Agent Flandry,

Volume Nine
Poul Anderson
Review
Anderson's second full-dress Flandry novel is markedly different than its predecessor. Rather
than a space opera spectacle, Anderson opts for a mix of hard science, intrigue, and adventure; the
mix can e a it confusing, and certainly lacks the gosh!o! excitement that came efore. "ut
ultimately it's a satisfying if minor entry in Anderson's estimale canon. A Circus of Hells has
#ominic Flandry, no! a $unior lieutenant, stationed on a ack!ater !orld the empire no longer
particularly cares aout. "ored !ith the routine and irked at the complacency of the empire, !hich
doesn't seem to care aout the encroachment of the enemy %erseians upon this part of imperial
space, Flandry accepts a million-credit rie to undertake a legally duious voyage to locate a
remote !orld long forgotten y the empire that is rich in precious ores and metals. Accompanied y
#$ana, a deeply religious hooker !ith a heart of gold &'( !ho happens to have her o!n secret
agenda, Flandry ultimately reaches the planet, )ayland, and discovers that the computer that ran
the centuries-deserted mining operations is still very functional and has een uilding myriad
*species* of roots that hunt each other like !ild animals and even go head-to-head !ith one
another on massive lifesi+ed chessoards'
,pon leaving this surreal planet, Flandry learns that the pair of them have een sold out to the
%erseians, !ho promptly snatch up Flandry's vessel. Flandry is told y a rather amiale %erseian
civilian scientist named -d!yr that he !ill do !hat he can to spare Flandry's life if the rash young
lieutenant !ill assist him in his scientific exploration of the planet .al!in, !here Flandry and
#$ana have een taken. /stensily only a research station, the %erseians have een secretly
keeping a military and intelligence presence on .al!in, despite the planet's location in neutral
space, ecause of its close proximity to imperial orders. )hat follo!s is traditional hard 0F, 1uite
in contrast to the rip-roarin' action of Ensign Flandry, as much geological and xenoiological
information aout .al!in and its *autochthons* &a favorite term of Anderson's to refer to a !orld's
natives( is exhaustively catalogued. -d!yr attempts to help #$ana develop some latent psychic
ailities. Finally Flandry learns that the %erseian military plans to dispose of him and he tries to
make a reak for it.
Although it is odd that Anderson chose to aandon completely the )ayland plot thread &!e
never learn anything more aout it(, the path the story finally settles on holds your interest despite
some of the kind of textook stuffiness endemic to so much hard 0F2 long passages detailing
scientific information !ith college-lecture straightfor!ardness. Flandry again proves himself a
fascinatingly fla!ed hero, not aove taking ries or 3lintoning his !ay out of emarrassing spots.
.his is not a ma$or novel, and in relation to Ensign Flandry 4 !as a it disappointed in it, simply
ecause that ook !as such a rousing party. &4n many !ays A Circus of Hells reads as if Anderson
started !riting one story, aout )ayland, and then changed his mind half!ay through and decided
to go !ith the %erseian plot.( "ut in the end, this ook ties up all its loose ends satisfactorily and
should please readers in the mood for some old fashioned space adventuring. 4 got a particular kick
out the tale's denouement as !ell.
Contents
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I
.he story is of a lost treasure guarded y curious monsters, and of captivity in a !ilderness, and
of a chase through reefs and shoals that could !reck a ship. .here is a eautiful girl in it, a
magician, a spy or t!o, and the rivalry of empires. 0o of course7Flandry !as later tempted to say
7it egins !ith a coincidence.
8o!ever, the likelihood that he !ould meet .ach!yr the #ark !as not fantastically lo!. .hey
!ere in the same profession, !hich had them moving through a numer of the same places; and
they also shared the adventurous-ness of youth. .o e sure, once imperialism is practiced on an
interstellar scale, navies gro! in si+e until the odds are huge against any given pair of their
memers happening on each other. 9evertheless, many such encounters !ere taking place, as !as
inevitale on one of the rare occasions !hen a %erseian !arship visited a .erran planet. A life
!hich included no improale events !ould e the real statistical impossiility.
.he planet !as 4rumcla!, some :;; light-years from 0ol in that march of the human realm
!hich faced "etelgeuse. <ieutenant &$.g.( #ominic Flandry had een posted there not long efore,
!ith much !ailing and gnashing of teeth until he learned that even so dismal a clod had its
compensations. .he %erseian vessel !as the cruiser "rythioch, on a s!ing through the uffer
region of unclaimed, mostly unkno!n suns et!een the spaces ruled in the names of =mperor and
Roidhun. 9either government !ould have allo!ed any craft elonging to its rival, capale of
spouting nuclear fire, any appreciale distance into its territory. "ut order authorities could, at
discretion, accept a >good!ill visit.? 4t roke the monotony and gave a slight hope of oserving the
kind of trivia !hich, fitted together, no! and then revealed a fact the opposition !ould have
preferred to keep secret.
4n this case %erseia profited, at least initially.
/fficial hospitality !as exchanged. "esides protocol, the humans !ere motivated, !hether they
kne! it or not, to en$oy the delicate frisson that came from holding converse !ith those !ho7
eneath every diplomatic phrase7!ere the enemy. Flandry did kno! it; he had seen more of life
than the average t!enty-one-year-old. 8e !as sure the lierty parties do!n in /ld .o!n !ere eing
offered 1uite a fe! drinks, and other amenities in certain cases.
)ell, !hy not@ .hey had een long in the deeps et!een the stars. 4f they !ere straight ack
from here, they must travel a good AB; light-years7aout ten standard days at top hyperspeed, ut
still an ayss !hose immensity and strangeness !ore do!n the hardiest spirit7efore they could
raise the outermost of the !orlds they called their o!n. .hey needed a fe! hours of small-scale
living, e their hosts never so hostile.
)hich !e arenCt any!ay, Flandry thought. )e should e, ut !e arenCt, most of us. 8e grinned.
4ncluding me. .hough he !ould have liked to $oin the fun; he couldnCt. .he $unior officers of
4rumcla! "ase must hold the customary reception for their opposite numers from the ship. &.heir
seniors gave another in a separate uilding. .he %erseians, variously emused or amused y the
rigid .erran concept of rank, conformed. .hey set more store y ceremony and tradition, even that
of aliens, than latter-day humans did.( )hile some of the visitors spoke Anglic, it turned out that
Flandry !as the only man on this planet !ho kne! =riau. .he mess hall had no connection to the
linguistic computer and there !as no time to $ury-rig one. 8is translations !ould e needed more
than his physical presence.
9ot that the latter !as any disgrace, he reflected rather smugly. 8e !as tall and lithe and !ore
his dress uniform !ith panache and had ecome a favorite among the girls do!nhill. #espite this,
he remained !ell liked y the younger men, if not al!ays y his superiors.
8e entered at the appointed evening hour. ,nder 3ommander AdullahCs fishy eye, he saluted
the =mperorCs portrait not !ith his usual vague !ave ut !ith a snap that !ell-nigh dislocated his
shoulder. And a heel click to oot, he reminded himself. 0everal persons eing in line ahead of him,
he had a minute for taking stock. 4ts tales removed except for one earing refreshments7and its
chairs, in deference to the guests7the room stretched dreary. Pictures of former personnel, trophies
and citations for former accomplishments, seemed to make its !alls $ust the more depressing. An
animation sho!ed a park on .erra, trees nodding, in the ackground the sky!ard leap of a rich
familyCs residential to!er and airorne vehicles glittering like diamond dust; ut it reminded him
too !ell of ho! far he !as from those dear comforts. 8e preferred the darkness in the real !indo!.
4t !as open and a ree+e gusted through, !arm, laden !ith unearthly odors.
.he %erseians !ere a more !elcome sight, if only as proof that a universe did exist eyond
4rumcla!. Forty of them stood in a ro!, enduring repeated introductions !ith the stoicism
appropriate to a !arrior race.
.hey resemled especially large men some!hat. A numer of their faces might have een called
good-looking in a craggy fashion; their hands each had four fingers and a thum; the proportions
and articulations of most ody parts !ere fairly anthropoid. "ut the posture !as for!ard-leaning,
alanced y a heavy tail. .he feet, revealed y sandals, !ere splayed, !eed, and cla!ed. .he
skin !as hairless and looked faintly scaled; depending on su-species, its color ranged from the
pale green !hich !as commonest through golden ro!n to eony. .he head had t!o convoluted
ony orifices !here manCs has external ears. A ridge of serrations ran from its top, do!n the spine
to the end of the tail.
%ost of this anatomy !as concealed y their uniforms2 aggy tunic, snug reeches, lack !ith
silver trim and insignia. .he latter sho!ed family connections and status as !ell as rank and
service. .he %erseians had politely disarmed themselves, in that none carried a pistol at his !ide
elt; the .errans, in turn, had refrained from asking them to remove their great knuckleduster-
handled !ar knives.
4t !asnCt the differences et!een them and men that caused troule, Flandry kne!. 4t !as the
similarities7in planets of origin and thus in planets desired; in the energy of !arm-looded
animals, the instincts of ancestors !ho hunted, the legacies of pride and !ar7
>Afal -men, may 4 present <ieutenant Flandry,? Adullah intoned. .he young man o!ed to the
huge form, !hose o!ner corresponded approximately to a commander, and received a nod of the
ridged and shining pate. 8e proceeded, exchanging names and o!s !ith every suordinate
%erseian and !ondering, as they doutless did too, !hen the farce !ould end and the drinking
egin.
><ieutenant Flandry.?
>%ei .ach!yr.?
.hey stopped, and stared, and oth mouths fell open.
Flandry recovered first, perhaps ecause he ecame a!are that he !as holding up the parade.
>,h, this is a, uh, pleasant surprise,? he stammered in Anglic. %ore of his !its returned. 8e made a
formal =riau salutation2 >Dreeting and good fortune to you, .ach!yr of the 5ach Rueth.?
>And may you e in health and strength, #ominic Flandry of .erra,? the %erseian replied.
For another moment their eyes clashed, lack against gray, efore the man continued do!n the
line.
After a !hile he got over his astonishment. Aleit unexpected, the happenstance that he and
.ach!yr had met again did not look especially important. 9onetheless, he !ent rootlike through
the motions of sociaility and of eing an interpreter. 8is ga+e and mind kept straying to!ard his
former ac1uaintance. And .ach!yr himself !as too young to mask entirely the fact that he !as as
anxious to get together !ith Flandry.
.heir chance came in a couple of hours, !hen they managed to dodge out of their respective
groups and seek the refreshment tale. Flandry gestured. >%ay 4 pour for you@? he asked. >4 fear
that except for the telloch, !eCve run out of things native to your planet.?
>4 regret to say you have een had,? .ach!yr ans!ered. >4t is a dreadful rand. "ut 4 like your7
!hat is it called@--skoksh@?
>.hat makes t!o of us.? Flandry filled glasses for them. 8e had already had several !hiskies
and !ould have preferred this one over ice. 8o!ever, he !asnCt aout to look sissified in front of a
%erseian.
>Ah cheers,? .ach!yr said, lifting his tumler. 8is throat and palate gave the Anglic !ord an
accent for !hich there !ere no Anglic !ords.
Flandry could form %erseian speech etter if not perfectly. >.or ych!ei.? )ith oth hands he
extended his glass so that the other might take the first sip.
.ach!yr follo!ed it !ith half of his o!n in a single gulp. >Arrach'? Relaxed a little, he cocked
his head and smiled; ut under the shelf of ro! ridge, his glance held very steady on the human.
>)ell,? he said, >!hat rings you here@?
>4 !as assigned. For a .erran year, !orse luck. And you@?
>.he same, to my present ship. 4 see you are no! in the 4ntelligence 3orps.?
><ike yourself.?
.ach!yr the #ark7his skin !as a slightly deeper green than is usual around the )il!idh /cean
7could not altogether suppress a sco!l. >4 started in that ranch,? he said. >-ou !ere a flyer !hen
you came to %erseia.? 8e paused. >)ere you not@?
>/h, yes,? Flandry said. >4 transferred later.?
>At 3ommander AramsC instigation@?
Flandry nodded. >%ostly. 8eCs a captain no!, y the !ay.?
>0o 4 have heard. )e take an interest in him.?
After the 0tarkad affair, Flandry thought, you !ould. "et!een us, %ax Arams and 4 !recked a
scheme concocted y none less than "rechdan 4ronrede, Protector of the RoidhunCs Drand 3ouncil.
8o! much do you kno! aout that, .ach!yr@ -ou !ere only put to sho!ing me around and
trying to pump me, !hen Arams and 4 !ere on your !orld as part of the 8aukserg mission. And
the truth aout 0tarkad !as never made pulic; no one concerned could afford to let it come out.
-ou do rememer us, though, .ach!yr. 4f nothing else, you must have gathered that !e !ere
instrumental in causing %erseia 1uite a it of troule. 4t others you to have found me here.
"etter get off the su$ect. >-ou remain through tomorro!@ 4 admit 4rumcla! has less to offer
than %erseia, ut 4Cd like to return part of the courtesy you gave me.?
Again .ach!yr !as slo! to speak. >.hank you, negative. 4 have already arranged to tour the
area !ith shipmates.? .he =riau phrasing implied a commitment !hich no honorale male !ould
reak.
Flandry reflected that a male !ould not ordinarily ind himself so strongly to something so
minor.
)hat the devil@ the human thought. %aye they aim to sample our !ell-kno!n .erran
decadence and he doesnCt !ant me to reali+e their !ell-kno!n %erseian virtue can slack off that
much. >0tay in a party,? he !arned. >0ome of those ars are almost as dangerous as the stuff they
serve.?
.ach!yr uttered the throaty laugh of his species, settled do!n on the tripod of feet and tail, and
started yarning. Flandry matched him. .hey en$oyed themselves until the man !as called a!ay to
interpret a tedious conversation et!een t!o engineer officers.
II
0uch !as the prologue. 8e had practically forgotten it !hen the adventure egan. .hat !as on a
certain night aout eight months later.
0oon after the red-orange sun had set, he left the naval compound and !alked do!nhill. 9o one
paid him any heed. A former commandant had tried to discourage his young men from seeking the
occasionally lethal corruptions of /ld .o!n. 8e had declared a large part of it off limits. %eeting
considerale of the expense out of his o!n pocket, he had started an on-ase recreation center
!hich !as to include facilities for sports, arts, and crafts as !ell as honest gamling and medically
certified girls' "ut the osses elo! kne! ho! to use money and influence. .he commandant !as
transferred to a still more leak and insignificant outpost. 8is successor dismantled !hat had een
uilt, informed the men $ovially that !hat they did off duty !as their usiness, and !as said to e
dra!ing a nice extra income.
Flandry sauntered in elegance. .he comet gleaming on either shoulder !as so ne! that you
might have looked for diffidence from him. "ut his onnet !as tilted more rakishly on his seal-
ro!n hair than a strict interpretation of rules !ould have allo!ed; his frame !as draped in a
fantastic glittergold version of dress tunic and sno!y trousers tucked into handmade eefleather
half-oots; the cloak that fluttered ehind him glo!ed !ith phosphorescent patterns through the
chill dusk; and !hile he strolled, he sang a folk allad concerning the improale adventures of a
8ighland tinker.
4t made a good cover for the fact that he !as not out for pleasure.
"eyond the compound !alls, the homes of the !ealthy loomed amidst grandly do!ns!eeping
private parks. 4n a !ay, Flandry thought, they epitomi+ed manCs tra$ectory. /nce the settlement had
een sufficiently large and prosperous, and sufficiently !ithin the 4mperial sphere, to attract not
only merchants ut aristocrats. /ld .o!n had ustled !ith culture as !ell as commerce7
provincial, no dout, this far from .erra; nevertheless, live and genuine, !orthy of the respectful
emulation of the autochthons.
.onight 4rumcla! lay like a piece of !reckage at the edge of the receding tide of empire. )hat
mansions !ere not standing hollo! had ecome the property of oafs, and sho!ed it. &.he oafs !ere
not to e scoffed at. 0everal of them directed large organi+ations devoted to preying on the
spacemen !ho visited and the 9avy men !ho guarded !hat transshipment facilities remained in
use.( /utside the treaty port oundaries, ararism rolled for!ard as the natives aandoned
civili+ation !ith a perhaps $ustifiale contempt.
Past the residential section, !orkshops and !arehouses hulked lack in the night, and Flandry
moved alert !ith a hand near the needle gun under his tunic. Roeries and murders had happened
here. <acking the police to clean out this area, assuming he !anted to, the commandant had settled
for advising men on lierty not to go through alone.
Flandry had een shocked to learn that !hen he first arrived. >)e could do it ourselves7
estalish regular patrols7if heCd order it. #oesnCt he care@ )hat kind of chief is he@?
8is protest had een delivered in private to another scout, <ieutenant 3ommander =isenschmitt.
.he latter, having een around for a !hile, shrugged. >.he kind that any place like this gets,? he
ans!ered. >)e donCt rate attention at D8E, so naturally !eCre sent the hacks, oos, and petty
crooks. Dood senior officers are too adly needed else!here. )hen 4rumcla! does get one itCs an
accident, and he doesnCt stay long.?
>#amn it, man, !eCre on the order'? Flandry pointed out the !indo! of the room !here they
sat. 4t had een dark then, too. "etelgeuse glo!ed loody-rilliant among the hosts of stars !here
no !rit ran. >"eyond there7%erseia'?
>-eh. And the gatortails expanding in all directions except !hen !e ar the !ay. 4 kno!. "ut
this is the far edge of no!here in the eyes of an 4mperial government that canCt see past its
perfume-sniffing nose. -ouCre fresh from .erra, #om. -ou ought to understand etter than me. 4
expect !eCll pull out of 4rumcla! entirely inside another generation.?
>9o' 3anCt e' )hy, thatCd leave this !hole flank exposed for six parsecs in!ard. )eCd have no
!ay of protecting its commerce of, of staying around in any force7>
>,h-huh.? =isenschmitt nodded. >/n the other hand, the local commerce isnCt too profitale any
more, less each year. And think of the saving to the 4mperial treasury if !e end operations. .he
=mperor should e ale to uild a do+en ne! palaces complete !ith harems.?
Flandry had not een ale to agree at the time. 8e !as too lately out of a fighting unit and a
suse1uent school !here competence !as demanded. /ver the months, though, he sa! things for
himself and dre! his o!n sad conclusions.
.here !ere times !hen he !ould have !elcomed a set-to !ith a andit. "ut it had not efallen,
nor did it on this errand into /ld .o!n.
.he district gre! around him, crumling uildings left over from pioneer days, many of them
simply the original eehive-shaped adoes of the natives slightly remodeled for other life forms.
0treets and alleys t!isted aout under shimmering glo!signs. .raffic !as mainly pedestrian, ut
noise eat on the eardrums, clatter, shuffle, clop, clangor, raucous attempts at music, a hundred
different languages, once in a !hile a muffled scream or a ello! of rage. .he smells !ere e1ually
strong, ody odors, garage, smoke, incense, dope. 8umans predominated, ut many autochthons
!ere present and space travelers of numerous different reeds circulated among them.
/utside a particular $oyhouse, other!ise undistinguished from the rest, an 4rumclavian used a
vocali+er to chant in Anglic2 >3ome one, come all, come in, no cover, no minimum. =very type of
amusement, pleasure, and thrill. 9o game too exotic, no stakes too high or lo!. 3ontinuous
sophisticated entertainment. #elicious food and drink, stimulants, narcotics, hallucinogens,
emphasi+ers, to your order, to your taste, to your purse. =very sex and every techni1ue of
seventeen, yes, seventeen intelligent species ready to serve your desires, and this does not count
racial, mutational, and iosculp variations. 3ome one, come all7> Flandry !ent in. 8e chanced to
rush against t!o or three of the creatureCs arms. .he lue integument felt cold in the !inter air.
.he entrance hall !as hot and stuffy. An outsi+e human in a gaudy uniform said, >)elcome, sir.
)hat is your !ish@? !hile keeping eyes upon him that !ere like chips of osidian.
>Are you <em@? Flandry responded.
>,h, yeh. and you--@?
>4 am expected.?
>,rh. .ake the gravshaft to the top, thatCs the sixth floor, go left do!n the hall to a door
numered FFF, stand in front of the scan and !ait. )hen it opens, go up the stairs.?
>0ix-six-six@? murmured Flandry, !ho had read more than !as common in his service. >4s
3iti+en Ammon a humorist, do you think@?
>9o names'? <em dropped a hand to the stunner at his hip. >/n your !ay, kid.?
Flandry oeyed, even to letting himself e frisked and leaving his gun at the checkstand. 8e !as
glad !hen #oor FFF admitted him; that !as the sado-maso level, and he had glimpsed things.
.he office !hich he entered, and !hich sealed itself ehind him, recalled .erra in its si+e and
opulence and in the animation of a rose garden !hich graced a !all. /r so it seemed; then he
looked closer and sa! the shainess of the old furnishings, the garishness of the ne!. 9o other
human save <eon Ammon !as present. A Dor+unian mercenary stood like a shaggy statue in one
corner. )hen Flandry turned his ack, the eingCs musky scent continued to remind him that if he
didnCt ehave he could e plucked into small pieces.
>DCevening,? said the man ehind the desk. 8e !as grossly fat, hairless, s!eating, not especially
clean, although his scarlet tunic !as of the finest. 8is voice !as high and scratchy. >-ou kno! !ho
4 am, right@ 0it do!n. 3igar@ "randy@?
Flandry accepted everything offered. 4t !as of prime 1uality too. 8e said so.
>-ouCll do etter than this if you stick y me,? Ammon replied. 8is smile !ent no deeper than
his lips. >-ou havenCt told aout the invitation my man !hispered to you the other night@?
>9o, sir, of course not.?
>)ouldnCt other me if you did. 9othing illegal aout inviting a young chap for a drink and a
ga. Right@ "ut you could e in troule yourself. %ighty ad troule, and not $ust !ith your
commanding officer.?
Flandry had his suspicions aout the origin of many of the su$ects on the floor elo!.
3onsenting adults after rain-channeling and surgical disguise 8e studied the tip of his cigar. >4
donCt imagine youCdCve asked me here, sir, if you thought 4 needed threatening,? he said.
>9o. 4 like your looks, #ominic,? Ammon said. >8ave ever since you started coming to /ld
.o!n for your fun. A lot of escapades, ut organi+ed like military maneuvers, right@ -ouCre cool
and tough and close-mouthed. 4 had a check done on your ackground.?
Flandry expanded his suspicions. 5arious incidents, !hen he had een leaned on one !ay or
another, egan to look like engineered testing of his reactions. >)asnCt much to find out, !as
there@C he said. >4Cm only a $.g., routinely fresh-minted after serving here for t!o months. Former
flyoy, reassigned to 4ntelligence, sent ack to .erra for training in it and then to 4rumcla! for
scouting duty.?
>4 canCt really compute that,? Ammon said. >4f they aim to make you a spy, !hy have you spend
a year flitting in and out of this system@?
>4 need practice in surveillance, especially of planets that are poorly kno!n. And the no-manCs-
land yonder needs !atching. /ur %erseian chums could uild an advanced ase there, for instance,
or start some other kettle oiling, unekno!nst to us, if !e didnCt keep scoutoats s!eeping
around.? %aye they have any!ay.
>-es, 4 got that ans!er efore !hen 4 asked, and it still sounds to me like a !aste of talent. "ut it
got you to 4rumcla!, and 4 did notice you and had you studied. 4 learned more than stands on any
pulic record, oy. .he !hole 0tarkad usiness pivoted on you.?
0hocked, Flandry !ondered ho! deeply the rot had eaten, if the agent of a medium-scale vice
oss on a tenth-rate frontier planet could otain such information.
>)ell, your tourCll soon e up,? Ammon said. >Precious little to sho! for it, right@ Right. 8o!Cd
you like to turn a profit efore you leave@ A mighty nice profit, 4 promise you.? 8e rued his
hands. >%ighty nice.?
>#epends,? Flandry said. 4f heCd een investigated as thoroughly as it appeared, there !as no
use in pretending he had private financial resources, or that he didnCt re1uire them if he !as to
advance his career as far as he hoped. >.he 4mperium has my oath.?
>0ure, sure. 4 !ouldnCt ask you to do anything against 8is %a$esty. 4Cm a citi+en myself, right@
9o, 4Cll tell you exactly !hat 4 !ant done, if youCll keep it confidential.?
>4tCd doutless not do me any good to la, the !ay youCll tell me.?
Ammon giggled. >Right' Right' -ouCre a sharp one, #ominic. 8andsome, too,? he added
exploringly.
>4Cll settle for the sharpness no! and uy the handsomeness later,? Flandry said. As a matter of
fact, !hile he en$oyed eing gray-eyed, he considered his face unduly long and thin, and planned to
get it remodeled !hen he could afford the est.
Ammon sighed and returned to usiness. >All 4 !ant is for you to survey a planet for me. -ou
can do it on your next scouting trip. Report ack, privately, of course, and itCs !orth a flat million,
in small ills or !hatever shape you prefer.? 8e reached into his desk and extracted a packet. >4f
you take the $o, hereCs a hundred thousand on account.? A million' -e gods and demons' Flandry
fought to keep his mask. 9o enormous fortune, really. "ut enough for that necessary nest-feathering
7the special e1uipment, the social contacts7no more !retched udgeting of my pleasure on
furlough7A distant part of him noted !ith approval ho! cool his tone stayed. >4 have to carry out
my assignment.?
>4 kno!, 4 kno!. 4Cm not asking you to skimp it. 4 told you 4Cm a loyal citi+en. "ut if you $ogged
off your track a!hile7it shouldnCt cost more than a couple of !eeks extra7>
>3ost me my scalp if anyone found out,? Flandry said.
Ammon nodded. >.hatCs ho! 4Cll kno! 4 can trust you to keep 1uiet. And youCll trust me,
ecause suorning an 4mperial officer is a capital offense7anyho!, it usually is !hen it involves a
matter like this, thatCs not going to get mentioned to the authorities or the tax assessors.?
>)hy not send your personal vessel to look@?
Ammon laid aside his mannerisms. >4 havenCt got one. 4f 4 hired a civilian, !hat hold !ould 4
have on him@ =specially an /ld .o!n type. 4Cd likely end up !ith an extra mouth in my throat,
once the !ord got around !hatCs to e had out there. <etCs admit it, even on this miserale crudall
4Cm not so ig.?
8e leaned for!ard. >4 !ant to ecome ig,? he said. 4t smoldered in eyes and voice; he shook
!ith the intensity of it. >/nce 4 kno!, from you, that the thingCs !orth!hile, 4Cll sink everything 4
o!n and can orro! into uilding up a reliale outfit. )eCll !ork secretly for the first several years,
sell through complicated channels, sock a!ay the profits. .hen maye 4Cll surface, doctor the story,
start paying taxes, move to .erra7maye uy my !ay to a patent of noility, maye go into
politics, 4 donCt kno!, ut 4Cll e ig. #o you understand@?
Far too !ell, Flandry thought.
Ammon daed at his glistening forehead. >4t !ouldnCt hurt you, having a ig friend,? he said.
>Right@?
Associate, please, Flandry thought. Perhaps that, if 4 must. 9ever friend.
Aloud2 >4 suppose 4 could cook my log, record ho! troule !ith the oat caused delay. 0heCs
fast ut superannuated, and inspections are lackadaisical. "ut you havenCt yet told me, sir, !hat the
loody dripping hell this is all aout.?
>4 !ill, 4 !ill.? Ammon mastered his emotions. >4tCs a lost treasure, thatCs !hat it is. <isten. Five
hundred years ago, the Polesotechnic <eague had a ase here. -ouCve heard@?
Flandry, !ho had similarly tamed his excitement into alertness, nodded !istfully. 8e !ould
much rather have lived in the high and spacious days of the trader princes, !hen no distance and no
deed looked too vast for man, than in this t!ilight of empire. >4t got cloered during the .roules,
didnCt it@? he said.
>Right. 8o!ever, a fe! underground installations survived. 9ot in good shape. 9ot safe to go
into. .unnels apt to collapse, full of nightskulks7you kno!. 9o! 4 thought those vaults might e
useful for79ever mind. 4 had them explored. A microfile turned up. 4t gave the coordinates and
galactic orit of a planetary system out in !hatCs no! no-manCs-land. %artian %inerals, 4nc., !as
mining one of the !orlds. .hey !erenCt pulici+ing the fact; you rememer !hat rivalries got to e
like to!ard the end of the <eague era. .hatCs the main reason !hy kno!ledge of this system !as
completely lost. "ut it !as 1uite a place for a !hile.?
>Rich in heavy metals,? Flandry pounced.
Ammon linked. >8o! did you guess@?
>9othing else !ould e !orth exploiting y a minerals outfit, at such a distance from the centers
of civili+ation. -es.? A rene!ed eagerness surged in Flandry. >A young, metal-rich star,
corresponding planets, on one of them a rootic ase 4t !as rootic, !asnCt it@ 8igh-grade central
computer7consciousness grade, 4Cll et7directing machines that prospected, mined, refined,
stored, and loaded the ships !hen they called. Proaly manufactured spare parts for them too, and
did needful !ork on them, esides expanding its o!n facilities. -ou see, 4 donCt suppose a !orld
!ith that concentration of violently poisonous elements in its ground !ould attract people to a
manned ase. =asier and cheaper in the long run to automate everything.?
>Right. Right.? AmmonCs chins 1uivered !ith his nodding. >A moon, actually, of a planet igger
than Gupiter. %ore massive, that is7a thousand .erras7though the file does say its gravity
condensed it to a smaller si+e. .he moon itself, )ayland they named it, )ayland has aout three
percent the mass of .erra ut half the surface pull. 4tCs that dense.?
%ean specific gravity circa eleven, Flandry calculated. ,ranium, thorium7proaly still some
neptunium and plutonium7and osmium, platinum, rare metals simply !aiting to e scooped out7
my Dod' %y greed'
From ehind his hard-held coolness he dra!led2 >A million doesnCt seem extravagant pay for
opening that kind of opportunity to you.?
>4tCs plenty for a look-see,? Ammon said. >.hatCs all 4 !ant of you, a report on )ayland. 4Cm
taking the risks, not you.
>First off, 4Cm risking youCll go report our talk, trying for a re!ard and a 1uick transfer
else!here efore my people can get to you. )ell, 4 donCt think thatCs a very ig risk. -ouCre too
amitious and too used to t!isting regulations around to suit yourself. And too smart, 4 hope. 4f you
think for a minute, youCll see ho! 4 could fix it to get any possile charges against me dropped. "ut
maye 4Cve mis$udged you.
>.hen, supposing you play true, the place could turn out to e no good.
4Cll e short a million, for nothing. %ore than a million, actually. .hereCs the hire of a partner;
reliale ones donCt come cheap. And supplies for him; and transporting them to a spot !here you
can pick them and him up after youCve taken off; and7oh, no, oy, you consider yourself lucky
4Cm this generous.?
>)ait a minute,? Flandry said. >A partner@?
Ammon leered. >-ou donCt think 4Cd let you travel alone, do you@ Really, dear oy' )hatCd
prevent your telling me )aylandCs !orthless !hen it isnCt, coming ack later as a civilian, and
HhappeningC on it@?
>4 presume if 4 give you a negative report, youCll re1uest 4 sumit to a narco1ui+. And if 4 didnCt
report to you at all, youCd kno! 4 had found a pri+e.?
>)ell, !hat if you told them youCd gotten off course someho! and found the system y
accident@ -ou could hope for a re!ard. 4 can tell you youCd e disappointed. )hy should the
ureaucrats care, !hen thereCd e nothing in it for them ut extra !ork@ 4Cd lay long odds theyCd
classify your HdiscoveryC an 4mperial secret and forid you under criminal penalties ever to mention
it any!here. -ou might guess differently, though. 9o insult to you, #ominic. 4 elieve in insurance,
thatCs all. Right@
>0o my agent !ill ride along, and give you the navigational data after youCre safely a!ay in
space, and never leave your side till youCve returned and told me personally !hat you found.
After!ard, as a !itness to your ehavior on active duty, a !itness !hoCll testify under hypnoproe
if need e, !hy, heCll keep on eing my insurance against any change of heart you might suffer.?
Flandry le! a smoke ring. >As you !ish,? he conceded. >4tCll e pretty co+y, t!o in a 3omet,
ut 4 can rig an extra unk and7<etCs discuss this further, shall !e@ 4 think 4 !ill take the $o, if
certain conditions can e met.?
Ammon !ould have ristled !ere he ale. .he Dor+unian sensed his irritation and gro!led.
>3onditions@ From you@?
Flandry !aved his cigar. >9othing unreasonale, sir,? he said airily. >For the most part,
precautions that 4Cm sure you !ill agree are sensile and may already have thought of for yourself.
And that agent you mentioned. 9ot HheC, please. 4t could get fatally irritating, living cheek y
un!ashed $o!l !ith some goon for !eeks. 4 kno! you can find a capale and at the same time
amiale human female. Right@ Right.?
8e had everything he could do to maintain that surface calm. "eneath it, his pulse racketed7
and not simply ecause of the money, the risk, the en$oyment. 8e had come here on a hunch,
doutless generated y e1ual parts of curiosity and oredom. 8e had stayed !ith the idea that, if
the pro$ect seemed too ha+ardous, he could indeed etray Ammon and apply for duty that !ould
keep him eyond range of assassins. 9o! aruptly a vision !as coming to him, ha+y, uncertain,
and gigantic.
III
#$ana !as hard to shock. "ut !hen the apartment door had closed ehind her and she sa! !hat
!aited, her >9o'? roke free as a near scream.
>#o not e alarmed,? said the s1uatting shape. A vocali+er converted the u++es and !histles
from its lo!er eak into recogni+ale Anglic syllales. >-ou have nothing to fear and much to
gain.?
>-ou7a man called me7>
>A dummy. 4t is not desirale that Ammon kno! you have met me in private, and surely he has
put a monitor onto you.?
#$ana felt surreptitiously ehind her. As expected, the door did not respond; it had een set to
lock itself. 0he clutched her large ornamental purse. A stun pistol lay inside. 8er past had seen
contingencies.
"racing herself and !etting her lips, she said, >4 donCt. 9ot !ith xenos7> and in haste, fearing
offense might e taken, >4 mean nonhuman sophonts. 4t isnCt right.?
>4 suspect a large enough sum !ould change your mind,? the other said. >-ou have a reputation
for avarice. 8o!ever, 4 plan a different kind of proposition.? 4t moved slo!ly closer, a lumpy gray
ody on four thin legs !hich rought the head at its middle aout level !ith her !aist. /ne
tentacle sent the single loose garment s!irling aout in a sinuous gesture. Another clutched the
vocali+er in oneless fingers. .he instrument !as eing used !ith considerale skill; it actually
achieved an ingratiating note. >-ou must kno! aout me in your turn. 4 am only Rax, harmless old
Rax, the solitary representative of my species on this !orld. 4 assure you my reproductive pattern is
sufficiently unlike yours that 4 find your assumption comical.?
#$ana eased a it. 0he had in fact noticed the creature during the three years she herself had een
on 4rumcla!. A casual in1uiry and ans!er crossed her recollection, yes, Rax !as a dealer in drugs,
legal or illegal, from !here !as it@ 9oody kne! or cared. .he planet had some or other
unpronounceale name and orited in distant parts. Proaly Rax had had to make a hurried
departure for reasons of health, and had drifted aout until it stranded at last on this tolerant shore.
0uch cases !ere tiresomely common.
And !ho could rememer all the races in the .erran =mpire@ 9oody2 not !hen its ounds,
unclear though they !ere, defined a rough gloe B;; light-years across. .hat volume contained an
estimated four million suns, most !ith attendants. %aye half had een visited once or more, y
ships !hich might have picked up incidental native recruits. And the hundred thousand or so !orlds
!hich en$oyed a degree of repeated contact !ith men7often sporadic7and o!ed a degree of
allegiance to the 4mperium7often purely nominal7!ere too many for a rain to keep track of.
#$anaCs eyes flickered. .he apartment !as furnished for a human, in aominale taste. 8e must
e the one !ho had called her. 9o! he !as gone. .hough an inner door stood closed, she never
douted she !as alone !ith Rax. 0ilence pressed on her, no more relieved y dull traffic sounds
from outside than the gloom in the !indo!s !as y a fe! street lights. 0he gre! conscious of her
o!n perfume. .oo damn s!eet, she thought.
>#o e seated.? Rax edged closer yet, !ith an a!k!ardness that suggested !eight on its original
planet !as significantly lo!er than 4rumcla!Cs ;.IF g. #id it keep a field generator at home if it
had any concept akin to >home?@
0he dre! a long reath, tossed her head so the tresses fle! ack over her shoulders, and donned
a cocky grin. >4Cve a living to make,? she said.
>-es, yes.? RaxCs lo!er left tentacle groped ropily in a pouch and stretched forth holding a ill.
>8ere. .!ice your regular hourly recompense, 4 am told. -ou need ut listen, and !hat you hear
should point the !ay to earning very much more.?
>)e-e-ell > 0he slipped the money into her purse, found a chair, dre! forth a cigarette and
inhaled it into lighting. 8er visceral sensations she identified as part fear7this must e a scheme
against Ammon, !ho played rough7and part excitement7a chance to make some real credit@
%aye enough to 1uit this !retched hustle for good@
Rax placed itself efore her. 0he had no !ay of reading expressions on that face.
>4 !ill tell you !hat information is possessed y those !hom 4 represent,? the vocali+er said.
.he spoken language, constructed !ith pronunciation, vocaulary, and grammar in a one-one
relationship to Anglic, rose and fell eerily ehind the little transponder. >A $unior lieutenant,
#ominic Flandry, !as oserved speaking several times in private !ith <eon Ammon.?
9o! !hy should that interest them especially@ she !ondered, then lost her thought in her
concentration on the !ords.
>4nvestigation revealed AmmonCs people had come upon something in the course of excavating
in this vicinity. 4ts nature is kno!n $ust to him and a fe! trusted confidants. )e suspect that others
!ho sa! !ere paid to undergo memory erasure anent the matter, except for one presumaly
stuorn person !hose corpse !as found in %other 3hickenfootCs <ane. 0use1uently you too
have een closeted !ith Ammon and, later, !ith Flandry.?
>)ell,? #$ana said, >he7>
>Pure coincidence is implausile,? Rax declared, >especially !hen he could ill afford you on a
$unior lieutenantCs pay. 4t is also kno!n that Ammon has 1uietly purchased certain spacecraft
supplies and engaged a disreputale interplanetary ferrier to take them to the outermost memer of
this system and leave them there at a specific place, in a cave marked y a small radio eacon that
!ill self-activate !hen a vessel passes near.?
0uddenly #$ana reali+ed !hy 0kipper /rsini had sought her out and een lavish shortly after his
return. RaxCs outfit had ried him.
>4 canCt imagine !hat youCre getting at,? she said. A draft of smoke s!irled and it in her lungs.
>-ou can,? Rax retorted. >#ominic Flandry is a scout-oat pilot. 8e !ill soon depart on his next
scheduled mission. Ammon must have engaged him to do something extra in the course of it. 0ince
the cargo delivered to Planet =ight included impellers and similar gear, the $o evidently involves
study of a !orld some!here in the !ilderness. AmmonCs discovery !as therefore, in all proaility,
an old record of its existence and possile high value. -ou are to e his oserver. Jno!ing
FlandryCs predilections, one is not surprised that he should insist on a companion like you. 4t
follo!s that you t!o have een getting ac1uainted, to make certain you can endure eing cooped
together for !eeks in a small oat.
>/rsini !ill flit you to =ight. Flandry !ill surreptitiously land there, pick up you and the
supplies, and proceed into interstellar space. Returning, you t!o !ill reverse the !hole process,
and meet in AmmonCs office to report.?
#$ana sat still.
>-ou give a!ay nothing y affirming this,? Rax stated. >%y organi+ation kno!s. )here is the
lost planet@ )hat is its nature@?
>)ho are you !orking for@? #$ana asked mutedly.
>.hat does not concern you.? RaxCs tone !as mild and #$ana took no umrage. .he gang lords
of 4rumcla! !ere a murderous lot. >-ou o!e Ammon no allegiance,? Rax urged. >Rather, you o!e
him a disfavor. 0ince you prefer to operate independently, and thus compete !ith the houses, you
must pay him for his Hprotection.C >
#$ana sighed. >4f it !erenCt him, itCd e someody else.?
Rax dre! forth a sheaf of ills and riffled them !ith a fine crisp sound. 0he estimated7holy
saints'--ten thousand credits. >.his for ans!ering my 1uestions,? it said. >%ost likely a mere
eginning for you.?
0he thought, !hile she inhaled raggedly, 4f the usiness looks too dangerous, 4 can go tell <eon
right a!ay and explain 4 !as playing along7of course, this unch might learn 4Cd talked and 4Cd
have to skip7A flick of !hite fury2 4 shouldnCt have to skip' 9ot ever again'
0he uilt her sentences !ith care. >9oodyCs told me much. -ou understand they !ouldnCt, till
the last minute. -our ideas are right, ut theyCre aout as far along as my o!n information goes.?
>8as Flandry said nothing to you@?
0he plunged. >All right. -es. Dive me that packet.? 8aving taken the money, she descried !hat
the pilot had een ale to reveal to her after she had lo!ered his guard for him. &An oddly s!eet
pair of nights; ut est not think aout that.( >8e doesnCt kno! the coordinates yet, you reali+e,?
she finished. >9ot even !hat kind of sun it is, except for the metals. 4t must e some!here not too
far off his assigned route. "ut he says that leaves thousands of possiilities.?
>/r more.? Rax forgot to control intonation. )as the sa!ing rhythm that came out of the
speaker an e1uivalent of its e1uivalent of an a!ed !hisper@ >0o many, many stars a hundred
illion in this one lost lonely dustmote of a galaxy and !e on the edge, remote in a spiral arm
!here they thin to!ard emptiness !hat do !e kno!, !hat can !e master@?
