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In their pressure-suits they had been pawing through the tangled wreckage for some time, and young Vinson was tired when he made his report. "We have all four alongside, sir. The three men in the ferry were pretty badly mangled in the crash. Kieran wasn't physically wounded, but died from space-asphyxiation." The captain stared at him. "Alongside? Why didn't you bring them in?
"You've wakened to a strange world and you're afraid of it, in spite of all the pre-awakening preparation we gave your subconscious. You're afraid, and so you're angry." Kieran got a grip on himself. He shrugged. "What you say may be true. But it doesn't change the way I feel. I will not help you one damned bit." Webber got up from his seat and came back toward them, his tall form stooping.
He looked at her and interrupted roughly. "What reasons?" And when she stared blankly, he added, "You said there were good reasons why you picked me for revival. What reasons?" Her face became tight and alert. "You were the oldest victim, in point of date. That was one of the determining factors " "Look," said Kieran. "I'm not a child, nor yet a savage.
Webber shrugged. "You must have been mistaken, Kieran." "Maybe. Or maybe they just can't think beyond the elementary. If they don't smell it, it isn't there. If something is after us it's coming up-wind, the way any hunting animal works. A couple of the men ought to circle around and " "Come on," said Webber wearily. They followed the people beside the river.
But the flitter can, with luck." They both looked at Kieran. "He's the important one," Webber said. "If a couple of us could get him through " "No," said Paula. "We couldn't. As soon as they caught the ship and found the flitter gone, they'd be after him." "Not to Sako," said Webber. "They'd never figure that we'd take him to Sako." "Do I have a word in this?" asked Kieran, between his teeth.
But, here where it extended over parsecs of space, it formed a barrier to light. There was a narrow rift here between the titan cliffs of darkness and he the ship he was in was fleeing across that rift. The screen abruptly went black again. Kieran remained sitting and staring at it. That incredible fleeting vision had finally impressed the utter reality of all this upon his mind.
"They're bipeds lizardoid rather than humanoid and are a fairly intelligent and law-abiding lot." "If they're all that, and higher in development than the humans, why shouldn't they rule their own world?" demanded Kieran. Webber uttered a sardonic laugh. Without turning he asked, "Shall I change course and go to Altair?" "No!" she said. Her eyes flashed at Kieran and she spoke almost breathlessly.
I'll burn Meloni's backside off for bringing it up at a time like this." Garces, after a moment, shook his head. "No, wait. Let me think about this." He looked speculatively out of the window for a few moments. Then he said, "Message Meloni that this one chap's body what's his name, Kieran? is to be preserved in space against a chance of future revival."
But the formation began to disintegrate as the weaker ones dropped behind, and no attempt was made to keep it. Panic was stronger than instinct now. Kieran looked ahead. "If we can make it to that hill " Paula screamed and he stumbled over a child, a girl about five, crawling on her hands and knees. He picked her up.
The sweat dried on Kieran. He began to shiver. "You're sure that patrol ship won't come back?" he asked. "Not until they can see what they're looking for." "Then I guess it's safe." He began to scramble around, feeling for dried sticks. "What are you doing?" "Getting some firewood." "No." Paula was beside him in an instant, her hand on his arm, "No, you mustn't do that." "But Webber said "
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