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perched on her shoulder, reflected Deirdre's calm outward composure.
The time Arielle was willing to spend on the ice was short; so George,
Richard, and Deirdre, having made sure that they had all the items that had
been planned for this meeting stowed in their chestpacks, waited in the closed
airlock, ready to leave as soon as the plane landed.
Arielle's eyes assessed the landing site. To David, watching from the
co-pilot seat beside her, the field seemed full of boulders and ice ridges --
much more so than it had appeared from the heights -- but Arielle coolly
brought the large plane to a hovering halt on its VTOL fans, and rotating it
about its vertical axis, maneuvered the long wings between the threatening
masses and lowered it down near the icy surface.
Reluctant to come to a complete halt, Arielle hovered while George,
Deirdre, and Richard opened the airlock door, jumped onto the ice, and ran out
from under the wing and toward the front of the plane where Arielle could see
them. Once they were safely in view, the tiny pilot smiled brightly at them
behind the thick cockpit window, waved goodbye, and the _Dragonfly_ lifted and
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swiftly flew away to altitude.
The three explorers turned to look around. The almost hasty decision he
had taken, to land at this early opportunity, left George feeling that the
last few moments had been hectic. In startling contrast was the composure of
the large alien node confronting him with its yellow-gold eye in the middle of
its peacock colored carpet. The majestic looking icerug node looked as if it
had been standing there, immobile, for hours, as the fine granules of lightly
falling snow slid down over the fantastic colors and shapes of its ornate
attire.
At the base of its eye stalk was a wide collar of shining gold
medallions alternating with bushy rosettes of brightly colored red lace. From
the collar fell a long white cape covered with more red lace rosettes with
long strands of red ribbons fluttering from them. Around the narrow "neck"
region below the globular head and above the four tentacles was a neckband,
again with shining gold medallions alternating with rosettes of red lace, from
which draped more ribbons that fell down between the four tentacles. The
ribbons partially covered a number of pouches and artifacts that hung down
below the tentacles where they could be easily grasped. Surrounding the
"waist" region below the four tentacles and above the pedestal was a belt,
again with medallions and rosettes. Hanging from the belt was a white skirt
that covered the pedestal of the icerug node. The skirt design repeated the
gaudy rosette and ribbon motif of the cape. Using one peacock-colored
tentacle, the icerug lifted a large monocle and looked through it, its large
eye looking even larger through the lens.
The nodes of the other icerugs surrounding their landing site were well
back at the far end of their carpets, apparently deferring to the
elaborately-dressed greeter. All the icerug nodes were clad in a kaleidoscopic
variety of costumes of various hues and textures. The humans started over the
bare ice toward the greeter, and the yellow-eyed alien glided simultaneously
across its peacock carpet to meet them.
"All these icerugs seem a lot better dressed and decorated than the
country one," remarked George through their private imp link.
"Aye, and much good it does them," said Deirdre coolly. "Nothing I see
of warmth or protection, only grand to look at."
George and the icerug node met at the edge of the icerug's carpet.
George was not a small man, but the eye of the icerug towered over him. George
cleared his throat, wondering if he should speak first, and regarding the
imposing alien in some awe.
"Greetings to you, strangers, from the Governing Council of Windward
City, of which I, Golden-Glint, am Presider!" The long rolling thunder of this
speech was smoothly rendered into human words and tones by the translation
programs in their suit computers. The humans stood silent, studying the fine
peacock shimmer of the Presider, surmounted by a yellow eye with a strong
sparkle of golden color that flickered as the alien continued to speak.
"We have heard of your arrival in a far distant region of ice near our
nation's perimeter. We have studied and discussed reports of you, your flying
machines, and your actions, brought to us through the Conveners in contact
with that region. We have decided, unanimously of course, to invite you into
our great city to show you of its wonders." There was a great deal more,
mostly of a self-laudatory and rather pompous nature, but so benign in
character that George had leisure to compose the opening sentences of a speech
for the visitors. He recalled formal presentations on Earth, and resolved to
use as many oratorical garnishes as he could remember; Reiki had mentioned
once that among cultures with a love of speech-making, a short answer is
tantamount to an insult.
George did his best, but eventually found himself running out of things
to say. "...and so, hearing of the marvelous wonders to see, and things to
learn in your wonderful city, we resolved to travel here for a brief time,
hoping to see something of its ... erm ... marvelous wonders." The sheet of
glassy-foil in the hands of his suit imp boomed out the icerug translation of
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