Lunzie nodded, stroking the back of her neck as if her muscles were taut.
“I gather Gaber has been spouting that asinine theory of his, that we’re planted?” Kai managed a laugh that sounded, to him, genuinely amused.
“I laughed at Gaber, too, but I don’t think the heavy-worlders have the same sense of humour.”
“That would account for their aggressive behaviour,” said Varian.
“They’d be very much at home on this planet, and strong enough to survive.”
“This generation would be strong enough,” said Lunzie in her pedantic tone, “but not the next.”
“What are you talking like that for?” Kai demanded angrily. “ ‘Next generation’. We aren’t planted!”
“No, I don’t think we are,” and Lunzie was calm. “We’re much too small a group for a genetic pool and the wrong ages. But that wouldn’t inhibit the heavy-worlders from striking out …”
“Staying on Ireta?” Kai was appalled.
“Oh, they’ve everything here they require,” said Lunzie.” Alcohol, animal protein … The heavy-worlders are often laws unto themselves. You’ve heard the tales, Varian,” and the girl nodded slowly. “I’ve heard of several groups just fading into the scenery. If you can imagine the bulk of a heavy-worlder fading …”
“They can’t do that,” Kai said, wrestling with dismay, anger and a sense of futility for he hadn’t a notion how to prevent the heavy-worlders from carrying out such a plan. Physically they were superior, and both he and Varian had often felt that the heavy-worlders merely tolerated them as leaders because it suited.
“They could, and we had better admit it to ourselves, if to no one else,” said Lunzie. “Unless, of course, you can figure out something so disastrous about this planet that they’d prefer to return with us.” It was obvious she felt that there could be no such circumstance to deter the heavy-worlders.
“Now, There’s a constructive thought,” said Varian.
“Retro please” said Kai. “We have no indication that that is their intention! We may have just talked ourselves into a crisis without any substantiation. Muhlah! It’s no business of ours to interfere with the sexual requirements of any group. If they have to have stimuli to satisfy their drive, fine. We’ve created the indiscretion by ascribing unsavoury and unacceptable actions to them and we don’t even know if our speculations are valid.”
Lunzie looked a little chagrined but Varian was not so easily mollified.
“I don’t like it! Something’s out of phase. I’ve felt it since the day we went to Mabel’s assistance.”
“Violence is a stimulus for the heavy-worlders,” said Lunzie. “And despite our strides towards true civilized behaviour, it can prove a stimulus for us as well: a primitive, disgusting but valid reaction.” Lunzie shrugged her acceptance of such frailty. “We aren’t that far removed from the slime of creation and instinctive response ourselves. From now on, I shall judiciously dilute the distillation for everyone.” She walked towards the exit. “And no one will be the wiser.”
“Look, Varian, we don’t know yet,” said Kai, seeing how dejected Varian was. “We’ve taken isolated facts?”
“I’ve taken isolated facts … but Kai, something is wrong.”
“–Too much already. We don’t need more.”
“Leaders are supposed to anticipate problems so that they don’t arise.”
“Like EV failing to contact us?” Kai gave her a long amused look.
“That’s EV’s problem, not ours. Kai, I’ve worked with heavy-worlders before. I even …” she gave a weak laugh, “survived two weeks of gravity on Thormeka to have some understanding of the conditions that bred them. And I did notice that Paskutti and Tardma overreacted to fang-face’s attack on the herbivore. As much as heavy-worlders do react.”
“We cannot interfere with the discreet sexual practices of any group, Varian, can we?” He waited until she’d reluctantly agreed. “So, we’ve now anticipated that there might be a problem, right?”
“It’s my first big expedition, Kai. It’s got to turn out right.”
“My dear co-leader, you’ve been doing a superior job.” Kai pulled her from the bulkhead and into his arms. He didn’t like to see the volatile Varian so dejected and, he sincerely hoped, needlessly worried. “None of my geology teams have been trampled or flank bitten … you’ve sorted out some new life forms, a bonus on your binary bit, my friend. And you know, it’d be nice if we practiced some sex ourselves?”