"Marac leaves," Clarey said. "A native product. Care to try one?" He
extended his pouch to Spano.
"Don't mind if I do," the general said, taking a roll. "Which part do
you light? And why don't you offer one to Secretary Vollard?"
"Oh, sorry; I didn't think of it. The women here don't use it. Care to
try one, Secretary?" As she took a roll, she looked at him searchingly.
She was still beautiful in an Amazonian way, but he preferred
Embelsira's way. He could never imagine Han Vollard warm and tender.
"Well, Clarey," Spano said, "you seem to be doing a splendid job. I've
been absolutely enthralled by your reports." He settled himself behind
Blynn's desk. "Pity the information's top secret. It could make a
fortune on the tri-dis."
Clarey bowed.
"And those musictapes you sent back created quite a stir. We've brought
along some superior equipment. The rig here is good enough for routine
work, but we need better fidelity for this. And it would be appreciated
if the colonel didn't beat time with his foot while you played--no
offense, Blynn."
He turned back to Clarey. "Do you think you can pick up some of those
what-do-you-call-'ems--ulerins--for us, too, or is there a tabu of
some kind?"
"Not ulerins," Clarey corrected, "uleran. And you can walk up to any
marketplace and get as many as you like--providing you have the cash,
of course."
"I _told_ you the job had musical overtones. I'll bet that makes up for
some of the discomforts and privations."
"It's not too uncomfortable."
"There speaks a true patriot!" Spano approved.
Han measured Clarey with her eyes. "You're quiet, Secretary," he said
nervously. "You used to talk a lot more."
Blynn stared at him. She smiled. "You're the one who has things to tell
now, Clarey."
"And show," the general said, almost licking his lips. "Every one of
your tapes made my mouth fairly water. I trust you brought an ample and
varied supply of those delicacies."
Clarey's smile was unforced this time. "I got your message and I
brought along a large hamperful, but it'll be hard to make the people
back home keep thinking my aunt's an invalid if she eats like a team of
hax. My wife baked some pastries, which I especially recommend to your
attention."
"I think we ought to get business over before we start on
refreshments," Han suggested.
"Yes," Spano agreed reluctantly. "I suppose you had better be
deep-probed first, Clarey.... Not even one taste beforehand, Han?...
Well, I suppose not."
Clarey tensed. "You've got a probe on the ship?" he asked, as if the
possibility had never occurred to him.
"That's right," Han Vollard said. "It's an up-to-date model. The whole
thing'll take you less than an hour, and we'll have the information
collated by morning."
"I--I would prefer not to be deep-probed. You never can tell: it might
upset all the conditioning I've received here; it--"
"Let us worry about that, Clarey," she said.
* * * * *
He didn't sleep that night. He sat looking out of the window, knowing
there was nothing he could do. Embelsira was in danger--her people were
in danger--and he couldn't lift a finger to save them.
When he came down to breakfast, he saw that the reports had been
collated and read. "So your wife suspects, does she?" the general
asked. "Shrewd little creature. You must have picked one of the more
intelligent ones."
Clarey struggled on the pin. "Wives often have strange fancies about
their husbands. You mustn't take it too seriously."
"How often have you been married, Clarey?" Han asked. "Or even linked
in liaison? How many married people did you know well back on Earth?"
There was no need to answer; she knew all the answers.
"I think Clarey did a rattling good job," Blynn said stoutly. "It
wasn't his fault that she suspects."
"Of course not!" the general agreed. "Feminine intuition isn't
restricted to human females. In fact, in some female ilfs it's even
stronger than in humans. The precognitive faculties in the grua, for
example--"
"What are you going to do?" Clarey interrupted bluntly.
Han Vollard answered him: "Nothing yet. You've got us a lot of
information, but it's not enough. You'll have to keep on as you are for
another three years or so."
It was all Clarey could do to keep from trembling visibly with relief.
"It doesn't even matter too much that one of the natives suspects," Han
went on, "as long as she doesn't definitely know."
"She doesn't," Clarey said, "and she won't. And she won't tell anybody;
she'd be afraid for me." But he wasn't all that sure. The Damorlanti
didn't hate Earthmen and they didn't fear them, and so Embelsira
wouldn't think it was a shameful thing to be. He was glad he'd already
been deep-probed. At least this thought would be safe for three years
or so.
"At any rate, they don't seem antagonistic toward Earthmen," the
general said, almost as if he'd read part of Clarey's mind. "I think
that's nice."
Han Vollard looked at him. "It's not their attitude toward us that
matters. They couldn't do anything if they tried. It's what they are
that matters, what they will be that matters even more."
"I take back what I said before!" Clarey flared. "You talk too damn
much!"
There was a chilling silence.
"Nerves," said Blynn nervously. "Every agent lets go when he's back
among his own kind. Nothing but release of tension."
* * * * *
Several days later the staff ship was ready to go back to Earth. "Don't
forget to tell your wife how much I enjoyed the pies," Spano said;
then, "Oh, I was forgetting; you could hardly do that. But do see if
you can work out something with the dehydro-freeze. I'd hate to have
to wait three years before tasting them again. You can keep your marac
rolls, though; I'll take my smoke-sticks."
"Try not to get any more involved, Clarey," Han Vollard said as they
stood outside the airlock. "Maybe you ought to move on--to a city,
perhaps, another country--"
"When I want your advice, I'll ask for it!" he snapped.
After they'd gone, Blynn turned on him. "Man, you must be out of your
mind, talking to Secretary Vollard like that."
"Why does she have to keep meddling? It's none of her business--"
"None of her business! Secretary of the Space Service, and you say it's
none of her business?"