I slapped him on the shoulder. "Cheer up, Heinz." I turned to my
appointment calendar and checked it over. There was nothing on it that
couldn't wait a few days. "Tell you what," I continued. "I need a
vacation from this place. We'll take my atomic job and go oyster
hunting. It ought to be fun."
Bergdorf's grin was like a sunrise on Kardon.
* * * * *
I brought the 'copter down slowly through the overcast, feeling my way
cautiously down to the ground that radar told me was somewhere below. We
were hardly a hundred and fifty meters up before it became visible
through the drenching tropic rain. Unless you've seen it you can't
imagine what rain is really like until you've been in the Niobian
tropics. It literally swamps everything, including visibility.
It was the Piralones all right.
The last time I'd seen them was when I led the rescue party that pulled
Wilson Chung and his passengers out of the Baril Ocean, but they were
still the same, tiny deserted spots of land surrounded by coral reefs.
We were over the biggest one of the group, a rounded hummock barely a
kilometer in diameter, surrounded by a barrier reef of coral. Between
the reef and the island a shallow lagoon lay in sullen grayness, its
surface broken into innumerable tiny wavelets by the continual splash of
rain. The land itself was a solid mass of olive-green vegetation that
ended abruptly at a narrow beach.
"Well, we're here," I said. "Grim looking place, isn't it?"
"Whoever spoke of the beauties of tropical islands didn't have Niobe in
mind," Bergdorf agreed. "This place looks like something left behind by
a cow."
I couldn't help the chuckle. The simile was too close for comfort. I
tilted the rotors and we went down to hover about ten meters off the
beach. Bergdorf pointed down the beach. I headed the 'copter in that
direction as Bergdorf looked out of the bubble, intently scanning the
waters of the lagoon. Finally he looked up with an expression of
understanding on his lean face.
"No wonder I missed them!" he murmured with awe. "There are so many that
there's no floor of the lagoon to spot them against. They cover the
entire bottom! You might as well set her down here; it's as good a place
as any."
I throttled back and landed the whirlybird on the beach. "You had your
quota of vorkum?" I asked as Bergdorf reached for the door handle.
The biologist made a wry face. "Naturally. You think I'd be fool enough
to go outside without it?"
"I wouldn't know. All I'm sure of is that if you're going to get out
here, you'd better be loaded." I followed after him as he opened the
door and jumped down to the ground.
A small horde of siths instantly left the cover of the jungle and buzzed
out to investigate. A few years ago, that would have been the signal for
ray beams at fan aperture, but both Bergdorf and I ignored them,
trusting in the protection of the vorkum. The beasties made a tactical
pass at Heinz, thought the better of it and came wheeling over in my
direction. I could almost see the disappointed look in their eyes as
they caught my aura, put on the brakes and returned disappointed to
their shelter under the broadleaves. Whatever vorkum did, it certainly
convinced insects that we were inedible and antisocial.
One or two ventured back and buzzed hopefully around our heads before
giving up in disgust.
"It beats me what they live on," Bergdorf said, gesturing at the
iridescent flash of the last bloodsucker as it disappeared beneath the
broadleaves.
"As long as it isn't us, I don't give a damn," I said. "Maybe they live
on decaying vegetable matter until something live and bloody comes
along. Anyway, they seem to get along."
Bergdorf walked the few steps to the water's edge. "I won't even have to
go swimming," he said as he walked into the water a few steps, bent and
came up with what looked like a handful of rocks.
"Oysters?" I asked, turning one over in my hand.
"Yep. Nice little _O. lurida_. About three years old, I'd guess, and
just ripe for breeding. You know, I've never seen them growing so close
to the shore. They must be stacked on top of each other out there a
ways. There's probably millions of them in this lagoon alone!"
"Well, we've found where they're coming from. Now all that's left is to
figure out what to do about it."
"We'd still better check Beta. They might possibly have reached there."
"Not unless someone's planted them," I said. "You're forgetting the
ocean currents."
"No. I was thinking of planted areas."
"Well, think again. You may know your biology, but I know Niobians.
They're too suspicious to bring untried things too close to where they
live. They've been that way as long as I can remember them, and I don't
think that anything--even something as delightful as an oyster--would
make them change overnight."
"I hope you're right."
"Oh, we'll check Beta, all right," I said. "But you can send a couple of
your boys to do it. There's no sense in our wasting time with it."
I heard the noise behind us before Bergdorf did. We turned in time to
see four Niobians emerge from the jungle and glide purposefully toward
us. The tribal tattoos on their chests identified them as members of
Tovan Harl's commune. I nudged Heinz and murmured, "We've got company."
The natives approached to within a few paces. They stood politely to
leeward while one of their number approached. "I'm sorry," he said
without the normal introduction, "but this is leased land. You will have
to leave at once. And you will please return the oysters to the lagoon.
It is not permitted to remove them."
"Oh, all right," I said. "We're through here anyway. We'll visit the
other islands and then be off."
"The other islands are also leased property. When you leave I will radio
the other guards, and you will not be permitted to land."
"This is not according to your customs," I protested.
"I realize that, Mr. Lanceford," the native said. "But I have given oath
to keep all trespassers out."
I nodded. It wasn't usual. I wondered what Harl had in mind--possibly a
planetary monopoly. If that was his plan, he was due for a surprise.
"That's very commendable," Bergdorf said, "but these oysters are going
with me. They are needed as evidence."
"I'm sorry, sir," the native said. "The oysters stay here."
"Don't be a fool, Heinz," I interjected. "They're in the right. The
oysters are their property. If you try to take them you'll be in trouble
up to your ears."
"But I need those oysters, Arthur! Probably the only adult oyster tissue
on Niobe is on these islands. I need a sample of it."
"Well, it's your neck." I turned to the native. "Don't be too hard on
him," I said. "He's quite an important man."
The Niobian nodded and grinned. "Don't worry, sir. He won't feel a
thing. But I really wish to apologize for our rudeness. If conditions
were different--"
He paused and turned toward Bergdorf who was climbing into the 'copter
with the oysters still in his hand.
* * * * *
I wasn't surprised that he didn't make it. In fact, I'd have been more
surprised if he had. Heinz crumpled to the ground beside the ship. One
of the natives came forward, took the oysters from his limp hand and
threw them back into the lagoon.
"All right," I said to the spokesman. "You fellows clobbered him, so now
you can get him into the ship."
"That is only fair," the native said. "We do not want to cause you any
extra inconvenience." He gestured to his companions. Between them they
got Bergdorf's limp body into the ship and strapped into one of the
seats. They got out, I got in, and in a minute the two of us got out of
there, going straight up through to overcast to get a celestial bearing
for home.