Starbridge (20 page)

"Honored Ambassador," Raoul said, returning her greeting. "I must say that I am surprised to see you."

"Honored Captain"--her translated words marched across Rob's voder screen--"there is no longer any question of Khrekk' regaining his honor. He is dead. Now reparation must be made so that the honor of Khrekk's entire clan can be cleansed."

"Khrekk' is
dead?"
Raoul shot an I-don't-think-I-want-to-hear- this glance at his officers. "We are very sorry to hear that. Please convey our sympathy to his family. I wish there was something we could do to help ..."

Rhrrrkkeet's crest drooped even more. "There is no grief to be attached to the demise of one who was so without-honor as to do what Khrekk' has done. And
only
you and your people, Honored Captain, can aid his unfortunate family, by allowing them to regain their honor.''

Rob took a deep breath. "Honored Rhrrrkkeet' . . ."he said, "may I speak?"

She inclined her head, still gracious despite her anxiety. "Please do so, Honored Healer."

"You said 'what Khrekk' has done' . . . does that mean that he took his own life? He
killed
himself?" Rob could not conceal his distress at the thought.

She nodded. "That is so. Khrekk' committed the ultimate personal and familial dishonor--when he received the news that CaptainLamont would not allow him to regain his honor by a meeting in our Arena, he entered an airlock on this station, then cycled it. What remained of him was discovered this morning."

Oh, my God . . .
Rob felt his stomach turn over. Death by decompression conjured a hideous image. "That's terrible," he mumbled. "We are very sorry."

Rhrrrkkeet's violet eyes were shards of amethyst in her expressionless countenance. "Do not waste sorrow on one-without- honor. Sorrow, rather, for his family, who are now also without-honor. And, unless I may convey your choice of an honor-vessel to my superiors, sorrow for me, and for yourselves,

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for I know that you humans truly wished for beneficial contact between our peoples."

Rob wet his lips.
Oh, shit.
"Honored Rhrrrkkeet'," he said, "doesn't Khrekk's death end this problem? He's gone, so he can't demand an Arena meeting anymore. If his family needs satisfaction, remind his family that a human is dead, too."
An eye for an eye,
he thought.
That ought to appease them.

The F.A.'s crest dropped even farther. "You do not understand. Khrekk's family is very powerful. His mother is a member of our High Council. She has authority over me. Because Khrekk' killed himself, his dishonor is magnified, and transfers to his family. Their honor must now be cleansed. If you humans do not grant them the chance to redeem their honor . . . things will be very bad."

Raoul hesitated. "Honored Rhrrrkkeet', you know that I honor you. I consider you a ... friend. You have been honest with us, even when the truth brought you discomfort, so I ask you to be honest with us once more. What effect has Khrekk's untimely death and his family's dishonor had on the relations between your people and mine?"

The Simiu fixed them with her enormous violet eyes. "The High Council is divided," she said, dispensing with the polite, formal phrasing for once.

"Many argue that you are not citizens of our world, therefore for you to honor our ways is not something we have a right to expect."

Rob felt a quick surge of excitement.
So, we do have some supporters!

"They say that your refusal to enter our Arena is not dishonorable cowardice, merely proof that other worlds have other customs."

Raoul nodded. "They are wise, those leaders. They reason excel ently."

"So do I think, Honored CaptainLamont. But I am only a diplomat. And the leaders I just spoke of are only slightly more than half, which in our Council is not enough to decide matters of this importance

"What does the other faction say?"

Rhrrrkkeet' had to ask her computer link for a translation for the word

"faction." When it came through, she nodded thoughtfully.

That's something we've taught them,
Rob found himself thinking.
Nodding to
express agreement . . .

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"The other faction," the First Ambassador began, "is represented by several Councillors who have always decried involvement with--that is, our hoped-for involvement with--other worlds. They say that our own world is wide, that we have enough to do solving problems on our planet without seeking trouble in the form of aliens from another world."

