The Tower and the Hive (22 page)

And it was, despite six hefty drones loaded with machinery and spare parts, two large passenger vehicles and the usual incoming shower of message tubes. That caused Morag the most astonishment.

“It's raining tubes out there,” she cried, watching the canisters falling into and all around the cradle.

“We could use something else,” Kaltia said. “Like a big round bin. They're too short to land in a cradle and too many to stack neatly.”

Bins are a great idea, Lionasha said. Why
couldn't
we think of that?

Because we've been too busy catching,
Laria said with a note of exasperation.

New brooms sweep clean,
Kincaid said, grinning at the girls.

Or a ramp to slide them into a big enough enclosure so it doesn't matter how
many
come in at once,
Morag suggested, projecting the image of such a device.

Roll 'em in line like bowls in an alley,
Vanteer said.
Good notion. Let's get the 'Dinis on it. They'll know where to
get
the stuff we'd need.

And we thought the mining companies got lots of messages!
Morag exclaimed, remaining in the Mind Merge but, at the same time 'porting loose message tubes into an orderly pile.
How long's this been going on?

Since Talavera,
Laria said.
We've one more crate ... Easy does it! It's fragile.

The crate, the machinery inside it visible through the slats of its carrier, landed without so much as a bump.

What's the waybill on that, Lio?
Kincaid asked.

Well, let's put it in the shed, out of the way, then, until FCR tells us it's ready to receive it,
Laria said.
They'll have to reschedule to take on repair work.

“That's the lot for the morning,” Lionasha said. “Be right up.”

Morag stretched, arms above her head, toes pointing out, and Kaltia turned on her side and assumed a brief fetal position—each relaxing in a different fashion. Kincaid looked casually over at Laria. As deftly as he could as the next in line to Laria in the Mind Merge, he'd drawn more heavily on the vibrant young strength of the girls, knowing they'd have enough experience to ease some of the burden that fell to the Prime.

She turned her head slowly toward him and cocked her finger at him, letting him know that she was well aware of what he'd been doing. She was not, apparently, going to reprimand him.

“That was good work, kids,” she said as she heard Lionasha coming up the steps with the restorative beverages.

Kaltia took a long swallow, her eyes widening with pleasure at the taste. “Hey, where does this come from?”

“The ever tropical planet of Clarf,” Laria said. “There are some advantages to it and this is one of the nicest ways to drink replacement electrolytes. Of course, the 'Dinis prefer lemonade, but they're not shifting tons about.”

“Do they grow citrus fruits on Clarf now?” Morag asked, licking her lips to be sure she'd got all the liquid.

“A varietal grows here but it's Earth lemonade they adore,” Laria said. “Now, we all take a siesta at this time of day, especially newcomers.”

“Why? We haven't been outside or anything,” Morag said.

“I'm conserving your energies for the afternoon session, which can be heavier,” Laria said, swinging her legs to the side of her couch before she finished her drink. “Besides, you should get settled into your rooms.”

Sliding from their couches, the girls went down the steps, where Morag halted, eyes widening at the stacks on Lionasha's desk.

“Hey, I can help with that. I used to do it on Iota and you've far too many. May I?” she said, already finding a chair to draw up to the littered desk.

“I really would appreciate the help. It's all those
tubes
!” The word came out with an emphasis short of resignation.

“Vanteer? Do you think we could rig some sort of a ramp to channel the tubes into stacks?” Kaltia said, stepping down into engineering as he began to drop generator power to idle.

He handed her a stylus and a pad. “Go to it, gal.”

“That's what this Tower has needed,” Kincaid remarked, offering a hand to Laria. “Young eager blood! A transfusion for us weary weight lifters.”

“I've these sorted, Lio,” Morag was saying. “Now how do I contact the recipients?”

“That”—Lionasha took the pile from Morag—“is where our 'Dinis assist. Here's another set. Fraggit, but I'm glad you read 'Dini that fast. I still have to puzzle. Fig, Sil, Nim and Dig...” She beckoned the 'Dinis over. “As soon as you've got these done, you can show Kev, Su, Dar and Sim how we arrange them for collection. Then you may take the girls' 'Dinis out for a look round.”

GOOD, GOOD. WE DO FAST. Fig, who was organizing things in the absence of Tip and Nil, handed out the sorted files. The experienced 'Dinis picked up com units from the rack, and as they dialed the appropriate numbers, explained to the newcomers how distribution was handled. Fig was as good as its boast, and within half the time it usually took, thanks to Morag's deft help with Lionasha, the 'Dinis went out of the Tower to rack the message tubes where they could be collected.

