'He's here!' she cried. 'Spur's here!'
Play stopped and the bleachers emptied as the villagers crowded around him, clapping him on the back and shaking his hand. In five minutes he'd been kissed more than he'd been kissed altogether in the previous year.
'So is this another one of your upsider friends?' Gandy Joy held the High Gregory at arms length, taking him in. 'Hello, boy. What's your name?'
'I'm the High Gregory of Kenning,' he said. 'But my Walden name is Lucky, so I'd rather have you call me that.'
Citizens nearby laughed nervously.
'Lucky you are then.'
Gandy Hope Nakuru touched the pink bandana knotted around his neck. 'Isn't this a cute scarf?' The High Gregory beamed.
Spur was astonished by it all. 'But who told you that they're from the upside?' he said. 'How did they get here? And why are you playing baseball?'
'Memsen brought them,' said Peace Toba. 'She said that you'd be along once we got the game going.'
'And she was right.' Little Jewel Parochet tugged at his shirt. 'Spur, she said you flew in a hover. What was it like?'
'Maybe next time you can bring a guest along with you?' Melody Velez said, smiling. She brushed with no great subtlety against him.
Spur glanced about the thinning crowd; citizens were climbing back into the bleachers. 'But where is Memsen?'
Peace Toba pointed; Memsen had only come out onto the field as far as right base when Constant Ngonda had captured her. He was waving his arms so frantically that he looked like he might take off and fly around the field. Memsen tilted her head so that her ear was practically on her shoulder. Then she saw Spur. She clicked her rings at him, a sly smile on her face. He knew he ought to be angry with her, but instead he felt buoyant, as if he had just set his splash pack down and stepped out of his field jacket. Whatever happened now, it wasn't his fault. He had done his best for his village.
'So this was what you were keeping from me.' His father was chuckling. 'I knew it had to be something. They're fine, your friends. You didn't need to worry.' He hugged Spur and whispered into his ear. 'Fine, but very strange. They're not staying are they?' He pulled back. 'Prosper, we need your bat in this game. These kids are tough.' He pointed at Kai Thousandfold 'That one has an arm like a fire hose.'
'No thanks,' said Spur. 'But you should get back to the game.' He raised his arms over his head and waved to the bleachers. 'Thank you all, thanks,' he called to his well-wishers. They quieted down to listen. 'If you're expecting some kind of speech, then you've got the wrong farmer. I'll just say that I'm glad to be home and leave it at that. All right?' The crowd made a murmur of assent. 'Then play ball.' They cheered. 'And go Eagles!' They cheered louder.
'Can I play?' said the High Gregory. 'This looks like fun.' He straightened the strap of his overalls. 'I can play, can't I? We have all kinds of baseball on Kenning. But your rules are different, right? Tell them to me.'
'Why bother?' Spur was beginning to wonder if the High Gregory was playing him for a fool. 'Looks like you're making them up as you go.'
Her Grace, Jacqueline Kristof, put an arm around his shoulder. 'The ball is soft, so no gloves,' she said, as she led him onto the field. 'No tag outs either, you actually have to hit the runner with the ball. That's called a sting. No fouls and no…'
As the spectators settled into their seats, Spur found his way to Ngonda and Memsen. She wasn't wearing the standard L'ung overalls, but rather a plain green sundress with a floral print. She had washed the phosphorescent paint off her arms and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. But if Memsen was trying to look inconspicuous, then she had failed utterly. She was still the tallest woman on the planet.
'Talk to her,' said Ngonda. 'We had an agreement…'
'Which you broke,' said Memsen. 'What we agreed was that the High Gregory would visit Littleton and you'd let him make whatever luck you are destined to have. You promised to give him the run of the village - '
' - under Spur's supervision, Allworthy,' interrupted Ngonda.
Betty Chief Twosalt delivered a feed and Warp watched it go by again. This did not sit well with the L'ung. 'Delay of game, old sir,' someone called.
Memsen turned from Ngonda to Spur. 'As we were explaining to the deputy, the L'ung and I see everything that the High Gregory sees. So we know that you've introduced him to just two of your neighbors. You promised that he could meet the citizens of this village but then you've kept him isolated until now. He needs to be with people, Spur. Barns don't have luck. People do.'
'It was my decision,' said Spur. 'I'll take the respon-sibility.'
'And this was ours.' She waved toward the field. 'So?'
Ngonda snorted in disgust. 'I need to call Concord. The Office of Diplomacy will be filing a protest with the Forum of the Thousand Worlds.' He took a step away from them, then turned and waggled a finger at Memsen. 'This is a clear violation of our Covenant, Allworthy. The L'ung will be recalled to Kenning.'
As they watched Ngonda stalk off, Warp struck a grounder straight back at the feeder. Betty stabbed at it but it tipped off her fingers and rolled away at an angle. Little Senator Dowm pounced on it but held the throw because Warp already had a hand on the right base stake.
'Maybe I should've introduced the High Gregory to a few more people.' Spur wondered if standing too close to Memsen might be affecting his perceptions. The very planet seemed to tilt slightly, as it had that afternoon when he and Leaf Benkleman had drunk a whole liter of her mother's prize applejack. 'But why are we playing baseball?'
Memsen showed him her teeth in that way she had that wasn't anything like a smile. 'Tolerance isn't something that the citizens of the Transcendent State seem to value. You've been taught that your way of life is better not only than that of the pukpuks, but than that of most of the cultures of the Thousand Worlds. Or have we misread the textbooks?'
Spur shook his head grimly.
'So.' She pinched the air. 'Deputy Ngonda was right to point out that landing a hover on your Commons might have intimidated some people. We had to find some unthreatening way to arrive, justify our presence and meet your neighbors. The research pointed to baseball as a likely ploy. Your Eagles were champions of Hamilton County just two years ago and second runner-up in the Northeast in 2498.'
'A ploy.'
'A ploy to take advantage of your traditions. Your village is proud of its accomplishments in baseball. You're used to playing against strangers. And of course, we had an invitation from Spur Leung, the hero of the hour.'
Livy Jayawardena hit a high fly ball that sailed over the heads of the midfielders. Kai Thousandfold, playing deep field, raced back and made an over-the-shoulder catch. Meanwhile Warp had taken off for left base. In his prime, he might have made it, but his prime had been when Spur was a toddler. Kai turned, set and fired; his perfect throw stung Warp right between the shoulder blades. Double play, inning over.
'I invited you?' said Spur. 'When was that again?'
'Why, in the hospital where we saved your life. You kept claiming that the L'ung would offer no competition for your Eagles. You told Dr. Niss that you couldn't imagine losing a baseball game to upsiders, much less a bunch of children. Really, Spur, that was too much. We had to accept your challenge once you said that. So when we arrived at the town hall, we told our story to everyone we met. Within an hour the bleachers were full.'
Spur was impressed. 'And you thought of all this since yesterday?'
'Actually, just in the last few hours.' She paused then, seemingly distracted. She made a low, repetitive pa-pa- pa-ptt. 'Although there is something you should know about us,' she said at last. 'Of course, Deputy Ngonda would be outraged if he knew that we're telling you, but then he finds outrage everywhere.' She stooped to his level so that they were face to face. 'I rarely think all by myself, Spur.' He tried not to notice that her knees bent in different directions. 'Most of the time, we think for me.'
The world seemed to tilt a little more then; Spur felt as if he might slide off it. 'I don't think I understand what you just said.'
'It's complicated.' She straightened. 'And we're attracting attention here. I can hear several young women whispering about us. We should find a more private place to talk. I need your advice.' She turned and waved to the
