The Tower and the Hive (32 page)

OH TIP, HUF, WE ARE HERE FOR YOU. Laria felt Zara touch her mind with reassurance and great affection.

MUCH BETTER, SINCE NOT SILLY NOW AND DO AS TOLD, Tri said quite firmly, coming around the tank to its head and emptying a small pail of something whose fumes came . close to making Laria gag. She felt Zara instantly depress the reaction.

YOU SLEEP, SLEEP WELL, Huf said, before Fok emptied a pail into its tank and a second wave of nausea nearly overwhelmed Laria.

YOU COULD HAVE WAITED, FOK, TRI, Zara said with some impatience.

CANNOT WAIT, Fok said, trotting off, empty pail swinging in its hand. EXACT ON TIME IS IMPORTANT. YOU BRING THEM BACK BETWEEN PAILS. ENOUGH FOR NOW. SHORT VISIT BEST.

They have seen you and felt your touch and love, Zara said, putting a hand under Laria's arm and lifting her up.

Kincaid rose too, swallowing convulsively. His reaction made Laria feel less weak-stomached.

It affects all Humans that way,
Zara said drolly as she pushed them toward the door. “But it's always good to breathe fresh air again,” she added as they were once more in the anteroom. OH, THERE YOU ARE, she added to the four 'Dinis who were sitting on stools. THESE HAVE GROWN TOO, SO YOU MAY NOT RECOGNIZE EWAIN'S VTL AND BFR AND PETRA'S JN AND THV.

IT IS GOOD TO MEET THE FRIENDS OF MY BROTHER AND SISTER, Laria said, executing a bow appropriate to young 'Dinis. THIS IS KNCD, WHOM YOU MAY NOT REMEMBER.

WE KNOW NIL AND PLUS AND HELP ALL WE CAN, Vtl replied, bowing more deeply.

WE ARE MORE GRATEFUL THAN WE CAN EVER EXPRESS AT THE CARE AND ATTENTION YOU ALL ARE GIVING OUR SICK FRIENDS, Kincaid said, and his bow was deeper than Laria's. Vtl was almost embarrassed, and Thv, the youngest of them all, slid quietly behind Jn.

DO NOT BE EMBARRASSED BY THE GOODWILL OF KNCD, Zara told them. OTHERWISE HE WOULD BE WITHOUT HIS FRIENDS, AND YOU KNOW HOW PAINFUL THAT IS.

WE DO. All four of the young 'Dinis now bowed as deeply as Kincaid had.

Laria was still experiencing nausea and she could see the odd greenish tinge to Kincaid's face.

EXCUSE US, GOOD MRDINI FRIENDS. WE LEAVE, Zara said, and 'ported all of them out to the clear, crisp cold air of the ledge.

Laria leaned weakly against the airsled while Kincaid stood, inhaling and exhaling in deep drafts.

“That's the best way to clear your lungs,” Zara said. “I'm so used to the stenches that I don't even smell them anymore.”

“You mean”—Kincaid pointed to the solid cliff—“you can get used to that smell?”

“I've smelled a lot worse lately,” Zara said with a wry smile. “C‘mon, Laria, climb into that sled before you fall in. They've seen you, you've seen them and Flkm and Trpl have reassured you. Those two could have waited until you'd left before they slopped your 'Dinis again,” she added irritably.

“Are they getting even with us then, for not taking good care of ours?” Laria wanted to know, carefully fastening the seat belt since she still felt woozy. She heard Kincaid's belt click too.

“No, just being officious. They're actually enjoying the celebrity they've acquired by being able to effect a rapid improvement.”

“How many did die at Clarf?”

“Too many.” It was obvious to Laria from Zara's tone that she was not going to give statistics. “The very young and the oldest. The midage group seemed to have more resilience and are responding to treatment.”

“The same ours are getting?”

Zara nodded, flying carefully around the back of the hibernatory. Of that Laria was just as glad, for the route they'd taken on the way in had required some dips and veerings that she was not certain her innards could have handled.

“I'll give you something for nausea when we get home,” Zara said kindly. “The big if,” she went on in a grim voice, “is whether or not your friends—and the other survivors— will be able to create again. So essentially we have two diametrically opposite problems to solve: contraception and restoration of the creative function.”

