Hogan, James P Giants 5 Mission to Minerva

[ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

this protruding shape that counterbalances the weight. . . . And the
shoulders, completely different with these overlapping bone plates almost like
some kinda armor. Not just some spindly collar bone that wild kids like Kles
are always breaking." Urgran gestured toward the far wall. "We've got some
parts over there."
Laisha stepped forward to peer more closely at the center section of the
figure shown on the chart. "It is true they had six . . . you know, arms,
legs, whatever?"
"Hey, she's not so slow, Kles! Right . . . see there." Urgran pointed to two
sets of bone structures set on either side of the thick hoop of bone braced by
a forward-pointing strut, girding the bottom of the rib cage the Giants didn't
have a splayed pelvic dish in the way of humans; they were thought to have
carried the internal abdominal organs more by suspension than by support from
below. "Vestigial limb structures. You're right. Although these guys walked on
two legs and used two arms the same as we do, the family of life that they're
part of has a different body pattern based on three pairs. Original native
Minervan life."
"The way you can still see in the fish," Kles put in, although Laisha was
aware of it. The original Minervan land dwellers had been hexadic too, but
predators were unknown among them, and they had been replaced by the the
current types, which had appeared suddenly in the period immediately following
the disappearance of the Giants. Nothing that anticipated the new population
with its quadrupedal architecture existed in Minerva's earlier fossil record,
and there was little doubt that it was descended from ancestors imported by
the Giants. Most scientists believed Earth to have been their place of origin,
although this had never been proved. Flyby probes had confirmed that it was
teeming with life, but the first landers were still en route and not due to
arrive for several months. But if it was true, it would add a whole new
significance to the planned migration. For the imported population had
included the ancestors of humans too. It meant that the Lunarians would be
going home.
They were still talking about the plans for tomorrow, when they heard the
outer door open and close. Moments later, Opril, the Iskois woman who took
charge of domestic matters around the camp, knocked and entered to let them
know that bunk spaces for the two arrivals were prepared. She nodded at Kles
and smiled. "Welcome back. I suppose there will be mischief. And this is your
friend?"
Kles introduced Laisha. "Anything you need or want done, Opril is the person,"
he said. "She knows everything there is to know here. And how are Barkan and
Quar, Opril? . . . Her sons," he explained to Laisha.
"Away hunting with their father and others from the village. They should be
back late tomorrow. Then there will be full bellies and dancing for days."
"Good timing. Jud brought a couple of cases of good hooch," Urgran said.
"We'll show you how to handle a rangat before you go back," Kles told Laisha.
"It's great fun, especially over the rapids."
"Watch those three. They'll have you drowned first, more likely," Opril said.
"Well . . ." Laisha stifled a yawn. "Oh, excuse me. . . . So long as it isn't
tonight." In his enthusiasm, Kles hadn't realized how tired she was looking.
"Come on. I'll show you where you'll be staying," Opril said. "I've put your
things there already."
Urgran eyed Kles inquiringly. "I'm heading back to the parlor for a mug of
something hot before I turn in. Want to join me?"
"Sure." Being treated like one of the men felt good. Urgran turned out the
lights to leave just the generator drumming in the darkness at the rear, and
they went back out into the cold. At the entrance to the mess cabin, Opril
said goodnight and continued on with Laisha in the direction of the sleeping
hut part dugout, Iskois style. Kles and Urgar went into the cabin. The air was
close and warm inside, with the stove throwing out heat. Jud was at the table,
a glass in his hand, looking mellow and contented. A bottle stood amid the
litter of used dishes. Another man was sprawled in an easy chair near the
stove, large in girth, with red curly hair and several days of stubble, clad
in a thick sweater, fur pants, and heavy boots. Kles hadn't met him before.
Urgran introduced him as Rez and said he was a mining surveyor and geologist.
Urgran checked a pot that was standing on the stove, added water from a jug by
the sink, and put the pot back. Then he took another glass from the shelf
above, rinsed it, and poured himself a shot from the bottle. "Gotta do
something while the hot stuff's heating," he explained to Kles. "Care to try a
nip?"
"Well . . . okay, I guess."
"Attaboy. There's still some things the Iskois can't get right." He passed
over a glass with a shorter measure. Kles sipped it, coughed and choked, and
hoped the tears in his eyes didn't show.
"Went down the wrong way," he said.
"Yeah, right." This was Uncle Urgran, Kles reminded himself. Who did he think
he was kidding?
The TV up on its corner shelf was on, but with the sound turned down. It was
showing the Cerian president, Marlot Harzin, looking serious and talking
against the backdrop of a picture of Minerva. The caption at the bottom read,
division threatens concerted space effort. "What's this, something new?"
Urgral gestured with his glass.
"It's a repeat of what he said this afternoon," Jud told him.
"What'd he say this afternoon? I've been up at the hole all day."
"They just can't seem to get their act together with the Lambians. They're
serious, Urg. Harzin says we're going to have to be better prepared as a
precaution. Perasmon is saying our ways won't work, and going half and half is
just going to take everyone down. It's their survival as well as ours."
Urgran downed half his measure and shook his head. "So his answer is to start
diverting part of what they've got? Now we have to do likewise? Doesn't that
strike you as just a little bit crazy? Or is it me? Every functioning brain
and pair of hands on the planet should be working to get us off of here. But
when you've got leaders starting to talk crazy. . . . I never heard the like [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

Linki