Chapter 54

Sixday midmorning.

The scene was the Sloane Square library.

The Dramatis Personae was:

Julie Windsor, Comminantes mutie, Mistress of the Clan, mother of Morg, The Daughters and Antonia, partner of TJ Hobson.

George Windsor, aka "Morg", Comminantes mutie, son of Julie, father of George.

Gabrielle Comminantes, norm*, by marriage Aunt to Julie.

Pat Sweeney, norm* (?Winsor mutie), mother of George, partner of Morg.

Ivy Sorensen, norm*, mother of Oscar, partner of TJ Hobson.

Bill Oscar, mutie of unknown line, sometimes known as "Sarnt" to Comminantes Clan, friend of all participants.

Oscar Sorensen, aka "Sarnt", Strathlawn / Albertson mutie, son of TJ Hobson and Ivy Sorensen.

George Sweeney, Comminantes / (?)Winsor mutie, son of Morg and Pat Sweeney.

Antonia Windsor, aka "Hazel", Comminantes / Strathlawn / Albertson mutie, daughter of TJ Hobson and Julie Windsor.

Huntsman spiders, muties, attendants of the Matriach. *?infected.

The Agenda (drawn up by Aunt Gabrielle as referee):

Putting children to bed.

Children and flivver.

Children and the coms room.

Locaters.

Spiders.

Hazel led for the children protesting they were old enough, and (snidely) trained well enough to be able to attend to their own toiletries before retiring. She conceded, on behalf of the children, that they enjoyed their older's fussing over them once the ablutions were completed and they did not want to give up having one of the oldies read to them before lights out. Endweek lights out should be extended and freer access to the vid, 'net and library — after all they knew the 'birds and bees' was so much hogwash and they knew the facts. Hazel admitted the children did not know about the 'love' side of the partnerships but agreed that similar feelings existed between mother and child; they couldn't say about fathers — yet. Assistance with homework was still desired.

The rebuttal was put by Pat who repeated the argument that the ritual was as much for the parents as the children but did have a practical side as the children's memories weren't perfect and they did from time to time forget parts of it — Pat said she wouldn't say kids were lazy but their memories did need jogging from time to time.

The compromise reached allowed the children to attend to their ablutions but the parents retained the right of inspection; access to vid was still dependent upon completion of homework and adequate rest for the children — here the 'recommended' minimums were trotted out and grudgingly accepted; endweek limits were already laxer than school week; access to more vid, 'net' and library was not granted as the oldies pointed out that there were many things which the oldies could not explain to the children.

Fathers — kids, we are working on that; children, get on with it as we want to know ours. How is TJ going to react? He is going to be right royally pissed with his childrens' mothers for not telling him — he was not happy at not being able to get back to Sol to spend time with Simmo during the long break. And he is not going to be happy that he has not been told Simmo has been talking with the other kids.

And that lead onto com security.

"Sarn't" Sorensen was made to recount how the children got into the so called secure room — Morg was relieved to learn that the PDA was kept hidden in the coms room. Hazel recounted how Berryl had trapped them and surmised that Berryl had used a spider to safeguard Simmo as the trio had used each other. The children had recounted the talks with Simmo and admitted they envied his access to their fathers but were not jealous as they recognised 'thems the breaks' and they had their natural mothers - Simmo's main eyeball rolling, deep sighing, head shaking complaint was that he had too many female oldies telling him what to do. The security of the system had not been compromised as the 'break in' had been internal. The oldies recognised that the kids' attitude toward security was exceptional even though George tended to play it down claiming that yellow eyes made him more aware of differences and the need to shut up.

{Can we be of help? You think Simmo uses us?}

Morg noticed that Bill Oscar startled but Pat, Ivy and Gabrielle did not react.

'Can you teach norms to hear you?'

{Don't know — Morg asks if we can teach norms to hear us.}

"Sorry" Morg said "forgot you can't hear me think"

That was met with a few snorts and a comment from his son,

"Wouldn't want to — yuck; you and mother" which broke up the seriousness of the moment.

"TJ will probably be upset; you know how paranoid he is" Ivy stated.

Julie made a rude noise,

"Berryl claims TJ has been paranoid since Teddy Nolan smacked his bum to get him to breathe — so nothing has changed. Speaking of change — Morg, taking the kids in the flivver was dangerous and I don't want you doing it again."

Pat and Ivy nodded vigorous agreement. The children went po-faced — they knew when not to buy in. It was Bill Oscar who beat Morg to reply.

"Dangerous - in a flivver? Yes, it is. But then so is bundling the kids into a shuttle car and taking them to and from school. Letting them walk down your front steps is dangerous the way they run about. You teach them unarmed combat to meet threats outside. How did you get your nickname, Poison Ivy? And Pat — a Herald?..."

"That's not dangerous work" Pat protested.

That caused a strangled hacking cough from her son, a very adult sounding snort from Sarn't (the younger one) and when Morg raised the eyebrows, he explained,

"The paperwork she brings home needs codebooks and she locks them in the com room safe. She has a secure FTL link to the Palace. And why does she have a Herald bodyguard where ever she goes? Us kids play spot the spook when Aunt Pat takes us to school. We don't think it's because she might get lost."

