Hunt and his three escorts reached the Planetary Administration Center after a fifteen-minute walk through more streets and arcades and across a pedestrian flyover spanning a moving beltway that carried freight. The base of the PAC complex merged into the general plan of the lower city, but as was clear from the fact that the Shapieron at Geerbaine was visible from higher up, its upper parts formed a tower facing west over the city.
The entrance they came to was a transparent wall and set of doors opening from a wide pedestrian precinct lined by stores and what looked like office units, rows of display cases, and at the far end a battery of stairs and escalators going up to the concourse of a transportation terminal. The doors opened at their approach, and inside was a desk with a Jevlenese reception clerk. A couple of guards were standing a few yards back in the lobby area opening through to the interior. To Hunt's relief after some of the things he had seen and heard since arriving, the guards were smartly turned out and seemed alert. So someone, at least, seemed to know what he or she was doing. They were unarmed as far as Hunt could see, but both were wearing lightweight headbands, throatmike-earpiece combinations, and wrist units that Hunt recognized as Ganymean communications accessories into the Shapieron's computer system, zorac—the direct neural-coupling technology of the Thuriens was from a later era.
Initially, the interest of the guards was focused more on Hunt's companions than on Hunt. But then the clerk, probably prompted by zorac, who would have recognized Hunt via the visual pickups in the headbands, gesticulated and said something in Jevlenese to the other two, followed by "You are Doctor Hunt, who gets missed? All look everyplace Shiban. Ganymeans very . . ." He traced circles vaguely in the air with his hand.
Hunt nodded. "I'm Hunt. I'm okay."
"Use, please." The clerk reached below the desk and produced another communications kit. Hunt fitted the items into place, and a voice spoke that he hadn't heard for a long time.
"Hello, Vic. Welcome to our world, and all that—but you don't seem to have been doing a bad job of finding yourself a welcoming committee already. Pretty fast operator, if you don't mind my saying so." ,
It spoke in his ear, not his head. A sudden feeling of being back among familiar things came over him. Perhaps, in some ways, the Shapieron Ganymeans were closer to Earthpeople than to Thuriens. "zorac, you haven't changed," he replied. "This isn't what it looks like. And even if it were, it wouldn't be any of your business."
"Glad to see you're in one piece, anyhow."
The reception clerk was coming through coherently now that zorac was on-line to translate. "Dr. Hunt, we're sure pleased to see you. We've put alerts out all over. The Ganymeans have been getting worried."
"Did everyone else make it okay?" Hunt asked.
"They're all here."
"We passed an accident on the way from Geerbaine," Hunt said. "A part of a bridge collapsed."
"Yes. A senior officer of the Shiban police was killed. There was a lot of confusion."
"Also, there was a Terran party in a bus, off the same ship as us. They were in a precarious situation when we left."
"The school group?"
"That's them. The two Terrans who met us stayed behind to sort it out. Do you have any news on what happened?"
"They're all okay. Koberg and Lebansky got back a few minutes ago." Hunt nodded and emitted a thankful sigh. The clerk inclined his head to indicate the three girls, who were by this time talking to the guards. "Er, where did they come from?" he inquired, dropping his voice discreetly.
"They were collecting for charity at the airport."
"Sure. Give me a call," Osaya was saying to one of them.
"I'm off at seven. How about then?"
"Anytime. And I love the Terran uniform . . ." zorac was still supplying the background translation.
Just then, another figure appeared through some doors on the far side of the lobby area and came across. He was about fortyish, with a medium, athletic build, black-haired and clean-shaven, and wearing a white shirt and gray slacks. As he got closer, Hunt recognized his face as the American that Lebansky had talked to on the screen inside the minibus. The American grinned easily and extended a hand.
"Dr. Hunt, from UNSA?"
"Yes."
"Hi. The name's Del Cullen. Glad you're okay." Cullen eyed the three girls curiously. "I see you've been making friends already."
"Well, you didn't send the mayor with a red carpet. One must exercise initiative."
The girls waved as Hunt turned with Cullen to go into the building. "Come and see us again, Vic," Nixie sang after him. . "Call if you don't remember the way."
"I might surprise you," Hunt called back. "And thanks again."
Cullen and Hunt began walking back across the lobby. "English?" Cullen said.
"Yes—from London originally. How about you?"
"East Coast. Baltimore."
"How do you fit in here?"
Cullen's voice fell to a level that was not for carrying. "Well, I try to impress some concept of security into these people. It's an uphill battle at times, but we're getting there slowly."
"Which people do you mean—Jevlenese or Ganymeans?"
"Both. I was sent here to help Garuth set the system up. He's learning fast, but you know how it is with Ganymeans: running an intelligence operation isn't their line. They didn't have any eyes or ears out in the city—just tended to sit inside PAC and believe whatever the Jevs told them. We're starting to use Jevlenese outside, now. They can be okay if you know how to select the right ones."
