by Andre Norton
of a disturbance, that seems to be what we've been waiting to see."
"Maybe," Ross said sharply. The spacers had traveled through a Terran
time gate once before, wreaking havoc at every level, and even all of their
own race could not be classed as friends. Humankind was ever cursed by
its divisions, and there were other efforts similar to the Project whose
operators would use them as savagely as any shipload of Baldies bent on
vengeance if they got half a chance.
"We're not going to be standing there with big smiles and open arms
when—if—that gate opens, not until we're damn certain who's stepping
through it and why."
Murdock's eyes suddenly went once more to the ocean. "Gordon, what
about Karara? There's no going back for her. There can't be."
"She's an agent," the other said quietly.
"She was. She's Foanna now, or their creature. If she returns with us,
the brain boys'll just grab her and take her apart, or try to do it. She'll
never have any kind of life again."
Ross watched the happy trio, in pain himself at the thought of what
they might so soon have to endure, worse in a great measure than his own
recent misery. All three would be affected, too. Such was their bonding
that what hurt the human would hurt the sea mammals as well. "Hawaika,
this Hawaika, is Karara's place now. Let her stay, and the dolphins, too, if
they're all willing. Just tell the brass they didn't make it through the fight."
You are generous, Younger Brother, and blessed. To be able to feel and
feel for another's pain is no small gift, albeit not always an easy one for
the bearer.
That sounded, not in his ears, but directly in his mind. Ross had grown
accustomed to the Foanna's method of mental communication by then,
but he had to school himself neither to start nor to frown openly as he
turned to face the source of those thought-words.
The air before him was shimmering. In the next instant, it seemed to
compress and resolved itself into a gray-cloaked figure, the Lady Ynvalda,
he saw, when she permitted the deep cowl to draw back and the
atmosphere to settle sufficiently for the Terrans to recognize her.
He felt annoyed and did not care if the newcomer detected his
irritation. He disliked being perpetually taken by surprise in this manner,
and he disliked these theatrics. He also failed to see the purpose of
continuing with them, at least so far as the Time Agents were concerned.
It was different with the Rovers and Wreckers, he conceded readily, but he
and Gordon did not have to be kept impressed.
"Welcome, Lady," Ashe said, as was his right as the humans' leader.
"You heard our discussion?"
"In part," she answered in the lilting cadences of her kind's verbal
speech.
Ynvalda turned to Murdock. He could feel a shadow of amusement,
provoked by his annoyance, but her voice and what he could read of her
expression were serious when she spoke. "You need have no fear for our
sister," she assured him. "She can protect herself and will pass through
none of your people's gates."
"Unless she chooses to do so," he responded quietly.
The Foanna measured him for a moment. "You are right, Younger
Brother," she said softly. "That decision is hers alone. I accept the rebuke."
Ashe released the breath he had been holding. More and more
frequently, Ross rose above himself, most often when the rights of others
were involved. "I'll speak with her when she comes ashore," he promised,
"though I think we can all be fairly sure of her answer, and that of the
dolphins as well."
Gordon's eyes narrowed even as he fought to control the hope surging
within him. "You have some news for us, Lady?" It required a surprisingly
strong effort of will to hold his voice steady when he asked that. The
thought of home, of Terra, was an ache filling all his being…
She slowly inclined her head in assent. "I do. The gate has formed and
should open shortly, but whether it will be to admit friends or foes, that no
mortal on this side of it can know or deduce."
3
ROSS MURDOCK CROUCHED low behind a tall, broken stone column,
his heart slamming in his breast. He licked his lips with a tongue nearly as
dry and clutched his weapon more tightly still with hands that already
ached with the pressure of his grip.
If the Baldies came through, they would have a fraction-second only to
beat them back, throw them off balance until the Foanna could bring their
stronger powers to bear. Human enemies could pose an even greater
problem…
The grid formed. It was the well-remembered pattern and proclaimed
that the equipment being used to generate it, at least, had originated with
their own people.
A single, slender figure took form. The newcomer was small and seemed
shorter still as he crouched down, trying to minimize the target he
presented to anyone waiting to cut him down.
The target she presented. Ross's lips parted in a surprise that would
have been ludicrous had anyone removed their eyes from the gate to
notice him. Although she was technically an agent, this was one of the last
people he would have expected to walk out of the future to collect them.
The woman steeled herself and straightened. "Doctor Ashe, Murdock,
Trehern, in the name of whatever, don't shoot me," she said with only the
barest undertone of uncertainty to betray the fact that she was not
perfectly at ease.
"All right, Miss Riordan," Gordon called out, "come on through… Who
else is with you?"
