No sooner had she sent him on his way than a second sled penetrated giff territory. They had thought to announce their arrival so that Varian had a chance to witness the giff attack mode. The resultant commotion brought Lunzie from her lair.

"You'll have to go up yourself and escort them in," the medic told Varian.

"I think we've got too much of a good thing," Varian said under her breath as she went to the rescue.

This time it was a second shift from the Zaid-Dayon, the geology buffs, Baker, Bullo, and Macud. Kai contacted Dimenon and arranged an unexplored sector for the cruiser's men to assess. They went off in high spirits.

"We can't keep alarming the giffs like this," Varian said, "even if we do need help to accomplish our mission."

"Why not return to our original site, then?" Lunzie suggested. When she noticed Kai's stiff posture, she shrugged. "Well, it was just an idea."

Kai took a deep breath. "Not a bad one, actually, Lunzie. In face, a very sensible solution. I'd like to see if a forcescreen would keep out fringes. They couldn't have developed from aquatic to land beasts in just forty-three years, could they? Well, then," and he swallowed, took a deep breath, "it was Tor who attracted the fringe to the site. We'll just try to make sure that we keep our Thek visitors to a minimum. Okay? Then let's plan to reestablish our original camp. It makes sense in a number of ways, not just protecting the giffs. It's where ARCT-10 will look for us. And since the Zaid-Dayan's sleds all have long range capabilities, then we won't have to establish secondary camps. And you can stay on here, Varian, and observe the giffs without all this coming and going."

"I like it, Kai," Lunzie said, thoroughly approving. "But we need a lot of equipment — "

"We'll make up a list. Sassinak did say that she's supposed to replenish any lost equipment."

"Isn't replacing a whole base camp asking a bit much?"

"I'll lean on my relation this evening," Lunzie said. "Blood is thicker than water and a few odd pieces of standard Fleet issue."

The giff alarm was heard yet again and, cursing with a fervor and an inventiveness that made her listeners grin, Varian went out to give escort. Mayerd arrived just as Varian had maneuvered her slower vehicle out. Mayerd opened the canopy of her sleek one-man craft as Varian returned, and gave her a cheery, apologetic wave. She stepped out of the little ship, turning to gather three large parcels and one small before she moved toward Kai and Lunzie.

"My diagnostic unit chuckled to itself for a good two hours after you left, Kai, but it came up with medication and a few tentative conclusions. It rarely makes definitive statements. You are Lunzie, aren't you?" Mayerd asked, juggling her parcels so that she had a free hand to extend to Lunzie.

"I am and I surmise that you are Lieutenant Commander Mayerd."

"Mayerd 'll do." Then she turned again to Kai, grinning. "Not only did that fringe digestive juice poison you, Kai, but you are allergic to the poison. My DU not only came up with tablets to help flush the poison out of your system and counteract the allergy but also a salve to anoint the punctures and reduce that desensitivity. And DU highly recommended the new nerve regenerative." She turned expectantly to Lunzie. "The Crimjenetic: the regenerative we had to use to combat the Persean paralysis." When Lunzie's expression remained polite but otherwise unresponsive, Mayerd blinked. "Ah, but you wouldn't have known about that. It happened twenty years ago..."

"During a nap I took," Lunzie commented.

Mayerd smiled. "You'll want to read up on this Crimjenetic then. It has proved remarkably effective on all kinds of bizam nerve poisonings. And I've some disks on the latest Federated Medical Review I can lend you, as well, to make up for that nap time. Remind me this evening. Which brings me to these..." she handed out the parcels. "I thought green for you, Lunzie. Medical research has proved that our profession chooses green as their favorite color nine to one. I hope you're not the odd one out."

"I generally am but green is a flattering color, and you were very thoughtful to fill the need."

"I got the notion that dress clothes might not have been on your most needed list and, after I saw the preparations going on in the officers' mess, I decided I'd better play costumer for you. Blue for you, Kai, and this garnet red should be most becoming, Varian. Sorry about arriving unannounced. Those pteranodons of yours are magnificent."

"So are these," Lunzie said, one blunt-fingered hand stroking the deep green fabric. "Just how big are the Zaid-Dayan's stores?"

"Pretty damned all-inclusive," Mayerd said with pride. "We're only four months into this tour so our supplies are basically untouched. Maybe not esoteric. Why? What do you need?"

"A few odd domes, some heavy duty forcescreens..."

"Capable of frying fringes?" Mayerd asked with a sympathetic chuckle.

"You got it in one!"

"Just hand me your list. Clever of you to be related to the commander, isn't it?"

"Providential!"

"We haven't actually written up a list yet," Varian said, "We only just decided to leave here before the giffs lose their fur in frights."

"A cavern did seem an odd place to set up as a major campsite," Mayerd remarked.

"It was a good port in a..." Varian broke off her sentence because one of Ireta's sudden boisterous squalls erupted, blowing the vines inward, rain and debris falling just short of the little group.

"Not that the heaviest duty forcescreen would keep off that sort of storm," Mayerd said, establishing herself beyond the storm wrack on a hearth stool. She took a pad and scripter out of her thigh pocket and looked about her expectantly. "Now, how many domes? How large a forcescreen? Furnishings? Supplies? Old lamps for new?"

By the time Mayerd had left, she had prompted a far more exhaustive list of requirements from them than they would ever have listed without her encouragement. When Varian suggested that they might be over doing it, Mayerd dismissed the notion immediately.

"Sassinak has given orders that you are to be given any reasonable quantity of supplies — "

"I wouldn't call it exactly reasonable," Varian said indicating the filled pad.

Mayerd regarded her with eyebrows raised in polite surprise.

"When Sassinak sees domes, forcescreens — "

"Sassinak," and Mayerd paused briefly to emphasize her commander's name, "won't see a trivial list like this. She's got one very big problem in a transport, occupying her waking hours. This," and Mayerd waved the pad, "goes directly into QM, and I'll see that it's delivered to the site tomorrow morning." She moved lightly to the little one-man craft, slid back the canopy, and seated herself. "That is, assuming any of us are capable tomorrow morning. Let me check the coordinates of that campsite now, while I'm able." Kai glanced at the notation and confirmed it. "See you later."

Varian couldn't resist the temptation to swing out on one of the vines and see what the giffs made of the speed of Mayerd's craft. Some younger fliers took off in pursuit, but it was immediately obvious that they could never catch the speedy sled, so they began to make lazy swirls in the clearing sky, first to the left and then to the right. Almost, Varian thought as if they made the tip of first one wing and then the other the pivot of a private circle of sky.

"I wish you wouldn't take risks like that," Kai said, frowning anxiously as she reached the safety inside the cave and released the vine.

"It's exhilarating, for one thing. For another, I had to move fast or miss the sight and the ladder was too far away. Kai," and Varian held out one hand, meaning to clasp his arm to transmit understanding. The gesture was not completed because she remembered his handicap and wasn't sure just how light a touch might harm. She dropped her hand. "Kai, I just wanted to say that I think you're perfectly splendid to shift camps to protect the giffs from unnecessary interference.

Kai shrugged. "Being here would make your job impossible if you wanted to catch the giffs going about their regular routine. If they have one. And anyhow," he grinned ruefully, "I think it would lay a lot of ghosts to rest to go back there. D'you want to keep the shuttle as your base?"

Varian looked about her, at the amenities which Captain Godheir and Obir had so thoughtfully arranged.

"I'd be very comfortable here, without the shuttle. And then there's the matter of the giffs' reaction to the departure of the shuttle. That'll be interesting to observe." She grinned.

"D'you think they've wondered if it will sprout wings when it's big enough? Or hatch.?"

"They've been that road once, when Tor paid you the visit."

They grinned, once again in harmony with each other. Then Kai gave her arm an affectionate squeeze.

"C'mon. Once again we've got some organizing to do."

Chapter THIRTEEN

Kai, Lunzie and Varian arrived at the Zaid-Dayan as the brief Iretan twilight fell over the edge into night. Lights winked on in the settlement, a huge spotlight illuminating the large clearing around which the individual residences were grouped. Red night lights went on around the looming mass of the heavyworlder transport, making the great ship seem more ominous than ever. Twinkling here and there, patrol vehicles flitted on seemingly random courses like fire flies. The patrol carts were little more than powered platforms for the two men seated on them, but they were effective mobile sentry units. The gangway was clearly lit and as Varian landed the sled, she was surprised to see men trotting out to form an honor guard from the gangway to their sled.

"Why is it that you never have human escorts when you really need them?" Lunzie murmured. The usual three giffs had guided them to the plateau.

"Have they gone?" Varian asked. Far above them hung a layer of thick black clouds, under which the visibility was unusually lucid in the twilight, which was punctuated now and then with lightning.

"Now that they've delivered us safely to the big eggs." Lunzie was in good spirits, and Kai wondered if she could continue that way all evening. It could be a dinner to be remembered for many reasons.

A sudden shrill whistle greeted them as they emerged from the sled.

"Muhlah! She's thrown the whole ceremony at us," Kai exclaimed, forgetting to watch his movements and catching his hand on the canopy frame. Neither Varian nor Lunzie noticed as their attention was on the naval honors being accorded them. He glanced quickly down at his gloved hand but saw no damage. He quickly fell in step behind the women, as complimented by the courtesies as they.

"Blessings on Mayerd for her parcels," Varian said quickly to Kai.

"Well, now look what we have here!" Lunzie cried, holding her arms wide apart.

In the companionway Fordeliton stood in the silver, black, and blue dress uniform of the Fleet, complete with all his honors — and there were many — on his breast. Slightly to one side waited Mayerd, equally splendid, with the Medical sash crossing her chest. Neither were a patch on Sassinak, however, who also awaited her guests. The commander wore a knowing black gown, its full skirts decorated with tiny stars while the close fitting bodice was goffered with blue. Tiny jeweled formal-dress honors adorned her left breast while the rank emblems were jeweled shoulder ornaments. Kai did not remember ever seeing the ARCT's officers in full dress regalia, but perhaps EVs followed customs different from those of the Fleet.

"Lunzie, it is indeed a privilege and a pleasure to meet you!" Sassinak stood very straight and saluted crisply.

"It is a unique occasion, certainly," Lunzie replied in a drawl but there was no diffidence in her firm handshake.

The two women stood for a long moment, then Sassinak grinned, cocking her head slightly to one side in a mannerism so like Lunzie that Kai and Varian exchanged startled looks.

"You have been exceedingly generous to a stranded relative, Commander Sassinak. That brandy went down very smoothly."

"Sassinak, please," and the commander indicated the direction they should take. "Surely one must mark the chance encounter with an ancestor."

"This is going to be some evening," Mayerd murmured as she took Kai by the arm.

"Stand down the honor guard, Besler," Fordeliton ordered the duty officer with a salute. "This way, Governor Varian..."

It was indeed an evening long remembered by the participants. Fordeliton abandoned any pretext of composure after Lunzie's fourth outrageous pun. Varian had no compunction and howled with laughter. Kai grinned so broadly he wondered if he was doing his face an injury. Mayerd had few inhibitions anyway and was respectful but unawed by her commander. The stewards managed to keep their expressions under reasonable control, but several times Varian was certain that she had heard bursts of laughter erupting from the serving alcove. And the food was superb! Varian watched Kai sample the unfamiliar portions with a tact born of the desire not to embarrass Lunzie. Varian found the dishes so utterly delicious, unusual, and much tastier than their recent fare that she felt Kai ought to have eaten with greater gusto. Each subtle taste was balanced by the next and none of the portions was too large, each was enough merely to tempt the palate to the next course. Their glasses were changed with each new course, and the wines were perfect.

When they conferred together on the point later, Varian and Kai were both disappointed not to learn more about Lunzie's early career or her planet of origin. Not even the name of the child who had produced this latter-day descendant, Sassinak. That the two were actually blood-kin was obvious in a dozen small resemblance's, in mannerisms or expressions, a gesture, a tilt of the head, a quirk of the eyebrow, and a shared humor that certainly bridged the generation gap.

All but the tiny cups of cha and elegant after dinner liqueur glasses had been cleared when Sassinak turned to Kai.

"I understand that you are shifting back to your original campsite, Kai. Wasn't that where the fringe attacked you?"

"Yes, but I feel only because Tor's warmth had attracted it. We exude a fraction of the body heat of a Thek. Forty years ago we didn't see any land fringes though we had a full complement in the camp. The campsite has not lost the advantages which led us to choose it in the first place."

"I believe I can offer you an even greater security, at least while we're still in the vicinity. Fordeliton, don't you think we should give the globes a test run in this unusual situation?"

