"Hmm," Michael asked over breakfast the next morning. "Is there a galactic record for most time spent in warp space out of a given period, or something like that?"
"I don't know it offhand, but probably," Jevrok said immediately. "And we're definitely nowhere near it. Offhand, there are courier runs out to Targletaneau and other far-off places where where they probably spend four hundred and ninety-nine days out of five hundred en warp."
"Oh," Michael muttered, seeming disappointed at the idea of not being unique in his suffering.
"Would the computer know?" Maria asked. Jevrok shrugged. "Computer, is there a galactic record for the most time spent in warp space out of a... a subjective Antarian year?"
"That entry does not appear in standardized lists of galactic records," the computer told her. "Attempt wider search of database?"
"Umm - yeah, go right ahead, as long as you've got the processing power," she said. "It's a low priority process. I wouldn't want the ship's systems to dim because you were trying to find this out or anything."
"Acknowledged," the computer replied, and to her surprise came back with a response in just a few more seconds. "In the legends of the Klenthorr people, Arat Selenum and his crew of freedom fighters travelled from Asbelix to the Klenthorr homeworld in a single jump - taking three hundred and seventy two Antarian days. However, this feat is doubted by Rahlicx historian investigators who have studied Selenum's life."
"Pass," Jevrok insisted. "Anything a little bit more reliable?"
"Searching further," the computer replied. Everybody focused on eating, not wanting to start more conversation because of the sense that the computer might interrupt at any moment, perhaps. Kyle came in, and Michael explained briefly what they had told it to look for, and Kyle was drumming his fingers impatiently on one of the rec room tables, wanting to hear some kind of answer himself, once his waffles and tasty low-fat sausage substitute had arrived.
"In the year 4200 BRE by the Antaran Liaretian calendar, a ship from a planet known as Asfer, 1400 light years away in the direction of the galactic core, sent a delegation to the Krevnarr Confederation asking for help with marauding planet pirates who were conducting a campaign of attrition in an attempt to destroy their organized government," the computer replied suddenly around ten minutes after its last report. "According to ship's logs which are generally considered to be reasonably accurate, they logged only zero point three Antarian days out of the four hundred and two day journey in real space, travelling through established and well-mapped trading routes. The Krevnarr council agreed to grant assistance after arguing the case for a fortnight, and the planet pirates were chased over a hundred parsecs, with the last of them blundering to the event horizon of an unmapped black hole."
"Wow, that's quite a story," Michael admitted, smiling slightly. "So, this Krevnarr confederation - any relation to the Krevnarr oligarchy? The one that Sanctuary is on the trade route towards?"
"Umm... same stars and planets roughly, but a different political entity in another era," Jevrok said. "That was 4200 BRE - before the royal era that ruled for four generations or so, until Kivar overthrew it."
"Quite a while," Maria put in.
"Wait a second - four generations?" Kyle interjected. "King Zan would probably be the 'or so' - since he was booted off while still so young."
"Right," Michael put in. "I looked this part up. Sanren was Zan's father, and Sanren's grandfather was invited to take the throne by the provincial assemblies who were in charge back then, because they couldn't form a planetary council that was getting anything done."
"Hmm... okay, I want to learn more about this," Kyle said. "But not really until after I've finished eating."
"Take your time," Maria teased him. "You know, all of us have been learning a lot about Antar and the nearby worlds... the language, the history and culture and so on, but I'm starting to see that there's a lot more to the galaxy than that. It's like Antar and the various colonies and associated worlds are... are just one small to medium sized nation, and the greater galaxy is a whole planet's worth of other countries."
"Definitely an apt comparison," Jevrok admitted. "I can show you the list of known species homeworlds and sovereign interstellar political units in the computer sometime. There's nearly a thousand I think."
"And in that analogy," Michael put in wryly, "Earth is just some backwater island inhabited by 'savages' who don't know anything about the larger world beyond their shores, even their nearest neighbors." Jevrok shrugged at him, (a human mannerism that Maria had taught him just after they left Kaalto,) and didn't say anything.
