Sessily stood, hesitant. Glawen asked: “Is this enough?”
“I’m sure it is,” said Sessily. “I’d like some of those yellow-reds and greens, but it’s too far to walk, and this smell is making me sick.”
“I see another reason,” said Glawen in a suddenly flat voice. “Let’s get back to the flyer, and fast.”
Following his gaze, Sessily saw across the meadow a long massive beast, black except for its white oddly human face. It trotted on six taloned legs and clasped a pair of hooked pincers to its chest in the attitude of prayer. This was the semi-intelligent Muldoon tangle-top, so named for the squirming black tendrils at the top of its head.
Glawen and Sessily started back toward the flyer, as inconspicuously as possible, but the tangle-top instantly noted the movement. It turned and trotted forward denying them the refuge of the flyer.
The creature halted a hundred feet away to appraise the situation, then uttered a querulous whine, a rumbling rasping groan, and with dire deliberation began to stalk them.
Glawen said between clenched teeth: “My father was right, as always.” He pulled the heavy pistol from his belt and aimed it toward the tangle-top, which stopped short; from somewhere it had learned that men pointing weapons were even more dangerous than itself. It gave another querulous whine, then turned and ran on long loping lunges to the beach, where it pounced on one of the yoots. A horrid squealing protest became a mournful sobbing sound, then silence.
Glawen and Sessily had long since run to the flyer, where they packed baskets and net and without delay took the flyer aloft.
Glawen spoke in heartfelt emotion: “Safety! I’ve never appreciated it so much!”
“It was nice of the beast to go away,” said Sessily.
“Very nice. It decided to give me another chance. My hands were shaking so badly I could never have hit it. I wonder if I could have pulled the trigger . . . I’m not pleased with myself.”
Sessily said soothingly, “Of course you would have hit it, no doubt in some very painful place. The beast realized this. Also I told it to go away.”
“You did what?”
Sessily laughed airily. “I used telepathy and told it to run off. It recognized a stronger will than its own and obeyed me.”
“Hmf,” muttered Glawen. “Shall we go back and try again?”
“Glawen! It’s wicked to tease me so. I was only trying to help.”
Glawen brooded: “I wonder if we should tell anyone what happened. It may sound too alarming, like a dangerous emergency - which it was.”
“We’ll say nothing about it. Do you feel hungry?”
“I still feel nothing but fright.”
Sessily pointed. “There’s a nice hilltop where we can have our lunch.”
Chapter I, Part 8
Early in the afternoon Glawen and Sessily returned to Araminta Station. Glawen landed the flyer in the park at the back of Veder House, where Sessily alighted with her wings, net and picnic hamper. Glawen then flew the Mitrix to the airfield and landed beside the hangar.
Chilke came out to greet him. “How went the butterfly hunt?”
“Quite well,” said Glawen. “Sessily is pleased with her wings.”
Chilke looked over the Mitrix. “The flyer seems to be in one piece. Why are you so pale?”
“I’m not pale,” said Glawen. “At least I don’t think I am.”
“I’d call you just a bit spooky.”
“For a fact, there was something, but I don’t particularly want to talk about it.”
“Come, now! It can’t be that bad. Speak!”
Glawen’s story came out in a rush. “Here is what happened. We had finished netting the wings. Then just as we started back to the flyer, a big black tangle-top came out of the forest. It spotted us right away and began to stalk us, approaching really close. I had the gun ready but I didn’t need to shoot, because it turned away and ran down to the shore, where it ate a yoot. Sessily says she chased it away by telepathy; for all I know, she did; I was too scared for anything even that sensible.” Glawen took a deep breath. “I had buck fever so bad I could hardly hold the gun.”
“A very moving tale,” said Chilke. “Is there more?”
“Just a bit. We left Maroli Meadow at full speed, and glad to get away. About ten miles north we got some of our nerve back and put down on a hilltop for our lunch. I was still annoyed with myself. I thought I’d practice shooting the gun, and getting a feel for it. I aimed at a rock, and pulled the trigger. The gun went
click
! I examined the chamber and found that there was no ammo in the gun.”
Chilke’s jaw dropped. “Isn’t that a situation! You wasted your buck fever on an empty gun!”
“I didn’t think of it quite that way.”