"Yes, indeed, I do, Commander. They haven't yet been tested by such diverse life-forms. Thek, human, dinosaur, the avian golden fliers, and fringes! This environment will be a very good test of globe capability."

"Globes are an early warning device that have recently been released for Fleet use. I can't go into specifics but with a properly programmed globe hanging over your encampment, Kai, you'll be safe from such predators as the fringes and the bigger dinosaurs. Now tell me, just how did you escape from the dome and avoid the stampede?"

"It's in my report," Kai said, surprised.

"Your report, and I quote, says, "We exited from the rear of the dome and reached the safety of the shuttle just as the vanguard of the stampeding hadrosaurs breached the forcescreen"." Sassinak stared hard at Kai for a long moment and then turned to Varian. "You were even less forth coming. "We escaped from the dome and reached the shuttle." Period. So how exactly did you escape to the shuttle?"

"Triv and I called on Discipline and parted the dome at the seam."

"At the seam?" Fordeliton was impressed and glanced at his commander, who merely nodded

"The young man, Bonnard, had not been apprehended by the heavyworlders?"

"No, Bonnard was at large," Kai said, with a wry grin. "He'd the great good sense to hide the power packs — "

"Rendering the sleds inoperative. Good strategy. I would suggest that the mutineers made the usual classic mistake — they underestimated their opponents. A lesson Naval Tactics always emphasizes, does it not, Ford?" Sassinak, raised one eyebrow and regarded her aide with a tolerant smile.

"Indeed, yes." Fordeliton dabbed at his mouth with his napkin and looked anywhere but at Sassinak.

"Leaping ahead in your story, then, Kai and Varian, the golden fliers must be discriminating indeed if they protect you, and yet are aggressive to the Iretans, a hostility I infer from Aygar's remark this morning."

"The giffs had thresholds for their behavior, one of which was started — and this is surmise — by the mutineers who probably searched near enough to the giff caves to provoke attack. They would repel anyone approaching our refuge from the ravine side. They also seem to be able to distinguish among sled engines."

"What more have you observed about the giffs?"

"Not as much as I would like. To date, my observations have mainly dealt with their reactions to us, not interactions among themselves. That's what I'd like to explore."

"Excellent! Excellent! That's just what you should do."

"What interested me most," Mayerd said, hitching forward in her chair, "was the fact that those creatures knew a specific remedy for the fringe poison. And realized that you needed it. I'd say that places their intelligence level well above primitive norms."

"What establishes them above primitive norms is..." Sassinak broke off, aware of a shadow, hovering anxiously just out of sight in the corridor. "Yes, what is it?"

Borander stepped into view, every inch of him reluctant to interrupt the gathering.

"You ordered that you be informed of any attempt at communication between the transport and the Iretans, Commander."

"Indeed. Who's trying to get in touch with whom?" Sassinak shed her party manner in that instant.

"A transmission from the transport has been monitored, directed at the Iretan settlement and requesting it to open communications."

"And?"

"There has been no reply from the settlement."

"How could the Iretans reply?" Lunzie asked. "They haven't any comunits!"

"They don't?" Now Fordeliton registered amazement.

"It isn't likely that the original units have survived forty-three years in this climate," Varian said. "Unless the Iretans were issued replacements."

Fordeliton shook his head. "We were surprised, but Aygar said that he didn't have much need for that sort of equipment. Nor did they request any power units suitable for a comunit of any current type."

"On what frequency was Cruss broadcasting?" Kai asked suddenly. Sassinak raised her eyebrows with approval. When Borander gave the frequency, Kai smiled with satisfaction. "That was the frequency the expedition used, Commander."

"Very interesting, indeed. Now how would our innocent Captain Cruss have learned that from the "message" in the damaged homing capsule? I've read and reread the text. The frequencies were not included. He has well and truly used enough rope."

Lunzie chuckled. "I wonder why Cruss is trying to contact people who don't wish contact with him."

"Could Aygar be playing a deep game?" Sassinak asked.

"I wouldn't say he was playing any game," Varian said, watching the frown on Kai's face deepen at her remark. "He has stated his position quite clearly — this is his planet and he intends to remain on it."

"More power to him if he can," Sassinak replied. "Borander, my compliments to Lieutenant Commander Dupaynil. I think this is a matter for his skills." As Borander went off on his errand, Sassinak turned to her guests. "Dupaynil's Naval Intelligence." Varian, do the Iretans have any particular accent or provincial dialect?..." And when Varian reassured her, she continued, "My friends, too many attempts at planetary piracy have been successful, too many well-organized expeditions have appeared on planets which were not scheduled to be colonized for a half century. And — to be candid — generally not by groups which are amenable to observing Federated Charter obligations as regards ecology, minority, and nonaggression. The unusual circumstances of the spontaneous settlement are all reasonably explained — always after the fact, when the Federation is powerless to disband a by-then established, productive colony. The more we can discover about the modus operandi, the quicker we can squash the whole movement."

"Are the heavyworlders always the pirates?" Kai asked.

"By no means," Sassinak replied, twirling her liqueur glass gently, around on the damask table-covering. "But they have been the most successful at the game, usurping planets that were destined for other minorities. Ireta is a good case in point. Gravity is normal here."

"That's about the only thing that is," Lunzie muttered under her breath.

"Be that as it may," and Sassinak shot her relative a sympathetic glance, "Ireta is too rich a plum to be plucked by the fardling heavyworlders! Let them find high-gravity worlds where their mutation is useful."

"It would be quite valuable, then, to discover if a group has been organizing these piratical ventures?" Lunzie asked.

"Invaluable, my dear great-great-great-great-grandmother Lunzie, invaluable. Have you any ideas?"

"One which I see no point in discussing prematurely. It's just that something you said is twitching a memory." Lunzie flung up one hand in disgust at her inability to recall it. "I'd like to assist this Intelligence man of yours, if I may..." and her glance took in Varian and Kai as well as the commander.

Varian shrugged and looked to Kai.

"It would afford me considerable pleasure," he said, "if we could thwart the planetary pirates."

A discreet rap on the door was immediately acknowledged by Sassinak and a slim, swarthy man eased into the wardroom. After one quick glance around the table, he gave all his attention to his commander.

"Dupaynil, how would you like to pose as an Iretan, eager to admit the heavyworlders to this planet?"

"The very thing to while away my tedium, Commander."

"I apologize for the abrupt end to this exceedingly pleasant evening, ladies, gentlemen," Sassinak said as she rose, her-manner brusque, no longer suited to the elegant gown that swirled about her legs. "Lunzie, may we avail you of your offer? Ford, see our guests to their transport?"

"You will keep us informed of developments, Sassinak?" Kai asked, rising slowly and carefully.

"Indeed, she will," Lunzie said with a little smile. "I'm a firm believer in ancestor worship."

Chapter FOURTEEN

The next morning Varian and Kai called together all the survivors to explain their move back to the original campsite. The only one to protest was Aulia, and she did so at the top of her lungs, hysterically proclaiming that they were being transferred to their deaths where those hideous animals were ready to charge at them again, not to mention the things that had eaten Kai. At that point, even the insensitive Aulia became aware of the disapproval from all sides. Her monologue subsided into a rebellious mutter.

"Commander Sassinak has equipped us with attack-repulse force screens," Kai said, "and a device which is new to us but infallible in detecting aggression from any source. I think we can return in good heart. That site is, after all, where ARCT-10 will search for us."

"Kai, Arcteen, you can't honestly think we'll ever see them again, do you?" Aulia's voice was quite shrill.

The three youngsters tensed and looked intently at Kai, waiting for his response.

"Yes, I can honestly believe that the ARCT-10 will return for us. This is an instance where no news can be construed as good news. Neither Captain Godheir nor Commander Sassinak found anything in their data banks about the loss of an EV. And such a loss would have been news galaxy wide. Commander Sassinak has requested a Sector update with specific references to a position report on the ARCT-10."

"In forty-three years the ARCT-10 could be in another galaxy. Maybe that's why no one has heard of it."

"By the same token," Lunzie called in a dry taunting voice, "it could have taken forty-three years to maneuver out of that cosmic storm."

Eager to continue the attack, Aulia took a deep breath which she exhaled on a gasp as Portegin pinched her upper arm. Rubbing it, she turned to Triv. When she saw the set of his jaw and the irritation in his expression, she subsided into a petulant sulk.

"Now, we'd best organize the removal. The Zaid-Dayan people will be meeting us at the campsite at 0900. Let's get cracking."

Lunzie pointed a very stern forefinger at Kai. "You will be executive director of the proceedings. Seated here!" Her forefinger then indicated the stool by the hearth.

Kai grinned at her and made a show of assuming his command position.

It did not, in fact, take much time to secure the sparse furnishings in the shuttle, nor to pack oddments in the sleds. Varian was going to retain a two-man sled for her own use and keep a few basic necessities in the cave, to allow her to continue her observations, if weather and circumstances ever permitted. Kenley then arrived with other crew members from the Mazer Star to assist in the removal.

Triv was to pilot the shuttle, and firmly grasping the unrepentant Aulia by the elbow, propelled her into the shuttle. Lunzie followed "to deal with her, if necessary," the medic said in angry aside to Varian. Portegin brought up the rear, looking as glum as Aulia but for a different reason. Dimenon was to take Trizein, Terilla, and Cleiti in the four-man sled, along with Trizein's accouterments. Trizein was full of directions to the girls on what should be recorded on their outward trip, while Dimenon would take one of the smaller sleds, giving Bonnard a driving lesson which, Bonnard allowed vehemently, was long overdue for a man fifty-eight years old. Margit and Kai were taking the other small sled, packed with whatever was left over.

When all were ready to take off, Kenley went up the ladder to the top of the cliff, determined to film the exodus and giff reaction to it. Weather permitting, he sourly amended. A black squall line was making its way across the inland sea. Varian, and another recorder would remain in the cave. She was rather hoping that the Elder Three Giffs would enter the cavern, once the 'big egg' had flown away. The shuttle's take-off could pose quite a cultural shock to the giffs, but its removal couldn't be helped. The shuttle was an essential unit for the main campsite. Its departure would certainly give insights to giff intelligence and perception, parameters which Varian was eager to establish despite the considerable shock it would occasion the giffs.

The smaller sleds went first, bulleted a bit by the squall winds but flying quickly away from the turbulence. The heavier shuttle had to be turned, a maneuver Triv accomplished deftly, then it moved majestically from the cave, and rose with great dignity above the cliff. Varian grinned to herself: there was an element of unexpected theatricality in old Triv. She thought she heard a muted cry of astonishment from Kenley but the wind had got up and she couldn't be sure.

With the sleds and shuttle gone, the cave seemed barren, her small alcove an intrusion. She settled lightly on the stool, shifting the weight of the recorder to her shoulder. The vines billowed in, and a splatter of the morning rain reached her, misting across her face and hands, making the small hearth fire hiss. She was positive she heard giff cries, shrill and excited. Why hadn't she thought to equip Kenley with a wrist unit so he could tell her what was happening. Yes, she did hear what could only be a whoop, and a completely human emission. Patiently she waited.

She was rewarded. Suddenly the vines were shoved aside as three large golden fliers glided in, coming to a halt a respectful distance from where the shuttle had nested so long. Varian grinned at her use of terminology as she recorded them. All Three Giffs stared at the empty space, their wings still half-extended. The end giffs turned their heads inquiringly toward Middle Giff who gave the equivalent of a shrug and neatly laid his wings to his back in a gesture that might be rendered as resignation to an unpleasant truth.

Then each of the giffs appeared sunk down on its legs, pulling its wings tighter to the body and retracting the neck slightly. Varian perceived an aura of sadness and disappointment about the giffs. A small sound, just at the audible level, came to her ears. It had to be emanating from the giffs for it was not a squall or wind noise: a sad and sorrowing note. So sad that Varian felt the short hairs on the back of her neck begin to rise and decided it was time to make a move.

She had just shifted the recorder when Kenley unexpectedly slid down the ladder pole. The giffs extended their wings, hissing and exclaiming so loudly that Varian was alarmed.

"Kenley, stand still! Spread out your arms! You're peaceful!"

"I'll say I am!" Kenley complied with her instructions but backed against the ladder as the nearest means of escape from the winged creatures obviously bent on attacking him.

To give him full credit, Kenley stood his ground while Varian dashed around the advancing giffs and jumped between them and Kenley.

"Don't hurt him!" Varian cried, arms spread wide in front of the giffs to impede their progress. "You know me! You must know me."

"What if they don't remember you?" Kenley had grabbed the first rungs of the ladder.

