Wine of the Gods 4: Explorers Read Free Page B

southwest and north. "Cool temps possibly indicative of an ice age. The surface layer is a fine loess soil, another indication of glaciers grinding down the rocks they lay on. Below that, we've got a thick layer of volcanic ash, partially decomposed into rich soil. Nothing notable, mineral-wise. Anything interesting will be beneath all that." The vid panned around. Small antelope eyed them from what they considered a safe distance, small birds flitted past.
    "Nice. I'll have to bury the piping deep, though. Winter could be nasty." Ray smiled. "I'll bring my skis. Maybe add a couple of snocats to your list of supplies."
    "Good thought. Do you know many good hunters? Twelve-forty could be challenging." Lon brought up the video on the last world. The hills were thinly forested, and a pack of canines stared straight at the vid. They looked bigger than wolves, a bit taller in the shoulder than the hips. Dire wolves? Paleontologists hated explorers giving out names without checking that they really were the same as the extinct Earth beast. But this lot looked pretty dire. And hungry. They prowled out of sight to the side. Through the trees they could see sunlit greenery, and a couple of large hairy lumps walking away.
    "Oh. Pleistocene mega- fauna. That's always fun. I'll put out some feelers. If nothing else, you can get some big game hunters in and thin out the local problems."
    "Yeah. I'll shake down the cadre on Fifty-three. Six months should be enough for a first evaluation of the world. If the cores on Seventeen are good, I'll be back and forth, getting the anchor moved. Then we can either move the cadre, or if they're onto something good, start hiring another bunch. And depending on whether we've got the experienced staff on hand, six months later we can start Twelve-forty."
    "Right. So you'll need the hunters in fourteen months, everything and everyone else immediately. What company personnel are you stuck with and who's contacted you?"
    "Company -wise, the Chief Geologist slot is filled, do you know Nelson Manrique? I heard unofficially that a research MD has already been hired, pending the auction. I think Naomi Haskell is back, she's good with the aerial mapping. No doubt all the assistant slots will have multiple internal applications from the two mining worlds Dallas owns." Lon flipped to his email. Lots of familiar names, old field hands wanting jobs. He nodded in satisfaction. "George, definitely. Roxy, oh definitely. "
    "Hey, you're a married man. Supposed to be immune to the drivers. Oh, wait, I'm single. Yeah. Roxy. Definitely."
    Lon snorted. "I like Roxy because she doesn't wreck gyps, and doesn't sleep around and cause problems in camp."
    Ray sighed. "Oh. You mean Roxy Seabaugh. Drat. Roxy Simmons is much more fun. Even if you are right about the problems."
    Lon sent Ray away with a preliminary list of equipment, not to mention a job application. He whistled absently as he worked up his first year's budget, then sent it to accounting to double check his figures. By the time the Board of Directors was back in town, he'd have all the numbers ready for them.
    Three new worlds to explore. It didn't get any better than this.
     
    The tube station was a brisk walk away from home. Carol was out on the patio, fooling with her plants. "Her babies," she called them. Home always smelled just a bit like a jungle.
    "Hey, you're early!" She kissed him ardently. Nothing like modern medicine to keep a woman healthy and active. They were both in their fifties, both successful. The perfect picture of the ideal couple.
    "We got three worlds at auction today. You can now look forward to seeing much less of me."
    "Don't be silly, it's the reunions I look forward to, and you know it." She flashed a grin at him. "But no doubt you should take me out to dinner to celebrate."
    "That just happens to be what I had in mind. Feel up to the Celestial?"
    "Absolutely."
    They dined in luxury under the optically perfect dome, looking out over the