BOOMER QUIZ: FAMOUS PAIRS

("Princess"/Federation Commissioner Nancy Hedford)

Here's part two of the Boomer Quiz series (below the fold).

There will be no grading system for these quizzes, I created them just for the fun of it. Play it with your friends. The answers will be immediately available in case you're not so good with delayed gratification (as they claim about us).

Feel free to share, but give me credit, dammit. Copyright 2008 Maggie Jochild.

FAMOUS "PAIRS"
When you think of one, you'll likely think of the other. Match up each person in the first colum with their "cohort" in the second column.

Agent 99
Hugh Beaumont
Eddie Corbett
Elinor Donahue
Joey Heatherton
Chet Huntley
Claudine Longet
Jayne Mansfield
Julie Nixon

Barbara Billingsley
David Brinkley
David Eisenhauer
Billy Gray
Mickey Hargitay
Mrs. Livingston
Lance Rentzel
Spider Sabich
Maxwell Smart

Answers are here.
Bonus question: Which famous pair above produced an award-winning actress currently on a long-running TV drama?

ADDENDUM:
All right, a challenge has been placed: Who gets your vote, Darlene the shiksa

or Annette, who had breasts earlier than the other girls?

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SKENE: CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

This is draft one of my sci-fi novel Skene. To read earlier chapters, go to LABELS in the right-hand column on this page, scroll down to the Skene tags and click on the one you want to read. Skene is set on a human-habitable planet in the Alhena star system at least 500 years in the future. There's a considerable amount of appendix material and diagrams also available here as needed:
Map of Riesig (the main island)
Map of The Manage on Riesig
Skene Glossary (Skenish to English)
Skene Cast of Characters
Skene Culture, Calendar, Clothing, and Islands
Map of All Skene
Map of The Lofthall on Riesig

CHAPTER FIFTY-THREE

It was Mchele, late summer, and every morning Sigrist radio reported whether or not eels had begun their migration back to the sea. Each Manage on Riesig had a patch of river assigned to them along North or South Rambla, and for a week now, their live boxes had been in place. The Lofthall had a prime territory, much larger than anyone else, but half the harvest by the pilots was given to the school and University cafeterias, so no one complained.

One morning the anticipated announcement was heard: Eels were on the move. That afternoon, children were forced into long naps, and their complaints were hushed with "Do you want to go eeling or not?" Pilots took longer naps than usual, too. After dinner, as dark fell, most of Riesig lined one of the rivers, wearing waders and canvas gloves tied at the wrist. Bright flashes and lanterns made the riverbank light as day, and at a blast from a horn, the fun began.

Mill had begged to go eeling with the pilots, and Halling let her go with Qala and Lawa. Rark and Danaan were eeling for their Manage with Iro and Ektr. Halling, Yoj, Bux and Veida were already in the river with long nets, while the children splashed behind them, and Qen and Yerush were on the banks to catch eels tossed them, keep everything but the breeding females, and store them in live boxes at the edge where river current ran continously through the mesh cages.

After an hour, it was just hard work, and younger children retreated to land to play other games. Manages kept at it until their live boxes were full. Size and number of live boxes allowed each Manage depended on the number of people in the Manage, and each live box was engraved with the name of that Manage. Eels would be kept in live boxes for a week, until mud and their last meals washed out of them. A child would be sent down to the river's edge twice a day, at least, to see if any of the eels had died. If it had, it was to be collected in a bucket and taken home for immediate brining and freezing.

Once the eels were ready for slaughter, Manages went into overdrive. The eels had to be cleaned and brined. Those above a certain size would be labeled and taken to the smoking house down near the docks. Smaller eels would be canned. It was a few days of all-out work, but eel was a prized addition to the diet, and a valuable barter item for islands without eel-bearing rivers.

The Lofthall's eeling went on far longer than anyone else, because of their enormous number of live boxes. When the Manage was done, they walked up river toward the sound of raucous laughter and singing. Mill was still in the water with her beloved pilots, and Oby had joined her. The Ethicist and her family were sitting on the banks, watching and laughing. Rark and Danaan were there was well, and Danaan came over to tell Halling that Mill and Oby had volunteered to be the daily live box checkers for the Lofthall.

"That'll help keep her busy until school starts" grinned Halling.

When at last their quota was reached, soaked and tired pilots scrambled up the banks and began trudging back to the Lofthall in small groups. The canteen would give them a late-night tea and cake repast before they dropped into their bunks. Mill begged to go with them, and when Halling said no, she then begged to walk Oby home.

"Oby's family is here" said Halling. "You'll see her in the morning, when you come to check on the eels. Say goodnight and come home with us."

Despite the canvas gloves, Mill had some small cuts on her palms that Veida treated with an herbal salve. Speranz fell asleep in Yerush's lap at the table without finishing her apple. The children were allowed to go to bed without baths -- it was Mchele, and Yoj could do their bed linens early that week.

The next morning, Ndege and Dodd went to check on the Manage's live boxes after breakfast. Mill was already gone -- Oby had arrived halfway through the meal and Mill had crammed her mouth with one last bite, then ran out the door without a bucket or her gloves. She returned a minute later to retrieve them and said "We'll be going up to the Lofthall after, I may eat lunch there". Bux called after her "Tell your emma when you arrive, immediately."

That night at dinner, Mill asked if she could have her own bedroom. Halling choked, and Yoj began laughing, saying "Where do you propose to build this room, out in the lane maybe?"

"No" said Mill, "The room that used to have abba's potting wheel -- in the corner, I could fit a bed and a chest. And it's warm in there."

"What about the shelves of starts and herbs?" asked Bux.

"I like those, it smells wonderful" said Mill. "I just want -- a place to maybe have a friend over. And to think by myself."

Bux sighed. She remembered exactly how Mill felt. She looked at Yoj, who nodded. Halling's face was red -- she did not care for the implications of this at all. She said "You have to promise you'll not sneak out at night, ever. And all guests will come through the house first."

Mill promised fervently, and Halling said "Well, we'll give it a try. But you'll have to earn the money for a bed with extra chores. We'll buy it for you and you can pay it off."

Mill leapt up to hug her emmas with deranged joy. Dodd said "Does this mean me and Ndege will eventually get our own rooms, too?"

"No" said Yoj. "We don't have the space. But you'll get to have a lot more room in your loft. And if Mill leaves the Manage when she graduates -- which I earnestly hope she does not -- but if she does, we'll talk then about one of you getting her new room."

Yerush cleared her throat and said "While we're on the subject..." When everyone looked at her, she said "It's getting a little hard for me to climb up and down the ladder. My hips are not working quite the way they once did."

Bux stared at her, suddenly noticing Yerush's hair was now completely white, no longer grey at all. She felt a clutch at her heart: She didn't want Yerush to be old. She turned and looked at Qen, then at Veida. "Oh, emmas" she said, her throat tight. "Of course -- we'll give you our bedroom. We'll swap out beds this weekend."

"Well, I don't know about that" said Qen. "You three need your privacy."

"We can move into Prl and Speranz's room, they're old enough to sleep in a loft now. We could give them the kitchen loft" suggested Yoj. Prl and Speranz's faces lit up -- they loved climbing into the lofts.

"But their room is only big enough to hold a three-person bed, nothing else, remember?" said Qen.

"That's okay" said Yoj. "We can put our clothes chests in my study, along the far wall of shelves -- those bottom shelves hold books I only use once a week, I can handle having to move a chest once a week."

"And our bed doesn't have a footboard, so we can easily crawl into bed over the foot" pointed out Halling. She grinned at Bux and said "We'll be back where we first started!"

"All right then, it's settled" said Bux. "Next weekend we'll have a day of moving beds. Yoj, will you have time tomorrow to go to the used furniture store and look at metal beds for Mill? They'll be a lot cheaper, and we won't have to wait on one."

"I reckon we should give her a double -- just thinking about the future" said Yoj, making Halling's face go red again.

Dodd said to Ndege "This way, we can have a friend overnight sometimes too." Ndege nodded. She was tired of how Mill kicked in her sleep, and was ready to see her go.

