Rissa and Tregare

by F. M. Busby

  Tregare laughed. "I spotted it once, from aloft. I was guess-ing I had the right trail to it."

  "It's beautiful here," said Ivan. "Not just the lake-all of it."

  "Yes," said Rissa. "And the climb has given me an ap-petite." She sat on the ground, Tregare on a stump, Ivan on a mossy boulder. They ate bread and cheese, meats and fruit, with sips from a bottle of tart red wine. They spoke little-mostly of their surroundings, pointing out oddities of plant life and the few smal, scuttling animals they saw. They fel silent. A fish-or something like a fish-jumped and splashed back into the lake. Rissa lay back and dozed. Tregare's voice woke her. ". . . for sure, then, no counting on the Earthside Hulzeins?"

  "I wouldn't think so," said Ivan. "You are going to Earth, are you? Or maybe I shouldn't ask." Tregare laughed. "Oh, I've thought of it-several ways. I always have lots of possibilities in mind, Ivan-so if one goes sour, I scratch it off and don't waste thought on it. But it makes a difference whether there'd be a stable Hulzein con-nection on Earth, maybe sixty-eighty years after you left."

  Rissa opened her eyes and saw Ivan shake his head. "I couldn't guess-not even two years from when I left, let alone the time until you could get there."

  "No matter," said Tregare. "There'll be news. If not from the Hulzeins, then from someone else. And if not here, maybe the next place I land."

  - -

  "The long view." Ivan said it a moment before Rissa would have. She sat up.

  "Yes," she said. "It is hard to think in such terms, but it is necessary."

  "Damned hard," said her brother. "I guess I'll have to work on it." Tregare stood. "Before we turn back, should we go a little farther?" He led the way; they circled half around the lake and climbed one side of a looming promontory, then came out to its tip and gazed at the scene below. The Lodge looked very small; beside it the aircars were mere dots.

  "And this," said Rissa, "is less than halfway to the top."

  "Top of the first-and lowest-major ridge, you mean," said Tregare. "Well, I've had my workout climbing. On the way down, I'm willing to take it easy."

  In no great hurry, they descended; when they reached the Lodge, the sun was low. In their room Rissa and Tregare shared a hot tub, then bed, before going downstairs to dinner. Liesel was first to the table; shortly Ivan joined them, then Sparline and Ernol.

  "Ernol-my brother, Ivan Marchant."

  The two shook hands; Ernol said, "If you fight like she does, unarmed, I'd appreciate a practice session sometime." Ivan grinned. "I worked more with weapons-unarmed, maybe I'd be the one learning. Sure, though-I might have a couple of new moves for you."

  Servitors brought food. "Eat now, fight later," said Liesel.

  when coffee and liqueurs were served, Tregare excused him-self and returned a half hour later. "Talked with Limmer," he said. "Things are moving well. But we'd better go across to-morrow, Rissa, and check the work before anyone does any cutting. Spee and Valkyrie are the same class as Lefthand Thread, but not the same age. There may have been some modifications."

  "Very well. Bran. And Ivan goes, also?" Tregare nodded. "Good-Ivan, you will have a new experience." Then, "And did you speak with Base One?"

  "Yes. Main caught part of a message from the packet. It's pretty close, now, but he missed the landing date-noisy signal."

  Liesel smiled. "Hawkman-he'll be here soon-and about time! But, Bran-you and Rissa are leaving again, so soon?"

  "Only for two-three days. Why? Something's up?"

  "Well-" Liesel looked at her daughter. "This girl's had long enough to try out her man. When Hawkman gets home, I think we'll marry her off and get it over with."

  "Mother!" Sparline was up and around the table, hugging and kissing the older woman. "Mother-I'm so glad!" Never before had Rissa heard Sparline call her mother anything but Liesel.

  Ernol said, "I am, too," and leaned to kiss Liesel's cheek. "Thank you-and I guess this means I'm doing my job all right?"

  "You don't have to ask that-you know you are. Now there's one question-only because Hawkman and I may be going to Earth, leaving you and Sparline in charge here."

  Ernol's brows raised. "Yes?"

  "Names. By custom, you'd each keep your own. But you've come up fast; some of the oligarchs could get snicky.

  'Ernol Lombuno? Who's he?'-you know? So if you'd like to add the name Moray- or Hulzein-we'll put it in the contract."

