world, for medical treatment, when he was indispensable
to Rimerley and could persuade the doctor to overhaul
him without charge?
All this aside, though, he did wonder very seriously
whether his men had not guessed the truth behind his or-
der to pull out.
It was lucky the trip was such a short one; the ship
was crowded, and in a confined space tempers could eas-
ily be rubbed raw.
Also there was the girl, who was indisputably attrac-
tive. Most of the men hadn’t been able to overcome their
revulsion against dirt and take themselves a native
woman during their stay on the ZRP. Now Soraya had
been washed and disinfected, though . . . Yes: the
shortness of the journey was something to be thankful
for.
“They’re waiting for us at the landing ground,” the
pilot reported unnecessarily. “I’m going straight in.”
“You’re watching out for Patrol ships? With the evac-
uation of the Corps base, I’d expected local space to be
crawling with them.”
“They’re over the shoulder of the planet,” the pilot
grunted. “Two, two and a half thousand miles from
where we’re setting down.”
Not a hitch. Heirndall found himself relaxing from un-
noticed tension.
Everything, indeed, went with such smoothness that he
was almost disappointed to have wasted so much energy
on needless apprehension. The ship settled with hardly a
bumpthe pilot had become accustomed to rough land-
ings on the ZRP, and this was the next best thing to a.
public spaceport. Heirndall was already at the port when
the all-clear lamps winked on, and the panels slid back to
reveal the night outside, and a few glinring lights silhou-
etting a parked ‘copter with a group of four men close
by.
“Wait a moment!” Heirndall snapped to those of his
own team who were excessively eager to jump down,
and called in a low voice across the field. “Doctor?”
“Here I am,” Rimerley answered. “You weren’t Jboth-
ered, were you?”
“No, no challengesnothing. Can you take the girl
down in the ‘copter? I’ve kept her in coma all the way.”
“Yes, there’s a cradle slung for her stretcher. Get her
over here quickly and we’ll take her to the house. Then
I’ll come back for you.”
“Right!” Heirndall turned and gestured curtly for the
girl to be carried to the lock. He thought it as well not
to tell Rimerley yet that there would have to be at least
three trips with the ‘copter to bring down all the men
who had returned with him.
Soraya was carried by two complaining bearers over
to the ‘copter and placed in the cradle. Heirndall walked
with her, and as soon as the job was done nodded to Ri-
merley.
“Off you gobut don’t be too long over sending back
the ‘copter, will you?”
Rimerley, edgy, caught a false note in the words, and
gave him a long hard stare. Then he walked a few paces
away, beyond the pool of light in which the ‘copter
rested, so that he could see the dim glow of the ship’s
lock. There were more craning, peering heads in view
than there ought to have been.
“Heirndall, have you brought your whole damned
team with you?” he rasped.
Heirndall took a deep breath. “Yes. And we’re not go-
ing back till the pressure is off.”
Starded, the men who had come up with Rimerley
closed on their boss; similarly, catching Heirndall’s words
and finding their half-formed suspicions confirmed, ev-
eryone from the ship came scrambling out of the lock
and hurried to ask frantic questions. There was a bab-
bling argument within seconds, and accusations and
counter-accusations poured out as though a dam had
burst.
Couldift be better, Maddalena thought. That’s every-
one from the ship outside now. I’ll bet on itthere sim-
ply wovldn’t be room for any more. And they said
something about bringing a girl with them. From the
ZRP, beyond doubt.
She nudged Bracy, who slipped away into the
darkness a score of paces, and as soon as he was at his ap-
pointed position she rose to her feet.
Her voice rang out with shocking authority, amplified
to ten rimes natural volume. “Stand still, all of you! I am