8
“Stephanie!” Dr. Scott MacDallan smiled into his com display. “I figured you’d be off in Twin Forks at the Red Letter, swigging down Mr. Flint’s double chocolate milkshakes, not screening me the second day after you got back!”
“Oh, trust me, that’s on my list, too,” Stephanie assured him. “But there’s something Karl and I have been thinking about, and I really need to get your input on it. We think it’s a good idea, but it’s not just our decision to make.”
“Something to do with our furry better halves?” MacDallan asked, as Fisher hopped up onto the back of his chair and made bleeking sounds at Lionheart, who was curled neatly in Stephanie’s arms.
“Absolutely,” Stephanie said in an unwontedly sober tone.
“So tell me about it.”
“Well, we’re getting more worried about how visible the ’cats are, especially after that whole thing on Gryphon.” She grimaced. “It seems like Lionheart and I can’t go anywhere without something happening, and we’re thinking that’s probably just going to get worse. So it seemed to us that it would be a good idea to approach Chief Shelton about how we might go about getting them assigned protected status.”
“That sounds like a great idea!” MacDallan said.
“Yeah, but neither of us really feels comfortable lying to the Chief or even just misleading him. And we’re definitely going to need his full-fledged support farther down the road. So it seems to us that we may have to…enlarge the Conspiracy.”
MacDallan’s expression tightened a bit, and he reached one hand up to touch Fisher’s ears.
“So you’re talking about taking off the mask—at least some—to him.”
“Yes.” She nodded. “On the other hand, Scott, he already knows a lot more than we’ve officially told him. Especially after what happened with Orgeson and the baka bakari. He’s been really good about not pushing for more, which is one reason Karl and I are sure we can trust him. But if we want his full support—his most effective support—we have to tell him a lot more than we’ve ever told anyone else. For that matter, sooner or later, we’ll probably have to confide in someone like Dr. Hobbard, too.”
“And you’ll have to convince them the ’cats truly do have a means of communication even if they don’t use words. As in more than ‘I can tell that he can feel what I’m feeling.’”
“Yes,” she said again and met his gaze levelly.
MacDallan’s tight expression turned into a frown, and Stephanie understood perfectly, because Scott MacDallan was the one human being who absolutely knew that treecats were capable of complex communication, and not just with their own species. But that knowledge wasn’t anything that he could prove or demonstrate in a lab, and it hadn’t been easy for the treecats to accomplish it in the first place. For that matter, the last thing he needed was to sound like some sort of lunatic freak. Or maybe, if he was lucky, just the freak part of that, without the “lunatic” for good measure.
“You want to tell them about the Stray,” he said softly.
“I think we have to.” She gave her head a little toss. “I know it won’t actually prove how they ‘talk’ to each other, or the level of complexity they can handle. But it’s really suggestive supporting evidence, and everyone knows you found out about Doctor Ubel somehow, so that’s probably some corroboration of the fact that they told you about her.”
“But it took hundreds of them to get through to me,” MacDallan said. “And, like you say, there’s no way to independently verify what happened. It was just me, Fisher, and the ’cats. And even with all of them cooperating, all they could really do was send me…pictures. Pictures with sound, some of them, but not anything really coherent. Enough to help me figure out at least some of what must’ve happened, but it’s not like we were exchanging complex sentences, for God’s sake!”
“Of course not. But, Scott, if they could get pictures through to a human, a totally different species, then you know they have to be exchanging information that’s bunches more complex with other treecats.”
“Probably. No,” he shook his head, “certainly. But it’s not something we’ll ever be able to prove, not when nobody’s ever been able to verify a single proven case of human telepathy. And I’ll be honest, Steph. My family and I have had way more experience than we ever wanted with people who think we’re nuts because we think we have ‘the sight.’”
“I know, and we’ll ask Chief Shelton—and anyone else we tell about it—to keep it confidential and explain why we want them to. But we need to lay our cards on the table with them, be as honest and open as we can, if we expect them to sign up to help us.”
“I know,” MacDallan sighed. Then he produced a crooked smile. “And, actually, Shelton won’t be the first Ranger who knows what really happened.”
“Frank Lethbridge?” Stephanie didn’t sound particularly surprised, MacDallan noted.
