Read Online Kif Strike Back by C. J. Cherryh - Free Book Online Page B

Nle's its home port."
     
    "When rain falls up," Ehrran said. "Stsho never give ports further in than that. Eggs'll get you pearls it's Llyene. That ship is straight from the capital."
     
    "Stsho personnel was on the dock," Pyanfar said, "when we came in. I don't know where it came from."
     
    -"Message from the hakkikt," the voice from central said. "The situation on this station is already conducive to incidents. Your allies have been permitted contact with you. Are you prepared now to meet and negotiate face to face, or do we expect more delays?"
     
    "No more delays. We'll come with our weapons, kif."
     
    Silence. "The hakkikt says: All sides will be armed, hunter Pyanfar."'
     
    "We'll be there," Pyanfar said. "About a quarter hour." Rhif Ehrran leaned forward. Pyanfar brushed her aside with a forearm and stayed over the directional mike.
     
    "Rot you-" Ehrran said.
     
    "This is acceptable." From the kif.
     
    Pyanfar cut it off. "That stsho still headed?" she asked rightward.
     
    "Still," Haral said.
     
    "Monitor that output." She swung the chair about, looked up at Jik. "So we try for Tully this time.. We ready?"
     
    "You have no authority to negotiate," Rhif Ehrran said. "Leave this to us from here on. You got as much as you can get easily. You'd serve us better staying here."
     
    "Easily, huh?" At the boards the tracking and translating went on. Pyanfar stood up and stared at the backs of her crew. "Shut down to Hilfy and Chur's posts. Shunt command to Chur, Haral. We're going on a walk down the docks, we are." And when Hilfy turned her chair about, mouth open. "Hilfy, niece-you're a provocation to them, and I think .you know it. You're staying here."
     
    "Aunt-" Hilfy got to her feet.
     
    "Sfik, niece. You're a prize in this, like it or not, and bringing you back into the hakkikt's reach is asking for more kifish tricks. Sit tight. And let Chur do the talking to central. Let's try to get Tully out of there, huh? Efficiently and quietly. For his sake."
     
    Hilfy's jaw clamped. Her ears were back, her claws dug into the seatback. But: "Aye," she said. Everyone but Chur was getting to her feet. Khym too. And the Ehrran crowd stood there aftward on the bridge, blackbreeches among whom her Rhif took her stance, still scowling, while Jik leaned his rump against a cabinet and rubbed behind one ear.
     
    "Is she running this?" Rhif Ehrran asked indignantly. "Captain Nomesteturjai, I undertook this business on your government's request, understanding you personally requested-"
     
    "My government same request you go with," Jik said. "Same request you got patience, honorable. Chanur got thing organized, a?"
     
    "Come on," Pyanfar said. "Guns, Tirun. Let's get this moving."
     
    "Aye," Tirun said, and brushed Ehrran crewwomen out of the way of the locker door.
     
    "Got positive ID on that stsho freighter," Chur said. "And they're not stopping for anything."
     
    "It go home," Jik said, "got plenty disturb."
     
    "Gods rot," Ehrran said, "what more did it need? We've got a stsho in the middle of this incident, tc'a and chi-."
     
    "Got also mahendo'sat cit-i-zen on this station," Jik said pointedly. His smallish ears were flat. "Maybe same got mahen agent, a?"
     
    "Yours?"
     
    Jik shrugged. "Maybe. Maybe not. I got check files. But I got other bet: when Sikkukkut come in here, some damn kif escape tell kif authority at Harak system. Four, five day ago. Maybe 'nother go Kshshti. We got move, get thing fix right, a, Pyanfar? Soon maybe got whole damn lot kif here."
     
    "Let's go," she said. She took the rifle Geran passed to her, while Haral buckled on an AP. Khym took his rifle from Geran's hand and checked the safety in rapid order.
     
    "Wait a minute," Rhif Ehrran said. "Chanur. You're not taking him out there, are you?"
     
    "I'm not taking him anywhere. He goes on his own."
     
    "Chanur, that's the limit. I've got a file on you that goes-"
     
    "I'm sure you do."
     
    "Look here, Chanur." Ehrran's ears were