Serpent's Gift

by A. C. Crispin

  "Don't be silly," Hing said, trying to sound more confident than she felt as she flicked on the spotlight built into the top of her helmet and stole a cautious glance at her destination. The Professor was still resting on the ledge, though one foot now dangled over nothingness. "I'm three quarters of the way down by now. Just lower me slowly, okay?"

  They did so, letting her down only a few handspans at a time, as Hing used her climbing harness to brace against the cliff and search for handholds and footholds.

  "You are getting very close," Serge said. "Only another meter or so. Can you land on the ledge?"

  She groped, then managed to grasp a jagged rock and draw herself toward the Heeyoon. Greyshine took up almost all of the

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  narrow ledge, and Hing's boots barely had room to rest. She dared to push one of his arms aside with her toe so she could step over him, then she squatted down at his head. "I'm down," she declared, feeling a little light-headed with relief. "The chicken has landed."

  "I beg your pardon?" Khuharkk' sounded puzzled.

  "Tres drole," Serge growled, not at all amused. "How is the Professor?"

  Hing bent over the alien and shouted, "Professor? Can you hear me?"

  Faintly, she heard him groan.

  First the helmet, she reminded herself, lifting the shaggy head and sliding the transparent egg shape over the limp gray ears. It took her several anxious moments to lock the unfamiliar seals into place, but finally she managed. "I've got his helmet on," she reported. "I can't tell how badly he may be hurt.. . but his leg's at a funny angle. It's probably broken. I'm going to tie him into the sling now. Give me some slack."

  Coils of the braided cord rippled down beside her, then Khuharkk's voice reached her, speaking in rapid Simiu. "May I suggest something, Honored HingOun?"

  "Of course, Honored Khuharkk'."

  "Before you move the Professor to place him in the sling, I believe it would be wise to increase the air pressure inside his suit, thus splinting any possible injuries Honored Greyshine may have."

  "You mean . . . deliberately overinflate his suit?" Hing had been cautioned against that very thing so many times that it had become second nature never to overpressurize a spacesuit.

  "Exactly! That is a recommended first-aid technique I recall from pilot training."

  Hing peered down at the Heeyoon's suit, trying to figure out the unfamiliar controls. They were labeled in Heeyoon, obviously, but as CLS regulations decreed, they were also labeled in Mizari script--but in such small letters that she had to strain her eyes to read them in the light of her headlamp. Finally she found the correct control, then carefully activated it. She watched anxiously as the Heeyoon's suit began filling up like a balloon.

  The cool rush of air over his limbs must have partially roused the unconscious Heeyoon, for he suddenly thrashed as hard as the rapidly stiffening suit would allow. His arm slammed against Hing's knee, catching her off-balance. She teetered on the narrow ledge, grabbing at air, then with a shrill, breathless scream, she was falling!

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  - The glow of the Mizari field flashed past her helmet as she ¦ fbimmeted

  downward. If it hadn't been for the change in the gravity, she might have been badly whiplashed when the cable ended and her climbing harness caught her, but the jerk was softened by the one-tenth gee. She hung there, feeling her stomach bouncing in the low gravity, struggling not to throw up. If you barf, you'll have to live with it all the way back to the school, she warned herself, biting her lip until the pain distracted her from the wave of nausea.

  It was only then that it occurred to her to wonder whether the sealant would hold. Hing tensed, her queasiness forgotten. If that emergency patch doesn't hold, she thought, her mouth dry with fear, I've got about thirty seconds to live.. .

  But the sealant held.

  Hing drew a deep breath, hearing once again the ubiquitous radiation warning booming through the cavern. Serge was shouting over it, his voice rasping with fear. "Hing! Hing, answer me! Are you okay? What is happening? Hing? Hing!?! Repondezmoi!"

  "I will, if you'll shut up and give me a chance!" Hing snapped, then immediately regretted her lapse. "Sorry," she said stiffly. "I'm sorry, Serge.

  Don't worry, I'm okay."

  "What happened?"

  "The Professor started thrashing around and knocked me off the ledge, but I hadn't unfastened my harness. I'm fine. Pull me back up."

