“I’ve given up on that score long ago, Matthew,” she lied shamelessly. “You really do know how to incur loyalty among your staff. I could use a little of that genius.” Then, because she was near to laughter at the expression on all those startled earnest faces, she abruptly focused her eyes on the passing landscape. “Ah, the river that suddenly de-iced itself. My, it is turbulent,” she said. “And overrunning its banks, too. Flood control apparently is another local lack. But, oh, glance over toward the clear fields, Matthew. Someone’s out there doing something to the ground. Plowing? Is that what you call it? And what on earth would you call the beasts they have harnessed to that queer device?” She had everyone on her side of the shuttle to see this archaic activity. “Well, isn’t that nice, Matthew. They heard you.”
Matthew favored her with a sour glare. She could almost see the phrase “they’ll hear me loud and clear” coming out in a bubble from his tightly shut lips. Certainly that was the expression evident in his glare.
A little noise, like a suppressed cough, issued from the seats behind her. Faber, more than likely, she thought. He’d never said as much, of course, but she knew he despised Matthew Luzon. Almost as much as she did, and Sally and Millard for that matter. She’d chosen this team very well indeed.
Then the shuttle was within sight of SpaceBase and its ridiculously colored auxiliary buildings. Who had the tastelessness to use such awful colors? Marmion wondered. Probably every color of paint rejected throughout Intergal had ended up here, on the walls of this eye sore.
She did not, however, as Matthew did at length, comment on the condition of the landing field, with its craters and cracks and the blocks of plascrete that had been elevated by the seismic activity. As they seemed localized on the field, Marmion was quite charmed by the notion of a sentient planet that could so specialize its internal effects to cause the most discomfort to the inhabitants it did not wish to remain on its surface. A most considerate friend and formidable enemy, such an entity would be, if it was possible.
And who was to say it was not? Marmion shrugged. She had a fondness for mysteries in this over analyzed universe in which she lived. Enigmas attracted her curiosity, and solving them gave her a chance to stretch her mind and resources. How wonderful if this truly proved to be the enormous and complex puzzle the report promised! Whether it was quite what the locals claimed or not, however, there had to be more here than the prosaic scene below, or the official explanations of the uncanny events detailed in the reports, no matter how disparaging the “logical” explanation. Or accurately detailed. She was quite delighted she had come, and should this planet prove to be a sentient entity, she would be even more delighted to make its acquaintance. She hoped, rather whimsically, that the planet would respond as well to her and not judge her too harshly by the company she kept.
There was, of course, much fan fare as the shuttle landed on one of the few level portions of the field. A proper welcoming committee was there, and if no red carpet had been spread, the plascrete had obviously been scrubbed clean of the mud and goo that was smeared over most of the rest of the landing area. The ground vehicles gleamed with a high wax finish in the clear sunlight.
Her lungs took in the springcrisp air in great gulps. She was almost dizzy with the intoxication of undeniably fresh air.
“Oh, my word, air! Give me air like this wherever I go,” she said dramatically, one hand on her heaving chest.
Matthew shot her a disgusted glance. “Marmion, the air may appear to be fresh, but you cannot be sure it isn’t filled with bacteria and microbes that will have a deleterious effect on your health. Which we must preserve!” he added with that dreadful smile he affected when he was pretending to be solicitous while really hoping the person he was talking to would fall over dead.