“And our comrades, not images but real flesh again. How the children must have grown.”
He missed the wistfulness, and not until later did he recall how ardently she entered into the life around her when they touched down. The occasions had been infrequent and brief. You must live with the Alloi, work side by side with them, share hardships and dangers as well as victories and celebrations, if you would reach an understanding of them and of what they had won on their endless voyage. To him the sacrifices were small.
“Never mind how many years we may have to make ready,” he said. “We’d better begin straightaway.”
She smiled. “You mean that you cannot sit still for a cup of tea.”
Ignoring the gentle gibe, he settled before the complex and ordered a beam to Hestia. The ship was at present above the opposite hemisphere, but the Alloi had long since orbited relay satellites. The screen came alight. “Summoning,” said the artificial voice. A minute passed, and another. “Summoning.”
Yukiko brought up an outside view. The planet shone blue-veined white. Lightnings threaded the darkened edge. She smote hands together. “We forgot!” she cried. “It’s night where they are.”
“Damn,” said Hanno without remorse.
Svoboda’s likeness entered the screen, three-dimensional, as if she herself stood behind a shut window. Her hair was tousled. A robe hastily thrown on gaped over milk-heavy breasts. “What’s wrong?” she exclaimed.
“No emergency,” Hanno replied. “News. I’ll tell you, you tell whoever else got roused, and then go back to sleep if you can.”
She bridled. “It couldn’t wait?”
“Listen.” He made his announcement in short, clanging words. “We need to begin studying what information the Alloi can give us about these other beings, as soon as they’ve assembled it. Before then we need to confer. Yukiko and I— Expect our boat, m-m, shortly after sunrise... What’s the matter?”
“What is the hurry?” Svoboda’s response crackled. “Aren’t you aware this is harvest season? We’ll be working ourselves sweatless, people an8 robots both, for the next several days. We already are. I heard the summons only because I’d just fallen asleep after the baby kept me awake for hours. Now you want us to sweep and garnish quarters for you and meet in instant council.”
“Don’t you core? Why in hell’s name did you sign on?”
“We’re sorry,” Yukiko interjected. “We were so excited, everything else dropped from our minds. Pardon us.”
The other woman fleered. “Is he sorry?”
“Hold on,” Hanno said. “I made a mistake. But this that’s happening—”
Svoboda cut him off. “Yes, it’s important. But so is your arrogance. The main thing you’re forgetting is that you, sit-ttag up there in the sky, are not God Almighty.”
“Please,” Yukiko begged.
Hanno spoke coldly. “I am the captain. I’ll have respect ,ftom you.”
Svoboda shook her head. A blond lock tossed on her temple. “That has changed. Nobody is indispensable any longer. We’ll accept whatever leader we may need, if we judge that person will serve us well.” She paused. “Somebody will call tomorrow, when we’ve conferred, and make proper arrangements.” With a smile: “Yukiko, this isn’t your fault. Everybody knows that. Goodnight.” The screen blanked.
Hanno sat staring into it.
Yukiko went to stand behind him, a hand on his shoulder. “Don’t take this hard,” she said. “She was simply short on sleep, therefore short on temper. After she has rested, she will shrug it off.”
He shook his head. “No, it goes deeper than that. I hadn’t realized—we’ve been away too much—down underneath, they carry their resentment yet.”
“No. I swear not. No more. You did bring them, us to something far more wonderful and meaningful than we had dared hope for. It is true, you are not vitally necessary now. Your captaincy is not unquestioned. And you did act thoughtlessly. But the wound is nothing, it will heal by morning.”
“Some things never heal.” He rose. “Well, no use brooding.” A crooked grin. “What about that cup of tea?”
She regarded him in silence before she said, most quietly, “You two can still hurt one another, can you not?”
His voice went brusque. “How often do you miss Tu Shan?” He drew her to him. “Regardless, these have been good years for me. Thank you.”
She laid her cheek against his breast. “And for me.”
He forced a chuckle. “I repeat, what became of the tea?”
32
First light grayed the east, made dull silver of the stream. Heights westward hulked black and haze dimmed a sinking huge moon. The waterfall rushed loud down its cuff into the river, which clucked and purled. Coolness blew, laden with silty odors.
Hanno and Wanderer stood on the dock. Then- tongues felt awkward. “Well,” said Wanderer, “have fun.”
“You too,” Hanno replied. “Uh, how long did you say you’d be gone?”
“Don’t know for sure. Three, four days. But you come home this evening, hear me?”
“Of course. We Phoenicians never spent a night at sea if we could help it.”
Wanderer’s shadowed countenance darkened further. “I wish you wouldn’t go at all. Especially alone.”
“I heard you before. You’re going alone yourself, and not even taking a communicator along.”
“That’s different. I know those woods. But none of us really know the waters. We’ve just puttered around a little in our boats or taken passage with natives, and that was to study the crew, not the seamanship.”
“Look, Peregrino, I know perfectly well the conditions aren’t identical with Earth. I’ve tried them out, remember? Please remember, too, that I was sailing, in flimsier vessels than I like thinking about, two thousand years before you were born. Always the second law of the sea is ‘Take care.’ ”
“What’s the first?”
“ ‘It’s in the bilge!’ ”
They laughed together a bit. “Okay, okay,” Wanderer said. “So we both need to go walkabout, in our different ways. I suspect the same’s true for Corinne. She didn’t really have to confer with the Triune at this exact time.” He left unspoken: Escape, relief, slack off the tension that has built up in us through these past days of wrangling. Shall we abide here, shall we accompany the Ailoi when they leave, or what? Seek within ourselves for our true desires. We have years yet in which to decide, but the divisions between us have festered longer than that, ranker than we knew.
“Thanks for your help,” said Hanno.
“De nada, amigo.” They shook hands. It was the heartiest clasp Hanno had ever felt, or given, in Hestia. He couldn’t ask outright, but he believed Wanderer had altogether forgiven him. Well, whatever rift had occurred was not over something fundamental to the man’s life, as for some others; and from Wanderer’s viewpoint, events had fairly well vindicated his old friend. At these latest con-daves of the eight, they had argued side by side.
It wasn’t the same with Macandal, Patulcius, Aliyat, Tu Sfaan, Svoboda—Svoboda— Oh, she was perfectly gracious; after all, in principle she too favored exploring. But by tacit agreement, she and Yukiko stayed abed when their men got up to carry the gear down to the boat.
Wanderer turned. His stride whispered over the dock, bis tall form strode up the path and disappeared hi remnant darknesses. Hanno boarded. Quickly he uncovered and unfurled the mainsail, took the jib from its bag, raised them, cleated the sheets, cast off. Hie fabric stood ghost-white athwart strengthening dawn, slatted, caught wind and filled. Ariadne listed over and slipped downstream.