Part 28 (1/2)

The next job, preparing the vacated quarters tor new residents, was made easier by Commander Makako's records of every queen facility on the entire planet. By pointing out the sites of the most recent ”boundary” skirmishes, she could show the xenbees where to find the most aggressive ones. These would be kept busy enough in their new quarters to forget about extending their holdings. Her observers had also identified several young queens who had only begun to lay eggs and develop an entourage.

The best job, according to the scuttleb.u.t.t of Fourth Fleet, was following the Nose around. Jeff had explained to Pierre Laney the urgency and importance of applying his unique Talent to the minute, but important, differences of smell in queens' quarters. If the relocation was to work effectively, the queen must think she was still in her original quarters. Once Laney was a.s.sured that he was in no personal danger, and how important it was to replicate the distinctive aura in each facility, he accepted the job, and the enormous fee that went with it.

A spare man in his forties, he had indeed a remarkable nose, in size and appearance, for it was, as Cyrano de Bergerac had described his, a veritable rock, a crag, a cape ... a peninsula .. . of a nose, reddened, with Tke Tmi and the Hive ' H 3 capillaries fanning out on both cheeks. He totally ignored any stares it caused, evidently well accustomed to every kind of reaction, but when he first came on board thcAsimov, he had a habit of taking a quick sniff of each area he pa.s.sed through.

”I can find my way about anywhere in total darkness entirely by scent,” Laney confided in Captain Osullivan, for he was naturally included in the captain's mess. His manner was always gracious and he was as good a listener as a nose. ”Some places are more interesting”- he tapped the tip of his thick nose-”than others.”

”We're grateful for your willingness to serve,” Captain Osullivan said.

”A change is as good as a rest,” was Pierre's reply, with a broad smile. ”I've never been on a s.p.a.ces.h.i.+p before. For that matter, I've never been off Earth.”

He never got tired either, in his relentless tour of the deodorized facilities. He carried a wrist pad on which he made notations.

”Chemical formulas for the distinctive aromas,” he replied to Voorhees's query. ”However, I rarely forget one.”

”Never thought of these,” Voorhees murmured, gesturing around him at the empty queen quarters that they were currently evaluating, ”as aromatic.”

”Oh, they are, whether or not they are also pleasant to smell or so faint that only I can differentiate. Aroma does imply nice, as does scent. Aromatic suggests something stronger. But reek, smell, stink, pong, stench, fetor, redolence, all evoke memories in our minds of other times and places where our olfactory sense has met with that. . . flavor ... on a previous occasion. Think on it,” Pierre Laney suggested. ”Aroma, smell, fragrance, whatever . . .” And he gave a Gallic twist of his hand. ”The mind”-he tapped his proboscis-”and the schnozzola remember.”

”Schnozzola?” Voorhees echoed, his eyes protruding in astonishment.

”Schnozzola,” Pierre echoed with a dignified nod of his head. ”An ancient comedian with a beak like mine”-he caressed it with an affectionate finger-”made an advantage out of what others would have called a disfigurement. Now, of course”-another Gallic wave of his hand-”physical perfection can be easily achieved.” He shrugged in a dismissal of physical perfection as the ideal. ”Now do I get to see the occupied Hives?” he asked.

Voorhees respectfully gestured for Pierre to precede him out into the fresher air, wondering how the queens had turned on the air-circulation device that Thian had mentioned.

They moved more cautiously in their searching and a.s.sessment of the quarters of the queens, scheduled to be relocated on the Main continent to relieve the population pressure and the threat of more territorial battles on their continents. Once Laney got over the initial shock of seeing a Hiver queen, propped up on her hind legs watching the green wall screen and whatever messages it conveyed to her, he followed wherever Voorhees and his security team led him.

”I did review tapes taken of the queen at Heinlein Moon Base, you know,” he confided to Voorhees after the first investigation, ”when Prime Raven approached me for this a.s.signment. Being in the same . . . ah ... chamber with one is quite another matter.”

On his return to theAsimov, he would also concoct, as he called it, the essence of each live queen.

”There are so many to be remembered in such a short time, I should not like to put queen thirteen's scent where queen thirty-three's should be. No, no, such a mistake would queer the entire operation,” he explained to the laboratory technicians who a.s.sisted him.

The concerned head technician informed Captain Osullivan that the Nose apparently took little sleep.

