That admiral had better watch himself, said the very pretty occupant of the room as Rojer and Thian appeared. He has female officers. Why do I have to creep about the place like an anathema, Thian?
`I told you that you should flaunt your self Flavia.
This is, obviously, my brother, Rojer, who will remember his manners when he stops gawking at you.’ Completely surprised by the sight of such a lovely woman, Rojer willingly held out his hand to touch hers.
Green/minty/velvet. Flavia smiled quite gently back at him and then turned with a businesslike attitude to Thian.
`They’ve got the right sort of beams now, and I think every single marine and Mrdini’re festooned with more light cells than Noel trees,’ she said as she slipped gracefully onto her couch.
Thian directed Rojer’s attention to the huge transparent three-dimensional screen that dominated the wall facing their couches.
At the point which Rojer also identified as the main hangar deck of the Refugee, there were three coloured globes: blue, green and yellow.
Concentrating briefly on that area, Rojer also sensed a large number of humans and `Dinis.
`Rojer, I’m supposedly in nominal charge of our part in this operation,’ Thian said. `That board’ll light up with each centimetre we cover so we’ll know where we’ve been. I know you had a little look round the frige `Through a glass darkly, bra, since the inside was still fogged with gas `Since you’re so full of engineering honours, you get to hunt for the engine room .
`I found it before – I think.
`In the southern hemisphere, yes? Good. My priority is the lifesupport system which the boffins think might surround the central axis.
`Are they suited up?’ Rojer asked.
`No, the navy flooded the ship with enough oxygen to fill a volume of enclosed space equal to the size of the Great Sphere, and there’s an auxiliary system as back-up stuck off in the corner of the hangar.
Plus, everyone’s packing an emergency breather. The sooner we get the integral lifesupport system going, the better.
The other priority for you is finding out what sort of fuel the Hivers use but that’d also be stored in the southern hemisphere of the ship. Flavia,’ and Thian grinned at the girl, `is going to penetrate into the queens’ quarters and we might need you to switch there, too, Rojer, to figure out how to turn the power on.
Mostly we gotta keep track of people who get into trouble, slipping off into tunnels and getting stuck in the small tubes.’ `Like you did on the Great Sphere, huh?’ Thian gave his brother a mock scowl.
`I was following orders when I found the larvae.’ `Still comes down to baby-sitting,’ Rojer said with a spurious groan.
`I wouldn’t let any of the marines hear you put it like that, Rojer,’ Flavia said in mock warning.
`Marines can break legs just like anyone else,’ Rojer replied flippantly.
`Not with this Admiral,’ Thian said tartly. `Everybody comfortable? Good, then,’ and he pointed to the red light blinking on the comunit, `the boffins are all loaded.
Let’s hoist `em up there.’ Rojer turned his attention then to three large carriers, each filled with excited men and Mrdinis, cradled and waiting to be `ported up to the ship.
`OK?’ Thian said, looking from one side to the other.
Flavia and Rojer both nodded and simultaneously the three Primes lifted the carriers and deposited them in a neat line on the Refugee’s hangar deck where once the deadly Hiver scout ships had been housed.
What’n’ell is that? A smell or an emanation? The voice was female, the tone disgusted and uneasy.
`They’ve sent Talents up there?’ Flavia asked in surprised indignation.
`Admiral doesn’t believe in the stinggpzzt, Thian said, `although I explained it quite carefully and so did Granddad and Grandmother.’ `So who’s the speaker? Can we reassure her?’ Flavia asked.
Thian had closed his eyes briefly. `I think that’s LieutenantCommander Semirame KIoo, head of the naval exploration team.
According to her file, she’s a T-5 sender, with little or no training.
She opted for a place in the Naval Academy.’ `So we don’t know if she can receive?’ Rojer asked.