WE'RE DONE, WE'RE DONE. WE GO. BACK LATER, Sil announced, opening the door just wide enough to lean its head inside and deliver the message.

“Wow,” exclaimed Lionasha, looking with deep relief at the clear workspace. “No wonder Lyons are the Primes of choice,” she added, grinning at Morag.

“Well, we're still learning, you know,” Morag said, with such modesty that Laria, overhearing, laughed. “Honest, sis. There's a lot more in such a busy Tower as Clarf than there ever was at home, for all the big daddies we had to heave.”

“What do you think about a setup like this, Laria?” Vanteer asked, showing both the Prime and Kincaid the sketch pad. “This'd be easier to construct...” The stylus tapped the third drawing. “But this might be more efficient. And dead easy to put up. Could have one done by morning, I think. I know Lvlr can get us the materials and have them here by dark. Might even get it to give us the benefit of its expertise. Lev's done some bits and pieces for us before now.”

“Then you'll keep us?” Morag asked, eyes round and mocking.

“You just bet we will!” Laria and Lionasha chorused, and they all burst out laughing.

 

Your report and the materials collected on the surface are still being analyzed,
Jeff told Thian on the
Washington.
His mental chuckle echoed in his grandson's mind.
I am reliably led to believe by no less a personage than High Councillor Gktmglnt that the planet you've so adroitly investigated is completely atypical of the Hiver colonies and has confounded all the Mrdini experts. Ours as well, despite the fact that we may not have had as much experience with the species as the 'Dinis.

Aye, there's the rub, Thian. There should be and there aren 't. Yet that colony is by far the oldest, judging by the analysis of the sphere fragments
—
it should have sent off colonies in keeping with the currently understood Hiver patterns.

“Let us in on the joke, will you, Thian?” Admiral Ashiant asked dryly.

When Thian recited exactly what his grandfather had reported, Ashiant guffawed. “Well, frankly, I don't see that we'd have any trouble absconding with a few specimens.”

The experts want several of each from different installations
, Jeff Raven said, having been able to hear the Admiral's response through the link with his grandson.

“Don't want much, do they?” Ashiant said with a sniff. “I suppose the experts'll want some of the queens' attendants too, for comparison's sake.”

“I shouldn't indulge myself with whimsical remarks in your presence,” Ashiant said.

Who's to know what risk is involved until we try it,
Grandfather? Thian also vocalized that query.
We will neutralize the smell of us, though, since odor does seem to get through their chitinous skulls.

Inform the Admiral that's a splendid idea, to get queens' attendants too,
was Earth Prime's response.
And might prove a salient factor in figuring out this atypical situation.
Thian obeyed.

“Humph,” said Ashiant, looking pleased. “It is an oddity, to be sure, but how that can help us reduce the threat of Hivers in general is beyond me. We'll still need to identify any, and every, planet they occupy and somehow render them unable to colonize.”

Inform the Admiral that I could wish his view was more widely held.
Again Thian relayed the message.

“Are the militant still asking for species annihilation?” Ashiant asked, his bushy eyebrows raised in dismay.

“As Admiral of the first Star League
⁶
Fleet that managed to destroy an enemy without sustaining casualties of our own,“Ashiant replied when Thian conveyed that information, “I would prefer to keep that record. Going up against a planet of belligerent Hiver armies might ruin such a worthy aspiration.”

“If you'll pardon my intrusion, Admiral,” Thian said, speaking for himself. “They didn't even know we were in the queen's inner Hive. How would they recognize a punitive force if they refuse to ‘see' us when we are patently present? The only objects they appear to recognize as a threat are other spaceships. Even one of their own spheres, as Xh-33 proved to us.”

“Ah, but an attack launched on their installations would surely result in some reaction,” Ashiant said. “You identified a great quantity as well as variety of creatures in the underground Hives.”

“None of them armed with anything but farm tools and a lot of limbs,” Thian said.

It's the sting-pzzt we'd have to endure that bothers me, Grandfather,
Thian said, and gave a shudder at the thought of proximity to such a concentration of that uncomfortable Hiver emanation, despite the muffling the body armor provided. Eighteen Hives to visit? That first one had been enough.

Cheeky boy,
was the retort, but Thian sensed only Jeff Raven's amusement in his use of the Rowan's favorite epithet.

As Thian suspected, far too many scientists back on Star League worlds and Mrdini home planets were eager to examine live specimens of the different Hiver workers.

Certainly not,
Jeff replied.
Both Gktmglnt and Admiral Mekturian reaffirmed the original orders. There may be other Hiver planets where more specimens can be gleaned... that is, if the militants
calm
down. Heinlein Base is out and another, less obvious destination is being considered. I'd limit those who know about this operation.