Free Tomorrow’s Heritage by Juanita Coulson

present, pleading in his manner. “You think I enjoy compromising, lying? It’s the goal that counts. I can make it up to you, and to Mari, once I get where I’m going.”
    “I’ve heard that one before, somewhere,” Todd said, hurting for himself and Pat and the victims. He reached for the key, intending to use manual cutoff to avoid further heartache. “I’ll believe it when it happens. If I’m going to catch my window for Goddard, I’ll have to leave—”
    “Todd! Wait!” Jael broke in, staying his hand. “You’re mad because we couldn’t tell you. Forgive us. We apologize. We truly do.” A muscle twitched along Pat’s jaw-line, but he didn’t contradict her. “Whatever we have to do to make it up, we will. To you and Mari. Bring her home. I’m begging you.” Her voice shook. Todd wanted to touch her, console her, as she said, “I couldn’t bear it if she missed yet another of Ward’s birthday memorials. We didn’t time things this way. It wasn’t deliberate. It just happened. Please! Believe us!”
    “I’ll . . . I’ll try.”
    “Promise!”
    “Mother, it’s not that simple. I said I’ll try. What happens depends on Mari’s reaction to Pat’s speech. It’s not exactly the sort of send-off I wanted.” Again he wanted to reach out to them, regretting the life styles and the distances that separated them. There were some things he couldn’t express with a word or even a look. “I’ve really got to go now. And Pat, Mother—don’t call Mariette. Let me smooth her feathers. If you call her, you’ll probably make things worse. Just trust me on this.”
    Pat raised his hand in an oath. “Okay, kid. No calls. Just tell her . . . tell her I miss the brat. Will you do that?”
    “Yes. I’ll tell her.” Todd broke the connections before they could say anything more. He wanted to hold onto the moment of affection they had shared toward the end of the three-way conversation. The screen returned to the media channels. He saw Pat moving away from the terminal, the busty blonde closing in and taking his arm again, squirming close as Pat shook hands with P.O.E. officers and the others gathered in the lounge. Jael was doing the same, on a lesser scale. She and Carissa, bodyguards in tow, guarded as Pat was, circulated through the happy crowd.
    “Your mother is something impressive,” Dian said softly. “She’s a fighter. Special. Like . . .” She didn’t finish. Her grandmother had meant a great deal to the language tech. Her loving memories were mingled with an almost worshipful awe.
    “Pat’s looking haggard. He’s not sleeping well. He looks worse than any time I can remember since Dad’s funeral,” Todd said. “His makeup experts must be frantic. He’s making it tough for them to pretty him up for the cameras.”
    “He’s older than he was when your dad died, by eleven years, and under lots more stress.”
    Todd sighed again and looked at his already-assembled luggage, wishing he hadn’t been so efficient. If he hadn’t packed during the night-rotation duty period, he would have some mindless activity to occupy him now. “Jael knew,” he said bitterly. “She knew. Pat told her, but not me. I doubt he even told ‘Rissa. So much for pillow talk. Jael’s his political bedfellow, not little Carissa. He owes Jael, and she won’t let him forget it. I see he’s starting to yank at the bit, though. I thought he owed me, too, but obviously not. I haven’t bought him a hundredth of the votes Jael has.” He paused, then remarked with wonder, “He’s really going to make it. The Chairmanship of Protectors of Earth. My brother. It doesn’t seem possible. Jael’s going to make him Un-crowned king of the world or die trying . . .”
    He flinched at his own words. No. Jael wasn’t going to die. It wouldn’t happen again. They wouldn’t let it. There was a preservement chamber waiting for her in SE Antarctic Enclave if she fell ill or was hurt. They had never had a chance