For an instant he thought she meant into the box, and then he realized
that the reverberating clang he heard must be the hatch door of the
hold. He joined her at the opposite window.
There were two--no, three dark shapes coming toward the box, moving
swiftly through the green and chartreuse vapors. They undulated on two
pairs of stubby legs set fore and aft under a flexible lower body.
Their upper bodies, carried erect, were rather bulbous and tall, with
well-defined heads and two sets of specialized arms, the lower ones
thick and powerful for heavy work, the upper ones as delicate as an
engraver's fine tools. Their skin was a glossy black, almost like
patent leather. They wore neat harnesses of what looked like metal
webbing in the way of dress, and on the breast strap each one carried
an insigne.
"Ship's officers," Durham guessed. "Probably one of them's the
captain."
"They're horrible," said Susan. She backed away from the window until
the end of the bunk caught her behind the knees and she sat down.
Durham laughed. "Fine pair of cosmopolites we are. We're used to the
idea of non-humanoids. There are a lot of them on The Hub, but they're
mostly segregated by necessity, so we practically never really see any.
But now we're the ones who have to be segregated. And the reality is
quite another thing from the idea, isn't it?"
* * * * *
He backed away himself, a step or two, until shame made him stop. The
three non-humanoids came and looked with large iridescent eyes, through
the window. Their oddly shaped mouths moved rapidly, so he knew that
they were talking, and their slender upper arms were as mobile and
expressive as the hands of so many girls at a sorority tea. Then one
of them turned and did something to the wall of the box, and suddenly
Durham could hear them clearly. There was a speaker device beside the
window. Durham sprang at it.
"Can you hear me? Can you hear me out there? Listen, you have no right
to do this, you've got to take us back! Miss Hawtree is the daughter
of--"
"Mr. Durham." The voice was unhuman but strong, and the esperanto it
spoke was perfectly understandable. "Please calm yourself and listen to
what I have to say. I appreciate your feelings--"
"Hah!"
"--but there is nothing I can do about it. I have my orders, and I can
assure you--"
"From Jubb?"
"You'll be fully informed when you reach Senya Dik. Meanwhile, I can
assure you that no harm will come to you, now or later. So please put
your fears at rest. A little patience--"
Susan had leaped up. Now she flung herself upon the speaker mike. "What
about me?"
"Your presence was unexpected, and I fear it's going to be rather
difficult for you both. But you must make the best of it. In regard
to air and water, I must caution you that the supply will hardly be
adequate for you both unless you are extremely careful."