"You know," Killashandra began, interrupting herself with a great yawn."We forgot to put the piece back."Her head lolled back.
They fell asleep as they were, half-empty plates balanced on their chests.Brendan decided that he had not been scrupulous enough in monitoring them today-he'd been as fascinated as they had by their attempts to communicate with the Junk.In future, he must remember that singers had phenomenal powers of concentration, as well as appetite.
Then Brendan noticed that weary fingers had left splotches on chairs and carpet.Though he could send the cleaner 'bot to attend to floor spillage, he resigned himself to spots on the chairs until they reached port again.Not that Boira was any neater all the time.He dimmed the lights and raised the ambient temperature, since he couldn't exactly arrange covers for them.Being a ship had a few limitations in dealing with passengers who insisted on falling asleep off their bunks.
He was also obscurely delighted by their resolve to restore the specimen to the Junk.It was one thing to take samples of inanimate objects, but to do so to a living, feeling, communicating sentience was quite another matter in his lexicon.Singers were not as insensitive and unfeeling as he had been led to believe.In fact, his opinion of the breed had been raised by several singular leaps.
He must remember to mention it-adroitly, of course, for even to imply that he had had his doubts about this mission, and them, was embarrassing.He had a lot to relate to Boira when she was restored to him.
Chapter 3
As soon as they returned to the original site with the excised "finger," Killashandra and Lars noticed the increase of the luminescence.
"Well, we fed it, didn't we?"Killa said."Big Junk looks fatter, too, don't you think?"
Lars shrugged."Brendan?"
"Ambient light has increased in your present location, but, as you both know, I can read nothing of the Junk itself."
"It should look fatter after all we gave it to eat yesterday," Killashandra repeated, more to herself than to the others.
"I don't see as much expansion on the rib we cut, though," Lars remarked, peering up at it. That extrusion had not moved from the position into which it had retracted.
"Muhlah!I hope we haven't done irremediable harm," she said with genuine remorse.
"The other end had no trouble absorbing what we gave it to eat.Maybe it can…" Lars began.
"Can, can, cannibal?"
"Omnivorous, certainly," Lars replied wryly.
"It didn't exactly 'eat', it sort of absorbed substances," Killa said.
Lars took the "finger" out of the duraplas sack with duraplas calipers and reached up, his extended arm not quite long enough."Damnation!"
"If you hoist Killa to your shoulders, Lars, that will give you sufficient height," Brendan said.
Lars eyed his partner.She was a lean-bodied woman, and long in the leg.
"C'mon, lover boy, play acrobat.That'll be dead easy in point-seven gravity."
"Just don't wriggle around on my back.Be careful of my oxygen tanks."
"Hmmm.You've got a point.Whoops!"
Lars handed her the tongs and the "finger," then ducked under her legs and, in an athletic heave, raised her from the ground.
"Don't obscure my vision!" he exclaimed.Involuntarily, she had grabbed at his helmet before he steadied her with his hands on her belt.
"Two steps forward, and one slightly…" Killa caught her balance."To the left and… here we are.Steady!"Even with his almost two-meter height, she had to stretch to reach the end of the rib.
"You're wiggling!"
"Am not!I'm stretching.You're the one who's wiggling.To your right half a step.There!"And she whistled in disbelief as, before her very eyes, the Junk turned even more liquid and flowed over the amputated piece, reabsorbing it.Lars started to waver."Hey!"She dropped the tongs and clung to him."Don't move!"
"I'm not moving!"And suddenly Lars was down on one knee, Killa falling forward off his shoulders.
"Wooof!" she muttered as she lay sprawled on the ground, automatically checking the panel of lights that ringed the bottom of the helmet join.They were all green, not a flicker into the orange.
"You okay, Ki?"Brendan asked, his tone anxious."That was a quake, not a tremor!"
"Quite a thank-you!"Killashandra got to her feet.
"Certainly a reaction," Brendan said."Lars?"
"Oh, I'm all right," Lars replied, checking both knees."Well, lookee there," he added, pointing to the ceiling."Come home, all is forgiven!"
Neither could see a demarcation on the rib end.
"Absorption?Not the same reaction though," Killashandra said, "as it gave when we offered it merely metal.Should we recommend that the other piece be returned?"
"After four years or more?"
"It's worth a try-as a peace offering."She grinned at the deliberate pun.Lars groaned.
"It would establish human bona fides," Brendan said."That the people who return it have recognized the attempt as mutilation?"
"Not merely amputation for the sake of investigation," Killa said in a caustic voice.
"So?What do we do for an encore?"Lars asked.
Killa shrugged."Have we been in all the caves that have Junk?"
"All those recorded," Brendan said.
"And we still haven't found the source, if there is one?"
"That wasn't in our brief, was it?"Lars asked, brushing his gloved hands."We were to discover if this stuff had some commercial value to the Heptite Guild."
"It doesn't belong under the Guild's aegis.It's sentient," Killa said with more vehemence than she intended.
"We don't know that for a fact," Bren said, "but while it may not be animal, it doesn't appear to be mineral in the strict definition of the word."
"I'll go along with that," Lars said, turning to his partner.
" 'And beings animalculus' "," Killa murmured."There's something…" She struggled with the vague notion she was trying to verbalize and then shrugged."I dunno, but one sure thing, you can't mine it the way we can crystal, or other gemstones and ores.What's your opinion, Brendan?"
"I'm a minder, not a miner."
"Yes, but you've been a big help."
"As a caterer…"
"Yuckh!"The very thought of food suddenly nauseated Killashandra.She and Lars locked eyes."Oh, blast it."
"I'd say the timing was pretty good," Lars said.
"You're ready for the Sleep phase?"Brendan asked.
"Undeniably," Killa said, moving toward the exit of the cavern."We've done what we were supposed to, and it's now up to the xenos!This isn't a Heptite matter.So…" She looked expectantly toward her partner."Where are we going to spend all those lovely credits we've just earned, Lars?And if you say 'water world', I'll excise a few chunks of you."
Following close behind her, Lars rapped her helmet."No, it's your turn to pick."
I'll pick after I've slept on it, Killashandra said.
"In a week I'll be out of this system," Brendan said."Which way do I go?"
"Turn left then straight on till morning," Killa said facetiously.
"If that's your wish, it is my command," the ship said.
Once back aboard the ship, the lingering odors of previously delectable meals made them gag.
"You weren't joking, were you?"Brendan said."Ah, you can restrain the compulsion?" he added urgently.
"Don't worry.We never disgrace ourselves," Lars said grimly, depressing his nausea as he stripped off the suit and stuffed it in the cleanser.
Killashandra had a very set look to her face and swallowed constantly as she peeled off not only her suit but the mesh undergarment.