Chanur's Homecoming

shape to deal with, and because she had signaled him that he had to do this.

Now he was clear-headed. Now he knew where he was, and perhaps he recalled, too late, what he had done. That was what came through that faint voice, that failing attempt at humor.

“Hey,” she said, and tightened her hand. “You got nowhere to go, do you?”

“Aja Jin.”

“Told you about that. Kif’ll shoot your head off. We’re clear. Got it all patched up with Sikkukkut. You passed out on me. Missed the good part. I need to talk to you.”

“I got talk to my ship.”

“That can wait. You’ll fall on your nose if you try to get up. Don’t want you trying it, hear? Tirun fill you in?”

“Not say.”

“Your ship’s fine; the dock’s patched; I got you clear and got everything fixed up with Sikkukkut: he’s a gods-be bastard, but he does listen. He’s still suspicious, but he’s put you aboard The Pride, says you’ve got to ride out the next move aboard my ship and let Kesurinan handle Aja Jin. That was all I could get. We’ve got to live with that.”

“I got damn itch on nose, Pyanfar.”

She reached and rubbed the bridge of it. “Got it?”

“Let me go. I walk fine.”

“Haven’t got time. We’re moving. Going to Meetpoint. You’re going to have to ride it out where you are. I’m sorry about that, but we haven’t got another cabin we can reach till we undock. And then things are going to go pretty fast.”

He was quiet a heartbeat or two. Then: “Pyanfar-”

“I got a question for you. I want to know what we’re headed into. What did Goldtooth tell you before he left us, huh?”

A silent panic crept into his eyes. He lifted his head and let it fall back against the pillow, still staring at her. “Not funny.”

“/ need to know, friend. For your sake, for that ship of yours, gods know, for mine. What are we headed for? What’s he doing?”

“We talk on bridge.”

Bluff called, she stared at him and he at her and there was a knot at her gut. “You know how it is,” she said.

“A,” he said. “Sure.”

“I got this thing to ask you. I want to know the truth. You understand me.”

He ran his tongue over his lips. “What this deal with humans?”

“Tully told me-told me flatly not to trust them. You know Tully; he’s not too clear. But what he said, the way he said it-I think they’re going to doublecross your partner. I think they’re not the fools Goldtooth thinks they are. And they’re not taking his orders.”

“Maybe you do better talk to Tully.”

“I have. We’ve got a problem. Sikkukkut wants Meetpoint. He wants us three to go in first, The Pride, Aja Jin, and Moon Rising. You see how much he trusts us. He wants us to go in there and shake things up and crack Meetpoint so he can walk right in easy.”

“Akkhtimakt maybe be there.”

“So’s everyone else. Aren’t they? I got one more question. What about the methane-folk? What’s the real truth?”

“Lot-lot mad.” Another pass of Jik’s tongue across his lips. “I try talk to tc’a. They want keep like before. Knnn- different question. Goldtooth said-said got maybe trouble.”

“Who’s Ghost?”

Jik blinked. His eyes locked on hers, pupils dilated.

“When you were in trouble,” Pyanfar said, “I hauled out that little packet you gave me at Mkks and started it through comp. We got a number one good linguistics rig. The best. Mahen make, a? Why’d you ever give me that packet, huh?-to carry on for you. In case something happened here at Kefk? So I could get through to Kshshti or Meetpoint? Gods-be careless job of encoding if we could break it-but then, then it might have had to go to a mahen ship way out from your Personage, mightn’t it? Someone like Goldtooth, maybe? And the real code’s in the language- isn’t it?”

“Maybe same-want you to have.”

“You knew gods-be well we’d have to go to mahen authority to read it? You by the gods knew we’d have to run to your side when it got hot-we’d be held to being your courier again, that’s what you knew, that’s what you set us up for, rot your conniving, doublecrossing hide?”

He lay there and blinked at her.

“Was it because you thought something might happen to you, Jik? Or did you already plan to do what Goldtooth did for you here at Kefk? Blow the docks and run and leave me to get anywhere I gods-blessed could, with your confounded message? Was it you who gave Goldtooth the orders to break dock?”

“Hani, you got damn nasty mind.”

“I’m dead serious, Jik.”

“You crazy.” He gave a wrench at the restraints. “Damn, Pyanfar?! walk fine.”

“Answer me.”

“What you think, I run out on you, leave you talk to kif? / on that damn dock myself!”

“You weren’t in the zone that blew! That’s by the gods close timing, Jik!”

“I not do!”