They entered the elevator. "I take it that those two who picked us up, Koberg and Lebansky, they work for you, then?" Hunt said.
"Right. We imported a nucleus of pros from back home to seed the operation."
The elevator shaft was a transparent tube, and the car had all-round windows, presenting views of a progression of galleries, halls opening into office areas, and wide corridors as the car ascended. Although not exactly new and gleaming, the condition of the surroundings was noticeably better than the general standard outside.
Hunt still didn't follow completely. He remembered one of the two at Geerbaine saying something about things happening that Hunt probably didn't know about. "So, how did you get here?" he asked Cullen. "I mean, how did Garuth come to acquire a security operation in the first place? Who do you work for?"
"When the Thuriens and our own governments set up this arrangement, some of the folks back home knew there'd be problems when the Jevlenese started getting over their shell shock. The U.S. pushed for a security operation here that wouldn't have to depend on the Jevlenese police, but the Thuriens blocked it." Cullen shrugged. "So somebody persuaded Garuth that it would be a good idea to set up something anyway—`semiofficial,' if you know what I mean—just in case it was needed. If it turned out to be overcautious, well, no harm done."
Hunt nodded. As far as he was concerned, obstructions existed to be circumvented. "And I take it, it turned out to be just as well they did," he said.
"There's something funny going on here, all right, with mean people involved. We haven't exactly figured out what yet. But we can go into that with Garuth later."
Hunt nodded. "Where will we be staying?" he inquired to change the subject.
Cullen gestured to take in the general scene outside the elevator. "We've reserved quarters for you here in PAC. So you won't have to worry too much if things get a bit hectic outside. The rest of your group are over in the residential part of the complex now, getting their gear straightened out. Your bags came straight through on a freight tube."
Hunt thought about Gina, out at the spaceport. "How about the people who are staying at Geerbaine?" he asked. "Is there any risk there?"
Cullen shook his head. "The Thuriens run that whole area, and the Jevs don't want to upset them because they're the only ones who can turn jevex back on. They should be okay."
They came out of the elevator and headed across an open space with a large window looking out at t
he city. On the far side of the floor several corridors branched off in different directions. They followed one of them past an area with Jevlenese working at desks and terminals. A number of Ganymeans were also visible, some of them Thuriens, Hunt noted. Beyond the open area were smaller rooms and offices.
Garuth was waiting for them in a large, roughly circular anteroom furnished like a reception lounge, with seats facing a sunken area in the center. Another of Cullen's security guards was seated unobtrusively at a desk by a passage leading through to the inner section.
With Garuth were Shilohin, the female scientist who had been with him when he made his call to Hunt at home, and another old friend of Hunt's, Rodgar Jassilane, the Shapieron's engineering chief. The Ganymeans welcomed him in their characteristic easygoing manner, but it was clear that they were relieved to see him after his mishap of getting separated from the others.
"We saw zorac's replay of your arrival," Garuth said as they shook hands.
"It seems that you're managing to find your way around Shiban already," Shilohin remarked. The expression on her face had to be the Ganymean equivalent of a smirk. Hunt began to suspect that he would be really tired of that particular topic before the day was out.
"How was your journey?" Jassilane inquired, shaking Hunt's hand in turn.
"At least we didn't lose our brakes and have to spend twenty-five million years slowing down," Hunt replied, grinning. It was a reference to the problem that had caused the Shapieron's long exile from the solar system when it tried to return to Minerva.
"What do you think of a Thurien starship?" Jassilane asked.
"Impressive—but a bit overwhelming," Hunt confessed. "You know, Rod, when all's said and done, I think I prefer your old ship on the parking lot back there at Geerbaine."
"Me, too," Jassilane agreed. "Technology that you grew up with is always more comfortable, wouldn't you agree?"
"Definitely," Hunt said.
"That's why we never bothered adapting more of the sensor network in PAC to work with visar," Garuth said. "We experimented with the small part that you know, but old-time Ganymeans like us don't really take to it. The Thuriens can have virtual travel. We prefer to stick with zorac."
"I know exactly what you mean," Hunt said.
Garuth extended an arm to indicate the general surroundings, then singled out the passage by the security guard's desk. "This is the part of PAC that I normally inhabit. The staff here simply call it the Ganymean offices. So now you know where to find us."
"Where will we be working?" Hunt asked. "I assume that since we're officially here as an UNSA scientific group, we'll have some office space or something. It's a bit of a messy situation, I know, but Gregg didn't exactly give anybody a lot of notice."
"Naturally," Shilohin said. "We've found some space for you on one of the levels lower down, where we run some other work of our own."
"Maybe the best time to see it would be later," Garuth suggested. "Del can take you to your quarters in the residential sector now to freshen up, and we can all meet for, lunch in, say . . ." He made a vague gesture.
"About an hour?" Hunt suggested.
"Fine," Garuth agreed. "And then we'll show you the lab area when you're all together."
