“If I don’t, don’t worry. I’ll lift over to the secondary camp.”
There was just the slightest trace of emphasis on the personal pronoun. Bakkun’s behaviour had been grating on Kai all day. Nothing he could really point to and say Bakkun was being contemptuous or insolent, but the entire work week Kai had sensed a subtle change in the heavy-worlder geologist.
Varian’s ambiguous remark about things planted or likely to be planted dominated his nebulous irritation with Bakkun. The co-leader was unlikely to panic over trivia and the fact that she had bothered him on a field trip indicated the seriousness of the matter. What on earth could she mean by that cryptic remark? And how could Trizein’s identification of the life forms clear up anomalies?
Maybe there’d been a message from the Theks and Varian had not wanted anyone, patching in on his sled’s code, to know. He recalled her exact phrasing. She’d separated Trizein’s achievement from the request for him to return. So, it wasn’t Trizein’s discovery in itself.
Rather than worry needlessly, Kai occupied his mind with estimating the probable wealth of energy materials on this planet, as computed by sites already assessed and the probability of future finds based on the extended orogenic activity in the areas as yet unsurveyed.
By the time he reached the base, he decided that Ireta was undoubtedly one of the richest planets he had ever heard about. It quite cheered him to realize that sooner or later EV would find this out too Varian, himself and the team members would be rich even by the inflated standards of the Federation Systems. The supportive personnel, and that would have to include the three children if Kai had anything to say about it, should also get bonuses. All three of them had been useful to the expedition. There was Bonnard, now, lugging the power pack from one of the parked sleds. In such small ways, the youngsters had helped contribute to the success of the landing party.
Lunzie was operating the veil and greeted Kai with the information that Varian was in the shuttle. Bonnard, excusing himself as he ducked past Kai to deposit the power pack, went out again, heading towards Kai’s sled.
“What is Bonnard doing?”
“Checking all the power packs. Inconsistencies have developed.”
“In the power packs? We have been running through them at a terrific rate. Is that why?”
“Probably. Varian’s waiting.”
It did not occur to Kai until he was stepping into the shuttle that it was very odd for Lunzie to concern herself with mechanical trivialities. Trizein was at the main view screen, so rapt in his contemplation of frames on browsing herbivores that he was unaware of Kai’s entrance.
“Kai?” Varian poked her head around the open access to the pilot’s compartment. She beckoned him urgently.
Kai indicated Trizein, silently gesturing whether he should rouse the man. Varian shook her head and motioned him urgently to come.
“What’s this all about, Varian?” he said when he had waved the lock closed behind him.
“The heavy-worlders have reverted. They took their rest day in fun and games with herbivores and a fang-face. The herbivores they evidently sported with before they killed … and ate them.”
Kai’s stomach churned in revulsion to her quick words.
“Gaber’s rumour was well spread before he spoke to you, Kai. And the heavy-worlders believe him. Or they want to. Those supplies we’ve been missing, the hours of use I couldn’t account for on the big sled, the odd power pack, medical supplies. We’re lucky if it isn’t mutiny.”
“Go back to the beginning, Varian.” said Kai, sitting heavily in the pilot’s chair. He didn’t contradict her premise but he did want to see exactly what facts contributed to her startling conclusions.
Varian told him of the morning’s hideous discovery, of her conversation with Lunzie and then Trizein’s revelation about the planted Earth dinosaurs. She wound up by saying that the heavy-worlders, while not outright uncooperative or insubordinate, had subtly altered in their attitude towards her. Had he noticed anything?
Kai nodded as she finished her summation and, leaning across the board, flipped open the communications unit.
“Is that why Bonnard was removing power packs?”