The Mystery of Ireta

by Anne McCaffrey

  “Indeed, you have.”

  “Will I see you both at dinner this evening?”

  “You will, Commander, and our thanks for the invitation.”

  “It isn’t often that representatives of two generations four times removed get a chance to meet, is it? Even in this crazy universe!” Sassinak was smiling as she broke the connection.

  “Do you need any supplies urgently, Governors?” Fordeliton asked with a grin. Kai and Varian tendered their lists. “Good, then, I can escort Kai to Mayerd’s clutches and take Varian on to the quartermaster. Mayerd’s very good, you know,” Fordeliton went on easily as he preceded them through the confusing maze of corridors. “Loves nothing better than a medical puzzle. So much space medicine is fairly cut and dried—if you’ll forgive the puns. She’s always writing obscure essays for the Space Medical Journal. This is our first planetfall in four months. Too bad the planet stinks so. We could use shore leave.”

  “The first forty years are the hardest,” Kai remarked.

  Fordeliton paused before the sick-bay entrance, and Kai, with a grimace, waved them a jaunty farewell.

  11

  VARIAN and Fordeliton had swung down the corridor toward the quartermaster section when Aygar and two of the group from the camp meeting came down another access hall. Aygar gave Varian only a brief nod of acknowledgment. All three wore the brief Iretan costume adopted by the native-born, now enhanced by forcebelts, stunners, and clips. Varian decided the Iretans were really much more attractive as human derivatives than the heavy-world adaptations.

  After she had filled her list, with the exception of the nose plugs which the quartermaster felt would be her most pressing need, Varian was asking for help to convey her booty to the sled, when Fordeliton’s caller sounded.

  “A moment, Varian, this concerns you, too. Commander Sassinak’s compliments, and can we join her immediately? Crewman, secure those supplies in Governor Varian’s sled.”

  Varian was surprised to find Kai, the medic Mayerd, and Florasse, Tanegli’s daughter—whom she had met when barriered as Rianav. While she was being introduced, Aygar was admitted.

  Then the commander activated the main screen. “This report has just arrived from the southwest, from the geologist Dimenon. He thought we should know about this development.”

  “That’s the site of Dimenon’s last strike,” Kai said when he recognized the terrain.

  “And the current habitat of twenty-three small Thek if my tally is correct,” Sassinak added with wayward amusement. “Now watch the edges of the picture.”

  Even as she spoke, Kai let out an inadvertent gasp of horror and revulsion. He held both hands out in front of him as the fringes advanced in their inimitable close-stretch propulsion, heading directly toward the sedentary Thek.

  “Those critters are in for a big surprise, Governor,” Sassinak remarked.

  Nonetheless, Kai sucked in his breath and arched his body backward, as the first fringe spread to envelop a Thek. Varian was not the only one more interested in Kai’s reactions than what was occurring on the screen. Mayerd was discreetly watching him. The fringe had been attracted by a lethal entity, for its sides began to melt and, before the creature could desist, it had been reduced to its crumpled cartilaginous framework. The other fringes met the same fate. Then, as the fascinated observers watched, fringes that had not deployed on their intended victims began to slow their advance, and came to fluttering halts.

  “Varian, have you done much investigation of these—what did you call them, Aygar?” Sassinak asked.

  “Fringes.” Aygar’s single word broke Kai’s transfixed gaze from the screen to the Iretan’s presence.

  “Young Terilla named them that,” Kai said in a flat cold voice, turning away from Aygar.

  The big Iretan made no comment, inclining his head briefly. “Whatever those black pyramids are—”

  “Thek!” Kai was almost surly.

  “The fringes have met their match, then, in these Thek. Do they generate much heat?”

  “Yes.”

  “What was it you told me, Kai?” Mayerd said into the awkward pause after Kai’s response. “The Thek are gorging themselves on raw Iretan energy?”

  Kai nodded curtly.

  “Were we told about Thek, Florasse?” Aygar asked.

  The woman shook her head slowly, her eyes never leaving the screen. “They are not of this world, Aygar, so why would we have needed to know?” Florasse’s voice held overtones of betrayed trust and disillusionment, enough to make Kai regard her with surprise.

