Dinosaur Planet

What were she and Kai to do about such behaviour? Again she wished she hadn't brought Bo

On the other hand, such aberrant behaviour was better uncovered on a world where no other sentient species was compromised. She also found some measure of relief that the heavy-worlders had picked on the stupid herbivores and predators, rather than the lovely golden giffs. If they'd harmed them . . . Pure rage, such as she had never experienced before in her life, consumed her with an incredible force.

Startled, Varian composed her thoughts. She must discipline herself if she wanted to control others.

They were almost to the compound now, sweeping down the broad plain that led to their granite height. Varian found herself hoping that, for some unknown reasons, Kai had returned early. That was the trouble with bad news: it didn't keep. The intelligence was a sore weight in her mind, festering with speculation, such as what were the heavy-worlders doing right now?

She landed, reminding Bo

“You bet not Gaber,” said Bo

“Wait a minute, Bo

"Portegin showed us. Besides, I just saw you do it." He gave her the hand-lift which she attached to the heavy power pack and heaved it from the sled. I'll just get another hand-lift."

She could see in his expression that he had more questions he was eager to ask as he followed her to the veil lock where Lunzie now stood to admit them. As they passed her, the woman looked at the power pack Varian was trailing.

“One of the leads is clogged,” Varian said.

“Is that why you're back so early? Good thing,” and Lunzie's usually solemn face broke into a wide grin. She gestured towards Dandy's pen. Trizein was leaning on the fencing, staring intently at the little creature who was, for a second marvel, peacefully munching at a pile of grasses, oblivious to the scrutiny.

“Trizein's out of his lab? What happened?”

“I'll let him tell you. It's his surprise, not mine.”

“Surprise?”

“Here, Bo

Varian indicated the shuttle to Bo

“Well, then,” she said, “in the shuttle and come straight back. You'll want to hear about the probable ancestry of your pet, too.”

“Huh?” Bo

“Quick, to the shuttle with the pack.” Lunzie shooed him off with both hands. “The power pack leads, Varian? That's a bit lame, isn't it?”

“Varian! Has Lunzie told you?” Trizein had looked away from Dandy and seen her. “Why didn't anyone tell me? I mean, I can speculate possibilities from disembodied tissues, but this . . . creature from our prehistoric past . . .”

His words were diversion enough but the ringing tone in which he spoke made Varian move more quickly to him.

“Prehistoric past? What do you mean, Trizean?”

“Why, this little specimen is an excellent example of a primitive herbivore . . .”

“I know that . . .”

“No, no, my dear Varian, not just a primitive herbivore of this planet, but an Earth-type herbivore, of the group perissodactyl.”

“Yes, I know it's perissodactyl. The axis of the foot is through the middle toe.”

“Varian, are you being dense on purpose to tease me? This,” and Trizein gestured dramatically to Dandy, “is the first step in the genotype of the horse. He's a genuine hyracotherium, Earth type!”

The significance of Trizein's point gradually dawned on Varian.

“You're trying to tell me that this is not similar to an Earth-type horse, it is the lineal ancestor of an Earth-type horse?”

“That's exactly what I'm telling you. Not trying. Telling?”

“It isn't possible.” Varian said that flatly and her expression accused Trizein of teasing her.

Trizein chuckled, preening himself by straightening his shoulders as he beamed at each member of his small audience.

“I may seem to be the original absent-minded analytical chemist, but my conclusions are always provable: my experiments conducted efficiently and as expeditiously as equipment and circumstance allow. Lately I've been wondering if someone has been trying to fool me, to test my ability or my tendency to digress. I assure you that I do know when two totally different life forms are presented to me as co-existing on this planet. It is too bad of someone. And I inform you right now that I am aware of this subterfuge. All the tissues you and your teams have been giving me suggest a sufficient variety of creatures to populate several planets, not just one. Didn't the Ryxi bring their own technicians? Is there life on the Thek planet that I'm being given such diverse . . .”

“What about that animal tissue that Bakkun gave you about a week ago?” It was a chance but she wasn't surprised when Trizein answered her.

“Oh, yes, the cellular level is remarkably comparable. A vertebrate, of course, which checks to ten decimal places, mitotic spindle, mitochondria all quite ordinary in a hemoglobin based species. Like that fellow there!” And he jerked his thumb at Dandy. “Ah, Bo

“Yes, sir, I did. But what is he?”

“A hyracotherium, or I miss my guess,” said Trizein with the forced joviality an adult often displayed for the unknown quantity of a youngster.

“Does that make Dandy special?” asked Bo

“If he is a genuine hyracotherium, unusually special,” said Varian in a strangled voice.

“You doubt me,” Trizein said, aggrieved. “You doubt me! But I can prove it.” He grabbed Varian by the elbow and Lunzie by the shoulder and marched them towards the shuttle. “One is not allowed to bring much of a personal nature on a small short term expedition such as this, but I did bring my own data discs. You'll see.”

As they were propelled into the shuttle, Varian knew what she would see. For all his erratic speech and mental ma