"I'm friendly! You know me." It took a tremendous effort for Varian to keep her voice friendly. The giffs were so close to her that she could smell the aroma of fish and spice that they exuded. Their long pointed beaks had raised slightly and she was being regarded by very keen, hostile eyes. The midwing digits were flexing as if to seize her.

"I'm sorry, I still don't have any of the Rift grasses for you. Now is really not the time to appear before you empty-handed but I didn't expect Kenley to come flying down here before I'd had a chance to talk with you. Not that you could understand more than the tone of voice, but you do see that I'm trying to be pleasant and friendly. Don't you?"

Middle Giff was towering over her, digits working, its head cocked slightly as it kept its right eye fixed on her.

"Krims, Varian, I don't even have a stunner on my belt! What're you going to do?"

"I'm going to keep talking," she said, smiling so broadly she felt her cheeks might crack. "And you're not going to move a muscle unless they dive on me. Then you better move it up that ladder." Her tone was lightly cheerful despite her ominous words and when Kenley groaned, she added, "Don't do that to me, friend. You be as cheerful as I am. They understand tone, and that wasn't a good one. Okay?"

"I gotcha."

Varian had to grin at the intensity of his rejoinder. Then very slowly she extended her hand.

"Now, let's see if we can make the first overtures of what I hope will be a lasting friendship." She watched Middle Giffs body, flicking her glance to his wings briefly but it was as curious about her next move as she was about the giffs reaction to it. Moving with great precision, Varian touched the wing claw of the giff. It twitched but the giff did not retreat. Varian let her fingers drift from the claw to the wing surface. "Hey, you feel almost oily. It's not like fur at all."

"That thing has fur? I thought birds always had feathers."

"There's a point in evolution when fur was feathers or the other way round. Giffs are furred."

Varian withdrew her hand from Middle Giff who had been regarding her with unblinking eyes. Now suddenly it blinked several times, for all the world like a small child which had steeled itself for an unknown experience and had received a pleasant surprise.

"There! That wasn't so terrible now, was it?" she said, grinning in an honest reaction to its manner.

She turned her body toward the smaller giff and, allowing it time to withdraw, touched its wing claw lightly. It endured the contact but immediately took a small backward step.

"Okay, I get the message." She looked at the other small giff and as if it sensed her intention, it, too, stepped back. "I receive you loud and clear." She looked back at Middle Giff. "You're the courageous one, are you?"

Something like a croon could be heard from Middle Giff. Its throat was vibrating.

"Oh, you agree with me, huh?" Slowly, once again, she extended her hand for the wing claw, its three digits lying loose. She took one between her thumb and forefinger and pressed very gently. "An Iretan handshake. First contact between species."

"You got guts!" Kenley breathed behind her.

"Just don't move, Kenley."

"Not a hair. I'll leave it all up to you."

She maintained the light grasp, and her wide smile, aware of the intense scrutiny of Middle Giff. Then, tentatively, the claws lightly closed about her fingers. It felt warm and dry and she wondered what impression the giff had of its contact with her flesh. The claw released her fingers and she drew back her hand.

"Ordinarily, one says, hello, how are you today?" Varian inclined her body in a slight bow and gurgled with triumph as the giff rocked forward slightly toward her.

"I should have had that recorded, Varian. I really should. That's what I'm here to do, isn't it?" Kenley sounded aggrieved and Varian had to contain her ire.

"If you hadn't clattered down that ladder like the Galormis were after you." Varian had to keep her voice pleasant but she was annoyed with Kenley for his entrance.

"I wouldn't have," he replied with exasperation, "if I'd known you had this trio here. But I didn't. How did they get here?"

"They flew."

"Sorry. I guess I was in a hurry. Hey, I've got to get this recorded."

"Just move slowly is all I ask, Kenley." Varian held the gaze of Middle Giff.

It had made a slight noise, deep in its chest, and the other two giffs had begun to back away from Varian. Then, as if this were a much rehearsed courtesy, the Middle Giff began to back up, an awkward movement for one of its size. Then, with a second comment, the three giffs waddled with a certain stately dignity to the mouth of the cave and dropped off. Kenley raced to the edge, recorder trained on their exit.

"Wow! I got that recorded!" Kenley ignored the fact that it was his behavior that had caused him to lose the more impressive scene of the first contact.

Varian let out a sigh of intense relief. Sweat was standing out on her forehead and she wiped it away on her sleeve as reaction weakened her knees. She moved back to her stool and sat down heavily.

"Rule number one in recording animals of unknown habits and custom-approach cautiously from any direction."

"Hey, Varian, the three who were here have gone to roost but there's a whole flotilla of "em disappearing southeast, down the sea."

Nervous reaction forgotten, Varian sprinted to the entrance, hanging onto a vine to swing out past the lip, craning her head upward. The earlier squall had departed and in misty sky she could see the golden fliers on their daily rounds, fish nets trailing from their feet.

"Hope you have plenty of footage left, Kenley, because we're going fishing! C'mon!" He joined her in the sled. Thanks be to Krims, but it was great to be doing what she'd been yearning to do ever since she woke up.

Chapter FIFTEEN

When Kai's group reached the campsite, they found four vehicles of various sizes from the Zaid-Dayan already awaiting them. A work party was busy tearing out the old forcescreen posts. The replacements, thicker by half again, lay to one side alongside the control mechanisms.

As Kai glided in to land by the vehicles, Fordeliton emerged from the largest and waved to him. Then both men turned to watch Triv bring the shuttle down in a deft landing on the exact spot it had occupied forty-three years earlier. Experiencing deja vu, Kai found that he had to turn away from the spectacle and so engaged Fordeliton in conversation.

"I think you'll find that everything you ordered through Mayerd is here," Ford said, waving expansively at the three sleds and the sleek pinnace. "A few incidentals were added by our commander."

"A bottle of the Sverulan brandy I've heard so much about?" Kai asked, with a grin.

"That would surprise me. She guards the vintage like the destruct codes. However, she was looking quite pleased with herself and there hasn't been a hair seen of the hide of that Dupaynil. Lunzie have anything to say for herself?"

"I haven't had time to ask her," Kai said, having forgotten all about that aspect of the previous evening's events. "Lunzie never makes gratuitous admissions."

"Takes after her great-great-great then." Fordeliton compressed his lips in exasperation. "However," and he changed moods, "let us not prod imponderables. I have here the little device which Commander Sassinak mentioned. I have coded it with information from our various tapes and files about this planet. Even fed it that tape from Dimenon about the fringes. So it only needs to be set in place." He beckoned Kai after him to the pinnace, where he laid hands on a small black plastic traveling case. Kneeling, he opened it and lifted out an opaque globe. He rose, displaying the object to Kai, a big grin on his face. "This is quite a device." Opening a small compartment, he made a few minute adjustments and closed it. "Now, we just let it sail."

"Sail?"

"Well, we give it a bit of upward impetus," Fordeliton amended, beckoning Kai to follow him out of the pinnace. He spotted and then walked quickly to a small cairn of stones. "This was adjudged the exact center of the area enclosed by the forcescreen. So," and flexing his knees, Fordeliton gave a leap, heaving the globe upward at the top of his jump. The globe continued up and then paused, spinning in a leisurely fashion, a pale light coruscating from it. Fordeliton dusted his hands together. "Now, nothing small, large, medium, programmed or unrecognizable can approach this site without you knowing, and the intruder, if on the unwanted list, being stunned senseless. Feel safer?"

"If you say so."

"I do." Fordeliton gripped Kai's shoulder in a firm but understanding grasp. "Now, what else can we do for you?"

Just then the forcescreen came on and a cheer went up from the survivors as well as the volunteers from the Zaid-Dayan.

"Now we can get back to the business interrupted forty-three years ago."

"Once the domes are up," Ford amended. Kai nodded agreement.

This time, Trizein elected to have a dome instead of quarters in the shuttle. He also volunteered to supervise the three youngsters so one of the larger units was erected, providing him with a large working area and four small sleeping sections. Dimenon and Margit elected to return to their secondary camp. Portegin, Aulia in tow, settled on a site for their dome. Triv took a single, as did Kai. Then a place for the largest dome, meeting room cum mess hall was chosen. As the supply of domes had been generous, two more were placed, one for Varian and another for such visitors as might care to stay over. As Kai once again surveyed the natural amphitheater, its forcescreen spitting as it demolished unwary insects, he could not fail to notice that none of the newly erected domes had been sighted where those of the first encampment had been. An understandable phenomenon.

Among the volunteers were two stewards from the Zaid-Dayan and they supplied a midday meal utilizing some of the Iretan fruits and greens.

"Surprised me, it did," the man said, "considering how this planet stinks. Wouldn't have thought anything would taste halfway edible: And it does!"

"I think we can't taste right, is what I think," the second caterer said, "with all that smell messing up our tasters and smellers."

"Just goes to show, doesn't it," Margit allowed, "that neither looks nor smells is everything. So, Kai, shall Dim and I get back to our bailiwick?"

An ear-piercing whistle interrupted any answer Kai would have made. As he glanced upwards, thinking the globe was alerting them, he saw Ford depressing a knob on his wrist comunit. A momentary flash of disappointment crossed the officer's face but was quickly erased. He turned to Kai with a rueful smile, nodding to his men who had been alerted by the noise.

"I'm sorry, Kai, that's recall. We've been on yellow alert since we landed. It's now red." He rose to his feet, making a broad sweeping gesture with his arm. "All right, now, crew. Recall."

Disappointed mutters and groans could be heard but the crew members moved quickly toward the door.

"Don't like to eat and run. Me mammy said it was bad manners," the older caterer said, grinning apologetically at the disarray in the catering area.

"We'll save 'em for you to come back to," Margit called in a good-natured taunt as she followed the crew out.

"If I can, I'll let you know what's up," Fordeliton said as Kai jogged with him to the pinnace. "I don't think you need worry about anything with the globe up there."

"Good luck," was all Kai could think to say.

Triv opened the veil of the forcescreen to permit the sleds and pinnace to exit, then closed it and walked purposefully back to Kai.

"Does their emergency mean we're stuck in here?"

"Ford didn't mention any restrictions on us."

"Then shall we indeed pick up where we left off?"

"Portegin, is the new core screen working?"

Portegin raised his eyebrows, a knowing expression on his face. "It is indeed and a very interesting tale to tell us."

"How so?" Kai asked as they all climbed the rise to the shuttle.

"You'll see," Portegin replied confidently. His meaning was as plain as the blips lighting the screen in the shuttle's main cabin. Where once the duality of core lights had confused the geologists, only single clear lights formed a network.

"The Thek have recovered all the old cores?"

"That's what it looks like. Did they eat "em, d'you think, Kai?" Portegin asked. "Dimenon thinks they do."

"I wouldn't put it past them," Triv said.

"How long have the faint cores been gone from the screen?"

"There were still fifty or more yesterday when I was setting the screen up and testing it," Portegin replied. "I didn't have it on today until we'd finished setting the domes up. I had a look at it just before they rang the chow gong. There were only a few left," Portegin indicated the edges of the screen, "and now, not an unblessed one of "em. They must eat "em. Cores will register through anything."

"Except a Thek," Margit said.

Triv smiled. "Cores should register even through the silicon of a Thek."

"Then they did eat "em." Portegin would not be dissuaded from that opinion. "And digested every last morsel."

Kai looked at the screen for a long moment, not seeing its display. "We're here. We have equipment again. We still haven't finished our original mission. It's better to be busy than sit around idly speculating on what we can't change and better not interfere with. Margit and Dimenon, you two get back to your camp and continue the survey. At least we don't have outside interference to upset Portegin's screen. Triv, what's your option?"

"I'd like to strike north, past the last point we surveyed. There's quite a volcanic chain north and east that might be very interesting geologically."

"Good. Will you take Bonnard along as your partner?"

"Be delighted."

"Lunzie," Kai turned to the medic, "have you plans for the rest of the day?"

She shook her head.

"Would you pilot Trizein?"

"You'll be base manager? That's perhaps a good idea."

"I rather thought you'd approve." He grinned at her.

"Well, you look a shade better, but I wouldn't like to see you over extend yourself without a damned good reason." She strode out of the shuttle.

Chapter SIXTEEN

With a great deal of good-natured bustle and confusion the teams departed on their diverse errands.

"In case you've wondered, Kai," Lunzie found time to tell him quietly, "Dupaynil and I had a few interesting words with Cruss by com." A mirthless smile crossed her lips. "Dupaynil has assumed a Paskutti-Tardma grandson identity and I opted for Bakkun-Berru. Cruss's present objective is to smuggle a few of his people off the transport and onto this world. He hints at great connections and substantial rewards for cooperation. Dupaynil is playing coy and I'm plainly suspicious. I'll keep you informed."