  “What interest do the Thek have on my world?” Aygar asked, his glance sliding from Kai’s closed expression to Varian.

  “We would feel easier, Aygar,” Sassinak answered him, “if we ourselves knew. The Thek are a long-lived race who keep their own counsel, vouchsafing to us poor ephemerals only such information as they consider us worthy to receive.”

  “They are your supreme rulers?”

  “By no means! They are, however, a vital force in the Federated Sentient Planets. One does not—as you just saw—meddle with a Thek with impunity. What is germane to us right now is the question, what do you native Iretans know about the fringes?”

  “To stay away from them.” Aygar’s glance flicked to Kai.

  “And?” Sassinak prompted him.

  “They are attracted by body heat and envelop their prey, clasping the digits midsection to secure it. Then they consume their victim with a digestive juice. The ship suit you were wearing saved your life,” Aygar remarked to Kai. “Fringes have trouble digesting synthetic fibers.”

  “What weapon do you use to protect yourselves against the creatures?” Sassinak asked.

  “We run”—and Varian was certain now that the powerful young man was possessed by a fine sense of humor—“as we possess no effective weapons against the fringes. A few Thek posted about would be ideal deterrents.”

  Fordeliton coughed aloud and even Sassinak looked a trifle surprised at Aygar’s irreverent suggestion.

  “Is fire effective?”

  Aygar shrugged. “I’ve never seen them melt before, nor have we had any liquid flame to use. So far they have not penetrated to this plateau.”

  Sassinak turned back to the final frame on the screen: the fringes retreating from the Thek.

  “We observed aquatic fringes before we went cryo,” Varian said, “but no evidence at all of communication between the species. Perhaps the land fringes are further along in evolution.” She shuddered. “I don’t like even to think what they could do in cooperation. The aquatic ones are considerably smaller. Oh, and the golden fliers keep well away from them, too.”

  “Fringes in the sea?” Aygar swung toward Varian, with a puzzled frown.

  “Yes, our chemist ran some tests on fringe tissue. They’re one of the many anomalies this planet presented us. A life-form with a cellular development completely different from that of the dinosaurs—”

  “Dinosaurs?” Fordeliton erupted in surprise.

  “Yes, it’s all in my report,” Varian said. “Tyrannosaurus rex—I called him fang-face—hadrasaurs of all varieties, crested, helmeted, hyracotherium, pteranodons which I call golden fliers, or giffs—”

  “But that’s preposterous,” Fordeliton began.

  “That’s what Trizein said. He’s an amateur Mesozoic naturalist—”

  “Do you have dinosaurs on this plateau?” Fordeliton eagerly demanded of Aygar.

  “No. We picked the plateau as our settlement because it is mercifully devoid of the large life-forms,” Aygar said. “We avoid the dinosaurs as we do the fringes. Especially the golden fliers.” He glanced at Varian.

  “The giffs are harmless,” Varian said stoutly.

  Aygar’s eyebrows lifted slightly in an expression of doubt, a doubt which Florasse seconded.

  “There’s obviously a great deal of information to be shared,” Sassinak said, firmly regaining control of the meeting. “And considerable reason for you all,” and her
gesture made one group of them, “to cooperate. I estimate you have a week, two weeks at the outside before I receive orders, either from my Sector or the tribunal. As I have mentioned before, any ship of the Fleet encountering shipwrecked survivors is required to render whatever reasonable assistance is requested. We’ll ignore that—” and she jerked her thumb in the direction of the heavy-worlder transport, “complication for the nonce. My ship has been on tour for four months and my crew could use some shore leave, even on a planet that smells as bad as this one. Many of them have technical avocations—geology, botany, metallurgy, agronomy. There are analysts of all persuasions.” She extended one printout sheet to Kai and one to Aygar. “I’m sure that we can arrange duty rosters for anyone you think would be helpful, Governor. My people would make up in enthusiasm what they might lack in expertise.” Kai took the sheet from her, but Aygar remained stolidly regarding Sassinak. With a hint of testiness, she rattled the sheet at him. “You have a perfect right to be suspicious of gratuitous offers of assistance, young man, but do not be stupid. You have as much to lose or gain as these people. You may not realize it, but my profession is to protect life in all its myriad and mysterious forms. Not destroy it.”

