EFFECTS OF OPENNESS / CH. 19:WINGS
EMBASSY OF ATLANTIS, SATURSOL 23RD OCTOBER, 11AM.
“Ruth, Hathie?” Robert called, “You know that delivery they said was coming? I've just heard it's getting there soon, and they don't want it cluttering up the place.”
“And you really need both of us?”
“Please.”
“What is it?” Ruth asked.
“Thingumy urm... forcefield thing. Please?”
“Oh, come on, Ruth.” Hathie said, wondering why Robert was so anxious. “Let's go get it.”
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“Robert” Hathie said, “You've missed the turning to the cargo area, there's nothing up here but the viewing platform.”
“OK, OK, Hathie, I've been here before, you know? Now let me drive will you?”
“I think he's upset with you Hathie.” Ruth guessed.
“I think he's just missed the last place we can turn round,” Hathie said.
“Fine, nag me about it later. Did you notice that rock?”
“You could slow down.”
“Don't want to miss it,” Robert said.
“Miss what?”
“That,” he pointed at a pair of little dots in the sky.
“It's only just landing?” Hathie exclaimed in disgust.
“They” Robert corrected, stopping the marsmobile so that Hathie and Ruth had a view of the approach and runway. He then handed Ruth a pair of binoculars.
“Robert, what am I supposed to do with these?”
“You look through them, Ruth, and they help you see what's there, and then you can try not to say anything and if I'm very lucky you kiss me while Hathie has a look.”
“Optimist. You've dragged me away from digging my swimming pool to do some plane watching.”
“Ruth?” Robert asked, shading his eyes, “If you don't want to see, let me, please?”
“What's there to see?” Hathie asked, “You've seen one landing, you've seen them all.”
“Humour me, please, Ruth?”
Ruth looked through the binoculars. She took them from her eyes, rubbed them and looked again.
“Robert,” Ruth said, “Am I seeing what I think I'm seeing?”
“If you think it's a fire-breathing dragon, then absolutely not,” Robert said, “there aren't any fire-breathing dragons on Mars.”
“There are mermaids giving kisses though,” Ruth said, and handing Hathie the binoculars she grabbed him in a fierce embrace.
[How long have you known?] Ruth asked.
[Not long, a few days.] Robert replied, and let a little of his love for her bubble up.
[Don't tempt me or I'll flood you with so much, you won't breath.]
[I've had your kiss, remember? I might survive it.]
[Tempter. You might get wet though. Thank you, Robert, thank you so much.]
Hathie was meanwhile not managing to find anything to look at.
“Argh. I can't make these work!” she moaned.
“Just use one then, Hathie.” Robert suggested, “fix your eyes on the dots and then bring the lens into the way.”
“No!” Hathie shouted.
“What do you mean, 'no?'”
“No! It is not possible. You can't get from Venus to here in a few hours.”
“No. But if you remember what Boris wrote, he said they were in the direction of Venus, not near it.”
“You lied to me,” Hathie complained.
“No, I didn't, but I did steal your hairbrush this morning.” He handed it to her. “Not that I'm saying you're vain, but...”
“But he tried to think of everything,” Ruth said.
“He didn't bring my best dress,” Hathie declared. She'd been discussing what she wanted to wear with her mother a few nights before.
“Me? No. Mum hung it in the shower,” Robert said grinning. Marsmobiles were intended for long, multi-day journeys, and had a small caravan-style shower area. It wouldn't be easy for Hathie to change, but it would be possible. “It's up to you, Hathie,” Robert said, “I estimate that they'll be on the ground in two minutes, but take at least five minutes clearing arrivals, so you could just watch them land.”
“And change while you're driving down there?”
“There is that problem, yes.”
Hathie thought for a while. “I'll watch and brush. I really want to see this touchdown.”
“You realize he's probably not going to touch on the runway, don't you?” Ruth asked.
“He's not, is he? Robert, I hope you're going to film this.”
“Certainly. As are landing control, of course. They've got to see if the ships do any damage to the runway.”
“Doesn't seem very likely, if they don't touch it.” Ruth said.
“I know,” Robert agreed, “but rules are rules.”