“I’ve known him a long time. So when you first screened me, wanting to talk about the ’cats, I had a long talk with him. I needed a better feel for where you were coming from, where you might be headed, and I knew he and Ainsley had been involved in investigating your hexapuma incident. I figured he probably had the best perspective on what you might be after of anyone I knew, which made him the logical choice to ask. That, and the fact that he’d been involved with the Stray and Ubel.” MacDallan shrugged. “I sort of told him the inside story on that whole business at the same time I asked him about you, and at least he didn’t laugh at me. He hasn’t been telling anybody about it over beers, either.”
“Frank?” Stephanie blinked at him. “Scott, there’s no way he’d ever—”
“Oh, I know that! I knew it before I told him, or I probably wouldn’t have. I’m just saying that I’ve already come that far out into the open, and from everything I’ve heard Chief Shelton’s a pretty understanding and trustworthy sort himself. If you need to trot out me and Fisher as ‘supporting evidence,’ I guess we’ll just have to live with it. I take it you’re going to have this conversation in person?”
“Oh, yeah! And not before we’ve talked it over with Jessica and Cordy, too. Jessica’s coming out to the house this afternoon, and I promise I’ll talk about it with her. She’s had a lot of practice wrangling Harringtons and helping me restrain what Mom calls my ‘intrepid impetuosity.’” She grinned. “Trust me, this isn’t something Stephanie the Impulsive is going to run out and do on her own!”
“I’m relieved to hear it,” he said dryly. “Do you need Fisher and me to tag along for the conversation?”
“Not if you’re willing to trust us to get the story straight. I don’t think we need to have anyone noticing a bunch of treecat partners trooping into SFS HQ unless they have an innocent reason to be there. But I wouldn’t be surprised if he wanted to speak to you personally about it, maybe on the com.”
“Oh, I think you can probably count on that.” MacDallan’s tone was even drier than before, and Stephanie chuckled.
“Okay,” he said. “We’re in. And I’ll give Frank a heads up that his boss may want to talk to him. Maybe ask him a few pointed questions about his previous silence on this very issue.”
“Oh. I hadn’t even thought about that!” Stephanie’s eyes widened, and she sat back for a moment, thinking hard. Then she shrugged.
“I don’t think Chief Shelton’ll get on his case about it. I mean, the Chief knows how long you’ve been friends, and he understands about things like that. It’s one reason I like him so much.”
“And the fact that you—and Lionheart—like him so much is one reason I’m willing to step out of the shadows with him. Not wildly enthusiastic over the notion, you understand, but definitely willing.”
“Good.” Her eyes thanked him. “I appreciate it, Scott.”
“Hey, your credit’s pretty good with me where the celery bandits are concerned.”
“I appreciate that, too,” she said, then cocked her head. “Can I ask you another question before I go?”
“That depends. Will it be equally seismic?”
“No, no! It’s just that you said you talked to Frank after I screened you and before you and I actually met. Obviously, he didn’t tell you to run the other way as fast as you could, but I have to admit I’m…curious about what he actually did tell you about the crazy little girl with the new pet that convinced you it would be ‘safe’ for the ’cats if you talked to me.”
“Actually, the last thing he thought of you as was a ‘little girl,’ Steph, even then,” MacDallan said seriously. “In fact, he told me that you’d probably be more determined, more willing to do anything it took, to protect the treecats than even I was.”
Her eyes widened, and he nodded.
“Can…can I ask why he thought that?” she asked quietly. There were very few people in the universe Stephanie Harrington respected as much as Frank Lethbridge. If he’d told Scott that all that time ago, then—
“He thought that because of what you never told anyone about how Lionheart’s family rescued you both,” Scott said, equally quietly.
“What? What are you talking about?”
“The fact that they didn’t kill the hexapuma.”
“Of course they did!” Stephanie said almost fiercely, suddenly and irrationally angry as she remembered that horrible, terrifying afternoon. Remembered standing between Lionheart’s broken, bleeding body and the hexapuma with her vibro-blade in her hand, knowing they were about to die before the rest of his clan arrived. How dared anyone suggest they hadn’t saved her!
“Lionheart and I would both be dead if they hadn’t killed it!” she added hotly.
“I didn’t say they didn’t stop it, Steph. I only said they didn’t kill it.”
“What are you talking about?” she demanded again, and it was his eyes’ turn to narrow. Was it possible she didn’t know? That no one had ever told her?
“Steph, they didn’t kill it; you did.”
She stared at him in disbelief, and he smiled crookedly as her expression proved that no one had ever told her.
