Missing Link

sucheven-tempered types." He looked at the white uniform on Orne, wiped ahand across his mouth as though he'd tasted something dirty.

  "Why _am_ I wearing this thing?" asked Orne.

  "Disguise."

  "But there's no mustache!"

  Stetson smiled without humor. "That's one of I-A's answers to thosefat-keistered politicians. We're setting up our own search system tofind the planets before _they_ do. We've managed to put spies in keyplaces at R&R. Any touchy planets our spies report, we divert thefiles."

  "Then what?"

  "Then we look into them with bright boys like you--disguised as R&Rfield men."

  "Goody, goody. And what happens if R&R stumbles onto me while I'm downthere playing patty cake?"

  "We disown you."

  "But you said an I-A ship found this joint."

  "It did. And then one of our spies in R&R intercepted a _routine_request for an agent-instructor to be assigned here with full equipment.Request signed by a First-Contact officer name of Diston ... of the_Delphinus_!"

  "But the Del--"

  "Yeah. Missing. The request was a forgery. Now you see why I'm mostlyfor rubbing out this place. Who'd dare forge such a thing unless he knewfor sure that the original FC officer was missing ... or dead?"

  "What the jumped up mazoo are we doing here, Stet?" asked Orne. "Aliencalls for a full contact team with all of the--"

  "It calls for one planet-buster bomb ... buster--in five days. Unlessyou give them a white bill in the meantime. High Commissioner Bullonewill have word of this planet by then. If Gienah III still exists infive days, can't you imagine the fun the politicians'll have with it?Mama mia! We want this planet cleared for contact or dead before then."

  "I don't like this, Stet."

  "YOU don't like it!"

  "Look," said Orne. "There must be another way. Why ... when we teamed upwith the Alerinoids we gained five hundred years in the physicalsciences alone, not to mention the--"

  "The Alerinoids didn't knock over one of our survey ships first."

  "What if the _Delphinus_ just crashed here ... and the locals picked upthe pieces?"

  "That's what you're going in to find out, Orne. But answer me this: Ifthey _do_ have the _Delphinus_, how long before a tool-using race couldbe a threat to the galaxy?"

  "I saw that city they built, Stet. They could be dug in within sixmonths, and there'd be no--"

  "Yeah."

  Orne shook his head. "But think of it: Two civilizations that maturedalong different lines! Think of all the different ways we'd approach thesame problems ... the lever that'd give us for--"

  "You sound like a Uni-Galacta lecture! Are you through marching arm inarm into the misty future?"

  Orne took a deep breath. "Why's a freshman like me being tossed intothis dish?"

  "You'd still be on the _Delphinus_ master lists as an R&R field man.That's important if you're masquerading."

  "Am I the only one? I know I'm a recent _convert_, but--"

  "You want out?"

  "I didn't say that. I just want to know why I'm--"

  "Because the bigdomes fed a set of requirements into one of their ironmonsters. Your card popped out. They were looking for somebody capable,dependable ... and ... _expendable_!"

  "Hey!"

  "That's why I'm down here briefing you instead of sitting back on aflagship. _I_ got you into the I-A. Now, you listen carefully: If youpush the panic button on this one without cause, I will personally flayyou alive. We both know the advantages of an alien contact. But if youget into a hot spot, and call for help, I'll dive this cruiser into thatcity to get you out!"

  Orne swallowed. "Thanks, Stet. I'm--"

  * * * * *

  "We're going to take up a tight orbit. Out beyond us will be fivetransports full of I-A marines and a Class IX Monitor with oneplanet-buster. You're calling the shots, God help you! First, we want toknow if they have the _Delphinus_ ... and if so, where it is. Next, wewant to know just how warlike these goons are. Can we control them ifthey're bloodthirsty. What's their potential?"

  "In five days?"

  "Not a second more."

  "What do we know about them?"

  "Not much. They look something like an ancient Terran chimpanzee ...only with blue fur. Face is hairless, pink-skinned." Stetson snapped aswitch. The translite map became a screen with a figure frozen on it."Like that. This is life size."

  "Looks like the missing link they're always hunting for," said Orne."Yeah, but you've got a different kind of a missing link."

  "Vertical-slit pupils in their eyes," said Orne. He studied the figure.It had been caught from the front by a mini-sneaker camera. About fivefeet tall. The stance was slightly bent forward, long arms. Two verticalnose slits. A flat, lipless mouth. Receding chin. Four-fingered hands.It wore a wide belt from which dangled neat pouches and what looked liketools, although their use was obscure. There appeared to be the tip of atail protruding from behind one of the squat legs. Behind the creaturetowered the faery spires of the city they'd observed from the air.

  "Tails?" asked Orne.

  "Yeah. They're arboreal. Not a road on the whole planet that we canfind. But there are lots of vine lanes through the jungles." Stetson'sface hardened. "Match _that_ with a city as advanced as that one."

  "Slave culture?"

  "Probably."

  "How many cities have they?"

  "We've found two. This one and another on the other side of the planet.But the other one's a ruin."

  "A ruin? Why?"

  "You tell us. Lots of mysteries here."

  "What's the planet like?"

  "Mostly jungle. There are polar oceans, lakes and rivers. One lowmountain chain follows the equatorial belt about two thirds around theplanet."

  "But only two cities. Are you sure?"

  "Reasonably so. It'd be pretty hard to miss something the size of thatthing we flew over. It must be fifty kilometers long and at least tenwide. Swarming with these creatures, too. We've got a zone-countestimate that places the city's population at over thirty million."

  "Whee-ew! Those are tall buildings, too."

  "We don't know much about this place, Orne. And unless you bring theminto the fold, there'll be nothing but ashes for our archaeologists topick over."

  "Seems a dirty shame."

  "I agree, but--"

  The call bell jangled.

  * * * * *

  Stetson's voice sounded tired: "Yeah, Hal?"

  "That mob's only about five kilometers out, Stet. We've got Orne's gearoutside in the disguised air sled."

  "We'll be right down."

  "Why a disguised sled?" asked Orne.

  "If they think it's a ground buggy, they might get careless when youmost need an advantage. We could always scoop you out of the air, youknow."

  "What're my chances on this one, Stet?"

  Stetson shrugged. "I'm afraid they're slim. These goons probably havethe _Delphinus_, and they want you just long enough to get yourequipment and everything you know."

  "Rough as that, eh?"

  "According to our best guess. If you're not out in five days, we blast."

  Orne cleared his throat.

  "Want out?" asked Stetson.

  "No."

  "Use the _back-door_ rule, son. Always leave yourself a way out. Now ...let's check that equipment the surgeons put in your neck." Stetson put ahand to his throat. His mouth remained closed, but there was asurf-hissing voice in Orne's ears: "You read me?"

  "Sure. I can--"

  "No!" hissed the voice. "Touch the mike contact. Keep your mouth closed.Just use your speaking muscles without speaking."

  Orne obeyed.

  "O.K.," said Stetson. "You come in loud and clear."

  "I ought to. I'm right on top of you!"

  "There'll be a relay ship over you all the time," said Stetson. "Now ...when you're not touching that mike contact this rig'll still feed uswhat you say ... and everything that g
oes on around you, too. We'llmonitor everything. Got that?"

  "Yes."

  Stetson held out his right hand. "Good luck. I meant that about divingin for you. Just say the word."

  "I know the word, too," said Orne. "HELP!"

  * *