Chapter 14: Sea and Sky

I had spent my time wisely in the month since the big picnic. I had dropped myself deep into the research and study that I needed to create the Earth version of the power cell. All that was left to do now was taking the time and effort to set the scene at the facility dad had found for us that would show the earth version of the research. It wouldn't be too hard, as I had used a lot of normal earth tools during the process.

We had our staff candidates/catering crew back for lunch a couple of days after the picnic, and everyone had a good time. We quickly settled on the Jenkins family as our choice, and offered them the position, which they accepted.

Fred's Dad and three oldest brothers were going to remain at their garage, but the remaining three brothers, along with 3 uncles and 2 cousins had been hired to be the day to day staff for what we were now officially calling The Obsidian Project Research facility. We also hired a very competent and experienced security team, all former working acquaintances of Cyrus'.

With our 'spy toys' we had finally been able to get good audio from the various locations we had been observing through the survey system.

The various peoples of Meadow, regardless of location did speak the same language, they did not even have a name for it, but when required to address it would do so as 'the speech'. There were dialects, but nothing so severe that travelers couldn't make themselves understood.

When the Memorial holiday weekend came around, and it became apparent that there were various family holiday plans afoot, we declared our own holiday, and everyone took a week to be with family. Ginny was spending her week in San Francisco with her mom, getting fitted for her wedding dress. They had found a wedding planner, a friend on my Mom's actually from her days in San Francisco. They had a very full week planned, and I was never more in love with Ginny as I was when she accepted my offer to accede immediately and up front to all planning decisions. She knew I was interested in the result, not the process and let me off the hook.

I spent the first couple days of my week doing a variety of things with Con on Obsidian, stuff we'd both been putting off due to our own researches. The rest of our week was spent island-hopping.

I stood on a hill on the island of Montecristo. The Tuscan Archipelago consists of Gorgona, Capraia, Elba, Pianosa, Montecristo, Giglio and Giannutri. Elba and Montecristo are well known of course due to the formers place in history as the site of Napolean's 1st. exile. Montecristo's fame is from the famous novel by Alexander Dumas, 'The count of Monte Cristo'. I had spent some time dwelling on the suitability of Sardinia or Corsica as a base of operations for us in the Mediterranean, but had recently begun looking at these smaller islands.

"What do you think Con?" I asked my friend.

"Water is the issue, as it seems to be on all these small islands, but we would have no problem processing seawater for our needs. Once again I believe it is a matter of picking one and making a decision. As a location for observers to monitor the region via survey platforms, one can find no compelling reason to promote one over the other."

"I agree." I said. "I choose this one then. That leaves picking the spot, and I think this cliff, and that nice, inviting sandy beach below it are ideal."

"Are you thinking of using the cliff face then?"

"Yes. Something dramatic. Something sticking out of the cliff face with lots of windows. The rest of it can be buried in the cliff itself if we want."

"I will need three of the portable fabbers and I'd also like to bring one of the portable modelers as well." Con said.

The cliff curved around the little cove I had just selected, and the spot we stood on gave a perfect view of the main cliff face, so I jumped the fabbers through immediately. Con had to give me his memory of the modeler so I could find it in the hall. I jumped it through a few seconds later.

"Give me a week." Con said. "We'll have the structure by then, and the basic equipment and features. Should I leave the decorating as a group effort?"

"Yes, absolutely, and no furniture. We don't want to deprive anyone with the shopping bug from getting their fix."

"Fine, but I'm picking the counter tops and tile!" Con laughed back.

I laughed with him, waved goodbye and jumped myself into Level One back at the house. It was 1:00 in the morning here and I had no interest in waking any of the staff, I just needed to change outfits. It was four in the afternoon in Maldre's Crossing, and I wanted to go check on my friends Borthun and Yela. I had not been back since my last day as a dishwasher, and wondered how they were doing.

I changed into a set of local clothes, no longer my old beggar's attire, but common clothing of the area. With over a month of growing time, my beard was looking much more respectable, although beards were not a common look in that area judging by the predominance of clean-shaven guests in the restaurant during the times I'd worked there.

Dressed for a visit now, I reached out with my senses and found my little alleyway deserted once again, and jumped through. As I exited the alley onto the street I was surprised at how much lighter the traffic seemed today. When I entered the front of the restaurant I was surprised to see only a smattering of patrons, and all of them were dressed in what must have obviously been military uniforms. They all had hard leather armor vests with an interesting image of a green Sun setting behind a green island. I did not see Yela out front, so I asked the server I did see if Yela or Borthun were available.

"They are in the back. Are you here to eat?"

"I am a former employee and friend, come to say hello."

