Chapter 10

Next day, as they ate a cooked breakfast in the canteen, Catherine said to John and Elizabeth, “If I am to see all the stars in the images The Personalia are sending me, I need to view them at a larger scale. The best way of doing that is getting a projector I can connect my phone to, and then project the images on to a blank wall.”

She also needed a decent-sized room in which to project these images. This was essential, to give her a large enough scale that every star in each image could be seen. Some of the faint stars might be stars which were more prominent in Earth’s night sky, fainter now because they were being viewed from a standpoint many light years from Earth.

Conversely, some of the stars which were faint in Earth’s skies may be very prominent here, so she needed the larger scale presentation to get the identity right. Many would require to be identified by spectrum analysis, and as no observatory yet existed in the Colony, she would have to ask The Personalia to perform such spectrum measurements for specific stars.

If they could indeed identify stars visible from Earth, the best solution would be to have them highlight the target stars by putting a visible circle around each, in the images. With no reference scale to locate the positions of specific stars, she considered finding the equivalent of a Pole Star: one whose position indicated the direction of North, as viewed from the Colony. In the absence of named constellations, a direction and percentage range towards the horizon from the selected Pole Star would make for a reasonable substitute.

Having made these decisions, she asked her man, “John, will you go with me to the Admin office? If I go alone, they may see me only as a teenage girl, of no importance to them.”

“Sure. That makes sense. I’ll keep quiet unless you call me into the discussion. You have to be seen as the expert on the subject – which you are, my love.”

They entered the office and Catherine asked to speak to the person who allocated space for various Colony needs. She was directed to a middle-aged man who to John’s eyes was self-important. His expectations dropped, but he said nothing for the present.

Catherine told him, “I have to make a star catalogue and map of the night sky, so I need a big enough room to be able to project a large image on a blank wall. I also need a suitable projector, but I doubt you will have one on this planet.”

Her request for such space met with bafflement at first, for a room of that length was unusual for a single person’s needs. The official resorted to normal office procedure.

His officious yet bland voice came out with a critical examination of her request.

“How long do you need a room for this projection task? A few hours, or all day?”

Catherine was at once affronted by this curious lack of understanding of her needs. She tried to explain herself in more detail. “I need such a provision off and on for the next few weeks at a minimum. This is a long-term endeavour for the benefit of the whole planet!”

This went in one ear and out the other, without registering. He knew his own job, and that was his priority. He insisted to the young lady, “But, miss, we simply don’t have an excess of room space for uses like that!”

“What do you mean, YOU don’t have an excess of space? I am not looking for any EXCESS. I am seeking ACCESS to wall space for projecting star-fields, so that I can construct a star map for Home’s night sky.

Let me make myself clear: This is an official project for the benefit of the Colony for many years into the future. If you doubt me, speak to Colonel Kempe, for she commissioned me to construct this map.”

“Maybe she did, young lady, but if we don’t have the building space, we can’t perform miracles.”

“Surely it is simple to order in the parts for a suitable building. The Personalia are regularly bringing in the materials for constructing homes, so it cannot be much different to bring in the parts for another building, to accommodate this research project.”

She met with the same stubbornness, as John looked on with interest. The official seemed to have put John’s presence out of his mind. “We do not have authorisation for another building, madam. Homes are a matter for the individual families. We need specific approval for another office building.”

Catherine lost her temper.

“Then get it, dammit! You ARE supposed to have got rid of Earth’s bureaucratic way of doing things, aren’t you? Speak to Colonel Kempe right away, before I do so myself!”

The man blinked at this suddenly irate young woman, and decided to make the call.

Colonel Kempe picked up her phone, listened to the official, and had to think for a moment before recalling the star project. “Oh, yes. The star map project. What is the problem?”

“Colonel, this young lady ... this teenager ... says she needs the use of a large room for several weeks at least, for this project that we had not heard of, but we don’t have spare space to accommodate her.”

“Is that so? What does the ‘young lady’ say to that? By the way, is she alone?”

“There is a man who looks like her bodyguard. He has said nothing. SHE demands that we get another building supplied right away. We have no authorisation for such an additional building.”

“You do now. Find out what her requirements are in the way of wall space, and place an order for a building to fit that requirement. Bill it to the Security Department in the meantime, until I consult with the Governor. Have you got that?”

The official gulped and admitted, “Yes, ma’am, Colonel. We will attend to that at once.”

“Thank you. Let me know when the new building arrives, and if there is any difficulty over a site for it, we can sort it out. Clarify whether ... Catherine ... needs windows or just bare walls finished in matt white.”

“Will do, Colonel.”

