Read Online Spinneret by Timothy Zahn - Free Book Online

that sulfur is the third most common element in our soil. Perhaps when we get our mining and separating equipment going you’d be interested in purchasing some of the sulfur from us.”
    There was a long pause—so long, in fact, that Meredith wondered if the translator had hit a snag somewhere. He was trying to come up with a complete rephrasing when Beaeki spoke. “Forgive our breach of understanding,” he said, slipping his hands momentarily behind his back. “I am named Beaeki nul Dies na. We did not realize you were of equal status with your home planet. We assumed you were a vassal world, or possibly a detention center. We apologize.”
    â€œIt’s all right,” Meredith assured him. Now what brought that on? he wondered. The business about selling them our sulfur? He wished desperately the Ctencri had given them a little more data on Rooshrike psychology. “Human political and organizational structures can be pretty hard even for humans to understand, let alone outsiders. I take it the Ctencri didn’t tell you very much about us?”
    â€œThe Ctencri do not give information away free. We ascertained you would be no military threat to us, even if you were outcasts, but could afford no more.”
    â€œMm. The Ctencri charge too much, you think?”
    â€œThe Ctencri are usurers,” the Rooshrike said flatly. “They perhaps appear generous to you at this time because you are newly contacted and they do not yet know what they want from you. But you will learn, as we did, that their only interests are building their own power and influence.”
    â€œWell, we have a long history of that ourselves. Once we find our feet the Ctencri may find us harder to fleece than they expect.” Meredith suddenly remembered his duties as host, and gestured back toward the cars. “May I offer you that look around now? I’m sure the Ctencri didn’t tell you what we had planned for Astra—and we don’t charge for the tour.”
    â€œI will accept.” If Beaeki had caught the attempt at humor he gave no sign of it. “I would prefer we use my vehicle, though. If you have no objection.”
    Meredith shrugged, trying hard not to read anything sinister into the suggestion. “No objections at all. Whenever you’re ready.”
    It took only a few minutes to offload the vehicle, a sort of cross between a hovercraft and a powerboat with stubby outriggers; but once he and Beaeki were inside, Meredith understood the alien’s reluctance to rough it in Astra’s more primitive cars. The passenger compartment was large, comfortable, and whisper-quiet, with a climate control Beaeki had thoughtfully set to match the outside air temperature. The ground effect cushion, which seemed both more powerful and less dust-making than those of the military ground-effect vehicles Meredith was used to, handled even boulder-sized obstacles with ease. Meredith’s escort, confined as they were to cars and the water-only hovercraft, had a hard time keeping up, but Meredith wasn’t overly concerned. Beaeki didn’t seem bothered by the possible breach of protocol, and as their conversation was being monitored via Meredith’s phone, the colonel didn’t feel nervous when out of sight of his men.
    What he did feel was surprise. Beaeki, he’d judged, was only mildly interested in what the humans were building on Astra, and he’d accordingly been thinking along the lines of a half-hour trip to Unie and back. But the Rooshrike, with no trace of his earlier official coolness, asked question after question, and before he knew it Meredith had launched them on a grand tour.
    They began at the continental shelf due east of Martello Island, where the mysterious mineral deposits lay clearly visible a few meters beneath the water. Crossing the narrow strip of land that separated the ocean from the northernmost finger of Splayfoot Bay, they came to the