Long View - Rissa And Tregare Part 29

"Of course. When I find the proper switch-the older model does not have this feature-I will change the controls. Yes-it is here-are you ready?" He nodded, and she gave him control.

The car wiggled briefly as he tested its response. Then he dove full out, pulled up short, spun to one side, and climbed steeply, until the propulsion unit labored. She was reaching for the oxygen tube when he laughed and began a steep descent that gradually leveled at breathable height.

"That was good," he said. "At least there's still a few things I'm good at." He shrugged. "I'm done with it; take over?"

She did so. "Ivan?" He said nothing; she spoke again. "Twice while you flew, I thought you meant to kill us both. Is it as bad as that for you?"

"It shouldn't be, I suppose. But you're right-if I'd been alone, I might have taken it all the way straight down."

"Ivan-I say this again-give yourself time to heal."

"Maybe, maybe not-heal, I mean. Two years at Erika's didn't do it."

"But you havemany years. Do not throw them away."

Finally he said, "All right, Rissa. I won't-that's a promise."

"Good." She looked ahead. "And now we approach the city. See? Beside Maison Renalle-I believe that is Tregare's car."

WHEN they entered the room, Tregare was at the viewscreen. The picture was unrecognizable; Rissa was not surprised to hear Limmer's voice.

". . . and that's the size of it, Tregare. Krueger says the truth field's an insult. No contact with her since she walked out, and all her people with her. She's doing her sulking on 207.

GrafSpee. Naturally, I haven't started work on that s.h.i.+p."

"Good-and don't, until I clear it. I'll call her direct, on scramble. Now, then-how about Ressider andValkyrie!Any trouble there?"

"Not a bit. He was there-just arrived-when Krueger blew up. As soon as she left he said, he and his people were ready for the interviews, so we could get to work. He's all right, Ressider is."

"Yeah, he is. Well-so's Krueger, but she takes some handling. Look-I'll call her now-be back to you as soon as I can." He cut the circuit and turned to Rissa. "Everything go all right at the Hatchery?"

"Yes, Bran-there are no difficulties. And then we flew south, within view of the Jumbles-not near to them, of course, in the time we had. But-here, there is trouble?"

"No-and there won't be. Just a minute-I have to call Krueger." He punched out the call code. First the Lodge, then Kenekke on the scout, and finally a smudged screen speaking with Ilse Krueger's voice.

He cut off her protests. "Ilse! One of two things, and no argument. First-will you do the interviews in Limmer's shed?"

"No! Tregare, this is outrageous. If you don't trust me-"

"No argument, I said! So the second thing-take off, and right now. You're out of it."

He is bluffing! He needs that s.h.i.+p!

"Tregare! You can't-"

"Your hull's intact and you're fueled. So in-let's see-fifty minutes, either you're lined up for questions, or you've left for wherever you want-and no hard feelings-or Limmer has a missile with Graf Spee's name on it so you can't take off, and we'll talk about buying you out. There's your choices-make up your mind."

She tried to speak again; he said, "Except to Limmer, I'm done talking. He'll tell me how it came out." And he cut the circuit.

Ivan whistled. "You don't play around, do you?"

Rissa said, "Bran-were you not overly abrupt with her?"

Tregare laughed. "If Ilse Krueger were a foot taller she wouldn't be so unG.o.dly picky about everything. She's been 208.

chewing at command-no, not like Peralta, but trying to get a wedge in. Yesterday at the port she wasted more time, that way, than not. So I've been waiting for her to make a real issue. Now we find out once and for all if she takes orders or gets out."

He gestured silence. "Hold it-I have to call Limmer back." When he had me circuit, he repeated what he had told Krueger, then added, "I told you this way because you have to know, if she calls, But one thing, Derek-if you hadn't guessed already, the missile's a bluff.

If she calls it, fire a dummy, so she'll think it's a miss. Right?"

"Yes. But for a minute there, Tregare-you had me worried."

"Sure. Now another thing-if she does show up for interviews she'll be spitting mad, so allow for that in reading the indicators. If you're not sure, pa.s.s her but say it's routine I do a repeat on all top personnel. Got it?"

