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The next morning Skem was deluged with reproaches, which seemed to slid off his person like Coari's sleek fur.
"Pretty nasty imagination you've got there, my friend." This was Merl's reprimand.
"Skem, how could you!" cried Vesh. "Our new guests. And you wanted to meet spacemen!"
"Suppose he'd been seriously allergic," Jan-o said. "You might've killed him."
"Aw, a surslug never killed anybody."
But Jan-o's suggestion had sobered the boy. He shot Shaun a glance and muttered. "I'm sorry. Seemed like a good idea at the time."
"Forget it," said Shaun. "I've read in Tris's books about water planets. They've got strange customs and initiations. Just consider us all initiated now."
"Sure. And I'll get your breakfast. What would you like? Fried surslugs?"
"No!" It was a roaring negative from the three youths.
But Vesh smiled at them. "They're really quite good, and Skem knows how to cook them beautifully. He undoubted got the one last night out of the fresh fish pen. However, I'll get you something else and you don't need to worry. Set the table, Skem, and take a look at our position while you're up there."
Breakfast was eaten in the bubble, and the spacers were forced to admit that Vesh's fish cakes were very tasty. Skem had fixed himself a dish of surslugs which he ate with relish and offered to the guests, but the all wit one voice turned him down.
While they were relaxing after the meal, enjoying a drink of exotic seaweed juice. Vesh began to question her guests about the athletic competition for which they were bound. Skem sat up with expectant eyes.
"Yes, I've ready about the Olympiads, but I thought they were all ancient history. You mean to say one's going on right now? Right here in the Cluster? Great! Why don't we go, Vesh?"
"Go?" said the girl in surprise. "There's a little matter of getting from one planet to another. It's not like having your own flota. He's so used to being able to go wherever he wants to," she explained to her guests.
"But people will be going," Skem said. "From every planet in the Cluster. And even from outside, so Tris says. It's a big deal."
"Maybe if we asked our father," she began. "It's be a good excuse for a space trip."
"I don't mean that," said Skem in disgust. "Not go and watch them. Go and compete in them. I bet you can outswim any girl in the galaxy."
Vesh smiled at her brother. "It's nice of you to say so. But you've got to realize that those athletes are professionals."
"No, they're not. I've read about it. They've got to be amateurs."
"I mean they're experts. I don't know anything about competing. All I do is swim around our ocean as I need to."
"That's all!" cried her brother. "What do you have to know?" he asked the three athletes. "She can beat Coari---sometimes. And even Dad can't catch her if she doesn't want to."
"I don't know much about swimming," Shaun said. "I know they've got it on the program, but Tris never discussed it with us. The subject just never came up."
"Why don't we go swimming now?" Jan-o stood up and stretched, ducking his head to miss the bubble roof.
"All I've seen you do is dive into this ship," Merl said to Vesh. "I know everybody on this planet must be far ahead of us in swimming ability, but I'd like to see a demonstration."
Vesh began clearing the table. "Good idea. A nice swim is something I never turn down. But don't talk about the Olympiad. That's just an idea in the kid's head." She held up a hand as Skem began to protest. "Let's take them to the Great Shallows, shall we? It's safe there. Easy stuff to hold onto and lots to see. Even Worf might enjoy it."
To their eager questions, she explained that the Great Shallows was an area not far from their present position where the peaks of submerged mountains just broke the surface of the sea. There were reefs and seaweed gardens and multicolored fish to look at.
"There have been many proposals to build it into a new landmass, but because it's so beautiful and has such diverse life forms, it's been declared a protected area. Lots of people go there to enjoy the swimming, but we found a spot that's almost unknown. Off to one side and a bit separate. It's private and unspoiled. You'll love it."
So while Vesh cleared away the breakfast, Skem set the ship in motion. The 2 consulted and decided to travel underwater, partly for speed and partly so that no other ship could follow them to their special reef. Shaun and his friends watched in fascination as the boy pushed buttons and levers and the flota gradually sank beneath the waves. Then little by little it gathered speed and soon was sliding along through the depths. The outer covers had been closed over the bubble, but the boys could watch their progress on the sonar screen and on the several dials which indicated depth, speed, and direction through the dark waters.
Vesh had described the Great Shallows as being nearby, but it wasn't until past noon and a quick midday meal that the flota arrived at its destination. Slowly it rose from the depths until the bubble was again above water and the outer cover could slide back.
