The Mystery of Ireta (51 page)

“Yes, as luck would have it, we’ve six groups with us this tour! The others are inside the transport, strategically deployed. In their own flesh.”

Varian and Kai were both impressed and reassured. Varian released the arms of her chair and glanced quickly at Kai to see that he had cautiously splayed his fingers on his thighs, then she devoted her entire attention to Sassinak’s performance on the screen.

As the commander read through the transport ship’s documentation, she tapped the wand through her fingers repeatedly, mimicking a nervous habit.

Just beyond her desk sat the five heavy-worlders, three men and two women with the massive physiques and broad, almost brutish features of their mutation. They wore soiled ship suits and the wide kidney belts that were the fashion of their kind. The clips and buckles were empty of the usual weaponry and tools. Varian tried to tell herself that the facial expressions were not hostile; it was simply that heavy-worlders were not given to needless gestures or expressions even on planets with considerably less gravity than their own. Unfortunately, she could more clearly remember Paskutti and Tardma deliberately and enjoyably injuring her and Kai and needlessly terrorizing two young girls. She could not muster impartiality or neutral detachment.

“Yes, yes, Captain Cruss,” Sassinak was saying, her voice velvety smooth, and almost unctuous, “your papers do seem to be in order, and one cannot fault your chivalry in diverting to investigate a distress call.”

“It was not a distress call,” Cruss said in a heavy, almost hollow voice. “It was a message sent by homing capsule to the
ARCT-10
. As I told you when your ship challenged me yesterday, we found the capsule drifting in space. It had been damaged beyond repair. We were able to playback the message. It was sent by Paskutti. The voice pattern matched that of one of our planetary explorers on contract assignment with the
ARCT-10
. We verified that he had not been heard of in over forty-three years. Naturally it was our duty to investigate.”

“What disaster had overcome this Paskutti?”

“His base camp had been overrun by stampeding herbivores of unusual size. He and five others had escaped with only their lives. Most of their equipment had been damaged beyond repair. A homing capsule is sturdy, and so it survived. He sent a message, but the
ARCT-10
did not receive the capsule for it was damaged just outside this solar system, where we found it. I have brought it to show you.”

With that Captain Cruss deposited a battered shell of metal on her desk with a courtesy that bordered on insolence. The homing capsule had long since lost its propulsion unit and the power pack so that it looked truncated as well as bent. The message core remained, scored and dinged. Sassinak wisely refrained from handling the heavy object.

“How under the seven suns did they manage to mess up a homing capsule like that?” Kai demanded under his breath.

“Heavy-world equipment for heavy-world purposes,” Fordeliton remarked cheerfully.

“And the message, of course, has been recorded in your computer banks,” Sassinak stated.

“
Can
that be done, Kai?” asked Varian.

“Not easily,” Fordeliton replied. “It would depend on how the message was recorded. If our suspicion is correct and there is a broad conspiracy among all the heavy-worlders to take whatever opportunities present themselves, then Paskutti would have constructed the message so that anyone could extract it. Sssh.”

“You are welcome to extract that message from our computer, Commander,” Cruss replied.

“Providential that such a capsule was available to this Paskutti. Possibly the battering it received during the stampede caused its subsequent malfunction.

“You have acted properly, as FSP expects a civilian ship to do when a distress message appears out of the black. However, Captain Cruss, that act of charity does not detract from the fact that this planet is clearly cataloged as unexplored in my computer banks and, as such, not released even for limited colonization. You must understand that I am bound to adhere to FSP strictures in such an instance by standing orders. I have sent a direct signal to Sector Headquarters and no doubt I shall receive orders shortly. Since this is an exceedingly hostile and dangerous world,” and Sassinak permitted herself a delicate shudder, “I must require you, your officers, and any passengers not in cryogenic suspension to remain aboard your vessel—”

Captain Cruss rose from his chair. So did his companions. Sassinak neither flinched nor quivered as the heavy-worlders dwarfed her at her desk.