For a moment Chilke whistled tunelessly through his teeth. At last he said: “If there’s a need for blaming people, we can start with you. Checking ammo in the gun is the operator’s responsibility; that’s the rule.”
Glawen hung his head. “I know. I missed it.”
“Second on the list is me. I stood here and watched you go past the gun. My only excuse is that I charged that gun myself three days ago. We’ve both learned a lesson, so I hope. And now we’ll get down to brass tacks. Why was there no charge of ammo in the gun? Here we must look to that scoundrel Sisco. Ah! It’s a great aggravation! I’ll beat that Sisco well. First, we’ve got to find him. It’s pure pleasure listening to the Yips lie, especially when they suspect that they’re caught dead to rights.”
Chilke looked into the hangar. “Sisco? Where are you? Asleep? Oh, I see. Not asleep. Just lying down resting. Why are you tired? You haven’t done any work. But never mind that. Come out here; I want to talk to you.”
Sisco emerged from the hangar: a young man with tawny golden skin, hair of almost the same color, a fine physique and features of classic beauty. If his appearance were to be faulted in any wise, it might be said that his eyes were spaced a trifle too widely apart. He looked back and forth between Glawen and Chilke, then, smiling the vague Yip smile, came gingerly forward.
Chilke spoke gently. “Sisco, do you know the difference between a Class A beating, a Class B beating and the beating of a lifetime?”
Sisco smilingly shook his head. “You talk in riddles. I know nothing of these bad things, which are never nice in the polite conversation.”
“Do you know the difference between what is yours and what is mine?”
Sisco’s face clouded over with puzzlement. “For my answer to be right you must say what thing of yours and what thing of mine. Or is it another vulgarity, that you are talking, and even in front of this boy?”
Chilke gave his head a sad shake. “Sometimes, Sisco, you make me blush for your odd notions.”
“That is not what I started to do.”
“No matter. What I want is for you to come with me now, to where you put the ammo from the gun.”
Sisco said blankly: “Gun? Ammo?”
“I want to get it now, before I start beating on you.”
“Ha, ha, ha.”
“What’s funny?”
“All your jokes, about things like ammo. They are funny.”
“They’re not jokes. Glawen isn’t laughing. You watch him. When he laughs, you laugh.”
“Certainly, sir. Shall I watch him now, at this time, or shall I go to my work?”
“First: the ammo from the gun in the Mitrix. Where is it?”
“Oh! That ammo! Why didn’t you say so? You caused me worries! It wasn’t any good and I took it out to put in much better stuff for protection, and then I was asked to do a thousand duties. When I came back the ammo was gone. Someone had seen it was bad and thrown it away.”
“Glawen, have you ever heard such lies? Fetch me that rope, so that I can tie Sisco up.”
“Now, then,” said Sisco uneasily. “I know that you like to make jokes between friends, but sometimes it is nicer to use what I call happy words. Otherwise, what will this boy think? I am a fine person.”
“For the last time: where is the ammo?”
“Oh, that stuff! I think I saw something like it at the back of the shop. Some unruly person, or maybe a thief, must have put it there.”
“That’s just about right. Today Glawen tried to shoot a tangle-top which was charging him. He pointed the gun and pulled the trigger, but there was no ammo, because you had stolen it. Luckily, the tangle-top was frightened and ran away.”
“That was a brave adventure!” said Sisco. “You, young sir, have a deep power! I can feel it! Can you feel it, my friend Chilke? It is a noble force! What a blessing for you! And now I am rested and I have my duties.”
Chilke said: “Let’s get the ammo before the beating. At the back of the shop, you say?”
Sisco held up a tremulous finger. “It has just come to my mind! Without thinking I believe that I took the useless old stuff to my room! You may sit still and rest! I will run to fetch it!”
“I will come too, but not on the run. Glawen, what about you?”
“I’ve had enough excitement for the day. I’m going home.”
“Very well. When you have some free time, I’ll show you how to use the gun. There’s the right way and the wrong way. It never hurts to be ready; the folk who turn their backs on trouble only get their arses kicked.”
“I’d appreciate that very much.” Glawen departed.
Scharde was not on hand when Glawen returned to their chambers in Clattuc House. Glawen flung himself wearily down on the couch and immediately fell asleep.
He awoke to find that Syrene had set and dusk had come to Araminta Station. Scharde still had not returned: an unusual circumstance.
