“Yes, ul’ptarze Troy.” Horsig glanced at Peters. “In the interest of expedition I took it upon myself to modify my orders,” he began. “I substituted Kheer for Doob, since Kheer is an experienced investigator and Doob is not. I decided that Kheer and I would proceed to Llapaaloapalla together, where I would remain to make inquiries while Kheer continued Down to check conditions there.”
“I consider that commendable initiative,” Troy told him. “Continue, please.”
“Thank you, ul’ptarze Troy,” the Grallt said with a deep nod. “With your permission, Kheer will summarize his findings first.”
Troy nodded, and Kheer stepped forward and nodded deeply. “To summarize: I discovered nothing that would contradict ze Peters’s story as I have heard it from Horsig and overheard here, and much that would tend to confirm it. Do you wish further details?”
“Yes. Succinctly.” Troy steepled his hands again.
Kheer nodded again. “I will try, ul’ptarze Troy… I was informed that a group of people, called by themselves ‘khuma‘ or something similar, was in residence, with a small number of Grallt sharing the experience. The group consisted of two subgroups: one of somewhat fewer than a square of persons, with status so exalted they neither dealt directly with the staff nor spoke to anyone, and a second group of three squares of persons. This second group was characterized as boisterous and exuberant, tending to extremes of behavior in some cases, but overall cheerful, cooperative, cleanly about their persons, and caring of the facilities. My informant considered them near-ideal guests.”
“Osfer and enlista, I would presume,” Troy observed.
“I did not hear those terms or any recognizable cognates, ul’ptarze Troy.”
“Never mind. Continue, please.”
“I took up a position where I might observe a group of the khuma at their recreation.” Kheer looked at Peters, then back at his commander. “Several of them enjoyed a game with a large ball. All were skimpily clothed or wearing airsuits. Strictly by physiology, I would have classed them as ferassi males in early to middle adulthood, except that—” he paused, spared Peters another glance “—there was a much larger variation in skin color and details of facial structure than in an equal-sized group of ferassi, ul’ptarze Troy.”
“How do you mean?”
“The bulk of the individuals had complexions darker than any ferassi I have seen—”
“Ridiculous,” Jons interjected. “Any ferassi exposed to starlight at the intensities found on a planetary surface will become dark. You are balancing shadows, Kheer.”
The Grallt looked apprehensive, and glanced from Peters to Troy and back again. Then he nodded deeply. “With all respect, ptarze Jons, I am familiar with the effect. One of the individuals I noted was such a dark brown as to be nearly black, with facial features much flatter and broader than found on any ferassi of my experience. The individual in question was wearing only a skimpy garment about the loins. I stand by my assessment, with all respect.”
Troy waved a hand. “Let him finish,” he said a little irritably. “We asked for his report. We should hear it.”
“Yes, ze Troy,” Jons said, a little abashed, and subsided. Peters chanced to glance at Ander Korwits, and surprised an actual expression on her face, so minimal as to be difficult to read, but seemingly alarm and a certain degree of interest. She looked away quickly, recovering her impassionate mien. Apparently ul’ptarze Troy was capable of making the nice distinction between ‘does not’ and ‘cannot’.
“Did you speak to any of the khuma?” Troy asked the Grallt.
“No, ul’ptarze Troy, I did not. I attempted to do so, of course, but the most coherent reply I received was a fair rendition of ‘I don’t speak the Trade’. The khuma seemed to communicate by signs and a few words, but most of their needs were met by the few Grallt among them. I spoke with one such, a very attractive young woman called Se’en, who was keeping close company with a khuma whose name I believe was ‘Jacks’. If both had been either khuma or Grallt, I would have assumed them a mated pair—”
“Disgusting notion,” Jons growled, then subsided again at a peremptory wave from his CO.
Kheer nodded again. “Se’en confirmed that there were, or had been, two, eight, and three squares of khuma in the second group, and that one of those was called ‘Peters’ or sometimes ‘Peteris’ by the Grallt. She had a high opinion of ‘Peteris’. According to her, this individual learned the Trade in an incredibly short period of time, and had rendered assistance to the zerkre of Llapaaloapalla to the point of being granted precedence higher than her own, which she considered well deserved.” Kheer spread his hands, somehow submissively. “There is more, ul’ptarze Troy, but all confirmative or corroborative of the main points. Do you care to hear it?”
“No, that’s enough.” The Grallt nodded again, and this time Troy returned it with a short decisive jerk. “Good report, Kheer.”
“Ul’ptarze Troy,” Kheer murmured, and stepped back to his former stance.
“Horsig, your turn,” Troy commanded.
The senior Grallt stepped forward and nodded. “Yes, ul’ptarze Troy. The information I received expands upon and corroborates that obtained by Kheer, except for two points, one of which the human may not have wished to advertise, and one which Kheer might not have heard. What is your pleasure, ul’ptarze Troy?”
“Details of the two points, Horsig.”
“At your pleasure, ul’ptarze Troy… First, Llapaaloapalla experienced an attack by the dar ptith a half-zul ago. The attack was beaten off by the courage, abilities, and equipment of the human, with casualties.”
“Aha… and the second point?”
Horsig glanced at Peters. “The individual called ‘Peteris’ was attacked by a gang of hoodlums. He and his companion dispatched their attackers rather handily, by the account I was given, but Peteris disappeared shortly thereafter, and is still missing.”
Chapter Thirty-Nine
Ul’ptarze Troy focused on Peters for a moment, then glanced at Fredik Fers. “It would appear that ipze Fers has made a series of mistakes,” he remarked.
Peters smiled. “Juniors make mistakes; it is inherent in the concept.”
“You may be well respected among the Grallt,” Troy observed with one of his wintry smiles, “but I don’t need your advice regarding supervision.” He spoke with enough wryness to take most of the sting out of the rebuke.
“Just so, ul’ptarze Troy.”
“The assessment is accurate none the less.” Troy glanced at Ander Korwits. “Ipze Peters, I am now confident that your story is in the main true, although I’m uncomfortably aware that several important details remain to be elucidated. Are you satisfied that we are not of the dar ptith, who attacked your ship and killed your fellows?”
“Yes, I am, ul’ptarze Troy, although like you I am aware that not everything has been explained.” He considered the officer with a level gaze. “When may I expect to be returned to Llapaaloapalla?”
“Not for some time, I’m afraid.” Elisin Troy tented his hands before his face again, looking over the structure at Peters, and smiled, the expression failing to reach his eyes. “You claim to be of a race unknown to us, but externally you are identical to one of the two most common bloodlines of the dar ptith.” He waved down the sailor’s objection before it got underway. “You have unexpected skills, and things in your possession that we don’t know the provenance or use of. Further clarification is required.”