“And?” Kincaid asked gently.

Zara gave a shrug. “If we succeed in finding which pheromones can be withdrawn to provide contraception, the top Mrdini will be happy. We'll try to concentrate on the majority. We'll do the best we can on the other.”

With that to mull over, no one spoke on the flight back. Zara parked the sled but before the other two could descend, she offered Laria a shot glass with a pale green liquid in it. “Drink. Then go watch the sunset. That's as much a part of restoring your equilibrium as the potion.” She shooed them off toward the steps that led up to the little garden created especially to view the sinking sun of Iota Aurigae.

 

Very few on Clarf ever knew that there had been a substitution of Tower Primes. At first, quick-witted Lionasha inferred that Laria and Kincaid were exceedingly busy helping the poor unfortunate victims of the Clarf Tower disaster. “Which actually isn't a lie at all.”

“Fiasco, not disaster. You can prevent fiascoes,” Vanteer grumbled from his engineering station.

The
official
story spread by Mrdini keepers was that power had failed at the hibernatory and all attempts by the keeper to repair the damage had been in vain, causing the death of 405 of the 789 using the facility. Very few knew that this had been an attempt to interrupt conception. On Clarf, of course, everyone knew that one did not interrupt hibernation and the keeper had been overly confident in its ability to cope with the emergency. By the time it admitted failure, the damage was done. Top technicians from other Mrdini planets were called in to restore power and cleanse the building. If a discreet new facility was added on one of the upper ranks, it escaped notice in the general confusion of repair. The head keeper and its staff were permanently reduced to menial rank. Three—the oldest, who had also been head keeper, and its two immediate subordinates—went into an osmotic failure and turned into mush. From old age, it was said. Whatever their shortcomings were, their records had been meticulously kept so that it was known which pairings should be repeated to restore many of the lost Mrdinis. When the next group of 'Dinis arrived for their two months' hibernation, an entirely new, younger management was in charge: the new head keeper had just finished advanced training on Iota Aurigae.

Very few
off
Clarf in fact knew that substitute personnel were in charge of the Tower for nearly three weeks. The assignment of a third hot planet, a mere two light-years away from Clariflor, to relieve the overburdened Mrdini homeworlds provided an additional distraction. Other Primes receiving or sending material to Clarf were too busy to query any minor differences they might have discerned in ‘porting techniques. Quick to learn and already well versed in Tower protocol, the Lyon sisters got the hang of the workload within four days. Morag and Kaltia were quite as diligent in the performance of their duties as Laria had been. To share the learning experience as well as the loads they were having to 'port, they took turns being the merge mind. Lionasha was punctilious about serving them the restorative drink and they had youth as well as innate strength to support their heavy duties.

Lionasha took it into her head that Laria would have introduced the girls around, and seen that they enjoyed the social life of the Human Compound. She told Vanteer quite bluntly that he would have to act as their male escort. Mrdinis worked longer hours than most Humans—considering their hibernation as their vacation—but Prime Towers kept to the normal Star League eight-hour working day with two rest days in seven.

“You can do what you like the five other nights, but those girls are
not
going to be immured in the Tower.” she said, so firmly that Vanteer did not argue. “They're going to Sixth Day dances and the vid nights, and if they meet someone whom you and I both consider proper, they have every right to enjoy a night off. They aren't nunnies, or whatever hermits were called.”

“Nuns,” Kaltia corrected, having been silently cheering Lionasha on in recruiting Vanteer as escort. While the Human society on Clarf was conducted in a relaxed attitude, neither girl had reached adult status. As juveniles on a foreign world, they ought to be properly accompanied. Lionasha did not mention Vanteer's reputation, but she would be along to ensure the proprieties.

“Actually, I think she meant ‘nannies,' but they didn't have much fun either,” Morag said, looking forward to meeting new people, dancing and having some fun.

“All work is wrong,” Lionasha told Vanteer. “We need a break and so do they. So, because Laria and Kincaid are far too occupied with Tower management, we'll escort the girls. It'd be damned funny if they weren't allowed out of here now and then, you know.”

To that Vanteer had to agree.

