‘Really?’
‘Yup, and that O. O'Neill' He peered at her a little too closely for comfort but she couldn't see how one man would know about the correspondence of everyone on the planet, immigration officer or no. 'I don't suppose you're an O'Neill too, are you? Never met one before and now they're comin' out of the woodwork.’
Dinah contained her start of surprise. She quite deliberately hadn't given the little man her name.
‘O. O'Neill?' She could also look exceedingly blank.
‘Oscar O'Neill of the Nabatira Structural Cube Company?’
‘Never heard of him. Why did you say he was here?' And, Dinah thought to herself, how did Nabatira Cubes get to poor backwater Petaybee?
‘He brought in the four Cubes that we got sent.’
‘You mean these Cubes - they're very expensive articles, in case you didn't know - were just… bestowed on you?’
‘Sure were, 'cos we couldn't afford 'em, being new at being an independent planet. Say, can you read and write?’
‘Yes,' Dinah said, adding in her mind,' doesn't everyone?' just as she also realized this man could do neither.
‘Teacher?' and Adak leaned forward eagerly. 'We got one at Kilcoole - Wild Star Furey, and she's doing the job a treat. Why, two of our kids already read their-selves right through the primer they were given four weeks ago.’
‘Well, you're an up-and-coming independent planet then. Big tourist trade?’
‘Tourist? Oh, you mean the hunters? Well, we don't know yet how they come to know about us,' and Adak did not approve. 'They don't know how to hunt proper on Petaybee. Worse, they keep getting lost and not knowing how to speak to Petaybee to find out where they are.’
‘Speak to Petaybee?’
‘Wai, some of 'em's not done bad. But now the whole kit and kaboodle's here we can't get rid of 'em. Them and the druggists…’
‘What would druggists…?’
‘Oh, you know the sort, Dama, big shots from drug companies. They think all they gotta do is dig plants or strip leaves and make pots of stuff to sell for bags of credits.' Adak scoffed. 'They've another think coming and most of 'em is awful slow. They eat a lot, too.’
‘And that's bad?’
‘Wai, lucky we had a good harvest this year, long spring, good summer. Got a bumper crop, or would have if all these folks hadn't dumped on us. Oppor-tooo-nists is what Sean calls 'em. They sure are lousing up our opportunities.’
‘Maybe we should go to Kilcoole?' Dinah suggested.
Adak eyed her shipsuit and her neat jacket critically. 'Wai, you ain't dressed proper for anything but the snocle, Dama, and one of our drivers is unfortunately being held by pirates offa the planet. Sorry for the inconvenience. You can sit over there.' He pointed to the rough benches lining the wall. 'Won't be too long. A coupla hours till those guys bring us whatever pile o' junk's going to Sean this time.’
Dinah and Megenda exchanged glances but obediently sat themselves down. The Cube might appear windowless from outside but there was a strip of oneway plasglass all around, affording them a good view of the activity around the spacer through the light snowfall.
‘Captain Louchard's not going to like us waiting about,' Megenda murmured to Dinah.
‘I know, but it can't be helped,' she replied and crossed her slim legs. She had much to think over while she waited. At least the building was warmish. And the snow would hide the little shuttle craft she and Megenda had arrived in. She fingered the finder in her pocket which would allow them to locate the craft no matter how much snow covered it.
Adak Rourke had turned away from them to his comunit. '… that Muktuk wrote…' he was saying. 'That's a rogue, Una.’
Dinah had been a pirate long enough that she didn't care for it when someone was communicating long distance while she was in the room and without an escape route. She sauntered back up to Rourke's desk as if bored and sat on the edge of the desk.
‘So tell me, Adak. I'm awfully curious about this Tanana Bay. Where is it anyway? Actually, I was wondering if there was a map of this planet or something. I can't imagine the whole place being arctic.’
‘Well, it is, Dama. Doctor Fiske says that's 'cos we only got continents on the poles with nothin' in the middle - well, not so far. Governor says the planet's workin' on makin' middle bits but it'll take a spell. Now then, as for a map,' he reached into the middle drawer of a desk and drew forth a much-creased sheet of paper with a monochrome photo on it. 'There's not a lot but Dr Fiske give us this aerial map and showed us where Kilcoole is. I can show you where other places are if you got a bit of time.’
She smiled sweetly. 'From what you say, I've quite a bit of that. So, then, where is it?’
‘Right about - well, first you have to find Savoy and Harrison's Fjord which are’
‘Why, when I want to go to Tanana Bay?’
‘Snot that simple, Dama. You have to get your reference points, like and’
The desk was suddenly thrown into shadow as Megenda loomed as only he could. 'Stop stalling. Give us the coordinates.’
Sean streaked from the Kilcoole Cube in a stream of papers when Una gave him Adak's message.
‘He said the lady Muktuk and Chumia wrote to was here looking for her relatives, Sean,' Una told him. 'Said she was an O'Neill if ever he saw one. He'll try to keep them there.’
‘Are Muktuk and Chumia still in town?’
‘No, sir. They went home right after leaving the message.’
‘Send a team after them and if you can't locate one, send Sinead on skis. She's the fastest in the village. Damn, without the Company here, we're going to have to organize some kind of police force.’
‘How about Madame Algemeine's organization?’
‘Good idea. Ask Whit to get a message to Gal-Three. But no-one is to move in until we can safeguard Yana and the others.’
‘Where are you going, sir?’
‘For a swim,' he said.
Una shook her head as she watched him tear off his fur vest and shirt as he ran towards the river. Other people bundled up to go outdoors in this weather. Sean stripped down. She liked these people, she really did, but she doubted she'd ever understand them.
Even in seal form, swimming as fast as his flippers could take him, Sean arrived at SpaceBase too late. Adak was on the floor of the Cube, a large bump purpling on his head. 'Big sucker hit me,' he said. 'The lady was nice enough, though. They wanted a map to Tanana Bay.’
‘Did they now? At least we know where they're going.’
‘Yeah, but I don't think there's any way we can get there in time.’
‘I can,' Sean said grimly.
Fortunately, the river ran close by the Cube and Sean dashed back out the door, still stark naked, dived in and disappeared under the water. Adak touched his bump gingerly. 'Musta got him outa bed or somethin',' he said. 'I coulda loaned him some pants anyway, if he'd stopped long enough…’
Megenda was already at the shuttle's controls and Dinah O'Neill was just about to climb in when a disturbance on the river caused her to pause. She was here to sus out this planet and its peculiarities.
Her eye had been caught by the sight of the river-ice bursting open, frothing with bubbles, then geysering three feet into the air as a large silvery seal jumped on to the bank. She was about to turn away when the seal turned into a well-built naked man, one of her favourite tourist attractions.
The man ran into the Cube and Dinah smiled.
‘You comin'?' Megenda grunted.
‘In a moment,' she said, and her wait was rewarded. After a few minutes the door to the Cube flung open, the naked man ran out, jumped back into the water and disappeared beneath the ice.