Read Online Skeen's Search by Jo Clayton - Free Book Online

understood me.” Hopeless sat up, wrapped her arms about her legs. “I keep forgetting she’s more than beast.”
    â€œThe body might change, the mind doesn’t.” Skeen looked after Ti-cat, frowned. “I’m not sure that’s right; degree of intelligence doesn’t change, but I think the nature of the beast influences her outlook. Hmm.”
    â€œWhere is your other strange one?”
    â€œPetro?” In the workshop making more modifications on Picarefy. The two of them, you can’t pry them apart.” She sighed. “I’m divorced, Hopeless, that’s what it is.”
    â€œTo be saving a species.” Hopeless sighed with pleasure. “If we manage this, Skeen, if we really can do it, maybe I’ll think about another name.” She looked ecstatic and just for an instant madder than the Virgin. The look faded, she couldn’t sustain the effort. “You’re going to pull Rostico Burn out of Pillory.”
    â€œLooks like I have to.” Skeen sighed. “Otherwise I could hunt the Veil for a century and come up empty.”
    â€œVirgin has found a transport. Needs some fiddling, we’ll take it round to Chanix and have Maskin run his tentacles over it; he works fast. Where should we meet?” She thought a moment. “And when?”
    â€œRallen’s somewhere in the Cluster, not much question of that, and there’s Abel Cidder to think about. Picarefy ran a plot for me when I managed to get her attention,” Skeen chuckled, “and came up with three Pits that won’t mean too big a swerve from the Pillory/Cluster line. Nymph’s Navel, The Orphanage, Revelation. I know the Navel, I never got to Revelation and made The Orphanage just once. I’ve got no preference. Pick one.”
    Hopeless thought a moment. “No,” she said, “no reason I can think of to choose one over the others. VIRGIN!”
    A Disembodied Voice whispered beside them: “Revelation.”
    â€œSkeen?”
    â€œFine. Anything I should know about the place?”
    â€œIt’s more a pimple than a Pit. Not much there. A small multiverse, some trading posts, a fuel dump. And the Hermit. Virgin and him have had some long loud arguments, you’d swear they’re ready to chew each other into hamburger, but they enjoy it. Fun to watch.”
    Better you than me, Skeen thought. “How long will the fiddling take?”
    â€œMaybe a month standard. What about you?”
    â€œI can’t see how I could do the dip under three months standard, travel times included.”
    â€œNo chance you can ransom him and save this?”
    â€œTibo says not. Mamarana thinks we can, she’s offered to put up part of the price. Trouble is, she’s hostile to anything I do, better we let her go on thinking that’s the way we’re handling it.”
    A Disembodied Voice spoke beside Skeen’s ear. “Good. Cidder is sniffing close to Mamarana’s webs.”
    Skeen tried not to twitch. She’d been here enough to become accustomed to the oddities, but the Abode more often than not was too weird for her comfort.
    â€œThat’s settled then. Three months after Picarefy unties here, we’ll be in Revelation with the transport, waiting. We’ll wait another two months before we give it up and go on to something else. Agreed?”
    â€œAgreed. Um … watch out for Cidder.”
    â€œThe Eye will take care of that.” Hopeless laughed. It wasn’t a happy sound. She stretched out again on the pseudo-moss and closed her eyes.
    Having nothing more to say, Skeen got to her feet. “Ti-cat, let’s go home.”
    â€œWell, Pic?”
    â€œThe Ykx were a sneaky lot, Skeen. If the Ralleners are like them, you better watch out. When Petro saw the schematics Hopeless brought over, she laughed. Said Kliu screens are so coarse she doesn’t see how they keep anyone out. The Lander is