The Moons and their Orbits

The moons hung in the sky like fantastic ornaments, full and bright. The two celestial spheres reflected onto the white-sand beach, creating a mystical world of pearly light and shadow. The Lesser Moon was high in the sky, almost over head, while the Greater Moon balanced on Toplofty Peak, the highest of the Last-Step Mountains.

It was high summer, the hottest they had known since they established Roanoke Colony. The sand was almost too hot to walk on during the day; the air was humid and heavy. A heat wave had set in, slowing their work, but not halting it. The only comfortable part of the day was now, in the cool of the night.

They came to the beach with hand-woven blankets and spread them on the cooling sand. They brought baskets of food and bottles of wine, and relaxed by moonlight to the gentle sound of the waves lapping the shore. They came in twos and threes, as families and friends, to spend the night at the shore.

Three small children ran and laughed along the sea's gentle edge. Another child crawled on a blanket, while an infant was held tightly in arms. The older children, so close to being adults themselves, sat with their elders. There was laughing and a song or two. Someone brought a homemade ball and an impromptu game of soccer filled the beach.

During the day, there was always something to worry about, something that needed to be built or tended. But in the night, there was nothing that needed to be done, no task waiting, nothing but the comfort of the gentle cool breeze blowing off the ocean, nothing that needed to be considered beyond the moons and their orbits.

* * * *

"Not again," Danziger muttered, sitting up in bed. The room was stuffy and hot; the sheets on the bed were moist with sweat. He had thrown a blanket over the window to keep out the sun, but it didn't help much with the heat. He glared around the room and picked up his shirt. He pulled it on with one quick movement and then walked across the room to the makeshift fan that stood motionless in the doorway. He kicked it once, toppling it. He jerked the cord out of the outlet and banged his way out of the building and into the compound.

The sunlight blinded him for a moment. He pulled his sunglasses out of his pocket and put them on before continuing. The grass was crisp and brown; the heat rising from it created little waves in the air. He could feel the sun's rays beating down on him as he made his way to the tool shed. When he opened the door, a wall of heat hit him. He stepped back, letting the only slightly cooler outside air fill the hot little building, before he entered. He stayed for only a minute, picking up the necessary tools before heading toward the Great House.

When he entered the Great House he realized how quiet everything had been. All of the activity that was usually reserved for the compound had found its way into the noisy main hall.

Amelia, Sarah and Hugh screamed and ran toward him when he entered. He instinctively held the fan out of the way, and flinched slightly when he saw the reason for their activity. A huge black spider was chasing them. The creature cornered them momentarily, and then the children turned the game around and started chasing it. Even though the spider had been around for over a year, Danziger couldn't help but feel a little 'creeped-out' by the arachnid.

Yale and True sat by the unlit fireplace, casually going over a lesson. Morgan and Bess were discussing something while Bess rocked their newborn child, Jennifer, in the wooden bassinet. Denner was trying to find a way to hold little Robbie so that she wouldn't actually have to touch his hot skin. Alonzo lazily watched the other children run about the room. Cameron and Baines were apparently trying to sleep on a pair of benches in the room. All around them droned mechanical fans.

"Hey!" Alonzo said, "You brought another fan! You are a lifesaver."

John shook his head. "Sorry, this one conked out. I came here to fix it. I thought it would be quiet in here."

Alonzo shrugged. "Yeah, well, you can't have everything. Hugh! Don't step on Stanley."

"His name is Skippy!" Amelia said, pointing at the spider.

"It's Stanley," Morgan interjected, and shook his head. "She wanted to name the baby Skippy, now she's trying to name everything Skippy."

Danziger couldn't help but think that the spider would still be just as disgusting, no matter what it was called. "Aren't you all supposed to be asleep right now?"

"Trying to!" Baines said suddenly, obviously not asleep. He glared at Amelia and the rest before he threw an arm over his eyes.

The children came to a halt and said as one, "Sorry, Uncle Baines!"

"Who can sleep in this heat?" Alonzo said. "We figured if we combined our resources, we might actually be able to cool off this room. Of course, it doesn't help to have these hooligans running around, but who can stop them?"

