Rissa and Tregare (23 page)

"Too much to tel now-there was trouble, but it is over-Tregare or I will give more detail when there is time. Now, though-before I ask you to relay me through to the city, is there news Tregare should know?"

"Let me think. Norden hasn't said yes or no on the
Valkyrie;
Hawkman's stil working on him. Keep the time-lag in mind-things may have changed. And-your investment plans are going wel, Liesel said to tel you. I guess that's al. Now, who do you want to talk with, in One Point One?"

"Ami Gustafson-dal Nardo's superior, while he lived."

"Oh-yes. Just a moment; I'l see if I can reach her." The picture shattered into shifting streaks of light; sound crashes came from the speaker. Then the screen cleared partially; the wavering silhouette Rissa saw was something like what she recalled of Ami Gustafson. The voice was clear. "Gustafson speaking. Who's calling?"

Briefly, Rissa had to sort her identities. "Tari Obrigo, Ms. Gustafson. And I am afraid I cal to ask you a great favor."

"Good thing I can recognize your voice-from the picture, you could be a bushstomper. I won't ask where you are. Now-what's the favor?"

"The first day we met, you questioned me. When-"

"Of course I did-how does that work into any kind of favor?"

"If your truth field equipment is portable, might Tregare and I borrow it for a time? Or if not, use it in your office? In either case, we would inconvenience you as little as possible." The woman gasped. "Truth field? You
knew?"

"
I had encountered them on Earth. And my hearing range includes the characteristic sound they make." Rissa saw a shadowy fist clench and shake, but heard a chuckle. "And you
beat
the field, didn't you? I smelled something at the time, but couldn't be sure. You knew, so you talked
around
my questions." Briefly, silence. Then, "All right-even if I wanted to, there's no point my trying to buck Tregare
and
the Hulzeins. I'll make a deal. I don't know if the gear is feasible to move-I'l have to ask-but you can use it.
if
you tel me what you hid from me." Rissa thought, then laughed. "It no longer matters; I will tell you. It was only that-I was new on Number One, and alone. Dal Nardo threatened me. Lacking a counterthreat, I invented one."

"The zombie gas?" On the screen, the shadowy head nodded. "Of course-that would be it. I'm going to replay the tape of that interview-to have a good laugh at myself and maybe to learn something." A short pause, then; "I hope you learned, too-that humiliating an egotist can be damned dangerous."

"I knew that-but I could see no other course. Looking back, I stil cannot. Can you tel me what I might better have done?"

"With dal Nardo, probably not. Just don't make it a habit."

"I intend not to. But Blaise Tendal was much the same, and-"

"Wasn't you, killed Tendal. But-are you into any more scrapes?"

"Not of my choice, nor centered on me."

"Something, though. No-it's none of my business-"

"I do not mind telling you," Rissa said. "A man thought he should have Bran Tregare's place, and tried to kil him to get it. He is dead by my hand, instead."

The silhouette shook its head. "You married trouble, girl. But if you're not unhappy, why should I fret for you? All right, I told you-you can use the truth field. When I find out
how
you can use it, where can I reach you?"

"Through Hulzein Lodge. And thank you, Ami Gustaf-son."

"Better save your thanks-the field doesn't always tell you what you'd like."

"In this case, only truth itself is important. It is a matter of loyalties-those who fail the test will merely be left to earn livelihoods on this world. If I had thought earlier to use this method, many dead might still live."

"You had a shootout, did you? Across the Big Hills, where everyone knows something's doing, but no one knows what. Never mind-I don't need details. But when will all of us-groundhogs and spacers alike-learn to work together, instead of living on each others' blood?"

"It was not like that. Only the one man was jealous of command, but he had the loyalty of others. Sane or not-and I am not certain of that-he was so audacious that he nearly deserved to win. But he underestimated Bran Tregare."

"Thought you said
you
killed him?"

"I did-while Tregare played^ait for his attacker and came

close to dying for it."

"And you think that's admirable-well, maybe it is. I don't understand you, Tari Obrigo-or your man Tregare, either. I'm a peaceful sort-stodgy, even, you might say. I'll defend myself, but otherwise I want no part of fighting."

"Nor, ordinarily, do Bran or I. But there may be a dif-ference-Ami, have you ever been a slave?"

"Hell, no! What kind of talk is that?"

