The next morning Josette heads to the first planet after breakfast, checking on first the crops on the planet then the ones on the ship, picking the early stuff and bringing it back to the dorm.

"Is this all the early stuff?"

"Yeah," They start sorting everything out and putting it various places in the dorm before going to lunch, Josette sending the footage from the cameras to the botanist and Professor Druid.

"Next time?" Alan asks in the back room.

"A couple of weeks, then everything should start coming in, just like here." Nods from the others. "Hope like hell that all the snow doesn't delay the spring planting toooo much."

"All the snow melting will help the water table though. And we won't need it to rain before we plant. All the moisture in the ground will put the plants off to a good start. Even if all the water delays spreading manure and tilling it under."

"And the domes will protect everything however late the last harvest is." Josette sighs. "Just more proof that Mother Nature is ultimately in charge no matter what Man thinks. And we've been damn lucky." The others nod.

"Are we going to have any more storms?"

"Yeah, we're looking at another one in a couple more weeks. And a fourth just before our finals. Did anybody from Albatross get hold of you?"

"Yeah, we've been talking. They're figuring out where to put them now."

Anna looks at them. "They're putting up a pizza parlor, one of the chains that also does grinders since ours don't. And bringing out the power production building by the road there. And possibly enlarging their growing building. And they're talking about doing some commercial growing, either selling shares around town and then the extra at the farm market, Harvest Festival, or to the government, selling directly to the government, or both."

"No use for them to stay the same forever." Abby says. The others nod. "They're also talking to the government about low payment loans for everything. Because I know some of the homes can use some work. And Sanders can use the business." Nods from the others. "We gotta stop and think that it's been over 50 years since we came up to Haven."

"It seems like just yesterday we walked out the back door of Josette's room and looked up at two suns in the sky." Michael says.

"32 years since we lost Earth." Alexander says quietly. "Time flies."

"You young whippersnappers. . .you don't know how good you have it." David says in a crotchety old man voice.

"All you need is a rocking chair on the porch, a cane to wave at somebody, and a blanket over your legs Grandpa." Josette snorts. After lunch Josette checks on the new additions to the dorm and orders a couple of pizzas in the pizza parlor before going to her first floor room.

"Couple weeks for the next storm?" Alexander asks, leaning against the door.

"Yeah, it's not developed enough for the weather satellite to see anything but all the weather seers agree it's coming in a couple of weeks." Josette covers her mouth and yawns. "We'll be digging out from it during our second testing week, I'll be heading offworld to pick up the flour, delivering part of it to the sorting planet for the pasta and picking up the candy order and delivering it to the other planets before coming back home."

"How's the candlemakers?"

"I'm heading off tomorrow to make a couple of batches with them.

"Finals?" David asks, coming up behind Alexander.

"Digging out, which will delay everything at least three weeks."

"Shit, it'd be snowing again before the last crops come in if we plant three times."

"Yep, but not the first time we had Thanksgiving and the Harvest Festival back to back."

"No it's not, I'm sure Alessandro will only plant two crops, that way he's not outside in the middle of winter." Josette says. "Dome his land and come in early."

"Yeah, his place is out pretty far." David sighs, remembering the map in the government building of settlements.

"He's got a kid in the growing chambers so he has a family to carry on the winery."

"Good, he's going to be a good parent. Did he buy more land?" Michael asks, joining them at the door.

"Yeah, so did Susannah Charles. They're only planting two crops this year too."

"Albatross?"

"Probably work through the plans for growing this year and start next year. 'Swhat I'd do." The three boys nod and head to their rooms to get back to their classes as Josette eats a couple pieces of pizza. Josette absorbs her duplicates before dinner, walking to the dining hall through the tunnels with the others talking about their classes and the girls and David's plans for working on their theses and dissertations this year.

"Do you think we'll have a non fast-food chicken place?"

"Yeah, but not for a few years. I see people working on recipes first and putting them in the replicators before opening a restaurant. There's so many different chicken dishes, including ethnic ones." Nods from the others as they fill trays and sit down at the tables.

"We need a sub place."

"The chain restaurant has grinders. That's one of the reasons Albatross is bringing it out but yeah, we need a good place beyond fast food. The communal kitchen makes good sandwiches, we'll talk to them about splitting off to a separate place."

Principal Madison nods on the screen, talking quietly with President Bartlett who also nods as David and Josette makes plans about what they'd need. They send the plans to the communal kitchen the next day who change a few things and say what they'd need before sending it back to Josette. Josette then contacts the manager over the bread place, bringing them out to talk to the new manager over the sandwich place, talking about the different types of bread orders they'd want when it opens and the possibility of baking their own bread in the future.

Josette nods at Dad Sanders, who comes over with plans. . .one that the new manager falls in love with instantly. They make plans for where it will go and Josette signs off on the plans and everything else, sending copies to the server.

"Be the middle of the year before we start building."

Josette nods. "Be that long before the ground is dry enough. Standard format?"

"Yes, a small area in front with a few seats, a work area behind glass where the sandwiches are made to order as well as storage for the ones they have already made up, coolers in back for fixings, and a larger work area with the idea of baking their own bread in the future. The sub places had a proofing station and bread oven with the glass doors in front, ours will be in the back to give them more room."

"Garden?"

"Yes, they've been talking about expanding it when the university students leave the dorm this year, a second garden will work just as well." They nod.

"Been talking to Albatross?"

"Yes, the place they have selected for the new businesses is perfect, they have the low interest loans from the government and they're making plans for commercial farms to help pay them off sooner."

Josette nods. "This year's going to be bad for plants, everything's going to be delayed by the storms still coming."

"Storms plural?"

"Yeah, One in a couple more weeks, we'll be digging out of the last one our finals weeks."

"Shit, you should have already planted by then."

"Yeah, so everything's going to be delayed by at least three weeks, those who don't have to, like Alessandro will only plant twice. Everybody else will be harvesting the last time with snow on the ground and Thanksgiving and the Lights Festival back to back."

"Not the first time that's happened."

"No, it won't be the last time either probably. Man might think we're in charge but Mother Nature says gotcha every once in a while to put us in our places." The others nod around her.

"If it turns out later than that?"

"We won't plant a third time, any later and we'd be in real winter. As it is, we're looking at the Harvest Festival being during the third semester now."

Dad Sanders shakes his head. "We don't grow commercially and we know that's going to make things rough."

"Can't be helped, we have replicators, indoor growing areas, and offworld harvests for a reason like this." Everybody in earshot nods again. "Be worse if was something like the vampire planet or Earth where they only had one growing season." Dad shudders. "Yes, it was getting bad when we left Earth, worse when it was winter year-round."

