Going out of the hall he drew up his hood–by now it would be beginning to rain. But it wasn’t.
Chapter NINE
MacAran had already seen what a couple of rainless and snowless nights could do on this planet. The garden areas blossomed with vegetation, and flowers, mostly the small orange ones, covered the ground everywhere. The four moons came out in their glory from before sunset until well after sunrise, turning the sky into a flood of lilac brilliance.
The woods were dry, and they began to worry about keeping a firewatch. Within a few miles of the encampment, Moray got the idea of rigging lightning-rods to each of the hilltops, each anchored to an enormously tall tree. It might not prevent fire in the event of a serious storm, but might lessen the dangers somewhat.
And above them on the heights, the great bell-shaped golden flowers opened wide, their sweet-scented pollen drifting in the upper slopes. It had not reached the valleys.
Not yet…
After a week of snowless evenings, moonlit nights and warm. days–warm by the standards of this planet, which would have made Norway seem like a summer resort–MacAran went to ask Moray’s assent to another trip into the foothills. He felt he should take advantage of the rare seasonable weather to collect further geological specimens, and perhaps to locate caves which might serve as emergency shelter during later exploration. Moray had taken a small room at the corner of the Recreation building for an office, and while MacAran waited outside, Heather Stuart came into the budding.
“What do you think of this weather?” he asked her, the old habit from Earth asserting itself. When in doubt talk about the weather. Well, there’s plenty of weather on this planet to talk about, and it’s all so bad.
“I don’t like it,” Heather said seriously, “I haven’t forgotten what happened on the mountain when we had a few clear days.”
You too? MacAran thought, but he demurred. “How could the weather be responsible, Heather?”
“Airborne virus. Airborne pollen. Dust-borne chemicals. I’m a microbiologist, Rafe, you’d be surprised what can be in a few cubic inches of air or water or soil. In the debriefing session Camilla said the last thing she remembered before freaking out was smelling the flowers, and I remember that the air was full of their scent.” She smiled weakly. “Of course what I remember may not be any kind of evidence and I hope to God that I don’t find out by trial and error again. I’ve just found out for certain that I’m not pregnant, and I never want to go through that again. When I think of the way women must have had to live before the really safe contraceptives were invented, from month to month never knowing….” She shuddered. “Rafe, is Camilla sure yet? She won’t talk to me about it any more.”
“I don’t know,” MacAran said sombrely, “she won’t talk to me at all.”
Heather’s fair mobile face registered dismay. “Oh, I’m so sorry, Rafe! I was so happy about you two, Ewen and I both hoped–oh, here, I think maybe Moray’s ready to see you.” The door had opened and the big redhead Alastair bumped into them as he came barging out; he turned and half shouted, “The answer is still no, Moray! We’re pulling out–all of us, our whole Community! Now, tonight!”
Moray followed him to the door. He said, “Selfish crew, aren’t you? You talk about community, and it turns out that you mean only your own little group–not the larger community of mankind on this planet. Did it ever occur to you that all of us, the whole two-hundred-odd of us, are perforce a commune? We are humanity, we are society. Where’s that big sense of responsibility toward your fellow man, laddie?”
Alastair bent his head. He muttered, “The rest of you don’t stand for what we stand for.”
“We all stand for common good and survival,” Moray said quietly. “The Captain will come around. Give me a chance to talk to the others, at least.”
“I was appointed to speak for them–”
“Alastair,” said Moray gravely, “you’re violating your own standards, you know. If you’re a true philosophical anarchist, you have to give them an opportunity to hear what I have to say.”