Glawen washed his face and hands, brushed his hair and went down to the refectory for his dinner. A few minutes later Arles appeared. He took note of Glawen, who looked away, but in vain. Arles marched across the room and settled into the seat beside Glawen. He asked: “What’s behind all this uproar? Why did you cause such a dustup?”
“I don’t know what you are talking about.”
Arles uttered a bark of laughter. “Do you expect me to believe that? You took Sessily out in the flyer and landed where you could go hard at it, in peace and quiet. Then, as I hear it, you lost the gun, and when you got back blamed the Yip, so that he got in trouble for nothing.”
Glawen stared at Arles in indignation. “Where did you hear such absolute nonsense?”
“No matter where I heard it! And that’s not all!”
“You mean there’s more?”
“Of course! Chilke, who passed you on the flyer but wouldn’t pass me on a technicality, believed you again and started to abuse the poor Yip. Namour wouldn’t allow it and told Chilke where he stood! There were words, and in the end Namour discharged Chilke from his position. And that’s the outcome of your little expedition.”
Glawen spoke in a contemptuous voice: “You are wrong in every detail. Sessily and I went to Maroli Meadow for butterfly wings, not to go hard at it, as you elegantly put it.”
Arles uttered another unctuous laugh. “More fool you, then! I’ve seen the way she acts whenever there’s a fellow around: don’t tell me she’s all so innocent!”
“I’m telling you only the truth. I lost no gun; I merely discovered that Sisco had stolen the ammo, and so informed Chilke.”
“Hmf! Namour doesn’t believe it, because he fired Chilke. That’s that, and that’s what counts.”
Scharde came into the refectory. He settled into the chair across from Glawen and asked: “Where have you been during the excitement?”
“I’ve been asleep. Arles says that Namour has fired Chilke from his job. Is that the excitement?”
Scharde looked at Arles in surprise. “Namour has no such authority. He’s in charge of the Yips, no more. Where did you pick up that choice bit of nonsense?”
‘“From my mother,” growled Arles. “She said that Namour was supervisor of all outside labor.”
“She is quite incorrect. Both Namour and Chilke work out of Bureau D, at about the same level. Secondly there never was any question of discharging Chilke. If anyone, Namour has the explaining to do. Bureau B has been looking into the matter all afternoon, and I’ll be going back as soon as I get something to eat.”
Arles said in a surly tone: “That’s not the way I heard it. But I suppose you know what you are talking about.”
“I can tell you this,” said Scharde. “There is more to the matter than meets the eye. I’ll say no more now, but you’ll hear about it tomorrow.”
Chapter I, Part 9
The following afternoon Glawen went to Veder House, to help Sessily construct her butterfly wings. As they worked, he reported the events subsequent to his return of the Mitrix. “I saw Chilke this morning,” said Glawen. “According to him, I missed all the fun. He says it was like a trained-animal extravaganza, with one dramatic deed following hard on the one before. Namour started out automatically defending Sisco, without any concern for the facts. He said to Chilke: ‘Of course they purloin an oddment now and again! We all know it! What do you expect of them? It’s an unspoken perquisite of the job!’
“‘No longer!’ said Chilke. ‘That perquisite stopped the moment I took over as manager.’
“This is when Namour fired Chilke. He said: ‘In that case, you’re relieved of the job here and now! Get your gear together and get off the planet, because you’re definitely not going to change the way we do things at Araminta Station.’
“Chilke just laughed at him. He said: ‘Stealing charges of ammo isn’t just a prank. If you think it is, maybe you better leave instead of me. It’s a very serious matter. Let’s go right now and look in Sisco’s room. Anything from the airport I want back, right now. That’s my responsibility.’
“Namour refused to make a move. Chilke said in that case he was going to look into Sisco’s room, regardless. Namour seemed to lose his head. He told Chilke that if he made a move the Yips at Namour’s orders would pitch him out of the compound.
“Chilke got bored with wrangling and telephoned Bureau B from the dispensary. Namour suddenly cooled off and began to make reasonable noises. While they were waiting, Sisco sneaked off to his room, evidently intending to hide the loot. Chilke had been watching for just that and followed Sisco into the room. He found an amazing hoard: a gun, many charges of ammo, flyer parts: all stuff that Sisco had stolen from the airport.