himself, and the condition of the docks out there did not encourage optimism. "About time, Jik," Pyanfar said to him.
"See? Tell you that new engine hold, a? You number one sharp, Pyanfar, handle this ship good. Ker Hilfy, good see you 'live."
"Na Jik." Formal and self-contained. "Good to see you."
Not when do we go in, how soon? Give me a gun. Hilfy kept to drill, part of crew. But if she had smiled since her rescue, it was perfunctory, tightly measured.
Through the several waiting hours.
Everyone waited. They waited still, disposed about the bridge, even Chur, who sat propped up in bandages-"You damn tough," Jik vouchsafed, nodding Chur's way. Chur flicked her ears. "I pass na Khym, a, say he got stand guard down in lower corridor. Ehrran clan all same got you airlock secure." Jik leaned this rattling magnificence against the nearest counter edge, bit at a hangnail of one non-retracting claw. He looked weary as the rest of them. His eyes had wrinkles about their edges. There were deep creases by the corners of his mouth. "Also got hani guard take position on dockside. That Ehrran, she got 'nough security both us, a? Same got quick trigger. Make me worry."
"Gods rot it, Jik-you had a look at this dock?"
He shrugged. 'His brow rumpled as he glanced up. "Got trouble, sure. Got lot calls, station folk lot panic. Kif Back down the hall the lift worked. "You do number one fine job get in here, hani. Number one fine job get ker Hilfy out."
"We're not through yet. And we've got to get out of here again." She canted her ears toward the recent noise of the lift, turned a glance in that direction. Khym was striding down the corridor with a dark look on his face. She matched the scowl as he walked onto the bridge: he had left his post unasked. But the lift had gone down again, on call. She heard that too.
"Begging pardon," Khym said tautly. "Ehrran's headed topside. I locked up."
She took that in the coded way he meant it: he had left the washroom unremarkable to outsiders. Politics and intrigue: he was no fool in that department. Jik did not ask further, in his own indolently gracious way, and bit another hangnail. The lift worked again. Tirun and Geran got to their feet; Hilfy was already standing. Haral stayed by her board. "She fine captain," Jik murmured, of their arriving guests. "Come in right on mark; good ship, Vigilance. Also damn fool. I like maybe leave one ship undock, little way out-scare these kif. But this hani scare me, a? Same like have chi for ally: crazy. SO I got make her come in dock too. Keep eye on her. She hate you, Pyanfar. Maybe want you have accident."
Pyanfar's ears went down. Ears all round the bridge flattened, excepting the minuscule ears of the gold-glittering mane. "She's a bastard," Pyanfar said, "but that far, no-She'd like the kif to settle it."
And down the hall the lift let out a red-gold, black-breeched crowd of armed hani.
"Sure brought crew enough," Tirun muttered. "How many's she got on that ship, anyhow?"
"I checked library back at Kshshti," Haral muttered, "Vigilance runs a good hundred fifty crew. All those offices, you know."
"Funny," Geran said, "when we were short-handed they never had crew to spare."
"Funny," Pyanfar said. "I'd have enjoyed turning them down."
The Eyes of the han walked onto the bridge, immaculate, her silken mane and beard in bronze ringlets; her black silk breeches, Immune clan uniform, were crisp and new; the AP gun hung at her hip in well-polished black leather. Elegance. Wealth-Trying to do what? Pyanfar wondered. Attract bandits and kif? Her ears refused to prick up. Her pulse refused to stay at level. Gods rot the Immune and all her ilk. Government officials. Note-takers.
"Best if we could have avoided this," Rhif Ehrran said: You botched it, that meant. "Our transmissions from central are all kif. Do we propose to negotiate under these conditions?"
And Rhif
"See? Tell you that new engine hold, a? You number one sharp, Pyanfar, handle this ship good. Ker Hilfy, good see you 'live."
"Na Jik." Formal and self-contained. "Good to see you."
Not when do we go in, how soon? Give me a gun. Hilfy kept to drill, part of crew. But if she had smiled since her rescue, it was perfunctory, tightly measured.
Through the several waiting hours.
Everyone waited. They waited still, disposed about the bridge, even Chur, who sat propped up in bandages-"You damn tough," Jik vouchsafed, nodding Chur's way. Chur flicked her ears. "I pass na Khym, a, say he got stand guard down in lower corridor. Ehrran clan all same got you airlock secure." Jik leaned this rattling magnificence against the nearest counter edge, bit at a hangnail of one non-retracting claw. He looked weary as the rest of them. His eyes had wrinkles about their edges. There were deep creases by the corners of his mouth. "Also got hani guard take position on dockside. That Ehrran, she got 'nough security both us, a? Same got quick trigger. Make me worry."
"Gods rot it, Jik-you had a look at this dock?"
He shrugged. 'His brow rumpled as he glanced up. "Got trouble, sure. Got lot calls, station folk lot panic. Kif Back down the hall the lift worked. "You do number one fine job get in here, hani. Number one fine job get ker Hilfy out."
"We're not through yet. And we've got to get out of here again." She canted her ears toward the recent noise of the lift, turned a glance in that direction. Khym was striding down the corridor with a dark look on his face. She matched the scowl as he walked onto the bridge: he had left his post unasked. But the lift had gone down again, on call. She heard that too.
"Begging pardon," Khym said tautly. "Ehrran's headed topside. I locked up."
She took that in the coded way he meant it: he had left the washroom unremarkable to outsiders. Politics and intrigue: he was no fool in that department. Jik did not ask further, in his own indolently gracious way, and bit another hangnail. The lift worked again. Tirun and Geran got to their feet; Hilfy was already standing. Haral stayed by her board. "She fine captain," Jik murmured, of their arriving guests. "Come in right on mark; good ship, Vigilance. Also damn fool. I like maybe leave one ship undock, little way out-scare these kif. But this hani scare me, a? Same like have chi for ally: crazy. SO I got make her come in dock too. Keep eye on her. She hate you, Pyanfar. Maybe want you have accident."
Pyanfar's ears went down. Ears all round the bridge flattened, excepting the minuscule ears of the gold-glittering mane. "She's a bastard," Pyanfar said, "but that far, no-She'd like the kif to settle it."
And down the hall the lift let out a red-gold, black-breeched crowd of armed hani.
"Sure brought crew enough," Tirun muttered. "How many's she got on that ship, anyhow?"
"I checked library back at Kshshti," Haral muttered, "Vigilance runs a good hundred fifty crew. All those offices, you know."
"Funny," Geran said, "when we were short-handed they never had crew to spare."
"Funny," Pyanfar said. "I'd have enjoyed turning them down."
The Eyes of the han walked onto the bridge, immaculate, her silken mane and beard in bronze ringlets; her black silk breeches, Immune clan uniform, were crisp and new; the AP gun hung at her hip in well-polished black leather. Elegance. Wealth-Trying to do what? Pyanfar wondered. Attract bandits and kif? Her ears refused to prick up. Her pulse refused to stay at level. Gods rot the Immune and all her ilk. Government officials. Note-takers.
"Best if we could have avoided this," Rhif Ehrran said: You botched it, that meant. "Our transmissions from central are all kif. Do we propose to negotiate under these conditions?"
And Rhif
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