  Within moments she was back on the ledge. Feeling sweat coursing down her face, Hing tucked the silvery sheet as far beneath the injured alien as she could, then she alternated tugging at him and tucking it farther until he was lying in the middle of it. She was panting by the time she had finished, and began wrapping the impromptu sling around his torso.

  Now don't move, Professor, she cautioned the alien silently, her heart pounding with fear as she fumbled with the line snapped to her climbing harness. Don't move, for the love of all that's holy, please don't move!

  Trying to keep her back safely against the cliff face, she wound the line around the Heeyoon's body, through the belt on his suit, then wove it through the grommets studding the sides of the improvised sling. The Professor's arms and legs stuck out stiffly, sausagelike. "Just like a big hot dog wrapped in foil," she mumbled, then realizing that the alien's lupine image made that into a very bad pun, Hing struggled against a series of hysterical giggles.

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  "Excuse me?" Serge demanded suspiciously. "I didn't catch that. Did you say something?"

  "Nothing," she said. "Just checking these knots." Just keep it together for another few minutes, she admonished herself. "Okay," she said briskly.

  "He's ready to come up. Haul away!"

  Slowly, the Professor's still form ascended as Khuharkk' and Serge pulled together. She heard the two of them panting in her headphones. "He's a lot heavier than I am," she said. "Especially unconscious."

  The only reply was a grunt.

  There was one heart-stopping moment where it seemed as though the alien's overinflated form wouldn't make it between two jaggedly protruding points of rock, but by skillful use of the winch controls, timing his moment to coincide with the slight swing of the alien's body at the end of the cable, Serge was able to bring Greyshine up the rest of the way. Together, human and Simiu hoisted him over the edge.

  "Your turn," Serge called, dropping the cable back down.

  Hing had just snapped the line back onto her harness when a voice erupted in their earphones. "Serge! Hing! Are you okay?"

  "Janet!" Hing said, recognizing the Chief Engineer's voice.

  "Where are you?" Serge demanded.

  "We've just reached Cavern One. We'll be there in a few minutes."

  Rescue was here--soon they'd all be safe! Reaction made Hing's hands begin to shake, but she resolutely forced herself to pay attention to checking that her line was snapped securely. It would be just her luck to fall down the bottomless pit at the precise moment the cavalry came charging over the hill.

  "Okay, Serge, bring me up!" she called, giving a tug on the cord to indicate her readiness.

  As she rose toward the edge, Hing found herself wondering how much radiation she'd taken. It couldn't be too bad--her suit hadn't warned her, after all. But did the sealant block radiation? Would she be burned on her leg? Or had the exposure been enough to damage her genes? Marriage and

  children seemed a far-off thing, but she'd always thought that someday she would marry, would have a baby. What if--

  She was jerked out of frightening speculation a moment later as her suit nearly hooked on the same jagged projection that had almost trapped the Professor. Grateful for the interruption, Hing fended herself off from the protrusion. Moments later she was grabbed and hoisted bodily over the edge by Khuharkk' and Serge.

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  "The Professor?" she gasped, feeling her legs ready to buckle; she was trembling like an adolescent on a first date. Serge put a steadying arm around her as they moved away from the cre
vasse. "Where's Janet?"

  "Right here!" came the reply, and they both turned to see the airlock door slide open. Janet Rodriguez and three of her engineering staff were crammed in along with a huge first-aid kit and an anti-grav stretcher. The woman stepped forward, taking in the Professor's bloated form, the winch with its jury-rigged cable, and the three rescuers. "Well done, all of you," she said, motioning to her crew to pick up the Professor. "But let's save the congratulations for later. Right now I've got to get you all back to the hospital."

  "Hhh .. . hospital?" Hing tried to swallow, but her mouth was too dry.

  "Khuharkk' and the Professor are hurt, but Serge and I aren't--"

  Janet shook her head, and behind her faceplate, Hing could see her frown.

  "You can't mess around with radiation, Hing," she said curtly. "There's no time to spare. We've got to get you to Decontamination."

