86
had a full setting. So this was a relatively formal occasion; they would he served, not rise and go through a serving line.
Several carafes of pale, pinkish wine were on the table, one directly in front of Lisele. So let's get this show on the road; she reached for it and poured her own glass full, then handed it to the woman at her right. Might as well break the ice. "Do you make this yourselves, or is it from ship s stores?"
Taking the carafe but not yet pouring, the woman said, "Ship s wine is long gone. But before the supply ran out, one of the cooks found several kinds of native berries that work well enough." She made a timid-seeming smile. "This type is stronger than it tastes. If they start raising toasts, I'd advise you drink lightly.
Lisele grinned. "Advice appreciated." Now, while the woman filled her own glass, Lisele had time to evaluate her. In her mid-thirties, Earth bio-years, seemed a good guess. She was lean, with a sallow, lined face, and black hair worn in the standard cut that Lisele's own hair approximated. "My name is Lisele Moray. Comm-nav cadet rating, on the Tamurlaine."
"Elseth Sprague." The woman's smile was missing two upper left bicuspids. Lisele's expression may have looked puzzled, because Sprague added, "Yes, Captain Orval Sprague was my father; I'm his youngest child, and second-youngest of the first generation born here. On the roster I'm a Drive-tech First, but the Cube only needs tuning every week or two, so I spend most of my time supervising unrateds out in the cropfields."
"And I," said a voice at Lisele's left, "am Arnet Kern. I'm second generation, and I have no idea who my father was, because Captain Bull Cochrane threw out the system for keeping track. At least I don't look like him."
Lisele turned. The man was youngish-twenty, maybe- redhaired and freckle-faced. His nose had been broken, and healed bent to one side and partly flattened; if not for that, he might have been handsome. Before she could answer, he said, "If you two aren't keeping that wine a secret, I'd like some."
"Oh, sure; of course." Lisele handed the carafe across to him; Kern poured fast, but with no splash or spill.
"Thanks. I'm listed for Drive, too, but that's a joke. Just something traditional for the records, because nobody's ever revised the Table of Organization to make sense. What I
87
really do is straw-boss six sheepherders." His grin, breaking through a rather dour expression, helped his looks a lot. "In the proper seasons I'm not bad at lambing, or shearing, or butchering."
"How did you learn all these things? Ship's people-"
He shook his head. "It was the first landers, had to figure it all out from scratch. By my time we had people who could teach us."
"It must have been-" But a blare of sound interrupted, and Lisele saw the big wall screen light up. Picture and sound quality were so poor that at first she couldn't make them out. Then she realized: this was an old, wornout tape of a military band, playing the corporate anthem of United Energy and Transport. Tregare had a tape of that composition, . . .
The damned thing repeated three times before someone mercifully shut it off. By that time, servitors in smocks were bringing food, serving the head table first and then the ratings.
During meals, Lisele discovered, it wasn't the custom of these people to talk much. If at all. Shrugging, she applied herself to the meal.
XIV
The meat platters were piled with beef, pork and mutton, all three roasted and sliced. For the most part, Lisele found the vegetables-some raw, some cooked-familiar. Two strange ones, she decided, must be native here: "empty calories." The fresh taste of one, she liked; the other smelled rank, and she passed on it. Cooked berries, served cool in what was probably their own juice, carried a flavor much like the wine's.
The situation had her nervous; to calm herself she ate slowly, and took only nominal second helpings. She was finished, and sipping a hot liquid that looked like coffee but certainly wasn't, when Commodore Maiden called for every one's attention.
88
He stood only briefly, until the room went quiet, then sat again. He was using an amplifier, Lisele noticed, turned high enough to reach the filled tables but not the entire room. The equipment had to be old, she thought, but it worked. Well, solid-state gear could last a long time, and for such items, most ships carried plenty of spares.
"This is a great occasion," Maiden said. "Our first visitors here, possibly our saviors. I haven't had time or opportunity to ask Scout Captain Kobolak about the Tamurlaine's intentions and capabilities; perhaps he can tell us now."
Scout Captain? This one's making sure we all know who has the real rank.
As Maiden looked to his right, Deryth Mangentes handed Anders Kobolak a microphone. So briefly that Lisele almost missed it, Anders looked startled; then his face took on a self-assured expression. "The question, I suppose, is what you mean by 'saviors. But first, let me introduce those of my shipmates who came here with me from the Tamurlaine." So, having each stand as he gave names and the ranks they'd assumed for this mission, in turn he did the honors for Eduin Brower, deWayne Houk, Alina Rostadt, and Lisele. Brower gestured a minimal wave. "Hi'ya, folks," Houk mumbled, "Pleasure, I'm sure." Alina said, "I enjoyed our dinner very-much." Suddenly self-conscious, Lisele finally came out with, "You-you've certainly made this colony a success."
As she sat, Anders spoke again. "You're right, Commodore. We didn't expect to find anyone out here, but since we did, of course we wish to help. And perhaps you can help us, also." He paused. Thinking fast, Lisele decided. "The first thing we need to know is: what kind of aid do you have in mind?"
He gave Maiden no chance to reply. "Do you want to be taken back to Earth, arriving there more than a century out of your time? You must know we can't do that; our ship isn't big enough, and it's nearly full, anyway." Kobolak's brow wrinkled. "To go-oh, not to Earth, but to the nearest colony from which ships could be routed here-you'd have to allow twenty years, at least, before the first of those could arrive."
He shook his head. "We could take a few of you along, to represent the colony and state your case for further help. But that's about all, I'm afraid, along those lines."
This time his pause allowed Maiden to speak. "No, we don't want to evacuate this world. A delegation to go with
89
you-yes, I like the idea. But we have three needs, one immediate and two over a longer term."
Kobolak nodded. "The immediate, I believe, is medical supplies. Well, we brought along as much as the Tamurlaine can safely spare. Some of it's new since you left Earth, so we've included the specs on it, too." He made an apologetic shrug. "With the radiation-damage crisis-" He touched fingers to one side of his still-hairless scalp. "-Captain Delarov couldn't spare a medic just now. Some of our people, the complications are rather grim."
He's taking too long at it. As Maiden nodded, then said, "We appreciate whatever you can do, medically."
"And your other needs, sir?"
"Reinforcement of this colony! More people, for our working force and our gene pool, both. That's one."
"And the other?"
"Our ship, repaired! The Patton's too good a vessel to sit and rust away, for want of six-figures' worth of facet plugs for the Drive nodes.
As Kobolak nodded, Lisele hoped Maiden couldn't see how the other man's composure was slipping. This discussion was getting entirely too close to the bone. But Anders said, "We'd need a checkout on how many you'll require. I doubt very much, though, that we could fill you needs and still stay within safety Regs."
Regs. Yes, Anders. that's what to spear them with.
Maiden spread his hands. "Your captain will decide the matter, of course. And when will we meet with him? When does your ship rendezvous with you, here?"
Kobolak hesitated. Lisele waited, and finally he came up with UET's magic word: "Security, sir. At this time I'm not at liberty to give that information."
Luckily for Anders Kobolak, frowns and glares weren't lethal. Visibly curbing his temper, Cray Maiden said, "You'll do so when you can; correct?"
"Of course."
"And you'll ask your captain, as soon as possible, about all the things we need to know."
"Naturally. At our next comm sked."
"And when will that be?"
"I-" Floundering for a moment, Anders recovered. "By your local time, I'm not certain."
90