“They're so beautiful,” Hathie said, looking at the silver-winged Albatrosses, gently gliding in. “But why does he need the wings if he's got anti-gravity?”
“Apparently the anti-gravity has a tendency to bounce,” Ruth said, “And he didn't think landing like a rubber ball was going to be nearly impressive enough for his princess. Or my parents.”
“Mirror finish albatross wings. That's impressive, I think,” Hathellah said.
“Yes. I wonder what the radar system thinks,” Ruth said, “I bet they're not used to perfect reflection.”
“I presume you're not going to tell me how do do that?” Robert asked.
“Urm... no. Actually... no, he'd better not have. Surely not!”
“What?”
“I know of one way of doing that. I'm sure he didn't do it though.”
“Am I allowed to know?” Hathellah asked.
“I won't tell,” Robert promised.
“Hold on, I'll call James,” Ruth said, making the call on her wrist unit.
“Hi Ruth, what's up?”
“I'm up at the viewing area, watching a pair of very pretty space ships landing.”
“Oh yes? I'm at the terminal building. Rainbow?”
“No. Mirrored-silver wings. I'm just really hoping you know of an alternative explanation to the way I learned they did that.”
“Urm. This is Boris we're talking about, Ruth.”
“I know. That's one of the things that scares me.”
“I'm sure he's just found another way. The entire wings?”
“Yes. And I'm not talking dull silvery either, I'm guessing ninety nine to a hundred percent reflection. He did write to Hathie and me saying 'mirrored forcefields are no problem'.”
“Well, there you go, he must have worked out how do to them some other way.”
“Lets hope so,” Ruth said,
“Oh the plus side, Ruth, if he's used the traditional approach then firstly, no one's going to successfully steal the secret of the thing, and secondly there'll be no problem keeping the lights on at the embassy.”
“You, James, are just so reassuring. Do you remember the numbers from school?”
“A microgram for a square millimetre.” James quoted the ratio of positronium — matter-antimatter electron pairs — to area for a reflecting forcefield.
“Which makes a gram per square metre, and I'm guessing at least twenty metre wingspan on those pretty birds.”
“Ruth, don't worry. There was far more stored under your feet back home.”
“Yes, I know, I know. Anyway, if you're planning to watch them land you'd better move, they're visible without binoculars now.”
“Much noise?” James asked.
“James it's an Albatross. When did you hear an Albatross make much noise?”
“When it was on the ground and talking to its mate, and when in the sky wondering if there's anyone else around?”
“Oh, all right then. I just wonder when they are going to put down webbed feet and bounce around on anti-gravity.”
“Oooh, pretty, I see them. Boris really is a show-off, isn't he?”
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“James, I just think he's in love. Anyway, I'm going to concentrate on the show. Bye.”
“Grams per square metre of scary stuff?” Robert asked her as she disconnected.
“It's rude to eavesdrop, Robert. Yes.”
“Nutronium? Antimatter?”
Ruth rolled her eyes, “Oh all right, I'll tell you, but I want your oath: no experimenting, no telling anyone.”
“You have it, Ruth. I vow I'll not betray secrets of the deep you tell me.”
[What's scarier than stored antimatter, Robert?]
[Scarier than antimatter?]
[Stored antimatter.] Ruth corrected.
[Released antimatter?]
[That's not scary, that's just bang. No what's scarier than stored antimatter is stored matter-antimatter pairs. Positronium, or energy waiting to escape. Very very responsive to electric charge, your excited positronium. Perfect high frequency super-conductor in fact, no boring big heavy nuclei to slow down the electrons. But like James says, we don't need to worry.]
[Urm. Sure?]
[Absolutely. If those things each hold twenty grams of positronium and something goes wrong then there'll be an instant gamma ray and neutrino flash that'll kill us all.]
[And that's nothing to worry about?]
[It's safe or it's not. Not much point worrying about it. You might as well worry about the second coming. And anyway, Boris has probably developed some other way of making reflective wings. We hope.]
[And you're going to ask him about it before we park one or two of them outside your complex, I hope.]
[Oh, that's what the trailer's for?] Ruth asked.
[Yes. I hope we made the gate wide enough.]
[I love you, Robert.]
[Did I say something wrong?]
