"We have very few weapons," said Kyle.
Lungho Lei nodded and caught the eye of someone in the back of the modest hall. Two young men who were not in the dinner party strode forward briskly, carrying Tim's mysterious black case together in a large two-handed basket. They set it down with great care on the table near Lungho Lei.
As Kyle watched, they opened the case and turned it. The case was full of sealed vials of fluid and some other equipment he didn't recognize. Two small booklets were also in it, and some type of instruments in padded holders.
"Forgive my inhospitality," said Lungho Lei. "I had your wagon searched because you told us you seek our enemies. These vials would be of great value to them."
Kyle looked at Tim in alarm.
"We have recognized their contents," said Lungho Lei. "What breeds do you have here?"
Tim grinned and sat forward eagerly. "I have gametes and zygotes from the finest Mongol horses on the face of good ol' Earth. Also the instruments necessary to use them and instruction manuals. All I need are healthy mares as either surrogate mothers or else good breeding stock to be artificially inseminated. There are plenty of them here and only a tiny fraction has to work out to start a string of tough, durable horses that has been bred to northern steppes and deserts for centuries."
"Such horses would make a man very wealthy in any valley," said Lungho Lei. He showed no outward sign of surprise. "In the land to the north of us, they could make a man into a king. This is why you seek the northern steppes."
Horses, Kyle thought. Of course. That had been Tim's hobby back in their former life. On a wild planet like this, they were far more valuable than any currency.
"Yes" said Tim, with a disarming grin. "That is true."
"But you have grazing land in this valley, as well," said Kyle. "Is there a place for two more here?"
Lungho Lei thought a moment and then returned to his dinner. While he ate in silence, no one else in the hall spoke. The two young men by the freezer case did not move.
Finally the white-haired man looked up. "You will remain here as my guests while I think on this. In exchange for your horses, I believe a place can be found for you." Then he finished his dinner, turning the conversation to casual topics.
Kyle kept an eye on Linwah for the rest of the dinner. She glanced over at him several times, but did not have another chance to speak. Kyle was flattered; for once, a woman had noticed him more than Tim.
Kyle and Tim did not speak until they had returned to their room. As Kyle sat down on a bunk, quiet footsteps stopped outside their closed door. A bar slid gently into place, locking them in. He looked at Tim.
"So close," Tim whispered. "The northern steppe is so close."
"I like it here," said Kyle. "This is a settled community. And we fit in-that is, we look like we do. It would be a safe place to start life over."
"We'd be followers," said Tim in a quiet but firm voice. "The best land in this valley is already claimed. Why wait twenty years for the old men to die off and then fight with their heirs for their inheritance? Out on the steppes with nomads, life is much more fluid. We can earn our way with barter and service at first, then strike out on our own. Any open grazing land belongs to those tough enough to take it."
"I'm no rider, at least not like you are. You really like this idea of living on the steppes?"
Tim grinned crookedly. "Don't you remember the old family history our grandfather told us about? How one of our ancestors in China did something for a Mongol emperor and was rewarded with marriage to one of his daughters?"
"Yeah, so?" Kyle shook his head. "Oral history isn't worth much over what, seven or eight centuries? What about it?"
"So that Mongol princess came from the line of Kublai Khan, and so back to Genghis Khan."
Kyle smiled with more amusement than he felt. "After that many generations, the blood is pretty thin."
"That doesn't matter. Look, you told me once that non-literate societies value oral traditions-they have to respect them and keep them and be honest with their spoken word because they have no other records. So I believe the story."
"Yeah, that's right. So you believe it. But what of it?"
"So will the Mongols on the steppe." Tim eyed him earnestly. "Follow me yet? The distant sons of the Kha-khan arrive from Earth with the finest seed of Mongol horses ever seen since the thirteenth century. We'll be welcomed like heirs to the throne."
"I'm not so sure. Their current tribal leaders won't want to step aside. Even if you're right, they can just kill us and keep the freezer case."
"Aahh." Tim brushed that aside with a wave. "I know better than to go busting in making demands. I'll handle the tribal politics when the time comes, armed with that freezer case. I even have those phrase books to help with their language. But right now we have to get out of here."
"We can't," said Kyle. "At least, not until we've passed muster with them. They've locked us in."
"Funny you should mention that," said Tim, grinning as he cocked his head. Soft footsteps were coming down the hall.
The bar slid away and then Linwah slipped inside the room, carrying a bulging pack on a shoulder strap. In both hands, she lugged the heavy freezer case inside and gently set it down. She smiled self-consciously, looking at both of them.
"Didn't you notice she liked you?" Tim said. "I saw you two talking, and I got her aside for a moment on our way out."
"Hello, Kyle," she said quietly, in accented English.
"Hi," said Kyle, suddenly realizing what Tim had in mind. "You mean we're escaping from here?"
"She can't afford to get caught," said Tim. "She can take us to a small rear gate, but we'll be on foot-no wagon or mounts."
"Why are you doing this?" Kyle asked her suspiciously.
"I've never met anyone from Earth like you," she said earnestly. "That is, Cantonese from Earth. From Hawaii You must be very brave to come all this way alone. I want to help."
"This is insane," said Kyle. "What is it, some adolescent infatuation? We can't let her get into trouble over us."
"She's the old man's daughter," said Tim. "He'll yell at her and then forget it. And after we start our herd, we'll send them both a couple of horses to make amends."
"Tim-"
"Listen, Kyle," Tim said earnestly. "This isn't a BurReloc detention center or a Hawaii state correctional center, either. No sentries, no guard towers, no sensors or lasers. It's just a house with a wall around it. Her family thinks we're locked in and they're going to sleep."
"Everyone is asleep," Linwah confirmed. "Unless we are in a feud, we only have the animals to sound an alarm."
Kyle didn't know what to say. He looked at Tim, then at Linwah. She looked away shyly. Deep down, he didn't want to go. She fascinated him, not the least by her daring. After a lifetime of following Tim's every whim, though, he simply could not summon an argument now.
"Come on," said Tim. He stood up and bundled into his heavy outdoor clothing. Then he took the pack from Linwah, slinging it over his shoulder, and hefted the freezer case. "Linwah."
Kyle was also slipping on his outer clothing. Then he hustled after them, last as usual.