O Pioneer!

XXIX

As their boat raced across the lake to the dam, Lupe on one side of her, Mrs. Brownbenttalon and her husband on the other, Rina at last let herself cry. Mrs. Brownbenttalon examined the process with interest. “Leakage from eyes indicates sadness, I have information,” she called over the whine of the motor and the rush of the air. “This leakage not necessary, Mrs. Large Male Giyt. You husband alive okay; he remember robot sub can take home as easy as rocket, only slower. Like I say, he damn good son of a bitch; smart, too!”

At some point, Rina told herself, she should explain to Mrs. Brownbenttalon that there were such things as tears of joy. Not now. Now she was fully concentrated on peering ahead at the dock area, looking for the person she most wanted to see in all the worlds. There were Delt technicians supervising the hoisting of cargo from the base of the dam to the lakeshore; there were Slugs watching the proceedings with a proprietary air—well, the ship terminal was in Slugtown. But it wasn’t until the boat had actually pulled up to the shore that she saw the hoist coming up again, and this time bearing two figures—well, three if you counted the little one poking his snout out of his Centaurian mate’s fur. Beside her Mrs. Brownbenttalon squealed and rushed to greet them, but not so fast that she beat Rina to the scene.

And then they had each other in their arms—Giyt shaky, dehydrated, dirty, but entirely alive. “Shammy, Shammy,” she whispered in his ear. “You scared the shit out of me.”

“I’m sorry,” he said, sounding as though he meant it. “I couldn’t figure out any way to let you know I was all right without letting Hagbarth know, too. Now let’s get back to town. They were making munitions up at the Pole! I’ve got evidence that’ll prove it—”

“I turned it over to the council already,” Rina told him.

“—and I have to get it to the six-planet meeting right away . . . You what?”

His mouth fell open as Rina explained what had happened. Then he shook his head, looking at her wonderingly. “Jesus, woman,” he said. “Looks like you’re perfectly capable of getting along just fine without me.”

“Why,” Rina said with satisfaction, “I actually never doubted I could. I just don’t want to.”