After lunch Josette checks on the supplies in the nursery, finding the rows of cribs set up before she heads back upstairs and casts on for the first pair of booties.

"So what are you working on this semester?" Susan asks at dinner.

"I'm finishing the first of three degrees for humor comic books and I'll finish another one this fall along with the baking degree and I'm starting another degree on shipwrecks. That and wrapping up my art history thesis and herbal medicine dissertation so I can present them next year."

"D'Awwwww." David cooes in mock sympathy. "That's right, you have to present them both in person since they're from Oxford."

Josette idly flips him the bird.

"Isn't that why we're all pregnant?" Abby snorts. "How's the work coming on the Brownstones?" On the screen to the front room Principal Madison looks at them.

"The interior work will take another year before we're ready for furnishings."

"Your electrical engineering Masters?"

"Starting in a couple years, that gives me time to finish the work and start the papers. This is a new school so I have a full four years of classes." The others make the world's smallest violin motions and she flips them the bird again.

"Brownstones?" Principal Madison asks calmly.

Josette sends him the files. He looks over everything and moans.

"Well we did need a place to stay when we're cooking out on the beach." Professor Druid says, looking over his shoulder.

"And when we're harvesting the mussels, clams, and oysters. When we're on the sailing ship that's moored nearby, or out on the ships." Josette says. "They were originally single family homes that were turned into boarding houses, I've been turning them back."

President Bartlett takes the PADD. "It's got good bones and they're going to be magnificent when you're done. Are you painting them all the same color?"

"Hell no, I'd never know where one building ended and the next one began."

"That is the problem with buildings that follow the same general outline." President Bartlett says.

"Like Philadelphia's Rowhouses." Josette nods.

The next few weeks pass quickly, Josette finishing the degree on humor comics and attending the first class at the school on the portable looms. Orders for more are handed off to Hank and Josette starts moving pallets of socks to the ship before they head to their first testing week in Eureka.

"Girls, really?" Dr. Stark asks at lunch.

"Blame your godson, we are." Josette snorts.

"How is interest in the looms?"

"Good, Hank's got an order for another half-dozen of the portable looms for people to share. I brought three others out to my home on the 9th planet and there's always somebody in the weaving building working on a project."

"And the plans for the school?"

"We're expecting the first batch of students next year in grades eight through twelve, if they settle in well we'll get more the following years until the dorms are full and the students start graduating. And with dual enrollment some of them will be graduating with a bachelors. Even those who don't sign up for it should have enough AP classes to be two years into their degrees when they graduate."

"Are they having graduation here?"

"No, in the other dimension when they have their graduations. That way the uptight parents don't get in Principal Madison or Professor Druid's faces about why their precious offspring didn't get a degree while they were gone."

"Wouldn't they have had to sign up for that program when they enrolled?"

"Yeah, but you know some uptight assholes. It's got to be everybody else's fault, can't be theirs or their kid's. And don't get me started on the whiners who sued to get their own way because the school wouldn't kiss their asses and bend the rules for them."

"Are the students sharing rooms?"

"Yep, I'm sure people will howl about that even though they share rooms at the other school."

"Of course, don't you know I'm spe-shul and everybody should bow down and kiss my ass?" Josette snorts.

After lunch everybody heads back to the dorm, Josette heading upstairs to her room to start on another set of blocks for her twelfth of 25 quilts.

"When is Grammy Allie coming out?"

"Around our third testing week, we should be popping just after that." Susan says. Then she grins. "Mom and Mom will be coming out then too and the kids are nearly teenagers." The others chuckle.

"Josette, recycling and taking the order to the others?"

"I'm still on track to handle it. Or rather splitting off a duplicate to handle it."

"Are you bringing in supplies too?"

"Yeah. Every time I go out now with more deliveries next year when the school employees and students start arriving."

"When are they coming out?"

"After the Harvest Festival, it looks like three weeks with the school employees and students with more coming the next year if everybody settles in well."

"Are we expecting any problems?"

"Beyond idiots demanding to know why their precious offspring wasn't in the first group? Not really."

"Because they're spoiled snots and come by it honestly from their parents?" Susan snorts. The others laugh. "Shows?"

"The boys in the other dimension, me in Mom's."

"Are you keeping up with the orders?"

"Yeah, I'm ahead as a matter of fact. I've had two selves working on my dollhouses and another two working with the boys, plus assorted others working on . . .stuff." She waves a hand and everybody laughs.

The next month passes and Josette moves socks and more stuff for the shows to the ships as she's taking classes. Long Tom and an electrician from Sanders work with her on the rewiring of the brownstones and starting the paperwork for the project.

"How are the socks coming along?" Principal Madison asks after dinner when he comes over with Professor Druid. Josette's sitting in a chair knitting as the boys rub the girls feet.

"Good, we'll have at least a quarter to a third of the order ready to deliver by the end of the semester. If they want them sooner we can start more machines running."

"Lord knows we don't have a lack of them." Professor Druid says. Josette nods. "Are you expecting the orders to start going up?"

"I am." Josette nods. "Not for the reason ours kept going up but because they have so many people." Professor Druid says. Josette nods again as she holds up the blanket she'd been working on and adds another skein.

"Do we expect them to start colonizing planets like the other dimension did?"

"Not for the same reason but yeah, they're looking into other planets that can support life. They're going to have to eventually."

Dr. Blake and the grandmothers arrive before the third testing week.

"Good Lord Josette."

"Yep, I'm bulging in all forward directions, my ankles are swollen, I have to pee all the time, and I'm napping every time I sit down. It's boys." The three older women chuckle. "The others?"

"The twins are finishing a class and Susan's napping."

"Do I want to know how many classes you're taking this semester?"

"Only 25, that includes the first degree on humor comics that I finished this semester. The only hands-on stuff I'm taking this year is the cooking degree, that and another comic book degree is going to be done this fall. Most of my time is busy with stuff for the shows, working on my papers, and working on the project for my electrical engineering thesis."

"Where's the boys?"

