Varian felt a shudder of distaste and revulsion.
“Don’t discount them,” Lunzie said. “Predators can display intelligence, too, you know. Look at us! I grant you that the fringes don’t have the intrinsic appeal of your giffs, but the more weight you can plump into your investigations, the more chance you have of protecting the giffs. If only by default.” Lunzie took another sip of the brandy. “By the way, I accepted an invitation to dine with Sassinak tomorrow evening. You and Kai are included.” Lunzie’s expression turned serious again.
“I’m hoping that Mayerd’s more sophisticated diagnostic unit can analyze that fringe toxin and come up with a purge to flush the toxin out of Kai’s system. And a nerve regenerator. Oh, the toxin will dissipate in time … but he’s needed now, in proper working condition.” To that Varian solemnly lifted her glass and drank. “I figure you’ll just about make it to your bed before that brandy immobilizes you.”
Lunzie proved correct, and the sound night’s sleep improved Varian’s out look. Her mind was clear and she felt able to combat—well, fang-faces, if necessary. Kai had more color in his face when he and Portegin joined her for breakfast, discussing priorities for Portegin’s skills: the new core screen or completing repairs to the shuttle’s damaged console.
“We’ve communications capability, and I can rig up a remote outside here,” Portegin was saying.
“It won’t take me that much longer,” then he turned with an apologetic grin to Varian, “though I do need a few more matrices and more weld-wire, two number-four—”
“Put it on a list!” Varian said with a mock resignation.
“I did,” and there was nothing sheepish about the speed with which Portegin handed over his
‘few’ requirements, “and then we can communicate directly with the ARCT-10 when, as, and if it makes its long overdue appearance.”
“Dimenon and I want to know if the Thek really are squatting on the sites of the old cores. He remembers some of the coordinates but what we sank were so near to some of the older ones, we can’t be sure unless we have a screen.”
“Why would they go after theirs? It’s more logical to go after ours, isn’t it?” Portegin asked with some exasperation.
“Thek logic remains obscure to us poor mortals,” Lunzie said, “but I’d prefer to be in communication with as many entities as possible … the ones that have the courtesy to answer.”
102
Anne McCaffrey – Dinosaur Planet II – The Survivors Kai turned to Lunzie in considerable annoyance. “Can’t you see, Lunzie, how important it might be for me to be here today? What can the cruiser’s diagnostic unit do for me that Godheir’s can’t discuss with it?”
“Because we now have a sample of fringe to serve into the diagnostic unit, and Mayerd’s a specialist in planetary exotic toxins, and the sooner we get the poison flushed out of your system, the sooner you can get out of that padded suit and operate on normal channels! Do I make myself plain? Besides,” and she tossed her hand up, “Sassinak wants you there this morning at 0900. It won’t take you that much longer to go through a diagnosis again, now to that, Kai had to agree.
“Then let’s go. Kai, will you be recorder for me?” Varian asked briskly as she looped the bag containing all the reports over her shoulder. “Then I can make use of the journey time.” A little reminder to Kai that he wasn’t the only one to have his plans altered might help. “If you could get our usual escort on tape,” she said as they settled themselves in the battered two-man sled. “I really must see if the nose can be repaired.”
With cautious and studied movements, Kai got into the sled and strapped himself in. His padded jumpsuit was of a softer than regulation fabric, padded on shin, thigh, calf, elbow and forearm, with skin-gloves, to prevent inadvertent injury. Then he pulled the recorder toward him to check its load and sighted for focus and available light. As he completed these preparations, Varian noticed that his eyes were deeply shadowed, a strange contrast to the white flesh about the puncture marks.