105
Anne McCaffrey – Dinosaur Planet II – The Survivors
“Wefts?” Kai was surprised. Wefts were enigmatic shape-changing morphs of unusual abilities.
No humanoid of any variety had ever emerged victorious from combat against a Weft.
“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 Sassiness’ 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 heavyworlders, 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 dips 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 heavyworlders 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 play back 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. It survived. He sent a message. 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.
“Heavyworld equipment for Heavyworld 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 heavyworlders 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.
106
Anne McCaffrey – Dinosaur Planet II – The Survivors
“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—”