"David's with Principal Madison talking about the plans for what else the others wanted to do this year, Alexander and Michael are upstairs working on stuff for their shows and the special orders along with a couple of my other selves, while Alan's at Headquarters working on a research project with Doc and another of my selves."

A snort from the slightly open door of Susan's bedroom heralds her arrival a few minutes later.

"I hate this part of my pregnancy."

"You are having quadruplets." Alice says, patting her on the shoulder.

The girls make it through their third testing week and Josette is walking down the hall a couple weeks later when Susan's water breaks. A couple seconds later the twins go too and Josette swears, then vanishes with Lord Apollo. David chuckles and sends out the cleaning robots before Josette appears a few seconds later, a basket on her arm.

"Liam and Damian Alan Covington-Sanders, ten pounds and 21 inches each. They're two days old." The babies are put in their cribs as David takes pictures and heads to the medical unit. "The diaper service is coming in ten minutes with fifteen batches of diapers. I sent a message to Headquarters but got a canned recording back."

"Pat and Bethany must be going today too." Josette hands over a bag to Mom Sanders. "There's five bottles in there, I just fed them before we came back."

Mom Covington helps Josette into her tub, crushing the herbs into the water and turning on light music before settling on the toilet seat by the tub. "Shouldn't you be heading upstairs?"

Mom waves a hand. "Mary's up there and the girls won't deliver while you're in the tub, no matter how many times you've given birth. Once you lay down for a nap I'll head up."

By the end of the week the others have delivered five more girls and five more boys, making the boys dance that they're two ahead in this latest batch of pregnancies, getting 'looks' from Dr. Blake, Mom, and Mom while Abby clobbers them with pillows. Doc comes in to look in on the babies, telling them that Pat had had twin girls while Bethany had had triplet boys. Pictures are exchanged before he heads back to Headquarters.

The crops are in by the time Josette and the girls sit down to their tests with the proctor while Alan, Michael, and Alexander head to Archimedes for their tests. After she's done Josette puts the last of the orders on the ship and splits off two duplicates, one heading off to pick up the recycling while the other heads off to the other dimension and delivers stuff to Marcus, the building Calvin had set up for the sock orders, then walks into the school's administration building.

"Good morning Josette, do you have socks for us?"

"Yep, a few hundred pair for you. . ." she brings out the containers, Calvin's second in command helping her count and move the socks to various boxes, "And a couple hundred pallets in the building Granda set up. I know you're going to have to call somebody and they'll want to inspect some of the pallets to see they're all there." Jane nods and makes the call. "I brought out the empty pallets, cardboard, and plastic too."

"Good, how much did you bring out?" Calvin asks from the doorway of his office.

"Just over a third of the order, the exact number is in the paperwork." Josette sends it to Calvin, along with pictures.

"Oh good lord Josette."

"Oh I know."

Josette checks the list of supplies she's bringing back, including supplies for their art and the custom stuff, picking up recycling and checking on the status of their new home before hugging everybody and heading back. Dropping off the cargo containers, she joins with her other selves that had been out and about all day.

"Get the payments from Marcus?"

"Yep, and picked up more supplies. The house is coming along good, we'll be able to stay there when we come out for the boys show. Sent out pictures and got a 'oh good lord' from Granda." The girls chuckle.

"Josette?" Principal Madison comes into the living room and Josette sends him the file. "Oh good." He sits down to read.

"Any news on the sock orders?"

"If there's an increase it probably won't be until next year." Josette is handed a fussing Damian who settles down once he's touching Mama.

"School socks?"

"I took in a couple hundred socks, our school has just as many socks." Principal Madison nods. "I'll keep making them and put them up until they're needed."

"Classes?"

"I'm starting a degree on Dark Shadows over the break and plan on getting in 19 classes over the summer. The ones in the degrees I'm going for and picking up a semester on Pearl Harbor from the history school."

Josette comes in from working on the brownstones a couple weeks into the second semester, finding the others in the nursery cooing at the babies.

"They're adorable Josette but really. . ."

"Oh I know." Josette sighs. "We already said this was it for at least seven years. This was just a multiples year, not just for us since Pat had twin girls and Bethany had triplet boys." The others shake their heads before they settle around the living rooms and talk about what still needs to be done.

"Are the shipping containers empty?"

"Yes, I was going to bring them back when we come out for the show." Calvin makes a note to look everything over before they start working on stuff.

"Do you have anything for Marcus when you come out?"

"Just what we've been working on the last few weeks, I took over everything we had finished. Depending on what we have, I'll bring it out after the Harvest Festival but more likely I'll bring it out Thanksgiving." The others nod.

"Socks?"

"Working on the order and for the schools. If you need more I'll take them out after the Festival, if not Thanksgiving. We'll be on track to have the government order completed by then."

"And I got a lot of good news from the government about the order, it's permanent now and if you can deliver another batch of the same size after the fFestival they want to double the order." Josette nods and sends that message off to Principal Madison. "We'd been expecting it."

Calvin nods. "The new shipment of yarn and other supplies will be waiting on you when you deliver after the Festival. By then we should let you know if we need more socks at the school." Principal Madison comes in and is greeted by his family. He settles in a chair as Josette heads to her first floor room. "I gotta shower, I was working in the Brownstones and I'm grungy."

"Brownstones?"

"Josette brought out a block that needed some serious work out by the beach where we cook out since the ships are out there, their sailing ship is out there, and that's where the mussel, clam, and oyster farms are. This way we can head up the hill for a few hours sleep instead of having to head various places."

"Sailing ship?"

"Yeah, they built one a few years ago." Principal Madison finds the file and puts it on the screen.

"That's magnificent."

"Yeah, they like to declare 'we're vegging out' days and grab whoever they think needs a mental health break and head out on the ocean for most of the day, coming back in time for dinner." Principal Madison puts up the file for the Brownstones next.

"That's a lot of work. But I can see where Josette thought it'd be worth it."