.he voice ecame flat and usinesslike again. >.his could e a pri+e !orth contending for. )e
!ould pay !ell for a report from you. ,nder certain circumstances, a million.?
)hat 9icky said he !as getting' And <eonCs paying me a are hundred thousand7#$ana shook
her head. >4Cll e !atched for 1uite a !hile, Rax, if )ayland turns out to e any use. )hat good is a
fortune after youCve een lasted@? 0he shivered. >/r they might e angry enough to rain-channel
me and7> .he cigarette scorched her fingers. 0he ground it into a disposer and reached for a ne!
one. A million credits, she thought !ildly. A million packs of smokes. "ut no, thatCs not it. )hat
you do is ank it and live off the interest. 9o huge income, ut youCd e comfortale on it, and
safe, and free, free7
>-ou !ould re1uire disappearance, certainly,? Rax said. >.hat is part of the plan.?
>#o you mean !e our oat !ould never come ack@?
>3orrect. .he 9avy !ill mount a search, !ith no result. Ammon !ill not soon e ale to otain
another scout, and in the interim he can e diverted from his purpose or done a!ay !ith. -ou can
e taken to a suitaly distant point, to .erra itself if you !ish.?
#$ana started her cigarette. .he taste !as !rong. >)hat aout, !ell, him@?
>Gunior <ieutenant Flandry@ 9o great harm need come if the matter is handled efficiently. For
the sums involved, one can afford to hire technicians and e1uipment ale to remove recent
memories from him !ithout damage to the rest of his personality. 8e can e left !here he !ill soon
e found. .he natural assumption !ill e that he !as captured y %erseians and hypnoproed in a
random-pattern search for information.?
Rax hunched for!ard. ><et me make the proposition 1uite specific,? it continued. >4f )ayland
turns out to e !orthless, you simply report to Ammon as ordered. )hen it is safe, you seek me and
tell me the details. 4 !ant especially to kno! as much aout Flandry as you can extract from him.
For example, has he anything more in mind concerning this mission than earning his rie@ -ou
see, my organi+ation may !ell have uses of its o!n for a uyale 9avy officer. 0ince this puts you
to no special effort or ha+ard, your compensation !ill e one hundred thousand credits.?
Plus !hat 4Cve already got in my purse, she exulted, plus <eonCs payment'
>And if the moon is valuale@? she murmured.
>.hen you must capture the oat. .hat should not e difficult. Flandry !ill e unsuspicious.
Furthermore, our agents !ill have seen to it that the crates supposed to contain impellers do not.
.hat presents no prolem; the storage cave is unguarded.?
#$ana fro!ned. >8uh@ )hat for@ 8o! can he check out the place if he canCt flit around in his
spacesuit@?
>4t !ill not e considered your fault if his $udgment proves erroneous, for this or any other
cause. "ut he should e ale to do !ell enough; it is not as if this !ere a xenological expedition or
the like. .he reason for thus restricting his moility is that he7young and reckless7!ill therey
e less likely to undertake things !hich could expose you, our contact, to danger.?
>)ell'? #$ana chuckled. >9ice of you.?
>After Flandry is your prisoner, you !ill steer the oat through a volume !hose coordinates !ill
e given you,? Rax finished. >.his !ill ring you !ithin detection range of a ship elonging to us,
!hich !ill make rende+vous and take you aoard. -our re!ard !ill go to a million credits.?
>,m-m-m > 3heck every angle, girl. .he one you donCt check is sure to e the one !ith a steel
trap in it. #$ana flinched, recalling !hen certain $a!s had punished her for disoedience to an
influential person. Rallying, she asked2 >)hy not $ust trail the scout@?
>.he space virations created y an operating hyper-drive are detectale, instantaneously, to a
distance of aout one light-year,? Rax said, patient !ith her ignorance of technology. >.hat is !hat
limits communications over any greater reach to physical o$ects such as letters or couriers. 4f our
vessel can detect !here FlandryCs is, his can do like!ise and he may e expected to take
countermeasures.?
>4 see.? #$ana sat a !hile longer, thinking her !ay for!ard. At last she looked up and said2 >"y
Gesus, you do tempt me. "ut 4Cll e honest, 4Cm scared. 4 kno! damn !ell 4Cm eing !atched, ever
since 4 agreed to do this $o, and <eon might take it into his head to give me a narco1ui+. -ou
kno!@?
>.his has also een provided for,? Rax pointed. >"ehind yonder door is a hypnoproe !ith
amnesiagenic attachments. 4 am expert in its use. 4f you agree to help us for the compensation
mentioned, you !ill e sho!n the rende+vous coordinates and memori+e them. .hereafter your
recollection of this night !ill e driven from your consciousness.?
>)hat@? 4t !as as if a hand closed around #$anaCs heart. 0he sagged ack into her chair. .he
cigarette dropped from cold fingers.
>8ave no fears,? the golin said. >#o not confuse this !ith +omie-making. .here !ill e no
implanted compulsions, unless you count a posthypnotic suggestion making you !ant to explore
FlandryCs mind and persuade him to sho! you ho! to operate the oat. -ou !ill simply a!aken
tomorro! in a some!hat disorgani+ed state, !hich !ill soon pass except that you cannot rememer
!hat happened after you arrived here. .he suggestion !ill indicate a night involving drugs, and the
money in your purse !ill indicate the night !as not !asted. 4 dout you !ill !orry long aout the
matter, especially since you are soon heading into space.?
>47!ell74 donCt touch the heavy drugs, Rax7>
>Perhaps your client spiked a drink. .o continue2 -our latent memories !ill e uried past the
reach of any mere narco1ui+. .!o alternative situations !ill restimulate them. /ne !ill e an
intervie! !here Flandry has told Ammon )ayland is !orthless. .he other !ill e his telling you,
on the scene, that it is valuale. 4n either case, full kno!ledge !ill return to your a!areness and
you can take appropriate action.?
#$ana shook her head. >4Cve een rain-channeled rain-urned7no,? she choked. =very detail
in the room, a checkeroard pattern on a lounger, a moving !rinkle on RaxCs face, the panels of the
inner door, stood efore her !ith nightmare sharpness. >9o, 4 !onCt.?
>4 do not speak of slave conditioning,? the other said. >.hat !ould make you too inflexile.
"esides, it takes longer than the hour or so !e dare spend. 4 speak of a voluntary argain !ith us
!hich includes your sumitting to a harmless cue-recall amnesia.?
#$ana rose. .he knees shook eneath her. >-ou, you, you could make a mistake. 9o. 4Cm going.
<et me out.? 0he reached into her purse.
0he !as too late. .he slugthro!er had appeared. 0he stared do!n its mu++le, >4f you do not
cooperate tonight,? Rax told her, >you are dead. .herefore, !hy not give yourself a chance to !in a
million credits@ .hey can uy you lieration from !hat you are.?
IV
.he next stage of the adventure came a month after!ard. .hat !as !hen the mortal danger
egan.
.he sun that men had once named %imir urned !ith four times the rightness of 0ol; ut at a
distance of five astronomical units it sho!ed tiny, a luish-!hite firespot too intense for the
unshielded eye. 3overing its disc !ith a finger, you ecame ale to see the ha+e around it7gas,
dust, meteoroids, a neula miniature in extent ut thick as any to e found any!here in the kno!n
universe7and the spearpoints of light created y reflection !ithin that neula. =lse!here, darkness
s!armed !ith remoter stars and the %ilky )ay foamed around heaven.
0ome!hat more than four million kilometers from the scoutoat, Regin spread over t!o and a
half times the sky diameter of <una seen from .erra. .he day side of the giant planet cast sunlight
lindingly off clouds in its intensely compressed atmosphere. .he night side had an ashen-hued
glo! of its o!n, partly from aurora, partly from luminosity reounding off a score of moons.
.hey included )ayland. .hough no igger than <una, the satellite dominated the for!ard
vie!screen2 for the oat !as heading straight do!n out of orit. .he vision of stark peaks, glacier
fields, arren plains, craters old and eroded or ne! and ra!, !as hardly softened y a thin lanket
of air.
Flandry sent his hands dancing over the pilot oard. .echnically 3omet class, his vessel !as
anti1uated and minimally e1uipped. )ithout a proper conning computer, he must make his
approach manually. 4t didnCt other him. 8aving gotten the needful data during free fall around the
gloe, he had only to keep oservant of his instruments and direct the grav drive accordingly. For
him it !as a dance !ith the oat for partner, to the lilt of cosmic forces; and indeed he !histled a
!alt+ tune through his teeth.
9onetheless he !as taut. .he faint virations of po!er, rustle and chemical-sharp odor of
ventilation, pull of the interior !eightmaking field, stood uncommonly strong in his a!areness. 8e
heard the lood eat in his ears.
8arnessed eside him, #$ana exclaimed2 >-ouCre not aiming for the centrum. -ouCre !ay off.?
8e spared her a look. =ven no! he en$oyed the sight. >/f course,? he said.
>)hat@ )hy@?
>4snCt it ovious@ 0omething mighty damn strange is going on there. 4Cm not aout to ull in. Far
etter !e !easel in.? 8e laughed. >.hough 4Cd rather continue tomcatting.?
8er features hardened. >4f you try to pull any7>
>Ah-ah. 9o itching.? Flandry gave his attention ack to the oard and screens. 8is voice !ent
on, astractedly2 >4Cm surprised at you. 4 am for a fact. A hooker so tough aleit delectale, not
taking for granted !eCd reconnoiter first. 4Cm going to land us in that crater7see it@ /ught to e
firm ground, though !eCll give it a eam test efore !e cut the engine. )ith luck, any of those
flying !eirdies !e sa! that happens to pass overhead should register us as another piece of
meteorite. 9ot that 4 expect any !ill chance y. .his may e a mini!orld, ut it !ears a lot of real
estate. 4Cll leave you inoard and take a verree cautious lookaout. 4f all goes !ell, !eCll do some
encores, !orking our !ay closer. And donCt think 4 donCt !ish a particularly sticky hell e
constructed for !hatever coprolite rain it !as that succeeded in packing the impeller cases !ith
oxygen ottles.?
8e had not made that discovery until he !as nearing Regin and had roken out the planetside
gear Ammon had assemled to his order. -ou didnCt need personal flying units on routine
surveillance. .he last thing you !ere supposed to do !as land any!here. .hey !erenCt even
included in your emergency e1uipment. 4f you ran into troule, they couldnCt help you.
4 should have checked the !hole lot !hen !e loaded it aoard on Planet =ight, he thought. 4Cm
guilty of taking something for granted. 8o! %ax Arams !ould ream me out' )ell, 4 guess
4ntelligence agents learn their trade through sad experience like everyody else.
After a string of remarks that made #$ana herself lush, he had seriously considered aorting the
)ayland mission. "ut no. .oo many ha+ards !ere involved in a second try, starting !ith the
difficulty of convincing his fello!s that reakdo!ns had delayed him t!ice in a ro!. And !hat
harm could an utterly lifeless all of rock do him@
0trangely, the enigmatic things he had seen from orit increased his determination to go do!n.
/r perhaps that !asnCt so strange. 8e !as starved for action. "esides, at his age he dared not admit
to any girl that he could e scared.
8is !hetted senses perceived that she shivered. 4t !as for the first time in their voyage. "ut
then, she !as a creature of cities and machinery, not of the "ig #eep.
And it !as a mystery to!ard !hich they descended2 !here a complex of roots ought to have
een at !ork, or at least passively !aiting out the centuries, an inexplicale crisscross of lines
dra!n over a hundred s1uare kilometers in front of the old uildings, and a traffic of o$ects like
nothing ever seen efore except in ad dreams. #aunting, yes. /n a legitimate errand, Flandry
!ould have gone ack for reinforcements. "ut that !as impractical under present circumstances.
"riefly, he felt a touch of pity for #$ana. 8e kne! she !as as gentle, loving, and compassionate
as a cryogenic drill. "ut she !as eautiful &small, fine-oned, ex1uisite features, great lue eyes,
honey-gold hair(, !hich he considered a moral virtue. Apart from insisting that he prepare meals7
and he !as undoutedly far the superior cook7she had accepted the cramped austerity of the oat
!ith !ry good humor. #uring their three !eeks of travel she had given him freely of her talents,
!hich commanded top price at home. )hile her formal education in other fields !as scanty,
et!een outs she had proved an entertaining talkmate. 8alf enemy she might e, ut Flandry had
allo!ed himself the imprudent luxury of falling slightly in love !ith her, and felt he !as a little in
her det. 9o other scouting s!eep had een as pleasant'
9o! she faced the spacefarerCs truth, that the one thing !e kno! for certain aout this universe
is that it is implacale. 8e !anted to reach across and console her.
"ut the vessel !as entering atmosphere. A ho!l egan to penetrate the hull, !hich ucked.
>3ome on, Gake,? Flandry said. >"e a good girl.?
>)hy do you al!ays call the oat Gake@? the companion asked, oviously trying to get her mind
off the crags lancing to!ard her.
>Diacoini-Kinner is ridiculous,? he ans!ered, >and the code letters canCt e fitted into anything
a!dy.? 4 refrain from in1uiring !hat you !ere called as a child, he thought. 4 prefer not to elieve
in, say, an =rrriintrude "uggleth!aite !ho invested in a, ah, house name and a total-ody iosculp
$o >Euiet, please. .his is tricky !ork. .hin air means high-velocity !inds.?
.he engine gro!led. 4nterior counter-acceleration force did not altogether compensate for
lurching; the deck seemed to stagger. FlandryCs hands fle!, his feet shoved pedals, occasionally he
spoke an order to the idiot-grade central computer that the oat did possess. "ut heCd done this sort
of thing efore, often under more difficult conditions. 8eCd make planetfall !ithout real troule7
.he flyers came.
8e had scarcely a minuteCs !arning of them. #$ana screamed as they !hipped from a veil of
driving gray cloud. .hey !ere metal, right in the light of %imir and of ReginCs hori+on-scraping
dayside crescent. )ide, ried !ings upore sticklike torsos, grotes1ue empennage, eaks and
cla!s. .hey !ere much smaller than the spacecraft, ut they numered a score or !orse.
.hey attacked. .hey could do no real harm directly. .heir hammering and scraping resounded
!ild in the hull. "ut ho!ever frail y the standards of a real ship, a 3omet !as uilt to resist
heavier ufferings.
.hey did, though, rock it. )heeling and soaring, they darkened vision. %ore terrily, they
interfered !ith radar, sonic eams, every proing of every instrument. 0uddenly, except for
glimpses !hen they flashed aside, Flandry !as piloting lind. .he !ind sent his craft reeling.
8e staed forth flame out of the single spitgun in the nose. A flyer exploded in smoke and
fragments. Another, !ing sheared across, spun do!n!ard to destruction. .he rest !ere too many,
too 1uickly reacting. >)eCve got to get out of here'? he heard himself yell, and crammed on po!er.
0hock smashed through him. %etal shrieked. .he !orld !hirled in the screens. For an instant, he
sa! !hat had happened. )ithout sight or sensors, in the turulence of the air, he had descended
further than he kne!. 8is spurt of acceleration !as not vertical. 4t had side-s!iped a mountaintop.
9o time for fear. 8e ecame the oat. .!o thrust cones remained, not enough to escape !ith ut
maye enough to set do!n on and not spatter.
8e ignored the flock and fought for control of the drunkenly unalanced grav drive. 4f he made a
straight tail-first ackdo!n, the force !ould fend off the opposition; heCd have an uncluttered scan
aft, !hich he could pro$ect onto one of the pilot oard screens and use for an eyealled landing.
.hat !as if he could hold her upright. 4f not, !ell, it had een fun living. .he noise lessened to
!ind-!histle, engine stutter, drumeat of eaks. .hrough it he !as faintly astonished to hear #$ana.
8e shot her a glance. 8er eyes !ere closed, her hands laid palm to palm, and from her lips poured
ancient !ords, over and over. >8ail %ary, full of grace7>
8er@ And heCd thought heCd gotten to kno! her'
V
.hey landed skull-rattlingly hard. )eakened memers in the oat gave !ay !ith screeches and
thumps. "ut they landed.
At once Flandry ent himself entirely to the spitgun. <ocked onto target after target, the eam
flashed lue among the attackers that !heeled overhead. A !inged thing slanted do!n!ard and
struck ehind the rim of the crater !here he had settled. A couple of others took severe damage and
limped off. .he remainder escorted them. 4n a fe! minutes the last !as gone from sight.
9o7!ait7high aove, out of range, a hovering spark in murky heaven@
Flandry focused a vie!screen and turned up the magnification. >,h-huh.? 8e nodded. >/ne of
our playmates has stayed ehind to keep a eady eye on us.?
>/-o-o-oh-h-h,? #$ana !himpered.
>Pull yourself together,? he snapped. >-ou kno! ho!. 4nsert Part A in 0lot ", olt to 0ection 3,
et cetera. 4n case noodyCs told you, !e have a prolem.?
%ainly he !as concerned !ith studying the indicators on the oard !hile he unharnessed. 0ome
air had een lost, and replenished from the reserve tanks, ut there !as no further leakage.
=vidently the hull had cracked, not too adly for self-sealing ut enough to make him dout the
feasiility of returning to space !ithout repairs. 4noard damage must e !orse, for the grav field
!as off7he moved under )aylandCs half a terrestrial g !ith a ounding ease that roused no
enthusiasm in him7and, oh-oh indeed, the nuclear generator !as dead. <ight, heat, air and !ater
cycles, everything !as running off the accumulators.
>Jeep !atch,? he told #$ana. >4f you see anything peculiar, feel free to holler.?
8e !ent aft, past the chaos of galley and head, the more solidly attened-do!n instrument and
life-support centers, to the engine room. An hourCs inspection confirmed neither his rosiest hopes
nor his sharpest fears. 4t !as possile to fix Gake, and proaly !ouldnCt take long2 if and only if
shipyard facilities !ere rought to ear.
>0o !hat else is ne!@? he said and returned for!ard.
#$ana had een usy. 0he stood in the conn !ith all the small arms aoard on a seat ehind her
7the issue laster and needier, his private %erseian !ar knife7except for the stun pistol she had
rought herself. .hat !as olstered on her flank. 0he rested a hand on its iridivory utt.
>)hat the deuce@? Flandry exclaimed. >4 might even ask. )hat the trey@?
8e started to!ard her. 0he dre! the gun. >8alt,? she said. 8er soprano had gone flat.
8e oeyed. 0he could drop him as he attacked, in this space !here there !as no room to dodge,
and secure him efore he regained consciousness. /f course, he could perhaps !ork free of any
knots she !as ale to tie, ut78e s!allo!ed his dismay and studied her. .he panic !as gone,
unless it d!elt ehind that !hitened skin and dre! those lips into disfiguring straight lines.
>)hatCs !rong@? he asked slo!ly. >%y intentions are no more shocking than usual.?
>%aye nothingCs !rong, 9icky.? 0he attempted a smile. >4Cve got to e careful. -ou understand
that, donCt you@ -ouCre an 4mperial officer and 4Cm riding <eon AmmonCs rocket. %aye !e can
keep on !orking together. And maye not. )hatCs happened here@?
8e collected his !its. >4ntCresting 1uestion,? he said. >4f you think this is a trap for you7!ell,
really, my s!eet, you kno! 1uite !ell no functional trap is that elaorate. 4Cm every it as affled
as you and !orried, if thatCs any consolation. 4 !ant nothing at the moment ut to get ack !ith
hide entire to vintage !ine, gourmet food, good conversation, good music, good ooks, good
toacco, a variety of charming ladies, and everything else that civili+ation is aout.?
8e !as ninety-nine percent honest. .he remaining one percent involved pocketing the rest of his
million. .hough not exclusively
.he girl didnCt relax. >)ell, can !e@?
8e told her !hat the condition of the oat !as.
0he nodded. )ings of amer-colored hair moved softly past delicate high cheekones. >4
thought that !as more or less it,? she said. >)hat do you figure to do@?
Flandry shifted stance and scratched the ack of his neck. >Another interesting 1uestion. )e
canCt survive indefinitely, you reali+e. 3onsidering the outside temperature and other factors, 4Cd
say that if !e throttle all systems do!n to a minimum7and if !e donCt have to fire the spitgun
again7!e have accumulator energy for three months. Food for longer, yes. "ut !hen the
thermometer drops to minus a hundred, even steak sand!iches can only alleviate; they cannot
cure.?
0he stamped a foot. >)ill you stop trying to e funny'?
)hy, 4 thought 4 !as succeeding, Flandry !anted to say, and incidentally, that motion of yours
had fascinating effects in these snug-fitting pullovers !eCre !earing. #o it again@
#$ana overcame her anger. >)e need help,? she said.
>9o point in trying to radio for it,? Flandry said. >Air this thin supports too little ionosphere to
send !aves far past the hori+on. =specially !hen the sun, ho!ever right, is so distant. )e might
e ale to ounce signals off Regin or another moon, except that thatCd re1uire aiming and
monitoring gear Gake doesnCt carry.?
0he stared at him in frank surprise. >Radio@?
>.o the main computer at the mining centrum. 4t !as originally a top-level machine, you kno!,
complete !ith a!areness7!hatever it may have suffered since. And it commanded repair and
maintenance e1uipment as !ell. 4f !e could raise it and get a positive response, !e should have the
appropriate roots here in a fe! hours, and e off on the rest of my circuit in a fe! days.?
Flandry smiled lopsidedly. >4 !ish no! 4 had given it a call from orit,? he !ent on. >"ut !ith
the ske!all things !e sa!7!eCve lost that option. )e shall simply have to march there in person
and see !hat can e done.?
#$ana tensed ane!. >4 thought thatCs !hat youCd figure on,? she said, !inter leak. >9othing
doing, lover. .oo chancy.?
>)hat else7>
0he had hardly egun to reply !hen he kne!. .he heart stumled in him.
>4 didnCt $oin you lind,? she said. >4 studied the situation first, !hatever 4 could learn, including
the standard apparatus on these oats. .hey carry several couriers each. /ne of those can make it
ack to 4rumcla! in a couple of !eeks, !ith a message telling !here !e are and !hat !eCre sitting
on.?
>"ut,? he protested. >"ut. <isten, the assault on us !asnCt likely the last attempt. 4 !ouldnCt
guarantee !e can hold out. )eCd etter leave here, duck into the hills7>
>%aye. )eCll play that as it falls. 8o!ever, 4 am not passing up the main chance for survival,
!hich is to ring in a 9avy ship.? #$anaCs laugh !as a yelp. >4 can tell !hat youCre thinking,? she
continued. >.here 4Cll e, along on your $o. 8o! many la!s does that reak@ .he authorities !ill
check further. )hen they learn aout your taking a rie to do AmmonCs !ork for him in an official
vessel74 suppose at a minimum the sentenceCll e life enslavement.?
>)hat aout you@? he countered.
8er lids drooped. 8er lips closed and curved. 0he moved her hips from side to side. >%e@ 4Cm a
victim of circumstances. 4 !as afraid to o$ect, !ith you !icked men coercing me till 4 got this
chance to do the right thing. 4Cm sure 4 can make your commandant see it that !ay and give me an
executive pardon. %aye even a re!ard. )eCre good friends, really, Admiral Gulius and me.?
>-ou !onCt get through the !ait here !ithout my help,? Flandry said.
>3ertainly not if !eCre attacked.?
>4 might or might not,? she replied. 8er expression tha!ed. >9icky, darling, !hy must !e fight@
)eCll have time to !ork out a plan for you. A story or7or maye you can hide some!here !ith
supplies, and 4 can come ack later and get you, 4 s!ear 4 !ill7> 0he s!ayed in his direction. >4
s!ear 4 !ant to. -ouCve een !onderful. 4 !onCt let you go.?
>Regardless,? he said, >you insist on sending a message.?
>-es.?
>3an you launch a courier@ )hat if 4 refuse@?
>.hen 4Cll stun you, and tie you, and torture you till you agree,? she said, turned altogether
impersonal. >4 kno! a lot aout that.?
Aruptly it la+ed from her2 >-ouCll never imagine ho! much 4 kno!' -ouCd die efore 4
finished. Rememer your oasting to me aout the hardships youCve met, a poor oy tiying to get
ahead in the service on nothing ut aility@ 4f you couldCve heard me laughing inside !hile 4 kissed
you' 4 came up from slavery7in the "lack 8ole of Gihannath7!hat 4Cve een through makes the
!orst theyCve thought of in 4rumcla! /ld .o!n look like a crLche game74Cm not going ack to
hell again7as Dod is my !itness, 4Cm not'? 0he dre! a shaking reath and damped the vi+or once
more into place. From a pocket she fetched a slip of paper. >.his is the message,? she said.
Flandry alanced on the alls of his feet. 8e might e ale to take her, if he acted fast and luck
fell his !ay he $ust might And s!iftly as a sta, he kne! the risk !as needless.
8e gasped.
>)hatCs the matter@? #$anaCs 1uestion !avered near hysteria.
8e shook himself. >9othing,? he said. >All right, you !in, letCs ship your dispatch off.?
.he couriers !ere near the main airlock. 8e !alked in advance, efore her steady gun mu++le,
though she kne! the location. For that matter, the odds !ere she could figure out ho! to activate
them herself. 0he had een 1uick to learn the method of putting the oat on a home!ard course7
feed the destination coordinates to the autopilot, lock the manual controls, et cetera7!hen he met
her re1uest for precautionary instruction. .hese gadgets, four in numer, !ere simpler yet.
4nside each torpedo shape--A:; centimeters long, ut light enough for a man to lift under .erran
gravity7!ere packed the asolute minimum of hyperdrive and grav-drive machinery; sensors and
navigational computer to guide it to!ard a preset goal; radio to eep !hen it neared; accumulators
for po!er; and a tiny space for the payload, !hich could e a document, a tape, or !hatever else
!ould fit.
/stentatiously oedient, Flandry opened one compartment and stepped aside !hile #$ana laid in
her letter and closed the shell. 4rumcla!Cs coordinates !ere stenciled on it for easy reference and
she !atched him turn the control knos. 8e slid the courier for!ard on the launch rack. Pausing,
he said2 >4Cd like to program this for a sixty-second delay, if you donCt mind.?
>)hy@?
>0o !e can get ack to the conn and !atch it take off. .o e sure it does, you kno!.?
>%-m-m7that makes sense.? #$ana hefted the gun. >4Cm keeping you covered till itCs outound,
understand.?
><ogical. After!ard, can !e oth e uncovered@?
>"e still'?
Flandry started the mechanism and returned for!ard !ith her. .hey stared out.
.he vie! !as of desolation. Gake lay close y the crater !all, !hich sloped steeply aloft until its
rim stood fanged in heaven, three kilometers aove. 4ts palisades reached so far that they vanished
under the near hori+on efore their opposite side ecame visile. .he darkling rock !as streaked
!ith !hite, that also covered the floor2 caron dioxide and ammonia sno!. .his !as eginning to
vapori+e in )aylandCs sixteen-day time of sunlight; fogs oiled and mists steamed, exposing the
luish gleam of eternal !ater ice.
/verhead the sky !as deep violet, almost lack. 0tars glittered !anly across most of it, for at
this early hour %imirCs fierce disc arely cleared the ring!all in that area !here the latter !ent
ehind the curve of the !orld. Regin !as half a dimness mottled !ith intricate cloud patterns, half
a shining like urnished steel.
A !hitter of !ind came in through the hull.
"ehind Flandry, #$ana said !ith unexpected !istfulness2 >)hen the courierCs gone, 9icky, !ill
you hold me@ )ill you e good to me@?
8e made no immediate reply. 8is shoulder and stomach muscles ached from tension.
.he torpedo left its tue. For a moment it hovered, !hile the idiot pseudo-rain !ithin
recogni+ed it !as on a solid ody and !hich !ay !as up. 4t rose. /nce aove atmosphere, it !ould
take sights on eacons such as "etelgeuse and lay a course to 4rumcla!.
=xcept7yes' #$ana !ailed. Flandry !hooped. .he spark high aove had struck. As one point of
glitter, the $oined machines staggered across the sky.
Flandry !ent to the vie!screen and set the magnification. .he torpedo had nothing ut a
parchment-thin aluminum skin, soon ripped y the flyerCs eak !hile the flyerCs talons held tight.
.he courier had ample po!er to shake off its assailant, ut not the acumen to do so. "esides, the
stresses !ould have !recked it any!ay. 4t continued to rise, ut didnCt get far efore some critical
circuit !as roken. .hat killed it. .he cla!s let go and it plummeted to destruction.
>4 thought thatCd happen,? Flandry murmured.
.he flyer resumed its station. Presently three others $oined it. >.hey mustCve sensed our
messenger, or een called,? Flandry said. >9o use trying to loft more, eh@ )e need their energy
packs !orse for other things.?
#$ana, !ho had stood numed, cast her gun aside and crumpled !eeping into his arms. 8e
stroked her hair and made soothing noises.
At last she pulled herself together, looked at him, and said, still gulping and hiccoughing2
>-ouCre glad, arenCt you@?
>)ell, 4 canCt say 4Cm sorry,? he admitted.
>--y-youCd rather e dead than7>
>.han a slave@ -es, clichM or not, Hfraid so.?
0he considered him for a !hile that gre!. >All right,? she said most 1uietly. >.hat makes t!o of
us.?
VI
8e had topped the ring!all !hen the ugs found him.
8is aim !as to inspect the flyer !hich had crashed on the outer slope, !hile #$ana packed
supplies for the march. Perhaps he could get some clue as to !hat had gone !rong here. .he
possiility that those patrolling !ould spot him and attack seemed among the least of the ha+ards
ahead. 8e could proaly find a cave or crag or crevasse in time, a shelter !here they couldnCt get
at him, on the rugged craterside. Gudiciously applied at short range, the laster in his hip sheath
ought to rid him of them, in vie! of !hat the spitgun had accomplished7unless, of course, they
summoned so many reinforcements that he ran out of charge.
9othing happened. .uning his spacesuit radio through its entire range of reception, he came
upon a and !here there !as modulation2 clicks and silences, a code reeling off !ith such speed
that in his ears it sounded almost like an endless ululation, high-pitched and unhuman. 8e !as
tempted to transmit a fe! remarks on those fre1uencies, ut decided not to dra! unnecessary
attention to himself. At their altitude, he might !ell e invisile to the flyers.
.he rest of the availale radio spectrum !as silent, except for the seethe and crackle of cosmic
static. And the !orld !as silent, except for the moan of !ind around him, the crunching of sno!
and rattling of stones as his oots struck, the noise of his o!n reath and hearteat. .he crater floor
!as rock, ice, drift of sno! and mists, !an illumination that !ould nonetheless have urned him
!ith ultraviolet rays had his faceplate let them past. 3louds drove ragged across alien constellations
and the turulent face of Regin. .he crater !all lifted rutal efore him.
3liming it !as not too difficult. =rosion had provided ample footing and handholds; and in this
gravity, even urdened !ith space armor he !as lighter than !hen nude under .erran pull. 8e
adapted to the changed ratio of !eight and inertia !ith an ease that !ould have een unconscious
had he not rememered it !as going to cause #$ana some troule and therey slo! the t!o of them
do!n. /ther than keeping a nervous eye s!iveling sky!ard, the chief nuisance he suffered !as due
to imperfections of the air rene!al and thermostatic units. 8e !as soon hot, s!eating, and engulfed
in stench.
4Cll e sure to fix that efore !e start' he thought. And give the service cre! illy hell !hen &if( 4
return. %omentarily, the spirit sagged in him2 )hatCs the use@ .heyCre sloppy ecause the higher
echelons are incompetent ecause the =mpire no longer really cares aout holding this part of the
marches 4n my grandfatherCs day !e !ere still keeping !hat !as ours, mostly.
4n my fatherCs day, the slogan ecame >conciliation and consolidation,? !hich means retreat. 4s
my day7my very o!n personal it of daylight et!een the t!o infinite darknesses7is it going to
turn into the <ong 9ight@
8e clamped his teeth together and climed more vigorously. 9ot if 4 can help it'
.he ugs appeared.
.hey hopped from ehind oulders and ice anks, t!enty or more, soaring to!ard him. 0ome
thirty centimeters long, they had ten cla!-footed legs each, a tail ending in t!in spikes, a head on
!hich half a do+en antennae moved. %imirCs light shimmered purple off their intricately armored
odies.
For a second Flandry seriously !ondered if he had lost his mind. .he old records said )ayland
!as arren, al!ays had een, al!ays !ould e. 8e had expected nothing else. <ife simply did not
evolve !here cold !as this deep and permanent, air this tenuous, metal this dominant, ackground
radiation this high. And supposing a strange version of it could, %imir !as a young star, that had
coalesced !ith its planets only a fe! hundred megayears ago from a neula enriched in heavy
atoms y earlier stellar generations; the system hadnCt yet finished condensing, as !itness the ha+e
around the sun and the rate of giant meteorite impacts; there had not een time for life to start.
.hus FlandryCs thought flashed. 4t ended !hen the shapes !ere murderously upon him.
.!o landed on his helmet. 8e heard the clicks, felt the astonishing impact. <ooking do!n, he
sa! others at his !aist, clinging to his legs, s!arming around his oots. Ga!s champed, cla!s dug.
.hey found the $oints in his armor and !ent to !ork.
9o living thing smaller than a <lynatha!rian elephant !olf should have een ale to make an
impression on the alloys and plastics that encased Flandry. 8e sa! shavings peel off and fall like
sparks of glitter.
8e sa! !ater vapor puff !hite from the first pinhole y his left ankle.
.he creature that made it gna!ed industriously on.
Flandry yelled an oscenity. 8e shook one loose and managed to kick it. .he shock of striking
that mass hurt his toes. .he ug didnCt arc far, nor !as it in$ured. 4t sprang ack to the fray. Flandry
!as trying to pluck another off. 4t clung too strongly for him.
8e dre! his laster, set it to needle eam and lo! intensity, laid the mu++le against the carapace,
and pulled the trigger.
.he creature did not smoke or explode or do !hatever else a normal organism !ould. "ut after
t!o or three seconds it let go, dropped to the ground and lay inert.
.he rest continued their senseless, furious attack. Flandry cooked them off him and sle! those
that hadnCt reached him !ith a series of energy olts. 9o organism that si+e, that po!erful, that
heavily shelled, ought to have een that vulnerale to his rief, frugal eams.
.he last t!o !ere on his ack !here he couldnCt see them. 8e !idened the laster mu++le and
fanned across the air rene!al unit. .hey dropped off him. .he heat skyrocketed the temperature in
his suit and drove gas faster out of the several leaks. FlandryCs eardrums popped painfully. 8is
head roared and !hirled.
.raining paid off. 0carcely a!are of !hat he did, he slapped sealpatches on the holes and led
the reserve tank for a fresh atmosphere. /nly then did he sit do!n, gasp, shudder, and finally !et
his mummy-dry mouth from the !ater tue.
After!ard he !as ale to examine the dead ugs. .hro!ing a couple of them into his pack, he
resumed climing. From the top of the ring!all he discerned the !recked flyer and slanted across
talus and ice patches to reach it. .he crash had pretty !ell fractured it to its, !hich facilitated
study. 8e collected a fe! specimen parts and returned to Gake.
.he trip !as made in a gro!ingly grim silence, !hich he scarcely roke !hen he re-entered the
oat. Aloneness and not kno!ing had ground #$ana do!n. 0he sped to !elcome him. 8e gave her a
perfunctory kiss, demanded food and a large pot of coffee, and rushed past her on his !ay to the
!orkshop.
VII
.hey had aout :;; kilometers to go. .hat !as the distance, according to the maps Flandry had
made in orit, from the scoutoatCs resting place to a peak so high that a transmission from it !ould
e line-of-sight !ith some of the to!ering radio transceiver masts he had oserved at varying
separations from the old computer centrum.
>)e donCt !ant to get closer than !e must,? he explained to the girl. >)e !ant plenty of room
for running, if !e find out that operations have een taken over y something that eats people.?
0he s!allo!ed. >)here could !e run to@?
>.hatCs a good 1uestion. "ut 4 !onCt lie do!n and die gracefully. 4Cm far too co!ardly for that.?
0he didnCt respond to his smile. 8e hoped she hadnCt taken his remark literally, even though it
contained a fair amount of truth.
.he trip could e shortened y crossing t!o intervening maria. Flandry refused. >4 prefer to
skulk,? he said, laving out a circuitous path through foothills and a mountain range that offered
hiding places. )hile it !ould often make the going tough, and #$ana !as inexperienced and not in
training, and they !ould e urdened !ith AmmonCs supplies and planetside gear, he hoped they
could average thirty or forty kilometers per t!enty-four hours. A pitiful fe! factors !orked in their
favor. .here !as the mild gravity and the asence of rivers to ford and rush to struggle through.
.here !as the proaly steady !eather. 0ince )ayland al!ays turned the same face to Regin, there
!as continuous daylight for the span of their $ourney, except at high noon !hen the planet !ould
eclipse %imir. .here !as an ample supply of stimulants. And, Flandry reflected, it helps to travel
scared.
8e decreed a final decent meal efore departure, and music and lovemaking and a good sleep
!hile the oatCs sensors kept !atch. .he party fell rather flat; #$ana !as too conscious that this
might e the last time. Flandry made no reproaches. 8e did dismiss any vague ideas he might have
entertained aout trying for a long-term liaison !ith her.
.hey loaded up and marched. %ore accurately, they scramled, across the crater !all and into a
stretch of sharp hills and !ind-polished slippery glaciers. Flandry allo!ed ten minutesC rest per
hour. 8e spent most of those periods !ith map, gyrocompass, and sextant, making sure they !ere
still headed right. )hen #$ana declared she could do no more, he said calculatedly, >-es, 4
understand; youCre no use off your ack.? 0he spat her rage and $umped to her feet.
4 mustnCt drive her too hard, Flandry reali+ed. Dradual strengthening !ill get us !here !eCre
going faster. 4n fact, !ithout that she might not make it at all.
#oes that matter@
-es, it does, 4 canCt aandon her.
)hy not@ 0heCd do the same for me.
,m-m-m 4 donCt kno! exactly !hy letCs say that in spite of everything, sheCs a !oman. )aste
not, !ant not.
)hen she did egin reeling as she !alked, he agreed to pitch camp and did most of the chores
alone.
First he selected a spot eneath an overhanging cliff. >0o our !inged chums !onCt see us,? he
explained chattily, >or drop on us their e1uivalent of !hat !inged chums usually drop. -ou !ill
note, ho!ever, that an easy route !ill take us onto the top of the cliff, if !e should have
groundorne callers. From there !e can shoot, thro! rocks, and other!ise hint to them that theyCre
not especially !elcome.? 0lumped in exhaustion against a oulder, she paid him no heed.
8e inflated the insulating floor of the sealtent and erected its frame!ork. .he !ind gave him
troule, flapping the faric he stretched across until he got it secured. "ecause the temperature had
risen to aout minus fifty, he didnCt other !ith extra layers, ut merely filled the cells of the one
skin !ith air.
.o save accumulator charge, he !orked the pump y hand, and like!ise !hen it evacuated the
tentCs interior. =xtreme decompression !asnCt needed, since the )aylander atmosphere !as mostly
nole gases and nitrogen. .he portale air rene!er he had placed inside, together !ith a glo!er for
heat, took care of remaining poisonous vapors and excess caron dioxide, once he had refilled the
tent !ith oxygen at :;; milliars. &.he e1uipment for all this !as heavy. "ut it !as indispensale,
at least until #$ana got into such condition that she didnCt fre1uently need the relief of shirtsleeve
environment. And sheCd etter' Diven the limitations of !hat they could carry, they could make
possily fifteen stops that utili+ed it.( )hile rene!er and glo!er did their !ork, Flandry chipped
!ater ice to melt for drinking and cooking.
.hey entered through the plastic airlock. 8e sho!ed #$ana ho! to leed her spacesuit do!n to
amient pressure. )hen they had taken off their armor, she lay on the floor and !atched him !ith
eyes gla+ed y fatigue. 8e fitted together his still, put it on the glo!er, and filled it !ith ice. >)hy
are you doing that@C she !hispered.
>%ight have unpleasant ingredients,? he ans!ered. >Dases like ammonia come off first and are
taken up y the activated colloids in this ottle. )e canCt let them contaminate our air; our one
rene!erCs usy handling the stuff !e reathe out; and esides, !hen !e strike camp 4 must pump as
ig a fraction as 4 can manage ack into its tank. )hen the !ater starts oiling, 4 shut the valve to
the gas-impurity flask and open the one to the !ater can. )e canCt risk heavy metal salts, especially
on a !orld !here they must e plentiful. #oesnCt take ut a micro 1uantity of plutonium, say, this
far from medical help, to kill you in 1uite a nasty fashion. A propos, 4 suppose you kno! !e darenCt
smoke in a pure oxy atmosphere.?
0he shuddered and turned her glance from the desolation in the ports.
#inner revived her some!hat. After!ard she sat hugging her legs, chin on knees, and !atched
him clean the utensils. 4n the cramped space, his movements !ere economical. >-ou !ere right,?
she said gravely. >4 !ouldnCt have a prayer !ithout you.?
>A hot meal, aleit free+e-dried, does eat pushing a concentrate ar through your cho!lock and
calling it lunch, eh@?
>-ou kno! !hat 4 mean, 9icky. )hat can 4 do@?
>-ou can take your turn !atching for monsters,? he said immediately.
0he !inced. >#o you really think7>
>9o. 4 donCt think. .oo fe! data thus far to make it !orth the troule. ,nhappily, though, one
datum is the presence of t!o or more kinds of critter !hose manners are as deplorale as they are
inexplicale.?
>"ut theyCre machines'?
>Are they@?