"
I
was, under Total Welfare-and Bran in UET's Space Academy. Slavery leaves marks, and only some can be seen. The scars that do not show-perhaps they are why you and I do not understand each other fully."

"Maybe. We can talk later. About the field-I'll let you know."

The screen went dark. Deverel said, "You told her a lot."

"Too much, do you think?"

"I don't judge you any more than I judge the captain. You play bigger games."

''Hain! It is not a game. Unless-the game of trust.''

He raised himself on the cot, half-sitting. "Look-I didn't mean anything. If it's trust you're playing, you sure have mine. All you've done-"

"And you have mine. Now rest-you need to do so." She smiled and left the scoutship. she found Kenekke at the cabin door. He had cleared charred wood away in a rough rectangle. Now he tried to hold a sheet of metal in place with a knee and one hand, and manipulate a welding torch with the other. As she approached, the sheet slipped down and he cursed.

"Can I help?"

He looked around. "Sure. Can you use the torch or hold this thing while I spot the corners?"

"Either."

"Take the torch, then. Now, then, let me-all right, it's centered wel enough." Careful to keep the flame wel clear of him she spotwelded the two upper corners to the damaged panel. "Fine," he said. "Thanks-that'll hold it for me." She returned the torch; he spotted the lower corners and ran a bead solidly around the perimeter. When he finished, he wiped sweat from his forehead.

"Not much for pretty, but good as new for stout! How's Hain doing?"

"Comfortably. And now, if the door latch is cool enough to touch, I must go in and see to Tregare." He touched it. "Just warm now." She nodded and went in-side.

Lying on his unhurt side and breathing heavily, Tregare slept. He had pushed the covers down to his waist; even so, sweat stood out on his face. The water jug was half-empty, but the chamber pot beside the bed had not been used.
I should
have brought that for him-he has been up, and he should not be.

She refiled the water jug and gently pulled the first cover up to his shoulder, in case the fever should settle. She sat beside him for a time, but he did not wake or move. She looked around the kitchen but found nothing that needed doing, so she went outside again.

At first she saw no one, then heard a shout and turned to see Kenekke emerging from a storage building, tools slung from his belt and carrying a large sheet of heavy transparent plastic.

She ran to meet him. "Shall I help you with that?"

He bent to rest one edge of the sheet on the ground. "Sure -this thing isn't so heavy, but it's awkward. Want to take the back corner, and we'll carry it vertical?" She nodded; they picked up the sheet and proceeded, past the outhouse and around the cabin's corner, to the gaping window hole. They laid the plastic flat on the ground.

"We'll need a ladder," he said, "but first I'll get this ready." He adjusted the torch's flame to its narrowest and quickly, precisely melted a small hole near a corner of the sheet, then others at intervals around the perimeter. "This is too big to go in the frame, and that's a day's job even if I had the right tools for it. So we'll nail it to the outside." He unsnapped a hand tool from his belt. "Nail gun-works by compressed gas. Just put the nozzle against a hole and pul the trigger. Now I'll get that ladder."

While she waited, she walked across the plateau a litle way, until she could see, below a notch in the flattish surface, the downward sweep of hils. The sun's rays slanted; the pattern of light and shadow among the trees caught her interest. She watched until Kenekke hailed her, then rejoined him. The lad-der leaned against the wal, to one side of the window.

"Pretty down there, isn't it, this time of day?" he said.

"It is. I will never get used to the size of these Hills." She looked at the window. "What do we do first?" He tipped the plastic up on one edge. "I'l hold this so one corner's where it belongs; you go up the ladder and pin it. Then we put the ladder t'other side; you go up again; I pivot the sheet into position. You'l have to brace it on so it doesn't lean out-lucky there's no wind-and when I have it right, pin it again. Two holes is best. I can take it from there."

Yes, she thought-it would work. The first part went easily, but on the other side she stood on the ladder with both hands occupied, balancing with no real handholds, until the first nail was driven. Then she grabbed quickly for a ladder rung, drove the other nail, and descended. Kenekke grinned. "Perfect. But it's funny-all the things you've done-and on the ladder, not high enough to hurt if you did fal, I could see you were nervous."

