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The view of Sumabad Strait from a height of 23 kilometers was still breath-taking. Even if it was holographic instead of ‘real’
Ferugio had apologized, but it wasn’t his fault Scimtar’s extended family was bigger than it used to be. There were no living spaces available within the Residence that actually fronted the outside of the building. Anana and Parnit had annexed our old apartment to their own as their family expanded from two to six; Anesto may not have been legally an adult at twentyeight Imperial years of age, but that was a technicality, Urona at twentyfive was just as jealous of her privacy as any seventeen year old girl back home; the difference was that since her chance of pregnancy or disease were zero, Imperial parents had far less reason to be concerned. Anana and Parnit would get involved if someone from outside her age cohort began taking advantage of her; otherwise Imperial parents believed their offspring should be free to experiment. Even twentyone year old Anosha and seventeen year old Imar were at the age where smart parents started letting them have more freedom and responsibility for it. Any of them could have passed the adulthood tests if necessary.
The best choice for our living quarters had been behind the apartment occupied by Asto’s parents. It’s not like I had any real hope of privacy from Anara and Gilras anyway; my little terrors were their first grandchildren. Even though Asto’s older sister Anri was married now, she’d made it plain it would be sixties of years before she was ready for children, especially under the new changed reality where operant women of the important families carried their children naturally again. It was a good thing I liked my in-laws; we’d be seeing a lot of them. Scimtar and Helene, too.
The holo panels made it all look real with a real-time feed taken from the outside of the building but however clever, it was just an illusion. Perception told any operant that beyond that wall was Anara and Gilras’ entertaining room, not the empty space looking down on the Strait, and I had a sudden understanding that Anara and Gilras might wish they had more privacy from their grandchildren before this was over. When your neighbors were strong operants, privacy was an illusion, and kids are not exactly the most consistent enablers of such illusions. But I figured Anara and Gilras had raised four children of their own thus far; they should be at least as cognizant of the issues as I was.
The holographic wall showed a well-lit night scene of the Strait below, running lights of the various pleasure craft setting off the personal boats dotting the strait rather than identifying them. It didn’t really get dark on Indra anymore; a function of the annular habitat barely two seconds outside Indra’s orbit reflecting more light than thirty full moons would have on Earth. The broad sunlit band of Indra Habitat One hung there in the sky on the holo wall, same as it would have if it were a real window. The angle was wrong for Habitat Two, a few seconds further out; I’d have to actually go outside if I wanted to see that.
Our new apartment had more than twice the room my pilot module had. The master suite Asto and I would share was ‘upstairs’ on a second level, as far from the ‘nursery’ as possible within the apartment. We were using ceilings five ififths, or a little under eleven of the Earth feet I grew up with, which meant the entire apartment had an area of thirty prime ififths squared, five times the size of the four bedroom house I grew up in. House Scimtar was rich beyond any Earthly level of wealth; the habitats overhead were theirs and represented a small fraction of their holdings. Nor were they the wealthiest Imperial family; the Baryan and Yokel were each at least twice as wealthy, and at least two other families were also wealthier than we were.
I explained to Mischief and Scarecrow their place in the apartment; they were welcome to sleep with the kids but were not to climb the ramp to the master suite without invitation. They were dachshunds; we’d see how long that lasted. Lady and More would have obeyed but dachshunds were cut from a different cloth. You can’t choose dogs from a breed known for strong personality and stubbornness and expect them not to follow their breeding. They were cute enough to get away with it, too. The prohibition might last until Asto got here in three days, but it was amazing how a man raised to be tougher than bondsteel melted for two imperious little dogs because his children loved them.
Tina had her own apartment a short distance away and several floors lower, outside the Residence’s security zone. I got the strong impression she wanted men in her life again; there hadn’t been much opportunity these past five years. I knew Etonas liked her and she liked Etonas, but marrying a Scimtar without going operant was essentially a death sentence. Too valuable a target to ignore; too easy to hit. I could afford to pay her until she wanted to move on even though she really wasn’t equipped to help much with the kids.
Sorga, one of the family concierges, knocked on the entranceway. Scarecrow immediately began barking his head off; joined within a couple heartbeats by Mischief. They didn’t know Sorga and the “intruder alert!” response was hardwired into them. At least they obeyed when I told them hush! They may have been a strong-willed breed but they were still dogs; they wanted to be good.
“I’m sorry for the disturbance,” she apologized, “I was just hoping to meet your children, Grace. They’re the only family members I’ve never met!”
“Don’t mind the dogs,” I told her, “They’ll use any excuse to sing the song of their people. And now is as good a time as any. Children, this is Sorga. She works for the family; her son Twinfared does also.” A chorus of greetings followed. Esteban got up from his lesson and bowed while continuing to work. The others except baby Imtara followed his lead. “Sorga, this is Esteban, Ilras, Imtara, Ilora,” I said, pointing around the nursery, then to my belly, “and Alden. He isn’t ready to really meet you yet, but he says hello anyway.”
“Pleased to meet you all at last!” she exclaimed, “I’ve heard so much about them! You should be proud of yourself, Grace! But the real reason I stopped by was to see if we’d forgotten anything.”
I did feel a certain self-satisfaction in my offspring’s advancement despite the fact my discovery was purely accidental. Nor did Sorga need to drop by; she could more easily have sent a message via datalink. But she’d been with the family a long time; she was as close to being a member as you could get without actually being one. “No, Sorga, looks like everything is just the way we wanted it, thank you!” If not, I could have most likely fixed it easier and faster myself. But her curiosity was understandable. The relationship Scimtar’s family cultivated with its concierges was close. She left, having accomplished both her real purpose and the fig leaf that accompanied it.
Speaking of the dogs, Children, it’s time for a treat. We’re going to the park for an hour. Save your lessons; you can come back to them later. Tina helped by carrying Imtara; the baby could walk but her legs were still too short to keep up. The real point of the exercise was a treat for Mischief and Scarecrow; excursions out of the pilot module had been rare. When you’re trying to hide from rival houses, you don’t give them easy ways to find you. But here in the Residence our defensive strategy was different, which allowed for family excursions as long as I didn’t allow them to become predictable. The two dachshunds followed us out, unsure of what was happening but secure in the fact they belonged with their people.
Everyone remember what Case Blue means?
Yes,mama! they chorused, obey now, explanation later. Children from the Great Families learned early about the dangers to them. Outings had been rare when we were aboard the ship, but even Imperial ships had life-threatening events.
Copyright 2018 Dan Melson. All Rights Reserved.
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