The Ganymean planetary administration employed numerous scientists, both Jevlenese and Thurien, in connection with various aspects of its work, some of whom were based within PAC itself. The area that had been designated the "UNSA labs" was a segregated section approached through a single entrance, on a floor of offices, workshops, laboratories, and other workrooms in the lower part of the complex.
The general working area consisted of a large room with a wide lab bench taking up the center of the floor, smaller benches by two of the walls, and several desks with computer workstations. A graphics table took up part of the third wall, and alongside it was a generously equipped imaging and processing system. A short passage led to several smaller offices, and another door from the passage doubled back into a second laboratory situated alongside the main area. There was also a direct interconnecting door between the two. All in all the place was well fitted and furnished, with plenty of storage space and instrumentation.
"What do you think?" Garuth asked as the Terrans walked around like prospective buyers inspecting a house.
"It's marvelous," Hunt said. "How many of us did you expect? You could house half a Goddard department in this."
"Officially you're here to study Ganymean science," Del Cullen said. "You might as well be comfortable and make it look good at the same time. And, who knows, there might be more coming later."
"Oh, I'm not complaining," Hunt assured him.
Another room, off the side of the main area across from the second lab, contained several Thurien neurocoupler recliners. "So you'll have full access to visar," Shilohin explained. "We have an h-space link direct into PAC."
"But the regular facilities around PAC are managed by zorac?" Duncan asked.
"Yes. There's a direct line back to the Shapieron. The ship has an onboard h-space connection, too. So zorac and visar can communicate directly."
They came back out of the coupler room. Sandy went on through into the smaller lab, where she activated a terminal and began talking to zorac about something. In the main area with its central worktable, Danchekker wandered around, checking closet space, looking in drawers, and activating a couple of screens. "Most satisfactory," he pronounced. "I must say, you seem to have gone to an inordinate amount of trouble for us."
"Not at all," Garuth assured him.
Danchekker rubbed the palms of his hands together and looked about. "It's all very splendid and lavish for just the four of us."
"Plenty of room if you find you need extra help," Cullen said.
Hunt saw that Duncan was about to make another wisecrack, no doubt about the company that Hunt had reappeared with from the city, and silenced him with a warning look.
And then Sandy's voice came through the open interconnecting door from the adjoining lab. "Hello, out there?"
"What is it, Sandy?" Hunt called back.
"zorac has a call for Professor Danchekker. Shall I leave it on here?"
Danchekker looked at Hunt bemusedly. "What? Already? But we've barely arrived, for God's sake. Who could it possibly be?"
"One way to find out," Hunt said.
Frowning, Danchekker went through into the next lab. Hunt sent Duncan a puzzled look. Duncan shook his head and shrugged. "Don't ask—"
"Arghh!"
The scream that came back through the open doorway was one of pure, animal terror. Danchekker bolted back into the room, white-faced. He looked imploringly at Hunt. "It can't be, not here . . . Vic, you've got to do something."
Hunt strode through the door and found Sandy, looking at a loss, standing to one side of a live display screen. On it, the face of Ms. Mulling from Goddard confronted him frostily.
"Ah, Dr. Hunt," she observed. "I distinctly saw Professor Danchekker there a moment ago. Could you call him back, please? There are some questions concerning certain records that he left, and it is most imperative that I speak with him."
Hunt fought back the urge to burst out laughing. "Er, I think he's been called away," he said. "His assistant is here, though. Couldn't she help?"
Ms. Mulling sniffed disdainfully. "Very well. I suppose so."
Hunt moved out of the viewing angle and gave Sandy an encouraging wink. Then he went back into the main lab. "Don't worry, Chris," he said cheerfully to Danchekker, who had sunk onto a stool. "We'll take care of it if this keeps up. It'll probably be some time before we go back."
"What makes you imagine that I intend to?" Danchekker replied miserably.
Chapter Twenty-Two
The team spent the rest of the day relaxing, adjusting to local Jevlen time, and catching up on their rest. The next morning, Hunt and Danchekker met with Garuth and Shilohin in Garuth's suite in the Ganymean offices. The items of equipment and other effects that they had brought f
rom Earth had arrived, and Sandy and Duncan were busy getting things organized in the UNSA labs. The two Ganymeans summarized what they had learned after six months with the Jevlenese.
"We thought we might draw a lesson from the dismantling of socialism on Earth," Garuth said, speaking from behind his huge Ganymean desk, which was also an elaborate console. "It seemed that the jevex-dependency here could be thought of as analogous to the overdependency that developed there on the too-protective state."
"A lot of people on Earth have been saying the same thing," Hunt commented.
"But simply unhooking them from jevex doesn't seem to be the answer," Garuth went on. "Or at least, not enough of an answer. It seems to work for some of them. Those are the ones who are finding what needs to be done and doing it. That was how we hoped the majority would react, more or less as happened on Earth."
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