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.it was made of animal fur, stuffed with some sort of plant fiber, and wore a small fleet uniform, complete with ensign bars.Timmy had greeted it with a loud cry of delight, and immediately sat down to tell it all about the new ship it was on."No," jon said, shaking his head, then grinned in apology for his bluntness."We stored whatever could be useful in the shuttle last evening." "All right, then, helm, let's open the hatch and see about switching my skiff with the gig," Nimisha said."I'll take it up to the cave.I'm curious to see where you've.survived." "It has served its purpose," jon said."And may again," Nimisha remarked.Jon beckoned to casper."Let's do it, then." she followed them back and watched for a moment as they used the anti-grav handles to move crates and make the necessary room for the skiff."Don't worry.We won't scrape the shining new walls," jon said, noticing her dubious expression."If it'll fly, jon'll fly it," casper said."Been with him when he squeaked through some very tight asteroid belts." jon shook his head."But not the wormhole." "Even helm, and he can respond into seconds, had trouble keeping the fiver from careening into the walls," Nimisha reassured him."Anyway, that bedamned hole didn't even have a constant diameter." "Hmmm," was jon's rejoinder.She had to admit, when they had adjusted the supplies in the garage area, that the skiff might indeed fit, though tightly.She got into it and, after making sure the men had stepped back, eased the little craft out and then up to the cave.The entrance was partially obscured by drooping vines from which a flutter of tiny insectoids departed as the top of the skiff brushed them loose.Rather like colored snowflakes and not much larger.Surely they weren't the acid-droppers.Then she turned on the skiff's lights for a good look at the cave site.They certainly had done their best to make it a home.Hewn wooden partitions closed off spaces for privacy on either side of the wide entrance.She could see that they had also built a rock wall across the rear of the cave.The amenities included roughly built couches, chairs, tables, a fireplace, and a cooking area.Shelves had been built and there were lighting fixtures on the walls, powered by the solar panels she had seen outside.There was even a rug, woven of rags all space-blue and gray.A bookcase, now empty, had obviously held reading materials.When she heard the gig engine thrum softly, she slid down the lift rope to the ground and ran to see jonagren svangel's performance.He lined up the gig with the open hatch and, with a precise exhibition of his skill as a pilot, backed the vehicle inside the fiver.He left just enough space on one side to permit him to disembark, but there wasn't more than finger's width between the gig and the wall of the cargo hatch on the other."Well done," Nimisha said, applauding when he emerged.He was grinning in almost boyish delight at his success.He jumped down to the ground beside her, an I-told-you-so look in his eyes."Indeed you did," Nimisha said."You're good enough that I'll even let you take the fiver to our first destination." jon laughed, cupping her elbow and walking her to the main entrance."Considering helm would automatically correct any errors I might make, I accept the offer." they entered the spacecraft laughing."Helm, captain svangel is herewith authorized to fly the fiver, and you are to insert that order in today's log.""Log so reads, ma'am," helm replied."If you will respond for a voice record, captain?" "This is captain jonagren svangel, helm, accepting the authorization of lady Nimisha Boynton-Rondymense to act as additional pilot of the fiver.Will that suffice, helm?" "Yes, captain." Nimisha winked at the now-authorized pilot."Set us a course, helm, to the nearest of the two anomalies you discovered on this-" jon turned to Nimisha."We never bothered to give this planet a name." "I've called it erehwon," Nimisha said."Nowhere?" jon said after a blink of surprise and a bark of laughter.Casper and syrona joined in the laughter."Well, it is the back of nowhere, isn't it?" Nimisha said."All too true," jon said ironically."Helm, set us a course to the nearest of the two anomalies on erehwon." "Casper, syrie, timmy, join us," Nimisha said.There was a manner of intense satisfaction about jonagren svangel as he took the pilot's chair and waited while it adjusted to his longer frame."More comforts than at home," he said.Course laid in, sir," helm said."Maximum fuel conservation." "Accepted.Let's go," jon said, leaning to one side on the armrest.As the fiver lifted away from the meadow and the place they had lived for so long, Nimisha noticed that only syrona glanced down.Timmy seemed to be fascinated by the altitude and the speed with which the ground dropped away as the fiver angled her nose skyward.Once she had reached the programmed altitude, the engines throttled back and were almost silent, minute use of the thrusters keeping her on course."It's not a bad-looking planet," Nimisha remarked."In the safety of high altitude," jon replied."Lovely ship.Smooth as a baby's.ah, cheek."Nimisha grinned at the quick substitution, obviously made in deference to her social standing.She caught the turn of head from both syrie and casper but she ignored them.They maintained this altitude for nearly an hour before the fiver smoothly tilted forward and began her descent.They were passing over one of the oceans between the continental masses."What about life-forms, helm?" jon asked."Those are being observed and catalogued, sir." one of the auxiliary screens lit up.Timmy drew back, wide-eyed at the size of the aquatic leviathans pictured on the screen."Well, I did see little butterfly things in the foliage at the cave," Nimisha remarked, "so not everything on the planet is oversized." "Chichim-he was our geologist-thought this planet was possibly in a late pleistocene epoch.He was hoping to find fossils before." casper's voice trailed off."I mean, the size and variety of life-forms does compare to that period in earth's history.And there is evidence of at least one ice age [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]