Dinosaur Planet

CHAPTER TWO

Rain and head winds buffeted the airborne V so steadily on their way back that the heavily powered sled had long since landed when Kai and the heavy-worlders finally set foot in the compound. Varian and the three children were busy constructing a small run for the orphan.

“Lunzie's trying to deduce a diet,” Varian told Kai.

“Just what is its anomalous state?”

“Against every odd in the galaxy, we have succoured a young mammal. At least its mother had teats. It's not very old, born rather mature, you see, able to walk and run almost at birth . . .”

“Did you . . .”

“Debug it? Externally yes. Had to or we'd all be hosting parasites. I've interrupted more of Trizein's carefully scheduled work to run a tissue sample on it so we can figure out what proteins it must have in its diet. It's got some growing to do to reach momma's size. Not that she was very large.”

Kai looked down at the tiny creature's red-brown furred body: a very unprepossessing creation, he thought, with no redeeming feature apart from wistful eyes to endear it to anyone other than its own mother. But, remembering the waving swamp-dweller's head, and the hungry malice in the circling scavengers' relentless approach, he was glad they'd brought the thing in. And it might occupy Bonnard and keep the boy from following him everywhere.

Kai stripped off his belt and face mask, rubbing at the strap marks. He was tired after the return trip. The heavy-worlders had immense resources of stamina but Kai's ship-trained muscles ached from the exertions of the morning.

“Say, don't we have to contact the Ryxi, too?” Varian asked, glancing at her wrist recorder and tapping the reddened 1300 that meant a special time.

Kai grinned his thanks for the reminder and made for the shuttlecraft with a fair display of energy. There was still a lot of busy day ahead of him. He'd get a pepper to pick his energy level up, and he'd get a bit of a breather while he made contact with the avians. Then he had to go see that complex of coloured lakes Berru had documented yesterday in her sweep south. He found it damned odd there were no more than traces of the normal metals you'd think would be in abundance everywhere on this untouched planet. Coloured waters indicated mineral deposits. He only hoped the concentrations were heavy enough to make them worthwhile. There ought to be something in old fold mountains, if only some tin or zinc and copper. They'd found ore-minerals but no deposits worth the name.

Kai's orders from Exploratory and Evaluation Corps were to locate and assay the mineral and metallurgical potential of this planet. And Ireta, a satellite of a suspected third generation sun, ought to be rich in the heavier elements, rich in the neptunium, plutonium and the more esoteric of the rare transuranics and actinites above uranium on the periodic table, so urgently and constantly required by the Federation of Sentient Populations the search for which was one of the primary tasks of the EEC.

The diplomatic might say that EEC was exploring the galaxy, seeking to bring within its sphere of influence all rational sentient beings, augmenting the eighteen peace-loving species already incorporated in the FSP. But the search for energy was the fundamental drive. The diversity of its member species gave the Federation the ability to explore more types of planets, but colonization was incidental to exploitation.

The three useful planets of the sun Arrutan had long been marked on star charts as promising but only recently had the Executive Council decided to mount the present three-part expedition. Kai had heard the whisper that it was because the Theks wished to be included. This whisper was partially substantiated during his private conference with the EEC Chief Officer on board the exploratory vessel ARCT-10. The CO had privily informed Kai that the Thek had superior control of the three teams, and he was to consider himself under their orders if they chose to supersede him. Vrl, the Ryxi team leader, had been given the same orders, but everyone knew the Ryxi. And it was common knowledge that having a Thek on a team spelled ultimate success: Theks were dependable, Theks were thorough, the ultimate altruists. The cynics replied that altruism was easy when a creature calculated its life span in thousands of years. The Theks had elected to be placed on the seventh world of the primary, a heavy metals, heavy gravity planet, exactly suited to Theks.

The light-cored planet, fifth from the sun Arrutan, with a low gravity and temperate climate, was being evaluated by the Ryxi, an aerial species, who were in critical need of new planets to relieve their population pressure and give industry and opportunity to the restless young.