The next couple of weeks pass and the sound of snow being moved sends most of them off to Archimedes for their second testing week.

"Digging out of the storm?"

"Yeah, everything will be opening back up again next week. Then we just have that last storm to get through."

"Third planting?"

"We'll officially decide during the second harvest. Right now we're leaning against not since we don't know how long it will take before we're able to get in our first crops. Too late and it's be full winter when we were trying to harvest." The three men nod. "We just have kitchen gardens and the weather doesn't always cooperate."

"This winter has been bad and we had that storm last fall that delayed harvesting by a week or so. The meteorologists figure this is the last of the bad weather as the second sun's orbit settles back down and we quit intersecting. You've had them too."

"Yes, and like you told James it's not like the vampire planet or Earth where they only had the one harvest. They went through something similar a few years ago." Josette nods. "We're all going to have years like that but the astronomers swear the second sun won't be shifting orbit again for a few millenia." She looks at Dr. Stark. "How are the whiny things on the eleventh planet?"

"Sulking since I told them to grow up." He says smugly. "The test will be finished in another few months. They acted like children, I treated them like little children and told them to stand in a corner for a few hours." Josette sniggers. "They realized they were being stupid when I put a loop of them whining on all the monitors for several days."

They talk about the new businesses going in Town and Albatross, the plans for Eureka when the new interns arrive, and plans for the electronics factory until the buzzer sounds to end the morning testing session.

"Josette, the offworld plants?"

"I'm going tomorrow. Is everybody going to be finished this afternoon?"

"Yeah, we should be back tomorrow."

Josette absorbs her other selves when she comes back to Haven, checking on the status of the new additions to the dorm before joining the others taking the tunnels to the dining hall for dinner.

"How long until the sandwich place opens?" Ma asks, she'd come out to do a little stocking up on supplies they were running low on from the storm.

"Probably sometime next year, it won't be started until partway through the second semester with the ground needing to dry out from all the snow." Everybody nods. "Once the building is up, the interior work needs to be done and then supplies brought in. It's not like a fast food place where they already had everything finished."

"No, it will be better." Lois says. Everybody nods. "Any news on the chicken place?"

"Not for a few years if they have one, the first step would be working on recipes to go in the replicator. Because some of the chicken preparations take a while. . ." the cooks in the kitchen nod vigorously. "And we're looking into ethnic dishes beyond the few recipes most people make." More nods from the cooks. "So unless you had specialty nights. . ."

"Yeah, but it's something to think of in the future. Because there's more to chicken than KFC." Nods from everybody in earshot. "Tandoori chicken."

"Jerk chicken."

"Assyrian has a good culinary section."

"Yep, I'm going to be taking classes there and probably Oxford since they have a few good ones too. There's culinary schools on the server from both earths but none that specialized in cooking came up."

"No, they wouldn't have had a place here, for the most part the food is wholesome good food that nourishes you for long days of work, not the artsy-fartsy fancy shit you'd find on a plate that cost 20 bucks and you'd finish in two bites."

"People eat there to say they've been there, not for the food." Ma snorts. the others nod. "It's the prestige and ambiance."

"None of which nobody gives a shit about anymore. That would devastate the spoiled brats in other dimensions. Including the so called adults who should know better."

"Living proof people grow old but they never grow up."

"Amen."

"Offworld?"

"Tomorrow, the botanist is coming over and Professor Druid has somebody covering her morning classes to come out to look everything over since I'm growing a larger selection of what I had last time. Good thing I already have my doctorate or she'd be nagging me about another paper." David snickers.

"Are you picking up another semester?"

"Not this semester, I'm starting three new degrees this year and finishing at least that many. Plus we have all the new construction."

"Candy and flour for pasta?"

"I'm doing that tomorrow when I go to the first planet."

"No use making multiple trips even if it is a chance to get away from the snow." David says. Josette nods. "The less time I'm off the more I have to work on bringing out the second factory and the storage areas, getting that ready to go, finishing my degrees and looking over everybody's shoulders when we start bringing out everything else."

"Been a while since we brought out this much stuff at the same time. Or even built." David says.

"We're recovering from the loss of Earth and moving forward again." Everybody nods. "The boys are talking about getting in the plans for building sailing ships."

"Small ones?"

"Those all the way up to the large ones you see in pirate movies."

"Don't forget to let NIMR know."

"Yep, they said they've already been looking at the plans. We don't have the large wood that they did for the frames so they're looking at plastic instead. It will be a few years. They're adding modern conveniences, including a engine for when there's no wind." Nods from the others.

"Are they getting orders in for furniture?" Maria asks.

"Yes, we've been delivering it to the apartments as it's finished. They should be getting the last of it this fall, just before the students pack their belongings to move. Those who are moving to apartments here will be heading to the store to get a load of groceries delivered so they just have to unpack their personal belongings. They'll also have food from the communal kitchen or a pizza to eat."

"That's nice."

"Nobody should have to unpack and cook. Even if most of them only have a couple totes of belongings." The others nod.

David looks at his beeping PADD, then sends off another message. "Vampire planet wants to buy one of the apartment complexes. Then hire Sanders to make it ready for occupancy. I'll head tomorrow morning with Dad to talk to the council and make arrangements." Josette nods. "Furniture?"

"They're not sure whether they want them furnished or not. Something else to talk about. If they do, Hank and the boys will have about four solid years of work. If they don't, they'll be making furniture as the apartments are sold and people get ready to move in." She sends that information to the others. In Eureka Dad, Alexander, and Michael look at their PADDS during dinner at Cafe Diem with Mom Sanders and Drs. Blake, Stark, McNider, and Cross.

"David about the apartment complex on the vampire planet?"

"Josette, telling us that they're trying to decide whether they want the apartments furnished or not. If they do it's a good four solid years of work for us, if not it's orders coming in as they're sold."

The next morning after breakfast David opens the tesseract to Hanover for the three women before he and his Dad head to the vampire planet. Josette flies to the manufacturing satellite first, picking up the flour and heading to the sorting planet, delivering part of the flour then picking up the pallets full of 40 pound bags of candy, delivering to various spots on Archimedes and accepting payment before heading to the first planet and the ship. The plants are taken care of and the produce put on the ship before they stop at the other planets to deliver the candy and accept payments before landing. David opens the tesseract for Professor Druid and the botanist as Josette puts everything in subspace and flies to town, delivering the candy to the store's basement before sending the payments to the government account and then going back to the dorm, bringing the produce out of subspace before its moved to various places in the dorm.

