There was an office on the next floor that, judging by the equipment along two of its walls, was also the s.p.a.ceport control tower. In one of the big screens swam the image of Aries, Aries, a silvery, vaned spindle gleaming against the interstellar dark. It was the sight of his ship that first caught Grimes" attention but did not hold it for long. Inevitably his regard shifted to the woman who stood to one side of the screen, the tall woman with her hair braided into a golden coronet, sparkling with jewels, clad in a flowing white tunic of some diaphanous material that barely concealed the lines of her body. He smiled at her but her blue eyes, as she looked back at him, were cold. To her right was the tall man to whom they had talked the previous evening. He was in uniform, black and gold, with four gold bands on the cuffs of his superbly tailored tunic, a stylized, winged rocket gleaming on the left breast. So appareled he was obviously a s.p.a.ceman, although, as Grimes well knew, it takes far more than gold braid and bra.s.s b.u.t.tons to make an astronaut. a silvery, vaned spindle gleaming against the interstellar dark. It was the sight of his ship that first caught Grimes" attention but did not hold it for long. Inevitably his regard shifted to the woman who stood to one side of the screen, the tall woman with her hair braided into a golden coronet, sparkling with jewels, clad in a flowing white tunic of some diaphanous material that barely concealed the lines of her body. He smiled at her but her blue eyes, as she looked back at him, were cold. To her right was the tall man to whom they had talked the previous evening. He was in uniform, black and gold, with four gold bands on the cuffs of his superbly tailored tunic, a stylized, winged rocket gleaming on the left breast. So appareled he was obviously a s.p.a.ceman, although, as Grimes well knew, it takes far more than gold braid and bra.s.s b.u.t.tons to make an astronaut.
"Henri," said the girl quietly, "these are the two...gentlemen from the Aries. Aries. Mr. Grimes, this is Captain de Messigny." Mr. Grimes, this is Captain de Messigny."
De Messigny extended his hand without enthusiasm. Grimes shook it. It was like handling a dead fish. Kravisky shook it. The Comte said in a bored voice, "Of course, I am, as it were, only the Acting Harbourmaster. As the senior Master of our own small merchant fleet I was requested to make the arrangements for the landing of your ship." He waved a hand and a hitherto dull screen lit up, displaying what was obviously a plan of the s.p.a.ceport. "But what is there to arrange? As you see, we can accommodate a squadron. Our own vessels are in their underground hangars, so the ap.r.o.n is absolutely clear. All that your Captain has to do is to set down Aries Aries anywhere within the landing area." anywhere within the landing area."
"If he"s as good a ship-handler as certain of his officers..." sneered the girl.
"Now, Marlene, that was quite uncalled for. You did make a small contribution to their crack-up, you know." He waved his hand again, and a triangle of bright red flashing lights appeared on the plan. "Still, I have actuated the beacons. They will serve as a guide."
"Has Captain Daintree been informed, sir?" asked Grimes.
"Of course."
"Has he been informed of the...er...circ.u.mstances of our landing?"
De Messigny smiled. "Not yet, Lieutenant. I told him last night that you were unable to get into direct radio contact with your ship, but no more than that. It will be better if you make your own report on the loss of the re-entry vehicle."
"Yes..." agreed Grimes unhappily.
"Very well, then." The tall man made casual gestures with his right hand. Some sort of visual code? wondered Grimes. Or did the controls of this fantastic communications equipment possess built-in psionic capabilities? Anyhow, de Messigny waved his hand and another screen came alive. It depicted the familiar interior of the control room of Aries Aries and, in the foreground, the face of the Senior Communications Officer. His eyes lit up with recognition; it was obvious that he could see as well as be seen. and, in the foreground, the face of the Senior Communications Officer. His eyes lit up with recognition; it was obvious that he could see as well as be seen.
"Captain Daintree," snapped de Messigny. It was more of an order than a request.
"Yes, sir. In a moment."
And then the Old Man was glaring out of the screen. "Mr. Grimes! Mr. Kravisky! Why are you not in uniform?"