"Yes, the bones are magnificent and Josette's slowly bringing back the original look, but with updated lights, plumbing, wiring, and other conveniences. She's going to have sitting and growing areas on the roof, bringing the pots in over the winter."

The twins and Susan come in from a walk around the school grounds.

"You're looking good, girls. But don't try losing the weight too soon." Hannah chuckles. "Even if Josette does."

Susan snorts. "Josette always loses the baby weight within a few weeks, we're just happy in our own skin. . .even if it is stretched out a little." Susan looks down at herself with a grin before checking on the babies as Maria comes up with a cart of laundry,the girls grabbing stuff and putting everything away. A door down the hall opens and Ham, Monk, and Johnny come out with covered pails, putting them out in the front of the dorm for the diaper service to pick up. Abby floats out their diaper pails and a flyer comes out a few minutes later, delivering new batches of cloth diapers and clean pails that are carried off.

A couple days later the rest of the renovations the others had wanted to do the the dorm start happening and Josette grins when she finds her library is now 18 stories tall. Michael and Alexander moan when they look up.

"We'll start on more furniture and bookcases when the orders slow down." Josette nods and heads to the ranch to check on the crops. The first crops start coming in and everybody's busy in the fields, the garden, or the kitchens.

"Josette, wild rice?" Susan asks.

"I've got an area set up on the ship and we got a crop planted here on Haven."

"Hybrid or regular?"

"Both."

"You don't have the machinery to parboil it."

"No, but roasting it in a pan a few minutes or letting it soak for about fifteen minutes really takes care of the grains blowing out. Soaking helps with the cooking time too."

"How many types of rice do you grow?"

"About six with the wild rice, I'm counting both types under the wild rice umbrella. We have a crop of white rice at least once a season somewhere, the other varieties are grown as needed."

"Do you sell all your crop to Haven?"

"No, we have supplies of wheat, rice, and corn along with other stuff in the root cellar. The other outlying homes either sell their crop to the government and buy flour or like us, take stuff to the mill to be made up as needed or do both."

"Being on another continent, you'd need a supply of the larger bags. You can't really go grocery shopping every few days."

David nods. "Mom and Ma come out a couple times a winter, but it's to get out of the house, visit at the stores. . .Mom's not a crafter but she helped out at the Albatross Nest for years for extra money. Maybe pick up clothes or other non-food stuff at the store, wander the mall, check in on the kids. . . Stuff like that."

"Get out of the house before you kill each other?" Bronwen chuckles.

"Exactly. Josette works shifts at the stores in town to get out of the house, especially during the winter when we're not working outside. With the seasons different on the other planets we can head off for a few hours if we absolutely positively have to get out of the house."

"Having everybody taking classes helps too, especially now that the school's closed. We have to get out of the house to go for our tests. Josette has a home on the 9th planet she spends a few weeks at or she heads to the first planet for the satellite or her fortress."

"There's also the yearly crops there or the raised beds when we plant them."

"How often do you plant?"

"Twice a year every other year, one time planting stuff we're running low on and the other time introducing something new." The gardeners in the family nod in satisfaction.

The work starts on the remaining school buildings and the library in town. They're done in a few more weeks and Josette, Principal Madison, and Professor Druid walk through the new additions.

"These are magnificent but. . ."

"They've already got plans on expanding again when we run out of room." Josette chuckles. Principal Madison walks off swearing mentally.

"They have plans for getting stuff straight from the publishers. Multiple orders when it comes to stuff we'll need for the stores." Josette says.

"That makes sense." Professor Druid says as they walk back to the school. "How are the boys planning on handling the new need for furniture and shelves?"

"They're bringing out shipments of wood and we'll be working on the ships under time dilation. That way the boys aren't having to work on our stuff and the orders from the other dimensions."

"That makes sense. How are you coming on everything?"

"Good, I won't have stuff to take in since I did it before and I might not have enough to take in at the Harvest Festival, but I will have come Thanksgiving."

"Socks?"

"Splitting the socks between here and Granda's school, that way if they say they need some at the Harvest Festival I've got a good batch to take in when I take in the second batch of socks for the government and pick up the next batch of supplies." The other two nod. "Your classes?"

"I'll be three classes from finishing the baking degree at the festival, and four from finishing another comic book degree. That makes three this year."

"The boys show?"

"Next week. I'm taking the last of the stuff for the show to the ship this weekend. Mine will be a couple weeks after that."

"What was Dad looking at land for?"

"Eventually bringing in a second dairy."

The next week they arrive in the other dimension, finding their home finished and settling in. Josette spends a few days at the various recycling drop-off sites and attending the show, sniggering at celebritwits making fools of themselves for publicity back in their home that night after the boys have talked to Marcus about the show.

Picking up supplies takes another couple of weeks and they head back to Haven, arriving an hour after they'd left. Josette spends a couple days bringing out supplies for both themselves and the school, putting everything going to Mom Clarinda's dimension on the ship before they head off. Delivering stuff to Dexter, they talk about Josette's show and arrive at the hotel the morning before the show, Josette gets beautified before the show, taking off her shoes and dropping her feet into David's lap to be rubbed after the show.

A few weeks later they return to the dorm, bringing out more supplies and updating the list of orders before bringing in the yearly crops, returning from the first planet six weeks later for her. Once the yearly crops are taken care of the second crops start coming in and then the first of the offworld harvests Josette slumps into a seat in the living room.

"Is everything in now?" Principal Madison asks.

Josette waves a hand. "Yes, I brought out everything and they're working on it now. I'll have a second harvest come in before the festival, but I'll keep it on the ship until after everything's done." The others nod.

"9th planet?"

"This year, I'll hold onto it for them. Next year we'll see when the harvests are coming in compared to their year." The others nod.

"Are we going to be expanding the offworld harvests for the students?"

"No, we added another one because they were going to be staying on, these students have family, friends, and lives back in the other dimension."

"Okay, this is probably a dumb question but when did you become a goddess?" David asks later that night as he finds Josette in her studio.

