The Smoke Ring

“Maybe that’s it.”

“Have you talked to Jill?”

“Minya asked me that. We’ve talked. Why?”

“Yeah. Well.” Mark sometimes had trouble finding words. “Citizens Tree is strange. None of us grew up the way you did. There are adults and children and a big gap in between, so you couldn’t tell much from just watching older children grow up. Maybe there are things we should have said—”

“I know about sex, if that’s what you mean…Maybe I need to know more. Two women have told me to feed the tree. It hurts. What could you have told me about that?”

Mark whistled. “You started young. Well, someone could have said, There’s only one suitable mate for you and there’s only one for Jill in this whole tuft, and she thinks she owns you, and maybe she’s right.’”

Rather let that percolate through his head. “Jill wants to make babies with me? Did she tell you that, or are you guessing?”

“I’m guessing. All I know is, when Instant Chairman Gavving told us you’d gone off with all the wealth of Citizens Tree, Jill was madder than I was, and that took some doing. She wanted you thrown into the sky with no wings. A hundred sleeps later she was sure you’d all be killed and she couldn’t see for crying.”

“I’ll go see her. Where is she?”

“Go easy, stet? You know you can find other mates. Jill doesn’t.”

“I don’t either. Sectry wants no part of me—” He couldn’t say why. Secrets. “And Carlot married someone else. You can’t imagine how bad that was. All the way home, Carlot and Raff. They spent most of their time in Logbearer. It wasn’t any better when I couldn’t see them.”

Mark said, “When nobody wants you in the first place, that’s worse. Trust me.”

“Mark, I’ve gotten very good at lying. I’m trying to stop.”

“Good. Go talk to Jill.”

“Where is she?”

“Everybody’s watching us fire the laundry vat except Jill. I’ve got to go back and see if anything needs doing. Try the miz hut. Then the commons.”

The deep voice hailed him as he entered. “Hello, Jeffer the Scientist. This is Kendy.”

Shouldn’t that have been Kendy for the State? Jeffer said, “Uh-huh. You missed all the excitement.”

“Not all. A large Navy ship is moving toward your position. They’ll reach you in eighty standard days.”

Jeffer took a moment to absorb the shock. He should have known. It wasn’t over; it never would be. There was no going back from the Clump expedition. No going back from knowing about the Admiralty.

He pulled himself forward to the control board. “That gives us some time to talk.”

The square, hard face in the bow window had always lacked expression. It said, “A bad thing happened to me, Jeffer. I learned too much about myself. There was no way I could communicate until now.”

“Lie to me, Kendy. Say there was something wrong with Voice.”

Kendy said, “The glitch was in myself. I think I have it fixed. Machines go bad, Jeffer. I left you a file under HISTORY. It’s selected records from the settling of the Smoke Ring. It explains some of what went wrong. Play it after I’m out of range.”

“Can you tell me about it?”

“No.”

“Your timing was lousy. We thought you’d left Rather for treefodder. If you ever—”

“I can’t talk about it. It hurts my mind. Damage might be permanent. Do you seek vengeance against me?”

The trouble was that Kendy looked and sounded as calm as death. Kendy never showed anger, nor relief, love, pain. It was hard to believe he was hurting…yet he was not a man. Maybe. Maybe.

Jeffer said, “Well, we got home. I assume you got most of it from the log. The earthlife food stopped most of the arguments. Now all the reunited couples are busy making babies. The arguments haven’t gone away, though. They’re just simmering. It won’t help if there’s a Navy ship coming.”

“It’s coming. I couldn’t resolve details of design. There’s alcohol in the exhaust, and it’s coming from the Clump. Definitely Navy. What have you done with the seeds?”

“Seeds? We’ll plant them in the out tuft. Mark’s talking about building an extension to the lift before anything gets ripe enough to pick.”

“Cut some foliage so the sunlight can reach the plants. I can show you how to use water flow to move the lifts with less effort. You haven’t mentioned the fired mud rocket.”

“That’s nice, isn’t it? We don’t need the Admiralty’s treefeeding pipes.”

“You don’t need me,” Kendy said. He knew the risk he was taking. It was acceptable. “I’ve been looking at records. Most of what can be done with materials from Discipline can also be done with Smoke Ring resources. Lifts, housing, clothing, food, domestic animals. Now rockets. The Admiralty even has a heliograph.”

“No, we don’t need you,” Jeffer said, “but I never thought you’d know it.”

“A bad thing happened to me. I don’t trust my judgment any more. My intention has always been to make a civilization in the Smoke Ring, modeled on the State that shaped your ancestors. The Smoke Ring will never be that. How can I make a State in a place where I can’t even make maps?”

“Would we even like your State? Skip it. What do we do about that ship? I hope Sectry Murphy’s aboard. We’ll get some notion of what they want if Rather talks to her—”

“Hide the CARM in another tree. Tear out the dock too, or put the ceramic rocket there. Show them that. It’s not advanced, but it doesn’t need starstuff resources. It may impress them. Keep the CARM ma

“I won’t burn them!”

“One way, then. You can’t ignore the Admiralty. You’d really like to join as officers. You may have to show them the CARM before they’ll listen to that. Demand officer status, but they may settle for giving it to just the Chairman and Scientist—”

Jeffer laughed. “For a man who doesn’t trust his own judgment, you certainly—”

“I think fast. I plan fast. I make mistakes.”

“Anything else?”

“Mark might want to join the Navy. Sound him out. See if the Navy perso

“Yes, but she’s also pregnant and happy. I’m not sure I want to fiddle.”

“I’m almost out of range. Back in two days. The code is HISTORY. Tell nobody of what you are about to learn.”

“K—”

“Unless in your judgment it would be beneficial.”

Kendy had never talked like this. “Stet.”

The face faded. Jeffer didn’t move for some time. Finally he tapped the white button. “Prikazyvat Voice.”

“Hello, Jeffer the Scientist.”

“Link to the pressure suit.”

“Done.”

“This is Jeffer calling anyone. Anyone home?”

“Hello? Scientist?” It was Jill’s voice.

“I want to talk to my wife.”

“I’ll get her. She’s on the branch.”

That would take most of a day. Jeffer started the HISTORY file and listened to it all the way through. Then he started it again.

Lawri climbed in through the airlock. “I didn’t have anyone but Rather and Jill for a treadmill team. Everybody else is on the branch. Now, what’s all the excitement, Scientist?”

“Prikazyvat Voice. Run HISTORY.”

Dead voices spoke. Discipline’s crew reported the discovery of a weird cosmological anomaly. Some of what followed was familiar from the cassettes. Some was entirely cryptic.

“How long have you had this?” Lawri demanded.

“Kendy only just filed it. I…I’ve been in contact with him since before we left for the Clump.”

Lawri was coldly angry. “That was mutiny! How could you not trust me?”

“I’m trusting you now. Listen.”

They heard a highly formalized quarrel. Some of the participants argued for settling the Smoke Ring; some were for moving on to an u