Dawn had begun; it was a logical time for meetings, and the logical place was before them, the wide expanse of sand between the city and the carved pillars; room enough there for landings. Duncan walked, and Niun stayed beside him, with the others at his back, nothing questioning. The sand ahead writhed and rippled with life which fled the ward impulse of their two dusei. And when they had come most of the distance he stopped to wait.
Niun stood close, having moved between him and the wind. Desai did so from the other side, setting a hand upon his shoulder; and the ja'anom, for they were mostly ja'anom in the company, stood as close as they might, as if to shelter him, caring for him as for a child. He was always colder than they, and they seemed to realize his tendency to chill.
Sometimes, Niun had taught him early, a kel'en might find himself regretting friendships out-of-House, caught in a tangle of obligations and debts; best never to form them. When one did, there was one clear law, one service above other services, and that was the she'pan's will; if one was mri, one believed that.
There were two lights in the sky, brightening steadily out of the north.
"Shuttle's aboard, bay one," the secretary reported.
Koch took note of it, impatient, more interested in the flow of data from Santiago, which had moved closer to Kutath, within the critical limit. Regul visitors aboard were not to his taste; not now. They were here and they had to be welcomed. Averson would be coming up at any moment, to handle interpretation where needed. He had prepared information to satisfy regul curiosity and quiet their fears. Degas was scanning what further materials Averson planned to send the allies to be sure they were clean and clear of sensitive items. That was a hasty job, and critical And it had to be ready; with regul on the ship, they were out of time.
He reached for the panel, coded in Degas's office.
And suddenly alarm lights flashed red.
"Sir," the bridge cut through. "Damage to landing bay one.
He stabbed die reply button, ignoring other lights which began to flash on his board, an urgent pulse from Degas's channel, the muffled babble of information from the operations contact. "The regul shuttle? Was it involved?
"Yes, sir; we don't know details; we don't get com down there; the whole bay is breached. Casualties undetermined. Cause undetermined. Crash team is on its way, and med and security. The section sealed.
"Sir," Zahadi's voice overrode. "Shirug is moving our way.
Panic slammed into him. Fire, instinct advised him, xenophobic; politics was more cautious. "Get in touch with them," he said. "Advise them to keep clear. Advise them we're doing what we can with the shuttle and they're to stay back.
A moment passed. He opened contact with Degas. "Take charge in-ship," he said, and broke off. His eyes were on scan, where each sweep jumped them nearer. There was a tiny blip out to Shirug's front, a shuttle, flea-sized between the warships.
They were not stopping.
"Bai," said a regid voice suddenly. "This is youngling Ragh, favor, bai. What is the situation? What has happened to the shuttle? What is the extent of damage?
"Stand off, Shirug. Stand off at once. We don't know what has happened down there yet We do not permit any closer approach. Stand off or expect strong action.
"Were there deaths, bai Koch? What of casualties?
Koch darted a glance aside to scan, stabbed in a code for Santiago. recall. recall. code red. "We are determining that now, youngling. Who is in command of Shirug? Was bai Suth on that shuttle?
There was silence from the other end. The regul were at the limits of their shield; if they came closer, Shirug itself would penetrate that critical perimeter; it was fire or permit approach. The shuttle was already inside it.
Peace or war, on a word, an act.
"Sir." It was Degas, breaking through on red-channel. "Sir
"Back us offr Koch ordered Zahadi. "Up shieldsr
They hit maneuver without warning. Lights flashed everywhere on the boards.
"We don't have full shielding," Zahadi's voice returned. "The damage in bay one
There was a shudder in Saber's framework. Scan flicked to another image, pulsing warning. The shuttle within their perimeter was coming at the base line, at their kilometer-long midsection.
"Fire on the shuttle," Koch ordered. "Fire!" And then a second look at rapidly altering scan.
All the instruments jumped; a shock quivered through frame and hull like the blow of a fist.
"Hit," command relayed. "Damage "
"Localize commandl" Koch shouted into com, handing it to Zahadi entirely. He reached for the desk, for the restraint.
Scan went out.
Suddenly pressure hit, and red discovered to white like the tearing of a film.
They were dead. He had time to know that.
The ships came in, one, and the other of them, in close sequence. The Kel regarded this with no outward show of emotion this their first close sight of ships, and strangers who had struck at An-ehon, at them, and killed kin of theirs.
Two ships. They had expected one.
"Let me go out alone," Duncan asked, received in reply a pressure of Niun's hand on his shoulder.
"When they are in full sight," Niun said, "then whatever you will. In this, you say what should be, sov-kela.
The hatch of the first was opening. Men came down, with black scarves tied on their blue sleeves strange combination to mri eyes; and masks which made them fearsome, like machines; last came a familiar woman, small and broad and wearing a gold scarf.
"Ai," muttered the kel'ein at one breath, for none sent out sen'ein to a prospective quarrel; it was a good sign.
"She is Boaz," Duncan said, "sen-second. I know her.
He touched his dus, to bid it stay, walked forward on his own. The second ship had opened its hatch, and a black man stood alone in the hatchway; he did not know him, only the two; Boaz, and the man by her, whose tangled reddish hair he recognized despite the masks.
"Boz," he said in meeting, "Galey.
"Duncan," Boaz said, and drew down her mask to speak, breathing the thin air. "Do we get the meeting we came for?
"Come with me; bring all your company with you.
"We leave a guard," Galey said.
"No," Duncan said softly. "You do not. Lock no door to a mri. That is the way of things.
"Do it," Boaz said.
"Boz-"
"You can't have it by human rules," said Duncan. "Maybe you can speak to the she'pan; I will do as much as I can in that regard, and likely you can; but an argument will diminish your chances. Come. Don't delay here.
"Trust them?" Galey asked.
"You might," Duncan said, "if you could explain your meaning to them. A mri is himself; trust that. It's all you will get Shon'ai, they say; cast and catch. You cannot play the Game with a closed fist. And you lock no doors to them; they never will with you. It's important to realize that. Come. Come with me.
"It's what we came for," Boaz said to Galey and the two men with him. "Haven't we taken worse chances, with less assurance?
Galey nodded after a moment. "Do you want our guns?
"No. Just come. Keep your hands off them. And if you know any names among them ... be wary of using them.
"Niun is here?" Boaz asked. "And the she'pan?
"Expect no recognition. Likely he would not remember at all. He is not grateful for human help; and some of it was not help, Boz. You know what was done to him. Do not presume any gratitude or any grudge. Come.