The ship that left York is unmanned.
Steven looked up at the cube, which at that moment was deep purple, not its usual reassuring green. That the Gwynn ship was empty was no surprise to him, but the circumstances of its departure were still uppermost in his mind.
His opening words were the speech for the defence.
‘Before we begin,’ he said, ‘let me make it clear that I know that things have gone wrong. But I am in no way responsible. When the frog flew over the rooftop I was as much taken by surprise as anyone could be.’
The cube had faded to a less livid shade as soon as Steven began to speak, but at these words it went completely dead, as if it had blown a fuse.
Steven pulled on the lever he knew should summon the communicator back to life.
Nothing happened.
He leant forward and vigorously wrenched the lever from side to side.
The cube glowed mauve but said nothing.
‘Why am I here? Why have you summoned me?’ said Steven, remembering that it was best to ask basic questions if the communication seemed slow.
The colour of the cube returned to its normal hue, so clearly that was the right thing to do.
Steven was still intensely worried about the frog. So he added nothing to his original question and just waited to see what the machine would say. An extended silence eventually forced him to prod the communicator’s memory.
Keep it simple, Sterekanda. Say something that will provoke an answer.
‘What about the frog?’ he said. ‘Is it a cause for concern?’
We know nothing of any frog. Data on the subject of flying frogs is not available. Relevance is not understood. The ship that left York is unmanned.
Steven then realized how little aware the communicator was of all the commotion at Linden Drive. Quick thinking made him decide not to pursue this: more knowledge might well mean more work!
‘The ship is on course,’ said Steven. ‘I checked its flight path. In spite of everything, it is on course.’
The ship is unmanned.
‘The Gwynns must still be searching for their daughter,’ said Steven. ‘They must have found it impossible to leave without her.’
And now they will find it impossible to leave at all. Such are the rules. Earth has claimed them. Earth must keep them.
‘So there is nothing left to do,’ said Steven, content to let it go at that.
You must watch the house in York and report how things are. We do not wish to have unforeseen dangers.
‘For how long?’ said Steven, immediately worried that the communicator was going to demand too much of him. But at least if he were to be the sole observer, he would have some control over what went into the report. (No frogs!)
Till you know all we need to know.
‘What do we need to know?’
Anything that further threatens our security. When the girl is found, you must discover where she has been. You must find out if any outsider has been given secret information.
That sounded a very tall order, but worse was to come.
You must test the attitudes and emotions of her parents and bring influence to bear on them so that whatever of Ormingat remains will be lost.
‘How do I do all that?’ said Steven harshly.
Begin by eavesdropping.
Steven decided to pursue this no further.
‘I should perhaps go now,’ he said. ‘Valuable watching time is being wasted. My son is waiting for me.’
Not yet. There is one other thing here that you must do. It is of supreme importance and will need your undivided attention. That is why you had to come alone.
‘Yes?’ said Steven, his mouth dry already and his nerves stretched.
You must adjust the clock in this ship. Set its return for the first of March. That will give you time to finish your work with the Gwynns, and to deal with the problem of Stella Dalrymple.
This left Steven gasping. Reset the clock? Deal with Stella Dalrymple?
‘I need time to think.’
Resetting the clock comes first.
‘I really do need time to think,’ said Steven anxiously. ‘Let me go home and return tomorrow. I have data there that will assist me – I ran check on the method I used to reset the clock in York.’
Resetting must be done now.
It was as if the Cube could recognize his special pleading.
‘I haven’t got time to do it now,’ said Steven firmly. ‘I expected this to be a short visit. You gave me no proper warning.’
Resetting must be done now.
‘I can’t and won’t do it,’ said Steven. ‘You must give me at least until tomorrow night.’
You can and will reset the clock before you leave the ship.
Steven turned towards the wall where the door should be, but no door was in evidence. The door device was totally under the command of the Cube.
‘Don’t be so tiresome,’ he said angrily.
Do your work, Sterekanda. The quicker you start, the sooner you’ll finish.
The voice of the Cube had become parental: kindly in tone, but rigidly determined. Steven knew then that there was no point in further argument. If he wanted to leave the ship, he would have to do as he was bid.
Adjusting the clock was easier this time. He remembered clearly how he had carried out the operation on the clock in York. And here there was the advantage of having the instrument directly under his hands.
After thirty minutes he was able to turn to the cube and say, ‘The adjustment is complete.’
From the cube, a ray beamed momentarily down on the face of the clock as if checking the accuracy of Steven’s statement. Ormingat, after two hundred and fifty uneventful years of space travel, was learning not to trust.
‘So what about Stella Dalrymple?’ said Steven.
You must pay her a visit. Deal with her direct. Make sure that she ceases to believe the things the boy Tonitheen told her. Work on her mind.
‘And what about Javayl?’ said Steven. He merely meant, what should I tell my son about all of this? The communicator understood the question differently.
Javayl comes with you of course. You come home together.