“Our original group knows the full story, of course. That includes those subordinates we have co-opted.” Among them were the entire crew of the watchship Lomonosov, most of them newly assigned, which had gone ahead to wait at the Phoebean T machine for Chinook to arrive. They were either veterans of Makarov’s, who entered space service after the wars but remained devoted to their old leader, or else technically trained covert agents of his. Quick had had to admire how swiftly the premier arranged this when appealed to. The Astronautical Control Board had been grateful to have the arrangement made on its behalf, especially at such short notice. Now Bohr need not leave her station to escort the vessel of wanted men off to detention.
“I had the crew of the Dyson interviewed by a psychological team. The pretext, which the psychologists themselves bought, was trying to find out how spacemen react to peculiar occurrences. Apparently none of them suspect the truth, though they do wonder about the incident. No serious problem, I’d say.”
Dyson was the watchship at the Solar portal when Emissary returned to the Phoebean System. Quick almost wished he had a God to thank, that Tom Archer, captain of Faraday, guardian craft at the other end of the gate, was smart as well as loyal. He’d sent a pilot fish ahead, asking Dyson to come through and lend emergency assistance; then he shepherded Emissary in the opposite direction.
Finding no one at the Solar System exit, as he had hoped, he instantly led his captive off to a safe distance and got in touch with Quick. By the time Dyson returned, the minister had a message ready for the puzzled captain –
apologies and all that, but it had suddenly proved necessary to transfer a certain load in secrecy, for it was not the kind of thing that extremist elements on Earth or Demeter ought to know about.
“Faraday is much more difficult, but I needn’t repeat that, need I?”
Archer and his mate were sworn to the cause, but it had not been feasible to hand-pick the rest of that crew. Those persons had inevitably rejoiced at the reappearance of Emissary and had made a fuss over leading her into quarantine not as a public health precaution but as if she were an enemy. After consultation with his masters, the captain told his men, in effect, “It turns out she may really have brought back something dangerous – maybe not, but the government wants to investigate thoroughly and cautiously, and meanwhile does not want public hysteria. So to make dead sure of preserving security, we’re off to Hades on a scientific assignment.” Fast and versatile, watchships often did Side 103
Anderson, Poul – Avatar, The serve as exploratory vessels; and the outermost world in the Phoebean System did have curious features about which the planetologists would like to know more.
“Yes, this will keep you from the families and friends you expected to see before long, but orders are orders. They’ll be reassured we’re all right. And we’ll collect fat pay for the extra duty, remember that.” Faraday would not stay out there forever.
“Troxell and his agents may be a larger hazard still,” Quick proceeded.
“No matter how carefully we chose them, they’ve been exposed for weeks on end to some damnably persuasive prostellar arguments. If one or two of them should be converted, they could ruin us the same day they set foot back on Earth.
“Those are the obvious people to worry about. We have plenty of less obvious. They run the whole gamut from my assistant Chauveau or Zoe Palamas, for example, whom I’ve fed forebodings about incipient rebellion on Demeter, down to technicians in space stations who were asked to locate Chinook and transmit the command to her that she return home.
“Sir, the situation is precarious and worsening. I’m less and less able to stay on top of it by myself. I must have strong help. Of our whole group, you can best supply that.”
Makarov stubbed his cigarette viciously before he sent it down the ashtaker and reached for another. “What would you have me do, this exact hour?”