The words were cut off as Poli whirled and lashed the back of his good arm into Jason’s face. Though the man was aged and crippled, the blow almost fractured Jason’s jaw, sending him sliding across the floor. Through a daze, he saw Poli hobbling toward him, making thick bubbling noises in his ruined throat, what remained of his face twisted and working with anger. –
This was no time for diplomacy. Moving as fast as he could, with the high-G, foot-slapping shuffle, Jason headed for the sealed door. He was no match for any Pyrran in hand-to-hand combat, young and small or old and crippled. The door banged open, as he went through, and barely closed in Poli’s face.
Outside the rain had turned to snow and Jason trudged wearily through the slush, rubbing his sore jaw and turning over the only
fact he had. Grubber was a key-but to what? And who did he dare ask for more information? Kerk was the man he had talked to best, but not anymore. That left only Meta as a possible source. He wanted to see her at once, but sudden exhaustion swept through him. It took all of his strength to stumble back to the school buildings.
In the morning he ate and left early. There was only a week left. It was impossible to hurry and he cursed as he dragged his double-weight body to the assignment center. Meta was on night perimeter duty and should be back to her quarters soon. He shuffled over there and was lying on her bunk when she came in.
“Get out,” she said in a flat voice. “Or do I throw you out?”
“Patience, please,” he said as he sat up. “Just resting here until you came back. I have a single question, and if you will answer it for me I’ll go and stop bothering you.”
“What is it?” she asked, tapping her foot with impatience. But there was also a touch of curiosity in her voice. Jason thought carefully before he spoke.
“Now try not to shoot me. You know I’m an off-worlder with a big mouth, and you have heard me say some awful things without taking a shot at me. Now I have another one. Will you please show your superiority to the other people of the galaxy by holding your temper and not reducing me to component atoms.”
Her only answer was a tap of the foot, so he took a deep breath and plunged in.
‘What is a ‘grubber’?”
For a long moment she was quiet, unmoving. Then she looked at him with disgust. “You do find the most repulsive topics.”
“That may be so,” he said, “but it still doesn’t answer my question.”
“It’s… well, the sort of thing people just don’t talk about.”
“I do,” he assured her.
“Well I don’t! It’s the most disgusting thing in the world, and that’s all I’m going to say. Talk to Krannon, but not to me.” She had him by the arm while she talked and he was half dragged to the hall. The door slammed behind him and he muttered “Lady-wrestler” under his voice. His anger ebbed away as he realized that she had given him a clue in spite of herself. Next step, find out who or what Krannon was.
Assignment center listed a man named Krannon and gave his shift number and work location. It was close by and Jason walked there. A large, cubical, windowless building, with the single word PoOD next to each of the sealed entrances. The small entrance he went through was
a series of automatic chambers that cycled him through ultrasonics, ultraviolet, antibio spray, rotating brushes and three final rinses. He was finally admitted, damper but much cleaner, to the central area. Men and robots were stacking crates and he asked one of the men for Krannon. The man looked him up and down coldly and spat on his shoes before answering.
Krannon worked in a large storage bay by himself. He was a stocky man in patched coveralls whose only expression was one of intense gloom. When Jason came in he stopped hauling bales and sat down on the nearest one. The lines of unhappiness were cut into his face and seemed to grow deeper while Jason explained what he was after. All the talk of ancient history on Pyrrus bored him as well and he yawned openly. When Jason finished, he yawned again and didn’t even bother to answer him.