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Book 2: Chapter 27: Luke Returns
Book 2: Chapter 27: Luke Returns
Book 2: Chapter 27: Luke Returns
Bob
March 2178
Delta Eridani
I walked through the village VR, watching the activity. There had been improvements in the six years since I’d been kicked out. I had enough hidden cameras and camouflaged drones around the village now to feed a real-time VR. No more recorded scenes.
Archimedes had finally started taking my tent design seriously. A few other couples copied the result, and now there were a half-dozen pretty good facsimiles of teepees scattered through the village. It was the dry season, but once the rains started up again, I expected this innovation to increase in popularity.
I was trying to ignore a couple engaging in some very public displays of affection when I received a ping. From Luke!
I responded and he popped in. “Hey, Bob. Long time.”
I grinned and slapped him on the shoulder. “Luke! Good to see you, buddy.”
Luke appeared momentarily surprised. We’ve never been physically demonstrative like that. In fact, Original Bob was a little standoffish in terms of physical contact. Luke got over it quickly, though, and grinned back at me. “I just went through the whole surprise-visit-by-Bill thing. Apparently it’s a standard hazing ritual.”
I laughed. “Oh, yes. I went through it, too. You don’t expect a VR link across light years, and I notice that Bill’s transmitted plans still don’t mention the possibility. So, where are you right now?”“Kappa Ceti. And before you say it, Bill already gave me crap about not picking up his transmissions right away.” Luke materialized a coffee, waited while Spike sniffed his hand, and then turned back to me. “I’ve spent the last several minutes reading blogs. Lots has been happening, apparently.”
I nodded, knowing he would have caught up on events with the Deltans first thing. “What have you found, out your way?”
“A super-Earth.” Luke shrugged. “Absolutely not suitable for colonization. Gravity just over 3G, but a full-on ecosystem. I’ve been having fun cataloguing things. And I’ve started another load of Bobs.”
Luke stopped talking as Archimedes came into the VR area, his son trailing him. Buster was almost as tall as his father, and not showing any sign of slowing down. Archimedes had filled out as he reached full adulthood and wasn’t looking at all bookish any more. The two of them together made a formidable team.
They were carrying bows and had quivers on their backs. Each was carrying some kind of small game, sort of a wild turkey analogue, freshly killed.
Luke turned to me. “Bows and arrows? Wow, dude. Moving things right along.”
I waved a hand in dismissal. “Sooner or later the hippogriffs will find them again. I want them to be ready.”
Luke nodded and materialized a La-Z-Boy. “Good to be back. This looks like fun. Where’s Marvin?”
“He took off a few years ago, right after I got kicked out of Camelot. He keeps in touch, though.”
“Cool. I’ll look him up when I have a moment. Heard from Bender?”
I shook my head. “No, and I have no idea why. One of my clones has followed his flight plan, and should be able to report something in a year or two.”
Luke nodded. I materialized the couch and coffee table setup and got comfortable. There’s always time to get caught up with old friends.