Chanur's Homecoming

“We got an electrical screen on the main systems from last time. We got it covered. Don’t worry about it. The problem’s in our watch. Just a stray, more’n likely. We’ll get it.”

“You thought of sabotage? That gods-be kif-”

“Is crew.”

“Not in my watch, captain. That door of his is locked from the boards.”

Question my judgment! On my bridge, in my chair, rot your hide! It was also a sane and reasonable suspicion. She restrained herself and got her voice quiet. “That kif,” she said, “is our translator. Protocol officer and a gods-be decent one. Crew.” It half-choked her. Get your backside out of my chair, Tauran. “He takes orders. Takes ’em fine. He’s had a lot of chances to kill one or the other of us. Saved my hide back at Kefk.” And I don’t let him loose either, but he’s not risking his neck in those corridors hunting vermin. “Shift. I’ll spell you, work with yours and spell ’em off as mine come in. You did a marvel, Tauran, got us here through that soup, real fine job and strange boards-” Compliment the graynosed bastard. Keep us friendly. It was a good job. We’re alive. We still got all our ships behind us, Jik and Harun and the rest, and all three kif out to front, and she’s trying real hard to be polite, isn’t she, Pyanfar Chanur? More suspicious than young Fiar. Wiser and harder and she has to be. She’s got to push me a little. Got to keep her eyes clear and play the hardnose and try to get at truth, that’s what she’s after. She didn’t fail us. Hasn’t failed us.

“Fancy stuff,” Sirany said, still sitting., “Mahen-make. Real fancy. That comp’s a wonder.”

What’d you pay for it, Chanur? What buys equipment like this, state of the art, class one stuff, when Chanur’s broke and bankrupt and all space knows it?

What’s this we hear about you and mahendo’sat and the Meetpoint stsho?

Before we go to sleep again-what kind of ship are we on?

“We got our tail shot up. Emergency patch at Kshshti. The mahendo’sat wanted us out of there real bad. It’s this passenger of ours.”

“The kif or the human or the mahendo’sat?”

Pushing hard now. Her pulse hammered and her ears flattened as Sirany turned in her seat to look up at her.

Out in the dark places too long, maybe, Chanur?

“I’ll argue that in the han," Pyanfar said. “But our records are unlocked. Had a look, have you?”

“I’ve been busy,” Sirany said. “Real busy.” Her ears were flat. “Interesting stuff. But the important thing’s still to get home, isn’t it? We do it your way. Your rules. You want that kif in on com, that’s fine. We got two more jumps to go. You want us to bed down with the gods-be kif, if you want to vouch for his manners, I’ll take your word on it.”

“Listen. I mean this. Don’t expect him to be hani. He’ll take your hand off if he thinks you’re pushing me. Tully’s quieter, but he’s scared of you and he’s got troubles you don’t know about; let him be. And my husband-let me tell you, ker Sirany, since you’ve said not a word on it, let me tell you: my husband’s steady as anybody at the boards, and gods help him, you won’t shock him, not after this trip, he knows what ship life is; he knows how to take orders, and you don’t have to worry about him. Or Tully. They work together in galley. No problem with tempers. They like each other.”

Sirany’s ears went down and struggled bravely erect. “I saw the ring.”

“Didn’t win it in a fight. Won it sitting the boards doing his job while Haral Araun had her finger on a destruct button. And he’ll take your orders, or mine, or any senior’s. That’s how it is. I want your help, ker Sirany. It’s good we’ve got someone aboard who doubts us. And every word in that log is true. You understand me?”

Sirany’s ears went half-flat. White showed at the corners of her eyes and her jaw was hard. Then the ears came up. “We’ll worry about that when we’re through this alive.”

“I’m fighting for the han. They’ll call me a traitor. They’ll put that on my tomb if I get one. You understand me yet? It’s one thing to be a gods-be hero. If we get through this alive, I want someone, I want one hani else to know this crew’s not what they’ll say we are.”

Fear showed in Sirany’s face. Undisguised. “What do you want, company?”

“I want your influence. We got two fights. One’s in space. The other’s with that fool Ehrran and all her ilk. The han tucks its collective head down and the kif have got the axe hanging over it. You hear me, Tauran? I’ll do whatever I have to. If you see what I see, you’ll be with me. Whatever else you think about me.”

“You’re a lunatic!”