"Okay, well, we can definitely learn some more," Kyle put in. "That's a good use to put all of this time to... but all school and no fun makes Kyle a grouchy boy. How about starting up another big game deal like the werewolf? I liked the werewolf one, even if I didn't quite make it to the end."
"I wasn't wild about the secret roles part," Maria put in. "Trying to keep secrets from you especially sweetie."
"Yeah, I realized that after," Michael agreed. "Thought it was just homesickness... well, I guess it crossed my mind that maybe you were part of the pack."
"In any event, none of us are really the ones to come up with a game idea and have it work, I think," Jevrok answered. "Though I'd like to play again maybe, and I think that some of the other crew would be interested in joining in this time."
"I'll make a point of finding Alex and seeing what he thinks," Maria said. "Think that the diplomacy negotiations between him and Lonnie broke down, but he was talking about something else - a trading and negotiation game."
"Hmm... sounds interesting," Kyle admitted. "Like stock market stuff, with manipulating the value of various commodities that can be bought and sold?"
"I'm not sure," Maria said.
#
"It's so weird being out of touch for long stretches of time like this," Liz complained quietly, lying in bed next to Max. "I guess I shouldn't make such a fuss over it - there have been times when I've wished for exactly this - to be somewhere that nobody could find us and bother us, no classes full of people watching us or jobs to go to every day, just you and me and our good friends and lots of time to spend together. But - but the reality is quickly palling - not that that's specifically about your company, my prince charming and groom-to-be, of course..." Liz kissed Max's shoulder at this point, and ran her fingers over the pendant that she'd bought him on Kaalto - pretty much the only thing he was wearing at the moment.
"Yeah, I do know what you mean," Max admitted. "Like we're stuck in a black hole - nothing we do or say gets to the outside world. Except that eventually we'll get out, which wouldn't happen if we were really beyond an event horizon."
"Yeah, that's true," Liz admitted. "It can't be like this all the time for warp space, right? I mean - I know that there wasn't much communication gear aboard the Granilith - or at least Michael and Isabel never tried to use it that way. But - but that first ship of Kivar's that showed up to try and trace them... wasn't it warping itself at the time? So it must have not only had warp sensors, but sensors that could work while they were at warp. And if that's possible... then why not some sort of communications device that work while a ship is at warp?"
"Actually, I asked Christin about that, back when we were first exchanging messages with Alinda," Max told her. "The technology does exist - but it's not just because this is a small ship that we don't have it. The principle is known as Interwarp, and after Kivar took power he apparently went to great lengths to sabotage and ruin any decent Interwarp sets in the area that weren't on his own fleet."
"Of course," Liz breathed, seeing it. "Maintaining communications even in the midst of warp transits is a huge tactical advantage, especially if you're the only one who's got that capability. Just how did he manage to keep the loyalists, or Rahlicx, from getting a few sets, or did you not get into that much detail?"
"Didn't really want to know," Max admitted. "I think that there are a few sets that are still out of Kivar's hands, but there's only so much use that they can be put to without risking them... and what they don't have is the expertise to replicate the technology."
"Hmm... maybe something needs to be done about that - though I admit I'm not sure what, offhand." Liz stretched a bit and yawned. "We should really get out of bed, do something a bit more..."
"Active?" Max said with a smile. "I'm starting to feel... very lazy or something like that. We get around a bit, but still, it's not really much - a lot of sitting around eating, playing board games and so on. Probably the only reason that all of us aren't putting on weight is that the food slot creations are relatively low-fat and low-calorie."
"Hmm." Liz considered that and smiled. "Well, there's no reason that the games room has to be just mental games and so on, right? We could probably set it up for... for raquetball or something like that."
"Hmm..." Max considered that silently for a moment. "Well, we'll need something that would be suitable for workout clothes, I guess. Nothing that we've had made up for relaxing or the formal occasions on Kaalto are really good for serious exercise in."
"Hmm, workout clothes?" Liz considered that. "Could work. Something stretchy and showing off a little skin - I certainly won't complain about the view if you don't." She hummed deep in her throat, which Max had learned by this point was a reaction that his true love tended to make when she was considering an arousing thought.