Kai's assignment, the fourth planet in the system, exhibited curious anomalies. Originally designated a second generation sun, with elements up to the transuranic, Arrutan patently did not conform to that classification. A probe sent out for a preliminary survey registered that the fourth planet was undeniably ovoid in shape; the poles were hotter than the equator: the seas registered warmer than the land mass which covered the northern pole. There was an almost constant rainfall, and an inshore wind of variable velocities up to full gale force. An axial tilt of some fifteen degrees had been postulated. The readings indicated life forms in water and on land. A xenobiological team was added to the geological.

Kai had requested a remote sensor to locate the ore concentrations but at that point the storm in the next system had been sighted and he found his request very low on the priority list. He was told that the original probe tapes would give him ample information to locate metal and mineral, and to get the job done in situ. Right now ARCT-10 had an unparalleled opportunity to observe free matter in action.

Kai took the official brush-off in good part. What he did object to was having the youngsters dumped on his hands at the last minute. To his complaint that this was a working expedition, not a training exercise, he was told that the ship-born must have sufficient planetary experiences early in their lives to overcome the danger of conditional agoraphobia. The hazard was not lightly to be dismissed by the ship-born: useless to explain to the planet-bred. But Kai railed against the expediency that made his team the one to expand the horizons of three members who were only half into their second decades. This planet was exceedingly active, volcanically and tectonically, and dangerous for ship-bred juveniles. The two girls, Cleidi and Terilla, were biddable and no trouble until Bonnard, the son of the Third Officer of the EV, instigated all manner of hazard-strewn games.

The very first day, while Kai and his team were dropping cores around the landing site to be sure they had landed on the more stable continental shield, Bonnard had gone “exploring” and lacerated a protective suit because he hadn't remembered to activate the force-field. He had stumbled into the sword plant, as pretty as the harmless decorative plants in the EV's conservatory but able to slice flesh and suit to ribbons with the most negligible of contacts. There had been other incidents during the nine days the party had been landed. While the other team members seemed to make light of the boy's escapades and were amused by his adoration of Kai, the team-leader sincerely hoped the little orphaned beast would divert Bonnard.

Kai took a long sip of the pepper, its tart freshness soothing his nerves as well as his palate. He glanced down at his recorder, switched on the comunit, arranged the recording equipment to the speed necessary to slow the Ryxi speech pattern into understandable tones for later review. He could generally keep up with their rippingly fast voices but a tape helped to resolve any questions.

Kai had been designated the liaison officer between the two groups. He had the patience and tact required for dealing with the slow Thek, and the ear and wit to keep up with the quick aerial Ryxi who could never have communicated with the Thek, and with whom the Thek preferred not to bother.

Right on time the Ryxi leader, Vrl, made the contact, trilling out the courtesies. Kai relayed the information that only the the first reports from each of the teams had been picked up by the EV, and gave his assumption that the spatial storm viewed before the exploratory groups had left the ship must be causing sufficient interference to prevent a pick-up of other reports.

Vrl, politely slowing his speech to a rate which must have been frustrating to him, said that he wasn't worried; that was for the Slows to fret about. Vrl's first report was the important one for his people: it confirmed the initial probe analysis that this planet contained no indigenous intelligent life form and could adequately support his race. Vrl was forwarding by interplanetary drone a full report for Kai's interest. Vrl ended by saying that all were in good health and full feather. Then he asked what winged life had been observed on Ireta.

Kai told him, speaking as fast as he could get the words past his teeth, that they had observed several aerial life forms from a distance and would investigate further when possible. He refrained from naming one form as the scavengers they were but promised, at Vrl's liquidly trilled request, to forward a full tape when completed. The Ryxi as a species had one gross sin: they hated to think that another aerial life form might one day challenge their unique position in FSP. This prejudice was one reason why Ryxi were not often included in EV complements. The other valid reason was that Ryxi fretted in enclosed spaces to the point of suicide. Very few bothered to qualify for Exploratory Services since they were so psychologically ill-suited to the life. Necessity had forced them into this mission and most of the members had spent the journey time in cryonic suspension. Vrl had been awakened two ship weeks before touchdown to be apprised of the necessary routine of report and contact with the other two sections. While Vrl, like all his ilk, was an interesting creature, vital, flamboyant with his plumage and personality, Kai and Varian were relieved to have the Theks along as balance.