But once canning season was over, and Yerush could get into bed without a painful climb, her energy still remained low. She lent her expertise to Bux's campaign for Sheng Zhang of Rahat, but did not travel around Skene with them for Bux's meetings and speeches. Even after Bux won the election by a slim margin, Yerush was unusually quiet at the New Year celebration, and ate only one slice of apple dippled in honey, preferring to sit quietly in her chair and listen to the children's grand plans for what new and wonderful things they'd accomplish this year. It was that night in bed, because she was looking for it, that Veida found the lump in Yerush's breast.

School had begun again, and Yerush insisted Qen did not need to take off to accompany her to the hospital, she had Veida and Yoj, and at any rate, it was just tests. But three days later Qen did walk to the hospital with Yerush and Veida, when Yerush went to have both breasts removed, and a bone biopsy of one hip as well. Yerush was still in the hospital, having trouble regaining her strength after the surgery and being tended round the clock by at least one member of her family, when the pathology results came back.

Chemotherapy was very limited on Skene, and saved for only cases where a cure was likely. Bone metastases was not one of those cases. After another few days, a quartet of new lighter pilots carried her home, where a wheelchair had already been installed in her place at the head of the table. Veida had an arsenal of herbs, teas, tinctures, compresses, and she officially restricted her comadrona calls to Riesig only. Yoj took over teaching Yerush's classes for the rest of the semester, until a replacement could be arranged, in addition to her own limited teaching roster as a new gakusha.

Oby began spending most evenings at the Manage, where she and Mill would perform much of the work of the tillage until dark, eat together and then do homework last thing before bed, freeing up Mill's emmas and abbas for other tasks. Yoj had a quiet conversation with the Ethicist and they agreed on which nights Oby would be sent home to sleep, which nights she could lie down with Mill. More often than not, Oby was there for breakfast in the morning.

Bux no longer had dinners away from home on Sheng Zhang business. Even if she could not cook, she made it home in time to sit down opposite Yerush, smiling at her down the length of the table. If she had to leave for a meeting after dinner, she made sure to spend five or ten minutes before her departure sitting next to Yerush, conferring with her about the business she was about to address, asking Yerush's opinion or advice. Some of the old color would come back to Yerush's face when her head was bent next to Bux's, strategizing or gossiping.

Paha and Tlochin began coming every Shmonah for the midday meal and a long visit afterward. Halling arranged lighter transport to and from Beras so they did not have to worry about the ferry schedule. She offered the same to Culisa, but Culisa only came once a month, and seldom brought her partner.

Yoj was as worried about Qen as she was Yerush. Qen lost weight as steadily as Yerush, and her eyes had dark rings around them. After three months, Yerush's occasional pain became constant. Qen began massaging Yerush's hip and low back for an hour at a stretch, and Veida altered her tinctures. After another month, nothing helped except small white pills from the hospital, which left Yerush fuzzy and uncharacteristically clingy.

Speranz began having nightmares. Finally, they put her in with Bux and Halling when she woke up screaming, and Yoj would climb the loft over the kitchen to sleep with Prl. The nightmares stopped, and both of the youngest children began to look a little less terrified. Yoj took comfort from it as well -- holding Prl felt like she was actually able to protect at least one person, keep this child from harm.

One night, during a downpour, a knock came at the door. When Mill answered it, there stood Raisa, in a dripping burzaka. Yoj went to ask her in. Raisa stopped in the living room, staring at Yerush, now thin and frail in her wheelchair. Yerush's white hair had streaks of yellow in it, and her hands had a noticeable tremor. Raisa's face was tragic.

Veida came to stand beside Yerush, and then Qen sat down on Yerush's other side. Yerush's hand slid into Qen's. Bux offered Raisa tea and a seat at the table, but still Raisa did not move or speak, looking only at Yerush. Bux noticed her staring children, and said "I introduce to you the Genist of Skene."

Prl, at the table doing homework, showed high interest. "Oh" she said, "Abba has talked about you often. She told us all the things you do, the science and the lineages, and how you help people have families. I think that's what I want to be when I grow up, the Genist."

Raisa's gaze now transferred to Prl, and took in her clear blue eyes, her heart-shaped face and short, stocky build -- the picture of Bux at that age, but also, Yoj now realized, likely the image of Yerush as a child as well. The hunger on Raisa's face made Yoj involuntarily step toward Prl and put her hand on Prl's shoulder. After a long minute, Raisa said "When you are ready to graduate, come visit me and we'll see about apprenticing you."

Over my dead body, thought Yoj.

But then Qen stood up and said "Raisa, come here and at least kiss Yerush's cheek. She can't come to you."

In the hush that followed, Raisa, still dripping rain, came slowly to Yerush, lifted her hand and kissed her palm, then bent and kissed Yerush lightly on the mouth. Yerush never let go of Qen with her other hand. Raisa stepped back and said "I have so missed you." Yerush did not say a word, but Yoj saw her grip on Qen grow tighter. Raisa took another step back, and looked around until she found Halling, standing in the kitchen.



"I have something for the Sheng Zhang of the Lofthall" she said to Halling, and pulled a long leather tube from underneath her burzaka. Halling came forward to take it from her, and Raisa said "You did not get it from me. You found it in your archive. Are we understood?" Halling nodded, surprise on her face. Raisa looked at Yerush again and said "Morrie vaseo." Then she turned and strode from the house.

Everyone seemed to breathe out at once. Prl stood on her chair and Yoj picked her up in a hug, as Prl said "She seemed to have lightning in her hair." Yerush laughed at that, and then everybody began laughing.

"Let's see what she brought you" said Yerush. Prl and the other children cleared the table, and Yoj washed it down as Veida brought Yerush her next pain pill. But Yerush said "Not yet. I want to be sharp for this." Her breathing was a little ragged, and her cheeks were pale -- bone pain was extreme. Veida set the pill on the sideboard behind them, and sat next to Yerush, rubbing her thigh.

As Halling carefully started to pull a long roll of paper from the tube, Yerush suddenly said "There's a mark on the end, etched into the leather -- hold it in the light, what is that?" Yoj came to read it with Yerush, and they said in unison "This is from the Archive!" Yerush grinned tightly at Yoj and said "Well, this answers the question of whether they have keys to one another's vaults. She's stolen it, hasn't she?"

"How long has it been since you've seen her?" asked Qen quietly.

"I can't remember" said Yerush. "Before Halling's crash, well before that. Actually -- since Ng died." Qen's eyes locked on Yerush tenderly.

Halling was unrolling the paper, with Bux's help weighing down the corners. It was, of course, a map, similar to the sector maps now covering the main wall of the Lofthall, inscribed with countless numbers and symbols. But the colors were not so faded, and Halling could tell instantly it was not one of the maps she already had.

"Look on the back" urged Yoj, "See if it's labeled." They turned it over carefully and could find nothing on the reverse. Replacing it, Halling used a practiced eye to scan it and said "It's a cluster of islands -- this is a smaller scale than the Lofthall maps, I think it shows the entire chain."

Bux said to Speranz "Go get the tracing paper, you remember where it is?" And Yoj sent Dodd to her study for several pencils and the magnifying glass. They handed paper out to everyone at the table, with a pencil, and the glass to Yerush. Halling explained again how to read the numbers and symbols, and each person at the table found an island in front of her and began tracing it laboriously on a sheet centered over the map. Halling and Bux were able to do several islands in the time others took to do one.

When they were all done, they left the traced shapes in place and stood up to look down on it. Yerush spoke first: "This is not Skene. Even with the changes we've wrought, and the effects of time -- it's an island chain that is not Skene."

Halling's face was glowing and she said "I agree."

"But it has morrie strati" said Veida.

"Which means it is on this planet" confirmed Yoj. Even Speranz understood what this meant.

Halling was doing math in her head. "If the same system of measurement is used for the elevation demarcation on this map as the others, then the width of this central island, here, for instance, is twice the width of Riesig. There are -- " she counted under her breath "27 large to medium islands, and at least 40 small islands or flings."

"Land" breathed Bux. "Three to four times the land that we have now."

Yoj looked at Yerush. "If a bigger set of islands exists elsewhere, why would the original settlers have chosen our chain?"

Yerush said "They came here originally to mine. Perhaps the minerals available in our chain were what they wanted most."

"Or -- " said Halling slowly, "...maybe they settled both chains."

Qen gasped, and Yoj pulled both Dodd and Prl close to her reflexively.

