They were mostly middle-aged, and their clothes showed signs of hard work and not much washing. The men tended to be large, the women plain, or was it only that they were dressed for work? At Deke Wilson’s farm the women had dressed like men and worked like men. Here there was a difference. In this valley women were different from men. It wasn’t like the world before Hammerfall. It wasn’t that obvious, and if Rick hadn’t been weeks with Deke Wilson he would have reflected on how things had changed since the Hammer; now, he noticed the similarities. This valley was as different from Wilson’s fortified camp as…
Rick had no more time to reflect on it. There were introductions, and they were ushered up onto the big porch of the stone ranch house. Rick would have known who was in charge even if he hadn’t recognized Senator Jellison: The Senator was not as large as the big, burly men, but everyone made room for him, waited for him to speak first; and his smile made them all feel welcome, even Pieter and Leonilla, who had been dreading this meeting.
More people were coming, some downhill from the fields, others up the drive. The word must have spread fast. Rick looked for Johnny Baker, and saw him, but Baker wasn’t noticing Rick Delanty or anyone else. He was standing in front of a slim girl, tall, red hair, flannel shirt and work trousers. He gripped both her hands, and they devoured each other with their eyes.
“I was sure you were dead,” Baker said. “I just… I never even asked Deke. I was afraid to. I’m glad you lived.”
“I’m glad you lived, too,” she said. Odd, Rick thought: From the sorrow on their faces, you would have thought they were attending each other’s funeral. It was obvious to Rick, and to everyone else: They had been lovers.
And some of the men didn’t like that at all! Trouble building there… Rick again had no time to reflect on. it. The crowd was pressing around, everyone speaking at once. One of the big men turned from watching Johnny and his woman and spoke to Rick. “Are we at war with the Russians?” he demanded.
“No,” Rick said. “What’s left of Russia and what’s left of the United States are allies. Against China. But you can forget about all that, the war’s long over. Between the Hammer and the Soviet missiles, and we think maybe some of our own, there won’t be anything left of China that can fight back.”
“Allies.” The big man was bewildered. “Okay. I guess.”
Rick grinned at him. “The thing is, if we ever get to Russia we’ll find nothing but glaciers. But if we go to China we’ll find Russians, and they’ll remember us as allies. See?”
The man scowled and walked away, exactly as if Rick had been putting him on.
Rick Delanty fell into the old routine. He was used to speaking at gatherings, keeping the words simple and the imagery vivid, explaining without condescending. There were plenty of questions. They wanted to know what it was like in space. How long did it take to get used to free fall? Rick was surprised at how many had watched their TV broadcasts from Hammerlab and remembered Rick’s impromptu zero-G ballet performance. How did they move? Eat? Drink? Patch a meteor strike? Couldn’t that raw sunlight burn your eyes out? Did they wear dark glasses all the time?
He learned the names. The young girl was Alice Cox, the woman with the tray of hot coffee — real coffee! — was her mother, the burly men with the challenging stance were both Christophers, and so was the one who’d wanted to know about the war, only that one had gone inside with Deke Wilson and Johnny Baker, leaving Mrs. Cox to be hostess. There was a man introduced as “Mayor” and another whom everyone called “Chief,” but there was something subtle Rick didn’t understand, because the Christophers, with no title, seemed to have higher status. All the men seemed big, and they were all armed. Was he already so used to the half-starved look of Deke Wilson’s band?
“The Senator says we can spare some light,” Mrs. Cox announced after one of her trips inside. “You can talk to the astronauts after it’s too dark to work. And maybe we’ll have a party Sunday.”
There were murmurs of agreement, and goodbyes, and the crowd melted away. Mrs. Cox took them inside, and brought more coffee into the living room. The perfect hostess, and Rick found himself relaxing for the first time since they had landed. At Deke Wilson’s there had been coffee, but not much, and it was consumed hurriedly by men about to go on guard duty. No one sat relaxed in a parlor, and the coffee certainly wasn’t served in china cups.
“I’m sorry there’s nobody around to keep you company,” Mrs. Cox said. “Everyone’s got work to do. They’ll be back tonight, and then they’ll talk your head off.”
“It is not important,” Pieter said. “We thank you for the welcome.” He and Leonilla sat together, apart from Rick. “I hope we are not keeping you from your duties.”
“Well, I’ve got dinner to cook,” Mrs. Cox said. “If you want anything, just call me.” She left them alone, pointedly setting down the coffeepot. “Better drink that before it gets cold,” she said. “I can’t promise there’ll be any more for awhile.”
“Thank you,” Leonilla said. “You are all so kind to us…”
“No more than you deserve, I’m sure,” Mrs. Cox answered, and then she was gone.
“So. We have found a government,” Pieter said. “Where is General Baker?”
Rick shrugged. “Back there somewhere with Deke and the Senator and some of the others. Big conference.”
“To which we were not invited,” Jakov said. “I understand why Leonilla and I are not needed, but why are you out here?”
“I thought about that,” Rick said. “But they all left pretty quick. You know what Deke’s got to tell them. And somebody had to stay out there and talk to the crowd. I took it as a compliment.”
“I hope you are right,” Jakov said.
Leonilla nodded agreement. “This is the first time I have felt safe since we landed. I think they like us. Surely they do not care that Rick is black?”
“I can usually tell,” Rick said. “No. But there was something strange. Did you notice? After they found out about the war, all they wanted to know about was space. Nobody, nobody at all, asked about what was happening to the Earth.”
“Yes. But soon we will have to tell them,” Pieter said.
“I wish we could avoid that,” Leonilla said. “But yes, we will have to.”
They fell silent. Rick got up and poured the last of the coffee. From back in the kitchen there were sounds of activity, and outside they could see men carrying rocks, others plowing fields. Hard work, and it was certain that there’d be plenty for all of them, even Leonilla. Rick hoped so. He realized that he had been silently praying that there would be work, something to do, something to make him feel useful again, and to forget Houston and El Lago and the tsunami…
But for the moment he’d been given a hero’s welcome, and so had Leonilla and Pieter, and they were safe, surrounded by armed men who didn’t want to kill them.
He heard a low buzz of voices from somewhere at the back of the house. That would be the Senator and Johnny Baker and Deke Wilson and the Senator’s trusted staff, planning… what? Our lives, Rick thought. Was the Senator’s daughter there, too? Rick remembered how she and Johnny had looked at each other, their voices inaudible, their noses almost touching, no thought of anyone around them. How would that affect the Senator’s decisions?
It struck Rick that the Senator might like it fine. Johnny Baker was an Air Force general. If Colorado Springs had the power they claimed, that could be important.
“How many men here?” Pieter said. The question startled Rick from his reverie. “I estimate several hundred,” Pieter was saying. “And many weapons. Do you think that is enough?”