“Right. I suggest you ask if her ‘bodyguard’ and witness, happens to be Major John Freeman. Goodbye.” She closed her phone.

The man closed his phone, and looked up at John. He asked, “Do you happen to be Major John Freeman?”

John nodded, adding, “I have been put in charge of all training for the Security Department. Catherine, here, is my fiancée. She is a very competent girl, which is why my boss gave her this job.”

“I see. Thank you, sir.” He turned back to Catherine. “Madam, I now have authorisation to purchase the building you require. I merely require measurements for the projection to be of the correct size on the wall, and any other special requirements you have.”

Catherine quickly said, “The room must have either no windows, or windows that can easily be blacked out. I can order a stand with the projector, so I just need a seat for operating the projector. I can order these myself.”

“No other furnishings?”

“None.”

“Very well. If you give me the dimensions, I will order the building. May I enquire whether you need the use of the building full-time?”

“A valid point to ask, sir. There will be many occasions when I do not need immediate access to images. If there is a cupboard to store the projector and stand, the room would be available for meetings and such temporary uses. I shall endeavour to draw up a timetable to show when it could be available for such purposes.”

“Thank you, madam. I am sorry we got off on the wrong foot. I am sure we can work together amicably in future.” He smiled.

Catherine was gracious. “Indeed. I am sure things will work better, now that we will have a building that benefits us both.”

They exchanged departing greetings, and Catherine and John left a relieved official glad that the matter had resolved itself.

Outside, John remarked to Catherine, “You did very well in there, my love. You stood up for yourself, and refused to be deterred by officialdom.”

“Partly because you were with me, darling. I knew you would back me up if needed, so that gave me strength. I am feeling drained now, though, so give me a cuddle, John.”

John gladly gathered her into his arms and hugged his fiancée tenderly. This was another step in her coping with the outside world, beyond the family fold. She had indeed done well. She probably would cope well with the wedding also, he thought to himself, wondering if he himself would cope, with his parents, Catherine’s parents, and Elizabeth’s parents all present.

As he thought of that, he wondered: Did Catherine tell her parents that as well as me, she was marrying the former Miss Frobisher? That might be a shock to them.

He dared to ask her. “Catherine, my love? When you invited your parents, did you say who you were marrying?”

“How do you mean, darling? I just invited them to my wedding. They knew you were to be my husband.”

“So they don’t know that we are also marrying the former Miss Frobisher who was in their employ?”

“Oh, I see what you are getting at. No, I didn’t mention Elizabeth. Should we tell them, or just let them discover it on the day?”

“Hmm ... perhaps the latter would be a better choice. They are not going to object during the wedding ceremony, are they? Your mother would not want to cause problems for her only daughter’s wedding, and afterwards it would be too late for them to object.”

“I’m okay with that plan, John. Let them discover our family when they get here. I am fine with that. Do you think they wondered why we emigrated to the Colony, or just assumed we wanted a different life?”

“Yes, it does make you wonder what they thought. Perhaps we can get The Personalia to mention in their in-flight briefing that marriages with more than one spouse are quite normal in the Colony?”

Catherine laughed, her earlier tension now gone. “Great idea, darling. If they pay attention, they will not be surprised. If anything, it will be the presence of Elizabeth that is a surprise. I must make a point of introducing Elizabeth to my parents as my sister-wife, and tell them we are both pregnant. We must also make sure that Elizabeth introduces her parents to your parents and my parents as part of our charm offensive.”

“Pregnant? Catherine, did you mean that?” John stared at her.

“Ooops! That was meant to be kept secret until our wedding day. I have fouled up; Elizabeth will kill me!” Catherine looked worried at what Elizabeth would say to her.

“No, she won’t. We will go find her now, and I will congratulate you both for a wonderful bit of news. I am so delighted: my first children on the way!”

Mollified, Catherine joined him on his return to Elizabeth. They found her consulting with Kathleen on supplies for the Security Department. Elizabeth had pointed out that clothing was not a feature within the Colony yet, so that any specialist clothing would have to be imported from Earth. Protective gear for dealing with possible bombs, foul weather waterproofs for emergency use, and bullet and knife-resistant vests should all be available. Kathleen agreed, and set up the order process to rectify this omission.

Elizabeth was glad to see John again, but surprised it was so soon. Catherine looked at her with trepidation, and ventured, “Elizabeth, you remember our agreement not to tell John until our wedding day?”

Elizabeth nodded. “Yes, dear, I remember.”

“I fluffed it, Elizabeth; I am so sorry!” She was so worried. “We were talking about something else, and it just popped out!”