`But we’ve seen no activity at the ships at all,’ Anis said. `Or has the arrival of the refugee caused panic `Hivers wouldn’t know panic if it bit them Metrios interjected drolly.
`Well, then a rethink? 1 don’t understand why they haven’t done anything to repair the refugees’ ship for use if they’re about to send off a colonial expedition!’ `They also haven’t restocked their moon installations,’ Yngocelen remarked. `They pumped out a bodacious amount of ordnance in that attack even if most of it fell short.
Surely they’d have to replenish it unless they have almighty storage facilities up there.’ He glanced hopefully at Rojer who laughed.
`Sir, there’s no way I can get a probe in those moon emplacements.
Not a niche or a crack and I’ve no idea of what space is available inside. I can’t `port blind.’ `No, no, of course, you couldn’t, Rojer,’ the gunnery officer replied, but his expression remained wistful.
`Been no messages sent there. No communication on any frequency, Doplas said, glancing down at his control console as if it had capriciously malfunctioned.
`Told ya the refugees didn’t have the right password, quipped Metrios, a grin on his narrow sardonic face.
Then he suddenly sat up alert. `Lookee here. Activity in the shipyard.’ All attention was instantly focused on that screen. `Can you hold that monitor stationary for a bit, Rojer?’ `Sure thing,’ and he complied, trying to see what had attracted Metrios’ attention. A wide hatch had swung open at the end of the one uncultivated area on the whole planet – its space facility.
`Doplas, magni,’ Captain Osullivan said and paused a beat before he added, `Pods! The units they’re carrying look the right size and shape to be made into escape pods.’ `To replace the ones they blew up!
Anis added unnecessarily and glanced anxiously at the captain.
His strong-featured face showed only keen interest in the surface activity as hundreds of low-slung manylegged creatures, loaded with sections, trundled slowly across the flat surface and deposited their burdens at sixteen separate places before they scuttled back to the aperture which sank back into the ground.
`Are the Arapahoe and the KTTS receiving these transmissions, Doplas?’ `Aye, sir, on automatic relay.
Before the captain could ask Doplas to open a channel, both Captains Quacho of the Arapahoe and Prtglm of the KTTS called in.
`They begin to refit,’ Prtglm said. `Time takes. Talent informs Alliance.
`They don’t seem to be doing any work to complete the other two ships,’ Quacho remarked dubiously, his heavy brows nearly bridging over his Roman nose.
`Those are already fitted with escape pods,’ Osullivan reminded him.
`Always queens are first,’ Prtglm said. `Time takes.’ Rojer dutifully made contact with Jeff Raven to report the activity and was told to relay further developments as they occurred. Once the ground entrance closed, no further activity was seen. Excitement waned and Rojer was allowed to retire from the bridge at the end of his watch.
Rather than have to evade questions on this new development, he spent the evening quietly in his cabin with Gil and Kat, watching more of the Genessee’s huge library of old tri-ds until the red alert had him `porting himself and his friends to the escape pod assigned him.
He and the others who occupied his pod were nearly asleep again when the `all-clear’ hooted.
The next morning he overslept and had to `port himself to the bridge to be on time. Looking as grumpy as Rojer felt, Commander Metrios duly noted his hurried arrival but issued no reprimand.
Casually, Metrios told Rojer that no firther activity on the space field had been noted.
`Maybe they have to hatch out the assemblers?’ Anis Langio suggested and then yawned, wiggling her fingers in welcome as Rojer stepped up to his couch. He grinned back at her.
`Any corrections needed, Commander?’ Rojer asked Metrios, gesturing to the screens and the roving sensors.
`No, Roj,’ Metrios said, with a wry grin. `They’re where we need `em right now. We’re just lucky there’s so much space flotsam that our sensors seem just like one of the boys out there.
`You know, for a planet that’s spotless, – said Eri Gander, the morale officer, who often dropped b,y Rojer’s station, `they’ve made a right mess of space.