[Transcriber's Note: This etext was produced from
Galaxy Magazine April 1962.
Extensive research did not uncover any evidence that
the U.S. copyright on this publication was renewed.]
The creatures were huge, hairy, surly--and
the males were always chasing the females.
But what else could you expect of mammals?
I
"We need data," I said as I manipulated the scanner and surveyed our
little domain of rocks and vegetation. "The animate life we have
collected so far is of a low order."
"There is nothing here with intelligence," Ven agreed, gesturing at the
specimens in front of us. "Although they're obviously related to our
race, they're quite incapable of constructing those artifacts we saw
on our way down."
"Or of building electone communications or even airboats," I added.
"I expect that there is only one way to get what we want--and that's
to go looking for it," Ven said as she smoothed her antennae with a
primary digit. "I also expect," she added acidly, "that there might
have been other places from which it wouldn't be so hard to start
looking. Or did you _have_ to set us down in this isolated spot?"
I glared at her and she flushed a delicate lavender. "Do you think
I landed here because I _wanted_ to?" I asked with some bitterness,
inflating my cheek pouches to better express my disgust. "There were
less than two vards of useful fuel left on the reels when I cut the
drives. There isn't enough to take us across this valley. We came
close to not making planetfall here at all."
"Oh," Ven said in a small voice, vocalizing as she always does when she
is embarrassed. Like most females, she finds it difficult to project
normally when she is under emotional stress. Afraid or angry she can
blow a hole in subspace; but embarrassed, her projections are so faint
that I have to strain my antennae to receive them.
Her aura turned a shamefaced nacreous lavender. I couldn't stay angry
with her. She was lovely, and I was proud to be her mate. The Eugenics
Council had made an unusually good match when they brought us together.
The months we had spent aboard ship on our sabbatical had produced no
serious personality conflicts. We fitted well, and I was more happy
than any Thalassan had a right to be.
"We shall have to try other measures," I said. "Although there aren't
very many natives hereabouts, we had better start looking for them
rather than wait for them to look for us." I felt disappointed. I was
certain that we made enough disturbance coming down for them to be here
in droves, which was why I had the robots camouflage the ship to look
like the surrounding rocks. There could be such a thing as too much
attention.
"They could have mistaken us for a meteor," Ven said.
"Probably," I agreed. "But it would have saved a great deal of trouble
if one of them had come to us." I sighed. "Oh well."