"Does it matter? Goldberg's still pregnant. I'm not worried," Lee said. "Goldberg's young and healthy. The woman does the work, not the doctor."

"It'll be delivered in winter, for goodness sakes! Who knows how bad the winter will be? What a time to be having a baby! How thoughtless."

"We should probably thank her," Lee persisted, her meekness fading.

"Thank her?" Buccari half shouted.

Lee nodded. Buccari turned and noticed Rennault walking toward them.

"That's what Nancy says," Lee whispered. She stopped talking as the Marine came within hearing. Rennault nodded as he walked by.

"Dawson knows?" Buccari asked as soon as Rennault was out of earshot.

"That's how I found out," Lee said firmly. "Yes, sir, we should thank her. Nancy says that Pepper's, ahem...activities have taken, uh... a lot of pressure off the rest of us. From the rest of the females."

"That's not supposed to be a joke is it?" Buccari asked. "You're serious! I'll say she's taken a lot of pressure." It was not funny, but she started laughing. The mental images generated by Lee's statement overcame her sense of propriety, and the laughter built upon itself. Lee also started to giggle. Their laughter was interrupted by a commotion from the sentry station above the cave.

"The patrol!" O'Toole shouted. "Across the lake. They look whipped."

Buccari ordered Tatum, O'Toole, and Chastain to come with her; perhaps someone was hurt. She set out at a trot but soon slowed to an even hiking rhythm. As she neared the patrol, she could tell the men were no worse than exhausted.

"Are we glad to see you," Quinn mumbled. He was sapped. Fatigue insinuated into every level of his being, his eyelids drooped, and his mouth moved disjointedly.

"Welcome home," Buccari said. "Tatum, take Commander Quinn's pack. Everyone grab a pack. These boys need some help." She went up to MacArthur and started to undo his pack straps. The Marine laughed as he shucked off his pack and swung it onto her shoulders. His hand brushed her neck as he moved a shock of her short hair so it would not get pinched by the wide straps. Standing sideways to MacArthur, Buccari pulled in the hip belt to the limit, likewise with the sweaty shoulder straps. Chatter abruptly ceased, and the men all tried, unsuccessfully, not to stare; she realized her physical movements had accentuated her femininity-the smallness of her waist, the flaring of her hips, and the swell of her b.r.e.a.s.t.s. Suddenly and uncharacteristically she grew hot and red-faced with embarra.s.sment. She turned her back on the men and stepped out toward camp.

She had been gawked at before, but MacArthur' s laughter seemed very personal, and his touch had ignited a subtle chemistry. Now was not the time to tell the commander about Goldberg's pregnancy. Buccari hearkened back to Lee's words and why they should not be too hard on Goldberg, and suddenly she understood the insidious pressures to which Goldberg had succ.u.mbed. Their lives were uncertain, and physical attachments were islands of hope. Danger was near, apparent to the consciousness, but deeper, from deep in the racial memories of the subconscious, another awareness was surfacing: the species was threatened; l.u.s.t was both an escape and a solution.

"Commander Quinn, the message!" MacArthur blurted, breaking the silence.

"Oh," Quinn mumbled. "Almost forgot. We got a letter in the mail. It was on the same cairn where Corporal MacArthur left your icon book. It's written in similar form, so I guess it's for you." Quinn walked over to his pack, unzipped a pocket, and pulled out a swatch of folded material. He carefully unfolded it and handed it to Buccari. The material was of heavy stock, a stiff cloth or linen. A stick figure of a man, identical to the icon she had used, was precisely drawn. Beneath the icon the letters "M-A-N" were printed with a draftsman's skill, just as she had presented the icon in her book. Next to the pictograph for a man were drawn two other figures, stick figures stylistically representing another race. One was much shorter than a man, an acute, inverted isosceles triangle for the head, short-legged, and arms extended with membrane wings opened, obviously a representation of a being like Tonto. The other was taller, although still shorter than the man, winged but less apparently different than a human. Beneath the winged icons were markings, evidently letters in the alien language signifying the creatures' name.

[image]

Buccari stared, fascinated. Her drawings, done with pen and straight-edge, seemed awkward and hurried in comparison to the precision of the drawings held in her hand.

"There's two different types!" she whispered.