"Sounds familiar," Raoul muttered grimly, under his breath. "We can understand their point of view, also, Honored Rhrrrkkeet'--it is one that is still prevalent on our world, despite the fact that we have had star travel for over one hundred years." He hesitated, then continued, "Suppose this second faction prevails, Honored Rhrrrkkeet'. What will happen then?''

"I do not know, Honored CaptainLamont," the F.A. responded. "I am doing everything I can to convince the High Council to continue to accept your people as worthy-of-honor. But I do not know whether they will listen to me."

She knows more than she's saying,
Rob thought. He glanced at Raoul and whispered: "Don't give up. Push her."

"We realize, Honored Rhrrrkkeet', that you cannot be certain of what the future will hold any more than we can," Raoul said. "But surely you must have an opinion, and it would honor us greatly if you would express it."

A few exchanges were necessary before the F.A. understood "opinion"--or was she stal ing? Rob couldn't be sure.

Finally, she said, "It honors me greatly that you wish to hear my private viewing of what will come. It saddens me to say that, in my opinion, if the second faction is able to sway even a few more Councillors to its view--and the death of Khrekk' may aid them in doing this--then honorable contacts and relations between our peoples will cease, because humans will no longer be regarded as worthy-of-honor."

"Shit,"
Rob whispered, reading his screen. Impulsively he asked, "In that case, we humans would have no alternative except to leave and not return, is that correct, Honored Rhrrrkkeet'?"

The Simiu hesitated for a split second too long before replying, "I have not had time to fully consider the alternatives, Honored HealerGable."

Rob felt the blood leave his face; cold sweat broke out on his forehead.

Rhrrrkkeet's too damned honorable to lie outright to us,
he thought, experiencing a sudden flash of insight.
But she's

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not telling the truth. The truth is that if this second faction has its way, we
won't be permitted to leave.

He
knew
in his bones that his hunch was right.
What could they do to us?

Keep us prisoner? Rip us apart in their damned Arena?

Raoul's good-natured features were drawn; his mouth tightened grimly.

"Honored Rhrrrkkeet', my friend . . . would you, as my friend, advise me to take my vessel and depart before your Council can decide to act?"

The First Ambassador's crest lay absolutely flat against her head and neck.

"Honored CaptainLamont--my friend--I truly do not know whether that option is still possible." She paused, then continued, "I came here today without speaking of my visit to anyone. If you depart, it would become known that I had told you as much as I have, and I would then be required to defend my honor in a death-duel against a professional honor-vessel chosen to represent the Council. But you must do as you must."

Without another word, the Simiu representative turned and left them.

Mahree thrashed impotently as she felt herself drawn irresistibly toward the huge hole in the tunnel wall . . . toward the silent, black void lying beyond it.

With a final gasp, she was sucked out into space. She tried to scream, even as she felt herself ballooning outward, ready to explode in a gush of quick-frozen blood and mangled tissue--

"Ahhhhhh--" she managed to gurgle, and, in so doing, woke herself up.

Oh, God, ohgod . . . just a dream, just a dream, calm down . . .
She sat bolt upright in bed, afraid to blink, terrified that closing her eyes would plunge her back into the nightmare.

Mahree shivered.
You can't be cold,
her mind told her.
Ship's temperature is
constant.
But still she shivered.

Pulling on a robe, she went over to her computer link and signaled the bridge.
I'll try talking to Uncle Raoul again. Maybe this time he'll listen.

Azam Quitubi's voice, with its distinctive accent, emerged. "Yes, Mahree?"

"Azam, what are you doing standing watch?"

"After the Ambassador left, your uncle called a meeting with 128

the whole bridge crew and all department heads. So I'm on watch. What can I do for you?"

"Uh . . . nothing. I just wanted to tell him that I had that message translated and ready."

"Well, he told me he didn't want to be disturbed, but I'll let him know as soon as they're done, okay?"

"Don't worry about it, I'll tell him myself, tomorrow." She yawned audibly.

"Right now, I'm going to bed. Thanks, Azam."

"Good night, Mahree."

She switched off.

A big meeting, in the middle of night shift? And I'm not invited?
Her mouth tightened.
We'll see about that.

