"Are you sure you'll be all right?"

Both Osip and his brother rolled their eyes. "Arria... believe it or not, but Orwel's a big boy already. He'll manage this base just splendidly, even if we're away for a few days!"

"Precisely," Orwel nodded, unable to hold back his chuckle. "Yes, everything's going to be just fine, and no, I'm not going to call you in any smaller emergencies than the entire place sinking into the ground! Now get into the transport before I kick you!"

Hal, equally grinning, saluted as Osip escorted Arria to the door with an inviting gesture, and the blond man stepped in. "Right, Base Commander, we're off now, and I'll be returning tomorrow with the main cargo."

"Indeed!" Orwel looked satisfied. "It sure has been much expected."

"Yeah," Haldor agreed. "The MCs have been getting just about frantic, waiting for Vanya to come back and supervise the final preparations."

The day of the big welcome party was only another three days off, and everyone in the Base had been busy as bees, getting everything ready for the grand moment. M-clones, overjoyed at the opportunity to really show what they were capable of, were about to exceed themselves. They'd been enthusiastically studying all available material on sound and light systems, and the catering staff was determined not to let the technical people overshadow their output. An incessant banging and clanking had been heard for several days in the big square, as a huge stage was being erected for the projected live show. André and Lancer had been closeted away together for days on end, negotiating and rehearsing their part of the celebrations, and mostly they'd only been seen in the evenings, looking smug and pleased with themselves.

The doors of the large van closed, its engine hummed and Orwel waved a hand as it curved away from the clearing and disappeared towards the main gate. He shook his head. True to himself, Arria had been fussing the entire morning about everything and anything that could possibly go wrong in their absence, until Osip had been ready to throw the man over his shoulder and carry him, caveman-style, into their awaiting transport.

The dust left behind by the departing van was still hanging in the air, and the Base Commander was standing in front of the Control Center building, when he noticed a familiar silver-blond scurrying to him.

"Are they off?" Lancer asked eagerly, and Orwel nodded. "Right! Then it's time for the next part of the plan."

He dug up his comm. Scott, who'd been trailing behind, raised an eyebrow.

"What are you going to do?" he asked.

"Make an important call," Lancer replied with a sly wink at Orwel. He activated the little thing, switching the sound on so that others could hear it, and waited for a few moments. Then his face brightened.

"Jacques Doussart."

"Hello, Jacques!" Lancer purred into the thing. "Still recognize my voice?"

"How dare you, Rob baby!" The languidly drawling voice sounded delighted. "To even suggest that I wouldn't? But really, what a surprise! What gives me this pleasure? Are you perhaps telling me that you're going to come for a visit soon?"

"Sorry, not right now."

"What a disappointment... but then, what is it? Did you just want to hear my sexy voice, or what?"

"That is always part of the pleasure, Jacques, for sure, but actually I have a request to make."

"All right. I'm all ears. No, wait, that wouldn't be a very pleasant sight... let's just say that I'm holding my breath in anticipation."

"Don't do that either, just listen." Lancer glanced at Orwel who was eagerly following the conversation. "So, Queen Dianne will be the main star of tonight's show, isn't that right?"

"Precisely."

"Excellent! Well, there are going to be two people there who'd deserve some special attention."

"Aha... please go on!"

"Two gentlemen from the Base are just on their way to Trelissac. They'll be getting married this afternoon, and tonight they'll be dining and watching the show at Chez Maurice. They don't know anything about this call, but we were thinking..."

"Baby, leave it all to me!" Lancer could hear Jacques settling more comfortably, probably curling up in an armchair as he often did, and he also heard the smile in that voice. "First of all, I want their names. I don't suppose you know the number of their table?"

"Sorry, no. But I know you can easily find it out."

"Of course! And I can even have them transferred to a better table if necessary. Who are they? How will I recognize them, to make sure it's the right people?"

"Jacques, you can't possibly miss them! One of them is slim, a little taller than you, with a blond short hair. The other is enormously tall, dark-skinned, very handsome."

"Wait a second! That sounds somehow familiar – what are their names?"

"The blond one is Arria Hamidha, the dark one Osip Dahomey."

"What the heck? Baby, surely you're not talking about the Commanders of the Plains Base?"

"In fact I am," Lancer nodded, eyes widening. "How do you know them, Jacques?"

"I've seen them a couple of times, in some news clips. Couldn't help noticing them, really, they're both absolute hotties – both gay, eh? And both of them taken!" A dramatic sigh. "Ah well, such is life... But, to come back to your request, I'll be overjoyed to pay them some special attention tonight!"

"I knew I could count on you," Lancer grinned. "Is there something you'd want to ask about them?"

"You bet, baby!" Now Jacques was all crisp professionalism. "So, what can you tell me? How long have they been together? How did they first meet? What kind of music they like? Do you know if there are some special songs, or instrumental pieces, that mean something special to them? What –"

"Hey, hey, hold your horses!" Lancer laughed. "Breathe in every now and then, will you? I can't get a word in edgewise!"