"I thought it was when I became pregnant with Clarinda and Yoriko, Lord Apollo left me some stuff to drink a couple times. But. . ." Josette looks up from the socks she'd been painting over her shoulder at him. "Remember the freakout Dani had after Lord Strife took me to Mount Olympus? I think then actually. When I knew I was a goddess was when I delivered the girls."

"The other stuff you were wrapping your head around? And you didn't say anything because it was so new, we had the babies, and . . .the problems caused by the fuckups of humanity?"

Josette nods. "Remember Lord Ares talking with Doc and Dr. Stark when I brought the babies home then the talk at the party?"

"Yeah, they knew what was going on before we did."

"Yeah, we had the new babies and just like we think the students who were in school when we lost Earth are still kids even if they're in their seventies. To the others we're still kids." Alan, who'd been coming into the room, nods.

The Harvest Festival comes and the others are talking in the auditorium before Josette heads back to the other dimension to deliver the socks, taking in another batch of the socks she'd made for the school and picking up the supplies they'd been getting ready for them for the school and libraries. Back on Haven Josette starts delivering everything and slides into her seat at the government building.

"What did you bring out?" Josette sends Principal Madison the files and he nods. "I'll split off duplicates to start moving everything, then start working on the books that I brought out for both libraries."

"Just books?"

"DVDS, Music, e-books, and audio books are in the next shipment along with magazines. I'll pick them up Thanksgiving when I bring out the last of this order. Then the socks are shut down until next year."

"Did you bring out the supplies?"

"Yep, and I've got the feeling that if we can deliver on a timely manner next year too, the order will increase. Are we looking at many students who are dual enrollment?" She looks over at Principal Madison.

"About fifty with more expected when the students start arriving after the Harvest Festival next year."

"How many are we expecting?"

"Five thousand scattered among six years. After the first year if everybody is settling in well we'll open the school to more students until the dorms and floor monitor rooms are filled."

"Supplies for them?"

"Everything but the food by the end of first semester, I'll be bringing that out over the next few months until the Harvest Festival next year. Then bringing in the support personnel a couple days before the students start arriving. That way they're settled into their apartments or floor monitor rooms and they're ready for the students when they come."

Josette checks over the new supplies after the meeting, nodding at her employees working on the socks, packing boxes or splicing the yarn. Looking over the remaining yarn she brings out another batch for the next couple of weeks before walking to the bakery.

"So did you get in anything over the break?" David asks as she comes into the dorm.

"Yeah, I got in the second semester for Dark Shadows."

"Finishing two degrees this semester?"

"Yeah, the baking degree and the first of three for comics based on other media." David looks at him.

"Comics like Zorro, other books, radio. ..stuff like that. The Lone Ranger and Green Hornet were radio shows before they became tv shows and they both had comics. Zorro was books before they became movies and tv shows."

"Dr. Kildare was books before they became movies and then tv."

"'Xactly."

"Working on your thesis and dissertation?"

"Yeah, I'm good on them. Hard to think that I'm going to be graduating with them both next year. After I'm done with them I gotta start the art history dissertation and turn my notes about what I've been doing on the Brownstones into plans and papers for the electrical engineering masters and doctorate."

"We've got to start thinking of our dissertations, we're sixteen classes into our degrees." Michael says, Alexander sighs and nods. "You can do that when we're on the ships working on the shelves and furniture for Josette's new library and the new rooms. What about the libraries here and in town?"

"They took care of everything." David nods and grabs his PADD. "Now books?"

"Tons. . .literally. Plus everything else I'll need to put everything in the systems. I'll start bringing everything out over the next few days."

"We'll come out a couple days a week to work on stuff when we're not taking classes or working." Alan says. The others nod.

"And it's not like you're scrambling to get everything into the system."

"Nope." Josette says.

"How are the offworld harvests coming?"

"I'm going out tomorrow since they're working on the food I had on the ships."

"Have they figured out the schedule for the Christmas and graduation?"

"Yeah, I'm taking them over for a day one weekend and they'll be home about four weeks or so while I'm off doing this, that, and who shot the cat." Samhein gives her a disgusted look and she sniggers. "Sorry guys, I know you hate that expression. This also gives the teachers and floor monitors face to face time with the others about any problems that might be popping up."

The new semester starts and sooner than they'd thought possible everybody but David is heading to Archimedes for their first testing week.

"How are you coming along on the offworld harvests?" Dr. Cross asks after Josette's finished with her tests.

"Good, we were off for a few days for the Harvest Festival so we had one being worked on while I had another on the ship a couple of times but we're caught up now. We'll have everything in by our third testing week."

"Good. Papers?"

"Working on them, Alexander, Michael, and CJ are starting theirs since they're 16 classes in. The twins might be starting lit Masters, they're looking at my degrees and talking to Montague." She smirks at the look arrowing her direction from Anna. Who sighs but nods. "Yeah, we've been thinking of it. If we do it won't be for a while." Abby nods. "It's a 'because we want to, not that we have to' degree."

The others come over to the tables when the morning buzzer sounds.

"How many classes do you plan on taking this semester?" Dr. Stark asks.

"Only 19, I'm busy with the offworld harvests and getting the new books ready to go into the system for next year." Dr. Cross looks at the others. "We've been helping out a couple days a week when we need a break from our classes or working on stuff for shows in the boys case."

"You don't have to hurry to get everything in for the next semester."

"No, and after we're done here we've got the library in town to work on. Then shipments every couple of months of stuff from various publishers."

After lunch Josette helps Vincent pack everything up before heading through the switching center to the dorm.

"The boys?" David asks.

"Should be back tomorrow."

"Are you both going to have stuff to take to the other dimension?"

"Yeah, we've both had to move stuff to Quetzatlan since we were running out of room. Not to mention the last batch of socks. And I'll take in more for the school just in case." David nods.

"Now. . .teacher?"

"Ours, the one from the other dimension, or the system that Granda's been hinting at? I've got information from schools in the other dimension we'll be bringing back after Thanksgiving." David nods. "I've got tons of degrees on both systems to take yet."

