Chapter 5

All too soon their sojourn on Earth was coming to its end. The Gardener had been refitted expeditiously, its new crew and supercargo selected, and the date of departure was nearing.

Save for their early unpleasantness and a few annoyances of their public relations ventures, the visit home had been an unalloyed pleasure for both Igwanda and Meiersdottir. They'd been welcomed without either hesitation or qualification by each other's natal families, and both sets of grandparents had doted on their tiny grandchild and spoiled him unmercifully—as had two uncles (one on each side), three aunts (all on Igwanda's), and an assortment of cousins.

The one potential obstacle to their departure—the possible need for Igwanda's testimony at a criminal trial of the deposed sheriff—had fallen by the wayside quickly. Initially blustering that he'd defend himself in court, the renegade law officer soon threw in the towel after his attorney bluntly pointed out that if convicted, as was probable, he was likely to fare poorly among a prison population in which blacks were liberally represented. He pleaded guilty in a deal that gave him only probation conditioned on (a) his never again seeking public office; (b) his relocation several states away (this was at Igwanda's insistence to remove his influence entirely from the community); and© his acceptance of ongoing psychological counseling (Igwanda privately doubted it would help, but it would keep the man's baser instincts at bay).

The resolution satisfied none of the parties, especially a few politically aggressive black leaders who had wanted the sheriff pilloried and a few reactionary whites who had demanded his exoneration; but, as Igwanda observed to Meiersdottir, "that is the nature of any compromise, that no-one gets everything he or she might prefer."

For the return voyage Meiersdottir would again lead the scientific contingent, accompanied by both her husband and their infant son. Her own presence had been welcomed eagerly by all concerned. There had been some initial opposition to Igwanda's inclusion, but his renown from the first visit to Eden won him the title of logistics coordinator and senior military adviser and a place on the passenger list.

The most vigorous resistance had been to little Meier; others on the roster also had children who were naturally barred. But Meiersdottir's participation in many of the holo talk shows, on which she'd often had the opportunity to emphasize the fondness the Eden natives had displayed toward the baby, won her great popular support; as she'd predicted, with public opinion firmly behind her the politically sensitive SES bureaucracy had capitulated to her demand that the family travel together.

Her long-ago prediction fell short in one regard: there was no proffer of shipboard child care, though there might have been if she'd insisted, so eager was SES for her participation. That she did not would have mixed consequences.

The return trip would also include a military component, albeit smaller than that of the Gardener's first journey—only eight troopers plus a sergeant and a junior officer in command. When the entire ship's complement gathered at an orientation meeting Igwanda was pleased to find that one of his best troopers from the earlier trip, Ling Zo, had won promotion and would be the contingent's sergeant. Its commander was to be Maj. Siegfried Miller, of whom Igwanda knew nothing save that his youthful appearance suggested he was quite newly minted to the rank.