"All right... so, when and where and how have they first met each other?"

Lancer did his best to keep up with the cross-examination that followed, Orwel beside him helpfully supplying some details. Scott listened to the exchange with a puzzled frown, and when Lancer finally hung up, he shook his head.

"I do not understand," he sighed. "Why have you not called earlier? We have known for a long time when they would be going, so why only now? Jacques would have had much more time to prepare if you had."

"Scott, you're absolutely right," Orwel said, "but remember that the entire airspace here within the Base can be monitored by the Control Room. Of course people's private calls aren't listened to, but we simply didn't want to take even the slightest risk that Osip or Arria might get wind of what we've been planning!"

"And besides," Lancer added, "Jacques doesn't need to know about such things too much in advance. He gets requests for almost every show, and they usually come at the last moment, sometimes when the show's already started. Then he'll just make some adjustments to the program right before going on stage. This will be absolutely no problem for him!"

"Well, you know how it goes," Scott agreed. "I understand now. Lancer, will you be rehearsing with André today?"

"Yeah... sorry about that." Lancer looked contrite, but Scott just kissed him with a smile. "After all, since the clones' town visits have been put on hold while this whole fuss is going on, we must use every available moment."

"I am not complaining," Scott said. "I have plenty to do with the younger S-clones. Do not worry about me!"

"I'm not worrying," Lancer mumbled. "I'm just being greedy."

"Naughty." Scott kissed him again, then pointed towards a nearby building. "But there is André already."

Indeed, a lithe, long-haired figure had just turned around the corner and looked delighted. "Lancer, there you are! Ready to start again?"

"In a moment," Lancer assured, hugged Scott tight and kissed him passionately. "All right, now I'm ready. Let's go!"

Orwel watched as the two blond men disappeared together in one direction while Scott headed towards the S-clone building with brisk steps. Finally he returned inside as well, into the carefully air-conditioned Control Center. It was nice and cool, and he sat down to take care of the day's little chores.

He couldn't help smiling as he remembered Arria's worried frown. Of course there was a lot to do, but frankly, the routine supervision of the planetary airspace and the everyday running of the Base were by now such familiar tasks that they didn't require any special effort. The pilots would be following their regular drill schedule and the additional work of arranging the party was well underway, going on without glitches, taken care of by the more than capable horde of M-clones.

He checked once more that the correct time had been sent to the computer of Hal's transport, and nodded to himself. The next day, on his way back from Trelissac, Haldor was to pick up from the airport four eagerly awaited people: Vanya, Corinn, Troy and Salvador.

As soon as the fleet had been safely back and the Base's strength restored to normal, Edmé, their chief medical officer, had wasted no time in finding the best place for Vanya's surgery. His choice had been the big hospital of Chalmer, located on Jainah's other main continent. Corinn had of course traveled along, but everybody had been surprised when Troy and Sal had wanted to accompany the men as well. Corinn had not objected and so, only two full days later, Hal had driven all four of them to the airport.

It had proved to be a really good idea. Troy and Salvador had called the base every day, reporting everything related to the operation and their activities during Vanya's hospital stay. They'd spent every possible moment with the patient, but during the lengthy operation itself the two young men had persuaded Corinn to join them for a stroll around the city of Chalmer, instead of leaving him to fret for hours in the hospital.

The surgery had gone well, Vanya had recovered rapidly and been pronounced fully healed after the final checkup. Corinn, Sal and Troy had enjoyed their time in Chalmer, seen sights, tested a few restaurants, and shopped for souvenirs as well as new outfits for the coming party. In their latest call, they'd been exuberantly happy. Vanya was out of the hospital, and all four of them were going to use the last days in Chalmer for fun.

They'd also hinted at another, interesting development. Sal, so far still hesitant to use his T-clone capabilities, had found out that he was able to tune in with the brain patterns of a person and monitor what was going on. The realization had arisen from pure need and from the desire to help a friend, in this case a desperately worrying Corinn. When Vanya had been anesthetized for the operation, Sal had quite accidentally touched his mind to soothe him, and been thoroughly surprised to realize that he could keep watch even while the man had drifted into unconsciousness. He'd kept up a weak link all the while when they'd been distracting Corinn in the town, and had been able to tell when they needed to start heading back to the hospital, sensing that Vanya was beginning to wake up. What was even more remarkable, even before the doctors could say anything decisive, he'd declared that Vanya's brain had not suffered from the surgery.

The other T-clones had been at least as thrilled by this finding as Sal and Troy, and were now eagerly waiting for them to return. So did Orwel, happy to know that Vanya was all right again and knowing that there was a group of people who were probably jumping up and down in anticipation: a team of M-clones.

One special number in the celebrations was going to be a real fireworks display, and Vanya the explosives specialist was naturally the person to supervise its execution. He'd cautioned the MCs numerous times about the dangers involved and the clones had of course followed the instructions. They'd done everything they could in his absence but the final touches were still missing, and that was why Orwel's announcement that Vanya would return two days before the party had been met with loud cheers.

