Chapter 17

Angels Camp may have been the place I'd picked to hide out on Earth, but it was Boston that I seemed to keep returning to, and not just because Chris was nearby, though that was a nice bonus, at least for now.

McKesson Industries owned a variety of properties in the area, from office buildings to high rise apartments and residential homes all the way down to a good number of empty lots. I finally picked a beach front condo apartment in Dorchester Heights. I'd spent the past two days getting myself comfortable in the apartment. I explored the neighborhood, making sure I new where the stores were, doing some grocery shopping to stock the pantry, fridge and freezer.

Summer was officially over, but the weather wasn't paying attention to the calendar, as it was very warm and sunny. I spent the first few days just getting acclimated to Earth again. I ran on the beach the first morning, on the still wet sands, and the next morning I rose a few hours later and ran on the coolness of the grassy median between the sand and the boulevard that ran alongside it. I basked in the smell of clover and fresh cut grass clippings.

The morning of my third day I called Chris to let him know I was back. He was on Obsidian, having finished the Legion's version of basic training. While he waited to hear what his assignment would be, he was spending his time alternating between advanced combat and weapons training in the Hall of War and learning sessions in the Garden of Knowledge. We were both currently operating on the same clocks, though neither of us would have had any problems getting them synchronized, so I invited him to drop in for dinner.

"Someplace new?" He asked from my living room window when I came out of the shower that evening to find he'd arrived.

"Something McKesson Properties had available, and the beach was a big plus, so I've put in a semi-permanent claim on it."

"Semi-permanent?" I slid into his arms as he asked it.

"Well, you never know. I like the area, and the locals are pretty friendly," I grinned and he matched it, then he pulled me into a kiss that started out sort of clingy and turned hot pretty quickly.

"Yeah, some of us locals are very friendly." The kiss resumed after that, and might have turned into something even more serious if the timer in the kitchen hadn't chosen that moment to ding.

"Skye, the salmon is ready to pull out of the oven," came the voice of the house AI.

"Thank you Ava," I answered. "Let me get the roast out. It needs to rest for a few minutes then we can set the table and eat. Why don't you open that bottle of wine on the counter. Its from home."

"Arborian? I've heard the wines from there are simply incredible."

"They are, and my Aunt Coral is doing a nice little business exporting some of it to Obsidian for resale. Of course you can't buy it here on Earth yet, unless its been re-bottled, but I think that Coral is piling up quite a pile of credits in non-Arborian banks on three worlds thanks to it."

That of course, as it always does between those aware of the truth, prompted a discussion of when the Legion and the Guardians would finally decide to reveal the truth to the people of Earth. Among those facets central to their efforts, Earth was the only one still in the dark.

"Remember what a stir revealing something as scientifically straight forward as Rob Young's G-Space Engine and life on other worlds caused," Chris mentioned towards the end.

"No, and neither do you, since it happened before either of us was born."

"Exactly my point," Chris jumped in, seeing his chance. "Look at how the situation on Earth has changed since that day. The people are much more ready."

"I agree, but I don't think it will happen until Earth has a truly unified planetary government."

"And I think that day is not too far off."

"I agree again," I sighed, "but how far is far off? Within a generation? Two? More?"

"I think it will happen within the next twenty years or so. There's a fully functioning government on Islandia now, and I hear that the colonies on Bergtal and Dunham's Reach are growing steadily. They're accepting more than twice as many colonists as Islandia these days."

"You think that once there are a few planetary governments out there, capable of dealing with each other rather than going through the United Nations..."

"The majority of Earth governments will feel compelled to unify in order to deal with those off-planet governments? Yes," Chris finished.

"Once again, I agree. I'm a little more willing to bet that the built-in inertia that governments and large groups tend to operate under will play a bigger part than you seem to think. I'd double that to a good half century at least.

This whole conversation took place while preparing and then eating the salmon, boiled potato and grilled corn salad I'd planned for dinner. Once dinner was done and the cleanup out of the way, we had lots and lots of catching up to do that didn't require talking, and we did that. Repeatedly. Chris had learned his Light lessons well, I was thrilled to discover. There was a little less of the boy in him now too, and mostly just the solid, Light-sculpted man was left. I had just left a place where I had been one of a dominant class of women. Something in me thrilled, just a bit when he picked me up and carried me to the bedroom. Right now, I think I wanted it this way. I'd have my time to be dominant again.

<You were definitely worth waiting for> His thoughts came to me later in the sweaty darkness, just at the edge of sleep.

<You waited? How sweet. I might have to reward you for that, in the morning.>

I managed a few more fuzzy, barely coherent thoughts in his direction before sleep overcame me.

-oOo-

"You aren't telling me you finished it while you were gone?"

"I am, actually. Didn't have access to a simulator to do the preliminary testing on the finished code, but other than debugging, I'm done."