11286 :) nice to be a bit ahead. (day 5)

Abriam nodded. “Go ahead, I will meet you at the side door in a few. I don’t like how charged it feels out here.”

Sara said, softly, almost to low to be heard. “It is setting up fro a dry storm, lots of lighting judging by the gauges. It is likely to start without warning and so few are paying attention, and I shouldn’t.”

Abriam blinked as he had checked the gauges and not seen what she had. But then he never did read them right, dad was always saying it was a good thing he had been destined to a lab and not the field. “I just bet this is going to be one of those blink and it is here storms and with this charge I bet there will be a lot of lightning.”  Sara headed to the school, a bit relived. He would see that it spread though out the boys and that meant the girls would magically get the messages even though they didn’t talk to any boys not related to them, and seldom to those that were.

Leaving the restroom she found Rebecca and her bunch in the hall cleary waiting for something. Sara started to go around them. “There you are. You didn’t come by the sewing room, do you have anything to work on?” Sara blinked and looked to see who they were talking to. “We thought it best if we all stayed together, don’t want anyone thinking we are interested in things we needn’t be. With the ceremony so close we need to be preparing for it and not going over behavior so much, after all at this point no one should need the reminders.”

Sara wondered what she had done to upset them. “I have my work in my bag, thank you though. Abriam said I was to meet him at the side door, and I best not keep him waiting.”

Anna said. “Well then we will walk with you. Why does he need a word with you?”

Sara said. “With the storm coming he feels I should be where he can see me. He said there is likely to be a lot of lighting with out much warning, and he is responsible for us.”

Rebecca frowned. “Surely he won’t expect you to stay with him, in the middle of all the boys? Think of how it will look!”

Sara said. “Better than if I am seen to disobey him.” She started walking again. Hoping they would be to shocked to tag after her. She arrived at the door to find Abriam waiting and with him the visitors, including Alica but no other girl.

Abriam was clearly relived to see her, clearly worried about being seen talking to Alica “Ah there you are, I have been asked to help the guest set up. I hope you won’t mind tagging along?”

Sara said, “Of course, I will be happy to.” She turned and smiled at Alica. “I didn’t tell you my name earlier, which was inconsiderate of me. I am Sara. So I hope the rest of your morning was a bit less confusing? They did find someone to help you though this maze? New people always get lost a lot the first few weeks. Which is why they normally see that visitors have a guide.”

Alica said. “I didn’t introduce my self either. I am Alica, and I can’t believe anyone would ever stop getting lost. Do you truly never find yourself turned around? It has been an interesting day. I seem to be good at stepping on toes.”

Sara said. “Not now, but the first year I was for ever ending up where I didn’t expect to. Our customs can be confusing, even for those raised around here.  My brother said he was to help you set up?”

Alica said. “We thought it might ease a few minds if we showed you all just what it is we are doing. This far out you don’t get to here much about the efforts we are making to predict the storms. Weather forecasting is one of the things we are still struggling to get back. It is hard to do without a satellite to give us a bird’s eye view. The little one they sent last year is already helping. But it was sent just to prove it could be so is of limited use.”

Sara blinked. “Oh, forgive me. I didn’t realize. I should have known you were the speakers, but some how didn’t connect the dots.” She looked at her brother, wishing that she could follow up on what she had just heard. “So it must be nice to get away from the classroom for a bit. I don’t see how you do it, your world is as confusing to me as mine is to you. Next year I will getting ready to start my house. I should be out and under my own roof, well my husbands, but everyone knows it is the wife that keeps the house running, in three years at the most.”

Alica shook her head. “I can’t even imagine being ready for marriage now, little own at sixteen.” So you are to get out of school, find a guy and set up house keeping, and with in three years or what?”

Abriam chocked a bit. “You are not worried the coming storm will cause problems then Tim?”

Alica said. “Ok so what did I say wrong?”

Tim looked confused. “There are hours yet before it hits. You don’t have a reader? How do you know one is coming?”

Sara said. “We don’t talk of find some one. We don’t mingle that way. There is a ceremony in the church at which a young lady learns who she is to wed. The date depends on his ability to work. Sometimes he might still have a bit of schooling yet, or complete a year of work deepening on his career, before he can provide.”

Abriam said. “A reader? I am not sure what you mean. We have lived her long enough to know what to look for and the weather vanes give what warning they can. It would be good to have more to go on. So do you really think you will be able to tell a day ahead what the weather will do? I know they had seven days ahead before the bombs, but just one would be a life savor.”

Rebecca said. “Sara! I don’t think that is a fit topic for mixed company.”

