Deluge

CHAPTER 23

THE TRIBUNAL WAS not entirely over by the time the twins returned, but many of the issues had been settled. Marmion’s property had been reinstated and she was to be compensated for the expenses and business losses she had suffered during her incarceration. Additional ships, including the pilfered Piaf, arrived to transport the former prisoners back to their homes and duty stations. The twins were glad to see that Rory was no longer in uniform. Of all of the kids who had enlisted, only Kai chose to remain in the Corps. No one had said anything about the others, and all were allowed to leave with their parents.

The cases of many of the prisoners who had been at Gwinnet when Marmie arrived were being reviewed, in light of the evidence of false arrests Marmie had uncovered in the vaults. The prison’s management was summarily fired, and some of them were sentenced to join the inmates.

The tribunal itself had been adjourned until it could reconvene on Petaybee, to investigate the forcible relocation of the Corps troop ship commandeered by Marmie’s allies and the disappearance of the crew and landing party.

It seemed strange to be back aboard the Piaf with the giant tanks removed and no turtles or sharks to consider, as they had on their previous trip. Everybody slept and ate a great deal, even though there was nothing stocked onboard except Corps rations until they reached Versailles Station, where Marmie’s chefs from other holdings had gathered to prepare a feast for her homecoming. Once the station personnel aboard the Piaf had disembarked to return to their duties, Marmie threw a pool party for her guests at her station-top mansion.

Pet interrupted the party with a few quick words in Marmie’s ear. Marmie signaled to the twins to follow her into the house. “We have a com link to Petaybee. Would you like to say hello to your parents? We have spoken officially already of the tribunal that has been held and the one that is to come.”

It was a splendid link. They even had good visuals, with Mum and Da looking at the twins oddly. Then Murel realized their parents hadn’t seen them with their heads shaven before. “It’s very hot there and there are bugs,” she told them simply.

“Ah,” their mother said. “Bugs.”

They exchanged a few more words, and the twins could tell that their parents would have liked to talk them all the way home to Petaybee, but finally Mother said, “While the link is clear, we have a few more coms to send so-see you soon. Slainte, my darlings.”

“Slainte, Mum, Da.”

Father smiled, gulped, and nodded, then waved. The twins realized with both shock and amusement that their handsome, important da was trying not to cry.

“We love you,” they said.

“We love you too,” their parents said in unison before the com went blank, “be safe.”

“A bit late for that,” Murel said aloud, but she smiled tenderly. It would be good to be home again.

AFTER THE PARTY, everyone who needed to return to Petaybee, either because they wanted to or because the tribunal needed them there when it reconvened, piled back aboard the Piaf. Without the personnel from Versailles Station, including Rory and his folks, the ship seemed empty.

The twins slept much of the rest of the journey, but the closer the ship came to Petaybee, the more alert they became, and soon it was impossible to sleep. Shortly before they arrived, crew members passed through, distributing long johns, parkas, and snow pants. The twins had retrieved their dry suits and substituted those for the long johns everyone else wore. The Piaf ’s thermostat was lowered to keep people comfortable in the extra clothing.

They docked just before three other ships, including the purloined troop ship, an official Federation Council liner, and a very sleek ship that bore Corps insignia and registration but looked more like a pleasure vessel.

At the time, though, the twins had eyes only for the ground, where Mother, Father, Clodagh, the villagers, and a lot of extra people made a big welcoming crowd below. Coaxtl and Nanook prowled back and forth between people and ships. It was still very cold, so instead of the horses, there were dog teams and a few snocles. People also carried skis and snowshoes. Beyond the crowd, downriver, they could see the buildings of Kilcoole, smoke feathering up from the chimneys, white on white against the winter sky.

It’s an improvement on when we left, with everyone hiding in the communion caves, Ronan noted.

Murel just nodded.

A path had been cleared from the docking bay to the river, and the twins half slid, half ran down it to fling themselves at their parents.

They didn’t learn what was happening on the other ships for some time.

Next Clodagh enveloped them in a big hug. Coaxtl and Nanook almost knocked them down, saucer-sized paws on their shoulders and muzzles inspecting their faces before the rough cat tongues came out to lick their faces.

Clodagh said, “Come, there is a latchkay ready for everyone.”

“Everyone?” Murel asked in a worried voice. “The tribunal came too.”

“Everyone,” Clodagh repeated.

“For the feast and the dance,” Mum said.

