Tick's face was a mask of indecision. His eyes ran fearfully around the clearing; then overhead came the Klau raft, long and black as a shark. Four Podruods burst out of the forest. Now Tick would have run for the cave but the Podruods cut him off. Barch stood back, silent, his gun ready. The Podruods came at Tick from four directions. Tick stood quiet, and Barch saw his frame grow rigid, his eyes start to pop from their sockets. Look out, Podruods, thought Barch.
Tick ran forward, seemed to run right up the chest of the nearest Podruod. He caught the great red head, set his feet against the chest, performed a peculiar churning motion. The head twisted in three-quarters of a circle; the body fell like a pole. Tick sprang free, raced, dodged, cut in and out. The Podruods lumbered back and forth, and finally Tick was caught. Podruods fell on him from all sides; mastiffs tearing at a badger. Tick was down. The Podruods stepped back, their feet swung up, down, with sodden sounds. Barch turned away.
Behind him he felt the pressure of bodies, heard awed murmurings. "Quiet," whispered Barch. "Go up into Big Hole, tell them to be quiet."
The Podruods at last stepped back, looked up at the raft. The Klau stretched lazily, sat up, stared around the flat. His gaze passed over the shadowed crevice; Barch felt the stab of the four-pronged red eyes. The eyes passed on; the bristling black head swung back to inspect the sky.
Black clouds were scudding across Mount Kebali. A few heavy drops of rain spattered on the leaves. The Podruods called up hoarsely, pointing to the clouds. The Klau ignored them. He waved his hand toward the upper valley. The Podruods shuffled sullenly into the forest.
The dead Podruod and the bloody tatter that had been Tick were left on the flat.
Rain started a tentative tattoo on the black fronds-drops big as marbles. The Klau touched a button and a hood snapped over his head. He moved his foot; the raft slid down over the valley.
Barch turned, pushed back into the hall. "That solves the Tick problem."
Komeitk Lelianr sat at the table, studiously intent at the locator-poring over the index, checking into the viewer.
Barch stood by the fire, absent-mindedly watching the firelight and changing colors across her skin.
Porridge bounded down the passage into the hall, trotted over to the fire, smelt appreciatively of the pot. Then, with a wary glance at Barch, he went to sit opposite Komeitk Lelianr.
After a moment he spoke to her; she looked up, answered briefly. Porridge darted a glance over his shoulder at Barch, spoke at some length. Barch's curiosity could hold out no longer. He crossed the stone floor, seated himself beside Porridge. "How's the job coming?"
"Very well, very well indeed."
"When do you think you'll be ready?"
Porridge considered. "The deck is finished. Tomorrow we fix on the second barge. Next day we build on a double port. Then you can take the affair into space."
"Is the double port necessary? I'd like to get away from here right away."
"It's indispensable in the event of repair to the drive gear and also when refueling becomes necessary."
"Oh." Barch rubbed his chin. After a moment he said, "Tonight I'll go out after the fuel, and-" he paused, glancing from Komeitk Lelianr back to Porridge. "What's the trouble?"
"Nothing, nothing whatever," said Porridge. He turned ostentatiously away. Komeitk Lelianr returned to the locator.
Barch asked her, "Any luck?"
"No. Nothing definite. I have a tentative idea."
The other Lenape came down from Big Hole, sat in a tight circle at the far bench. Porridge arose and joined them; an immediate clatter of voices arose.
Komeitk Lelianr said hesitantly, "Why are you so anxious to locate the Brain?"
"When I find where it is I'll try to destroy it."
Her eyes jerked up, met his. " Roy -don't you think you should rest tonight?"
"Rest? I've got to get the fuel, accr, whatever it's called." He stood up, glanced around the room. Eyes flickered away from his, backs were half-turned Barch sat down. "What's wrong with everyone?"
Komeitk Lelianr's fingers moved nervously along the locator. "They think you're tired."
"Tired? Of course I'm tired! Why shouldn't I be tired, and everybody else for that matter? We can rest out in space."
Komeitk Lelianr said in a low voice, "They remember that Clet called you Crazy Man. "
Barch sat like an iron statue. "So everybody thinks I'm crazy… I might have known. I saw Porridge giving me a couple of wall-eyed looks."
Komeitk Lelianr said in a worried voice, "He can't understand why you want to steal accr when there's enough in the cave to last twenty years."
"Enough to last twenty years!"
"So he says."
Barch slumped, exhaled a great breath. "Where?"
"In Big Hole. In the crates. Kerbol called it super."
Barch's face twitched; he could not choose between laughing or yelling. He forced himself to be calm. "I never knew the stuff was accr. No one ever told me! Do you think I like ducking around through the fog, getting myself shot up?"
"No," said Komeitk Lelianr hurriedly. "No, no… But why are you so anxious to destroy the Brain?"
Barch, riding a heady wave of mingled anger and elation, said, "Think. By now the Brain surely has enough facts to conclude that fugitive slaves are stealing barge-loads of material."
"1 suppose so."
"Any day we can expect to be attacked. If I can plant a bomb under the thing, I'll delay this attack a long time."
Komeitk Lelianr frowned. "I don't think you realize the essential nature of Magarak or its organization."
"You've never said a truer word. I feel like a cat in a stamp-mill every time I take out that raft. Look at it this way. Would the Klau be disturbed if I blew up their Brain?"
"I should think so. It would be a most serious matter."
"What's bad for them is good for us. Call it diversionary tactics. That's simple enough, isn't it?" He took her silence for assent. "Do you think you can find the Brain?"
"I think I've found it."
"Good. And do you still think I'm crazy?"
Her glance went to his left shoulder. "I'm not well-enough acquainted with the norm of your people to judge."
Barch rose to his feet. He said thickly, "About ten more minutes of double-talk, I actually would be crazy."
He went back to the fire. The hell with them all. Explaining motives was useless; his patterns didn't fit their minds. He put his hand to his gun; here was his explanation. He met Komeitk Lelianr's sudden alarmed stare, grimaced. Now she thinks I'm planning to run amok. Very well. No point in explaining anything. Give orders, see that they're obeyed.
He strode across the room to the Lenape. There was a sudden silence; he felt the eyes of the entire tribe on his back.
"Porridge," he said, "you think I'm crazy. That suits me; as long as you work, think anything you like. Tomorrow I want you to load Barge Three with cases of accr. I want you to rig a detonator on the bow, on each forward corner, to go off on contact. I want you to put a cut-out switch in the anti-collision mechanism, so I can disengage it whenever I want. Do you understand?"
Porridge blinked. "Clearly."
"Good." Barch walked across the floor to the entrance, slipped out into the night.