by Sharon Lee
To be honest about it, she could use some more sleep. Her eyeballs felt gritty, and while she could go on, if somebody was rushing their position, it was stupid not to take a rest if everything was quiet.
Which, granted, it wasn’t yet, but it oughtn’t be too long before they could leave Theo and hers to themselves, and to staff.
At the back of the mob, walking easy, was a towheaded lad, somewhat tall for a Liaden, or otherwise short for a Terran. He caught her eye across the room and slipped through the knot-up at the doorway like a hot knife through wax. A heartbeat later, he was saluting.
“Captain.”
Miri straightened and gave him a nod.
“Tommy,” she said. “They give you any trouble?”
“No’m. Truth said, they’re kind of subdued.” A smile twitched at the corner of his mouth.
“I’m guessing some of them have watches.”
“And at least two,” Val Con murmured, glancing around the room, “are wary of dragons.”
“That too, sir.”
Tommy Lee was Liaden, but he counted himself a merc. Terran was his best language, and he was easier with a salute than a bow.
“So you know, ma’am. Exec O’Berin tells me that the cat decided to stay aboard with the comm officer.”
“That’s the cat’s choice, I guess. If Captain Waitley needs her or him out here, I reckon it’ll get done.”
“Yes, ma’am. Anything more for me?”
“I think we can handle ’em from here,” Miri said. “Grab yourself a snack; you’re off duty.”
“Thank you, ma’am. Sir. Good morning to you both.”
He melted away, not stopping at the buffet laid for the guests, but slipping down the hall. Mrs. ana’Tak would make sure he got fed. Even if he wasn’t hungry.
There was a stir among their visitors, and Theo stepped forward, holding a roly-poly cuteness in her arms. Miri’d seen pictures of norbears, but she’d never met one in the fur. This one looked to be old, with grey stripes in its rusty orange fur.
“This is Ambassador Hevelin,” Theo said, holding the creature up so that it was nose to nose with Val Con.
“Hevelin, this is my brother Val Con yos’Phelium, and his lifemate Miri Robertson Tiazan.”
Hevelin burbled and extended a paw to Val Con, clearly wanting contact.
Val Con, however, didn’t offer a hand in return.
“I am delighted to meet Hevelin and look forward to sitting down with him on some other occasion, to share dreams and acquaintance,” he said. “At this moment, I plead an excess of excitement and lack of sleep.”
Another burble; Hevelin twisted to look at Miri, eyes that were unexpectedly knowing meeting her gaze.
“You can visit with me later, too,” she told him. “Tomorrow’s a work day, and I’m already up too late.”
Hevelin sighed and wriggled. Theo lifted him to her shoulder and turned to beckon the tall Terran male with red hair and a very familiar face.
“I believe you are acquainted with my administrative officer and copilot, Clarence O’Berin,” Theo said. “Clarence—”
But Clarence didn’t wait for the rest of the niceties. He stepped forward and took Miri’s free hand, bowing over it like a proper Liaden gentleman.
“It’s glad I am to see you again,” he said, voice lilting—which was nothing but plain and fancy flirting. Tweaking Val Con, she supposed.
“Hi, Clarence,” she said cordially. “You’re looking good. Flying with Theo must agree with you.”
He straightened and grinned at her before turning to Val Con and giving him the heavy nod that was an acceptable Liaden greeting between pilots.
“Pilot,” he said, the lilt gone and his tone neutral.
“Pilot,” Val Con replied, in very nearly the same tone.
Clarence stepped back, and Theo waved a Liaden woman forward, her blond hair done in a club at her neck and her shoulders a little too straight under her uniform blouse.
“This is Kara ven’Arith, chief engineer,” she said. “Kara, here are my brother, Val Con yos’Phelium, and my sister, Miri Robertson Tiazan.”
Kara’s bow showed she’d had upbringing, which was good, Miri thought. Theo needed somebody around who would insist on observing even the boring parts of courtesy.
“Sir,” Kara murmured. “Lady.”