[No. You're just worried about not being able to get an antigravity capable spacecraft through a gate we can take down in about thirty seconds. We can probably get Boris to hop over the gate anyway. No worrying, OK? Hold hands and enjoy the show.]
[I love you Ruth. You're amazing and beautiful and I do so want to marry you.]
[I've got an idea then, let's prioritise between asking Boris about forcefields and introducing you to my parents.]
[Boris is going to be busy. Hathellah has been making plans, I think. So let's talk to your parents.]
[Good idea,] Ruth agreed, [What was that hastily suppressed thought I just caught about pastor Tom?]
[Silly, optimistic idea. Ruth, how long an engagement would Mer normally have?]
[Engagement? Not long. Pre-engagement discussions leading to the decision to marry? A few months. Before getting to that stage, at least a month or so, normally a year.]
[Oh. I've rushed you, haven't I?]
[It's OK.]
[No it's not. You take only take the decision to get engaged when you're absolutely sure, don't you?]
[You don't?]
[Well, yes, but the few months of engagement, not to mention the stress of getting ready for the wedding gives time to get used to the idea and hopefully notice if there's a problem. I'm sorry.]
[What for?]
[Being too excited and not thinking.]
[You've spoken to pastor Tom, haven't you?]
[Sorry.]
[And he's on stand-by for tomorrow?]
[He advised against it.]
[{relief} Sorry, I shouldn't have let that out.]
[I want you to be honest with me, Ruth. I only want us to marry when we both think we're ready. Please don't let me rush you.]
[I think it's a trust thing, Robert. Not you so much as my emotions.]
[I think I understand. They've let you down in the past, led you in bad places.]
[Yes.]
[And I need to be patient. Because love is patient.]
[Thank you.]
[So we set no date yet.]
[Not this side of you meeting my parents, anyway.]
[Not even immediately afterwards. Maybe we talk about it but we don't announce it or consider it fixed.]
“Hey, lovers.” Hathie said, “are you paying attention to anything except each other's eyes?”
The spacecraft were close to the ground now, and from the observation hill they were able to see the upper portions of the wings had become a fiery-red, colour. “Oooh, I didn't notice that,” Ruth said, “I hope air traffic control don't panic.”
“It's fading.” Robert said. The red colour seemed to be disappearing as if it were draining out out of the upturned wing tips.
“Not surprised.” Ruth said, “That was quite a radiation release.”
“Pardon?” Robert asked.
“I'm fairly sure he's just squirted all the radiation they picked up on the way here out into space. Ooh look, Morse code as it touches down.”
“Do you happen to know Morse?” Robert asked.
“Don't you?” Ruth asked, surprised.
“Not beyond S.O.S.”
“The one this side says 'My Thellah, I come.'”
“And the other?” Hathie asked.
“He's going to be embarrassed,” Ruth said, grinning.
“'Happy birtday, Ruth'?” Robert guessed.
“Exactly.”
“Oh!” Ruth exclaimed, “It now says, 'gotcha!' and now that one's saying urm...
'Albatross 3 has landed.' And that's repeating.”
“I wonder if he thought about airlocks.” Robert said.
“I've just had a lovely idea.” Ruth announced. “I'm going to call up my mum. and ask.”
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Hathie had plenty of time to change before processing the new arrivals was complete — the MarsCorp-originated systems and procedures hadn't caught up to the idea of immigrants who didn't come on a ship even remotely connected with MarsCorp, and kept asking for paperwork and registration numbers they didn't have. Ruth, Robert, Hathie and James were kept abreast of what was happening by Ruth's father's running commentary.
What really didn't help was that many decades ago a programmer had decided that they needed a way of testing the system without it being recorded in the database, and that the way to do that was to specify a place of birth, origin, or ship's country of origin containing the word 'Atlantis'. Human nature being what it is, that critical piece of information hadn't been documented and had been lost in the mist of time. The increasingly frustrated operator, having entered the data multiple times and seeing it vanish before their eyes eventually declared to Eloise Maugh, who was there expressing the council's deep apologies that 1. He'd write it down long hand, 2. He'd manually override the machines that wouldn't issue them their breathers and tents with a crowbar if necessary and 3. he was entirely happy to offer in his resignation to the council.
