Veda remained silent and Chara felt there was something wrong, she broke off the song, jumped up, tossed the guitar to the artist and went over to where the fair-haired woman was standing, her head bowed guiltily.
Veda smiled.
“Dance for me, Chara.”
The latter nodded obediently but Frith Don stopped her.
“The dances can wait, there’s a transmission beginning now.
On the roof of the building a telescopic pipe was put up on which there were two metal sheets at right angles to each other surmounted by a circular structure with eight hemispheres arranged around its circumference. The room was filled with the mighty sounds of the world information service.
“The discussion of the project introduced by the Academy of Directed Radiation continues,” said a man on the screen. “The project provides for the substitution of electronic recording for the linear alphabet. The project is not being universally supported. The chief objection is the intricacy of the reading apparatus. The book will cease to be a friend to accompany men everywhere. Despite all its apparent advantages the project will probably be rejected!”
“It’s been discussed for a long time,” said Renn Bose.
“A big contradiction,” answered Darr Veter, “on the one hand, there is the tempting simplicity of the writing and, on the other, the difficulty of reading.”
The man on the screen continued:
“Yesterday’s report is confirmed — Cosmic Expedition No. 37 has been heard from. They are returning….”
Darr Veter was staggered by the strength of his own contrasting emotions. Out of the corner of his eye he saw Veda Kong slowly rise to her feet, her eyes opening wider and wider. With the keen ears of a lover Darr Veter caught the sound of her spasmodic breathing.
“… from the direction of square four hundred and one the ship has just come out of the negative field at one-hundredth of a parsec from Neptune’s orbit. The expedition has been delayed through an encounter with a black sun. There have been no losses of life! The speed of the ship.’“ said the news reader in conclusion, “is about five-sixths of the absolute unit. The expedition is expected at Triton in eleven days!.. Listen for reports of their marvellous discoveries!”
The broadcast continued. There were other items of “news but nobody listened to them any more. They crowded round Veda, congratulating her. She smiled, her cheeks were burning but there was anxiety hidden deep down in her eyes. Darr Veter also approached. Veda felt the firm pressure of his hand and met his eyes, direct and sincere. Not for a long time had he looked at her like that and she understood the sadness of his former attitude towards her and she realized that at that moment he read something else in her face besides joy.
Darr Veter slowly released her hand, smiled in a way all his own, inimitably open and frank, and walked away. Her companions from the expedition were excitedly discussing the news. Veda remained inside the circle of people but watched Darr Veter out of the corner of her eye. She saw Evda Nahl go up to him and a moment later they were joined by Renn Bose.
“We must find Mven Mass, he still doesn’t know the news!” exclaimed Darr Veter, as though he had suddenly remembered. “Come along with me, Evda. And what about you, Renn?”
“I’ll come too,” said Chara Nandi as she came up.
“May I?”
They went down towards the gently lapping waves. Darr Veter stopped, turned his face to the cool breeze and sighed deeply. Turning round he met Evda Nahl’s eyes.
“I’m going away without returning to the house,” he said in answer to her unasked question. Evda took him by the arm. For some time they walked on in silence.
“I’ve been thinking… must you?” whispered Evda, “but I suppose you must, I suppose you’re right. If Veda…” Evda stopped, but Darr Veter squeezed her hand understandingly and pressed it to his cheek. Renn Bose followed on their heels, carefully edging away from Chara who, with a slightly mocking smile, ogled him with her big eyes and swayed her body exaggeratedly as she walked with long steps beside him. Evda laughed a scarcely audible laugh and suddenly offered the physicist her free arm. Rcnn Bose seized it with a predatory movement that seemed funny in that bashful fellow.
“Where are we to look for your friend?” asked Chara, stopping at the edge of the water. Darr Veter looked round in the bright moonlight and saw fresh footprints on the strip of wet sand. They were made at exactly the same intervals and the soles were turned outward symmetrically with such precision that the footprints seemed to be the work of a machine.
“He went that way,” said Darr Veter pointing towards some big boulders.
“Yes, those are his footprints,” confirmed Evda Nahl.
“Why are you so sure?” asked Chara, doubtfully. “Look at the-regularity of the paces, that’s how primitive hunters walked… or those who have inherited their traits. It seems to me that Mven, despite all his learning, is closer to nature than any of us… although… I don’t know about you; Chara.” Evda turned to the girl who was pondering over something.
“Me? Oh, no!” She pointed forward and exclaimed, “There he is!”
The huge figure of the African, shining like polished black marble in the moonlight, appeared on the nearest boulder. Mven Mass was shaking his fists energetically as though he were threatening somebody. The powerful muscles of his mighty body rose and fell and rolled beneath his gleaming skin.
“He’s like the spirit of the night from the children’s tales,” whispered Chara excitedly. Mven Mass noticed the people approaching him, jumped down from his rock and soon appeared before them with his clothes on. In a few words Darr Veter explained what had happened and Mven Mass expressed a desire to see Veda Kong.
“Go over there with Chara,” said Evda, “and we’ll stay down here for a little while.” Darr Veter made a gesture of farewell and saw by Mven’s face that he had understood. A burst of something like childishness egged Mven on to whisper words of farewell that had long since gone out of usage. Darr Veter was touched by this gesture and walked away, deep in thought, accompanied by the silent Evda. Renn Bose hesitated for a while in some confusion and then followed behind Mven Mass and Chara.
Darr Veter and Evda walked down as far as the cape that protected the bay from the open sea. From there they would see the lights round the huge disc-shaped rafts of the maritime expedition.
Darr Veter pushed a transparent plastic boat off the sand and stood by the water in front of Evda, even more massive and powerful than Mven Mass. Evda stretched up on tiptoes to give her friend a parting kiss.
“Veter, I’ll be with Veda,” she said, as though answering his thoughts. “We’ll go back to our zone together and there we’ll await your arrival. Let me know where you fix yourself up, I’ll always be glad to help you.”
For a long time Evda followed the boat with her eyes as it crossed the silvery sea.
Darr Veter went as far as the second raft where the mechanics were still working in a hurry to set up the accumulators. In response to Veter’s request they lit three green lights in the form of a triangle. An hour and a half later, the first helicopter that came that way hung over the raft, the roar of its engines rumbling over the sleepy sea. Darr Veter entered the lift it lowered; for a second he could be seen against the illuminated bottom of the aircraft and then disappeared through the hatch. By morning he reached his permanent abode near the Council observatory which he had not had time to change for another. Darr Veter opened the air-taps in both his rooms and in a few minutes all dust had vanished. He pulled his bed out of the wall and, tuning his bedroom in to the smell and sounds of the sea that he had lately become accustomed to, was soon sound asleep.