0he stared at him from under tangled ta!ny angs. 8e said !hile he laored2 >)here does
HrootC leave off and HorganismC egin@ For hundreds of years thereCve een sensor-computer-
effector systems more intricate and versatile than some kinds of organic life. .hey function,
perceive, ingest, have means to repair damage and to e reproduced; they homeostati+e, if that
horrile !ord is the one 4 !ant; certain of them think. 9one of it !orks identically !ith the systems
evolved y organic animals and sophonts7ut it !orks, and to!ard very similar ends.
>.hose ugs that attacked me have metal exoskeletons underneath that purple enamel, and
electronic insides. .hatCs !hy they succumed so easily to my laster2 high heat conductivity,
raising the temperature of components designed for )aylandCs natural conditions. "ut theyCre
machinery as elaorate as any 4Cve ever ruined. As 4 told you, 4 hadnCt the time or means to do a
proper $o of dissection. As near as 4 could tell, though, they run off accumulators. .heir feelers are
magnificently precise sensors7magnetic, electric, radionic, thermal, et cetera. .hey have optical
and audio systems as !ell. 4n fact, !ith one exception, theyCre such gorgeous engineering that itCs a
semantic 1uile !hether to call them roots or artificial animals.
>0ame thing, essentially, for the flyers7!hich, y the !ay, 4Cm tempted to call snapdragonflies.
.hey get their lift from the !ings and a 5./< turo$et; they use eak and cla!s to rip rather than
grind metal; ut they have sensors and computers akin to the ugsC. And they seem ale to act more
independently, as youCd expect !ith a larger Hrain.C >
8e put a!ay the last dish, settled ack, and longed for a cigarette.
>)hat do you mean y Hone exceptionC@? #$ana asked.
>4 can imagine a rootic ecology, ased on self-reproducing solar-cell units thatCd perform the
e1uivalent of photosynthesis,? Flandry said. >4 seem to recall it !as actually experimented !ith
once. "ut these things !eCve met donCt have anything 4 can identify as eing for nourishment,
repair, or reproduction. 9o dout they have someplace to go for replacement parts and energy
recharges7someplace !here ne! ones are also manufactured7most likely the centrum area. "ut
!hat aout the !recked ones@ .here doesnCt seem to e any interest in reclaiming those marvelous
parts, or even the metal. 4tCs not an ecology, then; itCs open-ended. .hose machines have no purpose
except destruction.?
8e dre! reath. >4n spite of !hich,? he said, >4 donCt elieve theyCre meant for guarding this
!orld or any such $o. "ecause !ho save a lunatic !ould uild a fighting root and omit guns@
>0omeho!, #$ana, )aylandCs come do!n !ith a plague of monsters. ,ntil !e kno! ho! many
of !hat kinds, 4 suggest !e proceed on the assumption that everything !e meet !ill !ant to do us
in.?
A fe! times in the course of the next several .erran days, the humans concealed themselves
!hen shapes passed y. .hese might e flyers cruising far overhead, in one case stooping on some
prey hidden y a ridge. /r a pair of dog-si+ed, huge-$a!ed, sensor-ristling hunters loped six-
legged on a 1uest; or a igger o$ect, horned and spike-tailed, rumled on caterpillar treads along
the ottom of a ravine. .!ice Flandry lay prone and !atched comats2 ugs s!arming over a
!alking red gloe !ith losterish cla!s; a constrictor shape entangled !ith a moile attering ram.
"oth end results appeared to confirm his deductions. .he van1uished !ere left !here they fell
!hile the victors resumed pro!ling. Remnants from earlier attles indicated the same aftermath.
/ther!ise the $ourney !as nothing ut a struggle to make distance. .here !as little opportunity
!hile afoot, little !akefulness !hile at rest, to think aout the significance of !hat had een seen.
9or did Flandry !orry aout encountering a killer. 4f it happened, it happened. /n the !hole, he
didnCt expect that kind of troule yet. .his !as too vast and rugged a land for any likelihood of ft.
Diven due caution, he and #$ana ought to make their first o$ective. )hat occurred after that might
e a different story.
8e did notice that the radio traffic got steadily thicker on the nonstandard and the roots used.
9o surprise. 8e !as nearing !hat had een the center of operations, !hich must still e the center
of !hatever the hell !as going on no!adays.
8ell indeed, he thought through the dullness of the exhaustion. #id someody saotage
)ayland, maye long ago, y installing a predator factory@ /r !as it perhaps an accident@ People
may have fought hereaouts, and 4 suppose a neary explosion could derange the main computer.
9one of the guesses seemed reasonale. .he east machines couldnCt offer effective opposition
to modern !eapons. .hey threatened the lives of t!o marooned humans; ut a single spacecraft,
!ell-armed, !ell-e1uipped !ith detectors, cre! alerted to the situation, could proaly annihilate
them !ith small difficulty. .hat fact ruled out saotage7didnCt it@ As for damage to the ultimate
control engine2 4mprimis, it must have had heavy shielding, plus extensive self-repair capaility, the
more so in vie! of the meteorite ha+ard. 0ecundus, assuming it did sustain permanent harm, that
implied a loss of components; it !ould then scarcely e ale to design and produce these superly
crafted gargoyles.
Flandry gave up !ondering.
.he time came !hen he and #$ana halted !ithin an hour of the mountaintop that !as their goal.
.hey found a cave, screened y tall pinnacles, !herein they erected the sealtent. >4tCs not going any
further,? the man said. >Among other reasons, you kno! ho! long it takes to raise and to knock
do!n again; and !e canCt stand many more losses of unrecovered oxygen each time !e reak
camp. 0o if !e donCt succeed in getting help, and in particular if !e provoke a hunt for us, the
urden !onCt e !orth carrying. .his is a nice, hard-to-find, defensile spot to sit in.?
>)hen do !e call@? the girl asked.
>)hen !eCve corked off for aout t!elve hours,? Flandry said. >4 !ant to e !ell rested.?
0he herself !as tired enough that she dropped straight into sleep.
4n the >morning? his spirits !ere some!hat restored. 8e !histled as he led the !ay up!ard, and
!hen he stood on the peak he declaimed. >4 name thee %t. %aidens.? All the !hile, though, his
attention ranged ahead.
"ehind and on either side !as the familiar $umle of rock, ice, and inky shado!s. Aove
gloomed the sky, its scattered stars and clouds, %imirCs searing rilliance no! very near the dim,
right-edged shield of Regin. .he !ind !himpered around. 8e !as glad to e inside his !arm if
smelly armor.
Ahead, as his topographical maps had revealed, the mountain dropped !ith a steepness that
!ould have een impossile under higher gravity. .he hori+on !as flat, etokening the edge of the
plain !here the centrum lay, and the s1uares he had seen, and he kne! not !hat else. .hrough
inoculars he made out the cruciform tops of four radio transceiver masts. .hose had risen since
man aandoned )ayland; others !ere scattered aout in the !ilds; from orit, he had identified a
fe! as eing under construction y roots of recogni+ale !orker form. 8e had considered making
for one of those sites instead of here, ut decided against it. .hat kind of root !as too speciali+ed,
also in its >rain,? to understand his prolem. "esides, the nearest !as dangerously far from GakeCs
resting place.
8e unfolded a light tripod-ased directional transmitter. 8e plugged in the ancillary apparatus,
including a $ack to his o!n helmet radio. 01uatting, he directed the assemly in its rotation until it
had locked onto one of the masts. #$ana !aited. 8er face sho!ed still more gaunt and grimy than
his, her eyes hollo! and fever-right.
>8ere goes,? Flandry said.
>/ Dod, have mercy, help us,? reathed in his earplugs. 8e !ondered riefly, pityingly, if
religion !as !hat had kept her going, ever since her nightmare childhood. "ut he had to tell her to
keep silence.
8e called on the standard and. >.!o humans, ship!recked, in need of assistance. Respond.?
And again. And again. 9othing ans!ered ut the fire-crackle of cosmic energies.
8e tried on the rootsC and. .he digital code chattered !ith no alteration that he could detect.
8e tried other fre1uencies.
After an hour or more, he unplugged and rose. 8is muscles ached, his mouth !as parched, his
voice came hoarse out of a roughened throat. >9o go, 4Cm afraid.?
#$ana had een seated on the sanitary unit from her pack, !hich douled as a stool protecting
against the elemental cold eneath. 8e had !atched her shrink further and further into herself. >0o
!eCre finished,? she mumled.
8e sighed. >.he circumstances could e more promising. .he ig computer shouldCve replied
instantly to a distress call.? 8e paused. .he !ind le!, the stars $eered. 8e straightened. >4Cm going
for a first-hand look.?
>/ut in the open@? 0he scramled erect. 8er gauntlets closed spastically around his. >-ouCll e
s!armed and killed'?
>9ot necessarily. )e sa! from the oat, things do appear to e different yonder from else!here.
For instance, none of the accumulated !reckage youCd expect if fighting !ent on. Anyho!, itCs our
last resort.? Flandry patted her in a fatherly !ay, !hich he might as !ell under present conditions.
>-ouCll stay in the tent, of course, and !ait for me.?
0he moistened her lips. >9o, 4Cll come along,? she said.
>)hoa' -ou could get scragged.?
>Rather that than starve to death, !hich 4 !ill if you donCt make it. 4 !onCt handicap you, 9icky.
9ot any more. 4f !e arenCt loaded do!n the !ay !e !ere, 4 can keep up !ith you. And 4Cll e extra
hands and eyes.?
8e pondered. >)ell, if you insist.? 0heCs more likely to e an asset than not7a survivor type
like her.
0ardonically2 -es, $ust like her, 4 suspect sheCs got more than one motive for this. =xemplia
gratia, to make damn sure 4 donCt gain anything she doesnCt get in on.
9ot that a profit seems plausile.
VIII
As they neared the plain, %imir !ent into eclipse.
.he last arc of rilliance edging Regin vanished !ith the sun. 4nstead, the planet sho!ed as a
flattened lack disc overlaid !ith faint, flickering auroral glo! and ringed !ith sullen red !here
light !as refracted through atmosphere.
Flandry had anticipated it. .he stars, suddenly treading forth many and resplendent, and the
small crescents of t!o companion moons, ought to give sufficient illumination for cautious travel.
At need, he and #$ana could use their flasheams, though he !ould rather not risk dra!ing
attention.
8e had forgotten ho! temperature !ould tumle. Fog started forming !ithin minutes, until the
!orld !as s!irling shapeless murk. 4t gave !ay after a !hile to sno! orne on a lashing, s1uealing
!ind. 3aron dioxide mostly, he guessed; maye some ammonia. 8e leaned into the thrust,
s1uinted at his gyrocompass, and slogged on.
#$ana caught his arm. >0houldnCt !e !ait@? he arely heard through the noise.
8e shook his head efore he rememered that to her he had ecome a shado!. >9o. A chance to
make progress !ithout eing spotted.?
>First luck !eCve had. .hanks, Gesus'?
Flandry refrained from oserving that !hen the storm ended they might e irrevocaly far into a
hostile unkno!n. )hat had they to lose@
For a time, as they groped, he thought the audio pickups in his helmet registered a machine
rumle. #id he actually feel the ground 1uiver eneath some great moving mass@ 8e changed
direction a trifle, !ithout saying anything to the girl.
4n this region, eclipse lasted close to t!o hours. .he station !ould have een located on farside,
escaping the darknesses altogether, except for the offsetting advantage of having Regin high in the
night sky. )hen full, the planet must flood this hemisphere !ith soft radiance, an impossily
eautiful sight.
.hough 4 dout the roots ever gave a damn aout scenery, Flandry thought, peering do!n to
guide his oots past oulders and drifts. ,nless maye the central computer yes, 4 suppose.
4mperial technology doesnCt use many fully conscious machines7little need for them !hen !eCre
no longer adventuring into ne! parts of the galaxy7so 4, at any rate, kno! less aout them than
my ancestors did. 0till, 4 can guess that a >rain? that po!erful !ould necessarily develop interests
outside its regular !ork. 4ts $unction7its desire, to get anthropomorphic7!as to serve the human
masters. "ut in et!een pros-pectings, constructions, visiting ships, !hen routine could only have
occupied a minor part of its capacity, did it turn sensors onto the night sky and admire@
#aylight egan to filter through the sno!fall. .he !ind died to a soughing. .he ground flattened
rapidly. "efore precipitation had 1uite ended, fog !as ack, the ne!ly fro+en gases suliming
under %imirCs rays and recondensing in air.
Flandry said, lo! and y sonic transmission2 >Radio silence. %ove 1uiet as you can.? 4t !as
hardly a needful order. =arplugs !ere loud !ith digital code and there came a metallic rattle from
ahead.
/nce more )ayland took Flandry y surprise. 8e had expected the mists to lift slo!ly, as theyCd
done near da!n, giving him and #$ana time to make out something of !hat !as around them
efore they !ere likely to e noticed. 8is oservations in orit had indicated as much. For minutes
the !hiteness did veil them. .!o meters a!ay, !et ice and rock, tumling rivulets, steaming
puddles, faded into smoky nothing.
4t roke apart. .hrough the rifts he sa! the plain and the machines. .he holes !idened !ith
tearing rapidity. .he fog turned into cloudlets !hich puffed aloft and vanished.
#$ana screamed.
Jno!ledge struck through Flandry2 #amn me for a !itling' )hy didnCt 4 think@ 4t takes a long
!hile to heat things up again after half a month of night. "ut not after t!o hours. And evaporation
goes fast at lo! pressures. )hat 4 sa! from space, and assumed !ere lingering ground ha+es, !ere
clouds higher up, like those 4 see steaming a!ay aove us7
.hat !as at the ack of his rain. %ost of him sa! !hat surrounded him.
.he laster sprang into his hand.
.hough the mountain !as not far ehind, soaring from a knife-edge oundary, he and #$ana had
passed y the nearest radio mast and !ere do!n on the plain. <ike other )aylander maria, it !as
not perfectly level; it rolled, reared in scattered needles and minor craters, seamed itself !ith
narro! cracks, !as estre!n !ith rocks and overlaid in places y ice anks. .he travelers had
entered the section that !as marked into s1uares. %ore than a kilometer apart, the lines ran arro!
straight, east and !est, north and south, further than he cpuld see efore curvature shut off vision.
8e happened to e near one and could identify it as a !ide streak of "lack granules driven
permanently into the stone.
)hat he truly sa! in that moment !as the roots.
A hundred meters to his right !ent three of the six-legged lopers.
0ome!hat further off on his left rolled a horned and treaded giant. 0till further ahead, ut not
too far to catch him, straggled half a do+en different monstrosities. "ugs y the score leaped and
cra!led across the ground. Flyers !ere slanting do!n the sky. 8e thre! a look to rear and sa!
retreat cut off y a set of legs upearing a circular sa!.
#$ana cast herself on her knees. Flandry crouched aove, teeth skinned, and !aited in the racket
of his heart for the first assailant.
.here !as none.
.he killers ignored them.
9or did they pay attention to each other.
)hile not totally unexpected, the relief sent FlandryCs mind !hirling. )hen he had recovered,
he sa! that the machines !ere converging on a point. 9othing appeared aove the hori+on; their
goal !as too distant. 8e kne! !hat it !as, though7the central complex of uildings.
#$ana egan to laugh, !ilder and !ilder. Flandry didnCt think they could afford hysteria. 8e
hauled her to her feet. >.urn off that raying efore 4 shake it out of you'? )hen !ords didnCt
!ork, he took her y her ankles, held her upside do!n, and made his threat good.
)hile she soed and gulped and !restled her !ay ack to control, he held her in a more gentle
emrace and studied the roots across her shoulder. %ost !ere in poor shape, holes torn in their
skins, lims missing. 9o !onder heCd heard them rattle and clank in the fog.
0ome looked unhurt aside from minor scratches and dents. Proaly their accumulators !ere
aout drained.
4n the end, he could explain to her2 >4 al!ays figured those !hich survived the attles !ould get
recharge and repair in this area. ,m-m-m it canCt !ell serve all )ayland 4 daresay the critters
never !ander extremely far from it and !e did spot construction !ork, the setupCs eing steadily
expanded, proaly ne! centers are planned Anyho!, this place is crucial. =lse!here, theyCre
programmed to attack anything that moves and isnCt like their o!n particular reed. 8ere, theyCre
perfect lams. /r so goes my current guess.?
>)-!eCre safe, then@?
>4 !ouldnCt s!ear to that. )hatCs caused this !hole insanity@ "ut 4 do think !e can proceed.?
>)here to@?
>.he centrum, of course. Diving those fello!s a respectful erth. .hey seem to e headed
offside. 4 imagine their R N R stations lie some !ays from the main computerCs old location.?
>/ld@?
>)e donCt kno! if it exists any longer,? Flandry reminded her.
9onetheless he !alked !ith eullience. 8e !as still alive. 8o! marvelous that his arms s!ung,
his heels smote ground, his lungs inhaled, his un!ashed scalp itched' Regin had egun to !ax, the
thinnest of o!s dra!ing ack from %imirCs incandescent arro!point. =lse!here glittered stars.
#$ana !alked silent, exhausted y emotion. 0heCd recover, and !hen he got her ack inside the
sealtent
8e !as actually !histling as they crossed the next line. A moment later he took her arm and
pointed. ><ook,? he said.
A ne! kind of root !as approaching from !ithin the s1uare. 4t !as aout the si+e of a man.
.he skin gleamed golden. 4ridescence !as lovely over the great atlike !ings that helped the
springing to its t!o long hoofed and spurred legs. .he ody !as a hori+ontal arrel, a alancing tail
ehind, a neck and head rearing in front. )ith its goggling optical and erect audio sensors, its
mu++le that perhaps held the computer, its mane of erect antennae, that head looked eerily e1uine.
From its forepart, s!ivel-mounted, thrust a lance.
>)e could almost call it a rockinghorsefly, couldnCt !e@? Flandry said. >As for the read-and-
utterfly7> 8is classical reference !as lost on the girl.
0he screamed afresh !hen the root !heeled and came to!ard them in huge leaps. .he lance
!as aimed to kill.
IX
#$ana !as the target. 0he stood paraly+ed. >Run'? Flandry a!led. 8e sped to intercept. .he
gun flamed in his grasp. 0parks sho!ered !here the eam struck.
#$ana olted. .he root s!erved and ounded after her. 4t paid no attention to Flandry. And his
shooting had no effect he could see.
%ust e armored against energy eams7unlike the things !eCve met hitherto78e thumed the
po!er stud to full intensity. Fire cascaded linding off the metal shape. 8eedless, it ore do!n on
his unarmed companion.
>#odge to!ard me'? Flandry cried.
0he heard and oeyed. .he lance struck her from ehind. 4t did not penetrate the air tank, as it
!ould have the thinner cuirass of the spacesuit. .he lo! knocked her spra!ling. 0he rolled over,
scramled up and fled on. )ings eat. .he machine !as hopping around to get at her from the
front.
4t passed y Flandry. 8e leaped. 8is arms locked around the neck of the horsehead. 8e thre! a
leg over the ody. .he !ings oomed ehind him !here he rode.
And still the thing did not fight him, still it chased #$ana. "ut FlandryCs mass slo!ed it, made it
stumle. .!isting aout, he fired into the right !ing. 0heet metal and a ri gave !ay. 3rippled, the
root !ent to the ground. 4t threshed and ucked. 0omeho! Flandry hung on. "attered, half
stunned, he kept his laster snout !ithin centimeters of the head and the trigger held ack. 8is
faceplate darkened itself against furious radiance. 8eat struck at him like teeth.
Aruptly came 1uiet. 8e had pierced through to an essential part and slain the killer.
8e spra!led across it, gasping the oven-hot air into his mouth, a!are of undergarments, sodden
!ith s!eat and muscles, athro !ith ruises, dimly a!are that he had etter arise. 9ot until #$ana
returned to him did he feel ale to.
A draught of !ater and stimpill shoved through his cho!lock restored a measure of strength. 8e
looked at the machine he had destroyed and thought vaguely that it !as 1uite handsome. <ike a
dream!orld knight Almost of themselves his arm lifted in salute and his voice murmured. >Ahoy,
ahoy, check.?
>)hat@? #$ana asked, e1ually faintly.
>9othing.? Flandry !illed the aches out of his consciousness and the shakes out of his ody.
><etCs get going.?
>--y-yes.? 0he !as suffering !orse from reaction than him. 8er features seemed completely
drained. 0he started off !ith mechanical strides, ack to!ard the mountain.
>)ait a tick'? Flandry graed her shoulder. >)hereCre you ound@?
>A!ay,? she said !ithout tone. >"efore something else comes after us.?
>.o sit in the sealtent7or at est, the oat7and !ait for death@ 9o, thanks.? Flandry turned her
aout. 0he !as too numed to resist. >8ere, s!allo! a ooster of your o!n.?
8e had lost all ut a rag of hope himself. .he centrum !as at the far side of the pattern, some ten
kilometers hence. 4f roots !ere programed actually to attack humans, this close to !here the great
computer had een7)eCll explore a !ee it further, regardless. )hy not@
A machine appeared. At first it !as a glint on the hori+on, metal reflecting %imirlight. .raveling
fast across the plain, it gained shape !ithin minutes. 8eaded straight this !ay. And ig' Flandry
cursed. 8alf dragging #$ana, he made for a house-si+ed piece of meteoritic stone. From its top,
defense might e possile.
.he root !ent past.
#$ana soed her thanks. After a second, Flandry recovered from the shock of his latest
deliverance. 8e stood !here he !as, holding the girl against him, and !atched. .he machine
!asnCt meant for comat. 4t !as not much more than a self-operating flated truck !ith a pair of
lifting arms.
4t loaded the fallen lancer aoard and returned !hence it came.
>For repairs,? Flandry reathed. >9o !onder !e donCt find stray parts in this neighorhood.?
#$ana shuddered in his arms.
8is !ords !ent slo!ly on, shaping the thoughts they uttered2 >.!o classes of killer root, then.
/ne is free-ranging, fights indiscriminately, comes here to get fixed if it can make the trip, and
doutless returns to the !ilderness for more hunting. )hile itCs here, it keeps the peace.
>.he other kind stays here, does fight here7though it doesnCt interfere !ith the first kind or the
maintenance machines7and is carefully salvaged !hen it comes to grief.?
8e shook his head in e!ilderment. >4 donCt kno! if thatCs encouraging or not.? Da+ing do!n at
#$ana2 >8o! do you feel@?
.he drug he had forced on her !as taking hold. 4t !as not magical; it couldnCt marshal resources
!hich !ere no longer there. "ut for a time he and she !ould e alert, cool-headed, strong, 1uick-
reacting. And !eCd etter complete our usiness efore the metaolic ill is presented, Flandry
recalled.
8er lips, t!itched in a !oeegone smile. >4 guess 4Cll do,? she said.
>Are you certain !e should continue@?
>9o. 8o!ever, !e !ill.?
.he next t!o s1uares they crossed !ere empty. /ne to their left !as occupied. .he humans kept
a taut !atch on that root as they !ent past, ut it did not stir. 4t !as a tread-mounted cylinder,
taller and roader than a man, its t!o arms ending in giant mauls, its head7the top of it, any!ay,
!here there !ere !hat must e sensors7cro!ned !ith merlons like the attlements of some
ancient to!er. .he sight $ogged at FlandryCs memory. An idea stirred in him ut vanished efore he
could sei+e it. 4t could !ait; readiness for another assault could not.
#$ana startled him2 >9icky, does each of them stay inside its o!n s1uare@?
>And defend that particular it of territory against intruders@? FlandryCs mind sprang. 8e
smacked fist into palm. >"y Gumo, 4 think youCre right' 4t could e a scheme for guarding the
centrum against really dangerous gi+mos that donCt ehave themselves on this plain a !eird
scheme, ut then, everything on )ayland is !eird.7-es. .he types of, uh, !ild root !eCve seen,
and the amulance and such, theyCre recogni+ed as harmless and left alone. )e donCt fit into that
program, so !eCre fair game.?
>9ot all the s1uares are occupied,? she said duiously.
8e shrugged. >%aye a lot of sentries are under repair at present. H
=xcitement !axed in him. >.he important point is, !e can get across. =ither directly across the
lines, or over to a oundary and then around the !hole layout. )e simply avoid sections !here any
machine is. %aking sure none are lurking ehind a rock or !hatever, of course.? 8e hugged her.
>0!eetheart, 4 do elieve !eCre going to make it'?
.he same eagerness kindled in her. .hey stepped riskly forth.
A figure that came into vie!, t!o kilometers ahead, as they passed the hillock !hich had
concealed it, dre! a cry from her. >9icky, a man'? 8e $olted to a stop and raised his inoculars in
unsteady hands. .he o$ect !as indeed creepily similar to a large spacesuited human. "ut there
!ere differences of detail, and it stood as death-still as the to!er thing, and it !as armed !ith
s!ord and shield. Rather, its arms terminated in those pieces of !ar gear. Flandry lo!ered the
glasses.
>9o such luck,? he said. >9ot that itCd e luck. Anyody !hoCs come here and taken charge like
this !ould proaly scupper us. 4tCs yet another rand of guard root.? 8e tried to $oke. >.hat
means a further detour. 4Cm getting more exercise than 4 really !ant, arenCt you@?
>-ou could destroy it.?
>%aye. %aye not. 4f our friend the knight !as typical, as 4 suspect, the lot of them are fairly
!ell armored against energy eams. "esides, 4 donCt care to !aste charge. ,sed too loody much in
that last encounter. Another fracas, and !e could e !eaponless.? Flandry started off on a slant
across the s1uare. >)eCll avoid him and go catercorner past the domain of that comparatively mild-
looking chap there.?
#$anaCs ga+e follo!ed his finger. Remotely gleamed other immoile forms, including a
duplicate of the hippoid and three of the anthropoid. #outless more !ere hidden y irregularities
of terrain or its steep fall to the hori+on. .he machine !hich Flandry had in mind !as closer, $ust
left of his intended path. 4t !as another cylinder, more tall and slim than the root !ith the
Hhammers. .he smooth right surface !as unroken y lims. .he conical head !as partly split
do!n the middle, aove an array of instruments.
>8e may simply e a !atcher,? Flandry theori+ed.
.hey had passed y, the gaunt astract statue !as falling ehind, !hen #$ana yelled.
Flandry spun aout. .he thing had left its s1uare and !as entering the one they !ere no! in.
#ust and sparkling ice crystals !hirled in the meter of space et!een its ase and the ground.
Air cushion drive, eat through Flandry. 8e looked frantically around for shelter. 9othing. .his
s1uare held only asalt and fro+en !ater.
>Run'? he cried. 8e retreated ack!ard himself, laster out. .he heart slugged in him, the reath
rasped, still hot from his prior attle.
A pencil of !hite fire struck at him from the cleft head. 4t missed at its range, ut arely. 8e felt
heat gust !here the energy splashed and steam exploded. A sharp small thunderclap follo!ed.
.his kind does pack a gun'
Reflexively, he returned a shot. <ess po!erful, his eam ounced off the alloy hide. .he root
moved on it. 8e could hear the roar of its motor. A direct hit at closer 1uarters !ould pierce his suit
and ody. 8e fired again and prepared to flee.
4f 4 can divert that tin astard74t did not occur to Flandry that his action might get him accused
of gallantry. 8e started off in a different direction from the girlCs. <onger-legged, he had a feely
etter chance than she of keeping ahead of death, reaching a natural arricade and making a stand
.ensed !ith the expectation of lightning, the hope that his air unit !ould give protection and not
e ruined, he had almost reached the next line !hen he reali+ed there had een no fire. 8e raked
and turned to stare ehind.
.he root must have halted right after the exchange. 4ts top s!ung ack and forth, as if in
search. 0urely it must sense him.
4t started off after #$ana.
Flandry spat an oath and pounded ack to help. 0he had a good head start, ut the machine !as
faster, and if it had crossed one line, !ouldnCt it cross another@ FlandryCs oots slammed upon
stone. /xygen-starved, his rain cast forth giddiness and patches of lack. 8is intercepting course
rought him nearer. 8e shot. .he olt !ent !ild. 8e ounded yet more s!iftly. Again he shot. .his
time he hit.
.he root slo!ed, veered as if to meet this antagonist !ho could e dangerous, faced a!ay once
more and resumed its pursuit of #$ana. Flandry held do!n his trigger and hosed it !ith flame. .he
girl crossed the oundary. .he root stopped dead.
"ut7ut7giered in FlandryCs skull.
.he root stirred, lifted, and s!ung to!ard him. 4t moved hesitantly, !oling a trifle, not as if
damaged7it couldnCt have een7ut as if pu++led@
4 shouldnCt e toting a laster, Flandry thought in the turmoil. )ith my shape, 4Cm supposed to
carry s!ord and shield.
.he truth crashed into him.
8e took no time to examine it. 8e kne! simply that he must get into the same s1uare as #$ana.
An anthropoid !ith lade and scute in place of hands could not cra!l very !ell. Flandry !ent on
all fours. 8e scuttled ack!ard. .he lean tall figure rocked after him, ut no faster. 4ts limited
computer7an artificial rain moronic and monomaniacal7could reach no decision as to !hat he
!as and !hat to do aout him.
8e crossed the line. .he root settled to the ground.
Flandry rose and tottered to!ard #$ana. 0he had collapsed several meters a!ay. 8e $oined her.
%urk spun do!n upon him.
4t lifted in minutes, after his air unit purified the atmosphere in his suit and his stimulated cells
drank the oxygen. 8e sat up. .he machine that had chased them !as retreating to the middle of the
ad$acent s1uare, another gleam against the dark plain, under the dark sky. 8e looked at his lasterCs
charge indicator. 4t stood near +ero. 8e could reload it from the po!erpack he carried, ut his life-
support units needed the energy !orse. %aye.
#$ana !as rousing too. 0he half raised herself, fell across his lap, and !ept. >4tCs no use, 9icky.
)e canCt make it. )eCll e murdered. And if !e do get y, !hatCll !e find@ A thing that uilds
killing engines.
<etCs go ack. )e can go ack the !ay !e came. 3anCt !e@ And have a little, little !hile alive
together7>
8e consoled her until the chill and hardness of the rock on !hich he sat got through to him.
.hen, stiffly, he rose and assisted her to her feet. 8is voice sounded remote and strange in his ears.
>/rdinarily 4Cd agree !ith you, dear. "ut 4 think 4 see !hat the arrangement is. .he !ay the ishop
ehaved. #idnCt you notice@?
>"--ishop@?
>3onsider. <ike the knight, 4Cm sure, the ishop attacks !hen the s1uare heCs on is invaded. 4
daresay the result of a move on this oard depends on the outcome of the attle that follo!s it. 9o!
a ishop can only proceed offensively along a diagonal. And the pieces are only programed to fight
one other piece at a time; of certain kinds, at that.? Flandry stared to!ard his hidden destination. >4
imagine the anthropoids are the pa!ns. 4 !onder !hy. %aye ecause theyCre the most numerous
pieces, and the computer !as lonely for mankind@?
>3omputer@? 0he huddled against him.
>8as to e. 9othing else could have made this. 4t used the engineering facilities it had, possily
uilt some additional manufacturing plant. 4t didnCt other coloring the s1uares or the pieces,
kno!ing 1uite !ell !hich !as !hich. .hatCs !hy 4 didnCt see at once !eCre actually on a giant
chessoard.? Flandry grimaced. >4f 4 hadnCt !eCdCve 1uit, returned, and died. 3ome on.? 8e urged
her for!ard.
>)e canCt go further,? she pleaded. >)eCll e set on.?
>9ot if !e study the positions of the pieces,? he said, >and travel on the s1uares that noody can
currently enter.?
After some trudging2 >%y guess is, the computer split its attention into a numer of parts. /ne
or more to keep track of the !ild roots. .!o, !ith no intercommunication, to e rival
chessmasters. .hat could e !hy it hasnCt noticed something strange is going on today. 4 !onder if
it can notice anything ne! any longer, !ithout eing nudged.?
8e +ig+agged off the oard !ith #$ana, onto the lessed safe unmarked part of the land, and
!alked around the oundary. =n route he sa! a root that had to e a king. 4t loomed four meters
tall in the form of a man !ho !ore the indoor dress of centuries ago, gold-plated and cro!ned !ith
clustered diamonds. 4t ore no !eapons. 8e learned later that it captured y divine right.
.hey reached the ancient uildings. .he !orker machines that scuttled aout had kept them in
good repair. Flandry stopped efore the main structure. 8e tuned his radio to standard fre1uency.
>At this range,? he said to that !hich !as !ithin, >youCve got to have some receiver thatCll pick up
my transmission.?
3ode clicked and giered in his earplugs; and then, slo!ly, rustily,
ut gathering sureness as the !ords advanced, like the voice of one !ho
has een heavily asleep2 >4s it you@ A man returned at last@
9o, t!o men, 4 detect7>
>%ore or less,? Flandry said.
Across the plain, easts and chessmen came to a halt.
>=nter. .he airlock Remove your spacesuits inside. 4t is =arth-conditioned, !ith furnished
chamers. 4nspection reveals a supply of undeteriorated food and drink 4 hope you !ill find things
in proper order. 0ome derangements are possile. .he time !as long and empty.?
X
#$ana stumled to ed and did not !ake for thirty-odd hours. Flandry needed less rest. After
reakfast he usied himself, languidly at first ut !ith increasing energy. )hat he learned
fascinated him so much that he regretted not daring to spend time exploring in depth the history of
these past five centuries on )ayland.
8e !as in the main control room, holding technical discussions !ith the prime computer, !hen
the speaker in its 1uaint-looking instrument ank said in its 1uaint-sounding Anglic2 >As instructed,
4 have kept your companion under oservation. 8er eyelids are moving.?
Flandry got up. >.hanks,? he said automatically. 4t !as hard to rememer that no living mind
flickered ehind those meters and readout screens. An a!areness did, yes, ut not like that of any
natural sophont, no matter ho! strange to man; this one !as in some !ays more and in some !ays
less than organic. >4Cd etter go to her. ,h, have a servitor ring hot soup and, uh, tea and uttered
toast, soonCs it can.?
8e strode do!n corridors silent except for the hum of machines, past apartments that held a fe!
moldering possessions of men long dead, until he found hers.
>9icky7> 0he linked mistily and reached tremulous arms to!ard him. 8o! thin and pale
sheCd gro!n' 8e could $ust hear her. "ending for a kiss, he felt her lips passive eneath his.
>9icky are !e all right@? .he !hisper-reath tickled his ear.
>Assuredly.? 8e stroked her cheek. >=verythingCs on orit.?
>/utside@?
>0afe as houses. 0afer than numerous houses 4 could name.? Flandry straightened. >Relax. )eCll
start putting meat ack on those lovely ones in a fe! minutes. "y departure date, you ought to e
completely yourself again.?
0he fro!ned, shook her head in a pu++led !ay, tried to sit up. >8oy, not yet,? he said, laying
hands on the are slight shoulders. >4 prescrie lots of ed rest. )hen youCre strong enough to find
that oring, 4Cll arrange for entertainment tapes to e pro$ected. .he computer says thereCre a fe!
left. /ught to e interesting, a sho! that old.?
0till she struggled feely. .he chemical-smelling air fluttered fast, in and out of her lungs. Alarm
struck him. >)hatCs the troule, #$ana@?
>4 donCt kno!. #i++y7>
>/h, !ell. After !hat youCve een through.?
3old fingers clutched his arm. >9icky. .his moon. 4s it !orth anything@?
>8uh@?
>%oney'? she shrieked like an insect. >4s it !orth money@?
)hy should that make that much difference, right no!@ flashed through him. 8er past lifeCs
made her fanatical on the su$ect, 4 suppose, and7>0ure.?
>-ouCre certain@? she gasped.
>%y dear,? he said, ><eon Ammon !ill have to !ork hard at it if he does not !ant to ecome
one of the richest men in the =mpire.?
8er eyes rolled ack till he sa! only !hiteness. 0he sagged in his emrace.
>Fainted,? he muttered, and eased her do!n. Rising, scratching his scalp2 >3omputer, !hat kind
of medical kno!ledge do you keep in your data anks@?
Reviving after a !hile, #$ana soed. 0he !ouldnCt tell him !hy. Presently she !as as near
hysteria as her condition permitted. .he computer found a sedative !hich Flandry administered.
/r her next a!akening she !as calm, at any rate on the surface, ut someho! remote from him.
0he ans!ered his remarks so curtly as to make it clear she didnCt !ant to talk. 0he did take
nourishment, though. After!ard she lay fro!ning up!ard, fists clenched at her sides. 8e left her
alone.
0he !as more cheerful y the follo!ing !atch, and gradually reverted to her usual self.
"ut they sa! scant of each other until they !ere again in space, ound ack to the assigned
round that !as to end on 4rumcla! !here it egan. 0he had spent most of the time previous in ed,
!aited on y roots !hile she recovered. 8e, vigor regained sooner, !as preoccupied !ith setting
matters on the moon to rights and supervising the repair of Gake. .he latter $o !as complicated y
the re1uirement that no clue remain to !hat had really taken place. 8e didnCt !ant his superiors
diselieving his entries in the log concerning a malfunction of the hyperdrive oscillator !hich it
had taken him three !eeks to fix y himself.
0tark )ayland fell aft, and mighty Regin, and lurid %imir; and the oat moved alone amidst a
glory of stars. Flandry sat !ith #$ana in the conn, !hich !as the single half!ay comfortale area to
sit. Rested, clean, depilated, fed, li1uored, in crisp coverall, reathing ample air, feeling the tug of a
steady .erran g and the faint thro of the po!er that drove him to!ard his destination, he inhaled of
a cigarette, patted #$anaCs hand, and grinned at her freshorn comeliness. >%ission accomplished,?
he said. >4 shall expect you to sho! your gratitude in the !ays you kno! est.?
>)ell-l-l,? she purred. After a moment2 >8o! could you tell, 9icky@?
>8m@?
>4 donCt yet understand !hat !ent !rong. -ou tried to explain efore, ut 4 !as too da+ed, 4
guess.?
>%ost simple,? he said, entirely !illing to parade his cleverness ane!.
>/nce 4 sa! !e !ere caught in a chess game, everything else made sense.
For instance, 4 rememered those radio masts eing erected in the !ilds.
An impossile $o unless the construction roots !ere free from attack. .herefore the ferocity
of the roving machines !as limited to their o!n kind. Another game, you see, !ith more
potentialities and less predictaility than chess, even the chess-cum-comat that had een
developed !hen the regular sort got oring. 9e! types of killer !ere produced at intervals and sent
forth to see ho! theyCd do against the older models. /ur oat, and later !e ourselves, !ere
naturally taken for such ne!comers; the roots !erenCt supplied !ith information aout humans,
and line-of-sight radio often had them out of touch !ith the ig computer.?
>)hen !e tried to call for help, though7>
>-ou mean from the peak of %t. %aidens@ )ell, oviously none of the !ild roots !ould
recogni+e our signal, on the and they used. And that part of the computerCs attention !hich
Hlistened inC on its children simply filtered out my voice, the !ay you or 4 can fail to hear sounds
!hen !eCre usy !ith something else. )ith so much natural static around, thatCs not surprising.
>.hose masts !ere constructed strictly as relays for the roots7for the high fre1uencies !hich
carried the digital transmissions7so thatCs !hy they didnCt uck on my calls on any other and.
.he computer al!ays did keep a small part of itself on the 1ui vive for a voice call on standard
fre1uencies. "ut it assumed that, if and !hen humans came ack, they !ould descend straight from
the +enith and land near the uildings as they used to. 8ence it didnCt make arrangements to detect
people radio from any other direction.?
Flandry puffed. 0moke curled across the vie!screen, as if to veil off the aysses eyond.
>%aye it should have done so, in theory,? he said. >8o!ever, after all those centuries, the poor
thing !as more than a little onkers. Actually, !hat it did7first estalish that chess game, then
modify it, then produce fighters that oeyed no rules, then extend the range and variety of their
attles further and further across the moon7that !as done to save most of its sanity.?
>)hat@? #$ana said, surprised.
>)hy, sure. A thinking capaility like that, !ith nothing ut routine to handle, no ne! input,
decade after decade7> Flandry shivered. >"r-rr' -ou must kno! !hat sensory deprivation does to
organic sophonts. /ur computer rescued itself y creating something complicated and
unpredictale to !atch.? 8e paused efore adding slyly2 >4 refrain from suggesting analogies to the
3reator you elieve in.?
And regretted it !hen she ridled and snapped, >4 !ant a full report on ho! you influenced the
situation.?
>/h, for the est, for the est,? he said. >9ot that that !as hard. .he moment 4 !oke the )hite
Jing up, the !orld heCd een dreaming of came to an end.? 8is metaphor !ent over her head, so he
merely continued2 >.he computerCs pathetically impatient to convert ack to the original style of
operations. "rother Ammon !ill find a fortune in metals !aiting for his first ship.
>4 do think you are morally oliged to recommend me for a sustantial onus, !hich he is
normally oliged to pay.?
>%orally'? .he itterness of a life !hich had never allo!ed her a chance to consider such
1uestions !hipped forth. "ut it seemed to him she exaggerated it, as if to provide herself an excuse
for attacking. >)ho are you to lat aout morals, #ominic Flandry, !ho took an oath to serve the
=mpire and a rie to serve <eon Ammon@?
0tung, he thre! ack2 >)hat else could 4 do@?
>Refuse.? 8er mood softened. 0he shook her amer-locked head, smiled a sad smile, and
s1uee+ed his hand. >9o, never mind. .hat !ould e too much to expect of anyone no!adays,
!ouldnCt it@ <etCs e corrupt together, 9icky darling, and kind to each other till !e have to say
goodye.?
8e looked long at her, and at the stars, !here his ga+e remained, efore he said 1uietly, >4
suppose 4 can tell you !hat 4Cve had in mind. 4Cll take the pay ecause 4 can use it; also the risk, for
the rest of my life, of eing found out and roken. 4t seems a reasonale price for holding a
frontier.?
8er lips parted. 8er eyes !idened. >4 donCt follo! you.?
