“Could barely get the call letters out clear enough to be recognized,” Whittaker said, frowning with frustration.
“Message was short and maybe too sweet for the kind of action we might need to have available. Got hold of Johnny, too, and asked him to send next time he’s above turbulence. Damned planet’s messing us all up, and we’re the ones trying to help!” He turned on Sean, who seemed unaffected by the communications failure. “Boy, how long can you live on a space station with no immunity?”
“Four, five days.”
Yana felt her heart skip a beat and surreptitiously placed one hand over her still-flat belly. How could he announce his life expectancy so calmly?
“Clodagh?”
“Same, but it won’t come to that, Whit. Believe me.”
Dr. Whittaker Fiske cocked his head toward his right shoulder, planted both fists on the belt that circled his thin waist, and demanded, “If I could believe you, Dr. Shongili, I’d sleep a lot easier, and so would all your friends.”
“Believe me, and that’s bankable!”
“It is?’ Marmion perked up, her fiscal senses alerted.
“Look.” Sean splayed one hand, folding a finger down for each point he made. We’ve got to prove the planet is sentient? We can and we will! We’ve got to prove that it’s in the company’s interest to let the settlements remain because they can prove economically profitable, too, ugh not necessarily as predicted from the original surveys. We’ve got to prove that our ways”and he gestured to Adak, Yana, who managed a little smile at the compliment, and out the window toward Clodagh’s house“protect an environmental entity from abuse and misuse in the best interests of itself and the company which awakened it.” He nodded at Whittaker. “We also have to prove that the charges of malfeasance, misconduct, insubordination, and fraud, which Matthew Luzon’s about to level against some of us and/or the entire population, are as ludicrous as Shepherd Howling.”
“And smell just as bad,” Adak added with a sharp nod of his head.
“Sacre bleu!” Marmion exclaimed. “We’re not asking for much, are we?” Then, sighing, she shook her head slowly from side to side. “We got a lot of heavy metal men against us in that crew Matthew’s brought down.”
“But they’re on our turf,” Sean said with one of his most charismatic and enigmatic smiles.
“And Matthew’s doing his best to predispose them against Marmie and me because we’ve been so obviously ‘taken in’”Whittaker made the bracket signs with his hands“by the natives.”
“Indigenous personnel, Whit, please,” Marmion said in mock petulant correction. “However, I can prove readily enough that I haven’t lost my wits or been mesmerized by local sharmans.” She rose. “I shall demonstrate it this evening.” She gave a little chuckle. “I happen to know that Bal and Nexie lost a few trillions on an enterprise which and she placed one hand with elegant grace on her chest“had the good sense to forgo. So we’ll leave you.” She linked arms with Whittaker and led him out of the house. Just at the door she paused and looked back over her shoulder at Sean, her lovely eyes anxious. “You’re positive, Sean, that neither you nor Clodagh are in danger of being removed from this planet!”
He nodded, smiling. “Positive!”
When the door closed on the two, Yana and Adak turned on Sean.
“Positive!
“Positive!” he said, but his mouth had a particularly grim set as he said it.