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"It is pleasant to have an understanding husband." Then, "Bran! Not here!"
Enjoying the game of playing helpless when both knew she was not, she waited
until he released her. "You have calls to make, I know. I go to our quarters.
Twenty minutes?"
When he arrived some minutes late, she ignored the lapse.
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IN the night she woke, not knowing why. She heard Tregare's breathing; it was
not that of a sleeper. "Bran? You are awake?"
"Yeah. Can't sleep."
"You are not ill?"
"No." She sensed the movement of his headshake. "It's just this thing
tomorrow-the Shrakken.
It's so damned crucial-if they're a real menace, maybe we have to stay
here-all bets off-"
"Bran?" She reached for him. "Might I help, now?"
He laughed and came to hold her. "I don't know-you might, at that."
But in their embrace she felt him strain to achieve at all, and at the end she
knew it had not gone well for him. Afterward she lay hoping to hear him
breathe in the rhythms of sleep -but if he did, it was after she herself
slept.
234
RISSA took the scout up next morning and flew it across the Big Hills, but
Tregare-though he showed evident fatigue- took control for the landing,
saying, "You're almost ready for that, but not quite."
Ivan was with them, and Hilaire Gowdy. The older woman's appearance surprised
Rissa; while she might never be slim nor pretty, her weight loss gave her a
healthy look. In her own strong-
featured way, Rissa decided, Gowdy was becoming an attractive woman. Even the
unruly hair was trimmed and brushed into relative neatness.
Rissa was caught staring; Gowdy grinned. "Let myself go something awful,
hadn't I? That outspoken young chit with the truth gear brought me up short.
Took a good look and didn't like it, so ..."
"You must be very pleased now. I am happy for you."
"Oh, I have more to take off. But it gets easier."
As Tregare landed the scout, talk ceased. Rissa let the ramp out and down, and
stepped onto it.
She saw Estelle Marco get out of a groundcar, and waved. A younger woman-tall,
carrying an equipment bag that seemed heavy, followed the doctor to and up the
ramp.
"My assistant, Landa Cohoes," said Marco. Inside, Co-hoes set the bag down;
Rissa took charge of introductions.
Shaking Cohoes's hand, Tregare said, "You're both coming along?"
"If you don't mind," the doctor said. "One of you could carry this ton of junk
for me, I suppose-
but if I understood what Hawkman Moray was saying, another pair of skilled
hands could help."
Tregare nodded. "Sure, that's good. Rissa-fill it in, will you, on the way?
Might as well take off now, if we're all ready." With all seated and securely
belted, he took the scout up.
As she talked, Rissa watched the two women's reactions. Marco occasionally
nodded or grimaced;
the other's grave expression did not change. Rissa could see the woman was
past first youth but her skin was clear, her brown hair-worn long, coiled at
the nape-untouched by gray. Finally Landa
Cohoes
\r - 235
\rsaid, "And these creatures have been seen-by humans-only twice?" "Yes," said
Rissa, "First by the Committee troops who
-we are almost certain-killed them. Then by the settlers on
Charleyhorse-where, as I said, they killed at least one."
Tregare said, "Limmer-one of my captains-saw them over a viewscreen, ship to
ship. But not for long, and the picture wasn't very good."
"Are you sure they killed the woman at the colony?" said Marco.
"We're sure of damned little," said Tregare. "That's why
-until we find out more, if we can-I don't want this world left undefended."
He took the scout high; now they passed over those unbelievable piles of
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stone, the Slab
Jumbles. Beyond them Rissa saw a gleam of light, and Tregare shouted, "There
it is! UET or
Shrakken, we've found it!" The scout dropped low over the monstrous stones,
and then alongside them toward the ground. Balancing the vessel on thrust that
barely supported it, Tregare moved slowly to the last southernmost slab.
Halfway along its great length, he grounded beside it.
To their left as they disembarked, the fallen monolith loomed high. Tregare,
leading, turned to the others. "If this bucket weren't so noisy, we could've
got closer. Try to land beside them, though-they'd take off-all I could do is
shoot. So we have to sneak up on foot."
"And then what, Bran?"
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"What you're good at, Rissa-play it by ear." He looked from one to another.
"Except for our medics, we're all armed
-right?"
Marco said, "We're armed, too, but Landa will be hampered by the equipment."
Ivan moved to take the bag but Hilaire Gowdy said, "No-let me. I'm only fair
with guns, anyway."
Ivan smiled and stepped aside as she shouldered it.
They set off-Tregare and Ivan ahead, Rissa guarding the rear. Occasionally
Tregare gave further instructions. "If we can, we want to talk. If they shoot
first-well, depends on the setup. If we can, get to cover and play it from
there. If not-standard practice-get flat and shoot the piss out of them.
236
Until they quit or as long as we last-but I always bet on our side."
A little farther along. "Say they manage to take off. I run like hell back to
the scout and chase-only thing I can do. They leave any behind, that's up to
you-keep them alive if you can, but don't take any chances you don't have to."
"And then what, Bran?"
"Oh, sure, Rissa-this is no place to be stuck. Soon as I'm high enough, I'll
call Hawkman-get a couple of aircars here, needed or not. Five vacant seats
and the rest full of armed help."
Rissa frowned. "Bran-"
"What's wrong?"
"I wish we had conferred." He waited; she said, "If an air-car had made
rendezvous and were here now-''
He turned, eyes widened. "Peace take me, yes! We could drop in quietly,
surprise them-and me or someone in the scout, ready to go up if need be."
"And without-your having to run like hell, Bran."
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