The young men from space peered out in all directions, searching for the beauty that had set this spot apart and insured its protection. But the sea stretched away on every hand and appeared no different from the place where they had boarded the flota. It didn't even boast an island on the horizon.
Vesh saw their disappointed looks. "Of course, there's nothing to see up here," she said. "You must go down below. Let's all get ready for diving."
While the young men pulled on their swimming trunks. Skem dragged out underwater equipment. "Know how to use diving masks? Well, never mind. You'll learn."
He draped the apparatus around their necks and showed them how to fasten the air-packs to their shoulders. "Don't worry. There's nothing to it. Even babies do it. Hey, Vesh, we've got greenhorns on our hands!"
Vesh appeared in a fancy suit of many colors. "Don't let him bother you. It's easy to learn. But we'll go out the lock, Skem. Can't take Worf through the bottom."
"I thought maybe Worf would stay here."
"And miss on the fun? You wanna come, dontcha, Worf?"
The dog was following close at their heels, and as if he understood the question, he started barking and wagging his tail.
"That's enough Worf," said Shaun sternly. "Ya don't know what you're getting into."
"We'll set up the platform," Vesh told her brother. "That way we'll all have something to dive from, and Worf will have a safe place to stand and watch."
"The platform's for greenhorns!" Skem hissed.
But he worked hard, pulling a kind of rubber raft out of the hatch and fastening it to the streamlined main body of the flota, which had been raised to float just free of the water. When Skem and Vesh had made all secure, their guests were invited to join them on the raft.
"Send Worf first, if he wants to come!" she called.
Shaun whistled his dog to the open lock, which was well above the waterline. He confidently expected expected him to balk and was shocked when, to Vesh's urging, he leaped through the opening, landing with a splash in the water. He swam without hesitation to the raft, where the girl pulled him up beside her and he stood, shaking spray in all directions and barking at the others to join him.
"Well, look at old Worf!" cried Jan-o. "Didn't know he had it in him."
"It's time we tried to do as well," said Merl, and promptly dove through the opening into the sea.
Jan-o followed quickly and Shaun saw that his turn had come. His experience with the ocean the day before had not instilled confidence in him, but he took a deep breath and jumped. Some minutes later he was climbing up onto the raft atop the flota, helped by the extended hands of his friends.
It was pleasant on the raft. The sun was warm, but there was a nice breeze to keep it from being too hot. Shaun would have been happy to stretch out there and enjoy the feeling of sun and wind and bask in the knowledge that there was absolutely nothing that he had to do. But he wasn't allowed to enjoy this happy situation for long. All his friends were peering into the crystal-clear water, pointing out the colored rocks and weeds and the beautiful fish that darted in and out.
Skem was soon involved in explaining the correct use of the diving equipment, and Merl and Jan-o were quick to try it out. Before Shaun had settled down for a sunbath, the three had vanished beneath the surface. Worf stood at the raft's edge and barked his disapproval as each boy went in with a splash and then failed to come up again.
"It's okay, Worf," he said. "They know what they're doing. They're not drowning down there---I hope!"
"Aren't you coming, too?" asked Vesh, poised on the raft's edge. "It's fun!"
"I think I'll stay here with Worf for a while. I'm not as accomplished a swimmer as those two, y'know. I'll get into it gradually."
"You don't have to be a good swimmer. It's easy with the underwater sets. Let me show you."
Reluctantly, Shaun allowed Vesh to adjust his equipment and followed her instructions.
"Breathe in. Now out. Easy---relax----you can't possibly drown. These things have been developed so they're absolutely foolproof. And besides, I'll be with you. You don't need to be afraid."
It was this last which pushed Shaun into the water. He couldn't let her think he had any less nerve than his two friends. He slid into the sea after her, and allowed her to pull him down beneath his surface. He could hear Worf barking in a frantic manner, but he was too busy adjusting his breathing and following instructions to pay any attention.
And all of a sudden he found that it was easy. He was at home in this underwater wonderland. He could swim and turn in a way that had been impossible on the surface. He was not fighting the water, he was part of it. And as his use of the apparatus became automatic, his eyes started absorbing the wonders of this amazing environment.
Around the rocks and grottoes they swam. He remembered that Vesh had said they were the peaks of sunken mountains. But how different under the sea! every rock and pebble had some strange growth attached to it. Some were dull browns and grays, but many had beautiful colored streamers or spines of red and yellow. In, out, and around it all swam the many-colored fish. No doubt the fish of this planet had structural and behavioral differences from those that he knew in the lakes and streams of Sorbillon, but they were fish just as surely as all planets spawn fishlike creatures.
