The statement was hopelessly inaccurate.

* * * * *




3


There was no answer from the ground when breakout came and Calhoun
drove the Med Ship to a favourable position for a call. He patiently
repeated, over and over again, that the Med Ship _Aesclipus Twenty_
notified its arrival and requested coordinates for landing. He added
that its mass was fifty standard tons and that the purpose of its
visit was a planetary health inspection.

But there was no reply. There should have been a crisp description of
the direction from the planet's center at which, a certain time so
many hours or minutes later, the force-fields of the grid would find
it convenient to lock onto and lower the Med Ship. But the
communicator remained silent.

"There is a landing-grid," said Calhoun, frowning, "and if they're
using it to load fresh meat for Dara, from the herds I'm told about,
it should be manned. But they don't seem to intend to answer. Maybe
they think that if they pretend I'm not here I'll go away."

He reflected, and his frown deepened.