"We...we lost our uniforms, sir."
"You lost lost your uniforms?" Daintree"s voice dropped to a menacing growl. "I am well aware, Mr. Grimes, that things seem to happen to you that happen to no other officer in the ship but, even so...Perhaps you will be so good as to explain how you mislaid the not inexpensive clothing with which the Survey Service, in a moment of misguided altruism, saw fit to cover your repulsive nakedness." your uniforms?" Daintree"s voice dropped to a menacing growl. "I am well aware, Mr. Grimes, that things seem to happen to you that happen to no other officer in the ship but, even so...Perhaps you will be so good as to explain how you mislaid the not inexpensive clothing with which the Survey Service, in a moment of misguided altruism, saw fit to cover your repulsive nakedness."
"We...we lost the re-entry vehicle, sir."
There was a long silence, during which Grimes waited for his commanding officer to reach critical ma.s.s. But, surprisingly, when Daintree spoke, his voice was almost gentle.
"But you didn"t lose yourselves. Oh, no. That would be too much to hope for. But I shall have to make some sort of report to my Lords Commissioners, Mr. Grimes, and you may care to a.s.sist me in this duty by explaining. If you can."
"Well, sir, we were coming in to a landing on the surface of Lake Bluewater. As instructed."
"Yes. Go on."
Grimes looked at the girl, thought that he was d.a.m.ned if he was going to hide behind a woman"s skirts. She returned his gaze coldly. He shrugged, no more than a twitch of his broad shoulders. He faced the screen again, saying, "I made an error of judgment, sir."
"An expensive one, Mr. Grimes, both to the Service and to yourself."
And then the Princess Marlene von Stolzberg was standing beside the Lieutenant. "Captain Daintree," she said haughtily, "your officer was not responsible for the loss of your dynosoar. If anybody was, it was I."
Daintree"s heavy eyebrows lifted. "You, Madam?" Madam?"
"Yes. It was my hour for water-skiing on the lake, and I saw no reason to cancel my evening recreation because of the proposed landing. I did not think, of course, that any Captain in his right senses would send his advance party down to a planetary surface in such an archaic, unhandy contraption as a dynosoar. Your Mr. Grimes was obliged to take violent evasive action as soon as he saw me cutting across his path. Furthermore, my two watchbirds, seeing that I was in danger, attacked the re-entry vehicle which, in consequence, crashed."
"Oh. Captain de Messigny, is this lady"s story true?"
"It is, Captain Daintree."
"Thank you. And may I make a humble request, Captain?"
"You may, Captain."
"Just refrain, if you can, from holding tennis tournaments on the landing field or from converting the ap.r.o.n into a rollerskating rink when I"m on my my way way down. Over," he concluded viciously, "and down. Over," he concluded viciously, "and out!" out!"
Chapter 8.
They watched Aries Aries come in-de Messigny, the Princess and, a little to one side, Grimes and Kravisky. Grimes had thought it strange that the s.p.a.ceport control tower should be left unmanned at this juncture, but the two El Doradans, coldly and amusedly, had informed him that the electronic intelligences housed therein were quite capable of handling any normal landing without any human interference. Grimes did not like the way that the Comte slightly stressed the word "normal." come in-de Messigny, the Princess and, a little to one side, Grimes and Kravisky. Grimes had thought it strange that the s.p.a.ceport control tower should be left unmanned at this juncture, but the two El Doradans, coldly and amusedly, had informed him that the electronic intelligences housed therein were quite capable of handling any normal landing without any human interference. Grimes did not like the way that the Comte slightly stressed the word "normal."
They stood there, the four of them, on the edge of the ap.r.o.n, well clear of the triangle of red lights. Above them, on gleaming wings, wheeled and hovered a quartet of flying things that looked like birds, that must be four of the watchbirds about which Grimes had already heard, which, in fact, he had already encountered. (And, (And, he thought glumly, he thought glumly, there was still the enquiry into the loss of the re-entry vehicle to face.) there was still the enquiry into the loss of the re-entry vehicle to face.) The two El Doradans ignored their mechanical guardians. The Lieutenant could not, wondering what would happen should he make some inadvertent move that would be construed by the electronic brains as an act of hostility. He started to edge a little further away from Marlene von Stolzberg and de Messigny, then, with an audible grunt, stood his ground.