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  CHAPTER 7

  Contingency Plans

  Coiled sinuously before Rob Gable's desk, Ssoriszs listened to his friend and felt his fangs unfold--an involuntary response to shock. As his bright dreams crumbled to dust, he tasted the bitterness of his own venom like a physical echo of his emotions. It seemed that Professor Greyshine had discovered the missing piece of the Lost Colony puzzle, the star-shrine, only to have the discovery snatched away and rendered inaccessible. Even now the caverns must be filling with lethal radonium-2 radiation--would that mean that the search for the Lost Colony's relics would have to be abandoned?

  "If it hadn't been for Hing, Serge, and Khuharkk', I'm afraid Professor Greyshine would have died," Rob finished. "If those kids hadn't had the nerve to look down that crevasse, fully expecting to see a friend spattered all over the sides of the thing..." The psychologist spread his hands and shrugged eloquently.

  Ssoriszs' tentacles, usually so graceful, kinked stiffly as he struggled to regain his composure. Baring one's fangs in the presence of a friend was considered very rude on Shassiszss, so the Mizari waited to speak until they were once more folded back against the paleness of his gums, no longer visible. "This is shocking, Rob. Thank the Spirits of the Stars and the Sands that they were able to rescue Greyshine! Where are they now?"

  "Janet just called in. The shuttle will be here in just a few minutes."

  "Professor Greyshine?"

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  "Still unconscious. The medic said one leg was broken, and a couple of ribs.

  But the head injuries are the most dangerous."

  "What about Serge, Hing, and the Simiu student?"

  "We won't know for sure until Dr. Mysuki and Dr. Zemez finish their examinations, but the rescue team didn't report any outward sign of radiation poisoning or burns. When I spoke to Serge, he said their suit detectors never activated, so the levels must have remained fairly low--at least while they were there, which is a major blessing." The psychologist frowned. "Physics isn't my strong suit, but I think I remember that radonium-2 reactions start slow and build until they're extremely volatile . .. right?"

  Lost in thought, Ssoriszs didn't answer. Further excavations may prove impossible, he was thinking. Now I may never learn the fate of the Lost Colony... and of my missing kin. He felt suddenly very old, very insignificant, very alone in the vastness of this huge, indifferent universe. A moment later he realized that Rob was still staring at him, obviously waiting for a response, and the Mizari struggled to recall what his friend had been saying.

  "Ssoriszs, are you al right?" Rob asked worriedly.

  "Yes, of course, I am fine," the Liaison managed. "This is a shock, of course.

  I am afraid that I lost the thread of what you were saying?"

  "Radonium-2 reactions," the human prompted. "Fast or slow?"

  "They are slow at the beginning," Ssoriszs confirmed. "However, if memory serves me accurately--and I am not a physicist either, remember--when the crystalline structure of normal radonium destabilizes to form radonium-2, the reaction builds almost exponentially. The cavern and the artifacts might then be in danger--and soon."

  Rob gave the Liaison a glance that mingled surprise and-- Ssoriszs couldn't be sure--was it reproach? "Frankly, I'm more concerned about the school,"

  the human said after a moment. "It's been over six years since I saw the radonium vein schematics of this asteroid, but I think the stuff crisscrosses this hunk of rock like a ball of yarn after Bast has played with it for a while. If any veins are near the school, and they destabilize into radonium-2, we're all apt to be history, right?"

  Ssoriszs felt a wave of guilt. How could I have been so self- centered? he wondered. "I am abashed, Rob," he said quietly. "It never occurred to me that the school itself might be in danger, but you are correct. There are several veins of radonium near the school. One of them lies approximately fifty meters below us, and that one is the closest."

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  Rob glanced down at his feet as though half expecting the floor to disintegrate any moment. "Oh, shit," he muttered. "That close?"

  "Twenty-five or -six meters of solid rock constitutes a fairly substantial buffer," Ssoriszs pointed out mildly. "But still, the problem must be checked into immediately."

  "Horizons Unlimited is the contractor charged with keeping tabs on the radonium," Rob said. "So I called them immediately. We're lucky that Jeff Morrow has been handling several projects out of StarBridge Station, so his secretary promised me that he'll call me as soon as he returns from his site inspection tour."

  "When will that be? I do not believe we can afford to wait very long."

