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Updated: June 22, 2025
The Niccola's cobalt-steel hull became more than saturated with the drive-field, and it leaped madly upon an evasion course And it very nearly got away. It was swinging clear when the Plumie ship drifted within fathoms. It was turning aside when the Plumie ship was within yards. And it was almost safe when the golden hull of the Plumie shadowed now by the Niccola itself barely scraped a side-keel.
"There are no novelties outside," she said quietly. "It looks like this is the only Plumie ship anywhere around. It could have been exploring, like us. Maybe it was looking for the people who put up Space-Survey markers." "Maybe," agreed Baird, using the communicator. "Is that stuff about falling into the sun correct?" "It seems so," said Diane composedly. "I'm checking again.
And Baird led the way for a tour of the Niccola. It was confusing even to him, with right hand converted to up and left hand to down, and sidewise now almost vertical. On the way the Plumie made more clear, flutelike sounds, and more gestures. Baird answered. "Our gravity pull was that way," he explained, "and things fell so fast."
The Plumie pressed a stud and it was blank again. He sketched and offered it once more. "Hm-m-m," said the skipper. "You can't use your drive while we're glued together, eh? Well?" The Plumie reached up and added lines to the drawing. "So!" rumbled the skipper, inspecting the additions. "You say it's up to us to use our drive for both ships." He growled approvingly: "You consider there's a truce.
They heard the skipper's grunt as they hurried through the door. A moment later the ship's normal gravity returned also through the Plumie generator. Up was up again, and down was down, and the corridors and cabins of the Niccola were brightly illuminated.
This Plumie acts like soldiers used to act in ancient days when they wore armor. And we have the same reaction! They will fight like the devil, but during a truce they'll be friendly, admiring each other as scrappers, but ready to fight as hard as ever when the truce is over. We have the same reaction!
Show him our drive melted down, so he'll realize we can't possibly tow his ship into an orbit. He knows that we're armed, and that we can't handle our war heads at this range! So we can't fool each other. We might as well be frank. But you will take full note of his reactions, Mr. Baird!" Baird advanced, and the skipper made a gesture. The Plumie regarded Baird with interested eyes.
"Yes, sir," said Baird uncomfortably. "The Plumie ship is an exploring ship a survey ship, sir. You saw their mapping equipment. But when they spotted us, and we spotted them they bluffed! When we fired rockets at them, they turned them back with tractor and pressor beams. They drove for us, sir, to try to destroy us with our own bombs, because they didn't have any of their own."
You should know it!" Then he snapped: "Air lock area, listen for a knock, and let in the Plumie or the parcel he leaves." There was silence. Baird said very quietly: "I doubt they think it possible to cut the ships apart. A torch is no good on thick silicon bronze. It conducts heat too well! And they don't use steel. They probably haven't a cutting-torch at all."
The Niccola's orders were to make contact without discovery, if such a thing were possible. The ideal would be a Plumie ship or the Plumie civilization itself, located and subject to complete and overwhelming envelopment by human ships before the Plumies knew they'd been discovered.
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