>4rumcla! !as due to e aandoned,? he said. >=veryody kno!s7kne!7it !as. )hich made
the prophecy self-fulfilling2 .he garrison turned incompetent. .he ale civilians !ithdre!, taking
their capital !ith them. #efensiility and economic value spiraled do!n to!ard the point !here it
really !ouldnCt e !orth our rational !hile to stay. 4n the end, the =mpire !ould let 4rumcla! go.
And !ithout this anchor, itCd have to pull the !hole frontier parsecs ack; and %erseia and the
<ong 9ight !ould dra! closer.?
8e sighed. ><eon Ammon is evil and contemptile,? he !ent on. >,nder different
circumstances, 4Cd propose !e gut him !ith a utterknife. "ut he does have energy, determination,
actual courage and foresight of sorts.
>4 !ent to his office to learn his intentions. )hen he told me, 4 agreed to go along ecause7
!ell7
>4f the 4mperial ureaucrats !ere offered )ayland, they !ouldnCt kno! !hat to do !ith it.
Proaly theyCd stamp its existence 0ecret, to avoid making any decisions or laying out any extra
effort. 4f nothing else, a pri+e like that !ould make Hconciliation and consolidationC a !ee it
difficult, eh@
>Ammon, though, heCs got a personal profit to harvest. 8eCll go in to stay. 8is enterprise !ill e
a human one. 8eCll make it pay off so !ell7heCll get so much economic and therey political
leverage from it7that he can force the government to protect his interests. )hich means standing
fast on 4rumcla!. )hich means holding this order, and even extending control a !ays out!ard.
>4n short,? Flandry concluded, >as the prover phrases it, he may e a son of a itch, ut heCs our
son of a itch.?
8e stued out the cigarette !ith a violent gesture and turned ack to the girl, more in search of
forgetful-ness than anything else.
0trangely, in vie! of the fello!-feeling she had $ust sho!n him, she did not respond. 8er hands
fended him off. .he lue glance !as trouled upon his. >Please, 9icky. 4 !ant to think aout !hat
youCve told me.?
8e respected her !ish and relaxed in his seat, crossing shank over knee. >4 daresay 4 can
contain myself for a it.? .he sight of her mildened the harshness that had risen in him. 8e
chuckled. >"e !arned, it !onCt e a long it. -ouCre too delectale.?
8er mouth t!itched, ut not in any smile. >4 never reali+ed such things mattered to you,? she
said uncertainly.
8aving een raised to consider idealism gauche, he shrugged. >.heyCd etter. 4 live in the .erran
=mpire.?
>"ut if7> 0he leaned for!ard. >#o you seriously elieve, 9icky, )ayland can make that ig a
difference@?
>4 like to elieve it. )hy do you ask@ 4 canCt !ell imagine you giving a rusty horntoot aout
future generations.?
>.hatCs !hat 4 mean. 0uppose 9icky, suppose, oh, something happens so <eon doesnCt get to
exploit )ayland. 0o noody does. 8o!Cd that affect us7you and me@?
>#epends on our lifespans, 4Cd guess, among other items. %aye !eCd see no change. /r maye,
t!enty-thirty years hence, !eCd see the =mpire retreat the !ay 4 !as talking aout.?
>"ut that !ouldnCt mean its end'?
>9o, no. 9ot at once. )e could doutless finish our lives in the style to !hich !e !ant to
ecome accustomed.? Flandry considered. >/r could !e@ Political repercussions at home unrest
leading to upheaval !ell, 4 donCt kno!.?
>)e could al!ays find ourselves a safe place. A nice offside colony planet7not so offside itCs
primitive, ut7>
>-es, proaly.? Flandry sco!led. >4 donCt understand !hatCs gna!ing you. )eCll report to
Ammon and that !ill finish our part. Rememer, heCs holding the rest of our pay.?
0he nodded. For a space they !ere oth silent. .he stars in the vie!screen made an aureole
ehind her gold head.
.hen craftiness came upon her, and she smiled and murmured2 >4t !ouldnCt make any
difference, !ould it, if someody else on 4rumcla!7someody esides <eon7got )ayland.
)ould it@?
>4 guess not, if you mean one of his rother entrepreneurs.? FlandryCs unease !axed. >)hatCre
you thinking of, !ench@ .rying to rake in more for yourself, y passing the secret on to a
competitor@ 4 !ouldnCt recommend that. "loody dripping dangerous.?
>-ou7>
>=mphatically not' 4Cll s1uirrel a!ay my money, and for the rest of my 4rumcla! tour, you
!onCt elieve !hat a good oy 4Cll e. 9o more /ld .o!n $unkets !hatsoever; !holesome on-ase
recreation and study of naval manuals. Fortunately, my 4rumcla! tour is nearly done.?
Flandry captured her hands in his. >4 !onCt even risk seeing you,? he declared. >9or should you
take any avoidale chances. .he universe !ould e too poor !ithout you.?
8er lips pinched together. >4f thatCs ho! you feel7>
>4t is.? Flandry leered. >Fortunately, !eCve days and days efore !e arrive. <etCs use them, hm-
m-m@?
8er eyes dropped, and rose, and she !as on his lap emracing him, !arm, soft, smiling, pupils
!ide et!een the long lashes, and >8m-m-m indeed,? she crooned.
.hunder ended a dream. 9othingness.
8e !oke, and !ished he hadnCt. 0omeone had scooped out his skull to make room for the oatCs
nuclear generator.
9o 8e tried to roll over, and couldnCt.
)hen he groaned, a hand lifted his head. 3ool !etness touched his mouth.
>#rink this,? #$anaCs voice told him from far a!ay.
8e got do!n a couple of talets !ith the !ater, and could look around him. 0he stood y the
unk, staring do!n. As the stimpills took hold and the pain receded, her image gre! less lurred,
until he could identify the hardness that sat on her face. 3raning his neck, he made out that he lay
on his ack !ith !rists and ankles !ired7securely7to the unkframe.
>Feel etter@? 8er tone !as flat.
>4 assume you gave me a $olt from your stun gun after 4 feel asleep,? he succeeded in croaking.
>4Cm sorry, 9icky.? #id her shell crack the tiniest it, for that tiniest instant@
>)hatCs the reason@?
0he told him aout Rax, ending2 >)eCre already ound for the rende+vous. 4f 4 figured right,
rememering !hat you taught me, itCs aout forty or fifty light-years; and 4 set the Hpilot for top
cruising hyperspeed, the !ay you said 4 ought to.?
8e !as too groggy for the loss of his fortune to seem more than academic. "ut dismay struck
through him like a lunt nail. >Four or five days' )ith me trussed up@?
>4Cm sorry,? she repeated. >4 donCt dare give you a chance to gra me or7or anything7> 0he
hesitated. >4Cll take care of you as est 4 can. 9othing personal in this. -ou kno!@ 4tCs that million
credits.?
>)hat makes you think your unkno!n friends !ill honor their end of the deal@?
>4f )aylandCs !hat you say, a megacreditCs going to e a microe to them. And 4 can keep on
eing useful till 4 leave them.? All at once, it !as as if a s!ord spoke2 >.hat payment !ill make me
my o!n.?
Flandry surrendered to his physical misery.
)hich passed. "ut !as follo!ed y the miseries of confinement. 8e couldnCt do most isometric
exercises. .he !ires !ould have cut him. A fe! !ere possile; and he spent hours flexing !hat
muscles he !as ale to; and #$ana !as fairly good aout massaging him. 9onetheless he ached and
tingled.
#$ana also kept her promise to give him a nurseCs attentions. 8ers !erenCt the est, for lack of
training and e1uipment, ut they served. And she read to him y the hour, over the intercom, from
the ookreels he had along. 0he even offered to make love to him. /n the third day he accepted.
/ther!ise little passed et!een them2 the constraints !ere too many for conversation. .hey
spent most of their time separately, toughing it out. /nce he !as over the initial shock and had
disciplined himself, Flandry didnCt do adly at first. )hile no academician, he had many
experiences, ideas, and stray pieces of information to play !ith. .o!ard the end, though,
environmental impoverishment got to him and each hour ecame a desert century.
)hen at last the detectors u++ed, he had to struggle out of semi-delirium to recogni+e !hat the
noise !as. )hen the outercom oomed !ith !ords, he luered for $oy.
"ut !hen hypervelocities !ere matched and phasing in !as completed and airlocks !ere $oined
and the other cre! came aoard, #$ana screamed.
XI
.he %erseians treated him correctly if coolly. 8e !as unound, conducted aoard their
destroyer, checked y a physician experienced in dealing !ith foreign species, given a chance to
clean and estir himself. 8is effects !ere returned, !ith the natural exception of !eapons. A
cuyhole !as found and curtained off for him and the girl. Food !as rought them, and the toilet
facilities do!n the passage !ere explained for her enefit. A guard !as posted, ut committed no
molestation. Prisoners could scarcely have een vouchsafed more on this class of !arcraft; and the
time in space !ould not e long.
#$ana kept keening. >4 thought they !ere human, 4 thought they !ere human, only an-an-
another damn gang7> 0he clung to him. >)hatCll they do !ith us@?
>4 canCt say,? he replied !ith no measurale sympathy, >except that 4 donCt imagine they care to
have us take home our story.?
A story of an intelligence ring on 4rumcla!, headed y that Rax7!hose planet of origin is
doutless in the Roidhunate, not the =mpire7and proaly staffed y memers of the local
syndicates. 9ot to mention the fact that apparently there is a %erseian ase in the !ilderness, this
close to our orders. A cra!ling !ent along his spine. .hen too, !hen !ord gets ack to their
head1uarters, someody may !ell !ant a personal intervie! !ith me.
.he destroyer grappled the spaceoat alongside and started off. Flandry tried to engage his guard
in conversation, ut the latter had orders to refrain. .he one !ho rought dinner did agree to
convey a re1uest for him. Flandry !as surprised !hen it !as granted2 that he might oserve
approach and landing. .hough !hy not@ .o repeat, they !onCt return me to la !hat 4Cve seen.
/viously the destination coordinates that Rax had given #$ana meant the oat !ould e on a
course ringing her !ithin detection range of a picket ship; and any such !ouldnCt go far from the
ase. Flandry got his summons in t!o or three hours. 8e left #$ana knotted around her
!retchedness7serves her right, the stupid slut'--and preceded his armed guide for!ard.
.he layout resemled that of a human vessel. #etails varied, to allo! for variations in si+e,
shape, language, and culture. -et it !as the same enclosing metal narro!ness, the same drone and
viration, the same !arm oily-smelling gusts from ventilator grilles, the same duties to perform.
"ut the cre! !ere ig, green-skinned, hairless, spined and tailed. .heir outfits !ere lack, of
foreign cut and drape, elts holding !ar knives. .hey practiced rituals and deferences7a gesture,
a !ord, a stepping aside7!ith the smoothness of centuried tradition. .he glimpses of something
personal, a picture or souvenir, sho!ed a taste more austere and astract than !as likely in a human
spacehand. .he ody odors that filled this cro!ded air !ere sharper and, someho!, drier than
manCs. .he dark eyes that follo!ed him had no !hites.
"roch7approximately, 0econd %ate7.ryntaf the .all greeted him in the chartroom. >-ou are
entitled to the courtesies, <ieutenant. .rue, you are under arrest for violation of ensovereigned
space; ut our realms are not at !ar.?
>4 thank the roch,? Flandry said in his est =riau, complete !ith salute of gratitude. 8e
refrained from adding that, among other provisions, the 3ovenant of Alf+ar en$oined oth po!ers
from claiming territory in the uffer +one. 0urely here, as on 0tarkad and else!here, a >mutual
assistance pact? had een negotiated !ith an amenale, or co!ed, community of autochthons.
8e !as more interested in !hat he sa!. "elike he looked on his deathplace.
.he vie!port displayed the usual stars, so many as to e chaos to the untrained perception.
Flandry had learned the tricks7strain out the less right through your lashes; find your
every!here-visile markers, like the %agellanic 3louds; estimate y its magnitude the distance of
the nearest giant, "etelgeuse. 8e soon found that he didnCt need them for a guess at !here he !as.
=arly in the game heCd gotten #$ana to recite those coordinates for him and stored them in his
memory; and the sun disc he sa! !as of a type uncommon enough, compared to the red d!arf
ma$ority, that only one or t!o !ould exist in any given neighorhood.
.he star !as, in fact, akin to %imir7some!hat less massive and radiant, ut of the same
furious !hiteness, !ith the same oiling spots and leaping prominences. 4t must e a great deal
older, though, for it had no surrounding neulosity. At its distance, it sho!ed aout a third again the
angular diameter of 0ol seen from .erra.
>FO,? .ryntaf said, >mass A.PB, luminosity P.;F, radius A.:O.? .he standard to !hich he referred
!as, in reality, his home sun, Joiych; ut Flandiy recalculated the values in 0olar terms !ith
drilled-in ease. >)e call it 0iekh. .he planet !e are ound for !e call .al!in.?
>Ah.? .he man nodded. >And !hat more heroes of your 3ivil )ars have you honored@?
.ryntaf thre! him a sharp glance. #amn, 4 forgot again, he thought. Al!ays make the
opposition underestimate you.? 4 am surprised at your kno!ledge of our history efore the
Roidhunate, <ieutenant,? the %erseian said. >"ut then, considering that our pickets !ere ordered to
!atch for a .erran scout, the pilot must e of special interest.?
>/h, !ell,? Flandry said modestly.
>.o ans!er your 1uestion, fe! odies here are !orth naming. 0!arms of asteroids, yes, ut $ust
four true planets, the smallest elieved to e a mere escaped satellite. /rits are !ildly ske!ed and
eccentric. /ur astronomers theori+e that early in the life of this system, another star passed through,
disrupting the normal configuration.?
Flandry studied the !orld gro!ing efore him. .he ship had s!itched from hyperdrive to
sulight under gravs7so fe! JP0 as to support the idea of many large meteoroids. &.hey posed no
ha+ard to a vessel !hich could detect them in plenty of time to dodge, or could simply let them
ounce off a forcefield; ut they !ould $eopardi+e the career of a skipper !ho thus inelegantly
!asted po!er.( .al!inCs crescent, linding !hite, lurred along the edges, indicated that, like
5enus, it !as entirely clouded over. "ut it !as not altogether featureless; spots and ands of red
could e seen.
><ooks none too promising,? he remarked. >ArenCt !e almighty close to the sun@?
>.he planet is,? .ryntaf said. >4t is late summer7every!here; there is hardly any axial tilt7and
temperatures remain fierce. #ress lightly efore you disemark, <ieutenant' At periastron, .al!in
comes !ithin ;.QR astronomical units of 0iekh; ut apastron is at a full :.F: a.u.?
Flandry !histled. >.hatCs as eccentric as 4 can rememer ever hearing of in a planet, if not more.
,h aout one-half, right@? 8e sa! a chance to appear less than a genius. >8o! can you survive@ 4
mean, a good ig axial tilt !ould protect one hemisphere, at least, from the !orst effects of orital
extremes. "ut this all, !ell, any life it may have has got to e unlike yours or mine.?
>)rong,? !as .ryntafs foreseeale reply. >Atmosphere and hydrosphere moderate the climate to
a degree; like!ise location. .hose markings you see are of iological origin, spores carried into the
uppermost air. Photosynthesis maintains a reathale oxynitrogen mixture.?
>,h-h-h diseases@? 9o, !ait, no! youCre acting too stupid. .rue, !hatCs safe for a %erseian
isnCt necessarily so for a man. )e may have extraordinarily similar iochemistries, ut still, !eCve
fe!er ugs in common that are dangerous to us than !e have !ith our respective domestic animals.
"y the same token, though, a !orld as different as .al!in isnCt going to reed anything thatCll affect
us at least, nothing thatCll produce any syndrome modern medicine canCt easily slap do!n. .ryntaf
kno!s 4 kno! that much. .he thought had flashed through Flandry in part of a second. >4 mean
allergens and other poisons.?
>0ome. .hey cause no serious troule. .he ioform is asically akin to ours, <-amino proteins in
!ater solution. #eviations are fre1uent, of course. "ut you or 4 could survive a!hile on native
foods, if !e chose them !ith care. /ver an extended period !e !ould need dietary supplements.
.hey have een compounded for emergency use.?
Flandry decided that .ryntaf lacked any sense of humor. %ost %erseians had one, sometimes
gusty, sometimes cruel, often incomprehensile to men. 8e had in his turn affled various of them
!hen he visited their planet; even after he put a $oke into their e1uivalents, they did not see !hy it
should e funny that one diner said, >"on appMtit? and the other said, >Dinserg.?
0ure. .hey differ, same as us. %y life could depend on the personality of the commandant do!n
there. )ill 4 e ale to recogni+e any chance he might give me@
8e sought to proe his companion, ut !as soon left alone on grounds of !ork to do, except for
the close-mouthed rating !ho tail-sat y the door.
)atching the vie! took his mind partly off his troules. 8e could pick up visual clues that a
layman !ould e lind to, identify !hat they represented, and conclude !hat the larger pattern
must e.
.al!in had no moon7maye once, ut not after the invader star had virtually !recked this
system. Flandry did see t!o relay satellites glint, in positions indicating they elonged to a
synchronous triad. 4f the %erseians had installed no more than that, they had a areones ase here.
4t !as !hat youCd expect at the end of this long a communications line2 a !atchpost, a depot, a
first-stage receiving station for reports from order-planet agents like Rax.
Aside from their oss, those latter !ouldnCt have een told 0iekhCs coordinates, or of its very
existence. .heyCd have courier torpedoes stashed a!ay in the hinterland, target preset and clues to
the target removed. Diven elementary precautions, no 4mperial loyalist !as likely to oserve the
departure of one. Replenishment !ould e more of a prolem, dependent on smuggling, ut not
overly difficult !hen the .erran service !as undermanned and lax. 3onveyance of fresh orders to
the agents !as no prolem at all; !ho noticed !hat mail or !hat visitors drifted into RaxCs dope
shop@
.he value of .al!in !as ovious. "esides surveillance, it allo!ed closer contact !ith spies than
!ould other!ise e possile. Flandry !ondered if his o!n corps ran an analogous operation out
Roidhunate !ay. Proaly not. .he %erseians !ere too vigilant, the human government too inert,
its !ealthier citi+ens too opposed to pungling up the cost of positive action.
Flandry shook himself, as if physically to cast off apprehension and melancholy, and
concentrated on !hat he sa!.
3learances given and path computed, the destroyer dropped in a spiral that took her around the
planet. Presumaly her track !as designed to avoid storms. 3ooler air, moving e1uator!ard from
the poles, must turn summer into a >monsoon? season. 3onsidering input energy, atmospheric
pressure &!hich .ryntaf had mentioned !as t!enty percent greater than .erran(, and rotation period
&a shade over eighteen hours, he had said(, !eather surely got more violent here than ever at 8ome;
and a long, thin, massive o$ect like a destroyer !as more vulnerale to !ind than you might think.
)ater vapor rose high efore condensing into clouds. Passing over dayside elo! those upper
layers, Flandry got a road vie!.
A trifle smaller &e1uatorial diameter ;.IR( and less dense than .erra, .al!in in this era had ut a
single continent. Roughly !edge-shaped, it reached from the north-pole area !ith its narro! end
almost on the e1uator. /ther!ise the land consisted of islands. )hile multitudinous, in the main
they !ere thinly scattered.
Flandry guessed that the formation and melting of huge icecaps in the course of the t!ice-.erran
year distured isostatic alance. <ike!ise, the flooding and great rainstorms of summer, the
free+ing of !inter, !ould speed erosion and hence the redistriution of mass. .ectony must proceed
at a furious rate; earth1uake, vulcanism, the sinking of old land and the rising of ne!, must e
geologically common occurrences.
8e made out one mountain range, running east-!est along the B;;-kilometer !idth of the
continent near its middle. .hose peaks d!arfed the 8imalayas ut !ere sno!less, naked rock.
=lse!here, elevations !ere generally lo!, rounded, !orn. 9orth of the !all, the country seemed to
e s!amp. )he!' .hat means in !inter the icecup gro!s do!n to BO degrees latitude' .he glaciers
grind everything flat. .he far southlands !ere a aked desolation, scoured y hurricanes. Euite
proaly, at midsummer lakes and rivers there didnCt simply dry up, they oiled; and the e1uatorial
ocean ecame a iological fence. 4t !ould e intriguing to kno! ho! evolution had diverged in the
t!o hemispheres.
"eyond the sterile tropics, life not long ago had een outrageously aundant, $ungle choking the
central +one, the arctic aloom !ith lo!-gro!ing plants. 9o! annual drought !as taking its toll in
many sections, leaves !ithering, stems crumling, fires running !ild, ald lack patches of
desiccation and decay. "ut other districts, especially near the coasts, got enough rain yet. 4mmense
herds of gra+ers !ere visile on open ground; !ings filled the air; shoal !aters !ere darkened y
!eeds and s!immers. %ost islands remained similarly fecund.
.he dominant color of vegetation !as lue, in a thousand shades7the photosynthetic molecule
!as not chlorophyll, then, though likely to e a close chemical relative7ut there !ere the
expected ro!ns, reds, yello!s, the unexpected and stingingly 8omelike splashes of green.
#escending, trailing a thunderclap, the ship crossed nightside. Flandry used photomultiplier and
infrared step-up controls to go on !ith his !atching. 4t confirmed the impressions he had gathered
y day.
And the ship !as ack under the hidden sun, lo!, readying for setdo!n. 8er latitude !as aout
B; degrees. 4n the north, the lesser memers of the giant range gave !ay to foothills of their o!n.
Flandry made out one volcano in that region, staining heaven !ith smoke. A river flo!ed thence,
cataracting through canyons until it ecame road and placid in the !ooden plains further south.
.he diffuse light made it shine dully, like lead, on its track through yonder a+ure lands. Finally it
ran out in a kilometers-!ide ay.
.he greenish-gray sea creamed !hite !ith surf along much of the coast. .he tidal pull of 0iekh
in summer approximated that of <una and 0ol on .erra, and ocean currents flo!ed strongly. For
some distance inland, dried, cracked, salt-streaked mud !as relieved only y a fe! tough plant
species adapted to it.
,h-huh, Flandry reflected. 4n spring the icecaps melt. 0ea level rises y many meters. 0torms
get really stiff; they, and increasing tides, drive the !aves in, over and over, to meet the floods
running do!n from the mountains And #$ana elieves in a Dod )ho gives a damn@
/r should 4 say, )ho gives a lessing@
8e rued his cheek, oserving !ith !hat ex1uisite accuracy nerves recorded pressure, texture,
!armth, location, motion. )ell, he thought. 4 must admit, if AnyoneCs een in charge of my
existence, 8eCs furnished it !ith nole pleasures. #espite everything, fear knocked in his heart and
dried his mouth. 8eCs not aout to take them a!ay, is 8e@ 9ot no!' <ater, !hen 4Cm old, !hen 4
donCt really care, all right; ut not no!'
8e rememered comrades in arms !ho didnCt make it as far through time as heCd done. .hat !as
no consolation, ut rallied him. .hey hadnCt !hined.
And maye something !ould turn up.
.he scene tilted. .he engines gro!led on a deeper note. .he ship !as landing.
.he %erseian ase stood on a luff overlooking the river, thirty or so kilometers north of its
mouth, !ell into fertile territory. .he spaceport !as minute, the facilities in proportion, as Flandry
had surmised; nothing fancier than a fe! destroyers and lesser craft could !ork out of here. "ut he
noticed several uildings !ithin the compound that didnCt seem naval.
8mm. #o the %erseians have more than one interest in .al!in@ 4 imagine they do at that.
/ther!ise theyCd find a more hospitale planet for their ase7or else a etter-camouflaged one,
say a sunless rogue -ou kno!, their intelligence activities here egin to look almost like an
afterthought.
.he ship touched do!n. Air pressure had gradually een raised during descent to match sea-
level value. )hen interior gravity !as cut off, the planetCs reasserted itself and Flandry felt lighter.
8e gauged !eight at nine-tenths or a hair less.
.ryntaf reappeared, issued an order, and redisappeared. Flandry !as escorted to the lock. #$ana
!aited y her o!n guard. 0he seemed incredily tiny and frail against the %erseian, a porcelain
doll. >9icky,? she stammered, reaching to!ard him, >9icky, please forgive me, please e good to
me. 4 donCt even kno! !hat theyCre saying.?
>%aye 4 !ill later,? he snapped, >if they leave me in shape to do it.?
0he covered her eyes and shrank ack. 8e regretted his reaction. 0heCd een suckered7y her
cupidity; nonetheless, suckered7and the feel of her hand in his !ould have eased his isolation. "ut
pride !ould not let him soften.
.he lock opened. .he gang!ay extruded. .he prisoners !ere gestured out.
#$ana staggered. Flandry choked. Gudas on a griddle, 4 !as !arned to change clothes and 4
forgot'
.he heat enveloped him, entered him, ecame him and everything else !hich !as. .emperature
could not e less than Q; 3elsius7might !ell e higher--:; degrees elo! the .erran-pressure
oiling point of !ater. A furnace !ind roared dully across the ferrocrete, !hich !avered in his
seared ga+e. 8e !as instantly covered, permeated, not !ith honest s!eat ut !ith the sliminess that
comes !hen humidity reaches an ultimate. "reathing !as like dro!ning.
9oises came loud to his ears through that dense air2 !ind, voices, clatter of machines. /dors
orne from the $ungle !ere pungent and musky, !ith traces of sulfurous reek. 8e sa! a uilding
locky against the clouds, and on its roof a gong to call for prayers to the Dod of a !orld t!o and a
half light-centuries hence. .he shado!-less illumination made distances hard to gauge; !as that air-
conditioned interior as remote as he dreaded@
.he cre! !ere making for it. .hey !erenCt in formation, ut discipline lived in their close ranks
and careful $og-trot. )hat %erseians had tasks to do outside !ore muffling !hite coveralls !ith
e1uipment on the ack.
>%ove along, .erran,? said FlandryCs guard. >/r do you en$oy our !eather@?
.he man started off. >4Cve kno!n slightly more comfortale espresso cookers,? he ans!ered; ut
since the guard had never heard of espresso, or coffee for that matter, his repartee fell flat again.
XII
4n the 0partan tradition of 5ach lords, the office of -d!yr the 0eeker lacked any furniture save
desk and cainets. .hough he and %orioch 0un-in-eye !ere seated, it !as on feet and tails, !hich
looked to a human as if they !ere crouched to spring. .hat, and their si+e, great even for )il!idh
%erseians, and faint ut sharp ody odors, and rumling ass tones, and the explosive gutturals of
=riau, gave #$ana a sense of anger that might reak loose in slaughter. 0he could see that Flandry
!as !orried and caught his hand in the cold dampness of hers. 8e made no response; standing
rigid, he listened.
>Perhaps the datholch has een misinformed aout this affair,? %orioch said !ith strained
courtesy. Flandry didnCt kno! !hat the title signified7and %erseian grades !ere sutle, variale
things7ut it !as plainly a high one, since the aristocratic-deferential form of address !as used.
>4 shall hearken to !hatever the 1anryf !ishes to say,? -d!yr replied, in the same taut manner
ut !ith the merely polite veral construction. Flandry !ould have understood >1anryf &the first
letter representing, more or less, k follo!ed y dh S voiced th( from the argent saltire on %oriochCs
lack uniform, had he not met the !ord often efore. %orioch !as the commandant of this ase, or
anyho! on its naval aspect; ut the ase !as a minor one.
8e7stockily uilt, hard of features, incongruous against the ooks and reeloxes !hose shelves
filled every availale s1uare centimeter of !all space7declared2 >.his is no capture of a scout !ho
simply chanced y. .he female alone should un1uestionaly does tell the datholch that.
"ut 4 didnCt !ant to intrude on your !ork y speaking to you of mine.
"esides, since itCs confidential, the fe!er !ho are told, the etter.
3orrect@?
9o guards had come in !ith their chief. .hey !aited eyond the arch!ay curtains, !hich !ere
not too soundproof to pass a cry for help. /pposite, seen through a !indo!, !aited .al!inCs lethal
summer. "lue-lack and enormous, a thunderhead !as piling up over the stockade, !here the
anners of those 5achs and regions that had memers here !hipped on their staffs.
-d!yrCs mouth dre! into thinner lines. >4 could have een trusted,? he said. Flandry didnCt
elieve that mere !ounded vanity spoke. 8ad a prerogative een infringed@ )hat !as -d!yr@
8e !ore a gray roe !ithout emlems; at its sash hung only a purse. 8e !as taller than
%orioch, ut lean, !rinkled, aging. At first he had spoken softly, !hen the humans !ere rought
efore him from their 1uarters7on his demand after he learned of their arrival. As soon as the
commandant had given him a slight amount of ack talk, he had stiffened, and po!er fairly la+ed
from him.
%orioch confronted it stoutly. >.hat needs no utterance,? he said. >4 hope the datholch accepts
that 4 sa! no reason to troule you !ith matters outside your o!n purposes here.?
>#oes the 1anryf kno! every conceivale limit of my purposes@?
>9o ho!ever7> Raided ut game, %orioch redonned formality. >%ay 4 explain everything to
the datholch@?
-d!yr sighed permission. %orioch caught a reath and commenced2
>)hen the "rythioch stopped y, these months agone, her chief intelligence officer gave me a
!ord that did not then seem very interesting. -ou recall sheCd een at 4rumcla!, the .erran frontier
post. .here a mei74 have his name on record ut donCt rememer it7had come on a scoutship
pilot heCd met previously. .he pilot, the male efore you here, !as running surveillance as part of
his training for their 4ntelligence 3orps. 9ormally thatCd have meant nothing7standard procedure
of theirs7ut this particular male had een on %erseia in company !ith a senior .erran agent.
.hose t!o got involved in something !hich is secret from me ut, 4 gather, caused ma$or troule to
the Roidhunate. Protector "rechdan 4ronrede !as said to have een furious.?
-d!yr started. 0lo!ly he lifted one ony green hand and said, >-ou have not told me the
prisonerCs name.?
><et the datholch kno! this is Gunior <ieutenant #ominic Flandry.?
0ilence fell, except for the !ind !hose rising skirl egan to pierce the heavily insulated !alls.
-d!yr s ga+e proed and proed. #$ana !hispered frantic, repeated prayers. Flandry felt the s!eat
slide do!n his ris. 8e needed all his !ill to hold steady.
>-es,? -d!yr said at last, >4 have heard some!hat aout him.?
>.hen the datholch may appreciate this case more than 4 do,? %orioch said, looking relieved.
>.o e honest, 4 kne! nothing of Flandry till the "rythioch7>
>3ontinue your account,? -d!yr said unceremoniously.
%oriochCs relief vanished, ut he plo!ed on2 >As the datholch !ishes. )hatever the importance
of Flandry himself7he appears a cu to me7he !as associated !ith this other agent khraich, yes,
it comes ack %ax Arams. And Arams !as, is, definitely a troulemaker of the !orst sort.
Flandry appears to e a protMgM of his. Perhaps, already, an associate@ 3ould his assignment to
4rumcla! involve more than sho!ed on the skin@
>.his much the mei reported to the chief intelligence officer of his ship. .he officer, in turn,
directed our agents in the city?7Rax, of course, and those in RaxCs pay, Flandry thought through
the loudening !ind7>to keep close !atch on this young male. 4f he did anything unusual, it should
e investigated as thoroughly as might e.
>.he officer asked me to stand y. As 4Cve said, nothing happened for months, until 4Cd almost
forgotten. )e get so many leads that never lead any!here in intelligence !ork.
>"ut lately a courier torpedo arrived. .he message !as that Flandry !as collaorating closely
ut, apparently, secretly, !ith the leader of an under!orld gang. .he secrecy is understandale7
ultra-illegal ehavior7and our agentsC first guess !as that normal corruption !as all that !as
involved.? 0corn freighted %oriochCs voice. >8o!ever, follo!ing orders, they infiltrated the
operation. .hey learned !hat it !as.?
8e descried )ayland, to the extent of AmmonCs kno!ledge, and -d!yr nodded. >-es,? the old
%erseian said, >4 understand. .he planet is too far from home to e !orth our !hile7at present7
ut it is not desirale that .errans reoccupy it.?
>/ur 4rumcla! people are good,? %orioch said. >.hey had to make a decision and act on their
o!n. .heir plan succeeded. #oes the datholch agree they should get extra re!ard@?
>.hey had etter,? -d!yr said dryly, >or they might decide .errans are more generous masters.
-ou have yet to tell them to eliminate those !ho kno! aout the lost planet, correct@--)ell, ut
!hat did they do@?
>.he datholch sees this female. After Flandry had investigated the planet, she captured him and
rought his oat to a section !here our pickets !ere ound to detect it.?
>8un-n-nh is she one of ours@?
>9o, she thought she !as !orking for a rival human gang. "ut the datholch may agree she
sho!s a talent for that kind of undertaking.?
Flandry couldnCt help it, too much compassion !elled through his despair, he ent his head
do!n to!ard #$anaCs and muttered2 >#onCt e afraid. .heyCre pleased !ith !hat you did for them. 4
expect theyCll pay you something and let you go.?
.o spy on us7driven y lackmail as !ell as money7ut you can proaly vanish into the
inner =mpire. /r maye youCd like the !ork. -our species never treated you very kindly.
>And that is the !hole tale, 1anryf@? -d!yr asked.
>-es,? %orioch said. >9o! the datholch sees the importance. "ad enough that !e had to capture
a oat. .hatCll provoke a !idespread search, !hich might stumle on places like .al!in. .he odds
are against it, true, and !e really had no choice. "ut !e cannot release Flandry.?
>4 did not speak of that,? -d!yr said, cold again. >4 did, and do, !ant oth these eings in my
custody.?
>"ut7>
>#o you fear they may escape@?
>9o. 3ertainly not. "ut the datholch must kno! the value of this prisoner as a su$ect for
interrogation7>
>.he methods your folk !ould use !ould leave him of no value for anything else,? -d!yr
rapped. >And he canCt have information !e donCt already possess; 4 assume the 4ntelligence 3orps
is not interested in his private life. 8e is here only through a coincidence.?
>3an the datholch accept that strong a coincidence@ Flandry met the met y chance, yes. "ut
that he, of every possile pilot, !ent off to the lost planet as a happenstance2 to that 4 must say no.?
>4 say yes. 8e is precisely the type to !hom such things occur. 4f one exposes oneself to life,
1anryf, life !ill come to one. 4 have my o!n uses for him and !ill not see him ruined. 4 also !ant
to learn more aout this female. .hey go into my keeping.?
%orioch flushed and !ell-nigh roared2 >.he datholch forgets that Flandry !orked tail-ent!ined
!ith Arams to th!art the Protector'?
-d!yr lifted a hand, palm do!n, and chopped it across his reast. Flandry sucked in a reath.
.hat gesture !as seldom used, and never y those !ho did not have the hereditary right. %orioch
s!allo!ed, ent head aove folded hands, and muttered, >4 eg the datholchCs forgiveness.?
%erseians didnCt often eg, either.
>Dranted,? -d!yr said. >#ismissed.?
>Jh-h the datholch understands 4 must report this to head1uarters !ith !hat recommendations
my duty demands 4 make@?
>3ertainly. 4 shall e sending messages of my o!n. 9o censure !ill e in them.? -d!yrCs
hauteur vanished. .hough his smile !as not a manCs, ut only pulled the upper lip ack off the
teeth, Flandry recogni+ed friendliness. >8unt !ell, %orioch 0un-in-eye.?
>4 thank and !ish a good hunt to you.? %orioch rose, saluted, and left.
/utside, the sky had gone altogether lack. <ightning flamed, thunder a!led, !ind yammered
ehind galloping sheets of rain, !hose drops smoked ack off the ground. #$ana fell into FlandryCs
arms; they upheld each other.
Releasing her, he turned to -d!yr and made the est %erseian salute of honor !hich a human
could. >.he datholch is thanked !ith my !hole spirit,? he said in =riau.
-d!yr smiled ane!. .he overhead fluoropanel, automatically rightening as the storm
deepened, made the room into a !arm little cave. &/r a cool one; that rain !as not far elo! its
oiling point.( .he folds in his roe sho!ed him relaxing. >"e seated if you desire,? he invited.
.he humans !ere 1uick to accept, lo!ering themselves to the ruery floor and leaning ack
against a cainet. .heir knees !ere grateful. .o e sure, there !as a psychological dra!ack; no!
-d!yr loomed over them like a heathen god.
"ut 4Cm not going to e drugged, rainscrued, or shot. 9ot today.
%aye maye, eventually, an exchange deal
-d!yr had returned to dignified impassivity. 4 mustnCt keep him !aiting. 0trength seeped ack
into FlandryCs cells. 8e said, >%ay 4 ask the datholch to tell me his standing, in order that 4 can try
to sho! him his due honor@C
>)e set most ritual aside7of necessity7in my group here,? the %erseian ans!ered. >"ut 4 am
surprised that one !ho speaks =riau fluently and has een on our home planet has not encountered
the term efore.?
>.he uh, the datholch7may 4 inform the datholch, his language !as crammed into me in tearing
haste; my stay on his delightful !orld !as rief; and !hat 4 !as taught at the Academy dealt
mainly !ith7uh7>
>4 told you the simple forms of respect !ill do on most occasions.? -d!yrCs smile turned
do!n!ard this time, etokening a degree of grimness. >And 4 kno! ho! you decided not to end
your sentence. -our education dealt !ith us primarily as military opponents.? 8e sighed. >Jhraich,
4 donCt fear the tactless truth. )e %erseians have plenty of e1uivalents of you, the Dod kno!s. 4tCs
regrettale ut inevitale, till your government changes its policies. 4 ear no personal animosity,
<ieutenant #ominic Flandry. 4 far prefer friendship, and hope a measure of it may take root
et!een us !hile !e are together.
>As for your 1uestion, datholch is a civilian rather than a military rank.? 8e did not speak in
exact e1uivalents, for %erseia separated >civilian? and >military? differently from .erra, and less
clearly; ut Flandry got the idea. >4t designates an aristocrat !ho heads an enterprise concerned
!ith expanding the RaceCs frontier.? &Frontier of kno!ledge, trade, influence, territory, or !hat@ 8e
didnCt say, and 1uite likely it didnCt occur to him that there !as any distinction.( >As for my
standing, 4 elong to the 5ach ,rdiolch and?7he stood up and touched his ro! !hile he finished
7>it is my high honor that a rother of my late nole father is, in the glory of the Dod, Almighty
Roidhun of %erseia, the Race, and all holdings, dominions, and suordinates of the Race.?
Flandry scramled to his feet and yanked #$ana to hers. >0alute'? he hissed in her ear, in Anglic.
><ike me' .his chapCs a nephe! of their grand pan$andrum'?
)ho might or might not e a figurehead, depending on the circumstances of his reign7and
surely, that he !as al!ays elected from among the ,rdiolchs, y the 8ands of the 5achs and the
heads of %erseian states organi+ed other!ise than the anciently dominant culture7from among the
,rdiolchs, the only landless 5ach7surely this !as in part a check on his po!ers7ut surely, too,
the harshest, most dictatorial Protector regarded his Roidhun !ith something of the same a!e and
pride that inspired the lo!liest >foot? or >tail?7for the Roidhun stood for the Dod, the unity, and
the hope of the !arrior people7FlandryCs mind s!irled close to chaos efore he rought it under
control.
>"e at ease.? -d!yr reseated himself and gestured the humans to do like!ise. >4 myself am
nothing ut a scientist.? 8e leaned for!ard. >/f course, 4 served my time in the 9avy, and continue
to hold a reserve commission; ut my interests are xenological. .his is essentially a research
station. .al!in !as discovered y accident aout7uh-h-h-h7fifteen .erran years ago.
Astronomers had noted an unusual type of pulsar in this vicinity2 extremely old, close to extinction.
A team of physicists !ent for a look. /n the !ay ack, taking routine oservations as they traveled,
they detected the uni1ue orital scramle around 0iekh and investigated it too.?
Flandry thought sadly that humans might !ell have visited that pulsar in early days7it !as
undoutedly noted in the pilotCs data for these parts, rare o$ects eing navigationally useful7ut
that none of his folk in the present era !ould venture almost to the ramparts of a hostile realm $ust
to satisfy their curiosity.
-d!yr !as proceeding2 >)hen 4 learned aout .al-!inCs extraordinary natives, 4 decided they
must e studied, ho!ever a!k!ardly near your orders this star lies.?
Flandry could imagine the disputes and !ire-pullings that had gone on, and the compromise
!hich finally !as reached, that .al!in should also e an advanced ase for keeping an eye on the
.errans. 9o large cost !as involved, nor any large risk nor any large chance of glory and
promotion, !hich last fact helped explain %oriochCs eagerness to !ring his prisoners dry.
.he lieutenant !et his lips. >-ou, uh, you are most kind, sir,? he said; the honorific appeared
implicitly in the pronoun. >)hat do you !ish of us@?
>4 !ould like to get to kno! you !ell,? -d!yr said frankly. >4 have studied your race in some
detail; 4 have met individual memers of it; 4 have assisted in diplomatic usiness; ut you remain
almost an astraction, almost a complicated forcefield rather than a set of eings !ith minds and
desires and souls. 4t is curious, and annoying, that 4 should e etter ac1uainted !ith #omrath and
Ruadrath than !ith .errans, our one-time saviors and teachers, no! our mighty rivals. 4 !ant to
converse !ith you.
>Furthermore, since any intelligence agent must kno! considerale xenology, you may e ale
to help us in our research on the autochthons here. /f a different species and culture, you may gain
insights that have escaped us.
>.his is the more true, and you are the more intriguing in your o!n right, ecause of !ho you
are. "y virtue of my family connections, 4 otained the story7or part of the story7ehind the
0tarkad affair. -ou are either very capale, #ominic Flandry, or else very lucky, and 4 !onder if
there may not e a destiny in you.?
