Part 14 (1/2)

'Twic?' 'Two-I-C?' Damia tried again.

Afra chuckled. 'Second-in-command! Certainly,' he gave her a mock bow from his cross-legged seat on the floor, 'your wish is my command.

Damia placed her hands on her hips and c.o.c.ked her head at him irritably. 'Afra!' 'What?' Damia waggled a finger at him. 'You know.

Now play right.' Afra obliged, working up a manifest of cows, cats and clam chowder for their first load. They did three loads before Afra decided that she was sufficiently relaxed.

'Where's the next load?' Damia asked, a pout at the ready.

'How would you like to be a load? A proper one, just like those you've seen leave the station.' Damia hesitated, not sure she really wanted to play in the pods right now. 'You'll have a proper carisak to take on board for your trip.' 'Trip?' Damia was not enthusiastic but she knew she could trust Afra. If he felt she should be a proper load 'Jeran and Cera will be going too.' Damia was not happy about that.

She'd rather do something that they didn't. They were so mean about sharing with her - though they'd been much nicer the past two days.

'Are you?' she asked, looking up hopefully but Afra shook his head. 'Then I don't want to.' 'Ah, but you see, your grandmother has especially invited you to come. You'll like her.' Suddenly sensing that Afra was not playing the sort of game she liked, Damia threw herself at him, clutching his neck fiercely with her arms. 'I want you!' Afra gently disengaged her, his hands wrapped around her tiny waist, holding her from him so that he could keep eye-contact as well as reinforce his words through touch. 'Damia, you need to go on this trip,' he said in his gentlest, most persuasive tone. 'Your grandmother has made such special arrangements for you.' He ignored her pout. 'You'll have cousins your own age... cousins who'll include you in all their games. Indeed, knowing you, you'll probably be leader.' 'I would?' Damia was captivated by that prospect. Being youngest, she wasn't allowed to lead anything here.

'You'll have a whole planet to play on, not a bunch of domes that restrict you to one measly play area and dank tunnels.' 'But I like the tunnels 'That's only because you haven't seen the wonders of a planet that your Uncle Ian-' 'Uncle?' She wrinkled her nose in perplexity.

'Your Uncle Ian. He's seven.' 'He's not my age then. He's older than Jeran.' She frowned suspiciously at him. 'Who's my age?' Afra laughed because he hadn't enquired about such details. 'Well, there're so many I quite forget who's who and how old but your grandmother will introduce you.

She's waiting for you, you know, on Deneb. Where your father lived as a child.' 'I'm staying here,' Damia declared stoutly, crossing her arms over her chest in bold emphasis.

'Which toys do you want to bring?' Afra asked, looking around at the pile.

'Why can't I stay here?' Afra considered his next argument.

'Well, you know that your mother's not well?' When Damia nodded, her little face a.s.suming a solemn expression, he went on, 'It's because of your brother to be.' 'I'm going to have a brother?' Damia brightened considerably.

Afra nodded wisely. 'Don't tell your mother I said so, but yes.' 'Will he play with me?' 'I imagine so,' Afra returned. 'Are you going to be nice to him?' Damia did not commit herself immediately. 'Will he play with me like Jeran plays with Cera?' 'That depends on you,' Afra replied, giving her a quizzical look. 'If you love him like Jeran loves Cera then he'll play with you the same way.

'I'll love him!' Damia declared excitedly. 'When am I going to see him?' 'Well, he hasn't been born yet-' 'You mean he's in Mommy's belly?' Afra nodded. 'And she's got to get him out?' Afra nodded again. 'Is that why we're going to Gran?' Again Afra nodded. 'Then why didn't you say so?' Afra, who had already had experience with her precocity, wondered why he had tried the oblique approach with her.

'We started to play a game of stations, remember?' he said, teasingly. 'Let's gather your toys.

'Don't my cousins have toys?' 'Yes, but surely you'll want to share yours with them?' 'I guess so, if they're going to play with me,' Damia replied cheerfully.