"Who could every complain about someone as pretty to look at as you?" he said sincerely. "Not that I'd really have the nerve to suggest something skimpy - for either of us, really."
"Oh, sure."
"Well... not overtly," he qualified. "Okay, some kind of highly active sports. Are we ready to get up and actually do something about that right away?"
"Hmm... no, this is a really good laze and I'm not ready to give it up yet," Liz admitted. "There'll be time." She sighed. "It kinduv seems weird that we're engaged and haven't really said much about our wedding, except for you asking some of the guys about their roles in the party."
"Yeah, well..." Max sighed. "I guess I didn't want you to maybe get your heart set and your hopes up on some really sweet and intimate little deal, if we started talking about that, and then be crushed when we arrive and find out that it's got to be some really huge state affair."
"Oh, some on, Max." She sat up and held both of his hands in hers. "No matter how many other people want to be there around us, even if it's a crowd big enough to annoy me under other circumstances... I - I feel as if nothing really matters except that you and I will be together, and promising to be together forever. If I get a chance to make any decisions, of course I'll have some ideas for what I think are really cool ways to commemorate that day, and so on - but I've never really bought into the idea that a wedding is supposed to be a bride's special day and everything has to be perfect. Not since cousin Laura's wedding in Florida."
"Really?" Max asked.
"Yeah, that kind of gave me a different perspective on things. Weddings are for the guests at least as much as the bride and groom - to give them a sense of participating in the married couple starting out, to feel as if their traditions are being represented at the start of a new family."
"Hmm... yeah, that's probably a good way to look at it, especially in our situation," Max admitted. "There's probably all kinds of Antarian wedding traditions that don't even show up in the computer because nobody's ever bothered to input them."
"And, come to think of it," Liz put in, "If we want a really small and intimate private ceremony, there probably isn't any good reason that we couldn't arrange something like that as well as the big private 'do, right? There might be a bit of a difference of opinion as to which one is the 'real deal', but as long as the legal formalities are signed off on for at least one, it should all be good."
"What made you think of that?" Max asked. "The legal formalities for a pair of wedding ceremonies."
"Oh - some tv show or something I guess. Husband and wife discover eight years later that the 'priest' who officiated at their private elopement the night before the big family wedding wasn't really ordained, and they didn't sign the second marriage licence because they thought they were really married - so after all that time they realize they're not really married."
"Not legally married, maybe," Max put in. "I think I'd make the argument that if they believed they were married and behaved that way with their friends and family, that's the reality, and the other was just a legal mistake."
"I guess so," Liz agreed, half laying back down and pulling Max with her. "So... if you could have a perfect wedding day, what would that mean aside from me being there too?" He chuckled. "That is, if you wouldn't be crushed after getting your hopes up or anything."
"Um, well, let's see." He considered. "It'd start with us waking up seperately, actually, just because I always liked that notion of not seeing you on the wedding day until the ceremony is already in progress and you come down the aisle to join me, or whatever the routine is - it doesn't have to be me waiting and you coming in just because that's the American tradition, just.."
"Yeah, I think I get the idea," Liz said. "Have to admit I'm a bit surprised to hear you say it - always thought that was a foolish superstition or something like that."
"Well, I don't think it'd be bad luck if I saw you earlier on the day or anything," Max argued. "Just - like it would make that moment the more special if I hadn't been around you all day."
"Hmm... okay, yeah, I guess I can get behind that idea," Liz told him. "So what else?"
"Well, let's see." Max thought. "Outdoor ceremony I think if we can manage it... afternoon probably. Someplace with a bunch of flowers and shrubs growing... your turn!"
"Alright," Liz smiled, getting into the spirit of the game. "Music - something classical-ish and very romantic."
"The Romeo and Juliet love theme?" Max suggested, a teasing grin on his face. "The one by Tsiolkovsky, or Tchiaokovsky or whoever it is."
