Chapter 14

She turned back to Enid. "Enid, allow me to present Esme Limbada, moneylender to the masses at Albany, Georgia. Esme, this is Enid Pfeiffer, wife of our Colony newspaper editor, Tom. Tom and Enid have been instrumental in this affair."

"Come in, Esme. Come in and meet Jeannette and Margo. We are having a girls giggle session at the moment."

She dragged Esme into the front room, where two more ladies had stood up to welcome her.

"Girls, This is another of the same: Esme Limbada. Esme, this is Mrs Jeannette Reagan and this is Mrs Margo Aquino. The girl in the corner, and the baby she is rocking, are Margo's two girls."

The three women came together, and Jeannette and Margo embraced Esme. Jeannette told Esme, "I have found my son here. He is named Usgar, and is a very polite, well behaved Malan boy. He is not human, but he is my son all the same, and I am his Mummy. He is happy that I am here. I am sure the same will happen when the DNA test shows which child is yours."

Margo added, "I have provided some saliva for the test, and am now waiting for the result. I have met all four Malans, and like Jeannette says, they are delightful children. They look different, but it is like having an adopted child, only it is one that you gave birth to, and so that bit closer to you. They are easy to love, Esme, I assure you, but you are going to have to learn a new language: Malan."

Esme was easy with that idea. "Oh, yes. Diane told me that she has learned Malan. It is astonishing: human beings are learning Malan purely so that the children's native language doesn't die out. The children can all speak perfectly good English, so this is like preserving a tribal language in the USA, or Gaelic in Scotland. I can follow that reasoning, and approve of it."

Enid interrupted. "Are you all staying for a chat about each other's experiences, or does Diane have to take you away, Esme?"

"I don't know, Enid. I haven't been told where I am staying, yet. What about you girls?"

Jeannette said, "I am staying with Enid for the moment, and Margo and her kids are also living here until they can find a place for them. Enid can't take any more, so perhaps Diane can organise something."

Diane explained her situation. "The Governor's mansion is pretty full as it is. We have to keep a couple of rooms for visiting dignitaries to use, so we can't utilise these for more than one night at a time. I spoke to Admin about accommodation, and they have agreed to allocate one small block: four flats, for you girls to take over. Unfortunately, I have heard that there are five mothers of Malans."

Enid chipped in, "Oh, Jeannette can stay with us longer, Diane. She is not a problem for us. We have already developed a close relationship, haven't we, Jeannette?"

Jeannette gave her a big grin. "Indeed so. Enid has been a very welcoming host. I have been given everything I could want; thank you, Enid."

Esme looked at her, puzzled at the warmth between Enid and Jeannette. Margo merely nodded, saying nothing, as she was aware that Jeanette was sharing a room with Tom and Enid, to allow her original bedroom to be used by Margo and her girls. Only Diane had an inkling of what might really be going on, and allowed herself a sly smile of recognition. She remarked, "As long as Tom is happy to have a lodger, Enid."

"Oh, he is, Diane. He and Jeannette have come to an accommodation of sorts, so there is no difficulty there."

Diane suggested, "Why don't you girls arrange a little soiree for tomorrow, when you can all exchange your stories? You can have it at the Governor's mansion, and we will provide the eats and drinks for you. I would like the Governor to meet the Malan mothers as a group, before any publicity is allowed to percolate out."

Enid was all for that. "Sounds great, Diane. Mary's baking, I hope?"

"Of course, Enid. Only the best for our guests! There is another lady to come to Rehome, but we don't know when she will arrive, and I am told the fifth lady might be a problem, so we will keep it to you three for tomorrow. In case any of you were thinking about it, I would prefer not to have the Malan children present at this occasion. There will be plenty of opportunities later. This will be a "get to know you" meeting."

Margo wanted to know, "Will it be tomorrow that we can move into the flats, Diane? Will they have a washing machine, cooker, etc.? Do I need to get things like crockery, knives and forks, and cots, etc., for my girls?"

"I expect you will need quite a few things. I will set up an account with Lownie Stores for you, today. The Colony will subsidise you for settling in, as you are our invited guests."

Ruth Proctor stood in front of her boss.

"Sir, I formally request a leave of absence for several weeks, for family reasons. I need to visit Rehome Colony, to see that a relative is being looked after properly. I have spoken to someone, purporting to be one of The Personalia, who says I can get free travel there for the occasion."

Her boss, Frederick Grierson, looked her in the eye, and grimaced, then smiled at her.