After a very long silence, where Yoj could hear Dodd's mouth-breathing clearly, Veida whispered "What do we do with this?"

"We study it" answered Halling. "We think about it, and we talk it over as a Manage."

"Plus Oby" said Mill.

"Not yet" said Bux. "I know this will be a hard secret to keep, but Oby's emma is the Ethicist and once she finds out about this, she will be compelled to act, she has no choice. So we wait until we agree with what action she's like to take." She looked at Mill sternly, and Mill finally nodded.

"But we do tell Danaan and Rark, and their emmas" said Halling.

"And Qala" added Yoj.

"Do you supposed Raisa knows what this map shows, or means?" asked Bux. Everyone looked at Yerush, who grinned and answered "No. It's too much power for her to have handed over. It was just a good excuse to see me. Possibly the Archivist knows, however. And if she does, she'll notice it's missing."

"Yet another reason to delay telling the Ethicist" said Halling. "I don't want anyone arrested for theft. Not until we can get copies and conceal its origins."

"Here's the thing, though" said Yoj. "We don't have any marks on this map to show where on Skene it represents. And we can't go flying around the globe to search."

The electric elation that had been in the room now noticeably diminished. Halling said "Huh." She took another sheet of tracing paper and began searching the very edge of the map for positive numbers which would indicate a small island or portion of island away from the main chain.

Understanding her intent, everyone focused again on their edge of the map, and after a minute, Dodd, standing at the northwest corner, said "I've got something".

Halling came to where she pointed and laid the tracing paper down, marking the edge of a land mass as it came in from the margin and disappeared a little while later. She held it up to the light and thought hard for a minute. Then she said softly "I've seen this before."

"I have copies of the other quadrants in my study" said Yoj, hurrying to get her map case. Halling told her what numbers it might be, and after trying several, they found the sector map with an island whose lower southeast outline matched the fragment on the new map exactly. Halling laid that sector map down and indicated with her fingers the hops from small island to small island that would be required to reach its upper northwest corner. All of the distances could be done with a sinner outfitted with double battery arrays and a light load.

They found the next corresponding sector map, and island-hopped across it as well to the northwest. On the fourth sector map laid down, they reached Yanja. Halling looked up at them and said "It's reachable, if it's done in stages like this."

"How far?" urged Yoj. Halling worked back through the maps, calling out distances and vectors to Veida who wrote them down. At the end, Veida read the totals. Yerush said "That's halfway around the globe, and in the southern hemisphere."

"But reachable" echoed Yoj.

"It would take a great deal of resources, and a coordinated effort" said Bux.

"And -- who knows what kind of people we'd find, if there are people there?" said Qen. "Maybe their Troubles didn't resolve as intelligently as ours did."

"What's to say they aren't looking for us as well?" posed Halling. Into the electric silence following this comment, she added "Which means, actually, we do have to take this to the Ethicist. Sooner rather than later. But -- " she looked at Yoj, " -- If you get copies made tomorrow, and we transport this in a different tube, I can claim it just turned up at the Lofthall. So no one gets into trouble."

Bux looked at the children. "No breathing a word of this for two days, or you will hurt this Manage dreadfully. After that, we'll tell the secret ourselves and you'll be off the hook."

"Except for the part about Raisa" pointed out Prl.

"Yes, we must protect Raisa" said Qen firmly.

Yerush gazed into Mill's eyes and said "Who knows how long it will take to decide what to do, and how to do it? But I can imagine you being one of the pilots to land on the other half of Skene."

Mill's face flushed, and Yoj felt a stab at her heart. Of course Mill would volunteer to go.

Yoj looked at Bux, to share her grief, and Bux's eyes were full of tears but she was fixed on Yerush's face: Yerush would not live to see what was discovered.

Yoj said "This is your doing, you know" to Yerush. Yerush looked shocked. "You created this Manage, you chose these women to love, you bore the child that brought me and Halling in, you've encouraged us to think fresh every step of the way, and then this Manage gave us our incredible next generation -- this all began with you, Yerush. You are the aggie that will give Skene another hemisphere to explore."

Bux began crying, and Yerush motioned for her, pulling Bux down beside her and murmuring comfort. Yoj went to the aga to make tea for everyone, as Halling put the map away and Veida gave Yerush her pill.

With the return of warm, sometimes dry weather and new crops to sow, Yerush's decline slowed and she sat up at the table often to plant starts with Veida or talk over class outlines with Yoj. It clearly pained her to have Speranz on her lap for long stretches, but she refused to ever say no, and Speranz's warm, plump body seemed to give new energy to Yerush at times.


Copyright 2007 Maggie Jochild.

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BONUS BOOMER QUIZ FOR GOLDEN AGE OF TV

It's just one question: How many of the TV stars mentioned in the previous TV quiz were/are lesbian, gay or bisexual?

I'll need some sort of documentation for this (even persistent gossip will count), not just your wishful thinking. For bonus points, I'll accept the names of other members of the cast in the same show who were queer.

And for super-duper prestige points, answer the following:
Which show featured an actor whose daughter would later be lovers with Ellen Degeneres?

Answers are here. This will be updated as ya'll come up with folks I didn't know about.

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BOOMER QUIZ: GOLDEN AGE OF TV

This will be part one of a nine-part series of quizzes about the Baby Boomer era. The sections covered will include a Historical Timeline 1955-1975; The Golden Age of Television; Top U.S. Song Hit Singles 1955-1970; Drugs; Famous Pairs; Who Gave Them Their Big Break?; Top Movies; Top Rated TV Shows of the 60s; and Miscellaneous.

There will be no grading system for these quizzes, I created them just for the fun of it. Play it with your friends. The answers will be immediately available in case you're not so good with delayed gratification (as they claim about us).

Feel free to share, but give me credit, dammit. The first quiz, the Golden Age of Television, begins after the fold. Copyright 2008 Maggie Jochild.

THE GOLDEN AGE OF TELEVISION
(Being a fan of Nick at Night will not help you much with these questions; you had to have been there. NOTE: Despite my earnest effort to be inclusive, note how few females are in the lists above and how extremely few [to none] characters of color there are. Hence The Revolution, still underway.)


TV WESTERNS
(My dad watched every one of these) -- Match each show to its star in the column that follows:

Bat Masterson
The Big Valley
Cheyenne
Death Valley Days
The High Chaparral
Laramie
Maverick
The Rifleman
Sugarfoot
Wagon Train
Wanted Dead or Alive

Gene Berry
Ward Bond
Richard Boone
Chuck Connors
Robert Crawford, Jr.
Victoria Cristal
James Garner
Will Hutchins
Steve McQueen
Ronald Reagan
Barbara Stanwyck
Clint Walker



SPACE AND SPIES
Match each show to its star in the column that follows:

The Avengers
Dr. Who
I Spy
Land of the Giants
Lost in Space
The Man From U.N.C.L.E.
Mission Impossible
The Prisoner
The Saint
Star Trek
Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea

Richard Basehart
Gary Conway
Bill Cosby
Peter Davison
Peter Graves
June Lockhart
David McCallum
Patrick McGoohan
Roger Moore
Diana Rigg
William Shatner


DETECTIVES AND DOCTORS
Match each show to its star in the column that follows:

Ben Casey
Dr. Kildare
Dragnet
The Fugitive
Honey West
Ironside
Julia
Marcus Welby, MD
Mod Squad
77 Sunset Strip
The Untouchables

Raymond Burr
Diahann Carroll
Richard Chamberlain
Vince Edwards
Anne Frances
Peggy Lipton
Richard Janssen
Robert Stack
Jack Webb
Robert Young
Efrem Zimbalist, Jr.


