that you were coming into your full strength as a Talent.
Your mother and I thought you might after the pod transfer. It was about time
for you. You confirmed it by `porting us neatly to
Heinlein and then back here.' `You were in on those --- Weren't you, Dad?'
Afra chuckled, the sound reverberating in the pool.
`No, actually I wasn't. I let you do the work.' `I did those
`ports all by myself?' `I'm surprised you didn't realize it. I assure you that
I wasn't involved.' `But I thought you were the focus -`Only for lifting the
pod.' `Then Afra nodded. `Your mother would rather that we tell you tonight
after the younger ones are in bed.' But the news, and his father's pride in
its purport, was so vivid that Rojer caught it.
`They have? I'm to join the squadron?' he cried jubilantly. Then
Rojer gasped. `I should have listened to Thian!' `You've already conducted
yourself quite adequately on the Beijing, Rojer. Do you think you can contain
yourself until later, when we can discuss this in my study?' `Sure, Dad,
sure!' But it was hard not to let his joy escape. Zara, being so sensitive,
caught the edge of his elation but no specifics. So he deliberately regaled
everyone at dinner with the news of the double find, and let her believe that
success caused his jubilant mood.
The youngsters went to bed and then Zara, probably with some prompting from
her mother for she started yawning much earlier than usual, went off to bed.
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Damia winked and led the way into Afra's study which was completely shielded.
`You've been very good this evening, dear, and we appreciate it because the
news is not generally known. Father said there's a hold on it. But the
B-Squadron which went to track down one of the three Hive ships that did
escape the nova has been located.' Afra took up the narration. `There're three
ships in Squadron B: the `Dini KTTS --`
`That's one of the class Aurigae ore built --` `Yes, and so are the two human
cruisers, the Arapahoe and the Genesee. This may be premature but the High
Councils want to have a Prime out there, to relay messages. Your brother has
done so well in that capacity that, even though you are not quite sixteen,
your grandfather, and Gollee, feel that you are able for the duties and
responsibilities.' `Dad, I
can't teach like Thian could...
`That wouldn't be one of your duties. The complement of the KTTS
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have enough Basic, and both human captains have sufficient `Dini for necessary
exchanges. It's the heft of your Talent that's required.'
`Oh,' and Rojer grinned. `Stevedoring' was a longstanding family joke.
`But why, Dad, might it be premature?' `The squadron has discovered that the
Hiver ship is decelerating. Their apparent destination is a type star system.
When the message capsule was sent, the Hiver was closing with the heliopause.
It also had not despatched either scouts or probes.
It is thought that this system may contain a Hive colony.' `Wow!'
`Precisely. A reasonable enough assumption since this G-type star is
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not that far, spatially speaking, from the Hive homeworld. The feeling is that
these are refugees, not colonists.' `Wow! And we're going to attack it?' `Ah,
now that has not been discussed, much less decided.
Considerable reconnaissance is required. In the matter of how
Hive colony worlds are protected, even the `Dini High Council has no
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