[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

here are pretty much
of a mind. Then Micah came back and built a fire indet me, so I called this Picnic. I think all of You got
the their eyes- "I want to get out
idea." He paused, meeting me along?" of here," he said then. @'Anybody want to co
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
They stirred, and words muttered between them, an oath
snapped out, fists clenched. "It's not too bad a life," went
on Toachim,, but it's got its drawbacks. I reckon they're
diff@rent for each of YOU."
" It , s plain enougl-i," said Petroff Dushan. "I want to go
starjumping. This planet is-dulll"
"Yeh," growled Ortega. "Tust a park. Every morning I
check my skin to see if ml;ss ain't-started growing."
"Remember Hralfar?" asked Petroff Manuel wistfully. "There was snow. You could feel the cold, like the
air was liquid. You wanted to run and shout, and you could hear
sounds for kilometers around, it was that quiet."
"Give me a city," said Levy. "Bars and bright lights, noise, a wench and maybe a good fight. if I could sit
in the Half Moon on Thunderhouse again, by the Grand Canal-I"
"A place with some spice to it," said MacTeague. "The flying city on Aesgil IV, and the war between the
birds and
the centauroids. Some place netv!" life," said Joachim, "Once we're converted to this AlOri
"they'll let us spacefare-for them." you know it," said "Yeah. But we never will be, and
Kogama. "And who ever heard of a Nomad traveling for
somebody else? We go where we pleas@."
"All right, all right," said Joachim. "I know how you afl
feel."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
Thorkilcl Elof compressed his mouth bleakly. "We'll end up marryi g within our own ship," he said. "I've
already noticed boys and girls going together, because there's no one
else. It's obscene."
"Are they going to make Alori of us?" cried Ferenczi. "It's been done to the others. The old Roamer,
Rover, Tramp,
I The@
Tzigani, Soldier of Fortune-theY aredt any more.
crews aredt Nomads."
"Yeah," Joachim nodded. His face tightened. "They took my ship and my crew. They've got to be paid
back for that,"
"Just a minute," interposed Trevelyan. "I've explained-"
"Oh, sure, sure. Let the Cordys handle- the Alori. I only want to get loose again." Joachim turned his
pipe over and over in stubby fingers. "I've burned up all my tobacco and killed all my bottles. The Alori
don't drink or smoke."
"It's all very well to talk," said Elof impatiently. "But we're down here and the Peregrine is up there.
"What can we do about it?"
"Things." Joachim sat down, crossing his legs. "I've gotten you people together so I could be sure you
were all with me." He sucked bard on the empty pipe. "Look, this one's been asking around among the
Alori, They're very frank and polite, you've got to admit that. They know I don't like being here, but they
also know I can't jump into space by my own lec,,S-so they answer my questions.
"Well, the Peregripe is the only star ship around, for parsecs. Her boats were flown to a small island
about twenty kilometers northwest of here. The Alori don't need 'em, so they're just sitting there. Some
kind of guard is mountedplants or animals or something that won't let a human land without an Aloriin's
say-so."
"Wait a minute!" exclaimed Petroff Dushan. "You don't mean we should snatch us an Alorian and make
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
him-"
"Wouldn't work," said Ferenczi. "These natives just aren't afraid to die. Anyway, I don't think we could
capture one without all the damned woods knowing it and bringing the whole island down on our necks."
"Please," said Joachim. "My idea isn't that crude." His gaze turned on Sean, and be went on quietly:
"Ilaloa's been around a little."
The young man's face flushed. He spat.
"Now don't be so bard on the poor lass," said Joachim. "She only did her duty. This one saw her a
couple of times flitting around, and has never seen anybody so woebegone.
We got to talking and she kind of poured out her troubles.
She loves you, Sean.'
"Hub!" It was a savage grunt.
"No, no, it's a fact. She belongs with Alori, but she loves you, and knows you're about as unhappy as
you can get. And I think she's been a bit-corrupted by us, too. A few drops of Nomad have gotten into
her blood. Poor kid."
"Well, -,vhat am I expected to do?" snapped Sean.
"Go to her. Take her to a place where you can't be overheard and ask her to arrange our escape."
Sean shook his head unbelievingly. "She wouldn't."
"Well, there's no barm in trying, is there? Her only alternative is to take some kind of psychological
treatment to get you out of her mind, and she does@t want to do
that."
"I understand," murmured Nicki.
"B-but she'll know I'm lying!" protested Sean.
"Will you be lying? You'll say you still care for her and want to take her away if she'll help. I think that'U
be the
truth."
Sean sat still for a long while. "Do you think so?"
Joachim nodded. After a moment he added slowly, "You might bear this in mind, too. If we do get
away, this whole business will have worked out very well. A menace will be converted to a profitable
enterprise. I think people will feel pretty kindly toward 'Lo."
Generated by ABC Amber LIT Converter, http://www.processtext.com/abclit.html
"Well-I-"
"On your way, lad."
Sean stood up. He was shaking, ever so faintly. He turned and walked stiff-legged from the gathering.
Nobody looked after him.
There was silence, wind and surf and the high crying of the birds.
Ferenezi said, "Itll only be us here who make the break, eh?"
"Yeah. A bigger bunch would-be risky. We can take the
ship back to Nerthus. Hard work and short rations, but we can do it."
"I was thinking about the others. They'll be hostages here."
"I asked 'Lo about that, and what she said bore out my own bunch. The Alori don't do things without a
purpose. They won't mistreat our people when they've already lost the game." Joachim got to his feet,
stretching. "Any more questions? If not, the meetidg's adjourned until we know better where we stand.
Avoid the natives, all of you. They'll sense your excitement. Let's get up a snappy game of volleyball to
calm us down,"
Trevelyan stood with his arm about Nicki, looking over the beach. A few hundred meters off, joachim's
ball game got under way.
"What are vou thinking of, Micah?"
He smiled. "You," he said. "And your people."
"What of us?" [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]