"It'll be a durn sight better when I got my feet up to that big fire
you was talking about, Annie," Chip said.
They climbed on, crossed a shoulder of broken rock, reached the final
slope. Above, the lodge sprawled, a long low structure of heavy logs,
outlined against the deep-blue twilight sky. Smoke billowed from stone
chimneys at either end, and yellow light gleamed from the narrow
windows, reflected on the snow. Men and women stood in groups of three
or four, skis over their shoulders. Their voices and laughter rang in
the icy air.
Anne-Marie whistled shrilly. Someone waved.
"Come," she said. "Meet all my friends."
A man separated himself from the group, walked down the slope to meet
them.
"Anne-Marie," he called. "Welcome. It was a long day without you." He
came up to them, hugged Anne-Marie, smiled at Retief.
"Welcome," he said. "Come inside and be warm."
They crossed the trampled snow to the lodge and pushed through a heavy
door into a vast low-beamed hall, crowded with people, talking,
singing, some sitting at long plank tables, others ringed around an
eight-foot fireplace at the far side of the room. Anne-Marie led the
way to a bench near the fire. She made introductions and found a stool
to prop Chip's feet near the blaze.
Chip looked around.
"I never seen so many perty gals before," he said delightedly.
"Poor Chip," one girl said. "His feet are cold." She knelt to pull off
his boots. "Let me rub them," she said.
A brunette with blue eyes raked a chestnut from the fire, cracked it
and offered it to Retief. A tall man with arms like oak roots passed
heavy beer tankards to the two guests.
"Tell us about the places you've seen," someone called. Chip emerged
from a long pull at the mug, heaving a sigh.
"Well," he said. "I tell you I been in some places...."
Music started up, rising above the clamor.
"Come, Retief," Anne-Marie said. "Dance with me."
Retief looked at her. "My thought exactly," he said.
* * * * *
Chip put down his mug and sighed. "Derned if I ever felt right at home
so quick before," he said. "Just seems like these folks know all about
me." He scratched behind his right ear. "Annie must o' called 'em up
and told 'em our names an' all." He lowered his voice.
"They's some kind o' trouble in the air, though. Some o' the remarks
they passed sounds like they're lookin' to have some trouble with the
Sweaties. Don't seem to worry 'em none, though."
"Chip," Retief said, "how much do these people know about the Soetti?"
"Dunno," Chip said. "We useta touch down here, regler. But I always
jist set in my galley and worked on ship models or somethin'. I hear
the Sweaties been nosin' around here some, though."
Two girls came up to Chip. "Hey, I gotta go now, Mister," he said.
"These gals got a idea I oughta take a hand in the kitchen."
"Smart girls," Retief said. He turned as Anne-Marie came up.
"Bo Bergman and Tove are not back yet," she said. "They stayed to ski
after moonrise."
"That moon is something," Retief said. "Almost like day-light."
"They will come soon, now. Shall we go out to see the moonlight on the
snow?"
Outside, long black shadows fell like ink on silver. The top of the
cloud layer below glared white under the immense moon.
"Our sister world, Gota," Anne-Marie said. "Nearly as big as Svea. I
would like to visit it someday, although they say it's all stone and
ice."
"Anne-Marie," Retief said, "how many people live on Jorgensen's Worlds?"
"About fifteen million, most of us here on Svea. There are mining camps
and ice-fisheries on Gota. No one lives on Vasa and Skone, but there
are always a few hunters there."
"Have you ever fought a war?"
Anne-Marie turned to look at Retief.
"You are afraid for us, Retief," she said. "The Soetti will attack our
worlds, and we will fight them. We have fought before. These planets
were not friendly ones."
"I thought the Soetti attack would be a surprise to you," Retief said.
"Have you made any preparation for it?"
"We have ten thousand merchant ships. When the enemy comes, we will
meet them."