“Did Vrl remember to be there?” asked Varian, entering the control cabin.

“Yes, and all's well with him, though he's mighty curious about winged life here.”

“They always are, those jealous feathers!” Varian made a face. “I remember a deputation from Ryxi at University on Chelida. They wanted to vivisect those winged tree Rylidae from Eridani 5.”

Kai suppressed a sympathetic shudder. He wasn't surprised. The Ryxi were known to be bloody-minded. Look at their courtship dance – males armed with leg spurs and the victor usually killing his opponent. You couldn't quite excuse that on the grounds of survival of the fittest. You didn't have to kill to improve the genotype.

“Is there another pepper going? I've been trying to keep up with my team mates.” She slid into the chair.

Kai snorted at that folly and handed her a container of stimulant, chuckling.

"I know we don't have to keep up with the heavy-worlders Varian said with a groan, "and I know that they know that we can't, but I can't help trying."

“It's frustrating. I know.”

“So do I. Oh, Trizein says the little creature is indeed mammal and will need a lactoprotein, heavy in calcium, glucose, salt and a good dollop of phosphates.”

“Can Divisti and Lunzie whomp something up?”

“Have done. Bonnard is feeding . . . or I should say, attempting to feed Dandy.”

“It's named already?”

“Why not? It certainly isn't programmed to answer a meal call – yet.”

“Intelligent?”

“Of a restricted sort. It's already programmed to a certain number of instinctive responses, being born fairly mature.”

“Is that herbivore of yours mammalian?”

“Nooooo . . .”

“What's the yes in that no for?”

"Granted that viviparous and oviparous types often co-exist on a planet . . . and that you'd get some very odd gene specilization to cope with environment here, but I cannot rationalize that aquatic life cell formation with Dandy or with that big herbivore.

“And speaking of that beast, Trizein says its cell structure is remarkably familiar; he's going to do an in-depth comparison. In the meantime, I've his okay to use a CHCL3 gas on it so we can dress those wounds before they turn septic. Can we rig a force-screen arc over that corral we erected so the wound can be kept free of blood-sucking organisms while it heals?” When Kai nodded, she continued. “And would you also ask your core teams to keep an eye out for any scavengers circling? Whatever wounded the herbivore probably attacks other animals. One, I'd like to know what kind of predator is that savage to its prey; and two, There's always a chance that we can find amenable specimens by saving their lives. They're so much easier to capture when they're too weak to struggle or run.”

“Aren't we all, I'll give the word to my teams. Only don't make this compound a veterinary hospital, will you, Varian, We don't have the space.”

“I know, I know. Those that are large enough to fend for themselves go into the corral anyhow.”

They rose, both revived by the peppers. But their brief respite in the conditioned air of the shuttle made that first step outside a gasper.

“Man is an adaptable creature,” Kai told himself under his breath, “flexible, comprehending his universe, a high survival type. But did we have to get a planet that reeks?”

“Can't win 'em all, Kai,” said Varian with a laugh. “And I find this place fascinating.” She left him standing in the open lock.

The rain had stopped, Kai noticed, at least for the moment. The sun peered through the cloud cover, getting ready to steam bake them for a while. With the cessation of rain, Ireta's insect battalions once more flung themselves against the force-screen that arched above the compound. Blue sparks erupted as the smaller creatures were incinerated, glowing blue where larger organisms were stunned by the charge.

