‘You're up early,' Diego said.
‘I need to speak to Dinah.’
‘I don't think she'll be able to talk to you,' Diego said.
‘Why not? What's happened to her?’
Diego shrugged. 'I dunno. But judging from how contact with the planet affected my dad at first, I think she'll be in a pretty bad way. They were carrying on until way late last night.’
‘What do you mean "carrying on"? Has something hurt her?’
‘No worse than she's hurt others, I expect. But for people with certain kinds of mindset, their first contact with the planet can be devastating. You might find it that way yourself.’
‘But you didn't?’
‘No. It's always been wonderful to me. I was just lying here, thinking of a song to write about all that's happened. I suppose it's safe enough for me to go down there now but I'm not sure about you.’
Til risk it. But - no offence, I'd rather go alone.’
‘It'd be easier for you with one of us.' The boy was exuding a subtle air of male challenge.
‘You're not native and you've been all right.’
‘Yes, but I'm young.’
‘If you'll excuse me, I'll try it on my own. My mind isn't that rigid and set in its ways yet.’
Diego shrugged. 'Suit yourself. But I'm going down in a few minutes anyway. It's been a long time since I've had a talk with Petaybee. I may not be native, but I've missed it,’
He stepped out of the way and Namid descended the stairs, not seeing the small orange cat that darted through the trapdoor at the last minute and scooted down the stairs ahead of him.
Bunny awoke and looked around for Diego in the other sleeping bag on the floor of their hosts' house. He was gone. Gentle snores arose from their host family.
That was good, actually, because she didn't want to talk to Diego this morning as much as she wanted to try to get a moment alone with Marmion. Diego might not understand. She had planned to say she was just going to help Marmie with her fire and breakfast.
She dressed quickly and left the cabin, closing first the inner door so the cold wouldn't reach the family, and then the outer entrance door beyond the arctic foyer where the snowshoes, skis, extra dog harness and other tools were kept.
She knocked lightly on the Sirgituks' door and a rather dreamy voice called, 'Hello?’
Marmie looked less put-together and much happier than Bunny had ever seen her. She wore the tunic jacket she had been captured in as a robe over long-handled underwear bottoms and woolly socks. She was sitting at Sirgituk's table sipping something steamy from a cup. Her expression was bemused, to put it lightly.
‘Thought you might need help putting a kettle on,' Bunny said.
‘Not at all. If you'll remember, I'm rather a good cook and this stove is not so different from the one at my grandfather's hunting lodge on Banff 2 where I sometimes spent my holidays as a child.’
‘Must be nice to get to live any way you like,' Bunny said, pulling off her mittens.
‘Ye-es, it is. What's the matter, Buneka dear? You sound rather sad and I just can't bear that when I'm feeling so good myself. Have a cup of this lovely berry tea and tell me all about it and we'll see if I can fix it.’
‘Thanks,' Bunny said with a little smile. 'The tea will be great but I don't think there's anything you can do about the rest of it.’
She finished taking off her wraps, poured her tea and sat down, warming her hands on her cup and watching the steam rise between herself and Marmie. Marmie had a way of making you feel like you were the most important person in the world when she was talking to you. Bunny wished she could be like that.
‘I wouldn't want you to get me wrong, Dama, I love Petaybee. I never want to live anywhere else -permanently, that is.’
Marmie nodded, encouragingly, as the words had a hard time coming out.
‘But I've been doing a lot of thinking. See, the thing is, I never knew what was out there before. All we ever saw was SpaceBase and that was pretty grim and a lot of the recruits who left didn't return and if they did, they sometimes wouldn't even sing about it. I never dreamed there could be some place like Gal-Three or some of the stations and planets Charmion showed me holos of.’
Marmie smiled. 'Can't keep 'em down on the farm no more, huh, now they've seen Paree?’
‘Scuse me?’
‘Another old song. Sorry dear, it just means that once you've seen some of the universe, you can develop a taste for more. Is that what's troubling you?’
‘That's part of it. I suppose I might not care so much if I thought I could go other places if I wished. 'Cept, that's not exactly true. Y'see, there's so much to learn out there. I saw things I think we might be able to manage for Petaybee, and not hurt anything, if only someone knew how. But I can't learn about them here. I've always been mechanical, you know, and Diego showed me some gadgets that sure would improve servicing the snocles, for instance. I don't know. I guess I'm not saying it very well. It's just knowing that I have to leave by a certain time or I won't be able to…’
Marmie placed her hand on Bunny's. 'We all resent our limitations, dear. Actually, though, you're starting school a little later than most do. There is no reason why you couldn't begin long-distance studies here, and then when you find you absolutely must go off-planet to satisfy your curiosity, you can go - surely that will be before you're twenty or so. And you can always come back, you know, whenever you like. Petaybean troops do. It's just that I suppose you have to decide now instead of waiting till you're… oh, forty.’
Bunny grinned. It had all been so obvious but the idea was so new to her she hadn't considered the really salient factors.
‘Furthermore, it will be my pleasure to present you with a suitable study unit and all the hard-copy books you wish. Among my inheritances are the contents of several libraries. And when you're ready to go off-planet you can be the pilot student for the Petaybean Off-World Civilian Scholarship programme.’
‘I didn't know there was one!’
‘That's because I just decided to sponsor it.’
Bunny reached across the table and gave her a hug. 'You're aces, Marmie!’
‘Likewise. Tell me, you haven't seen Namid, have you?’
‘Nope. Nor Diego. But I came straight here after I got dressed.’
‘Then I think I'll get dressed as well and we'll go find them, shall we?’
If Dinah O'Neill, aka the fearsome Captain Onidi Louchard, had known what was in store for her, she would have fought her incarceration with every one of the many combat skills she had learnt since she'd been a defenceless pre-teen. She did hear Megenda mumbling incoherencies as she was propelled down the ladder. She did notice the odd indirect lighting but she blithely ventured further into the cavern, towards the warmth she felt on her face. She thought that at least this prison was comfortably warmer than the cabin she'd just left.
That was when she noticed the holo transponder was missing. Not that she had to worry about the Petaybeans inadvertently turning it on. But Namid would know what it was. She ought to have checked, and she berated herself for such an oversight. Captain Louchard, she grinned to herself, would have plenty to say about that when next she assumed that mantle.
She and the two crewmen, Dott and Framer, came across Megenda then, all curled up in a foetal position on the floor of the cave, just where it opened up into a fair-sized chamber: a chamber that was oddly beautiful in its pastel shades and mottled walls. The beauty was of a strange, disorientating nature, however; the mottles rippled and the shades altered in an unnerving fashion. Walls were supposed to be stationary and their coloration was generally stable, too.
‘What's the matter with him, Dinah?' Dott asked, planting a toe on Megenda and trying to turn him on to his back so the first mate's face would be visible. He was a rather unimaginative sort, good for routine or monotonous duties, strong and unquestioning, happy to be given orders he could follow, which he followed to the letter. 'Thought you said he was just cold.’