In fact, he whispered only twice: once to suggest that they eat down here with the other diligent puzzlepiece workers and the second time to ask if perhaps the `Dinis wouldn’t like tripods. He knew there were some available for when Captain Smelkoff had had `Dini experts on board.
For a short while, Rojer wrestled with his conscience: whether or not to tell Chief Firr of Thian `5
new finds. Wandering around the edge of the immense table on which facsimiles .of the pieces were placed – much the same way Xexo had set up his display – Rojer found the ones he thought were sections of the whole he and Xexo had been working with.
He asked Bhuto to point out the chief, if he was present, and when Bhuto did, without saying a word, Rojer accosted the man, a stocky man with a big, red-veined nose.
`Sir, I’m…’ `And a good day to you, Mr Lyon,’ was the affable reply. `My compliments on your hoist yesterday.
Glad to see the last of it. It’s safe now?’ `At Heinlein Base on Earth moon.’ The chief scowled. `Wouldn’t like it in my sky, I can tell you. What can I do for you, Mr Lyon? I perceive that you may also be a compulsive jigger or you wouldn’t’ve hung around so long.
Know that look. What do you think of our set-up? Impressive?’ And the chief peered up at Rojer, projecting a wish for praise.
`It’s a splendid set-up: easy access to all the main and peripheral parts,’ and Rojer knew he was sounding just like Xexo but it seemed to gratify the chief. `Ensign Bhuto–’ and an odd expression flashed across the chief’s face which Rojer interpreted as meaning the chief found the ensign tiresome, `aid that you’ve machined all these pieces.’ `I have indeed, Mr Lyon `I’ve the specifications of some new additions.. ` Before he could complete his sentence, the chief had him by the arm and was propelling him to an alcove where the parts programmer was installed.
`So… `the chief said, turning it on and holding his fingers expectantly over the keys.
`Rounds,’ Rojer said and the chief’s fingers keyed the basic shape in. `In these dimensions and Rojer rattled them off. Like most of his family he had an eidetic memory.
When the chief had finished the programming and the items had dropped into the basket, he made a grand show of adding them to the table, announcing that these were Mr Lyon’s contribution and what said they?
Rojer felt himself blushing at the cheer that issued from nearly thirty throats and hid his embarrassment by picking up the first piece to see if he. could make a match.
Much later in the ship’s day, his father extracted him from Cargo 3 to bring in three supply drones.
Rojer remembered the ensign’s comment and saved a net of assorted fruits. The young man’s gratitude was touching and Rojer realized that his talk was as much nerves as anything and Bhuto really needed understanding and reassurance. Those Rojer could project whenever they were together, and not necessarily in Cargo 3. Perhaps only Rojer noticed the decrease in verbiage. Or was it only because Bhuto would take Gil and Kat to one side and improve his `Dini intonations and vocabulary. Evidently as long as Bhuto maintained silence, he could remain in the cargo hold so Rojer, too, was able to indulge his obsession.
A second compulsive Hive-oriented preoccupation had begun at Heinlein Base. All over the alliance, viewers waited to see the Queen emerge from her escape pod. A special channel was devoted to Queen watching, with experts giving learned discussions on what she must be doing inside the pod (making sensible investigations of her new location?); when she could be expected to emerge (a matter which now involved thousands, even millions, of credits from the speculators); what she looked like – but this was based on the partial remains that had been gathered from the nova wreckage and other detritus (large and insectoid with useful mandibles). Some earlier estimates had to be considerably revised on the basis of the size of the escape pod.
Granted, considerable space would be taken up by its life support, guidance and propulsion units. No weapon apertures had been discerned but weapons on an escape pod were considered unlikely. Of equal interest to a sight of the Queen was a look into the pod itself, to examine it inside out in minutest detail and subject the vehicle to most intense analysis. The hull sheathing was of particular interest.