Damia. Part 22

That pleased her and she rediscovered her appet.i.te.

Having Afra recommend what she herself hadn't wanted to request restored her self-confidence. She was exceedingly glad to have Afra here just now, and not merely to help her shift cargo that was beginning to tax her strength, but because she was still absorbing the effect of touching that alien aura. She was excited, too, that she, Damia Gwyn-Raven, should establish such a first contact. Almost as if it had been preordained - though she had never succ.u.mbed to the immature curiosity that sometimes preoccupied lesser Talents to seek hints of their future from clairvoyants.

'You know,' she began, wanting to clear the air between them completely, 'you were right to call me to task for "tasting" Larak and Jenna. But I did want to know how a lasting love feels in the mind.

So I'll recognize it when it happens. And what it's like to give birth.' Afra raised an eyebrow quizzically. 'And 'Apart from the pain, I guess it's rewarding enough.' 'You don't sound too sure.

Damia c.o.c.ked her head and traced an involved pattern on the table with her index finger.

'I suspect the firsthand experience is more intense, no matter how deeply one scans.

A trace thought behind her shield, triggered by her observation, sent a stab of apprehension through Afra that he barely managed to contain. She was unconsciously censoring, and it had to do with the alien aura and with her own desire for the experience of motherhood.

But trace thought it was, and he had only that nana-second impression, tantalizing, terrorizing.

'You're young yet, Damia,' he said, keeping his voice light, 'and it's really important for you to consolidate your abilities as a Prime before you have conflicting loyalties.

You know how hard it was for your mother to juggle Prime duties and motherhood.' Damia cast him a jaundiced glare. 'Not that old homily again,' she said in disgust. 'From Mother and Isthia it's bad enough, but not you. And why does it seem to affect women more than men? Look at Larak: he's got Jenna and he's two and a half years my junior!' 'Cera's not involved ---' 'Oh yes, she is, even if he's not very Talented. Oh, is that news to you?' She was pleased to surprise him.

Restlessly, she launched herself physically from the table in one lightning move, startling the c.o.o.nies who had been nestling in one of the lounge chairs.

'Cera could always keep her own counsel,' Afra replied.

-'Why is it that Primes have such a hard time, Afra? We can do so much more than...' She discontinued that thought for one of the strictest precepts of her upbringing was to avoid the arrogance of ability 'Compensation,' Afra said in the languid drawl he reserved for these moods of hers. 'There are some experiences in life which are worth waiting for.' She whirled, scowling at him, looking even more lovely than ever. 'So I should just wait in my Tower? As Mother did?

Pa.s.sive?' Afra let out a roar of laughter that startled Damia as much as it did the c.o.o.nies. He laughed until his eyes were tearing.

'My dear Damia, there is nothing pa.s.sive about you, or don't you remember how you dismissed young Nicoloss 'Nico! That adolescent mess!' 'He's a good reliable T-5 and he's a superb second at Betelgeuse.

'David's welcome to him!' Damia's eyes flashed blue sparks of outrage.

'Well, now, girl, you know you need a steadying hand 'Oooooh!

Steadying hand... I'll steady you...' and Damia lifted her right hand.

Well acquainted with Damia's tendency to dramatize, Afra deposited Crisp in her open palm. Crisp blinked and cheeped in surprise.

'Ah, yes, I see I was mistaken,' Afra said as she closed her fingers rea.s.suringly about the c.o.o.nie, drawing it in to her breast.

'YOU have the steadying hand.' She regarded him darkly, tapping her foot, her lips compressed.

It had become second nature, Afra decided, to deal with Damia's moods. To be sure, they were more complex since she became interested in the opposite s.e.x - or, to be precise, the lack of partners, steadying or otherwise. These times tried his resolve despite the fact that his diversions were usually effective. One day he might graduate from the avuncular stance he had had to adopt and be able to give free expression to his deep-hidden desire. But, from the day that Damia's imminent p.u.b.erty had forced him to realize how much she meant to him, he had given a great deal of thought to the variables and knew that he could only wait. It was hard. Certainly as hard as it was for Damia to watch others pairing off, achieving the enviable total rapport that telepaths enjoyed, and for which she was so eager. Her very brilliance and beauty caused many otherwise willing mates to shy away Nicoloss being only the latest one of a long line. At least she had never repeated the Amr tragedy. Usually she would talk herself out of these libidinous moods but tonight Afra sensed a new pulse that was dangerous in its intensity.