  "I-hadn't thought of the possibility. I-"

  "You don't have to decide now, think it over. Whatever you and Sparline prefer, that's how it'll be." Ernol nodded. "It's a great compliment, Liesel. My own name-a Lombuno commanded troops that won victory against terrible odds. But I'd be just as proud of Moray or Hulzein, too."

  Holding Ernol's hand in both of hers, Sparline looked up. "Whatever Ernol decides, that's what I want, too." She smiled at him. "And if you take Moray or Hulzein, I get to add Lombuno."

  Her mother laughed. "She's got you there, Ernol. Wel, you

  two figure out what you want. Now, then-anybody for

  cards?"

  Tregare shook his head. "Not me-not tonight." Rissa followed his lead, and one by one the group dispersed. tregare, next morning, lifted the new aircar toward the pass. Rissa, Ivan beside her, followed in the older one. "Watch carefully," she said. "At the crucial points there are land-marks." She showed him the oxygen equipment; they fitted the tubes into place. Ahead, Tregare came abreast of the pass; she saw him turn up and into the buffeting currents. Then she, too, turned. As they climbed, she did not speak. When the dogleg loomed she said "Wow!" and swung the car viciously, at ful power, into the first turn. She heard Ivan's whoop; when they were through the second and into more open space, she glanced aside to him. He was beating his palms against his knees and laughing.

  "Oh, that's beautiful, Rissa-I'm glad you didn't tell me ahead of time!" His next words did not disappoint her. "Let me try it sometime?"

  "If you have the landmarks correctly." He reported what he had seen. "Yes-that is right. Of course the reverse trip is somewhat different. You wil see."

  When they neared Base One, Tregare swooped toward it, then up again. On the car's speakers Rissa heard the sound of his cal and an answer but could not make out the words. He swung up and along the ridge above the cabin, and she fol-lowed, as he took course for Base Two. After a time, the crater and its ships came into sight. Ivan whistled. "Five, by God! And he's arming them al, isn't he? What's he-no, I mustn't ask yet; right?"

  "Soon," she said. Ifthe truth field shows him clear of UET's booby traps... She landed beside Tregare's aircar, where he waited. He said, "Ivan-you mind if I ask a few questions, in that build-ing over there?" Ivan looked puzzled; then his face cleared. "Truth field? Sure-you'd be crazy if you didn't. I mean-I know where I want my loyalties to be, but maybe Erika's people didn't spring al the triggers UET planted in my head, back at Wel-fare. Maybe some weren't geared to that situation. If that's true, I want to know it-as much as you do, maybe more." He grinned. "Let's go." TREGARE'S questioning was painfully deliberate, with pauses while he looked from Ivan to the indicators and back again. At one point he said, "We're getting a wiggle I can't pin down. Let's try it from another angle." He frowned and shook his head. "All right-Erika, not UET, trained you for killing. But what if she did exactly what they wanted?" He looked down, and up again.

  "No reaction. Well, then-" His voice came harsh. "It's killing time, Marchant! Who's your target?" Ivan leaned forward, tensed. "The enemies!"

  "Whose enemies?"

  He tried to rise; Rissa clutched his shoulder. "UET's! You!"

  Rissa gasped. So he was the UET plant we feared! But watch-watch and listen .. Ivan sank back in his chair; his eyes widened. "But how could they-?"

  Tregare's pointed finger held his gaze. "They knew where Rissa had gone. They knew she meant to get you out. So they planned for it."

  Rissa said, "But .you, Bran-they could not know-"

  "Not me personally," said Tregare. "Anybody opposing UET. R
ight, Marchant?" Ivan nodded; he looked down at his fingers, spread them, then clasped them together. "Do you have to kill me-or maybe just turn me loose somewhere I can't hurt anything?" His clenched hands beat down on his knee. "Oh, hell-here I thought-all this way, and I even found Rissa-l was hoping, but-"

  "No!" said Rissa, and Tregare shook his head.

  "Nothing like that," he said. "If you weren't pretty well defused already, you couldn't have got that up top and said it to my face. But a few precautions. You mind working under a hypnotic? Not to plant anything into you, but to spring what else is stil there?" Ivan shrugged. "Whatever you say." From a drawer Tregare took an ampoule, and made the injection. Now the questions came fast. Twice Ivan crouched and snarled, ready to attack. Each time Tregare fired a repetitive "Why?" forcing the man to Consider his answers until he saw past their origin to his true feelings. Gradualy the responses became less violent; soon Tregare could handle each with only a few questions, nodding as the indicators held a steady green. Finaly he turned to Rissa. "He's safe now; Erika must have got most of it out. I'd bet my life on him-in fact, I'm going to." Yawning, he stood and stretched. "That was work! Well, I'd better get on and see Limmer. Ivan'll be a while coming out of it-you'll stay with him and bring him along later?"