"Male and female?" MacArthur ventured.

"Wonderful!" she said. "This is history! The first contact with high order extraterrestrial intelligence!"

"Actually the third contact," Quinn yawned. "The ma.s.sacre at Shaula was the first; the second was our fleet getting blown back into hyperlight. This is the third."

"First peaceful contact, then," she corrected, her excitement unabated.

"But that's not all," Quinn said. The commander's energy seemed to increase as his memory replayed the events of their patrol. "At night the plateau...the cliff face is covered with lights. Amazing! And there's a bridge over the river. And MacArthur's valley is an ideal place to build our settlement when the time is right to move." He was babbling in his fatigue.

Buccari looked up at the commander thinking he was delirious, but she noted all four of the patrol members nodding their heads in affirmation, a far-off look in their eyes.

Chapter 20.

Third Planet from the Star-Genellan "We land at Goldmine Station, on the continent of Imperia," Et Avian said. His demeanor had transformed with his departure from Kon, and he wore simple working clothes devoid of badge. Only the golden complexion reminded Doworn.o.bb of the n.o.blekone's untouchable rank. "Goldmine is the only permanent facility on Genellan. Gold is no longer mined, of course, only rare metals."

"Are there no other inhabited sites?" Doworn.o.bb asked.

"There is one, opened only during the summer-a small science station," Et Avian continued, "on Corlia, the other major continent, eh... here. It is called Ocean Station." The n.o.blekone pointed at the chart on the computer terminal. "For the study of planetary science. The other sites were shut down decades, or even centuries ago. The cost to run them was exorbitant. I worked as an engineer at the last industrial site, an offsh.o.r.e platinum extraction facility." He shook his considerable bulk. Et Avian was large for a n.o.blekone. "I was hoping never to be that cold again," he lamented.

Doworn.o.bb was surprised that a n.o.blekone would consent to travel to the frozen planet, much less work there. Prisoners had been sent to die on cruel Genellan in the ancient days, when the ore and fur trades had been profitable. Population pressures on Kon had been eased by the ma.s.sacre of the Invasion and subsequently held under control by rigid breeding laws. As a consequence the planet was self-supporting. Mining the ores and minerals of Genellan had become uneconomical. Other industries, such as fur trapping, had atrophied as a result.

Doworn.o.bb, once he realized that he was going to Genellan, had researched the third planet. Kones, under the auspices of the Imperial Northern Hegemony, maintained a scientific presence on Genellan. It was underfunded and begrudgingly maintained-just enough to protect the imperial property claim from poaching by other, less powerful nations of Kon. Not that any other nation was interested in or capable of doing so.

Three months had elapsed since Doworn.o.bb' s impressments, surprisingly enjoyable. The young scientist ate well, which was important; he no longer had to put up with Director Moth's harangues; and he was able to use the high-performance computers of the Public Safety data network to link with his...o...b..ting telescopes.

Doworn.o.bb looked about the ship cabin. He was one of four specialists on Et Avian's science team charged with searching out the nature of the aliens. Scientist H'Aare, the renowned physicist, and Scientist Mirrtis, a metallurgist, were a.s.signed to learn what they could of the technologies and propulsion systems that allowed the aliens to bridge the stars. Scientist Kateos was a linguist-and a female, which made things difficult. Common females were forbidden to speak publicly. Librarians, medical doctors, and linguists acting as translators were the notable exceptions; research, medicine, language, and translating had become by tradition exclusively female occupations. Other than those specific duties, females were expected to listen and obey. Doworn.o.bb condoned breaches to that convention but only with females he knew well, and only when he was certain no one would be punished. Et Avian insisted gender differences be ignored, as they were among the n.o.bility, which was fine with Doworn.o.bb but not so with the others, particularly the four militia soldiers a.s.signed to protect the team-hard cases all. The transit to Genellan had pa.s.sed slowly, and the female had been predictably ignored.

Their trip had commenced with a gut-crunching blastoff from Kon to a Planetary Defense orbiting station. After a two-day layover, a constant-acceleration shuttle had boosted them on a direct flight to the third planet. Fortunately, Genellan was in optimal position. After depositing their landing module in orbit, the shuttle picked up fuel and a return cargo on the back side of the planet and, using the gravity of Genellan for an energy sling, was already whipping back on its return to Kon.

