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"Took all the trees, put 'em in a tree museum…"

"Big Yellow Taxi" - Joni Mitchell

What with the turmoil of the move to Denver beginning to gear up in earnest, it seemed a good time to put into play a plan I'd been thinking on.

Vahlee and Rahlee couldn't leave Lecurela-that was a simple fact-but did they have to remain "guests" of the palace? I hated to think of them stuck in the company of such powerful and cruel undesirables as Number 1.

Of course, Lecurela was densely and completely populated, housing allotments scientifically calculated to consider every birth and death that came to pass. We couldn't just throw the two of them into the mix without causing unimaginable ripples in other innocent people's lives. After living their entire lives under supervision, what jobs might they be suited for, anyway?

But I had remembered that there was still one place on the planet that might do as a private dwelling for two beautiful women.

Not far from the palace in Lecurela's capital city was a dome-a rather large dome. Sheltered under it were the only remaining examples of every variety of the plant life that had once flourished across the globe. Oh, there were still "parks" with one or two trees and some species of durable mutated grass you could walk on, and citizens sometimes kept the odd houseplant, but those few representatives of what had once been a whole world full of flora could give you only a shadow of what the planet had once been like.

As far as I knew, they didn't charge a dollar and a half to see the domed exhibit. In fact, I'm not sure most people even knew it was there. It was a dome within a dome, and you could enter the outer one at will and walk completely around the inner space. I had been taken there many times as a small child, and inside the second dome as well, to get a "feel" for the way things were in the very far past. If I remembered correctly, most of my teacher's messages were something like "Isn't it wonderful how far we've advanced from these humble beginnings?" That and "Be careful; don't get your feet dirty."

There were even a few animal and insect species inside the dome, or what passed for such things on Lecurela. As I recalled, there was fruit and vegetables and maybe other edibles. It was a completely self-contained, closed system-nothing went in; nothing was allowed out. I thought it just might be perfect.

I corralled Star one morning, already in the car with Kareinon but before he had a chance to migrate to Suria's place and another lovely day of lab tests.

"Star." He seemed pleasantly surprised to find me sitting next to him as the big car skimmed down the freeway. If Kareinon noticed me, he didn't say "Hi."

"Evan!" He smiled. "I thought you had gone."

I smiled back. I had never seen a person who could resist smiling at Star, and if there was one, I didn't want to meet them. "I wonder-could you spare me a slice of your morning? I have an idea, and I'd like your opinion."

We stopped at Denny's for a second breakfast, and as we sat in a cozy booth next to the window, I told Star my plan. It wasn't the first time we'd brainstormed about the plight of Rahlee and Vahlee, and I had a feeling he'd be as glad as I was to have any sort of a solution, as well as to annoy Lecurela a little in the process. But, considering our recent conversation about the charms and possible perils of revisiting our lovely home planet, I didn't expect him to be particularly enthusiastic, and certainly not to want to go with me.

"It sounds perfect, Evan," he said happily. "We can seal the dome with an energy field. That way, even the scientists won't be able to gain entrance, and the girls may to do as they wish inside. Should we build them some sort of dwelling?" he asked thoughtfully. "It rains there."

Yes, it did rain inside the dome, and the ladies might want a place to go to hide from possible prying eyes, but…. "We?" I inquired.

"Of course," he said, face wreathed in smiles, rather like the twins at their first birthday party. "I want to see Vahlee… and Rahlee too. I wonder why she was never around when I was growing up…." His voice trailed away, and his expression became thoughtful.

Probable because they didn't want him figuring out that there was another like him, would have been my guess, but whatever their motive, it didn't matter now.

"Star," I said, "there are reasons you can't go back to Lecurela, remember? What if someone sees you and they forbid you to leave again?"

He blinked. "What if someone sees you and they send soldiers to try and kill you? It's no different for me than for you, Evan. We both know we want to return to Earth. If we could, we'd take the girls with us. This is just a visit." He smiled beatifically.

Well… I supposed he was right… as usual. If we were spotted, we'd just leave. It wouldn't take long to retrieve the ladies from the palace… if they wanted to go….

No, I was positive that Rahlee and Vahlee would jump at the chance to be somewhere other than the palace. They could take all their books and craft projects, and we could bring them whatever else they might want, and someday… someday we might figure out how to make it possible for them to leave and go wherever they wanted.

And it was just that easy. We finished our coffee, paid our bill, and left Kareinon in the parking lot. Less than a snap of the fingers later, we were both in the room in the palace where I'd last seen Rahlee.

It was dusk there, and the room was dim, with only one lamp in the farthest corner. Rahlee was at the window, dressed in something that resembled a white slip, her dark hair long and braided over one shoulder. I suppressed a little shock-she looked almost like I had, as Eve.

Star and I stood together. I could feel him, fairly vibrating with excitement. He cleared his throat quietly, and Rahlee jumped and dropped the brush she'd been holding out the third story window. Her breath drew in with a little squeak, and then she just stared at us, one and then the other. Vahlee walked in, wrapped in a large towel, her pale blonde hair dripping around her shoulders. "What did you say, dear?" she said. And then she followed Rahlee's gaze.