Eloise in response talked to Mack, who came up with another plan: disconnect the main database. After all, arrivals needed processing even if there was a network failure, and there was a fallback system where the computers at the terminal could operate without it all going there and back. And who cared if MarsCorp's records deleted themselves after the claim forms had been issued.
After that, the only issue was that the pressure sensors at doorways didn't register the presence of Boris' hover chair. He solved that by borrowing Emilia's spear. The fact that Ruth's mother and a number of the other female mer had brought their spears and bows had caused some concern but Ruth had pointed out with a straight face that they were mainly cultural assertions of femininity and she really couldn't imagine seeing her mother going on any long journey without her spear.
“Please accept the council's apologies for that series of disasters,” Eloise said, “Obviously, the council will be requiring MarsCorp to fix their systems, but that doesn't make up for all the frustration.”
“We're here, that's the important thing,” Emilia said. “But it's going to take me a while to get used to this gravity.”
“Gravity is one thing that doesn't change on Mars, Maam.” Eloise said, “Not much else doesn't. Do come this way, please. Ruth and the others are just through here.”
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“Hello, Boris.” Hathellah said, suddenly shy. All her plans about lifting him out of his chair, and smothering him with kisses vanished. It wasn't just him and her, after all. He was one among eight newcomers, most of the women carrying spears or bows and looking distinctly warlike.
“My Thellah,” Boris greeted her, “we have conquered gravity, interplanetary distances and even programming incompetence!”
His calling her Thellah, she was certain she'd heard the capital, banished her shyness. She pointed an accusing finger at him, “You tricked me, and not only that, you're capitalizing my title as though it's a name. Don't deny it.”
“Urm.” Boris said, not sure quite what to say. He did think of it more as a name.
“So, you'd better stop calling me Thellah or Princess, and call me Hathie instead. Then everyone knows what you're saying.”
“OK, Hathie.”
“And I'll accept a kiss in apology for tricking me and making me think I needed to wait for another week or two before you got here.”
“OK, Hathie.”
“Come on then.”
“What, in front of everyone?” Boris asked.
“You're the one who's been proclaiming your love for me to anyone who can read Morse.”
Boris looked at the dangerously accusing finger that was back in front of his nose, and decided he'd better take her hand. She didn't resist.
“You're making a scene, Hathie.”
[And you keep leaving off the possessive.]
[I think I love you, Hathie. I know I love the idea of being in love with you, but we haven't spent much time together, you know?]
[You'd better give me my kiss of apology then, hadn't you?]
He kissed her hand, “Sorry for the deception, your highness. I wanted it to be a lovely surprise.”
“It was,” Hathie said, “Now, you also owe me a hug or twenty. Should I sit in your lap or crouch down, or what?”
“People are watching us and grinning.”
“Oh, well, let's give them something to see then,” Hathie said, and gently lowered herself into his lap. “This isn't painful or dangerous or anything, is it?”
“Not painful. Maybe dangerous if you cut off my circulation too long.”
“I don't think I'll stay here that long, Boris. But your arms are supposed to be around me.”
“Hathie....”
“Yes?”
“You're not disgusted by my legs?”
“Any reason I should be? I mean, they're not dripping green pus or something, are they?”
“No.”
“So, they don't work very well at the moment. Hopefully that can be fixed. I guess they're not over-endowed with muscles, but I don't notice them affecting your arms, your brain, or your mobility. I don't imagine with those big strong biceps you'll have any problem turning over compost, even if you don't invent something to do it at the press of a button. So, legs are probably over-rated when you're dealing with a world class genius.”
“You're amazing,” Boris said, looking into her eyes.
“Naah, you're just in love,” Hathie said, dismissively.
“What about you?”
“I can't be, we don't know each other well enough.” she murmured as she lent her head on his shoulder, and rested there.
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“Mummy, daddy!” Ruth Emilia Matthew greeted her parents joyfully, hugging them tightly.
“Careful, Ruth, don't knock us over!” Emilia warned her daughter.
“So, do you introduce me to everyone now, or shall we wait until we're at the embassy?”
“You've really got the space?” Matthew asked.
