embarrassment. He hadn’t realized that Dize proposed to take him home. But, picking up one of his sons on each arm, the spaceman called for him to come on in. At the door they were met by a pretty little woman with long fair hair of a shade seldom seen on Earth nowadays unless it was dyed, and Dize introduced her as his wife Maj-Brith.
“This is Derry Horn,” he added. “Shipped with us this trip. He’s from Earth, but he’s all right.”
That was a backhanded compliment
, Horn thought, but he controlled his reaction and smilingly shook his hostess’s hand.
For a while thereafter, as Dize reported to his sons onthe trip just past, he was left by himself at the side of a large living-room full of solid furniture in native woods and what he took to be real animal hide. Maj-Brith brought big pottery mugs containing a dark drink—a local beer, Horn judged—which he tasted and found rather sour. He sat cradling the mug in both hands and mentally comparing the decor with the lightness and in-substantiality of a typical Earthly home.
At length Dize told the boys to run along and turned to his guest.
“Sorry about that, but unless I get my trip-report over with there’s no peace in the house! Well, anyhow, there was something I guess maybe I should have warned you about before now, but it’s not too late. Reason I brought you home with me, in fact.”
He leaned forward, holding out his mug for Maj-Brith to refill.
“Look, if you just start marching around Newholme, or any other of the outworlds, you’re going to attract attention like a fire-heli or a parade band! I don’t care how quickly that beard of yours grows—it’s not going to disguise the fact that you’re from Earth. So you go buy a suit of Newholmer clothes: that doesn’t fix it either, because every time you open your mouth either your accent or what you say will mark you out. If I’m to believe what you told me just before we quit the ship, someone tried to have you killed. That kind of someone won’t be put off very easily. Am I right?”
“I would expect him to be pretty persistent,” Horn agreed. His voice was calm and level, but deep inside he was very frightened at the thought of what he had committed himself to do.
“So okay,” Dize continued. “I’ve been doing some thinking. I assume this ‘someone’ has been, too. Now if he learned that young Derry Horn, of the family of Horn & Horn Robots, had gone off Earth so quickly after beinginvolved in the aftermath of Talibrand’s murder, would he also hear about your row with your grandad?”
Horn shook his head. “We like to keep our—ah—family differences private.”
“Right. So if he discovered you’d come to Newholme, he’d go checking luxury hotels and resorts, sounding out the agents who represent Horn & Horn products here, and all like that. It might take him a few days to realize you weren’t in any of the proper places. You’d damned well better not be, then! In fact, you’d better stay here—no, don’t interrupt!” He raised a broad palm to forestall objections. “I got a few days’ layover to waste before we load our next cargo. And you learn pretty quick; I’ve seen that for myself. I can’t turn you into any specific kind of outworlder, but I can at least show you the things that set you off particularly as an Earthman, which is the rarest of all kinds of foreigner on every single other planet. Meanwhile, I’ll check at the port and see when there’s a convenient ship bound for Creew ’n Dith. Since that’s the planet which issued Talibrand’s certificate in the first place, I can’t imagine anywhere that you’d be safer.”
He brushed aside Horn’s profuse thanks, holding out his mug for yet another refill, and began to stuff his pipe.
“All the thanks I need is for you to stick at what you’ve started,” he said. “I don’t have the faintest idea what it is, but if a citizen of the galaxy was involved, it absolutely
has
to be
“This is Derry Horn,” he added. “Shipped with us this trip. He’s from Earth, but he’s all right.”
That was a backhanded compliment
, Horn thought, but he controlled his reaction and smilingly shook his hostess’s hand.
For a while thereafter, as Dize reported to his sons onthe trip just past, he was left by himself at the side of a large living-room full of solid furniture in native woods and what he took to be real animal hide. Maj-Brith brought big pottery mugs containing a dark drink—a local beer, Horn judged—which he tasted and found rather sour. He sat cradling the mug in both hands and mentally comparing the decor with the lightness and in-substantiality of a typical Earthly home.
At length Dize told the boys to run along and turned to his guest.
“Sorry about that, but unless I get my trip-report over with there’s no peace in the house! Well, anyhow, there was something I guess maybe I should have warned you about before now, but it’s not too late. Reason I brought you home with me, in fact.”
He leaned forward, holding out his mug for Maj-Brith to refill.
“Look, if you just start marching around Newholme, or any other of the outworlds, you’re going to attract attention like a fire-heli or a parade band! I don’t care how quickly that beard of yours grows—it’s not going to disguise the fact that you’re from Earth. So you go buy a suit of Newholmer clothes: that doesn’t fix it either, because every time you open your mouth either your accent or what you say will mark you out. If I’m to believe what you told me just before we quit the ship, someone tried to have you killed. That kind of someone won’t be put off very easily. Am I right?”
“I would expect him to be pretty persistent,” Horn agreed. His voice was calm and level, but deep inside he was very frightened at the thought of what he had committed himself to do.
“So okay,” Dize continued. “I’ve been doing some thinking. I assume this ‘someone’ has been, too. Now if he learned that young Derry Horn, of the family of Horn & Horn Robots, had gone off Earth so quickly after beinginvolved in the aftermath of Talibrand’s murder, would he also hear about your row with your grandad?”
Horn shook his head. “We like to keep our—ah—family differences private.”
“Right. So if he discovered you’d come to Newholme, he’d go checking luxury hotels and resorts, sounding out the agents who represent Horn & Horn products here, and all like that. It might take him a few days to realize you weren’t in any of the proper places. You’d damned well better not be, then! In fact, you’d better stay here—no, don’t interrupt!” He raised a broad palm to forestall objections. “I got a few days’ layover to waste before we load our next cargo. And you learn pretty quick; I’ve seen that for myself. I can’t turn you into any specific kind of outworlder, but I can at least show you the things that set you off particularly as an Earthman, which is the rarest of all kinds of foreigner on every single other planet. Meanwhile, I’ll check at the port and see when there’s a convenient ship bound for Creew ’n Dith. Since that’s the planet which issued Talibrand’s certificate in the first place, I can’t imagine anywhere that you’d be safer.”
He brushed aside Horn’s profuse thanks, holding out his mug for yet another refill, and began to stuff his pipe.
“All the thanks I need is for you to stick at what you’ve started,” he said. “I don’t have the faintest idea what it is, but if a citizen of the galaxy was involved, it absolutely
has
to be
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