Chapter 20

Considerable tension pervaded the lander as it cleared the Gardener, tension of more than one sort. Uppermost in the minds of all twelve was, of course, the uncertain reception they anticipated on Eden. Igwanda and his troops were girding mentally for a possible battle, while the seven civilians could only sit by and view what was to happen.

There was also an undercurrent of resentment among the civilians for what they saw as the colonel's autocratic intransigence. Toshimura and Shaw had ostentatiously avoided greeting Igwanda as they boarded, and even the diplomatic Meiersdottir was somewhat curt. For his part Igwanda paid no attention to the social slights if, indeed, he was even aware of them. His focus was, as was his custom in preparing for possible combat, wholly on the task that lay ahead. He nodded to each crew member as they arrived, but barely spoke until the lander was in flight.

"Mr. Shaw, I understand that this vessel is equipped with ultrasonic scanning equipment that is used to evaluate the terrain before actual landing, am I correct?" he said abruptly.

"Yes, Colonel," the pilot replied. "We need to ensure that there are no hillocks or depressions or subsurface irregularities that might make the lander unstable when it's on the ground."

"I will need to review this scan before we actually touch down," Igwanda said.

"Why?" asked Shaw in surprise. "The lander's computer evaluates all that automatically, and repositions as needed. The scan usually isn't even displayed."

"Please display it this time, and do not touch down until I have examined it and given the order."

"Why?" asked Shaw again.

Igwanda checked his impatience; he was unused to having his orders questioned in combat situations, as he viewed this, and had to remind himself that this was, in military terms, a civilian out of discipline.

"I mentioned yesterday that the natives' failure to cultivate this field might be a tacit invitation to us," he said after a brief pause. "Invitations may, however, take many forms. I would like to assure myself that we are not walking into some sort of ambush or trap, either on or beneath the surface. It is far-fetched in the extreme that these aliens would have maintained such preparations for over a century. But it would be tactically unsound not to verify that."

"Well, you'll have to do your verification pretty quickly," said Shaw shortly. "We can't simply hover there while you do a leisurely check. Landers go down and they go up and they even go sideways, but they can't sit still in mid-air."

"I shall be as quick as I can," the colonel said.

For the balance of the descent there was virtually no conversation. As Igwanda had expected, both visual and ultrasonic observation revealed nothing of note—no hidden groups of natives, no antipersonnel devices, no subsurface tunneling, merely the same open field that had greeted the Argo lander over a hundred years earlier. His order to set down came so quickly that there was no need for maneuvering. And the vessel was on the ground.

"Now," said the colonel as the gravitronic engines cut off, "let us wait for a time and see what sort of notice we attract. I ask all of you to give your attention to the external monitors. In addition, Mr. Shaw, you should begin infrared scanning to a distance of the far edge of the surrounding overgrowth; set your equipment to respond to anything beyond small local animal and avian life, and let me know immediately."

For nearly fifteen minutes they waited with no hint of activity outside. "They had to have noticed us!" Monte Smith ultimately expostulated with evident frustration. "They were all over the Argo's lander within moments."

"Yes," said Igwanda dryly. "As I said, they seem to have long memories. Perhaps those memories extend to what happened to them on that occasion."

"There's something here," Shaw said from the infrared unit. "Four, five, six—eight signatures about the proper configuration for natives. They're just entering the ... the woods over there." He pointed.

"Eight," said Igwanda pensively. "Eight was the number of the Argo's landing party. Let us see if more join them."

But none did—nor, even after another quarter hour's wait, did any of those eight come into view. Shaw reported that the infrared merely showed them as taking up positions in a group where they'd first entered the overgrowth and remaining still. Audio, even when enhanced maximally, reflected no communication among them. Other than occasional cries from a few passing avians, nothing could be heard.