The prospect of heavyworlders enjoying even the most tenuous occupancy on Ireta was unsettling to Kai. He had never been a vindictive person, being basically fair-minded and tolerant but he found himself contemplating Cruss's subversive tactics with an emotion bordering on fury. He wished he had gone with Dupaynil to bait the trap but his anger would have betrayed him. He also took a profound pleasure in the knowledge that Cruss was incriminating himself further.

Kai tried to tell himself that such negative emotions were undisciplined and he should purge them from his system. Then he realized, and laughed at the realization, that, however unsociable hatred was, it stirred the blood as well as the imagination. He was certain that he had felt his fingertips that morning when he had applied the salve. More likely the progress was due to the efficacy of the new medication, rather than regeneration due to indignant wrath. He flexed his fingers inside the skin-gloves, which he could not yet feel against his skin. In one sense that was to the good, for he could use his hands in normal fashion.

As Kai made his way across the amphitheater to the shuttle, he found the unpopulated campsite eerie. On the other hand, he would have few distractions while he organized the information on the finds Dimenon and Margit had made the previous day — a rich source of metals as well as transuranics the heavyworlders would have acquired had their takeover not been challenged!

No sooner had he reached the shuttle's iris airlock than he heard the frantic buzz of the comunit. He raced to the pilot's compartment, and slammed on the transmit toggle so hard he could feel it jar his hand.

"Zaid-Dayan to EV Base!" the signal flashed. Then the screen displayed the control deck of the Zaid-Dayan, and Commander Sassinak. "I was beginning to think that you'd all left the compound. Kai, have you transport? We have a large Thek convoy approaching and requesting landing permission. Their message was first directed toward the giff cave beacon."

"Ah," Kai said, recalling a significant oversight, "we forgot to dismantle Portegin's beacon from the giff cave."

"No real harm done." But Sassiness' grin suggested that Varian had been quite surprised to have had to communicate with laconic Thek.

"Is Tor among the incoming?"

"They have not identified themselves."

"I've no transport here."

"The pinnace is on its way."

Kai had recorded messages on the comunit for anyone calling in to base and checked the perimeter of the encampment for gaps in the screen before he heard the supersonic bang of the pinnace's arrival. The globe brightened momentarily, then resumed its normal color. Ford was the pilot.

"I've brought our stewards back. They really hated to leave the mess hall in such a state," Ford said. Kai grinned farewell as the first man reinstalled the forcescreen veil. Then Kai entered the pinnace.

Ford gestured for him to take a seat and belt up.

"I've never seen such a concentration of our friendly allies before. Our science officer has been monitoring the ones on Dimenon's site and he swears they've enlarged considerably."

"Dimenon thinks they've been gorging themselves. And they have apparently consumed every trace of the ancient cores which were ghosting our core screen."

Fordeliton swung the pinnace about, almost on its tail fins, and before Kai had a chance to grab a breath, had jammed on the power. Even with the advanced design of the pinnace, the g-forces of supersonic speed were uncomfortable.

"How many have been sighted?" Kai managed to ask through lips pressed against his face bones. Abruptly the pressure eased.

"Nine, three of them nearly as big as the transport. Or so they appear on our sensors."

Kai was surprised at the magnitude of the visitors. "Any small units?" If only Tor was among them... "

"There are three Great-Big Bears, three Medium-Size Bears, and three Teeny-Tiny Bears," Fordeliton gave Kai a totally unrepentant grin. "Don't worry. One of Sassiness' specialties is Thek conversation." Then he grinned with a definite hint of malice. "Though I wonder if the good commander will be able to cope with such a concentration of our noble allies."

The speedy pinnace accomplished the journey in minutes. Ford was deftly dropping their forward speed when an urgent signal was beamed from the Zaid-Dayan, giving alternative landing coordinates.

"They want us down by the settlement," Ford said, glancing at the area map, and veered in the appropriate direction as he flipped on the forward screen for a visual check of their arrival. "And I can see why!"

Leaning forward against the seat belt, unwilling to lose a single detail of the extraordinary sight before them, Kai gasped in astonishment.

Fordeliton's whimsical reference to the awesome Thek caused Kai to grin with a wayward appreciation of that irreverence. His grin broadened as he watched three Teeny-Tiny Bears, which were likely to be taller than his nearly two meters, settling down by the main air lock of the Zaid-Dayan, where sailors were quick-marching into the ceremonial formation. One of the Medium-Size Bears was slowly descending behind the three. The other two Medium-Size Bears could be seen positioning themselves to either side of the massive prow of the heavyworlder transport. In one quick glance Kai took in that deployment and then turned his incredulous gaze toward the three immense Great-Big Bears which were sedately lowering themselves onto the grid beyond the transport.

"It is extremely lucky, isn't it," Fordeliton remarked, "that the Iretans made such a big landing grid. Otherwise those big brutes wouldn't have risked a landing here. Whooops! Spoke too soon."

Fordeliton was hovering above the appointed landing site, maintaining the pinnace at an altitude which gave them a superb view of the event. With great dignity and no visible means of propulsion, the three Great-Big Bears lowered their bulks onto the grid. And continued their downward movement while the grid began to smoke, melt, and bubble. Molten iron began to ooze out around the three Great-Big Theks. Fordeliton roared with such infectious laughter that Kai joined in. Suddenly the continued decline of the Theks ceased, the molten metal about their bases went from red to dull cold metal in an instant, solidifying.

"That was close, wasn't it?" Fordeliton flung out his arms, giving Kai a buffet on the chest for which he instantly apologized. "I just hope someone got it on tape. That's one to save for posterity. What if they had just kept on melting down, down, down?"

"No chance of that, I'm afraid. The grid was built here because there's a rock shelf under that plateau that would stop even the Thek." Kai grinned at Fordeliton. "But I doubt the heavyworlders meant to accommodate Thek. Have you ever seen any that big before?"

"I thought that they stayed put at that size. Kai, what have you got on this forsaken planet to wrench them out of their comfortable niches? Do Thek inhabit niches? Or mountain tops? Never mind."

Fordeliton landed the pinnace. He and Kai quickly made their way toward the Zaid-Dayan, where Sassinak and a contingent of her officers were advancing to where the Theks were squatting. Fordeliton and Kai joined the group. Sassinak noted their arrival with a nod of her head

Suddenly a sound stopped everyone, and one of the not so Teeny-Tiny Bears moved forward.

"Kaaaaaiiiieeee!" The sound was both command and recognition.

Kai looked inquiringly at Sassinak.

"That does sound like your name, Kai. It's all yours." The commander gestured him forward. To his astonishment, she winked as he passed.

"Tor?" he asked, coming to a halt in front of the Thek, for surely it had to be his acquaintance from the ARCT-10. No other Thek could have recognized one human among so many. "Tor?" It was awesome enough to be raced by four Thek, over heard by five more; it would be slightly less daunting if he spoke through a Thek he knew.

"Tor responds."

Kai breathed a sigh of relief, and then realized that Tor was answering an unasked question. Or rather the question Kai had fruitlessly posed of the Thek removal squad.

With a speed that blurred movement, a Thek pseudo-pod extended a core to Kai. When he reached out to take it, the core was withdrawn beyond his grasp and he thrust his hands behind him, feeling more like a small miscreant than ever in this Thek presence.

"Toooo hotttt. Eggsamine."

Hands still behind him, Kai leaned forward and peered obediently at the core. It looked like the same type of ancient device which Tor had recovered from their abandoned campsite.

"Is it Thek design?"

Thunder rumbled underfoot. Although the cruiser contingent glanced warily skyward where Ireta's clouds rolled across a silent sky, Kai reckoned that the thunder was a Thek exchange of conversation and that it emanated from one of the immense Thek whose crowns were just visible over the bulk of the transport.

"Where found?"

Kai was startled by such a mundane question but the coordinates of that find came quickly to mind and he recited them.

Then thunder rumbled again, was answered by a lesser noise which Kai decided was Tor's rejoinder for the Thek's upper third rippled slightly, as if courteously turning in the direction of the questioner.

"Kai, ask it if this planet is claimed by the Thek?" Sassinak requested, leaning forward to murmur in Kai's ear.

"Verifying!" To everyone's astonishment, the Thek answered her, and then compounded the surprise by a second gratuitous command. "Dismiss. Will contact." Tor's outline assumed a rigidity which Kai knew meant it would answer no further questions or summons.

He turned around to Sassinak.

"Dismissed, are we?" She was more amused than offended by Thek abruptness. "They'll get back to us when they've had a good old think about all this?"

"I'd say that's a fair analysis of the exchange," Kai said, and he was once again put in mind of Fordeliton's impudent analogy of the old children's tale and the categories of the Thek. The Thek so rarely generated anything approaching amusement, yet Kai now found it difficult to control his laughter. He glanced quickly at Fordeliton who turned an expression of bland and utter innocence on him.

"Ford, the men can stand down. Secure from red alert. Just the sort of thing that Thek complain about. Lack of proper attention to detail. Shall we adjourn to my quarters, gentlemen? Can you spare us a few moments, Kai?"

He nodded and Sassinak swiftly led the way back into the cruiser and to her quarters. Fordeliton and a tall gaunt man with a lean aesthetic race and exceedingly sharp eyes entered the commander's cabin along with Kai.

"I don't believe you've met our science officer before, Kai. Governor, this is Captain Anstel."

"My pleasure, Governor," Anstel said in an unusually deep bass. I have read your reports. Fascinating! Completely engrossing. Not only the dinosaurs — and that is indisputably what they are — but also the fringes. I did a complete analysis of their chemistry. Totally new, although there are two points of resemblance between these fringes and the plastic Wahks of Lesser Delibes planet... Ah, yes, sorry about that, Commander." Anstel subsided, his gaunt face losing its animation as he folded his long body into a chair.

"If your duties permit, Captain Anstel, I'm sure that Trizein would enjoy exchanging information with you," Kai said.

"I should like nothing better. It has always amazed me how much fascination those prehistoric creatures have for us, who are such insubstantial creatures in the scale of time."

Deciding that business must be done, Sassinak took charge of the conversation. "Kai, what do you make of this latest development?"

"Can Thek be worried?" Kai asked, glancing around.

"Is that your interpretation of thunder rumbling under-foot?" Sassinak grinned. "As is only proper for an ephemeral, I have great respect and admiration for our silicon allies. But such a — " she paused to find the appropriate word, "convocation on an otherwise undistinguished world must surely be unique. That must suggest interest of a high degree. Mountainous, I might say."

"And who is cast as Mohammed?" the irrepressible Fordeliton asked quietly.

Kai suppressed another laugh and noticed Sassiness' brief acknowledgment of her adjutant's wit.

"I don't really see our pirates cast in such an auspicious role, Ford. Nor have I yet seen anything that spectacular about this noxious planet of yours, Kai. Was that the same core which brought Tor to your rescue, Kai?" When he nodded, she continued, "And all those little Thek concentrated on gobbling up the remaining old cores — when they weren't frying fringes. Kai, it appears to me that your revival, and the providential arrival of the Zaid-Dayan in pursuit of the heavyworlder transport are incidental to a vastly more important problem. Therefore, since the records of both your EV and my Sector Headquarters list Ireta as unexplored, and yet Thek artifacts have unquestionably been discovered here, I will venture the perhaps bizarre opinion that there may have been a missing link in the famous Thek chain of information. And it broke here on Ireta. Do you agree?"

A grin might not be the diplomatic response to Sassiness' astute opinion, but with Fordeliton's irreverent analogy still tingeing his once dutiful respect, Kai found it possible to entertain the possibility of Thek fallibility. If the Thek were the Bear entities of the old folk tale, who was the parallel for... ah, yes, Goldilocks? Surely not the pirates who were finding the planet far too hot for them. Suddenly the analogy lost its appeal. Kai was not at all certain that he wanted the Thek to lose their reputation for infallibility.

"The old core was definitely of Thek manufacture," he finally admitted. "And unquestionably it has generated Thek interest. But I can't see why it or this planet should evoke such an unprecedented response."

"No more than can I," Sassinak admitted, picking up her wand and playing it through her fingers. "I scanned your initial reports again..." She shrugged. "Ireta is rich in transuranics, some of the exotic earth's and metals, but..." Or perhaps, the Thek must establish to their own satisfaction why this planet is so miscatalogued. And I confess, I'm probably as curious as they are to know how such a break occurred. None of us wishes to cast aspersions on the infallibility of the Thek. No one likes his anchors to come adrift." She smiled at Kai as if she fully appreciated and shared his ambivalence.

