Resurgence

“As simple as that? No special agreements were necessary?”

“Not really. Except I had to offer him fifty percent of whatever we get.”

“Fifty! That is quite outrageous. It is twice what each of us will receive.”

“It is. But here’s a question, At. What exactly do you expect to receive on Marglot? Not hope, now. Expect.”

“I follow your logic.” The Cecropian folded its proboscis into the pleated region on its chin. As the tube inflated, words in near-human speech emerged. “Anundra’rsnt fe’wns’st.”

“A hundred percent if he wants it? My thoughts exactly. Claudius may collect more than he bargains for. But you’re gettin’ better, At. I mean, better at speaking human. The sooner we’re to Marglot and away again, the sooner you’ll be able to have more lessons from Glenna Omar.”

“Indeed.” The Cecropian returned to her normal pheromonal speech. “Glenna was the best.”

“I have to agree. The best.” Nenda scratched thoughtfully at his crotch. “Not that I’ve had any recent chance for comparisons.”

“You are considering language lessons?”

“Not really.”

“Then what?”

“Nothing.” Nenda was hurrying out of the chamber even before he spoke. He closed the door quickly. No point in getting Atvar H’sial excited over involuntary pheromonal signals.

CHAPTER NINETEEN

A history lesson

To Hans Rebka, sustained free-fall implied one of only two things. Either you were in orbit around some body in open space, where you might remain with no feeling of a gravity field for an indefinite period; or you were dropping, pulled down steadily toward some center of force. In that case you most definitely could not fall for an indefinite period. The drop would end suddenly, unpleasantly, and probably fatally. And since you had started out on the surface of Iceworld, the chance that you were now orbiting some planet when all around you was nothing but total and stygian darkness seemed too slight to take seriously.

Hans saw nothing and felt no forces on his body. The only tangible thing in his universe was the suited figure of Ben Blesh. He clutched it tighter to him and was reassured by a protesting groan.

“Where are we. What’s happening? Oh God, I think my arm and ribs are broken.”

“Hang on, Ben. I’ll get your suit’s painkillers into you as soon as I can.” Hans turned on the headlight of his own suit, but still he saw nothing. Either the headlight was not working, or he was in some place where light declined to travel. “You’ll have to wait a bit longer until I can see what I’m doing.”

“Lara. I thought I saw—or I dreamed I saw—Lara—”

“It was no dream. I’m sorry about Lara, but we can’t do anything for her. Concentrate on yourself. How do you feel?”

“We must be in space. I’m in free-fall.”

“Yes.” But I don’t think this particular free-fall is likely to last much longer. “I know you’re hurting, but try to think objectively. Decide the parts of you that you think we will need to attend to first.”

And where was Darya? Dropping invisible at their side, or spun away to some other dimension entirely? Had she already landed somewhere, crushed and shapeless, while he dropped forever?

That worry ended in mid-thought with a bone-jarring thump. His boots had hit a solid surface. Ben’s body was wrenched from his arms, and Hans heard a cry of agony as brightness grew around him.

He stood upright within a closed room. The nearest wall, without doors or windows, rose to a ceiling at least fifteen meters above. Hans turned back his head, and saw that a uniform glow came from the ceiling. The light had not been present when he first hit the floor. It was still slowly brightening. He and Ben must have dropped right through the ceiling, but there was no sign of it of their passage.

Ben’s body lay face down on the floor a few meters in front of Hans. He had to be at least partly conscious, because as Hans watched he made an attempt to raise himself on his left arm. He groaned with the effort and fell forward again. His helmet clattered against the hard floor.

Hans started forward, but someone was ahead of him.

“Darya!”

She turned, and the face behind the suit’s visor glowed with excitement. “We did it, Hans. We’re inside Iceworld, just as I said we would be! But we have to look after Ben.” She was cradling the body in her arms, gently turning it over. “Can you get at the external controls?”

“I will do it for myself.” Ben spoke slowly. His face was white and sweating, but his next words were clear and rational. “Drugs first. The suit will know what to give me. When it hurts less, I will see if I can walk.”

“Not until I’ve had a good look at you.” Hans heard a hiss of gases inside the other’s suit and saw the white fog inside the faceplate. In thirty more seconds, Ben should feel no pain. “You may think you feel all right, but you could do bad damage to yourself if you move. We have to get your suit off, examine you, and pad and splint you.”

“While I suffocate in hard vacuum? No thanks.”