.he term he used !as oscure, proaly archaic, and the man had to guess its meaning from
context and cognation. Fate@ %ana@ /dd phrasing for a scientist.
>4n return,? -d!yr finished, >4 !ill do !hat 4 can to protect you.? )ith the leak honesty of his
class2 >4 do not promise to succeed.?
>#o you think, sir 4 might ever e released@? Flandry asked.
>9o. 9ot !ith the information you hold. /r not !ithout so deep a memory !iping that no real
personality !ould remain. "ut you should find life tolerale in my service.?
4f you find my service !orth!hile, Flandry reali+ed, and if higher-ups donCt overrule you !hen
they learn aout me. >4 have no dout 4 shall, sir. ,h, maye 4 can egin !ith a suggestion, for you
to pass on to the 1anryf if you see fit.?
-d!yr !aited.
>4 heard the lords speaking aout, uh, ordering that the man !ho hired me7<eon Ammon7>
might as !ell give him the name, itCll e in RaxCs dispatch >7that he e eliminated, to eliminate
kno!ledge of )ayland from the last .errans. 4Cd suggest going slo! and cautious there. -ou kno!
ho! alarmed and alerted they must e, sir, even on sleepy old 4rumcla! "ase, !hen 4 havenCt
reported in. 4tCd e risky passing on an order to your agents, let alone having them act. "est !ait
a!hile. "esides, 4 donCt kno! myself ho! many others Ammon told. 4 should think your
operatives ought to make certain theyCve identified everyone !ho may e in on the secret, efore
striking.
>And thereCs no hurry, sir. Ammon hasnCt any ship of his o!n, nor dare he hire one of the fe!
civilian craft around. <ook ho! easy it !as to suvert the interplanetary ferrier !e used, !ithout
ever telling him !hat a treasure !as at stake. /h, you havenCt heard that detail yet, have you, sir@
4tCs part of ho! 4 !as trapped.
>Ammon !ill have to try discovering !hat !ent !rong; then killing those !ho etrayed him, or
those he can find or thinks heCs found; and making sure they donCt kill him first; and locating
another likely-looking scoutship pilot, and sounding him out over months, and !aiting for
assignment rotation to put him on the route passing nearest )ayland, and7)ell, donCt you see, sir,
nothingCs going to happen that you need other aout for more than a year@ 4f you !ant to e ultra-
cautious, 4 suppose you can post a !arcraft in the %imirian 0ystem; 4 can tell you the coordinates,
though frankly, 4 think youCd e !asting your effort. "ut mainly, sir, your side has everything to
lose and nothing to gain y moving fast against Ammon.?
>Jhraich.? -d!yr rued palm across chin, a sandpapery sound7under the storm-noise7
despite his lack of eard. >-our points are !ell taken.
-es, 4 elieve 4 !ill recommend that course to %orioch. And, !hile my authority in naval affairs
is theoretically eneath his, in practice7>
8is glance turned keen. >4 take for granted, #ominic Flandry, you speak less in the hope of
ingratiating yourself !ith me than in the hope of keeping events on 4rumcla! in aeyance until you
can escape.?
>,h7uh, !ell, sir7>
-d!yr chuckled. >#onCt ans!er. 4 too !as a young male, once. 4 do trust you !onCt e so
foolish as to try a reak. 4f you accomplished it, the planet !ould soon kill you. 4f you failed, 4
!ould have no choice ut to turn you over to %oriochCs in1uisitors.?
XIII
.he airus !as sturdier and more po!erful than most, to !ithstand violent !eather. "ut the sky
simmered 1uiet eneath its high gray cloud deck !hen Flandry !ent to the #omrath.
.hat !as several of .al!inCs eighteen-hour days after he had arrived. -d!yr had assigned the
humans a room in the uilding that housed his scientific team. .hey shared the mess there. .he
%erseian civilians !ere cordial and interested in them. .he t!o species ate each otherCs food and
drank each otherCs ale !ith, usually, en$oyment as !ell as nutrition. Flandry spent the ulk of his
time getting ack into physical shape and oriented aout this planet. Reasonaly reconciled !ith
#$ana7!hoCd een caught in the fortunes of !ar, he thought, and !ho no! did everything she
could to mollify her solitary fello! human7she made his nights remarkaly pleasant. 4n general,
aside from eing a captive !hose fate !as uncertain and from having run out of toacco, he found
his stay diverting.
9or !as she adly off. 0he had little to fear, perhaps much to gain. 4f she never returned to the
=mpire, !ell, that !as no particular loss !hen other humans lived under the Roidhunate. <ike a cat
that has landed on its feet, she set aout studying her ne! environment. .his involved long
conversations !ith the thirty-plus memers of -d!yrCs group. 0he had no %erseian language
except for the standard loan !ords, and none of her hosts had more than the sketchiest Anglic. "ut
they kept a translating computer for use !ith the natives. .he memory ank of such a device
regularly included the ma$or tongues of kno!n space.
0heCll make out, Flandry decided. 8er kind al!ays does, right up to the hour of the asp.
.hen -d!yr offered him a chance to accompany a party ound for 0eething 0prings. 8e $umped
at it, oth from curiosity and from pragmatism. 4f he !as to e a 1uasi-slave, he might have a !orse
master; he must therefore see aout pleasing the etter one. %oreover, he had not in!ardly
surrendered hope of gaining his freedom, to !hich end anything he learned might prove useful.
8alf a do+en %erseians !ere in the expedition. >4tCs fairly ordinary procedure, ut should e
stimulating,? said 3nif hu 5anden, xenophysiologist, !ho had gotten friendliest !ith him. >.he
#omrath are staging their fall move to hiernating grounds7in the case of this particular group,
from 0eething 0prings to %t. .hunderelo!. )eCve never oserved it among them, and they do
have summertime customs that donCt occur else!here, so maye their migration has special
features too.? 8e gusted a sigh. >.his pouchful of us to fathom an entire !orld'?
>4 kno!,? Flandry ans!ered. >4Cve heard my o!n scholarly ac1uaintances groan aout getting
funds.? 8e spread his hands. >)ell, !hat do you expect@ As you say2 an entire !orld. 4t took our
races till practically yesterday to egin to understand their home planets. And no!, !hen !e have 4
donCt kno! ho! many to !alk on if !e kno! the !ay7>
3nif !as typical of the prolem, crossed his mind. .he stout, yello!ish, slightly flat-faced male
elonged to no 5ach; his ancestors efore unification had lived in the southern hemisphere of
%erseia, in the Repulic of <afdigu, and to this day their descendants maintained peculiarities of
dress and custom, their old language and many of their old la!s. "ut 3nif !as orn in a colony; he
had not seen the mother !orld until he came there for advanced education, and many of its !ays
!ere strange to him.
.he us glided for!ard. .he first valve of the hangar heatlock closed ehind it, the second
opened, and it climed !ith a purr of motor and !histle of !ind. At O;;; meters it leveled off and
ore north-northeast. .hat course y and large follo!ed the river. %ainly the passengers sat mute,
preparing their kits or thinking their thoughts. %erseians never chattered like humans. "ut 3nif
pointed out landmarks through the !indo!s.
>0ee, ehind us, at the estuary, !hat !e call "arrier "ay. 4n early !inter it ecomes choked !ith
iceergs and floes, left y the receding !aters. )hen they melt in spring, the turulance and
flooding is unelievale.?
.he steam !ound like a somnolent snake through the myriad lues of $ungle. >)e call it the
Dolden River in spite of its eing silt-ro!n. Auriferous sands, you see, !ashed do!n from the
mountains. %ost of the place names are unavoidaly ours. 0ome are crude translations from
#omrath terms. .he Ruadrath donCt have place names in our sense, !hich is !hy !e seldom
orro! from them.?
3nifCs !ords for the aorigineN !ere artificial. .hey had to e. >#om? did represent an attempt
at pronouncing !hat one of the first communities encountered called themselves; ut >-rath? !as
an =riau root meaning, approximately, >folk,? and >Ruadrath? had originally referred to a class of
nocturnal supernatural eings in a %erseian mythology7>elves.?
.he forested plain gave !ay to ever steeper foothills. .he shado!less gray light made contours
hard to $udge, ut Flandry could see ho! the Dolden ran here through a series of deep canyons.
>.hose are full to the rim !hen the glaciers melt,? 3nif said. >"ut !eCve since had so much
evaporation that the level is !ell do!n; and !eCll soon stop getting rain, itCll ecome first fog, later
sno! and hail. )e are at the end of the summer.?
Flandry revie!ed !hat he had read and heard at the ase. .al!in !ent aout 0iekh in an
eccentric ellipse !hich, of course, had the sun at one focus. -ou could define summer aritrarily as
follo!s2 #ra! a line through that focus, normal to the ma$or axis, intersecting the curve at t!o
points. .hen summer !as the six-month period during !hich .al!in passed from one of those
points, through periastron, to the other end of the line segment. Fall !as the six !eeks or so !hich
it took to get from the latter point to the nearest intersection of the minor axis !ith the ellipse.
)inter occupied the fifteen months !herein .al!in s!ung out to its remotest distance and ack
again to the opposite minor-axis intersection. .hereafter spring took another six !eeks, until the
point !as reached again !hich defined the eginning of summer.
4n practice, things !ere no!here near that simple. .here !ere three degrees of axial tilt; there
!ere climatic +ones; there !ere topographical virations; aove all, there !as the thermal inertia of
soil, rock, air, and !ater. 0easons lagged planetary positions y an amount depending on !here you
!ere and on any numer of other factors, not every one of !hich the %erseians had unraveled.
9onetheless, once !eather started to change, it changed !ith astonishing speed. 3nif had spoken in
practical rather than theoretical terms.
5ague through ha+e, the a!esome peaks of the 8ell-kettle %ountains came to vie! eyond their
foothills. 0everal plumes of smoke drifted into gloomy heaven. An isolated titan stood closer,
lifting scarred lack flanks in cliffs and talus slopes and grotes1uely congealed lava eds, up to a
cone that !as 1uiet no! ut only for no!. >%t. .hunderelo!.? .he us anked left and descended
on a long slant, aove a triutary of the Dolden. 5apors roiled !hite on those !aters. >.he
9everfree+e River. Almost all streams, even the iggest, go stiff in !inter; ut this is fed y hot
springs, that dra! their energy from the volcanic depths. .hatCs !hy the Ruadrath7of )irrdaCs, 4
mean7have prospered so !ell in these parts. A1uatic life remains active and furnishes a large part
of their food.?
Fuming rapids dashed off a plateau. 4n the distance, forest gave !ay to sulfur eds, geysers, and
steaming pools. .he us halted near the plateau edge. Flandry spied a clearing and !hat appeared
to e a village, though seeing !as poor through the tall trees. )hile the us hovered, the expedition
chief spoke through its outercom. >)eCve distriuted miniature transceivers,? 3nif explained to
Flandry. >4tCs est to ask leave efore landing. 9ot that !e have anything to fear from them, ut !e
donCt !ant to make them shy. )e lean ack!ards. )hy do you kno!, a fe! years past, a
ne!comer to our group lundered into a hiernation den efore the males !ere a!ake. 8e thought
they !ould e, ut they !erenCt; that !as an especially cold spring. .!o of them !ere aroused.
.hey tore him to shreds. And !e refrained from punishment. .hey !erenCt really conscious;
instinct !as ruling them.?
8is tone7insofar as a human could interpret7!as not unkindly ut did imply2 Poor animals,
they arenCt capale of ehaving etter. -ou gatortails get a lot of dynamism out of taking for
granted youCre the natural future lords of the galaxy, the man thought, ut your attitude has its
disadvantages. 9ot that you delierately antagoni+e any other races, provided they give you no
troule. "ut you donCt use their talents as fully as you might. -d!yr seems to understand this. 8e
mentioned that 4 could e valuale as a non-%erseian7!hich suggests heCd like to have team
memers from among the =oidhunateCs client species7ut 4 imagine he had !oes enough pushing
his pro$ect through a reluctant government, !ithout ucking attitudes so ingrained that the typical
%erseian isnCt even conscious of them.
Diven a radio link to the ase, the expedition leader didnCt other !ith a vocali+er. 8e spoke
=riau directly to the computer ack there. 4t rendered his phrases into the dialect spoken here at
Jtha-g-klek, to the limited extent that the latter !as >kno!n? to its memory ank. Drunting,
clicking noises emerged from the minisets of !hatever eings listened in the village. .he reverse
process operated, via relay y the us. An artificial %erseian voice said2 >"e !elcome. )e are in a
torrent of toil, ut can happen a sharing of self is possile.?
>.he more if !e can help you !ith your transportation,? the leader offered.
.he #om hesitated. A primitiveCs conservatism, Flandry recogni+ed. 8e canCt e sure airlifts
arenCt unlucky, or !hatever. Finally2 >3ome to us.?
.hat !as not 1uickly done. First everyody aoard must get into his heat suit. /ne had een
modified for Flandry. 4t amounted to a !hite coverall edecked !ith pockets and sheaths; oots;
gauntlets7everything insulated around a !e of thermoconductor strands. A fish-o!l helmet !as
e1uipped !ith cho!lock, mechanical !ipers, t!o-!ay sonic amplification, and short-range radio. A
heat pump, hooked to the thermoconductors and run off accumulators, !as carried on a ackpack
frame. .hough heavy, the rig !as less a!k!ard than might have een expected. 4ts !eight !as !ell
distriuted; the gloves !ere thick and stiff, ut apparatus !as designed !ith that in mind, and
plectrum-like extensions could e slipped over the fingers for the finer !ork. Any!ay, Flandry
thought, consider the alternative.
4tCs not that man or %erseian canCt survive a!hile in this sauna. 4 expect !e could, if the !hile
e fairly short. 4tCs that !e !ouldnCt particularly !ant to survive.
3hecked out, the party set do!n its vehicle and stepped forth. At this altitude, relay to ase
continued automatically.
FlandryCs first a!areness !as of !eight, enclosure, chuttering pump, cooled dried air lo!n at
his nostrils. "eing other!ise unprocessed, the atmosphere ore odors7gro!th, decay, flo!er and
animal exudations, volcanic fumes7that stirred oscure memories at the ack of his rain. 8e
dismissed them and concentrated on his surroundings.
.he river oomed past a road meado!, casting spray and steam over its anks. Aove and on
every side loomed the $ungle. .rees gre! high, rush gre! !ide, leaf cro!ding serrated lue leaf
until the eye soon lost itself in dripping murk. "ut the stems looked frail, pulpy, and the leaves !ere
drying out; they rattled against each other, the fallen ones scrittled efore a ree+e, the short life of
summerCs forest dre! near to an end.
0turdier on open ground !as that vegetale family the %erseians called !air2 as !idespread,
variegated, and ecologically fundamental as grass on .erra. 4n spring it gre! from a tough-hulled
seed, rapidly uilding a cluster of foliage and a root that resemled a tuer !ithout eing one. .he
leaves of the dominant local species !ere ankle height and lacy. .hey too !ere !ithering, the !air
!as going dormant; ut soon, in fall, it !ould consume its root and sprout seeds, and !hen frost
cracked their pods, the seeds !ould fall to earth.
#arkling over treetops could e glimpsed %t. .hunderelo!. A slight shudder !ent through
FlandryCs shins, he heard a rumle, the volcano had cleared its throat. 0moke puffed forth.
"ut the #omrath !ere coming. 8e focused on them.
<ife on .al!in had follo!ed the same general course as on most terrestroid planets. #ifferences
existed. 4t !ould have een surprising !ere there none. .hus, !hile tissues !ere principally uilt of
<-amino proteins in !ater solution like FlandryCs or 3nifCs, here they normally metaoli+ed levo
sugars. A man could live on native food, if he avoided the poisonous varieties; ut he must take the
dietary capsules the %erseians had prepared.
0till, the standard division into photosynthetic vegetale and oxygen-reathing animal had
occurred, and the larger animals !ere structurally familiar !ith their interior skeletons, four lims,
paired eyes and ears. 0et eside many sophonts, the #omrath !ould have looked homelike.
.hey !ere ipeds !ith four-fingered hands, their outline roughly anthropoid except for the
proportionately longer legs and huge, cla!ed, thickly soled feet necessary to negotiate springtime
s!amps and summer hardpan. .he skin !as glarous, luish, !ith ro!n and lack mottlings that
!ere eginning to turn gaudy colors as mating season approached. .he heads !ere faintly
suggestive of elephantsC, round, !ith eady eyes, large erect ears that douled as cooling surfaces, a
short trunk that !as a chemosensor and a floodtime snorkel, small do!n-curving tusks on the
males. .he people !ore only loincloths, loosely !oven stra! cloaks to help keep off >insects,?
necklaces and other ornaments of one, shell, horn, teeth, tinted clay. 0ome of their tools and
!eapons !ere ron+e, some7incongruously7paleolithic.
.hat much !as easily grasped. And !hile their si+e !as considerale, adult males standing over
t!o meters and massing a hundred or more kilos, females even larger, it !as not over!helming.
.hey !ere isexual and viviparous. Dranted, they !ere not mammals. A mother fed her infants y
rMgurgitation. "odies !ere poikilothermic, though no! functioning at a higher rate than any .erran
reptile. .hat !as not unheard of either.
9onetheless, Flandry thought, it marked the foundation of their uni1ueness. For !hen your
energy, your very intelligence !as a function of temperature; !hen you not only slept at night, ut
spent t!o-thirds of your life among the ghostly half-dreams of hiernation7
Aout a score had come to meet the xenologists, !ith numerous young tagging after. .he
gro!nups !alked in ponderous stateliness. "ut several had urdens strapped on their acks; and
ehind them Flandry sa! others continue !ork, packing, loading undles onto carrier poles,
s!eeping and garnishing soon-to-e-deserted houses.
.he greeting committee stopped a fe! meters off. 4ts leader elevated his trunk !hile dipping his
ax. 0ounds that a human palate could not reproduce came from his mouth. Flandry heard the
computerCs voice in his radio unit. >8ere is 0eething 0prings. 4 am?7no translation availale, ut
the name sounded like >DCung?7>!ho speaks this year for our trie.? An intonation noted, in
effect, that >trie? &=riau >maddeuth,? itself not too close an e1uivalent of the Anglic !ord y
!hich Flandry rendered it( !as a deatale interpretation of the sound DCung made, ut must serve
until further studies had deepened comprehension of his society. >)hy have you come@?
.he 1uestion !as not hostile, nor !as the omission of a spoken !elcome. .he #omrath !ere
gregarious, un!arlike although valiant fighters at need, accustomed to organi+ing themselves in
nomadic ands. And, !hile omnivorous, they didnCt make hunting a ma$or occupation. .heir near
ancestors had doutless lived entirely off the superaundant plant life of summer. Accordingly, they
had no special territorial instincts. =xcept for their !inter dens, it did not occur to them that anyone
might not have a perfect right to e any!here.
.he 0eething 0prings folk !ere unusual in returning annually to permanent uildings, instead of
constructing temporary shelters !herever they chanced to e. And this custom had gro!n up
among them only ecause their hiernation site !as not too far from this village. 9o one had
challenged their occupation of it.
Euite simply and amialy, DCung !ondered !hat had rought the %erseians.
>)e explained our reasons !hen last !e visited you !ith gifts,? their leader reminded. 8is
colleagues ore trade goods, metal tools and the like, !hich had hitherto delighted all recipients.
>)e !ish to learn aout your trie.?
>4s understood.? 9either DCung nor his group acted !ildly enthusiastic.
9o #omrath had sho!n fear of the %erseians. "eing formidale animals, they had never
developed either timidity or undue aggressiveness; eing at an early prescientific stage, they lived
among too many marvels and mysteries to see anything terrifyingly strange aout spaceships
earing extraplanetarians; and -o!yr had enforced strict correctness in every dealing !ith them. 0o
!hy did these hesitate@
.he ans!er !as manifest as DCung continued2 >"ut you came efore in high summer.
Fastreaking Festival !as past, the tries had dispersed, food !as ample and !it !as keen. 9o!
!e laor to ring the seasonCs gatherings to our hiernation place. )hen !e are there, !e shall
feast and mate until !e dro!se off. )e have no time or desire for sharing self !ith outsiders.?
>4s understood, DCung,? the %erseian said. >)e do not !ish to hamper or interfere. )e do !ish
to oserve. /ther tries have !e !atched as fall dre! nigh, ut not yours, and !e kno! your !ays
differ from the .o!landersC in more than one regard. For this privilege !e id gifts and, can
happen, the help of our flying house to transport your stores.?
.he #omrath snorted among themselves. .hey must e tempted ut unsure.
Against assistance in the hard $o of moving stuff up to!ard %t. .hunderelo! must e
alanced a change in immemorial practice, a possile angering of gods yes, it !as kno!n the
#omrath !ere a religious race
>-our !ords shall e shared and che!ed on,? DCung decided. >)e shall assemle tonight.
%ean!hile is much to do !hile light remains.? .he darkness of .al!inCs clouded summer !as
pitchy; and in this dry period, fires !ere restricted and torches taooed2 8e issued no spoken
invitation, that not eing the custom of his folk, ut headed ack. .he %erseians follo!ed !ith
Flandry.
.he village !as carefully laid out in a spider!e pattern of streets7for defense@ "uildings
varied in si+e and function, from hut to storage shed, ut !ere all of stone, eautifully dressed, dry-
laid, and chinked. %assive !ooden eams supported steeply pitched sod roots. "oth !orkmanship
and dimensions7lo! ceilings, narro! door!ays, slit !indo!s !ith heavy shutters7sho!ed that,
!hile the #omrath used this place, they had not erected it.
.hey oiled aout, a hundred or so of every age; doutless more !ere on the trail to the dens.
5oices and footfalls surged around. 4n spite of ovious curiosity, no one halted !ork aove a
minute to stare at the visitors. Autumn !as too close.
At a central pla+a, !here the old cooked a communal meal over a firepit, DCung sho!ed the
%erseians some enches. >4 !ill speak among the people,? he said. >3ome dayCs end, you shall
receive us here and !e shall share self on the matter you roach. .ell me first2 !ould the Ruadrath
hold !ith your plan@?
>4 assure you the Ruadrath have nothing against it,? 3nif said.
From !hat 4Cve studied, Flandry thought, 4Cm not 1uite sure thatCs true, once they find out.
>4 have glimpsed a Ruad74 think7!hen 4 !as small and spring came early,? said an aged
female. >.hat you see them each year7> 0he !andered off, shaking her head.
)ith 3nifCs assent, Flandry peeked into a house fronting on the s1uare. 8e sa! a clay floor, a
hearth and smokehole, daises along t!o sides !ith shelves aove. "right unhuman patterns glo!ed
on !alls and intricately carved timers. 4n one comer stood a loaded rack, ready to go. "ut from the
rafters, !ith ingenious guards against animals, hung dried fruits and cured meat7though the
#omrath !ere rarely eaters of flesh. A male sat carefully cleaning and greasing ron+e utensils,
knifes, o!ls, an ax, a sa!. 8is female directed her young in tidying the single room !hile she
spread the daises !ith ne! stra! mats.
Flandry greeted the family. >4s this to e left@? he asked. 4t seemed like 1uite a it for these
impoverished savages.
>4n lightness, !hat else@? the male replied. 8e didnCt stop his !ork, nor appear to notice that
Flandry !as not a %erseian. 4n his eyes, the differences !ere proaly negligile. >.he metal is of
the Ruadrath, as is the house. For use !e give payment, that they may e !ell pleased !ith us !hen
they come out of the sea.? 8e did pause then, to make a sign that might e avertive or might e
reverent7or oth or neither, ut surely reflected the universal sense of a mortal creature
confronting the unkno!n. >0uch is the la!, y !hich our foreears lived !hile others died. .hch
raCa.?
Ruadrath2 elves, gods, !inter ghosts.
XIV
%ore and more, as the !eeks of FlandryCs asence passed, her existence took on for #$ana an
unreality. /r !as it that she egan slo!ly to enter a higher truth, !hich muted the !inds outside
and made the !alls around her shado!y@
9ot that she thought aout it in that !ay, save perhaps !hen the magician !ove her into a spell.
/ther!ise she lived in everydayness. 0he !oke in the chamer that the man had shared !ith her.
0he exercised and groomed herself out of hait, ecause her living had hitherto depended on her
ody. At mess she stood respectfully aside !hile the %erseians !ent through rief rituals religious,
familial, and patriotic7oddly impressive and stirring, those ig forms and deep voices, dra!n steel
and talking drums7and after!ard $oined in coarse read, ra! vegetales, g!ydh-msk cheese, and
the .erran-descended tea !hich they raised throughout the Roidhunate. .here follo!ed study, talk,
sometimes a special intervie!, sometimes recreation for a !hile; a simple lunch; a nap in deference
to her human circadian rhythm; more study, until eveningCs meat and ale. &0ince %erseia rotated at
aout half the rate of .al!in, a night had already gone over the land.( <ater she might have further
conversation, or attend a concert or recorded sho! or amateur performance of something
traditional; or she might retire alone !ith a tape. 4n any event, she !as early aed.
.alk, like perusal of a textreel or !atching of a pro$ection, !as via the linguistic computer. 4t had
plenty of spare channels, and could thro! out a visual translation as easily as a sonic one. 8o!ever,
she !as methodically eing given a !orking kno!ledge of =riau, along !ith an introduction to
%erseian history and culture.
0he cooperated !illingly. Final disposition of her case lay !ith superiors !ho had not yet een
heard from. At !orst, though, she !asnCt likely to suffer harm7given a prince of the lood on her
side7and at est !ell, !ho dared predict@ Any!ay, her education gave her something to do. And
as it advanced, it started interesting, at last entrancing her.
%erseia, rival, aggressor, troulemaker, menace lairing out eyond "etelgeuse; sheCd accepted
the slogans like everyody else, never stopping to think aout them. /h, yes, the %erseians !ere
terrile, ut they lived far off and the 9avy !as supposed to keep them there !hile the diplomatic
corps maintained an uneasy peace, and she had troules of her o!n.
8ere she d!elt among eings !ho treated her !ith gruff kindness. /nce you got to kno! them,
she thought, they !ere they had homes and kin the same as people, that they missed the same as
people; they had arts, melodies, sports, games, $okes, minor vices, though of course you had to
learn their conventions, their !hole style of thinking, efore you could appreciate it .hey didnCt
!ant !ar !ith .erra, they only sa! the =mpire as a loated sick monstrosity !hich had long
outlived its usefulness ut !ith senile cunning contrived to hinder and threaten them 9o, they did
not dream of con1uering the galaxy, that !as asurd on the face of it, they simply !anted freedom
to range and rule !ithout ound, and >rule? did not mean tyranny over others, it meant $ust that
others should not stand in the !ay of the full outfolding of that spirit !hich lay in the Race
A spirit often hard and harsh, perhaps, ut one-honest !ith itself; possessed of an astringency
that !as like a sea ree+e after the psychic stench of !hat #$ana had kno!n; not $aded or rootless,
ut reaching for infinity and for a Dod eyond infinity, !hile planted deep in the consciousness of
kinship, heroic ancestral memories, symols of courage, pride, sacrifice #$ana felt it etokened
much that the chief of a 5ach7not 1uite a clan7!as called not its 8ead ut its 8and.
)ere those humans !ho served %erseia really traitors to anything !orth their loyalty@
"ut it !as not this slo! !ondering that made the solid !orld recede from her. 4t !as -d!yr the
0eeker and his spells; and elike they had first roused the 1uestions in her.
.o start !ith, he too had merely talked. 8is interest in her ackground, experiences, haits, and
attitudes appeared strictly scientific. As a rule they met T deux in his office. >.hus 4 need not e a
nephe! of the Roidhun,? he explained !ryly. Fear staed her for a second. 8e gave her a shre!d
regard and added, >9o one is monitoring our translator channel.?
0he garnered nerve to say, >.he 1anryf7>
>)e have had our differences,? -d!yr replied, >ut %orioch is a male of honor.?
0he thought2 8o! many 4mperial officers in this kind of setup !ould dare skip precautions
against snooping and lackmail@
8e had a human-type chair uilt for her, and poured her a glass of artherry !ine at each
collo1uy. "efore long she !as looking for!ard to the sessions and !ishing he !ere less usy
else!here, coordinating his !orkers in the field and the data they rought ack. 8e didnCt press her
for ans!ers, he relaxed and let conversation ramle and opened for her the hoard of his
reminiscences aout adventures on distant planets.
0he gathered that xenology had al!ays fascinated him and that he !as seldom home. Almost
asent-mindedly, in oligation to his 5ach, he had married and egotten; ut he took his sons !ith
him from the time they !ere old enough to leave the gynaeceum until they !ere ready for their
9avy hitches. -et he did not lack !armth. 8is suordinates adored him. )hen he chanced to speak
of the estate !here he !as orn and raised, his parents and silings, the staff !hose fathers had
served his fathers for generations, she came to recogni+e tenderness.
.hen finally7it !as dark outside, the hot still dark of summerCs end, heat lightning aflicker
eyond stockade and skeletal trees7he summoned her; ut !hen she entered the office, he rose
and said2 ><et us go to my private 1uarters.?
For a space she !as again frightened. 8e ulked so ig, so gaunt and impassive in his gray roe,
and they !ere so alone together. A fluoro glo!ed cold, and the air that slid and !hispered across
her skin had like!ise gone chill.
8e smiled his %erseian smile, !hich she had learned to read as amicale. 3rinkles radiated
through the tiny scales of his skin, from eyes and mouth. >4 !ant to sho! you something 4 keep
from most of my fello!s,? he said. >-ou might understand !here they cannot.?
.he little voiceox hung around his neck, like the one around hers, spoke !ith the computerCs
flat Anglic. 0he filled that out !ith his =riau. 9o longer did the language sound rough and guttural;
it !as, in truth, rather soft, and rich in tones. 0he could pick out individual !ords y no!. 0he
heard nothing in his invitation except7
--the father 4 never kne!.
Aruptly she despised herself for !hat she had feared. 8o! must she look to him@ Face2 hag-
thin, !ax-!hite, save for the i+arrely thick and red lips; ehind it, t!o t!isted flaps of cartilage.
"ody2 d!arfish, scra!ny, ulge-reasted, pinch-!aisted, fat-ottomed, tailless, feet outright
deformed. 0kin2 no intricate pattern of delicate flexile overlap; a rueriness relieved only y lines
and coarse pores; and hair, every!here hair in ridiculous unches and tufts, like fungus on a corpse.
/dor2 !hat@ 0our@ )hatever it !as, no lure for a natural taste.
%en' she thought. Dod, 4 donCt mean to condemn your !ork, ut -ou also made the dogs men
keep, and donCt -ou agree theyCre alike, those t!o reeds@ #irty, smelly, noisy, la+y, thievish, 1uick
to attack !hen you arenCt !atching, 1uick to run or cringe !hen you are; theyCre useless, they
create nothing, you have to !ait on them, listen to their oastful ayings, prop up their silly little
egos till theyCre ready to sloer over you again
4Cm sorry. Gesus !ore the shape of a man, didnCt he@
"ut he !ore it7in pity7ecause !e needed him7and !hatCve !e done !ith his gift@
"efore her flashed the image of a %erseian 3hrist, armed and shining, neither compassionate
nor cruel ut the %essiah of a ne! day 0he hadnCt heard of any such elief among them. %aye
they had no need of redemption; maye they !ere DodCs chosen
-d!yr caught her hands et!een his, !hich !ere cool and dry. >#$ana, are you !ell@?
0he shook the di++iness from her head. .oo much eing shut in. .oo much soaking myself in a
!orld that canCt e mine. 9ickyCs een gone too long. &4 sa! a greyhound once, !ell-trained, proud,
clean and s!ift. 9ickyCs a greyhound.( 4 canCt get a!ay from my humanness. And 4 shouldnCt !ant
to, should 4@ >9-nothing, sir. 4 felt a little faint. 4Cll e all right.?
>3ome rest.? 0tooping, he took her arm7a .erran gesture she had told him aout7and led her
through the inner curtain to his apartment.
.he first room !as !hat she might have expected and !hat officers of the ase had no dout
fre1uently seen2 emlem of the 5ach ,rdiolch, animation of a home!orld scene !here forested
hills plunged to!ard an ocean turulent eneath four moons, shelves of ooks and mementos,
racked !eapons, darkly shimmering drapes; on the resilient floor, a carved and inlaid tale of lack
!ood, a stone in a shallo! crystal o!l of !ater, an alcove shrine, and nothing else except
spaciousness. /ne arch!ay, half unscreened, gave on a monastic edchamer and Hfresher cuicle.
"ut they passed another hanging. 0he stopped in the dusk eyond and exclaimed.
>"e seated if you !ish.? 8e helped her shortness to the top of a couch upholstered in reptilian
hide. .he locks s!irled over her shoulders as she stared aout.
.he mounted skulls of t!o animals, one homed, one fanged; convoluted tues and flasks
cro!ding a ench in the gloom of one corner; a monolith carved !ith shapes her eyes could not
!holly follo!, that must have re1uired a gravsled to move; a long-eaked leathery-skinned thing,
the span of its ragged !ings e1ual to her height, that sat unlinking on its gnarled perch; and more
and more, arely lit y flameaux in curiously !rought sconces, !hose restless lue glo! made
shado!s more like demons, !hose crackling !as a thin song that almost meant something she had
forgotten, !hose smoke !as pungent and soon tingled in her rain.
0he looked up to the craggy highlights of -d!yrCs countenance, tremendously aove her. >#o
not e afraid,? said the lion voice. >.hese are not instruments of the darkness, they are pathfinders
to enter it.?
8e sat do!n on his tail, ringing his ridged head level !ith hers. Reflections moved like flames
deep !ithin the caverns under his ro! ridges. "ut his speech stayed gentle, even !istful.
>.he 5ach ,rdiolch are the landless ones. 0o is the <a!, that they may have time and
impartiality to serve the Race. /ur homes, !here !e have d!elt for centuries, !e keep y
leasehold. /ur !ealth comes less from ancient dues than from !hat !e may !in offplanet. .his has
put us in the forefront of the RaceCs out!ardness; ut it has also rought us closest to the unkno!ns
of !orlds never ours.
>A !itch !as my nurse. 0he had served us since my grandfather !as a cu. 0he had four arms
and six legs, !hat !as her face gre! et!een her upper shoulders, she sang to me in tones 4 could
not al!ays hear, and she practiced magic from the rememered =on %ountains of her home.
)ithal, she !as good and faithful; and in me she found a ready listener.
>4 think that may e !hat turned me to!ard searching out the !ays of alien folk. 4t helps
%erseia, yes; !e need to kno! them; ut 4 have !anted their lore for its o!n sake. And #$ana, 4
have not perpetually found mere primitive superstition. A her, a practice, a story, a philosophy
ho! dare !e say nothing real is in them, !hen !e come ne! to a !orld that gave irth to those
!ho live on it@ Among folk !ho had no machines 4 sa!, a fe! times, happenings that 4 do not
elieve any machine could ring aout.
>4n a sense, 4 ecame a mystic, in another sense, none, for !here is the order et!een HnaturalC
and HtranscendentalC@ 8ypnosis, hysterical strength and stigmata, sensory heightening,
psychosomatics, telepathy7such things are scorned in the scientific youth of civili+ations, later
accepted, !hen understanding has gro!n. 4 am simply using techni1ues that may, perhaps, advance
comprehension !here gauges and meters cannot.
>/nce 4 got leave to visit 3hereion. .hat is the most eldritch planet 4 have seen, a dominion of
the Roidhunate ut only, 4 think, ecause that serves the ends of its d!ellers, !hatever those ends
are. For they are old, old. .hey had a civili+ation a million years ago that may have reached eyond
this galaxy, !here !e have arely started to urro! aout at the end of one spiral arm. 4t
disappeared; they cannot or !ill not say !hy, and it suits a fe! of them to e too useful to %erseia
for us to risk angering the rest. -es, !e haughty con1uerors !alk softly among them'
>4 !as received among the disciples of Aycharaych, in his castle at Raal. 8e has looked deeper
into the mind7not the mind of his people, or yours, or any single one, ut someho! into that
1uality of pandemic %ind !hich the scientists deny can exist7he has looked deeper into this, 4
elieve, than any other eing alive. 8e could not evoke in me !hat 4 did not have to e evoked; or
else he did not choose to. "ut he taught me !hat he said 4 could use; and !ithout that skill, that
!ay of existing in the cosmos, 4 !ould never have done half !hat 4 have. .hink2 in a single decade,
!e are !ell on the !ay to full communication !ith oth races on .al!in.
>4 !ant, not to proe your soul, #$ana, ut to $oin !ith you in exploring it. 4 !ant to kno! the
in!ardness of eing human; and you may see !hat it is to e %erseian.?
.he flames danced and !hispered among moving shado!s; the figures on the monolith traced a
path that could almost e follo!ed; the smoke !hirled in her veins; around her and through her
crooned the lullay voice of Father.
>#o not e afraid of !hat you see, #$ana. .hese things are archaic, yes, they speak of pagan
cults and !itchcraft, ut that is ecause they come from primeval sources, from the east that lived
efore mind !as kindled in it. /ne day those tokens may no longer e needed. /r perhaps they !ill
e, perhaps they go deeper even than 4 imagine. 4 do not kno! and 4 !ant to kno!. 4t !ill help to
mesh a!arenesses !ith a human, #$ana no terrified captive, no lickspittle turncoat, no sniveler
aout peace and rotherhood, no pseudomorph gro!n up among us apart from his o!n reed ut
one !ho has come to me freely, out of the depths of the commonalty that red her, one !ho has
kno!n alike the glory and the tragedy of eing human.
>.hese are symols, #iana, certain o$ects, certain rites, !hich different thinking species have
found !ill help raise uried parts of the soul. And rought forth, those parts can e understood,
controlled, strengthened. Rememer !hat the discipline of the ody can do. Rememer like!ise the
discipline of the spirit; calm, courage, capaility can e learned, if the means are kno!n; they take
nothing ut determination. 9o! ask yourself2 )hat more remains@
>#$ana, you could ecome strong.?
>-es,? she said.
And she !as ga+ing into the !ater, and the fire, and the crystal, and the shado!s !ithin
A hostel at night. Fire leaping red and gold, chuckling as it lights the comradely company,
rough-he!n furniture, fiddler on a chair tuning to play a dance; at the taleCs far end, a !oman,
long-go!ned, deep-osomed, !ho ears a sheaf and an infant on her lap.
)ind. A lack ird sudden ath!art the pane. .he sound of its eak rapping.
#escent do!n endless stairs in the dark, led y one !ho never looks ack. .he oat. .he river.
/n the far side they have no faces.
>4 am sorry,? -d!yr said. >)e do not keep a pharmacopoeia for your species. -ou must forgo
drugs. Furthermore, the /ld )ay is not for you to tread to its end7nor me, 4 confess. )e have the
real !orld to cope !ith, and !e !ill not do so y aandonment of reason.
>.ell me your dreams. 4f they gro! too ad, call me on my private line7thus7and 4 !ill come
to you, no matter the hour.?
.he snake that engirdles the universe lifts its starry head. 4t gapes.
0cream. Run.
.he coils hiss after. .he s!amp clings to feet. A million years, a step a year out of the sucking
muck, and the snake dra!s close ehind.
<ightning. 0inking. "lack !aters.
8e held her, simply held her, at night in her room. >From my vie!point,? he said, >4 am gaining
matchless experience !ith human archetypes.? .he dry practicality, itself comforting, yielded to
mildness. A ig hand stroked her hair. >"ut you, #$ana, are more than a thing. -ou are ecoming
like a child to me, did you kno!@ 4 !ant to raise you up again and lead you through this valley of
shado!s you must pass efore you can stand y your o!n strength.?
At morn!atch he left her. 0he slept a short !hile, ut got to reakfast and suse1uently
continued her regular schooling. 4t did not keep her from d!elling !ithin her dreams.
/utside, the first mists of autumn sneaked !hite over the !et earth.
.he !aters are peace. #ream, dro!se no, the snake is not dead.
.he snake is not dead.
8is poisonous teeth. 0truggle. 0cream. .he !arm !aters are gone, drained out !ith a huge
hollo! roaring. 8ollo!, hollo!.
.he hollo! sound of hoofs, shaking a ridge that nine dead kings could not make thunder. <ight.
.he snake urns ack!ard from the light.
Raise hands to it. "ut o! do!n from its rilliance.
.hat la+e is off the spear of the %essiah.
>Jhraich. 4 !ould e interested to kno! if an aortion !as attempted on you. 9ot important,
since you survived. -our need is to learn that you did survive, and that you can.
>#o you feel ready for another session this evening@ 4 !ould like for you to come and
concentrate on the Draven 0tone. 4t seems to have traits in common !ith !hat 4 have read your
.erran usage calls a a mandala@?
A mirror.
.he face !ithin.
/ne comes from ehind on soundless feet and holds a mirror to the mirror.
=ndlessness d!indles to!ard nothingness.
At the heart of nothingness, a !hite spark. 4t flames, and nothingness recoils and flees ack
out!ard to endlessness, !hile trumpets triumph.
>,r-r-rh.? -d!yr sco!led at her test scores. .hey sat prosaically in his living room7though
!hat !as prosaic aout its austere serenity@
>0omething developing, eyond 1uestion. A hitherto unreali+ed potential7not telepathy. 4Cd
hoped7>
>.he /ld )ay to the /ne,? she said, and !atched the !all dissolve.
8e gave her a long stare efore he replied, crisply2 >-ou have gone as far do!n that road as 4
dare take you, my dear. Perhaps not far enough, ut 4 am not ale74 suspect none less than
Aycharaych !ould e ale7to guide you further; and alone, you !ould lose yourself in yourself.?
>8m@? she said vaguely. >-d!yr, 4 kno! 4 touched your mind, 4 felt you.?