Letting out a squeak of her own, it was no more than a millisecond before she had thrown herself into Star's arms, and damn the towel.

I hate to say it, but if soldiers had appeared at that moment, I would have had to rely on instinctive reactions, because between Vahlee's damp near nudity and my own armful of Rahlee, I was quite distracted.

When Vahlee had finished covering Star's face with kisses, some of which he returned, I think, she whispered, "Univa, what are you doing here?"

Rahlee, who was still holding me tightly, looked up at me expectantly. "You two are moving out of the palace," I said, equally softly, "that is, if you want to."

Star nodded encouragingly at Vahlee, and her pretty mouth made an "O."

"But we can't-" began Rahlee, and Star interrupted.

"Not off planet. We want to move you to the gardens." That was the name most of us called the domed area.

"But no one can get inside…." Vahlee said, then shook her head and glanced at Rahlee and smiled, realizing that if anyone could get them inside, it was us.

In perfect synch, they stood up straight. "What can we bring?" Rahlee said, while Vahlee pulled on a white garment much like her "sister" was wearing.

"Anything you want," Star said, and the girls began to scurry around.

To this day, I can't believe no one else saw us. Maybe it was bedtime, maybe they felt secure in the measures in they had in place, maybe two discarded companions just weren't important enough to worry about. It took the women no more than fifteen minutes to pile up baskets and bags of possessions and food, dress in what amounted to outdoor clothing on Lecurela, and stand ready before us. Their expressions were determined, but their smiles were bright. I was pretty happy myself.

Together, Star and I gathered up the bundles and a woman apiece. It was only just as we jumped that I heard an exclamation behind us-the Lecurelan equivalent of "What the hell!" Believe me, that made our exit even sweeter.

It was humid inside the dome. Warm too. I remembered it had a direct link to an underground hot spring. We arrived near the center, and from there the walls were a long ways away. The inner area had to be at least a couple of square miles. I could hear running water and smell unfamiliar odors, some pleasant and some just strange. The girls clung to us for a moment, but finally Vahlee let go and stood alone to look around. "It's beautiful," she breathed.

And it was. There was enough light left in the sky to reveal outlines of leaves and fronds, trunks and branches. Something chattered over our heads, and a swarm of winged sparks glided between us, flashing off and on like tiny Christmas lights.

"This way," Star said, and we followed him, watching, as best we could, where we stepped. Close by was a cairn of rocks, almost tall enough to be a cliff. Star looked around for a moment, and then a small lean-to house appeared, backed up to the rocks, its remaining walls made of smoothed wooden planks. There were windows and a skylight, and the door was solid, with a small window of its own.

"For us?" Vahlee asked, her eyes almost glowing as she looked up at Star. He smiled and nodded, handing her a basket of the living light-things like those they used on Muir. Inside the little house were cooking and sanitary facilities, as well as a large bed and racks for storage. Vahlee shook her head in wonder, moving to touch each object and drawing Rahlee closer to her. They murmured their wonder softly to each other, hands touching with affection.

For the first time, it occurred to me that they were lovers. Well, why not. No one else would truly be able to understand who they were and what they had been through. The thought gave me a feeling of comfort. Neither was alone.

Something scuttled outside in the undergrowth. I looked out a window, and a lemur-like thing with enormous eyes looked back and then hurried away. No large predators or poisonous plants had been preserved in the dome, no matter how true-to-life they had meant the representation to be. The women would have nothing to fear here, only endless surprises to discover and enjoy. A tiny light-bringer perched on the window glass, perhaps drawn by the glowing basket. Its light dimmed and grew, a message I couldn't understand. I could only perceive it and call it beautiful.

A long way away, outside the dome, I heard voices raised in shouts. Lights bright enough to be morning were coming toward us, on the ground and in the sky. I looked at Star and gestured upward. He nodded. Together we constructed a field around the dome, exactly following the dimensions of the inner circle and extending in a sphere below and above. Being not substance, but force, nothing solid could penetrate it, and any similar weapon could be withstood by the application of more energy to change the field.

Over in one corner of the little house, the girls were calmly opening bags and unpacking.

The outside sounds and lights went away after a while, though I figured they would be back. Star and I would remain conscious of the situation, even from Earth, and if it needed further reinforcement, we were only a thought away.

Under the dome, the tree-filled night was again peaceful.

Star smiled at me. A job well done. "Is there anything else you need?" he asked the women. They turned, almost surprised to see us still standing there, I thought.

"Can you stay for a while?" Vahlee asked, her eyes on Star.

Sadly, he shook his head. "My present life is not on this planet. But we will return from time to time, and if you need us, just call." He glanced at me. "We will hear."

All at once, I had an armful of warm woman again, Vahlee, this time. She kissed me soundly, on the mouth and a few other places, then stepped back as Rahlee was stepping away from Star. "Thank you," they said in unison.

With one last look at the wild and beautiful place, the only oasis in the midst of starched and sterile Lecurela, we jumped.