Smaller segment for going into a weekend. Things get a little odd their next morning and I am still trying to work through the details. Beyond that, I also need to do some research about South America. For ten years and nineteen books, I do not think I mentioned the place once. Mexico gets a little mention in Cursed Hearts and Martian Wonderland, but points south of that? I really have no idea. With the US dead and gone for over a hunderd years, and trade with Western Europe a zero, I suppose I’ll have to extrapolate what places like Brazil, Argentina, and Chile have done to survive.

Saying all that is to imply that updates might be sparce awhile. Plus, I’ll need to focus on the initial editing of our Lemurverse anthology.

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Walking, Pai voiced an hypothesis.  “The two we talked to were Canadians, not that there are such things anymore.  Recall this was an administrative center for their occupied former US Midwest.  With their nation now gone, I suspect they were desperate to believe in anything.  Or anyone.”

“Has Ildi ever even been here?” he asked as he let her steer them to the north.  A sign with an arrow said “Helmke Library.”  Oh, she seeks signal like she found in Madison.

“Not according to any records I had before stepping off of Caper,” she said with a small head tilt, as if hearing something.  She moved them to the northeast.  Even with very few people there, likely students or teachers, everyone looked at them.  “I want access to classified records, if a certain someone allows it.”

The latter change in her talk was for the group of four young men passing the other direction just yards from them.  Close enough to the library’s main entrance, she stopped again.

“Nothing,” she said.  “Odd.  Hmm…”

“Yes?”

“Thinking about the kind of people who were here for two generations.  Not just Canadians, per se, but anyone in this town, Trudeau, was a part of the hard-core faction.” They turned left and went west, around another building to where was a single-story with several outbuilding.  Graf considered the sign, “Campus Police,” as she suddenly tightened the grip on his hand.

“I was correct:  they cared more about control than knowledge, even on a campus.  I’ve punched through their Walls and am speaking with Aurie.  Please be quiet for a moment.”

“We should at least turn around and hug or something,” he said, ignoring her, “or else we look suspicious as all get-out.”

Pai tugged his lips down to hers for about a quarter minute before breaking away from him.

“We shall now, as you said, go to ground for the night.” A blink of her wonderful red eyes.  “Much walking tomorrow, Husband Graf, and I want you rested.”

“Where will we be going?”

“Lots of places.  The empress has many questions.  Come, I think I know a good place to bed down.”

“Yes, Dear.”

She squeezed back into his side for that as they followed a winding path not that far north into a copse of trees.  They set out their bed rolls, he ate a little and took water.  Lying down, she was still close next to him.  I’m older Pai does not sleep; she could have this entire campus scouted by morning, but here she is.  My wife.  He leaned over and held her.