"How is everything?" David asks when she slides into her desk chair, getting a lapful of cats.

"Good, everything's growing much better under the mirrors and solar reflectors than it would here in the dorm. Not as good as it would be outside but. .."

David nods. "We might have to use it again if we can't get a third harvest in. And plant here for the winter crops." Josette nods, then looks at him.

"We've made payment arrangements for the apartment complex. We're bringing it out next week. And they've decided on furnished apartments, I have a list of what they want and numbers, you can talk to Hank after lunch and find out how much it would be."

Josette whistles as she looks at the items and numbers. "Not just Hank."

"No, the potters, glassblowers, and candlemakers will have work too, there's pictures of what they want. When we get the final details we'll make payment arrangements."

"The boys aren't the only ones working a solid four years."

"Nope, and they're also talking paychecks for whoever's doing all the work since it's so much. And there's a list of what else they'll want, including canning jars from the factory on the sorting planet."

"This is a good two years of supplies. . .I'd say they'll probably put a second shift on just to work on their order. Same with the candlemakers." David nods. "Once we get all the details hashed out, somebody will be coming to talk to the others."

"Yes, I know it's an imposition. But I need you here. . .NOW!" Josette tells the manager of the glass factory on the sorting planet. He arrives about twenty minutes later and Josette starts pacing as she looks at Hank, somebody from the glassblowing studio, one of the potters, and the manager of the candlemaking store.

"Yesterday David got a request from the Vampire planet to bring out an apartment complex. They're furnishing the apartments." Josette sends the list of what the apartments would need to everybody but the glass factory manager. They whistle or whimper.

"Yeah, we're looking at a good solid four years of orders. Alexander, Michael, and I will be working with Hank, I'll be working with you others but the glass factory. You have your own order." She sends it to him and he whimpers. "I figure a solid two years for you there, with a second shift of people working just on that."

He nods. "Are we getting part of the money up front?"

"Yes, and you're all getting money to pay people for as long as you're working on the orders. The council is hammering out the final details now."

"Good, because we're going to need a second shift too for this order." the candlemaker says. Josette nods. "How soon do we need to start?"

"Not until the end of this year for Haven, we need to bring out the apartment complex first and work on it." Josette looks at the glass factory manager. "I'd say year after next for you since your year's ending in a couple of months."

"That will give us time to make arrangements for everything."

"I see it's not just furnishings." Hank says.

"Nope, kitting out a complete kitchen for each apartment." Josette says. "Sheets, towels. . .we'll have to grow cotton offworld this year after all for the towels. And bring out a few scrub trees for the TP, paper towels, and napkins they want too. When they say furnishing the apartments, they mean furnishing the apartments. The only thing they'll need to do is order groceries to be delivered when they move in."

"Which explains the large order of canning jars. I'll have the costs for you in a couple of days." The others nod they'd be doing the same."

"Thankee, I'm off to the store to figure out the costs of everything else for them."

Dr. Watson shakes his head at the list. "Yeah, this is just this stuff. I'll call off prices, you can calculate the cost for each item." She nudges Sherlock. "Yes, you can wander the store aisles too."

"It's going to take a couple days to get through the list."

"Yep, we figured on getting all the costs in by next week. Some of this isn't on the shelves and you'll have to look the costs up on the server."

"Most of this will have to be replicated. Unless we want to bring out more factories."

"Yep." John starts a second file and calls off items, Josette and Sherlock calling off individual prices and case prices that are listed on the shelves until they break for dinner and John helps customers. The others are back by the time she returns to the dorm and absorbs her duplicates.

On the sorting planet a couple hours ago the glass factory manager calls in some of his top people, telling them about the large order. After some whimpering they nod at the plans for a second shift for two years to handle the order.

"Why so big an order?"

"The vampire planet only has one growing season, they need to can everything they can for the winter. Places like Stark International and Wayne Industries have cafeterias, but other than that there's no places to eat out."

"Do they have the people to fill the apartments?"

"Not right now, they're getting them ready for when they do though. Including stuff like pots, pans, sheets, towels. . ."

"Damn."

Josette sends a command to the offplanet growing area to start a cotton crop after dinner.

"Cotton?"

"Yeah, and I'll have to take some scrub trees to the paper factory next year for the toilet paper, napkins, and paper towels. Right now they're busy with the order for the new pizza parlor in Albatross and the sub place since they'll need paper to wrap the subs in. I sent in the order, got a whimpering e-mail and the promise to get back to me in a couple of days with the prices. I sent the order to the towel factory too, they'll get back to me. They'll be working two years full time too."

"The former students will be happy for the jobs, the new graduates can take shifts too." David says.

"It will help out when they're first starting out." Josette says, nodding. Then she sighs and makes a note on her PADD. The others look at her. "Dishwashing soap and detergent factory." The others nod. The supply will only last so long, even with what they brought in from the other dimension.

The next week Josette bundles all the information together in an e-mail she sends off to the council, getting a thank you a few minutes later. Walking into town, she's not surprised to find everybody in Agatha's store.

"I don't think the pastures are going to be clear until this fall."

"Just in time for the snow to start again." Marilyn snorts. Everybody nods. Josette passes along the information, getting shudders. "So anybody who wants extra money at the glassblowers, potters, Hank's, or candlemaking store, let them know. They'll be glad of the extra help when they start next year. I'll be working at all the places."

"Four years?"

"Yep, the glass, tp, and towel factory won't be starting production until year after next their time. The glass factory is looking at two solid years of work for a second shift, the others will work on their orders during the normal shift. I'm sure a lot of the graduating students will be working shifts there since their normal workers have other jobs."

"Sorting planet commercial farming?"

"It's early fall there, they'd be starting just about the time the university students are graduating."

"Farm market building?"

"We're bringing the flea market building from Killingmesoftly out, it's two floors, enclosed with a kitchen and bathroom. The tables from when it was in operation should still be in storage down in the basement. If they're not, we'll replicate more and set up a register where they can pay."

"Perfect."

Josette nods. "If we need more room we can add onto it. We won't need it until next year anyway." The others nod. "We're working on various plans this year and selecting land for the gardens. And talking about what we're going to have to do this year since the snow hasn't even begun to melt yet. Everything's going to be delayed a couple of weeks."

"Oh it's worse than that that. We're going to be digging out from one last storm around the time we should have already planted."

"Awww man." Agatha moans. Sue, who'd come in to see if they wanted lunch, sighs.

"Yeah, we're looking at only two harvests this year if it's delayed very long. Right now its looking at least three weeks after we should have planted."