"No one. I'm it."
Eveleen looked about her and caught sight of the younger agent at once.
"Ross Murdock!" She held out her hand to him. "I am glad to see you
again. Both of you," she added, "but I never had the privilege of teaching
you, Doctor Ashe, and so I don't know you quite as well."
Ross pressed her hand warmly before releasing it. Right then, he
thought she was about the loveliest sight he had ever beheld, or, rather,
Eveleen Riordan and that glorious, functioning gate together were.
Not that the weapons instructor was not beautiful in her own right
with great brown, heavily lashed eyes set in almost too delicately wrought
features and crowned by light chestnut hair that set off perfectly her softly
pale Celtic complexion. She was small and slight, beautifully formed, and
she moved with the grace of a dancer. At this moment, though, it was all
she represented and the fact that hers was a familiar face that drew him
so powerfully, not any physical perfection.
Suddenly, the ease and open pleasure left the newcomer. She stiffened
and whirled to face the three Foanna, her eyes flashing as if in preparation
for war. "Pull back!" she snapped. "Get away from my mind, now, and
keep away!"
"Hold on, Miss Riordan," Ashe intervened hastily. "These are the
Foanna. They're our allies, our friends."
Ross straightened. He, for one, could fully appreciate the weapons
expert's reaction to the on-worlders' peculiar form of interrogation. "Leave
her alone!" He altered h
is tone quickly, although there had been more of
plea than command in it. "Give her a few minutes, Great Ones. We do
know her."
"Peace, Younger Brother. The Young Sister has our welcome."
Eveleen moved closer to Murdock. She faced the Foanna, endeavoring
to hold the appearance of confidence despite her racing heart. "My
apology, Great Ones," she said meekly, "but we humans regard our
thoughts and feelings as our own. We cannot readily endure the invasion
of our minds, whatever the purpose, the more particularly since we are not
accustomed to the experience."
Ynlan smiled. "It is so with the Younger Brother as well. Be at ease.
Your minds are alike in that we cannot penetrate their shields, although
yours inflicts more pain in your refusal of us."
"Thank you for that understanding, Great One." The Terran woman
looked around. "Where's Karara?"
"There was trouble here with the Baldies," Ashe told her quickly.
"Unfortunately, Karara didn't make it."
Eveleen's smile reached her eyes. "She has a remarkably active ghost in
that event."
Before he could question that remark, the Lady Yngram, the third of
the Foanna, intervened. "You knew us and what to expect from us, Young
Sister. How can that be?"
The Terran glanced mischievously at Gordon. "From records left by
Karara, Lady. She gave a detailed account of all that occurred here plus
information on what to expect when a fullblown Hawaikan civilization
suddenly appeared where none had been before. She also left instructions
for your people on how to conduct themselves with us. Terrans' record of
our dealings with peoples of different cultures on our own world is
abominable," she added bluntly.
Eveleen shrugged. "As I said before, we don't like anyone meddling with
our minds. With the Baldies' known powers in that line, we'd been
working on finding and training people to fight such assault or at least to
hold their own against it. When we learned of your abilities as well, it was
decided that I might be the best one to send back here. At least, I was the
best available on short notice."
"It was a wise choice," the Lady Ynvalda assured her. "You are strong,
Young Sister." She hesitated. "You only mention reading of the Foanna.
Are we…"
The Time Agent shook her head. "No, Great One, unfortunately not,
though your memory is highly honored. There is a fierce long age between
this time and that future."
"Can you tell us when? Or how?"
The human nodded. "If you really want to know, Lady," she replied
reluctantly.
The Foanna said nothing for a moment. "No. You are right, Young
Sister. It is best that those who are set upon life's journey do not know the
hour or manner of its culmination."
Eveleen turned her attention once more to Ashe. "You'll have to
produce Karara, Doctor. There can't be any thought of our taking her
back—it's four Foanna, not three, that Hawaika honors—but I must speak
with her. She has to know precisely what she must record for us and for
her adopted people."
"She won't be staying alone," Murdock informed her.
"Hardly. Hawaika's oceans of the future are filled with highly intelligent
dolphins who communicate both orally and mentally with their
land-dwelling placesharers. To take Tinorau and Taua would be to doom
that sentient race to nonexistence."
Ynvalda nodded. "It shall be as you will. Our sister will not gainsay you
in this."
The Foanna turned to the two men. "Would you like to speak with your
Young Sister alone?" she asked them.
"If you please, Lady," Ross answered before Ashe could reply. "Miss
Riordan probably has news of our own people which we are eager to hear
and maybe a new assignment for us as well."