  "Yes, Bran. I will seek you first on Lefthand Thread."

  "Fine. If I go somewhere else, I'l leave word." He left, and she took his seat at the field controls. Can I do it?

  She had to try. "Ivan-the women at Welfare, who hurt you-remember?" He winced. "What did they do? Show me what they did." He lay supine, spreadeagled on the floor, reliving what he told. Again and again she shuddered. Tie a boy down, arouse him sexually-then punish that arousal with vicious pain. No wonder normal response was kiled!

  She thought, then said, "Get up and sit again. Now-Ivan, how old were these women?" Middle-aged, most of them, he told her. She nodded.

  "Ivan-they are al dead now, or near it. Do you realize they are dead? You have kiled them, Ivan -simply by traveling among the stars, by staying young while they aged and died." She leaned forward. "Dead people can not hurt you, Ivan. They cannot touch you-you are beyond their dead reach!"

  His brow wrinkled; he shook his head. Quickly she said, "Spit on them, Ivan- spit on them'." He spat. "Trample their bones to dust!" His feet beat against the floor. "Now they no longer exist. You have destroyed them. You are free of them. Your body can do as you wish it to-and there wil be no pain, but only joy."

  His face twitched; again he shook his head. "It is true!" He recovers from the drug-there is little time. She went to the door and locked it, came back and undid his clothing and her own. "Here is how it wil be with you, Ivan, from now on." She watched his smile begin. "You see, brother? There is no pain...."

  clothed again, and he also, she sat with him as he came to full awareness. He looked up at her. "I dreamed. I dreamed that I-was all right again.''

  She squeezed his hand. "And you are all right-forever now, you are. The past has no more power over you." He sat up. "But-what really happened? It seemed-"

  "What does it matter? Your mind and body know they are whole again."

  "But you-" He frowned. "No-that was my mind, I guess, and the drug. You wouldn't-"

  "Always, I do what is necessary. Believe what you will-I cannot see your dream, to know if it is true or not. Unless you wish to tell me..."

  "No!" He got to his feet slowly; she stood also. "I'll keep that to myself; sharing it might spoil it. But-whatever-my life's thanks to you!"

  "You make me very happy, Ivan. Are you ready to go to the ship now?"

  "Yes-a little shaky, but improving fast. And hungry!"

  She laughed. "And so am I. Shall we go and see if it is lunchtime yet?"

  Aboard Lefthand Thread and upship, they found Limmer, Felcie, and Tregare in the galley. Lunch had begun; Limmer waved for two more servings.

  Rissa introduced Ivan. Felcie said, "Tari's brother? You just got here? You're a little older, aren't you? What's it like on Earth, when you left? Not too snooky, I bet. Are you glad to be here?"

  Tregare laughed. "Don't worry, Ivan-you get used to it. Answer what you can keep track of and let the rest hang or come later. All right?"

  Ivan smiled and slowly nodded. "I'm a little smeared yet, Felcie; it took a hypnotic to pull some bugs out of my head." He turned to Tregare. "Did it all come out right?"

  "Sure-there wasn't much-less than I expected. But from the looks of you, it made more difference than I thought." Ivan shrugged. "Tensions I didn't know I had-now they're gone." He looked to Felcie. "You asked-well, by chrono I'm three years older than Rissa. Not quite that, bio-I rode deep-freeze all the way here. Came in on Graf Spee. Peace knows, yes, I'm glad to be here. What Earth's like-or was-that's no fit subject for mealtimes." Counting on his fingers, Limmer chuckled. "You'll do, man-you got all of them!''

  The talk-light, friendly chatter-progressed. At first Rissa watched Ivan closely, but soon decided his adjustment was stable and complete. Certainly his responses seemed open, unguarded. Apprehension gone, mentally she sighed in relief.

  after lunch, while Felcie showed Ivan around Lefthand Thread, Tregare and Rissa inspected the preliminary work done on Valkyrie and Graf Spee. Only a few minor corrections were needed; cutting and reframing could proceed, then the arming itself.

  Coming downship in Graf Spee, they met Ilse Krueger. The small woman wore a coverall suit; her hair was pulled back into a tight knot. She said, "Welcome aboard, Tregare-Tari. I was down in Drive when you came in, I guess. Everything going all right, above?"

