The Inheritors - A. Bertram Chandler [40]
"No, you won't," said Maggie. "It might affect your profits."
Grimes said, "I still think, Captain Danzellan, that you will ruin this world, whether or not you force the women into Mother Hubbards and the men into shirts and trousers."
Danzellan shrugged. "There's ruin and ruin, Commander Grimes. Which is the lesser of two evils—a flourishing tourist trade, or the introduction of heavy industry? Come to that—will the tourist trade be an evil?"
"And the tourists will pay?" asked Maya. "They will bring us things like the sun-powered cold boxes, and the clocks and the watches, and jewels like the ones that Captain Kane gave to Sabrina? Not that I want jewels," she added virtuously, "but I should like a cold box, and a clock that does not have to have the weights wound up every night."
"Maya is talking sense," said Danzellan.
"Yes, I am talking sense. You people have so many things to make life comfortable that we cannot make for ourselves, that we should not care to go to the trouble of making for ourselves. If offworlders are willing to pay for the pleasure of breathing our air, basking in our sunshine—then let them pay!"
"And there," said Danzellan smugly, "you have the attitude of a typical Morrowvian."
"But she's so simple," expostulated Grimes. "Her people are so simple."
Before Maya could answer Maggie stepped in. She said, "Perhaps not so simple, John. Apart from anything else, they have The History and Morrow's dictums to guide them. Too, there's an odd streak in their makeup . . . . I wish I knew . . . "
"I wish I knew what Kane was up to," said Danzellan.
"Don't we all," agreed Grimes.
20
They sat in the main cabin of Seeker's pinnace—talking, smoking (even Maya tried one of Maggie's cigarillos and said that she liked it) and waiting for something to happen. Danzellan was in touch with his own ship by his wrist transceiver and also, of course, with Mr. Delamere, who had piloted Schnauzer's boat to Ballarat and was remaining inside the craft. Grimes used the pinnace's radio to tell Mr. Saul what had happened so far and, meanwhile, all transceivers not otherwise in use were tuned to a variety of wavebands, in the hope that Drongo Kane's messages (if any) to Southerly Buster could be monitored.
At last Kane's voice sounded from Maggie's transceiver. He said simply, "Blackbird." The reply was almost immediate. "Pinnace to Captain. Blackbird." Then, "Pinnace to Southerly Buster. Blackbird." Finally, faintly, "Southerly Buster to pinnace. Acknowledge Blackbird."
"Blackbird?" echoed Grimes.
"I don't like it," said Maggie. "I don't like it. That word rings some sort of a bell . . . ."
"Captain to Seeker," said Grimes into the microphone of the main transceiver. "Captain to Seeker. Do you read me?"
"Loud and clear, Captain."
"That you, Mr. Saul? Keep your eyes open for any activities around Southerly Buster. Kane has just sent a message to his ship. It must be a code. Just one word. Blackbird."
"Blackbird . . ." repeated Saul. Then, "Have I your permission to use force?"
"What are you talking about, Saul?"
"Operation Blackbird, Captain. Didn't you know that blackbirding was a euphemism for slave trading?"
"He's right . . ." whispered Maggie. "And there are worlds where women such as these would fetch a good price—some of the Waldegren mining colonies, for example . . . ."
Grimes was thinking rapidly. If he departed at once it would be all of seven hours before he was back aboard Seeker. In seven hours a lot could happen. Saul, as second in command, was in full charge of the ship until her captain's return. Saul, normally, was a most reliable officer—but could Saul, with all his racial prejudices and bitternesses, be trusted to deal with the situation that was developing? Kane would scream to high heaven if a single shot were fired at his precious Southerly Buster, and he would not be the first pirate to have friends in high places—although heaven would not be one of them. Even so, if Kane were about to do something illegal he would have to be stopped.
The situation, Grimes