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frown and Kelly blush.
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"But it sounds genuine, Toddy,' Kelly said soothingly. Then she giggled.
"You're here and he's parsecs away. Don't be silly.
Besides, he does say that he understands the instructions and I get the
impression that he accessed more data than he originally promised." Todd
apologized for acting silly, but the truth was, they were all nervous.
Something could delay the shipment, or Dalkey might be seen where he had no
reasonable explanation to be. Both Nrrna and Kelly arranged to be on hand to
receive the supplies. This time Nrrna did not wear any scent.
The grid operator flinched when he recognized Nrrna appearing on the platform
from First Village.
He still found her attractive, though not as strongly, and especially not when
she was accompanied by a Hayuman female. He only hoped that the Treaty
Controller was not expecting another shipment, but a quick glance at the
manifest told him he didn't need to worry about that tonight.
Kelly was relieved that the operator seemed too busy to chat them up.
She and Nrrna managed a desultory conversation while they waited, but they
were so keyed up they'd forget what the other had just said.
Kelly kept imagining problems: what if the envelope didn't come or got torn
loose in the transfer? what if Dalkey got caught? They needed to have
genuine, hard documentation. Well, maybe if Dalkey didn't come through for
them, they might have some luck with the documents that the
Treaty Controller had personally awaited. Anything that pleased an associate
of Third Speaker was likely to be bad for Doona.
when the suspense became so great that Kelly was prepared to dive right
through the pillars and drag the shipment up from Earth, the air thickened
over the gridwork and the pallets materialized. She and Nrrna let out sighs
of relief.
"Will you check it now so I may clear the grid?" the operator asked.
"That's why we're here,' she said, handing a sheaf of papers from her
clipboard to Kelly and peremptorily gesturing her to go to the back of the
grid.
They'd planned this so Kelly would be screened from the operator and could
feel under the pallet for the envelope. Then she thought of a better
stratagem than blind groping.
She let her clipboard drop. "Ooops,' she said gaily, and, in attempting to
pick it up, kicked it under the pallet. "Wouldn't you know?" she said with
cheerful self-disgust. She got down, peering under the shipment, trying to
see Dalkey's envelope. He'd been instructed to use a gray one which wouldn't
be so readily visible to anyone casually glancing under the plastic pallet.
She shook her wrist so the small torch would fall out of her sleeve where
she'd hidden it, and played its dim beam around, but she saw absolutely
nothing, not even cobwebs.
"Does your friend need help rising?" the operator asked rather irritably.
"Probably,' Nrrna said in intimate pitch, trying tc stall. "Her balance is
very poor. Hayumans have weak inner ears."
"I had noticed that their ears are abnormall small,' he said, and came round
to help Kelly to hei feet. She feigned momentary weakness before she met
Nrrna's eyes over the boxes and gave a shake to her head.
"Thank you, sir,' she said to the operator reaching out suddenly to grab his
arm, swaying ira fashion that alarmed him. "My balance is none toc
good. That had given Nrrna sufficient time to lool underneath on her side.
But she shook her head too.
"Is this all we're supposed to get today?" Nrrna asked, checking over the
number of boxes on her board. "I am missing several cartons." He leaned over
to examine her list. "No, you do not have all. Those sizes have to be broken
down into two shipments. Second lot will come through in'-he paused to check
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his own schedule-'two hours. A shipment of ore from one of the mining worlds
is due in next. Come back. "Very well,'
Nuna said, masking her relief in a cool response, "I will accompany this lot
to the Health Center.- Will you stay on the island and wait for the rest?" she
asked Kelly.
"Oh, I don't mind. I've got a few things I can do while I wait.
See you in the village." Kelly threw a good-luck gesture to Nrrna.
Once the characteristic mist rose around the crates and Nrrna, whisking them
from sight, Kelly left the reception area. As she departed, she heard the
operator's audible sigh of relief.
She'd been to the Treaty Island often enough to know the general layout, which
was another reason why she had the best chance of accomplishing her second,
and possibly more important, errand. But she stopped for a long moment to
reread the inaugural plaque outside the main administration building.
"This Treaty Center was constructed in the fourth year of the Colony by the
people of Hrruba, Earth, and DoonaiRrala in the spirit of cooperation
represented by the Treaty of I)oona. Kelly felt a tingle of pride and renewed
determination that the colony world, the turning point ii the histories of
both civilizations, would no become a future battleground. She knew where thi
Councillors' quarters were but she didn't want t( blunder into the
Controller's rooms if he wa: present.
From the look of so many lights in the lov Administration Building, there
might be late meetings that would solve that problem.
She strode right up to the information desi where two Humans and a
Hrruban, wearing officia guide badges, were drinking malak.
"I've a message for the Treaty Controller,' sh( said brightly, addressing all
three.
One of the Humans peered at a list on the desk "He should still be in the
Council chamber. They'vt got an all-day session. Back the way you came an( [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]