“Actually,” she continued in her conversational tone of voice, “the shipwrecked personnel seem to have done extremely well in adapting to the hostile environment, even to the commendable work of engineering a grid for their eventual rescue by a passing friendly ship. Most ingenious of them. However, I understand that they would be willing to supply you with fresh vegetable protein and fruit if you desire a change from long-voyage rations. In return, of course, for the usual items of barter.” She smiled. “I hope your water supplies are adequate. The local water is foul-tasting and smells.” With a surly growl and a dismissive flick of his vast hand, Captain Cruss indicated he needed no replenishments. “Very well, then. I’m positive you will wish to continue on your way as soon as we have received clearance for you. The indigenes will have all the help we can give them. You may be sure of that.” Sassinak rose then, to signify the end of the interview.

Varian noticed that she held the wand in her right hand, tapping it carelessly against the palm of the left. When Cruss made a motion to reclaim the capsule, she lowered the wand to forestall the attempt, not quite touching his wrist.

“I think that had better remain. Sector will wish to discover why it did not reach its intended destination. Can’t have our emergency devices malfunctioning.”

What Cruss might have done, Varian didn’t know, but abruptly Wefts appeared, one by each of the heavy-worlders. Varian noted with pleasure that the usual heavy-worlder sneers quickly altered to alarm. Cruss wheeled and stamped out. The others followed and the escort closed in behind them.

As soon as the door had slid shut, Sassinak swiveled her chair and looked directly at them. Fordeliton made an adjustment on the console and Sassinak smiled.

“Did you two catch the entire act?” She raised one hand to massage her neck muscles.

“Your timing was as usual superb, Commander,” Fordeliton said.

“They had the contingencies covered, all right enough, including documentation to that heavy-worlder colony two systems down. Unless I am mistaken, and I want you to check it out, Ford, that world has reached its colonial quota. Varian, were all your records destroyed?”

“If you mean, do we have the homing capsule serial number on file, yes, it’s probably in the shuttle’s memory banks. We can retrieve it once Portegin has the shuttle’s console fully operational. But
that
capsule was stolen from our stores
before
the stampede . . .”

“Did you mention that fact in the report I hope you have for me?”

“
I
did—” Varian glanced at Kai for his answer.

“I did, too. Commander?”

“Yes?”

“Do you believe that they detoured here to answer a shipwreck message?”

“I would have had no reason to doubt it, would I, if you weren’t alive to give a conflicting account. They have, I do believe,” and Sassinak’s smile was smugly malicious, “hoisted themselves on their own petards in this case since you can prove the complicity. They don’t know that you lived—”

“Aygar does.” Kai’s voice was harsh.

“Do you think we’ve allowed Aygar and his friends to communicate with the colonists? Come, come, Leader Kai. I shall permit no intercourse between the two groups, and the surviving mutineer is in maximum security on this vessel. Would he recognize you?”

Varian answered. “When I encountered Tanegli, at first he thought I was from the colony ship. When I told him that I was part of a rescue team, he couldn’t wait to get rid of me. On the other hand, he wouldn’t be expecting to see Varian. For him a long time has elapsed.”

“Yes, so it has,” Sassinak mused, a slight smile on her face. “It really doesn’t do for the heavy-worlders to get so arrogant and presumptuous with us light-weights, does it?” Sassinak leaned forward, her expression sad. “The irony of these instances is that those who struggled to pave a way would have found themselves discarded by such as Cruss, castaway entirely, once their purpose had been served—I wonder if Tanegli and his fellow mutineers ever considered that possibility. Of course,” and a complacent smile bowed the commander’s mouth, “your survival is as unexpected as my arrival. Not to mention the interest the Thek are evincing in Ireta—can you explain that for me, Kai?”

“No, Commander. I haven’t been able to get any of them to speak to me. My personal contact, the one called Tor, is not among them. May I have access to your computer on the subject of Thek? I want to check other occurrences of such numbers descending on a planet. They seem to be settling on the points where we discovered existing cores.”

“Existing cores?” Sassinak was surprised. “According to Fleet records, this planet has never been explored.”

“That was our understanding, too, Commander,” Kai’s tone was dry. “Nevertheless, my geology team found cores of extreme antiquity in place.”

“Fascinating. I can only hope that we shall be enlightened in due course.”