Danziger nodded and set the fan down with his tools. He carefully worked to fix the machine. It was made from the pieces of half a dozen different devices, and functioned only with a definite amount of luck. He worked for several minutes, reconnecting the temperamental wiring of the machine. As he tinkered with the machine, he wished that Devon were here too. He always felt best when she was nearby.

Hugh suddenly ran to his father, and Alonzo scooped the boy up in his arms and flung him into the sky. "How's Daddy's big boy?" he said as the boy laughed.

Amelia and Sarah went to Jenny's crib and petted her softly. Each one of them was a small replica of Bess, with their brown curly hair and beautiful little faces. Amelia looked up from the baby and said, "Skippy's smiling at me!"

Robbie was saying "Baa! Baa!" over and over again. Denner was trying to change it to "Maa!" but Robbie seemed content with the syllable he had chosen. Denner put him on the ground, but he instantly put up a fuss, so she had to pick him up again.

Danziger looked over at True. She looked so much like her mother now. He remembered when she was small, as tiny as little Jennifer. As he watched the children playing in the room, he thought again about the promise he had made to Devon. He would wait until the colony ship arrived before he would marry her. He had been waiting for five years now.

The Colony Ship had been lost for so long, it seemed strange to go on believing it would come. Danziger watched Morgan as Bess handed Jenny to him. Morgan tucked the baby up against himself and rocked her gently. The other children stood on either side of their father, marveling at the novelty of a little sister. Morgan turned the baby so that the elder girls could get a better view. Danziger had to laugh, he never expected Morgan to be such a good father to his girls.

Morgan still looked for the ship every day. Much of the work he had done for over four years had to be rebuilt, because, as everyone knew, the scan-log memory had been dumped last year. Of course, that meant that Morgan had to start from scratch. Danziger understood that searching for one ship in the vastness of space was like looking for a needle in a haystack, like looking for one grain of sand on the beach. He didn't want to wait another four years.

And what guarantee did they have that the ship was still out there? Devon constantly assured everyone that they ship would be found, and yet there was still no proof that it still existed.

Danziger fastened the back plate onto the fan and looked for a power source to plug it into. He found one and started up the fan. The machine started crankily, and then ran surely, adding a new breeze to the room. He sat back in the moving air and sighed.

* * * *

It was too hot to think. Devon leaned against the computer as she ran a soft cloth over her forehead. Too hot to think, too hot to sleep. She shut down the computer and decided to find something else to do. Yale had said that the weather should be changing any day now. The sooner the better, she thought. She pulled her sunglasses on and headed out the door, into the bright sunlight. She first looked around to see if she could see any sign of Danziger. She saw no one. So, she headed quickly across the compound to the new hospital, which was now over two years old.

Julia was working at her office, a noisy fan stirring up the air in the room. She looked up when Devon entered. "So how's the sunburn?" the doctor asked.

Devon touched her shoulders gingerly. "I think it's getting better. I could use some more of that lotion."

Julia nodded and pulled a canister down from the shelf. "Stay out of the sun," she advised with a grin. She scooped a cup of the lotion out of the large container and dumped it into a smaller one. "Just what the doctor ordered. Part jelly-fish-jelly, part cactus milk, and a few other things you probably wouldn't want to know about."

"Thanks," Devon said and sat down. "I just wish I could get some sleep. I am thinking I might not join the rest of you at the beach tonight."

"Oh Devon, it is the only decent part of the day right now. What fun would it be to sleep through it?" Julia said. "The weather is about to turn in any case." Julia opened a drawer on her desk and pulled out a container of preserved fruit. "Hungry?"

Devon nodded and took some of the offered fruit, and the two women ate quietly for a moment. Julia said, "I think the boys are almost finished with the final bunk-house. Once they can get out and do some real work, they should be done with it. We will be all set for the Colony ship now. If it ever comes, that is."

"It won't be long," Devon said off-handedly.

"Yeah," Julia sighed, "That's what we keep telling ourselves. I know I've said it before, but do you really think this has all been worth while? I mean, we have spent so much time and effort creating housing for people who might not even come?"

"We must be ready." Devon replied, "There are over 250 families aboard that ship. What would they do if there weren't a place for them? What would happen to them if they stepped foot on this planet and there was not enough room to house them? We were supposed to have CargoPods that were filled with building materials. It should have been easy."