“Kara ven’Arith,” Val Con answered. “Thank you for your service to my sister.”
“Sir,” she said again, straightening carefully. She took one step to the side, and Clarence took her arm gently, leading her to the buffet.
Next—
Well, now, here was an art piece, Miri thought. Wavy red-brown hair and dark brown eyes; slim and dainty. He moved like a Scout, too, so this must be—
“Win Ton yo’Vala,” Theo said. “He’s—”
“The Scout who put events in train,” Val Con broke in. He inclined his head, very slightly, his expression of bland intensity boding not so well for the art piece. “You and I must come together and discuss some few matters, when you are at liberty.”
Win Ton yo’Vala took a breath, and bowed.
“Sir,” he said, not quite so bland. “I am at your service.”
“Excellent,” Val Con said, and the Scout slipped away toward the buffet, so relieved to escape with his life that he forgot to bow to her.
Theo’s sigh was audible; the look she gave Miri doubtful.
“No offense taken,” she said easily. “Everybody’s tired—and he’s scared Val Con’s going to bite him.”
Theo shared the doubtful look with her brother, who smiled at her sweetly.
Right. She wasn’t the only one who’d be in a better mood after a nap. And tomorrow—gods. Tomorrow.
Miri raised her voice so that she could be heard above the modest racket going on.
“All ears on me, please.”
The room went silent.
She nodded and smiled.
“The House has made a suite available to crew members. When you’re ready to find it, please touch the bell pad by the door, and one of the staff will come and lead you there. This is not a hint for you to disperse. We, however”—she waved a hand between her and Val Con—“were awakened in the middle of our night, and sleep calls us.”
She gave another cordial nod in the direction of the bunch of them.
“Please be welcome in our house—and good night.”
Val Con stepped forward and slipped his arm through hers, turning them toward the door.
Bechimo’s crew fell back to give them room, and they were out, going down the hall to the back stairs.
Miri sighed.
“That idea you had about going back on active duty?” she said.
“Yes?”
“I’m beginning to see your point.”
IV
Val Con had brewed a pot of the citrus-mint tea—Joyful Sunrise by name—that Miri’d gotten used to as her morning beverage when she’d been pregnant with Lizzie. It managed to be an eye-opener without packing any caffeine, and the gods knew both of them needed their eyes opened this morning.
A plate of cheese pastries made up the rest of breakfast: emergency rations, that was what, so they could talk about strategy and tactics in the privacy of their own suite.
“So,” she said, from her curl in the corner of the sofa. “I’m figuring it’s best for all to let the Road Boss have a day off to sort out kin.”
Val Con nodded, sipped tea, and sighed, maybe in pleasure, maybe in anticipation of what the day was likely to bring.
Wasn’t neither one of them making a dive for the pastries, Miri noted. Maybe in a minute or five, after the tea’d done its work.
“I will call the Emerald and ask that a note be placed on the door of the office,” he said, leaning back into the sofa cushions, “though one of us will certainly need to go in tomorrow. We dare not risk an extended closure with the Survey Team on port and doing its work.”
“True enough, but we’re not on tom
orrow yet.”
She sipped her tea and met his eyes.
“For today—who’s first up: the delm, or Theo’s brother and sister?”
“How long do you think we can conceal Father’s presence from Theo?” he asked.
“Point. So…you’re of a mind to welcome them back as full clan members? Gods know, we could use them.”
He nodded.
“Our numbers are so low that two more would be welcome, indeed, and that is before we consider the benefits to clan and to delm, of their thoughts and experience.”
Miri eyed him.
“But,” she said.
He gave her a faint smile. “But despite the clear benefits to the clan, I am of a mind to give them a ship, histories, licenses, and such funds as they are likely to require in order to establish themselves in a courier business.”
Miri frowned at him. “Because they’re a danger to the clan? Having had the Uncle tinkering around with them?”