  Florasse stirred restlessly, her hand twitching, but just then Aygar stepped forward and took the list with another of his stiff nods.

  “For my information, I would very much appreciate a report from you Iretans on the life-forms you have encountered. Thank you for your attention.” She rose, signifying an end to the meeting, her glance indicating that Varian and Kai should remain. “Now,” she said when the door had slid shut again, “any luck with your investigations, Mayerd?”

  “Too soon to tell.”

  “What? Your pet diagnostic let you down?”

  “My unit has a great deal to chuckle over, but it has confirmed the interim medication that the Mazer Star recommended. We’ll soon have a more exhaustive report.” She sounded confident.

  “Can I get back to my team, then?” Kai’s expression was unusually set.

  “Only if you’ll take Fordeliton with you. He’s a devoted dinosaur buff.”

  “There must be some mistake,” Fordeliton said, his words bursting forth.

  “Not according to Trizein. Our chemist is also a dinosaur buff,” Varian replied. “Geologically, this planet is stuck in the Mesozoic.”

  “There is no way, my dear Varian, that Ireta could evolve creatures similar to the monsters that roamed the planet Earth millions of years ago.”

  “We’re well aware of that improbability, Commander,” Varian assured her with a rueful grin, “but that’s what we’ve got and Trizein verifies it. It’s all in our reports.”

  “I can see that I’m going to have to pay those reports considerable attention. I was going to have Ford do it for me,” Sassinak’s face made a moue of resignation, “but I can’t in conscience keep him cooling his heels here if those beasties really are out there. Don’t we have other naturalists on the list, Ford?”

  “Yes, ma’am—Maxnil, Crilsoff, and Pendelman. Anstel as well, but he’s on watch.”

  “They’re not essential crew, are they? No. Would you care for some passengers back to that eyrie of yours, Governors?” When she received an eager affirmative from Varian, she nodded to Fordeliton. “See to it, will you, Ford. You may have transport, and you’d best take supplies. Keep in touch. Now, all, shake a leg out of here.” She picked up the first of the report cassettes and slid it into the replay slot on her console. “I’ve got a lot of reading to do.” She flicked her hand at them.

  Almost like children released from a tiresome class, they left. Fordeliton’s excitement was palpable.

  “Look, I’ll get Maxnil, Crilsoff, and Pendelman, raid the galley and the recorder stores, and follow. Okay?”

  “Would you have time and the space to take one or two of the geology people?” Kai asked.

  “Sure, sure.” Fordeliton craned his neck to see the list in Kai’s hand. “Baker, Bullo, and Macud are good, and they work hard. They’re off-duty right now so they’ll be bored and easily persuaded to accompany me.” Fordeliton grinned. “No problem. Don’t want to inundate you, but you’ve no idea what a treat this is.”

  By this time, they had reached the air lock. Varian had a clear view of the sky and saw the departure of three sleds from the Iretans’ settlement, heading southeast. She wondered if they were going to consolidate their position on the first campsite that they had abandoned. She looked quickly to see if Kai had noticed the sleds, but he was discussing supplies with Fordeliton.

  “If you have any telltaggers in your stores, you might want to mount one on your sled,” Varian suggested to Fordeliton.

  “We have. I will, I’ll follow as soon as I assemble the men.”

  12

  FORTUNATELY Fordeliton gave them a few minutes advance warning of his arrival, which allowed Varian just enough time to become airborne and prevent the cruiser’s sled from being attacked. Fordeliton was tremendously excited by the variety of creatures he had seen on his way to the giff cliffs. When Varian guided him into the cave, he was enraptured by the giffs themselves and his companions—Maxnil, Crilsoff, and Pendelman—were equally thrilled.

  “Now that I have you here, I’m not quite sure what to do with you,” Varian said truthfully. “Trizein is out with young Bonnard and Terilla—”

  “Could we join them?” Fordeliton was all eagerness.

  “There’s not much point in duplicating effort. What sort of speed and range does your sled have?” Varian asked as she rummaged for a sketch map of the main continent of Ireta which Kai had made the previous evening.

  “Fleet standard, supersonic.”

