The Colors of Space

Bart had felt profoundly moved; now he snapped back to awareness of who

he was and what he was doing. So only the Lhari had courage? Life has

surprises, all right, Captain, he thought grimly.

He glanced down at the badge strip of plastic on his arm. It began to

tinge faint orange as he looked, and a chill of fear went over him. He

had to get away somehow--get to cover!

He looked round and his fear was almost driven from his mind. "Captain,

the rocks! They're moving!"

Vorongil said, unruffled, "Why, so they are. They do, you know; they

have intelligence of a sort. Though I've never actually seen them move

before, I know they shift places overnight. I wonder what's going on?"

They were edging back, the path widening and changing. "Oh, well, maybe

they're going to do some more landscaping for us. I once knew a captain

who swore they could read his mind."

Bart saw the slow, inexorable deepening of his badge--he had to get

away. He tensed, impatient; gripped by fists of panic. Somewhere on this

world, Montano and his men were setting up their lethal radiations....

Think of this: a Lhari ship of our own to study, to know how it works,

to see the catalyst and find out where it comes from, to read their

records and star routes. Now we know we can use it without dying in the

warp-drive....

Think of this: to be human again, yet to travel the stars with men of

my own race!

It's worth a few deaths!

Even Vorongil? Standing here, talking to him, he might--say it! You

talked to him as if he'd been your father! Oh, Dad, Dad, what would you

do?

His voice was steady, as he said, "It's very good of you to show me all

this, sir, but the other men will call me a slacker. Hadn't I better get

to a work detail?"

"Hm, maybe so, feathertop," Vorongil said. "Let me see--well, down this

way is the last row of bunkers. See the humps? You can check inside to

see if they're full or empty and save us the trouble of exploring if

they're all empty. Have a look round inside if you care to--the robot

machinery's interesting."

Bart tensed; he had wondered how he'd get hidden inside, but he asked,

"Not locked?"

"Locked?" The old Lhari's short, yellowed crest bobbed in surprise.

"Why? Who ever comes here but our ships? And what could we do with the

stuff but take it back with us? Why locked? You've been on the drift too

long--among those thieving humans! It's time you got back to live among

decent folk again. Well, go along."