Captain Vorpatril's alliance

Ivan Xav stared around the little chamber in deep suspicion, and Tej wondered belatedly if she should have demanded that Vor‑name’s‑word thing on their deal, or bet, as well. The access well to the Mycoborer tunnel was uncovered; a pulley was set up on a frame above the hole, with ropes descending into the dark.

Star scowled at Ivan Xav, who scowled back. She said, “I’d stun him where he stands, but we can’t let off energy devices.”

“Then why are you even carrying that?” asked Tej, gesturing to the stunner.

“Last resorts. Come on. Everyone’s in ahead of us, and I doubt they’ll wait.”

Tej walked around the pulley. “That’s new.”

“Yes, Dada’s idea. He says it’ll speed getting things up the shaft, and make it safer, too. No hand‑tractors or grav lifts allowed, either.”

Tej considered their flimsy telescoping ladder, and nodded in relief.

Star stepped back to lock and block the outside door, then said, “All right, everybody in.”

Tej led the way to the ladder. Ivan Xav stopped short at the lip of the hole.

“Wait, we’re going down there?”

“Yes?”

“Underground?”

“Most tunnels are underground. Oh, no, Ivan Xav‑I forgot about your claustrophobia thing. Why didn’t you say something? I’m sorry!”

“I do not have a claustrophobia thing. I have a perfectly rational dislike of being locked up in small, dark, wet spaces by people trying to kill me.”

“So you won’t, like, panic down there?”

“No,” he said curtly.

“Are you sure? Because you could stay up here and help by manning the pulley‑I’d count that‑”

Ivan Xav growled and swung down the ladder.

Tej followed; Star brought up the rear.

The vestibule was quite a bit larger than when Tej had last seen it. A bench had been added, now piled with assorted Arqua wristcoms, audiofilers, and something she was afraid might be a very illegal plasma arc. Star divested her own wristcom and stunner; Tej followed suit.

“Everything electronic or that has a power cell has to be left here,” whispered Tej. “And our shoes.” A long row of Arqua footgear was piled along one wall. Tej counted the pairs; everyone was here for the big moment. She could hardly blame them. Despite everything, her own breath came fast with excitement and anticipation.

Ivan Xav, an unjoyful expression on his face, pulled his slippers one by one from his jacket pockets and let them drop to the floor, which seemed much firmer underfoot than it had the other day; evidently Jet was right about the curing rate for the Mycoborer tubes. After a long hesitation, Ivan Xav pulled off his wristcom and emptied his pockets of forbidden gizmos, including his car and door remotes and that neat military stunner that Tej had first met on Komarr. Tej and Star each picked up a spare cold light from a box at the end of the bench. Ivan Xav followed their example, then, after a narrow glance at Tej, proceeded to stuff his pockets with more.

Tej bit her tongue on any comment. It wouldn’t hurt anything. He could return the unused ones later.

Star handed out hospital masks and plastic gloves all around.

“What the hell?” said Ivan Xav.

“It’s all right,” said Tej. “You just don’t want live Mycoborer stuff to rub on your skin. Or get in your lungs, I guess.”

“And you people turned this crap loose on my planet? That is not my definition of all right. If it’s that nasty, I’d want a full biotainer suit.”

“Well, this is what Grandmama said to use, and she should know. And we’ve been running in and out of here for days with just this, and nothing’s happened to us.”

Ivan Xav stared at Tej with new alarm, as if he expected to see flesh‑eating fungus start spreading all over her skin on the spot. His gaze flicked to Star with equal curiosity, if somewhat less concern.

“You don’t have to come along,” added Star. “Nobody invited you.”

Ivan Xav donned the gloves and yanked the mask up over his face. His deep brown eyes, Tej discovered, could glower quite fiercely all on their own, without any help from his mouth.

Tej held up her cold light and started down the tunnel. She whispered over her shoulder, “From this point on, as little talking as possible.”

“Right,” Ivan Xav whispered back.

The tunnel, too, seemed slightly larger in diameter than before. Ivan Xav didn’t even have to duck his head, although he did anyway. He was very careful not to touch or brush the walls in passing. He plainly did not like the sitting and sliding around the two bendy parts at all. He held up his cold light to the occasional random appendix‑holes, his brow furrowing in disapproval. Tej tried not to feel defensive. She hadn’t invented the Mycoborer.

A wide place in the passage was impeded by a big pile of dirt, a few pale bones, and a tattered backpack with electronic parts spilling out of it.

“I thought Grandmama was going to make Jet and Amiri clean this up,” Tej whispered to Star, stepping carefully around it.