"Maybe better to steer clear of that one," Liz suggested, laughing. "We haven't come this far to risk a tragic ending I think. But I don't have any speciifc suggestions. Doesn't have to be earth music - I'm sure that aliens have something similar. Good classical music is too... too universal for them to have not come up with an equivalent, I think, though I guess I don't have anything to back it up." She sighed. "Okay, that's my turn and back to you."
Max stroked her back idly as he tried to think of something to add.
#
"So, we're coming back out of warp space and can send messages, but there won't be any to receive?" Isabel asked with a sigh. The isolation of the latest trip through hyperspace had definitely been wearing on her. Alex squeezed her hand confortingly.
"Probably not," Christin clarified. "We set up a few possible space-time 'spots' that friends could try to use to communicate with us when we left Kaalto to run the blocade, but none of those really took into account the fact that a Breoll ship would manage to chase us through warp. We're going to sort of end up near one of those spots, but not really close enough that I'd expect to get anything that someone might send. However, the messages that we'll send to Rahlicx and Sanctuary will include a revised itinerary, so that we'll be getting a batch of replies next time."
"Alright," Michael put in. "And - I mean, I know that you're the tactical expert and everything, but there's no way that Kivar's people or the Breoll can find us by intercepting our transmissions, right?"
"Or figure out where Alinda is, and Sanctuary is?" Kyle added on.
"No, not really... it's possible to find a tachyonic communication beam if you know where it's starting and where it's going to, though that's not easy. Finding one without having those co-ordinates already - it would be like sticking your hand into the ocean on Earth and happening to grab - a tuna." Someone snickered at the completion of that analogy. "Well, you get the idea," Christin said, sighing.
"Yeah, I guess I do," Alex said, and sighed. "One thing that I don't remember coming up, Christin - once we get to Sanctuary, what are you going to do? Stay with this ship as it goes on more courier runs, working communications and tactics?"
"I'm not too sure, to be honest." Christin didn't sound too concerned with that subject. "I'm an officer in the service of Rahlicx, as I was on Earth and long before I arrived there. Larek or one of his appointed deputies will have other duties to assign to me, I suspect."
"Did you have anything to do with Brody?" Michael suddenly blurted out. "I mean, with his original 'abduction' I mean?"
"I was wondering if you'd guess that," Christin said, turning to shoot an intense look over at him. "Yes, I arranged the 'abduction' and prepared him to serve as a proxy for Larek on Earth."
"And cured his cancer," Isabel filled in.
"Yes. I actually offered him a choice, though I had to repress that memory. Not a bargain - having gone that far, I'd have saved his life anyway. But I asked him to volunteer for service in exchange."
"Well, that's nice I guess," Kyle put in. "A bit hard on the guy that he couldn't remember that he signed up for the deal." Christin nodded in agreement.
"I have so many questions, if you don't mind, actually," Alex admitted. "What was your life like before coming to Earth? How much did you know when you were sent there?"
"Hmm, well, now that's a story." Christin sipped from a glass that had fake fresh-squeezed lemon juice in it. "But I don't mind telling some of it, I guess. Let's see... I was brought up in a genetic breeding and training facility on an island-continent near Rahlicx' Antarctic circle." She looked around, and must have caught a disapproving expression on Isabel's face. "It was sort of impersonal, but not a horrible place by any means. I was raised to believe in the importance of a life of public service."
"Not that you really had much of a choice about entering that life," Kyle put in, and Christin nodded agreeably.
"I was working with the Marine guard on Tsiarea when the news broke about the final fall of the House of Liaret - or so it seemed at that time. That Zan and Vilandra had been killed, Kivar Andraikus was giving orders, and Alinda and her only surviving children gone into hiding." She sighed. "Tsiarea is a water world, with islands settled by both Rahlicx and Breoll, because some of the native aquatic life forms have valuable bio-properties that can't be artificially recreated. The marine guard was kepy busy trying to protect fishing ships from pirates and so on."
"But you were recalled from sailing duty there to go off to Earth," Michael guessed.