Julia nodded, "You don't have to tell me. If everything went as planned, we would have landed near here and welcomed the Colonists two years later. We would have had everything we needed at our fingertips to build a city." Julia shook her head. "Not a single thing went the right way." Julia stretched in her seat, "You've said again and again that they are still coming. What gives you that confidence?"

"They will come. It is the reason we are here and we can't give up on them." Devon looked at her for a moment, as if she wanted to say something, but instead reached for another piece of fruit. "We just have to be ready, that's all."

"You are always so confident." Julia had to laugh, "I mean, if you can keep Morgan in the CommDish for five years, looking for that ship, you must have abilities far beyond my own."

"He's easy enough to handle if you have the right carrot to dangle in front of him" Devon responded.

"And, I never thought we'd get all the buildings completed. It's a miracle really."

"A miracle..." Devon said, trailing off. "A miracle is what we need."

"Hmmm?" Julia said, "What did you say?"

Devon smiled at her, "A miracle. We could always do with a little bit of that."

Julia couldn't help but think that there was something else going on, but Devon wasn't offering any more information, and Julia had learned through their long association, that if Devon didn't want to talk, there was nothing to be done about it.

***

"It's too damn stinking hot," Morgan complained as he headed across the compound to his house. He carried a fan in one hand and stiffly walked with his cane in the other.

Danziger walked beside him. "I couldn't agree with you more."

Morgan smirked, "What, you actually agree with me about something?"

"Every once a millennium it happens," Danziger said with a straight face. Bess had sent him to help Morgan get the fan installed again once they reached the CommDish. The dry grass was loud beneath their feet as they walked, and Stan the spider followed them noisily.

When they reached the metal structure, Danziger could feel the heat radiating from it. "You can't honestly tell me that you are going in there," he said.

Morgan frowned and handed the fan to John. "Well, I gotta do a check four times a day. Not much I can do about getting out of that. Just set up the fan so I can get this done."

The main door to the electronics bay had been left open, but the air inside was still stifling. John stepped in quickly, knelt down to the low outlet and hooked up the fan. When he re-emerged, the spider was sitting on Morgan's shoulder. Danziger jumped at the sight. "Geez, that thing gives me the creeps. I gotta say, Martin, it surprises the hell out of me that you let that thing around your kids all the time."

"It's just Stan," Morgan said. "He wouldn't hurt anybody. He's our watch dog, or watch-spider." He started to limp to the doorway.

"I'd suggest you wait a bit before you go in, otherwise you'll cook your brains a bit more than they are already."

"Ha ha, a laugh riot." Morgan stopped his progress and leaned against the side of the building for a moment, but straightened almost immediately when he realized how hot the metal was. "Ow!" He leaned against his cane and glared at the building. "That's just marvelous."

The relationship between the two men had changed significantly over the past years. Danziger was not the type of man to hate anyone, but his feelings toward the liaison were awfully close to that at first. Now, a strange relationship had developed. Although they never sought out each other's company, and their conversations were often short if not a little insulting, but they had become used to each other.

"So, how's Bess doing?" Danziger said, trying to make small talk.

"Oh, she's incredible. I can't believe that one week ago, I mean, she's giving birth and today she's up and around like that's the most natural thing on earth!"

"Three kids, Morgan. I can't believe YOU have three kids."

"I think Bess wants to populate the planet." He said, "It's pretty good though, huh? Three."

"Yeah, pretty damn amazing if you ask me," Danziger returned.

"Still, it's pretty tough though, you know. Seeing all that pain she has to go through when the baby is born." Morgan shook his head, "It's awful to see someone you love so much in that kinda pain. I keep telling her that we shouldn't have anymore kids. I think I might have finally convinced her of that, but you never know. I never want to see Bess suffer anything." Morgan rested his hand against the structure, and pulled it away quickly again.

"So, you honestly think you are going to do any good by going into that oven today?" Danziger asked.

Morgan shrugged, "Well, I should be finding it pretty soon now."

"What makes today any different than the thousand or so other days that have already gone by?"