>#elusion. %ysticism is a set of symols. 0ymols are to live y, yes7!hy else anners@--ut
they are not to e confused !ith the reality for !hich they stand. )hile !e kno! less aout
telepathy than psychologists usually pretend, !e do kno! itCs a perfectly physical phenomenon.
=xtremely long !aves travel at light speed, su$ect to inverse-s1uare diminution and the other la!s
of nature; the principles of encoding apply; nothing ut the radical variation of sensitivity, from
time to time and individual to individual, ever made its existence doutful. .oday !e can identify it
!hen it occurs.
>)hatever happened in these last experiments of ours, you are not ecoming a telepathic
receiver. An influence of that general nature !as present, true. .he meters registered it, arely over
threshold level. "ut analysis sho!s you !ere not calling the signs 4 dealt !ith aove-random
accuracy. 4nstead, 4 !as not dealing them completely at random.
>0omeho!, slightly, unconsciously, you !ere influencing me to!ard turning up the signs you
guessed 4 !ould e turning up.?
>4 !anted to reach you,? #$ana mumled.
-d!yr said sternly2 >4 repeat, !e have entered realms !here 4 am not fit to conduct you. .he
dangers are too great7principally to you, possily to me. At a later date, maye, Aycharaych7for
the present, !e stop. -ou shall return to the flesh !orld, #$ana. 9o more magic. .omorro! !e set
you to gymnastics and flogging, exhausting, uninspiring !ork !ith =riau. .hat should ring you
ack.?
8e on the throne2 >For that they have sinned eyond redemption, the sin that may not e
forgiven, !hich is to laspheme against the 8oly 0pirit, no more are they %y people.
>"ehold, 4 cast them from %e; and 4 !ill raise against them a ne! people under a ne! sun; and
their name shall e 0trength.
>/pen no! the ook of the seven thunders.?
.al!inCs short autumn !as closing !hen the ship came from head1uarters. .hat !as not
%erseia. 9o domain like the Roidhunate could e governed from a single planet, even had the Race
een interested in trying. 8o!ever, she did ear a direct !ord from the Protector.
0he stood on the field, slim, sleek, a destroyer !ith guns !hippet-!icked against the sky,
making a pair of counterparts from %oriochCs command that !ere like!ise in port look outmoded
and a little foolish. .he captured .erran scoutoat hunched in a corner, pathetic.
Fe! trees sho!ed aove the stockade. =arly frosts had split their flimsy trunks and rought them
do!n, already to crumle ack into the soil. .he air !as cool and moist. %ists coiled aout
%erseians !orking outdoors; ut overhead heaven reached clear, deep lue, and !hat clouds there
!ere shone da++ling !hite eneath 0iekh.
#$ana !as not invited to the !elcoming ceremonies, nor had she anticipated it. -d!yr gave her
a 1uick intercom call7>8ave no fears, 4 am authori+ed to handle your case, as 4 re1uested in my
dispatch?7and !asnCt that !onderful of him@ 0he !ent for a !alk, a real tramp, kilometers along
the luffs aove the Dolden River and ack through !hat had een enclosing $ungle and !as
ecoming open tundra, space, freedom, full lungs and taut muscles, for hour after hour until she
turned home of her o!n desire.
4Cve changed, she thought. 4 still donCt kno! ho! much.
.he !eeks under -d!yrCs7tutelage@--!ere vague in her recollection, often difficult or
impossile to separate from the dreams of that time. <ater she had gradually regained herself. "ut
it !as no longer the same self. /ld #$ana !as scarred, frightened, greedy !ith the greed that tries
to fill inner emptiness, lonely !ith the loneliness that dares not love. 9e! #$ana !as !ell, she !as
trying to find out. 0he !as someone !ho !ould go for a hike and stop to savor the scarlet of a late-
looming flo!er. 0he !as someone !ho, in honest animal !ise, hoped 9icky !ould soon finish
!ith his expedition, and daydreamed aout something et!een him and her that !ould last, ut did
not feel she needed him or anyody to guard her from monsters.
%aye none existed. #angers, of course, ut dangers canCt do !orse than kill you, and they said
in the 5achs, >8e cannot respect life !ho does not respect death.? 9o, !ait, she had met monsters,
ack in the =mpire.
.hough she no longer 1uailed at the rememrance of them, she could see they must e crushed
underfoot efore they poisoned the good eings like
-d!yr and 9icky and ,lfangryf and Avalrik and, !ell, yes, all right, in his fashion, %orioch
)ind lulled, tossing her hair, caressing her skin, !hich !ore less clothes than she !ould
formerly have re1uired on this kind of day. /ccasionally she tried to call to her the !inged
creatures she sa!, and t!ice she succeeded; a right guest sat on her finger and seemed content, till
she told it to continue to!ard its hiernation. .o her, the use of her po!er felt like eing a child
again7she had een, riefly, once in a rare !hile7and !ishing hard. -d!yr guessed that it !as a
variety of pro$ective telepathy and that its sporadic appearance in her species had given rise to
legends aout geases, curses, and allurements.
"ut 4 canCt control it most of the time, and donCt care that 4 canCt. 4 donCt !ant to e a
super!oman. 4Cm happy $ust to e a !oman7a full female, no matter !hat race7!hich is !hat
-d!yr made me.
8o! can 4 thank him@
.he compound court !as deserted !hen she entered it. Proaly all personnel !ere fraterni+ing
!ith the shipCs cre!. #usk !as falling, chill increased minute y minute, the !ind gre! louder and
stars linked forth. 0he hurried to her room.
.he intercom !as lit. 0he punched the replay. 4t said2 >Report to the datholch in his office
immediately on return,? !ith the time a %erseian hour ago. .hat meant almost four of .erraCs; they
split their day decimally.
8er heart umped. 0he operated the controls as she had done !hen the nightmares came. >Are
you there, -d!yr@?
>-ou hear me,? said the reassuringly professional voice he could adopt.
"y no! she seldom needed the computer.
0he sped do!n empty halls to him. Remotely, she heard hoarse lusty singing. )hen %erseians
celerated, they !ere apt to do so at full capacity. .he curtain at his door fell ehind her to cut off
that sound.
0he held fist to reast and reathed hard. 8e rose from the desk !here he had een !orking.
>3ome,? he said. .he gray roe flapped ehind him.
)hen they !ere secret among the torches and skulls, he leaned do!n through t!ilight and
reathed7each !ord stirred the hair around her ear7
>.he ship rought une1uivocal orders. -ou are safe. .hey do not care aout you, provided you
do not ring the .errans the information you have. "ut #ominic Flandry has po!erful enemies.
)orse, his mentor %ax Arams does; and they suspect the younger kno!s secrets of the older. 8e
is to go ack in the destroyer. .he proing !ill leave mere flesh, !hich !ill proaly e disposed
of.?
>/h, 9icky,? she said, !ith a reaking !ithin her.
8e laid his great hands on her shoulders, locked eyes !ith eyes, and !ent on2 >%y strong
recommendation having een overruled, my protest !ould e useless. -et 4 respect him, and 4
elieve you have affection for him yourself. .his thing is not right, neither for him nor for %erseia.
8ave you learned to honor clean death@?
0he straightened. .he =riau language made it natural to say, >-es, -d!yr, my father.?
>-ou kno! your intercom has een connected to the linguistic computer, !hich on a different
channel is in touch !ith the expedition he is on,? he told her. >4t keeps no records unless
specifically instructed. ,nder guise of a personal message, the kind that commonly goes from here
to those in the field, you can tell him !hat you like. -ou have thus exchanged !ords efore, have
you not@ 9one of his companions kno! Anglic. 8e could !ander a!ay7HlostC7and cold is a
merciful executioner.?
0he said !ith his firmness2 >-es, sir.?
"ack in her room she lay for a time crying. "ut the thought that fle! in and out !as2 8eCs good.
8e !ouldnCt let them gouge the mind out of my 9icky. 9o 4mperial .erran !ould care. "ut -d!yr
is like most of the Race. 8e has honor. 8e is good.
XV
.he fog of autumnCs end hid %t. .hunderelo! and all the highlands in !et gray that dro!ned
vision !ithin meters. Flandry shivered and ran a hand through his hair, trying to rush the !ater
out. )hen he stooped and touched the stony, streaming ground, it !as faintly !arm; no! and then
he felt a shudder in it and heard the volcano grumle.
8is %erseian companions !alked spectral efore and ehind him, on their !ay up the narro!
trail. %ost of them he could not see, and the #omrath they follo!ed !ere 1uite lost in the mists
ahead.
"ut he had !itnessed the departure of the natives from camp and could visuali+e them plodding
to!ard their sleep2 the hardiest males, their speaker DCung at the rear.
.hat !as a position of some danger, !hen late-!aking summer or early-!aking !inter
carnivores might suddenly pounce. &4t !ouldnCt happen this year, given a tail of out!orld oservers
armed !ith lasters and slugthro!ers. 8o!ever, the customs of uncounted millennia are not fast set
aside.( .he #omrath !ere at their most vulnerale, overurdened !ith their o!n !eight, arely
conscious in an energy-draining chill.
Flandry sympathi+ed. .o think that heatsuits !ere needed a month ago' 0uch a short time
remained to the xenologists that it hadnCt een !orth!hile ringing along electric-grid clothes.
.rying to take attention off his discomfort, he ran through !hat he had seen.
%igration7from Jtha-g-klek to the grounds eneath this footpath, a !ell-!atered meado!land
on the slopes of .hunderelo!, !hose peak rooded enormous over it. ,nloading of the food hoard
gathered during Hsummer. )eaving of rude huts.
.hat !as the happy time of year. .he !eather !as mild for .al!in. .he demoniac energy
promoted y the highest temperatures gave !ay to a pleasant idleness. 4ntelligence dropped too, ut
remained sufficient for routine tasks and even rituals. A certain amount of foraging !ent on, more
or less ad liitum. For the main part, though, fall !as one long orgy. .he #omrath ate till they !ere
practically gloular and made love till !ell after every nuile female had een impregnated.
"et!een times they sang, danced, $aped, and loafed. .hey paid scant attention to their visitors.
"ut .al!in s!ung further from 0iekh; the spilling rains got colder, as did the nights and then the
days; cloud cover roke, revealing sun and stars efore it re-formed on the ground; !air and trees
!ithered off; gra+ing and ro!sing animals vanished into their o!n hiernations; at morning the
puddles !ere sheeted over !ith ice, !hich crackled !hen you stepped on it; the rations d!indled
a!ay, ut that made no difference, ecause appetite dropped as the people gre! sluggish; finally
they dragged themselves y groups to those dens !hither the last !ere no! ound.
And ack to ase for us, Flandry thought, and Gudas, ut 4Cll e glad to !arm myself !ith #$ana
again' )hy hasnCt she catted me for this long, or ans!ered my messages@ .hey claim sheCs all
right. 0heCd etter e, or 4Cll explode.
.he trail deouched on a ledge eneath an overhang. "lack in the dark asaltic rock gaped a
cave mouth. =xtinct fumaroles, locked off at the rear y collapse during eruptions, !ere common
hereaouts, reasonaly !ell sheltered from possile lava flo!s, some!hat !armed y the
mountainCs molten core. =lse!here, most #omrath moved south for the !inter, to regions !here
the cold !ould not get mortally intense. .hey could stand temperatures far elo! free+ing7among
other things, their ody fluids ecame highly salty in fall, and transpiration during sleep increased
that concentration7ut in north country at high altitudes, !ithout some protection, they died. .he
folk of 0eething 0prings took advantage of naturally heated dens.
Among the asic prolems !hich life on .al!in must solve !as2 8o! could hiernators and
estivators prevent carnivores active in the opposite part of the year from eating them@ #ifferent
species solved it in different !ays2 y camouflage; y shells or spines or poisonous tissues; y
tunneling deep, preferaly under rock; y seeking areas !here glaciers !ould cover them; y eing
so prolific that a percentage !ere ound to escape attention; and on and on. .he #omrath, !ho
!ere large and possessed !eapons, lashed out in lind erserkergang if they !ere roused; !inter
animals tended to develop an instinct to leave them alone. .hey remained su$ect to a fe!
predators, ut against these they constructed shelters, or !ent troglodyte as here.
0hivering !ith hands in $acket pockets, reath puffing forth to $oin the mists, Flandry stood y
!hile DCung shepherded his males into the den. .hey moved somnamulistically. >4 think !e can
go inside,? murmured the %erseian nearest the .erran. >"est together, ready for troule. )e canCt
predict ho! theyCll react, and !hen 4 asked earlier, they told me they never rememer this period
clearly.?
>Avoid contact,? advised another.
.he scientists formed up !ith a precision learned in their military service. Flandry $oined. .hey
hadnCt issued him !eapons, though other!ise they had treated him pretty much as an e1ual; ut he
could duck inside their s1uare if violence roke loose.
4t didnCt. .he #omrath seemed !holly una!are of them.
.his cave !as small. <arger ones contained larger groups, each of !hich had entered in a ody.
.he floor had een heaped eforehand !ith leaves, hay, and coarse-!oven lankets. .he air !ithin
!as less leak than outside7according to )ythan 0carcheekCs thermometer. 0lo!ly, grunting,
rustling the damp material, the #omrath groped and urro!ed into it. .hey lay close together, the
stronger protecting the !eaker.
DCung stayed alone on his feet. 8eavily he peered through the gloom; heavily he moved to close
a gate installed in the mouth. 4t !as a timer frame!ork covered !ith hides and secured y a
leather loop to a post.
>9gugakathch,? he mumled like one !ho talks in his sleep. >0hoa tCkuhkeh.? 9o translation
came from the computer. 4t didnCt have those !ords. A magical formula, a prayer, a !ish, a noise@
8o! many years efore the meaning !as revealed@
>"est get out,? a %erseian, shado!y in mist and murk, !hispered.
>9o, !e can undo the catch after theyCre unconscious,? the leader said as softly. >And reclose it
from the outside; the crackCll e !ide enough to reach through. )atch this. )atch !ell. 9o one has
found anything 1uite similar.?
A camera lens gleamed.
.hey !ould sleep, those ulky friendly creatures7
Flandry reflected7through more than a .erran year of ice age. 9o, not sleep; hiernate2
comatose, arely alive, nursing the odyCs fuel as a man in illimitale darkness !ould nurse the
single lamp he had. A sharp stimulus could trigger !akefulness, y some chemical chain the
%erseians had not traced; and the murderous rage that follo!ed !as a survival mechanism, to
dispose of any threat and return to rest efore too great a reserve !as spent. =ven undistured, they
!ere not fe! !ho !ould never !ake again.
.he first !ho did !ere the pregnant females. .hey responded to the !eak !armth of early
spring, !ent out into the storms and floods of that season, $oined forces and nourished themselves
on !hat food could e gotten, free of competition from their triesmates. .hose !ere revived y
higher temperatures, !hen the explosion of plant gro!th !as !ell under!ay. .hey came forth
gaunt and irritale, and did little ut eat till they !ere fleshed out.
.hen7at least in this part of the continent7tries customarily met !ith tries at appointed
places. Fast-reaking Festival !as held, a religious ceremony !hich also reinforced interpersonal
relationships and gave opportunity for ne! ones.
After!ard the groups dispersed. 3oastal d!ellers sought the shorelands !here rising sea level
and melting ice created teeming marshes. 4nlanders foraged and hunted in the $ungles, !hose day-
y-day !axing could almost e seen. .he infants !ere orn.
Full summer rought the ripeness of !air roots and other vegetales, the fat maturity of land and
!ater animals. And its heat called up the full strength and ingenuity of the #omrath. .hat !as
needful to them; no! they must gather for fall. Females, held closer to home y their young than
the males, ecame the primary transmitters of !hat culture there !as.
Autumn2 retirement to!ard the hiernation dens; rest, merrymaking, gorging, reeding.
)inter and the long sleep.
DCung fumled !ith the gate. <eaned against the !all neary !as a stone-headed spear. 8o!
long have they lived this !ay, locked into this cycle@ Flandry mused. )ill they ever reak free of
it@ And if they do, !hat next@ 4tCs ama+ing ho! far theyCve come under these handicaps. 0trike off
the manacles of .al!inCs year someho! and, hm, it could turn out that the ne! dominators of this
part of the galaxy !ill look a it like old god Danesh.
8is communicator, and the %erseiansC, said !ith 3nif hu 5andenCs voice2
>#ominic Flandry.?
>Euiet'? reathed the leader.
>,h, 4Cll go outside,? the man proposed. 8e slipped y the creakily closing gate and stood alone
on the ledge. Fog eddied and dripped. #arkness !as moving in. .he cold deepened.
>0!itch over to local and, 3nif,? he said, and did himself. 8is free hand clenched till the nails
it. >)hat is this@?
>A call for you from ase.? .he xenophysiologist, !ho had een assigned to !atch the us !hile
the rest accompanied the last #omrath, sounded pu++led. >From your female. 4 explained you !ere
out and could call her ack later, ut she insisted the matter is urgent.?
>)hat--@?
>-ou donCt understand@ 4 certainly donCt. 0he lets !eeks go y !ith never a !ord to you, and
suddenly calls7speaking fair =riau, too7and canCt !ait. .hatCs !hat comes of your human sex-
e1uality nonsense. 9ot that the sex of a non-%erseian concerns us )ell, 4 said 4Cd try to s!itch you
in. 0hall 4@?
>-es, of course,? Flandry said. >.hank you.? 8e appreciated 3nif s thoughtfulness. .heyCd
gotten moderately close on this often rugged trip, helping each other7on this often monotonous
trip, !hen days of !aiting for something note!orthy !ere eguiled y s!apping yarns. -ou could
do !orse than pass your life among friends like 3nif and #$ana7
A click, a faint crackling, and her utterance, unnaturally level2
>9icky@?
>8ere, !ishing 4 !ere there,? he ackno!ledged, trying for lightness. "ut the volcano gro!led in
stone and air.
>#onCt sho! surprise,? said the 1uick Anglic !ords. >.his is terrile ne!s.?
>4Cm alone,? he ans!ered. 8o! very alone. 9ight gna!ed at his vision.
>9icky, darling, 4 have to say goodye to you. Forever.?
>)hat@ -ou mean you7> 8e heard his speech at once loud and muffled in the clouds, hers tiny
and as if infinitely removed.
>9o. -ou. <isten. 4 may e interrupted any minute.?
=ven !hile she spoke, he !ondered !hat had !rought the change in her. 0he should have een
half incoherent, not giving him the ayonet-are account she did. >-ou must have een told, the
%erseian shipCs arrived. .heyCll take you a!ay for interrogation. -ouCll e a vegetale efore they
kill you. -our partyCs due ack soon, isnCt it@ =scape first. #ie decently, 9icky. #ie free and
yourself.?
4t !as strange ho! detached he felt, and stranger still that he noticed it. Perhaps he hadnCt yet
reali+ed the import. 8e had seen eings mortally !ounded, gaping at their hurts !ithout immediate
comprehension that their lives !ere running out of them. >8o! do you kno!, #$ana@ 8o! can you
e sure@?
>-d!yr7)ait. 0omeone coming. -d!yrCs people, no danger, ut if someody from the ship
gets curious aout78old on.?
0ilence, fog, night seeping over a land !hose !etness had started to free+e. A fe! faint noises
and a !an gleam of light slipped past the cave gate. .he #omrath must e snuggling do!n, the
%erseians making a final inspection y dimmed flasheams efore leaving
>4tCs all right, 9icky. 4 !ished him to go past. 4 guess his intention to look into my room !asnCt
strong, if he had any, ecause he did go past.?
>)hat@? Flandry asked in his da+e.
>4Cve een -d!ryrCs een !orking !ith me. 4Cve learned, 4Cve developed a a talent. 4 can !ish
a person, an animal, to do a thing, and !hen 4Cm lucky, it !ill. "ut never mind'? .he stiffness !as
reaking in her; she sounded more like the girl he had kno!n. >-d!yrCs the one !ho saved you,
9icky. 8e !arned me and said 4 should !arn you. /h, hurry'?
>)hatCll ecome of you@? .he man spoke automatically. 8is main desire !as to keep her voice
in the circuit, in the night.
>-d!yr !ill take care of me. 8eCs a7heCs nole. .he %erseians arenCt ad, except a fe!. )e
!ant to save you from them. 4f only7you7> 8er tone gre! indistinct and uneven. >Det a!ay,
darling. "efore too late. 4 !ant t-t-to rememer you like you !ere7Dod keep you'? she !ailed,
and snapped the connection.
8e stood for a timeless time until, >)hatCs !rong. #ominic@? 3nif asked.
>,h, khraich, a complicated story.? Flandry shook himself. Anger flared. 9o' 4Cll not go meekly
off to their rain machines. 9or !ill 4 1uietly cut my throat, or slip into the hills and gently ecome
an icicle. A child underneath moaned terror of the devouring dark; ut the surface mind had
mastery. 4f they !ant to close do!n me and my personal universe, y Gudas ut theyCll pay for their
fun'
>#ominic, are you there@?
>-es.? FlandryCs head had gone !inter clear. 8e had ut to call them, and ideas and pieces of
information sprang for!ard. 9ot every card had een dealt. #amn near every one, agreed, and his
t!o in this hand !ere a deuce and a four; ut they !ere the same suit, !hich meant a straight flush
remained conceivale in those spades !hich formerly !ere s!ords.
>-es. 4 !as considering !hat she told me, 3nif. .hat sheCs aout decided to go over to the
Roidhunate.? 9o mistaking it, and they must have noticed too, so she !onCt e hurt y my saying
this. "ut 4Cll say no more. .hey mustnCt learn she tried to save me the !orst. <et Hem assume, under
-d!yrCs guidance, that the ne!s of her defection knocked me off my cam. 9ever mind gratitude or
affection, lad; youCll need any hole card you can keep, and she may turn out to e one. >-ouCll
reali+e 4 4 am trouled. 4Cd e no more use here. .heyCll take off soon in any case. 4Cll go ahead
and, !ell, think things over.?
>3ome,? 3nif invited gently. >4 !ill leave you alone.?
8e could not regret that his side !as gaining an agent; ut he could perceive, or elieved he
could perceive, FlandryCs patriotic anguish. >.hanks,? the human said, and grinned.
8e started ack along the trail. 8is oots thudded; occasionally a stone !ent clattering do!n the
talus slope, or he slipped and nearly fell on a patch of ice, <ightlessness closed in, save !here the
solitary lance of his flash-eam oed and smoked through the vapors. 8e no longer noticed the
cold, he !as too usy planning his next move.
3nif !ould naturally inform the rest that the .erran !asnCt !aiting for them. .hey !ouldnCt
hasten after him on that account. )here could he go@ 3nif !ould pour a stiffish drink for his
distressed ac1uaintance.
3urtained unks !ere the most private places afforded y the us.
Flandry could e expected to seek his and sulk.
<ight glo!ed yello! ahead from the lack outline of the vehicle. 4t spilled on the #omrathCs
autumnal huts, their $erry-uilt frames already collapsing. 3nifCs flat countenance peered anxiously
from the for!ard section. Flandry doused his flash and !ent on all fours. 0earching aout, he found
a rock that nicely fitted his hand. Rising, he approached in straightfor!ard style and passed through
the heatlock !hich tonight helped !ard off cold.
.he !armth inside struck !ith tropical force. 3nif !aited, glass in hand as predicted, uncertain
smile on mouth. >8ere,? he said !ith the lunt manners of a colonial, and thrust the oo+e at
Flandry.
.he man took it ut set it on a shelf. >4 thank you, courteous one,? he replied in formal =riau.
>)ould you drink !ith me@ 4 need a companion.?
>)hy 4Cm on duty kh-h-h, yes. 9othing can hurt us here. 4Cll fetch myself one !hile you get
out of your overclothes.? 3nif turned. 4n the cramped entry chamer, his tail rushed FlandryCs
!aist and he stroked it lightly across the man, %erseiaCs gesture of comfort.
Euick' 8e must outmass you y t!enty kilos'
Flandry leaped. 8is left arm circled 3nif s throat. 8is right hand rought the stone do!n !here
$a! met ear. .hey had taught him at the Academy that %erseians !ere !eak there.
.he lo! crunched. 4ts impact nearly dislodged FlandryCs grip on the rock. .he other eing
choked, lurched, and s!ept his tail around. Flandry took that on the hip. 8ad it had more leverage
and more room to develop its s!ing, it !ould have roken ones. As !as, he lost his hold and !as
dashed to the floor. "reath !huffed out of him. 8e lay stunned and sa! the enormous shape to!er
aove.
"ut 3nifCs counterattack had een sheer reflex. A moment the %erseian tottered, efore he
crumpled at knees and stomach. 8is fall oomed and 1uivered in the us ody. 8is !eight pinned
do!n the manCs leg. )hen he could move again, Flandry had a short struggle to extricate himself.
8e examined his victim. .hough flesh led freely7the same hemogloin red as a manCs73nif
reathed. A horny lid, peeled ack, uncovered the normal uniform $et of a %erseian eye, not the
!hite rim that !ould have meant contraction. Dood. Flandry stroked shakily the ald, serrated
head. 4CdCve hated to do you in, old chap. 4 !ould have if need e, ut 4CdCve hated it.
8urry, you sentimental thimle!it' he scolded himself. .he othersCll arrive shortly, and they tote
guns.
0till, after he had rolled 3nif out onto the soil, he found a lanket to !rap the %erseian in; and
he left a portale glo!er going alongside.
Diven that, the scientists !ould e in no serious troule. .heyCd get chilled, !et, and hungry.
%aye a fe! !ould come do!n !ith snee+les and !hee+les. "ut !hen -d!yr didnCt hear from
them, heCd dispatch a flyer.
Flandry re-entered the us. 8eCd !atched ho! it !as operated; esides, the asic design !as
copied from .echnic civili+ation. .he manual controls !ere a!k!ard for human hands, the pilot
seat more so for a human fundament. 8o!ever, he could get y.
.he engine purred. Acceleration thrust him ack!ard. .he us lifted.
)hen high in the night, he stopped to ponder charts and plans. 8e dared not keep the stolen
machine. /n an other!ise electricityless and virtually metalless !orld, it could e detected almost
as soon as a ship got aloft in search of it. 8e must land someplace, take out !hat he had in the !ay
of stores, and send the us off in !hatever direction a !ild goose !ould pick.
"ut !here should he hide, and ho! long could he, on this !inter-ound !orld@
Flandry revie!ed !hat he had learned in the %erseian ase and nodded to himself. 0no!fall
!as moving south from the poles. .he Ruadrath !ould e leaving the ocean, had proaly
commenced already. 8is hope of survival !as not great, ut his hope of raising hell !as. 8e laid
out a circuitous route to the coastlands !est of "arrier "ay.
XVI
)hen first they !oke, the People had no names. 8e !ho !as Rrinn ashore !as an animal at the
ottom of the sea.
4ts changes !ere !hat roused him. )ater pressure dropped !ith the level; lo!er temperatures
meant a higher e1uilirium concentration of dissolved oxygen, !hich affected the fairly shallo!
depths at !hich the People estivated; current shifted, altering the local content of minerals raised
from the ocean ed. Rrinn !as a!are of none of this. 8e kne! only, !ithout kno!ing that he kne!,
that the <ittle #eath !as past and he had come again to the <ittle "irth though he !ould not e
ale to grasp these ideas for a !hile.
#uring a measureless time he lay in the oo+e !hich lightly covered his sumerged plateau.
Alertness came y degrees, and hunger. 8e stirred. 8is gill flaps 1uivered, the sphincters ehind
them pumping for an ever more demanding loodstream. )hen his strength !as enough, he caught
the sea !ith hands, !eed feet, and tail. 8e surged into motion.
/ther long forms flitted around him. 8e sensed them primarily y the turulence and taste they
gave to the !ater. 9o sunlight penetrated here. 9evertheless vision picked them out as lurs of
lackness. 4llumination came from the dimly lue-glo!ing colonies of aoao &as it !as called !hen
the People had language( planted at the sides of the cage; it lured those creatures !hich d!elt
al!ays in the sea, and helped )irrdaCs find their !ay to freedom.
#ifferent packs had different means of guarding themselves during the <ittle #eath, such as
oulders rolled across crevices. KennevirrCs had even trained a clutch of finsnakes to stand sentry.
)irrdaCs slumered in a cage7!oven mesh et!een timers7that nothing dangerous could enter.
4t had originally een uilt, and !as annually repaired, in the spring !hen the People returned, still
o!ning a limited aility to reathe air. .hat gave them energy to dive and do hard !ork elo!,
living off the redeveloping gills an hour or t!o at a stretch. &/f course, not everyone laored. .he
ma$ority chased do!n food for all.( After their lungs !ent completely inactive, they ecame torpid
7esides, the sun urned so cruelly y then, the air !as like dry fire7and they !ere glad to rest in
a cool dark.
9o! RrinnCs forerain continued largely dormant, to preserve cells that other!ise !ould get
insufficient oxygen. 4nstinct, reflex, and training steered him. 8e found one of the gates and undid
it. <eaving it open, he s!am forth and $oined his fello!s. .hey !ere ro!sing among the aoao,
expropriating !hat undigested catch lay in those tentacles.
.he supply !as soon exhausted, and )irrdaCs left in a !idespread formation numering aout
:;; individuals. 3lues of current and flavor, perhaps sutler hints, guided them in a land!ard
direction. 8ad it een clear day they !ould not have surfaced immediately; eyes must ecome
reaccustomed y stages to the da++le. "ut a thick sleet made roaching safe. .hat !as fortunate,
aleit common at this season. 4n their a1uatic phase, the People fared est among the !aves.
.hey found a school of7not exactly fish7and cooperated in a attue. Again and again Rrinn
leaped, dived, drove himself y threshing tail and pistoning legs until he clapped hands on a scaly
ody and rought it to his fangs. 8e persisted after he !as full, giving the extra catch to !hatever
infants he met. .hey had een orn !ith teeth, last mid!inter, ale to eat any flesh their parents
shredded for them; ut years remained efore they got the gro!th to $oin in a chase.
4n fact, none of the People !ere ideally fitted for ocean life. .heir remote ancestors, epochs ago,
had occupied the continental shelf and !ere thus forced to contend !ith oth floods and drought.
.he dual aerating system developed in response, as did the adaptation of departing the land to
escape summerCs heat. "ut eing evolved more for !alking than s!imming7since t!o-thirds of
their lives !ere spent ashore7they !ere only moderately efficient sea carnivores and >found? it
!as est to retire into estivation.
Rrinn had had that theory expounded to him y a %erseian paleontologist. 8e !ould rememer
it !hen his rain came entirely a!ake. At present he simply felt a !ordless longing for the
shallo!s. 8e associated them !ith food, frolic, and7and7
0no!ing !ent on through days and nights. )irrdaCs s!am to!ard the mainland, irregularly,
since they must hunt, ut doggedly. /ftener and oftener they surfaced. )ater felt increasingly less
good in the gills, air increasingly less parching. After a !hile Rrinn actively noticed the sensuous
fluidity along his fur, the roar and surge of great !rinkled foam-streaked gray !aves, skirling !inds
and lo!n salt spindrift.
0no!ing ended. )irrdaCs roached to a night of hyaline clarity, !here the very ocean !as
sudued. /verhead glittered uncountale stars. Rrinn floated on his ack and ga+ed up!ard. .he
names of the rightest came to him. 0o did his o!n. 8e recalled that if he had lately passed a t!in-
peaked island, !hich he had, then he ought to s!im in a direction that kept 0sarro )ho %ounts
=ndless Duard over his right shoulder. .hus he !ould approach the feeding grounds !ith more
precision than the currents granted. 8e headed himself accordingly, the rest follo!ed, and he kne!
afresh that he !as their leader.
#a!n roke lament, ut the People !ere no longer trouled y glare. .hey pressed for!ard
eagerly in RrinnCs !ake. "y evening they sa! the traces of land, a slight ha+e on the hori+on,
floating !eeds and its of !ood, a !ealth of life. .hat night they harried and !ere gluttonous
among a million tiny phosphorescent odies; radiance dripped from their $a!s and s!irled on every
!ave. 9ext morning they heard surf.
Rrinn identified this reef, that riptide, and s!am to!ard the ness !here )irrdaCs al!ays !ent
ashore. At midaftemoon the pack reached it.
9orth and south, eventually to cover half the gloe, raged li++ards. 0uch !ater as fell on land,
solid, did not return to the ocean; s1uee+ed eneath the stupendous !eight of later falls, it ecame
glacier. Around the poles, the seas themselves !ere free+ing, more territory for sno! to accumulate
on. 4n temperate climes their level dropped day y day, and the continental shelves reappeared in
open air.
Rrinn !ould kno! this later. For the moment, he re$oiced to tread on ground again. "reakers
roared, tumled, and streamed among the lo! rocks; here and there churned ice floes. 0!imming
!as not too dangerous, though. )inter tides !ere !eak. And ahead, the shelf climed, rugged and
many-colored under a sparkling sky.
0no! dappled its flanks, ice glistened !here pools had een. .he air !as a riot of odors, salt,
iodine, clean decomposition and fresh gro!th, and !as crisp and !indy and cool, cool.
#ay after day the pack fattened itself, until luer sleeked out the ulges of ris and muscles.
.he receding !aters had left a rich stratum of dead plants and animals. 4n it sprouted last yearCs
saprophyte seeds, salt and alcohol in their tissues to prevent free+ing, and covered the rocks !ith
ocherous and purple patches. %arine animals s!armed et!een; flying creatures shrieked and
!hirled aove y the hundred thousand; ig game !andered do!n from the interior to feed. RrinnCs
males chipped hand axes to supplement their fangs; females prepared lariats of gut and sine!;
easts !ere caught and torn asunder.
-et )irrdaCs !ere ceasing to e only hunters. .hey crooned snatches of song, they trod its of
dance, they spoke haltingly. %any an individual !ould sit alone, hours on end, staring at sunset and
stars !hile memory drifted up from the depths. And one day Rrinn, making his !ay through a
!hiteout, met a female !ho had kept close to him. .hey stopped in the !ind-shrill lankness, the
sea clashing at their feet, and looked eye into eye. 0he !as sinuous and splendid. 8e exclaimed in
delight, >"ut you are 3u!arra.?
>And you are Rrinn,? she cried. %ale and !ife, they came to each otherCs arms.
)hile ovulation !as seasonal among the People, the erotic urge persisted throughout !inter.
8ence the young had fathers !ho helped care for them during their initial months of existence. .hat
relationship !as roken y the <ittle #eath7older cus !ere raised in casual communal fashion7
ut most couples stayed mated for life.
)orking inland, )irrdaCs encountered "rraoCs and 8rroufCs. .hey did every year. .he ferocious
territoriality !hich the People had for their homes ashore did not extend to the shelf; packs simply
made landfall at points convenient to their ultimate destinations. .hese three mingled cheerfully.
Dames !ere played, stories told, ceremonies put on, marriages arranged, $oint hunts carried out.
%ean!hile rains came !holly active, lungs reached full development, gills dried and stopped
functioning.
<ike!ise did the shelflands. .heirs !as a rief florescence, an aftermath of summerCs furious
fertility. Plants died off, animals moved a!ay, pickings got lean. Rrinn thought aout )irrdaCs, high
in the foothills eyond the tundra, !here hot springs oiled and one river did not free+e. 8e
mounted a rock and roared. /ther males of his pack passed it on, and efore long everyone !as
assemled eneath him. 8e said2 >)e !ill go home no!.?
5arious youths and maidens complained, their courtships among "rraoCs or 8rroufCs eing
unfinished. A fe! hasty !eddings !ere celerated and numerous dates !ere made. &4n the ringing
cold of mid!inter, the People traveled !idely, y foot, sled, ski and iceoat. .hough hunting
grounds !ere defended to the death, peaceful guests !ere !elcomed. 3ertain packs got together at
set times for trade fairs.( /n the first calm day after his announcement, Rrinn led the exodus.
8e did not start north at once. )ith full mentality regained, )irrdaCs could use proper tools and
!eapons. .he est !ere stored at )irrdaCs7among the People, no real distinction existed among
place names, possessives, and eponyms7ut some had een left last spring at the accustomed site
to aid this trek.
RrinnCs line of march rought his group onto the permanent littoral. 4t !as a arren stretch of
drifts. 8is %erseian ac1uaintances had sho!n him moving pictures of it during hot !eather2
flooded in spring, pullulating s!amp in earth summer, later aked dry and seamed !ith cracks.
9o! that the shelf !as exhausted, large flesheaters !ere no longer crossing these !hite sastrugi to
see !hat they could scoop out of the !ater. Rrinn pushed his folk unmercifully.
.hey did not mind the cold. 4ndeed, to them the land still !as !armer than they preferred. Fur
and luer insulated them, the latter additionally a iological reserve. .heirs !as a high
homeothermic metaolism, !ith corresponding energy demands. .he People needed a large intake
of food. Rrinn took them over the !astelands ecause it !ould e slo!er and more exhausting to
clim among the ice masses that choked "arrier "ay. 0upplies could not e left closer to the shelf
or the pack, !itless on emergence, might ruin everything.
After three daysC hard travel, a shimmer in the air ahead identified those piled ergs. Rrinn
consulted 3u!arra. Females !ere supposed to e inferior, ut he had learned to rely on her sense of
direction. 0he pointed him !ith such accuracy that next morning, !hen he topped a hill, he looked
straight across to his goal.
.he uilding stood on another height, constructed of stone, a lo! shape !hose sod roof ore a
cap of !hite. "eyond it, in $agged shapes and fantastic raino!s, reached the ay. 9orth!ard
!ound the Dolden River, fro+en and sno!ed on and fro+en again until it !as no more than a lue-
shado!ed valley among the luffs. .he air !as diamond-clear eneath a+ure heaven.
>Do'? shouted Rrinn exuerantly. 9ot $ust e1uipment, ut smoked meat lay ahead. 8e cast
himself on his elly and toogganed do!nslope. .he pack !hooped after. At the ottom they
picked themselves up and ran. .he sno! crunched, !ithout giving, under their feet.
"ut !hen they neared the uilding, its door opened. Rrinn stopped. 8issing dismay, he !aved
his follo!ers ack. .he fur stood straight on him. An animal7
9o, a %erseian. )hat !as a %erseian doing in the cache house@ .heyCd een sho!n around, it
had een explained to them that the stuff kept there must never e distured, theyCd agreed and7
9ot a %erseian' .oo erect. 9o tail. Face yello!ish-ro!n !here it !as not covered !ith hair7
0narling in the rage of territory violation, Rrinn gathered himself and plunged for!ard at the
head of his !arriors.
After dark the sky gre! ma$estic !ith stars. "ut it !as as if their light fro+e on the !ay do!n
and shattered on the dimly seen ice of .al!in. A vast silence overlay the !orld; sound itself
appeared to have died of cold. .o Flandry, the reath in his nostrils felt li1uid.
And this !as the threshold of !inter'
.he Ruadrath !ere gathered efore him in a semicircle ten or t!elve deep. 8e sa! them as a
shado!y mass, occasionally a glitter !hen eyes caught stray luminance from the door!ay !here he
stood. Rrinn, !ho confronted him directly, !as clearer in his vie!.
Flandry !as not too uncomfortale. .he dryness of the air made its chill actually less hard to
take than the higher temperatures of foggy autumn. From the us he had lifted ample clothing,
among divers other items, and undled it around himself. Diven a glo!er, the structure !here he
had taken refuge !as co+y. )armth radiated over his ack.
&8o!ever, the glo!erCs energy cells had gotten lo! in the three !eeks that he !aited. <ike!ise
had his food. 9ot daring to tamper !ith the nativesC stockpile, he had gone hunting7lots of guns
and ammo in the us7ut, ignorant of local game, hadnCt agged much. And !hat he did get
re1uired supplementation from a d!indling stock of capsules. 9or could he find fire!ood. 4f you
donCt convince this gentleeing, he told himself, youCre dead.
Rrinn said into a vocali+er from the cache house2 >8o! foresa! you, ne! skys!immer, that any
among us !ould kno! =riau@? .he transponder turned his purring, trilling vocales into %erseian
noises; ut since he had never 1uite mastered a grammar and syntax ased on a !orldvie! unlike
his o!n, the sentences emerged peculiar.
Flandry !as used to that kind of situation. >"efore leaving the %erseian ase,? he ans!ered, >4
studied !hat they had learned aout these parts. .hey had plenty of material on you Ruadrath,
among them you of )irrdaCs. %ention !as made of your depot and a map sho!ed it. 4 kne! you
!ould arrive in due course.? 4 kne! esides that it !as unlikely the gatortails !ould check here for
me, this close to their camp. >9o! you have een in contact !ith them since first they came7more
than the #omrath, oth ecause you are a!ake more and ecause they think more highly of you.
-our interest in their !orks !as often depicted.? &8e had recalled that the !inter folk used no
alphaet, $ust mnemonic dra!ings and carvings.( >4t !as reasonale that a fe! !ould have learned
=riau, in order to discourse of matters !hich cannot e treated in any language of the Ruadrath.
And in fact it !as mentioned that this !as true.?
>0-s-s-s.? Rrinn stroked his $a!. Fangs gleamed under stars and %ilky )ay. 8is reath did not
smoke like a humanCs or %erseianCs; to conserve interior heat, his respiratory system !as protected
y oils, not moisture, and !ater left him y excretion only. 8e shifted the harpoon he had taken
from the !eapon racks inside. 0heathed on the elt he had reac1uired !as a %erseian !ar knife.
>Remains for you to tell us !hy you are here alone and in defiance of the !ord !e made !ith the
skys!immers,? he said.
Flandry considered him. Rrinn !as a handsome creature. 8e !asnCt tall, aout AO; centimeters,
say FO kilos, ut otter-supple. /tterlike too !ere the shape of ody, the mahogany fur, the short
arms. .he head !as more suggestive of a sea lionCs, mu++le pointed, !hiskered, and sharp-toothed,
ears small and closeale, rain case ulging ack!ard from a lo! forehead. .he eyes !ere ig and
golden, !ith nicitating memranes, and there !as no nose; reath !ent under the same opercula
that protected the gills.
