“No,” said Lunzie. “By ilk, the Thek probably mean the ARCT-10 for as long as it survives. You deserve it, Kai. You really do.”
“Curiously enough,” Sassinak said into the respectful pause that followed, “the Thek did appreciate the fact that you all have lost irreplaceable time. In doing so, of course, you set up the circumstances which retrieved the lost Ger and the forgotten planet. Thek justice is unusual.”
“What about Aygar and the other Iretans?”
Varian shot a quick glance at Kai, whose expression was of resigned disapproval. “The Thek lumped all humans in one group as survivors. In a sense, that’s correct. Aygar plans to stay.”
“He made that plain, Thek or not.” Kai’s tone held grudging respect.
“And the Thek will permit a limited support group for us and however many of Aygar’s Iretans plan to remain.”
“I wonder if some of them might consider enlisting in the Fleet,” Sassinak mused. “Wefts are excellent guards, but Ireta produced some superb physical types. Ford, do see if we can recruit a few.”
“Tanegli?” Lunzie asked.
“Mutiny cannot be excused, nor the mutineer exonerated,” Sassinak answered, her expression stern. “He is to be taken back to Sector Headquarters to stand trial. The Thek were as adamant on that score as I am.”
“And Cruss is being sent back?” asked Ford.
Sassinak steepled her fingers, a satisfied smile playing at the corners of her mouth. “Not only sent back but earthed for good. Neither he, nor his crew, nor even any of the cryo passengers will ever leave their planet. Nor will their transport lift again.”
“The Thek do nothing by halves, do they?”
“They have been exercised—if you can imagine a Thek agitated,” Sassinak went on, “about the planetary pirates and patiently waiting for us to do something constructive about the problem. The intended rape of Ireta has forced them, with deep regret, to interfere.” A polite rap on the door interrupted her. At her response, Dupaynil opened the door, surveying the group quickly. “On cue, for I have good news for you, Commander. Names, only one of which was familiar to me.” She beckoned the Intelligence officer to take a seat as she leaned forward to type information on the terminal. “Parchandri is so conveniently placed for this sort of operation . . .”
“Inspector General Parchandri?” Fordeliton exclaimed, his expression shocked.
“The same.”
Lunzie chuckled cynically. “It makes sense to have a conspirator placed high in Exploratory, Evaluation, and Colonization. He’d know exactly which planetary plums were ready to be plucked.”
Kai and Varian regarded her with stunned expressions.
“Who else, Sassinak?” Lunzie asked.
The commander looked up from the visual display with a smug smile. “The Sek of Fomalhaut is a Federation Councillor of Internal Affairs. One now understands just how his private fortune was accrued. Lutpostig appears to be the Governor of Diplo, a heavy-worlder planet. How convenient! Paraden, it will not surprise you to discover, owns the company which supplied the grounded transport ship.”
“Doubtless others in his fleet will meet the same fate,” Lunzie said.
“We could never have counted on uncovering duplicity at that level, Commander,” was Dupaynil’s quiet assessment. He frowned slightly. “It strikes me as highly unusual for a man at Cruss’s level to know such names.”
“He didn’t,” Sassinak replied equably. “He was only vaguely aware that Commissioner Paraden was involved. The Thek extrapolated from what he could tell them of recruitment procedures, suppliers, and what they evidently extracted from the transport’s data banks.”
“And how can we use the information they obtained?”
“With great caution, equal duplicity and superior cunning, Dupaynil, and undoubtedly some long and ardent discussions with the Sector Intelligence Bureau. Fortunately, for my hypersuspicious nature, I’ve known Admiral Coromell for years and trust him implicitly. However, knowing where to look for one’s culprits is more than half the battle, even those so highly placed.”
“You will keep us informed of your progress, won’t you?” Lunzie asked wistfully.
“By reliable homing capsule,” Sassinak replied, but her grin quickly faded into regret. “I have been given sailing orders, too. So, Fordeliton, brush up on your eloquence and see whom you can recruit from among the Iretans. Kai, Varian, Lunzie, if you need any more supplies to tide you over until the ARCT-10 arrives, it will be my pleasure to oblige. Just have them loaded into the pinnace. I’ll have Borander deliver you back to your camp. Just one more thing—” Sassinak swiveled her chair about, fingering the digital lock on a cabinet behind her. She extracted first one, then with a shrug of her shoulders, two more of the distinctive square bottles of Sverulan brandy. “Clean glasses, please, Ford, for I’ve a toast to propose.”
Glasses were found, generously filled with brandy. Sassinak rose to her feet, the others followed suit.
“To the brave, ingenious, and honored survivors of this planet! Including the dinosaurs!”
Also by Anne McCaffrey
Published by Ballantine Books
Decision at Doona
Dinosaur Planet
Dinosaur Planet Survivors
Get Off the Unicorn
The Lady
Pegasus in Flight
Restoree
The Ship Who Sang
To Ride Pegasus
Nimisha’s Ship
Pegasus in Space
Black Horses for the King
THE CRYSTAL SINGER BOOKS
Crystal Singer
Killashandra
Crystal Line
THE DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN BOOKS
Dragonflight
Dragonquest
The White Dragon
Moreta: Dragonlady of Pern
Nerilka’s Story
Dragonsdawn
The Renegades of Pern
All the Weyrs of Pern
The Chronicles of Pern: First Fall
The Dolphins of Pern
Dragonseye
The Masterharper of Pern
The Skies of Pern
By Anne McCaffrey and Elizabeth Ann Scarborough:
Powers That Be
Power Lines
Power Play
A Gift of Dragons
By Anne McCaffrey and Todd McCaffrey
Dragon’s Kin
Suddenly the vines were shoved aside as three large golden fliers glided in, close enough for Varian to smell the aroma of fish and spice they exuded. Their long, pointed beaks had raised slightly, and she was being regarded by very keen and hostile eyes.
Very slowly, she extended her hand for the wing claw, its three digits lying loose. She took one between her thumb and forefinger and pressed very gently. Then, tentatively, the claw lightly closed about her fingers. . . .
This novel is a work of fiction. Names, characters, and incidents either are products of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously.
A Del Rey® Book
Published by The Random House Publishing Group
Dinosaur Planet copyright © 1978 by Anne McCaffrey. First published in Great Britain by Futura Publications Limited in 1978.
Dinosaur Planet Survivors copyright © 1984 by Anne McCaffrey. First published in Great Britain by Futura Publications Limited
in 1984.
THE DRAGONRIDERS OF PERN is a trademark of Anne McCaffrey. Reg. U.S. Pat. & Tm. Off.
All rights reserved under International and Pan-American Copyright Conventions. Published in the United States by The Random House Publishing Group, a division of Random House, Inc., New York, and simultaneously in Canada by Random House of Canada Limited, Toronto.
Del Rey is a registered trademark and the Del Rey colophon is a trademark of Random House, Inc.
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e-ISBN 0-345-47203-9
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The Mystery of Ireta Page 48