Dinosaurus Planet Survivors
- Автор: Маккефри Энн
- Серия: Dinosaur Planet #2
- Язык: английский
- Жанр: Научная фантастика
Электронная книга - «Dinosaurus Planet Survivors». Краткое содержание книги:
“The Ryxi generally employ human crew for their space craft,” Lunzie said, cutting through Kai’s objections. “I’d be vastly surprised if they didn’t have a supply ship calling in at intervals.”
“You mean to ask them to pose as Varian’s cruiser? What good would that do except delay the colony ship a while?”
“Any delay helps our purpose.” Lunzie was unruffled.
“And what is our purpose?” Varian asked, a little relieved that perhaps the Ryxi needn’t personally be involved.
“Delay. Especially to delay that colony ship from landing and consolidating the heavyworlders’ gains.”
“Their plans have worked out very well so far,” Varian said. “They have established and maintained a settlement on a brutal, primitive world-”
“Whose side are you on?” Kai asked, startled by her comment.
“Ours, of course. But you can’t deny that the survivors have done a thundering good job of being stranded-for whatever reason.”
“They are, however,” and Lunzie’s cool tone rebuked Varian more pointedly than Kai’s agitation, “about to commit grand theft against the Federated Sentient Planets.”
“Grand theft?” Triv was torn between laughter and shock.
“What else do you call stealing a planet?” Lunzie asked, completely serious. “Which is what they’ll achieve if that colony ship lands. Oh, FSP can still charge Tanegli with mutiny…” and Lunzie shrugged at that useless display of legality. “We, and the sleepers, will get sweet nothing for a lapse of forty-three years because we didn’t produce any significant results in opening the planet.”
“We were sent on an exploratory mission,” Kai began defensively.
“Which remains incomplete.” Lunzie made another eloquent shrug of her shoulders.
“What are you driving at, Lunzie?” Varian asked.
“If we, too, make a significant contribution, the planet cannot be ceded entirely to the Heavyworld colonists, even if their ship lands. We do that by continuing with the original intention of the landing party: a survey of the geological and xenobiological features. It would be better if we could prevent the colony ship’s landing, any way we can. If we somehow validate the ‘rescue’ before the colony ship sets down, we could limit the settlers to that part they have worked.”
“They’d do right well then,” Triv said with a long sigh, “for the plateau is iron-rich. Aulia and I also found significant uranium traces along the up thrust of that long mountain chain the day they mutinied. Never did have a chance to tell you that, Kai.”
“One wouldn’t wish them to have nothing for their labors,” Lunzie said with deep irony, before she turned to Varian. “There’re also your pets, the giffs, Varian, who need to be permitted to evolve without interference. I’d go before the Supreme Council to defend their protection as a patently intelligent species.”
“The whole planet should fall under that protection,” Varian declared.
“Quite possibly,” Lunzie said, “especially if Trizein’s notion is correct about this planet’s having some how been populated with species from Earth’s Mesozoic age. That could be the preemptive consideration.”
“Not with a world as rich as transuranics as this.” Kai said in a tone that brooked no contradiction.
“The two are not mutually exclusive,” Lunzie remarked mildly. “But if the colony ship gets down…”
“And if we should be found?” Triv asked.
“Which is undoubtedly the first thing Aygar would instruct them to do,” Varian said, remembering the fury in that young man’s eyes, promising retribution.
“We could use Dimenon and Margit,” Kai said thoughtfully into the silence that followed.
“And Trizein,” Lunzie said.
“Why him?” Portegin asked. “He’s only an analyst and he wouldn’t have any facilities.”
“He’s our authority on the Mesozoic zoology,” Lunzie said.
“Portegin, could you rig a jammer for the communications mast at the plateau?” Kai asked.
“That’d mean getting close to the settlement again,” Portegin was making no secret of his disinclination.
“Not very close,” Triv remarked blandly.
“They wouldn’t be expecting a ‘rescue’ party to interfere,” Kai said with a grin.
“Good point,” Varian said, pleased and relieved that her co-leader was reasserting himself. “And the sooner that is done, the better.”
“Agreed!” Lunzie’s single word was unexpectedly emphatic. “But, if doing that would use matrices required to reach the Ryxi…”
“No, I think enough are available,” Portegin said blithely unaware of the consternation on the faces of both Kai and Varian.
“Kai,” and Lunzie turned almost brusquely from the technician, “how clearly do you recall the deposits of ore we’d already found?”
“Very clearly,” Kai said in a tone that he hoped Lunzie would interpret.
“Excellent. When I go back to the shuttle, I’ll run fiber through the synthesizer for writing material. Trizein never forgets anything he’s analyzed, so he can rewrite his notes.”
“Terilla could repeat those exquisite drawings of hers,” Varian said.
“Children do not adapt well to the trauma of elapsed time,” said Lunzie in a cool voice. “It’s hard enough on adults to realize that most of their friends, and probably all their immediate family are aged or dead.” The silence that greeted her remark caused her to glance at each of their faces. Her expression was kinder as she went on. “It’s hard enough for us, but at least we have a task to which we can devote our energies.” She paused again, looking about her. “I think we’d best get some sleep now. We’ve a lot to begin tomorrow.”
CHAPTER EIGHT
About halfway through that restless night, Varian realized that with the possible exception of Lunzie, no one was finding sleep easy. She was divided between the desire to talk out the day’s puzzles and the privacy of the night in which to sort out her muddled reactions.
The revelation that Lunzie had so subtly overlaid her consciousness with that of Rianav distressed Varian. Not because she minded assuming an alter ego but because, as Rianav, her reactions to the mutineers’ descendants, and even toward Tanegli, had been sympathetic rather than vengeful. As Varian, she ought not to have any compassion for the man, considering that he and his fellows had robbed her of forty-three years of the companionship of her friends and relatives. Not to mention the minor fact that the mutiny had probably placed Varian’s advancement in the Service in jeopardy. And the Service now constituted Varian’s anchor. Her parents could be dead. Her brother and two sisters, all her friends, would be entering their seventh or eighth decades and their thoughts would be turned to whatever retirement activity they had earned during their productive years. They would hardly be likely to welcome a youthful Varian.
How many times had this experience happened to Lunzie? The question popped unexpectedly into Varian’s drowsing mind and shook her out of the brief spate of self pity. Lunzie had subtly altered since Varian awakened her. Or perhaps, Varian, immersed in her xenobiology, had simply failed to take a proper measure of the medic. Lunzie had kept pretty much to herself and her duties before the mutiny. Lunzie’s Service profile had indicated nothing unusual. Nor was it unusual for a medic to be Disciplined. Lunzie’s posting to their expedition had all the elements of coincidence… but was it? Since she had revealed herself Adept, and showed a great deal of knowledge about the phenomenology of shipwreck, salvage legalities, and improper colonial takeovers. Had Lunzie been shipwrecked before?
Varian sighed, unable to correlate the nagging inconsistencies. She was deeply sorry for Kai. She’d seen his hands shaking and the occasional body spasms that everyone pretended not to notice. Would he regain his sense of touch? And lose those disfiguring white patches from the fringe punctures? She wanted him whole, his old self, her friend and lover, as antidote to the attraction she felt for Aygar.