"When our screen first showed the ghost cores, they went as far as the area of basement rock. No farther," Kai said tentatively.

"Which would suggest that the cores were planted — " Anstel paused, stunned by the immensity of the elapsed time.

"Many million years ago," Kai finished for him, "considering the geological activity of this planet."

"And the Thek have rendered all of the old cores completely denying us the chance to date the artifacts," Anstel said, his eyes flashing with indignation. Then he fixed Kai with a hopeful stare. "You didn't by any chance?...

"No, we didn't have any dating equipment, since our mission was supposed to be the first."

"Eons ago the Thek cored this planet?" Sassinak asked.

"If not the Thek then some other — "

"Not the Others again!" Sassinak humorously negated that possibility. "I don't wish to lose god and nemesis in the same day."

"Couldn't have been the Others," Kai said, shaking his head vigorously. "That old core was of Thek manufacture. Undeniably. We're using recent cores of the exact same design. Until today I never appreciated just how good the design was. The screen blips were faint, but they were there!"

"Are we not forgetting that planets visited by the Others are invariably lifeless, reduced to barren rock. Stripped. Lifeless!" Anstel spoke with the distaste of one who values life in all its forms.

"Then why have we been visited by this Thek delegation?" Sassinak asked.

"Someone forgot that this planet had been explored and classified," Fordeliton suggested, "and they intend to repair that oversight. Your friend Tor did say "verifying" in its distinctive fashion."

"How will they verify that," Anstel asked, "when Thek have disposed of the evidence of the old cores?"

"Perhaps," and there was a wicked gleam in Sassiness' sparkling eyes, "they had to digest them to find out?" She leaned forward and tapped instructions in to her console. Immediately the screens came to life: the Great-Big Bears had not moved, nor had the Medium-Size ones. The three small ones had disappeared. The fourth screen showed the site on which the Thek had been attacked by the fringes. It was unoccupied. Just then a buzzer alerted Commander Sassinak. "Yes? Oh, really?" She made another adjustment and Kai half rose from his seat in astonishment. A myriad of Thek forms inhabited the plain below the campsite.

"Muhlah! Every fringe on Ireta will be homing in on us."

"I doubt it. Nor would they pose you a problem if they did. Between Thek and the globe, you couldn't be better protected."

"But what are they doing there? I'm here. Tor knows that. Muhlahl! Kai's startled reaction was shared by everyone in the room. For the Thek were spinning off in all directions, nearly thirty small Thek pyramids were hurtling skyward and disappearing with astounding speed.

"Now what?"

"Now what, indeed?" Sassiness' expression sparkled with amusement and speculation.

Chapter SEVENTEEN

Sassinak adjourned the discussion to the wardroom where off-duty officers were enjoying a noon meal. When Sassinak apologized that the lunch was made of processed foods, Kai, mindful of his praise for the previous night's dinner, forbore to mention that he was better suited to it. But after his first mouthful of the protein, he wondered if his eating preferences had been undermined by circumstance. While the cruiser's mess was appetizing and well served, Kai for the first time recognized the faint after taste that Varian had always complained of.

"I suppose you were too busy with the geological aspects of the mission," Anstel was saying, his gaunt face animated as he addressed Kai across the table, "to have much time for the dinosaurs?"

"Unfortunately, I was," Kai said as he belatedly caught the end of Anstel's comments and realized that some response was due. "We did have an orphan hyracotherium for a pet — " Kai broke off, then finished as if his pause had been to swallow, "but that was before we went cryo."

"A hyracotherium?" Anstel's eyes bulged with excitement. "Really? You're certain? Why, that creature evolved into the equine species an Old Terra. Did you know that?"

Feeling unequal to a lecture on the matter, Kai tried a diversion. "We also have furred avian creatures..."

"Furred?" Anstel was entranced.

"Actually," Fordeliton began with so bland an expression that those who knew his ways became alert, "Varian, whom you must concede is a reliable source, said that most of the dinosaurs she observed suffered from over-weight, bad nutrition, parasites of remarkable tenacity and variety, and were not affectionate by nature."

"One does not expect dinosaurs to be lovable," Anstel said with quiet dignity. "They fascinate by their size and majesty. In their diverse species, they dominated the Mesozoic era of Old Terra for several million years before a shift in the magnetic fields of the planet traumatically changed their environment.

"Nonsense! A cosmic cloud obscuring the sun caused the climatic change," Pendelman corrected firmly.

"My dear Pendelman, there is absolutely no proof of that theory whatsoever — "

"Oh, indeed there is, Anstel. Indeed there is! Bothemann of the New Smithsonian of Tyrconia has documentation, both — "

"Bothemann's hypothesis is shaky at the very best since the geological area in Old Terran Italia that allegedly supported the contention, was engulfed in the mid-European plate shift in the early twenty-first century — "

"Ah, but records from the Central Repository, made by that Californian group, are — "

"As suspect as many other theories from that neck of the woods — "

"Gentlemen, how or why Old Terran dinosaurs met their end is not pertinent," Sassinak declared. "What is germane is that dinosaur like creatures are alive and in relatively good health on Ireta. Enjoy that reality for however long you are able to indulge your fascination. Save the great debates for the long watches of the night!"

A yeoman caught her attention. She beckoned him over and listened to his message. Turning to smile at Kai, she murmured a quick answer. The yeoman speedily retraced his steps.

"Varian has arrived. She'll join us here."

"Would she remember where you found the hyracotherium, Kai?" Anstel asked.

"Yes, but I must remind you that that would have been forty-three years ago."

"Surely, it was not an isolated example of the species?" Clearly Anstel would not rest until he had seen one.

"She's concentrating on a study of the golden fliers who could well be an emerging species," Kai said, to give Varian room to maneuver if she didn't wish to get involved with Anstel.

"I must look up my references disks. Hyracotheriums I recall in perfect clarity, but I'm not certain about..."

"Trizein has identified the golden fliers as the pteranodon."

"Pteranodon!" Once again Anstel's eyes widened in shock.

"Yes, my dear fellow, exactly like pteranodons," Pendelman said, delighted to contribute to Anstel's confusion. "I saw a whole flock of them rise from the cliffs and soar. Quite a feat, I assure you, on a storm-tossed planet like Ireta."

At that point the yeoman returned with Varian who greeted Kai with undisguised relief.

"Sorry it took me so long to get here," she said to Sassinak. "I see the Thek found you?"

"It was Kai they wished to find and addressed in their inimitably succinct fashion."

"So, what has happened? Or..." Varian glanced around her, mindful of discretion. Only a few officers remained, most chatting quietly at a wall table on the far side of the mess hall.

A gesture of Sassiness' hand gave Varian immediate reassurance and the commander's glance gave Kai the office to explain.

"Tor has returned."

"With company to ward off our great big beasties?"

Kai grinned. "Tor has returned. It and the other Thek are in the process of verifying."

"Verifying what?"

"They did not specify." Sassiness' dry tone put Kai and Varian strongly in mind of Lunzie.

"Oh."

"They dismissed us, in a word," Sassinak went on, "and "will contact"."

"They do have a way with them, don't they?" Varian turned to Kai. "Not one of us thought to dismantle that old distress beacon Portegin rigged. Kenley has it down now. I'd rather not subject the giffs to further invasions especially ones conducted by the Thek. I didn't know there were that many of the critters. And thanks be to Krims, they didn't attempt to land on my cliff, considering what they've done to Aygar's landing grid." Varian giggled then.

"It's entirely possible," Fordeliton said into the thoughtful pause that followed, "that the Thek have made a mistake."

"Thek? Making mistakes? How refreshing!"

Kai felt compelled to set the problem out properly in simple justice to the Thek, who were so very seldom mistaken in their dealings with other planets and sentient species. "Now, Varian, that old core is of Thek design. It's got them in a scramble. You know how Thek transmit knowledge, from generation to generation — "

"And there's been a generation gap?" Varian asked, her voice bubbling with a laughter shared by the others at the table.

"Evidently. Though the Thek way is supposed to prevent the total loss of knowledge in any line."

"Well, Ireta would be the right place for that, wouldn't it?" Varian quipped, then became thoughtful. "Though, I can't see why that would call for the presence of so many heavy-duty Thek. I mean, Ireta is extremely rich in the transuranics but... Or have they been monitoring planet piracy, too?"

Sassinak cleared her throat. "Not that we know of."

"Then why are the big Thek squatting about the transport like they mean business?"

"The biggest Thek landed beyond the transport because of the grid."

"Grid didn't do much for 'em, did it?" Varian said with another malicious grin. "Now what?"

"My precise words," Sassinak said. She gave a deep sigh. "However, since the Thek are here and the Fleet enjoins its officers to cooperate with those entities, I suppose we must be dismissed until such time as we are recalled to notice. How many years did it take them to answer your distress call, Kai?"

"Forty-three."

"But only three days to answer your query about Tor's whereabouts," Sassinak added. "A noticeable improvement."

"Look what it brought us, though," Ford said, waving his hand aft toward the Great-Big Bears.

"Commander I am not on the duty roster and I did request permission to join a shore-leave party, Anstel began, rising from his chair and putting it back under the table in the habit of a person inherently tidy. When Sassinak inclined her head, granting permission, he executed a slight bow in Varian's direction. "Kai mentioned that you had found a hyracotherium before you went cryo. Is there any chance that your travels today will take you near their habitat? I would dearly like to observe those creatures alive. We dinosaur buffs, I've discovered, all have a favorite species. The equine types are mine."

"I don't see why not," Varian said with a wide, encouraging smile. She rose. "Kenley and I got some superb footage of the giffs fishing. The aquatic life performed some acrobatics — scared Kenley out of his wits when some fringes nearly reached us." She paused. "The aquatic fringes are a great deal smaller than the land ones. I should get some more records of them, I suppose."

"I'd consider it a privilege to help you in any research, Governor."

Varian smiled up at him, for the man was considerably taller. "Well, then, time's a'wasting. And Ireta's giving us a relatively squall-free day. Grab your gear and I'll meet you at my sled." She turned to Kai. "Shall I drop you off back at the camp or are you staying on here, in case" — her grin became mischievous — "the Thek come to a quick decision.

Kai rose. "No, I'd better get back." He turned to Sassinak to thank her.

"If there's no objections, Commander, I'll just retrieve the men I left guarding the camp. Quicker in the pinnace, anyway." Fordeliton got to his feet.

"And I'll follow protocol and inform Sector Headquarters of the Thek arrival," Sassinak said.

They left the mess hall, separating in the corridor. Fordeliton walked with Kai and Varian to the access air lock. Fordeliton peered with exaggerated caution toward the transport and the triangular tops visible above the looming carcass.

"Still there?" Varian asked.

"In residence!"

"They're impressive, aren't they? Oh ho, and I wonder what he thinks about them?" Varian pointed.

The two men followed her finger and watched as a sled approached the Medium-Size Thek.

"That would be one of the Iretans, I think," Fordeliton said. "We gave them a sled with that registration."

"Aygar," Varian said. "What have they been doing, d'you know?"

"I haven't had time to catch up on their activities, so much has been going on in your camps. I believe they have already smashed one sled. Takes a while to get used to modern conveniences."

However, Aygar landed his sled deftly, emerged, and walked around the Thek. It made rather an interesting contrast, Varian thought, a fine specimen of a man, wearing little in the way of modern clothes or weapons, striding arrogantly about one of the oldest living creatures in the galaxy: each entity very certain of its position in that galaxy, even if Aygar was willing to limit himself to one planet. Having finished his circuit, Aygar noticed the observers and paced stolidly toward them.

"What are those things?"

"Thek," Varian replied, grinning.

"What are they doing here?"

"Verifying."

Aygar swiveled his upper body to look at the silent and rigid Thek. "Verifying what?"

"They didn't say."

"Do they always mess up landing grids like that? Must make them unpopular visitors."

"When you get that big, no one has the nerve to complain."

"That commander woman said they're allies?" When Varian nodded, he went on. "Allies of whom? Your lot," and his gesture included the cruiser, "or them?" And he indicated the transport.

"Who are you allied with?" Fordeliton asked in a suspiciously bland tone. "Them or us?"

Aygar grinned back, the first time Varian had seen genuine amusement on the young Iretan's face. "You'll know when I have decided. If I do."

With that he swung about on one heel and marched back to his sled, moving with an unexpectedly graceful economy of motion. In a single fluid movement, he climbed into the sled, closed its canopy, and took off.

"Varian?" Anstel's call was breathless. "Oh, I was afraid that you'd taken off. I just needed a few things."

