Long View - Rissa And Tregare Part 32

Hawkman laughed. "That should do it-shouldn't it, Liesel?"

"Yes. And Hawkman-if UET were still in charge-I think we have enough information to go in under false colors and get out again safely. Bran's done it and can advise us."

Tregare pushed his empty plate away. "You won't have to. If I get to Earth at all, UET won't have time to waste, checking your bona fides. That bunch will be too busy with its own problems."

Rissa frowned. "You are sure, Tregare? You have not spoken of this."

"I've thought of it, though." One hand made a fist. "The day I get to Earth in one piece, that's the day UET loses track of whether its b.u.t.t's punched, bored, or clawed out by a wildcat!" He drained a gla.s.s of wine.

Rissa shook her head. "Tregare-is this fact or bombast?"

He grinned. "A little of both-sure. But I can make it work."

"I believe it," said Limmer.

"And I," said Ilse Krueger.

"Very well, Bran," Rissa said, "I only wished to be sure we do not, through overconfidence, lure our family and friends into trouble."

Tregare looked at her. "Before we leave, I'll distribute written plans to all concerned. All right?"

"Of course. It is only that we have drunk a considerable amount, and I-"

"I'll write it; you check it. Good enough?"

227.

Rissa nodded and Hawkman said, "I like things put on paper, myself-it helps keep everyone on track. And now I'm tired. Liesel?" The two rose and the rest prepared to disperse. Ivan and Ilse left next; then Rissa and Tregare.

Upstairs, Rissa said, "Bran-I did not mean to say your thought is not good."

"You didn't. It's all right. But I'm bone-dead tired. Tomorrow, maybe?"

"Yes. Tomorrow. Good night, Bran."

NEXT morning Tregare was called away from breakfast to answer the viewscreen. He returned, grinning. "That was Deverel-with word from Zelde. Inconnu lands this evening or tomorrow morning, depending."

"Depending on what?" said Felcie. "Drive trouble? UET nosing around? Isn't s.p.a.ce navigation more accurate than that? How-"

Tregare waved a hand. "Zelde's running on a least-fuel course, so she can skip the port and top off from the limited stock at Base Two. She's never landed there at night and would rather not."

"Rather cautious," said Ilse, "for someone who's going to command one of your ships.''

"It's my ship she's being cautious about, and I agree." He turned to Liesel and motioned toward Sparline. "One thing- this means we're moving soon. We have to go to Base Two- and I'm not sure when or if we can get back here. So if we're going to see this younger-older sister of mine married, it had better be today."

"But we haven't time to plan it all!" Liesel's dismay was evident.

Sparline laughed. "What needs planning?" She spread her arms. "Our friends are here- what more do we need? If an impromptu wedding was good enough for Bran and Rissa ..."

Ernol spoke. "She's right; we don't need anything fancy. Today's just fine."

Felcie giggled. "Let Derek perform the rites. He's in practice." They all laughed; the story was known.

Limmer shook his head. "I'd be honored, and that's truth. But it's Hawkman Moray's place to say the words for his daughter as he did for his son."

228.

Rissa saw Hawkman's lips tremble as he smiled. "Thank you, Limmer. But I'll leave it to Sparline and Ernol." Brows raised, he looked at the two.

They nodded; Sparline said, "Derek's right, of course-we do need you, to say it all for us. Now-when do you want us ready-and where?"

"The sundeck on the roof," said Liesel, "and just before sunset. Will that do?"

She looked around. "No objections? All right. But-" she added, "if you think you're getting out of anything, you're wrong. In a month or two we're going to have an official reception that will knock your eye out, with all the oligarchs standing in line to toady while they size up their new peer. I have that much coming, and I'm going to get it!"

Sparline patted Ernol's shoulder. "Don't worry-two months is a long time from now. We'll all be running your string with you, and I'll coach you how to handle the worse ones."

"And besides," said Hawkman, "by the time you two make your fashionably late entrance, we'll have the bigwigs full of wine and floating on drugsticks."

Rissa laughed. "I wish we could be here. But Stronghold will not wait."

"Nor Earth," said Bran Tregare.

