“That, my dear Maia, is all I have to say. I know you won’t miss me greatly: let’s be honest and admit that we never had very strong ties, and now that you’ve married Rupert you’ll be quite happy in your own private universe. At least, I hope so.
“Goodbye, then, and good luck. I shall look forward to meeting your grandchildren — make sure that they know about me, won’t you?
“Your affectionate brother Jan”
13
When Jan first saw it, he found it hard to realize that he was not watching the fuselage of a small airliner being assembled. The metal skeleton was twenty metres long, perfectly streamlined, and surrounded by light scaffolding over which the workmen were clambering with their power tools.
“Yes,” said Sullivan in reply to Jan’s question. “We use standard aeronautical techniques, and most of these men are from the aircraft industry. It’s hard to believe that a thing this size could be alive, isn’t it? Or could throw itself clear out of the water, as I’ve seen them do.”
It was all very fascinating, but Jan had other things on his mind. His eyes were searching the giant skeleton to find a suitable hiding-place for his little cell — the “air-conditioned coffin", as Sullivan had christened it. On one point he was Immediately reassured. As far as space was concerned, there would be room for a dozen stowaways.
“The framework looks nearly complete,” said Jan. “When will you be putting on the skin? I suppose you’ve already caught your whale, or you wouldn’t know how large to make the skeleton.”
Sullivan seemed highly amused by this remark.
“We haven’t the slightest intention of catching a whale. Anyway, they don’t have skins in the usual sense of the word. It would hardly be practicable to fold a blanket of blubber twenty centimetres thick around that framework. No, the whole thing will be faked up with plastics and then accurately painted. By the time we’ve finished, no one will be able to tell the difference.” In that case, thought Jan, the sensible thing for the. Overlords to have done would be to take photographs and make the full-sized model themselves, back on their home planet. But perhaps their supply ships returned empty, and a little thing like a twenty-metre sperm whale would hardly be noticed. When one possessed such power and such resources, one could not be bothered with minor economies…