He gazed out over the compound, experiencing a certain sense of accomplishment. Behind him, and above the compound itself, was the tough ceramic-hulled shuttlecraft, twenty-one metres long, with its nose cone blackened by the friction heat of entering Ireta's atmosphere. Its stubby glide wings were retracted now, leaving it slightly ovoid in shape, the central portion being larger than either end. From its top blossomed the communications spire and the homing device that would guide in its children-sleds. Unlike early models of the compound-ship to planet shuttle, most of the vessel was cargo and passenger space since the incredibly efficient, Thek-designed power packs which utilized an established isotope were compact and no longer took up the bulk of the shuttle's interior. An additional benefit of the Thek power pack was that lighter weight ships, which had the specially developed ceramic hulls, could deliver the same payload as the structurally reinforced titanium hulled vessels, needed for the antiquated fission and fusion drives.

The shuttle rested on a shelf of granite which, spreading out and down, formed a shallow amphitheatre, roughly four hundred metres in diameter. Varian had pointed out that the shuttle's first touch-down had been smack in the middle of some animal route, to judge by the well trampled dirt. Kai had not needed any urging to change site. Open vistas might give you a chance to assess visitors but it was a bit much for his ship-trained eyes.

Force-screen posts surrounded the present encampment in which temporary living, sleeping and working domes had been erected. Water, tapped from an underground source, had to be softened and filtered. Even so, those like Varian, who were less used to recycled water which always tasted faintly of chemicals, grumbled about its mineral flavour.

Divisti and Trizein had tested several forms of Iretan vegetation and succulents, finding them safe for human consumption. Divisti and Lunzie had collaborated and produced a pulp from the greenery that might be nutritionally correct but had such a nauseating taste and curious consistency that only the heavy-worlders would eat it. They were known to eat anything. Even, it was rumoured, animal flesh.

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.”

“Chats? How long a lag between sentences?”

“Oh, not long. We'd scheduled replies on a once a ship week basis. I found it extremely stimulating to formulate the most information in the fewest phrases.”

“Oh, I'll grant the Theks are past masters at the telling phrase.”

“Why, even a single word can have unusual significance when uttered by a Thek,” Gaber went on with unexpected volubility. “When you can appreciate fully that each Thek holds within its brain the total knowledge of its own forebears, and can distill this infinite wisdom in single succinct words or phrases . . .”

“No perspective . . .” Kai was concentrating on lifting the sled out of the compounds.

“I beg your pardon?” Gaber's apology was more of a reprimand.

“Their wisdom is Thek wisdom and is not readily applicable to our human conditions.”

“I never implied that it was. Or should be.” Gaber was distinctly annoyed with Kai.

“No, but wisdom should be relevant. Knowledge is something else, but not necessarily distilled from wisdom.”

“My dear Kai, they understand reality, not just the illusion of a very brief and transitory lifespan such as ours.”

The telltale, as sensitive to thermal readings as to movement of any object larger than a man's fist, rattled, informing the two men that they were passing over living creatures, at that moment hidden from their eyes by the thick vegetation. The rattle turned into a purr as the sensitive recorder indicated that the life form had already been tagged with the telltale indelible paint with which the various scouting teams marked any beasts they observed.

“Life form . . . no telltale,” exclaimed Gaber as the rattle occurred after a short internal of silence.

Kai altered his course in the direction of the cartographer's finger. “And moving from us at a fast rate.” Gaber leaned across to the windboard to check the telltagger, nodding to Kai to indicate it was ready and set.

“Maybe it's one of those predators Varian's been trying to catch,” Kai said. “Herbivores go about in groups. Hang on, there's a break in the jungle ahead of us. It can't possibly swerve.”

“You're directly over it,” Gaber said, his voice rough with excitement.

Both beast and airborne sled reached the small clearing simultaneously. But, as if it recognized the danger of an open space with an unknown enemy above it, the beast was a bare flash, a stretched and running mottled body, ending in a stiffly held long tail: all the retinal after-image Kai retained.

“Got it!” Gaber's triumphant yell meant the creature had been telltagged. “I've film on it, too. The speed of the thing.”

“I think it's one of Varian's predators.”

"I don't believe herbivores are capable of such bursts of speed. Why, it outdistanced this sled." Gaber sounded amazed." Are we following it?"

“Not today. But it's tagged. Enter the grid co-ordinates, will you, Gaber? Varian's sure to want to come look-see. That's one of the first predators we've been able to telltag. Luck, sheer luck, coming over that clearing.”