They saw the ship before they heard her-at first a glittering speck in the cloudless, morning sky and then, after only a few seconds, a gleaming spindle. She was well in sight when there drifted down to them the odd, irregular throbbing of an inertial drive unit in operation, no more than an uneasy mutter to begin with but swelling to an ominous, intermittent thunder, the voice of the power that had hurled men out among the stars.
But this was all wrong. On any civilized world, or on any civilized world other than this, there would have been an honor guard, ranks of soldiers, in ceremonial uniform, drawn to rigid attention. There would have been antique cannon with black powder charges to fire a salute to the Captain of a major Terran war vessel. There would have been flags and ceremonial. But here, here there was only one man- and his uniform, after all, was a mercantile one-and one woman. A self-styled Princess, perhaps, but even so...And, thought Grimes, thought Grimes, there"s also Kravisky and myself, but dressed like beach boys. there"s also Kravisky and myself, but dressed like beach boys.
Lower dropped the ship, and lower, the noise of her Drive deafening now, every protrusion, every mast, turret and sponson that broke the smooth lines of her hull visible to the naked eye. From a staff just abaft her sharp stem the ensign of the Survey Service-a golden S on a black field, with the green, blue and gold globe of Earth in the upper canton-was broken out, streamed vertically upwards. Grimes did not have to turn to see that there was no bunting displayed from the masts of the s.p.a.ceport administration buildings. Perhaps, he thought, there were in the Universe aristocrats sufficiently courteous to put out more flags to celebrate the arrival of snotty-nosed ragam.u.f.fins from the wrong side of the tracks, but the only aristocratic quality to be found in abundance on El Dorado was arrogance.
She was down at last, a shining, metallic tower poised between the b.u.t.tresses of her tripedal landing gear. She was down and until the moment that Captain Daintree cut the Drive, an egg trapped between one of the huge pads and the concrete of the ap.r.o.n would have remained unbroken. And then the sudden silence as the machinery slowed to a halt was broken by the almost inaudible hissings and creakings as the ship"s enormous ma.s.s adjusted itself to the gravitational field of the planet.
There were other soft noises behind the original reception party. Grimes turned. Three air cars of graceful, almost fragile design were coming in to a smooth landing, each attended by its pair of hovering watch-birds. From the first stepped a fat, bald, yellow-skinned man, his gross body draped in a dark blue robe. From the second emerged a tall, thin individual, black coated, gray trousered, wearing on his head a black hat of antique design. The occupant of the third car was a superbly made Negro, clad in a leopard skin flung carelessly about his body.
Grimes turned again, stiffening to attention, as he heard the bugles. Aries Aries had her ramp out now, extending to the ground from the after airlock door. Stiffly, the two Marine buglers marched down it and as they set foot on the ap.r.o.n, raised their gleaming instruments to their lips and sounded another call. Twenty Marines came next, under their Major, and formed two ranks on either side of the foot of the ramp. Then Captain Daintree appeared in the circular doorway, all black and gold and starched white linen, his c.o.c.ked hat on his head, his ceremonial sword at his side, his decorations gleaming on his breast. He was followed by Surgeon Commander Pa.s.sifern, looking a little (but only a little) ill at ease in his full dress finery. Marlene von Stolzberg whispered something to her companions and giggled. had her ramp out now, extending to the ground from the after airlock door. Stiffly, the two Marine buglers marched down it and as they set foot on the ap.r.o.n, raised their gleaming instruments to their lips and sounded another call. Twenty Marines came next, under their Major, and formed two ranks on either side of the foot of the ramp. Then Captain Daintree appeared in the circular doorway, all black and gold and starched white linen, his c.o.c.ked hat on his head, his ceremonial sword at his side, his decorations gleaming on his breast. He was followed by Surgeon Commander Pa.s.sifern, looking a little (but only a little) ill at ease in his full dress finery. Marlene von Stolzberg whispered something to her companions and giggled.