Morgan considered this for a moment, then shook his head. "I don't know. I guess it's just gotta be close to the right time." He stepped suddenly into the still hot room. "I'll see you later. I got some work to do." The spider on his shoulder waved its eye-stalks at Danziger as the liaison disappeared into the room.

Danziger shook his head, then turned and headed back to the Great House. He would pick up his own fan and head home. Maybe he would be able to get some sleep now.

* * * *

Devon sat in the Cook House. She had just pumped a liter or so of water, and was enjoying its coolness. The door suddenly opened and Uly walked in, bleary eyed and yawning. "Hi, Mom," he said groggily. He made his way to the pump, and filled a container, which he splashed over his face immediately.

"Uly, don't make a mess," Devon said quietly.

Uly just grinned at her. "Come on, Mom, it's almost dried up already." He pumped another container of water and carried it with him. "So, you couldn't sleep either, huh?"

"A few cat naps, but that's about it," Devon responded. "And how about you?"

The boy shrugged, "Oh, you know me, Mom. I could sleep through anything." He sat down beside her and the two of them drank the cool water. Uly stood suddenly. "There's a bunch of people up at the Great House. I hear they got all the fans going in there. Let's see if it's any cooler."

Mother and son walked between the two buildings. The Cook House and the Great House were only about two meters apart, separated by a thin strip of hard packed earth. It was noticeably cooler in the main hall, but the air was still uncomfortably warm. The first thing they saw was a pile of sleeping children. The four were a twist of arms and legs, oblivious of the heat. Other Advancers were asleep on the benches and tables in the room. Only True, Bess and Jenny were awake.

"Oh, just about everyone's asleep," Uly said unhappily. "That's not any fun."

"Hi, Uly," True said, and then turned to Devon. "You just missed my dad."

Devon frowned, and considered going back out to find him, but couldn't think of a good excuse for leaving the coolish hall.

Devon sat down beside Bess. "So, how is the newest member of the colony."

"Fit as a fiddle and ready for love." Bess said, "She's doing fine. I don't think she minds the heat at all."

Devon just shook her head. She still found it hard to believe that Bess had given birth to three children since they arrived at Roanoke Colony five years ago. If they were back on the stations, she could have been put on trial for recklessly increasing the population. She would have been looked down upon by everyone and forced from the public eye. Yet here she was, with daughter number three, just as happy and content as ever.

Giving birth with only natural remedies at hand. Devon wondered how she could do the same. So much time had passed already. There would still be time though, if all went well. There had been no sign of the Syndrome among the new children, as if the planet had cleansed them of any trace of that horrible disease. There would still be time. John would wait. It was the only way.

* * * *

Danziger abandoned his plan to return to his home when he saw Mazatl, Walman and Magus huddled under the windmill tower. "So what's up?" he asked as he approached.

"It's not working," Walman said, irritated. "How are we supposed to get water into the fields and to the animals if the pump isn't working?"

Danziger sighed and looked up at the still blades of the mill. "Isn't the back-up generator working?" he asked.

Magus stood beside the steaming generator. "The thing is just too hot. It gave up."

Danziger set down the fan he was carrying. He pulled a container off the side of the hand pump and said, "I'll cool it down. Can you guys do something constructive?" He motioned to the hand pump on the platform. The three looked at each other, waiting for someone else to move. Finally, Mazatl stepped forward and took the pump handle. It was hot work. He worked the pump for several minutes before anything came out, but soon the pump was gushing. Danziger filled the container and threw the water on the generator. It hissed as the water hit the hot metal. He filled the container several times, watering down the overworked generator. It was ironic that a sun-powered generator could overheat, but it wasn't designed to work in such a stressed atmosphere. After he had doused the generator, he looked up at Mazatl, who was sweating now from the effort. Danziger threw the last container of water at Mazatl.

Mazatl, now dripping wet, stopped pumping and said, "Thanks, I needed that."

Danziger knelt beside the cool generator and dried off the connections with his shirt, and then fired it up. Soon water was flowing out of the well and into the pipes. "Problem solved," Danziger said.

Walman, Magus and Mazatl headed out to complete their chores. They didn't have much to do today, but they couldn't deny the animals or the crops their water.

Danziger looked around. He thought he had heard Devon earlier, but he did not see her now. That was too bad. John picked up his fan and headed back toward his home. Maybe he would be able to get some sleep now.

