“I know.” He stretched hisleg out and jerked his head towards the Aurora. “Come on, we need to headback and get ready for that meeting with Lindstrom. Getting yourplan approved might actually be some good news – foreveryone.”
Back aboard theAurora, after takingjust enough time to clean up, Kennedy and Decker presentedthemselves at Lindstrom’s office. He looked up at their entrance,saying, “I’m afraid our meeting will have to wait until tomorrowmorning. We’ve been summoned to an urgent conference with theMaykure heads of state. In Maykah. I’d like you two to accompany meand Maddox.”
“I take it that theMaykure are still not very happy with us, sir,” Conventured.
While rummaging through abox on his desk, Lindstrom said, “When we get home, I’ll nominatethat for an award as ‘understatement of the century,’ Kennedy.” Hehanded them both Silver Tongues and they quickly attached thedevices to their shoulders to facilitate communication with theMaykure. Lindstrom stood up and waved a hand at the door,indicating they should defy standard protocol and precede him out.“Shall we?” Before they could move, he frowned down at Kayatennae.“I don’t know that we should bring the corpsman along, Decker. Theycertainly won’t be expecting him.”
Decker answered,“Understood, sir,” and ordered Kay to wait in her quarters. Asusual, the dog was unhappy at the idea of being left behind andwalked down the passageway at a snail’s pace, looking back severaltimes, obviously hoping for a reprieve.
They met up with Maddoxoutside of her office and headed over to Maykah. On the way, Deckerpointed out the float-ways visible on the far-side of the cloakeddome and explained to Lindstrom and Maddox exactly what theywere.
When they breached thelimits of the cloak, the enormous white dome of Maykah was at lastvisible. A city official ushered the humans through the narrow gatein the front of the dome. Once inside, they saw dozens of immense,cone-shaped buildings constructed of turquoise glass, with hundredsof transparent skyways stretched between them. Each level of thebuildings sported a circular balcony abundant with greenery andflowers. Neatly landscaped parks filled the spaces between thecones while soft light sparkled down from the dome, dapplingeverything in sight.
Con had pictured thecloaked dome as concealing a grim, unappealing city, so was whollyunprepared to encounter such an attractive place. He stood in theentrance, taking it all in and then looked over to find Decker inthe same position – dumbstruck, with her mouth slightly parted.“It’s actually…pretty.”
“Thanks made to you,”their Maykure escort murmured, somewhat stiffly.
The meeting space in thecity hall was equally attractive. A large bright room, it had acircle of low couches covered in a smooth green fabric. With someeffort, Con lowered himself onto one and then watched Lindstromstruggle even more, at last awkwardly settling his thinsix-foot-seven frame onto a settee at an angle.
The three principle leadersof Maykah introduced themselves: Neak Balap, Sagari Feen, andlastly, the chief official, Kinlea Dunna, who bore the title“cassay”. To Kennedy they looked exactly like the Featay exceptthat their shirts and sarongs were constructed of machine-madefabrics in various pastel colors. Like the Featay, they were mostproperly addressed by their formal name which was always givenfirst.
When all introductions werecompleted, Kinlea Cassay opened the meeting. “Again, we holdassembly, Maddox Captain, not a glad assembly, in measure great.Happenings fell in place with fears we held. Peerazu too much wemark close by Maykah, more unceasing than of seasons past. This wemark as your deed.”
Maddox said, “We apologizedeeply for what has happened. We wish it could have been different– but doing otherwise than we have, in each instance since welanded here, was out of our power.”
“You hold not the power toreject use of airships like your promise given?” Neakquestioned.
“Not if we wanted thepeople on that shuttle to survive,” Lindstrom answered. “And two ofthose people belonged to you – didn’t they?”
“It is so. Bingual andLootan found lure from your off-world ship. But had no ship therebeen, then no lure they find.”
Kennedy said, “There was noway we could have predicted any danger from the shuttle’s presenceon the ground. No way, we could have known two peerazu wouldattack—”
Sagari broke in to say,“Not solely pain from peerazu is what we hold, this same hour.These two young who wandered, hold a wish fresh to live in openways same like Featay. Tales of fantasy were shared to them fromyour young. These tales they spread on whole of Maykah.”
“They’re not ‘fantasytales’,” Deck objected. “Moira told them the truth.”
“This one, Moira, shouldhave shared to them truth in fullness of Featay. The number ofFeatay dying since live open same like they do.”
“We saw no such deathswhile we were there.”
Neak asked, “What number ofFeatay did you mark living in open ways?”
“I don’t know….” Deckertilted her head in contemplation, before venturing, “Maybe a fewthousand based on the size of their village. I can’t be sure – Ididn’t see everyone.”
“Their numbers made twiceours, in seasons long past,” Kinlea said, “when they live safe samelike Maykure. Did you mark Featay as matching thatnumber?”
“No, not even close,”Decker admitted. “But many died in a disease outbreak, years ago.You must know that.”
“So many generationspassing by and Featay numbers swell not. It is so, not by way ofdisease but death coming down from peerazu.”
Lindstrom said, “KinleaCassay, what does all of this have to do with us? As I’veexplained, our use of the airship was a life-or-deathsituation.”
“Living always for we isso, Lindstrom Commander. The Maykure hold fast to rules numerousand taxing, to live safe in Maykah. For young Maykure to endureholding our rules, is a burden solely seasons numerous must ease.Lootan and Bingual cry out now that Maykure rules hold value asnothing. Two will grow to twice that and twice that again, and sothe crying out will spread. Unrest great will we mark this seasonfrom our young.”
“What rules are youtalking about?” Maddox asked.
Kinlea explained howproscribed the Maykure daily life was – how time outside the domewas restricted to the terraces around the city and limited to atenth of their day per Maykure. All Maykure couples were allowed nomore than two offspring since there was no room for the Maykurepopulation to increase. There were many other social stricturesmeant to ease life in close quarters.
When