9o .erran analogy ever holds very true. .hose arms terminated in four-digited hands !hose
nails resemled cla!s. .he stance !as akin to %erseian, for!ard-leaning, counteralanced y the
long strong tail. .he legs !ere similarly long and muscular, their !ide-!eed feet serving as fins
for s!imming, sno!shoes for !alking. 0peech !as melodious ut nothing that a man could
reproduce !ithout a vocali+er.
And the consciousness ehind those eyes7Flandry picked his response !ith care.
>4 kne! you !ould e angered at my invading your cache house,? he said.
>4 counted on your common sense to spare me !hen 4 made no resistance.? )ell, 4 did have a
laster for ackup. >And you have seen that 4 harmed or took nothing. /n the contrary, 4 make you
gifts.? Denerously supplied y the airus. >-ou understand 4 elong to a different race from the
%erseians, even as you and the #omrath differ. .herefore, should 4 e ound y their !ord@ 9o, let
us instead seek a ne! !ord et!een )irrdaCs and mine.?
8e pointed at the +enith. RrinnCs ga+e follo!ed. Flandry !ondered if he !as giving himself false
reassurance in elieving he sa! on the Ruad that a!e !hich any thoughtful sophont feels !ho lets
his soul fall up!ard among the stars. 4Cd etter e right aout him.
>-ou have not een told the full tale, you of )irrdaCs,? he said into the night and their
!atchfulness. >4 ring you tidings of menace.?
XVII
4t !as glorious to have company and e moving again.
8is time hidden had not een totally a vacuum for Flandry. .rue, !hen he unloaded the us7
efore sending it off to crash at sea, lest his enemies get a clue to him7he hadnCt othered !ith
pro$ection e1uipment, and therefore not !ith anything micro-recorded. =very erg in the
accumulators must go to keeping him unfro+en. "ut there had een some full-si+e reading matter.
.hough the pilotCs manual, the "ook of 5irtues, and a couple of scientific $ournals palled !ith
repetition, the #ayr -nvory epic and, especially, the volume aout .al!in and ho! to survive on it
did not. %oreover, he had found !riting materials and a genuine human-style deck of cards.
"ut he dared not go far from his shelter; storms !ere too fre1uent and rough. 8eCd already spent
most of his resources of contemplation !hile !ired to the unk in Gake. "esides, he !as y nature
active and sociale, traits !hich youth augmented. 4nitially, !henever he decided that reading one
more paragraph !ould make his vitreous humor ule, he tried sketching; ut he soon concluded
that his gifts in that direction fell a little short of %ichelangelo. A more durale pastime !as the
composition of scurrilous limericks aout assorted %erseians and superior officers of his o!n. A
fe! ought to ecome interstellar classics, he thought demurely7if he got free to pass them on7
!hich meant that he had a positive duty to survive And he invented elaorate ne! forms of
solitaire, after !hich he devised !ays to cheat at them.
.he principal enefit of his exile !as the chance to make plans. 8e developed them for every
comination of contingencies that he could imagine. -et he reali+ed this must e kept !ithin limits;
unforeseen things !ere ound to pop up, and he couldnCt risk ecoming mentally rigid.
>All that thinking did raise my hopes,? he told Rrinn.
>For us too@? the chief ans!ered. 8e gave the man a contemplative look. >0kys!immer, naught
have !e save your saying, that !e should elieve you intend our good.?
>%y existence is proof that the %erseians have not apprised you of everything. .hey never
mentioned races in contention !ith them7did they@?
>9o. )hen -d!yr and others declared the !orld goes around the sun and the stars are suns
themselves !ith !orlds aspin in the same !ise that took years to catch. 4 did ask once, !ere more
folk than theirs upon those !orlds, and he said %erseia !as friend to many. Further has he not
related.?
>#o you sei+e@? Flandry cro!ed. &8e !as getting the hang of Ruadrath idioms in =riau. A man
or %erseian !ould have phrased it, >#o you see@?(
>0-s-s-s Difts have they given us, and in fairness have they dealt.?
)hy shouldnCt they@ Flandry gied. .he scientists arenCt aout to antagoni+e their o$ects of
research, and the 9avy has no cause to. .he reasons for eing a tad less than candid aout the
interstellar political re! are 1uite simple. 4mprimis, as this chap here is !ise enough to
understand, radically ne! information has to e assimilated slo!ly; too much at once !ould only
confuse. 0ecundus, y its effect on religion and so forth, it tends to upset the cultures that -d!yrCs
gang came to study.
.he fact is, friend Rrinn, the %erseians like and rather admire your people. Far more than the
#omrath, you resemle them7or us, in the days of our pioneering.
"ut you must not e allo!ed to continue elieving that.
>Among their folk and mine is a practice of keeping meat animals ehind !alls,? he said.
>.hose easts are treated !ell and fed richly until time for slaughter.?
Rrinn arched his ack. 8is tail stood straight. 8e ared teeth and clapped hand to knife.
8e had een !alking !ith Flandry ahead of the group. 4t consisted chiefly of young, aged, and
females. .he hunters !ere scattered in small parties, seeking game. 0ome !ould not re$oin their
families for days. )hen Rrinn stopped stiffened, unease could e seen on all the sleek red-ro!n
odies ehind. .he leader evidently felt he shouldnCt let them come to a halt. 8e !aved, a cla!ing
gesture, and resumed his advance.
Flandry, !ho had modified a pair of %erseian sno!-shoes for himself, kept pace. Against the
fact that he !asnCt really uilt for this environment must e set his greater si+e. Furthermore, the
going !as currently easy.
)irrdaCs !ere ound across the tundra that had een $ungle in summer. %ost years they visited
the %erseian ase, !hich !asnCt far off their direct route, for sightseeing, talk, and a handout.
8o!ever, the practice !asnCt invariale7it depended on factors like !eather7and Flandry had
made them sufficiently suspicious that on this occasion they $ogged out of their !ay to avoid
coming near the compound. %ean!hile he continued feeding their distrust.
.he 8ell-kettles !ould have een visile except for eing !rapped in storm. .hat part of
hori+on and sky !as cut off y a vast lue-lack curtain. 9ot for !eeks or months !ould the
atmosphere settle do!n to the clear, even colder calm of full !inter. "ut else!here the sky stood
pale lue, !ith a fe! high cirrus clouds to catch sunlight.
.his had dropped to consideraly less than .erra gets. &4n fact, the point of e1ual value had een
passed in !hat meteorologically !as early fall. <ike!ise, the lo!est temperatures !ould come !ell
after .al!in had gone through apastron, !here insolation !as aout ;.BO .erran.( Flandry must
nevertheless !ear self-darkening goggles against its !hite refulgence; and, since he couldnCt look
near the sun disc, its d!indling angular diameter did not impinge on his senses.
8is surroundings did. 8e had experienced !inters else!here, ut none like this.
=ven on planets akin to .erra, that period is not devoid of life. /n .al!in, !here it occupied
most of the long year, a separate ecology had developed for it.
.he divorce !as not asolute. 0eas !ere less affected than land, and many shore-ased animals
that ate marine species neither hiernated nor estivated. 0eeds and other remnants of a season
contriuted to the diet of those !hich did. .he %erseians had hardly egun to comprehend the !e
of interactions7structural, chemical, acteriological, none kne! !hat more7et!een hot-!eather
and cold-!eather forms. As an elementary example2 9o e1uivalent of evergreens existed; summerCs
!ild gro!th !ould have strangled them; on the other hand, decaying in fall, it provided humus for
!inter vegetation.
.he tundra reached in crisp dunes and a glimpse of !ind-scoured fro+en lake. "ut it !as not
empty. "lack among the lue shado!s, leaves thrust up!ard in clumps that only looked lo! and
ushy; their stems often !ent do!n through meters of sno!. .he sooty colors asored sunlight
!ith high efficiency, aided y reflection off the surface. 4n some, a part of that energy !orked
through molecular processes to li1uefy !ater; others sustituted organic compounds, such as
alcohols, !ith lo!er free+ing points; for most, solidification of fluids !as important to one stage or
another of the life cycle.
9orth of the mountains, the glaciers !ere ecoming too thick for plants. "ut south of them, and
on the islands, vegetation flourished. .hus far it !as sparse, and it !ould never approach the
luxuriance of summer.
9onetheless it supported an animal population off !hich other animals lived reasonaly !ell7
including the Ruadrath. 0till, you could understand !hy they had such intense territorial $ealousies
FlandryCs reath steamed into air that lay cold on his cheeks; ut !ithin his garments he !as
s!eating a trifle. .he day !as 1uiet enough for him to hear the shuffle-shuffle of his !alking. 8e
said carefully2
>Rrinn, 4 do not ask you to follo! my counsel lind. .ruth indeed is that 4 could e telling you
untruth. )hat harm can it do, though, to consider !ays y !hich you may prove or disprove my
speech@ %ust you not as leader of )irrdaCs attempt this@ For think. 4f my folk and %erseiaCs are in
conflict, maneuvering for position among the stars, then harors are needed for the sky-s!imming
craft. 9ot so@ -ou have surely seen that not every %erseian is here to gather kno!ledge. %ost
come and go on errands that 4 tell you are scoutings and attacks on my folk.
>9o! a !arlike haror needs defense. 4n preparation for the day the enemy discovers it, a day
that !ill unfailingly come, it has to e made into more than a single small encampment. .his !hole
!orld may have to e occupied, turned into a fortress.? )hat a casuist 4 am' >Are you certain the
%erseians have not een staring into your lives in order that they may kno! ho! easiest to
over!helm you@?
Rrinn gro!led ack, >And am 4 certain your folk !ould leave us e@?
>-ou have ut my speech,? Flandry admitted, >!herefore you should ask of others.?
>8o!@ 0hall 4 call -d!yr in, sho! him you, and scratch for truth as to !hy he spoke nothing
aout your kindred@?
>9-n-no, 4 counsel other!ise. .hen he need ut kill me and give you any smooth saying he
chooses. "est you get him to come to )irrdaCs, yes, ut !ithout kno!ledge that 4 live. -ou can
there dra! him out in discourse and sei+e !hether or not that !hich he tells runs together !ith that
!hich you kno! from having traveled !ith me.?
>0-s-s-s.? Rrinn gripped his vocali+er as if it !ere a !eapon. 8e !as plainly trouled and
unhappy; his revulsion at the idea of possily eing driven from his land gave him no peace. 4t lay
in his chromosomes, the dread inherited from a million ancestors, to !hom loss of hunting grounds
had meant starvation in the arrens.
>)e have the rest of the trek to think aout !hat you should do,? Flandry reassured him. %ore
accurately, for me to nudge you into thinking the scheme 4 hatched in the cache house is your o!n
notion.
4 hope !e do feel and reason enough alike that 4 can play tricks on you.
.o himself2 #onCt push too hard, Flandry. .ake time to oserve, to participate, to get simpUtico
!ith them. )hy, you might even figure out a !ay to make amends, if you survive.
3hance changed the su$ect for him. A set of moving specks rounded a distant hill. 3loser, they
revealed themselves as a moose-si+ed shovel-tusked rute pursued y several Ruadrath. .he
huntersC yells split the air. Rrinn uttered a $oyous ho!l and sped to help. Flandry !as left
floundering ehind in spite of !anting to demonstrate his pro!ess. 8e sa! Rrinn head off the great
east and engage it, knife and spear against its rushes, till the others caught up.
.hat evening there !as feasting and merriment. .he grace of dancers, the lilt of song and small
drums, spoke to Flandry !ith an elo1uence that !ent eyond language and species. 8e had admired
Ruadrath art2 the delicate carving on every implement, the elegant shapes of o$ects like sledges,
o!ls, and luer lamps. 9o! tonight, sitting7undled up7in one of the igloos that had een
raised !hen the old females predicted a li++ard, he heard a story. Rrinn gave him a lo!-voiced
running translation into =riau. A!k!ard though that !as, Flandry could identify the elements of
style, dignity, and philosophy !hich informed a tale of heroic adventure. After!ard, meditating on
it in his sleeping ag, he felt optimistic aout his chances of manipulating )irrdaCs.
)hether or not he could therey !rest anything out of the %erseians !as a 1uestion to e
deferred if he !anted to get to sleep.
-d!yr said 1uietly, >9o, 4 do not elieve you !ould e a traitress to your race. 4s not the highest
service you can render to help strike the 4mperial chain off them@?
>)hat chain@? #$ana retorted. >)here !ere the =mperor and his la! !hen 4 tried to escape
from the "lack 8ole, fifteen years old, and my contractor caught me and turned me over to the
Diggling %an for a lesson@?
-d!yr reached out. 8is fingers passed through her locks, stroked her cheek, and rested on her
shoulder for a minute. .o save her garments7indoors eing !arm and she simply an alien there,
her ody neither desirale nor repulsive7she had taken to !earing $ust a pocketed kilt. .he touch
on her skin !as at once firm and tender; its slight roughness emphasi+ed the strength held in check
ehind. <ove flo!ed through it, into her, and radiated ack out from her until the are small office
!as aglo!, as golden sunsets can saturate the air of !orlds like .erra. <ove@ 9o, maye not really.
.hatCs a typical sticky Anglic !ord. 4 rememer, someody told me, 4 think 4 rememer isnCt it
caritas that Dod has for us mortals@
Aove the gray roe, aove her, -d!yrCs countenance !aited po!erful and enign. 4 mustnCt
call you Dod. "ut 4 can call you Father7to myself7canCt 4@ 4n =riau they say rohad!ann2
affection, loyalty, founded on respect and on my o!n honor.
>-es, 4 could etter have spoken of urning out a cancer,? he agreed. >.he reakdo!n of
legitimate authority into !eakness or oppression7!hich are t!o aspects of the same thing, the
change of 8ands into 8eads7is a late stage of the fatal disease.? A human male !ould have tried
to cuddle her and murmur consolations for memories that to this day could knot her guts and lur
her eyesight. .hen he !ould have gotten indignant if she didnCt cra!l into ed !ith him. -d!yr
continued challengingly2 >-ou had the toughness to outlive your torment, at last to out!it the
tormentors. 4s not your duty to help those of your race to freedom !ho !ere denied your heritage@?
0he dropped her ga+e. 8er fingers t!isted together. >8o!@ 4 mean, oh, you !ould overrun
humanity !ouldnCt you@?
>4 thought you had learned the !orth of propaganda,? he reproached her. >)hatever the final
result, you !ill see no enormous change; centuries of effort lie ahead. And the goal is lieration7
of %erseians, yes, !e make no leat aout our primary o$ective eing anything else7ut !e
!elcome partners7and our endeavor is, ultimately, to impose )ill on lind 9ature and 3hance.?
Gunior partners, she added to herself. )ett, is that necessarily ad@ 0he closed her eyes and sa!
a man !ho ore 9icky FlandryCs face &descendant, maye( striding in the van of an army !hich
follo!ed the %erseian 3hrist. 8e carried no exterior urden of venal superiors and loodless
colleagues, no interior load of nasty little guilts and douts and mockeries; in his hand !as the
gigantic simplicity of a !ar knife, and he laughed as he strode. "eside him, she herself !alked.
)ind tossed her hair and roared in green oughs. .hey !ould never leave each other.
9icky dead !hy@ .hese people didnCt kill him; no, not even those ack yonder !ho !anted to
!ring him empty. .heyCd have een his friends if they could. .he =mpire !ouldnCt let them.
0he looked again and found -d!yr !aiting. >0eeker,? she said timidly, >this is too sudden for
me. 4 mean, !hen Eanryf %orioch tells me 4 should, should, should ecome a spy for the
Roidhunate7>
>-ou desire my advice,? he finished. >-ou are al!ays !elcome to it.?
>"ut ho! can 47>
8e smiled. >.hat !ill depend on circumstances, my dear. After training, you !ould e placed
!here it !as deemed you could e most useful. 4 am sure you reali+e the spectacular escapades of
fiction are simply fiction. .he ma$or part of your life !ould e unremarkale7though 4Cm sure,
!ith your 1ualifications, it !ould have a good share of glamour and luxury. For example, you
might get a strategically placed .erran official to make you his mistress or his actual !ife. /nly at
!idely spaced intervals !ould you e in contact !ith your organi+ation. .he risks are less than
those you haitually ran efore coming here; the material re!ards are considerale.? 8e gre!
grave. >.he real re!ard for you, my almost-daughter, !ill e the service itself. And kno!ing that
your name !ill e in the 0ecret Prayers !hile the 5ach ,rdiolch endures.?
>-ou do think 4 should@? she gulped.
>-es,? he said. >.hose are less than half alive !ho have no purpose in life eyond themselves.?
.he intercom fluted. -d!yr muttered annoyance and signaled it to shut up. 4t fluted t!ice more
in rapid succession. 8e tensed. >,rgent call,? he said, and s!itched on.
3nif hu 5andenCs image flicked into the screen. >.o the datholch, homage,? he said hurriedly.
>8e !ould not have een interrupted save that this re1uires his immediate attention. )e have
received a messenger from 0eething 0prings.? #$ana rememered hearing ho! fast a Ruad could
travel !hen he had no family or goods to encumer him.
>Jhr-r-r, they must e settling do!n there.? -d!yrCs tailtip, peeking from eneath his roe,
1uivered, the single sign he gave of agitation. >)hat is their !ord@?
>8e !aits in the courtyard. 0hall 4 give the datholch a direct line@?
>#o.? #$ana thought that a man !ould have asked for a riefing first.
%en had not the %erseian oldness.
0he couldnCt follo! the conversation et!een -d!yr and the lutrine eing !ho stood in the
sno! outside. .he scientist used a vocali+er to speak the messengerCs language. )hen he had
lanked the screen, he sat for a long period, sco!ling, tailtip flogging the floor.
>3an 4 help@? #$ana finally ventured to ask. >/r should 4 go@?
>0h!ai7> 8e noticed her. >Jhr-r-r.? After pondering2 >9o, 4 can tell you no!. -ou !ill soon
hear in any case.? 0he contained herself. A %erseian aristocrat did not $itter. "ut her pulse thumped.
>A dispatch from the chief of that community,? -d!yr said. >Pu++ling2
the Ruadrath arenCt in the hait of using amiguous phrases, and the courier refuses to
supplement !hat he has memori+ed. As nearly as 4 can discern, they have come on #ominic
FlandryCs fro+en corpse.?
#arkness crossed efore her. 0omeho! she kept her feet.
>4t has to e that,? he !ent on, glo!ering at a !all. >.he description fits a human, and !hat
other human could it e@ For some reason, instead of egetting !onder, this seems to have made
them !ary of us7as if their finding something !e havenCt told them aout sho!s !e may have
designs on them. .he chief demands 4 come explain.?
8e shrugged. >0o e it. 4 !ould !ant to give the matter my personal attention regardless. .he
troule must e smoothed out, the effects on their society minimi+ed; at the same time, oservation
of those effects may teach us something ne!. 4Cll fly there tomorro! !ith7> 8e looked at her in
surprise. >)hy, #$ana, you !eep.?
>4Cm sorry,? she said into her hands. .he tears !ere salt on her tongue.
>4 canCt help it.?
>-ou kne! he must e dead, the pure death to !hich you sent him.?
>-es, ut7ut7> 0he raised her face. >.ake me along,? she egged.
>8aadoch@ 9o. 4mpossile. .he Ruadrath !ould see you and7>
>And !hat@? 0he knelt efore him and clutched at his
>4 !ant to say goodye. And and give him !hat 4 can of a 3hristian urial. #onCt you
understand, lord@ 8eCll lie here alone forever.?
><et me think.? -d!yr sat motionless and expressionless !hile she tried to control her soing.
At last he smiled, stroked her hair again, and told her, >-ou may.?
0he forgot to gesture gratitude. >.hank you, thank you,? she said in ragged Anglic.
>4t !ould not e right to forid your giving your dead their due. "esides, frankly, 4 see !here it
can e of help, sho!ing the Ruadrath a live human. 4 must plan !hat !e should tell them, and you
must have your part learned efore morning. 3an you do that@?
>3ertainly.? 0he lifted her chin. >After!ard, yes, 4 !ill !ork for %erseia.?
>Dive no rash promises; yet 4 hope you !ill $oin our cause. .hat fugitive talent you have for
making others !ant !hat you !ant7did you use it on me@C -d!yr locked her denial !ith a lifted
palm. >8old. 4 reali+e youCd attempt no mind-intrusion consciously. "ut unconsciously7Jhraich, 4
donCt suppose it makes any difference in this case. Do to your 1uarters, #$ana daughter. Det some
rest. 4 !ill e summoning you in a fe! hours.?
XVIII
)here their ranges overlapped, #omrath and Ruadrath normally had no particular relationship.
.he former tended to regard the latter as supernatural; the latter, having had chances to examine
hiemator dens, looked more matter-of-factly on the former. %ost #omrath left Ruadrath things
strictly undistured7after trespassing groups had een decimated in their sleep7!hereas the
Ruadrath found no utility in the primitive #omrath artifacts. .he ma$ority of their o!n societies
!ere chalcolithic.
"ut around 0eething 0prings7Jtha-g-thek, )irrdaCs7a pattern of mutuality had developed. 4ts
origins !ere lost in myth. -d!yr had speculated that once an unusual se1uence of !eather caused
the pack to arrive here !hile the trie !as still a!ake. .he Ruadrath allo!ed summertime use of
their sturdy uildings, fine tools, and intricate decorations, provided that the users !ere careful and
left aundant food, hides, farics, and similar payment. .o the #omrath, this had ecome the
keystone of their religion. .he Ruadrath had found ceremonial o$ects and deduced as much. 4t
made )irrdaCs a proud and.
Flandry discovered he could play on that as readily as on territorial instinct. -ou may admit the
skys!immers can do tricks you canCt. 9evertheless, !hen you are accustomed to eing a god, you
!ill resent their not having told you aout the real situation in heaven.
Rrinn and his councilors !ere soon persuaded to carry out the humanCs suggestion2 0end an
oscurely !orded message, !hich Flandry helped compose. Jeep ack the fact that he !as alive.
8ave nearly everyone go to the hinterland during the time the %erseians !ere expected; they could
do nothing against firearms, and a youngster might happen to give the sho! a!ay.
.hus the village lay silent !hen the airus appeared.
#omed !ith the sno! that paved the spider!e passages et!een them, uildings looked
d!arfed. .he !inter sky !as so huge and lue, the treeless !inter hori+on so remote. 0team from
the springs and geysers da++led Flandry !hen he glimpsed it, ungoggled; for a minute residual
light-spots hid the !hitened mass of %t. .hunderelo! and die glacier gleam on the 8ell-kettle
peaks. Fast condensing out, vapors no longer smoked aove the 9everfree+e River. "ut its rushing
rang loud in todayCs ice 1uiet.
A lookout yelled, >.rreeann'? Flandry had learned that call. 8e peered up!ard and south!ard,
located the glinting speck, and sprang into the house !here he !as to hide.
4ts door had een left open, the entrance covered y a leather curtain7an ordinary practice
!hich should not dra! any %erseian heed. )ithin, among the stre!n furs and stacked utensils of a
prosperous o!ner, suneams straggled past cracks in the shutters to pick out of dimness the arsenal
Flandry had taken from the vehicle he stole. 8e carried t!o handguns, laster and stunner, plus a
!ar knife, extra ammunition, and energy charges. .hat !as aout the practical limit. .he rest
)irrdaCs could inherit, maye.
.he house fronted on the central pla+a. #irectly opposite stood RrinnCs, !here the meeting !as
to take place. .hus the Ruad could step out and eckon the human to make a dramatic appearance if
and !hen needed. &.hatCs !hat Rrinn thinks.( .hrough a minute hole in the curtain, Flandry sa!
the nine males !ho remained. .hey !ere armed. -d!yr had never given them guns, !hich !ould
have affected their culture too radically for his liking. "ut those ron+e s!ords and tomaha!ks
could do ample damage.
Rrinn spoke grimly into his short-range transceiver. Flandry kne! the !ords he did not
understand2 >0et do!n at the edge of our village, next to the tannery. =nter afoot and !eaponless.?
-d!yr should oey. 4tCs either that or stop xenologi+ing this pack. And !hy should he fear@
8eCll leave a fe! lads in the us, monitoring y radio, ready to ail him out of any troule.
.hatCs !hat -d!yr thinks.
0ome minutes later the %erseians sho!ed up. .hey numered four. #espite their muffling
coldsuits, Flandry recogni+ed the oss and three !ho had een on that previous trip to this country
7ho! many years of !eeks ago7
A small shape, made smaller yet y the tyrannosaurian ulks preceding, entered his field of
vie!. 8e caught his reath. 4t !as not really too surprising that #$ana had also come. "ut after so
much time, her delicate features and gold hair struck through the fisho!l helmet like a lo!.
.he Ruadrath gave rief greeting and took the ne!comers inside. Rrinn entered last, dra!ing his
o!n door curtain. .he pla+a lay are.
9o!.
FlandryCs hands shook. 0!eat sprang forth on his skin, eneath !hich the heart thuttered. 0oon
he might e dead. And ho! piercingly marvelous the universe !as'
.he s!eat egan free+ing on his unprotected face. .he eard he had gro!n, after his last
application of inhiitor lost effect, !as stiff !ith ice. 4n a fe! more of .al!inCs short days, he
!ould have used his final dietary capsule. =ating native food, minus practically every vitamin and
t!o essential amino acids, !as a scurvy !ay to die. "eing shot !as at least 1uick, !hether y a
%erseian or y himself if capture got imminent.
8e stood a !hile, reathing slo!ly of the keen air, !illing his pulse rate do!n, mentally reciting
the formulas !hich drugs had conditioned him to associate !ith calm. .he Academy could train
you !ell if you had the foresight and persistence to cooperate. <oose and cool, he slipped outdoors.
.hereafter he !as too usy to e afraid.
A 1uick run around the house, lest someody glance out of RrinnCs and see him a !all-hugging
dash do!n the glistering streets, sno! crunching under his oots a peek around the corner of the
outlying tannery yes, the us sat !here it !as supposed to e, a long streamlined ox !ith a sun-
shimmer off the !indo!s.
4f those inside spotted him and called an alarm, that !as that. .he odds say noody !ill happen
to e mooning in this direction, you kno! !hat liars those odds are. 8e dre! his stunner, crouched,
and reached the main heat-lock in aout t!o seconds.
Flattened against the side, he !aited. 9othing occurred, except that his cheekone touched the
us. Pain seared. 8e pulled free, leaving skin stuck fast to metal. )iping a!ay tears !ith a gloved
hand, he set his teeth and reached for the outer valve.
4t !asnCt locked. )hy should it e, particularly !hen the %erseians might !ant to pass through
in a hurry@ 8e glided into the chamer. Again he !aited. 9o sound.
8e cracked the inner valve and leaned into the entry. 4t !as deserted.
.heyCll have someody in front, y the controls and communication gear.
And proaly someone in the main room, ut letCs go for!ard for openers.
8e oo+ed do!n the short passage.
A %erseian, !ho must have heard a noise or felt a reath of cold air7in this fantastic oily-
smelling !armth7loomed into the control cain door!ay. Flandry fired. A purple light ray flashed,
guiding the soundless hammer-lo! of a supersonic eam. .he ig form had not toppled,
unconscious, !hen Flandry !as there. Another greenskin !as turning from the pilot console. >D!y
7> 8e didnCt say further efore he thudded to the deck.
)hirling, Flandry sped to!ard the rear. .he saloon !indo!s gave on the remaining three sides
of the !orld; an oservation dome sho!ed everything else. .!o more %erseians occupied that
section. /ne !as starting off to investigate. 8is gun !as out, ut Flandry, !ho entered shooting,
dropped him. 8is partner, handicapped y eing in the turret, !as easier yet, and sagged into his
seat !ith no great fuss.
9ot pausing, the human hurried for!ard. 5oices drifted from a speaker2
%erseian asso, Ruadrath purr and trill, the former using vocali+ers to create the latter. 8e
verified that, to avoid distraction, there had een no transmission from the us.
.hen he allo!ed himself to sit do!n, gasp, and feel di++y. 4 carried it off. 4 really did.
)ell, the advantage of surprise7and he !as only past the eginning. .rickier steps remained.
8e rose and searched aout. )hen he had !hat he needed, he returned to his prisoners. .hey
!ouldnCt !ake soon, ut !hy take chances@ /ne !as 3nif. Flandry grinned !ith half a mouth.
>Am 4 to make a hoy of collecting you@?
8aving dragged the %erseians together, he !ired them to unks7>.hanks, #$ana?7and
gagged them. /n the !ay ack, he appropriated a vocali+er and a pair of sound recorders. 4n the
pilot cain he stopped the input from RrinnCs house.
9o! for the gristly part. .hough heCd rehearsed a lot, that !asnCt sufficient !ithout proper
apparatus. /ver and over he !ent through his lines, playing them ack, read$usting the transducer,
fiddling !ith speed and tone controls. &"et!een tests, he listened to the conference. .he plan
called for Rrinn to dra! palaver out at length, pumping -d!yrCs delegation. "ut the old xenologist
!as not naive7seemed, in fact, to e one of the !iliest characters Flandry had ever collided !ith7
and might at any time do something unforeseeale. )ords continued, ho!ever.( Finally the human
had !hat he guessed !as the est voice imitation he could produce under the circumstances.
8e set his recorders near the pickup for long-range radio. 4mpulses fle! across P;; !hite
kilometers. A machine said2 >.he datholch -d!yr calls 9aval /perations. Priority for emergency.
Respond'?
>.he datholchCs call is ackno!ledged y %ei 3h!ioch, 5ach 8allen,? ans!ered a loudspeaker.
Flandry touched the same /n utton. >Record this order. Replay to your superiors at once. %y
impression !as false. .he .erran Flandry is alive. 8e is here at 0eething 0prings, at the point of
death from malnutrition and exposure. .he attempt must e made to save him, for he appears to
have used some ne! and fiendishly effective techni1ue of suversion on the Ruadrath, and !e !ill
need to interrogate him aout that. %edical supplies appropriate to his species ought to e in the
scout-oat that !as taken. .ime !ould e lost in ransacking it. 8ave it flo!n here immediately.?
>.he datholchCs command is heard and shall e relayed. #oes anyone kno! ho! to operate the
vessel@?
Flandry turned on his second machine. 4t !ent >Jh-h-hr,? his all-purpose response. 4n this
context, he hoped, it !ould pass for a rasping of scorn. A pilot !ho cant figure that out in five
minutes, !hen !e use the same asic design, should e roken do!n to galley s!aer and set to
peeling electrons. 8e made his first recorder say2 ><and in the open circle at the center of the
village. )e have him in a house ad$acent. 8urry' 9o! 4 must return to the Ruadrath and repair
!hat damage 4 can. #o not interrupt me until the oat is do!n. 0igning off. 8onor to the Dod, the
Race, and the Roidhun'?
8e heard the response, stopped sending, and tuned the conference ack in. 4t sounded as if fur
!as aout to fly.
0o, etter not da!dle here. "esides, Gake should arrive in minutes if his scheme !orked. 4f.
)ell, they !ouldnCt e intimately familiar !ith -d!yrCs speech in the 9avy section aside from
high-ranking officers like %orioch, !ho might e ypassed for the sake of speed, seeing as ho!
%erseia encouraged initiative on the part of $uniors or if a senior did get a replay, he might not
notice anything odd, or if he did he might put it do!n to a sore throat or, or, or7
Flandry scramled ack into the overclothes he had shucked !hile !orking. 8e stuffed some
cord in a pocket. A chronodial said close to an hour had fled. 4t stopped !hen he fired a laster olt
at the main radio transmitter. /n his !ay out, he saotaged the engine too, y lifting a shield plate
and shooting up the computer that regulated the grav pro$ectors. 8e hoped not to kill anyone in his
escape, ut he didnCt !ant them sharing the ne!s efore he !as long gone. /f course, if he must
kill he !ould, and lose no sleep after!ard, if there !as an after!ard.
.he air stung his in$ury. 8e loped over creaking sno! to RrinnCs house. 3loser, he moved
cautiously, and stopped at the entrance to s1uee+e his eyes shut !hile raising his goggles. 3harging
indoors !ithout dark-adapted pupils !ould e sheer tomfoolishness. Also dickfoolishness,
harryfoolishness, and70tunner in right hand, laster in left, he pushed y the curtain. 4t rustled
stiffly into place ehind him.
%erseians and Ruadrath s!iveled aout !here they tail-sat. .hey !ere at the far end of the
single chamer, their parties on opposite daises. A fleeting part of Flandry noticed ho! vivid the
murals !ere at their acks and regretted that he !as aout to lose the friendship of the artist.
#$ana cried out Rrinn hissed. -d!yr uttered a sentence in no language the man had heard
efore. 0everal males of either species started off the platforms. Flandry randished his laster and
shouted in =riau2
>0tay !here you are' .his thingCs set to !ide eam' 4 can cook the lot of you in t!o shots'?
.ensed and snarling, they returned to their places. #$ana remained standing, reaching to!ard
Flandry, mouth open and !orking ut no sound coming forth. -d!yr snapped into his vocali+er.
Rrinn snapped ack. .he .erran could guess2 >)hat is this treachery@?
>4ndeed !e had him alive; yet 4 kno! not !hat he !ould sei+e.?
8e interrupted2 >4 regret 4 must stun you. 9o harm !ill e done, aside from possile headaches
!hen you a!aken. 4f anyone tries to attack me, 4Cll last him. .he last !ill likely kill others.
Rrinn, 4 give you a fe! reaths to tell your follo!ers this.?
>-ou !ouldnCt'? #$ana protested !ildly.
>9ot to you, s!eetheart,? Flandry said, !hile Ruadrath !ords spat around him. >3ome over here
y me.?
0he gulped, clenched fists, straightened and regarded him s1uarely.
>9o.?
>8uh@?
>4 donCt turn my coat like you.?
>4 !asnCt a!are 4 had.? Flandry glared at -d!yr. >)hat have you done to her@?
>4 sho!ed her truth,? the %erseian ans!ered. 8e had regained his calm.
>)hat do you expect to accomplish@?
>-ouCll see,? Flandry told him. .o Rrinn2 >Are you finished@?
>0snaga. > 9o matter the Ruad !as of another species; you could not mistake unutterale hatred.
Flandry sighed. >4 grieve. )e traveled !ell together. Dood hunting e yours for al!ays.?
.he guide ray struck and struck. .he Ruadrath scuttled for shelter, ut found nothing high
enough. .he %erseians took their medicine !ith iron dignity. After a minute, none among them
!as conscious save -d!yr and #$ana.
>9o!.? Flandry tossed her the loop of cord. >.ie his !rists at his ack, run his tail up there and
make it fast, then pass do!n the end and hole him.?
>9o'? she shrieked.
>Dirl,? said the gaunt, sun-darkened, !ounded visage !ith the frost in its eard, >moreCs
involved than my life, and 4Cm fond of living to start !ith. 4 need a hostage. 4Cd prefer not to drag
him. 4f 4 have to, though, 4Cll knock you oth out.?
>/ey,? -d!yr told her. 8e considered Flandry. >)ell done,? he said.
>)hat is the next stage of your plan@?
>9o comment,? the man replied. >4 donCt !ish to e discourteous, ut !hat you donCt kno! you
canCt arrange to counteract.?
>3orrect. 4t ecomes clear that your prior achievements !ere no result of luck. %y compliments,
#ominic Flandry.?
>4 thank the datholch. Det cracking, !oman'?
#$anaCs ga+e !ent e!ildered et!een them. 0he struggled not to cry.
8er $o of tying !as less than expert; ut Flandry, !ho supervised, felt -d!yr couldnCt !ork out
of it fast. )hen she !as through, he eckoned her to him. >4 !ant our playmate eyond your
reach,? he said. <ooking do!n into the lue eyes, he smiled. .here !as no immediate need no! to
aim a gun. 8e laid oth hands on her !aist. >And 4 !ant you in my reach.?
>9icky,? she !hispered, >you donCt kno! !hat youCre doing. Please, please listen.?
><ater.? A sonic oom made pots $ump on a shelf. 4n spite of the dictatorship he had clamped
do!n on himself, something leaped like!ise in Flandry. >8oy, thatCs my ticket home.?
8e peered past the curtain. -es, Diacoini-Kinner, dear needle-nosed Gake, ulleting
ground!ard, hovering, settling in a !hirl of kicked-up sno! )ait' Far off in the sky !hence sheCd
come7
Flandry groaned. 4t looked like another spacecraft. %orioch or someody had played cautious
and sent an escort.
)ell, heCd reckoned !ith that possiility. A 3omet had the legs over most other types, if not all;
and in an atmosphere, especially .al!inCs7
.he lock opened. .he gang!ay extruded. A %erseian appeared, presumaly a physician since he
carried the medikit he must have ferreted out on his !ay here. 8e !asnCt !earing an electric
coldsuit, only 9avy issue !inter clothes. 0uddenly it !as comical eyond elief to see him stand
there, glancing pu++led around, !ith his tail in a special stocking. Flandry had seldom !orked
harder than to hold ack !hoops and yell, in his est unaided imitation of a %erseian voice2 >3ome
here' /n the doule' -our pilot too'?
>Pilot7>
>8urry'?
.he doctor called into the oat. "oth %erseians descended and started across the ground.
Flandry stood o!string-tense, s1uinting out the slit et!een $am and curtain, ack to the captives
he already had, out, in, out, in. 4f someody got suspicious or someody shouted a !arning efore
the ne!comers !ere in stuneam range, heCd have to last them dead and attempt a dash for the
vessel.
.hey entered. 8e sapped them.
Recovering the medikit, he !aved his gun. ><etCs go, -d!yr.? 8e hesitated. >#$ana, you can
stay if you !ant.?
>9o,? the girl ans!ered, nigh too !eakly to hear. >4Cll come.?
>"est not,? -d!yr counseled. >.he danger is considerale. )e deal !ith a desperate eing.?
>%aye 4 can help you,? #$ana said.
>-our help !ould e to %erseia,? -d!yr reproved her.
Flandry pounced. >.hatCs !hat you are to him, girl,? he exclaimed in Anglic. >A tool for his
damned planet.? 4n =riau2 >%ove, you'?
.he girl shook her head lindly. 4t !asnCt clear !hich of them she meant. Forlorn, she trudged
out ehind the tall nonhuman figure, in front of the manCs !eapon.
8igh and distant, little more in the naked eye than a glint, the enemy ship held her position.
%agniscreens !ould reveal that three left the house for the oat7ut not their species, Flandry
hoped. Gust three sent out to fetch something .he gang!ay clattered to oots.
>Aft,? Flandry directed. >0orry,? he said !hen they !ere at the unks, and stunned -d!yr. 8e
used the cord to secure his captive and urged #$ana for!ard. 8er lips, her !hole slight ody
tremled.
>)hat !ill you do@? she pleaded.
>.ry to escape,? Flandry said. >-ou mean thereCs a different game going@?
0he sank into the seat eside his control chair. 8e uckled her in, more as a precaution against
impulsive ehavior than against a failure of interior grav, and assumed his o!n place. 0he stared
lankly at him. >-ou donCt understand,? she kept repeating. >8eCs good, heCs !ise, youCre making
such a terrile mistake, please donCt.?
>-ou !ant me rainscrued, then@?
>4 donCt kno!, 4 donCt kno!. <et me alone'? Flandry forgot her !hile he checked the indicators.
=verything seemed in order, no deterioration, no vandalism, no ooytraps. 8e rought the engine
murmurous to life. .he gang!ay retracted, the airlock shut. Doodye, .al!in. Doodye, existence@
)eCll see. 8e tickled the console. .he skill had not left his fingers. Gake floated aloft. .he village
receded, the geysers, the mountains, he !as skyorne.
.he outercom linked and u++ed. Flandry ignored it till he !as lined out north!ard. .he other
spacecraft s!ung aout and s!ooped after him. 0everal kilometers off, she proved to e a corvette,
no capital ship ut one that could eat a scoutoat for reakfast. Flandry accepted her call.
>0aniau to .erran vessel. )here are you ound and !hy@?
>.erran vessel, and she is a .erran vessel, to 0aniau. <isten !ith oth ears. #ominic Flandry
speaks. .hatCs right, the very same #ominic Flandry !ho. 4Cm going home. .he datholch -d!yr,
5ach ,rdiolch, nephe! to the most exalted Roidhun and so forth, is my guest. 4f you donCt elieve
me, check the native to!n and try to find him. )hen he recovers from a slight indisposition, 4 can
give you a visual. 0hoot me do!n and he goes too.? Pause.
>4f you speak truth, #ominic Flandry, do you imagine the datholch !ould trade honor for
years@?
>9o. 4 do imagine youCll save him if you possily can.?
>3orrect. -ou !ill e overhauled, grappled, and oarded. 4f the datholch has een harmed, !oe
etide you.?
>First you have to do the overhauling. 0econd you have to convince me that any !oe you can
think of etides me !orse than !hat does already. 4 suggest you check !ith the 1anryf efore you
get reckless. %ean!hile,? and in Anglic, >cheerio.? Flandry cut the circuit.
At his velocity, he had crossed the 8ellkettle %ountains. .he northlands stretched vast and drear
eneath, gleaming ice, glittering sno!, lots that !ere li++ards. 8e cast aout !ith his instruments
for a really huge storm. .here !as sure to e one some!here, this time of year yes'
A !all of murk to!ered from earth to high heaven. "efore he had pierced it, Flandry felt the
thrust and heard the scream of hurricane-force !inds. )hen he !as inside, lackness and chaos had
him.
A corvette !ould not go into such a tempest. 9othing except a !eathership had any usiness in
one; others could flit aove or around readily enough. "ut a small spaceoat !ith a first-class pilot
7a pilot !ho had egun his career in aircraft and aerial comat7could live in the fury. And
detectors, straining from outside, !ould lose her.
