pointing out the things of interest along the far lakefront: the crude road that led through the jungle down to the cargo-submarine port; the ancient dam, originally built by the Slugs for hydroelectric power back in the days when only the first two races had come to live on Tupelo. "Entire lake," he piped up, "is due to existence of dam Slugs built, was not here before."
Then they were approaching the rocket's landing pad. There were three or four other skimmers moored to its floating dock, a variety of races sitting in the craft and talking idly among themselves. He was surprised to see that Hoak Hagbarth was among them, which triggered a reminder in his brain: where was the energy-conservation plan Hagbarth had promised to give him for the Kalkaboos?
It was a good chance to remind him, but apparently the chance for that was not going to happen right away. "Must not debark out of skimmer craft yet," the Responsible One cautioned as his children scurried about, tying the skimmer to the dock with cords the thickness of packing twine. "Not given permission. Requirement to wait for rocket to land, thus minimizing risk."
In fact, Giyt could see the suborbiter coming at them, high up to the north. It was no more than a glint of metal and a flickering flare of red flame and white as its thermal shield ablated. They had left their arrival to the last minute; as Giyt watched the craft was visibly settling lower and growing larger. It passed directly over the island, no more than a couple of thousand meters up. Then it reversed course and, dropping rapidly now, touched ground, the flames from its main rockets almost blinding Giyt. When it stopped, it was directly in front of the waiting group at the dock.
Chittering wildly, the Petty-Prime kits started to romp toward the rocket, with only their parents reining them in. A low-slung vehicle Giyt hadn't noticed before began to roll in the same direction, one end of it tilting upward as it moved to form a flight of steps. Almost at once the rocket's doors began to open—first the heat shield, far too hot to be touched; then the inner door. The passengers began to disembark, stepping carefully over the hot metal of the exterior shield.
Then the Petty-Prime kits broke loose. First off the polar rocket was a pair of Petty-Prime females, one of whom hopped agilely down the steps to throw herself into the arms of the Responsible One. Cheeping and squealing, the kits were doing their best to swarm over them both, and not cautiously. A Delt was coming down the steps in a hurry. He tried to dodge around the Petty-Prime family and didn't quite miss them all. One of the kits wound up under the Delt's foot; it squealed shrilly and began to whimper.
The situation quickly developed the makings of a nice little squabble, the Responsible One chirping belligerently up at the unrepentant Delt, others gathering around to take sides. Giyt observed that the infant wasn't really hurt; in fact, it and all its siblings had already taken themselves away from this argument of the grown-ups.
But Hoak Hagbarth wasn't in the group.
It took Giyt a moment to find the man, off under the lee of the rocket, taking something in a woven-fabric satchel from a man who had just disembarked. They didn't linger over it. Hagbarth said a few words; the man nodded and turned away to head toward another skimmer, drawn up on the beach, while Hagbarth returned to his own.
Giyt caught up to Hagbarth just as he was putting the satchel into the skimmer's locket and taking a beer out. He looked up as Giyt approached along the dock. "Evesham," he sighed. "How're you today? Care for a beer?"
Giyt took it for the sake of avoiding a discussion. "How're we coming with that energy-conservation thing for the Kalkaboos?"
Hagbarth showed no sign of remembering what he was talking about, so Giyt patiently went through the whole thing again. Hagbarth listened with only minimal attention, which was annoying. But then the man was always
Then they were approaching the rocket's landing pad. There were three or four other skimmers moored to its floating dock, a variety of races sitting in the craft and talking idly among themselves. He was surprised to see that Hoak Hagbarth was among them, which triggered a reminder in his brain: where was the energy-conservation plan Hagbarth had promised to give him for the Kalkaboos?
It was a good chance to remind him, but apparently the chance for that was not going to happen right away. "Must not debark out of skimmer craft yet," the Responsible One cautioned as his children scurried about, tying the skimmer to the dock with cords the thickness of packing twine. "Not given permission. Requirement to wait for rocket to land, thus minimizing risk."
In fact, Giyt could see the suborbiter coming at them, high up to the north. It was no more than a glint of metal and a flickering flare of red flame and white as its thermal shield ablated. They had left their arrival to the last minute; as Giyt watched the craft was visibly settling lower and growing larger. It passed directly over the island, no more than a couple of thousand meters up. Then it reversed course and, dropping rapidly now, touched ground, the flames from its main rockets almost blinding Giyt. When it stopped, it was directly in front of the waiting group at the dock.
Chittering wildly, the Petty-Prime kits started to romp toward the rocket, with only their parents reining them in. A low-slung vehicle Giyt hadn't noticed before began to roll in the same direction, one end of it tilting upward as it moved to form a flight of steps. Almost at once the rocket's doors began to open—first the heat shield, far too hot to be touched; then the inner door. The passengers began to disembark, stepping carefully over the hot metal of the exterior shield.
Then the Petty-Prime kits broke loose. First off the polar rocket was a pair of Petty-Prime females, one of whom hopped agilely down the steps to throw herself into the arms of the Responsible One. Cheeping and squealing, the kits were doing their best to swarm over them both, and not cautiously. A Delt was coming down the steps in a hurry. He tried to dodge around the Petty-Prime family and didn't quite miss them all. One of the kits wound up under the Delt's foot; it squealed shrilly and began to whimper.
The situation quickly developed the makings of a nice little squabble, the Responsible One chirping belligerently up at the unrepentant Delt, others gathering around to take sides. Giyt observed that the infant wasn't really hurt; in fact, it and all its siblings had already taken themselves away from this argument of the grown-ups.
But Hoak Hagbarth wasn't in the group.
It took Giyt a moment to find the man, off under the lee of the rocket, taking something in a woven-fabric satchel from a man who had just disembarked. They didn't linger over it. Hagbarth said a few words; the man nodded and turned away to head toward another skimmer, drawn up on the beach, while Hagbarth returned to his own.
Giyt caught up to Hagbarth just as he was putting the satchel into the skimmer's locket and taking a beer out. He looked up as Giyt approached along the dock. "Evesham," he sighed. "How're you today? Care for a beer?"
Giyt took it for the sake of avoiding a discussion. "How're we coming with that energy-conservation thing for the Kalkaboos?"
Hagbarth showed no sign of remembering what he was talking about, so Giyt patiently went through the whole thing again. Hagbarth listened with only minimal attention, which was annoying. But then the man was always
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