Vesh swam after them and they fled before her in schools of light. She carried a spear in one hand and she poked into every crevice with it, uprooting wonderful things which she held up for his inspection. Once a large, hulking creature hove into view, and Vesh was after it, grabbing its tail and causing it to put on a burst of speed. For a moment Shaun wondered if such things might be dangerous, but Vesh seemed so happily at home that he put the idea out of his mind.
Still, he began to think of returning to the surface. He wondered what Worf was doing by himself. What if he'd tried to follow? The dog could not swim under water and he would have a hard time climbing back onto the raft, if he should jump in. He put on speed to catch up with Vesh and was about to signal his intentions, when he felt something brush his legs. He swung around and came face to face with a bunch of bristly whiskers. Two beady eyes stared at him, but even as he realized that it was Coari and reached out to touch the animal, she was gone, whirling off past Vesh at incredible speed.
The girl gave chase, and Shaun watched in fascination as she followed every twist and turning of the seal, actually seeming to gain on the animal, although Shaun decided it was by astute anticipation of the seal's moves and a cutting across its path. Finally, the two came together in a swirl of water. Vesh had her arms around her pet and they were rolling round and round, down and down. Then Coari slipped from her grasp and the chase was on again!
Shaun remembered Vesh's estimate of his sister's swimming ability. "You could outswim any girl in the galaxy." Now he was convinced of this. The water seemed more truly her element than the land. If only Tris could see her now! He was sure that his coach would be impressed. Why, a girl like this didn't need training! She'd been doing this since she was a baby.
At last Shaun caught her attention and gestured towards the surface. He had no idea where the flota was, but he knew which way was up. He was anxious to get back to his own pet and be sure that he was okay.
The girl and seal followed him up. They broke water a fair distance from the flota, and Shaun was relieved to see figures around it. Skem and his friends had returned and Worf wouldn't be alone. He set out to swim back to the raft. Vesh easily outdistanced him, and when he at last came puffing and wheezing up to the vessel there were many hands again to pull him out of the sea.
Worf barely noticed him, for he was busy welcoming Vesh. It was not until Coari shot out of the water and landed on the raft beside Shaun that the dog moved over, squeezing in between them, asking for the attentions which were being given to the seal.
"You're an old fraud!" Shaun said, scratching the dog's ears. "I practically wear myself out getting back to you and you don't pay any attention....till somebody else wants the petting!"
"Don't kid yourself, he missed you all right," Merl said. "He was going crazy barking when we came back. Thought we were all drowned, I guess."
"Too bad you don't have underwater gear for dogs," said Jan-o. "I bet he'd have fun going down there."
"He can have fun on the surface," Vesh said. "I can see that Coari's dying to play with him, and he swam well enough yesterday."
Indeed, Coari was frisking about the raft, falling off with a splash to drench all of them and coming up to poke her bewhiskered nose in Worf's face. Worf leaned farther and farther over the edge, but showed no inclination to go in. He seemed to have become adept at keeping his balance on the gently rolling flota.
"If we had something for him to chase---like my discus," Shaun said, "he'd make no bones about getting wet."
"Like the discus?" said Vesh. "That's easy!"
In an instant she was off the raft and into the ocean. He watched her going down through the clear water, becoming smaller and dimmer till she vanished among the rocks.
"I see she's an expert, like Skem here," said Merl.
"I have to hand it to him, the little brat's a living fish!" Jan-o was giving praise where praise was due.
"Aw, we're brought up on it," Skem grinned self-consciously. "She's much better than I am."
"I can testify to that----at least to her being extraordinary," said Shaun. "You guys thinking what I'm thinking?"
Before they could answer, Vesh's head popped up beside the raft and she held out a round, flat shell. "Here you go. It's the nearest thing to a discus I could find."
"It's perfect!" Shaun took it from her and showed it to the dog. "Here, Worf. Go get it!"
The shell sailed out from the flota, and Worf didn't hesitate. He sprang into the sea and started swimming strongly after it. But when he reached the impact point, there was no missile to retrieve. Maybe he could see it falling slowly through the clear water. Several times he bobbed his head in after it, and each time came up, barking his frustration.
"Oh, poor Worfie!" cried Vesh. "Fetch it, Coari!"
The sea needed no urging. Already she was on her way down after the shell, and in a moment she was back again, streaking to the raft, where she heaved herself up and deposited the missile beside Shaun.
