“Good to meet you, Digby,” he said, extending his hand. “And this must be the bride.” Kellie looked uncomfortable but accepted the comment in good spirits. “We’re glad to be here.” He jerked his thumb in the direction of the omega. “Doesn’t look good, does it?”
“No,” Digger said quietly.
“Goompahs must be scared half out of their minds.”
He introduced Marge Conway, a tall, middle-aged woman. “Marge is our camouflage expert,” he said. “And Avery Whitlock.” One of those guys who produces stuff they read in the university literature courses. Introduced as Whit. He smiled easily and nodded. He was pleased to meet Kellie and Digger. Firm grip, nice clothes, exquisite diction. Touch of New England somewhere.
“And, of course, Julie.”
Julie was taller than he’d expected her to be. It was sometimes hard to tell when the only communication you had was electronic. She was redheaded and, he thought, very young. Barely out of her teens.
After the pleasantries had been completed Digger looked hopefully at Marge. “Can you really hide them?” he asked.
“I can put a cloud cover over them,” she said. “After that, it’s anybody’s guess.”
Knowing Whitlock was coming, Digger had taken time to read some of his work. He was a naturalist by trade, and he wrote essays with titles like “The Mastodon in the Basement” and “It’s a Bug’s Life.” Digger had been put off by the titles. People who write about academic subjects should not try to appeal to the masses. But he’d enjoyed the work and was pleased to meet the author.
They were all saying it was hard to believe they were actually here. Whit kept looking out at the arc of the planet and shaking his head. “Where is the Intigo?” he asked.
“Can’t see it from here,” said Kellie, taking a peek to be sure. “It’s on the other side of the planet.”
“When can we go down?”
Until that moment, Digger had forgotten the long-ago message from Hutchins, informing them that Whit would want a tour, and that they were to accommodate him in every way possible, but were under no circumstances to lose him or let him get hurt.
“I guess we have some work to do before we can even think about that,” said Collingdale, looking toward Julie.
“Not really,” she said. “Everything’s on automatic.” She smiled, opened a channel to Bill, and told him to deliver the cargo.
One by one, the cylinders attached to the Hawksbill hull were released. A pair of thrusters was attached to each, and Digger watched as the units adjusted their positions, moving well away from each other and from the ships.
“What are they?” Digger asked Marge.
“Chimneys,” she said. “Rainmakers.”
If she said so.
A cargo door opened, and a helicopter floated out, its propellers folded.
Then a pair of landers. “There are two more,” Marge told him, “packed on the AV3.”
The AV3 was a heavy-duty hauler, designed to move capital equipment in and out of orbit. It came next, a large, black vehicle, with massive wheels rather than the treads that the smaller landers used. Antigrav engines were located in twin pods outside the hull. Its vertical thrusters could be rotated out onto the wings so they could fire past large loads slung beneath the vehicle, as would be the case with the rainmaker packages.
“Aren’t the Goompahs going to see all this stuff?” asked Digger. “I thought you’d make the clouds by using some sort of electronic thing you could just fire from orbit.”
“Sorry,” she said. “We’re all out of those.”
“And these are really rainmakers?” asked Kellie.
“Yes. They look a bit clumsy. But don’t worry. They’ll work fine.”
Digger kept thinking how he and Kellie had been pussyfooting around on the ground to avoid being seen. “And all this is going down to the surface?”
“Only if you want cloudy weather.”
“Marge, they’ll see it.”
“The Goompahs?”
“Of course the Goompahs. Who else are we worried about?”
“The landers are equipped with lightbenders.”
“The hauler, too?”
“Too big. But we’ll be doing everything at night. So I don’t think you need to worry.”
He sighed. “Okay. When did you want to start?”
“As soon as possible.”
“Will you need help?”
“Nope. Just Julie here, to get me around.” She smiled at him. “You can relax and watch, Dig.”
AND THE BIG moment had arrived.
Kellie nodded at Digger, excused herself, and stepped out into the passageway. Julie followed a few moments later. When Julie came back she was wearing a formal white jacket, complete with epaulets and a pair of eagles, the symbol of her rank. Kellie showed up on one of the screens. “Dr. Conway,” she said, “gentlemen, I’d like you to be aware that there has been a change in command, and that Captain Carson is now the commanding officer of the William B. Jenkins. Thank you very much for your attention.”
Julie gazed around at them. “As my first official act,” she said, “I am going to preside over the wedding of two of the company.”