"So you're still taking classes on the other teacher?"

"Oh yes. Me, Clark, Thomas, CJ, and Bruce."

The next morning Josette splits off three duplicates that head to the library to start putting in the system the last batch of books that they'd got ready 9th day. Josette has the windows open and Principal Madison looks into the building, smiling at Josette.

"How are you coming along?"

"Partway through the first room of stuff, I've been bringing it out several pallets at a time." The Josette at the front counter says as the Josette at the table on the laptop finishes another book and puts the piles on the book cart. "I've got three more rooms of stuff before I bring out another batch from the container."

"How are. . ."

"The others are coming over twice a week and we're working about eight hours to get boxes of stuff ready to go into the system, then I come over and get everything in the system and shelved. I usually come in a day every week or so and split off eight duplicates to work on more stuff."

"Good, good. It's nothing that needs to be taken care of right away." Josette nods as the Josette at the table stands up and stretches, grabbing the full cart and heading off to shelve books. "Have we decided on how the library's going to be staffed?"

"Most of the older teachers aren't going to be teaching. . ." Josette nods. "They can handle longer shifts at the library, just like before. We're looking at a year before opening the specialty classes. The only one I know for sure will be taught is home ec." Josette nods, that's what she'd been expecting. "Recycling?"

"Being taken back there. I'm sure I'll probably be taking care of it at the drop off centers and bringing a good chunk of it back here." Principal Madison chuckles at her hangdog look. "Ahhh, if people are too lazy or stupid to do it themselves it's good money for me."

"Mail?"

"Forever stamps with larger items needing more postage being weighed at the school. Since I'll be going over ever week or so, I can deliver it easily enough." Principal Madison nods. "Joyce or whoever's covering the desk can weigh packages. I believe the students and employees will be urged to buy four or five books of forever stamps to bring with them when they come out and they can put more on an account at the school for me to pick up if they run out before they return home." Josette shrugs. "It's not like I won't be there at least once a week."

Principal Madison nods, looks at some of the books on the table, desk, and checkout counter before looking at the rooms filled with boxes. "How are they on the 9th planet?"

"They're getting over the loss of Earth, the 9th planet was going to be their permanent homes but. . ."

"It still hurts to lose your planet thanks to two madmen."

"Josette, goeducks?"

"They've been planted, but they're not a big seller, both the difficulty harvesting them and the whole 'you eat these things' mindset people have when they see them. Both of the Cafes buy them though, so does the communal kitchen and dining halls. They don't mind how they look and once they're prepared, nobody knows. Same way the dining halls sneaked liver in forever.” Principal Madison chuckles as he heads off, stopping at the door.

"Socks?"

"The ones for the school I'm taking over our second testing week so they're ready for the new students next year. The last of the order for the other dimension will be finished by finals and I'll take them over after Thanksgiving, then we'll start the new order next year. If the order is increased like I think it will be we'll either hire more people or increase the hours. I'll take a batch of socks for the school too, if it's not needed I'll bring them back." Principal Madison nods and heads back outside.

"How is Josette getting along on the books from the other dimensions?" Katrina asks when he comes into the administration building.

"Good. The others come in twice a week and have days of getting stuff ready to go into the system, then Josette works on that stuff. She says once a week or so she'll go in and split off about eight duplicates to work on stuff. Now, the kitchen gardens?"

"Will be started next year, as we get more students we might have to expand them again but we shouldn't have to."

"We'll have to see what the demand is for the fresh fruit and veggies after the first full year." Katrina sends off a message, getting a response in a couple seconds. "Josette will start bringing everything out for the kitchens next year when she starts heading off every two weeks for supplies."

"Will perishable food keep?"

"Yes, all the stasis units have been expanded. We'll be getting shipments of food monthly from Earth once the school is in session."

"I can see the cooks using canned stuff more than fresh at first." President Bartlett says, poking his head around the door frame. The other two nod. "Katrina, sorry to bother you. James, have we thought of expanding the aquaponics unit either here at the school or the fish farm? GD has some plans they want to work on."

"Not really, David should be at the dorm. Talk to him about theirs, it's been in operation longer than ours. If he's not there Josette's in the library working on books from the other dimensions."

"Another thing, winter gear?"

"We'll have a good selection of stuff on hand for the students to buy if they end up needing winter clothes. Beyond the socks. Hats, gloves, scarves, and the others will make sure they have good winter wardrobes before they leave."

"Does Josette have a batch for us?" Professor Druid asks.

"Yes, she said she was bringing ours over the second testing week to have everything ready before they arrive. She's taking another batch over to the others after Thanksgiving when she delivers the last of the government's sock order for this year."

The weeks pass quickly and Josette heads off to the second testing week after delivering the socks.

"Looking good Josette, will you be working on them next year too?"

"Oh yes, I'm expecting to pick up a new shipment of sock yarn when I head off after Thanksgiving."

"Was your home finished in time for the show?"

"Yes, we slept in our own beds after the boys show." Josette sends pictures to Professor Druid's PADD. "It's beautiful Josette, and is there room for your interests?"

"Oh yes, I have a good sized library as well as workrooms, the boys have a good sized studio and we have a building for our woodworking."

"Speaking of library?"

"I'm heading to the ship later this week with the boys to work on furniture for mine. That way we have the time to get everything done and still have time to work on stuff for the shows and special orders."

"Good, I know you probably have tons of books to shelve." Josette ducks her head but laughs since it's the truth.

After her tests she heads to the library for a couple days, then heads to Vallejo with the boys to work on furniture and bookcases for a few months. The three of them look at everything in satisfaction when it's brought out, the others grinning at them.

"Looking good guys." David says, turning around with a video camera in his hands to get in everything.

"The others?"

"Yep."

Josette stretches and yawns, not surprised to find it raining the next morning when they head to the dining halls for brunch.

"The gardens needed it."

"And it will help fill the cisterns. I was going to check them next week anyway."