This time he tossed the shell between Worf and the raft, so that the dog had a clear view and a fair chance of getting it. Worf plowed through the water valiantly, but just as his jaws were about to close upon the shell, a sleek brown form slid between him and his quarry, literally whisking it out of his mouth.
As Coari again brought back the shell, Worf was loud in his complaints. It was evident that he felt himself badly treated, and when Shaun next threw the missile practically within his grasp, and Coari rushed to get it, he ignored the shell. As the seal grabbed it, he turned and fastened his teeth on her flipper.
There was a mighty swirl of water as Coari turned to meet the onslaught. As the seal pulled him under, Worf had to let go and come up for air. But Coari had dropped the shell in the excitement. Now she seemed to be torn between getting the shell and dealing with the dog. In the clear water they could see her start down after the missile and then make a graceful turn and come up. She surfaced just behind Worf, and took a good hold of his tail. The dog let out a yelp and whirled around. But this time Coari gave him no opportunity for a second dip.
At first Shaun was worried lest a real fight develop, and all three athletes leaned over the side of the raft, seeking the best views of the contest.
"They're not really fighting," said Vesh. "I'm sure Worf didn't hurt her, and Coari will never give him another chance. The advantage belongs to her."
As the skirmish went on, Shaun was shocked at his dog's strength and spirit. To and fro around the raft swam the two animals, and the group was so focused on their antics that it failed to notice when the water nearby began swirling and bubbling.
Suddenly a dark shadow slid toward them and the dog gave a sharp yelp and disappeared beneath the waves.
"Hey, what happened to Worf?" yelled Shaun.
"Something snatched him," Jan-o exclaimed, "and it wasn't the seal."
"It's a sea-bat!" cried Vesh. "Hurry up, Skem! Get Coari!" And spear in hand, she dove into the sea.
The three young men were left standing on the raft, peering down into the depths. They could see Vesh climbing in on the dark shadow, jabbing with her spear. Skem performed an underwater somersault and a quick roll and attacked from the other side.
"What's a sea-bat?" asked Jan-o, although it was evident that neither of his friends knew the answer.
"But she said there was nothing dangerous here!" cried Shaun, feeling useless in this crisis.
"Maybe we should go help her," said Merl doubtfully.
The three were at a disadvantage. None of them could hope to perform underwater as well as Vesh and Skem, and anything they did might be the wrong thing.
"Poor Worf!" mourned Shaun. "I should never have let him go in. If I'd known about this---Why, I actually urged him!"
He was also thinking about his own underwater swim with Vesh. If he'd suspected there was something like a sea-bat lying in wait! They very name implied all kinds of unknown terrors.
While the three were still trying to see where their friends had gone, 2 heads popped up out of the water a short distance away. Skem and Vesh, and they were carrying Worf between them! Was he still alive? Had the sea-bat killed him? Had he drowned? Shaun knew the dog must be a heavy load, and he lost no time diving in and swimming out to them. The other 2 followed and between them all they managed to get Worf up on the raft.
"I'm sure he's still alive," gasped Vesh. "But we've got to get the water out of him. And---yes---look at that gash along his side!"
Shaun looked at his pet in consternation. "What can we do? Will he die?"
"Well, at least he's breathing." Vesh was manipulating the dog's sides to give artificial respiration. "We'll get the water out of him. What I don't like is that sting. It's a whiplash, you know. The bat has a long tail which it wraps around you. That's how it kills its prey. It's got a kind of poison."
Shaun put his hand on Worf's matted, bloody fur. "Well, do something, quick! Don't just let him die!" Traps, he thought. Just what Tris had said. Only Worf was the first to be caught in one.
"Where's the nearest healer, Skem?" the girl asked, as she went on working on the animal. "We've got his lungs empty anyway."
"Riverbil's the nearest," the boy said. "But that's all in the deeps. Anything else is three times as far."
"We could get there in 15 minutes. Never mind the deeps."
"I can do it in ten."
"Then get going. Hurry up! We'll stay up here. Just try not to shake us off."
A round, bewhiskered head popped up beside them and Vesh scowled at it.
"Where were you, Coari? You're supposed to keep the Great Shallows clear of those things. Bad girl!"
Skem was gone from the raft and in a few minutes they felt the engines roar into action.
"Hold on!" cried Vesh. "When Skem's in a hurry, he goes!"
