“Gods!” Malexclaimed. “I thought I had a good handle on why the Quailu fear usso much but that is pretty dark! I don’t know of a single instancein the history of the empire where some maniac has used nanites likethat.”
“He’s got apoint,” John admitted. “If someone is determined to kill you all,there’s dozens of ways to go about it, just like on Earth.Poisoning the water source, setting off a bomb… Hell,he could sneak up to our orbital patrol, take over a freighter orsomething and nudge an asteroid down onto the town.”
“That’s noteven counting the weapons they’d have up there,” Frankadded.
“Nukes.” Sushilnodded.
Mal stared at them,mouth hanging open, eyes wide. “Gods!” he finally said againquietly. “You people… We’d better keep this conversation toourselves. The empire’s already afraid enough. Hearing you lot talkwould start them on a preventative war!”
“Streets are in,” acouncilor pointed out. “They seem to be starting on digging now.”
Frank looked back out.There were a few dozen squarish depressions forming now. The naniteswere removing dirt and rocks from where the basements would be andthey would be converting much of it into carboncrete walls as theyworked their way down.
He looked back tothe central square and then followed the network of streets, lookingfor his own home. He wasfairly certain he’dfound the spot but there was no excavation happening yet.
He was enjoying theluxury suite on the Mouse but it wasn’t home. He wasn’tthe only one itching to move in.
Trisha was eagerto get started on their new life and, though he was having fun on theKuphar hanging outwith Terry, Vikram was eagerto get his feet on the planet as well. He was really looking forwardto moving into his new room and not being on a separate ship from hismother.
The boarding bridgemade it a short walk but there was still that element of separationand Frank wanted them all under one roof before the lad started toresent his new step-father taking Trisha away from him.
“Walls!”Sushil exclaimed.
Frank glanced at thechairman and followed his gaze. Sure enough, one of the firststructures to be excavated was now rising above the street level.Carboncrete set more quickly than regular concrete and it was moreworkable as well. The outer shells of the walls were solid enough butthe interior structure was more foamy to provide insulation.
Unlike concrete, thesewalls were structurally sound after a handful of hours, allowing atwo- or three-story structure to be erected in a single day. Thestructures rising from the ground beneath them would be ready forthem to move into tomorrow morning.
They say thatRome wasn’t built in a day but Unity sure as hell wouldbe.
The designs for thetown structures matched well with the wall that would be the laststructure to go up. They had the look of heavy masonry walls and flattopped roofs that could catch the rain-water, reducing reliance onthe rivers running around the hill. The flat roofs also providedextra usable space if anyone wanted a rooftop terrace.
The design pickedby Frank and Trisha would have a central courtyard surroundedby two floors and a small bachelor suite on the third level forTerry. He smiled down at thegrowing town. It was lookingincreasingly likely that Terrywouldn’t be a bachelor for very long.
ComeTogether
Unity, Ragnarok
“Ayyoh!”Trisha exclaimed. “Where is that boy!”
Frank came out to theupper walkway surrounding the courtyard and looked across to whereshe stood in Vikram’s doorway.
“He went with Terryto check out the view from the wall,” Frank told her, watching asshe walked back around to their side. He liked watching her walk…
“You know,” he saidin what he hoped was a sly tone, “that means we have the place toourselves.”
“And it means hestill has all of his belongings packed away in those containers,”she said, brushing past him and returning to their own bedroom tocontinue unpacking.
“Never oncehave I had to tell him to do the needful.” Her annoyed voicedrifted out to the walkway. “Now he’s running off in everydirection.”
Frank stayed atthe railing a moment longer. It’s probably not aboutVikram, at least not entirely. Trishahad seen her entire life change, as had Frank. A new world, newspouse, new dependents for each (if you counted Terry).
That was a lot ofstress, even if you didn’t acknowledge it openly. It was bound tobubble to the surface every now and then in response to a mildannoyance.
He walked intotheir room, moving over to where she was pulling out a bundle ofsocks from one of the storage containers sent down from the Kuphar.
Trishastood, still holding the socks, giving him a quizzical look. She letout a cute little squawk of surprise when he wrapped her in a hug,socks tumbling to the floor.
She relaxed into hisarms, resting her head on his chest.
“It’sVikram’s way of dealing with all the change,” he said into herhair. “He’s focusing onthe exciting aspects, andthere’s more than enough excitement to be had on an alien planet.”
She untangled herarms and wrapped them around his back. Another pair of socks bouncedoff his feet. “You’re right,” she said. “He has plenty oftime to settle in. Isuppose the last thing a young man wants to do on a new world isunpack his shirts.”
He lowered his head,nuzzling her neck.
“The food!”She leaned back suddenly. “Ineed to get it off the heat.”
She giggled at the lookon his face. “Later,” she promised. “After the celebration.Tonight’s big party is one thing my son would never miss out on andwe don’t want to embarrass him, do we?”
“Embarrass?”
“Do you want him tohear his neighbors speculating about his newlywed mother showing uplate, with her hair a mess and her food overcooked?”
Frank had toadmit his hopes were a bitunrealistic, for the moment. Discretion is the better partof valor, he thought. Ormaybe anticipation is the spice of discretion?He realized she was already on her way to the walkway to reach thekitchen on the first floor.
He went to continue thesearch for the food containers every family had so they wouldn’thave to come in from their crops every day for lunch. He had a hunchthey’d be in the larger container on their roof where he’d storedsome of his