Reentry to Genellan was nominal. Their module settled onto the station platform, and turbulent deceleration was replaced by the planet's comfortably low gravity. Lander systems whined down; pressurization systems surged and pulsed, causing Doworn.o.bb's sinus pa.s.sages to flutter. A loud thunk thunk signaled the attachment of the umbilical tower, and soon the warmth of the station's environment flowed into the pa.s.senger s.p.a.ces. Doworn.o.bb luxuriated in the satisfying lungfuls of full-pressure air. A crewman signaled to debark. signaled the attachment of the umbilical tower, and soon the warmth of the station's environment flowed into the pa.s.senger s.p.a.ces. Doworn.o.bb luxuriated in the satisfying lungfuls of full-pressure air. A crewman signaled to debark.

As the team crawled down a telescoping access trunk, Doworn.o.bb gawked through a window. Immense distances! Uncomfortable distances! His eyes struggled to focus on faraway images. The air was so clear. The fables were true. Doworn.o.bb felt as if he had magnifying lens over his eyes. He could see forever. "The air is invisible!" he said to no one in particular.

"Because there is almost no air there," Et Avian said.

The newcomers clung to the ports, staring at the magnificent landscape. The colors were starkly defined: a vivid cobalt sky spotted with luminescent clouds. Verdant gra.s.ses swept to ivory-tipped mountains on one side and to the scintillating oceans on the other. Translucent domes arched over their heads, refracting the solar radiance and generating prism images that shifted slowly with the sun, and more rapidly with the position of the viewer.

"Oh, it is so very, very beautiful!" Mistress Kateos gushed. The female immediately realized her error and dropped her head in abject subservience. Everyone stared. There was no excuse for such gross behavior. Mirrtis turned pale and coughed. Even Doworn.o.bb was appalled. H'Aare, standing next to the hapless linguist, crawled quickly away.

"We will have time for sight-seeing later. Let us move on," Et Avian ordered. Luckily, the soldiers were already down the ramp and had not heard the outburst. The n.o.blekone went to the female, picked up one of her bags, and headed down the ramp. Doworn.o.bb watched the unexpected act of forgiveness and impulsively went over and picked up her other bag. He smiled sympathetically at the cowering female and walked off, pretentiously still on his hinds, just as the n.o.blekone had done; adding the extra burden of Mistress Kateos's bag to his own luggage required the full use of his arms, and it was more convenient to remain erect. It felt natural in the light gravity. Doworn.o.bb self-consciously looked backward and noticed the others had fallen back on habit, crawling down the ramp on all fours, their bags carried over their backs or suspended from hooks and pouches at their midsections.

"Solar flares," insisted the managing director of Goldmine. "Solar flares blinded our network during the period. A tenuous object was reported, but we attributed it to solar flares."

Doworn.o.bb looked at Et Avian and received a look in return communicating the n.o.blekone' s opinion of the managing director: a total incompetent.

"Let us move forward," Et Avian continued. "Do you have any data that suggests a landing or an impact with the ground?"

"Or," Doworn.o.bb interrupted, "can you provide orbital parameters?" He turned to Et Avian. "I can do a simulation and run a distribution pattern of most probable impact areas. The orbit would also define areas the aliens would have viewed as likely landing sites." Et Avian cast him a quick glance, at once a reprimand and a thoughtful stare.

"Aliens?" the director asked. "Are you saying aliens landed on Genellan?"

"Of course not!" the n.o.blekone replied. "Scientist Doworn.o.bb uses his own vocabulary. The object of our search is a suspected probe launched by southern mineral poachers. We have been tasked to determine the nature of that probe. Scientist Doworn.o.bb's selection of words runs to the dramatic. Ha-ha-ha."

The director laughed politely. Doworn.o.bb attempted to appear contrite, which he was. He had forgotten the n.o.blekone's instructions. Doworn.o.bb looked around the room, and his eyes were caught by Mistress Kateos. She stared audaciously at him, and he returned the stare, unable to help himself. She slowly averted her eyes, but she had looked into his soul.

