Scattered Suns - Kevin J. Anderson [150]
Under the bright sun, Celli listened to the buzzing of colorful condorflies that had returned to the open meadows, forgetting the horrors the warglobes had brought. She’d once kept a condorfly as a pet, when she was a kid. Seeing the vibrant creatures made her think that the world might be returning to normal after all.
At least until the hydrogues came back. Shouldn’t they be evacuating people as well as treelings?
Dressed in a mixture of stylish Hansa clothes and Theron fabrics, Sarein walked among the rows of potted treelings. She carried a high-end Hansa datapad on which she kept an inventory and tried to put together a schedule. She held her head high, careful not to get her garments dirty, as if she was in some kind of procession.
“I’m glad we could arrange something that’ll benefit both the Hansa and Theroc,” Sarein said, talking with her parents and the green priest Yarrod. “Hansa ships and EDF cruisers will transport green priests and treelings to any planet where they may grow and thrive. In exchange, priests will provide instant telink communications while en route and will remain on the colonies where they plant the trees. The expanded network will help everyone.”
“We shall have no obligation to the military,” Yarrod warned. He had already left those duties to help the worldforest. Wanting to replant all the barren hillsides, the green priest was uneasy to see so many potential worldtrees taken from Theroc, but he had conceded to Beneto’s request, which came from the worldforest mind itself.
Mother Alexa looked chidingly at her brother. “Yarrod, if the Hansa is providing transport to different planets, then green priests can make themselves available in the meantime, should communication become necessary. Your friend Kolker seems perfectly satisfied with his station aboard the skymine at Qronha 3.”
“Kolker is different from most green priests,” Yarrod said.
Looking pleased, Sarein went out to meet the first three Hansa ships—two trade vessels and one military scout—as they landed in a clearing recently used by Roamer vessels. Propping some of the weight on her shoulder, Celli helped Solimar carry a pallet of treelings onto each of the three ships.
Setting aside any sibling disagreements, Celli said goodbye to Sarein, who still seemed strangled by conflicted loyalties and obligations. Although it was obvious that her sister didn’t want to be on Theroc, it was also obvious that the disaster in the worldforest had affected her much more than she had anticipated. Celli watched Sarein quickly bid her parents farewell and go to join a few green priests aboard the fastest ship, which soon rose into the clear sky. Shortly thereafter, the remaining two ships took off for other destinations.
Beneto stood looking oddly content as the ships departed, then turned directly to Celli. His strange wooden face shaped into a hopeful expression. “Now that the first wave has gone out, I have a task for you here, sister. Something you can do to help make the forest understand.”
Celli brightened. “Really? But I’m not a green priest.”
“You have a different sort of power. There is a way you and Solimar can reawaken the forest. The trees need you to remind them of their own capabilities.”
Though she didn’t understand exactly what he was asking, Celli was happy with the challenge. “Sure. Show me how I can help.” She put a hand on his shoulder in a sisterly gesture, momentarily forgetting that he wasn’t completely human, but the hard and solid feel of his flesh reminded her instantly. She cracked her knuckles and said, “I’m ready to go.”
Chapter 73—SULLIVAN GOLD
Some might have called it peace and productivity. Sullivan Gold knew this was merely the interminable quiet before the storm. He and the workers aboard the Hansa cloud harvester spent every day on the edge of anxiety. They doubled the number of sentries on each watch and ran drill after drill. Tabitha Huck