  'Tomorrow, early. Janet wanted to go out to the Cliffs and start running tests, but I persuaded her to wait. H.U. will have state-of-the-art shielding and equipment."

  "Of course," the Mizari agreed. "We are indeed fortunate that Jeffrey will be able to give this problem his personal attention. We are speaking of the same Jeffrey Morrow who was a student here, correct?"

  "Yes. Jeff's a vice president and multisector foreman in his dad's space-construction and mining company now," Rob said. "He's very concerned for the school's welfare ... I know he'll give this his full attention. I'm sure the problem will be solved quickly." Ssoriszs, accustomed to reading human intonations and inflections after all these years, clearly heard the note of determined hope in his voice.

  The alien shifted his coils restlessly as he selected his next words. "Still, I am disturbed about all of this, Rob. Horizons Unlimited performed a routine inspection here at the school and out at the Lamont Cliffs only a few of your Terran months ago. Why did they not detect signs of instability in the radonium deposits at that time?"

  "Radonium can mutate into radonium-2 very rapidly," Rob pointed out.

  "That's why Jeff's teams check it twice a year."

  Ssoriszs thought about Jeff Morrow, remembering the youngster who had been so reserved, so stoically controlled, as he climbed aboard the ship that would take him back to Earth. Never have I seen anyone face such a profound failure with such courage, he thought sadly. I wish I could summon some of that courage for myself. Perhaps then I would not feel so . ..

  defeated.

  Rob's dark eyes regarded him intently, and now they held no impatience, only sympathy. "I realize how you must feel," he said

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  quietly. "I understand how important this discovery was to your people.

  Perhaps Jeff can get this thing cleared up with no problem, and the team of experts can come out anyway." a newly discovered star-shrine to entice the Mizari Society, I should think they would," Ssoriszs trying to summon up some of Rob's optimism. "I will certainly speak to Rizzshor, the team leader, about this. I shall also," he went on, thinking swiftly, "contact Dr.

  Andreiovitch about this development."

  "Andreiovitch?"

  "Mikhail Andreiovitch is one of the foremost experts on asteroid mining and small-body excavation in the CLS," Ssoriszs said. "He holds degrees from several Terran universities in geology, physics, and archaeology. He worked on the prototype of the fi
rst neutron emitter."

  "Sounds like quite a guy," Rob murmured, suitably impressed. "And if he's a physicist, he'd know about radonium and radonium2."

  "Precisely. I have known Mikhail for years, since he was nominated to the intercultural exchange program on Shassiszss. He will certainly be able to assess our situation here and offer valuable advice concerning the preservation of the site."

  "As a doctor, I can certainly appreciate the merit in getting a second opinion," Rob said, leaning back with a tired sigh. "God, I'm bushed. It seems like it's just one thing after another these days. Why can't anything ever be simple?"

  Now it was Ssoriszs' turn to look at his friend sympathetically. "You still have not heard from Shrys, have you?" he asked gently.

  Rob ran a hand through his curls, wincing as he snagged several locks. "I've got to get a haircut," he muttered distractedly, then he sighed and shook his head. "No, I haven't heard from Shrys. And if he were coming back, I should have heard something by now. I know I shouldn't judge other cultures, traditions, or belief systems, but. .. Shrys had so much enthusiasm... so much to offer! But I'm afraid that he's already dead."

  Ssoriszs gazed at his friend, noticing, for the first time, that gray hairs mingled with the dark ones on his head. The sight distressed him. "Do not give up hope," he said automatically, trying to sound encouraging--though without much success. Privately, he thought the human was probably correct.

  "What is it?" Rob had noticed the alien's fixed stare. "What's wrong?"

  "Robert, your hair . .." the Mizari hesitated. "I see light strands 111

  mixed with the others. I never noticed them before. Is that not a sign of.. ." He stopped, trying to think of a way to phrase the question gently. "Human maturity?" he finished.

  Rob began to chuckle, genuinely amused. "Always the diplomat, Esteemed Liaison," he teased. "You mean you never noticed my gray before? You need your eyes checked, old friend. Hey, at least I've still got hair. A lot of men my age don't have enough left to comb, if they let nature take its course--which most of them don't, they're too vain."