* * * * *
He met Terry Fisher at the landing field in Las Vegas. A firm
handshake, clear brown eyes looking at him the way a four-year-old
looks at Santa Claus. "Glad you could come tonight, Senator. I've had
a busy couple of days. I think you'll be interested." Remarkable
restraint in the man's voice. His face was full of things unsaid. Dan
caught it; he knew faces, read them like typescript. "What is it,
son?"
"Wait until you see." Fisher laughed nervously. "I thought for a while
that I was back on Mars."
"Cigar?"
"No thanks. I never use them."
The car broke through darkness across bumpy pavement. The men sat
silently. Then a barbed-wire enclosure loomed up, and a guard walked
over, peered at their credentials, and waved them through. Ahead lay a
long, low row of buildings, and a tall something spearing up into the
clear desert night. They stopped at the first building, and hurried up
the steps.
Small, red-faced Lijinsky greeted them, all warm handshake and
enthusiasm and unmistakable happiness and surprise. "A real pleasure,
Senator! We haven't had a direct governmental look-see in quite a
while. I'm glad I'm here to show you around."
"Everything is going right along, eh?"
"Oh, yes! She'll be a ship to be proud of. Now, I think we can arrange
some quarters for you for the night, and in the morning we can sit
down and have a nice, long talk."
Terry Fisher was shaking his head. "I think the Senator would like to
see the ship now--isn't that right, Senator?"
Lijinsky's eyes opened wide, his head bobbed in surprise. Young-old
creases on his face flickered. "Tonight? Oh, you can't really be
serious. Why, it's almost two in the morning! We only have a skeleton
crew working at night. Tomorrow you can see--"
"Tonight, if you don't mind." Dan tried to keep the sharp edge out of
his voice. "Unless you have some specific objection, of course."
"Objection? None whatsoever." Lijinsky seemed puzzled, and a little
hurt. But he bounced back: "Tonight it is, then. Let's go." There was
no doubting the little man's honesty. He wasn't hiding anything, just
surprised. But a moment later there was concern on his face as he led
them out toward the factory compounds. "There's no question of
appropriations, I hope, Senator?"
"No, no. Nothing of the sort."
"Well, I'm certainly glad to hear that. Sometimes our contacts from
Washington are a little disappointed in the Ship, of course."