“At the behest of her majesty, I've been doing a lot of digging. The rock seems pretty air-tight, but I've been lining the insides with crystal, just in case.”
Noticing the threatening finger being pointed at Boris, Emilia asked “I presume the young woman after Boris's blood is Hathellah?”
“It is indeed, and this is Robert. I don't actually think it's his blood she's after.”
“No.” Her father agreed, “Hello, Robert. You may call us Emilia and Matthew.”
“I'm pleased to meet you both, Ruth's told me quite a lot about you.”
“Not all of it bad, I hope.”
“None of it that I can think of. Happily she'd stopped running from God before I met her, so I never met her as a rebellious youth.”
“Did you tell us how you met, Ruth?” Matthew asked.
“Blame my genius cousin,” Ruth said, “He sent me Robert with an over-grand scheme to flood bits of Mars with three comets a year.”
“Thirty smaller ones makes far more sense,” Robert said.
“Why not thirty big ones?” Emilia asked, “Get it over faster.”
“It was the thought of a thirty kilometer long, hundred meter tall wall of water that scared us, a bit, mummy. I can't remember if it was still going at a kilometer a second then or if it had slowed down, but it was still scary.”
“Ah. Right. Not the best swimming conditions.” Matthew agreed.
“Come on, meet the others.” Emilia said, “The young man looking nervous over there is Thomas White. I can't think why he'd be still be nervous now that he's not the only man on a ship with four fully armed mermaids, but maybe it takes a while to wear off. This is Gizela. No one threatened Thomas, did they, Gizela?”
“Not at all, Emilia. We did promise to dart him and take away his clothes if he asked any more forcefield questions, but that's not a threat, is it? He's a brave man, actually.”
“Oh?”
“He rather monopolised Sathie's time.”
“Oh, did he? Ruth, this is Sathzakara Karella Christoph.”
“Your highness,” Ruth said, giving a small curtsy. Sathie stuck out her tongue in reply and said, “Please don't call me that.”
“Did you actually tell him who you were, Sathie?” Emilia asked.
“It's not my fault if he doesn't recognise my name. And I'm sure it'd have been rude to point it out to him. He's got a sister my age, and I didn't threaten to steal his underwear.”
“Gizela, are you staying on Mars?” Ruth asked sternly, “I'm afraid there have been so many changes I'm not sure which list people are on now.”
“No, Zelda and I are accompanying Sathie home.”
“And Zelda was also on the Albatross three?”
“Yes, Maam.”
“Who else?”
“I was, Maam. Ursula.”
“Come on then, all three of you.” Ruth said. “Thomas, her royal highness tells me her honour-guard were less than honourable towards you.”
Three voiced said, “Sorry, Thomas.”
Ruth continued, “I understand that Zelda and Gizella are returning to Atlantis with princess Sathie, and so they are going to grovel at your feet in apology now, and wait on you hand and foot at the meal to which you're invited tonight. They will also each deliver or send at their own expense a diamond or other gemstone they have gathered themselves — you may specify — from their personal collections to your family home as an act of contrition. I trust you will thus consider their debt of honour satisfied and they will think twice before again threatening guests of her Majesty. Ursula will be staying on Mars and will be available for legal prosecution for her part in your distress, or if you have no wish to go through the hassle of prosecuting her, then I am open to other suggestions. She's obviously useless as a guide to Mars, and I imagine she didn't bring her gem collection with her.”
“No, maam,” Ursula said.
“I don't want Ursula punished, maam.” Thomas said, “She didn't do or say anything to threaten me.”
“She didn't stop the others from doing so either, so she's still in your debt, and you still have a poor opinion of Mer, I expect.”
“Are you a Christian, Ursula?” Emilia asked.
“Yes,” Ursula said.
“As is he. And you are single and find him attractive and he is single and finds you attractive, so perhaps, Ruth, you should wait a little before passing judgement.”
“Very well, mother. We'll discuss this later, Ursula.”
“Yes, Maam.”
“Right. You were introducing me, Mummy?”
“Yes, Ruth. I introduce to you Christina and Pania, who with Ursula form the rest of your staff.”
“Be welcome to Mars,” Ruth said “I guess we need to unload Albatross three and put two onto the trailer.”