LAWYERS AND TEACHERS
Match each show to its star in the column that follows:

Perry Mason
Mister Novak
Room 222

Raymond Burr
Richard Chamberlain
Karen Valentine


CHILDREN'S PROGRAMMING
Match each item in column one with its most closely associated item in colum two:

Alfalfa
Buffy
Bunny Rabbit
Cecil the Seasick Sea Serpent
Crusader Rabbit
Davey
Dondi
Dudley Do-Right
Flipper
The Funny Company
Gumby
Jonny Quest
Lassie
Mark Lester
Mighty Mouse
Mr. Magoo
Mr. Peabody
Pippi Longstocking
Quick Draw McGraw
Ricochet Rabbit
Ruff
Schoolhouse Rock
Sky King
Tarzan
Tom Terrific
Underdog
Yogi Bear

Boo Boo
Bud
Captain Kangaroo
Cheetah
Dishonest John
Droop-a-Long
El-Kabong
The Explorers Club
Goliath
Hadji
His boy Sherman
I'm Just A Bill
Jack Wild
Jody
Nell Fenwick
Manfred
Nephew Waldo
Mr. Nilsson
Oilcan Harry
Penny
Pokey
Ragland Tiger
Reddy
Shrinkin' Violette
Spanky
Sweet Polly Purebred
Timmy

[ANSWERS TO ALL THE ABOVE ARE HERE.]

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SKENE: CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

This is draft one of my sci-fi novel Skene. To read earlier chapters, go to LABELS in the right-hand column on this page, scroll down to the Skene tags and click on the one you want to read. Skene is set on a human-habitable planet in the Alhena star system at least 500 years in the future. There's a considerable amount of appendix material and diagrams also available here as needed:
Map of Riesig (the main island)
Map of The Manage on Riesig
Skene Glossary (Skenish to English)
Skene Cast of Characters
Skene Culture, Calendar, Clothing, and Islands
Map of All Skene
Map of The Lofthall on Riesig

CHAPTER FIFTY-TWO

Halling pushed down the mic button and clicked it to lock.

"Hello, citizens of Skene, this is Halling la Mwezi na Ng, Sheng Zhang of the Lofthall. Today I accompanied my sinning crew to the Northern Wasa to a site an hour's flight north and east of Exploit. During the course of our successful harvest of a larger-than-average sinning, we were attacked by fifteen adult leviathans and at least a dozen juveniles. Another two dozen levis were in the vicinity but did not attack. At my orders, one of our lighters trained in laser use fired her laser at the blue spot on the leviathan attempting to kill her and the sinners who were already engaged with the net. The leviathan was instantly killed."

Halling paused to take a sip of tea, allowing two seconds of silence. Yoj wished she could see the stark hush that must be occurring all over Skene, in manages and workplaces. Dodd pushed back against her and she picked her up, despite Dodd now being ten and hard to hold.

"As it turns out, the leviathan whose attack we met with self-defense is one we recognized as having been actively engaged in assault upon us for at least 33 years. It was easily distinguished by a mark on one side left by a long-ago attack. This leviathan has been witnessed as directly responsible for the deaths of two pilots over the last three decades, and involved in the deaths of two more." Halling now read the names of all the pilots, their emmas, and their islands of origin. She paused, and with strong emotion whispered "Carynn bye".

Yoj could hear Veida weeping very softly behind her. Halling had gone to her directly and said that Danaan had repaid a debt owed Maszon.

"I made the decision to fight back, for the first time in 500 years, based on certain assumptions and within a strict set of parameters. I, and the other pilots at the Lofthall, believe leviathans communicate clearly and easily with one another, over vast distances. They have an intelligence and logic system which, while not our own, is still comprehensible to us at times. They have long memories. They are stimulated by predator instinct, but their intelligence allows them to override that instinct when they find it in their own best interest to do so."

"Prior to human arrival on Skene, leviathans were the dominant life form here. Shortly after we became part of Skene, they set about to establish themselves again as the dominant life form. The first settlers dealt with this challenge in a manner that was ill-advised and excessive. I believe we can do better, and that our refusal to engage with the levis has led them to conclude we are prey and nothing more. I am interested in communicating to them that we are not prey, we are another form of intelligent life who insists on sharing the bounty of Skene, and they must strive to find balance with us as much as we strive to find balance with them."

Ah, perfect wording thought Yoj.

"I believe leviathans are drawn to our sinning activity not just because we coincide with large schools of fish -- they come to kelp sinning as well, where the main source of protein is only us. I believe they are drawn to us because they view us as prey, and they wish to teach their young how to hunt us. I want to disabuse them of that error in perception -- not by waging war on them, but by definitively eliminating any leviathan who attacks us without provocation. We have the means to do this cleanly, in a single strike, with no risk to other life, and we used that means today."

Halling took another sip of tea.

"When we fly far away from the archipelago that we call Skene, morrie strati fade away and clusters of leviathans do not occur. They are focused on us. But today, when we killed the leviathan who was attempting to kill us, every single leviathan in the vicinity sank beneath the water and vanished. They went away. I had the radar screen in front of me, and I saw them leave -- not just submerge, but leave the area." The amazement and triumph in Halling's voice was thick.

"Sigrist reported that almost simultaneous with our action, leviathan activity all around the islands of Skene markedly decreased. This confirms my conviction that they talk to one another. They sent out a clear message -- leave the humans alone -- and their kind responded. As a precaution, we've closed ferry service and warned against cortice activity, but the observable fact is, Skene has not been this safe in 500 years."

There was a small cry of gladness from Speranz that Yoj was sure went out over the radio. She could sense Yerush shushing her, rather than hear it.

"In line with our observed reality that leviathans reason and communicate their reasoning to each other, I had the lighters today which carried defensive lasers decorated, in a manner highly visible to anything below, with a lightning bolt representing a laser arc. Perhaps some of you saw this symbol today." There was faint note of entertainment in Halling's voice, a hint of a shared joke. "We did no kelp sinning today, in order to keep our focus on the one attempt at balance. Tomorrow I intend to fly out with the kelp sinners, with the same lighters, and if there is another overt leviathan attack, I will order a similar response. But, I tell you honestly, I don't think they will attack again. Perhaps impetuous juveniles will, from time to time, test the boundaries, in the way that our own teenagers do, and we will have to stay on guard. But I think the leviathans will, on the whole, seek balance with us. I am staking my future on it, and the future of all pilots who must face them daily."

Yoj could hear cheering from the main hall.

"I have notified the Ethicist of my actions and my plan in advance of this broadcast. She is no doubt conferring with various leaders at this moment, taking the measure of Skene. You may contact her or come to the Lofthall directly and give me your response. Unless I am ordered otherwise, I will proceed with our test tomorrow in Southern Wasa, and I will again come directly to you and inform you of the results. Thanks for listening. Morrie vaseo."

When Halling clicked her mic off, she drained the last of her tea and turned to face her family. Her forehead was shiny with sweat, but she was grinning from ear to ear. They launched themselves at her, screaming with joy. The door to the dispatch room opened a minute later and the room was flooded with jubilant pilots. Only Qala, wearing earphones, heard the soft message from Z'bef, broadcast on the Lofthall frequency, which said "As the only non-citizen of Skene, you have my complete confidence and congratulations, Sheng Zhang." Qala wrote it down to show Halling later.

The pilots were eventually persuaded to leave the dispatch room because Qala had to organize the transport of people stranded by ferry cessation. Halling helped her plan, the radio on speaker so she could gauge the tones of voice coming in with requests. After an hour, she murmured to Qala "Nobody's registering upset or disapproval, is that your read?"

"I'm getting cautious hope" said Qala. Halling walked out to the jichang to talk with Iro, Mill trailing along, and was startled to discover a hundred people outside the Lofthall, in animated conversation. When they saw Halling, a cheer went up. People kept shaking her hand, or clapping Mill on the back and saying "Your emma just made history!" But this was Riesig. Halling knew the response from other islands, especially Flings and places isolated by morrie vaseo, might be much more worried and possibly furious.

After another hour, Qala said they should go home, everything was winding down and the children would need dinner soon. Lawa stayed with Qala, and the rest of the family began walking home together. As they passed people in the street, they were greeted cheerfully. Some women wanted to stop and talk details with Halling, but she begged off, saying they were on their way to feed the kids. Once inside the Manage, however, Halling allowed herself to dance around briefly on her crutches. Then the children were set to chores as Yoj and Bux began dinner.

While Halling was arduously setting the table, a knock came at the front door. Mill got there first, and let in a teenager maybe a year older than her, thick where Mill was tall, with light brown hair and grey eyes. With self-conscious formality, she announced she had a message from the Ethicist of Skene and held out an envelope.

Halling came to take it from her and said "Would you care for some tea while I read it and consider a reply?"

"No, thank you" said the messenger, "Emma said -- I mean, the Ethicist said I was to wait by the door."

