explained as his crew resealed the ship's cargo compartments. [Our departure, we must take it immediately.]
"I don't remember hearing anything about a time limit," Lorne said. His tone was respectful enough, but Jin could hear the suspicion lurking behind the words.
[The limit, it was not imposed by the Balin'ckha'spmi demesne upon our arrival,] Warrior explained. [The limit, it was given later. The unloading, you were performing it at the time.]
"Wait a second," Lorne said, frowning. "You just said it was the Balin demesne who we talked to, and that the Tua demesne is kicking you out. But on our way in you said it was Drim invaders who'd returned. Just how many demesnes have we got on Qasama, anyway?"
[Three demesnes at the least, they are represented here,] Warrior said. [The demesne that rules, its identity I cannot say]
"But you must have some idea who's—" Lorne began.
"However the order came, you'd better obey it before your time limit runs out," Paul interrupted, shifting the arm he had resting for support on Jin's shoulder. "Thank you for getting us here."
[Your future, it lies now in your own hands.] Warrior's arm membranes fluttered. [That future, do not allow it to slip and fall to destruction.]
"We won't," Paul promised. "And you'll speak to your demesne-lord about sending ships back to Caelian and taking off the Drim prisoners?"
[The request, I will make it,] Warrior said. [Good fortune, I wish it for you.]
Ten minutes later, with the Cobras and Djinn gathered together at the clearing's edge, the demesne ship lifted on its gravs and rose swiftly into the darkening sky. "And with that," Paul murmured, "we're back where we started: humanity standing alone against the Trofts."
"Large bunches of Trofts, from the sound of it," Lorne said sourly. "Why did you cut me off back there? There have to be some interesting politics going on between the different groups of invaders. We might have gotten Warrior to tell us more about it."
"If he knew more of the situation, would he not have spoken of it in more detail during the voyage?" Siraj asked.
"Not necessarily," Lorne said. "We already know Warrior has at least one agenda of his own going, namely for us to kick the invaders hard enough that the Tlossies and some of the other demesnes can come in and hopefully stare them down. Warrior may have other cards he's not showing."
"In which case, more questioning wouldn't have gotten us anywhere anyway," Paul said. "More importantly. Warrior's new two-hour limit was about up. He had to get moving before the invaders—all of them—decided to come out here and shoo him off Qasama."
"I suppose," Lorne conceded reluctantly. "So what now? We head to Milika and find out what's going on?"
"Two of us will, anyway," Everette Beach, one of the two Caelian Cobras, put in. "Either Wendell or me to drive the spooker and Siraj, Zoshak, or Khatir along as native guide."
Jin looked up at the sky. No more than another hour until nightfall, she estimated. Predator-wise, nighttime travel on Qasama was more dangerous than doing so in the daytime, though it wasn't nearly as bad as it once was. "Not much time left before dark," she warned.
"Which will be perfect," Siraj said. "By the time we reach Milika the larger nocturnal predators will be out and about, which will help diffuse the attention of the invaders' infrared scans."
"So let's make it a party of four," Lorne suggested. "We've got two spookers, and two of you to drive them. That way I can go, too."
"No," Paul said before Beach could answer. "Let's keep it at two."
"But—" Lorne began.
"That leaves one spooker here in case there's an emergency," his father continued calmly. "Besides, it's only an assumption that the invaders won't wonder what Warrior and the Tlossies wanted out here. We need to keep as much of a force here as possible in case someone decides to come out and take a look."
"Agreed," Beach said before Lorne could say anything else. "You care which of us
"I don't remember hearing anything about a time limit," Lorne said. His tone was respectful enough, but Jin could hear the suspicion lurking behind the words.
[The limit, it was not imposed by the Balin'ckha'spmi demesne upon our arrival,] Warrior explained. [The limit, it was given later. The unloading, you were performing it at the time.]
"Wait a second," Lorne said, frowning. "You just said it was the Balin demesne who we talked to, and that the Tua demesne is kicking you out. But on our way in you said it was Drim invaders who'd returned. Just how many demesnes have we got on Qasama, anyway?"
[Three demesnes at the least, they are represented here,] Warrior said. [The demesne that rules, its identity I cannot say]
"But you must have some idea who's—" Lorne began.
"However the order came, you'd better obey it before your time limit runs out," Paul interrupted, shifting the arm he had resting for support on Jin's shoulder. "Thank you for getting us here."
[Your future, it lies now in your own hands.] Warrior's arm membranes fluttered. [That future, do not allow it to slip and fall to destruction.]
"We won't," Paul promised. "And you'll speak to your demesne-lord about sending ships back to Caelian and taking off the Drim prisoners?"
[The request, I will make it,] Warrior said. [Good fortune, I wish it for you.]
Ten minutes later, with the Cobras and Djinn gathered together at the clearing's edge, the demesne ship lifted on its gravs and rose swiftly into the darkening sky. "And with that," Paul murmured, "we're back where we started: humanity standing alone against the Trofts."
"Large bunches of Trofts, from the sound of it," Lorne said sourly. "Why did you cut me off back there? There have to be some interesting politics going on between the different groups of invaders. We might have gotten Warrior to tell us more about it."
"If he knew more of the situation, would he not have spoken of it in more detail during the voyage?" Siraj asked.
"Not necessarily," Lorne said. "We already know Warrior has at least one agenda of his own going, namely for us to kick the invaders hard enough that the Tlossies and some of the other demesnes can come in and hopefully stare them down. Warrior may have other cards he's not showing."
"In which case, more questioning wouldn't have gotten us anywhere anyway," Paul said. "More importantly. Warrior's new two-hour limit was about up. He had to get moving before the invaders—all of them—decided to come out here and shoo him off Qasama."
"I suppose," Lorne conceded reluctantly. "So what now? We head to Milika and find out what's going on?"
"Two of us will, anyway," Everette Beach, one of the two Caelian Cobras, put in. "Either Wendell or me to drive the spooker and Siraj, Zoshak, or Khatir along as native guide."
Jin looked up at the sky. No more than another hour until nightfall, she estimated. Predator-wise, nighttime travel on Qasama was more dangerous than doing so in the daytime, though it wasn't nearly as bad as it once was. "Not much time left before dark," she warned.
"Which will be perfect," Siraj said. "By the time we reach Milika the larger nocturnal predators will be out and about, which will help diffuse the attention of the invaders' infrared scans."
"So let's make it a party of four," Lorne suggested. "We've got two spookers, and two of you to drive them. That way I can go, too."
"No," Paul said before Beach could answer. "Let's keep it at two."
"But—" Lorne began.
"That leaves one spooker here in case there's an emergency," his father continued calmly. "Besides, it's only an assumption that the invaders won't wonder what Warrior and the Tlossies wanted out here. We need to keep as much of a force here as possible in case someone decides to come out and take a look."
"Agreed," Beach said before Lorne could say anything else. "You care which of us
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