"Yes. Or you or me, Paul or Carl. Anyone of us can start trouble."
"Sure. It's tough having her around all right," he said. "I always thought she was a cool number, all study and no play. It's different when you can't help seeing that kind of beauty."
I moved around the area restlessly, not watching the landscape as much as I had. "You in love with her, John?"
"I suppose I am. Not in the way you are," he said. He was studying the black ground intently, not looking up at me.
"How do you know?"
"I knew back at the base. You showed it in your eyes every time she was around."
"Everybody looked when she came into a room," I said.
"That isn't the same either." He stood up, grinning at me. "This climate is bad for us. It's got us talking like school children."
I signaled the others and we went back in to get equipment. The power-crane swung the tank-like scout car down, and we spent busy minutes loading it with the testing facilities we would take with us. I didn't share Paul's enthusiasm as he fidgeted to get started. The sun was down near the top of the mountain range when we roared up the valley for our first look past the forest.
We rode for several miles up a winding valley, heading for higher ground. We kept looking back at the silver ship until it slipped out of our view. Carl sang an old Viking ballad as the tracks of the car dwindled out behind us. The blue was changing into deep purple hues in the shadow of the mountains, an incredible, breathtaking shade of color that made me feel like singing too. We stopped on a high rise of ground and got out. Paul and Carl worked in a circle, setting the portable equipment down, taking samples of the plants and soil. John and I sat on the top of the armored car, watching the alien landscape for movement.