"Wouldn't doubt it." Phil reached back behind the door, picked up a
flarelight standing beside a heavy machine rifle, and came outside. He
pointed the light at the cars and touched the flash button briefly three
times. After a moment, there were two answering flashes from the leading
car.
"So Wayne Jackson's in the front car," Phil said. "Now let's see what
they do." He returned the light to its place behind the door and came
out again, standing about twelve feet to one side of Celia. The aircars
vanished inland, came back at treetop level a few minutes later. One
settled down quietly between the cabin and the edge of the cliff, the
other following but dropping to the ground a hundred yards away, where
it stopped. Phil glanced over at Celia, said softly, "Watch that one!"
She nodded almost imperceptibly, right hand buried in her jacket pocket.
The near door of the car before them opened. Major Wayne Jackson,
hatless and in hunting clothes, climbed out, staring at them. He said,
"Anyone else here?"
"Just Celia and myself," Phil said.
Jackson turned, spoke into the car and two men, similarly dressed, came
out behind him. Phil recognized Ronald Black and Sanford. The three
started over to the cabin, stopped a dozen feet away.
Jackson said sardonically, "Our five other previous Earthside partners
are in the second car. In spite of your insistence to meet the whole
group, they don't want you and Celia to see their faces. They don't wish
to be identifiable." He touched his coat lapel. "They'll hear what we're
saying over this communicator and they could talk to you, but won't
unless they feel it's necessary. You'll have to take my word for it that
we're all present."
"That's good enough," Phil said.
"All right," Jackson went on, "now what did you mean by forcing us to
take this chance? Let me make it plain. Colonel Thayer hasn't been
accused of collaborating in the Roye gun hoax, but he got a black eye
out of the affair just the same. And don't forget that a planet with
colonial status is technically under martial law, which includes the
civilians. If Silas Thayer can get his hands on the guilty persons, the
situation will become a lot more unpleasant than it already is."
* * *
Phil addressed Ronald Black, "Then how about you two? When you showed up
here again on a transfer list, Thayer must have guessed why."
Black shook his head. "Both of us exercised the privilege of changing
our names just prior to the outtransfer. He doesn't know we're on Roye.
We don't intend to let him find out."