defeatedly. It would do him no good; he could never
get on board.
He got up suddenly on one elbow. He couldn't, but Manche could! Unlike
his old instrument, it could operate at tremendous distances, its power
no longer dependent only on his limited nervous energy.
With calculated fury, he let Manche strike out into space.
"There you are!" exclaimed Murra Foray. "I thought you could do it."
"Did you?" he asked coldly. "Where are you now?"
"Leaving the atmosphere, if you can call the stuff around this planet
an atmosphere."
"It's not the atmosphere that's bad," he said as nastily as he
could. "It's the philanthropy."
"Please don't feel that way," she appealed. "Huntners are rather unusual
people, I admit, but sometimes even we need help. I had to have Dimanche
and I took it."
"At the risk of killing me."
Her amusement was strange; it held a sort of sadness. "I didn't hurt
you. I couldn't. You were too cute, like a -- well, the animal native
to Kettikat that would be called a Teddy bear on Earth. A cute, lovable
Teddy bear."
"Teddy bear," he repeated, really stung now. "Careful. This one may
have claws."
"Long claws? Long enough to reach from here to Kettikat?" She was
laughing, but it sounded thin and wistful.
Manche struck out at Cassal's unspoken command. The laughter was canceled.
"Now you've done it," said Dimanche. "She's out cold."
There was no reason for remorse; it was strange that he felt it. His
throat was dry.
"So you, too, can communicate with me. Through Manche, of course. I
built a wonderful instrument, didn't I?"
"A fearful one," said Dimanche sternly. "She's unconscious."
"I heard you the first time." Cassal hesitated. "Is she dead?"
Dimanche investigated. "Of course not. A little thing like that wouldn't
hurt her. Her nerve system is marvelous. I think it could carry current
for a city. Beautiful!"
"I'm aware of the beauty," said Cassal.
An awkward silence followed. Dimanche broke it. "Now that I know the
facts, I'm proud to be her chosen instrument. Her need was greater
than yours."
Cassal growled, "As first counselor, she had access to every--"
"Don't interrupt with your half truths," said Dimanche. "Huntners are
special; their brain structure, too. Not necessarily better, just
different. Only the auditory and visual centers of their brains resemble
that of man. You can guess the results of even superficial tampering
with those parts of her mind. And stolen identification would involve
lobotomy."
He could imagine? Cassal shook his head. No, he couldn't. A blinded and
deaf Murra Foray would not go back to the home of the Huntners. According
to her racial conditioning, a sightless young tiger should creep away
and die.
Again there was silence. "No, she's not pretending unconsciousness,"
announced Dimanche. "For a moment I thought -- but never mind."
The conversation was lasting longer than he expected. The ship must be
obsolete and slow. There were still a few things he wanted to find out,
if there was time.
"When are you going on Drive?" he asked.
"We've been on it for some time," answered Dimanche.
"Repeat that!" said Cassal, stunned.
"I said that we've been on faster-than-light drive for some time. Is
there anything wrong with that?"
Nothing wrong with that at all. Theoretically, there was only one means
of communicating with a ship hurtling along faster than light, and that
way hadn't been invented.
*Hadn't been until he had put together the instrument he called Manche.*
Unwittingly, he had created far more than he intended. He ought to have
felt elated.
Dimanche interrupted his thoughts. "I suppose you know what she thinks
of you."
"She made it plain enough," said Cassal wearily. "A Teddy bear. A
brainless, childish toy."
"Among the
get on board.
He got up suddenly on one elbow. He couldn't, but Manche could! Unlike
his old instrument, it could operate at tremendous distances, its power
no longer dependent only on his limited nervous energy.
With calculated fury, he let Manche strike out into space.
"There you are!" exclaimed Murra Foray. "I thought you could do it."
"Did you?" he asked coldly. "Where are you now?"
"Leaving the atmosphere, if you can call the stuff around this planet
an atmosphere."
"It's not the atmosphere that's bad," he said as nastily as he
could. "It's the philanthropy."
"Please don't feel that way," she appealed. "Huntners are rather unusual
people, I admit, but sometimes even we need help. I had to have Dimanche
and I took it."
"At the risk of killing me."
Her amusement was strange; it held a sort of sadness. "I didn't hurt
you. I couldn't. You were too cute, like a -- well, the animal native
to Kettikat that would be called a Teddy bear on Earth. A cute, lovable
Teddy bear."
"Teddy bear," he repeated, really stung now. "Careful. This one may
have claws."
"Long claws? Long enough to reach from here to Kettikat?" She was
laughing, but it sounded thin and wistful.
Manche struck out at Cassal's unspoken command. The laughter was canceled.
"Now you've done it," said Dimanche. "She's out cold."
There was no reason for remorse; it was strange that he felt it. His
throat was dry.
"So you, too, can communicate with me. Through Manche, of course. I
built a wonderful instrument, didn't I?"
"A fearful one," said Dimanche sternly. "She's unconscious."
"I heard you the first time." Cassal hesitated. "Is she dead?"
Dimanche investigated. "Of course not. A little thing like that wouldn't
hurt her. Her nerve system is marvelous. I think it could carry current
for a city. Beautiful!"
"I'm aware of the beauty," said Cassal.
An awkward silence followed. Dimanche broke it. "Now that I know the
facts, I'm proud to be her chosen instrument. Her need was greater
than yours."
Cassal growled, "As first counselor, she had access to every--"
"Don't interrupt with your half truths," said Dimanche. "Huntners are
special; their brain structure, too. Not necessarily better, just
different. Only the auditory and visual centers of their brains resemble
that of man. You can guess the results of even superficial tampering
with those parts of her mind. And stolen identification would involve
lobotomy."
He could imagine? Cassal shook his head. No, he couldn't. A blinded and
deaf Murra Foray would not go back to the home of the Huntners. According
to her racial conditioning, a sightless young tiger should creep away
and die.
Again there was silence. "No, she's not pretending unconsciousness,"
announced Dimanche. "For a moment I thought -- but never mind."
The conversation was lasting longer than he expected. The ship must be
obsolete and slow. There were still a few things he wanted to find out,
if there was time.
"When are you going on Drive?" he asked.
"We've been on it for some time," answered Dimanche.
"Repeat that!" said Cassal, stunned.
"I said that we've been on faster-than-light drive for some time. Is
there anything wrong with that?"
Nothing wrong with that at all. Theoretically, there was only one means
of communicating with a ship hurtling along faster than light, and that
way hadn't been invented.
*Hadn't been until he had put together the instrument he called Manche.*
Unwittingly, he had created far more than he intended. He ought to have
felt elated.
Dimanche interrupted his thoughts. "I suppose you know what she thinks
of you."
"She made it plain enough," said Cassal wearily. "A Teddy bear. A
brainless, childish toy."
"Among the
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