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sleeping with the Cruise Director. Rumors like that were inevitable in close
quarters, and she'd ignored it. They dredged up other gossip then, and found
it added up to a barbed indictment. The Director wasn't just on a personal
vendetta. However, the only accusation that held up was that none of them
spent any social time outside the group.
Ley looked at Zref. "You're not going to order us to spend more than our
working hours with strangers, are you?"
"I've no authority " said Zref, but Shui interrupted.
"We're under your orders. We work for the Guild."
Khelin added, "I'd take your orders, Zref, anytime, because you wouldn't order
anything to distress a bhirhir."
The three writers consulted with a mute glance, and Neini said, "We'll take
your orders, no arguments."
Jocelyn said, "If we're electing a president, or something, I nominate Zref."
"Seconded," said Ley. "And I apologize, Zref."
"Aye!" voted the others.
"You're being silly, all of you," complained Zref.
"No, we're not," said Khelin. "The group has been attacked as if " He stopped.
"Why did I say that?"
Ley said, "Sometimes you know things without evidence."
"Well, we were waiting for the next move," said Iraem.
"But the enemy attacking with petty gossip?! Ridiculous. To accomplish what?"
Ley defended, "That remains to be seen, but Khelin's insights are accurate."
"Was it an insight, Khelin?" asked Arshel.
Khelin assented with obvious reluctance. "Which means she has agents aboard.
Do any of you read auras?"
The priests all stared at him. Zref looked up the kren word he'd used and
translated it for them. The kren accepted the translations after some
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argument. Then Khelin reiterated, "Well, anyone?" There was silence.
Jocelyn said, "I once thought I could but..."
"Ah!" said Khelin. "Of course you'd have that talent! How much training have
you had?"
"None," she answered.
"Then tonight, I'll try to teach you the rudiments though it's something I
can't do myself. Tomorrow, when we go down to Sirwin, you'll mingle with the
staff and students, and search for our hypothetical agents of the enemy."
"We go down?" asked Zref, looking from Arshel to Khelin.
"I have a few more days at least," said Arshel. "I'd enjoy open air. It's a
long way to Earth!"
"It's awfully dry around Glenwarnan," warned Arai. Then he suddenly thrust his
lanky body forward. "Do you think could they be complaining you appointed me
to teach that seminar on Glenwarnan? Did you ask the Director first?"
Zref was astonished. "Of course by dropping a note onto his deskpad. And I got
an immediate affirmative."
Arshel asked, "Could the reply have been forged?"
"The origin of the reply was the Director's own deskpad. A number of people
evidently have access to it."
"If he never got that query," said Neini, "or others like it "
"Then," finished Waysjoff, "he has cause to feel shriveled."
"I can check," said Zref. "I'm still monitoring Epitasis systems regularly.
It'll be easiest while we're making orbit and all systems are activated."
Reluctantly, he added, "But that's not enough. I'm not going to order
you because Ley's right. Off-duty, your time's your own. But as an Interface,
I must remain accessible. So I'm going to have breakfast in the saloon
tomorrow with Arshel."
"That's probably a good idea," said Shui. "And the rest of us should make a
conspicuous effort to mix with others, and not do or say anything
authoritative."
They immersed themselves in their plans, and the next morning Zref and Arshel
took the first shuttle down to Glenwarnan. Sirwin was a blue world. Not only
the sky, but the soil and the vegetation were gradations of blue from light
grayish to deep indigo. Even the skins of the Sirwini natives were shades of
blue. With the advent of interstellar trade, the Sirwini had taken to colored
clothing, but their eyes perceived only shades of blue in the off world
fabrics.
The skimmer they took from the spaceport was a clear force-field bubble, like
the most luxurious tour buses. Vistas of blue-misted mountains closed in and
then opened into lush, blue valleys, dotted with crumbling ruins. They were at
the interior of a continent of a very old world.
The Cruise Director himself had the front seat beside the driver, as if he'd
chosen to take this skimmer because Zref was on it. Twice Zref tried to start
a conversation so he could ask if the Director had ever seen his memo, or the
ones Jocelyn had left for him, but he ignored Zref with a passionate
diligence.
At last, they came out onto a high plateau, and followed a narrow, snaking
road through open woodlands and across plowed fields.
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