"All right" smiled Halling. She went into the dining room to read in its better light. Yoj and Bux came to peer over her shoulder.

The letter said:
Dear Halling, Sheng Zhang of Lofthall of Skene:
I will, of course, have to bring your proposed change in Skene policy to a community-wide vote. However, judging by the reports I've received from all islands, the outcome is a foregone conclusion. In anticipation of your approval, I have no intent to interfere with your plans for tomorrow.
Carynn bye.
Api, Ethicist of Skene

Mill remained in the living room, stiff-postured and eyeing the messenger. After a minute, the teenager pointed to the coatrack and said "Is that a real guibba? Yours, I mean."

"Yes" answered Mill. "It was emma's -- the Sheng Zhang's -- when she went into the drink. It shrunk enough to fit me."

"Wow" said the messenger softly.

After a pause, Mill said "You're in the grade ahead of me, right?"

"Yep" said the messenger. She extended her hand and said "I'm Oby."

Mill shook it and said diffidently "Mill."

"Oh, I know your name" said Oby. "Your abba, Nan Qen, has told me I have all the skills necessary to be a pilot."

"Lighter or sinner?" said Mill with interest.

"Lighter, of course" said Oby. Of course.

Yerush was watching this exchange from the kitchen and nudged Qen, who grinned at her and whispered "I see them."

Halling returned from the dining room and told Oby "Please convey to your emma my great pleasure at her decision, and also express to her my endorsement in her next election."

Oby's face shone with pride, and she said "I will be honored". Before she could reach the door, however, Qen called out "Wait a minute, please." She came to them and handed Mill something wrapped in a napkin, saying "Mill, would you represent our Manage and do us the courtesy of escorting Oby back to her Manage? We'll save a plate for you."

Mill's face relaxed in gratitude. "Thank you, abba!" Qen added in a whisper "There's a honeycake for each of you in the napkin, to eat along the way."

As the two young women left, Halling looked at Qen and said "What's going on?"

Qen grinned and said "You were about that age when I asked your leraar to put you and Xaya at the same desk."

Halling flushed and turned to stare at the closed front door.

Qen touched her arm and said "Come on, dinner's ready."

The following day, a handful of leviathans were found at the kelp beds, four of them juveniles. Rark and Danaan had replaced one of the lighter pairs, and Halling ordered lighters to begin the pattern before any nets were lowered. As the juveniles began swimming in spiraling streaks, Halling radioed Danaan and Rark "At your discretion". But before leaping began, a massive leviathan, the biggest any of them had ever seen, rose from the deep and drew a collective gasp from every pilot. Halling thought It's half again as long as what I've witnessed. It has power to reach beyond the 30 meter mark, but gravity works against it, with that bulk. The giant swam languidly into the path of one of the juveniles, a collision course that the juvenile avoided only by a contorted dive.

Halling realized what an extraordinary target the giant lev was. If she had not been schooled in Skene history by Yoj, she might have been tempted. Instead, as the juveniles stopped their frenzy, she gave the order for kelp sinning to begin. In another ten minutes, there were no leviathins within radar range. The sinning went off without a ripple, and when they started back to the Lofthall, Halling radioed the news to Qala.

Qala said "The Ethicist is standing right here." Api got on the mic and said "Looks like you were right."

"So far" said Halling. "We'll have to be cautious for a long time."

"That's in our nature" said Api. "All right if I steal your thunder and go on Sigrist radio myself to inform Skene of today's events?"

This was profound endorsement, Halling realized. "I'd be much obliged" she answered. Today, the crowd around the jichang was in the hundreds, and the cheering was sustained. Ferries were released to normal schedules. Halling waited until Qala was done with the last few runs so she and Lawa could come back to the Manage with them for dinner.

As they ate, Bux suddenly looked over at Yoj and said "This means you're the last Dichter of Skene." Yoj was shocked. After half a minute, Dodd burst into tears, and Yoj pulled her into her lap, murmuring "You can still be a poet and a songwriter, your talent will save hearts in other ways, I promise."


Copyright 2007 Maggie Jochild.

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SOME NOTES ON BLOGGING

("Corfu Lights and Shadows" by John Singer Sargent, 1909, Transparent and opaque watercolor over graphite pencil on paper; a large, high-quality framed print of this has hung at the foot of my bed for 17 years, the first thing I see in the morning and the last thing at night)

At the rest of sounding like Thomas and his Friends, who are psychologically stunted around the issue of Usefulness (and avoiding public humiliation): My definition of art includes what Sharon Bridgforth refers to as "raising the energy". When I create, I seek to not only reflect my perception of reality in such a way that you have a chance at sharing the experience, but I also feel obligated to walk in beauty, to avoid anger or despair as destinations, and to weave into the fabric of my creation a belief that the viewer/reader has just as much expertise about the world as I do.

How well I achieve these goals depends on my skill level that particular day, of course. Holly Near once said that nonmonogamy was a post-patriarchal idea that we were trying to implement in a patriarchal environment. I think this goes for almost any of our best ideals: We have goals, and then we have reality. The tension between the two, the gap, can be extremely productive and even joyous if self-hatred is under control.

I bring this creative ethic to my poetry, my fiction, my essays, and my blog equally. I'm new to blogging, and have tried to learn the craft from reading others' efforts. Some conventions I follow, some I don't. For instance, I don't have a "Blogroll", I have a list of what blogs I'm actually reading regularly. I don't link to something unless I have derived good from it. No trading favors for me. I'm not in this to curry power and influence: I already have that in my life.

I also strive for graphics to accompany my text which offer an added dimension, not just illustrate my words. This means I spend a lot of time sweeping the web for interesting visuals, and my saved images files are enormous. I do my best to credit the creator of the graphic -- this isn't always possible, there's a great deal of anonymous stuff out there, but I search for origin when I have any kind of a clue.

I do this for two compelling reasons. One is the example we set for one another in the 70s, the heyday of lesbian-feminism, to credit our sources. We saw this as a behavior men did not tend to do unless legally or academically required, especially white men: For them, it was all about claiming territory by sneaking it away from others, and building ego through ideas. Our cooperative model, however, led to essays and even fiction being peppered with footnotes at the bottoms of the page, acknowledging the influence/conversation/support of another woman for our comprehension or embellishment of a particular thought. I first noticed it in the pages of DYKE: A Quarterly, but it was common in Sinister Wisdom, Common Lives Lesbian Lives, Chrysalis, Quest, Feminary, etc. Even graphic artists did this, such as Alison Bechdel in her strip Dykes To Watch Out For with her "Tip o'the nibs" squeezed into the margin.

The second reason is that I am assiduously trying to comply with the Web Accessibility guidelines spelled out at Wikipedia. Labeling a graphic means that text recognition software used by a blind computer reader, for example, can hear the caption and description of that image rather than just hitting the alphabet soup of graphics code and skipping over it. The blog server I'm using (Blogger) tends to limit my ability to create large and click-to-enlarge graphics, another accessibility recommendation, but I'm working on that as well.

As I have stated before, I avoid the practice of using some goofy riff to label a link instead of a clear description. This is an obnoxious demand that the reader either click on the link to find out what it's actually about (not all of us have the time and energy to live at our keyboards in this fashion) or ignore what might be something we really want to see. We should have enough information to make a choice. Some big-name political blogs are really terrible about this, and I've gotten into the habit of never clicking on an unclearly-labeled link. If someone won't make the effort to synopsize content into a handful of words, then it must not matter to them very much if I actually go look at it.

Conversely, I was inspired today by Liza Cowan's essay at her blog See Saw about the value of links, the revolutionary impact it's having on our discourse and our ability to not only "follow our bliss" but locate kindred souls out there in Cyberia. Liza says "Links are often my favorite part of blogs. I’ve found some of my most valuable resources by following links, not only in the body of the text but also by following the URL’s embedded in names of reader comments."

I, too, check out the profiles of someone whose work has reached me in some strong way. Ironically, although I knew Liza as a sister leader in our movement for decades, it wasn't until I saw her name in the comments section of a blog (unfortunately, not a blog which allows profiles to come through) that I was motivated to Google her down and commence one of the most rewarding relationships of my life.