She thought. "I was-yes. But not from the height. It was that I could not use my hands or eyes, or even very much of my attention, for balance. Only my feet and legs-and the rungjiurt my shins. It made me feel anxious, yes." "Well, it's done. I can do the rest. And thanks." "I should thank you, Anse. It is my comfort, and Tregare's,

that we are restoring." "If it wasn't for you two, Main and I, we'd be dead meat. I tell you-yesterday I didn't have much hope for seeing this

day." He laughed. "But here we are!" "Yes." She smiled at him. "Well, I will look in on Hain, and also see if any messages have come."

in the scoutship, Deverel was much as .before. He said, "The Gustafson woman called. Once I convinced her I knew the situation, she said her gear's portable but lots more than an aircar load. I thanked her and said you or the captain would be in touch."

"Good. Did she give any idea of the size of the equipment? Could this scout handle it, for instance? Because I would not like to load an aircar much, for the pass-and the more trips, the more time wasted.''

"The scout? Sure-the stuff's not one big hunk. But-"

"Is there a fuel problem?"

"No. But who-? I mean, the captain's not able, yet."

"I studied the controls on
Inconnu.
Except for complexity -and orientation, landing vertically and not horizontally-they are quite like an aircar's. Surely the scout's are not so dif-ferent."

He stared at her. "Look-if I let you take this thing up and anything happened, I'd be better off
with
you than facing Tregare." She laughed. "I would not try it without his permission, surely-this is his property, not mine. No-I wil ask-but not until his fever ebbs and his head is clear."

Deverel grinned.
''That's
a relief-you had me worried." He nodded toward the comm-panel. "You want to cal Gus-tafson back?" She looked at her watch. "I do not know her working hours; she may have left her office." She shrugged and punched for Channel C. "I may as wel try."

At Hulzein Lodge, a girl relayed her call; Ami Gustafson answered. "From the lousy picture, it has to be Tari Obrigo. I was just leaving, but go ahead-did you get my message?"

"Yes, and thank you. Now, may I ask-how many normal aircar loadings would your equipment make?"

"Oh-three, I'd say."

"Then-to here, perhaps nine."

"What-?"

"It is not an easy route. But there may be a quicker way; I wil not know for a day or two. I caled only to thank you, ask my question, and let you know that action will not be im-mediate."

"That's considerate; I appreciate it. Al right-call me when you decide. And if it's urgent, this terminal relays through to my home at night."

"I see-and I wil not disturb you there with any mater that can wait."

They said good-byes. Rissa cut the circuit and sat quietly, thinking. Then she shrugged. "For the moment there is nothing I can do; I wil put the mater aside."

"It's good you can do that," said Deverel. "Some can't." Then; "How's the repairs, going? "

"Temporary measures are complete. Anse is quite efficient."

"From the looks of you, you've been working some, your-self."

"Yes-for one person alone, some of it would have been quite awkward."

"Given to understatement, as always!" She had not heard Kenekke enter. "She did a share. What I came to say, though-the captain's awake; I looked in on him."

Rissa stood. "Is he all right?"

"Improving, is my guess. Wants to see you."

"Then I will go. Thank you."

she hurried to the cabin and found Tregare sitting up, propped against a wadded mass of pillows, one cover pulled up over his chest, but leaving arms and shoulders free. He was still sweating, but much less, and his face was more relaxed. "Bran? You look better-but should you be up, this way?" He smiled. "I'm past the hump of it-weak, though." He gestured toward the empty jug. "Thought I'd get myself some water, and nearly fell out of bed on my face." "I'll get it." She filled the jug in the kitchen, returned and poured his glass ful. He reached for it, hand somewhat shaky, and drank it dry. She poured another; he sipped a litle and set it down.

"I should not have left you so long, Bran."

"Most of the time, until a few minutes ago, I was dead to the world. Heard you and Anse a few times, working outside-and I see things are fixed as wel as we need, for now. You're here soon enough-just right. Because I'm hungry, and too washed out to fix anything myself."

"What would you like?"

"There's some stew left, frozen. I think I'm in shape to tackle it."

"All right." She put the container to thaw and heat, and returned. As she sat beside the bed, an odor reached her; she carried the chamber pot to the outhouse and emptied it, rins-ing it at an outdoor spigot before taking it back inside. She said, "While the stew heats, I have time for a shower." He nodded, and soon she stood under the stream of water, grateful for the relaxing heat.