Damia's mood changed perceptibly when it was time to strap down in the personal capsule. 'I don't want to go by myself,' she cried to Afra. Jeff Raven, lips drawn thin in tight control, stood close by.

'Daddy, make Afra come with me?' 'No, honey,' Afra told her.

'I've got to stay here with your mother.' He picked her up and set her beside her brother and sister, strapping her in against her squirming.

'I don't want to go!' she declared.

What about your brother? Afra asked her privately.

Don't want a brother! I want you! She shot back so strongly that Afra was startled by her vehemence.

The 'noise' attracted the Rowan who 'ported in the direction of her daughter's 'voice' Damia? What's wrong? What's going on here?' she demanded. Her eyes widened as she took in the tableau.

'Jeff! Not yet! It's too soon!' 'Luv, you should be resting.' 'You weren't going to let me say goodbye?' the Rowan cried.

Jeff took her hands in his, shaking his head. 'You're not saying goodbye. You're saying bon voyage. The children will only be in Deneb. You can hear them no problem.' 'Jeff!' she started, accusingly.

She saw Afra. 'You!

You're in it too!' 'Rowan-' Afra started, stepping towards her, arm outstretched beseechingly.

'No!' 'Mommee!' Damia cried, struggling against her straps.

'Oh Jeff, how could you?' the Rowan gasped.

And then Damia disappeared out of her straps and into Afra's arms.

The Rowan's eyes widened in shock as she saw her youngest disappear, then her jaw dropped as she saw where she reappeared. She turned to Jeff, hurt amazement on her face.

'She's got the hang of it, hasn't she?' Jeff told her quietly.

'What if she were to jump into the vacuum?' The Rowan blinked, wetted her lips and looked back to her daughter, speechless.

Say goodbye to your mother, Damia, Afra said on the tightest mental band he could exercise, and with such authority that he felt her objections melting in the absence of any option. He took her to her parents.

And my brother? Damia begged in what Afra knew was a last ditch delaying tactic.

Very quietly, he said, without letting up on his authority.

Damia stretched from his arms to wrap her own around her mother's neck. 'I'll be good, Mommy,' she promised, planting a pair of wet lips firmly on her mother's cheek.

'For my brother.' The Rowan hugged her back, suppressing the agony of separation. Any weakness on her part would undo all the preparation Afra had managed. 'I'm only just a thought away, Damia dear.' 'Even in the Tower?' Damia asked anxiously.

The Rowan closed her eyes briefly against that soft query.

'I promise, darling, that while you're away - and, if you're a good girl - you can even speak to me in the Tower.' 'Oh!' Damia's voice was charged with relief and she smiled broadly. 'Daddy, too?' 'If you remember that we might be too busy to talk long,' Jeff said, holding up a warning finger.

'Afra?' 'Well, minxlette, I'm not as good at long distance as your parents are, but I'll listen real hard.' 'I'll call real big.' Then she squirmed to be released from Afra's restraint.

He sensed what she wanted to do and let her down. She put her hands on her mother's abdomen and said with an amazingly narrow shaft of thought, I'll be the best sister anyone's ever had. Her face radiated a contentment that he had never seen on her face since her baby days.

To his intense surprise, Afra became aware that neither the Rowan nor Jeff had heard Damia's promise. He was more relieved than ever that she'd be away from the hazards of a domed station.

'Now,' he said, taking charge of matters again, 'let's just get you settled,' and he picked her up and started to settle her back into the capsule.

'When can we go?' Jeran demanded with a flavour of impatience for all this delay Cera glared briefly at Damia.

'As soon as I'm feeling better, your father and I will come visit...' the Rowan began, speaking to forestall tears, so she was grateful for the suggestion Afra 'pathed to her, '... and see you being the leader of all your new friends ' But she fully intended to tell him just what she thought of his part in this hasty exile of her children.

'Will you visit me too, Afra?' Damia demanded.

'Of course,' he replied, 'we're to play stations, aren't we?' As the capsule closed, her submission vanished. 'No!

NO!' she shrieked, voice m.u.f.fled inside the capsule.