“It’s a gift,” Peters said. “Now I need somethin’ to drink.”
There was a clerk stirring around behind the desk, not paying much attention until Todd approached. “Pleasant greetings,” he said. “How may I help you?”
“My friend want something drink,” Todd told him.
“Food and drink are available in the restaurant,” the clerk said, gesturing in that direction.
“We went,” Todd noted. “Food not good, got nothing drink.”
“That is not correct,” the clerk declared. “Please wait here for a moment.” He disappeared through a door behind the desk, and they heard snatches of babble before he returned. This time he brought his superior, or at least someone older, if gray strands in the facial hair meant age.
“I am Deris,” the newcomer declared. “How may I help you?”
“We went to the restaurant,” Peters said. “We did not understand the menu, and the waiter didn’t help. The food was not good, and we got nothing to drink. I would like something to drink, to take the bad taste away.”
“What would you like?”
“We don’t know the names,” Peters admitted. “Last night we had a yellow juice that was very good, and tea. Perhaps we could have some of the tea?”
“Of course.” Deris gestured at the lobby, where there were chairs and couches, with low tables. “Please sit and wait. Someone will bring tea in a short time.”
A “short time” turned out to be three or four minutes. The tea, when it came, was in a silver pot on a silver tray, with cups thin as eggshells. Along with it was a plate, carved of brown wood, holding crisp brownish wafers and black lumps. The wafers were crumbly and almost tasteless, but the black lumps were good, soft and creamy with a meaty taste. The waiter—they couldn’t tell if it was the same one—stayed until they had tried everything and decided what was edible, then nodded decisively and left.
“Much better,” Peters said.
“I am happy to hear that,” Deris said. “The hotel hopes to please its guests.”
“I am sure it is difficult,” Peters said. “You have many guests with many different wishes.”
“That is generous,” Deris said with a small smile. “We do indeed have many guests, but it is not so difficult to find what they like. All of the kree are more similar than not, and we do not offer to others. The waiter should be more helpful. He will be disciplined.”
“That would be correct,” Peters suggested, “but not too severely, I hope. Only enough to make him remember.”
Deris smiled, the same somewhat alarming gesture that Denef had used. “You are generous again. He will lose his pay for today, and go back to the village to think. Tomorrow he will do better.”
“That seems appropriate,” said Peters. “What will be the charge for this?” He gestured at the tea service.
“There will be no charge,” Deris said. “It is our apology for the trouble.”
“That is good of you.” Peters groped in his pocket. “Please give this to the one who brought the tea,” he said, handing Deris an ornh.
“Yes, I will do that,” Deris said. “And now I must be going. I have business of the hotel.” He sketched a bow and left, disappearing behind the desk.
Peters and Todd idled for the next half hour or so, nibbling black lumps and sipping tea, not speaking much. From time to time the waiter appeared to refill the teapot or provide more lumps. The sun was fully up when they finished and got up, saluting the desk clerk and strolling out the doors.
They’d decided not to wear kathir suits today, and the air had a tinge of coolness that hadn’t been apparent inside. Sprinklers made diamond flowers over close-cropped magenta grass, dampening the tan-cobbled walkway in a few places. A low wall of gray stone blocks separated the lawn from the beach, and a couple of low broad steps led down to the sand. The two sailors picked a direction at random and set off up the beach, still not talking much. Occasionally one would pick up a stone or a handful of sand, toy with it a few moments, and then drop it. Neither one tossed anything into the water.
It took them about a tle to reach the headland. Rounded rocks, tumbled from the cliff and water-worn, were scattered in the surf and along the backshore. They scrambled up onto the coarse grass behind the berm and looked back toward the water.
“Nice spot,” Todd broke the silence.
“Yeah.” Peters had picked up a stone and was tossing it from hand to hand. He made as if to toss it in the water, then remembered and threw it toward the top of the ridge, where it made a click and dislodged a few more the same size. The minor shower of dust and rocks wasn’t even disconcerting. “The whole place is a nice spot.”
“Not like the last one.”
“We ain’t gonna be goin’ back there.”
“We may not be going any damn where.”
“We can go anywhere we want. We got money, remember?”
“Yeah, and for how long?” Todd demanded. “You really think that’s gonna make a damn difference? The assholes are gonna be all over us.”
“They can’t touch us.” Peters threw another rock. “My hitch is up in, Hell, if I remember correct it’s about ten days. Yours’s longer, but you’re still out before we get back.”
Todd made a rude noise. “There’s nobody to cut our separation orders. We’re in until we get back and they do that.”
“I ain’t so sure,” Peters disagreed. “Llapaaloapalla’s civilian, and we ain’t assigned to SPADET 1. Verbal orders are good as any.” He heaved another rock, again dislodging a minor avalanche. “Right now we got a million ornh apiece and a zifthkakik between us. What I expect is they’ll trade the money for a dollar an ornh and confiscate the football as contraband. And if that’s what happens, and we wanted to come back out here—” he gestured at the scenery, “—reckon how many American dollars somebody’d charge for a ticket?”
“We don’t have to tell anybody,” Todd pointed out. “We haven’t yet.”
“Shit,” Peters objected. “They know somethin’s goin’ on. They don’t know the details, but they know enough to tell the Feds where to start askin’ questions.”
“We could tell them part of it… tell them about the zifthkakik, maybe, and leave the cash out of it.”
“Sure we can. Then they start fillin’ us up with happy juice, and out the rest spills like vomit on the sidewalk,” Peters explained. “Then we’re what, traitors or somethin’? We end up in Statesville, and they get the money anyway.”
There was a long pause, during which Peters selected another stone, tossed it from hand to hand, then threw it against the dike, eliciting another shower of pebbles. They had gotten this far in their assessments before. Both tacitly assumed that going to any of the Chiefs, or the officers, for advice was pretty much the same as handing over the goodies and checking themselves into the brig. Finally Peters spoke: “We could always stay, you know.”
That was the first time either of them had actually said it right out loud, and Todd didn’t reply for a few minutes, just sat on a rock, looking out to sea, arms crossed in front as if hugging himself. “Remember what I told Dee when we were thrashing things out with the Master Chief? I’m not ready for that.”
“Me neither, but it might be the best way. We don’t need to work, we got the money to live a long time, but we could probably sign on as crew. If not, there’s other possibilities. Maybe we could be translators.”
“Maybe you could. Hell, you’re already a zerkre. But why would anybody need translators? The Grallt speak good English. They don’t need us.”
“Maybe other folks’d like to have a human to do the translatin’,” Peters suggested.