Varian choked on her laughter. Anstel had festooned himself with a variety of equipment, some of which she could not identify.

"Well, I'm ready when you are," Varian said. "Keep me informed, will you, Ford? Kai? It's as well to let the giffs settle down to normal this afternoon so, Anstel, this quest of yours is most welcome. Shall we go?"

Chapter EIGHTEEN

The two men left at the campsite were still goggle-eyed about the appearance of so many Thek.

"More than I've ever seen, thassa fact," said the older steward, "and I been around this galaxy, so I have. Seen a lot of them, you know, only sort of one here and then another there, but so many at once?" He scrubbed at his stubbly pate, dragging his hand down his face, and then mimed the wiping off of an expression. "Quite a sight, really! Something to swap for drinks."

"Did any address you?"

The steward's mouth dropped in amazement. "Address me?" he cocked his thumb and jabbed it against his chest. "Me? I told "em to locate the cruiser," and he paused to wink broadly, "cause I know they can find anything anywhere."

Kai and Fordeliton exchanged amused glances.

"They found you." He exhaled a hissing breath. "Never seen anything like it, though, all those Thek," and he planed their angle of arrival with his left hand, "just flowing in — if silicon triangles can flow — just sort of gliding in and never losing their formation, just all of a sudden down on the ground."

"Thek can be impressive," Fordeliton agreed urbanely and then gestured for the men to board the pinnace.

"Governor, we left some dinner on the hob like. Had some time to kill," the older steward said, and the younger one began to grin, well pleased with himself. "I like messing with real food stuffs. Only this time, someone else gets the kp."

Kai nodded, grinning. "That's fair enough. Believe me, your efforts will be much appreciated by everyone."

"Least we could do, you guys having had such a rough time and all."

As the pinnace took off with a high-speed whush, the globe's glow caught his eye, brightening momentarily before regaining its regular coloration. Then the silence in the amphitheater was broken only by the faint hiss of the forcescreen as it disintegrated insects, a comforting noise. Kai took in a deep breath, inordinately relieved to be alone, to have a few hours before the others trooped back in. He strolled over to the mess hall, sniffing at the odor of simmering stew.

He realized suddenly that he had never had the chance to delve into the Zaid-Dayan's memory banks, to check whether there had been any similar mass movements of Thek. Not that his original question held any pertinence in view of the day's development. Surely the presence of — and Kai grinned — the Great-Big Bears was exceptional. He'd swap a few drinks on that account himself when he got back to the ARCT-10. Kai inhaled sharply. "When," he'd said. Another matter he'd forgotten to ascertain, though surely Sassinak would have mentioned any communication about the ARCT-10! Better to assimilate the day's startling events than deal with... with unknowns.

So, the Thek had been here and no living Thek had retained a record of the event, despite the much praised memory of the species. Kai knew that when each new Thek was created — and some wits insisted that propagation occurred when two Thek bumped into each other with sufficient force to chip off fragments — it immediately acquired the race memory as well as the working memories of every Thek in its direct line. No reliable figures about the exact numbers of Thek were available. Once again, the humorists' theories filled a vacuum. They maintained that old Thek never died, they became planets.

A sudden thought, more fanciful than Fordeliton's, erupted into Kai's mind: could Ireta, itself, be a Thek? The notion had a certain appeal, if no plausible scientific basis. But was it possible that somewhere in the areas his team had not yet penetrated, there was a Thek mountain? Kai ran from the mess hall, and then, because his curiosity was intense, he increased speed, pelting up the slope, mindful though, not to catch his shoulder on the iris as he entered the shuttle. He did bang his hip against the narrower door into the pilot's compartment. Then he tapped out the file designation of the probe survey maps, hoping that time or some unforeseen wipe had not yanked those records from the shuttle's memory banks.

To his relief, his request was implemented and the screen showed the probe's journey as the vehicle zoomed in on the planet. As usual, clouds covered most of Ireta's face but the probe's filters very quickly produced a clear view of the nearing planet. All right, now, what does an ancient Thek resemble? A pyramidal form might be the most common, but was it the most enduring, the most effective long-term configuration? Surely a silicon mountain would be unusual enough for a probe to register? Catching his underlip on his upper teeth, Kai watched as the probe changed orbit to over fly a new portion of the planet's main continent. Unless — Kai tapped for a magnification of the island chains but the shattered formations were almost uniformly, and easily identified as, volcanic atolls. Theks had great patience and never "blew their stacks."

If there had been a Thek, where was the most logical place for it to have positioned itself on Ireta? Basement rock! Kai called back the map of the main continent and peered over the area, sighing as he realized that the teams had traversed most of the shield rock and had not sighted any unusual mountains. But then, had they been looking for a Thek mountain? No, but wouldn't Tor have noticed, or been contacted by such an elderly Thek? When did a Thek stop emitting conscious thought to its peers? And would it not have propagated to continue its existence? To perpetuate its memories? Or had that search been the one conducted near Dimenon's site, when forty Thek had landed? Were the old cores merely incidental to that vastly more important search?

"Verifying," Tor had said. Verifying not that the old cores had been Thek manufacture or that the planet had been claimed by the Thek, but verifying the whereabouts of that incredibly ancient Thek which had not been linked with any current generation of its kind.

And, if the Thek did claim Ireta for their own, how would that effect Kai and his team? A long sad sigh escaped his lips. Just when they thought they had a chance to snatch some profit from the debacle, a prior claim appears. All they'd end up with after forty-three lost years would be their base pay and a kindly handshake from the Exploration and Evaluation Corps. At least, he thought to cheer himself from the depression that now engulfed him, Varian might be able to rescue something positive.

He heard the bleep of the globe, a friendly warning of arrivals. Wearily and with considerable effort, Kai rose from the pilot's seat. He dismissed the data he had retrieved and went to see who was returning. It was with a sense of reprieve that he recognized the big sled with Trizein's group coming in to land in the vehicle park. But he realized that he must warn his team of his reflections, if only to cushion a subsequent shock. And if he had put the facts in the wrong configuration, one of the others might refute his conclusion or suggest an alternative operation so that they could rescue some gains.

"Oh, I am glad you're here, Kai," Trizein said, his face suffused with excitement as he jogged up to the veil opening in the forcescreen. Behind him Bonnard was laden with record disks, his face wreathed with a smug smile. Terilla and Cleiti followed, chatting animatedly.

"We have had the most incredible encounter with the Thek. They are here in the most incredible numbers."

"A horde, Kai, a real horde of them!" Bonnard confirmed.

"What were they doing?" Kai tried to keep his voice even but his level of depression increased in direct proportion to their enthusiasm.

"Looking!" Bonnard said triumphantly.

"No, my dear boy, they must have been surveying."

"No, they were looking because they were keeping an awfully close line to what I think is the shield rock area." Bonnard looked to Kai to support him. "We can use the shuttle's data banks again, can't we? I'll show you what I mean because I took coordinates of the positions and angles of flight of the Thek to back up my observations." He gave a decisive nod of his head in Kai's direction, again seeking reassurance.

"Let's check then," Kai said with a heartiness he did not feel. He did manage to keep his voice calm and maintain a composed expression, despite a sensation bordering nausea for this crushing disappointment. Thus does Muhlah reward the doubter! he thought as he retraced his steps back to the shuttle.

Once Kai had called up the required maps, he had little to do for Bonnard, cheerfully but firmly arguing with Trizein, proved his coordinates, and his theory, that the Thek were searching the edge of the shield rock.

"And it was a search pattern, Kai," Bonnard said firmly. "I mean, they were hovering ground level," and Bonnard showed the distance with his hands, "and scouring, back and forth and back and forth. I thought they'd been sitting on old cores, or something. What could they be looking for now?"

"An ancient Thek," Kai said.

"An ancient Thek?" Trizein turned to frown at Kai, concern and surprise on his seamed face. "Our telltagger has never registered that sort of heat mass, now has it, Bonnard?"

"Nope," replied the boy cheerfully.

The globe's cheerful bleep penetrated to the shuttle's interior and Kai gratefully used it as an excuse to escape Trizein's saurian enthusiasms and Bonnard's innocent confidence in Thek infallibility.

"Kai!" Bonnard came after him. "Kai."

Reluctantly Kai paused, turned, saw the boy removing an antiseptic wipe from his first-aid pouch. Bonnard extended it to him with a bashful grin.

"You've got a trickle of blood on your chin. I don't think it would do to let Varian or Lunzie see that." Bonnard turned on his heel and ran back into the shuttle.

Dabbing at his lower lip, Kai felt a warmth suffuse the tight knot of despair that had taken up residence in his chest. Then he continued to the veil.

Chapter NINETEEN

If Varian had come back to the main camp that evening; If Triv, Aulia, and Portegin had arrived back for the evening meal; If Dimenon and Margit had, for any reason, visited the camp, Kai might have felt obligated to air his pessimistic speculations about Thek and Ireta. Instead the dinosaur buffs from the Zaid-Dayan and the Mazer Star convened an informal enthusiasm session, matching unusual specimens with Trizein and the three children. Kai was torn between the social obligations of raising his spirits to the level of the others and the need to worry privately about his new anxieties. He was apparently dissembling well enough so that not even Lunzie noticed. The medic was examining Terilla's detailed sketches, pinning the more colorful ones on the walls of the dome, "to brighten things."

More out of a wish to distract himself, Kai approached Perens, the Mazer Star's navigator. "Why do dinosaurs fascinate you and these others so much? They are smelly animals, crawling with vermin, not very intelligent, and I can't give them any marks for beauty. To me they are nothing but mammoth walking appetites. If Ireta wasn't also blessed with a vegetation explosion, they'd 've died out long ago of starvation."

Perens, a dapper little man with a pencil-thin mustache, which he stroked lovingly, grinned at Kai. "Didn't you get the capsule history of Old Terra in your tutorials?" when Kai nodded, Perens continued. "Well, the only thing I remember about it in any detail was the chapter on prehistory. The rest was sort of wars and power struggles, no different from what we have today in the Federated Planets, only more intense because it was limited to the one small planet and, generally, to one or two continents. But I remembered the dinosaurs and the Mesozoic age. I remembered because they had lasted, as a viable life-form, for more millions of years than we have!" Perens smoothed his mustache absently. "I've always wondered what kept the dinosaurs going for so long on Old Terra, when Homo Sapiens, operating in a much shorter time scale, came so close to pulling the plug on itself " Then he shrugged and grinned ingenuously at Kai. "Dinosaurs are big, they're ugly, and they're fascinating. Raw power, a force of nature, majestic!"

Just then, Lunzie appeared beside them, in her hand a tray filled with glasses with her special Iretan brew. Nothing could have been more welcome. "Muhlah! You've been well occupied, Lunzie." He turned to grin encouragingly at Perens. "Hope you're a drinking man because this stuff may be a local brew but it's good!"

Lunzie raised her eyebrows in mock surprise. "But it's planet-brewed, Kai, not processed."

"I'm learning chapter and verse like a good Disciple," he said, toasting her with his glass. He had the touch of the liqueur on his lips when he stayed his hand. "It won't react with Mayerd's medicine, will it?"

"If it might, I wouldn't have served you."

"In that case — " and Kai knocked back the entire glass, holding it out for a refill.

"Hmm. My, how the pure have been corrupted!" But she complied before she moved on."

Perens was cautious. He merely wet his lips then judiciously ran his tongue over them. Then he took a tiny sip, washing the liquid about his mouth. Kai watched him with a certain respect, for the spirituous beverage had a bite to it. Finally Perens condescended to drink.

"Not bad at all. I wonder what she uses. If you'll excuse me," and Perens slipped away in pursuit of the medic.

Kai wandered over to Trizein, who was lecturing Maxnil and Crilsoff on the evolution of the families of hadrosaur, noting that one had traded a keen sense of smell for improved vision. The two officers were listening with every outward show of interest, but Kai noticed that they were sipping the liquor in hefty swallows. Maxnil caught Lunzie's attention, miming the need for a refill. As Lunzie apparently had few qualms about serving her beverage to the group, the evening shortly assumed a rosier aspect for Kai, and by the end of the evening the cruiser contingent had to be issued bedding for none of them could have been trusted to pilot the others back to the Zaid-Dayan.

A variety of klaxons eventually roused them all. Recalls became shriller summons as the polite first request was ignored by sound sleepers. The comunit became equally insistent in Kai's dome. With groggy fingers he opened the toggle and grunted acknowledgment.

"Governor Kai, Commander Sassiness' compliments and she is sending the pinnace to collect you for an important meeting here. And, sir," the polite voice of the communications duty officer added, "would there be any chance that Lieutenant Pendelman, Chief Petty Officer Maxnil, and..."