Slowly, more like a humanoid robot than a man, Captain Daintree marched towards the waiting group, Pa.s.sifern keeping step behind him. He glared at Grimes and Kravisky, standing there in their gaudy civilian clothes. His glance flickered over the others. Grimes could almost hear him thinking; who was in authority? Somehow he contrived a salute that included all of them. De Messigny answered it with a casual flip of his hand toward the gold-crusted peak of his cap, then stepped forward. He said, "We have already met at long range, Captain Daintree."
"Yes, M"sieur le Comte."
"Allow me to introduce the Princess Marlene von Stolzberg..." Daintree bowed slightly. "And Lord Tarlton of Dunwich, our Physician in Residence..." The tall, thin man in the black coat extended a pale hand; Daintree gripped it briefly. "And the Baron Takada..." The fat Oriental hissed and bobbed. "And Hereditary Chief Lobenga..." The big Negro"s handshake made Daintree wince visibly. But his voice was cold and formal as he said, "To complete the introductions, this is Surgeon Commander Pa.s.sifern, my Senior Medical Officer."
There was a long silence, broken by Daintree. He stated, "You asked for our a.s.sistance. Might I suggest that this is hardly the place to discuss the details. Perhaps Her Highness and you...er...gentlemen would care to step aboard my ship. I take it that you are representative of your government."
"We have no government, Captain Daintree, such as you understand the word," said de Messigny. "But it was decided that this little group here was best qualified to meet you. Will it be possible for you and Commander Pa.s.sifern to come with us to the city? We shall provide transport."
"Very well," said Daintree. He looked at Grimes as he added, "I a.s.sume that your own atmosphere fliers are not hara.s.sed by careless sportsmen and sportswomen."
Grimes flushed as he heard Marlene von Stolzberg laugh softly.
Chapter 9.
Captain Daintree could not spare the time for an interview with the two officers of the advance party; he, with Dr. Pa.s.sifern, was making his preparations and arrangements for the trip to the city, on which he and the Surgeon Commander would be accompanied by the Paymaster Lieutenant who was Daintree"s secretary and by the Lieutenant of Marines. But Commander Griffin had time to spare. No sooner had Grimes and Kravisky mounted to the head of the ramp than the public address speakers were blatting their names, ordering them to report at once to the Commander"s office.
They would have liked to have changed into more suitable attire, and Kravisky, in fact, did suggest that they do so. But that "at once" at the end of the announcement had a nasty, peremptory ring to it, and Grimes knew Griffin far better than did the Surgeon Lieutenant. So they hurried through the ship, acutely conscious of the amused glances directed at them by the officers and ratings they encountered in the alleyways. Grimes heard one man mutter to his companion, "These officers don"t half have it good! Looks like they"ve been on a bleeding holiday..."
And now the holiday, such as it it had been, was over. Griffin, seated behind his tidy desk, regarded them coldly, his fat face sullen under the sandy hair.
"So," he said. "So." There was an uneasy silence.
"So you lose an expensive re-entry vehicle. Even if it can be salvaged, there will be repairs. So you rejoin the ship looking like a pair of beach b.u.ms." His podgy hands shuffled papers. "There will have to be an official report, you know. Or didn"t that occur to you?"
"It had occurred to me, sir," replied Grimes.
"I am pleased to hear it, although I was far from pleased with the verbal report you made to the Captain. There is one important thing that you must learn, Mr. Grimes, and that is that although an officer is automatically a gentleman he should not, repeat not, allow chivalry to interfere with his duty. If that woman had not admitted that she was to blame for the loss of the dynosoar, the consequences to you could have been extremely serious, affecting most adversely your future career in this Service. As it is..." He grinned suddenly, relaxed visibly. "As it is, I hope that they never salvage that archaic contraption. It"s always been a pain in the neck to me. Sit down, both of you." He pushed a box of cigarettes across his desk. "Smoke. And now, before you go away to start putting things down on paper in your best officialese, tell me in your own words just what has been happening to you.
