The Man-Kzin Wars 01 by Larry Niven Page B

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    Yoshii grimaced. “ O nce you know something can be done, you're halfway to doing it yourself, "-he told her .
    “ I know," she answered. “ B ut I had the, the impression they aren't quite as clever at engineering as humans, even if they did invent the gravity polarizer. And, and wouldn't we have known? ”
    “ C ollecting intelligence in kzin space isn't exactly easy," Saxtorph explained. “ A nyhow, they may have done the R and D on some planet we aren't aware of I'll grant you, I'm surprised myself that they've been this quick .
    Well, they were." His grin was lopsided. “ O nce I heard about an epitaph on an old New England tombstone. 'I expected this, but not so soon .
    “ W hy have they established themselves here?" Tregennis wondered. “ A s you observed, it is a long journey for them, especially if they went around human space in order to avoid any chance that their possession of the hyperdrive would be discovered. True, this system is uniquely interesting, but I didn't think kzin civilization gave scientific research as high a value as ours does. ”
    “ T hat's a good question," Saxtorph said .
    His gallows humor drew a chuckle from none but Ryan. Dorcas uttered the thought in every mind: “ T hey won't let us go home to tell about them if they can help it. ”
    “ W hich is why we are being nice and meeting them as they request," Saxtorph added. “ I t gives them an alternative to putting a nuke on our track. ”
    Markham folded his arms and stated, “ I hope you people have the wit to be glad, at last, that I came along. They will understand that I am authorized to negotiate with them. They will likewise understand that my disappearance would in due course cause a second expedition to come, with armed escort, as the loss of an entirely private group might not. ”
    “ C ould be, Saxtorph said. “ H owever, I can think of several ways to fake a natural disaster for us. ”
    “ S uch as? ”
    “ W ell, for instance, giving us a lethal dose of radiation, then sending the corpses back with the ship gimmicked to seem this was an accident .
    The kzi n pilot could return on an accompanying vessel after ours left hyperspace. ”
    “ W hat would the log show? ”
    “ W hat the 'last survivor' was tortured into entering. ”
    “ N onsense. You have been watching too many spy dramas. “
    “ I disagree. Besides, that was just one of the notions that occurred to Dorcas and me. The kzinti might be more inventive yet. ”
    “ W e have decided not to rely exclusively on their sweet nature," the mate declared. “ L isten carefully .
    “ W e can launch the boats without them detecting it, if we act soon .
    They'll float free while Rover proceeds to rendezvous. When she's a suitable distance off, nobody looking for any action in this volume of space, they'll scramble. ”
    Carita smacked fist in palm. “ H ey, terrific!" she cried .
    Markham sounded appalled: “ H ave you gone crazy? How will you survive, let alone return, in two little interplanetary flitters? ”
    “ T hey're more than that," Saxtorph reminded. “ T hey're rugged and maneuverable and full to the scuppers with delta v. In either of th e m I'd undertake to outrace or dodge a tracking missile, and make it tough or impossible to hold a laser beam on her long enough to do much damage. Air and water recycler are in full working order and rations for one man year are stowed aboard. ”
    “ I ate some," Yoshii stammered. “ C arita must have, too. ”
    “ I 've already replaced it," Ryan informed them .
    “ G ood thinking!" Saxtorph exclaimed. “ D id you expect this tactic? ”
    'Oh, general principles. Take care of your belly and your belly will take care of you. ”
    “ S top that schoolboy chatter," Markham snapped. “ W hat in the cosmos can you hope to do but antagonize the kzinti? ”
    “ H ow do you tell an antagonized kzin from an un - antagonized one?" Saxtorph retorted. I am dead serious. Nobody has to follow me who