Orwel at last turned his attention away from the flight schedules and told himself to concentrate on the matters at hand. There was no reason to worry any more, especially as thinking about it too much only tended to make time run seemingly more slowly. The flight was okay, Hal had the time of arrival and would be there to pick them up. The man was at the moment on his way to Trelissac, would stay the night there – with his redhead, no doubt – and bring a big load of supplies and the four guys tomorrow. Everything in order.

The schedule was equally clear for Haldor, and he carried it out with his customary efficiency. By late afternoon he'd collected every item on that day's list, parked his transport in a large garage, and found his way to a locked door that let him smoothly in. He smiled as he looked around in the spacey apartment, not the least surprised to find it empty. Of course he knew that Lin was working, he'd called earlier to check that there hadn't been any last-minute changes, and that was exactly why he was here now. A surprise was no surprise if the person to be surprised knew to expect it.

He undressed in the bedroom and padded barefoot to take a shower. It was a warm day, and even though machinery did most of the hauling, carrying and loading, he'd still had to get on and off the van several times. Hal definitely wanted to be fresh and presentable that evening, even though – no, because – the only person to see him was going to be Lin. There was something important to talk about.

Hair still dripping water, he found his way back to the living quarters where he plopped down on a chair, only a towel around his hips, and began to study the menus of the numerous catering services around. The second part of the surprise was to get dinner ready. Wasn't it such a good thing that he knew so well what they both liked and didn't like? Now he really was in the position to pick exactly the dinner to suit the mood.

A few hours, a succulent dinner, and a few glasses of wine later, Hal was exactly where he'd aimed to be: comfortably cuddled in the embrace of the luxurious sofa that occupied a considerable chunk of the living room, holding an armful of purring Lin and idly playing with the masses of red hair billowing on his chest.

"Hal?" Bright blue-green eyes appeared from underneath the hair to peer up at him. "What're you thinking about? You're so thoughtful."

"Remembering the day when we fell out," Hal said, then let out a surprised 'oof' when the arms around him tightened almost painfully.

"I don't want to remember it! Why're you thinking about it now?"

"Because," Hal said and bent down to plant a kiss on top of a freckled nose. "Because I was going to ask you something then, and I want to ask it now."

"Oh." Lin looked uncertain for a moment, then smiled hopefully up at him. "I'm listening."

"Good," Hal said and took a deep breath. "You see, Lin... I was going to ask you... if you'd marry me?"

The eyes widened, then went positively enormous. "Do you really mean it?"

"I do," Hal nodded. "I've thought about it a lot, and... I really would like it. You and me. Would you be mine?"

"Oh Hal..." A large tear rolled down and disappeared into Hal's shirt. "I would. I would! And... what've I said so many times before? That you're the most perfect gentleman, the most wonderful person, the biggest romantic –"

"Come on, baby!" Hal chuckled, but Lin was not going to be interrupted.

"... and I absolutely love you!" A series of kisses rained down on the man's face. "Good god, after I was such an idiot, such a complete moron..."

"Hush now!" Hal's finger stopped Lin's lips for a moment. "Haven't I told you that nobody calls you an idiot or a moron? Huh? And now you cut it off, because there's another thing I want to ask you, too."

"What then?"

"Well," Hal looked smug, "as I told you, I'll be coming here again for the night in a couple of days. Tomorrow I'll take one big batch of supplies to the Base, but then I'll come for another load. And when I go back that time, I'm picking up the two Commanders, who have today made their relationship official."

"How romantic..." Lin sighed playfully, eyes glittering. Hal grinned.

"Isn't it? By the way, will you want a trailing princess dress or what?"

"I'll think about it! But, why are you telling me about the Commanders? I mean, of course I'm glad to know you'll be coming back soon, but –"

"The reason why I'm driving all those supplies is this enormous big party we'll be having at the Base when the Commanders are back." Hal smirked. "Fireworks, dancing, a live show... and I was wondering if you'd want to come there too? With me?"

"Oh, I'd love to... but are you sure that'd be okay?"

"Yeah, I asked the Commanders and they said there's no probl–"

A new barrage of kisses silenced Hal for a moment, before he managed to pull away enough to add: "And I know you're not working that day or the next, so that's all right as well."

"You're right," Lin admitted after a thoughtful frown. "So, you'd take me there along with the Commanders, right?"

"Exactly," Hal assured. "I'll stay the night with you, then I'll go and do my last round for supplies, and then pick up you, the Commanders and Maurice."

"Maurice? You mean Maurice Maurice? Is he going to be there too?"

"Sure. You see, there's going to be a drag show, by some pretty big stars... and that's all I'm going to tell you."

"Ooh..." Lin's chin sank to rest on a long-fingered hand that was splayed on Hal's chest. "It's going to be exciting! I can hardly wait."