'Is that why you so eagerly await the arrival of the aliens?' Afra said in his soft drawl, deliberately leeching all emotion out of his words. 'On the extremely unlikely chance they're biologically compatible? Do you envision your soul mate winging across the void to you?' Her eyes dilated in anger and the hand caressing Crisp stilled.

'That was unworthy of you, Afra,' she said in a hoa.r.s.e whisper.

He knew that, but the thought was better aired between them where 'it couldn't fester in her mind. He inclined his head in apology 'Better get some sleep, Damia. We're pushing big daddies tomorrow,' he said gently and gave her a little mental shove towards her bedroom.

She scowled, still smarting from his facetious observation but allowed herself to be swayed by the nudge.

'Well, you know what a romantic I am, Afra,' she said with a rueful grin and hitched Crisp to her shoulder where the c.o.o.nie had snuggled happily against her neck.

'And I do need my sleep. That contact was quite a high.

No action without a reaction, after all,' she added in a philosophical tone but the sadness in her smile touched Afra to the heart.

He nodded understandingly, keeping a tight grasp on his emotions.

Again Afra caught the unmistakable and unconscious suppression of a thought within the maelstrom of her weariness.

As Damia turned, she made a sweeping gesture at the other c.o.o.nies and, with squeals of delight, they erupted out of the chair and scurried after her.

Afra dared not relax until he was certain Damia was fully asleep.

So he tidied away the remains of their meal, filled the c.o.o.nies' water and dry feed dishes, and then watched the sunset turn the plateau a deep tangerine before diminishing in the west. Brooding over the nuances of the evening's conversation, he waited until the roiling activity of Damia's mind subsided into the even beat of sleep. Then he, too, went to bed.

To his surprise and delight, Sc.r.a.p and arthur appeared in his room to sit on his bed, clearly awaiting his company for the night. He was touched by their presence and settled himself down quickly, performing the obligatory caresses until they arranged themselves against him.

Comforting creatures to have. Not what he really wanted but better than nothing. Carefully, just as he was on the edge of sleep, he reinforced his mental screens so that none of his longing for Damia would escape. He wondered, in that honest interval between consciousness and dreaming, if he would have enough strength left to cope with a third generation of such women.

The next day, Damia introduced Afra to her Tower personnel.

Keylarion was visibly relieved to see him for he had been her training mentor at Callisto. How Damia managed with only seven in staff, and all under T-8 apart from Keylarion, Afra could not imagine.

Yet they had; there were no complaints from the Aurigae Management.

Which, in point of fact, being so new a colony, could not have afforded the rates a large number of high Ts commanded in FT&T He perceived that Damia was popular with her staff, male and female. The T-9 stationmaster, Herault, was infatuated with her, a condition of which Damia was clearly unaware while Afra picked it up instantly. But then, he knew the signs so well. It was also apparent to Afra that Inane of them realized that Damia's catalytic gift boosted their performance levels above their T-designation. He was relieved that she had finally learned not to reveal that aspect of her Talent. It had taken him long enough to get that message through her Talented skull.

'I've got the placements for the big daddies, Damia,' Herault said, shaking his head. 'And they've instructed us to pick 'em up at the mines again.' Damia nodded curtly to Herault, pursing her lips in annoyance over that as she glanced over at the generator boards where Xexo was monitoring their performance.

'We'll have full power in another ten minutes. The two spot's going to need servicing soon, Damia,' the T-8 engineer said, shaking his head at the unwelcome necessity.

'Blast!' Damia allowed her anger to show. Afra could scarcely blame her. With what she had to teleport, she'd need all four generators giving her top power. 'And they're too broke to buy me a spare.

'Backtrack a moment,' Afra said, holding up a hand.

'You have to pick up the cargo at the mines?' 'We have to,' Damia said with a meditative shrug and a gamine grin. 'They don't possess a land vehicle strong enough to transport them even the short distance from the mines.' She jerked her thumb over her shoulder in the general direction of the rugged foothills behind the town.

'Nonsense,' Filomena, the T-9 expeditor, said sharply, 'they don't want to gouge ruts out of their new roads which they didn't construct correctly to carry the heavy loads they ought to have known they'd have to transport.

