"Yes?" Marmie asked, cocking her head and leaning forward slightly, her light exotic perfume flavoring the recycled air of the lounge as if a few flowers had blossomed there.
"I don't think I know why exactly you need us to come. Ke-ola can tell his people about Petaybee and that it wants them to come and live there. They'll believe him before they'd believe us, surely."
"Yes, chйrie, but Ke-ola is not yet considered a Petaybean. It was very difficult to convince the Federation that Petaybee is not only a sentient planet but that people who live there for any length of time acquire a symbiotic relationship to the world.
People died-"
"Laverne!" Ronan said. "Liam's mum. The Corps arrested her and she died when they took her offplanet for questioning. Bunny and Diego have a really sad song about it they sing at latchkays sometime."
"Yes, and your mother and father fought very hard to convince the company that removing your people from Petaybee and taking them elsewhere would be fatal to them. Ultimately they and other scientists were able to provide enough scientific evidence that the Federation recognized officially what you grew up knowing about Petaybee. The board feels that only people native to the planet have a unique interest in fulfilling Petaybee's wishes."
"And they-the Federation-think that if we are symbiotic with Petaybee, we won't want to do anything that goes against what Petaybee needs because it's what we need too, is that right?" Murel asked. "Because it isn't really about wishes, you know, Marmie. Clodagh says we don't always understand why Petaybee requires what it requires, but it doesn't ask much of us, so when it does, we should pay attention."
"Clodagh and the Federation Council are in accord regarding that understanding,"
Marmie said, "though of course the council has no idea just how profound your particular link with your planet is."
"That's just it. They don't know how different we are. I was wondering why
Johnny couldn't represent Petaybee. He's a native and knows all about it too.
Besides, he's the captain of a spaceship and people look up to him. They'd believe him and Ke-ola before they'd believe us."
"He was born on Petaybee, it's true, but he has not resided there for long enough periods since leaving to undergo the adaptation that makes other adults unable to leave."
"So any adult who is Petaybean enough to represent the planet isn't able to leave, and anyone who is able to leave isn't considered to be under Petaybee's influence enough to have its best interests at heart?" Ronan asked. With a snort he added,
"Does that ever sound like the PTBs!"
Marmie shook a scolding finger at him but her eyes sparkled with amusement.
"Now now, Ronan, not all of the powers that be, as your people call them, are unreasonable. I, for instance, am considered powerful in many circles."
"Not you, Marmie! I mean, we know you're powerful and everything but you're our friend!" he protested.
"Oh yes," Murel agreed, "You're completely different! You could be a Petaybean if you wanted to!"
"Merci, chйrie. Unfortunately, in this situation, if I were to presume to represent
Petaybee, others would accuse me of promoting my own interests when interpreting Petaybee's. They would say I was taking an unfair business advantage over my competitors. Since Johnny works for me, that is another reason why he cannot represent Petaybee."
"It doesn't seem fair," Murel said.
"Perhaps not but it is as fair as the council could make it. Vraiment, I fear you have me to blame. I insisted that in certain matters the planet be personally represented by a native or natives. As the oldest native-born people still able to leave the planet, you are uniquely qualified."
"I wonder what they'd say if they knew how unique we really are," Murel mused.
"With caution and luck we will never find out," Marmie said. "Your parents and I foresaw that you might one day be called upon for this kind of mission. As you recall, that was one of our reasons for bringing you to Versailles Station to study."
"This is my fault, isn't it?" Ke-ola asked. "You having to come to invite my relatives?"
"No, no, Ke-ola, we don't mind, honest," Murel said. "We want your people to come, don't we, Ro? Ever since you told us about them and what's happened to them."
"'Course we do," Ronan said. "And what if we don't get to be home as much as we'd like for a while? Like Marmie said, it's only going to be a very short time that we can do this for Petaybee. Pretty soon we'll be too old too."
"And nobody put a laser to our heads, Ke-ola," Murel said. "We could go home and go swimming and have fun all the time, but then if something happened to
Petaybee because we had wussed out when it needed us to speak for it, it's like
Marmie and the Federation figure. Anything bad that happens to Petaybee would happen to us too. So doing this is an honor, really. Not one that anybody else could be chosen for, apparently, but an honor all the same."
"That's right," Ronan said. The two of them nodded to Ke-ola and then stared at
Marmie, presenting a united front.
She gave the table a satisfied little slap with her fingers and sat back. "Bon! Then we are in accord?"
"Yes, ma'am," the twins said together.
MARMION WALKED OUT of the lounge. She was satisfied, on the one hand, that the children understood as much as possible beforehand what was needed from them and why. On the other hand, it was sad, so sad, to have to ask them to grow up so soon. They had been adorable babies, adorable seal pups, so lively and playful, bright and full of mischief. But she had not known for sure that they possessed the intelligence and resourcefulness needed until she saw for herself how well they did in the space station school, both academically and, after an adjustment period, socially. Their handling of the situation between their science teacher and the Honu had clinched the matter for her. Their actions once they returned to Petaybee had further reassured her and their parents.
Now no one could say she had not been frank with them-the conversation had been recorded, of course. The children had the facts, and they understood and felt they were up to the task-the many tasks, she feared-that would be required of them.
Oh well, at least they had had some childhood to enjoy. In other places, on other worlds, children were worked to death before they reached puberty, and nobody found it remarkable, much less lamentable, that they had to do so. It was simply how life was in those places.
Melancholy slowed Marmion's footsteps and she retired to her own cabin. She turned the cabin lights low and set the color therapy and aroma therapy settings, put on dreamy music, and lay down upon her soft bed, which massaged her back with soothing vibrations. It had been a long journey with very little time to recuperate on Petaybee. She had been negotiating very hard to acquire the slenderest thread of permission to relocate Ke-ola's people under any circumstances. Even that had not actually been through proper channels, and now she was exposing these children to danger, as she had once been exposed. The only difference was that in her case there was no good reason that she had to endure what she did, and certainly no one to explain the reason to her had there been one.
But the twins were much better protected. On Petaybee they had the wisdom and good sense of their parents and Clodagh and most of the village where they'd grown up. And offplanet they would have her, always, and all that she was able to command.
WHEN MARMIE LEFT, Murel said aloud, "Well. It's nothing we didn't know already, I suppose, but I guess it's official now, isn't it?"
"I'm glad she told us what was going on and we were asked-sort of-instead of like the last time when Petaybee wouldn't let us in the communion cave. I asked