She threw herself across the prostrate body of the dog, anchoring him to the raft, and holding herself with one free hand. Shaun grabbed a handle just in time to avoid being pitched off. He now had a vivid demonstration of the vessel's performance above water. The air jets lifted the hull several inches from the sea and she raced forward on a cushion of spray.
"I hope that kid knows where he's going!" gasped Merl, clinging frantically to his corner of the raft.
"Oh, Skem knows this section inside and out----better than I do. And the sooner we get Worf some anti-venin the better. Just hold fast. It won't be long."
It was the longest ten minutes that Shaun could remember, but he had to admit that Skem lost no time in getting them there. Presently there appeared ahead of them a cluster of tall steel poles rising from the otherwise empty sea. Brightly colored flags fluttering from the tops proclaimed their location at a distance, and among the poles Shaun saw a fleet of ships bobbing up and down---little flotas like the one he was on and larger and more luxurious craft of all descriptions.
"Hold Worf!" Vesh ordered, and springing to her feet she rapped on the bubble, motioning Skem to come out.
The motor was turned off and the girl was running about, throwing ropes to the men on other craft. "Emergency! Emergency!"
Then Skem slid up beside them and Vesh was back, taking hold of the dog's head and shoulders.
"I'm taking him down right away."
"Down!" cried Shaun. "But he'll drown!"
"I'll take care of that," she snapped. "Take his rear, Skem!'
And before Shaun could further protest, the two had pulled Worf into the water and were descending with him into the depths.
"Hey, wait!" he cried. But as the water closed over his pet, he saw Vesh take the mask from her own face and hold it over the dog's.
"Good galaxy! Did you see that?" Jan-o shouted.
Shaun had seen. The girl was going down without diving gear. With no thought of hesitation, he plunged in after her. The water here was not clear as it'd been at the Great Shallows. He had to swim fast to keep the two with their burden in sight. Later he wondered how he'd adjusted his own mask so fast. But now he was just aware that they were passing the wall of an undersea building that extended down, down into the sea. Then suddenly the two swimmers disappeared before him. He felt a moment of panic until he saw the dark opening where they must've gone. He followed blindly and the next moment his head popped up out of water and he found himself in a lighted room, with people on the walkways around the sides and a ladder to climb out of the water.
Vesh and Skem were already disappearing down a corridor, carrying Worf between them. He scrambled up onto the walkway and started after them, aware that Merl and Jan-o were close behind.
"There they go!" he cried. "Hurry up or we'll lose 'em!"
And then he stopped in consternation, for his voice came out in a high, squeaky garble that even he couldn't understand. He turned in horror to his two friends to see if they'd noticed, and was appalled to hear them answer in the same gibberish. What was the matter with them? Had they all contracted some illness peculiar to this planet? Another one of the traps that Tris had warned them about?
He saw the same astonishment reflected from the faces of his friends, as they climbed up on the walkway and took off their face masks. And then he was aware of something else. A crowd was gathering around them, and everyone there was shaking with laughter.
"I don't think it's funny!" cried Shaun, painfully aware that not a word he said was intelligible.
But the onlookers seemed to understand and one of them took pity on him. "You're with Vesh, aren't you?" he said kindly. "She went down that corridor. To the healer's quarters. It's the third door on the right."
He pushed Shaun in that direction, and the boy was only too happy to get away from his tittering audience. He trotted down the hall and pushed open the 3rd door, his two friends crowding close behind. He saw Worf stretched out on a table and a man bending over, a hypodermic in his hand.
"It's hard to tell just how much we need," the healer was saying. "I never saw an animal like this before. What do you call it?"
"A dog," said Vesh. "And here's its owner. Here's Shaun, Worf. Right here helping you to get well. Hey, look! His tail's wagging! That's a good sign."
Shaun put his hand gratefully on his dog's flank, but as he opened his mouth to thank them, he knew it was hopeless.
"I---I---You'll have to treat me, too, healer!" He was trying to say, but the high-pitched gibberish that came out was beyond description.
He looked at Vesh, expecting to see consternation---horror---even pity. Instead, what he saw was barely controlled laughter.
"Oh dear! Oh dear!" she cried, putting her hand up to hide her mirth. And then she turned angrily upon her brother. "You, Skem!" she shouted in exasperation. "You gave out the diving gear. You left off the translators! And at a time like this! It's not funny!"380Please respect copyright.ＰＥＮＡＮＡXWxY8ymxvy
For once Skem seemed deflated. "But I didn't mean----I didn't think----How was I to know there'd be something like this the first time they came into deep-sea helium?"
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