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a hard and fast rule -- the Galormis were a hideous example of camouflaged
intent . . ."
"You were on that expedition?"
Varian made a face. "Yes, I was a very junior member on the team at
Aldebaran 4 when they were encountered. My first assignment out of
xeno-veterinary college. They had soft eyes, mind you," which occasionally
still haunted her sleep, "mild-looking creatures too, softish, perfectly
amenable until full dark -- then -- whammie!"
"Nocturnal feeders?"
"Bleeders! Sucked the blood and then chewed the flesh . . . like what's
been feeding on Mabel . . . No, it couldn't be Galormis. Teeth are too
big."
"Why on earth call it Mabel?"
"Knew someone like her once, a walking appetite, hating the world around her,
suspicious and constantly confused. Not much intelligence."
"What would you name the avian?"
"I don't know," she said after regarding the furry face. "It isn't easy until
you've actually met the creature. But this species has intelligence and
personality. I want to see more of them!"
"Thought you would. Although we couldn't tag them. They moved too fast.
Kept up with the sled at cruising speed."
"Very good." A yawn caught her unawares. "All this fresh air, chasing
wounded animals to doctor them what don't wish to be helped." She stroked his
cheek and gave him a regretful smile of apology. "I'm going to bed. And you
ought to, too, co-leader. Sleep on our puzzles. Maybe sleep'll solve 'em."
Kai could have wished it had, but he woke the next morning feeling refreshed
and the teams, when assembled, were in such good spirits that his rose, too.
"I've discussed secondary camps with Varian. Until she has catalogued the
habits of the predators, she can't guarantee our safety," said Kai, "but she's
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going to set and search areas into which we can move, if we adhere to the
safeguards she devises. Okay? Sorry, but you'll understand better if you've
seen the marks on the herbivore's flank." He noticed by the grim expressions
that everyone had looked at the creature.
"Boss, what about the gaps in the old cores, here, here and here?" asked
Triv, pointing out the areas south-west and due south.
"Faults," said Gaber, slipping a scale transparency over the seismic map. "I
read a massive overthrust here. Good area to search now but any seismimic
would have been crushed. Or subsided too far below the surface to transmit."
"Triv, you and Margit explore that overthrust today. Aulia and Dimenon, your
sector is here," and he gave them the coordinates in the south-west, and to
Berru and Portegin, explaining that he and Bakkun would try to explore the
Rift Valley since there were old cores leading up to it. He stressed that
they maintain safety procedures, tag or telltale animals when possible, and
note and report any scavengers circling over what could be injured livestock
specimens for Varian.
As Kai and Bakkun lifted in their sled, Kai saw Varian on her way down to the
corral. He saw the herbivore, Mabel, busily eating her way through what trees
remained in the enclosure.
Bakkun, who preferred to pilot, brought the sled on its south-east heading.
"Why didn't our Theks know this planet'd been cored?" the heavy-worlder asked.
"I haven't asked our Theks if they know. But Ireta was not marked as
surveyed."
"Theks have their reasons."
"Such as?"
"I do not presume to guess," replied Bakkun, "but they always have good
reasons."
Kai liked Bakkun as a team mate: he was inexhaustible, coolheaded like all
his race, thorough and dependable. But he had no imagination, no flexibility
and once convinced of anything, refused to change his opinion in the face of
the most telling facts. Theks were, to him as to many of the short-spanned
species, infallible and godlike. Kai did not wish, however, to enter into any
argument with Bakkun, particularly on such a heresy as Thek fallibility proven
in the existence of seismic cores on this planet.
Fortunately the telltale bleeped. Bakkun automatically corrected course and
Kai watched the remote-distance screen attentively. This time it was more
herbivores, running away from the sled's whine, through the thick rain forest,
occasionally careering off trees so hard the top branches shuddered wildly.
"Come round again, Bakkun," Kai asked and flipped up the tape switch, hanging
in against his seat strap as Bakkun acted promptly to his order. He swore
under his breath because none of the creatures crossed any of the clearings,
almost as if they expected an aerial attack and were crowding under whatever
cover they could find.
"Never mind, Bakkun. Continue on course. I thought I saw another
flank-damaged beast."
"We see them daily, Kai."
"Why didn't you mention it in your reports?"
"Didn't know it was important, Kai. Too much else to mention bearing on our
job . . ."
"This is a joint effort . . ."
"Agreed, but I must know how to contribute. I didn't know the mere ecological
balances were essential knowledge, too."
"My omission. But you would do well to report any unusual occurrence."
"It is my impression, Kai, that there is nothing usual about Ireta. I
have been a geologist for many standard years now and I have never encountered
a planet constantly in a Mesozoic age and unlikely to evolve beyond that
stage." Bakkun gave Kai a sideways glance, sly and mysterious. "Who would
expect to find old cores registering on such a planet?"
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"Expect the unexpected! That's the unofficial motto of our profession, isn't
it?"
The sun, having briefly appeared in the early morning to oversee the
beginnings of day, now retired behind clouds. A local ground fog made flying
momentarily difficult so conversation was discontinued. Kai busied himself
with the seismic overlay, checking the old cores which faintly glowed on the
screen in response to his signal.
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