communications equipment.
“You have any ideas how that stuff goes together or works?”
“Oh!” Glyssa flushed. She bent down to her large pursenal and drew out a portfolio of papyrus along with a pack of recording spheres. “I’m sorry. Here are the specifications and the instructions.”
Raz Elecampane gingerly took the objects, smiled her apology away. “I won’t be handling this. I’m the people person.”
She believed that, the man’s charisma was palpable. He’d been a leading actor in Druida and at his own theater outside the city for years. She and her friends had taken turns with infatuations with him after seeing him perform when they were younger.
“Del!” he called. “I have the data!”
His HeartMate and wife looked up, strolled over with a long-legged stride that showed she’d walked the world. She nodded her curly and bright blond head to Glyssa, stuck out a hardened hand that Glyssa shook. “Greetyou, GrandMistrys Licorice. Good to have you here.” She cocked a brow at Raz. “My HeartMate has been agitating for a better detailed record of the project.” Del shrugged strong shoulders. “But I prefer to hire and pay excavators.”
“Laev T’Hawthorn and Camellia D’Hawthorn are handling my salary,” Glyssa said.
Del’s mouth tightened. Raz frowned.
Del said, “We’ve tried to keep the FirstFamilies out of the project.” She arrowed a look at Glyssa. “Especially Laev T’Hawthorn, that one is a pistol.”
Raz took his HeartMate’s arm. “We prefer to control the excavation of the ship,” Raz said smoothly. They began walking from the landing field to the tent city organized into rows with one large red and yellow pavilion.
Glyssa nodded. “I can understand being wary of Laev. My best friend, Camellia Darjeeling, was sucked into his orbit a few months ago and suddenly here I am.”
They laughed at that.
“Not that I don’t have a burning curiosity.” She glanced at the huge outline on the ground, under which they believed
“I’ve heard your curiosity is as hot as your hair,” Raz teased.
He was one to talk, his own hair was auburn.
They all stared at him.
“‘Fools rush in,’” Raz murmured as if quoting, though Glyssa didn’t recognize the words or the source.
“What did you see down there, fox?” asked Del.
“Boxes,” Glyssa breathed, sharing a glance with Raz and Del.
Del took work gloves from her belt and slapped them on her thigh. “I’d better order some security around the hole. And we’ll move the work there?” she asked her HeartMate.
“Absolutely,” Raz said.
Lepid gave one more yip, danced the few steps along the duffle, then curled up and dropped into sleep.
“Young ones,” Del said indulgently. She aimed her gaze at the hole. “You said you’re friends with Camellia Darjeeling?” she asked Glyssa.
“Since grovestudy days.”
“Huh. Camellia Darjeeling, who’s now D’Hawthorn, helped us with the general blueprints,” Del said.
“More.” Glyssa angled her pursenal. “Camellia has finally parted with copies of the last Captain’s, Netra Sunaya Hoku’s, journals.”
Raz and Del came to a stop, both staring at Glyssa. “You have them in there?” Del asked.
“Yes.”
Del eyed her. “You might be worthwhile after all.”
Raz bumped his HeartMate with his hip. “Helena D’Elecampane!”
“Thank you,” Glyssa said. “I am humbled by your opinion. I will endeavor to live up to it.” She dug into her bag and handed over copies of the original journals for the Elecampanes. She had a set of her own.
“Not much here,” Del grumbled.
“The last Captain was awakened from the cryonics tubes to pilot the ship down. The journals provide great insights into the last days of the journey, the ship life—rather militaristic—and the previous Captain.” Glyssa cleared her throat. “And as your own ancestor, the original D’Cherry, stated in her own diaries, Hoku was fond of maps.”
Del stared at the papyrus, then glanced back toward the communications equipment. Sighing, she gestured to Raz to take the journals. “You look through the journals. Get Maxima, our daughter,” she explained to Glyssa, gesturing to a small band of people in the distance, “in on it, too.” She scanned Glyssa. “Hmmm. How’d you like an assistant? Maxima is interested in history and stuff.”
“Sounds good,” Glyssa lied.
After a sharp nod, Del walked back to the airship.
“We hadn’t anticipated that the communications equipment would be so large. Larger than the space we’d dedicated for it.” Raz shrugged. “Del will handle it.”
“I’m sure,” Glyssa said, falling into the easy pace he set as they moved toward the largest personal pavilion—not quite as large as what she reasoned was the mess tent farther down the large main pathway. “Del seems eminently efficient.”
“Yes, and she’s taken over the technical side of things, though she does love her maps.”
“Her maps and charts are prized by the librarians,” Glyssa offered.
“She’ll never give up her cartographic career, though it is not as important to her—to us—as this project right now.” Raz lit with an inner fire that Glyssa thought was all sincerity, no actor’s show. “Imagine, uncovering the last starship! The wonders within, the knowledge we will discover about Earth and our ancestors.” He pulled his mind from whatever visions spun in that creative head of his and gave himself a shake, aimed another charismatic smile at her. “And most of our team believe as we do, are as fascinated by the project as we are. One of the factors we considered when hiring, for instance, Jace Bayrum.” Raz’s eyes twinkled. He was an observant people person, all right.
They’d reached the Elecampane’s pavilion and Raz moved toward an open area a couple of meters away. “This is your spot. We’ll talk later,” he said with a quick grin that was even more charming because it seemed more sincere. “About Captain Hoku, your duties, the excavation, the communications equipment. Everything.”
“Thank you for this opportunity,” Glyssa said. Weariness from her restless night before, the trip, the dazzling first sight of Jace, and the scare by Lepid began to weigh down on her.
“You’re welcome,” Raz said. “I think we will all work well together.” He took her hand and bowed over it with the most grace she’d ever experienced, including Laev who’d been drilled in FirstFamilies etiquette. When Raz straightened, he said, “Jace Bayrum is one of us, a believer in our quest.” Raz paused. “However, I do not think Andic Sanicle or Funa Twinevine have that in common with us.”
A delicate warning. Glyssa nodded. “Thank you.”
“Midafternoon tea will be served in a few minutes, feel free to join us in the dining tent.” With a last wave, he loped to his pavilion and disappeared, leaving Glyssa staring at a large area of cleared ground.
She stiffened her spine, not letting herself droop. The sun beat down on her, hot and affirming that she and her loved ones were alive—but also adding sticky sweat to her weariness. There weren’t as many trees as she’d expected . . . cleared for the excavation, a wide meadow turned into a camp, surrounded by green and cool forests. She’d seen that as they landed, the width of the wide land between Fish Story Lake and the Deep Blue Sea.
With a touch on her duffle, she lowered it to the ground. Then she bent over and lifted Lepid, moving him to some cushy-looking ground cover she couldn’t identify. Not many Earthan-Celtan hybrids here, she didn’t think. Her own FamFox wriggled around a little, releasing a pleasant herbal tang into the air from his bedding, snuffled, but didn’t wake. Good.