Collingdale made a face and looked at the time. “I don’t want to be a spoilsport,” he said, “but I assumed we were going to do this after we got back.”
“From where?” asked Digger, making no effort to conceal his annoyance.
“From sidetracking the cloud. Digger, I understand how important this is to you, but the cloud is closing in. We have no time to spare.”
“Actually,” said Julie, “the most efficient orbital window is an hour away. Make yourself comfortable.” She studied them for a few moments, as if decisions needed to be made. “Digger,” she said, “over here, please. On my right. Marge, you’ll be our matron of honor. And Whit, at the request of the groom, you’ll serve as best man.”
Whit came up and stood by Digger.
“David, we’d like you to act as witness to the proceedings.”
Collingdale nodded and managed to look pleased.
Bill’s image popped on-screen. He was in formal whites, seated at a keyboard. Julie pointed at him, and he began playing the wedding march. The door to the passageway opened and Kellie appeared in full bridal regalia, flanked by Mark Stevens.
Digger’s heartbeat went up a couple of notches.
Bill brought the march up full. Kellie and her escort strode into the room. Someone had given Marge a veil. She donned it and fell in behind the bride. Digger slipped the rings to Whit, experienced the momentary doubt that strikes anyone who’s been a bachelor too many years, and wondered if Kellie was thinking the same thing.
But by the time Julie asked whether he wanted her for his wife, all hesitation had fled.
DIGGER TOOK A couple of minutes to kiss the bride, then was told that was enough and he should get to work. There were four hundred projectors to be set up in designated locations on the isthmus. Whit volunteered to assist.
That idea looked a bit shaky to Digger. He’d expected to do the distribution himself, without having someone else along that he’d have to look after. It wasn’t that Whit wouldn’t be good company, but he wasn’t young, and he was just getting into an e-suit for the first time. He had no experience with lightbenders. He didn’t really understand how things worked on the ground, and it was easy to imagine him bumping into one of the Goompahs and causing an incident. Digger knew the hazards quite well.
Still, he was a VIP, and they had a responsibility to keep him happy.
Meantime, David Collingdale was trying to get his show on the road. That meant good-bye to Kellie for a few days. “Enjoyed the honeymoon,” he told her.
“You’ve had your honeymoon,” she said. “Now it’s time to earn your pay.” She kissed him, hugged him, and looked up at him with shining eyes. “I love you, Digby,” she said. “Keep your head up when you get down there.”
“You, too, Kel. Take no chances. I don’t really like this very much.”
“I’ll be careful.”
Another smooch, and she was gone. E-suit, air tanks, go-pack, and she was swimming out the airlock with Collingdale, headed for the Hawksbill. He could have continued his conversation with her on the link, but it seemed easier not to. He watched them disappear through the cargo carrier’s main hatch. Then she fired up, drifted away, and disappeared into the night. A few minutes later, Stevens told Digger he wished he could stay for the show, eased the Cumberland out of orbit, and started back to Broadside.
Digger sighed and wandered back up to A Deck. Time to sit down with Whit and show him what they’d be doing.
T’MINGLETEP WAS LOCATED on the western side of the lower continent, where a major river emptied into the sea. A narrow island hugged the shoreline, turning the strait into a marsh. A bridge connected the city and the island.
In terms of both geographical size and population, it was probably the largest of the eleven cities. The same mountain range that dominated the isthmus passed through the region a few kilometers to the east. That was where they wanted the Goompahs to be when the omega hit. The trek over there wouldn’t be too bad. There was no road, but the ground was flat and easily passable. All that would be necessary was to persuade them to go.
A few ships were docked or anchored in the harbor, and one was just setting out, turning north. Julie engaged the lander’s lightbender, and Whit looked out and watched the stubby wing of the spacecraft vanish. “Makes my head spin,” he said.
Digger smiled. “You’ll get used to it.”
They settled onto a stretch of beach north of the city. Whit and Digger got out and activated their infrared lenses so they could see each other. “That’s much better,” said Whit.
They’d divided forty-eight micros between them, stuffing them into their vests. “I’ll head for the mountains,” Julie said. “If you need me, just call.” When they were clear, she closed the lock, and Digger watched the spacecraft lift away.
Whit gazed around him, at the sea, the mountains, the sky. At a seashell, at a crablike creature digging busily in the sand. At the gulls. At a thorny green plant. “Why does it happen here,” he said, “and so few other places?”