train began disgorging passengers. Not just the one or two who might be expected to disembark at a minor Human colony world like Yandro, but an entire stream of them. Passenger after passenger stepped out of the cars, their bags rolling behind them: Juriani, Bellidos, Halkas, even a pair of Shorshians from the far end of the galaxy. Some of them glanced around the station as they stepped onto the platform, but most of them gazed straight ahead as they walked stolidly out into the Coreline’s pulsating glow.
And every one of them was coming from the train’s first-class cars.
Walkers.
Bayta pressed tightly against me, her hands squeezing my left upper arm in a death grip as the walkers continued to come. My right hand had a similar grip on the kwi in my pocket, and I could feel the familiar tingling as Bayta telepathically activated the weapon.
But the walkers merely continued to file past us, none of them so much as looking in our direction as they headed away from the train. Not toward the shuttle hatchways, I noted, or even toward Braithewick, but just away from the train.
Finally, with two minutes left before the train’s scheduled departure, the streams slowed to a trickle and then ended. The Juri bringing up the rear paused as he passed us, and for the first time one of them actually looked at me. “You wished to begin your trip in peace and quiet,” he said in a flat Modhran voice. “Now you may.”
“So I see,” I said, the skin at the back of my neck creeping. Had he really just taken all his walkers off this train? For us ? “I appreciate it.”
“Remember our bargain,” he said, and walked off to join his fellow walkers.
I took a deep breath. “Come on,” I said to Bayta. “Let’s get aboard before he changes his mind.”
Ninety seconds later, we stood at my compartment’s display window, watching the group of walkers standing at their inhumanly stiff attention as the Quadrail pulled out of the station. We continued to watch them as the train picked up speed, until we angled up the far end into the main part of the Tube and our view was cut off by the station’s atmosphere barrier.
“I’d say the Yandro stationmaster’s got some serious rebooking to do,” I commented to the universe at large.
“I don’t believe it,” Bayta murmured. She was still staring out the window, even though there was nothing to see anymore except the curve of the Tube. “Why would he take all those walkers off the train?”
“You heard him,” I said. “A gesture of goodwill.”
“Of course,” she said with an edge of bitterness. “Like giving you that necklace?”
I felt my throat tighten. “It was Lorelei’s,” I said briefly. “He probably hoped he could use it to track down her sister.”
“Only now he’s got us to do that for him?”
“Something like that.”
She shivered. “I don’t like it, Frank. This isn’t like him. None of this is like him.”
“He does seem to be tweaking his usual style a bit,” I conceded. “Maybe this Abomination thing has him rattled.”
“You think it has something to do with Lorelei’s sister?”
I grimaced. “I wouldn’t be at all surprised,” I said. “Come on, I’m hungry. Let’s see how many non-walker first-class passengers we have left.”
We left the compartment and headed back toward the dining car. Ten minutes ago, I reflected, I’d agreed with Bayta’s assessment that the trip to Yandro Station and our failed attempt to lose the Modhri had been a complete waste of time and effort.
Now, I was glad we’d made that effort. Very glad indeed.
Nine hours later, we reached New Tigris Station.
To my complete lack of surprise, Bayta and I were the only ones who got off there. We watched the Quadrail pull out of the station on its way to Earth and the Bellidosh Estates-General beyond, then went to the stationmaster’s office to see about getting a shuttle to the transfer station.
Like most other small colony worlds across the
And every one of them was coming from the train’s first-class cars.
Walkers.
Bayta pressed tightly against me, her hands squeezing my left upper arm in a death grip as the walkers continued to come. My right hand had a similar grip on the kwi in my pocket, and I could feel the familiar tingling as Bayta telepathically activated the weapon.
But the walkers merely continued to file past us, none of them so much as looking in our direction as they headed away from the train. Not toward the shuttle hatchways, I noted, or even toward Braithewick, but just away from the train.
Finally, with two minutes left before the train’s scheduled departure, the streams slowed to a trickle and then ended. The Juri bringing up the rear paused as he passed us, and for the first time one of them actually looked at me. “You wished to begin your trip in peace and quiet,” he said in a flat Modhran voice. “Now you may.”
“So I see,” I said, the skin at the back of my neck creeping. Had he really just taken all his walkers off this train? For us ? “I appreciate it.”
“Remember our bargain,” he said, and walked off to join his fellow walkers.
I took a deep breath. “Come on,” I said to Bayta. “Let’s get aboard before he changes his mind.”
Ninety seconds later, we stood at my compartment’s display window, watching the group of walkers standing at their inhumanly stiff attention as the Quadrail pulled out of the station. We continued to watch them as the train picked up speed, until we angled up the far end into the main part of the Tube and our view was cut off by the station’s atmosphere barrier.
“I’d say the Yandro stationmaster’s got some serious rebooking to do,” I commented to the universe at large.
“I don’t believe it,” Bayta murmured. She was still staring out the window, even though there was nothing to see anymore except the curve of the Tube. “Why would he take all those walkers off the train?”
“You heard him,” I said. “A gesture of goodwill.”
“Of course,” she said with an edge of bitterness. “Like giving you that necklace?”
I felt my throat tighten. “It was Lorelei’s,” I said briefly. “He probably hoped he could use it to track down her sister.”
“Only now he’s got us to do that for him?”
“Something like that.”
She shivered. “I don’t like it, Frank. This isn’t like him. None of this is like him.”
“He does seem to be tweaking his usual style a bit,” I conceded. “Maybe this Abomination thing has him rattled.”
“You think it has something to do with Lorelei’s sister?”
I grimaced. “I wouldn’t be at all surprised,” I said. “Come on, I’m hungry. Let’s see how many non-walker first-class passengers we have left.”
We left the compartment and headed back toward the dining car. Ten minutes ago, I reflected, I’d agreed with Bayta’s assessment that the trip to Yandro Station and our failed attempt to lose the Modhri had been a complete waste of time and effort.
Now, I was glad we’d made that effort. Very glad indeed.
Nine hours later, we reached New Tigris Station.
To my complete lack of surprise, Bayta and I were the only ones who got off there. We watched the Quadrail pull out of the station on its way to Earth and the Bellidosh Estates-General beyond, then went to the stationmaster’s office to see about getting a shuttle to the transfer station.
Like most other small colony worlds across the
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