Dinosaur Planet

From every direction fliers converged on the catch. Some landed, wings slightly spread, to waddle in an ungainly fashion towards the shimmering piles of fish. Others swooped, filled their throat pouches and disappeared into their cliff holes. For all the varied approaches, the dispersal of the catch occasioned no squabbling over choice fish. As the four watched, there were periods when no fliers were picking over the fish. They did seem to be selective.

"Sharpen the focus on the viewer, Bo

“Those fringe things, the small ones.”

“Maybe That's why the fringe fliers were after us. They'd taken their young . . .” said Terilla.

“Nah!” Bo

I du

“Oh you!” Bo

Varian turned, worrying that his attitude might bother the child since his tone was unwarranted but she seemed unperturbed. Varian promised herself a few choice words with Bo

She peered into the viewer herself, to see the rejects. “Some aquatic creatures are capable of loyalties and kindness to their own species, but I'd say that the fringe organism is too primitive yet. They probably spawn millions of eggs in order for a few to survive to adulthood – to spawn again. Our fliers don't include them in their diet, though. Nor those spiny types. Bo

“No. New ones on me.”

“Course, we sampled from the main oceans . . .” Most of the fliers had disappeared now and only the rejected specimens were left, to rot on the stone.

“Varian, look!” Bo

Varian pushed his hand aside as he was so excited he was obscuring the view. One of the small fringers was moving, in that strange fashion, collapsing one side and flipping over. Then she saw what had excited Bo

“You got all that on tape, didn't you?” Varian asked Bo

“Sure, the moment it started moving. Can it breathe oxygen?”

"I hope it can't," said Cleidi. I wouldn't want to meet that wet sheet in a dark dripping forest." She shuddered with her eyes tightly shut.

“Neither would I,” said Varian, and meant it.

“Couldn't it be friendly? If it wasn't hungry all the time?” asked Terilla

“Wet, slimy, wrapping its fringes around you and choking you to death,” said Bo

“It couldn't wrap around me,” Terilla said, unmoved. “It can't bend in the middle. Only on the edges.”

“It isn't moving at all now,” Bo

“Speaking of moving,” said Varian glancing toward the one bright spot in the grey skies, “that sun is going down.”

“How can you tell?” asked Bo

“I'm looking at the chrono.”

Cleiti and Terilla giggled.

“Couldn't we land and see the fliers up close?” asked Bo

“Rule number one, never bother animals when feeding. Rule number two, never approach strange animals without first closely observing their habits. Just because the fliers haven't attempted to take bites out of us doesn't mean they aren't as dangerous as those mindless predators.”

“Aren't we ever going to observe them up close?” Bo

“Sure, when I've applied rule number two, but not today. I'm to bring the sled back to the pitchblende site.”

“Can I come with you when you do come back?”

“That's possible.”

“Promise?”

“No. I just said it was possible, Bo

“I'm never going to learn anything on this trip if I don't get out and do some field work, away from screens and . . .”

“If we brought you back to the ship with a part or parts missing, left in the maw of a fringe or a flier, your mother would give up the deep six. So be quiet.” Varian used a sharper tone than she normally employed with Bo

“Would you run through that tape, Bo

After another long pause during which she heard the slight whir of rapidly spun tapes, Bo

“What about this tape?”

“Oh, clear pictures, Varian.”

“They've reminded me of something, too, Bo

“My mother always says that if you're worrying over something, go to sleep thinking about it and you'll remember in the morning,” said Terilla.

“Good idea, Terilla. I'll do so and so can you, Bo

They got some good tags on a stumpy-legged ruminant, spotted but couldn't tag more small mammals like Dandy, and surprised several flocks of scavengers at their work. They returned to the mining site just as the “gloom thickened”, as Terilla put it. Kai was waiting with Dimenon and Margit with the equipment which the sled must transport.

“It's a very rich find, Varian,” said Dimenon. He looked very tired and immensely satisfied. He started to add more but stopped, turning to Kai.

“And the next valley over shows another saddle deposit as large and as rich,” said Kai, a grin creasing his sweat and dirt smeared face.

“And probably the next one beyond that,” said Margit, sighing wearily. “Only that can wait until tomorrow.”

“EV should have given us at least one remote sca

“I requisitioned one, standard. Supply said they'd no more in stock. If you'll remember, we passed quite a few promising systems in the last standard year.”

“When I think of the slogging we'd be saved . . .”

"I du

“Them!” A world of scorn was expressed in Dimenon's single word.

Kai and Varian exchanged quick glances.

“I know they were bloody hungover or something earlier on, but I was glad enough of Paskutti's muscle this afternoon?” Margit went on, pulling herself into the sled and settling down beside Terilla. “Get in, Di, I'm dying for a wash, and I bloody hope that Portegin's de-odourizer has fixed the water stink. Hydro-telluride does not enhance the body beautiful. So how did you pass the day, scamp?” she asked Terilla.