第84节
you are going to have your work cut out."
'Yeah, it's all your fault. Mine too in a way. We outsmarted
ourselves. The reason the Shogun's Herald went up with you was because
he wanted to check you out. He told Min-Orota's people that if I could
teach a grass-monkey to fly like that in a week, then their samurai
ought to be able to grow wings of their own in four."
Steve bit back a smile. 'Do you want me to help?"
'As an instructor?" Cadillac shook his head. 'They'd never wear it.
They didn't mind me using you as the fall-guy during the trials, but
they couldn't cope with a Mute telling them what to do. It goes
against everything they've been taught to believe in."
'That figures, but ... like you said, Trackers are slaves too. How are
you and the other guys going to put the message across?"
'With difficulty,' sighed Cadillac. 'But they've managed to
rationalise the situation with the aid of some very convoluted
thinking. As outlanders, they regard us as non-persons, but they're
prepared to acknowledge the fact that Jodi, Dave and myself possess
certain high-grade skills they don't have. While they are acquiring
those skills they're prepared to defer to us in those specific areas.
But once we're out of the cockpit, away from the flying field or
outside the workshops, they expect to see our noses in the dirt."
'What a bunch of stiff-necked assholes."
'Yeah, well. that's the way it goes."
'It's a pity I couldn't get cleaned up and reregistered as a
Tracker...
' Steve let the suggestion hang in the air.
'Well... I've got some soap-leaves ' 'You have?"
'Yes, a whole bunch of them. Got a set of body-paints too. Clearwater
and I both brought a set - just in case."
'Good thinking,' mused Steve. 'Yeah... I'm glad you told me."
'But there's no way I could get you a set of papers."
'Then fake 'em. You can write. Make a copy of Kelso's?
'It's not as easy as that. Everyone's papers are held in the Records
Office. I just can't walk in there. It's not my territory. But even
if I could, what about the arm tag?
They're stamped out of metal. I don't see how we can fake one of
those."
'Yeah." Steve grimaced reflectively. It looked as if they'd have to
rely on the Herald after all. With his connections, Hase-Whoever
should be able to come up with everything they needed, including a
route-map and a compass. 'You're right. Forget it." He mulled things
over, then cocked a finger at Cadillac. 'There is one way we can speed
things along. You, Jodi and Kelso concentrate on training these dinks
and I'll, uhh -' 'Flight-test the planes as they come off the line...
?"
Steve spread his hands. 'You got there ahead of me."
Soft-soaping this guy really paid off. 'And I'll also see what can be
done to improve the performance of those rockets. I'm sure we can
boost the power and duration without a significant increase in
weight.
What d'you say?"
Cadillac thought it over. 'Yeah, okay. Good idea."
Are you kidding? It's not just a good idea, amigo, it's a stroke of
pure fucking genius . . .
Steve stayed with Cadillac in the study, poring over the constructional
drawings of the glider, trying to decide how they could strengthen the
airframe to cope with the added stresses of powered flight. Along with
Jodi and Kelso, they had both found the vibration slightly unnerving,
and what they were looking for was some way of dampening it down
without getting into a major rebuild.
Their search for a quick fix went on till after dark. Some of the
drawings they needed to look at had been left in the assembly workshop,
and when Cadillac broke for supper he sent Steve over to fetch them.
As Steve left the workshop with the drawings and came back up the
almost pitch-black alley he heard someone humming a familiar tune.
'Dali-dee da-da-dahh ... down Mexico way ...
dali-dee dali-dee dee-dee dali-dee dee-dee. she knelt to pray..."
A bulky figure eased itself off the wall ahead of him. It was Kelso.
'Hi."
Steve stopped just beyond the reach of the big Tracker.
Kelso had treated him with grudging camaraderie ever since his hop over