"Ruth, your circumlocution is unnecessary. We listen in to all staff phone conversations, unlike The Team, so we know what is going on. I gather you volunteered for special duty five years ago, as a surrogate mother. The Personalia are offering a chance to meet your alien kid, and I understand.

In fact, it suits us fine, to have you well out of the way for a while. You would be a target for The Team, and I don't want you put at risk. Therefore, I am granting you two months paid leave, on the understanding that you stay in Rehome Colony for the duration. Acceptable?"

"Yes, sir!"

"Right. Make your arrangements with The Personalia, using the office phone, as it is secure. Enjoy your break: you deserve it, Ruth. That was a good job you did.

"The perps will be tracked from here on, once they pick up the goods. The army has flown in a number of miniature tracking devices the size of a fly to the delivery points, and these will be directed into the cargo when it is delivered. All that will be needed is to track the goods to their destination, then there will be a raid, catching them with the stolen ordnance in their possession, before they get a chance to file off the IDs from the weapons."

"Good to know, sir. I hope it all goes well."

Leaving the boss's office, Ruth used the office phone to contact The Personalia.

"Hello, This is Ruth Proctor. I am free from now on to be picked up. Where, when, and how?"

"The pickup point should be preferably be at a body of water, or open desert, at night. Do you have any location to suggest? You should only bring one suitcase or rucksack of your possessions, such that you can carry with you."

"We are not far from Lake Michigan, if that suits you."

"Checking: Yes, certain areas of the Lake are not so busy after midnight. We can land at approximately one a.m. If you can get to the shore in the approximate location of Sunset Strip Cottages, Hollywood Ave, Manistee, at that time, we can have a Landership there to pick you up at the shore. Anywhere along that shore will do; wherever you can access the shoreline. Phone this number when you are almost at the location, and keep the line open, as a guide for our Landership to find you.

"Please be alone, with a torch if you need to see where you are walking. Any driver should be well away from your position, to avoid any distractions. We would not want any unnecessary injuries to occur to them, do we?"

"Thank you," said Ruth, unsure what else to say to this avalanche of instructions. She hope the office bugs had recorded this, so she could go over it again. She would need to have a colleague deliver her and her suitcase to the shoreline specified, then get out of the way pronto. What a way to begin a so-called vacation!

Tom was annoyed to have missed the meeting with Esme Limbada. She was another part of his story, when it was finally possible to publish it.

"The Malan mothers of Earth: the Earthwomen who gave birth to the Malan children. An exclusive report." He had it all planned out in his mind, and it would be a story that would be syndicated throughout Earth, provided the authorities did not clamp down on it for political reasons. To avoid that, he planned that the story should appear simultaneously, in newspapers all over Earth.

Having heard of Diane Kempe's part in this escapade, he phoned her. She eventually deigned to listen to his call, citing pressure of work for the delay.

"Diane, I needed to have close contact with these ladies as they arrive at the Colony, or shortly thereafter, so I can get their reactions to their trip here, their meetings with the children, and so on."

Diane was unsympathetic. "Tom, we cannot organise the evacuation of these ladies to suit your editorial requirements. These are people with their own problems and needs. Most of them need accommodation, and basic bits and pieces such as toiletries, a full fridge of food, a kettle for boiling water, bedclothes and a change of clothing from the inside out. They arrived with just the clothes they stood up in, and whatever was in the one suitcase. That would not be much more than enough for a day or two. So, be careful with your demands, old friend."

"Sorry, Diane. My paper's demand for news forces me to push for stories. I may sometimes be a bit TOO pushy, but it is not with malice aforethought, just pressure on me to get the story. Can you not give me anything?"

"I suppose I can tell you that Administration is hoping to provide accommodation for these ladies, until they decide what they will do in the long run. You can speak to Admin about this, but you CANNOT reveal the address where each will be living. They need their privacy."

Ruth Proctor was met at the Lake Michigan shoreline by Diane Kempe, safely gathered into the Landership and delivered to Metropolis, where Diane had her brought straight to the Governor's mansion, in time to meet the other ladies.

On the way down to Metropolis in the Landership, she had briefed Ruth about these ladies and promised a chance to relax after the meeting was over. "I'll be taking them to see their new flats in Metropolis, but you will need to unwind before we start on matters like that, so you can chat with whoever is at home at the time. I also need a saliva sample for DNA testing.

"We will then take you on a shopping trip for all the things you might need in the next week or so."

The meeting went well, particularly when Diane explained that encountering the Malan children was being deferred until the DNA tests were complete, and that this meeting was a social get-together for the ladies.