This IS a mining planet!' afra regarded damia sternly. 'They're abrogating FT&T regulations.. 'I know that,' Damia responded tartly, 'but,' and she sighed, 'I can try to oblige them and save a lot of ha.s.sle - which transport would be-' 'To say nothing of the wear and tear on you and your staff-' 'Afra! This is my Tower and I'm running it my way.' Afra inhaled deeply. It was improper for him to challenge Damia in her own Tower. He exhaled, lifting his hands in a gesture of yielding. 'I just hope that Aurigae appreciates you. All of you.' At that instant both Damia and Afra heard the generators reach their peak.

'Well, folks, let's speed the daddies on their way while we're fresh and eager. It's also morning on Betelgeuse so David'll catch efficiently. Afra?' And she led the way into the Tower.

To his surprise, a second conformable chair stood next to hers, complete with a secondary board, screens and a terminal.

'Thank you,' he said as he settled himself.

'You deserve no less,' she said at her sweetest and he curbed an impulse to 'see' what she was up to.

'Placements!' Both Tower screens showed the huge ore pods, dwarfing the men on the ground in the mine yard, and even the heavy cranes and flatbeds that had helped load them.

Beneath the picture were the coordinates for delivery at Betelgeuse's outer planet.

Betelgeuse Tower, Aurigae here, she said, observing protocol.

Damia? Morning, replied David of Betelgeuse. The refineries have been screaming for this shipment.

You're likely to have a hernia bringing 'em in, Damia said.

Too much for you, darling? David asked archly. Afra knew the older Prime enjoyed taunting Damia.

Not for me, she replied, projecting a broad and confident grin.

Ready?

Damia! Afra sent the warning on a tight shaft, having heard just that tone of voice from her mother.

Don't Afra. You'll spoil my fun! Damia shot back and began the lift. Because he'd been forewarned by her mental tone, Afra was ready to follow her mind to the immense drones in the yard and felt himself strengthened, by the incredible catalytic link she could establish.

Effortlessly they 'ported the first big daddy towards its destination.

What under the stars are those Aurigaens trying to prove?

David exclaimed and both of them heard him work to receive her 'port.

Your princ.i.p.als were screaming for the shipment, weren't they?

Damia's voice was smooth and silky with satisfaction.

Ready number two?

Ready when you are, and there was determination in David's voice.

By the ninth 'port, Afra knew himself to be tiring and wondered at the energy Damia exuded.

That is the last of such weights I will accept from Aurigae, David said. And I'm registering a complaint against the mines with Earth Prime. I can't imagine why you haven't, Damia.

I don't mind cooperating with management and industry but nine of those is stretching both of us. Do not, I repeat, do not accept such monsters again. Why, I could shift a battle fleet more easily.

Damia's grin at irritating David altered to a frown and Afra sensed her sudden apprehension.

A random remark, and those daddies would weigh the same. You've had your fun. Leave it, Afra shot at her.

'You do have coffee here, don't you?' he asked, looking about the Tower.

Two steaming cups and a plate of energy biscuits appeared and one cup horned in on Afra, the plate following it.

'You're guest,' she said with an unrepentant grin and a shrug of her slim shoulders. 'I don't have enough staff to adhere to strict protocol.' Refreshed, they were shortly ready to 'port and receive incoming cargo, none of which was anywhere near the weight or ma.s.s of the morning's first delivery. Damia worked without affectation, Afra was pleased to note: a Prime in easy command of her skills. There was an excellent harmony with every one of her staff. Aurigae was a more than adequate testing ground for Damia.

Afra wondered if she'd been apprised that she would succeed Guzman at Procyon when the old Prime was finally persuaded to step down.

Despite her youth, FT&T would have insisted on his retirement if they'd known how frail the old man was but Jeff Raven, and others, conspired to deceive the administration. And they'd continue to do so as long as necessary.

Shortly, all the incoming loads had been cradled and the light afternoon traffic processed. Damia, her eyes glinting with mischief, slid out of the conformable chair and signalled for Afra to take her place. When the focal Talent of the gestalt went from one to the other, not even a half beat of the pulse of the Aurigaen Tower was missed. Damia used the Tower exit to reach her capsule and informed Afra of her departure. He let up on the gestalt long enough for her to 'port her own launch before he picked it up again. She was gone too quickly for him to keep even the most negligible of contacts with her.

