her
hand in and brought out one of the dark chocoberry treats. "Thank you.
Where did you find these?"
"I always bring a supply with me.
They're my only bad habit."
She
didn't buy that for a minute. Gabriel unwrapped a sweet as if it were a
rare treasure, then placed it in his mouth. His expression left no
doubt about his extreme enjoyment as he savored the chocoberry slowly
melting in the heat of his mouth. Shara felt as if she were a voyeur
and he were performing a very private act. Dragging her gaze away from
him, she ate the piece she had chosen for herself. It was good, but not
that good.
"I'm glad you decided to end the silent treatment,"
Gabriel said when he finished his chocoberry. "We do need to go over
your plans."
Shara started to correct him about why she had
shown up
at his door, but realized her desire to have a confrontation with him
had melted along with the chocoberry. For a few minutes, at least, she
wanted to continue the peaceful mood he was attempting to establish.
Discussing her specific plans was a sure way of destroying that mood,
particularly since she had
no intention of including him in them. If she was aware that any
information she could glean from him could be helpful. She decided to
see if she could get him talking instead of the other way around.
"From
what I've read about the time of the rebellion, the insurgents were
scattered over the planet, but at the end, the leaders all gathered in
First Province to rise against the Ruling Tribunal. Obviously, I'm
hoping to hit that time period."
"Hoping?" Gabriel asked,
carefully watching Shara's eyes for clues.
"Yes,
hoping. Lantana had not perfected the tempometer. I can program it for
the year I want, but, according to his notes, I may end up as much as a
century off. I'm counting on the theory that there are eddies and flows
in time, and certain events—those with historical significance—have a
stronger pull than other times."
"If you're right, there
shouldn't
be a problem. Nothing in that time period was as significant as the
rebellion and colonization of Innerworld Earth."
They came to
a
small pond and sat down on two smooth boulders. Shara tested the
temperature of the water with her fingers and smiled when a group of
tiny fish rushed to the surface. "Sorry, guys, all we have is sweets."
After a moment, she returned her attention to Gabriel. "I've been
reading about that era, but I'd appreciate anything you could tell me
that might help prepare me."
Ferrine had told Shara that
Gabriel
spent very little time lecturing, but it was immediately apparent that
he enjoyed it. With no further encouragement on Shara's part, he shared
his knowledge and love for the past. Rather than the sort of dry
dissertation she remembered from some of the professors of history she
had had in the academy, Gabriel made the past come alive for her.
He
described the fears of the Noronian leaders as the shortage of energy
began to threaten their way of life and the renewed hopes for a glowing
future after the discovery of volterrin in Terra's core. Likewise, he
gave her an insight into the motivations of the rebels. The fuel crisis
had given them a golden opportunity to spread their views and gather
followers, despite the fact that they had previously been considered
fanatics.
"The leaders of the movement called themselves
Friends and
preached a return to the old ways, before technology removed the
challenge of survival from their lives. In their minds, this also meant
a return to the time when there was no Ruling Tribunal or central
planetary government. They wanted to give the people more freedom by
putting the power back into the individual provinces. Naturally those
leaders were ready to take control of the new local governments to
ensure harmony.
"By the time the crisis ended, the Friends had
gone
from dreaming of change to believing they could force their wishes on
the population. Despite the fact that peace and
hand in and brought out one of the dark chocoberry treats. "Thank you.
Where did you find these?"
"I always bring a supply with me.
They're my only bad habit."
She
didn't buy that for a minute. Gabriel unwrapped a sweet as if it were a
rare treasure, then placed it in his mouth. His expression left no
doubt about his extreme enjoyment as he savored the chocoberry slowly
melting in the heat of his mouth. Shara felt as if she were a voyeur
and he were performing a very private act. Dragging her gaze away from
him, she ate the piece she had chosen for herself. It was good, but not
that good.
"I'm glad you decided to end the silent treatment,"
Gabriel said when he finished his chocoberry. "We do need to go over
your plans."
Shara started to correct him about why she had
shown up
at his door, but realized her desire to have a confrontation with him
had melted along with the chocoberry. For a few minutes, at least, she
wanted to continue the peaceful mood he was attempting to establish.
Discussing her specific plans was a sure way of destroying that mood,
particularly since she had
no intention of including him in them. If she was aware that any
information she could glean from him could be helpful. She decided to
see if she could get him talking instead of the other way around.
"From
what I've read about the time of the rebellion, the insurgents were
scattered over the planet, but at the end, the leaders all gathered in
First Province to rise against the Ruling Tribunal. Obviously, I'm
hoping to hit that time period."
"Hoping?" Gabriel asked,
carefully watching Shara's eyes for clues.
"Yes,
hoping. Lantana had not perfected the tempometer. I can program it for
the year I want, but, according to his notes, I may end up as much as a
century off. I'm counting on the theory that there are eddies and flows
in time, and certain events—those with historical significance—have a
stronger pull than other times."
"If you're right, there
shouldn't
be a problem. Nothing in that time period was as significant as the
rebellion and colonization of Innerworld Earth."
They came to
a
small pond and sat down on two smooth boulders. Shara tested the
temperature of the water with her fingers and smiled when a group of
tiny fish rushed to the surface. "Sorry, guys, all we have is sweets."
After a moment, she returned her attention to Gabriel. "I've been
reading about that era, but I'd appreciate anything you could tell me
that might help prepare me."
Ferrine had told Shara that
Gabriel
spent very little time lecturing, but it was immediately apparent that
he enjoyed it. With no further encouragement on Shara's part, he shared
his knowledge and love for the past. Rather than the sort of dry
dissertation she remembered from some of the professors of history she
had had in the academy, Gabriel made the past come alive for her.
He
described the fears of the Noronian leaders as the shortage of energy
began to threaten their way of life and the renewed hopes for a glowing
future after the discovery of volterrin in Terra's core. Likewise, he
gave her an insight into the motivations of the rebels. The fuel crisis
had given them a golden opportunity to spread their views and gather
followers, despite the fact that they had previously been considered
fanatics.
"The leaders of the movement called themselves
Friends and
preached a return to the old ways, before technology removed the
challenge of survival from their lives. In their minds, this also meant
a return to the time when there was no Ruling Tribunal or central
planetary government. They wanted to give the people more freedom by
putting the power back into the individual provinces. Naturally those
leaders were ready to take control of the new local governments to
ensure harmony.
"By the time the crisis ended, the Friends had
gone
from dreaming of change to believing they could force their wishes on
the population. Despite the fact that peace and
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