Nonetheless, for the short time they'd been on Ireta, Kai was pleased with their accomplishments. The camp was securely situated in a protected position, on a stable shield land mass composed of basement rock that tested out 3000 MY. There was an ample water supply and an indigenous resource of synthesizable food to hand.
A faint uneasiness nagged at him suddenly. He wished that the EV had stripped more reports from the satellite beamer. It was probably nothing more than interference from that spatial storm. The EV, having established that all three expeditions were functioning, might have no reason to strip the beamer for a while. It would be back this way in a hundred days or so. This was a routine expedition. So was the EV's interest in the storm. Unless, of course, the EV had run into the Others.
Peppers made you hyper-imaginative as well as energetic, Kai told himself firmly as he started down the incline to the floor of the compound. The “Others” were a myth, made up to frighten bad children, or childlike adults. While occasionally EEC units found dead planets and passed likely systems interdicted on the charts for no ostensible reason though their planets would certainly have been suitable to one or another member of the Federation . . .
Kai became angry with himself and, forcing down such reflections, tramped through the alien dust to Gaber's dome.
The cartographer had returned to his patient translating of taped recordings to the master chart, over which the probe photos were superimposed. As Kai's teams brought more detailed readings, Gaber updated the appropriate grid and removed the photo. At the moment, the tri-d globe looked scabrous. In the other half of dome was the seismic screen which Portegin was setting up. Glancing quickly past it, Kai thought Portegein was loosing his knack: the screen was on and registering far too many core points, some barely visible.
“I'm days behind myself. I told you that, Kai,” said Gaber, his aggrieved tone somewhat counterbalanced by a rueful smile. He straightened, twisting his neck to relieve taut muscles. “And I'm glad you've come because I cannot work with Portegin's screen. He says it's finished but you can see it's not functioning correctly.”
Gaber swung his gimballed chair about and pointed his inking pen at the core monitor screen.
Kai gave a closer look and then began to fiddle with the manual adjustments.
“You see what I mean? Echoes! And then faint responses where I know perfectly well your teams have not had a chance to lay cores. Here in the south and the southeast . . .” Gaber was taping the screen with his pen. “Unless, of course, your teams are duplicating efforts . . . but the readings would be clearer. So I have to assume that the machine itself is malfunctioning.”
Kai barely attended to Gaber's complaints. In his belly a coldness formed, a coldness that had to do with thinking about the Others. But, if it had been the Others who laid the faintly responding cores, then this planet would have been interdicted. One thing was positive in Kai's mind: his teams had not set those other lights, nor duplicated work.
“That is interesting, Gaber,” he replied with a show of an indifference he was far from feeling. “Obviously from an older survey. This planet's been in the EEC library for a long time, you know. And cores are virtually indestructible. See here, in the north, where the fainter cores leave off? That's where the plate action had deformed the land mass into those new fold mountains.”
“Why didn't we have those old records? Of course, a prior survey would account for why we haven't found anything more than traces of metal and mineral deposits here.” Gaber meant the continental shield. “But why under a logical regime no mention is made of a previous seismic history, I simply cannot understand.”
“Oh, it is old, and probably got erased for modern programs. A computer does not have an infinite capacity for data storage.”
Gaber snorted. “Scorching odd, I call it, to send down an expedition without the full facts at their disposal.”
“Perhaps, but it'll cut down on our time here: some of our work's already done.”
"Cut down our time here?" Gaber gave a derisive laugh." Not likely."
Kai turned slowly to stare at the man. “What maggot's in your mind now, Gaber?”
Gaber leaned forward, despite the fact the two men were alone in the dome. "We could have been . . ." he hesitated affectedly, ". . . planted!"
“Planted?” Kai let out a shout. “Planted? Just because the seismic shows old cores here?”
“Wouldn't be the first time the victims weren't told.”
“Gaber, we've got the Third Officer's beloved and only offspring with us. We'll be picked up.”
Gaber remained obdurate.
“There'd be no point in planting us. Besides, what about the Ryxi and the Theks.”
Gaber snorted scornfully. “The Theks don't care how long they stay anywhere. They live practically forever, and the Ryxi were to plant anyhow, weren't they? And it isn't just those cores that convince me. I've thought so a long time – ever since I knew we had a xenobiologist and heavy-worlders with us.”
“Gaber!” Kai spoke sharply enough to startle the older man, “you will not mention planting to me again, nor to anyone else in this expedition. That is an order!”
“Yes, sir. I'm sure it is, sir.”
"Further, if I find you without your belt one more time
“Sir, it pokes me in the gut when I'm bending over the board.” But Gaber was hurriedly fastening on the force-screen belt.
“Leave the belt slack, then, and turn the buckle to one side, but wear it! Now, bring your recorder and some fresh tapes. I want to recon those lakes Berru charted . . .”
“That was only yesterday, and as I told you I am three days behind . . .”
“All the more reason for us to check those lakes out personally. I've got to show some progress in my next report to EV on deposits. And . . .” Kai tapped out a code, waiting impatiently at the terminal for the print-out on the mysterious core sites, “we'll do a ground check on a couple of these.”
“Well, now, it'll be good to get away from the board. I haven't done any field work yet on this expedition,” said Gaber, pressing closed his jumpsuit fastenings. He reached for the recording unit and tape blanks which he distributed in leg pouches.
His tone was so much brighter and less dour and foreboding that Kai wondered if he'd been unfair to keep the man continually in the dome. Could that be why Gaber had come up with the astounding notion that they'd been planted. Too little action narrowed perceptions.
But Gaber, as witness his laxity over the belt, was so narding absentminded that he was more of a liability than the youngest youngster in the landing party. As Kai recalled, Gaber's credentials rated him as ship-bred, having made only four expeditions in his six decades. This would likely be the last if Kai made an honest report of his efficiency. Unless, the insidious thought plagued Kai, they had indeed been planted. Better than most leaders, Kai knew how undermining such a rumour could be. Yes, it would be better to keep Gaber so fully occupied that he had no time for reflection.
Kai did, however, have to remind Gaber to strap himself into the sled seat, which the cartographer did with profuse apologies.
“I do wish I'd been born a Thek,” said Gaber, while Kai checked the sled's controls and energy levels. “To live long enough to watch the evolution of a world. Ah, what an opportunity!”
Kai chuckled. “If they're not too involved with thinking to look around in time.”
“They never forget a thing they've seen or heard.”
“How could one tell? It takes a year to carry on any sort of a dialogue with an Elder.”
“You young people can only think of quick returns. Not end results. It's end results which count. Over the course of my years on ARCT-10, I've had many meaningful chats with Theks. The older ones, of course.”