"That would put Thanksgiving and the Lights Festival back to back again and any later we'd be harvesting in real winter." Everybody shudders. "Yeah, we're already making plans on whether we plant a third time during the second growing period. As it is, the Harvest Festival is going to be delayed into the third semester unless we hold it during the break anyway."

"Most of the foods that are sold at the Harvest Festival would have been harvested anyway."

"Yes, and if we keep it at the normal time people won't have to make other arrangements. And the kids would be off to run errands or deliver stuff. Even if we don't have the crops in." Josette sends off a message to the others then orders pizzas as the conversation turns to quilts and whether or not they light candles or just head to bed early during storms."

"The dorms got backup generators, none of us get to goof off." Josette says at their looks. "Unlike eons ago when dinosaurs walked the earth and the school didn't have generators. Then we did exactly that. Crawled in our beds fully clothed since without power the blowers didn't kick on after we worked on homework."

"Am I insane or do not many people want to buy land?"

"Not everybody's meant to farm." Josette says after the pizzas arrive and they fill plates. "The lower birthrate might be part of it too, people aren't having large families to farm their land."

"Mankind is a hive creature, they're meant to be around each other. Even Alessandro who lives on his winery lands during the spring, summer, and fall comes back to town during the winter so he's not alone. Susannah Charles and her partner are close enough that they can live out there year-round and still come into town whenever they want, for jobs or just to be out of the house."

"And there's times you just have to be alone." Nods from the others. After everybody's eaten Josette cleans the dishes in the back room, putting everything up and taking the leftovers back to the dorm. She's leaning against the back door in her room, looking at the snow drifts all around the dorm when David comes up behind her.

"You okay?"

"Yeah just tired of winter but it could be so much worse." He nods. "Clark contacted us, he's got another batch of supplies to go out to the second planet and wants you, him, and CJ to start setting the lab up."

"I could use some time away from the snow."

"I think we all can, this winter seems to have drug on forever even though it hasn't." Michael says from the doorway. "And we have so many plans for the spring." Josette and David nod. "We've got the university students graduating, the businesses are coming up and opening, the factories being brought out and worked on, we're worried about the last harvest. . ." The others nod. "Can't be helped and worrying about what we can't control will just make us nuts."

"Toooooo laaaattteee." Michael says in a sing-song voice, looking at Josette. She rolls her eyes. David and Josette's PADDS beep and they grab them.

"Keeping the Harvest Festival the same time even if we haven't harvested?" he looks at her.

"Yeah, that way the kids are out of school to run errands, deliver packages, or just enjoy the festival without having to worry about classes. Most of what we'd sell there anyway is yearly produce that's already been harvested." Nods from the others. "We'd be harvesting afterwards but if we don't plant a third crop. . .and we'd know by then one way or the other we'd have nearly the rest of the year free except for classes and the remaining offworld harvests."

"Nothing we can do until the ground thaws and we can start planting." Josette nods and absorbs her other selves before joining the others walking to the dining hall. After dinner she heads upstairs to work on her quilting until bed.

The next few weeks pass quickly, Josette busy taking care of the crops as they start coming in on the ship and spending some time laying in the sun on the first planet. One day she heads off with Clark and CJ to the second planet to start putting up the lab, spending a couple weeks on the planet putting everything up.

"How many more shipments?" Josette asks, her hair flowing behind her in the breeze as they look at the building in front of them.

"Two, including a switching station. We've got the main buildings up. We're seeing how the shorter days affect plant growth."

Josette nods. "The first planet days are shorter but the permanent growing season makes up for it. There's actual seasons here. Even if Haven feels like it's been stuck on winter forever." CJ chuckles, patting her on the shoulder. She gives him a sour look. "I haven't been able to see over the snowbanks since the first storm, each new one just adds to the wall of white when I go into town. If I want an actual view I need to go up to my second floor room." Clark's lips twitch. Josette rolls her eyes. "Yeah I know, sucks to be me. Reminds me of one year on Earth where we had snow into nearly June."

"Was that the year the first flea market roof fell in?" CJ asks.

"Yes, the town had taken it over when the former owners were crooks and giving the town a black eye with their stuff. We had so much snow that year that the town was using the grounds to store it since they were running out of room. One of the dozers moving snow to try to clear the land so they could open it up on time hit a pillar and it started coming down like a stack of cards, the roof broke in three places."

"Dry rot?" Clark asks.

"Yeah. The town was not happy because the building was supposedly inspected, but the inspector's name on the records had been on vacation in Jamaica with his family when he was supposed to have done the inspection. The town could have had the building inspected when they took it over the year before but they had relied on the supposed recent report. Since they were in jail for falsifying stuff and arson everybody knew that they just didn't want to spend the money."

"Insurance cover it?" CJ asks.

"Not for a preexisting condition." Clark says. Josette nods. "They should have had a building inspection for the insurance. So the insurance company told them screw you, they could have sued the former owners for the money but they already had a ton of lawsuits against them. They tried finding places to hold the flea market so they didn't have to refund the deposits the vendors had made to hold their places for the next year, and then tried to get us to let them use a building figuring we had a vested interest in the flea market opening since we had tables there. They were 'you go year-round, you have how many students, those are all dorms?'and finally had to admit they had to cancel the flea market that year. When the moron former principal found out that he wasn't getting a grant from the town council since the money came from the flea market and they had to cancel it he was all 'I would have let you use the school if you'd told me that'."

CJ snorts. "Yeah, he could have said that the first time."

"Well if he'd agreed the first time he'd have been inconveniencing his precious sports teams for the whole one or two weekends the flea market would have been in operation before the school shut down. He was even more upset when the state came in and took the school over since he'd been told to improve the testing grades and hadn't, who were they to tell him academics was more important than his precious sports teams. They were going to put the school on the map one day, they just needed the right student. Moron didn't seem to realize that the students who did get an athletic scholarship lost them because they couldn't keep up academically before they ever got a chance to be noticed."

"And even if they were noticed, the university would have got the attention, not the high school." CJ snorts.

"Yeah, well he was an idiot. The school got taken over Memorial Day since there was only a week or so left of school. He was incensed, went to Susan's law office to sue the state for saying they were shutting down his school, the media for breaking the story that the school was shutting down. He was telling them it was all a bunch of hooey but the teachers had the paperwork from the state saying the school was closing, our school for stealing his teachers and the cook staff, the other schools for stealing his students, the police for not taking his report saying the school contents had been stolen instead of being sold out from under him. .. the law office when they refused his oh so reasonable case."

"Idiot." Clark sighs as CJ cackles.

