Three depicted the orbiting sphere ships, another the flat surface of the space field, and the rest were split, sometimes in three separate scenes, showing the largest of the square buildings his probes had found.
The sick feeling in Rojer’s guts developed rapidly into a certainty that was no precog. If he had not been so immobilized by fear and shock, he would have `ported himself and his friends out of the hangar. But he couldn’t move. He couldn’t believe that Prtglm would make such a devastating unilateral decision. Somehow he had to stop it from happening.
TALENT!’ Prtgim turned and it had never appeared so massive or forbidding in aspect.
`GREAT ONE,’ Rojer managed to say before he had to swallow convulsively to wet his dry mouth and throat.
YOU SEND MANY THINGS TO WORLD BELOW. YOU SEND THESE. TO THESE PLACES! THEN SQUADRON TAKES SPHERE AND RETURNS WITH TRUE HONOUR.
`Sir, these are bombs?’ Rojer forgot all `Dini.
OF COURSE, and the captain’s body made the massive surge from bottom to top that was an angry reaction to the question: indeed to any questioning.
`I am not permitted to destroy, sir.’ Rojer concentrated on speaking clearly and firmly.
YOU `PORT MANY THINGS. BOMBS ARE BEST!
Most `Dini voices expressed little emotion but Prtglm’s intonations were rich with satisfaction and righteous vengeance.
I AM NOT PERMITTED TO DESTROY, SIR. MY ORDERS ARE STRICT.’ Rojer fell back into `Dini, hoping he could make his point better in that language.
YOUR ORDERS ARE TO WATCH, NOT DESTROY ORDERS WHICH CAME FROM COORDINATOR GKTMGLNT, ADMIRAL TOHL MEK-TURIAN. THIS LOW PERSON CANNOT DISOBEY ORDERS.’ LOW PERSON RJR OBEYS THE ORDER OF PRTGLM NOW! OBEY.’ Prtglm began to pulse and expand, a frightening aspect that rooted Rojer to the deck but did not alter his determination to disobey.
`I am not permitted, Great One, he repeated, dropping to one knee in an attitude of respectful subGREAT ONE PRTGLM, RJR IS FORBIDDEN BY HUMAN GREAT ONES TO DESTROY anything,’ Gil said, inching forward with the greatest respect it could display.
THE HUMAN IS TO OBEY OR HUMAN WILL BE ON THE LINE.
Rojer could not believe what he heard.
I CANNOT OBEY CAPTAIN PRTGLM!’ Fury engorged the captain now and, in a movement so swift Rojer could have done nothing to intervene, Prtglm’s top arms descended on Gil’s poll eye and smashed its immature body to the deck.
`OBEY!’ roared Prtglm and, lifting its great gory forearms, began the downward swing that would have also killed Rojer.
“PORT,’ Kat cried, shoving Rojer to one side and taking the blow meant for him which crumbled it beside the mangled body of Gil.
`Port Rojer did, out of the KTTS, and to the one place automatic reflexes could take him without conscious thought!
`Where the hell could he get to?’ Captain Osullivan said, scowling with annoyance. `He knows the time he’s due here for the daily report.’ `Sir?’ Doplas said from his com station, `Ensign Menburia says that Rojer `ported Captain Prtglm back to the KTTS at 1130. She logged that and saw them depart.’ `Porting doesn’t take Rojer more than thirty seconds. Where’d he go then? Did the ensign see?’ `Sir, the log says that Rojer accompanied the captain.
At its request evidently. He had his `Dinis with him.
`So?’ `Com officer of the KTTS says that neither the human Rojer nor his `Dinis are on board.’ `Is there a record of when Rojer `ported back here?’ `According to their records, the captain’s pod is still in place and the human Rojer has not approached anyone on the KTTS. The big pod did not return here.
`Aw, now wait a bleeding minute – -` Metrios began in total disgust. `If the pod is over there, on the KTTS, Rojer has to be there. Talents don’t generally `port themselves about in a space vacuum. Dangerous. And what’s he been doing there for over eight hours anyway.
`I should very much like to know,’ the captain said in a tight, controlled voice.
`This isn’t like Rojer,’ Anis Langio said.
`Darrimit, Anis, I know that,’ Osullivan said, shifting about in his command chair, his face grim. `Metrios, any power use consistent with a long-distance `port?’ `No, sir,’ the engineering officer said with only the briefest of glances at his station printout. `And there’s no way Rojer could `port all the way back to Aurigae or even Clarf which is spatially nearer.