(May your friendship spread all over the world -- Shen qing hou yi ji wu zhou)

I think the nature of reality is complex. Usually, more complex than we can comprehend, but dumbing it down in response is a major mistake. The truth is never simple. And art, communication, reform, atonement, any means of growth should simultaneously embrace as much of the complexity as we can see while earnestly attempting to deliver it in a comprehensible form.

One of my mentors, Terry Galloway, a genius of a playwright, dramaturg and director, always stressed that if we have been given an audience, we are not to indulge ourselves at their expense. We have a responsibility to work our asses off, to not intentionally confuse or insult them, to share with trust and goodwill. She was quite fierce about leaving adolescent embarrassment behind, and I often hear her voice in my head when I'm trying to edit a piece.

And, going off on a related tangent, here's a request: When interviewing an artist, please stop asking them the meaning of what they do. The meaning is in the piece itself, and what you get from it. Artists seem to feel compelled to answer these damfool questions with a long string of arcane solipsism which differs from the interviews with football players after a game only in vocabulary. The reason why someone wins a game is because they played better. The reason why an artist did X is because they thought it looked/sounded good. If you want to dissect the artist's psychology, point out that the reason why their faces are mostly expressionless or their conversation tangential is because they lived with a control freak molester, go right ahead but don't ask the artist to participate in it.

So, do offer me feedback and feel free to talk about anything at all in your comments, as long as its not white supremacist, woman-hating, or otherwise oppressive, and you're not simply hyping your own self. (If you do, I'll delete it swiftly.) Aim high, forgive yourself, and as Garrison Keillor says, do good work.

I leave you with a department store product page for HEMA, in the Netherlands, that is a stunning example of how creative a web catalogue can be. Wait patiently for the page to load, then keep you hands off your mouse and watch the place go wild: HEMA.

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SKENE: CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

This is draft one of my sci-fi novel Skene. To read earlier chapters, go to LABELS in the right-hand column on this page, scroll down to the Skene tags and click on the one you want to read. Skene is set on a human-habitable planet in the Alhena star system at least 500 years in the future. There's a considerable amount of appendix material and diagrams also available here as needed:
Map of Riesig (the main island)
Map of The Manage on Riesig
Skene Glossary (Skenish to English)
Skene Cast of Characters
Skene Culture, Calendar, Clothing, and Islands
Map of All Skene
Map of The Lofthall on Riesig

CHAPTER FIFTY-ONE

But as Halling's lethargy and disconnect continued, Bux and Yoj became increasingly concerned. That Shmonah, an end-of-school carnival was to be held all day on Pomar. Rark and Danaan offered to take the children since the forecast was rain until noon, and the Manage gladly accepted, giving them spending money and strict exhortations to mind the pilots no matter what. The adults spent the morning catching up on cleaning, weeding, and canning, ignoring the drizzle. After lunch, however, Yoj and Bux lingered at the table and raised the question of Halling's steadfast refusal to even try using the privy.

"This reminds me of Ng, before she came here" said Bux. "I'm scared that she's given up."

Veida, less concerned, said "She looked over the edge into the other side. She has to make sense of that."

"But Halling's always combined her best thinking with action" argued Yoj. "And she's not even interested in the children at the moment."

Qen said slowly "I don't imagine she's ever been as afraid of them -- leviathans -- as she is now. Perhaps she can't continue doing what she's done. Fear can keep people from doing what they know is right, or even what they ardently want to do." She didn't meet Yoj's eyes, and Yoj wondered if she was thinking of Rosz. Or maybe Yoj herself, who chose to be a dichter in part because she was too afraid to fly.

Veida said softly "She knows, now, everything that Xaya knew."

"Not everything" said Bux sharply. "Not the last."

Yerush said "I don't mean to criticize, but possibly she can't tell anyone -- especially you two, who are closest to her -- what she's feeling because your own emotions are in the way. I mean, you've not had a chance, either, to completely face the horror."

Yoj and Bux both went very silent. After a minute, Yoj said "She's stopped asking us to not leave her. But I still sense it from her every time I go out the door. I don't know how to make her feel safe again."

Bux began crying, with a frantic note in her voice as she said "And what if Mill had been with her? I don't think they'd both -- be with us now. I agree with Halling, no more flying for Mill, ever."

Veida said gently "You can't control the rest of her life. And I'm sure Halling knows that."

Bux leaned against Yoj as Yoj began crying, too. "Nothing makes the same sense any more" said Yoj. "Being smart or careful or generous isn't enough. I don't know how to help her. She's my beloved, my partner, and I don't know what to say."

It was a relief to admit, and to rest in the silence of the older generation. After crying, Yoj and Bux both felt better. Bux devised a way to tape plastic over Halling's casts, prop her left foot on an overturned bucket, and get her into a hot bath for a soak. Yoj changed the sheets and whizzed through five loads of laundry. The rain stopped and she was able to hang everything on the line.

Yerush and Qen stacked jar after jar of tomatoes, carrots, green beans, blackberry jam, and mango chutney in the larder. After Halling's bath, Veida kindly but firmly badgered her out the door and to the privy, and when Halling labored back into the house, Veida sat her at the kitchen table to drink yet another kind of tea, insisting she sit up for a few minutes after drinking it because "it's not a good idea to lie down with this tea in your belly".

When Halling complained that her shoulder was aching after using the crutches and asked for a pain pill, Qen instead pulled out Veida's ointment and offered to rub the joint. With poor humor, Halling finally consented, and it did in fact help. Yoj rewarded her with the first piece of a blackberry cobbler she'd made for dinner. Halling still wasn't talking, but being at the kitchen table with all the activity going on around her kept her from being able to return to her daydream state.

Not long before dinner, the carnival-goers returned, grubby and loud. The children thronged around Halling, Speranz trying to crawl into her lap and causing a sharp reprimand from Halling when Speranz tugged at her cast for traction. Unfazed, Speranz insisted Halling try opening a small magic box she had won at some game of chance, while Ndege began imitating a barker and Prl spun around the living room to demonstrate one of the rides. Halling looked rapidly overwhelmed.

Mill was the quietest of the lot, standing at Halling's right shoulder protectively, then turning to Danaan at the table and saying "See? I told you it was the battery."

Yoj said sharply "What about the batteries? What did you hear?" Halling's ears pricked up as well.

"Hush a minute, Ndege" commanded Bux. Mill, with a surprised smile, said "I reminded her about that thing she told me when I was younger. After Schla died, and I got so scared about emma being a sinner?"

Everyone except Danaan and Rark looked blank.

Mill explained, "Danaan told me about when she was still in school, the first time she and Rark got to fly with emma, it was on the school sinner and she took them out so they could see the morrie strati." Looks of recogniition came to the faces of her emmas. "Rark and Danaan already knew they were going to be pilots. Anyhow, Rark's siba got scared, I guess because of a lev, and emma told her that being scared was the right thing to feel, not to pretend she wasn't scared. 'Cause the best pilots let themselves have the fear. Fear means their brain is working, you know. Emma told her after you have the fear, you need to recharge your batteries and that's why good pilots have to have families. Your family gets you all right again. And that's the day Danaan and Rark promised to be each other's family, right?" she said to them.

They were both red-cheeked and grinning, and Danaan said "You got it in one, Mill."

Mill, with extreme gentleness, touched Halling's cast and said "I'm going to be a good pilot, too, because I've got the same batteries you do, emma."

Even Prl had stopped to listen, and the silence was now profound. Halling looked at Mill, then turned and faced Yoj and Bux. She said, in a very high voice, "It touched me. Don't leave me alone with it" and burst into screaming sobs.

As Halling's partners moved to either side of her, Qen began to urge the children outside, but Yoj said "No, it's all right. This is good for them to see. This is their emma recharging her batteries."

So everyone stayed in the kitchen as Halling jibbered her way through reliving the worst moment of her life, and came out the other side, finally. When she was done, her eyes were Halling's again. She blew her nose on Yoj's handkerchief and said "Thank you, everybody."

"You're welcome" said Speranz automatically, and in a whisper to Dodd "What did we do exactly?"

"We're ready to set the table" said Yerush. Rark and Danaan stood up and Yoj said, "Oh, no, you're staying for dinner. But would you please go get Iro and Ektr to join us?" Danaan headed out the back door, trailed by three of the children. Mill and Veida set the table, and Bux pulled two clothes chests into the living room to act as a childrens' dining area, putting cushions on the floor for them to sit on. Yoj began getting small hands washed. By the time everyone was clean and seated, dinner was ready.