AFTER a day of clear skies, clouds gathered, reaching bright, gaudy arms-orange, crimson and purple-up from the glowing horizon. The group stood, all but Hawkman facing the sunset. A cool breeze made Rissa shiver occasionally; she ignored her discomfort and listened carefully to Hawkman's words. When he had spoken them for herself and Bran, she had barely heard; parts of the ceremony she recalled, but less than half. Under her breath she repeated the responses as Sparline did-and with a side-glance she saw Tregare's lips move with Ernol's. At the end when Ernol and Sparline kissed, so did Bran and Rissa.

Kissing and embracing became contagious. After Rissa's turn with Ernol, she found herself caught by Hawkman, then her brother, then Limmer. As Tregare reached for her again, Liesel cried, "Wait a minute! If we're having an orgy here, we need some wine!"

229.

Tregare laughed. "Or even if we're not! I'll get some." And catlike-a rather noisy cat, thought Rissa-he descended the stairs, two at a time.

"It is too pretty to go indoors," said Ilse Krueger, "but I need a wrap against this breeze." Rissa agreed and followed her. When she returned she found all but Ivan wearing additional clothing.

So in comfort now the group talked and drank, laughed and sang, until darkness and hunger drove them indoors. Dinner was late and leisurely; the remaining evening, until bedtimes, was brief.

ZELDEM'tana approached Number One when Base Two had entered darkness, and took orbit around the planet until morning. Caught in goodbyes that could not be hurried, Rissa and Tregare did not leave the Lodge until noon. Tregare took Limmer and Felcie in one aircar; after a time Rissa followed in the newer one, Ivan beside her and Ilse in the seat behind. As she approached the pa.s.s, she said, "Ivan? Do you wish to fly it?" He nodded; she switched control to him and he swung to enter the cleft.

He had little trouble with the turbulence and gauged his climb well. Rissa thought he swung too wide at the first turn of the dogleg, but he centered squarely on the second and brought the car through into clear air. "All right?" he said.

"Better than I did, my first time. And now-past the next ridge and to the left of the peak, yonder-then you can see the base ahead."

Ilse said, "You people are all crazy-you know that? You scared me back there, Ivan-and that takes some doing."

"I didn't intend to-I was just concentrating on getting through that dogleg."

"It is not an easy thing, at first," said Rissa.

"What I'm used to," said Ilse, "is up above, where there's more room. Aircars, no."

"This route," Rissa said, "is not usual for aircars. Few pilots could manage it."

"I believe that. This part-and peace be taken! How big are these hills?-this is more restful.

Anyway-Tregare scared me too, yesterday-but at least I knew he'd done it before."

230.

Ivan turned to grin at her. "And now you know I have, too."

Ilse tried to frown but laughed instead. "All right-now watch where the h.e.l.l you're going, will you?"

Ivan slanted the car down between Lefthand Thread and Carcharodon to land beside Tregare's vehicle. "End of the line," he said. "All out." And they walked across the field -Ilse and Ivan to Graf Spee, Rissa past the other ships to In-connu. She thought how different it was, since she last left this ship. Was she the same person? Probably not. . .

SHE climbed upship to the galley and found Tregare and Zelde M'tana. The woman turned toward her and held out a hand; Rissa moved to take it and was nearly smothered in embrace.

"Tari!" Now Zelde held/her by the shoulders at arms' length, looking. "Only you're not, really, it turns out. Well, whoever . . . so you married the skipper, did you? And- Tregare's been telling me a lot in a hurry-fought a duel with Jimar Peralta-too bad he couldn't control his ambition-and earned your way to being Third Hat on here!" She squeezed the shoulders once, then released them.

"It was not quite as you said." Rissa made clear the different roles of Stagon dal Nardo and Jimar Peralta and, as Zelde nodded, said, "And you will command Valkyrie.

Have you yet met Kile Ressider?"

"Oh, sure-we get along fine. He told it straight-first disappointed, then sold on the chance for a command at Stronghold, probably sooner than he'd have succeeded Norden in the ordinary way. I've gotta depend on Kile a lot-he knows the ship and I don't-so I made d.a.m.n sure we're friends."