So much for that notion. However, her absence would permit Afra to use gestalt to communicate with Jeff should he need to. The Tower's work proceeded smoothly. There was, in fact, rather more traffic than Damia had antic.i.p.ated, but no more big daddies, though several medium drones of refined material had to be despatched to various destinations. Inbound supplies arrived sporadically but nothing that an experienced T-3 couldn't handle. However, number two generator was definitely ailing and Afra was concerned. Xexo tinkered and fiddled with it whenever he could but the machine needed more than adjustments.

Fortunately, Damia would not require full station power to a.s.sist her comings and goings so, once the day's work was done, Xexo could begin to dismantle it.

In terms of intergalactic distances, the aliens approached at the proverbial snail's pace: by interstellar references, incredibly fast.

Such a feat argued for a highly sophisticated technical species.

On the evening of the eighth day, Damia returned from her quest, bursting with news. She 'ported herself from her capsule right into the lounge area where Afra was amusing the c.o.o.nies.

'I made individual contact,- she cried. 'And what a mind!' She was far too excited to notice Afra's flare of apprehension. He told himself this was just Damia being her usual melodramatic self. 'And what a surprise he got, she went on.

From the first words out of her mouth, Afra knew that the mind was male.

'Really?' and he injected genuine interest into his response. 'A Prime Talent?' 'I can't a.s.sess his abilities. He's so...

different,' she exclaimed, her eyes shining and her mental aura dazzling with her success. 'He fades and then returns. The distance is still immense, of course, and there isn't much definition in the thoughts. We can only deal in abstracts.' She laughed tiredly. 'As scientists have often maintained, I made a start by reciting the periodic table of chemicals and basic atomic structures to establish at least some level of communication.

'Surely an intergalactic ship would utilize a more sophisticated source than atomic power?' 'I'm sure it would have to, to travel such distances,' and Damia threw herself on the long couch, pushing back her long hair in a tired gesture before she let her hand drop bonelessly to the cushioning. 'I can't be bothered at this stage of interaction to deal with minor details.' 'Minor details?' 'Oh, don't fuss, Afra,' she said irritably. 'Considering our s.p.a.ce travel experts postulate drives as far beyond fusion as the wheel from mixed fuel s.p.a.ce drives, we can posit that they would have to have developed an efficient drive. At least I could project mutually understood abstracts. I'm exhausted. I haven't had this sort of a workout since Larak and I played dodgeball against all the cousins.

Let me grab a little nap before I contact Dad.' 'Xexo's patching that ailing generator.' Damia scowled, then shrugged off that complication.

'All the more reason for me to have an hour's snore.' 'You don't snore,' Afra said firmly, giving her a mock stern glare.

She managed a grin for his loyal denial.

Afra waited until she relaxed into sleep. Putting ethics aside, he tried to reach this experience in her mind, below the emotional level, only to find himself overwhelmed by the subjective. Damia was indulging in a high emotional kick! He recognized that she had every reason to be proud of herself in establishing any sort of contact with an alien but he was afraid for her, with a fear deeper than any he had ever touched personally or vicariously.

Afra withdrew, troubled. Crisp and Merry crawled over to him, whining softly as if they felt his concern. Soothing them, he managed to disperse his presentiment.

He let her wake up naturally and was proud of her now calm and balanced mind. As she 'reached' Jeff, she was totally the Prime, giving a considered and professional report of the contact. Not a trace of the excitation Afra had probed coloured her thoughts. When she had finished 'pathing, Jeff inserted a private query for Afra but he could only confirm Damia's report.

He saw no point to mention vague forebodings but he dId mention the matter of overweight drones. Jeff had received a formal complaint from David of Betelgeuse and there was to be an official protest from FT&T to Aurigae Miners.

The next day, Damia tossed off the few live 'portations and departed for her surveillance. And Afra contained his presentiments.

She returned so shining from the second session of communication that Afra had to clamp an icy hold over his mental reactions.

'We're making great progress in conceptualizations,' she told Afra, pirouetting with abandon into the lounge and flopping on to the long couch, her eyes glowing. One long tress, half black hair, half white, fell across her flushed face.

'Such as?' he enquired in a politely interested tone. She was so absorbed by her accomplishment that she didn't react to his ironic tone.