The orbital simulation took only a week. A tremendous swathe of debris had been deposited across the lake-pocked terrain of western Corlia. Doworn.o.bb ran the results to Et Avian, who was impatient for action. Summer had only one full month remaining. The weather would quickly become unpredictable after that time, except in one dimension: it would get cruelly colder.

Et Avian received permission for a suborbital launch to Ocean Station, the science facility on Corlia. He transmitted search coordinates and ordered fuel-staging to commence immediately.

The science station was located on the delta of a major river that met the northern sh.o.r.e of a fertile and nearly landlocked equatorial sea-the most temperate area on the planet. On rare occasions in the summer courageous kones even dared to touch bare toes to the frigid ocean waters.

Their suborbital module landed on a wide steel platform without a closed debarkation tower. The travelers were issued rugged suits with pressurized helmets. Fuel tanks carried on their backs were bulky, but the gentle gravity made them manageable. Once attired, the science team clambered down a ladder to a portable platform. From there they descended to the planet's surface. Suited scientists escorted them to a waiting tracked vehicle. After a short, b.u.mpy ride the truck ramp opened to gra.s.s and sunshine. A smallish scientist awaited-without a helmet-his complexion swarthy, his posture erect. The scientist smiled largely at Et Avian and even dared to shake the n.o.blekone' s hand. The visitors were escorted through a st.u.r.dy airlock, at which time they removed their helmets and talked excitedly. Mistress Kateos remained quietly apart, but Doworn.o.bb, fervent with adventure, flashed her a spontaneous smile. She glowed enchantingly with embarra.s.sment.

"Take care of your breathing units," the bareheaded scientist said, his demeanor ebullient and infectious. "We have few spares, and I guarantee you will be uncomfortable without one.

"Welcome to Ocean Station. My name is Et Silmarn. I am Chief Scientist here," he continued. "It is a pleasure to have visitors. Particularly old friends." He nodded fraternally to Et Avian and picked up a breathing unit. So he was also a n.o.blekone. But his complexion was so dark, not the soft gold of the high families. The other scientists displayed the same swarthy coloring.

"Et Avian has briefed me," Et Silmarn continued, "on our our mission. I will be accompanying you to the lakes as one of your pilots. We leave at first light. There is insufficient room inside the station for everyone to eat and sleep, so for tonight you will be camping out. The sooner you acclimate, the better. I mentioned the breathing units. You can breathe the air-what there is of it. A caution: even though the atmosphere is thin, there are high levels of poisonous gases that can make you sick or even kill you, particularly in the seismically active areas or near the great northern herds. mission. I will be accompanying you to the lakes as one of your pilots. We leave at first light. There is insufficient room inside the station for everyone to eat and sleep, so for tonight you will be camping out. The sooner you acclimate, the better. I mentioned the breathing units. You can breathe the air-what there is of it. A caution: even though the atmosphere is thin, there are high levels of poisonous gases that can make you sick or even kill you, particularly in the seismically active areas or near the great northern herds.

"But it is not the toxic gases that will cause you the greatest risk, it is the absence of air pressure. The low gravity that some of you are obviously enjoying"he glanced at Doworn.o.bb who still stood upon his hinds-"results in a low-pressure atmosphere, less than half of what you are used to. There are mountains here of sufficient height that will cause your blood to boil."

He glanced about. "That, of course, would be quite high, but it is theoretically possible. The point is: wear your breathing unit and take care of it. You cannot run out of air, but you can exhaust the fuel for the compressor. A fuel load should last a person in reasonable shape over a week. However, none of you is in decent shape, including your mission leader," he added good-naturedly.

"We will be heading outside. After you put your helmets on, I want you to find the regulation controls on the right side. These b.u.t.tons and dials will control the richness, the pressure, and the temperature of the air. You will also find controls for your helmet speaker, head-up display, and headlamp.

"The next point: it is a very cold place. You have been provided an insulated suit with your breathing unit-a Genellan suit. The breathing unit bleeds heated air into the suit's insulation...the difference between life and death. When we go north, the temperature will drop far below the very coldest spot on Kon. And that is during the day. At night and the farther north we go, the more miserable it will get, and it will get more miserable than your worst nightmare." Et Silmarn scanned his nervous audience.

