“Here's to Obin and Gisipa Torrell, who saw in me the potential to be more than I imagined I could be.”
Obin nodded stoically. “You certainly lived up to our hopes for you, my dear.” Mrs. Torrell silently dabbed at her eyes.
“Here's to Sila Prithers, who took on the undesirable task of making that happen, for showing me I could survive any social event from a tea party to a formal dinner.”
Even though the meal was very informal, Miss Prithers had perfect posture, as usual. “You've been a very good student, Captain.”
“Here's to Angela Latimer, who looked out for me not just as a lawyer, but as my friend.”
She smiled broadly. “Always make sure they pay what you're worth, Anailu!”
“Here's to Robert Seleuca, who got me back into StellaTactics, which led me to meet more new friends.”
Robert shrugged. “You helped our team more than I helped you. If it wasn't for you, we wouldn't be going to Escus. Speaking of which, the Bear Claws want to hire you to take us to the tournament.”
With a chuckle, Anailu replied, “We'll talk later, Robert.” She returned to her speech.
“And finally, to all the other friends who couldn't be here today, though they helped me just as much as any of these others.
“Without every one of you, I would never have achieved this dream of mine which seemed so impossible just a year ago.
“To friends.”
(Outside the Silver Queen)
As much as Anailu would have liked to publicly thank Diamond and Velvet, they all knew that was impossible for now. Instead the two u-shabti left under cover of Anailu's party to complete a mission for her and for the Queen. They slipped out of the ship on the unpressurized airbike, flying low and staying within the stark shadows of the hills around them. Their goal was the coordinates that had been packed in with the Cutter wine and the rest of the Dove parts.
When they arrived at their destination, they found a small, camouflaged shelter. Inside the shelter, they found four large crates. They linked them to the back end of the airbike and towed them back to the Silver Queen.
The Sculpted Ship Page 31