"Yeah, he was incensed when the new school year came around and he was at the school to greet his beloved students but nobody showed up. Got drunk and started shooting his mouth off then got hauled to jail. Meanwhile we were starting the mall and other businesses and had portable buildings by the road for the week-long yard sale the town held over the fourth of July. People were coming out to gawk at the school since we'd gotten publicity thanks to the school in town folding and we held tours of the school at 5 dollars a head, between that and selling food at the portable buildings and the sale itself we made over 7000 dollars."

CJ whistles despite himself. "Yeah we had hundreds of lookyloos coming through for two weekends. That's when people started talking about the school as one of the best around the area, we were already tops academically but now they knew we were one of the best."

"What about the students who were having to transfer?"

"The school had already been losing students when the 'you can go to any school you want' law passed, the school had been cutting classes and cutting teachers. The seniors were glad to be graduating, the others went to other schools, either Kickinthepants or Boston, many having to go into previous years because the academics were so bad. Students did the same thing when the school put their classes online and opened them to students."

They watch the suns set from the roof of the lab complex, heading back to Hanover for a few hours sleep before they head back to the Haven, detouring to the fourth planet and seeing the apartment complex shimmering into view.

"That's going to be a good bit of work."

"Four years, the vampire planet had been talking with Eureka about everything they'd need to make the apartments walk-in condition. This way Stark International and Wayne Industries has housing for their employees when they start adding new people with the integrated information."

"Not everybody's meant to farm."

"Exactly. And even with an agrarian lifestyle, we're going to need science and technology, but no large industries like Earth."

"Only 26 classes this semester?"

"I might pick up another semester for a degree, right now I'm just so damn disgusted with the weather I can't get interested in anything. If I do it will probably be the chemistry degree from Johns Hopkins, that will go into a chemical engineering degree from MIT. Or the electrical engineering from MIT. Or I can just start another comic book degree." CJ chuckles as Clark sighs. "I'm looking at finishing four or five degrees this year, and the rest that I'm close to finishing next year. And I'm already starting two new degrees, one on the dust bowl from the sosh school and the other on shipwrecks during world war 2 from the naval academy. It's a general history degree, the first step to more intensive degrees dealing with specific wrecks, U-Boats, liberty ships. . ." Clark nods.

"I heard rumors about sailing ships?"

"Yeah, the boys are looking into plans we got from the other dimension, from small one and two person vessels to large ones you see in the movies. We don't have the huge timbers that would be used for the frameworks, but we can substitute extruded form plastics when we start working on them. They're being adapted a little beyond the plastic frames, we're adding modern conveniences and solar impeller engines in case of an emergency or there's no wind." Clark nods in satisfaction. Hanover lands and they head off.

"How long were you gone?"

"About six weeks, we've got the buildings up. Two more deliveries including a switching station. One of the things we're working on is seeing how the shorter day affects plants, the first planet has a shorter day but they're also a permanent growing season and the second planet has real seasons."

"Complaining about winter?"

"Yes, and I just got smirked at." Josette rolls her eyes. "Yeah, sucks to be me."

"How are you on your classes?"

"Finished with the school computer classes and I'm about five classes from being done with the others I'd planned on taking this semester. This early in the year I'll probably pick up another semester for one of the new degrees I have in the chute."

"Buttonmaking degree?"

"I'm two years in and plan on getting in a third this year. I'll finish the book classes next year along with the degree from the history school on the china conflict and whatever degrees I don't finish this year. That will just leave me the hands on degrees to finish the year after that. I'll probably be starting more hands on ones from Assyrian, the buttonmaking and cooking since there's a book degree for the instruments stuff I gotta take before I can start the hands on stuff."

The rest of the semester seems to drag by and Josette heads off to Archimedes with the others for their finals while everybody continues to dig out from the hopefully last storm of the season.

"Are you all dug out?" Dr. Cross asks when she joins them at the tables.

"Hell no, this snow is wet and heavy. We've been digging out for a few days and we're going to be digging out for days. But please God let this be the last of it."

"How long are you looking at being delayed planting?"

"At least three weeks, first the snow needs to melt then we need to spread manure when the ground is dry enough to till it under."

"You want the ground wet enough to give the crops a good start but not too wet they rot." Dr. Stark says. Josette nods.

"Did you pick up another semester?" Dr. Stark says.

"Yeah, I started another comic book degree."

"Is David still going to be working on his theses this summer?"

"He's planning on it but all the new stuff going up might make a dent in the time he has. I can help out with part of them." The three men nod.

"Do you have the buttons factory brought out?"

Josette nods. "Sue and the others are going over the list of what's available on the servers making plans for what they want when it's in operation. After this is worked on the elastic factory is coming up."

"Did you ever see if the plastics factory can handle brushes and combs?"

Josette nods. "Yes they can after changing the machinery. So we can make those. And they can make the bristles for them, though the machinery at the toothbrush factory will be needed to insert them."

"How are you packaging them?"

"Something we're working on. They had plastic and cardboard on the shelves. . ." The others nod as the buzzer sound to end the morning session. The others wash up, use the bathrooms, and slide into their seats at the pushed together tables.

"Can I just say thank you god this semester is over?" Michael says.

"Amen." Susan moans.

"I gotta agree with Josette, all this snow meant nobody could concentrate on their classes." Abby sighs. Anna nods. Vincent puts plates in front of them. "Oh Vincent, would you be interested in being involved in the first original books on Haven? We're talking about cookbooks to sell at the Harvest Festivals sometime in the future. Right now it's all still in the 'maybe someday' pipe dream stage." Vincent nods. "What brought this on?"

"The gang in Albatross and I have been getting together at Agatha's store when we're able to get out after the storms. They asked if we could bring up a chicken place that wasn't KFC. I said that we'd have to have the recipes beyond what we have on the replicators and unless we had something like theme nights, it might not be feasible. Because some chicken recipes take a lot of preparation." Vincent nods. "This turned to the businesses coming up this summer and subs that aren't fast food, they asked if we had a chain that had grinders and I looked, the chain pizza place that was on the list the pizza parlor manager had worked on had one just for that reason. They said they wanted it for Albatross so they're getting that, a copy of the power production building from by the road we're bringing up, they're enlarging their growing building, and they're doing some work on their houses over the next few years."

"No use for everything to stay the same." Dr. McNider says. The others nod. "We're still talking about chicken recipes for an eventual chicken restaurant, that led to somebody saying 'why don't we just come up with a cookbook?' Everybody just looked at each other and started talking."

"That's how things happen." Vincent nods. "I hear that you're building your own sub store?"