* * * *

Devon left the Great House with True. She saw a group of people under the windmill tower. Mazatl was operating the pump. Walman and Magus were blocking her view, so she could not see any more. She shouted to them to find out what was going on, but nobody turned. She considered walking over, but True had said that she had something important to talk to her about.

"Why do you think the Colony ship is still coming?" True asked. "I mean, you keep telling everyone that you think it's coming and everyone just kinda believes you. I think they just keep up with the building out of habit." True drew a strand of hair away from her face as she spoke. "Does anyone ever stop and ask why we're still at it?"

"All the time, True," Devon responded.

"And so what do you say?" True asked. "Why are we still working?"

"This is the important discussion that you were talking about?"

"Yeah," she answered, "I know you think I'm just a kid, but I see things. I know that we'd have a lot more fun if we weren't so busy keeping up with this schedule. Why'd we have to have it all done by this summer? What's so important about that?"

"We just had to finish it. We had to be ready for them," Devon answered. "I'm just glad that we are almost done."

True nodded and sighed.

* * * *

Danziger tried to sleep again. The fan was running, stirring the air of the room, making the heat just barely bearable. He could feel himself drifting in and out of sleep. "What a tiresome day," he thought. He heard True enter their house and go to her room. He dozed, listening to the sound of the droning fan. Finally he fell asleep and dreamed.

He dreamed of the cool night and the beautiful fair moons. In his dream, the moons became ships, sailing in a sea of night. He rode on one moon, through the maze of stars, looking for the long lost Colony Ship. He picked up stars as if they were apples, and looked under them. When he set them back down, they made a splashing sound, as if he were throwing them into water. He looked up and saw Devon on the other moon, turned away from him, sailing away. He tried to follow her, but there was nothing he could do to catch her. He was at the mercy of the moons and their orbits.

* * * *

Devon slept. A strident rapping finally woke her. She thought for a moment that Uly would answer the door, but then she remembered that the boy had stayed in the Great House and was probably still sleeping there. She frowned and sat up in bed. After it had taken her so long to fall asleep, it was an annoyance to be awakened.

She pulled on her clothes and walked to the door. When she flung it open, she realized that the sun was setting, and the sky was darkening. Morgan stood in the doorway, about ready to rap again on the door with his cane. "What is it, Morgan." she said, her voice belaying her irritation.

"I got it," he replied. He seemed very agitated.

"What sort of 'it' are you talking about." Devon ran her hand through her sleep-rustled hair.

"The big 'it.' The 'it' I've been looking for the past four years."

Devon's eyes widened, and she pulled him into the house. He stumbled clumsily as she shut the door behind him. "You found the ship?" she said urgently.

Morgan nodded. "Yeah, just picked 'em up. They're on the edge of my range."

"Are they transmitting a designation?"

"Nothing. They are running silent."

She nodded numbly. "Have you made any contact?"

Morgan shook his head. "We boosted the range on the CommDish. We can see them but they can't see us yet."

Devon paced back and forth, and looked back at Morgan. He seemed anxious and a little pale. "Is everything still as it should be? Nothing's out of place?"

Morgan sighed, "I've kept it all just like you told me. I've done everything just like you said," he said nervously. "Nothing has changed. It's all set up." He leaned heavily on his cane, "Now what? What are we going to do? What am I supposed to do now? What now?"

"Keep an eye on them." Outside, the sky was growing dark, but the moons were rising, filling the night with their pale cool light.

* * * *

"Hey, Adair," Danziger said as Devon approached him. "I haven't seen you all day." He took her arm and together they headed toward the beach. "Where have you been hiding?"

She smiled tightly, "I haven't been hiding, exactly," she replied, turning away slightly.

He managed to turn her back toward him and studied her face carefully. "Something's wrong," he concluded.

"Nothing that I didn't expect," she answered mysteriously. They walked over the dunes and onto the white sands. Nearly everyone was there already, enjoying the cool night air. She watched the joyful little children, running about in the darkness, tagging Zero and then running back up the beach. Alonzo took off after the children, and Julia yelled encouragement. Mazatl was spinning Robbie, and Denner was laughing. Magus and Walman had just lain out their blanket and were diving into their picnic basket. Cameron, Yale and Baines were trying to fish. Uly and True were sitting together on a piece of driftwood.