Grimes told the Commander the full story, omitting nothing. Griffin was amused but, at the same time, annoyed. He said, "I gain the impression that everybody on this b.l.o.o.d.y planet has a t.i.tle, except the butler. And he"s a robot."
"That"s the very impression that we gained," Grimes told him. "And even their robot servitors are sn.o.bs."
"You can say that again," declared Kravisky, and told again the story of the superb meal that he had ordered but not received.
"And yet they want our help..." mused the Commander. "It must have hurt their pride to have to call in outsiders. Whatever sort of a jam they"re in, it must be a serious one."
"Have you any idea what it is, sir?" asked Grimes.
"Haven"t a clue. Oh, it"s something medical, we all know that much. But a world like this must be healthy. This Lord Tarlton of Dunwich, he used to be the the physician on the planet of that name, although then he was plain Dr. Tarlton. He was the head of their College of Medicine, and we all know how highly a Dunwich degree is regarded throughout the Galaxy. As a diagnostician, he was a recognized genius. It seems incredible that he should be incapable of handling this emergency, whatever it is. What do you think, Kravisky? As a doctor, I mean." physician on the planet of that name, although then he was plain Dr. Tarlton. He was the head of their College of Medicine, and we all know how highly a Dunwich degree is regarded throughout the Galaxy. As a diagnostician, he was a recognized genius. It seems incredible that he should be incapable of handling this emergency, whatever it is. What do you think, Kravisky? As a doctor, I mean."
"I think the same as you do, sir."
"And these others...I"ve been doing my homework in the microfiled Encyclopedia Galactica Year Books. Baron Takada. A multimillionaire on his planet of birth, Kobe. Flew the coop when the local income tax collectors got too avaricious. But known as much for his metaphysical researches as for his wealth. Hereditary Chief Lobenga, onetime native, and ruler, of New Katanga. Stinking rich, of course, but made his own world too hot to hold him by his dabbling in the more unsavory varieties of black magic."
"And the Princess?" asked Grimes.
Griffin chuckled. "She seems to have made quite an impression on you. Just a spoiled popsy from Thuringia. Too much money and didn"t like to have to plough any of it back into the welfare of the miners and factory hands. Sold out at a pretty profit and bought her way into the El Dorado Corporation. De Messigny? Not even a millionaire but had a name as a s.p.a.ce yachtsman and freelance explorer. I suppose that these people wanted somebody who was more or less their breed of cat to captain their merchant ships."
"All these t.i.tles..." said Kravisky.
"Fair d.i.n.k.u.m, most of "em. I often think that all these stories about effete aristocrats are put out by the aristocrats themselves. After all, they they have practiced selective breeding for centuries..." He leaned back in his chair. "Money sn.o.bbery, sn.o.bbery of birth...It makes a pretty picture, doesn"t it? And you two were in the picture. I suppose that we all are, now." His manner stiffened. "But if there"s to be any sh.o.r.e leave, which I doubt, I shall impress upon every b.a.s.t.a.r.d aboard this ship, every officer, every rating, that he is to wear his uniform with have practiced selective breeding for centuries..." He leaned back in his chair. "Money sn.o.bbery, sn.o.bbery of birth...It makes a pretty picture, doesn"t it? And you two were in the picture. I suppose that we all are, now." His manner stiffened. "But if there"s to be any sh.o.r.e leave, which I doubt, I shall impress upon every b.a.s.t.a.r.d aboard this ship, every officer, every rating, that he is to wear his uniform with pride. pride.
"And, talking of uniforms..."
"We"d better get changed, sir," said Grimes.
"You"d better," said Griffin.
Chapter 10.