"That is so, Great One," Eevleen confirmed. "There's nothing we need to
conceal from you, and I'm at complete liberty to speak before you if you so
wish, but little of what I have to say concerns Hawaika, past or future. You
may enter my mind to determine if I'm talking the truth. I think I can
lower my shields for you if I'm willing."
"No need, Eevleen," she replied, her accent making a song of the name.
"You radiate truth. Neither we nor ours will suffer for our leaving ye at
this time. —When ye are done here, we shall bring Karara to you. Until
then, farewell, and, again, welcome, Young Sister."
The Foanna drew together. A mist seemed to gather around them,
concealing them from the Terrans' sight. When it cleared once more, they
were gone.
4
MURDOCK WATCHED THEM go with his usual sense of relief, then
turned to the Terran woman.
She gave him a wry smile. "Those three're even spookier than I'd
imagined they'd be."
"They're all right. They're good to have on one's side in a fight, and they
pay their dues when it comes to putting everything up for stakes when
they must."
Ross was mildly surprised at himself for that defense, but already it
seemed to him that Hawaika was history, his history. There was a future
ahead of him again, and somehow he did not imagine it was going to be
either simple or easy. It was not even worth dreaming that it might be
safe. That was simply not part of a Time Agent's job.
His pale eyes fixed the newcomer. "All right, Eveleen. Spill it."
Gordon frowned. "What's wrong, Ross?"
"That's for her to say." He caught himself. "Sorry, Eveleen. I didn't
mean to put you on the rack, but you are, or were, an instructor, not an
active agent. Besides, they'd have to have a damn good reason for sending
anyone except one of the brains with a big degree or one of the ranking
brass on what should be a pick-up trip like this, however much they want
to try out your mental resistance. To my way of thinking, that means
trouble."
She sighed. "Trouble in spades," she agreed, "though not for Hawaika. I
was given the job more because of my weapons skills than any unproven
ability to withstand a mind takeover."
"Let's sit and make ourselves comfortable," the older man suggested.
"This sounds like it'll take a while."
"It will, I'm afraid."
Eveleen Riordan looked from one to the other of them. "You five turned
out to be a full deck of wild cards, altering history in a major sense. For
Hawaika, the result couldn't have been better, but the ramifications of the
change went farther, and a planet called Dominion of the Sun-Star Virgin
has less reason to be grateful for your efforts.
"When we got there originally, we found a world of large cities and rich
farms and a human population who themselves had a form of interstellar
drive and who had colonized all seven of their system's planets plus several
of those belonging to the stars nearest them. They also had developed
transceiving equipment that makes communication between star systems
as easy and clear as we get on the phone back home on Terra.
"Their drive's not as good as the Baldies'. It's much slower, and people
who make the journey out of Vir
gin's system generally go only one way.
That's what's held them back from pushing even farther. Of greater
interest to us, though, is the fact that they actually do their own flying
rather than depend on journey tapes. That we want to learn from them as
soon as possible and are making it part of the trade deal we're setting up
with them, or we were setting up, to be more precise."
Her face clouded. "Our settlers on Hawaika had a whole civilization
appear out of nowhere. Those of us visiting Dominion of Virgin found
themselves equally suddenly standing on a cinder."
Gordon's eyes closed. "Lord of Time," he whispered.
"Baldies?" Ross hissed.
She nodded curtly. "Apparently. They must've hit the place with
everything they had. Not so much as a spore or cell of algae remained
when they left."
The arms expert leaned forward. "They had it in for the planet anyway.
According to Dominion's old history, the Baldies tried to stage an
invasion, but it came some four hundred years later, and by then the locals
were able to see to their own defense."
"How?" Murdock asked.
"A form of mental attack that left the entire assault force utterly
mindless. It wasn't pretty, apparently, but it was merited."
"How did our work on Hawaika change that?" Ashe asked.
"We've only got our probability and possibility scenarios to go on, but
we think the ship you drove from Hawaika reported that her company had
been whipped by definitely off-world humans before she disappeared
entirely. Either Dominion was discovered shortly thereafter and was
immediately blasted as a precaution, or else they decided to give her
destruction greater priority than it had formerly enjoyed. They hit her
harder and somewhat sooner in her new history."
"You keep mentioning the locals as being human. Are they, were they,
so much like us?"
"That's part of the tragedy as far as we're concerned. They could
actually be us."
"Terrans?" he asked incredulously.
"Possibly. Way back in their history, but well within the scientific era,
the Dominionites had discovered some sort of time capsule indicating that
their far ancestors had been transplanted there from another planet.
"Given the admittedly incomplete information supplied to us, we think
another race, definitely not our Baldy acquaintances, reached Terra just at