Kai veered back to his original course, slightly north, towards the first body of water that Berru had sighted. It ought to be near the inland sea which was shown on the satellite pictures.

Really, thought Kai, echoing Gaber. Now the satellite photos had been theoretical, in one sense, since they'd had to be shot through the ever-present cloud cover, while Kai, by flying over the depicted terrain, was the reality, the direct experience. Kai could appreciate the essence of Gaber's comment: what an incredible experience it would be to watch this planet evolve, to see the land masses tortured and rent by quake, shift, fault, deformation and fold. He sighed. In his mind, he speeded up the process like the quickly flipped frames of single exposure prints. It was hard for short-lived man to comprehend the millions of years, the billions of days that it took to form continents, mountains, rivers, valleys. And clever as a geophysicist might be in predicting change, such realities as geophysics had been able to observe in its not so lengthy history always exceeded projections.

Gaber's life-instrument beeped constantly now, and with no counter burr from the telltale they diverted again, this time to tag a large herd of tree-eaters.

“Don't recall pics of monsters like that before,” Kai told Gaber as they circled round the creatures, now partially visible through the sparse forest cover. “I want to get a good look. Set the camera and the telltale, Gaber. I'm coming around. Hang on.”

Kai turned the air sled, braking speed as he matched the forward motion of the lumbering beasts. “Scorch it, but they're the biggest things I've seen yet!”

“Keep up,” Gaber cried in nervous excitement for Kai was skimming very low. “Those necks are powerful.” The beasts had very long necks, mounted on massive shoulders which were supported by legs the size of tree stumps.

"Necks may be powerful but the brains aren't," said Kai." And their reaction time is double slow." The beasts were looking back towards the direction in which Kai had first approached them. Several had not even registered the alien's appearance at all but continued to strip trees as they passed." Gigantic herbivores, foraging even as they move. They must account for half a forest a day."

One of the long-necked creatures neatly bit off the crown of a cycad and continued its lumbering progress with huge fronds dripping from its not too capacious mouth. A smaller member of the herd obligingly took up one trailing frond and munched on that.

“Heading towards the water?” Kai asked, impressed as well as appalled by the dimensions of the animals. He heard the tagger spit.

“There does seem to be a well-travelled lane through the vegetation. I tagged most of them.” Gaber patted the muzzle of the tag gun.

Kai tilted the sled so he could observe the beasts. Ahead, and down a long incline, lay the shimmering waters of one of Berru's lakes. Kai took the transparency of the probe print and laid it over the replica of scale map which Gaber had been patiently drawing from the data of Kai's teams.

“We should have the precipice on our right, Gaber. Adjust your face-mask to distance vision and see if you can spot it.”

Gaber peered steadily across the distance. “Cloudy, but you ought to change course by about five degrees.”

They flew over terrain that gradually became more and more swamp-like until water replaced land entirely. At this point a definite shoreline appeared, rising first into small bluffs of well-weathered grey stone which gave way to sheer cliffs rising several hundred metres in an ancient transform fault. Kai ascended and the passage of the sled alarmed cliff dwellers into flight, bringing an exclamation of surprised delight from Gaber.

“Why, they're golden! And furred!”

Kai, remembering the vicious heads of the scavengers, veered hastily from their flight path.

“They're following us,” cried Gaber, unperturbed.

Kai glanced over his shoulder. As far as he knew, scavengers only attacked the dying or dead. Judiciously he applied more air speed. The sled could easily outdistance them.

“They're still following us.”

Kai shot a glance over his shoulder. No question of it, the golden avians were following but maintaining a discreet distance, and different levels. Even as Kai watched, the fliers changed positions, as if each wanted to see various aspects of the intruder. Again Kai loaded on more speed. So did the fliers, without apparently expending much effort.

“I wonder how fast they do fly?”

“Are they dangerous, do you suppose?” asked Gaber.

“Possibly, but I'd say that this sled is too big for them to attack, singly or with the numbers they have behind us now. I must bring Varian to see them. And tell the Ryxi.”