Captain Daintree and the officers who had accompanied him returned from the city the following morning, delivered back to the s.p.a.ceport by one of the graceful flying cars. The captain went straight to his own quarters, accompanied by Griffin, who had received him at the airlock. Dr. Pa.s.sifern went straight to the ship"s well-equipped laboratory, where his own staff was awaiting him. Paymaster Lieutenant Hodge and Lieutenant Lamont, of the Marine Corps, made their way to the wardroom, where all the off-duty officers, including Grimes, were already gathered.
"And what have you to say for yourself, p.u.s.s.er?" demanded Lieutenant Commander Cooper.
Hodge, a slight, clerkly young man, made a major production of drawing a cup of coffee from the dispenser. He sipped it, made a grimace. He complained, "They "They serve much better espresso than this..." serve much better espresso than this..."
"You did more than drink coffee," stated Cooper.
"We did," said the Marine, stroking the luxuriant mustache that was supposed to give him a martial appearance. "We did. We sat around trying to look intelligent while our lords and masters conferred with all the counts and barons and princes and whatever."
"Any princesses?" asked somebody.
"Yes. There was one, come to think of it. A quite tasty blonde piece. Which reminds me, she gave me a letter for you, young Grimes."
"Never mind Mr. Grime"s love life," said Cooper a little jealously. "That can wait. Why were we asked to call here ? Or is that cla.s.sified? "
"It is," Hodge told him primly. "No doubt the Captain will release such information as he sees fit when he feels like it."
"But we weren"t told to say nothing of what we saw," saw," pointed out Lamont. pointed out Lamont.
"Can I have my letter?" asked Grimes. asked Grimes.
"Later, later. It will keep."
"Mr. Grimes!" snapped Cooper, "I will not have the wardroom turned into a beer garden. You will please refrain from laying hands upon the brutal and licentious soldiery. Please continue, Mr. Lamont."
"Well, Pilot, we were taken to the city, as you know. That air car was really posh. Some sort of Inertial Drive but fully automated. There was a girl in charge of it, a Lady Jane Kennelly, one of those really snooty redheads, and she never laid so much as a pinky on the controls, just said in a bored voice, "Head Office," and the thing replied-there was a speaker on the console-"Head Office, your ladyship. Certainly, your ladyship." I felt like saying, "Home, James, and don"t spare the horses," but the Old Man gave me such a dirty look that I thought better of it.
"She, this Lady Jane, wasn"t in a conversational mood and neither was the Old Man, so n.o.body n.o.body talked. It was only a short flight, anyhow. We pa.s.sed over what looked like farms, but more like gardens than farms, if you know what I mean. We saw big, specialized machines working in the fields, but never a human being. talked. It was only a short flight, anyhow. We pa.s.sed over what looked like farms, but more like gardens than farms, if you know what I mean. We saw big, specialized machines working in the fields, but never a human being.
"Then we came to the city. Oh, I know that we"ve all seen it from the air, but you have to be flying through it, below the level of the towers, really to appreciate it. Just towers, spires, rather, and each of them standing in its own park. Not many people around, and n.o.body looking to be in any sort of a hurry. Quite a few machines like oversized beetles pottering around in the gardens. My own interest in botany doesn"t go beyond things you eat and drink, like cauliflowers and hops, but even I could see that just about every species of flower in the whole d.a.m.n Galaxy must have been in full bloom in those beds.
"We dropped down on to a lawn in front of the really big tower, so tall that the big, golden standard flying from its peak was half-obscured by a wisp of low cloud. And it"s not one of those flimsy, reinforced plastic jobs, either. Solid granite, it looked like. Solid granite, and polished, with a bit of gold trim here and there. Not at all gaudy. Like a huge tombstone, a multimillionaire"s tombstone, in good taste.
"Lady Jane said, in her cool voice, "This is the end of the penny section." She made it quite clear that she"d done her job and that what happened next was none of her concern. The door of the car opened and we got out. The Old Man first, then Doc, then the p.u.s.s.er"s pup, then myself. We were hardly clear of the car when the door shut and it lifted and went whiffling off down the avenue. So we stood there, sort of shuffling our feet and coughing politely. Shuffling our feet? That gra.s.s felt good. I"d have loved to have kicked off my boots and walked on it barefooted.