"Borthun!!" She yelled at the top of her voice. "Visitor!!" She returned to the desultory wiping down of the table which my arrival had interrupted.

"Yes?" Borthun asked as he walked through the entry which separated the kitchen from the dining area. I let him stare at me for a moment.

"Don't you recognize me Borthun? Should I go find some beggar's rags to wear?" I saw his eyes widen then in recognition.

"Dave!" He yelled as he walked over and gave me a big hug. "It is good to see you! Come back in the kitchen with me. Yela will be very pleased to see you, and especially looking so much more prosperous than before!"

Yela too hugged me and gave me a good look up and down.

"You seem to be doing much better for yourself since we last saw you." She said.

"Your voice has completely recovered as well I hear!" Borthun added.

I looked around the kitchen and realized that we were alone.

"What is going on Borthun? I expected to catch you getting ready for the evening rush, but the streets are practically empty, as is the restaurant, and are you trying to run things with just three people?"

"It is the war, Dave. The city guard has enlisted all the able-bodied men to defend the city, and many of those remaining have fled. I would be at the border with a spear in my hand as well if it had not been decided that I was more useful feeding the troops."

I read the details in their thoughts. The nearby city-state of Yodros was now under the leadership of Lord Glaius, the former leader of their military forces, and he had been quick in waging war against his neighbors.

"Maldre's Crossing has always been a city of peace and trade Borthun, it is not well equipped to defend itself! Are you not afraid?" I asked.

"Yes, of course we are afraid, and that fear will probably be realized very soon. The Council is trying to hire a mercenary army from Palosa to the south, but I do not think that Glaius will wait for them to raise an army before he attacks. There have been several skirmishes already along the border."

I thought about the situation long and hard.

"Would you flee if you could?" I asked.

"It would mean leaving behind everything we had spent our lives building here. The restaurant itself is nothing, but the ovens and the boilers and the fire pits are all tools that we've built ourselves or had built over the years. Just the cost of the copper in the big boilers alone represents a major percentage of our lifelong earnings." Borthun sighed in frustration as he said this.

"But we are not fools, Dave." Yela said. "We will flee when we must, and pray that we are quick enough and lucky enough to get out safely."

"The way you ask the question makes me think you have it within your power to offer us safe passage. Am I right in thinking that Dave?" Borthun asked.

"Are you a religious mans Borthun?" I asked.

"Not so much. Are you a philosopher now Dave?"

"No." I laughed. "Do you believe in magic? Do you accept unexplained events as magic, or do you think of them as just something else beyond your understanding?"

"I am a pretty practical man, Dave. The only magic in my life is Yela, and she is the only sign I have ever had that a God who looks on me with kindness might exist."

That of course earned Borthun a very nice kiss from Yela.

"You were not the only one who thought there must be a God rewarding them when our eyes met for the first time." Yela said with a flash of joy in her eyes.

"How much longer will you be able to remain here safely?" I asked them.

"That entirely depends on the plans of Lord Glaius." Borthun said, "But his advance into the city will be sooner rather than later if his spies have made him aware of the Council's efforts to hire mercenaries."

"Do you appreciate education Borthun?" I asked.

"Education? Of course. What has that to do with things?" He asked.

"Do you think there is a limit to what men may learn over time? Could men learn so much that someday they might seem like gods to those who came before them? That what they could achieve would seem like magic?"

"These are strange questions Dave. I am sure you have a point, but short of suspecting you of being one of Lord Glaius' spies, I could not imagine why you are being so circumspect in answering a simple question." Borthun was beginning to get a little peeved at me, I could tell.

"I'm sorry Borthun, I am not a spy for Lord Glaius. If I am a spy, it is only for myself." I put a hand on his shoulder. "Yes, I am offering safe passage, but I cannot offer it lightly. If you leave here with me, you may never be able to return here."

"Nor is your offer considered lightly Dave. Yela and I will have to think about this." Yela nodded her agreement.

"I understand. I will return at this time tomorrow to check on you. My thoughts will be with you in the meantime."

We exchanged hugs again, and I left, returning along my usual route. With the streets practically deserted, I didn't even wait for my alley to jump myself home.

It was still the middle of the night, so after changing out of the clothes I'd worn for my visit to see Borthun and Yela, I jumped to my office in the research facility. I turned on my desk lamp and picked up the phone and called the guard at the gate.

"Front gate." Was all I heard when the phone was picked up.

"Good morning Evan, this is Dave."

"Good morning Dave." Evan returned. The guards were trained not to identify themselves when answering the phone in the guard house at the gate. The caller's were supposed to know the first name of whoever was on duty and address them by first name. Just a little built in extra security measure. If I had failed to use his first name, Evan would have continued to talk to me, but would have initiated an automated call tracing procedure.