The Game of Rat and Dragon Read online

  THE DEAL

  Underhill spun the combination lock on the Lady May's cage. He wokeher gently and took her into his arms. She humped her backluxuriously, stretched her claws, started to purr, thought better ofit, and licked him on the wrist instead. He did not have the pin-seton, so their minds were closed to each other, but in the angle of hermustache and in the movement of her ears, he caught some sense ofgratification she experienced in finding him as her Partner.

  He talked to her in human speech, even though speech meant nothing toa cat when the pin-set was not on.

  "It's a damn shame, sending a sweet little thing like you whirlingaround in the coldness of nothing to hunt for Rats that are bigger anddeadlier than all of us put together. You didn't ask for this kind offight, did you?"

  For answer, she licked his hand, purred, tickled his cheek with herlong fluffy tail, turned around and faced him, golden eyes shining.

  For a moment, they stared at each other, man squatting, cat standingerect on her hind legs, front claws digging into his knee. Human eyesand cat eyes looked across an immensity which no words could meet, butwhich affection spanned in a single glance.

  "Time to get in," he said.

  She walked docilely into her spheroid carrier. She climbed in. He sawto it that her miniature pin-set rested firmly and comfortably againstthe base of her brain. He made sure that her claws were padded so thatshe could not tear herself in the excitement of battle.

  Softly he said to her, "Ready?"

  For answer, she preened her back as much as her harness would permitand purred softly within the confines of the frame that held her.

  He slapped down the lid and watched the sealant ooze around the seam.For a few hours, she was welded into her projectile until a workmanwith a short cutting arc would remove her after she had done her duty.

  * * * * *

  He picked up the entire projectile and slipped it into the ejectiontube. He closed the door of the tube, spun the lock, seated himself inhis chair, and put his own pin-set on.

  Once again he flung the switch.

  He sat in a small room, _small_, _small_, _warm_, _warm_, the bodiesof the other three people moving close around him, the tangible lightsin the ceiling bright and heavy against his closed eyelids.

  As the pin-set warmed, the room fell away. The other people ceased tobe people and became small glowing heaps of fire, embers, dark redfire, with the consciousness of life burning like old red coals in acountry fireplace.

  As the pin-set warmed a little more, he felt Earth just below him,felt the ship slipping away, felt the turning Moon as it swung on thefar side of the world, felt the planets and the hot, clear goodness ofthe Sun which kept the Dragons so far from mankind's native ground.

  Finally, he reached complete awareness.

  He was telepathically alive to a range of millions of miles. He feltthe dust which he had noticed earlier high above the ecliptic. With athrill of warmth and tenderness, he felt the consciousness of the LadyMay pouring over into his own. Her consciousness was as gentle andclear and yet sharp to the taste of his mind as if it were scentedoil. It felt relaxing and reassuring. He could sense her welcome ofhim. It was scarcely a thought, just a raw emotion of greeting.

  At last they were one again.

  In a tiny remote corner of his mind, as tiny as the smallest toy hehad ever seen in his childhood, he was still aware of the room and theship, and of Father Moontree picking up a telephone and speaking to aScanner captain in charge of the ship.

  His telepathic mind caught the idea long before his ears could framethe words. The actual sound followed the idea the way that thunder onan ocean beach follows the lightning inward from far out over theseas.

  "The Fighting Room is ready. Clear to planoform, sir."