Our attention focussed upon the other two. They were tall, as are all
Martians. The young woman, _Setta_ Meka, seemed perhaps twenty or
twenty-five years of age, by Earth reckoning, in stature perhaps very
nearly my own height, which is six feet two. It is difficult to tell a
Martian's age, but she was very handsome, even by Earth standards; and
in Ferrok-Shahn she would be considered a beauty. Her gray-black hair
was parted and tied at the back with a plaited metal rope. Her short
dark cloak, so luminous a fabric that it caught and reflected the
sheen of all the gaudy restaurant lights, was parted, its ends thrown
back over her shoulders. Beneath it she wore the characteristic
Martian leather jacket, and short, wide leather trousers ornamented
with spun metal fringes and tassels. Most Martian women have an
amazonian aspect, but I saw now that _Setta_ Meka was an exception.
Her brother, who sat beside her, was a full seven feet or more. A
hulking sort of fellow, far less spindly than most of his race, he
might have come from the polar outposts beyond the Martian Union. He
was bare-headed, his gray-black hair clipped close upon a round bullet
head, with the familiar Martian round eyes.
I gazed into the face of Molo, as momentarily he turned his head. It
was a rough-hewn, strongly masculine face with a hawk-like nose, bushy
black brows frowning above deepset round eyes. The face of a keen
scoundrel, I could not doubt, though the smooth-plucked gray skin was
flushed now with alcholite, and the wide, thin-lipped mouth was
leering at the woman across the table from him.
Like his sister, he had thrown back his cloak, disclosing a brawny,
powerful figure, leather clad, with a wide belt of dangling ornaments,
some of which probably were weapons.
How long we gazed at this silent colored image of the restaurant table
I do not know. I was aware of Halsey's quiet voice: "Look him over,
Miss Venza. It depends on you."
Another interval passed. It seemed, as we watched, that Molo's
interest in his party was very slight. I got the impression, too, that
though at first he had seemed to be intoxicated, actually he was not.
Nor was his sister. Anxiety seemed upon her; the smile she had for
jests seemed forced; and at intervals she would cast a swift, furtive
glance across the gay restaurant scene.
More drinks arrived. The Earthpeople at the table here seemed upon the
verge of stupor; and suddenly it appeared that Molo had completely
lost interest in them. With a gesture to his sister, he abruptly rose
from his seat. She joined him. They left the table, and a red-clad
floor manager of the restaurant came at their call. Then in a moment
they were moving across the room.
Halsey called sharply into his audiphone: "Francis! Hold us to them if
you can."
They were standing now by the opened door of one of the Red Spark's
private insulated rooms. We caught a glimpse of its interior, a gaily
set table with a bank of colored lights over it.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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