As Yoj and Bux dished plates for the children, they and the pilots told the story of their day's adventures. Halling followed the disjointed narrative and laughed steadily. Later, when it became clear there was plenty of blackberry cobbler, she accepted a second piece for dessert. As Rark and Danaan cleared the table, Halling whispered to Yoj, who went to her study and returned with the two aluminum cases, handing them to Halling.

Halling said to Mill "This is from Nan Qala, so when you see her next, you must tell her in every way you can how much this means to you." Mill's eyes were wide as she accepted the top case from Halling. When she opened the lid, she froze for so long that the twins crowded in beside her, demanding to see. Finally Mill lifted out the guibba, saying "Is this really yours?" in an incredulous voice.

"It was. It shrunk, from being in West Tendril. It's yours now" said Halling.

The look on Mill's face was unalloyed, reverent joy. She slowly slid her arms into the sleeves, shaking her shoulders into the fit. It was just a little big on her, but that was good -- she had growing yet to do. She fastened the buckles, one by one, and then pushed her hands into the pockets, looking up at them with an expression so much like Halling's that everyone breathed out together. Rark stood up and said "Lighter Mill!" with a pilot's wave. Danaan joined her, and Mill began laughing wildly. Yoj and Bux did not laugh quite so hard.

Ndege said, with a tinge of hope, "What's in the other box?" Halling grabbed her crutches and got clumsily to her feet, then balancing on one leg, took her new guibba from the second box and gingerly pulled it on over her cast. Mill helped her buckle it and they stood side by side, Halling resuming her crutches and Mill's hand on Halling's left forearm. Everyone applauded, and Speranz asked Yerush, "Does this mean siba knows how to fly now?"

Halling took off her guibba and hung it on the back of her chair before sitting down, but Mill insisted it wasn't too warm to keep wearing hers. Qen brought over another pitcher of iced tea, and Yoj said "We've got something to tell you, Halling. Well, Iro should start it, since it's her that brought it to Qala's attention."

The four younger children, full of cobbler, went out back to play as Iro began her revelations. Yoj took it up from the point of Qala's investigation. By the time they were done, Halling's eyes were sparking black. "So..." she said, and her soft tone had a blade of steel in it. Mill, sharing Danaan's chair, said "What does this mean, emma? Does it mean Enyi is why your sinner went down?"

Halling hesitated, then answered "Basically, yes. Enyi and all those who don't want the Lofthall to make changes."

"Then I hate her" said Mill.

Danaan put her arm around Mill. "Hate will just drain you, Mill. But you can be as mad as you want. And your emma will take care of Enyi."

Halling said "I think it's time I return to work. If you three will come by in the morning and help me walk to the Lofthall -- "

"Be delighted to!" said Rark.

"Can I go with you?" said Mill swiftly. "School's out, please, emma?"

Halling looked at Yoj and Bux, and Bux said "No flying."

Halling said "Agreed", then looked at Mill and said "All right. I may really need your help and cooperation."

Yoj stood and said "In that case, my dear, it's to bed with you" and walked with Halling to the bedroom to help her get into her schmatta. Bux and Yerush began the children on their bedtime routine as well. Their neighbors said goodbye and left by the back door. By the time Yoj and Bux joined Halling in bed, she was deeply asleep, and they dropped off easily as well.

The next morning, when Halling lurched into the canteen, breathless and sweaty, the room erupted into cacophony. Qala followed Mill in, beaming. Mill was of course wearing her new guibba, which went largely unnoticed until later. Halling accepted a plate of eggs and hotcakes, and listened to stories of the past week from the pilots as she ate. When she was done, she asked Qala to bring in all the jigongs and other Lofthall staff. She managed to sit on the edge of a table, with her feet on a bench, and waited until every member of the Lofthall had crowded into the canteen. She motioned for Mill to sit next to her, then looked out at her pilots.

"First things first. Rark dropped a grapple on the only try she had coming to her, at an angle under difficult circumstances. I was going down and in fact had already been rubbed up against by a leviathan. Her cool head and flawless action saved my life. Let's give her a cheer!"

The shouting went on quite a while, and Halling encouraged it. Finally she called for silence and said "Second, and no less: Qala stepped into my otos and filled them completely this past week, acting as Sheng Zhang with brillance and tirelessness. We are unbelievably lucky to have her." This round of cheers were just as boisterous, which Halling was glad to hear.

"I want to add, my eldest child's new guibba, made from my old one, is the product of an all-night effort by Qala. Stand up here, Mill, model it for them."

Mill's face was bright red by the end of her round of cheers, but she and Qala both were completely gratified.

Halling's face now went to stone, abruptly. "Lastly: The cause of my engine failed has been incontrovertibly documented by Qala. The new battery array was incorrectly installed, and despite my pointing out a warning of the problem the day before, it did not get fixed."

Halling turned and looked directly at Enyi. "Enyi, you are hereby fired and will never work at the Lofthall again. Your willful refusal to accept new procedures or to perform your duties competently was very nearly homicidal. You will receive no severance pay, and you are not to ever ask us for references. I demand that whatever work you pursue in the future, you accept no responsibility for the well-being or lives of others, because you are not fit to assume it. If I hear that you have accepted such responsibility, I will use the documentation we have to bring charges before the Ethicist of criminal recklessness. You will now be escorted off the premises by Qala, and you are never to return."

Enyi looked like she might pass out. Every pilot in the room stood, exuding menace, and Qala motioned to her from the doorway. Enyi had to brush past pilots who refused to move out of her way, and a constant deep hiss filled the room. Qala led her out of the canteen, and by the time the door closed, Mill was holding Halling's hand tightly.

Halling looked levelly around her and said "Let me assure you that the battery issues have been resolved, by Qala and Iro. The new arrays will now work without failure. We are about to make even more changes here. We are bound on a course of increasing our service to Skene while incurring no preventable loss of life. We can be heroes without becoming martyrs, and I will accept nothing less. Anyone who thinks they are going to have a problem accepting change, you are free to say so now. You can leave with my blessing, a generous severance and full recommendations. But you need to tell us now."

She waited. The silence was profound. When no one made a move, she said "Good, then." She finally grinned again. "We have a full day's work ahead of us. Tomorrow I'll have something very important to announce to you. In the meantime, carynn bye."

"Carynn bye!" came an answering chorus. Qala returned, and she walked with Mill and Halling to Halling's office.

"You think she's going to make trouble for us?" Halling asked her, once they were alone.

"Not openly" answered Qala. "Lev, but it's good to have you back."

Halling sank gratefully into her office chair. Qala said "Yoj told me I'm to make you take a nap in your office at least once today. You shut the door and I'll field your messages, you just say when it's time."

"All right" said Halling. "In the meantime, I've got packets of tea and tincture Veida gave me this morning -- Mill, would you go get me a pot of hot water and a cup from the canteen? Oh, and honey" she called after Mill's vanishing form.

While Mill was gone, Halling filled Qala in on her plans. Qala grinned and said "At long last. You just tell me what you need from me."

"First off, I should talk with Iro. And -- If we can get a double haul from the kelp sinners today, that would be ideal. You can tell them they likely won't be working tomorrow" said Halling.

"Will do" said Qala, turning to relieve the temporary dispatcher who had been filling in for a week.

Mill returned with a tray outfitted by the canteen, containing not only tea makings for them both but a plate of assorted cakes and fruit. "One cake right now" said Halling, "Otherwise you stick to fruit. We've got a long day ahead of us."

Halling stayed very busy, drawing up schedules, overseeing equipment requests, talking with manufacturers, and doing her best to deal with the stack of papers on her desk. She let Mill run messages for her and bring them both lunch from the canteen.

Right after lunch, as per arrangements with Asha the Sigrist made that morning, Halling went on Sigrist radio and told the story of her crash and rescue. Her account was straightforward and simple, leaving out both her torment afterward and any accusation against Enyi by name. Yoj, Bux and Veida listened to it at home. Yoj felt goosebumps rise on her arms. It was a first for Skene, a watershed event in their long history with leviathans -- and it was her Halling who had experienced it.

