"That's right," Lamont answered as he lit a cigarette. "It's a crew swap. We're leaving four here and taking four back. I think that was part of our original plan, to the extent that we had one."
"What did she want to know about me?" Abner asked as Rico helped him to maneuver the crate out of the lift and onto the soft ground that surrounded it.
"She just wanted to be informed when you returned," Rico grunted.
"How is she? She seemed pretty low when I last saw her a few days ago."
"She has been keeping rather busy since then, I believe."
Now that the crate was moved out of the lift, Abner slapped it decisively with a palm. "I'd better go see her," he concluded.
"I would be surprised if she were not already on her way here," Rico replied, returning to the lift to retrieve another box of supplies.
"Right," Lamont interjected. He had been listening to their conversation while watching the new arrivals wander along the fringe of the central clearing, gaping. "You lot go explore. It's perfectly safe. And if you happen to meet any of the crew that you're replacing, be sure to let them know what's up. That's, um, Lee, Higgins, Silva and Schneider."
"Replacing?" Rico asked as the new arrivals, by habit or training, split into pairs and then wandered into separate quadrants of the multifarious garden.
"That's right," Lamont answered as he lit a cigarette. "It's a crew swap. We're leaving four here and taking four back. I think that was part of our original plan, to the extent that we had one."
Rico made an uncomfortable expression as he placed a smaller metal chest on top of the crate. "Good, señor, except that the ones who have been here may find it difficult to leave."
"Yes, yes," Lamont said, looking around distractedly. "That's why Rosemary is waiting down in the landing bay with a medical setup. She'll make sure that they get back to Westward without suffering too much."
Rico made a wistful expression. "I should like to see her again. And Westward."
"Sorry, mate," Lamont replied, cringing. "I wasn't told to bring you back."
"Si, I am not surprised. This is the natural place for me to be." He frowned and began to self-consciously tuck his shirt in. "But perhaps I could go down and visit her before you leave."
"Brilliant. Just be sure to keep an eye out for Ashton." He pulled a device about the size of a matchbox out of the pocket of the expedition jacket he wore over his vacuum suit and tossed it to Rico, who caught it with perfect reflex. "That's supposed to click or beep or something if he's nearby."
"Who are you talking about?" Abner asked.
"Clifford Ashton," Lamont explained. "An engineer. He went a little bonkers after visiting the grove and disappeared. I don't suppose you've seen him? A mousy sort of fellow with a high forehead and glasses."
Abner rubbed his chin and shook his head slowly. "No, sir. I would have noticed if a stranger came along down there. Say, was I somewhere else when the rest of the colonists were told about your renegade engineer?"
Lamont felt his lip twitch. "I don't know that we ever got around to mentioning it," he admitted.
The young man shook his head scornfully. "Don't that just beat all."