“I know they pulled it down, and I know that if they hadn’t, it would’ve killed you and Lionheart,” he said quietly, “but they didn’t kill it. It was already dead; it just hadn’t finished dying yet. You killed it when you stabbed it…from behind. You never told anyone else that, either, did you? Never told them you went after a hexapuma—a hexapuma, Steph—from behind with only a belt vibro-blade, broken arm, bad knee, and all.”
Stephanie’s face felt like a forest fire as she heard the soft, sincere admiration in his voice.
“You remember when Ainsley retrieved your vibro-blade?” he asked, and she nodded silently. “Well, she got there soon enough to walk the site before the scavengers pulled the carcass apart. She could see the damage you did, and if not one of Lionheart’s relatives had ever showed up, it would have bled out, probably within minutes of killing you. And after Frank told me that, I knew damned well I could trust any twelve-year-old kid who was willing to do that to look after Fisher and all his friends, as well. So, if you and Karl think it’s time to bring Chief Shelton on board, I’ll trust you on that one, too.”
“Barely home, almost killed, and with a new romance to report,” Jessica said, wrapping her fingers around her mug of cocoa. “About par for the course with Stephanie Harrington.”
“Hey!” Stephanie said in mock indignation. “That romance is a major landmark. I expected some excitement.”
“Well, it’s about time.” Jessica laughed. “I mean, it’s been pretty obvious for a while that Karl has been head over heels for you. The rest of us—including Anders, if you must know—have had a betting pool as to how long it was going to take you to notice. I guess we all lose, since from what you say Karl had to tell you.”
The two young women were sprawled in front of the fireplace at the Harrington homestead, where a fire that was for appearances and comfort, not heat—although having it available for heat if the power went down was a major reason there were fireplaces in every main room of the house—snapped and popped like a third member of the conversation. Stephanie’s parents were both out, so Stephanie had revealed the Big News that she and Karl were dating—including some details as to just what a great kisser he was.
“Seriously? A betting pool?” Stephanie swung upright and stared at Jessica in horrified fascination.
“Seriously,” Jessica laughed harder at the expression on Stephanie’s face. “You two suit each other awfully well, better ever than you and Anders ever did. Face it, Anders was half in love with the Stephanie Harrington of his daydreams, even before he came to Sphinx, then—”
“Then I made the mistake of thinking my attraction to him—because, you’ve got to admit, Anders is gorgeous—was love at first sight,” Stephanie admitted. “Honestly, romance stories have a lot to answer for.”
After Karl—and Lionheart, of course—Jessica was definitely Stephanie’s best friend, a friendship that had endured despite Anders dumping Stephanie for her.
I wonder if I didn’t mind more because I was already realizing that Anders and I didn’t quite fit. I mean, I missed him tons when Karl and I went off to Manticore for the accelerated training program, but it’s nothing like how I’m missing Karl now.
Jessica was pretty, with a mane of wild auburn hair, hazel-green eyes, and a pleasantly rounded figure. Like Stephanie and Karl, she’d been adopted by a treecat. Based on the number of rings on his tail, Valiant was somewhat older than Lionheart and Survivor, but not precisely elderly. Valiant had been a window into just how different from each other treecats could be. Although primarily carnivorous, like all treecats, Valiant was very interested in plants, and even had a garden and small greenhouse of his own at Jessica’s family house.
Right now, Valiant and Lionheart were out examining Marjorie Harrington’s extensive greenhouses. Although a lot of the quicker growing annuals had been left unplanted while the Harringtons had been off-planet, Marjorie had hired Jessica’s mother, Naomi, to come and tend the perennials and biennials, as well as making sure Naomi knew she was welcome to harvest whatever she wanted for her large family. When Naomi had been alerted that the Harringtons were due back within a month, she’d planted seeds for the annuals, so they’d come home to find plenty of fresh herbs, greens for salads, and even some flowers, already established.
And celery, of course, but given that celery has a long growing period before it’s ready to be harvested, I think Naomi must have kept plants going in rotation the whole time we were away. I’m sure Valiant appreciated that. The treecats always seem to like Mom’s celery best.
“How was living on Gryphon?” Jessica asked. “Did the treecats do okay?”
Stephanie nodded. “We made sure they didn’t lose their higher gee-conditioning, but the heat did make them shed a lot of their undercoats. Dad’s suggested that Lionheart and Survivor wear their sweaters when they’re outside; what with it still being pretty cold here, low temperatures could be a problem. Happily, the ’cats don’t seem to mind wearing sweaters. They’re not stupid.”