“Why ever tell them? They couldn't fly in this heavy atmosphere.”

“No, but Vrl asked me about Ireta's aerial life. I'd hate to tell him there were only scavengers.”

“Oh, yes, quite. I agree. Merciful gods, look below to your left.”

They were well over the water now, stained red by the mineral content of the rocks which bordered it and its watershed. Clearly visible was the plant strewn bottom which shelved off slightly into murky brownness and considerable depth, according to Kai's instrumentation. From out of that depth a great body torpedoed, responding to the shadow cast by the sled. Kai had a startled impression of a blunt head, grey-blue shining skin, and too many rows of sharp yellow-white teeth, needle sharp. He heard Gaber's startled cry of horror. Instinctively he slammed on the emergency drive. And corrected hurriedly as they sped uncomfortably close to the curving cliffs.

Looking back, Kai saw only the rippling circles of the monster's exit and entry on the surface, circles converging together over the twenty-five metres of its jump. He gulped and swallowed against a dryness in his throat. As if that attack had been a signal, more aquatic denizens leapt and dove, and other battles began under and on the surface of the water.

“I think,” Gaber's stammer was pronounced, “that we started something.”

“Well, they can finish it,” said Kai as he turned the blunt nose of the sled.

“The golden fliers are still following us,” Gaber said after a few moments. “They're closing.”

Kai spared a backward glance and saw the first rank of fliers moving steadily abreast of the sled, their heads turned towards himself and Gaber.

“Go away,” Gaber said, standing up and waving both arms towards the birds. “Go away. Don't get too close. You'll get hurt!”

Half-amused, half-concerned, Kai watched the creatures swing away from Gaber's flapping. They also maintained their forward speed and their inspection.

“We're surrounded by them, Kai,” and Gaber's tone took on a worried note.

“If they were dangerous, they'd've had plenty of time to attack, I think. But let's just lose the escort. Sit down, Gaber, and hang on!” Kai hit the jet accelerator again, and abruptly left the fliers in the heat haze as the sled flung forward. There couldn't have been any expression on the golden faces, but Kai had the distinct impression that they'd been astonished by the sudden speed.

He must ask Varian what degree of intelligence was possible in these apparently primitive life forms. The Ryxi were not the only winged species in the galaxy but very few avian species were highly intelligent. Capability seemed to have a direct ratio to the amount of time spend on the ground.

Whatever life form would dominate on this planet was thousands of years away from emerging. That didn't keep Kai from wishful thinking and speculation. It would be nice to see the Ryxi superceded.

“Did you get some good tapes of them?” Kai asked Gaber as he reduced speed to cruising. No use wasting more power than necessary.

"Oh yes, indeed I did," Gaber said, patting the recorder." You know, Kai, I think they showed considerable intelligence." He sounded astonished.

“We'll get Varian to give an opinion. She's the expert.” Kai turned the sled to the coordinates of the nearest echo-core. Varian might have some biological puzzles but he now had another geological one.

Despite what he'd said so nonchalantly to Gaber, the unexpected materialization of those cores unnerved him. Yes, this planet and the system had been in the computer bank, but surely there would have been some indication if it had been surveyed. A previous survey, however, would account for the lack of ore-deposit on these old mountains. The first party would have mined the shield area, and quite likely whatever other likely land mass, or seas, had been workable; land which had long since been rolled under in subsequent plate activity. Why, though, had there been no such notation in the computer banks?

To set them down, as on a totally unexplored planet, was unlike any previous knowledge Kai had of EEC. Gaber's theory of planting the expedition returned to haunt his thoughts. EV had waited for their all-safe-down and conveniently disappeared in search of that storm. But there were the youngsters, more of an afterthought as members of the expedition than planned personnel. Above all else was the urgent need of the transuranics. Between the kids and the energy, Kai was certain he could discount Gaber's gloomy presentiment.

Even with the ability to pinpoint the exact location of the faintly signalling core, it took Gaber and Kai some hard slogging through dense and dangerous sword plants and some heavy digging to pull it from its site.