"They're in the main dome. I'll kick "em out. For that matter I can hitch a ride with them."

"No, sir, their boat isn't fast enough. "Scuse me, Governor, they just came on line."

Important meeting? Kai felt conflicting emotions of relief and fearful anticipation. He really should have spoken to his team last night, if only to prepare them. Then he berated himself for borrowing trouble where it might not exist. Any number of things could account for Sassiness' meeting: the arrival of the tribunal, a report from Sector Headquarters that she didn't care to broadcast, even a report from Dupaynil.

Kai was outside his dome now and aware that, by way of a special blessing, Ireta had produced a glowing sunrise of spectacular brilliance. Mouth agape, he admired the eastern sky, clear blue in a band above the distant mountains. Above that, clouds were a blood red, tinged with orange and yellow, vivid primaries to startle the eye. The vaster bowl of deeper-gray night clouds began to spread with a deep purple, rolling back from the clear morning sky. Thunder rumbled in the distance and a cool sweet-scented breeze wafted gently through a forcescreen which would have rebuked stiffer winds. Such a spectacular dawn could only be the harbinger of great things, Kai thought. But he was not prone to believe in presentiments, and frowned at the whimsy.

"For once, this blighted planet is pretty," Lunzie said as she quietly joined him.

Kai smiled at her, pleased to share the dawn's magnificence with someone else.

"What's the commotion? Every signal in the camp's sounding." Lunzie rubbed her eyes, sleepily.

"Sassiness' sent for me."

"My presence has been requested as well. Varian, too?"

"I'd expect so. And I'm just on my way to rouse the officers."

"I'll help." Lunzie's smile had a touch of malice for the men of the Zaid-Dayan had imbibed massive quantities of her brew. Lunzie could take an unkindly delight in the discomforts caused others by over indulgence.

They had roused the deep sleepers when the globe bleeped cheerfully. As Lunzie and Kai emerged from the dome, dawn light reflected from the side of the pinnace. Kai was opening the veil when the vessel's sonic boom cracked.

"They wasted no time, did they?" Lunzie said.

Fordeliton was the pilot. "We're to collect Varian as well," he said, gesturing for them to belt up in their seats. "Sector HQ sent an update, and Kai," he turned to give the geologist a broad grin, "the ARCT-10 is okay. In fact their message only just reached Sector."

"What happened to it? Have you any details?" Kai strained against his seat belt, leaning toward the pilot in his excitement.

"If you'll shut up," Fordeliton replied good-naturedly. "That cosmic storm they went off to investigate was considerably more powerful than even the wildest estimates. Sector has sent down The Word that that sort of space hazard is to be "avoided, repeat, avoided" in the future. Your ship lost one whole drive pod and the main communications frames, with severe damage to the other three drive units. Some of the living compounds were riddled by debris but there was no great loss of life. The names of casualties were not included in the message. At any rate, your EV had to limp to the nearest system on auxiliary power. Which took forty-three years. Sector sent them a signal about your safety and well-being. So you should soon have a status report." Ford grinned over his shoulder at Kai, delighted to be the bearer of good tidings.

"That sunrise was a good augury," Lunzie remarked with an air of pleased surprise.

Kai squirmed against the restraint of the seat belts, sensible of a relief so intense that it left an ache at the base of his skull.

"I never have understood why the EV's consider themselves invulnerable to the hazards of space," Lunzie said.

"One reason I opted for your mission when it came up, Kai. I figured I'd be a lot safer on a planet than tagging a cosmic storm." She gave him a wry grin. "Of course, I have been safer."

"What? With mutineers, cold sleep, fringes, and now pirates?" Fordeliton demanded, astonished.

"At least my feet were on solid ground and there's plenty of oxygen in Ireta's air."

Fordeliton made a deprecating sound and pinched his nostrils. Then leaned forward over his console as the pinnace began its descent to collect Varian. She was standing on the cliff top as the pinnace slid to a landing.

"The ARCT's okay, Varian," Kai cried as soon as she entered. Her jubilation had to be cut short as Ford ordered her belted up for the run to the plateau. Kai repeated as much as he knew about the status of the ARCT-10, reliving his own immense relief in Varian's expressions of joy.

"But if the ARCT isn't even on its way to us, why this early morning call from Sassinak?" Varian asked.

"Thek," Ford replied succinctly.

"They've verified?" Lunzie-asked.

"That's Sassiness' assumption, but the word arrived in typical Thek language. No details."

"Very interesting," Lunzie said. A note in her voice made both Kai and Varian stare at her. "Were Thek in evidence?"

"No change in the Bears," Ford said. "I take that back," he went on, suddenly alert. "They've moved!"

He flipped on the main screen in the pinnace and they could all see the plateau. The cruiser and the transport had not moved, but Medium-Size Thek was gone from its sentry position near the cruiser's gangway, and the three Great-Big Thek were no longer just beyond the squat hulk of the transport. They were at the far end of the landing grid. The comunit buzzed.

"Fordeliton here. Yes, Commander. We just noticed the redisposition. Yes? Aye, aye, ma'am." He made a slight deviation in approach path. "I'm to deliver you there. Muhlah!" he cried as all the proximity alarms went off.

"Don't deviate!" Lunzie's cry was so authoritative Ford did not correct his flight path. But the pinnace shook as incoming Thek brushed past, speeding to join the others at the far end of the grid.

"What was that?" Varian demanded, aware of the near collision.

"Bonnard's horde of Thek," Kai replied, with considerable irritation. Even Thek, or especially Thek, should follow ordinary flight safety procedures.

"What did they think they were doing just then?" Varian demanded, expressing a similar outrage.

"Preparing for a conference," Lunzie replied, and once again her tone was strained. Abruptly, she divested herself of the seat belts. "Can you slow down, Ford? Just Kai and Varian are called to this meeting?"

"No, the commander is, too, and," Ford now pointed to the view screen, it looks like someone from the settlement and the transport have received invitations." Captain Cruss was plodding across the grid, and the two sleds, one from the cruiser and the other from settlement, each with a single passenger, headed toward the Thek. "Now what are they doing?" Ford demanded in a perplexed tone.

He flipped up the magnification on the forward screen for a better view of the activity. The smaller Thek horde had not landed by the bigger ones. While some hovered, others began to attach themselves to the Great-Big Bears, defying gravity by creating an overhang. Suddenly the three Medium-Size Bears appeared. Two of them hovered as well, turning tapered ends down to fit themselves into the gaps between the biggest Thek.

"Yes, I was right," Lunzie said softly. "I've heard of this configuration, but I never thought to see one. It's a Thek conference!" Awe and amazement tinged the medic's voice. "Kai, Varian, if you're to remember more than just what they want you to know, I'd better buffer you."

"I don't understand," Kai said, glancing from the edifice the Thek were constructing to Lunzie's stern expression.

"Do you trust me?"

"Of course, and I trust the Thek, too. They've never done our species any harm."

Lunzie's mouth twitched in a wry smile. "You do know the opinion they have of us ephemera's, though? They subscribe to the "need to know" school of information transmission. Frankly, I'd rather know all there is to know about what has been happening on Ireta that has broken out so many Thek. Wouldn't you?"

Kai had to concur with that.

"Well, then, I know three things about a Thek conference. One, they don't happen frequently — maybe once a century. Two, there is no way to elude complete disclosure during one. I don't even know how Thek delve into alien minds, but there is absolutely no doubt that they do." Lunzie's stern expression relaxed to the point of a reassuring nod. "You have nothing to fear, Kai. Your clear consciences and pure hearts will stand you in good stead now. The third point is that, considering the time generally spent within that Thek enclosure, the reports of participants confirm the fact that they remember relatively little of what actually occurred during the conference. In fact, only what concerned them in particular. I don't know if a mind buffer will help, but I think it s worth a try in these circumstances. Don't you?" She cocked her head, regarding Kai steadily.

"Lunzie has made three valid points," Ford said with a quiet earnestness that held a note of urgency. "And I'm going to have to land soon."

"I'm game," Varian said, straightening her shoulders and pointedly not looking at Kai.

"This conference is something you will want to remember, Kai, in toto," Lunzie added gently. "Once in a while, we ephemera's need a break. It's no disloyalty to the Thek, you know."

With a sharp nod of his head, Kai agreed, despite some lingering reluctance. He couldn't have said why he resisted what was eminently a sensible precaution because he most emphatically wanted to know exactly what had been happening on Ireta. Especially if the ARCT-10 had reported in and could very well be on its way to retrieve the expedition.

"Relax," Lunzie said, "clear your mind of thought, breath slowly and deeply, ready to enter trance."

Unlike a barrier situation, Lunzie merely reinforced commands originally implanted during the training Varian and Kai had received as Disciples, intended to prevent post hypnotic suggestions. She finished the buffering just as Fordeliton brought the pinnace down, a slight distance from the towering Thek edifice. A narrow aisle remained between two of the Great-Big Thek while the Medium-Size Thek hovered. The smallest Thek which had not fit into the roof of the building had locked themselves against the sides like flying buttresses. A cathedral! Yes, Kai decided — that's what the structure resembles, and a suitable reverence suffused him.

Sassinak and Aygar descended from their sleds, the young Iretan looking at the Thek structure with out right suspicion. "Why have they done that?" he asked Varian, then looked almost accusingly at Kai. "What's going on? Why was I compelled to come?"

"The Thek are about to tell you," Sassinak replied.

"Then why don't they get on with it? Why do they need to build a "monument"?" He made a derisive gesture toward the edifice.

"You've been accorded a unique honor, young man," Lunzie said, aware of Kai's growing antagonism.

"Lately, I seem to be the recipient of many I could well do without." Aygar's supercilious glance swept them all, resting finally on the massive figure of Captain Cruss.

"What's the matter with him? He shouldn't have trouble walking on this planet."

His comment caused the others to turn and look at the heavyworlder whose gait was, indeed, curious. He seemed to be leaning slightly backward and his legs moved only from the knee in an oddly constricted gait.

"I don't think he approves of this meeting any more than you do, Aygar." Lunzie smiled mirthlessly. "But he's attending it, will he or won't he."

Captain Cruss was near enough now for the expression on his face to be visible: one of furious indignation and resistance. It could also be seen that he wasn't walking, he was being transported just above ground level and all the time trying to reach the ground to dig in his heels.

"A little help from a friendly Thek would have saved us a lot of trouble, wouldn't it?" Lunzie remarked to Sassinak, her eyes sparkling with delight at the heavyworlder's predicament. "Will you be able to remember the proceedings?" she asked the commander.

"My memory will be clear, I assure you. Come, we are all here now. It would be impolite to keep our hosts waiting."

With a grin, Sassinak took Aygar by the arm and strode boldly into the Thek monument. The unwilling Captain Cruss brought up the rear. The instant he passed the portal, it closed with a soft thunk.

"Cathedral" is quite appropriate, Kai thought, appraising his bizarre surroundings. The illumination of the interior enhanced that choice.

"Is Tor here?" Varian asked Kai in a subdued voice.

"I hope so," Kai murmured, scanning the individual triangles of Thek making up the ceiling. Thin lines of light defining the various parts of the whole abruptly closed. Yet there was no appreciable darkening.

"I think they located their ancient Thek," Sassinak said, also speaking in a low voice. She pointed to the far side.

Kai now distinguished the outline of an object lying on the ground. It seemed to be a collection of porous shards, a dull, dark, charcoal gray rather than the usual Thek obsidian. "And if that is indeed a very ancient Thek, we ephemera's will have to revise some favorite theories... and some jokes."

Kai wasn't sure her levity was appropriate, nevertheless he felt oddly reassured by her comment.

"Commander, I demand an explanation of the outrageous treatment to which I have been subjected," Captain Cruss cried, his heavy voice reverberating so loudly that the others winced.

"Don't be stupid, Cruss." Sassinak pivoted on her heel to face the huge man. "You know perfectly well the Thek are a law unto themselves. And you are now subject to that law, and about to sample its justice."

It occurred to Kai that they had inadvertently fallen into a triangular pattern themselves: Cruss at one apex, Aygar at another, himself and Varian at the third while Sassinak was at the center. That was the last observation he had time to make for the Thek began to speak.

"We have verified." The statement was a shock to Kai, not for its content for he had assumed that was why this extraordinary meeting had been convened, but because the statement was a full sentence, and because the sound which provided the sentence seemed to move about the inner walls in syllables. "Ireta is for Thek as it has been for hundreds of millions of years. It will remain Thek. For these reasons..."