Sara said. “She needs to know, and they are not paying any attention. It is better that she knows before she upsets someone. Clearly her ambassador failed to tell her what she need to know to not accidently cause someone difficulty.  . It is therefore my duty to see it fixed. Abraim has taken the ambassador classes and the others guests so there is no harm to them.”

Tim said. “I wonder if I can get a better look at your indicators? Is there one not installed? We hope that we can get three days eventually. But that will take time and more data. The weather patterns all changed with the bombs and we are just getting started on understanding how. If we can get a better satellite in orbit it will help. More than one would be great. But getting them launched is a problem.”

“I’d worry more about getting one built first. So far they haven’t a decent camera to work in one, and if a big one goes up it must have the ability to transmit sound waves as well. Which so far has been a fail point. I have the sensors you and Alica see to the balloons so we can get this show going. I want them in the air when the storm hits.”

Sara steped back out of the way, thrilled to be so close. Anna tugged on her arm and started walking. “Come on Sara, Hanna has a place saved so we don’t have to stand all afternoon.” Sara hoped her face wasn’t readable as she moved with the pull.

Abraim said. “Sara, I want you here next to me. I do not need to be hunting you.”

Anna dropped Sara’s arm. “I do hope you do not get to bad a head ache. It is going to be hard being up front. Have to look interested in such a complex manly thing.”

Sara said. “Not like I can do other. Father places us under Abraim’s care when we leave for school. To go against him, would be to disobey Father. Better to suffer a bit of discomfort.” She moved back to Abraim’s side. “How much trouble are you going to be in for this?”

Abraim said. “I have been asked to guide them this afternoon, and as one of them is a young lass it is not fitting that I do so alone.  Relax, it is handled.”

Sara found watching them more interesting than the talk on the basics of weather. She knew more than that from the book Abriam had bought. Someone said. “What’s with the toys? That how you’re going to change the weather? I don’t see the point of this. Any farmer knows more than you city guys.”

“The balloons will carry the sensors, those little chips up to the clouds, or close at least. The sensors will then record the wind speeds and presser given a full picture of what is going on in the storm. The more of those readings the better an understanding of the new weather can be formed. That is how they started to unravel it before, and was still used to determine hurricane strength up until the bombs. Ok so they tend to drop them from planes, but same concept. This data is needed as bad as the satellite, for with out it the images won’t help a whole lot.” Balloons of any size proved an ineffective way to seed clouds, and those little ones would never work. Not that cloud seeding is possible.” Sara realized she had been speaking and flushed and checked to see if anyone had heard her. Only her brother and the speaker were looking at her, so she hoped she was safe.

The speaker turned away quickly and held his hand up. “Now I can only answer one question at a time. No the balloons do not change the weather they are used to help us understand it. I want them in the storm as we are trying to get enough data to have a ranking system such as was used for hurricanes and tornadoes before the bombs. The changes made by the bombs that went off and the powers that stopped the others made the old weather maps and gauges useless, and in some cases harmful. Just as old land maps are.”

Abriam said. “Do you think the changes in land mass affect the changes in weather as well? Could that be why it seems it is still changing?”

The man turned to look at them again. “That is a very good question. We know that mountains and water temperature play a roll in weather, as we just went over. So yes the changes that we have seen have a roll in the new weather pattern. How big that role is has not yet been determined. As to the seconded part, well if one believes that the land is still reforming then yes that could be why the weather is so unstable. One reason for the surveys is to determine how much change, if any, there has been in the twenty years since the last maps were made. Of course that only coves a small area of the world so nothing will truly be solved.” Other questions followed until the speaker said. “I am delighted at how well you were all listening and would love to answer more, but I am sure some of you want to know about the maps as well. So I am going to turn the stage over to Captain Williams here and go help get the balloons in the air. Those who would like to see them go up are welcome to come over. I am sure the good Captain will understand if you don’t stayed listen.”

The man next to him said. “In deed, this being a rural area weather is far bigger a concern, and besides I know that most find the process of map making duller than plucking a chicken. Go with ahead, much rather you watch them then fall asleep listening to me. Now then for those of you who want to hear me why don’t I start by explain how we go about finding out how high that mountain really is?”

Abraim led Sara over to where they could see the launching better, taking them rather close. “Now if we are in the way say so, but I want a better look at transmitter, if you don’t mind. It might be something that can be used to improve the radio reception out here.”

One of them said. “I am actually working on that back at school, but thought this would be a good way to do some road testing. Come on over here where you can see better, and join me. See something that looks wrong or could be better say so. Like I said I am using this for testing, so any input is welcome.” What followed was a discussion of transmitters and receivers. Sara was soon lost, but found that she could easily see the screen that displayed the data the sensors were sending back.