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could.”
    “There are some iffy cases, Marmion went on to say, which is why we have to sort this problem now. Oh, and more Nakatira cubes are on their way.”
    “How does she manage that?” Then Yana waved off the need for an answer. She was only too grateful to get all they could of the useful buildings. They came equipped with all mod cons, as Clodagh called it, and required no special foundations or extra facilities, coming complete with solar heating and sanitary bioconveniences. Their only drawback was a certain characterless sterility, which with a little imagination could easily be imprinted with the individual style of the occupant.
    The cubes were manufactured and distributed by a Japanese known to Marmion, and Yana and Sean suspected she had financial connections there as well. They had arrived in what Bunny called the “niche” of time. Building materials alone were precious on Petaybee, and energy to heat them even more so. The cubes were the perfect answer to provide accommodations for an overwhelmed planet that had never expected so many visitors or the need for such things as hotels, schools, offices, and storage space. One of the first to be placed was the cube that was next to Yana’s old house and provided the couple with office space and occasional living quarters for legitimate visitors. A second was Kilcoole’s school, and others had been placed at the Space Port for essential services and finally for the beginnings of the new hospital. Another cube was now the nursery.
    Marmion had warned them that eventually Mr. Soshimi Nakatira wanted to visit this incredible planet and meditate in one of the communion caves. He hadn’t yet taken Sean and Yana up on that invitation, but Marmion was certain that he would.
    “He’s the kind of guy you want to visit and to stay as long as he likes,” Marmion had assured them.
    At the time, plagued with importunate visitations, Yana had remarked with irony, “Which means he’ll arrive in the midst of one of our crises. We’ll have to save one cube for him alone.”
    “Oh, he’ll probably bring his own accommodation,” Marmie had replied negligently. “He’s like that.'A truly gifted man.”
    “At least we have Soshimi’s cube available for the lawyers,” Yana said cheerfully.
    “Probably the time he’ll come for that visit,” Sean remarked.
    “Now, let’s not borrow more trouble,” she said soothingly, stroking his hand where it was on her pillow.
    “True, love. We’ll be looking back on these as the grand old days soon enough. Once Petaybee’s midsea volcanoes build up the landmass in the temperate zone, we’ll be besieged with even more folk wanting to come to this unspoiled planet to ‘improve’ it. Without the cold climate to deter them, every planetless soul in the cosmos will be wanting to live here.”
    “That’s far off in the future, Sean,” she said. “From what you told me of your journey through that area before, everything is still well below the surface. These things take eons.”
    “In the natural way of things, that’s true. But on a terraformed world like this one, even latent development is much accelerated. I give it a decade, tops.”
    “For someone not borrowing trouble, you’re deep in debt now,” she teased.
    “Sorry, love, you’re quite right. Now you get some sleep,” he urged, leaning down to kiss her tenderly. “I want to do a bit more work before I join you. I’ve let things slide the last few days. Can’t think why I’ve been so distracted.”
    Yana smiled and squeezed his hand.
    “However did I find you in all the worlds I could have gone to?” she asked with a grateful sigh.
    “I know you looked long and hard, love,” he said, half teasing, half serious, as he pulled the soft fur around her shoulders and kissed her forehead. “Remember, it’ll be Ronan gets the source this morning.”
    “I did remember that.”
    “I’ll remind you,” he whispered as he left the room.
     
    C LOSING