“I’m glad to hear both of them did so well there,” Jessica said, “because I’m thinking of applying to do my undergrad work off-planet. I’ll have a better chance of getting into med school if I’ve done my pre-med in a cutting-edge program, rather than here where half the courses are virtual. And, of course, if I go, so does Valiant. I think he’d actually be interested in trying out an entirely new biome. Whenever we go to a different area, even here on Sphinx, he’s always looking for new plants.”
Stephanie thought, And here’s my opening to tell her about what Karl and I will be bringing up with Chief Ranger Shelton.
She did so, keeping it short, because Jessica already knew the basics.
“I agree it’s a good idea to get the treecats more protection,” Jessica agreed when Stephanie had finished. “Having more guidelines in place when I’m thinking about moving off-planet for college will definitely be good for me and Valiant. Just tell me what you need by way of support for the new program and I’m there for you. I’m sure Cordelia will be, too. Cordy and I have hung out a lot while you were away, and she’s a great person. If her family didn’t need her so much, I think she might have joined the SFS, although right now she’s pretty excited about her advanced courses in agriculture, agronomy, and forest management. They’ve just bought a starter herd of capri-cows, and Cordy’s starting a dairy and cheesemaking operation.”
“And is her sister, Dana, engaged yet?” Stephanie asked, awash in the glow of her own newly discovered love.
“Not yet,” Jessica said, “and maybe not at all. Turns out that when they started talking long-term plans, like where to live and all, she and her boyfriend discovered some really big differences of opinion. And Mack Kemper broke up with Brad, though they’re still friends. I wouldn’t be surprised if they still hop in the sack time to time.”
“Oh,” Stephanie said, thinking I hope this isn’t how people are talking about me and Karl in less than a T-year from now. Dana was practically engaged to her guy when we left for Gryphon. What if Karl and I turn out to be like I was with Anders? What if it turns out we’re better as friends?
She saw Jessica looking at her with concern, and made herself stop brooding. “How’re your little sibs? Several of them joined the Explorers, right? Are they still members? Any thoughts on how we should tweak the program?”
“They’re all still members,” Jessica re-assured her. “After you and Karl left for Gryphon, Chief Shelton assigned Moriah and Stephan Rosenquist to take over running things. They’ve done a great job and, as an added bonus, they breed Meyerdahl Rotties, and have a new litter of pups. It’s a good thing all the pups were reserved even before they were born, because even if my family’s income is doing a whole lot better than it was, we’re not up to one of those. They eat as much as hexapumas!”
From there they went on to discuss how fostering wild animals via Wild and Free was filling the “wanna pet” gap in the Pherris household. Since this was the organization that Trudy volunteered for, it was pretty natural to segue to discussing that new romance.
“I get the impression Trudy’s thinking about moving in with Nosey,” Jessica said. “I think she’s already spending a lot of time there. The Franchittis are still our landlords, and it’s pretty clear that Jordan at least isn’t thrilled to have the Nose for News dating his daughter. But she’s past the age of consent, so there’s not much he can do, other than throw her out, and since that would definitely end his ability to control her, he’s in a bind.”
“And Trudy’s mom? What does she think?”
“Mrs. Franchitti’s pretty much a cipher in that relationship,” Jessica said. “I mean, we’ve been their tenants for years now, and I don’t think I even know her first name. Wait…Maybe I do! Gertie, short for Gertrude. Trudy is named for her, but they call her Trudy to avoid confusion.”
Stephanie once again felt grateful for not only how supportive her parents were, but that they were a team. When she’d been younger, she’d tried the “ask Dad” when her mom had said, “No,” to something, and about the best she’d managed was a consultation, never one parent overriding the other just because they could. Karl’s family worked a little differently, with Aleksandr running the farm, and Evelina running the house and supervising the kids, but they definitely collaborated on important things.
I wonder which model Karl and I would follow? Stephanie thought, then felt herself blushing that she was even thinking like that. She leapt to her feet.
“Almost time to start dinner. Let’s go out to the greenhouse and make sure the treecats haven’t eaten all the celery, then finish off the cooking.”
Jessica pushed herself to her feet, and gave a lazy stretch. “Sounds good. And while we’re at it, I want to talk college. I’m going to need scholarships, and I wondered if you’d help me research some options.”