Part 24 (1/2)

Johnny gave him a very long thoughtful look. Especially me. Especially me. Then he broke mental contact to stride around the table, helping Fraga collect Leitao's possessions. Then he broke mental contact to stride around the table, helping Fraga collect Leitao's possessions.

9.

When Peter got to the officers' mess, he wasn't sure that he was hungry. He wasn't sure what he felt. By rights, he should have been elated at having 'ported two packages all the way to the Moon. He kept seeing the expression on Mai Leitao's face, her scrambling move away from him. As if he were unclean or his Talent was a disease that could infect her. She reminded him of his mother and her altered perception of him. He also realized that he had been s.h.i.+elded from such mundane att.i.tudes and reactions. Carefully s.h.i.+elded. Maybe he should opt for his own apartment, and not in the Talents' special enclave where he would gain no realistic knowledge of how his sort were perceived by the other 99.97 percent of Earth's inhabitants.

”Peter?” said a cheerful voice behind him. He spun about. ”It's just Ceara Scott,” she added, rea.s.suring him before he had completed the turn to face the redhead. ”I didn't mean to startle you. I just saw you there and,” she gestured to the empty mess, ”thought it would be nice to have someone to eat with. If you're eating? I'm taking a break before this place gets too crowded and all the best entrees are gone. There's fried chicken today.” She sniffed deeply. ”Doesn't it smell divine?”

Despite her red hair, she wasn't at all like Nurse Roche. Color was different, too; not the same shade of red, Peter thought.

Her smile began to waver.

”I didn't mean to intrude.”

”No, no, not at all, Ceara. I'd like company, too. The fried chicken does smell good.” He raised his arm to gesture for her to lead the way. She chose a table at one side of the mess.

They were served deftly by the rating who suggested the corn bread and okra as suitable companions to the chicken.

”Good eatin', ma'am, suh,” he said, grinning broadly. ”Smart of you to get in here 'fore the rush starts.”

”And keep away from it, too,” Ceara said in a low voice as he had gone off with their order.

”Are you settling in here all right, Ceara?” Peter asked, thinking he heard an uncertain note in her voice.

”Oh, yes,” she said quickly. ”They're all very very helpful. It's so different from university labs where the compet.i.tion can be fierce.” She paused, searching his face. Peter saw anxiety. ”Sometimes it's difficult being an empath. You can't avoid sensing what other people are thinking.” helpful. It's so different from university labs where the compet.i.tion can be fierce.” She paused, searching his face. Peter saw anxiety. ”Sometimes it's difficult being an empath. You can't avoid sensing what other people are thinking.”

”You're an empath?”

”Yes.” She seemed surprised. ”Didn't you know? A latent, I admit,” and she smiled shyly. ”I just didn't know how how I knew some of the things I did-like how other students felt about me. It was almost a relief to know it was a perfectly normal empathetic response.” I knew some of the things I did-like how other students felt about me. It was almost a relief to know it was a perfectly normal empathetic response.”

”I see.”

”Do you?” She gave him a sad little smile. ”They said at the Center that I'm not obliged to inform people I'm an empath, since I'm not all that strong and I'm not really working as one. I thought I'd better tell you.” She made eye contact as she lightly touched his right hand where he had placed it on the table.

The physical contact was meant to allow him to ”feel” that she was telling the truth. Hadn't anyone mentioned he didn't like to be touched? Well, no, why should they? Empaths and telepaths preferred to make tactile contact; that was how they were able to reach a mind the next time. She must have been briefed about him, that a wall had paralyzed his legs and then the d.a.m.ned body brace had shorted the nerves in his arms. That is, if she hadn't guessed by the odd way he moved about. Her public mind was earnest, anxious, and orderly. He would have expected that in someone trained in medicine. She was certainly speaking the truth, though he also perceived that she was anxious about his acceptance of her.

”Thank you, Ceara,” Peter said. ”It's sort of a relief,” and he gave her a rea.s.suring grin, ”to have another Center person up here.”

”Yeah,” she said with a little smile. ”I'm glad you're here, too. I don't know many other psychics. It's all new to me. Just like this grant.” She still had her hand on his and he could feel her sparkling with excitement, pride, and antic.i.p.ation.

”How come you were sent up to the conference room?” he heard himself asking.

She shrugged both shoulders. ”Coincidence. I am a licensed medical pract.i.tioner as well as a medical researcher. I want to keep my hand in and so I said 'yes' when they asked me would I a.s.sist in medical emergencies. They put me up on the duty roster so fast I couldn't renege. So I was next up when the call came in. I don't think I ever want to be that dedicated to my work.” She wrinkled her nose in distaste. ”Agoraphobic as well as psychophobic. What a combination! Ah, here comes lunch.”

The meal did look especially appetizing and Peter felt his mouth watering. He never felt his stomach rumble, of course. He was grateful that he could smell and taste what he ate. The officers' mess on Padrugoi served excellent food, not that Dorotea wasn't the best cook in the world, but it was nice to taste other cuisines. There was quite a selection of international dishes available here.

