"Pyanfar. We all got stake. This Mkks be half mahen station, a? I go take walk, I talk few people. Learn thing."
"Learned what?"
An expansive shrug. "Like knnn be upset. Like tc'a big disturb. Chi crazy like always. Like big rumor on methane-side got lot human come. Lot human. Stsho damn upset."
Mahen visionaries. Prophecies on the com. "Gods-be." It was there to have been read. She raked a hand through her mane. "Geran said."
"What say?"
"Rumor's all over Mkks. Thousands of humans coming. Where are they coming to?"
"I think maybe Tt'a'va'o."
"Good gods." Tc'a. Tc'a territory, right up to Meetpoint. "What fool set that up?"
"Kif know. I think they know damn sure."
"Then what are we getting into at Kefk? For godssakes, Jik— "
"Big game. Number one big game, hani."
"Game. Gods rot it, human ships have fired at knnn."
Jik's jaw dropped. He closed it.
"Tully told me. Now you trade me one, partner. Tell me die gods-be truth!"
" What you know 'bout knnn business?"
"Nothing else. Absolutely nothing. But a knnn ship was tracking me directly after Goldtooth gave me Tully; stayed with me when I left Meetpoint headed for Urtur. I lost it. I don't know where it went. But it was on me. It could have been at Urtur. It might even know I went to Kshshti. Hear? We did have tc'a activity there."
"Damn," Jik said. "Damn."
"Let me tell you something else. I don't trust that tc'a stationmaster at Kshshti. I don't know what it heard. I don't like it, hear?"
"What tc'a do?"
"Do? It was scared witless, that's what. Mention knnn near it and it went into gibbering lunacy. Avoid, it said. It talked about hani dying at Mkks. It, talked—talked about
three sets of kif to watch out for, one of them the kifish home world."
"I hear this. Not surprise. Homeworld kif wait see who win, a? They not stupid."
"No, they're not stupid, just a lunatic mahe who thinks I'm going to play tag with the knnn and politics with the gods-be kif—"
"You listen." Jik looked her in the eyes and jabbed her in the chest with a blunt-clawed finger. "I tell you truth, tell you truth, hani and mahendo'sat be longtime friend, a? Stsho friend only to stsho, same like kif. We got Sikkukkut, got same this fellow in the loo, a? We got lot sfik, this kif Sikkukkut get some from us; he go be number one kif. Safe kif."
"I'm not so sure he is."
"I tell you this: Sikkukkut got same interest we got. He want keep thing lot same like now. Want make quiet. Sure, he lot dangerous. But you respect him, he got sfik, not need kill you. This Akkhtimakt, he oppose Sikkukkut: he got kill all Sikkukkut deal with. That be long list, a? Sikkukkut enemy all- be kif; but I tell you, Pyanfar—lot people be Akkhtimakt enemy who not be kif. Whole damn Compact. Humanity. Where he stop, huh? And we already got knnn trouble. How much trouble we need?"
"They're all crazy."
"You hani, you like too much law. Kif, they got Personage. Sen-si-ble, like mahendo'sat. Make life more simple." He touched her shoulder again. "You see why I want you 'live? You don't cross Vigilance, a?"
A clank sounded from outside, the noise of the line connections being withdrawn.
"This fancy ID system I'm not supposed to ask if you got—any chance it can fool the beacon at Kefk?"
He rubbed the bridge of his nose and gave her an anxious glance. "I not say got." '
"Can you?"
"Maybe I run—little ahead main group. Maybe we get beacon. One good look all I need."
"Maybe! Kite in there alone?"
"A, got good kif friend, good friend Vigilance follow real close."
"Sure, sure."
"Hey, you no worry—you damn smart pilot, a?"
"Sure. No worry. No worry. Gods rot it, that's a binary system, Jik, and that's a kif you've got to rely on!"
"Got you come."
"Gods, what do you think I am? You're crazy, you know that? This whole thing is crazy! You're going to trip that zenith guardpost all alone out there—"
"Ana be right. You got nice eyes."
"You—"
"Hey, I got go," Jik said, holding up his hands. And with a lift of brows: "A." He reached into one of his belt-pockets and pulled out a small square packet. "Want give you this."
"What?" Her ears went down flat. "Gods-be, Jik, no more tricks! No more—"
"You take." He pulled her hand forward and slapped the packet into her palm. "Things go bad you take, run, go Meetpoint, find help."
"What is this thing?"
"Record. Got same microfiche. You don't worry." A blithe mahen grin. "All code."
"Jik—"
"I trust." The Pride's bow rang to a second thump; the ventilation fans died and started up with a different, more rapid sound. They were on their own. "I got hurry, Pyanfar. They take ramp soon." He started away down the corridor and looked back. "You be smart, Pyanfar."
"Go on, you'll miss the ramp." She pocketed the microfiches and picked up the pocket com. "Haral. Stand by to let Jik out. His people still outside?"
"Still there. I've been keeping an eye on them, captain. They're all right."
"Huh. Good." She broke the contact and walked back the other way, not without a misgiving glance at the washroom door.
More thumps from the bow. The dockers were working fast. Anxious to get them out, one guessed.
Pyanfar headed for the lift. A cold lump had settled in her stomach, indigestible.
Gods, gods, and Jik himself never told all the truth Not ever the part that told what he would do.
VII
It was chaos, in the bridgeward corridor as Pyanfar headed out of the lift. Tully was there with Hilfy, doing final latch-check on doors, which meant Khym was busy somewhere and not doing that. Tirun came running to catch the lift door with a covered bowl in either hand.
"Hurry it," Pyanfar yelled as Tirun darted past.
"Aye," Tirun said.
"And don't go in with it!"
The door shut. Upship, Chur was at her cabin door, with Geran; she had a new and tightly wrapped bandage round her middle. There was a crash from lowerdecks, another seal in place. "You sure about this," Pyanfar said in passing.
"Absolutely," said Chur.
"Captain," Geran said in courtesy, and Pyanfar left them both behind, headed bridgeward in long strides.
Haral was at her post, the only one as yet, but Chur and Geran were trailing in at Pyanfar's back. The boards were Sit and The Pride's initial systems were all up, with ready-lights on the rest. Pyanfar threw herself into her own chair and powered it about.
"Captain." Haral acknowledged the command transfer with a dip of her many-ringed ears, never a turn of her head or a missed beat in the routine switch-flicking of power-up. Pyanfar shoved the com plug into her own left ear and leaned, fished the microfiche packet out of her pocket and shoved it in the security bin.
"That it?" Haral said.
"That's the latest bit of trouble. Gods, I'm tired of mail-carrying. Gods give that Ehrran—"
Khym showed up, from the galleyward-corridor, his hands full of food-packets, his face all cheerful.
—sons, the ancient curse went. Pyanfar swallowed it and listened to the com. The voice out of central was mahendo'sat, likewise the docking chief talking to them on the outside line. One could believe the universe safe and sane; and then a kif spoke up from down the row, giving them its outbound time.