So they escorted their charges to functions in the air-conditioned Human Compound. Lionasha took them shopping—Tower personnel had the advantage of knowing in advance if there was anything worth looking at—and both Lionasha and Vanteer escorted them to the dance evenings. The girls were good dancers and rarely sat out. They had the good sense to make themselves as popular with their own sex in the intervals, especially when they tipped the girls off to special imports. They also dropped little clues to support the fiction that they were on an apprenticeship level: Morag moaned a bit at how hard it was to keep track of all the message tubes. Kaltia fretted about getting chapped hands from the cleanser that removed the grease of Clarf's generators.

“We were sent here to learn Tower management, and we are,” Morag said, with such sincerity that Lionasha had all she could do not to laugh at her long-suffering pose. “Sis may be strict, but I can't fault her for that.”

Although they admitted to Talent, they were careful not to mention their actual rank, intimating that they were destined for less glamorous positions than Primes. If any of the more knowledgeable from Terra had suspicions, they kept silent. Since the girls were Primes, they deftly, and shamelessly, used that advantage in 'pathing just enough from the minds of those they met to take the right attitude that would lead to friendly, rather than envious, relationships.

“Well, we never look below the public mind,” Morag admitted to Lionasha and Vanteer. “But we can't afford to make mistakes with Humans or 'Dinis. We only read surface stuff. That's usually more than enough when people are out to have fun.” Morag grinned. “They are under the distinct impression that I am training with you, Lionasha, and Kaltia's getting some hands-on experience with the station generators.”

“Yeah, I heard you talking to Scott Attenboro,” Vanteer said with reluctant admiration. “You know more than he does about station generators.”

“We both do,” Kaltia said flatly. “Xexo trained us, you know.”

“He did?” Vanteer's eyebrows raised in surprise. “I didn't think he'd let anyone touch his generators.” The Iota Aurigae engineer was a legend in his specialty.

Several times Morag and Kaltia made courtesy calls at the Clarf homes of their 'Dinis' colors and gained much favor from their impeccable manners to the elder 'Dinis. Sim and Dar, who were gray, and Kev and Su, who were blues, consequently enjoyed more prestige in their color houses.

When the sisters were asked about the absence of Laria, they had ready answers: “Sis is pretty tired right now with all the traffic. You'd think half the planet was emigrating.” “She and Dano have to do some Tower adjustments.” “There's a huge shipment to go tomorrow and
we're
even going to have to help.”

To the amusement of all three women, Vanteer took a very responsible attitude about which males he'd introduce to the sisters. If he was the victim of some joking about chaperoning, he ignored it.

“He's almost worse than Dad,” Morag complained. “He practically hauled that gorgeous Leonard Perutz away from me, and all Leonard wanted was a dance.”

“Ha! That one!” Lionasha said. “And if he hadn't kept Perutz away from you, I would have, and a thump for being so stupid.”

“But he's so handsome,” Kaltia said with a wistful sigh.

“And about as trustworthy as ... as ...” An appropriate comparison failed Lionasha. “Laria won't acknowledge him whenever he's sent here as a troubleshooter. If she snubs him, you will too. Don't ask the other girls about him either. Ignore him.”

“Oh!” Morag and Kaltia exchanged thoughtful glances and sighed in unison. Lionasha went on. “Now, young Vince Studebaker may not have Perutz's looks or charm, but he's a good dancer, as funny as 'Dinis on a mud slide and worth much more of your attention than Perutz.”

“I danced with him, and you're right, Lio, he's quick on his feet and he is very funny. He's got some of the most hilarious jokes. Nice ones too.”

“Just take it from me, girls, and if Vanteer cuts you out from a partner, he knows what he's doing.”

“Even if we're wrecking his game?” Morag said with a wicked glint in her eyes.

“We both promised Laria we'd take care of you. Frankly, I think I like Van the better for being so vigilant. Takes one to know one.” Then Lionasha chuckled, her tawny eyes twinkling. “Though it's good Laria and Kincaid are due back. The strain on Vanteer's beginning to show.”

 

Just before false dawn, after three weeks' absence, Laria and Kincaid returned to Clarf, but without their 'Dinis.

“They're much better, much better,” Laria said, dropping to her knees to embrace the other Tower 'Dinis clamoring for news of their friends. “We've missed you all. We're so glad to be back.”

“Not any gladder than Van will be,” Lionasha said, winking at Laria.
I'll
tell you later.