"Yes and no, the communal kitchen makes sandwiches. We're splitting that off from them in their own building. They'll have sandwiches pre-made and make them to order as people walk in. We're also bringing out a copy of the power production building and a second laundry, it will be needed when the university students start moving off the school grounds and doing their laundry in Town." Everybody nods. "Awww shit!" Josette grabs her PADD and sends off a message to David. Everybody looks at her. "Bringing out the apartment complex to the vampire planet, do they have enough laundry facilities? The buildings have some but not enough, that's why most people drop off their laundry."

David looks at the message on his PADD, then over at his Dad, shoving it in his direction before pounding his head on the table.

"How did we not see this?" James asks, picking up the PADD and sighing.

"Because we're idiots and sometimes miss the obvious?" David looks at the others. "Laundry facilities?"

"Hell." Bruce facepalms. "The apartments complexes don't have enough for everybody."

"Neither does intern housing at GD." Dr. Blake sighs. "How'd Josette think of it?"

"We're adding a second laundry to town for when the students leave the dorms."

"And Josette's mind makes fantastic leaps sometimes." Bruce sighs, bringing up the current laundry facility shared by Wayne Industries and Stark International employees who didn't bring up homes with their own machines. "We won't need another one for a few more years." Tony Stark looks at the one they use now and the one in Town, nodding. "I'd say a couple years after the apartments start being occupied." Bruce and Thomas nod.

"Shouldn't you two be taking your finals?" David looks at Thomas and Bruce.

"We're taking them tomorrow since we had this meeting today." Bruce says. Thomas nods.

"CJ?"

"Taking his."

"Is he finishing his degree from Oxford this year?"

"Yes, he's meeting with his advisor this summer to talk about additional degrees."

Josette nods at the message she gets a few minutes later. "They're taking the need for more laundry facilities into consideration, they figure they shouldn't need more until a couple years after the apartments start being inhabited." Dr. Stark nods

Thomas pulls David aside when the meeting breaks up. "Do you have washers and dryers in storage?"

"Tons, you know Earth. More was better." David snorts.

"We need some more for Headquarters, we don't need something like the laundry facility in town or even the laundry at the school, but. . ."

David holds up a hand. "I can't bring up a picture of it since I'm not on Haven, but I have the perfect setup for you. Eight toploaders, eight frontloaders, five commercial washers, and eight large dryers. A room about the size of the back room of the dining hall since it's got room for storage. Not set up for cards or coins, it was one of those 'you drop it off and we do it for you' places. Josette and I have been to'ing and fro'ing about adding it to the dorm because we'd need to either add onto the treatment unit or install a second one. Josette says if we do have to add a second unit, she's going for the largest one so we don't have to worry about it for a few centuries."

"Big Mack Daddy treatment unit." Bruce chuckles.

"Yeah."

"I'm surprised Josette doesn't just add one of the laundries to the dorm."

"You know, I'm not so sure she hasn't already." David says sourly. He sends off a message, getting an audio file of mad scientist laughter back. "That's a bad sign." He shudders. "Fuck it, let her do what she wants and I'll get through it with life and limb intact. The less I know, the better off I am and all that other goody good shit." Dr. Blake chuckles and pats him on the shoulder.

"You are wise young Padawan, some never learn that lesson."

"Only life and limb, not your sanity?" James chuckles.

"I lost that years ago."

"I don't wanna know, do I?" David asks when Josette comes back from Archimedes.

"No, don't you worry your pretty little head over anything." she pats him on the cheek and heads towards her first floor room sniggering as she absorbs her duplicates that had been out and about all day.

"The others?"

"Couple of days probably, depending on how many tests they had to take besides their finals."

"Ranch?"

"Animals are fed and inside and I should be finished digging the paths out tomorrow." Josette looks out the sliding glass door. "I'll be glad to see bare ground again."

"And be able to air out the dorm for more than a few minutes at a time. The 'fresher units help but we need a couple hours of fresh air." Lois says. Nods from everybody as they get ready to head to dinner.

"When are we going to start bringing buildings out?"

"As soon as the ground dries out enough, we know what needs done for the laundry but we'll have to go through the other one top to bottom to see what it needs."

"Isn't it meant to be self-sufficient?"

"Yes and no, it was connected to the power grid but it had solar panels and a backup generator. It also had the pool, showers, bathroom. . ." The others nod.

"How are we handling power?"

"The sandwich place is tapping the same power source as the bakery and communal kitchen, the second laundry will be tapping into the first laundry's power source, and the power production facility/gym will be tapping the mall's. GD, Dr. Richards, and Professor Eppes are all looking into the math to figure out the rate of growth on the alternate power sources and what the maximum load is. I have the feeling it grows faster the more it's used."

Josette nods before they walk to the dining hall for dinner.

"What are you working on over the break?" David asks over dinner.

"Finishing another degree and getting in a semester for one of them that I have a full year left. Either Sherlock or Doctor Who." She says in an innocent voice. David sniggers. "Then I'll get in another degree during the summer semester."

"How many are you finishing this year?"

"With the degree I'm finishing on the school computer that will be four, I'll get the rest I'm close to finishing next year and the year after that I'll have Oxford, Cambridge, and two of the hands-on degrees. I'll be starting hands-on classes from Assyrian next year, the tapestry degree that's hands-on and one of the cooking degrees."

"Can't take them on the computer." Ma chuckles. Mom nods. They'd both come in to get away from house after being snowed in most of the winter.

"How is the candle store on candles?"

"Out. We thought we would be even with making batches when they weren't closed during the storms. Now that this sh. . .tuff," Everybody in earshot snickers. "is finally done we can start making more to get a stockpile again."

"What is the vampire planet doing about soap?" David moans and sends that off to the others.

"Replicating since the handmade stuff needs to cure before it's sold. They might be ordering some of the good stuff too. . ." Josette looks at David.

"I just sent the others a message. If nothing more they can have a gift basket of the good soaps waiting in the apartment with a card from the store so they can order more. It can also include the stuff GD makes. How long do you think it would take?"

"Six months of people working on nothing but that? I'd have to get the final numbers from the vampire planet and go over it with the manager. Once they're done they'd have to sit and cure, then maybe a month or so of work cutting and wrapping everything. The baskets could be put together just before somebody moves in." David gets a message back and sends Josette the numbers. "I'll plug these numbers into the computer at the dorm after dinner to get a preliminary estimate before I take it to the soapmaking building. Dr. Blake is going to take the other information to the GD section that does that." David nods.

"Do they have enough room to store everything as it dries?" Lois asks.

"SHIT!" David grabs his PADD again.

