Tana expected someone to stop her, and she had the feeling Sally expected the same thing. However, everyone had gone silent and still. When Tana was within a yard of the woman, Sally screamed and stumbled backward, falling on her ass.
"I have a plan," Tana said as she stood over the panicked woman. Her voice remained unnaturally calm. "How about this? You go out and check on the validity of the were yourself --"
"I will never leave Mother Earth! I will not travel with colonists --"
"Then we'll compromise," Councilor Jakeville said as she moved up by Tana. The woman looked formidable, and even Sally went silent. "You will come with me on an earth ship with no colonists aboard."
"You can't trust these people! Colonists! And look at their weapons. It is illegal --"
"The rifles have no power, as you well know," Marka replied and with just a touch more annoyance than the rest of them, except maybe for Tana. "You were the one who ordered the power cores removed."
"I did no such thing!"
"I recorded the meeting," Tom said and handed his pocket comp over to Councilor Jakeville.
"And why should we trust you?"
"He's my son."
Tana could almost see the woman's brain do a reset.
"I won't leave Mother Earth --"
"So, you don't care about the world enough to go make your own study of the situation? That's what you think of Mother Earth?" Jakeville looked down at the woman with a show of disdain that was not lost on the others. "I am going out to examine the situation. I do believe in the aliens, but I will not let that blind me. We can't know until we see the truth."
"I agree," Captain Dundas said. She came close enough to put a hand on Tana's arm, probably to keep her from doing anything stupid now. Tana had the feeling both she and Sally had been maneuvered into this confrontation. It had been a perfect setup, and right there in front of all the reporters, too.
Sally glared. She finally got back to her feet, though, and tried to stare them down. The Councilor was not cowed, and Tana ... well, she had faced aliens in ships and face-to-face. A bad-tempered Earther was just an annoyance.
Besides, there was the realization that she would not have to travel with Sally, which improved her mood. She'd been crazy to even suggest it. The Councilor had probably saved Sally's life. The woman would not have survived, and Tana would never have dared come back to Mother Earth.
So there would have been an upside.
"We'll discuss our plans," the Councilor said with a nod for Sally to join her. "You won't have much time to prepare."
Sally made a slight sound of protest and had a touch of panic on her face. Jakeville, her guards, and her son went off with an increasingly loud Sally. Tana watched with much gratitude when they entered a lift, and the sound disappeared.
"Good God, that woman is --" Captain Dundas stopped with a slight glance at the reporters. "Loud. She is loud."
No one argued.
"Can we go home now?" Lisel asked.
"Not quite yet, but things will be better now. We are close to certain that all the terrorists have been rounded up. The damage, despite all the bombs and shooting, was minimal."
"Good," Krisin said. "I would hate to see such a historical building badly damaged."
Lisel and Tana hit him. He laughed.
They had rooms in the hotel that night, food catered to their rooms the next day, and visits from various authorities, always accompanied by a Belgium guard. Captain Dundas even came to see Tana.
"You shouldn't be up on that leg," Dundas said when she let the Captain into her room.
"I don't let the door open until I confirm who is there," she said and crossed to settle in a chair. The Captain did not follow. "What is the problem now?"
"The President of the Earth Council will be here in a couple hours."
"President Stephenson, here."
"Yes. Do I need to tell you to behave?"
"Hey, I haven't killed anyone yet," Tana reminded her.
"Under the circumstances, I think I'll recommend you for a medal. But here is the deal. If you stay polite and out of trouble through the president's visit, I'll give you a reward."
"Reward?" she asked with some suspicion.
"Two weeks of ski lessons."
"So I can throw myself down the sides of mountains?"
"Yes."
"Excellent. I'll do my best."
"I'm sending up your dress uniform. The three of you are going to look professional. By God, these damned Earthers are going to respect you if I have to personally kick it into their little brains."
And with that, the Captain left.
So they made it through an impromptu state dinner where no one even insulted Krisin. The reporters were far more polite with armed guards around, and Sally had not been invited.
President Stephenson thanked them each by name, including Captain Dundas. They were not required to do more than say thank you in return. The food was excellent, and it turned out to be the best part of their visit so far.
The next day, Lisel went off to lounge on an island beach where Tana and Krisin would join him later. Tana felt odd about Lisel going off by himself. She wasn't sure if she mistrusted him or everyone else. Maybe both.
Krisin taught her how to properly throw herself down the side of mountains. He was popular, too, and she thought he might be doing good for their image.
Tana thought she would regret leaving the mountains, but one afternoon on a secluded island beach changed her mind.
Maybe Mother Earth wasn't so bad. Perhaps even some time away from the war and their fighter was a good idea, too.
She felt more human for it.
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