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"I'll explain everything ... as soon as you get in touch with your superiors and
verify what I've told you."
Another pause, whereupon the man reluctantly turned and shouted something in
guttural Human. There was movement in the corridor outside. The Massood leaned
forward politely, whiskers twitching, lower lip curled slightly downward to
expose sharp teeth.
"We are complying with your suggestions. You must understand that it will take
some time to make contact and receive a response. Until then you and your troops
will be held under guard and appropriately treated."
Ranji nodded tiredly, free at last to employ whatever Human gestures he wished.
"Thank you. I have one ad-ditional request. I ask that you isolate me from my
com-panions."
The Massood officer said nothing, but the fine erectile fur on his muzzle
stiffened slightly.
Chapter Twenty
It was strange to sit by himself in the room they had given him and wish for the
defeat of Birachii and other old friends. If they overran the distribution
complex and "res-cued" Ranji and the other captives, even Saguio's determination
to support his brother might falter. Certainly there would be no reunion with
First-of-Surgery, no re-vealing, liberating operations for his companions. He
would be shipped off-world at first opportunity, an object of anger and pity for
the curious Amplitur to prod and probe.
But deprived of its Commander's strategic skills, the attack faltered. Birachii
and Cossinza's squads failed to dislodge the installation's defenders. Even as
they la-mented the loss of the brave assault team led by their friend and
Unifer, they fell back to the protection of the foothills and requested
instructions from Regional Command.
Two weeks later a column of heavily armed and ar-mored attack sleds arrived at
the distribution complex, having fought off sporadic enemy attacks all the way
from Usilayy, Ulaluable's capital city. The Massood and Human officers in charge
of defending the installation were sur-prised to learn that the convoy had made
the dangerous run not to bring reinforcements but solely to escort the tiny
clutch of prisoners back to the capital.
The pressure of coordinating the center's defense didn't allow much time for
casual conversation. Now it was too late. But the Human officer who'd confronted
Ranji on that rainy, confusing night many days earlier did manage to be present
when he and his companions were being loaded aboard the armed sleds.
"Look, I don't know who or what you are or how much of your story is true," he
told his former prisoner, "but if you are Human under all that extraneous
calcification, how did you come to look like this?''
Ranji glanced back at him. "I told you. The Amplitur."
The man nodded sagely. "Wouldn't put anything past the squids. But this ..." His
voice trailed off. "Will you do me a favor? We don't know each other and you
cer-tainly don't owe me anything, but when you get to wher-ever it is you're
going, and your situation is finally resolved, will you let me know what the
results are? As one curious primate to another?"
"I'll try." They parted with a handshake. The wholly Human gesture at last felt
easy and natural to Ranji. The unconvinced among Ranji's fellow soldiers did not
hesitate to curse the exchange.
In contrast to its arrival, the convoy's run back to Usilayy was uneventful.
Having decided to concentrate their firepower on specific targets, the invading
Crigolit and Ashregan had few personnel to spare for disruptive sorties of
dubious military value. Had they known that Ranji and his companions were
traveling with the convoy, its prog-ress would have been considerably reduced.
But as far as Ashregan command was concerned, they'd perished bravely while
trying to infiltrate an enemy installation. No-tification of that conclusion was
already on its way to friends and relations.
Never having had the opportunity to examine Humans at close range, Ranji's
companions were forced to admit the extraordinary similarities between
themselves and their guards, while the Humans in the convoy regarded their
prisoners with equal dubiety and puzzlement. Anyone who continued to insist that
captors and captives were not somehow related was asking a lot of the principle
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of con-vergent evolution.
Everyone knew, however, that physical appearance was not what mattered when
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