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The three Satorians were exceptionally large men, almost perfect doubles of the three Nansalians and, one by one, the Nansalians replaced them. They had bleached their faces, and surgeons, working from photographs, changed their features so that the three Nansalians were exact doubles of the three astrogators. Then they acted.
And remember, when I gave Al James the brush in that restaurant in Atom City? He was talking about the old days, and he might have spilled the beans too. It all adds up, doesn't it? I had a reason I told you and it's just this! To make Space Academy pay me back! To train me to be one of the best astrogators in the universe so I could go into commercial ships and pile up credits!
Two hours after the first ship, a second landed. Dara went wild again. Four hours later still, the third arrived. The fourth came down on the following day. Then Calhoun faced the executive and cabinet of Dara for the second time. His tone and manner were very dry. "Now," he said curtly, "I would like a few more astrogators to train.
Calhoun drilled him in the use of brightness-charts, by which the changes in apparent brightness of stars between overdrive hops could be correlated with angular changes to give a three-dimensional picture of the nearer heavens. It was a highly necessary art which had not been worked out on Dara, and the prospective astrogators became absorbed in this and other fine points of space-piloting.
"The astrogators are coming," she said swiftly. "They'll bring some boxes with them. They'll ask you to instruct them so they can handle our ship better. They lost themselves coming back from Orede. No, they didn't lose themselves, but they lost time, enough time almost to make an extra trip for meat. They need to be experts.
"How much grain can we hope for?" demanded a man with a blue mark covering all his chin. Calhoun told him. "How long before Weald can have a fleet overhead, dropping fusion bombs?" demanded another, grimly. Calhoun named a time. But then he said; "I think we can keep them from dropping bombs if we can get the grain-fleet and some capable astrogators." "What do you have in mind?" He told them.
They were young men who did not look quite as hungry as most Darians, but there was a reason for that. Their leader introduced himself and the others. They were the astrogators of the ship Dara had built to try to bring food from Orede. They were not good enough, said their self-appointed leader. They overshot their destination. They came out of overdrive too far off line.
Get your astrogators together and I think they'll approve my idea." The silence was totally skeptical. "Orede " "Not Orede," said Calhoun. "Weald will be hunting that planet over for Darians. If they find any, they'll drop bombs here." "Our only space pilots," said a tall man, presently, "are on Orede now. If you've told the truth, they'll probably head back because of your warning.
The Wealdians expect to die of plague any minute because they've been with Darians. So people look at them and laugh. But it's not very funny." "It's natural," said Calhoun, "but perhaps lacking in charity. Look there! How about those astrogators? I need them for a job I have in mind." Maril wrung her hands. "C come here," she said in a low tone.
They were young men who did not look quite as hungry as most Darians, but there was a reason for that. Their leader introduced himself and the others. They were the astrogators of the ship Dara had built to try to bring food from Orede. They were not, said their self-appointed leader, good enough. They'd overshot their destination. They came out of overdrive too far off line.
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