Murel could have sworn every soul on Petaybee was already at the docking bay, though she didn’t see Ke-ola or Keoki when she looked for them, but delicious smells came from the longhouse, and noise, laughter, and music were pouring out of it into the snowdrifts.

When Da opened the door, she heard a scurrying, then saw people, both familiar and strange, lined up on either side of the firepit.

Though it was customary for Petaybean fancy dress to include at least one item of winter clothing, it seemed to Murel that the people before them were bundled up, their heads almost obscured by bunches of bright, knitted scarves.

“Slainte!” everyone called to the newcomers.

Then Ke-ola stepped up, kissed Murel on the cheek, took one of the scarves from his neck and put it over her head. “Aloha,” he said.

Murel and Ronan, who had been similarly treated by Leilani, Ke-ola’s older sister, said, “What?”

“No flowers,” Clodagh said.

Aunty Aisling elaborated as she put a scarf around Pet Chan’s neck. “Everybody liked the idea of meeting you with leis, but it’s winter. So we had some real fast knitting lessons. I hope Marmie brought that store-bought yarn I asked her for. We cleaned out every knitting bag on Petaybee.”

THE PARTY GAVE a friendly start to the tribunal. This was made even friendlier by the presence of the military prisoners who had been guests in Petaybean homes across the northern continent, where they had chopped wood, hauled water, fed animals, hunted, ice-fished, and were actually much too busy enjoying themselves doing basic survival tasks with their hosts to worry about escaping. There was no ship anyway. Where were they going to go?

During the dance, Murel noticed that some of the soldiers and some of the villagers had become very friendly indeed. The rather nice sergeant was introducing his Petaybean friend, Darla Oogliuk from Harrison Fjord, to his parents.

The fancy troop ship had been loaned as a conciliatory favor to Marmie, who acquired the roster of the hijacked ship and contacted the families of the soldiers involved, offering them free passage to Petaybee to meet with their sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, husbands, or wives for a reunion, as her treat. “In thanks to our brave Corpsmen and -women for guarding our Petaybean friends and allies during another trying transitional period,” the politically astute Marmie had phrased it.

Ronan’s eyes widened in admiration when he saw the engraved invitation carried proudly by the cute younger sister of one of the women military “guests.” For a pretty honest lady, that Marmie can bead a moose turd with the best of them, he told Murel.

The tribunal was convened and dismissed the same day. No one would testify that any crime or even coercion had taken place. Colonel Maddock-Shongili and the others had come aboard the troop ship to warn the crew that their hull was icing over. The others stayed aboard while she went outside with the crew to supervise deicing procedures with which she, as a longtime Petaybean resident, was familiar.

While her friends were still aboard the ship, it accidentally took off due to some sort of mechanical failure. By the time they corrected the failure, they had been informed by Federation officials of the situation on Gwinnet and were asked to accompany them to investigate.

Talk about beading a moose turd! Ronan said when the tribunal reached its conclusion that it was all just a big mistake and everyone involved in this incident was innocent of any wrongdoing or even ill will.

And adding a fringe as well, Murel agreed. That was a tall tale worthy of an entire latchkay worth of songs.

When all of the military, company, and Federation officials had returned to their ships and into space along with the soldiers-some of them promising tearful friends that they would return soon-and with their families, Marmie and her crew also boarded the Piaf. “I have much to do to restore my properties to the condition they were in before seizure, and my people will want to settle back into their jobs and see their other friends and family members, you understand?”

They did. They boarded with her long enough to pet Zuzu good-bye. Sky was nowhere to be found and had, indeed, been a bit subdued since the Piaf left Gwinnet. Zuzu, who was napping on the back of the chair at Adrienne’s duty station, opened one eye, stretched, yawned, and went back to sleep.

Returning to the village, they prepared for the real latchkay, the night chants at the communion cave.

As Kilcoole and its guests made the procession to the communion cave, the bright new scarves and hats worn by the returnees did indeed look like flowers against the snowy background. The setting sun cast a rosy glow on the white drifts, reflected from the magenta sky that was a sign the volcano was still busy building a home for the Kanakas.

As soon as the villagers reached the hot spring, they noticed that the water teemed with life-Honus and otters swam and dived to greet the celebrants.

Sky was among his hundreds of relatives until he climbed onto the bank to greet his friends. I have the biggest rock pile of any otter! he told them. Hundreds of rocks. Hundreds and hundreds. Females all want me to catch food for them-and other things. Males wish to hear my songs.

Of course they do, Murel said.

The whole planet wishes to hear our songs, Ronan told the otter. Let’s not keep it waiting.