"Did you take socks to the ship?"

"For the school? Yeah, I'll take more out when we go out for Thanksgiving. The government order will be done just before then."

"Ours?"

"I took some in before we left for tests, I'll take more in next year before the Harvest Festival. Have them ready for the students when they start arriving."

"You're going out every two weeks?"

"Next year, probably starting somewhere in our first semester through at least the Harvest Festival until I start bringing people over, then once a month for food and other supplies."

"Universities?"

"Yes, representatives are coming out third semester next year to make sure the plans to have the degrees taken here be valid there happens. They're going to be installing the servers then too."

"Your papers?"

"I'm presenting them next summer. Doing two at once is going to be hard." Josette smirks at the rude sounds the others make. After eating they head to the library and finish the first room of books by dinner.

The rest of the semester flies by and Josette's busy bringing in the crops and garden, putting empty containers and the socks on the ship before Thanksgiving. Afterwards they head off to the other dimensions, spending a few weeks in each and picking up more supplies before they head home, picking up the kids and heading to the first planet for a few days.

"Have you been talking to GD about your internships?" David asks at breakfast when they return home.

"Yes, we're going to be inspecting the intern housing next year when we go over. Since we're the only interns we'll have the full run of the place." Kinsey says. "Dr. Stark's been talking about extra classes he wants us to take for future degrees."

"What does everybody else have planned?" Susan asks when she checks that everybody has their laundry down.

"I've got to start bringing out containers for the school buildings and dorms before the new students arrive next year and start shelving books that have been in containers for years."

"Stuff for the libraries?'

"Yep, more books, DVDS, audio books, and music. Plus stuff for me." Josette affects a hangdog look makes everybody snigger.

"We're taking a few days off from orders and our shows to work on our dissertations."

"We're bringing up the decorations."

Susan calls 'Laundry' a few hours later and everybody grabs their stuff, putting everything away.

"Josette, what are you doing?"

"Looking at land on the first planet for a possible permanent home there." Josette says absently. The others start to say something but stop a second, really thinking about what Josette had said.

"You spend a lot more time there than we do. And while the huts are okay for vacations. . ."

"Exactly. I've been toying with the idea of a windmill for extra energy and to water the crops. A permanent home would need more than the solar panels we use for the huts."

"Alternate power?"

"I've got the city or my fortress."

"The second planet?"

"Clark, CJ, and Thomas want to expand the lab too. They've always planned to. . .eventually."

"Just like we had the huts as the first step for the first planet."

The next day Josette settles in her usual spot at the Albatross Nest, her plate settled on her knee as she opens a bottle of pop.

"How are you coming along on the plans for the school?"

"Seems weird to be going back to how it was at the beginning, the students coming out and going home after they graduate to their own lives instead of how it's been for so long. But life is all about change." Everybody nods.

"Quilts?" Frances asks as Josette fills her plate a second time.

"I finished the twelfth of my 25 before Thanksgiving. I'll probably be hit again once these are finished." The others snigger at her hangdog look but nod that that would probably be the case. After the cookies and kits are passed out Josette helps clean everything up before heading back to the school.

Over the next few days Josette is busy bringing out pallets that go in various buildings.

After the first of the year a notice on the server has a handful of people coming to the first laundry room at the school to open boxes in the storeroom and start putting together sets of sheets and towels for the dorms. The next week Josette sighs as she settles into her seat at the government building.

"How is everything coming?"

"Good, for all that it's only been a week. The sets are being put together and when they're done they'll be delivering them to the dorms and filling the other storeroom with more supplies. Everything will be ready when the students arrive."

"Floor monitor apartments?"

"Furnished since that won't be their permanent homes, same with the apartment buildings."

"Dorm inspections?"

"Maintenance and Sanders are going to be doing them this summer."

"Are you still going in every other week for supplies?"

"Yes, In fact I'm gone right now on Ulonda. Are the school buildings ready for the new students?"

"They are. The bookstores have a good supply of snacks and other necessities, there's the store and the mall for whatever else they need. And they'll be heading back home at the end of the semesters. And Christmas depending on when it falls in the year."

"Anything else?"

"Yeah, I put a poll up on the server, we're running low on toothpaste. And would there be any interest in a steakhouse?"

"Hmmm, high end or something like Ponderosa?"

"Ponderosa definitely. Not here, but maybe someplace like Albatross since they have the other movie theater or even the 9th planet."

"Something to think about." Doc says. "We can see what the demand for steaks is first." Josette nods.

"Josette, food?"

"Part of what I'm bringing back."

"Did the second year of the socks start?"

"Yes, and they were glad to hear the order is permanent. Yeah, the jobs are only three days a week and we're off after Thanksgiving to the first of the year unless the orders increase but. . ."

"It's a paycheck coming in all the time."

"Exactly, not like the factories that shut down when the orders are finished. Not that people mind, there's plenty of other stuff to do." The others nod. "They're actually working more hours than they would have a full-time job on Earth, it seems less with the longer days and weeks."

"They can afford whatever they need, they're putting money away for the future."

"The bread factory?"

"Starting the second shift up again once the school opens again."

Principal Madison looks at the list of what Josette is bringing out and putting in various places. "I've heard of refrigerated train cars but . . ."

"Not freezers this large." Josette says. "They gave it an 'oomph' to be able to store everything that needs to stay frozen." Her other selves start bringing out boxes of food that goes on various shelves as they walk out.

"Classes?"

"I'm a year into one from the Naval Academy with this semester and started a second four class one on the school computer for a new comic book curriculum. I could have just switched over to one of the comic book degrees I already had a year in but. . ." Josette shrugs. "That gives 22 classes this semester and ten I have to take next semester. I'm going to be presenting my thesis and dissertation next semester, the offworld harvests are coming in early, we've got shows and special orders, plus the offworld harvests."

"9th planet?"

"Not this year."

"They're growing their own crops and don't have that big of a population to need the harvests every year for all that they have had 20 babies just from your friends, not counting those born in Eureka or Kyle's son."