"Yeah - but not right away. At first I thought that I'd be pulled out right away for space duty or some such - it was plain that Kivar wouldn't be satisfied with just the Antarian homeworld, and even after some of the Antarian space fleet fought Kivar in Zan's name or simply deserted to guard the old royal family, what he had left was more than any of the other major planets had to defend themselves. But although there were transfers out of the 'wet place', I wasn't among them. Kivar didn't launch any more full-scale wars, choosing to consolidate his own security and try to forment dissension among the neighbors instead."
"Which worked too well," Max put in, starting some of the listeners, and sitting down in the lounge, along with Liz. "Sorry, I didn't mean to interrupt - just remember how much mutual distrust there was back at the Summit."
"Well, there was some friction even at the best of times," Christin added. "I'm not sure if there's ever been complete peace between the five worlds, but anyway. At this time, the existence of the hybrid rebirth project was being kept secret by the old Queen and her closest supporters. I think that the original idea was to wait until you were completely 'safe' and then to announce some details to the people - not even mentioning planet Earth - so that in their minds the old royal family would never die out. Obviously the crash and events following it upset their plans..."
"And then the whole kerfuffle about Vilandra's pod," Kyle added.
"Yeah, but that was later, after I got to Earth," she said. "I was picked by Rahlicx to be reinforcement protectors for you - because only one had survived the crash and escaped the humans."
"Does that explain the numbers?" Isabel asked suddenly, excited. "Two protectors survived the crash - they stole the pods, with Hal Carver's help..."
"Who?" Christin asked, surprised.
"An air force captain who'd been drummed out for asking too many questions about the crash," Michael said. "He snuck into the building where the pods were being held to find out what the big secret was - and realized that the Protectors weren't trying to hurt anybody, just get back their own." He sighed. "They - or he, the surving one - he never mentioned a human's help to you, did he?"
"No, not really," Christin admitted. "Go on with your reconstruction, Isabel."
"Well... the two of them got the pods somewhere reasonably safe - probably not our pod chamber or anything, because then they could have stayed inside secure themselves. They got captured... maybe gave themselves up to save the pods. And one of them died under the military's hospitality."
"Yeah, that's pretty much it," Christin admitted. "We had to help the other one break out to find out where you'd been hidden... not that we wouldn't have wanted to see him free anyway."
Just then everybody could feel the ship crossing back into real space. "Oooh!" Christin jumped up, called up a computer interface on the rec room wall and started dispatching outgoing messages. It took a few minutes to organize them, but when all of them had been sent, Variun and Flaii still weren't ready to jump into warpspace again.
"Well, we've got a bit of time to play with, and we're using it," Varium said when Max questioned him about the delay. "We can come up with a warp trajectory that will take us further, and one that's not so terribly long, so that we can get a return message for you guys earlier, but only if you don't pester."
"Sorry, I didn't mean to..." Max started, and then just shut off the intercom rather than bother the captain any longer as he was trying to use the computer. "Alright."
"Wait a second," Michael asked. "If they haven't finished calculating our jump, then how will Alinda know where to find us next time?"
"I'll reopen the communication arrays and send our final co-ordinates before we go back into warp," Christin explained.
"Okay, yeah, that should do it," Isabel agreed. "Any idea how long they'll take?"
"Probably an hour and a half at the most," she said. "Any more, and the net might pick up traces of our stopping here."
"Okay, well, if you're not going to start your story again, then I'm going to go find Alex," Isabel said. And without really waiting for Christin to respond first, she walked out of the room, but slowly.
#
"Okay, the trading bell will be rung in about one minute," Max announced loudly enough for his voice to carry out of the gaming room. "No trades are final until all parties involved have confirmed their gains and liabilities through the computer. Anyone who wants to attempt to move the hidden levers of the economy, pass me a folded paper with your handwritten plays."
"So everybody knows who's submitted a lever play?" Maria put in.
"There's no penalty for handing you a blank paper, if we want to give a false impression that we're manipulating, right?" Rath added.
"Correct on both counts," Max agreed. "Actually, if you really want to find some way to get your plays to me without other people figuring it out, go right ahead - but no using the computer for that - anything else goes." There were a few rueful groans at that restriction. "Any other questions before we start? Hopefully quick ones?"