Flandry lost himself in the attle to keep alive.
8alf an hour later, he roke free and shot into space.
.al!in rolled enormous in his screens. 8alf!ay do!n from either pole coruscated !interCs
!hiteness; the cloud-marled lue of seas et!een icecaps looked lack y contrast. Flandry
!aved. >Doodye,? he said ane!. >Dood luck.?
%eters shouted to his eyes of patrol ships !aiting for him. -ou didnCt normally risk hyperdrive
this near a planet or a sun. %atter density !as too great, as !as the chance of gravitation
desynchroni+ing your 1uantum $umps. .he immediate scene !as scarcely normal. FlandryCs hands
danced.
0!itchover to secondary state in so strong a field made the hull ring.
0creens changed to the faster-than-light optical compensation mode. .al!in !as gone and
0iekh d!indling among the stars. .he air droned. .he deck shivered.
After minutes, a eep dre! FlandryCs attention to a tell-tale. >)ell,? he said, >one skipperCs
decided to e rave and copy us. 8e got a!ay !ith it, too, and locked onto our H!ake.C 8is
!ouldnCt register that steady a earing other!ise. )eCre faster, ut 4Cm afraid !e !onCt shake him
efore heCs served as a guide to others !ho can outpace us.?
#$ana stirred. 0he had sat mute7lost, he thought !hen he could spare her a thought7!hile
they ran the polar storm. 8er face turned to him eneath its heavy coif of hair. >8ave you any
hope@? she asked tonelessly.
8e punched for navigational data. >A stem chase is a long chase,? he said, >and 4Cve heard aout
a pulsar not many parsecs off. 4t may help us shed our importunate colleagues.?
0he made no response, simply looked ack out at space. =ither she didnCt kno! ho! dangerous
a pulsar !as, or she didnCt care.
XIX
/nce a lue giant sun had urned, O;,;;; times more luminous than yet-unorn 0ol. 4t lasted for
a are fe! million years; then the hydrogen fuel necessary to stay on the main se1uence !as gone.
.he star collapsed. 4n the unimaginale violence of a supernova, momentarily la+ing to e1ual an
entire galaxy, it !ent out.
0uch energies did not soon leed a!ay. For ages the lo!n-off upper layers formed a neula of
lacy loveliness around the core, !hich shone less !hite-hot than 6-ray hot. =ventually the gases
dissipated, a part of them to make ne! suns and planets. .he gloe that remained continued
shrinking under its o!n !eight until density reached tons per cuic centimeter and spin !as
measured in seconds. Feeler and feeler did it shine, !hite d!arf, lack d!arf, neutron star7
3ompressed do!n near the ultimate that natureCs la! permitted, the atoms &if they could still e
called that( !ent into their final transitions. Photons spurted forth, !ere pumped through the
!eirdly distorted space-time !ithin and around the core, at last !on freedom to flee at light speed.
0trangely regular !ere those ursts, though slo!ly their fre1uencies, amplitudes, and rate declined
ack to!ard extinction7dying gasps.
Pulsar reath.
#$ana stared as if hypnoti+ed into the for!ard screen. .iny ut !axing among the stars !ent that
red link link link. 0he did not recall having ever seen a sight more lonely. .he cainCs !armth
and glo! made lacker the emptiness outside; engine thro and ventilator murmur deepened the
eternal silence of those infinite spaces.
0he laid a hand on FlandryCs arm. >9icky7>
>Euiet.? 8is eyes never left the oard efore him; his fingers !alked ack and forth across
computer keys.
>9icky, !e can die any minute, and youCve said hardly a !ord to me.?
>0top othering me or !e !ill for sure die.?
0he retreated into her chair. "e strong, e strong.
8e had ound her in place for most of the hours during !hich the oat fle!. 0he didnCt resent
that; he couldnCt trust her, and he must clean himself and snatch some sleep. After!ard he rought
sand!iches to his captives7she might have slipped a drug into his7and released her. "ut at once
he !as nailed to instrument and calculations. 8e sho!ed no sign of feeling the !ishes she thrust at
him; his !ill to lierty overrode them.
9o! he crouched aove the pilot panel. 8eCd not een ale to cut his hair; the mane denied
shaven countenance, prim coverall, machine-controlling hands, and declared him a male animal
!ho hunted.
And !as hunted. Four %erseian ships ayed on his heels. 8eCd told her aout them efore he
!ent to rest, estimating they !ould close the gap in :O light-years. From 0iekh to the pulsar !as
AR.
"link link link once in A.P:RO second.
9umers emerged on a plate set into the console. Flandry nodded. 8e took the rootic helm.
0tars !heeled !ith his shift of course.
4n time he said, maye to himself2 >-es. .heyCre decelerating. .hey donCt dare come in this
fast.?
>)hat@? #$ana !hispered.
>.he pursuit. .hey spot us aiming nearly straight on for that lighthouse. Det too close7easy to
do at hyper-speed7and the gravity gradient !ill pluck you apart. )hy share the risk !e have to
take@ 4f !e donCt make it, -d!yr !illCve een more expendale than a !hole ship and cre!. 4f !e
do survive, they can catch us later.?
And match phase, and lay alongside, and force a !ay in to rescue -d!yr and her ut 9icky,
9icky they !ould haul off to urn his rain out.
0hould it matter@ 4Cll e sorry, !e oth !ill e sorry for you, ut
%erseia7>
8e turned his head. 8is grin and gray eyes roke across her like morning. >.hatCs !hat they
think,? he said.
4 only care ecause youCre a man, the one man in all this !asteland, and do 4 care for any man@
/nly my ody does, my sinful ody. 0he struggled to raise -d!yrCs face.
Flandry leaned over and cupped her chin in his right hand. >4Cm sorry toCve een rude,? he
smiled. >0orrier to play games !ith your life. 4 should have insisted you stay on .al!in. )hen you
!anted to come, !ith everything else on my mind 4 sort of assumed youCd decided you preferred
freedom.?
>4 !as free,? she said frantically. >4 follo!ed my master.?
>/dd $uxtaposition, that.? A u++er sounded. > H0cuse, 4 got !ork. )e go primary in half a
shake. 4Cve programmed the autopilot, ut in conditions this tricky 4 !ant to ride herd on it.?
>Primary@? #ismay !ashed through her. >.heyCll catch you right a!ay'?
.hatCs good. 4snCt it@
.he engine note changed. 0tar images vanished till the screens readapted. At true speed, limited
y lightCs, the oat plunged on. Po!er chanted aaft the cain; she !as changing her kinetic
velocity at maximum thrust.
"link link link .he lood-colored eacon glo!ed ever righter. -et #$ana could look
directly into it, and she did not find any disc. 0tars frosted the night around. )hich !ay !as the
=mpire@
Flandry had given himself ack to the machines. .!ice he made a manual ad$ustment.
After minutes !herein #$ana egged Dod to restore %erseian courage to her, the noise and
viration stopped. 8ead full of it, she didnCt instantly recogni+e its departure. .hen she it her
tongue to keep from imploring a !ord.
)hen Flandry gave her one, she started shivering.
8e spoke calmly, as if these !ere the lost days !hen they t!o had fared after treasure. >)eCre in
the slot, nearCs 4 can determine. <etCs relax and give the universe our $o for a it.?
>)h-!h-!hat are !e doing@?
>)eCre falling free, in a hyperolic orit around the pulsar. .he %erseians arenCt. .heyCre
distriuting themselves to cover the region. .hey canCt venture as close as us. .he potential of so
monstrous a mass in so small a volume, you see; differential forces !ould !reck their ships. .he
oatCs less affected, eing of smaller dimensions. )ith the help of the interior field7the same that
gives us artificial gravity and counteracts acceleration pressure7she ought to stay in one piece.
.he %erseians doutless figure to !ait till !e kick in our hyperdrive again, and resume the
chivvy.?
>"ut !hatCre !e getting@? "link link link 8ad his !inter exile driven him cra+y@
>)eCll pass through the fringes of a heavily !arped chunk of space. .he mass concentration
deforms it. 4f the core got much denser, light itself couldnCt reak loose. )e !onCt e under any
such extreme condition, ut 4 donCt expect they can track us around periastron. /ur emission !ill
e too scattered; radar eams !ill curve off at silly angles. .he %erseians can compute roughly
!here and !hen !eCll return to flatter space, ut until !e do7> Flandry had unharnessed himself
!hile he talked. Rising, he stretched prodigiously, muscle y muscle. >A propos %erseians, letCs go
check on old -d!yr.?
#$ana fumled !ith her o!n uckles. >4, 4, 4 donCt track you, 9icky,? she stammered. >)hat do
!e you gain more than time@ )hy did you take us aoard@?
>As to your first 1uestion, the ans!erCs a smidge technical. As to the second, !ell, -d!yrCs the
reason !eCve come this far. )ithout him, !eCdCve een in a missile arrage.? Flandry !alked
around ehind her chair. >8ere, let me assist.?
>-ou' -ouCre not unfastening me'?
>9o, 4Cm not, am 4@? he said dreamily. <eaning over, he nu++led her !here throat met shoulder.
.he kiss that follo!ed rought a reathless giddiness !hich had not 1uite faded !hen he led the
!ay aft.
-d!yr sat patient on a unk. Prior to sleeping, Flandry had !elded a short length of light cale
to the frame, the other end around an ankle, and untied the rope. 4t !asnCt a harsh confinement. 4n
fact, the man !ould have to keep !its and gun ready !hen negotiating this passage.
>8ave you een listening to our conversation@? he asked. >4 left the intercom on.?
>-ou are thanked for your courtesy,? -d!yr replied, >ut 4 could not follo! the Anglic.?
>/h'? #$anaCs hand !ent to her mouth. >4 forgot7>
>And 4,? Flandry admitted. >)e .errans tend to assume every educated eing !ill kno! our
official language7y definition7and of course it isnCt so. )ell, 4 can tell you.?
>4 elieve 4 have deduced it,? -d!yr said. >-ou are s!inging free, dangerously ut concealingly
near the pulsar. From the relativistic region you !ill launch your courier torpedoes, strapped
together and hyperdrives operating simultaneously. )hat !ith distortion effects, you hope my folk
!ill mistake the impulses for this oatCs and give chase. 4f your decoy lures them as far as a light-
year off, you !ill e outside their hyper!ave detection range and can emark on a roundaout
home!ard voyage. .he sheer si+e of space !ill make it unlikely that they, acktracking, !ill pick
up your virations.?
>Right,? Flandry said admiringly. >-ouCre a sharp rascal. 4 look for!ard to some amusing chit-
chat.?
>4f your scheme succeeds,? -d!yr made a salute of respect. >4f not, and if !e are taken alive,
you are under my protection.?
Dladness urst in #$ana. %y men can e friends'
>-ou are kind,? said Flandry !ith a o!. 8e turned to the girl. >8o! aout making us a pot of
tea@? he said in Anglic.
>.ea@? she asked, astonished.
>8e likes it. <etCs e hospitale. Put the galley intercom on7lo!7and you can hear us talk.?
Flandry spoke lightly, ut she felt an underlining of his last sentence and all at once her $oy
fro+e. .hough !hy, !hy@ >)ould the datholch accept tea@? she asked in =riau.
>-ou are thanked.? -d!yr spoke casually, more interested in the man.
#$ana !ent for!ard like an automaton. .he voices trailed her2
>4 am less kind, #ominic Flandry, than 4 am concerned to keep an audacious and resourceful
entity functional.?
>For a servant@?
>Jhraich, !e cannot !ell send you home, can !e@ 47>
#$ana made a production of closing the galley door. 4t cut off the !ords. Fingers unsteady, she
turned the intercom s!itch.
>7sorry. -ou mean !ell y your standards, 4 suppose, -d!yr. "ut 4 have this archaic pre$udice
for freedom over even the nicest slavery. <ike the sort you fastened on that poor girl.?
>A reconditioning. 4t improved her oth physically and mentally.?
9o' 8e might e speaking of an animal'
>0he does seem more, hmm, alanced. 4tCs $ust a seeming, ho!ever, as long as you keep that
father-image hood over her eyes.?
>8r-r-r, you have heard of AycharaychCs techni1ues, then@?
>Aycharaych@ )ho@ 9-n-no 4Cll check !ith 3aptain Arams #amn' 4 should have played along
!ith you, shouldnCt 4@ All right, 4 fumled that one, after you dropped it right into my pa!s. Detting
ack to #$ana, the father fixation is unmistakale to any careful outside oserver.?
>)hat else !ould you have me do@ 0he came, an un!itting agent !ho had ac1uired kno!ledge
!hich must not get ack to .erra. 0he sho!ed potentialities. 4nstead of killing her out of hand, !e
could try to develop them. #eath is al!ays availale. "esides, depth-psychological !ork on a
human intrigued me. <ater, !hen that peculiar gift for sometimes imposing her desires on other
minds appeared, !e sa! !hat a pri+e !e had. %y duty ecame to make sure of her.?
>0o to !in her trust, you !arned her to !arn me@?
>-es. Aout7in honesty et!een us, #ominic Flandry7a fictitious danger. 9o orders had come
for your removal; 4 !as !elcome to keep you. "ut the chance to clinch it !ith her !as !orth
more.?
Anglic2 >9o@ 4Cll7e7especially7damned.?
>-ou are not angry, 4 hope.?
>9-n-no. .hatCd e unsporting, !ouldnCt it@? Anglic2 >.he more so !hen it caused me to reak
from my cell !ith a hell of a yell far sooner than 4Cd expected to.?
>"elieve me, 4 did not !ish to sacrifice you. 4 did not !ant to e involved in that !retched
usiness at all. 8onor compelled me. "ut 4 egrudged every minute a!ay from my .al!inian
research.?
#$ana knelt on the deck and !ept.
"link link link furnace glare spearing from the screens. .he hull groaned and shuddered
!ith stresses. Fighting them, the interior field set air ashake in a !ild thin singing. /ften, looking
do!n a passage, you thought you sa! it ripple; and perhaps it did, sliding through some acute end
in space. From time to time hideous nauseas t!isted you, and your mind gre! lurred. 0un!ard
!as only the alternation of night and red. 0tar!ard !ere no constellations nor points of light,
nothing ut raino! lotches and smears.
#$ana helped Flandry put the courier torpedoes, !hich he had programmed under normal
conditions, on the launch rack. )hen they !ere outside, he must don a spacesuit and go couple
them. 8e !as gone a long !hile and came ack !hite and shaken. >#one,? !as everything he
!ould tell her.
.hey sought the conn. 8e sat do!n, she on his lap, and they held each other through the
nightmare hours. >-ouCre real,? she kept aling. >-ouCre real.?
And the strangeness faded. Euietness, solidity, stars returned one y one. A haggard Flandry
pored over instruments !hose readings again made sense, aout !hich he could again think clearly.
>Receding hyper!akes,? he reathed. >/ur stunt !orked. 0oonCs !e stop registering them7
First, though, !e turn our systems off.?
>)hy@? she asked from her seat to !hich she had returned, and from her !eariness.
>4 canCt tell ho! many the ships are. 0pace is still some!hat kinky and7!ell, they may have
left one posted for insurance. .he moment !e pass a threshold value of the metric, thereCll e no
mistaking our radiation, infrared from the hull, neutrinos from the po!er-plant, that kind of $unk.
,nless !e douse the sources.?
>)hatever you !ant, darling.?
)eightlessness !as like stepping off a cliff and dropping !ithout end. 3ain dark, the pulsar
flash on one side and stars on the other cro!ded near in dreadful glory. 9othing remained save the
faintest accumulator-po!ered susurrus of forced ventilation; and the cold crept in!ard.
>8old me,? #$ana eseeched into the lindness. >)arm me.?
A pencil-thin flasheam from FlandryCs hand slipped along the console. "ack-scattered light
limned him, a shado!. 0ilence lengthened and lengthened until2
>,h-oh. .heyCre smart as 4 feared. Drav !aves. 0omeody under primary acceleration. 8as to
e a ship of theirs.?
0on of %an, help us.
At the oatCs high kinetic velocity, the pulsar shrank and dimmed !hile they !atched.
>Radar touch,? Flandry reported tunelessly.
>.h-theyCve caught us@?
>%-m-m, they may assume !eCre a it of cosmic deris. -ou canCt check out every lip on your
scope /of' .heyCre applying a ne! vector. )ish 4 dared use the computer. 4t looks to me as if
theyCre maneuvering for an intercept !ith us, ut 4Cd need math to make sure.
>4f they are@? .he astractness of it, thatCs half the horror. A reading, an e1uation, and me closed
off from touching you, even seeing you. )eCre not us, !eCre o$ects. <ike eing already dead7no,
thatCs not right, Gesus promised !ell live. 8e did.
>.hey arenCt necessarily. 9o eamCs latched onto us. 4 suspect theyCve een casting aout more
or less at random. )e registered strong enough to rate a closer look, ut they lost and havenCt
refound us. 4nterplanetary space is igger than most people imagine. 0o they may as !ell direct
themselves according to the orit this !hatsit seemed to have, in hopes of checking us out at shorter
range.?
>)ill they@?
>4 donCt kno!. 4f !eCre caught !ell, 4 suppose !e should esche! a last-ditch stand. 8o! !ould
one dig a ditch in vacuum@ )e can surrender, hope -d!yr can save us and another chanceCll come
to !orm out.? 8is voice in the dark !as not as calm as he evidently !ished.
>-ouCd trust -d!yr@? lashed from her.
8is eam stepped across the dials. >3losing in fast,? he said. >Radar s!eepCs ound to pick us
up soon. )e may sho! as an interstellar asteroid, ut considering the proaility of a natural
passage at any given time7> 0he heard and felt his despair. >0orry, s!eetheart. )e gave Hem a
good try, didnCt !e@?
.he image might have sprung to her physical vision, shark shape across the %ilky )ay, manCs
great foes lack-clad at the guns. 0he reached out to the stars of heaven. >Dod have mercy,? she
cried !ith her !hole eing. >/h, send them ack !here they elong'?
"link link link.
.he light ray danced. )here it touched, meters turned into pools eneath those suns that
cro!ded the screens. >8o-o-old,? Flandry murmured. >/ne minute .heyCre receding'? exploded
from him. >Gudas priest, they, they mustCve decided the lip didnCt mean anything'?
>.heyCre going@? she heard herself lurt. >.hey are@?
>-es. .hey are. 3anCtCve felt too strongly aout that stray indication they got )hoo' .heyCve
gone hyper' Already' Aimed ack to!ard 0iekh, seems like. And the7here, !e can use our circuits
again, lemme activate the secondary-!ave receivers first7yes, yes, four indications, our couriers,
their other three ships, right on the verge of detectaility, headed out7#$ana, !e did it' Gudas
priest'?
>9ot Gudas, dear,? she said in !orship. >Gesus.?
>Anyody you like.? Flandry turned on the fluoros.
Goy torrented from him. >-ou yourself7your !onderful, !onderful self7> )eight. )arm
hearty gusts of air. Flandry !as doing a fandango around the cain. >)e can take off ourselves
inside an hour. Do a long !ay round for safetyCs sake7ut at the end, home'? 8e surged to
emrace her. >And never mind -d!yr,? he !arled. >)eCre going to celerate the !hole !ay
ack'?
XX
0tanding in the cramped, thrumming space et!een ulkheads, eyond reach of him !ho sat
chained, the .erran said2 >-ou appreciate that the !hole truth aout !hat happened !ould
emarrass me. 4 !ant your solemn promise youCll support my account and drop no hint concerning
)ayland.?
>)hy should 4 agree@? the %erseian asked landly.
>"ecause if you donCt,? #$ana told him7venom seethed in each !ord7>4Cll have the pleasure
of killing you.?
>9o, no, spare the dramatics,? Flandry said. >=specially since he too considers an oath under
duress is !orthless. -d!yr, the pilotCs data list various planets !here 4 could let you off. -ou can
survive. A fe! have intelligent natives to study. .heir main dra!ack is that no one has found any
particular reason to revisit them, so you may have a slight prolem in pulishing your findings. "ut
if you donCt mind, 4 donCt.?
>4s that not a threat@? the prisoner rumled.
>9o more than your threat to expose my, ah, sideline financial interests. .al!inCs ound to lose
its military value !hatever ecomes of you or me. 0uppose 4 thro! in that 4Cll do !hat 4 can to help
keep your scientific station alive. ,nder the circumstances, does that argain sound fair@?
>#one'? -d!yr said. 8e s!ore to the terms y the formulas of honor.
After!ard he extended a hand. >And for your part, let us shake on it.?
Flandry did. #$ana !atched, gripping a stunner. >-ouCre not figuring to turn him loose no!, are
you@? she demanded.
>9o, 4Cm afraid that canCt e included in the deal,? Flandry said.
>,nless youCll give me your parole, -d!yr.?
.he girl looked hurt and pu++led, then relieved !hen the %erseian ans!ered2
>4 !ill not. -ou are too competent. %y duty is to kill you if 4 can.? 8e smiled. >)ith that made
clear, !ould you like a game of chess@?
%ining continued here and there in the system to !hich 4rumcla! elonged. 8ence small human
colonies persisted, !ith mostly floating populations that !erenCt given to inconvenient curiosity or
to gossiping !ith officialdom aout !hat they might have seen.
Gake put riefly do!n in a spaceport on the fourth !orld out. 4t !as a spot of shainess set in
the middle of an immense rusty desert. .he atmosphere !as not reathale, and arely thick
enough to lo! dust clouds into a purple sky. A gangtue reached forth to connect airlock !ith
airdome. Flandry escorted #$ana to the exit.
>-ouCll e through soon@? she asked !istfully. For a moment the small slender form in the
modest go!n, the fine-oned features, eyes like lue lakes, lips slightly parted and a1uiver, made
him forget !hat had passed et!een them and think of her as a child. 8e had al!ays een a sucker
for little girls.
>0oonCs 4 can,? he ans!ered. >Proaly under a !eek. "ut do lie doggo till you hear from me.
4tCs essential !e report $ointly to <eon Ammon. .hose credits you rought !ith you ought to
stretch. 3heck the general message office daily. )hen my Hgram comes, go ahead and shoot him
!ord to have someody fetch you. 4Cll e standing y.? 8e kissed her more lightly than had een
his !ont. >3heers, partner.?
8er response !as feverish. >Partners, yes'? she said after!ard, in an unsteady tone. A tear roke
a!ay. 0he turned and !alked fast from the airlock. Flandry !ent ack to the conn and re1uested
immediate clearance for takeoff.
Aove his gorgeous tunic, Admiral Gulius !ore the least memorale face that Flandry had ever
seen. >)ell'? he said. >Euite a story, <ieutenant. Euite a story.?
>-es, sir,? Flandry responded. 8e stood eside -d!yr, !ho tail-sat at ease7if !ith ill-concealed
contempt for the ornate office7in a roe that had een hastily improvised for him. 8is !inter gar
eing unsuitale for shipoard, he had traveled nude and dearked thus on 4rumcla!; and you donCt
receive princes of the lood in their nakedness.
>Ah indeed.? Gulius shuffled some papers on his desk. >As 4 understand your7your
supervisorCs veral redaction of !hat you told him7you are !riting a report in proper form, are
you not@--as 4 understand it !ell, !hy donCt you tell me yourself@?
>-es, sir. 3ruising on my assigned route, 4 detected the H!akeC of a larger vessel. As per standing
orders, 4 moved closer to estalish identification. 0he !as an unmistakale %erseian !arcraft. %y
orders gave me discretion, as the admiral kno!s, !hether to report the sighting in person !ith no
further ado or attempt finding out more. Rightly or !rongly, 4 decided on the second course.
3hances !ere against another encounter and !e might e left !ith no further leads. 4 dropped ack
and sent a courier, !hich apparently never got here. %y reportCs going to recommend tightening
inspection procedures.
>)ell, 4 shado!ed the %erseian at the limits of detectaility7for me7!hich 4 thought !ould
keep my smaller vessel outside her sensor range. "ut !e entered the range of another ship, a picket,
that spotted me, closed in, and made capture. 4 !as rought to the planet .al!in, !here the
%erseians turned out to have an advanced ase. After miscellaneous rouhaha, 4 escaped via a
pulsar, taking this dignitary along for a hostage.?
>,m-m-m, ah.? Gulius s1uinted at -d!yr. >An a!k!ard affair, yes. .hey !ere technically
!ithin their rights, uilding that ase, !erenCt they@ "ut they had no right to hold an 4mperial
vessel and an 4mperial officer in a region free y treaty. ,m.? 4t !as latant that he shrank from
eing caught in the middle of a diplomatic crisis.
>4f it please the admiral,? Flandry said, >4 speak =riau. .he datholch and 4 have held some long
conversations. )ithout attempting to make policy or anything, sir74 kno! 4Cm foridden to74 did
feel free to suggest a fe! thoughts. )ould the admiral care to have me interpret@? 4t had turned out
the aseCs linguistic computer !as on the frit+ and noody kne! ho! to fix it.
>Ah yes. 3ertainly. .ell his, ah, his highness !e consider him a guest of the 4mperium. )e !ill
try to, ah, sho! him every courtesy and arrange for his speedy transportation home.?
>8eCs physicked anxious to shoot you off and ury this !hole affair deep,? Flandry informed
-d!yr. >)e can do anything !e choose !ith him.?
>-ou !ill proceed according to plan, then@? the scientist in1uired. 8is expression !as
composed, ut Flandry had learned ho! to recogni+e a sardonic t!inkle in a %erseian eye.
>Jnaich, not exactly a plan. .he fact of .al!in cannot e hidden. D8E !ill see a report and
assign an investigator. )hat !e !ant is to save face all around. -ouCve een offered a ride ack, as
4 guessed you !ould e. Accept it for the earliest possile moment. )hen you reach .al!in, get
%orioch to evacuate his ships and personnel. .he planet !ill e of no further use for intelligence
operations any!ay; your governmentCs sure to order them shut do!n, if our 9avy team finds
nothing going on ut peaceful xenological research, theyCll gloss over !hat signs are left of
extracurricular activity, and nothing !ill likely e said on either side aout this contretemps that
you and 4 !ere involved in.?
>4 have already assented to your making these proposals in my name.
Proceed.?
Flandry did, in more tactful language. Gulius eamed. 4f his command !as instrumental in
halting an undesirale %erseian pro$ect, !ord !ould circulate among the higher-ups. 4t !ould
influence promotions, rotation to more promising !orlds, yes, yes, no matter ho! discreetly the
affair !as handled. A discretion !hichCll result in noodyCs caring to notice !hatever loose ends
dangle out of my story, Flandry thought.
>=xcellent, <ieutenant'? Gulius said. >%y precise idea' .ell his highness 4Cll make prompt
arrangements.?
-d!yr said gravely2 >4 fear the research !ill not long endure. )ith no
onus of military advantage7>
>4 told you 4Cd do my est for you,? Flandry ans!ered, >and 4Cve een mulling a scheme. #idnCt
!ant to advance it till 4 !as sure !e could !rite our o!n playill, ut no! 4 am. 0ee, 4Cll put on an
indignation act for you. %aye your folk should not have detained me; still, you are of the 5ach
,rdiolch and my cavalier treatment of you !as an insult to the Race. 0eeing that heCs avid to
please, youCve decided to milk old Gulius. -ouCll let yourself e mollified if heCll strongly urge that
the 4mperium help support the scientific !ork !hich, officially, !ill have een %erseiaCs reason for
eing on .al!in in the first place.?
.he ig green ody tautened. >4s that possile@?
>4 imagine so. )eCll have to keep !atch on .al!in from here on any!ay, lest your 9avy sneak
ack. 4t neednCt e from scoutoats, though. A fe! susidi+ed students or the like, doing their
graduate thesis !ork, are 1uite as good and a lot cheaper. And !ith us sharing the costs, 4 daresay
you can find money at home to carry on.?
A small renaissance of .erran science@ 8ardly. Academic hack!ork. /h, 4 suppose 4 can indulge
in the hope.
>4n the name of the Dod.? -d!yr stared efore him for a length of time that made Gulius shift
and harrumph. At last he gripped oth of FlandryCs hands and said, >From that eginning, our t!o
people !orking together, !hat may someday come@?
9othing much, except, 4 do dare hope, a slight reinforcement of the reasons for our hanging onto
this frontier. .hose %erseians may keep us reminded !hoCs al!ays ready to fill any availale
vacuum. >.he datholch ears a nole dream.?
>)hatCs this@? Gulius puffed. >)hat are you t!o doing@?
>0ir, 4Cm afraid !eCve hit a rock or t!o,? Flandry said.
>Really@ 8o! long !ill this take@ 4 have a dinner engagement.?
>%aye !e can settle the difficulty efore then, sir. %ay 4 e seated@ 4 thank the admiral, 4Cll do
my est, sir. Dot my personal affairs to handle too.?
>9o dout.? Gulius regarded the young man calculatingly. >4 am told youCve applied for furlough
and reassignment.?
>-es, sir. 4 figure those months on .al!in more than completed my tour of duty here. 9o
reflection on this fine command, ut 4 am supposed to speciali+e along other lines. And 4 elieve 4
may have an inheritance coming. Rich uncle on a colonial planet !asnCt doing too !ell, last 4
heard. 4Cd like to go collect my share efore they decide a Hmissing in actionC report on me
authori+es them to divvy up the cash else!here.?
>-es. 4 see. 4Cll approve your application, <ieutenant, and recommend you for promotion.? &>4f
you ail me fast out of this mess? !as understood.( ><etCs get usy. )hat is the prolem you
mentioned@?
.he room aove #oor FFF !as unchanged, a less tasteful place to e than the commandantCs and
a consideraly more dangerous one. .he Dor+unian guard stirred no muscle; ut light gleamed off a
scimitar thrust under his gun elt. "ehind the desk, <eon Ammon s!eated and s1ueaked and never
took his needle ga+e off Flandry. #$ana gave him head-high defiance in return; her fists, though,
kept clenching and unclenching on her lap, and she had moved her chair into direct contact !ith the
officerCs.
8e himself talked merrily, ramlingly, and on the !hole, discounting a fe! reticences, truthfully.
At the end he said, >4Cll accept my fee7in small ills, rememer7!ith unparalleled grace.?
>-ou sure kept me !aiting,? Ammon hedged. >3ost me extra, trying to find out !hatCd
happened and recruit someody else. 4 ought to charge the cost to your payment. Right@?
>.he delay !asnCt my fault. -ou should have given your agent etter protection, or remuneration
such that she had no incentive to visit persons to !hom sheCd not een introduced.? Flandry uffed
fingernails on tunic and regarded them critically. >-ou have !hat you contracted for, a report on
)ayland, favorale at that.?
>"ut you said the secretCs een spilled. .he %erseians7>
>%y friend -d!yr the 0eeker assures me heCll keep silence. .he rest of !hatever personnel on
.al!in have heard aout the %imirian 0ystem !ill shortly e dispersed. 4n any event, !hy should
they mention a thing that can help .erra@ /h, rumors may float around, ut you only need five or
ten yearsC concealment and communication is poor enough to guarantee you that.? Flandry reached
for a cigarette. 8aving shed the addiction in these past months, he !as en$oying its return.
>Admittedly,? he said, >if 4 release -d!yr from his promise, he may !ell chance to pass this
interesting item7complete !ith coordinates7on to the captain of !hatever 4mperial ship arrives to
look his camp over.?
Ammon arked a laugh. >4 expected a response from you, #ominic. -ouCre a sharp-edge oy.?
8e stroked his chins. >-ou thought aout maye resigning your commission@ 4 could use a sharp-
edge oy. -ou kno! 4 pay good. Right@?
>4Cll kno! that !hen 4Cve counted the undle,? Flandry said. 8e inhaled the toacco into lighting
and rolled smoke around his palate.
.he gross ulk !allo!ed for!ard in its chair. .he ald countenance hardened. >)hat aout the
agent !ho got to #$ana@? Ammon demanded. >And !hat aout her@?
>Ah, yes,? Flandry ans!ered. >-ou o!e her a tidy it, you reali+e.?
>)hat@ After she7>
>After she, having een trapped ecause of your misguided sense of economy, otained for you
the information that youCve een infiltrated, yes, dear heart, you are in her det.? Flandry smiled
like a tiger. >9aturally, 4 didnCt mention the incident in my official report. 4 can al!ays put my
corps on the trail of those %erseian agents !ithout compromising myself, as for example y
sending an anonymous tip. 8o!ever, 4 felt you might prefer to deal !ith them yourself. Among
other inducements, theyCve proaly also corrupted memers of your esteemed competitor
associations. -ou might !ell otain facts useful in your usiness relationships. 4Cm confident your
interrogators are persuasive.?
>.hey are,? Ammon said. >)ho is the spy@?
#$ana started to speak. Flandry forestalled her !ith a reminding gesture. >.he information is the
property of this young lady. 0heCs !illing to negotiate terms for its transfer. 4 am her agent.?
0!eat studded AmmonCs visage. >Pay her7!hen she tried to sell me out@?
>%y client #$ana !ill e leaving 4rumcla! y the first availale ship. 4ncidentally, 4Cm ooking
passage on the same one. 0he needs funds for her ticket, plus a reasonale stake at her destination,
!hatever it may e.?
Ammon spat a vileness. .he Dor+unian sensed rage and unched his shaggy ody for attack.
Flandry streamed smoke out his nose. >As her agent,? he !ent mildly on, >4Cve taken the normal
precautions to assure that any actions to her detriment !ill prove unprofitale. -ou may as !ell
relax and en$oy this, <eon. 4tCll e expensive at est, and the rate goes up if you use too much of
our valuale time. 4 repeat, you can take an ade1uate return out of the hide of that master spy, !hen
youCve purchased the name.?
Ammon !aved his goon ack. 8atred thickening his voice, he settled do!n to dicker.
9o liners plied this far out. .he 3ha-Rina !as a tramp freighter !ith a fe! extra
accommodations modifiale for various races. 0he offered little in the !ay of luxuries. Flandry and
#$ana rought along !hat pleasant items they !ere ale to find in /ld .o!nCs stores. 9o other
humans !ere aoard, and apart from the skipper, !ho spent her free hours in the composition of a
cater!auling sonata, the 3ynthian cre! spoke scant Anglic. 0o they had privacy.
.heir first fe! days of travel !ere pure hedonism. .o sleep out the night!atch, lie aed till the
clock said noon, loaf aout and eat, drink, read, !atch a pro$ected sho!, play handall, listen to
music, make love in comfort7efore everything else, to have no dangers and no duties7seemed
ample splendor. "ut the ship approached -saeau, itself richly endo!ed !ith cities and a transfer
point for every!here else in the ustling impersonal vastness of the =mpire; and they had said
nothing yet aout the future.
>3aptainCs dinner,? Flandry decreed. )hile he stood over the cook, and ended preparing most of
the delicacies himself, #$ana ornamented their cain !ith !hat cloths and furs she could find.
.hereafter she spent a long !hile ornamenting herself. For dress she chose the thinnest, fluffiest
lue go!n she o!ned. Flandry returned, slipped into red-and-gold mufti, and popped the cork on
the first champagne ottle.
.hey dined, and drank, and chatted, and laughed through a couple of hours. 8e pretended not to
see that she !as forcing her mirth. .he moment !hen he must notice came soon enough.
8e poured randy, lounged ack, sniffed and sipped. >Aahh' Almost as tasty as you, my love.?
0he regarded him across the tiny, !hite-clothed tale. "ehind her a vie!screen gave on crystal
dark and a magnificence of stars. .he ship shivered and hummed ever so faintly, the air !as
fragrant !ith odors from the cleared-a!ay dishes, and !ith the perfume she had chosen. 8er great
eyes fell to rest and he could not dip his o!n from them.
>-ou use that !ord a lot,? she said, 1uiet-voiced. ><ove.?
>Appropriate, isnCt it@? ,neasiness tugged at him.
>4s it@ )hat do you intend to do, 9icky@?
>)hy make a dummy trip to Hclaim my inheritance.C 9ot that anyodyCd check on me
especially, ut itCs an excuse to play tourist. )hen my leaveCs up, 4 report to .erra, no less, for the
next assignment. 4 daresay someody in a lofty echelon has gotten !ord aout the .al!in affair and
!ants to talk to me7!hich !onCt hurt the old career a it, eh@?
>-ouCve told me that efore. -ou kno! itCs not !hat 4 meant. )hy have you never said anything
aout us@?
8e reached for a cigarette !hile taking a fresh s!allo! of randy. >4 have, 4 have,? he
countered, smiling hard. >)ith a sustantial sum in your purse, you should do !ell if you make the
investments 4 suggested. .heyCll uy you a peaceful life on a congenial planet; or, if you prefer to
shoot for larger stakes, theyCll get you entry into at least the cellars of the haut monde. >
0he it her lip. >4Cve een dreading this,? she said.
>8ey@ ,h, you mayCve had a trifle more than optimum to drink, #$ana.
4Cll ring for coffee.?
>9o.? 0he clenched fingers aout the stem of her glass, raised it and tossed off the contents in a
gulp. 0etting it do!n2 >-es,? she said, >4 did kind of gu++le tonight. /n purpose. -ou see, 4 had to
form the hait of not thinking past any time !hen 4 !as feeling good, ecause kno!ing a ad time
!as sure to come, 4Cd spoil the good time. A an inhiition.
-d!yr taught me ho! to order my inhiitions out of my !ay, ut 4 didnCt
!ant to use any stunt of that astardCs7>
>8eCs not a ad astard. 4Cve gro!n positively fond of him.?
>7and esides, 4 !anted to pull every trick in my ag on you, and for that 4 needed to e happy,
really happy. )ell, tonightCs my last chance.
/h, 4 suppose 4 could stay around a !hile7>
>4 !ouldnCt advise it,? Flandry said in haste. 8eCd een looking for!ard to searching for variety
in the fleshpots of the =mpire. >4Cll e too peripatetic.?
#$ana shoved her glass to!ard him. 8e poured, a clear gurgle in a silence !here, through the
humming, he could hear her reathe.
>,h-huh,? she said. >4 had to kno! tonight. .hatCs !hy 4 got a touch looped, to help me ask.?
0he lifted the glass. 8er ga+e stayed on his !hile she drank. 0tars made a frosty coronet for her
hair. )hen she had finished, she !as not flushed. >4Cll speak straight,? she said. >4 thought !e
made a good pair, 9icky, didnCt !e, once things got straightened out@ 4 thought it !ouldnCt hurt to
ask if youCd like to keep on. 9o, !ait, 4 donCt have any notions aout me as an agent. "ut 4 could e
there !henever you got ack.?
)ell, letCs get it over !ith. Flandry laid a hand on one of hers. >-ou honor me eyond my !orth,
dear,? he said. >4t isnCt possile7>
>4 supposed not.? 8ad -d!yr taught her that instant steely calm@ >-ouCd never forget !hat 4Cve
een.?
>4 assure you, 4Cm no prude. "ut7>
>4 mean my turnings, my treasons /h, letCs forget 4 spoke, 9icky, darling. 4t !as $ust a hope. 4Cll
e fine. <etCs en$oy our evening together; and maye, you kno!, maye sometime !eCll meet
again.?
.he thought slashed through him. 8e sat straight !ith a muttered exclamation. )hy didnCt that
occur to me efore@
0he stared. >4s something !rong@?
8e ran angles and aspects through his head, chuckled gleefully at the result, and s1uee+ed her
fingers. >3ontrari!ise,? he said, >4Cve hit on a sort of ans!er. 4f youCre interested.?
>)hat@ 47)hat is it@?
>)ell,? he said, >you rushed off the idea of yourself in my line of !ork as a fantasy, ut
!erenCt you too 1uick@ -ouCve proven youCre tough and smart, not to mention eautiful and
charming. /n top of that, thereCs this practically uni1ue !ild talent of yours. And -d!yr !ouldnCt
e hard to convince youCre +ig+agged ack to him. /ur 9avy 4ntelligence !ill $ump for $oy to have
you, after 4 pass !ord along the channels open to me. )eCd see each other often, 4 daresay, perhaps
no! and then !eCd !ork together !hy, even if they get you into the Roidhunate as a doule agent
7>
8e stopped. 8orror confronted him.
>)hat !hatCs the matter@? he faltered.
8er lips moved several times efore she could speak. 8er eyes stayed dry and had gone pale, as
if a flame had passed ehind them. .here !as no hue at all in her face.
>-ou too,? she got out.
>8uh@ 4 donCt7>
0he checked him y lifting a hand. >=veryody,? she said, >as far ack as 4 can rememer.
=nding !ith -d!yr, and no! you.?
>)hat in cosmos@?
>,sing me.? 8er tone !as flat, not loud in the least. 0he stared past him. >-ou kno!,? she said,
>the funny part is, 4 !anted to e used. 4 !anted to give, serve, help, elong to someody "ut you
only sa! a tool. A thing. =very one of you.?
>#$ana, 4 give you my !ord of honor7>
>8onor@? 0he shook her head, slo!ly. >4tCs a strange feeling,? she told her Dod, in a voice
turned high and pu++led, like that of a child !ho cannot understand, >to learn, once and forever,
that thereCs no one !ho cares. 9ot even -ou.? 0he s1uared her shoulders. >)ell, 4Cll manage.?
8er look focused on Flandry, !ho sat helpless and gaping. >As for you,? she said levelly, >4
guess 4 canCt stop you from having almost any !oman !ho comes y. "ut 4Cll !ish this, that you
never get the one you really !ant.?
8e thought little of her remark, then. >-ouCre over!rought,? he said, hoping sharpness !ould
!ork. >#runk. 8ysterical.?
>)hatever you !ant,? she said !earily. >Please go a!ay.?
8e left, and arranged for a doss else!here. 9ext morn!atch the ship landed on -saeau. #$ana
!alked do!n the gang!ay !ithout saying goodye to Flandry. 8e !atched her, shrugged, sighed7
)omen' .he aliens among us'--and sauntered alone to!ard the shuttle into to!n, !here he could
properly celerate his victory.