Limmer chuckled. "Tregare-it's a good thing n.o.body else gets to question us under that gadget."

"Yeah. All right-I'll get off your channel so you're free to deal there." When the screen darkened, he turned to Rissa. "Now do you like it better?"

She nodded slowly. "Yes-of the four possibilities, two add the s.h.i.+p to your mission; the other two at least let it escape harmlessly. I did not see past what you said to Krueger." She smiled. "But then-with luck, neither will she."

Some minutes later, Limmer's Second called. The crew of GrafSpee had reported for questioning, and Use Krueger was certified trustworthy. "That calls for a drink," said Tregare. "I thought she'd come around, but peace knows she had me sweating."

Several drinks later, he said, "It's been a day; I'm ready for bed." Ivan excused himself and left, and Tregare said to Rissa, "Now that ovum's out of you, I hope you didn't think I meant sleep, right away."

"No, Bran-I did not think that."

THEnext morning, the three flew to Hulzein Lodge. Tregare went ahead; Rissa stopped at the s.p.a.ceport with Ivan, to pick 209.

up the rest of his luggage. Castel met them at the Lodge, guided them to the room a.s.signed to Ivan, and said, "Madame Hulzein will be in her office now." They found Tregare there also.

He said, "Liesel, meet Rissa's brother-Ivan Marchant." Ivan stepped forward and shook her hand.

Liesel gestured. "Sit down, sit down." Then; "Ivan-you'll have newer word from Earth. How much newer, since Rissa left? And tell me how things are-were-with my sister Erika."

Ivan cleared his throat. "You look so much like her-only younger-it's a shock.

Rissa's told you-and I left only two years after-in that time, Madame Erika hadn't changed much."

"What was the situation there, as you saw it? And call me Liesel, if you please."

"All right-Liesel. Erika wasn't much for formal, either. Well, let's see-she had to be over seventy, but she kept in good shape, active. And she had things well in control. UET tried a putsch in South Western-Hem but Erika's government-and she owned it, by then-cut off the main body of Committee troops in the Matto Gra.s.so.

Erika collected quite a big ransom for them."

Liesel slapped her desk and laughed. "Always make a profit when you win!"

"Yes-I know." Ivan frowned. "Toward the last, I didn't see much of her. She had some project going-I don't know what. Frieda took charge." He looked at Liesel.

"You know Frieda?"

"My sister's daughter? Of course. She was about fourteen when I last saw her. But what's your impression of her? And how old was she when you left?"

"How old? Between thirty and thirty-five, I'd guess. But there's something wrong with that one; to tell you the truth I was glad to get out of there."

"For any specific reason?" said Rissa. She remembered the incident of Maria Faldane.

"Well-she was trying to reproduce. When she miscarried, she ordered her doctor killed. Erika intervened, but-" He shook his head. "She just wasn't stable. You never knew-"

210.

Liesel sighed. "The Hulzein genes gone to seed; I was afraid of that. We may as well forget any effective liaison with her group. I wish-"

Tregare-said, "Before I was born, Erika closed the door. And if you could be on Earth right now-never mind the objective travel time-she'd be nearly a hundred, or more likely dead a while." He saw Liesel wince, and said, "You know what the long view means; you knew it when you left Earth. Liesel-you can't reshape the past, so face what is."

She nodded, the heavy crowning braids bobbed with the motion. "Oh, you're right, Bran. But-if only Erika could have realized! We could have-"

Tregare reached to grip her hand. "We still can. She can't; that's all."

Liesel turned to Ivan. "Then Frieda has-or had-no daughter?"

His hand gestured negation. "The rumors-nothing but monsters, mostly born dead.

There was talk that one was kept alive for a while until she gave up on it. From what I heard, that was a bad time-I'm glad I wasn't there then."

Rissa said, "This would have been before I was there? But I heard nothing."

Ivan shrugged. "Erika kept good security in her own circle. The story didn't leak until you'd left-and then by someone who wanted to start trouble." He shuddered.

"He got it, all right. It was then I knew I had to get out, and fast. It's a good thing we're all out of there."

"The Argentine Establishment itself," said Liesel. "Was it in danger when you left?"

