The Smoke Ring

Clave wondered if he wanted to watch from outside. “Is it dangerous out there?”

“Could be. You don’t want to fall into the flame. Anyway, the view’s better in here.” Jeffer’s fingers danced, and the CARM window sprouted five smaller windows.

“The ventral view got ruined when we fell back into the Smoke Ring—”

“Jeffer, you don’t lecture this much unless you’re nervous. What’s wrong? We’ve moved the tree before.”

Gavving laughed. It appeared that he had a touch of nerves too. “Remember how twitchy we were then? Merril was sure we’d break the tree apart and kill ourselves.”

Clave shrugged. He went aft and braced himself in the airlock.

What remained of the pondlet stretched itself out from the trunk, then broke into one big drop and a line of little ones. The mother pond they’d robbed twenty-two sleeps ago drifted west. The sun passed Voy and began to climb.

A fat triple-fi

Clave went in and strapped down again.

He had been anticipating Lawri’s arrival for some time, but the CARM’s roar covered her entry. He turned to see her halfway up the aisle…and Debby behind her. And Ryllin. And Booce and Carlot. Clave fumbled to release the buckle that bound him to the chair.

It took too long. He was between Jeffer and Gavving, with Lawri behind him. He sighed. “What’s it all about?”

Jeffer’s fingers danced. The board went blank. He said, “We can fight or we can talk. Or we can talk and then fight, but there’s only one»of you. Clave. Cripple me and Lawri flies the CARM.”

Call for help? If he could get past Jeffer to use Voice, the elevator would still take a day to get up…forget it. Voice co

It would have felt good to hit somebody. Clave said, “I’ll be good. Now what’s it all about?”

“We’re going to visit the Admiralty,” Jeffer said.

Rather and Booce were moving things inside: two smoked turkeys, a huge amount of foliage, water pods.

“All of us?”

“Not you. Clave. Lawri’s staying too. Citizens Tree needs a Chairman and a Scientist.”

“How did you decide—”

There was a bit of an edge in Lawri’s voice. “We knew one of us would have to stay. Now I’ve missed my time of blood. I’m hosting a guest. I wondered why the copsik was being so affectionate.”

“You should all be staying. You’re taking the CARM?”

“The CARM, the silver suit, and the pipe from Logbearer.”

They all looked very serious. The background roar prompted Clave to ask, “Are you pla

“We’ll give you a day’s thrust,” Jeffer said. “No more. I won’t be here to decelerate you, and I want to be able to find you again.”

“With what? Would London Tree have let you keep the CARM? The Admiralty won’t either!”

Patiently Gavving said, “We’ve talked that over. We won’t take the CARM into the Clump. They’ll never know it exists. Jeffer will hide the CARM somewhere. The rest of us will go in as loggers, with Booce and Ryllin to show us how.”

Clave’s mind was racing. “Now listen to me. Will you listen?”

“Yes, Chairman.”

“First, are you all volunteers? Rather, how did they suck you into this?”

“They can’t go without the silver suit,” the boy said.

“Oh, they’d go. Wouldn’t you, Jeffer?”

“Yes.”

“I’m going anyway,” Rather said.

He didn’t look like he’d change his mind. Rather didn’t even bother to argue, though the boy was good at that. Clave knew how he would enlist a fourteen-year-old boy. Put him in the silver suit, call him the Silver Man, offer him status and adventure… “Carlot?”

“I’m going home,” the girl said defiantly.

“Debby?” But aglance told Clave he’d lost that battle.

Debby was fiercely happy. He hadn’t seen her like this since the War of London Tree. “What about Anthon?”

Debby said, “I never told him. Jeffer, I did get him talking. He likes Citizens Tree just fine and he doesn’t want any changes. Have you noticed how fat he’s getting?”

“Too bad,” Jeffer said.

Clave said, “Stet. I accept that you’re going to do this. I’ve heard your speeches, and you’ve heard mine, and the treemouth can have them both. But don’t you see that this will tear Citizens Tree apart? It’s mutiny. Hold it! I mean it’s mutiny the way you’ve pla

The mutineers looked at each other.

“Here’s how it’s got to be,” said Clave. “First, I’m going. Gavving isn’t. You said it and you’re right. The tree needs a Chairman and it’s Gavving.”

Gavving said, “That’s silly. You’re—”

“I’m the treefeeding Chairman, and if I go the expedition is official. Besides that, I’ve got to see to it that you return the CARM and the silver suit. The citizens would be crazy to settle for less. I hereby appoint you my Chairman Pro Tem until I return.”

Coolly Gavving asked, “Anything else?”

“Yes. You don’t get both Booce and Ryllin. One of them stays. There has to be some reason for the Serjents to bring us home.”

“We can’t do that,” Ryllin said. “Booce takes care of Logbearer. I take care of business. I do all the buying and selling. Anyone who sees one of us in the Clump will expect to see us both.”

Clave was massaging the lump on his thigh. Sometimes that helped him think. Think! “The citizens you deal with, the…merchants? If they deal with Booce, what will happen?”

Ryllin said, “My husband is very good with machinery, not so good at trading. He did much better after he had the good sense to marry me. But Logbearer understands him, he—”

“Without you they’ll get a better trade?”

“Damn right they will,” Booce said bitterly. Then: “Yes, they will.”

“They’ll like that? They won’t be too curious about where their luck comes from?”

It was Ryllin who nodded. “It’s all right, love. Think of a story. They’ll want to believe it.”

“But we’re missing three daughters too!”

“The house. They must have finished building our house by now. The girls and I are with Logbearer or we’re at the house, wherever you’re not. Maybe I’m somewhere in the Market buying furniture. That was the whole point of this last trip, we were going to — we were—” She turned away suddenly.

Emotional displays weren’t needed here! Clave said, “We’re not hiding anything but the silver suit and the CARM. Otherwise we can tell any story we want. What’s next? Gawing, Lawri, Ryllin, you back each other up when you go back to the tuft. Whoever’s asking, the Chairman had to be talked into this, but I did agree, and I put the fine details in.”

Rather called from aft. “Jeffer, the pipe’s moored to the hull. We’ve got everything else, but it all has to be moored.”

“Go ahead. I’ll check you later. Gawing, are you willing?”

“Treefodder. Well, it’ll probably keep Minyafrom killing me…Clave, will this work? Is it enough?”

“Only if we come back. We come back with the CARM and something else too. It almost doesn’t matter what.”

“Stet. I’m the Chairman Pro Tem.”

Jeffer killed the main motor. “Somebody go out and get our lines untied.”

Rather went. Debby joined Booce aft. They began mooring what remained of the cargo: two big hooks, spare clothing, sacks of undyed cloth, harpoons, crossbows.

Lawri said, “Jeffer, let me show you something.” She eased up next to him and tapped at the controls, whispering. Her shoulder blocked Clave’s view. Clave’s mind still raced, seeking flaws…he was looking for holes in a harebrain net! There was no way to make mutiny smell sweet.