Starquake.pdf

her whip-sword and urged her Swift up onto the cargo glider. Her four silent bodyguards did the same.
"Our Swifts are tired from much travel," the Taker said to the lead porter. 'Take the box and lead this
floating machine back to Bright Center." She left without looking back.
Dented-Shield waited until the Taker was far in the distance. She then turned her attention to
Otis-Elevator beside her. His remaining eleven eye-stubs were rigid with fury, the eye-balls riveted on the
distant speck on the horizon.
"It is useless to fight the warriors of the Emperor," said Dented-Shield. "Fortunately, they do not come
often." Instead of reaching over to touch his hide with a tendril, she reached
over with one of her good eye-stubs and rubbed the rigid base of one of his stubs. The subtle sexual
overtones of the touch helped him come to his senses.
"Your clan and my clan have participated in a feast of friendship. I know I speak for the rest of the
Spacer Clan," said Otis-Elevator, "when I say that we wish to be more than a friend of the Dusty Crust
Clan. Although we are not bound to out-clan relations by exchange of partners and eggs, we can be
bound to out-clan relations by mingling of body juices in combat."
He raised a stump of an eye-stub, body juices still dripping from the end. She brought her fresh stump
forward and touched his, their juices blending. There was a hesitation, then the two elders of the clan that
had shared in the sacrifice moved toward them and added their two stubs. Crust-Crawler took a sharp
object from one of his pouches, deliberately slashed the side of one of his eye-stubs and pushed forward
to join the group.
"You were very brave to come forward as you did," said Dented-Shield as the group broke apart. "I
would be honored to share an egg with you, for I am sure the hatchling would bring honor to our clan.
Would your clan become our out-clan by exchange of partners as well as mingling of combat juices?
That is, if you are willing to mate with a female that only has seven eyes."
"None of us is perfect." Otis-Elevator waved his stump.
"Then if your clan leader will permit, you will come with us as we return to our clan compound," said
Dented-Shield. "I am sure we have a lot to learn about each other."
"I have no objection," said Crust-Crawler. "Do you, Captain Otis-Elevator?"
"None," he replied. "But I think this is time for a name change. From now on, call me Captain
Otis-Elevator no longer. Instead, call me Avenging-Eye!"
Dented-Shield gathered her clan, the clan's clutch of Slink eggs, and headed east toward the clan
compound. Letter-Reader operated the glider carrying the food machine while Avenging-Eye moved
alongside, giving instructions through a rapidly rippling tread. Not all the clan left, though. A number of
the younger members stayed with the "Spacer Clan" to become apprentices to the engineers and learn
the secrets of reading and computing.
The word of the strangers from the stars and their marvelous
food machines spread across the crust. The leaders of other clans came to visit and were greeted
warmly by Crust-Crawler and fed the delicious "starfood" from the machines. The members of the clans