“That must be a consideration. There is also the consideration that, if we are to introduce two yos’Phelium pilots newly returned to the clan, let us say, after the completion of a lengthy assignment elsewhere—Surebleak will accept it. However, it has been my observation that the DOI, for an instance, can count; and the Council of Clans, for another, is entirely cognizant of Korval’s roll of members.”
He moved his shoulders. “It is the same case as pertains to Theo: being of Korval is more of a danger to them, than a benefit.”
Miri sipped her tea, thinking.
“You do not agree,” Val Con said.
“Only partly. I agree that it’ll be tricky to explain them, but I don’t think we can afford to give away two able-bodied clan members. True enough that the clan would be taking on the protection of two more, but they’re not exactly helpless, are they?”
Then she shook her head. “There’s gotta be a middle ground…at least a middle ground. Lemme think about it. In the meantime, though, we got tests on-site that’ll tell us if they’re themselves or the Uncle’s toys. I’ll take care of that.”
“I daresay we would have experienced a ruckus, if they are not themselves, but it is best to be thorough.
“So. You shall think. I shall think. We will speak again later in the day, to once again compare our thoughts. Perhaps the middle ground will make itself apparent to us.”
“I agree,” Miri said.
“That then is the delm’s business for the morning.”
He put his cup on the table and lifted the pot. “More tea?”
“Please.”
* * *
“So,” said Miri said, newly curled into the comfy corner, and with freshened cup in hand. “What’re your plans for today?”
“Today, I believe I shall first have a conversation with Scout yo’Vala in an attempt to learn what was in his mind when he called my sister to the attention of a Free Ship, and what his intentions may be going forward.”
Miri grinned.
“You start in on him like that, he’ll take a fright.”
“Good.” Val Con raised his cup, lowered it.
“After young yo’Vala, I hope to find that my sister has the time and the grace to speak with me, so that I might achieve a fuller understanding of her business with the artifact collection team. That first, I think, as their arrival seems imminent. Then, assuming that Theo’s patience holds, I would also like to learn how, exactly, she came upon Spiral Dance. The coords for that location are of more than passing interest to me, but on that topic I foresee a war of wills not only with Theo, but with Bechimo.”
He paused, sipped tea, and lowered the cup.
“I would also like to know for certain if Comm Officer Joyita is a Free Intelligence, or if he has some other reason to prefer the ship to the house.”
He glanced at her.
“In light of the coming call for judgment from Chandra Marudas, you know.”
“Not expecting Captain yos’Thadi to be particularly sweet-tempered by the time he finds us?”
“He will almost certainly be in high dudgeon.” He lifted an eyebrow. “This is not to say that I fail to sympathize. One cannot but suppose that Theo was irritating in the extreme.”
“Besides beating him into port,” Miri murmured.
“Indeed. If a lifemate may ask it, what plans have you for this morning?”
“Well, first off is Nelirikk, who’ll want me to talk to the pathfinders personal, unless they were bad kiddies and got themselves shot and killed on the overnight. In which case, I expect Theo to challenge me to a duel.”
She leaned forward and picked up a pastry.
“Comes to it, and whether they’re dead or quick, I’m going to have to debrief Theo,” she said. “Prolly do that after you’ve had your talk with her”—she blinked thoughtfully—“since she’ll be in a bad mood, anyway.”
“There is no reason to place yourself in peril,” Val Con said, choosing a pastry for himself.
“No getting around it is what I’m thinking. What’re the odds Comm Officer Joyita’s an AI?”
“I would say it is a near surety, which means that I will need to consider my judgment very carefully, indeed.”
“Help if you could arrange a meeting,” Miri said.
“It would, yes. I fear I will be quite tiresome on that point when I speak with my sister. What shall you do if the pathfinders have been clever and well behaved overnight?”
“That’s a puzzle. I’m taking it that we don’t necessarily want to add to the House Troop?”
He grimaced, took a bite of pastry, and shook his head.