"What about teaming up?" Ava asked.
"Mergers can be logged in the computer just like most other deals, and like anything else that involves future liabilities they should involve escape clauses for what should happen if one or another participant wants to withdraw from the partnership," Max said. "The negotiations may well get... interesting..." And with that, he hit a contact and rang the starting bell. "Go to it. I'll be available for more questions, but those who want to dive right in can do so now." There was quickly a flurry of shouting as all the players, (which was everybody but Max and Flaii this time,) started to ask each other what their available assets for trading were, began to negotiate deals, and at the same time started going over the secret information that they had been issued and the general market guidelines that everybody had available to them.
"Sorry if I'm sounding thick about this," Jevrok was asking Max after the first crazy fifteen minutes had gone by. "What would a general partnership deal look like, just for example? I'd rather know before actually trying to find someone who wants to join forces."
"There are a couple of different examples I could give," Max answered, loud enough that a few other players waiting around near him (to pick up any tips they could) would hear. "Probably the easiest is - hypothetically, if you and... and Isabel, say, wanted to join forces, you'd create a dummy corporation, sign over all of your assets and rights to the corporation - call it 'team JI.' Credit for any JI victory would be split 50-50 between the two of you, and credit for any solo victory would pass to the corporation to be split up - not that you'd be likely to find any way to retain individual standings after giving up all that you individually own." Isabel nodded agreement to this. "Each of you would be entitled to do business as an officer of the company, except that you can stop each other's trades if you wish - in the case of a strategic deadlock under those particular restrictions, nothing would be done until you could come to an agreement and work together."
"Alright, I think that covers that much," Jevrok agreed. "And withdrawal clauses?"
"I... I think I'll let you guys figure those out yourselves for now," Max put in. "Oh, just a sec." Alex and Maria were getting into a bit of a shouting match over a trading screen, and he went to see if there was anything that he could smoothly mediate without overstepping his bounds as master of ceremonies.
#
"Tess has had the baby!" The announcement startled them all, especially the way that Alinda led with it in their very first real-time conversational communique, but Isabel supposed that it sortof was big news. "A boy, but then you knew that, Max. Quite adorable actually."
"That, umm... that's great news, actually," Liz said. "Hello Alinda, and nice to 'meet' you." She paused. "About the child - is he alright? Healthy, I mean?"
There was a long pause while they waited for that much signal to reach to Alinda and back. Both sides were sending 'video letters' back and forth in the background to cover more details, but nobody was concentrating on this now that a live line was being left open. "The baby is... under medical observation, and the Healers are planning to do an intervention once he's strong enough to handle the connection." Max gasped at this news about his son. "One lung isn't operating properly, and that's about as much as they've been able to get me to understand, as much as they try to explain. But don't worry Max - everybody seems to be very optimistic that once they can get this fixed he'll be fine and will live a long and happy life." There was a pause. "I didn't want to tell you about this earlier, but we weren't sure if the baby would have futher troubles because of being a second-generation hybrid and getting recessive DNA from you and Tess - not family-recessive DNA, just - well, maybe I shouldn't have brought it up now, because there don't seem to be any difficulties along those lines."
"Alright," Max said. "I... I'm glad that she had the baby more or less on schedule, and that both son and... Tess is doing alright herself, yes? You'd have told me if she weren't." He sighed. "It's sort of weird to actually be 'talking' to you like this, but a good sort of weird."
"Yes, I do know what you mean - you're someone who has only existed in my life more distantly - vague messages, reports, and more recently video letters. A transmission delay this long isn't as good as being in the same room as you, certainly, but it's much of an improvement. Yes, Tess is doing fine, and since she's been behaving well we've been allowing her to visit her baby." There was a pause. "Do you have any ideas for names, Max? I don't think it's my place to pick one, and Tess has been reluctant on that score herself, but a child needs a name of his own, especially going through such trying circumstances."