  "Fine," said Tregare. "And is everything all right with you, Ilse?"

  She shrugged. "Now it is. First here, I felt Limmer was crunching me-and you sure as peace were. But then I asked around. When I heard that everybody got the truth field treat-ment-well, after Peralta I couldn't argue with that logic. But you didn't have to give me that garbage about shooting me down if I didn't kowtow the right way!"

  "Oh?" Rissa recognized Tregare's best deadpan expression.

  "Yes, oh! Not much I'd put past you, Tregare-but blow-ing up an unarmed ship and all aboard it, out of spite for losing an argument? I didn't believe that for a minute, you peace-bedamned pirate, you!"

  Tregare laughed. Rissa reached to grip the woman's shoulder, gently. "Ilse Krueger-I find that I like you." Ilse patted Rissa's hand. "That's good-and I'm glad-but I'm a bitch on jets and never forget it. You ought to hear-"

  "Then we are much alike-otherwise I would not now be alive."

  Tregare said, "You can trade stories some other time. But Tari has a point, Ilse. We married in a dueling arena. She'd just kiled a man twice her weight-a skilled man-without weapons."

  Ilse blinked and stared at Rissa. "I wouldn't have though! it. But I guess I should have-short haul or long, what other kind of woman would Tregare take up with?"

  "Could have been you, Ilse-when we first met, on South Forty. You had your own litle harem then-the twins-so I left the string loose. But I've always figured I missed some-thing worthwhile."

  Ilse Krueger smiled. "Well-someday, maybe, Tregare. Unless your dueling woman would kil me for it." Rissa shook her head. "Our binding is not exclusive. If you wish to go fulfil yourselves together at this moment-" But how will Bran reactwhen I tell him-as I must-of Ivan?

  Tregare turned her to face him. "You mean that, don't you? But-" He grinned at Ilse. "-right now I think we're due back on Thread."

  Bidding Ilse Krueger good-bye, Rissa felt the other was now indeed friendly. Going downship, she said as much to Tregare.

  "Sure," he said. "I told you-with Ilse, it's just that the shakedown takes a litle time.

  They entered Lefthand Thread's galley and found Ivan and Felcie there before them. Ivan said, "We're invited to stay for dinner. I didn't know your plans, Tregare, so-"

  "Derek thought," said Felcie, "if you'd like, if you're not busy, we could get all the captains together-Vanois, Gowdy, Ressider, Krueger-you aren't busy, ar
e you? I hope-a real party, Derek thought-maybe-" Tregare waved a hand. "Sure we can stay, and thanks. But not late-I want to reach Base One sober enough to read Deverel's message log and make sense of it." He turned. "I'd better call Hain now and tell him we'll be a while here." He left; Rissa sat and accepted coffee.

  "How do you like the ship, Ivan? Did Felcie show you how we install the weapons systems?"

  "Yes. She had me running simulations on a projector tur-ret, too, and-"

  "He's good! First he overcontrolled, the way I still do sometimes-then he got the feel of it and his scores went up like a kite. Give him a week, Tari, and he'll be real competi-tion for you."

  Ivan said, "I don't know about that- but it's the kind of thing I learn fairly easily, now my coordination's come back." Tregare rejoined them. To Rissa he said, "The packet should ground late tomorrow. Shall we meet Hawkman at the Lodge tomorrow night?"

  "If we are not needed here-surely. And what of Inconnul"

  "Another day-maybe two, if Zelde M'tana decides not to land at night. But Limmer's marked her a landing circle." He turned to Felcie. "Is that spare cabin stil free?" Brows raised, she nodded. "We don't have a change of clothes along, but we could freshen up a litle before dinner."

  he and Rissa left. In the vacant cabin they showered, lay together for a time, then rested. After some thought, Rissa told him what she had done for Ivan-and why.

  Tregare frowned. Have I made a mistake here? But he said, "He's not sure it was real?"

  "He prefers, I believe, not to know."

  "Funny . . ." He shook his head. "Two years with Erika's psych techs couldn't do it. And yet-"

  Relieved, she said, "Two factors, Bran. First-on a very deep level, he saw me as the one person he could trust. Second -you had cleared away the residue of UET's mental implants, geared to a Hidden World situation. Then when I convinced him that those who hurt him are dead-and stil I saw he was not totally free, so I-Bran? What do you feel?" Smiling, he ran his fingertips up her cheek, into her hair. "You said it right, what you told him-always you do what is necessary. That's good enough for me."