`So what did you sense?’ Flavia considered this for a long moment.
`Triumph, I think.’ `Damn!’ Rhodri said. `They may be moving in for the kill before we can get to Waterloo.’ `Unlikely, because I’ve already located the Waterloo beacon Kincaid so kindly set in place.’ She smiled as her team reacted with jubilation. Except for Asia.
`I don’t see why everyone is so happy to be pulling primary school tricks on the Hivers. Especially you, Zara.
Zara flushed. `I’ll never live that moment down, will I? But you saw what Hivers did t9 Talavera ruined a perfectly good planet. And damned near ruined Marengo the same way. They don’t deserve to colonize their backyards.’ `Which went nova!’ Asia said but her expression was less vehement. `They must be good for something.
Everyone and everything I know is.
`Try as I will,’ Flavia said after a long pause, `I cannot find “good” in a lifeform that deliberately annihilates all other lifeforms so that it can dominate a world for the sole purpose of multiplying itself to the point where it must find yet another world to fumigate and repeat the process.’ Asia was so quiet and exuded such a depression that Zara approached her, delicately smoothing the fine hair back from her face.
`They’re great farmers, she said softly.
`If that ability could be directed into proper channels -, Flavia began.
`No-one else would ever have to crop-farm, Jesper finished.
`If only there was a way to get that across to them `Mallen added.
`However, we have other plans to make now,’ Flavia said, `based on the information we have managed to gather about this enigmatic species and their modus operandi. It does seem a pity, though, that we can’t communicate and form a collaborative effort.’ `That’ll be the day!’ Zara managed the last words.
The weeks had moved into months as the main Fleet continued to follow the increasingly strong ion trail of the Hiver 2. Squadron D plodded along after Hiver 3
which had diverted spatially down and towards the `arm of the Milky Way.
Clancy Sparrow proved to have many inventive ways to keep boredom at bay, such as a lottery to guess the particle strength of the trail at the end of each week. It also gave him and Rojer the chance to meet most of the other Talents, covert and open, on the Washington.
`We’ve got quite a few T-3s on board,’ they told Thian and ran down their mental lists, with descriptions.
`All’ll answer to the code word now’ said Rojer who had done most of the implanting.
`One way or another,’ Clancy said and grinned.
Another notion was to give names to the G-type systems which the Hiver ignored. An official name was `drawn’ later from those that had been sent in from the squadronwide competition. Kioo joined Clancy and Rojer `porting over to other ships to explain the `procedure’ and, in that way, managed to meet more Talents, and pick up a few new ones.
`I don’t know how much help I’d be to you,’ a T-4
chef said to Rojer in the captain’s galley of the Genessee.
`To my knowledge, the only things I have any control over are professional problems.’ `What, for instance?’ Rojer had asked, propping one hip on the corner of a worktop and eyeing cakes the chef was icing with deft movements of his spatula.
`I never cut myself’ and he paused to regard his handiwork, `fat never spatters on me. I’ve never dropped a hot pan or baking tray and I’ve handled plenty without so much as a bum blister. That’s why they call me Lucky Louie.
Amused and intrigued, Rojer leaned back against the counter behind him. `Anything else?’ `Well, I’ve never broken a bone,’ and the roundfaced man grinned, `lost a fight or a card game. I don’t play them no more. Didn’t think it was fair if I always won.
Rojer took that opportunity to grip the man’s shoulder in an expression of approval for such probity, and caught the unmistakable touch of Lucky Louie’s mind so that he could bring him to a merge should that be necessary.
`His souffls and cakes never fall either, muttered another galley crewman as Rojer left, but the tone was good-naturedly envious.