"And she always has a beam pistol on herself" added Hazel primly widening Pat's eyes momentarily "we're all girls together" (as explanation).

"But they don't even have skinsuits" Julie made an almost last stand.

"Blow skinnies" snapped Ivy, "they take too long to put on. Hard suits; much easier to get into. Safer! And it's not as if we can't afford them or to get them replaced as they grow."

"SHOW Inc does own the manufactory so it shouldn't cost that much" Gabrielle observed; "I presume Simmo is included in this? I'll organise it. Nothing more on the subject of flivver? Locaters, then; and would someone precisely explain them?"

Morg explained how they were developed and got tested and got a most ferocious look from Ivy who then sat up, looked hard at the spider on Morg's shoulder and nodded in satisfaction to herself. The discussion was short; everyone to have locaters inserted. The children looked at one another and in unison shrugged — this was one they'd surely lose if they objected so they kept their powder dry for their next disagreement.

The spiders were explained. There was a prolonged discussion more in the seeking of information. The carapace was examined and accepted.

{Matriach believes the daughter colony has bred. She intends to pass on the tribal knowledge to the progeny. We can partner humans provided we have other progeny near — we do not thrive in isolation. Using Sundowners as core daughter colony, we could establish smaller off shoots. Matriach thinks a subcolony here in Gorgipest and another about TJ and Morg as they seem to wander away at times.}

Ivy's strangled laugh reverberated about the room; Ivy went on,

"I think Morg should brief TJ to give him time to get over any mad he has and to develop his position. He doesn't like to be caught out and prefers to have worked out the angles. We live in harmony here in the Square and I'd really like things to stay that way. I don't want to lose TJ but if that's the price I've got to pay, I'll pay it for the way we live here."

This got her hugs and cuddles from the children.

The meeting broke up with the children scurrying off to ready for their sports.

Bill Oscar had returned to his home as the family piled into the small family owned ground bus for the school sports' areas.

The children dispersed with adults accompanying them to their chosen pastimes. Morg walked with Pat and George to the small building which doubled as a dojo for the school. The spider was curled up making like a small ornament on Morg's fedora — Morg's skin was not tolerant of prolonged exposure to the star's rays even if filtered by the atmosphere. The spider began to hiss; George's head came up to look at the arthropod with a puzzled edge,

"Why? There are three, no four, of mother's friends around."

"Where, George?" Pat asked.

George would make an excellent stalker; his head did not turn as he indicated the shadows to his mother. Pat had been well trained and she did not appear to even look at the persons. Pat spoke softly and a sibilant voice replied from a small broach pinned to her bra.

"None of them are mine."

She extracted a PDA and casually made a link to talk with Julie and Ivy. George was opening the sliding door for his mother as the others were confirming the presence of other shadows. Morg's neurones spun up to speed

'What can you feel?'

{Not much. Distances too great but a feeling of disinterested antithesis. You are attracting some more interest.}

"Time for top cover", extracted his PDA and linked with TJ who answered immediately. Morg quickly briefed his friend who advised an assault shuttle would arrive in about ten minutes and Morg to set the PDA as a homing beacon.

Despite being stood down, TJ had been relaxing by instructing his right seater and crew chief, Curtis and Cuthbert Avers (related of course, nephews of Hugh) in the cockpit of their shuttle on the start up procedures after performing the daily inspection. TJ replaced his PDA in its pouch, tersely advised his crew there was a 'no-duff', instructed Curtis to com R1's duty watch and inform them of the mission — Morg was requesting help dirtside — and began the start up for real. The hatch covers were lifting out as the shuttle came off its supports.

The R1 watch alerted the duty DD, "Washton", and "Vance" picked up the alert.

TJ was into atmosphere when R1 control advised that "Shriek" from "Vance" and a HAC from "Washton" were moving into orbital cover. TJ's detection gear showed the craft moving away from their mother ships.

"Wotcha, TJ?" Felix very unprofessionally established coms and TJ explained. TJ's PDA had located Morg's and another two beacons came on line as Julie and Ivy lit theirs.

Dirtside could not see the orbital cover but there was no chance of missing the shuttle which went into a hover at three thousand feet two miles off to the east of the playing fields nearest the dojo building.

The others had agreed to join Pat at the dojo. The small groups were moving through the crowd leaving a wake behind them. In the wake moved interested parties following. Several were moving from in front to block. The squeals of pleasure, cries of encouragement and moans of disappointment were shattered by the blast of a beam pistol on sonic disruption accompanied several second later by screams of agony from another part of the fields. The crowds scattered from the two sounds leaving Julie, Gabrielle and Hazel and in a second group, Ivy and Sarnt, in moving clear circles. Three people moved out from the edge of the circle in a group towards Julie's group — probably thinking, wrongly, she was unarmed. Not that it mattered as the three were converted to cooked pieces by the stuttering crackle of a fired fixed laser mount. Those who hadn't detected the shuttle became very aware of her.

The shuttle moved towards the dojo descending as it approached. The crowds rapidly dispersed and as the shuttle touched down, there was a sonic boom as the HAC made a suborbital pass overhead — just to alert the dirtside that the shuttle had friends in high places. The three groups moved up the shuttle's ramp.