  “Really? You wouldn’t mind working up in the polar region, would you? We hadn’t penetrated that far. Your sled could function in high temperatures?”

  “Of course!”

  “Well, now.” Varian pointed to the northern polar area. “I’d rather like to know if there are variations of these critters that have adapted to the intense heat.”

  “I’ll just put this map through the scan, and we’ll be off to do a reconnaissance.”

  No sooner had she sent him on his way than a second sled penetrated giff territory. They had not thought to announce their arrival so that Varian had a chance to witness the giff attack mode. The resultant commotion brought Lunzie from her lair.

  “You’ll have to go up yourself and escort them in,” the medic told Varian.

  “I think we’ve got too much of a good thing,” Varian said under her breath as she went to the rescue.

  This time it was a second shift from the Zaid-Dayan, the geology buffs, Baker, Bullo, and Macud. Kai contacted Dimenon and arranged an unexplored sector for the cruiser’s men to assess. They went off in high spirits.

  “We can’t keep alarming the giffs like this,” Varian said, “even if we do need help to accomplish our mission.”

  “Why not return to our original site, then?” Lunzie suggested. When she noticed Kai’s stiff posture, she shrugged. “Well, it was just an idea.”

  Kai took a deep breath. “Not a bad one, actually, Lunzie. In fact, a very sensible solution. I’d like to see if a force-screen would keep out fringes. They couldn’t have developed from aquatic to land beasts in just forty-three years, could they? Well, then,” and he swallowed, took a deep breath, “it was Tor who attracted the fringe to the site. We’ll just try to make sure that we keep our Thek visitors to a minimum. Okay? Then let’s plan to reestablish our original camp. It makes sense in a number of ways, not just protecting the giffs. It’s where ARCT-10 will look for us. And since the Zaid-Dayan’s sleds all have long-range capabilities, then we won’t have to establish secondary camps. And you can stay on here, Varian, and observe the giffs without all this coming and going.”

  “I like it, Kai,” Lunzie said, thoroughly approving. “But we need a lot of equipment—”

  “We’ll make up a list. Sassinak did say that she’s supposed to rep
lenish any lost equipment.”

  “Isn’t replacing a whole basecamp asking a bit much?”

  “I’ll lean on my relation this evening,” Lunzie said. “Blood is thicker than water and a few odd pieces of standard Fleet issue.”

  The giff alarm was heard yet again and, cursing with a fervor and an inventiveness that made her listeners grin, Varian went out to give escort. Mayerd arrived just as Varian had maneuvered her slower vehicle out. Mayerd opened the canopy of her sleek one-man craft as Varian returned, and gave her a cheery, apologetic wave. She stepped out of the little ship, turning to gather three large parcels and one small before she moved toward Kai and Lunzie.

  “My diagnostic unit chuckled to itself for a good two hours after you left, Kai, but it came up with medication and a few tentative conclusions. It rarely makes definitive statements. You are Lunzie, aren’t you?” Mayerd asked, juggling her parcels so that she had a free hand to extend to Lunzie.

  “I am and I surmise that you are Lieutenant Commander Mayerd.”

  “Mayerd’ll do.” Then she turned again to Kai, grinning. “Not only did that fringe digestive juice poison you, Kai, but you are allergic to the poison. My DU not only came up with tablets to help flush the poison out of your system and counteract the allergy but also a salve to anoint the punctures and reduce that desensitivity. And DU highly recommended the new nerve regenerative.” She turned expectantly to Lunzie. “The Crimjenetic: the regenerative we had to use to combat the Persean paralysis.” When Lunzie’s expression remained polite but otherwise unresponsive, Mayerd blinked. “Ah, but you wouldn’t have known about that. It happened twenty years ago . . .”

  “During a nap I took,” Lunzie commented.

  Mayerd smiled. “You’ll want to read up on this Crimjenetic then. It has proved remarkably effective on all kinds of bizarre nerve poisonings. And I’ve some disks on the latest Federated Medical Review I can lend you, as well, to make up for that naptime. Remind me this evening. Which brings me to these . . .” She handed out the parcels. “I thought green for you, Lunzie. Medical research has proved that our profession choses green as their favorite color nine to one. I hope you’re not the odd one out.”