"I don't know. A lot of rumors, was all-nothing solid. Power plays I didn't understand, and Frieda in the middle of them. For all I know, the Establishment could be wiped out by now-or it could own the planet. That's Frieda for you."

"I see. Well," Liesel turned to Tregare, "we have to be alert for any word from Earth, don't we?"

He nodded, and Rissa asked Liesel, "Have you no later word through Osallin?"

Then she gasped. "But I have not told you! He came here-to Base Two, rather-and was killed in the fighting." She shook her head. "I shall miss him. He was a good friend."

Then; "But, Liesel-have you later information?"

* 211.

"I'm not sure; I'll have to check the dates. Graf Spee brought a dispatch-it's still being decoded-and it's signed by Frieda and initialed by Erika. I figured out that much."

She sighed. "Sorry to hear about Osallin; from his reports that I've seen and from what you tell me, I think I'd have liked the man. Wish I'd met him. As for Earth-I suppose we can only wait and see. And by the way-with Osallin gone, what about Far Corner?"

"His successor is named Kirchessel; Osallin brought the new codes. And there, too, we can only wait."

Tregare stood. "Nothing we can do now; that's certain. Rissa-I haven't had any real exercise since forever-or since I got burned, anyway. Want to hike uphill a way if I get a lunch packed for us? And how about you, Ivan?"

Ivan nodded. Rissa said, "Yes, of course." She went to her room and changed clothes, then met the others downstairs.

AT first, until their muscles loosened, they walked slowly. Then the trail steepened; the three began to exert themselves, becoming short of breath until they gained second wind.

Tregare turned left onto a narrow, overgrown trail Rissa had not noticed before. It bent sharply uphill, so steep that they needed to grasp bushes to help keep balance. Panting now, they continued until the slope eased-cresting a ridge to see, ahead through the trees, a small dark-blue lake.

Rissa said, "Bran-did you know this was here?"

Tregare laughed. "I spotted it once, from aloft. I was guessing I had the right trail to it."

"It's beautiful here," said Ivan. "Not just the lake-all of it."

"Yes," said Rissa. "And the climb has given me an appet.i.te." She sat on the ground, Tregare on a stump, Ivan on a mossy boulder. They ate bread and cheese, meats and fruit, with sips from a bottle of tart red wine. They spoke little- mostly of their surroundings, pointing out oddities of plant life and the few small, scuttling animals they saw.

They fell silent. A fish-or something like a fish-jumped and splashed back into the lake.

Rissa lay back and dozed.

Tregare's voice woke her. ". . . for sure, then, no counting on the Earthside Hulzeins?"

212.

"I wouldn't think so," said Ivan. "You are going to Earth, are you? Or maybe I shouldn't ask."

Tregare laughed. "Oh, I've thought of it-several ways. I always have lots of possibilities in mind, Ivan-so if one goes sour, I scratch it off and don't waste thought on it. But it makes a difference whether there'd be a stable Hulzein connection on Earth, maybe sixty-eighty years after you left."

Rissa opened her eyes and saw Ivan shake his head. "I couldn't guess-not even two years from when I left, let alone the time until you could get there."

"No matter," said Tregare. "There'll be news. If not from the Hulzeins, then from someone else. And if not here, maybe the next place I land." - - "The long view." Ivan said it a moment before Rissa would have. She sat up.

"Yes," she said. "It is hard to think in such terms, but it is necessary."

"d.a.m.ned hard," said her brother. "I guess I'll have to work on it."

Tregare stood. "Before we turn back, should we go a little farther?" He led the way; they circled half around the lake and climbed one side of a looming promontory, then came out to its tip and gazed at the scene below. The Lodge looked very small; beside it the aircars were mere dots.

"And this," said Rissa, "is less than halfway to the top."

"Top of the first-and lowest-major ridge, you mean," said Tregare. "Well, I've had my workout climbing. On the way down, I'm willing to take it easy."

In no great hurry, they descended; when they reached the Lodge, the sun was low.

In their room Rissa and Tregare shared a hot tub, then bed, before going downstairs to dinner. Liesel was first to the table; shortly Ivan joined them, then Sparline and Ernol.

"Ernol-my brother, Ivan Marchant."