Max and Liz traded uncomfortable looks. "Encourage Tess to pick one, even if it turns out to only be temporary," Liz suggested. "I don't think that either of us could settle on one at such long distance - we haven't even seen him yet, though you had better be sending us baby pictures, videos, or both."
"Oh, it's included in the stream, don't worry," Alinda inisted after the usual gap. "So, I believe that it's seven weeks until you're supposed to arrive? Things should be ready for all of you here, well, at least for trials at least - probably many things will have to be altered, but I've made some arrangements for all ten of you based on the preferences that you indicated." Liz jumped slightly, not having realized that all of them had had something to say to Alinda in terms of living arrangements or other preparations for their arrival, though it made sense that the subject would have been on the minds of each of them, especially back before Kaalto. "Christin has sent me debriefs on your experiences with the blocade and the pursuit - it sounds frightful, and I'm glad that you were able to find some way to win free. Don't know what I would have done if you'd all been taken by... by those..."
"Okay, come on, we should start talking about something else," Isabel suggested, talking over a bit more muttering and mumbling from Alinda, but she trailed off long before the interruption would have reached her. "We don't have too long before the line has to get closed down - but I'm not sure what to ask about, actually..."
"How's Rayde doing?" Max suggested. "Any news from the Kivar front?"
"Rayde is well, thank you, and sends her apologies that she had a meeting and couldn't join in on this call," Alinda said eventually. "Kivar has definitely left Earth and is either back on Antar or close to it, and more than a little furious that he didn't manage to achieve anything substantial on his fishing expedition. Frankly, it seems to have worked out fairly well for us - his usual power base is starting to show strains and cracks, mostly on the basis of recent failures, several of which have involved you, Max."
"Maybe, just maybe... a bold show of force and resolve would be all that's necessary for that house of cards to come crashing down around him?" Alex suggested suddenly. "Like..."
"...however, the news is not all good... a sympathizer base in the Carathian hills, not far from the Antarian capitol, was found out by Kivar's army and most of the inhabitants shot dead on the spot," Alinda continued on more soberly. "We're investigating to see how their presence might have been compromised, but it's disappointing and not just because so many people continue to die in the fighting. They'd hoped to... what was that? Alex?"
"Um - I'm not sure of all the details honestly," Alex said, after hesitating a few moments himself. "Just - if a number of people landed on Antar at the same time - Rahlicx and Liaretians and maybe even other people who want to get rid of Kivar and everybody who's working for him... we just might be able to start a panic and prevent a bloodier war or a protracted standoff."
"Hmm... it sounds risky, and I'm not sure that I'd want it tried before every aspect of the situation gets examined," Alinda muttered, "but it won't be really my decision that is final. I'm sure that Rayde and several other people will be interested in hearing any perspectives that you have, even if you haven't been directly involved into the struggle up to this point. You're coming at this thing fresh, after all, and will have experience with modes of thought from Earth that maybe none of us are used to. Perhaps even Larek will..."
"Uh-oh, that's the warning that we should say our goodbyes and cut the beam," Liz said, pointing to a bright red spot pulsing in the bottom corner of the screen. "Until next time, Alinda, thanks for everything that you've sent us, we'll go through it in detail during the next hop, and I hope thay you appreciate some of our own letters and videos."
"I'm sure that I will, dear," Alinda said. "Hope that you remembered to include more about that book you were telling me of last time. Yes, yes, I'm getting off the line now..."
"Bye!" Isabel called out, but it was far from clear if Alinda would hear it as her image winked out. "Darnit, couldn't we have gotten just one minute more?"
"Sure, if you want the star cruiser two parsecs away to know that we were here," Christin called over the intercom - which Isabel hadn't realized was even on. "Return to warp space won't be for ten minutes or so, but I don't think that you should try initiating any other signals either. I'm trying very hard to disguise our traffic for a few quick messages to Rahlicx."
"Alright," Max said, and started going into the computer for Alinda's 'data stream.' "Okay, do we all want to look at the baby videos?"
"Is there going to be, like, delivery room footage?" Kyle put in. "Because on the one hand - gross, but I dunno, it might help to see her going through some pain."
