O Pioneer! (29 page)

When it was over, Dr. Patroosh was the first to speak, glaring at Hagbarth. "You scum," she said.

Then the Swiss delegate chimed in—speaking in French, Rina guessed; but her translator had not been equipped with French-language capability and so she could make nothing of it until the New Zealander spoke up. "I agree completely," he said. "We will all transmit this complete record to our governments at once."

"But it is all lies!" Hagbarth burst out. "She made it all up! Are you going to take the word of a whore against me?"

It didn't do him any good. They were taking it; the evidence left no room for doubt. Rina got the button back into her ear again in time to hear Mrs. Oneeyewanders speak up for her; so did the Slug, on what grounds Rina could not imagine. Then the Kalkaboo piped up: "Exists here no problem believing statement of Earth-human female. Can make factuality check, surely. Immediately we can order stop to present clean-up at the Pole, then quickly dispatch six-species delegation up there for total discovery of truthfulness."

It was the most sensible thing Rina had ever heard from a Kalkaboo, and it had its effect on Hoak Hagbarth. The man wilted before her eyes. He gave Rina an imploring look, while his wife, sobbing, clutched at his arm. But if he wanted to speak he had no chance; the whole assembly was talking at once again.

So it was over.

The accumulated fatigue of the last few days struck Rina then; she looked around for a place to sit down, failed to find one, squatted on the floor, her head bowed. It was a moment of triumph, but she couldn't feel exultation. It only meant that now she had to face up to the real questions of life continuing without the presence of Evesham Giyt.

She didn't even notice that the assembly had quieted until one of the fire police poked her. She looked up.

The Principal Slug had slithered his way to the delegates' platform, clutching his pocket screen; he was showing it to the Slug delegate, who looked, and raised his forebody to speak. As Rina hurriedly replaced her translator he was saying, "—interesting news from ship terminal at dam. Unscheduled robot sub has arrived at terminal with passengers. They are three. Are hungry, cold, very, very dirty, but not in the least dead."

XXIX

URGENT. ACTION REQUESTED.

Access attached files I (data secured by Evesham Giyt) and 2 (statements of Hoak Hagbarth and Olse Hagbarth at interrogation by Inter-Species Conference).

Urgently recommend immediate full-scale investigation of Extended Earth Corporation and all persons named in accompanying files. If allegations in attached files are supported, further recommend indictments for conspiracy to initiate military action on Tupelo, in violation of existing compacts. By unanimous decision of all five other species involved, all sessions of the conference are suspended until this matter is resolved.

—
TUPELO DELEGATION DISPATCH TO
UN

As their boat raced across the lake to the dam, Lupe on one side of her, Mrs. Brownbenttalon and her husband on the other, Rina at last let herself cry. Mrs. Brownbenttalon examined the process with interest. "Leakage from eyes indicates sadness, I have information," she called over the whine of the motor and the rush of the air. "This leakage not necessary, Mrs. Large Male Giyt. You husband alive okay; he remember robot sub can take home as easy as rocket, only slower. Like I say, he damn good son of a bitch; smart, too!"

At some point, Rina told herself, she should explain to Mrs. Brownbenttalon that there were such things as tears of joy. Not now. Now she was fully concentrated on peering ahead at the dock area, looking for the person she most wanted to see in all the worlds. There were Delt technicians supervising the hoisting of cargo from the base of the dam to the lakeshore; there were Slugs watching the proceedings with a proprietary air—well, the ship terminal was in Slugtown. But it wasn't until the boat had actually pulled up to the shore that she saw the hoist coming up again, and this time bearing two figures—well, three if you counted the little one poking his snout out of his Centaurian mate's fur. Beside her Mrs. Brownbenttalon squealed and rushed to greet them, but not so fast that she beat Rina to the scene.

And then they had each other in their arms—Giyt shaky, dehydrated, dirty, but entirely alive. "Shammy, Shammy," she whispered in his ear. "You scared the shit out of me."

"I'm sorry," he said, sounding as though he meant it. "I couldn't figure out any way to let you know I was all right without letting Hagbarth know, too. Now let's get back to town. They were making munitions up at the Pole! I've got evidence that'll prove it—"

"I turned it over to the council already," Rina told him.

"—and I have to get it to the six-planet meeting right away . . . You what?"

His mouth fell open as Rina explained what had happened. Then he shook his head, looking at her wonderingly. "Jesus, woman," he said. "Looks like you're perfectly capable of getting along just fine without me."

"Why," Rina said with satisfaction, "I actually never doubted I could. I just don't want to."