Bess and Morgan were just arriving with little Jenny. Morgan limped slowly and carefully on the shifting sand, and Bess walked unhurriedly beside him. Morgan looked to Devon, but said nothing.

"What's up?" Danziger asked, looking at Devon's pinched face. "Come on, you have to tell me what's going on."

"This may be our last summer here for some time," she answered. "This is all coming to an end."

"What?" Danziger said so sharply that all the activity on the beach stopped.

Devon raised her voice loud enough so that all could here. "There is a ship coming." A thrilled gasp ran through the group; everyone looked to Morgan, who scowled unhappily. Devon continued, "But it is not the Colony Ship. It's a Council Ship."

Everyone was suddenly talking. Walman, Julia and Baines surrounded Morgan demanding to know how he could tell it was a Council ship. Danziger stared at Devon. "What is this all about?" he asked.

"I had a dream," she replied. "About a year after we arrived here I had a dream." Devon looked around at the faces of her people, and her gaze landed on her son. "Uly came to me on the DreamPlane."

"But Mom," Uly protested, "I don't remember doing that."

"I know. You haven't done it yet. And with any luck, you never will." She replied. She met the confused looks of those around her, and then continued. "Uly came to me on the DreamPlane. He was speaking from the future, about ten years from now. Fifteen years from when I first had this dream. He told me that I had to change the future

"You can't change the future." Walman protested. "It doesn't work that way."

"We already have changed it," she nodded slowly. "In the original timeline, we found the Colony ship a little more than one year after we arrived here. It was off course, but we were able to correct its path and bring it to G889. You remember how many buildings we had created in the first year. We barely had enough to house ourselves. In the original history, we brought the colonists to the surface. The Terrians agreed to cure the children. But things went wrong."

She looked up at Danziger, at his puzzled expression. She wished that she didn't have to continue her story, but she steeled herself and spoke again, "There was not enough food, shelter or supplies for everyone. We tried to bring the colonists down in smaller groups, but the politics of the ship had to be considered. Nobody wanted to be the last ones on the ship. Everyone wanted their children brought to the planet immediately. But, not everyone wanted the Terrians to cure their children. Many were afraid. Some refused to even let their children be touched by the Terrians."

Everyone was silently listening to her story. Walman was glancing about at everyone, trying to see what the others were doing. Yale looked dumfounded and surprised. Morgan stared placidly at the ground. Devon said, "There was dissension. The Colonists broke into groups and scattered across the planet. One group moved to Mary's Garden, our old Winter Camp, and tried to find a chemical cure for the Syndrome, using local ingredients. They were successful to some extent, but many of the Syndrome children died."

She paused, and looked up at the largest of the moons, it was so bright and white. She could almost distinguish a face in its collection of craters. The face seemed strangely unemotional and detached. "Then the Council Ship arrived, nearly six years after we first arrived at Roanoke Colony. And when they arrived, they became the Law. Anyone who disagreed with them was punished. The Terrian-cured children were rounded up, and incarcerated. Only the chemically-cured children were allowed any status in the community. Julia was imprisoned. Alonzo worked as hard as he could to try and free her, but she would die there within a few years."

The people on the beach shifted uneasily and Julia looked to Alonzo. Devon began the next part of the story, "There was a rebellion. Many people died. Bess was killed in a demonstration." Morgan encircled his wife in his arms as Devon continued to speak. "Morgan was arrested and executed shortly afterward. Yale, Walman and Magus were jailed for acts against the Council. Many died in the battles that followed. Mazatl and Alonzo were killed trying to defend this stretch of beach. Baines was killed in the highlands. The Council and their forces killed every Grendler and Terrian they could find. Uly went to live with the Terrians, to protect them and this planet. It was all out war."

She met the stunned expressions of the Advancers. They were looking at each other in disbelief. Finally Walman spoke "How can you be sure all of this is true? I mean, maybe you just had a nightmare or something. You're telling me that I am going to die, or maybe I am already dead? This is just too incredible. I don't believe it. Do you have any proof that any of this is going to happen?"

