When they returned to the base camp as the evening drenching began, Varian noticed that Tardma and Paskutti
were as glad to be released from the close quarters of the sled as she was. She told Paskutti to check the sled over, Tardma to give Gaber the tape files and she went down to check on Mabel. The herbivore had reduced the trees of its enclosure to mere stumps. The full leg seal had held and Mabel did not appear to favour the injured leg. Varian was both eager and reluctant to release her patient but the logistics of supplying Mabel with sufficient fodder made her independence necessary. She decided to let Mabel go in the morning and follow it, at a discreet distance, in the sled. She would like to establish if it had any instinctive direction, if it had any communication with other members of its herd of species. Today the herbivores had responded to the dangerous approach of the predator on an individual basis. Too bad the silly fools couldn't gang up on their killer. By mass they could over-power it if they'd any courage at all. Or any leadership.
Could she stimulate Mabel's intelligence in any way, she wondered. And as quickly decided such a programme would be impossible. It would take too long and the chances of success with Mabel's brain space were unlikely. Mabel needed some physical modifications to achieve any measure of intelligence. There wasn't room enough in its skull for more than essential locomotion. Unless it had spare brains in its tail! And there'd be more motor control, too. Of course, she had encountered species with auxiliary nerve centres for controlling extremities while their intelligence, or main brain, was centrally located in the most protected part of their form. Man was, Varian reminded herself, not for the first time, rather badly designed. She understood the Theks held that opinion.
She was strolling thoughtfully back to the compound when she heard the whush of a returning sled and her name called. She caught sight of Kai's face. He looked happy about something. He was gesturing her to hurry up and join him. When she did, his usually composed face was brimming with excitement. Even Bakkun had an air of satisfaction about him.
We've got some tapes you've got to see, Varian. We found one of your fang-faces . . .
Don't talk to me about it!
Huh? Had a rough day? Well, this will cheer you. I need your expert opinion.
I will take our finding up to Gaber, said Bakkun, leaving the co-leaders together as he strode towards the cartographer's dome.
You had a good day, then? Varian put aside her negative mood. She had no right to depress Kai, or spoil his achievement.
Very good. Just wait till you see, he was guiding her towards the shuttle. Oh, how was yours? Could you clear that north-east section of foothills for a secondary camp?
Let's see your tapes first, she said, and hurried him along to the pilot cabin.
Admittedly, I don't know that much about animal behaviour, he said as he slid the tape into the viewer and activated the playback, but this just doesn't seem logical. You see, we found the golden fliers a good hundred and sixty kilometres from the sea . . .
What? Doesn't make sense . . .
The tape was playing now and she watched as the fliers came on the screen, the threads of grass visible in their beaks.
You didn't think to . . .
I got samples of all the greens, grass and bush . . .
"And they are green, instead of half-purple or blue . . ." Now watch . . ."
Fardles! What's that thing doing there? The predator had entered the valley, a dwarf figure until the close-up lens magnified it to a comparative life-size, That's the beast that ate Mabel and . . .
Can't be the same one . . .
I realize that, but they are double-dangerous. We had one today, took a hunk out of another herbivore until we intervened. Why, scorch the raker, he's eating grass!" Astonishment silenced Varian. "I wonder what's so essential in that grass. Damned curious. You'd think they'd have everything they need in their own environment. Now, he might be local. But the fliers couldn't be . . ."
My thinking, too. Now this is the part that really baffles . . .
The viewer now came to the scene in which fliers were aware of predator and it of them, the defensive line of the golden creatures and their orderly evacuation.
Kai! Kai! Where are you, man? They heard the voice of Dimenon, Kai's senior geologist. Kai!
Ho, Dimenon, we're up front, Kai replied, pressing the hold on the viewer.
We're here for the transuranics, aren't we? asked Dimenon at his most dramatic as he burst into the small cabin, an equally excited Aulia beside him.
You bet. . .
We found the mother's own end of a great whopping saddle of pitchblende . . . rich or I'll give you every credit in my account!
Where?
You know we were to follow the south-eastern track of the old cores, pick it up where it faltered? Well, where it faltered was at the edge of a geosyncline, the orogenesis is much later than this area. It was Aulia who noticed the vein, the brown lustre in the one sunny interval we had. We planted seismimics on a rough triangulation and this is the reading we got. Dimenon brandished the print-out as one proferred a treasure. Rich high up on the scale. Why, this one find alone justifies the entire expedition. And with all those new fold mountains, I'll bet this is the first of many. We struck it, Kai. We struck it!
Kai was pummelling Dimenon and Varian was hugging Aulia with complete lack of inhibition while the rest of the geological team began to crowd into the compartment to add their congratulations.
I was beginning to wonder about this planet. There were traces, yes, but there ought to have been more ore deposits . . . Triv was saying.
You forget, Triv, Gaber said, inking smears on his face which was for once wreathed with genuine good humour, we're on old continental shield, not likely to have been much anyway.
All we had to do was get beyond the shield, and look what we've got already . . . Dimenon again did his triumphant dance, waving the print-out tape like a streamer until it caught on Portegin's shoulder and began to tear. He ended his physical gyrations and carefully began to roll up the all-important tape which he stowed in his chest pocket. Over my heart forever!
I thought I was there," Aulia teased him.
This would seem to call for a celebration, Lunzie said, putting her head round the door.
Don't tell me you've got some joy juice hidden away somewhere? cried Dimenon, waggling an accusatory finger at her.
There's no end of ways to serve that fruit, you know, she replied, her manner so blandly innocent that Varian whooped.
Wouldn't you know Lunzie would come through?
Three cheers for Lunzie! The distilling dietician!
And how would you know it was distilled? asked Lunzie suspiciously.
Why else was Trizein rigging up a fractional distillation column?
That warranted more laughter and congratulations which was why Varian noticed the solemn heavy-worlders were absent. She said nothing about it, though she wondered. Surely Dimenon had made no secret of the find on his way up from the sled park. Where were the heavy-worlders that they wouldn't join in the expedition's first real triumph?
Lunzie was saying that she wasn't certain how good the brew would be. The product had had no time to settle or age but surely, Dimenon said in a wheedling tone, there'd be something to take the edge off the taste of it. The group began to file out of the shuttle, moving towards the general purpose dome. Varian saw no sign of the heavy-worlders but there was a light in the quarters they shared. Passing the central standard, she rang the alarm bell in alert sequence. The iris opening of the heavy-worlders" quarters widened slightly and massive shoulders and a head appeared, outlined by the light.