Hal Clement - The Nitrogen Fix

The crowd had seen them coming, and most of its members had turned from the dying fire and spread along the water’s edge. Kahvi slowly got off the boat and stood hip-deep, still looking for her husband. He definitely wasn’t there. Convinced of this, she turned to Bones and signaled briefly, “The children will stay on the boat. Please keep them out of reach of these people until I say it’s all right.” She repeated the essence of these instructions aloud to the children themselves, and then rather hesitantly began to wade toward the crowd.

Suddenly she saw Viah and Jonathan jostling their way from behind the others, and called to them.

“Your boy is all right. So are the others. Where’s Earrin?” The two looked at each other, and Viah finally answered.

“He’s hurt, I’m afraid. Some of the delinquents tried to spear him when the rest of the people showed up. They decided you had sneaked over the Hill and told about them. I think he’ll be all right, but he has some pretty bad cuts and lost a lot of blood.” Kahvi reached the shore as Viah finished speaking.

“Where is he?”

“In the jail. The air is still rather high — the young devils got the cartridge tissue out and the new spores aren’t anywhere near taking over. It seemed better to give him stronger air when he had so much blood gone.” Kahvi frowned, influenced for a moment by her normal prejudices, but said nothing. She had to grant the force of the reasoning.

She started toward the stone building; people moved aside for her. Most of them were silent; most had never seen a Nomad. The more conventional and courteous ones could not quite decide what to say to such a stranger, especially a pregnant one. There was some murmuring behind masks among the more distant members of the group, but Kahvi couldn’t make out the words.

“I take it the Delinquents are under control,” she said as Viah and her husband reached the lock with her.

“Yes,” the man replied. “When we and Zhamia and Mort didn’t appear back at the city, of course a group went out to look for us. They saw the smoke from a distance, and immediately sent back for still more help-they weren’t close enough to tell whether it was a jail or something really general. When the big group got here, there really wasn’t much the D’s could do, though a couple of them thought they should keep their promise about killing hostages. I don’t know what they’ve been reading, but they talked about matters of principle.”

“Did they hurt anyone but Earrin?”

“Zhamia was speared, but not as badly damaged as your husband — Mort knocked the fellow out with a rock before he could finish the job. Genda was knocked unconscious, but is awake again and doesn’t seem to have changed. The only one of the other side really damaged was the one Mort handled.

The others were mostly too smart to fight, and put down their spears.”

“After wounding Earrin.”

“Of course.” Kahvi was silent, then turned to enter the jail.

“Don’t tell me which one it was,” she said as she went down the steps. “I’ve already done enough things that made me sick.” She ducked under the surface.

Earrin and the other injured ones, except Genda, were on the floor inside, thoroughly bandaged. Her husband was extremely pale, but was conscious and grinned as he saw Kahvi. Disregarding the air, she pulled off her mask, knelt down and kissed him.”You’re sure you’re all right,” she said when she could finally speak. Nomad honesty dictated the answer.

“No, I’m quite messed up,” he admitted. “I seem likely to live, though. It will be quite a while before I can row or pole a raft, I expect.” He indicated his left side, where a glass spearhead had severed muscles below the ribs. The arm and leg on the same side were also bandaged. “Yes, it hurts, so restrain yourself — that kiss was fun, but there can be too much of other good things than oxygen.”

“At least, the troubles are over for now,” she said. “These delinquents who think the rules were made to keep them from enjoying themselves-”

“That’s not fair,” Earrin pointed out. “They’re kids who had trouble believing the same things which you and I haven’t believed for a long time either. Seven years ago, Genda would have put you in their class.”

“Seven years ago Genda did, the old-scientist. I’ve been wondering when she’d recognize me, but of course she hasn’t seen me indoors yet.”

“Don’t use scientist as a swear word — It distorts your facts. Yes, if Danna’s all right, and I assume she is or you wouldn’t be in here, the trouble does seem to be over. Of course, we don’t have any more orders for glass and such things; we’ll have to think of something else the devout Hillers will buy-or maybe you just want to settle down on Milton or at Copper and live on what we can grow and make ourselves.”

“There’s something to be said for that,” the woman admitted, “at least for a few months. Still, roaming around and learning things with Bones is really more fun, and I think it’s better for Danna.”

“All right. I think I agree, luckily for me. We don’t have to settle it completely right now, though. Say, where’s Genda? I thought she got hurt in this scuffle, too.”

“Not enough-pardon me.” Zhamia didn’t really sound embarrassed. “She was hit on the head, but seems to be over it. She went outside; she has work to do.”

“Oh?” Kahvi and Earrin’s voices sounded together.

“She’s taking a group to Hemenway to clean out that — laboratory, if you don’t mind the word. I guess you Nomads don’t very much.”

“She doesn’t like the idea of a world where you can walk around outdoors without special equipment?”

“Do you?” asked Kahvi, in a tone which Earrin should have recognized.

“It would take some getting used to, I admit, he said slowly. “It would leave a lot of time for other things, though. Just think — ”

“I’ve been thinking,” Kahvi said firmly. “In the first place, it wouldn’t work. I can’t believe that anything these young devils planned could really work. They take the easy solution, without caring who gets hurt; and as one of the people who did get hurt, and the mother of another, I’m not impressed by their planning. I know about ecological equilibrium and the population expansion of organisms without natural enemies, but I don’t believe this nitrate-reducing spore of theirs can get anywhere. It’ll just speed up the nitrate makers. Anyone knows that sort of interaction. I admit Genda is an irritating woman, but for once I’m willing to help her.”

“Tell Bones. Maybe he’ll help too,” suggested her husband.

“You’re joking-but I will. I think you still like the idea, you silly-” Earrin interrupted her with a squeeze from his able arm.

“I do think it would be fun, but credit me with basic common sense,” he said gently. “Go ahead and tell Bones-and send him in here afterward, won’t you? I’m sure he’d be curious about human physiology as revealed by these spear slashes. He’d like to compare them with what the same weapons did to him and his partner.”

“But didn’t they kill the other one?” asked Zhamia.

“I doubt it. I’ll ask when Bones comes in. Go ahead, Kahv; you know I was only kidding. The risks of a plan like the one these kids were trying out would be far too big, even if it were going to work. I mightn’t mind the risks myself, but there’s Danna and the next one. We probably wouldn’t be alive to worry, ourselves-you’re twenty-five already and I’m half a year older. Tell me before you go out-did youlearn what caused the fire? I thought it must be Genda acting in line of duty.”

There was a laugh from Mort. “Guess again,” he chuckled. “The same thing happened to this lab as to the other one. Credit the kids, Kahvi-one of them did figure it out this time. I’m afraid you wouldn’t have sold them any more glass, Earrin. The window panes aren’t perfectly flat, you know. They concentrate sun here and there. Plants in the lab, some of them nitrotypes, in a straight oxygen atmosphere-well, it’s a surprise the other place lasted as long as it did.