"Enough bad news. Time for good news. The science and the scenery are why we are here. I want half of you to put on your breathing units. After we have been outside for a few minutes those without units will put them on. Once they have successfully donned their units the others may remove theirs so they may sample the unfiltered and unpressurized air. The lesson: always make sure at least half the group is wearing breathing units. You can share breathing units."

They were herded into the airlock, and its door slid noiselessly shut. H'Aare immediately put on his helmet as did Mirrtis and two of the sullen soldiers. Doworn.o.bb tried to avoid looking at Mistress Kateos, but his eyes disobeyed. She caught his gaze and smiled. Doworn.o.bb felt peculiarly happy to share his adventure on the new planet. He nodded, and neither donned their helmet.

The outer door whooshed whooshed open. The airlock flooded with sunlight and sound. Doworn.o.bb swallowed hard to equalize pressures as a chilly blast of air made his eyes water, but his discomfort was eclipsed by the unadulterated freshness and clearness of native sounds and smells. Oh, the smells! Doworn.o.bb's olfactory glands overloaded with a symphony of fragrance. Such sweetness and body-a cloying sensation surged through his extensive sinus network. He sniffled. Such sights! They were surrounded by verdant forests domed with bright blue skies; and tall on the northern horizon, razor sharp in the clear air, a jagged line of snowcapped mountains rambled into the distance. open. The airlock flooded with sunlight and sound. Doworn.o.bb swallowed hard to equalize pressures as a chilly blast of air made his eyes water, but his discomfort was eclipsed by the unadulterated freshness and clearness of native sounds and smells. Oh, the smells! Doworn.o.bb's olfactory glands overloaded with a symphony of fragrance. Such sweetness and body-a cloying sensation surged through his extensive sinus network. He sniffled. Such sights! They were surrounded by verdant forests domed with bright blue skies; and tall on the northern horizon, razor sharp in the clear air, a jagged line of snowcapped mountains rambled into the distance.

The kones milled onto the tree-dotted sward surrounding the station. Red birds and yellow hopped and fluttered on an emerald lawn, chittering and warbling. A bareheaded scientist scattered seeds and crumbs across the gra.s.s, and dozens of other birds converged, dropping from the trees. Mistress Kateos moved quickly to the activity and stared, enraptured at the abundance of color and sound. She glanced at Doworn.o.bb and smiled like a child. Doworn.o.bb could not help himself and returned the innocent expression. He felt light-headed but was not certain that it was due to lack of carbon-oxygen compounds.

Et Silmarn continued his lecture. The newcomers listened, the distractions of the scenery albeit difficult to overcome. Doworn.o.bb, disquietingly happy with the attentions of Mistress Kateos, tried to inhale the whole world, take in the bright colors, and hear the shifting blend of gentle sounds, but after several minutes another sensation overflowed the others. It started as a tickling between his eyes and quickly became an irrepressible imperative welling up from the back of his head. To no avail, he tried to stifle the explosions. One after another, colossal sneezes erupted from deep within his ma.s.sive body. Embarra.s.sed, he realized others were also sneezing.

"A signal to put on your breathing unit," Et Silmarn advised. "Pollen. You will get used to it."

Doworn.o.bb looked at Kateos, her face flushed and wide-eyed. She returned his glance, eyes laughing. As they put their helmets on they took a lasting look at each other, excited with the delightful experience they had shared.

Chapter 21.

Evidence No one slept well, wearing a helmet. Haggard and weary as they were in the predawn, they were all enchanted with the vast array of luminous patches and extremely bright individual stars pulsing from moonless morning skies, so different from the muddy nights of Kon. Their revelry was brief, the bracing chill of the air all too real. Headlamps were pointed to the job at hand, and the explorers-to-be broke down tents and packed up camp gear. The end of summer was nearly upon them.

As the sleepy scientists stumbled and shivered down the dark pathway toward the station, brilliant banks of arc lights rippled on, spreading a stark glare. A pair of aircraft sat at on the matting, reflecting the artificial light from their polished, white-painted flanks. Squatting on low-pressure tires, the st.u.r.dy craft had stubby fuselages and drooping wings mounted high to facilitate downward surveillance. The aft portion of each fuselage split and tapered into twin booms with a connecting elevator mounted high above the ground. A single large engine nacelle with vectorable ducting was mounted over the wing spars.