"We'll have this year to make arrangements for everything." Josette says. "If nothing else we'll make the buildings tesseracts and replicate shelving, they've been talking about expanding for a while." One the screen Principal Madison nods. President Bartlett looks at him. "Storage for the candles and soap they're talking about now. And the businesses have been talking about expanding." He nods. "Especially after a winter like this one. Are the candlemakers out?"

"Yes." Josette says on the back screen room. "Even with the batches we made between storms. They're working on them now that we're getting good weather to get a stockpile made back up by next winter. Next year we'll have a second shift dedicated just to the vampire planet's order."

"If we have to we can put up a couple of temporary buildings for storage."

Josette shakes her head. "Need a stable environment for curing. Tesseracts would work better and give them the room they needed to expand anyway. Unless they want to go up instead of out." She gets up and fills her tray again.

"Something to think about." David says. "But then they'd have to have a way to get the candles and soap up to the second floor and then down to sell."

"And if they expand it by tesseract they can add some more display shelves to the front to sell more varieties." Ma says.

"Something else to think about. Will the boys have time to make shelves?"

"Should, we didn't have tons of orders coming in at once as people moved out of temporary housing. Instead the orders came in as the apartments were sold. If not we can replicate racks that are meant to be taken apart when they're not needed any longer."

The others come back a couple days later and Michael, Hank, Dad Sanders, and Josette talk to the soap and candle makers about what they're going to need when they start working on the large orders.

"This looks damn bare." David shakes his head.

"So many storms this year, in normal winter we had at least some hours of daylight." Josette says. The candlemakers nod.

Josette finishes a second degree and gets in a semester for Doctor Who during the break while checking the ground and spreading manure the day before the second semester is due to start.

"Are we going to be able to get in three hay crops?"

"Should." Josette says. "I made the fields bigger so we made sure we had extra for the animals even with only two harvests. Our stockpile of hay and feed took a hit this last winter. The others on the continent, Albatross, and the dairy are doing the same."

"We can take care of ourselves, they can't." David says. The others nod.

"Get in the semesters you wanted?"

"Yeah, I finished the first of three degrees for independents DC took over and how the characters changed and I got in a semester for Doctor Who. This semester I'm finishing the degree on the Shadow from Montague."

"Tapestries degree?"

"Finished the books degree last semester and I'm starting the hands-on degree next year. Year after that will the buttonmaking hands on degrees."

"Cooking?"

"Starting the first degree next year too, the instruments degrees from Edinborough are book classes for the first degree, then splitting off into hands on."

"Books?"

"About the instruments, the history, how they're made. . . Everything you should be familiar with before you start actually working on them. You have to have either real-world experience or have a similar degree."

"So this isn't a program you can just walk in off the street for."

"'xactly." Josette says.

"We're going to need music, literature, and other leisure activities."

"Yes, because otherwise you're not living, you're just surviving. Even Pern had music and the arts thanks to the Harper Hall."

The next morning Josette splits off a duplicate to start classes as she heads off with David to town to start bringing buildings out as a crew starts working on the soap and candlemaking buildings and starting the construction for the sandwich building.

"Did you kids get the job of making tables?" Principal Madison asks a couple weeks later, waving Josette to the front table at lunch.

"Yeah, and other workspaces." Josette says. "Some cement countertops too."

"How are you coming along on finishing your degrees?" Professor Druid asks.

"I got one in last semester and one in over the break. I'm going to be finishing a third this semester and I'm finishing another this fall on the school computer so it's at least four this year. I'm not sure about the 2nd break yet, it all depends on how many places I need to be at once and if our family from the other dimension makes it out for the party and Harvest Festival."

"Keeping it the same time this year even with the crops still yet to harvest was a good idea."

"A little bit of normalcy since everything else has been up in the air." The other teachers nod.

"How is the orders for furniture coming along?"

"Good, we've been delivering it and setting up the apartments as they're finished, that way the students just have to bring their personal belongings over after their finals this fall. That gives us time to work on the racks and display shelves for the candle and soapmakers."

"And it's not like graduation when everybody was leaving at once."

The teachers nod. "I think some of them are moving their belongings over already."

"More they take over now the less they have to move when their degrees are done."

"Will the students graduating next year and in a couple years after that have furniture?"

"Yes, I've been working ahead on frames and other stuff. When the news broke students started getting their orders in early. Right now we're working on next year's students furniture, then we'll work on furniture for the others along with the furniture for the vampire planet. We've got four years work, but it's not the rush rush rush that we've had when the other apartment complexes went up since we had people living in temporary housing." Everybody nods. "So we'll have time to work on the other furniture as well as theirs."

Nods of satisfaction from everybody at the front table. "I gotta head offplanet to pick up more wood when I pick up one of the offworld harvests."

"How are we on salt?"

"Good, we've got tons of it in stasis yet from the other dimension. I won't have to harvest for a few more years."

"Scrub trees?"

"Delivering them to the paper factory the same time, I'll be picking up the pasta then too." The others nod as Josette walks into the back room. She looks at her PADD when it beeps. "Clarinda, Yoriko, their posse, and Dakota's posse are all heading back home to Haven. They're talking to Daniel about loans for houses and apartments and should be contacting you about furniture."

"Why?. . .Bruce won the argument?" Alexander snickers.

"Yep, Clarinda, Yoriko, and some of the younger set are heading to Wayne Industries, the rest are heading to Stark International. They're all working on the information that's being integrated from the other dimension. With the shorter days on the vampire planet, they're also looking into buying land to farm when they 'retire'."

David snorts. "The kids are no closer to retiring than we are."

"Exactly. Dr. Stark is talking them into working part-time for GD."

Susan suddenly shakes her head. "Whoever had the imp that had us turning into people complaining about not having grandchildren, keep him in your own head."

Josette snorts. "The kids will have children when they're damn good and ready. Either using gestation chambers or having them themselves. We've got time and don't need to start pushing out kids to overwhelm the planets resources. Including employment."

The others nod. "Slow growth is better. Pern only had several thousand people when the colony started and they were spreading out onto their own land, they needed children to help harvest. Most of the people on Haven and Archimedes are settling into communities."

"We don't want to repeat Earth's mistakes."

"Amen."

"How are the crops?"

"We should be harvesting in another month. About the time I'm bringing the offworld stuff in and the yearly crops start coming in. They weren't delayed even with being under domes for so long."

"What about the sugarcane?"

"Yeah, that will be delayed." Josette sighs. "Can't be helped though. I'm glad we hadn't planned on tapping the trees this year, we wouldn't have been able to."

David nods. "It didn't get warm enough during the day."

