The Inheritors Read Online Free PDF Page B

application of thrust, being driven into a powered, unnatural orbit so that Southerly Buster could pass beneath her.

    "I thought you'd be landing first," complained Kane.

    "After you, Captain," Grimes told him politely.

    And just where would Kane be setting his ship down? If Seeker had arrived by herself Grimes would have adhered to orthodox Survey Service practice—a dawn landing at the terminator, with the full period of daylight for the initial exploration. And should it be considered safe to establish contact with the indigenes at once, a landing near to an obvious center of population.

    Kane had never been an officer in the Survey Service, but he had done his share of exploring, had made first landings on planets upon which he had been the first man to set foot. Slowly, steadily Southerly Buster dropped through the atmosphere, with Seeker following a respectable distance astern. All Seeker's armament was ready for instant use; Grimes had no doubt that the other ship was in a similar state of readiness. Corgi's people had been hospitably treated on Morrowvia—but this was a large planet, probably divided among tribes or nations . Even though all its populace shared a common origin there had been time for divergence, for the generation of hostilities.

    Down dropped Southerly Buster —down, down. Down dropped Seeker, her people alert for hostile action either from the ground or from the other ship. Grimes let Saul handle the pilotage; this was one of those occasions on which the captain needed to be able to look all ways at once.

    Down dropped the two ships—down, down through the clear morning air. Kane's objective was becoming obvious—an expanse of level ground, clear of trees, that was almost an island, bounded to north, west and south by a winding river, to the east by a wooded hill. To north and west of it were villages, each with a sparse sprinkling of yellow lights still visible in the dawn twilight. It was the sort of landing place that Grimes would have selected for himself.

    Then the viewscreen, with its high magnification, was no longer necessary, and the big binoculars on their universal mounting were no longer required. And the sun was up, at ground level, casting long shadows, pointing out all the irregularities that could make the landing of a starship hazardous.

    Kane was down first, setting the Buster neatly into the middle of a patch of green that, from the air at least, looked perfectly smooth. Saul looked up briefly from his controls to Grimes, complaining. "The bastard's picked the best place . . . ."

    "To the west of him . . . "Grimes said. "Almost on the river bank . . . . It doesn't look too bad."

    "It'll have to do, Captain," murmured the first lieutenant resignedly.

    It had to do—and, as Grimes had said, it wasn't too bad.

    Only one recoil cylinder in the tripedal landing gear was burst when Seeker touched the ground, and there was no other damage.

7

    This was not the occasion for full dress uniforms, with fore-and-aft hat, decorations, ceremonial sword and all the other trimmings. This was an occasion for comfortable shorts-and-shirt, with heavy boots and functional sidearms.

    So attired, Grimes marched down Seeker's ramp, followed by Captain Philby, the Marine officer, and a squad of his space soldiers. Maggie Lazenby and the other scientists had wished to accompany him, but he had issued strict orders that nobody excepting himself and the Marines was to leave the ship until such time as the situation had been clarified. And this clarification depended upon the local inhabitants as well as upon Drongo Kane. Meanwhile, Grimes had said, no foolish risks were to be taken.

    As he marched toward the towering hulk of Southerly Buster he regretted his decision to land to the west of that ship; he had put himself at a disadvantage. The light of the still-low sun was blinding, making it difficult for his men and him to avoid the lavish scattering of quartzite boulders