ship thought this was hilarious.
'Here's Dizzy; she'll know.'
I turned round to see Roghres and Djibard Alsahil
approaching.They sat down at my side.Djibard had
been friendly with Linter in the year between
leaving the Bad For Business and finding Earth.
'Hello,' I said. 'Know what?'
'What's happened to Dervley Linter?' Roghres said,
trailing one hand in the pool. 'Djib's just back from
Tokyo and wanted to see him, but the ship's being
awkward; won't say where he is.'
I looked at Djibard, who was sitting cross-legged,
looking like a little gnome.She was smiling
broadly; she looked stoned.
'What makes you think I know anything?' I said to
Roghres.
'I heard a rumour you'd seen him in Paris.'
'Hmm. Well, yes, I did.' I watched the pretty light
patterns the ship was making on the far wall; they
were slowly appearing brighter as the main lights
went rosy with the ship's evening (which it had
gradually brought down to a 24-hour cycle).
'So why hasn't he come back to the ship?' Roghres
said. 'He went to Paris right at the start.How come
he's still there?Isn't going native is he?'
'I only saw him for a day; less, in fact.I wouldn't
like to comment on his mental state he seemed
happy enough.'
'Don't answer then,' Djibard said, a little slurred.
I looked at Djibard for a moment; she was still
smiling.I turned back to Roghres. 'Why not contact
him yourselves?'
'Tried that,' Roghres said.She nodded at the other
woman. 'Djibard tried on- and off-planet.No
reply.'
Djibard's eyes were closed now.I looked at
Roghres. 'Then he probably doesn't want to talk.'
'You know,' Djibard said, eyes still closed, 'I think
it's because we don't mature the way they do.I
mean the females have periods, and the men have
this machismo thing because they've got to do all
the things they're supposed to do and so we don't; I
mean we don't have things they do what I mean is
that there are all sorts of things that do things to
them, and we don't have that.Them.We don't have
them and so we don't get ground down the way
they do.I think that's the secret.Pressures and
knocks and disappointments.I think that's what
somebody said to me.But I mean it's so unfair but I
don't know who for yet; I haven't worked that out,
you know?'
I looked at Roghres and she looked at me.Some
drugs do turn you into a blabbering moron for the
duration.
'I think you know something you're not telling us,'
Roghres said. 'And I don't think I'm going to coax it
out of you.' She smiled. 'I know; if you don't tell,
I'll say to Li that you told me you're secretly in
love with him and just playing hard to get.How
about that?' 'I'll tell my mum, and she's bigger than
yours.' Roghres laughed.She took Djibard by the
hand and they both stood.They moved off, Roghres
guiding Djibard, who as she moved away was
saying, 'You know, I think it's because we don't
mature the way they do.I mean the females -'
A drone carrying empty glasses passed by and
muttered, 'Gibbering Djibard,' in English.I smiled,
and waggled my feet in the warm water.
4.3:Ablation
I was in Auckland for a couple of weeks, then
Edinburgh, then back in the ship again.One or two
people asked me about Linter, but obviously word
got round that while I probably knew something, I
wasn't going to tell anybody.Still, nobody seemed
any less friendly because of that.
Meanwhile Li had embarked upon a campaign to
get the ship to let him visit Earth without
modification.His plan was to go mountain
descending; have himself dropped on a summit and
then make his way down.He told the ship that this
would be perfectly safe security-wise, in the
Himalayas at least, because if he was seen people
would assume he was a Yeti.The ship said it
would think about it (which meant No).
About the middle of June the ship suddenly asked
me to go to Oslo for the day.Linter had asked to
see me.
A module dropped me in woods near Sandvika in
the bright, early morning.I caught a bus to the
centre and walked up to the Frogner park.I found
the bridge over the river which Linter wanted to
use as a rendezvous, and sat on the parapet.
I didn't recognize him at first.I usually recognize
people from the way they walk, and Linter's gait
had altered.He looked thinner and more pale; not
so physically imposing and immediate.Same suit as
in Paris, though it looked baggier on him now, and
slightly shabby.He stopped a metre away.
'Hello.' I held out my hand.He shook it, nodded.
'It's good to see you again.How are you keeping?'
His voice was weaker sounding, less sure,
somehow.
I shook my head, smiling. 'Perfectly well, of
course.'
'Oh yes, of course.' He was avoiding my eyes.
He made me feel a little awkward, just standing
there, so I slid down off the parapet and stood in