Resurgence

“A simulation. We were told that all living Hymenopts are out in the Zardalu Communion. I was surprised to see that you have one as a crew member.”

“A slave, you mean.” Nenda grunted. “Maybe sometime you’d like to try a tussle with Kallik.”

“I might. But I don’t think that would be nearly as much fun as one with you.”

The terrible thing was, Louis suspected that she was right. He looked at the way she was sitting, sprawled back provocatively with one knee raised high and her bare foot on the seat of the chair. Her calf and thigh had the plump smooth firmness of youth. The big blue eyes and curls of golden hair suggested an innocence quite alien to Louis. He had the feeling that it was equally alien to Sinara.

He stood up abruptly. “We’re through the node, and that’s our destination neutron star showin’ on the screen. I better go to the navigation deck an’ check the planetary patterns.”

His departure was only partially a pretext. Somebody on the ship ought to be taking practical survival steps, even if they had no formal training. The Have-It-All had the best computer that you could buy in the Orion Arm, but past a certain point an organic intelligence had to take over. The ship’s detection system had already performed the first checks needed on entering a new stellar system. It had asked and answered the question, were there warning beacons or other evidence that a planetary approach would be regarded as hostile?

Of course there was always the danger that such signals might be unrecognizably different between Orion Arm and Sag Arm civilizations, but thousands of years of trade by the Chism Polyphemes encouraged the idea that the Have-It-All’s signal beacon and message of friendly intent would be familiar to at least one of the planetary receivers.

Louis seated himself at the navigation console. Without a word being spoken, Kallik had trotted along behind and now crouched in the smaller seat at his side. She could react ten times as fast as he could, and in an emergency it was understood that she would take action on her own initiative.

Without looking at her, Nenda said, “So far, so good.”

“I concur.” Kallik’s double ring of bright black eyes had scanned every display around the cabin walls. “The transition went as planned.”

“Six planets. That’s a hell of a lot for a neutron star.”

“It is. But with respect, there is only one of interest. Five lack atmospheres, and they do not emanate structured radiation patterns consistent with the presence of intelligence.”

Nenda stared at the fierce point of violet-blue that formed the system’s primary. Most of the emitted energy was X-rays and hard ultraviolet, invisible to human eyes. And deadly.

“Think we’ll be able to live on the sixth one? There’s enough hot stuff coming out of that star to fry us.”

“The atmosphere of the planet is breathable. The ionization at its outer edges will provide some protection, but special clothing and masking will be needed if we hope to operate down on the surface.”

“Before we get to that, let’s find out if there’s anybody down there we’ll be able to talk to.”

“With respect, do you now wish me to seek to establish communication?”

“Better you than me. I don’t know a word of Polypheme gargle.”

“I will be honored. My feeling is that the unguarded nature of the signals coming from the planet implies pacific intent on their part.”

“Go to it, then, see if you can raise anybody. I’ll be back in a few minutes.”

Nenda left as Kallik opened a communications channel. He headed not back to the main cabin, but farther forward toward the Have-It-All’s weapons control center.

Pacific intent was all very well. In Nenda’s experience, once you learned to fake that you had it made.

* * *

The Have-It-All’s space-to-surface pinnace held two humans comfortably and four at a pinch. Nenda had given the matter a good deal of thought before he made his decision.

“Look.” He was explaining to Atvar H’sial. “She’s the most dangerous sort of incompetent you can get. Completely wet behind the ears, but doesn’t know it. If she’s ever to learn what life is really like, better for her to do it here and now, where all the signs are that it will be pretty safe, rather than trying to learn when we are already in a bad fix. And it makes sense to use humans because that’s who the Polypheme we’ll be meeting is used to. You and Archimedes would put him right off. Not only that, you’d both have trouble fitting into the pinnace.”

The Cecropian did not seem enthusiastic, but at least she didn’t give Nenda a hard time. To lie using pheromones needed more skill than he possessed, and in this case he was speaking the exact truth and Atvar H’sial knew it.