A curious note sounded in Kai's mind at that point, but he had control enough only to notice that Varian was similarly affected and then conscious thought was impossible as a white sound enveloped them all.

Chapter TWENTY

A groan restored Kai to his surroundings, a groan he echoed for his skull pounded with an intensity that surpassed any previous affliction. He was aware of other discomforts, a suffocating heat, of being drenched with sweat and unable to focus his eyes. These discomforts were understandable for the sun was directly over their heads. It had rained heavily and recently to judge by the fetid humidity and the rusty mud surrounding the depressed triangle of dry ground on which they reeled. Varian was clinging to Kai, blinking to focus her eyes, and Sassinak was leaning against Aygar. On the ground crouched Cruss in an attitude of such dejection that Kai felt a detached pity for the heavyworlder.

"Commander Sassinak!" Fordeliton's glad cry roused them from their stupor. "Commander!" He rushed toward them, Lunzie and Florasse right behind him. "You're all right? You've been in that conference for four-and-a-half hours!"

"Conference?" Sassinak frowned.

"Don't expect sense from them now, Ford!" Lunzie paused to look in each face before she took Varian and Kai by the arm and gestured Ford assist his commander. "Let's just get them out of this sun."

"What did those Thek do?" Florasse demanded. She was looking not at Aygar but at the pathetically crumbled transporter captain.

"Exactly what he deserved, I suspect," Lunzie replied.

"Aygar?" Florasse turned the Iretan by the arm, giving him a little shake. "He's in shock."

"Quite likely. Get him in out of the sun. He could probably use a stimulant, but he'll be himself in an hour or two."

"But what's happened to them?" Florasse stared with growing anxiety at the bowed Captain Cruss.

"They've been in a Thek conference, an unusual experience. Aygar will tell you what's pertinent when he recovers. Now, get him out of the sun, woman. C'mon, Ford!" Lunzie led the way to the pinnace.

In the relief provided by the relatively cool darkness of the little ship, the three people visibly relaxed.

"Shouldn't you give them something?" Fordeliton asked anxiously as he swung the pinnace toward the cruiser.

"I will when we get back to the ship. Some of that Sverulan brandy would go down a treat, I'm sure."

"Did your buffering work?"

"I don't want to put it to the test just yet."

Taking her hint, Ford lifted the pinnace for the short flight back to the cruiser. By the time he had landed, Sassinak thanked him, rose and calmly walked out of the pinnace and up the gangway to the cruiser. With equal calm and slight smiles on their faces, Kai and Varian followed her. Fordeliton hastened after them while Lunzie, able to smile now that her friends were recovering, brought up the rear. With no hesitation, Sassinak led the way to her quarters. There she made straight to her desk, taking her seat and swiveling in a fluid motion to her console.

"Pendelman? Recall the Wefts from the Heavyworld transport. Secure all patrols. That ship will be taking off shortly.

Then Sassinak swung about, blinking uncertainly. With an exclamation of impatience, Lunzie looked at Fordeliton.

"Where does she keep her liquor?"

Fordeliton opened a cabinet near him, brought out a bottle and glasses. Lunzie poured hefty shots and handed them around. Then she motioned for Ford to pour drinks for them.

"We could use a jolt, too, after all this excitement." Then she lifted her glass. "To the survivors!"

Responding automatically, Sassinak, Varian, and Kai drank, emptying their glasses. The stimulant took immediate effect. Color came back into their faces and their expressions regained their old liveliness.

"Well, now, my friends, what have you to report?" Lunzie asked, heavily stressing the last word.

Sassinak frowned slightly, looking with surprise at the glass in her hand, at the others seated opposite her. Kai sank deeply into his chair, almost dropping his brandy glass while Varian, recognizing what she had in her hand, took a healthy swig, and looked to Fordeliton for a refill. He quickly passed the bottle about. Then they all began to talk at once, abruptly recalled their manners, and fell silent until Sassinak chuckled.

"Can I assume from your reactions that the buffering worked?" Lunzie asked.

"It did, indeed, respected ancestor," Sassinak said. "I did recall the patrols and the Wefts, didn't I, Ford? Good, that was, I believe, my first order. Did Cruss survive?"

"Barely!"

Sassinak chuckled. "He took quite a beating." Her fingers gingerly touched her temples. "We all did."

"Despite our clear consciences and pure hearts," Varian added with a sly grin at Lunzie.

Sassinak depressed the comunit button. ·Pendelman, request Lieutenant Commander Dupaynil to join us. And didn't we just get exactly the information we needed.

"Cruss spilled his guts. Not that I blame him."

"Then you know who's behind the piracy?"

"Oh yes." Sassinak smiled beatifully. "I'll wait until Dupaynil gets here. Kai and Varian have been covered with glory, too. Which is only fair."

"Yes, apparently we rescued Ger in the nick of time." Kai took up the account, grinning broadly. "Ger was the Thek left here as a guardian — "

"This planet's a zoo, Lunzie. A sanctuary for the dinosaurs. The Thek have been stocking it for millennia — even before the cataclysm," Varian broke in excitedly. "Trizein, and all the other buffs were right, the critters are from Mesozoic Terra."

"Ger was caught in a massive earthquake," Kai said, "and buried so deeply that it was unable to summon help. It had all but exhausted its substance when the Thek started looking for it."

"You see," Varian went on, "the Thek surveyed Old Terra eons ago and were entranced by the dinosaurs. Long before the animals were threatened with extinction by a climatic cataclysm, they had imported them to Ireta which they knew would permanently provide the proper environment. The Thek even brought the Rift grasses for the dinosaurs since Ireta has no natural vitamin A. Dinosaurs are Thek pets."

"Suitable combination, I expect," remarked Lunzie. "Both have insatiable appetites."

"Dimenon was exactly right when he said the Thek were gorging themselves. They were!" Varian said with a crow of laughter.

"Originally Ireta was slated to be a Thek feeding ground," Kai said, taking up the tale again, "because of all that raw energy being released after every good earthquake or tectonic shift. That's why those old cores had been put down. Ger was in the process of digging them up. By the strangest coincidence, the old core we first uncovered was actually close to Ger when the quake trapped it. There's a Thek dating device on those cores, and when the Thek ingested them, that's what they were looking for. But the searchers were having a free meal at the same time. Young Thek, especially, have to be closely supervised or they'll strip a planet!"

"What!" Lunzie half rose from her chair while the three who had endured the Thek conference favored her with smug expressions. "You can't possibly imply that..."

"That's my interpretation, Lunzie," Sassinak agreed. "We got comprehensive, Thekian explanations though what we were supposed to remember related only to our personal involvement in this adventure. Part of the explanation was a large wedge of Thek history." She gave Fordelition a stern look. "Which, if you value your rank and role as a Disciple Lieutenant Commander, had best remain locked in your head. In their youth as a species, the Thek were driven into space by their insatiable appetites to discover planets which would supply their need for raw energy. They find the transuranics especially succulent. Even then, fortunately, they had a regard for developing species. Otherwise, a planet with no emerging life-forms would be reduced to bare rock by Thek hungers."

"The Thek are the Others," Lunzie gasped.

"That is the inescapable conclusion," Sassinak agreed. "Thek are nothing if not logical. It became apparent in a millennium that, if they couldn't curtail their appetites, they ran the risk of eating themselves out of the galaxy."

"No wonder they have an affinity for dinosaurs," Fordeliton exclaimed with a whoop of laughter.

"We may all be grateful that the dinosaurs did not evolve into space travelers," Sassinak replied.

"And grateful, too, that the Thek have preserved them. But what will happen now?"

Varian beamed. "Because we are ephemera's, short-lived and vulnerable, we would not make the mistake the Thek did, in leaving only one guardian..."

"You mean, zoo keeper," Kai said.

"So I have the option to stay on Ireta," and Varian's expression was tinged with awe, "as a planetary protector. I can study the giffs, all the dinosaurs, and even the fringes if I feel like it. I may have as much staff as I require." She turned to Kai expectantly, her eyes twinkling. "Tell "em your good news, Kai."

Kai grinned shyly. "Ireta is restricted, of course, as far as the transuranics go, but I, and my "ilk", as they put it, have the right to mine anything up to the transuranics for... is it as long as we live? I'm not sure if the limit is just my lifetime."

"No," said Lunzie. "By ilk, the Thek probably mean the ARCT-10 for as long as it survives. You deserve it, Kai. You really do."

"Curiously enough," Sassinak said into the respectful pause that followed, "the Thek did appreciate the fact that you all have lost irreplaceable time. In doing so, of course, you set up the circumstances which retrieved the lost Ger and the forgotten planet. Thek justice is unusual."

"What about Aygar and the other Iretans?"

Varian shot a quick glance at Kai whose expression was of resigned disapproval. "The Thek lumped all humans in one group as survivors. In a sense, that's correct. Aygar plans to stay."

"He made that plain, Thek or not." Kai's tone held grudging respect.

"And the Thek will permit a limited support group for us and however many of Aygar's Iretans plan to remain."

"I wonder if some of them might consider enlisting in the Fleet," Sassinak mused. "Wefts are excellent guards but Ireta produced some superb physical types. Ford, do see if we can recruit a few."

"Tanegli?" Lunzie asked.

"Mutiny cannot be excused, nor the mutineer exonerated," Sassinak answered, her expression stern. "He is to be taken back to Sector Headquarters to stand trial. The Thek were as adamant on that score as I am."

"And Cruss is being sent back?" asked Ford.

Sassinak steepled her fingers, a satisfied smile playing at the corners of her mouth. "Not only sent back but earthed for good. Neither he, his crew, nor even any of the cryo passengers will ever leave their planet. Nor will their transport lift again."

"The Thek do nothing by halves, do they?"

"They have been exercised — if you can imagine a Thek agitated," Sassinak went on, "about the planetary piracies and patiently waiting for us to do something constructive about the problem. The intended rape of Ireta has forced them, with deep regret, to interfere." A polite rap on the door interrupted her. At her response, Dupaynil opened the door, surveying the group quickly. "On cue, for I have good news for you, Commander. Names, only one of which was familiar to me." She beckoned the Intelligence officer to take: a seat as she leaned forward to type information on the terminal. "Parchandri is so conveniently placed for this sort of operation..."

"Inspector General Parchandri?" Fordeliton exclaimed, his expression shocked.

"The same."

Lunzie chuckled cynically. "It makes sense to have a conspirator placed high in Exploratory, Evaluation, and Colonization. He'd know exactly which planetary plums were ready to be plucked."

Kai and Varian regarded her with stunned expressions.

"Who else, Sassinak?" Lunzie asked.

The commander looked up from the visual display with a smug smile. "The Sek of Formalhaut is a Federation Councilor of Internal Affairs. One now understands just how his private fortune was accrued. Lutpostig appears to be the Governor of Diplo, a heavyworlder planet. How convenient! Paraden, it will not surprise you to discover, owns that: company which supplied the grounded transport ship."

"Doubtless others in his fleet will meet the same fate," Lunzie said.

"We could never have counted on uncovering duplicity at that level, Commander," was Dupaynil's quiet assessment. He frowned slightly. "It strikes me as highly unusual for a man at Cruss's level to know such names."

"He didn't," Sassinak replied equably. "He was only vaguely aware that Commissioner Paraden was involved. The Thek extrapolated from what he could tell them of recruitment procedures, suppliers, and what they evidently extracted from the transport's data banks."

"And how can we use the information they obtained?"

"With great caution, equal duplicity and superior cunning, Dupaynil, and undoubtedly some long and ardent discussions with the Sector Intelligence Bureau. fortunately, for my hyper suspicious nature, I've known Admiral Coromell for years and trust him implicitly. However, knowing where to look for one's culprits is more than half the battle, even those so highly placed."

"You will keep us informed of your progress, won't you?" Lunzie asked wistfully.

"By reliable homing capsule," Sassinak replied, but her grin quickly faded into regret. "I have been given sailing orders, too. So, Fordeliton, brush up on your eloquence and see whom you can recruit from among the Iretans. Kai, Varian, Lunzie, if you need any more supplies to tide you over until the ARCT-10 arrives, it will be my pleasure to oblige. Just have them loaded into the pinnace. I'll have Borander deliver you back to your camp. Just one more thing — "Sassinak swiveled her chair about, fingering the digital lock on a cabinet behind her. She extracted first one, then with a shrug of her shoulders, two more of the distinctive square bottles of Sverulan brandy. "Clean glasses, please, Ford, for I've a toast to propose."

Glasses were found, generously filled with brandy. Sassinak rose to her feet, the others followed suit.

"To the brave, ingenious, and honored survivors of this planet! Including the dinosaurs!"

The End