Then he wa there! Inside the battle cruiser.
`Sir,’ a loud voice shouted, slightly muffled by the capsule, `transport and drone are now aboard.’ `Well, well, open up the carrier, man!’ The hatch was cracked and the first thing Thian noted was that the air was tainted. The first thing he did was sneeze, which mortified him.
`Canned air has that effect, sir,’ said the unIformed rating who looked in on him. `You’ll get used to it, Mr Lyon.’ The grin that followed that warning belied the sentiment.
9’ Mur was convulsed with the equivalent of a `Dini sneeze while Dip seemed to be gagging.
BE EASY, Thian clacked encouragingly and, pulling the harness release, reached over to extricate Mur from its belt and pull it to a more upright position. Mur managed a wheeze of gratitude and, in turn, assisted Dip.
`Mr Lyon, sir, care to join us?’ and a second figure bent down to peer in the open hatch. The face that peered in was young, with that indefinable stamp of perpetual youth that some men seem to retain: regular but undistinguished features, pale blue eyes, fresh complexion and only the hint of down on the upper lip.
`I’m helping my `Dinis,’ Thian said, somewhat relieved as he decided he looked older than his welcomer. Dark hair and heavy eyebrows produced unexpected results. `Ah, we’re coming.’ `You were able to bring `Dinis, then. By Jove, that is good news,’ said this second individual who moved back as Thian swung himself out. `Welcome aboard, Mr Lyon,’ and Thian was surprised at the crisp salute accorded him. He grinned in return, and then offered his hand. `Lieutenant Ridvan AusterKiely, sir.’ Thian decided that one could be over-sirred but it was only good naval protocol.
Mur was hiccuping in spasms now and Thian felt the first twinge of concern. When Thian touched Mur’s sloping forearm, the fur felt very dry. Dehydration! Not good for the `Dinis who daily consumed quantities of liquid. Thian excused himself to the lieutenant and `ported both `Dinis out of the capsule, bracing Mur against his leg until it had cleared its air passage.
`Mur should be all right in a moment,’ Thian said with more authority than he felt. `This is Dip,’ he added and handed Dip a clean cloth to mop its poll eye which was streaming, another form of `Dini reaction to poor air quality and excessive dryness.
He had to blink rather furiously himself to clear his own eyes.
`Yeah,’ drawled the lieutenant, `it gets to you if you aren’t used to it. Would a puff of the pure do any good?’ `The pure?’ Thian wasn’t certain he had heard correctly because there was a lot of noise and exclamations from the seamen crowding around the supply drone so he `reached’ for an explanation.
`Oh, oxygen.’ Then Thian wondered if his lapse had been noticed but the lieutenant didn’t react, just kept looking at the gasping and hiccuping `These guys are small,’ he said, trying not to be impolite with his interest in them.
`Humans have different growth patterns. `Dinis do it slower.’ `Oh? Can I assist you with your baggage, sir? Get you to your quarters where it’s quieter,’ AusterKiely said, as Mur’s hiccups developed into a distressed pattern that was plainly worrying Dip.
Thian knew he had to get both `Dinis out of the noise, confusion and bad air as fast as possible.
`Excuse me, Lieutenant,’ he said and clutched him by the shoulder just long enough for a quick scan. As Thian had anticipated, the man had a 9Z picture in his mind of where he would be guiding this party.
`I’ll meet you there.’ He gathered Mur and Dip in his arms and `ported them all to the cabin AusterKiely had envisioned.
It was small, but it had what he needed: a bunk on which he deposited Mur in an upright position, propping it with the pillow and sleepsak, before he swung round to the tiny basin, turned the water spigot on to soak the towel he whipped off the rack, and also filled a glass. As he turned back to the bunk, he noticed that the water was an odd off-clear shade and, even a foot away from his nose, he could smell the chemicals used in recycling. But it was moisture. He held it against the appropriate orifice on Mur’s upper torso and watched the liquid being ingested while Mur valiantly struggled to suppress another series of hiccups. When partial success was obvious, Thian refilled the glass and offered it.