"Warm enough during the day hell, we wouldn't have been able to reach them." Alan snorts. The others laugh but nod.

The next day Josette looks at the crops growing. David walks up behind her, wrapping his arms around her.

"Life is good."

"Yeah, the crops were delayed and we won't have as many as we would have normally, but we'll survive and there's always next year." David tips his head and starts kissing Josette's neck.

"You have a year to stop doing that but we're not getting pregnant for a few more years." She snorts.

"Way to ruin the mood."

"David, nothing ruins the mood for you. And out of my head, evil imp."

David sniggers at the scene of them having sex as a volcano erupts nearby and cracking the old joke about 'was it good for you? I felt the earth move'.

"Did we enlarge the fields beyond the animal food?"

"Yes, it won't replace a third harvest but it give us a little extra food on the pantry shelves. Whether we keep them next year is something we'll have to talk about then."

"We could plant on the islands early."

"Wouldn't be able to plant everything without interfering with the ecosystem." Josette says. David nods. "Same reason you don't plant regular gardens on the first planet." Josette nods this time. "The yearly crops I grow there are enough, plus the peppers and other plants that thrive on the hot weather."

"Clark's lab on the 2nd planet?"

"We're bringing out another delivery of stuff in a couple months and the last one by the end of the year. The last one will include the switching station. Did Thomas decide which setup they wanted for the extra washing machines?"

"Yeah, I brought out the one we'd been talking about for Headquarters since that's where they spend most of their time. Dad told me what to do and they're working on everything. If they need to they can add it to the Manor and Fortress. Did you take care of the upgraded sewage treatment unit?"

"Yeah, the robots are adding another one, it will be done by the end of the year."

"Big?"

Josette nods. "We needed a larger one anyway. Ours was the first at the school and hasn't been upgraded like the others."

"Yeah." David yawns, his ears popping.

"Don't start, I've been yawning all damn morning." Josette shoves him lightly. He laughs and they head back to the ranch house. "Are we expecting rain?"

"Yeah, that's why I've been yawning all morning." They walk from the ranch house to the dorm, Josette taking off her boots and sliding on shoes. "We should have rain by nightfall."

"Four days of rain?"

"Yeah, this would be the rain that gets the second crops off to a good start. With everything so late this year it will give the first crop the last push it needs before we start picking."

"Offworld harvests?"

"I'm picking up some tomorrow, taking wood to the paper factory, picking up the pasta, and bringing wood back here. The first of the offworld harvests we actually pick will be in a couple of weeks."

"How are you coming along in your classes?"

"Good, finished my third degree for the year, I'll finish the fourth one on the school computer next semester. I've got two degrees that have one semester left and one with two, not counting the school computer one, that's only four classes."

"Oxford and Cambridge?"

"I'm two years in, I should be finishing them with the hands-on degrees year after next."

"Buttonmaking?"

"Three semesters, I'll finish the third year next semester."

"Are the cooking degrees . .." Lois asks.

"More like apprenticeships since there's only one or two students a year? Yeah."

"That's really the way to learn." Ma says coming into the room. Mom nods as she enters behind her. "Most people learned from their parents or grandparents. At least before traditional families went the way of the dodo."

"Too many children having children and eating fast food instead of real meals." Mom says sadly, shaking her head. "That's why I taught all the kids to cook as soon as they were big enough to hold a potato and and knife without cutting themselves."

"I did the same."

"So did Mom. And we all taught the kids to cook." David says. "Did the kids buy apartments?"

"Yep, they ordered furniture and they're moving in at the end of the year when Archimedes year ends. They're talking with Thomas, Bruce, Mr. Stark, and Dr. Stark about what they're going to be working on next year."

The next morning rain is pouring down the windows when Josette gets up, splitting off a duplicate to take care of her classes.

"Are you going offworld?" David asks at breakfast.

"Couple of days, will this rain delay anything?"

"No, the only thing that had exterior work was the sub place and that was all modular building, the panels went up within a couple of weeks. The solar panels was the most intensive work and that was finished yesterday since the weather forecasts were predicting this. . . stuff." he waves a hand at the window as the others snigger.

"At least it held off long enough to get the laundry hung out."

"Speaking of laundry?"

"The robots are working on it. We're getting both for the future."

The others look at them.

David pulls up a file, sending it to the others PADDS. "This is what we'd been thinking of adding to the dorm as we needed more laundry facilities. Toploaders, front loaders, commercial washers, and dryers plus storage space. It was a 'you drop and we do it for you' laundry place so it's not set up for coins or cards. We've been wobbling back and forth on adding it since we'd have to expand the treatment unit. Josette took matters into her own hand so we will have that, the town's laundry, and as she put it the big mack daddy of treatment units added to the dorm for future needs."

"Did you bring out the city?"

"Yep, it's on the first planet. The fortress robots are looking over everything."

"Unlocking the machines?"

Josette nods. "That's what we have to do anyway for the laundry, whoever's doing laundry tells whoever's covering how many machines they have and the money is sent to the laundry's account."

The others nod. "I don't see people having their own machines unless it was homes they brought up or they live far outside of town where coming in for laundry wouldn't be time or cost effective."

"Ma has her own machine, so does all the other homes on the continent. Alessandro has a washer and dryer at his vineyard, when he moves back into town he does laundry in town."

"Baby?

"A son he named after his father. I'm going to harvest the grapes for him after mine." David nods in satisfaction. "I'm also helping him with his garden since the baby's too young to be in daycare and he'd be working sunup to sundown harvesting and canning or drying everything." More nods from the others.

The next couple of days pass, Josette delivering the pasta to the store and bringing in the first of the offworld harvests the machines harvest. The cotton is stored in bales and the wood starts aging in the climate controlled drying buildings.

"The paper mill?"

"We've got a lot of paper in storage but we'll use it for recycling paper when the sub place and the pizza parlor in Albatross opens and we have more recycled to take care of." The others nod. They'd only recycled paper every couple of years before the new students had arrived.

"This is probably a dumb question but veneers?"

"Tons in storage and we have a field of trees for that. Most of our furniture is solid wood so it's not needed." The boys nod. "Hank's been talking about special finishes with some people at Assyrian."

"More cotton?"

"Yeah, I'm growing offplanet again next year so we have extra. We've got tons in storage so we won't need more towels for a while even if they are beginning to get thin." the others nod.

The crops start coming in, Josette planting the second ones than picking up a batch of people for the first offworld harvest. Josette comes into the dorm one day to find the others from the other dimension.

"Is that all the offworld harvests except for the ones we need to pick?"

"Yes, everything's in storage for when we need it."