The authorities thought it would be best if Brom and Aliena did it themselves; Sam and Martha, who had become like family friends, remained in the background. They sat in the Smythe’s family room, with Maple, now ten months old, on Aliena’s lap. “You know that Aliena is special,” Brom said. “But not how special.” “Was that you on Air Force One?” Johnson asked alertly. “Yes. We met the president and went to Australia, where Aliena helped fix a piece of equipment.” “You are that important?” “Aliena is. The president wanted to meet her, and I think he liked her.” “I crossed my legs,” Aliena said. Johnson laughed. “That would do it.” “But be more cautious in the future,” Rebecca said. “This sort of thing can be overdone.” Brom got serious. “You know that Aliena is a brain from a person in a far place. That she is being groomed to be an envoy, a contact between her people and ours. A truly historic connection.” “But that is not the whole of it,”
