Kai looked at the screen for a long moment, not seeing its display. “We’re here. We have equipment again. We still haven’t finished our original mission. It’s better to be busy than sit around idly speculating on what we can’t change and better not interfere with. Margit and Dimenon, you two get back to your camp and continue the survey. At least we don’t have outside interference to upset Portegin’s screen. Triv, what’s your option?”
“I’d like to strike north, past the last point we surveyed. There’s quite a volcanic chain north and east that might be very interesting geologically.”
“Good. Will you take Bonnard along as your partner?”
“Be delighted.”
“Lunzie,” Kai turned to the medic, “have you plans for the rest of the day?”
She shook her head.
“Would you pilot Trizein?”
“You’ll be base manager? That’s perhaps a good idea.”
“I rather thought you’d approve.” He grinned at her.
“Well, you look a shade better, but I wouldn’t like to see you overextend yourself without a damned good reason.” She strode out of the shuttle.
127
Anne McCaffrey – Dinosaur Planet II – The Survivors CHAPTER SIXTEEN
With a great deal of good-natured bustle and confusion the teams departed on their diverse errands.
“In case you’ve wondered, Kai,” Lunzie found time to tell him quietly, “Dupaynil and I had a few interesting words with Cruss by com.” A mirthless smile crossed her lips. “Dupaynil has assumed a Paskutti-Tardma grandson identity and I opted for Bakkun-Berru. Cruss’s present objective is to smuggle a few of his people off the transport and onto this world. He hints at great connections and substantial rewards for cooperation. Dupaynil is playing coy and I’m plainly suspicious. I’ll keep you informed.”
The prospect of heavyworlders enjoying even the most tenuous occupancy on Ireta was unsettling to Kai. He had never been a vindictive person, being basically fair-minded and tolerant but he found himself contemplating Cruss’s subversive tactics with an emotion bordering on fury.
He wished he had gone with Dupaynil to bait the trap but his anger would have betrayed him. He also took a profound pleasure in the knowledge that Cruss was incriminating himself further.
Kai tried to tell himself that such negative emotions were undisciplined and he should purge them from his system. Then he realized, and laughed at the realization, that, however unsociable hatred was, it stirred the blood as well as the imagination. He was certain that he had felt his fingertips that morning when he had applied the salve. More likely the progress was due to the efficacy of the new medication, rather than regeneration due to indignant wrath. He flexed his fingers inside the skin-gloves, which he could not yet feel against his skin. In one sense that was to the good, for he could use his hands in normal fashion.
As Kai made his way across the amphitheater to the shuttle, he found the unpopulated campsite eerie. On the other hand, he would have few distractions while he organized the information on the finds Dimenon and Margit had made the previous day—a rich source of metals as well as transuranics the heavyworlders would have acquired had their takeover not been challenged!
No sooner had he reached the shuttle’s iris airlock than he heard the frantic buzz of the comunit.
He raced to the pilot’s compartment, and slammed on the transmit toggle so hard he could feel it jar his hand.
“Zaid-Dayan to EV Base!” the signal flashed. Then the screen displayed the control deck of the Zaid-Dayan, and Commander Sassinak. “I was beginning to think that you’d all left the compound.
Kai, have you transport? We have a large Thek convoy approaching and requesting landing permission. Their message was first directed toward the giff cave beacon.”
“Ah,” Kai said, recalling a significant oversight, “we forgot to dismantle Portegin’s beacon from the giff cave.”
“No real harm done.” But Sassiness’ grin suggested that Varian had been quite surprised to have had to communicate with laconic Thek.
“Is Tor among the incoming?”
“They have not identified themselves.”
“I’ve no transport here.”
“The pinnace is on its way.”
Kai had recorded messages on the comunit for anyone calling in to base and checked the perimeter of the encampment for gaps in the screen before he heard the supersonic bang of the 128