”Ah, but I need little sleep.” Pierre beamed at such consideration when Etienne Osullivan expressed anxiety over his diligence. ”I only require four hours a night, you see. I love my work, you know.” His brown eyes twinkled as he held a cautionary finger to his lips. ”I have even discovered several new fragrances from the musk of the queens.”

”Really?” Osullivan was surprised.

”Of course.” Another Gallic shrug. ”Many of the most popular per-

1.

fumes are based on remarkable substances.” He held up his hand, bowing his head as one who is divulging an important fact. ”I have made up several, quite pa.s.sable colognes. Your female officers are kind enough to say they are enchanted.” He winked again. ”So am I!”

”If I recall correctly,” Captain Vestapia Soligen of the Columbia said, ”Ciudad Rodrigo had a sphere which they sent up our tail end.” Her expression was unforgiving.

”No good did it do them,” Lieutenant Rhodri Eagles remarked dryly, twiddling his thumbs where he had stretched out a long body in one of the comformable chairs in the Talents' lounge aboard the Constellation-cla.s.s s.h.i.+p.

The captain gave him a long stare, and as if it had been his idea and not his captain's look, he straightened up and clasped his hands together.

”Do we know if it took its scout s.h.i.+ps with it?” she asked those in the room.

”No sir, we don't,” said Commander Wayla Gregorian, the science officer.

”Mostly they do,” Rojer said, ”or they have no way of getting to and from the sphere when they reach their destination.”

”Unless of course,” Roddie remarked, ”they've got ground-to-s.h.i.+p transports we've never seen.”

”A distinct possibility.” Major Kwan Keiser-Tau frowned at the security risk that could pose.

”However, I've never seen any,” Rojer said, from a position of more experience with Hivers than anyone else in the lounge, and looked at Captain Hptml of the KMTM. HAVE YOU, SIR?

The large bronze-colored 'Dini shook its head. HAVE BEEN IN COMBAT WITH SCOUTS. NEVER BEEN TO AN OCCUPIED PLANET WITH LIVE QUEENS. THE POSSIBILITY EXISTS.

”Since your experts”-Major Keiser-Tau inclined his head stiffly but respectfully in Hptml's direction-”seem to think that the planet Prime Thian explored is atypical and since you, Rojer, were at Xh-33 when its s.p.a.ceworthy craft were demolished, we shall proceed with caution.”

As ever, Roddie said in a 'pathed aside to the Talents in the room.

His hide gets s.h.i.+nned if we get hurt, Rhodri, Flavia reminded him.

”Prime Raven is anxious for us to reconnoiter,” Captain Soligen said.

The world they were fast approaching had three big, sprawling continents as well as small islands that might once have been connected to the main continents. Ice caps glittered at both north and south poles. There was little seismic activity anywhere, so the planet was old, geologically speaking. The initial probes indicated it was well settled and most of the arable lands had been laid out in typical Hiver field patterns. One of the continents narrowed on the equator so that, from s.p.a.ce, it looked like a tightly corseted caricature of a Human figure. Soligen pointed to an area above the ”waist,” a wide plain with a range of hills that separated it from the ocean.

”I propose we start with this one. There appears to be a large enough underground area to house scouts.”

”If they have any left,” Roddie said, but he was paying close attention to the briefing.

”Certainly they have no sphere, just the debris that suggests one was in geosynchronous...o...b..t to that field. Helm”-Vestapia raised her wrist com to her mouth-”how soon before we reach orbit?” ”Four hours twenty minutes, Captain.”

She rose. ”Very well then, Major”-she turned to the security officer-”a.s.semble a small team to accompany our Primes. I shall be most interested in having a running commentary on your exploration.” She turned at the door leading to her bridge. ”The treated hazmat gear is to be worn.”

And don't forget to brush your teeth and gargle away the garlic, said the irreverent Roddie, though his expression was bland.

I just hope I'm around when you forget and spea those mean thoughts out loud, Flavia said, rising.

I.

”Thank all the G.o.ds that I don't have to go with you. The temperature down there is like Clarfs,” she added, jerking her thumb at their target on the planet.

”I don't know about anyone else,” Roddie said, ”but my hazmat is able for any temperature.”

”Even the frost when you get cheeky with Vestapia?” Asia asked.

Roddie slowly brought his head around to look down at his youngest sister.