"Stow your gear in the aircraft," Et Silmarn ordered. "We call them abats." abats."

After a startlingly animated discussion between Et Avian and the corporal of the militia guard, the team was split, with Et Avian, Kateos, Doworn.o.bb, and two soldiers in one of the craft and the rest of the team in the other. Et Silmarn was to pilot Et Avian's plane, and Scientist Lollee, another station engineer, was a.s.signed to pilot the other craft.

"Abats?" Doworn.o.bb asked Et Avian. "Is that not a mythical bird of prey?" Doworn.o.bb asked Et Avian. "Is that not a mythical bird of prey?"

The n.o.blekone nodded. "It also is the name we have given to a bird species on this planet. We will talk about real abats later. See, the sun rises." The sunrise, through layers of clouds, was extravagant; golden rays spiked with orange and coral forged unevenly into the eroding deep blues and purples of the retreating night.

With the glorious sunrise at their back, the loaded aircraft revved engines to high rpm and released brakes. Each sprang forward, rolling from the matting and onto a gra.s.sy strip before lifting clumsily into the air. The second plane fell into trail position, and both planes banked sharply to the north, toward the mountain pa.s.ses. Doworn.o.bb sat, glued to the window, watching the jagged, snowcapped peaks drift by, some just off their wing tips.

"I want you to work together," Et Avian said, interrupting Doworn.o.bb from his sight-seeing trance. Mistress Kateos sat to his left. Doworn.o.bb avoided looking at the female, for she was constantly staring at him. He noticed the soldiers listening, their contempt clearly evident.

"Yes, Your Excellency," Doworn.o.bb said.

"This will require you to communicate," Et Avian continued, looking intently into each of their helmet-shrouded faces. "Yes, Your Excellency," Doworn.o.bb repeated. "Communicating means two-way communications, talking and listening, each in their proper turn," Et Avian said.

The n.o.blekone was certainly driving his point. Doworn.o.bb wondered how to respond. "Yes, Your Excellency," was the best he could do. The n.o.blekone glared at Doworn.o.bb. He looked over to the female and then back to Doworn.o.bb. His huge eyes rolled in his great head.

"Mistress Kateos," he said firmly, still looking at Doworn.o.bb. "I am sorry. I had hoped we might surmount this situation with our departure from Kon. Konish males seem incapable of breaking our mindless conventions. You must help them. Introduce yourself to Master Doworn.o.bb. Inform him of your needs and skills. We will be flying to the search area for the next two days, and it would be time better spent if you were to develop an understanding of each other's mission."

"Yes, Your Excellency," Kateos said, chin up. "I understand. I will endeavor to make Master Doworn.o.bb appreciate my contribution to the team."

"Very good," Et Avian said, turning his attention to the soldiers. "I will leave you alone, for I have business with Corporal Longo." The n.o.blekone moved across the narrow aisle to engage the lead corporal. Doworn.o.bb knew that Et Avian had wanted all the guards on one plane and the technical team on the other. The lead corporal, Longo by name, had bluntly refused, maintaining his orders were to watch over everyone; separating the groups would make it impossible for him to carry out his orders. Doworn.o.bb had to agree with the logic, but something was amiss.

"I speak eight languages, Master Doworn.o.bb," Kateos said proudly.

Such vanity, Doworn.o.bb thought. "I did not know there were that many different tongues on Kon," he replied awkwardly.

"Oh, there are at least twenty modern languages and ten times as many dialects. The north is more h.o.m.ogeneous, because of its history of totalitarian regimes. After the Great Ma.s.sacre the rulers of the north consolidated many isolated tribes and suppressed their languages. Some were simply killed off. The southern regions never succ.u.mbed to the genocidal tyranny of the north."

Doworn.o.bb looked up anxiously. The scientist was himself inclined to talk obliquely about the inadequacies of government, but he knew where to draw the line, particularly when talking to strangers. The female was talking treason.

"I have been all over the planet working as a translator for the Minister of Internal Affairs. Ironically, as long as I am translating the silly words of some pompous official, my voice is received and welcomed. I am frequently requested by name to act as the official interpreter for opposing leaders." She talked rapidly, as if unburdening herself, a dam broken.

"Oh," Doworn.o.bb ventured nervously.