Devon nodded, "Morgan found the Colony ship exactly when Uly said he would."

Everyone looked at Morgan, who continued to tightly hold his wife, who held their child in her arms.

"And this wasn't the first time I have seen Uly in a dream," she looked around at them and continued, "It happened before, during our Winter Camp."

"Now, wait a minute," Danziger cut in abruptly. "Are you telling me that he found the Colony ship four years ago?" he gestured at Morgan. "You trusted him to keep this secret. Him, of all people?"

Devon nodded, "I told Morgan that when he found it, he should not say anything about it. That its location must remain a secret." All she needed to do was tell Morgan that Bess' life was at stake. He complied without question.

"That's why he locked the scan-log!" Denner cried, "Now it makes sense."

Devon nodded. "I decided that the first plan of action was to remove the colonists from the field of battle. We would save the lives of hundreds of people if we were able to deal with the Council on our own. If we were able to fix things, we could finally bring the Colony Ship here when all was right again. And we would be ready for them this time."

Danziger shook his head sharply, "But why all the mystery? I mean, okay, you decided to hide the ship's location and you decided to get Morgan here to do the dirty work for you, but why didn't you tell anyone else? We could have been preparing for this all along." His voice was rising and his expression was hard.

"We have been preparing," Devon answered.

"But, why the mystery?" Danziger shouted, "Why didn't you tell anyone about this? Don't you trust us?" He paced a few steps away from her, and quickly returned, his face red and his hands clenched. "Who do you think you are to do this to us?"

Devon raised her head and looked out over the assembled people. In the low light, everything was black and white. She slowly turned her head back to meet Danziger's eyes. She spoke slowly and calculatedly. "If I told you about this earlier, you may have been able to discover the location of the Colony Ship."

"Yeah, and what about that?" Baines interjected. "What does it matter if we know where it is?"

Again, Devon paused. She sucked in her breath slowly before she could continue, "Because, one of us would go to the Council with this information if they knew it."

"Hold it!" Danziger barked, "First of all, you're crazy if you're saying that someone here would betray this kind of thing, but you're contradicting yourself. If Uly came to you from the future where the Colony ship wasn't hidden, then how would he know that someone would betray the hidden ship?"

Devon looked tired and sick, "I have seen him on the DreamPlane twice now regarding this. First, from the future before the ship was brought to the planet, and then again from the revised future."

"This is ridiculous. None of us would go to the Council." Danziger fumed, as the full implication of what she'd said sunk in. "You trust Morgan before any of the rest of us?"

In the pale light of the moons, Devon sighed, "The council had killed him before any of the information was betrayed. I could trust that he wasn't part of it. Besides, he was the one in charge of the CommDish. It made sense. The fewer people who knew, the better."

Danziger leaned toward her, "Then who is it?" he said, his voice lowered to a growl.

Devon met his eyes and said, "It was you."

The beach exploded with commotion. Everyone was talking. Morgan was heard saying, "You didn't tell me THAT part."

Danziger's jaw dropped, "No," he finally said, "No, never. I would never betray anyone to the Council. Not for anything."

Devon swallowed. "You would do it for your daughter," she said solemnly.

Confused, Danziger turned to his daughter. "True..." he started, but Devon stopped him.

"No, not True. Kate." Devon's face was still and tense, "Our child, Kate." Her eyes never left Danziger's face as she spoke. "They took her and you went to get her back."

"Our child?" Danziger whispered, "We had a child?"

"They gave you no choice," Devon said, "It was her life or the Colony Ship. You gave up the ship to spare your child. The ship was such a nebulous thing, and before you was your daughter. They threatened her life."

Danziger's legs seemed to give way beneath him and he sat down heavily on the sand. "I don't understand."

"That is why we have to wait to marry." Devon knelt down beside him, "That is why we wait."

She tried to find his eyes, but he turned away from her and faced out to the sea. Devon sighed and turned to the others. "We will have to be very careful from now on." She continued, "This is just the beginning. Tomorrow we start a new plan."

Above them the moons were full and bright, but they were already starting to wane. Tomorrow night they would be diminishing. Tomorrow, the wind would change, and the heat wave would break, and everything would be different from then on. The moons continued to orbit the planet, impartial observers of everything that happened.