“Why, why, it looks like the ones we have,” said Gaber in a surprise that was almost outraged.

“No,” said Kai, turning the device thoughtfully in his hand, “the case is fatter, the crystal dimmer and it feels old.”

“How can a core feel old? Why the casing isn't so much as scratched, or dull!”

“Heft it yourself. It feels old,” said Kai with a touch of impatience and he was somewhat amused to see Gaber hesitant1y examine the old core, and quickly hand it back.

“The Theks manufacture them, don't they?” the cartographer said, giving Kai a sideways look.

“They have done but I think . . . Gaber, it won't wash.”

“But don't you see, Kai? The Theks know this planet has been surveyed. They're back for some reason of their own. You know how they like to watchdog a likely colony . . .”

“Gaber!” Kai wanted to shake the older man, shake him out of his asinine and dangerous notion that the expedition had been planted. But, as he stared at the man's eager, intense face, Kai realized how pathetic the cartographer was. Gaber must surely know this would be his last mission and was vainly hoping to extend it. “Gaber!” Kai gave the man a little shake, smiling kindly. “Now, I do appreciate your confiding your theory to me. You've done just as you should. And I appreciate the facts on which you base the notion but please don't go telling anyone else. I'd hate giving the heavy-worlders any excuse to ridicule one of my team.”

“Ridicule?” Gaber was startled and indignant.

“I'm afraid so, Gaber. The purpose of this expedition was too clearly set out in the original programme. This is just an ordinary energy-resource expedition, with a bit of xenobiology thrown in as practice for Varian, and to keep the heavy-worlders fit and the youngsters occupied while the EV chases that cosmic storm. Just to reassure you, though, I'll query EV about your theory in my next report. If, by any remote chance, you're correct, they'd tell us. Now we're down. In the meantime, I really do advise you to keep your notion between us, huh, Gaber? I value you as our cartographer too highly to want you mocked by the heavy-worlders.”

“Mocked?”

"They do like their little jokes on us light gravs. I don't want them to have one on you. We've a laugh for them, all right – on the Theks – with this," and Kai held up the core." Our rocky friends are not so infallible after all. Not that I blame them for forgetting all about this planet, considering how it smells."

“The heavy-worlders would make me a joke?” Gaber was having difficulty in accepting the possibility but Kai was certain he'd found the proper deterrent to keep the man from spreading that insidious rumour.

“Under the present circumstances, yes, if you came out with that notion. As I mentioned, we have the youngsters with us. You don't really think the Third Officer of EV is planting her son?”

“No, no, she wouldn't do that.” Gaber's expression changed from distressed to irritated. “You're right. She'd've opposed it.” Gaber straightened his shoulders. “You've eased my mind, Kai. I hadn't really liked the idea of being planted: I've left research unfinished and I only accepted this assignment to try and get a fresh perspective on it . . .”

“Good man.” Kai clapped the cartographer on the shoulder and turned him back towards the sled.

It occurred to Kai that he'd have all the arguments to press again once Gaber, and the others, learned that the EV had not picked up the secondary reports. He'd worry about that when the time came. Right now he had more to ponder in the ancient core in his hand. He didn't think they had any apparatus for dating the device in the shuttle. He couldn't remember if it had ever come up in discussion how long one of these cores could function. Portegin was the man to ask. And wouldn't he be amazed at what his malfunctioning screen was recording?

In fact, Portegin was already puzzling over the print-out when Kai and Gaber strode into the chart dome.

“Kai, we've got some crazy echoes on the seismic . . . what's this?”

“One of those echoes.”

Portegin, his lean face settling into lines of dismay, weighed the device in his hand, peered at it, turning it round and round, end for end before he looked with intense accusation at Kai.

“Where'd you get this?”

“Approximately here,” said Kai, pointing to the gap in the line of old echoes on the screen.

“We haven't cored that area yet, boss.”

“I know.”

“But, boss, this is Thek manufacture. I'd swear it.”