"Wait a second," Liz put in, struck by the thought. "That sort of healer painless birth technique - would they use it on Tess?" She did seem almost disappointed by the thought herself.
"I'm not sure, but I suspect so, at least partly," Max admitted. "They probably think that it's better for the kid too."
"Oh, alright." Liz sighed. "Well, let's take a look at least. I mean, it's all over by now right?"
As it turned out, there was no video of the actual labour process one way or another for them to judge on, although there were a few quick scenes of Tess being rushed to the appropriate care facility when it was clear that her 'time' was near. Then the scene switched almost immediately to the newborn child himself, lying in a sort of miniature bed, being held by an Antarian nurse... being attended to by gowned professionals, and eventually put into a glass box very similar to the ones that showed up on Earth medical shows about preemie babies, even though nobody had said that was part of the problem here. There was even a breathing ventilator apparatus.
"I... I didn't realize that it was so bad," Isabel gasped.
"It looks a bit scary, but I think I believe what Alinda said," Max put in. "He's going to be okay. And I think that he does look good, even if they're taking a lot of precautions."
"He seemed really pale," Alex said after a moment. "Like, not quite really white, but - are babies usually that pale?"
"I'm not sure, but I wouldn't worry about it too much," Isabel put in. "Tess was pretty lily-colored herself, and I think I saw something in one of the Antarian computer files - there are Antarians whose skin color is nearly white..."
"Along with just about every other shade under the rainbow," Kyle put in.
Isabel didn't acknowledge that comment. "...so it could be part of your and Tess' alien sides coming out in the kid."
"Hey, there's something in here that says 'concerning Earth!'" Liz interrupted, which pretty much got everybody's attention. She picked the appropriate entry, and the paused still-frame of the health facility room was replaced by a picture of an Antarian man.
"Hello, Max, Isabel, Michael. Lady Rayde has asked me to report to you about events on Earth since you left. My name is Turik Vannler: seneschal of Prince Vorjal, the eldest son of princess Kahvai, daughter of her lady emeritus, Queen Alinda." Turik was a striking figure, with dark greenish skin, short dark brown hair of a shade that managed to blend in, and bright purple-blue eyes. "Our reports are of necessity somewhat out of date, considering the transmission delays in communications being routed through many different worlds, but I hope that the results will be reassuring to you."
"Oh!" Isabel instantly picked up on the world 'reassuring' and hugged Alex's side tightly.
"Kivar's force has withdrawn from the Earth solar system almost entirely - there might be one individual left behind, we can't be certain of that, but if so he has done nothing of consequence yet. All the individuals who we could think to check upon - your adoptive parents the Evanses, the families of your friends, the Parkers, Whitmans, the DeLucas and James Valenti, Brody Davis, and Laurie Dupree, all of these people are safe and in reasonably good health. I believe that there was a... 'a touch of the flu' passing through Roswell as the heat of the summer first faded."
"Our remaining agents on Earth will continue to watch over these people in case of some subtle alien threat or ploy, but the precaution is probably not necessary. As a final note, Max, I will need to mention that it appears your adoptive parents have been apprised of the secret of your origins by J Valenti. This concludes my report."
"What?" Max exclaimed as the image faded out. "Yeah, just drop a bomb like that on me and don't... sheesh, okay, I'm going to have one heck of a followup letter ready for seneschal Turik Vannler by the time we're through our next warp..."
"Don't be too hard on him, Max," Liz suggested. "I have questions too - about how they took it, if my parents or Alex's know too. I always sort of wondered what Jim and Amy would say to our folks once they got home and we didn't. Now I guess we have some idea. But it was probably a freak chance that alien spies figured out anything about that sort of thing. And they can't endanger their cover identities by nosing around too closely."
"Maybe they don't need to nose around and spy," Isabel suggested. "If we could give them some way to approach Valenti and have him believe that they're friends, then maybe they can get the full update straight from him."
"It's an idea worth thinking about," Alex admitted. "But not quite yet. Is there anything else from Alinda in the batch? I mean, directly from her?"
"Tons," Max reported. "Whatcha wanna see first?"