He had come close enough finally to the first of the parked ships - a wide-bodied transport - to hit its metal skin with a spot communicator beam of light.
"Sea of Summer!" he said into his phone grille. "Sea of Summer, this is Hal Mayne of the Final Encyclopedia, en route from the Encyclopedia by skidder to the Olof's Own. I'm transmitting my personal image for identification. Repeat, this is Hal Mayne. Can you direct me to Olof's Own? I ask, can you direct me - "
His screen lit up suddenly with a lean-faced young man wearing a ship's officer's jacket, who seemed to peer at him through the screen.
"Hal Mayne?" he said. He glanced briefly off-screen then back at Hal. "I'm third officer, duty shift. Mika Moyne. Want to identify yourself by telling me where you last outvisited on the Dorsai?"
"Foralie Town, Mika Moyne," said Hal. "Honored."
"The honor's mine." The lean face grinned. "Hal Mayne, the Olof's Own was the next to the last arrival last time I checked. We're going through Fleet Locator now… all right, she's now in Station 103 - not far down the line at all."
"Thank you, Mika Moyne."
"My pleasure, Hal Mayne."
He signed off and went on. Fourteen hundred kilometers down the line, he found the Olof's Own, identified himself and was invited aboard.
"I understand one of your passengers is Miriam Songhai," he said, when he was inside. "I'd like to talk to her for a moment if she wouldn't mind."
"We'll find her and ask," said the Olof's Own captain. "Do you want to wait in the Officer's Duty Lounge? It shouldn't take more than a few minutes to find her for you."
He took Hal into the Duty Lounge. Less than ten minutes later, Miriam Songhai pushed open the door of the lounge and stepped in. Hal and the captain stood up from the floats on which they had been seated.
"Excuse me," said the captain. "I've got to get back to the control area."
He left them in the empty lounge.
"It's good of you to see me," said Hal. "Honored."
"Nonsense," said Miriam Songhai. "I was only twiddling my thumbs, anyway, and I'm the one who's honored. What did you want to see me about?"
She sat down and Hal reseated himself.
"I've been watching for Amanda Morgan to turn up," he said. "So far I haven't found anyone who knows when she'll be coming. I've talked to a few of the Foralie area people, but they say she's been spending all her time in Omalu these last weeks - which makes sense. She mentioned once that you, too, had duties that put you in Omalu, a lot. So I thought I'd ask you if you knew anything."
Miriam shook her head.
"I haven't seen her for a couple of weeks, at least," she said, "and then only to talk business about ways and means of getting official records packed and shipped. I've no idea when she was leaving. But the responsibilities of most of us in Omalu are over, now that the ships are actually lifting. She ought to be along any time now."
"I hope so," said Hal, and smiled.
He stood up. She stood up, also.
"Well, thank you," he said. "It was a long shot - but I appreciate being able to ask you."
"Nonsense, again," she said. "I'm just sorry I didn't have anything definite to tell you. But, as I say, she'll be along."
They went to the door of the lounge together. As it slid back automatically for them both, they stepped through; and just outside, she stopped - and checked him also with a hand that closed on his arm. He felt a strange shock go through him at her touch, as if a powerful electricity charged her. Her blunt, dark fingers held his arm strongly.
"Don't worry," Miriam Songhai said, firmly. Her gaze was direct and unyielding. "She'll be all right."
"Thank you," he said.
She released him; and he watched her go off down the corridor toward the aft section of the ship. He turned back into the control area and was greeted by the captain.
"Had your talk?" said the captain. "Anything else we can do for you, Hal Mayne?"
"No. Thanks very much," said Hal. "I'd better be starting back for the Encyclopedia."
Once more in the little skidder, he increased his acceleration to shorten the trip back. But when he finally reentered his suite, it was almost time for the conference he had called - and Ajela was waiting for him there in one of the non-float chairs, which, like Tam, she favored.
"That's interesting," he said, closing the door behind him. "Can you let yourself into anyone's living quarters whether they're home or not?"
"I can to yours," she said. "Because you're the Director; and I'm Special Assistant to the Director; and in case of emergency I have to have access to any place the Director might be."
She stared at him.
" - And as a matter fact, yes," she went on, "I could let myself into the quarters of anyone here at the Encyclopedia, only I wouldn't."
"Only into the Director's quarters?"
"That's right."
He sat down opposite her and looked at her critically.
"How much sleep did you get?"
"An hour - an hour and a half. Never mind that," she said. "What's this conference you'd have had me miss out on?"
He shook his head at her.
"The most important topic for discussion," he said, "is undoubtedly going to be my announcement that I'll be insisting on being a free agent; so I can do my own work in my own carrel, here. The rest of them are going to have to run matters without my looking over their shoulders. But this is something you already know about. The others are going to find it something of a shock, I think."
"That - and what else."
"That and a few other things. The most important of those is that Bleys is coming secretly to have a talk with me."
She sat up suddenly in the arm chair.
"What about?"
"I'll find out when he gets here."
The door annunicator spoke with the voice of Rourke di Facino.
"Hal, I'm here."
"Open," said Hal to the door; and Rourke walked in to take a seat with them.
"Nonne's on her way. So is Jason," Rourke said. "I haven't seen Amid."
He looked penetratingly at Ajela.
"You need rest," he said.
"Later," she answered.
"Then close your eyes and lean back until the rest get here," said Rourke. "You won't think it's helping, but it will."
She opened her mouth to answer him, then smiled a little and did as he had just suggested. Almost immediately, her breathing slowed and deepened.
Hal and Rourke looked at each other and said nothing by mutual consent. Hal got up, walked to the door and set it wide open. As the others he had called in appeared at it, one by one, he held his fingers to his lips and beckoned them in. Finally, however, they were all there - including Amid; and it was not possible to put off conversation any longer.
"We've just got time," said Hal, "to go over a few things before I go on general broadcast to the Earth to announce I've taken over as Director up here and introduce Rukh."
He looked across the seated circle of their gathering at Rukh, who returned his gaze calmly. The few days of rest for her here at the Encyclopedia had been absolute, simply because there was no means by which news that might disturb or rouse her could reach her without the active cooperation of the Encyclopedia's Communications Center, which Hal had refused to allow. Roget had all but danced in the corridors at the results that now showed. She was still as thin and fragile in appearance as she had been when Hal had seen her down at the hotel beside Lake Qattara. But the look of transparency had vanished from her. She was fully alive once more; and the aura of personal strength that had always been part of her was back.