Margit, who'd been filling in her report, came over to the two men. She took the core from Portegin's unresisting hand.

“It feels heavier. And this crystal looks almost dead.” She regarded Kai for an explanation.

He shrugged. “Gaber saw the echoes on the recorder, thought you'd mucked it up, Portegin . . .” he grinned as the mechanic growled at the cartographer. “But I decided we'd better check. This was what we found.”

Margit made a guttural noise, deep in her throat, of disgust and irritation. “You mean, we've spent hours doing what has been don ! You wit-heads could have saved us time and useless energy by rigging that screen right off.”

“According to our computer banks, this planet had never been surveyed,” Kai said in a soothing drawl.

“Well, it has been.” Margit glowered at the screen. “And you know, we've paralleled their line almost perfectly. Not bad for a first working expedition, is it,” she added, talking herself into a better frame of mind. “Hey,” she said in a much louder, less happy tone of voice, “no wonder we couldn't find anything worth the looking. It'd been got already. How far does the old survey coring go?”

“Stops at the edge of the shield, my dear girl,” said Portegin, “and now that we know from the old cores where the shield ends, we can start hitting some pay-dirt for a change. I don't think we've done too much duplication – except in the north and north-east.”

Kai thanked the compassionate computer who had put those two on this team with him: they might complain a bit, but they'd already talked themselves into a positive frame over the duplicated effort.

"I feel a lot better now, knowing there was a good reason we couldn't find any pay-dirt at all!" Margit studied the screen and then pointed at several areas. There's nothing here, and here. Should be!"

“Signals are very faint,” Portegin said. “Some may have just give up the ghost. If everything else there is worked out, is there any point in setting new cores, Kai?”

“None.”

Aulia and Dimenon entered the cartography dome, closely followed by the other four geologists.

“Guess what Kai and Gaber found?” asked Margit. “They found out why we couldn't find anything . . . yet!”

Expressions of surprise and displeasure greeted this statement. So Kai and Gaber repeated their afternoon's activities and the relief that spread throughout the room was reassuring to the team leader. Everyone had a turn at examining the old device, comparing it with those they were setting, joking about ghosts and echoes.

“We can set up secondary camps right on the edges of the shield,” Triv was saying excitedly. “Can we start tomorrow, Kai?”

“Surely, I'll reassign everyone to more profitable areas, hopefully. Let me work it out. And Bakkun, I'll be out with you tomorrow?”

The meal gong sounded, reverberating under the force-screen so he dismissed them all, staying behind briefly to reschedule flights for the morrow. They would have to set up secondary camps, as Triv suggested, but Kai wasn't all that keen to dissipate their complement. Varian hadn't yet had a chance to catalogue the worst of the predators and, despite the personal force-screens, a team could be caught too far away for timely help to arrive. That predator he'd seen today wouldn't be stopped by a puny personal force-screen. He also couldn't hold the teams back from discovering deposits: they got credit bonuses based on the assays of their individual discoveries. That was one reason why the lack of finds so far had had a serious effect on their morale. He couldn't risk a further check to their spirits and ambitions. He also couldn't risk sending them out against predators like those he'd seen today. He must have a chat with Varian.

He emerged into an insect-noisy night. The force-screen, arcing over the encampment, was aglow with blue spits of light as nocturnal creatures tried to reach the tantalizing floodlights which illuminated the compound.

Had that other survey party, millenniums ago, camped here? Would another group, millenniums hence, return when his cores emitted shallow ghost blips on another screen?

Were they really planted? The disturbing thought bobbed to the surface of his reflections, much as the aquatic monsters had been triggered by the shadow of the sled over the water. He tried to push down the notion. Had one of the others been tipped off privily? Varian? No, as co-leader, she was the least likely to have been informed. Tanegli? And was that why he was so willing to search out edible fruits? No, Tanegli was a sound man, but not the sort to be given private instructions while the team leaders were keyed out.

Not quite reassured within his own mind, Kai decided that congenial company would disrupt the uneasy tenor of his thoughts and he strode more purposefully towards the largest dome and his meal.