Josette nods. "For all that their Eureka is smaller physically than Archimedes Eureka since they were busy putting up new buildings on Earth that they incorporated when they went down for inspections and other government nonsense, the 9th planet Eureka has more people since they were saving as many of their friends as possible."

"And they're growing as they bring out buildings."

"Anything else beyond the food?"

"Books, music, audiobooks, and DVDS."

"Did you take back the recyclables?"

"Yep, and like I thought I ended up taking care of everything at the drop-off areas but it was good money for me." Josette shrugs.

The next three weeks fly by, Josette having made another trip over before their first testing week.

"One thing about it being winter, I didn't have to move the containers as they were emptied, they were still on the ship." Josette says as she slides into her seat at the government building after her tests.

"The others?"

"Should be back tomorrow."

"The socks?"

"On track to have a third of the order going in after my finals. Along with socks for the school. I'll have another batch of socks for us by the Harvest Festival." Principal Madison nods. "Supplies for the dorms?"

"The floors and dorms Granda says they'll be settling in first have full storerooms on the floors with the rest of the order in locked storerooms in the basement for maintenance and more on the ship. The sheets and towels are on track to be moved to the dorms along with blankets before they start arriving."

"Food?"

"Coming out every shipment to be ready for them when they arrive."

"Are there any complaints about students not starting their classes right away?"

"Nope, officially they're working on independent projects and those students who signed up for dual enrollment are using the time to talk to their advisors before the school year starts. Each incoming group of students will be doing the same thing when you bring them out." Josette nods in satisfaction. "Library?"

"Opening when they come out, like we said the older teachers will be covering longer shifts since they won't be teaching. We're looking at four to five hour shifts."

"That would give whoever was covering the library in the morning a late lunch while the one coming in in the afternoon had an early lunch. Same with dinner."

"Two a shift until the students started signing up for jobs?" Josette asks. "Plus me when I'm there would be good coverage."

"Okay Josette, this is probably a dumb question. But why do you head to the first planet on one of the cities when we have a switching station?"

"Because a lot of the time I'm working under time dilation," Josette ticks off one finger, "the cities talk to the satellite and a good chunk of the time I'm there too or the fortress," A second finger is folded over, "and I bring back the harvests on the cities." A third finger is folded down.

"And speaking of the harvests?"

"Raised beds this year and I'm seriously considering growing grapes, berry bushes, nut trees, and olives on one of the cities." Josette covers her mouth, stretching in her chair.

"Supplies?"

Josette sends Principal Madison the list of what she's bringing out. "And Granda wants to talk to you about a couple more orders, crayons definitely. There's been a lot of housecleaning and closing unsafe working conditions in various countries."

"Good, I know they were talking about it. Just like we were before it hit the fan thanks to China's stupidity."

The rest of the semester flies by and two of the ships lift off, one picking up the recycling from the other planets and the other heading to the other dimension with two batches of socks and the empty shipping containers along with the other recycling. She returns a couple weeks later for her, delivering containers to various places.

"Look this over, it's a tentative list of what Granda and the government are planning in orders." Josette sends the file to Principal Madison. "Yes, the sock order was doubled with this next order, I brought out half the supplies this time and I'll bring out the rest Thanksgiving along with other supplies."

"Are you talking to GD about the aquaponics?"

"David's talking to them right now."

"Sheets and towels?"

"We've got half the order finished and the supply rooms filled. The rest should be finished by the Harvest Festival. We've got extra sets made up in the basement storerooms for the other floors as students come out, same with the other supplies that I brought out."

"Maintenance can refill the storerooms when the students come out." Principal Madison says. Josette nods. "They've also filled the linen closets in the floor monitor rooms, they'll be doing their own laundry." Principal Madison nods again. "Now is everything ready for the students?"

"The school buildings yes, the dorms are nearly ready and I've been working on the books and other stuff in the library. Granda and the school reps are coming out in a few weeks to talk about what needs to be done to make sure the degrees transfer."

"Offworld harvests?"

"Starting to come in around the same time I bring them over. We'll be harvesting after the Festival again but will be done by the second testing week third semester, even with the break for the Festival." Principal Madison nods in satisfaction before starting to look through the list his father had drawn up.

"I don't see any problems. . ." he says at the next government meeting. "All this is stuff we were either doing for the other dimension or in some cases for ourselves but in lesser quantities."

"And it would give the former students more jobs. The bread factory is opening a second shift later this year for the school, they start delivery after the Harvest Festival." President Bartlett nods in satisfaction.

"Wine and olive oil?"

"I'd planned on growing more anyway. It will be a few years but I see it as a niche market rather than a large cash crop." The others nod. "Your papers?"

"Contacted Oxford for dates to present them this morning." Josette suddenly cackles. The others look at her. "Just remembering something that happened at the school while I was there delivering socks. An industrialist was stunned that his son was on academic probation because of his grades. 'What, you mean grades matter at a school?'"

"No, whether you look good in thigh-high leather boots should matter at a school." Principal Madison sighs.

"Basically yeah." Josette snorts. "So the kid will either get yelled at by his father over the break since he disgraced the family by being on probation or be told they're too good to worry about their grades and leave school the end of the next semester when he fails something." The others nod.

"Now, any factories coming out?"

"Not for a while, the only things I can see us needing in maybe a decade might be the animal food factory but we've got the formulations the vets made up in a file on the replicator database. That and possibly factories for the flooring."

"Sheets and blankets?"

"Still got tons in storage."

"The recycling bins set up in the dorms and school buildings?"

"Yep."

The next couple of weeks pass by as Josette presents her art history Masters and heads off to the other dimension for her show, bringing back stuff and defending her dissertation.

"Done and done." Josette slumps in her chair later that night at dinner.

"The Masters and doctorate?"

"Yep, I just need to get the last classes in."

"Offworld harvests?"

"Will start coming in along with the yearly crops in a couple weeks. At least the first crops are harvested and the second crops in." The others nod. "We've still got your show though."

