“Very good indeed. I’ll take your job, and do what I can.” Ken was a little happier at this point, partly because the job seemed interesting in itself and partly because of some of the other’s statements. If this product was a plant, as seemed to be the case, there was at least a slight possibility that he was not on a blind run after all. The matter of the need for refrigeration, of course, had not come up specifically — for all that had been said so far, the planet was as likely to be too hot as too cold for comfort; but what he had seen of this system’s sun made that seem doubtful. Then there was the reference to warming the innermost planet — no, the place was cold. Definitely, Chances improved again. He switched his attention from these thoughts, as he realized that his employer — if this were really the head of the concern — was speaking again.
“I was sure you would. You can give orders for anything you need, starting now. You may use this ship as you please, subject only to Ordon Lee’s veto if he considers the vessel in danger.” The pilot was indicated by the wave of a supple tentacle as the name was pronounced. “Incidentally, I am Laj Drai. You are working for me, and I am sure we will both be more comfortable if that fact is borne in mind. What do you think should be done first?”
Ken decided to ignore Drai’s subtle implication of superiority, and answered the question with another.
“Do you have any samples of the atmosphere or soil of this planet?” -
“Of the first, no. We have never been able to keep a sample; probably we did not collect it properly. One cylinder that was collected leaked and burned in our air, for what that may be worth. We do have bits of soil, but they were all exposed to our own air at one time or another, and may have been changed by that. You will have to decide that for yourself. All that I really know is that their atmosphere has a pressure around two thirds of Sarr-normal, and at its base the temperature is low enough to freeze most of the regular gases out of our own air — I believe it would even freeze potassium. Our mechanic claimed that was what happened to one device that failed to work.”
“How about size?”
“Bigger than Sarr — the figures are all at the base on Planet One; it would be easier to look them over there. I don’t pretend to remember any of them at all precisely — as a matter of fact, we don’t have any of them too precisely. You’re the scientist, as far as we are concerned; my people are just eyes and tentacles for you.
“We do have remote-controlled torpedoes, as you suggested. It might be well to tell me before you use them; we lost nineteen of the first twenty to reach the planet’s surface. We planted a permanent transmitter at the point where the twentieth landed, and we always home down on it now. Just what happened to the others we don’t exactly know, though we have a pretty good guess. I’ll tell you the whole story at the same time that you look over the other material. Is there anything you’d care to do before we leave the vicinity of the planet and go over to One?”
“Leave the vicinity? I thought you said that world was not the one in question.” Ken waved a tentacle at the cratered crescent.
“That one isn’t — that’s a satellite of Three, the one we’re interested in.”