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"Yes, I do, sir. . . . At least, I think it would stand a good chance. Because I know how she really is.
And maybe it would make a difference to the others there too if they knew."
"So what are you suggesting?"
"Simply a request to be included in the initial party that is sent aboard theAztec. If you like, I want to
contribute to the success of the mission. I believe that if I talk to her she might see things differently, and if
that happens we might be able to influence others. If enough of them come around, it could defuse any
resistance before it gets started. So it could help things go smoothly, without trouble, the way everyone
wants." Nyrom's expression had softened. He seemed receptive to the idea. Robin showed both hands
briefly. "It wouldn't be risking anything to try, sir. But if the whole ship came over as a ready asset to
Earth, instead of having to be fought against, it could make a big difference. That's what I'd like to help
make happen, if I can."
Nyrom stared at him for several seconds while he considered. "Very well, Lieutenant. I'll propose it to
the appropriate people," he replied.
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CHAPTER THIRTY-NINE
They came to a bar of gravelly gray sand lying between the main course of the river and a back channel
scooped into a bend of low bluffs. It was an island, clean and dry, devoid of reed thickets, cane growth,
flies, and snakes, rising out of the water like the back of a long, humpbacked whale. They beached,
hauled themselves and the raft up clear from the waterline, and for the first time since the evening of the
day before last, tasted a hot meal. And then they slept.
* * *
The next morning did not exactly bring the exhilaration of feeling born again into new bodies. But it was
an improvement. They actually got to walk from one end of the sandbar to the other, to stretch, bend,
draw in deep chestfuls of air, and try a few basic calisthenics, which invigorated Keene but caused
twinges of pain in Charlie's injured calf. On checking, they found the wound red and inflamed. Keene
cleaned and treated it with what he could find in the medical kit, then bound it up again, after which the
last scraps of the food they had brought from the runabout provided a passable breakfast. And then they
secured the packs, spare paddles, and poles, pushed off and were on their way once again. Their
confidence and technique had improved some by this time, and they were getting more proficient at
spotting shallows and rapids ahead that had to be circumvented on foot, dragging or carrying the raft. At
other times, where the flow was clear, they risked venturing farther out into the stream and letting the
current carry them. Their progress was much faster than the day before, and Keene estimated they
should reach Joburg with some margin to spare before dark.
"You know, I never thought to ask before," Keene said as they drifted into a bend, using the paddles to
hold direction. "What happened to Cynthia? Are you two still together?" Cynthia had been one of a
couple who joined Keene and Cavan's group in California. She and Charlie had gravitated to each other
after her original partner went off with some others to find help after a plane crash, and never returned.
"She was with a survey group that got hit by an impact storm on Tethys," Charlie answered. "No
survivors."
"Oh . . . Sorry to hear that." The silence dragged. Keene felt a need to add something. "You don't seem
to have a lot of luck in that department, Charlie." When they first met at JPL, Charlie's wife had just
walked out.
"Well, we'll just have to see what the future brings." There was a silence while they steered around a
patch of rocks and eddies. Then Charlie's voice came again from behind. "How about you? It used to
look like you and Vicki were going to make it permanent. But it sounds as if you spend most of your time
away."
"You know how it's been, Charlie. Never enough time. Always more to do . . ."
Truth was, Keene didn't know how he felt. On the occasions when he had gone back to Dione seriously
thinking it was time to make a commitment, always the same restlessness had seized him again, and he
had found some reason to put it off.
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