“House Troops are a thing of the past. Of the distant past. There has been no need even for outworld clans to maintain their own forces for…some time. Recall how difficult it was for Aunt Kareen to locate the correct particle to describe our current Troop’s relationship to the House; nor had been all but forgotten, even to the Code. Certainly, there are none but ours in use.”
“Well, but we’re special,” Miri said soothingly. “Well-known fact. I’ll know more after I’ve talked to the pathfinders one on two. Might be they’d fit in as mercs—that could be the cleanest solution.”
She nibbled on a corner of her pastry, eyes narrowed at nothing.
“I’ll know more after I talk with them,” she said again.
“I will also ask Theo what she was thinking, to bring this pair to us.”
“Well, that’s easy, ain’t it?” Miri said. “First thing, she’d be seeing there were survivors and, being captain on the spot, that it was up to her to make sure they kept on surviving. Not much to think about there—especially with Theo, given the general family tendency to run toward trouble.
“Once she had ’em safe, that’d be about the time she’d realize that she didn’t know what to do with ’em. Can’t turn ’em loose to fend for themselves: no money, no papers, no work, no language. They don’t recognize the local-universe Yxtrang as having anything to do with them, so she can’t put ’em on a bus to Temp Headquarters. There’s just not any central civilian authority like they’re wanting to connect up with, so…best to come someplace where she knows there’s other Yxtrang that don’t recognize the now-Troop, either, and hope we can figure out what to do.”
She blinked thoughtfully.
“Not too bad an idea, really. We’ve got experts on hand and access to resources. If we’re not necessarily best equipped to solve for them, we’re definitely better situated than Theo is—or was.”
Val Con sighed.
“Agreed. Shall we plan on a private tea this afternoon, in order to compare notes and discuss possible approaches?”
“That’ll depend on if Captain yos’Thadi arrives in the meantime, won’t it? I didn’t catch the idea from Theo that he’s gonna be willing to wait long for that judgment, which—wait a minute…”
She held up a hand to keep him still while she chased the notion for a second—then nodded.
“I’m thinking I’ll put Ms. kaz’Ineo and ’pren
tice Hufstead on notice that there’s going to be an actual real-time judgment happening—if you’re all right with having an audience.”
Val Con sighed.
“I fear that the audience for this will eventually extend to the expanding edges of the universe,” he said wryly.
She grinned.
“Right. Jeeves’ll be recording. We’ll do a live feed ’stead of bringing any more bodies into it. Don’t want to add to the confusion.”
Val Con laughed.
“When have we done otherwise?” he asked, and Miri gave him a grin back.
“There’s that, now, isn’t there?”
* * * * *
Hevelin was asleep in the basket of loose leaves, grasses, and flowers that Mr. pel’Kana had considerately put in a warm corner, with a view out the window.
Since he was asleep, Theo figured that the arrangements met with his approval. The basket and the bowl of water she’d put nearby were temporary measures. Mr. pel’Kana had promised to have the gardener provide a box of living plants for the ambassador’s pleasure and had also said that he would look up an aerated bowl he’d seen just recently in one of the back pantries, so that the ambassador’s water would be circulated and cool.
That, Theo told herself, as she stood in the long windows overlooking the garden that was growing in the center of the house’s square—that was everything that was good, and she was grateful to the house, like Liadens said, for its care. The trouble was, after having seen the crew and Hevelin settled, taken a shower, checked in with Bechimo and Joyita…
Theo wasn’t sleepy.
Well, she thought grumpily, of course she wasn’t sleepy; she was in the middle of her on-shift, ship-time, plus having taken a very substantial nap during approach. She wouldn’t be sleepy for hours, and there was the other thing.
Kamele was on Surebleak, eager, so said Val Con, to see her daughter.
Theo frowned down at the garden. She knew that it was coming on to local morning—that was Bechimo, keeping her informed on the details so she could concentrate on more important things.
By her reckoning, Chandra Marudas and yos’Thadi would be arriving on Surebleak within the local half-day. After that, so she also reckoned, things were likely to get even more complicated than they already were…which meant that the window for seeing Kamele…was pretty small.