"Yeah, and I'll be bringing back the others and school reps to make sure the classes transfer." A couple of days later they head off and return a month later for them, the newcomers looking around them when David opens the tesseract before Josette and Alan start bringing stuff out. Principal Madison and Professor Druid leads the others off.

"Are the crops in?" David asks several weeks later when Josette drops onto the couch in the dorm.

"Yeah." She opens one eye to look at him. "Thankfully everything only comes in bing bang boom every few years but the offworld harvests coming in at the same time as the others makes for some long days."

"One thing about having the crops and garden, all the kids grew up bringing in the harvests and canning, drying, or otherwise storing food for the winter. Every one of them has land and a garden in once they have a house or apartment." Anna says. The others nod.

"The first world stuff?"

"Picked and sold, what's left either drying on wreaths or put in stasis."

"Are all the offworld harvests like that?" Bronwen asks when she settles down next to Josette. She'd come along on the one Josette had just brought out.

"Not all of them, some of the offworld harvests like the wheat, cacao, coffee, potatoes, corn, and cotton the robots harvest, I just pick up the bags or bales. But we wanted the settlers to be self-sufficient from the beginning."

"If they expect to get the food without working for it, they won't put the efforts into their gardens."

"Exactly. One winter we had bad storms sweeping in, the last one when we would have been planting our first crops. We've had years where it snowed or we had a frost before we were able to harvest but the domes protected everything and after a couple of days it usually was nice for harvest. Once we had snow on the ground while we were harvesting but the domes had heat but if the crops were delayed more than three weeks we'd have been harvesting in real winter. So we had to decide if we were going to plant a third time or not."

"Did you?"

"No, but we enlarged our fields and the garden on the continent to help offset the third harvest and we told everybody to make sure they planted their whole garden. Everybody on the continent and in Albatross planted their full gardens."

"And they didn't?"

"Nope, when the offworld harvests came in and the shelves were emptier than usual they realized they should have listened to us when they had to make do with replicated after the canned food was gone and the growing buildings weren't ready to harvest."

"They plant the full gardens next year?" Professor Druid's brother asks.

"Yes they did and every year since, and started experimenting with new foods. We're farmers, so's Albatross. We think of the gardens and fields as our primary source of food, people in town didn't. Oh I can't say everybody didn't listen, Sue did, Agatha did, the communal gardens for the pizza parlors and communal kitchen all planted full gardens."

"It takes something like that to make people stop and think."

"We've been lucky, yes we had some late harvests but we were able to get in a third crop before then. And we're damn lucky in that we had two harvests that year. And had the growing buildings to plant something for over the winter." The other two nod as Josette mentally pulls her big girl pants on and gets up for dinner.

"Get in your classes?"

"Yep, I need my last herbal medicine and the other two art history classes and I have another masters and doctorate. I'll start the art history doctorate and the electrical engineering Masters next year."

"This is going to be beautiful when you're finished." Lady Simone says as they go to the Brownstones a few nights later. Most of the interior work was completed and Josette would be painting and furnishing rooms over the next year.

"Yes, being able to sit on the roof and watch the suns set over the water."

"If anybody painted the roof would be a good spot to work."

Josette nods as they head to the beach for the cookout.

"First planet?"

"I'm heading in a few days to plant the peppers, tomatoes, and herbs."

"Classes this fall? Beyond finishing your Masters and Doctorate?"

"I'm starting the third year for three other degrees I want to get finished eventually: Dark Shadows, parody and pastiche, and Pearl Harbor from the history school."

"Naval academy?"

"Finishing the third semester this fall. Three years I'll be finishing that and the comic book degree I started this year."

"And of course you're not at all interested in the classes from the other dimension." Principal Madison snorts. The others laugh. They'd all seen Josette checking the server.

"How are the students getting the textbooks?"

"Replicated just like we are, there's going to be a unit in the administration building. They'll be updating the server there too, both with classes, supply lists, and prices. The students books, tuition, and supply will be charged to the accounts set up at the school."

Calvin nods. "We've got a good selection of students already signed up for the dual enrollment. And a good chunk of students interested in the jobs you're offering."

"How are the cooking crew settling in?"

"Good, they're inspecting the new gardens for their use and making plans to slowly incorporate the fresh food into their meal plans. They've been talking with the other cooking crew, the others at the communal kitchens, pizza places, and restaurants about what to expect from the garden and the tricks to sneaking in those ukky foods so students shouldn't taste it." Principal Madison looks at Josette. "Wha? I inherited Doc's taste and smell. As the shrimp in our freshman year proved."

"Oh god." Professor Druid moans. "We made sure everybody had plenty of toilet paper and thankfully there was enough empty rooms so that the others could live on the toilets that weekend."

"Bad shrimp?" Calvin asks.

"Yes, the supplier had the freezer go out but he thought everything was still good. He thought differently after the police became involved. He'd had the freezer unit go out before but the repairman told him it was just a quick fix that wouldn't last and it really needed to be replaced. But that would take them out of service for six weeks, the quick fix only took a day."

"And they didn't want to take the loss on their insurance."

"Yep. The fines was a helluva lot more than the cost of the new unit. We went through two months worth of toilet paper that weekend and everybody was dumping rid-x down the toilets the following weeks so we didn't have to pump the septic tanks."

Josette splits off duplicates and heads to the other dimension a few days after the Harvest Festival to start picking up the students, some with families who all look up at the two suns in the sky then around them at the school before they head to the auditorium for the orientation.

A week later Josette slumps into her seat at the dining hall for lunch, looking at the screens with students and teachers.

"Is that everybody for this year?"

"Yes."

"Offworld harvests?"

"I've got six more, not counting the one that they're working on right now. Are the students getting settled in?"

"Yeah, and inspecting the town. The teachers who've been here a while are leading tours of the town for the new students so they know where everything is. Once school is officially in session, they'll have to sign up in the administration building to leave the school grounds and tell whoever's covering the office where they'll be going." Josette nods.