Read Online Shadow World by A. C. Crispin, Jannean Elliot - Free Book Online
Authors: A. C. Crispin, Jannean Elliot
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only recessed ear slits, and the same creamy layer of down that covered hin's body grew up the graceful neck and over the head.
There was a roundness to the head, a round shape to the face, that the human eye found disconcerting.
45
The fine down thinned away to nothing on the Elpind's face, and the skin revealed was softer-looking and less orange than that of the feet and hands.
A broad, snubbed nose made a blob in the middle of the face, but the mouth had an almost-human shape with its full, apricot-colored lips. "Mark Kenner,"
said the Elpind clearly.
Mark nodded again, fascinated by the alien's eyes. They were enormous and as round as the Elpind's face, but that ¦
wasn't what made them spectacular. It wasn't even their color, which was the shade of old, beaten gold, with huge, dark pupils. What made them striking was their depth and clearness, the light in them, and the intensity of expression. Life and warmth and an unmistakable happiness poured out of those eyes.
Mark couldn't hold back his own response. His smile broadened to a silly grin. "Welcome to StarBridge!" he cried.
The rest of the program was a blur. Kkintha ch'aait presented Eerin with a StarBridge pin, and then the Elpind spoke to the audience in careful but excellent Mizari. Mark thought of the confidence with which Eerin had said his name and decided the alien had known and practiced the strange sounds well before the ceremony.
Not a mistake then. I've been set up. And I bet I can guess by whom, and why.
At the end of the program, when he glanced offstage, Mark knew he was right. He politely excused himself to the Elpind and went over to speak to the slender, dark-haired man who awaited him.
"You're hoping this will change my mind," he said bluntl y
"Of
course," Rob Gable admitted. He smiled warmly. "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't try?"
Mark sighed. "I thought maybe the kind who'd believe I know my own mind."
"Mark, when you get back from this pair project, the transfer applications will have gone out, and you'll probably have half a dozen scholarships lined up to choose from. Then, if you still want to, you can take one of them and withdraw from StarBridge. But it's a big galaxy out there, and you've only set foot on one alien world so far." He was referring to
46
Mark's third-year pair project when he'd gone to Arrooouhl, the Heeyoon's mother world.
"Now tell me," Rob said, "you wouldn't like to visit just one more planet before you go back to Earth, maybe for good."
Mark hesitated. He wasn't meant to be an interrelator; he'd accepted that, but his curiosity about other worlds and their people endured.
"Yes, you're right. I'd like that," he agreed. "But isn't the situation with the Elspind very important to the CLS? This visit is going to have a lot of impact on Elseemar, don't forget. And with the unrest on that planet right now ..." He shook his head. "StarBridge needs to assign its best person to be Eerin's companion."
"It's not as though you'll be going to Elseemar during your pair project," Rob pointed out. "Mark, we had to have someone experienced, someone with flawless Mizari, whom we knew could handle a pair project. I know you don't feel you're the best person for this assignment, but Kkintha ch'aait and I and the rest of the faculty do. Trust us." His dark eyes held Mark's steadily. "Put your decision on hold for a while, and concentrate on doing a good job with Eerin. Okay?"
"I am ... honored," Mark said, "that you think this highly of me." He had one more protest. "But won't this be a lot of money for the 'Bridge to waste on someone who's leaving?"
"If you come back with a different outlook and decide you'll be an interrelator after all, it won't be a waste."
"And if not?"
"I've gambled before and lost. We'll handle it."
Mark nodded. Excitement churned in his stomach. "Okay, I'll do it."
The doctor grinned, then indicated Eerin, who was still talking to the Administrator. "The bets are placed," he said.
There was a roundness to the head, a round shape to the face, that the human eye found disconcerting.
45
The fine down thinned away to nothing on the Elpind's face, and the skin revealed was softer-looking and less orange than that of the feet and hands.
A broad, snubbed nose made a blob in the middle of the face, but the mouth had an almost-human shape with its full, apricot-colored lips. "Mark Kenner,"
said the Elpind clearly.
Mark nodded again, fascinated by the alien's eyes. They were enormous and as round as the Elpind's face, but that ¦
wasn't what made them spectacular. It wasn't even their color, which was the shade of old, beaten gold, with huge, dark pupils. What made them striking was their depth and clearness, the light in them, and the intensity of expression. Life and warmth and an unmistakable happiness poured out of those eyes.
Mark couldn't hold back his own response. His smile broadened to a silly grin. "Welcome to StarBridge!" he cried.
The rest of the program was a blur. Kkintha ch'aait presented Eerin with a StarBridge pin, and then the Elpind spoke to the audience in careful but excellent Mizari. Mark thought of the confidence with which Eerin had said his name and decided the alien had known and practiced the strange sounds well before the ceremony.
Not a mistake then. I've been set up. And I bet I can guess by whom, and why.
At the end of the program, when he glanced offstage, Mark knew he was right. He politely excused himself to the Elpind and went over to speak to the slender, dark-haired man who awaited him.
"You're hoping this will change my mind," he said bluntl y
"Of
course," Rob Gable admitted. He smiled warmly. "What kind of friend would I be if I didn't try?"
Mark sighed. "I thought maybe the kind who'd believe I know my own mind."
"Mark, when you get back from this pair project, the transfer applications will have gone out, and you'll probably have half a dozen scholarships lined up to choose from. Then, if you still want to, you can take one of them and withdraw from StarBridge. But it's a big galaxy out there, and you've only set foot on one alien world so far." He was referring to
46
Mark's third-year pair project when he'd gone to Arrooouhl, the Heeyoon's mother world.
"Now tell me," Rob said, "you wouldn't like to visit just one more planet before you go back to Earth, maybe for good."
Mark hesitated. He wasn't meant to be an interrelator; he'd accepted that, but his curiosity about other worlds and their people endured.
"Yes, you're right. I'd like that," he agreed. "But isn't the situation with the Elspind very important to the CLS? This visit is going to have a lot of impact on Elseemar, don't forget. And with the unrest on that planet right now ..." He shook his head. "StarBridge needs to assign its best person to be Eerin's companion."
"It's not as though you'll be going to Elseemar during your pair project," Rob pointed out. "Mark, we had to have someone experienced, someone with flawless Mizari, whom we knew could handle a pair project. I know you don't feel you're the best person for this assignment, but Kkintha ch'aait and I and the rest of the faculty do. Trust us." His dark eyes held Mark's steadily. "Put your decision on hold for a while, and concentrate on doing a good job with Eerin. Okay?"
"I am ... honored," Mark said, "that you think this highly of me." He had one more protest. "But won't this be a lot of money for the 'Bridge to waste on someone who's leaving?"
"If you come back with a different outlook and decide you'll be an interrelator after all, it won't be a waste."
"And if not?"
"I've gambled before and lost. We'll handle it."
Mark nodded. Excitement churned in his stomach. "Okay, I'll do it."
The doctor grinned, then indicated Eerin, who was still talking to the Administrator. "The bets are placed," he said.
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