Raft

the beam.

'You wanted to see me, tree-pilot?'

Pallis turned. 'Decker. Long time no see.'

Decker nodded. His girder-like frame was barely contained by coveralls that were elaborately embroidered with black thread, and his face was a broad, strong mask contoured by old scars.

Pallis pointed to the young Officer on the beam. 'Why don't you stop this bloodiness?'

Decker smiled. 'I have no power here.'

'Balls.'

Decker threw his head back and laughed.

Decker was the same age as Pallis; they had grown up boyhood rivals, although Pailis had always considered the other his superior in ability. But their paths as adults had soon parted. Decker had never been able to accept the discipline of any Class, and so had descended, frustrated, into Infrastructure. With time Pallis's face had grown a mask of tree scars, while Decker's had become a map drawn by dozens of fists, boots and knives…

But he had always given more than he had taken. And slowly he had grown into a position of unofficial power: if you wanted something done fast you went to Decker… So Pallis knew who would emerge smiling from this revolt, even if Decker himself hadn't instigated it.

'All right, Pallis,' Decker said. 'Why did you ask to see me?'

'I want to know why you and your band of bloodthirsty apprentices dragged me from my tree.'

Decker rubbed his graying beard. 'Well, I can only act as a spokesman for the Interim Committee, of course—'

'Of course.'

'We have some shipments to be taken to the Belt. We need you to lead the flight.'

'Shipments? Of what?'

Decker nodded toward the huddle of Scientists. 'That lot for a start. Labor for the mine. Most of them anyway; we'll keep the young, healthy ones.'

'Very noble.»

'And you're to take a supply machine.'

Pallis frowned. 'You're giving the Belt one of our machines?'

'If you read your history you'll find they have a right, you know.'

'Don't talk to roe about history, Decker. What's the angle?'

Decker pursed his lips. 'The upswelling of popular affection on this Raft for our brothers on the Belt is, shall we say, not to be opposed at present by the prudent man.'

'So you're pleasing the crowd. But if the Raft loses its economic advantage over the Belt you'll lose out too.'

Decker smiled. 'I'll make that leap when I come to it. It's a long flight to the Belt, Pallis; you know that as well as anybody. And a lot can happen between here and there.'

'You'd deliberately lose one of our machines? By the Bones, Decker—'

'I didn't say that, old friend. All I meant was that the transportation of a machine by a tree — or a fleet of trees — is an enormous technical challenge for your woodsmen.'

Pallis nodded. Decker was right, of course; you'd have to use a flight of six or seven trees with the machine suspended between them. He'd need his best pilots to hold the formation all the way to the Belt… names and faces passed through his thoughts…

And Decker was grinning at him. Pallis frowned, irritated. All a man like Decker had to do was throw him an interesting problem and everything else went out of his head.

Decker turned to watch the activities of his co-revolutionaries.

The young Officer had been pushed a good yard beyond the glass wall. Tears mingled with the Hood caked over his cheeks and, as Pallis watched, the lad's bladder released; a stain gushed around his crotch, causing the crowd to roar.

'Decker—'

'I can't save him,' Decker said firmly. 'He won't discard his braids.'

'Good for him.'

'He's a suicidal idiot.'

Now a figure broke out of the ranks of cowering Scientists. It was a young, dark man. He cried: 'No!' and, scarred fists flailing, he launched himself at the backs of the crowd. The Scientist soon disappeared under a hail of fists and boots; at last he too was thrust, bloodied and torn, onto the beam. And through the fresh bruises, dirt and growth of beard, Pallis realized with a start that he recognized the impetuous young man.

'Rees,' he breathed.

Rees faced the baying, upturned faces, head ringing from the blows he had taken. Over the heads of the crowd he could see the little flock of Scientists and Officers; they clung together, unable even to watch his death.

The Officer leaned close and shouted through the noise. 'I ought to thank you, mine rat.'

'Don't bother, Doav. It seems I'm not ready yet to watch a man die alone. Not even you.'

Now fists and clubs came prodding toward them. Rees took a cautious step backwards. Had he traveled so far, learned so much… only for it to end like this?

… He recalled the time of revolution, the moment he had faced Gover outside the Bridge. As he had sat among the Scientists, signifying where his loyalties lay, Gover spat on the deck and turned his back.

Hollerbach had hissed: 'You bloody young idiot. What do you think you are doing? The important thing is to survive… If we don't resume our work, a revolution every other shift won't make a damn bit of difference.'

Rees shook his head. There was logic in Hol-lerbach's words — but surely there were some things more important than mere survival. Perhaps when he was Holleibach's age he would see things differently…

As the shifts had worn away he had been deprived of food, water, shelter and sleep, and had been forced to work on basic deck maintenance tasks with the most primitive of tools. He had suffered the successive indignities in silence, waiting for this darkness to clear from the Raft.

But the revolution had not failed. At last his group had been brought here; he suspected that some or all of them were now to be selected for some new trial. He had been prepared to accept his destiny—

— until the sight of the young Officer dying alone had cut through his carefully maintained patience,

Doav seemed calm now, accepting; he returned Rees's gaze with a nod. Rees extended his hand. The Officer gripped it firmly.

The two of them faced their tormentors.

Now a few young men climbed onto the beam, egged on by their companions. Rees fended off their clubs with his forearm, but he was forced to retreat, inch by inch.

Under his bare feet he felt an edge of metal, the coldness of empty air.

But someone was moving through the crowd.

Pallis had followed Decker through the mob, watching the deference the big man was accorded with some amusement. At the wall Decker said. 'So now we have two heroes. Eh?'

Laughter rippled.

'Don't you think this is a waste, though? ' Decker mused loudly. 'You — Rees, is it? — we were going to keep you here. We need good muscles; there's enough work to be done. Now this stupidity of yours is going to leave us short, I'll tell you what. You. The Officer.' Decker beckoned. 'Come down and join the rest of the cowards over there.' There was a rumble of dissent: Decker let it pass, then said softly: 'Of course, this is just my suggestion. Is the will of the Committee opposed?'

Of course not. Pallis smiled.

'Come, lad.'

Doav turned uncertainly to Rees. Rees nodded and pushed him gently toward the Platform. The Officer walked gingerly along the beam and stepped down to the deck; he passed through the crowd toward the Scientists, enduring sly punches and kicks.

Rees was left alone.

'As for the mine rat—' An anticipatory roar rose from the crowd. Decker raised his hands for silence. 'As for