`Anything you say, Captain. Did you want me to `port them aboard?’ Osullivan cleared his throat and Rojer `heard’ that the captain had overlooked that possibility. `Ahem, yes, that would save hours of time and a good deal of fuel that we might urgently require in the near future.’ `That’s why I’m here, sir.’ Rojer saw amusement on faces about the table and `felt’ a generally benign acceptance of him.
The general opinion was that the `kid’ was being very useful.
The next day Rojer was more fluent in his account of all that had happened since the last official bulletin had reached the three ships of B Squadron. Captain Prtglm was as large and charcoal grey a `Dini’ as befitted its name. It was also the most fluent speaker of Basic that Rojer had encountered, even more so than his parents’ friends, so, although he used more technical language and emphasized certain phrases with body movements, he knew the captain of the KTTS understood every word he said.
`I doubt not that squadron approaches a Hive held system, Prtglm said, nodding its poll eye politely towards Rojer when he had finished.
Then Prtglm added a gentle tlock. `Captains do not agree with whole mind but Prtglm is old captain. Longly pursued Hivers. Have also brought new device for early viewing. Not sensitive to sensors.
It gestured for one of its aides to bring over and unwrap a warty-looking object which had the sheen of plastic, even about the obvious jet mouths that ringed one end of it.
With eager excitement, Commander Metrios and the Arapahoe’s engineering officer leaned across the wide table to examine it and then looked at Prtglm for explanation.
`Hive sensors read metal. No metal in this probe.
Undetected is. Good look round gets.’ Captain Prtglm emitted the rasping noise of `Dini laughter and, when the aide who had unwrapped the `probe’ spoke in a spate of `Dini too fast for anyone but Rojer to translate, all the `Dinis had a good rasp over that, to0: even Gil and Kat joined in; more in courtesy, Rojer hoped.
He pretended to look puzzled. The substance of the remark was that,’ `Dinis now had an instrument that would provide even humans with as long a look ,as was required to be sure of what to do Thian had mentioned something about the dichotomy of human and `Dini attitudes as far as aggressive or offensive action was concerned, so Rojer wasn’t as upset about such subtle censure as he might have been. Someone who hadn’t lived with `Dinis all his life might take umbrage at the subtle insult of such a remark.
`A totally plastic probe, huh?’ Captain Osullivan said. `Compact, and looking like a meteor or an asteroid. Just the sort of debris that litters space.
But have we ascertained whether or not this system has an asteroid belt?’ `All space has floating and flying objects of no definite description,’ Prtglm said, stiffening its bottle neck.
`The captain would certainly be correct in that, sir,’ the Genesee’s astrogator replied, smiling at Prtglm and signing approval and respect.
`I meant no disrespect, honoured Prtglm,’ Osullivan said suavely and inclined his body in apologetic movements.
`I’d worry about ion trails, sir,’ Commander Metrios said.
`Those’d be picked up `What if it left no ion trail?’ Rojer put in. `I mean, it doesn’t have to go there, I could send it. No trails then.’ Slowly, with obvious elements of disbelief in its turn, Prtglm swivelled its poll eye down to Rojer, and blinked.
RESPECTFULLY, LARGE HONOURED PRTGLM, RJR IS
ONE OF THOSE WHO CAN PUT THINGS AND PEOPLE
WHERE THEY ARE NEEDED. SEND MESSAGES TO DISTANT MINDS. Then Rojer made a most obsequious bow. Beside him, Gil made a barely audible click of approval.
Prtglm had ignored Gil and Kat from the moment it stepped into the ready room. So had the rest of its contingent because all the `Dinis knew that had immediately identified Rojer’s friends as younglings with few hibernations.
THIS IS THE HUMAN TALENT RJR LN, Captain Osullivan added quickly.
THIS SHIP IS ALREADY INDEBTED TO HIM FOR NEWS AND FOOD SUPPLIES, AND THOSE SUPPLIES FORWARDED TO THE KTTS.