”Your family sure didn't want you to leave,” he said. ”Neither did my sister. Dorotea wouldn't let her come to the telepad.”

”Dorotea?”

Peter could sense her curiosity even though she maintained a polite expression.

”Dorotea's my adopted grandmother. I've been staying with her at the Henner estate, you see, since I emerged as a kinetic. A ward of the Parapsychic Center.”

”The scuttleb.u.t.t is that you're stronger than General Greene.”

”Well,” Peter demurred, ”that's still debatable. But I've been living at the Center and so has Amariyah. She's an orphan. Her parents died in the floods in Bangladesh, oh, five or so years ago now. We're sort of brother and sister. She's crazy about flowers. We'd have plants all over the house if Dorotea let her. Maree wants to be a hydroponic specialist when she grows up. She's not quite ten now. Sorry. I'm babbling,” Peter said.

”That's all right. I'm the one who usually does that,” Ceara said, smiling until her eyes crinkled.

The steward came by their table, offering seconds before the chicken was wolfed down or dessert. Ceara ordered pecan pie, and talked Peter into it, and an herbal tea.

”I prefer them,” she admitted shyly. ”Too much caffeine and my eyesight blurs when I'm doing slides.”

”Funny, I can drink tea with no bad effect but coffee's no good for me. Johnny-General Greene, that is-can't function without constant cups of coffee.”

”Probably because he's been a pilot so long,” she said with a disarming crinkle of her nose.

The topic of likes and dislikes was being discussed when the steward returned with their orders. It wasn't until Ceara's wristcom bleeped a reminder that they parted, with some reluctance on Peter's part. He briefly wondered if he had felt so comfortable with her because she was empathic. But he didn't care. He had had felt comfortable with her and had unconsciously relaxed from the stress of the morning. felt comfortable with her and had unconsciously relaxed from the stress of the morning.

Peter went back to his quarters. He planned to go to the gym and work out on the Reeve Board; he fancied he felt tingling in his chest and upper arms. Or was it a reaction to the pleasant time he'd had with Ceara? When he got in, the message light on his comunit was blinking.

”Pete? Greene here. We got transport at 0300 tomorrow, Limo-34. Limo-34. First Base's in conjunction for another five days so we'd better get cracking if you want to do a walkabout at Ocea.n.u.s Procellarum. Not that there's much to see, since they planted the base on the most uninteresting real estate the Apollos could find. Please check in with me.” First Base's in conjunction for another five days so we'd better get cracking if you want to do a walkabout at Ocea.n.u.s Procellarum. Not that there's much to see, since they planted the base on the most uninteresting real estate the Apollos could find. Please check in with me.”

The formal request, not the usual flip ”catch me, will ya?” that was Johnny Greene's usual style was, as troubling as it was, in another fas.h.i.+on, satisfying. The general was worried that he had overstepped the parameters of their long a.s.sociation in this morning's meeting. Ordinarily, Johnny just made a telepathic contact when they were both onstation. And they were going in a Limo, huh? Peter grinned. Maybe he was just in the way of giving General J. Greene a surprise on this Lunar Insertion Moon Orbit shuttle.

When he did make mental contact, Johnny sounded a bit tentative.

Just sent the SA party down. Leitao was totally out of it. Fraga was closer to her than a blister. Wonder if there's something between them? I'm checking out the crate I'll be flying.

I thought the admiral said there wouldn't be transport until late tomorrow?

I'm speeding things up. Silversmith is checking out our EMUs. I used rank to get the galley stuffed with decent chow instead of standard grub. I b.u.mped one other pa.s.senger so we could stow as much of Watari's wish list as the shuttle'll take. Since he now knows who to ask, he sent us another list of urgent items. We take 'em with us, he's got no gripe that you're joyriding to the Moon. On a totally different tack, the general added: On a totally different tack, the general added: Did you have that fried chicken they were serving in the officers' mess? Did you have that fried chicken they were serving in the officers' mess?

Peter hesitated briefly. Had some of Leitao's paranoia rubbed off on him that morning? Was Johnny serving notice that Peter had been seen with Ceara Scott? Or just being friendly?

Yeah, with the corn bread and pecan pie.

I missed a good meal and everyone informed me that I had, and there was genuine regret in his voice. and there was genuine regret in his voice.

Does Rhyssa know we're going to First Base?

Yeah. I had Madlyn tell her that.

And about the meeting? Peter really didn't want Rhyssa to be upset about the responsibilities he had just undertaken. Peter really didn't want Rhyssa to be upset about the responsibilities he had just undertaken.

Noooo, not exactly, Johnny said, hedging, sounding more like himself. Johnny said, hedging, sounding more like himself. Madlyn didn't know either so scuttleb.u.t.t's been contained. For a while, Madlyn didn't know either so scuttleb.u.t.t's been contained. For a while, he added cynically. he added cynically. We'll make our getaway before that goes public. See ya down at boat bay twenty-nine, kit and caboodle, no later than 0230. Get an early night. Okay? We'll make our getaway before that goes public. See ya down at boat bay twenty-nine, kit and caboodle, no later than 0230. Get an early night. Okay?