feel free to parade around without clothing all you want, but you know, keep Rolph covered? Anyway, Sara, are you the new delivery person? If so you should probably check in and all that stuff.”
Rolph put his arm around her shoulder casually.
“Yeah, isn’t it great? She’ll be here all the time, making deliveries during the day to a couple of bases and into the Capital. I was thinking, if you don’t mind, could she stay here with us? I mean, she knows to be quiet while you work and all that, plus, we don’t have any other space for her yet on base here.”
It made sense, in a jealous making, uncomfortable way that he didn’t really want to think about. Tor could kind of see firsthand what Godfrey was saying about it making the men envious. Maybe if they hid her away from the others the fall out wouldn’t be as bad? Tor pointed to the front left corner.
“Over there? Use some screens to kind of make her a little room? Um, Sara, I know Trice is your friend and all, but please, don’t bring her over to visit. Also, this isn’t a base, it’s a compound. “Base” implies that it’s owned by the military and it isn’t. It’s mine or, if you want to be more correct, owned by you, with me, I don’t know, squatting? Maybe renting in exchange for work done? So, compound, since it has a wall now. ”
Sara blanched and nodded, as if the idea that she might bring Trice here was unthinkable. It probably was, all things considered. The girl probably wanted to see him about as much as she wanted to have an arm lobbed off. Fair enough.
They sent Sara off to meet up with Godfrey, who should be able to tell her what was needed or who to report to at least, if he wasn’t the man himself. After she left, as they ate food that was brought in from the kitchen, Tor related what the older man had told him earlier.
“So Sara is about the worst possible thing that could happen in a situation like this. We can set some of the men to making a new building and getting some furniture in it, maybe a few structures, towards the back where there isn’t anything yet? For girls… but Rolph, I don’t know how to contract anything like that, do you? I’ll also work on the transport thing, when I can. Maybe…” His voice fell off and he started putting together what he’d really need for it. The lift and control fields wouldn’t be that hard, but the shield for the whole thing was a novel build.
He sat down after he finished eating and started working on it. It only took a day, and over the next week he had the whole thing ready. Then he explained to Godfrey what they needed to do with the plates and devices, to install them into a cargo container so that everyone could ride in it comfortably. He left it in the man’s hands and started working on the rivers for Afrak.
That was hard.
It would have been a lot easier, but he decided that they needed to make the amount of flow variable, which meant redesigning the filter mechanism on the side that took water from the ocean. It would let the amount of water going through the floating river either come out as a small but decent stream all the way up to an amount about twice what the falcons river had. In order to twist around the mountains, each river had to have at least ten of the central control devices, which he used as boosters for the field line the water flowed in. It took him a while.
He opened his eyes when he was done, starving and thirsty, hearing crying over in the corner of the room. At least it wasn’t something he’d done.
Pretty sure at least.
“Hey.” His voice was a croak, not a voice at all. He’d done this kind of thing before, so was ready for it and not overly concerned. Tor found a pitcher of water next to him and saw some pretty nice cloth covered screens had been put up around him. They looked like something that you’d see in the palace or at least the guest house there. Shining brown black frames with little squares about eight inches across, with white cloth, like silk, but not, attached to it smoothly. It was tasteful and really brightened the space.
He stood, or at least tried too, his legs didn’t really want to work anymore. That would have been fine, except he really needed to go to the restroom, his bladder screaming at him. Looking around he found that a small table had appeared, which took him aback for a second. Not that there was a table, after all, they could make that kind of thing here, and he’d obviously been out for a long time. What got to him was that he’d missed that the table was there before, even though the pitcher was sitting on it. There was a cup too and next to that a pile of amulets. He checked the water for poison and then, finding it clean, drank it all slowly.
He still couldn’t stand, but could move, he realized, activating the Not-flyer Tor became weightless and stood in the air without using any effort to get up. It wasn’t a long term solution, he’d have to get his muscles working again soon, but it would let him get where he needed to go for now. Like the restroom.
Because that, at the moment, was the single most important thing in the world to him.
When he got beyond the screen he almost passed out.
The hut, which had been a bare space before, had stuff in it. Nice stuff. Rich looking cloth hangings on the walls, carpets in bright colors, deep reds and golds mainly and three sections divided by screens. It looked like someone wealthy lived there or something, instead of being a dirt shack made in the wilderness. Tor floated on slowly, looking around. There was soft crying coming from the front left corner, behind the screens, but it sounded like it was just Sara and really, she cried a lot. Hopefully it was nothing, but he had to pee before he dealt with anything or he’d have an accident.
The place was busy outside when he came out, the whole thing looked bigger, like the walls had grown when he wasn’t paying attention. The restroom at least was in the same place. He wondered if he should stop and take a bath before going back? It seemed like a good idea, since he smelled more than a little. Plus, it would give the crying a chance to stop. Was that too cowardly? Probably. Did he care? That, he decided, he’d think about later.
His face was covered with hair, which wasn’t long, but actually looked like a good beginning to a beard, thick and black, like the stuff on his head, so he left it alone and scrubbed up in a tub of warm water in the open room. Two other men came in and used the tubs near him, carrying bundles of clothes and towels which they dropped on tables that had been set next to the big round things that had replaced the relatively tiny ones that had been there before. Still compressed earth though. They had the warming plates on them, so he soaked for a few minutes with his eyes closed.
“Hey…” A man holding his own bundle of stuff stood before the tub glaring at Tor a little. “Ten minutes per man. Otherwise we can’t all get a wash in each day. There are only so many heaters for these things and I don’t feel like washing cold so you can soak in luxury.”
Tor cracked a single eye open.
There were rules to bathing now? Sighing he got out of the tub and started drying off while the man changed the water so that he could use it without waiting on Tor to fix things. At least he could stand on his own now, kind of.
“You drunk or something?” The man, obviously military, looking about twenty or so, mocked his wobbling. It was a good, if slightly exaggerated impression.
Tor shook his head and explained while he dressed.
“Nah, I was just working without moving for, god, what’s the date?” The man didn’t know, but called out to a fellow in one of the other tubs, who did.
“So, for twenty days. Making Sky Rivers for Afrak. If you don’t move for a long time like that your muscles get weak. Plus, I’m starving. I don’t suppose it’s anywhere near a meal time yet, is it?”
The man laughed and shook his head.
“But, if you want, when you’re ready, I’ll walk you over to the kitchen I know a guy there that might have a crumb, if you’re willing to deal, take a turn on kitchen duty or what not. Always need people on that here.”
It sounded like a plan to Tor, since he was going to take a few days off from building fields anyway while he recovered. Working in a kitchen would at least be something to do. Active enough to start rebuilding what he’d lost with all the field work. Muscle mass and stamina. The man kept watching him as he dressed, staring hard enough that it made Tor feel uneasy as he slipped on all his amulets. Then clothing which he took from the little cabinet his stuff was kept in.
“Hey, that’s Tor’s stuff, you cruising for a beating or something? Base commander said that anyone bothering his shit would end up on the front line carrying a rock to fight the Austrans and I really don’t think he was kidding.”
Tor nodded. Really he’d stopped paying attention to the man after the mention of food, he was starving, as in actually starving. He pointed down at the green canvas he put on, which was a little loose.
“Notice how well it fits though? Now, hurry up so I can get some food… please.”