Did M'tana wink? Rissa could not be sure; she said, "I am glad all is to be well between you."

Tregare laughed. "Everybody gets along with Zelde. The easy way or the hard way-it's their choice."

"I learned that part from you, Tregare-you're a good teacher."

"The way I heard it, you kept things in line pretty well on Chanticleer while Parnell was falling apart, and after."

She shrugged. "You do what you have to. I was scared a lot."

231.

"If you do the job," said Tregare, "n.o.body fusses how you felt while you did it."

Zelde grimaced but did not answer. Rissa said, "Tregare? Do you feed people on this ship, or has Inconnu run out of supplies?"

He laughed and ordered lunch served; the talk turned to immediate planning.

Now Rissa's days sped fast. She and Tregare lived aboard Inconnu, in the quarters they had shared with Chira. On Carcharodon and No Return, several turrets were modified to serve as practice positions. The work of arming Valkyrie and Graf Spee proceeded; now, with the crews experienced, it went much faster.

Rissa rode with Tregare when he took the scout across the Hills to return the truth field equipment. When they came back to Base Two, he delivered Ami Gustafson's greetings and regards to Felcie. On the same trip, scheduled with forethought, Rissa's third ovum went safely to the Hatchery, and Tregare made his "backup deposit."

Hilaire Gowdy came aboard Inconnu one day with a list of proposed officers for No Return. Her Second had been killed in Peralta's mutiny, and her Third had failed the truth field. Her candidates for those positions were upper-grade ratings who had been loyal in the fighting-but for First Officer she named Elrain Hardekamp, once Peralta's man.

"He's the best I've got, Tregare. But do you approve him?"

Tregare's brows lowered, then his face relaxed. "Yes, I remember-the first one I questioned. Well, the field said he's straight-and even without it I might've believed him.

Sure, Gowdy, go ahead and make him First Hat."

When the woman left, Rissa said, "It comes together-does knot, Bran?"

He put an arm around her. "I think so-I really begin to think so."

"How much leeway have you left?"

"Not much-not a h.e.l.l of a lot." He shook his head. "Peace be perpetrated-we've got to make it!"

THE next day Hawkman called; in the control room Rissa 232.

watched the wavering picture as Tregare answered. "A ship landed-where did you say?"

Over the relayed circuit the voice came weak. "Three sight-ings. Near the Windy Lakes settlements it made a pa.s.s but didn't land. Then it did sit down, a little back from the coast at North Point-Rissa's peninsula. Several people are missing there.

And now it's gone to ground somewhere beyond the Slab Jumbles."

Tregare's lips drew taut, white against his teeth. "Identification?"

She saw the indistinct head shake. "Nothing solid. The only witnesses who know anything about ships say it looked awfully small. But n.o.body-n.o.body that's still around to talk -saw it up close."

"UET?" Tregare's Voice was almost a whisper. Then back to normal: "I heard talk-before we Escaped-they planned to try smaller ones, Cheaper, for some purposes- if the design worked. But in all these years I've heard no more, anywhere. And out here? No. I-"

"Then who, Bran?" Rissa could stand silent no longer.

"Who do you suppose?" He turned back to Hawkman. "I've got to check this. And d.a.m.n it-I can't use one of my ships. The fuel, the work schedules-we'd miss deadline."

He scowled. "The scout! It's not armed to match a real ship, but maybe I can dodge what I can't stand up to."

Hawkman paused, then said, "Yes. Anything I can do, Bran?"

It was Tregare's turn to hesitate, then he said, "Ask Dr. Estelle Marco at the Hatchery if she or some other competent medic can meet us at the port tomorrow and come along. I'll be there by-oh, call it mid-morning."

"I'll see to it. And-I forgot-Liesel and I looked over the plans you sent for contingencies at Earth. They're sound-we have no changes to suggest."

"Good. I'll be in touch when I can-before final liftoff, surely."

"I'm glad. And-that's you, Rissa, behind Bran?"

"Yes. h.e.l.lo, Hawkman-my love to all of you."

"And ours to you. Well, I'll call Marco. Good-bye."

The picture dimmed. Rissa said, "It is the Shrakken?"

"Who else?" Tregare spread his hands.