“Commander Sassinak,” Kai began more formally, “does your presence here constitute the relief of the
ARCT-10
expeditionary team?”

“How could it, my dear Kai?” Sassinak grinned. “I didn’t know you existed. My jurisdiction begins and ends with that transport out there. You were, and still are, an authorized exploration team to Ireta. As Varian has reminded me, that makes you both governors
pro-tem
on Ireta. Since your EV has not collected you in the time allotted for your explorations, in FSP law that makes you shipwrecked—stranded, if you prefer. And it is standard Fleet procedure to give all aid and assistance to stranded personnel. Have I made my position plain?”

“Indeed, you have.”

“Will I see you both at dinner this evening?”

“You will, Commander, and our thanks for the invitation.”

“It isn’t often that representatives of two generations four times removed get a chance to meet, is it? Even in this crazy universe!” Sassinak was smiling as she broke the connection.

“Do you need any supplies urgently, Governors?” Fordeliton asked with a grin. Kai and Varian tendered their lists. “Good, then, I can escort Kai to Mayerd’s clutches and take Varian on to the quartermaster. Mayerd’s very good, you know,” Fordeliton went on easily as he preceded them through the confusing maze of corridors. “Loves nothing better than a medical puzzle. So much space medicine is fairly cut and dried—if you’ll forgive the puns. She’s always writing obscure essays for the
Space Medical Journal
. This is our first planetfall in four months. Too bad the planet stinks so. We could use shore leave.”

“The first forty years are the hardest,” Kai remarked.

Fordeliton paused before the sick-bay entrance, and Kai, with a grimace, waved them a jaunty farewell.

11

V
ARIAN
and Fordeliton had swung down the corridor toward the quartermaster section when Aygar and two of the group from the camp meeting came down another access hall. Aygar gave Varian only a brief nod of acknowledgment. All three wore the brief Iretan costume adopted by the native-born, now enhanced by forcebelts, stunners, and clips. Varian decided the Iretans were really much more attractive as human derivatives than the heavy-world adaptations.

After she had filled her list, with the exception of the nose plugs which the quartermaster felt would be her most pressing need, Varian was asking for help to convey her booty to the sled, when Fordeliton’s caller sounded.

“A moment, Varian, this concerns you, too. Commander Sassinak’s compliments, and can we join her immediately? Crewman, secure those supplies in Governor Varian’s sled.”

Varian was surprised to find Kai, the medic Mayerd, and Florasse, Tanegli’s daughter—whom she had met when barriered as Rianav. While she was being introduced, Aygar was admitted.

Then the commander activated the main screen. “This report has just arrived from the southwest, from the geologist Dimenon. He thought we should know about this development.”

“That’s the site of Dimenon’s last strike,” Kai said when he recognized the terrain.

“And the current habitat of twenty-three small Thek if my tally is correct,” Sassinak added with wayward amusement. “Now watch the edges of the picture.”

Even as she spoke, Kai let out an inadvertent gasp of horror and revulsion. He held both hands out in front of him as the fringes advanced in their inimitable close-stretch propulsion, heading directly toward the sedentary Thek.

“Those critters are in for a big surprise, Governor,” Sassinak remarked.

Nonetheless, Kai sucked in his breath and arched his body backward, as the first fringe spread to envelop a Thek. Varian was not the only one more interested in Kai’s reactions than what was occurring on the screen. Mayerd was discreetly watching him. The fringe had been attracted by a lethal entity, for its sides began to melt and, before the creature could desist, it had been reduced to its crumpled cartilaginous framework. The other fringes met the same fate. Then, as the fascinated observers watched, fringes that had not deployed on their intended victims began to slow their advance, and came to fluttering halts.

“Varian, have you done much investigation of these—what did you call them, Aygar?” Sassinak asked.

“Fringes.” Aygar’s single word broke Kai’s transfixed gaze from the screen to the Iretan’s presence.

“Young Terilla named them that,” Kai said in a flat cold voice, turning away from Aygar.

The big Iretan made no comment, inclining his head briefly. “Whatever those black pyramids are—”

“Thek!” Kai was almost surly.

“The fringes have met their match, then, in these Thek. Do they generate much heat?”