Halling never did get a chance to lie down, and when Yoj arrived at 3:00 with the rest of the children, Halling said "I'm going to call it a day. I need another hot soak, every muscle in my body aches."

Prl stared at the tea tray and said "Did you eat cake all day? Did you save some for me?"

"I had fruit" lied Mill. "Emma ate the cake, 'cause she's injured."

They walked slowly home, Halling drawing glad hellos from people on the street. She collapsed on the sofa, looking utterly spent. After a minute she said "I'll have to wait on the bath. Really, all I can manage at the moment is bed." Yoj helped her get under the sheets and shut the door. Heading into the kitchen, she said "Mill, have you taken that guibba off at all today?"

"No" mumbled Mill.

"Well, we've all seen it and it's warm in here, what say you hang it up for the time being?"

Veida was packing her comadrona bag, saying she'd gotten a call and she felt it was now okay for her to leave the Manage. Yoj kissed her goodbye and wished her a good birth. Qen and Yerush were out in the tillage, scrubbing down the duck tank and refilling it. Yerush, as usual, had a pot of harvest cooking on the aga and another pot of water boiling jars for canning. She came back in to put up another half-dozen jars as Yoj began thinking about what to make for dinner.

Halling got up in time to eat, and Bux helped her take another long bath. As she got into bed, Mill came to the door and said "Can I go with you again tomorrow, emma?"

Halling looked at Bux, then at Yoj who came in from her study. Finally Halling said "Tomorrow is a very big day, Mill. I'm going to fly out in the training sinner as a passenger with Lmape, and you cannot go with me, no way. Danaan and Rark are going to be extremely busy, too. And Qala. But -- it's a significant day, and I know you'll regret missing it. So, I'll say yes if you promise to stay in the dispatch room, and help Qala however she needs you."

Mill eagerly agreed.

"Then early bed for you too, sweetheart" said Bux. "You seem to be keeping pilot's hours." Which pleased Mill immensely.

The next morning, Bux and Yoj got up with Halling and helped get Mill dressed for tea. As they all sat with Veida, silent or occasionally whispering in their slowly lightening kitchen, Halling turned to Veida and said "That lev is still out there."

Veida looked at her over the rim of her mug. "The one who brought down Maszon?"

Halling said "That mark on it, which I think of as a sideways H -- I interpret that to mean the wings hit it, searing one arm of the H, then flipped over with a contusion rather than an outright burn making the middle bar, and landing for a second long wing-burn as the second arm of the H. Is that right?"

Veida's face showed sudden memory. "Yes. Is it -- did it kill Xaya, too?"

"No, but it was there that day, I remember. The kelp crew say it did kill Schla" said Halling. Yoj glanced at Bux, but Bux was scanning Mill's face, making sure she wasn't hearing too much.

After a long pause, Halling said "If things go as planned, I'll be on Sigrist radio again today. This time, not until after school lets out."

Yoj felt an old fear creep back along her bones. Bux said "We'll bring the children to the Lofthall to watch you broadcast."

"Good" said Halling. "I'll come home with you afterward." Their carynn byes as Halling and Mill left were charged.

At the Lofthall, Iro was waiting in the dispatch room with Danaan and Rark.

"How's it look?" Halling asked her.

"Like the real thing" said Iro. "I asked Ektr to draw it and pick the paint, she's got an eye for such. Plus -- she wanted to be part of it."

"Let's go have a look" said Halling. They all, including Qala, walked out to the jichang. A few wisps of dawn fog still eddied around their feet. They went to the lighters of Rark and Danaan, parked side by side. On the underside of each wing, four in all, was a jagged, crackling lightning bolt in scarlet and metallic gold.

"Wow" marveled Mill.

"Wow indeed" said Halling, putting her hand on Iro's shoulder. "Please tell Ektr it's perfect."

"She'll be here when you fly back in, you can tell her yourself" grinned Iro.

Halling turned to Rark and Danaan. "Listen, I've thought it over, and I can't let you be the ones to take this step. Even on my command, you'll still be liable, culpable -- I can't risk you being sent into exile. It's my decision, and I need to be the one who does the deed."

Rark's pale face flashed blue-eyed indignation, but Danaan spoke first. "You can't decide that for us. I mean, yes, you can command us not to, but you can't decide what our risk should be. Not when it's us flying lighter patterns day after day. If it's all right to ask that risk of us, then -- I never wanted to do anything more, since I began flying. Me and Rark, we've prepared for this for months. We know what we're doing."

Rark added "Besides, it'll go much worse if there's a miss, or it hits another craft. We know how to use the laser, and frankly, you don't."

Halling still looked stubborn, and Iro faced her. "This is not my child, or your adopted sibemma talking, Halling. This is a woman of Skene, a pilot who wants to execute her full responsibility to the Lofthall. These two, they are the morrie vaseo for this journey."

Halling looked levelly at Danaan, and realized for the first time that when she thought about who would become Sheng Zhang after her, it was Danaan she imagined, not Mill.

Halling's hands where they rested on her crutches were trembling, Qala could see. "Let's get you off your feet. Time to talk to the pilots. If there's a mutiny, the question will be moot." They started back into the Lofthall at Halling's pace.

But there was no objection. After breakfast, after her speech, Halling took care to scan every face in the canteen. She found only relief, anticipation, a kind of righteous determination.

"All right, then" she said. "Let's go."

Mill walked with her to the sinner, carrying the video camera Halling would use. Danaan's and Rark's cameras were already mounted inside their sinners. Halling stood between their lighters for a last word: "Not until I give the go-ahead, right?"

"Yes, Sheng Zhang" they said in unison. Iro opened the case she'd been carrying and handed each of them a modified laser, a kind that didn't exist on Skene outside of Yanja. They each checked to make sure it was fully charged and the safety was on before placing it in their lighters, kissing each other, Mill and Iro, and climbing into their craft.

Halling pulled Mill into a long hug before she got clumsily into her side of the double sinner. She whispered "You'll never forget this day. This is the dividing line between before and after, and people will want to hear your memories of this for the rest of your life. You stay close to Qala, you hear? She'll need you today more than she ever has."

"Yes, emma" whispered Mill, kissing Halling's cheek fervently. She didn't stay to watch them all take off, though she wanted to see the lightning-bolt wings in the air, because Qala was striding back to the Lofthall to be on the radio. She stuck with Qala as she had promised.

However, several hours later, she was part of a small crowd at the jichang, watching the lighters with their gleaming new insignia buzz overhead and circle in for a jaunty landing. She stood with her emmas and sibs, her abbas and Lawa. When Halling's sinner landed, Yoj and Bux both moved to help her from the hatch and onto her crutches.

"Where's Api?" asked Halling, looking around.

"The Ethicist was informed, Qala said, but turns out she's on Exploit today for a meeting. She's started back by ferry, before Qala could offer her a direct flight" said Bux.

"Who are all these people?" said Halling in a low voice, looking at the two dozen or so others around the jichang.

"I'm not sure" said Yoj. "I'm thinking maybe some folks besides Z'bef have figured out the way to set their radio to pick up the Lofthall frequency." Halling raised her eyebrows at that.

Yerush said, also in a quiet voice, "Sigrist reported to Qala that leviathan activity is the lowest they've ever seen." But none of them looked completely reassured at this news.

Rark and Danaan had now landed, and a crowd of exuberant pilots surrounded them. Their rowdy walk into the Lofthall was led by a protective Iro and Ektr.

Everyone gathered in the canteen, where the staff had made stuffed goose and baked ham as if it were a holiday. Once plates were loaded, Halling stood, in obvious pain, to start off the story. All those who had been part of that day's sinning jumped in to help with the recount, and everyone who worked at the Lofthall -- jigong, canteen, and tillage -- crowded into the room to listen.

The cheers were deafening.

After dessert was eaten down to the last crumb, Halling walked with her family back to the dispatch room and sat in the second chair in front of Qala's radio. The children were reminded to stay completely silent while their emma was speaking to all Skene, and the younger ones were pulled onto laps to help remind them if necessary. Qala spoke briefly to Asha on the Lofthall frequency, then set the Sigrist radio mic in front of Halling and whispered, "She's going to announce you now."


Copyright 2007 Maggie Jochild.

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