She pulled on her clothes, then sat back down at the computer link. Five minutes later, Mahree had bypassed the security codes and activated the intercom unit in the conference room. A babble of voices burst out:

"--can you
say
that? The damned F.A. as good as told Raoul we're prisoners!" The voice was Joan's.

Raoul's voice: "Rhrrrkkeef said herself she doesn't know how their voting is going to go. We can't jump the gun and act out of panic. They may decide not to hold us responsible for Khrekk's suicide."

Mahree's fingers tightened on the edge of the table.
Khrekk' committed
suicide? Oh, no!

Ray's voice: "But if they do decide to do that, we'll be S.O.L., Captain. We can't afford to take the chance! We should get out
now,
while we still can!"

Joan: "Ray is right, Raoul. This time your damned wishywashy 'wait and see' bullshit is apt to get us all
killed]"

Mahree bit her lip.
What the hell is going on?

Raoul's voice was coldly formal: "Do you have a better plan, First Mate?"

"Yes, I do, Captain," Joan said, matching her husband's tone. "I checked before we came down here, and they've got magnetic grapples on
Desiree.

They think that's enough to keep us here--but it's not. We can pull free. I can get us out of this cradle, and then we can head at top speed for the edge of their solar system."

Yoki spoke up, sounding shocked: "Without warning them? Pulling loose would cause a huge breach in this station's hull! We'd kill dozens--maybe hundreds--of Simiu!"

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Joan: "So? We've got to look out for ourselves. We can't let them take us prisoner."

Paul Monteleon spoke up: "But their ships are faster than ours. What if they come after us?"

Joan: "If we have to, we cut in the S.V. and haul ass out of here."

Mahree gasped, and so did several of the participants at the meeting. Raoul sounded shocked: "You know what happens to a star if a metaspace field is generated within its gravitational field! How can you even suggest such a thing, Joan? That'd be murder! Hell, it'd be
genocide!"

She sounded a bit subdued, but still defiant, as she replied: "Maybe we won't have to do that. Maybe we can get away before they get themselves together enough to notice we've gone."

Raoul: "Breaching the station's hull would be murder, too! These are
people
we're talking about."

Ray: "People, yeah, but not
humans.
We all saw the look on the Ambassador's face. She just as well told us we're screwed, insofar as being allowed to leave peacefully. If they force the issue, we've got a right to save ourselves, don't we?"

Yoki: "Maybe we can broadcast a message ten minutes before we pull free--

give them time to get everybody out of this area."

Ray: "Yeah! That way nobody'd get hurt!

Paul: "That sounds like the best suggestion yet."

Joan: "I don't think we should warn them--maybe they can increase the strength of those grapples, so we couldn't get free."

Raoul: "Wait a minute. Warning or not, that's still guaranteed to make enemies of the Simiu. I think we ought to wait and see if Rhrrrkkeet' can convince the High Council that--"

Joan cut him off: "Goddammit, Raoul, that's playing right into their hands!

You've been kissing their furry asses for days and it hasn't done one bit of good! Get this through your head,
Captain,
your precious Rhrrrkkeet' isn't going to pull a miracle out of thin air. We've screwed this up, and all we can do is cut our losses and run."

Paul: "I think we should go with Yoki's suggestion."

Ray: "I agree."

Raoul: "Everybody shut up. I need to think for a second."

Mahree realized her heart was pounding wildly.
Oh, God,
she thought,
this is
terrible. I can't believe what they're talking

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about doing to the Simiu! Uncle Raoul sounds like he's wavering . . . Joan
sounds like she's on the verge of mutiny! I have to find Rob, tell him what's
happening. Uncle Raoul will listen to Rob!

Raoul spoke again, heavily: "There's one thing nobody has mentioned.

Have you forgotten that we've shown the Simiu our star charts? They know the location of Earth--and the colonies. If we make enemies of them, what's to prevent them from coming to Earth and demanding satisfaction under their admittedly barbaric code of honor?" He laughed softly, with no amusement.

"I can see that none of you tactical geniuses ever considered that. And, as Paul reminded us, they have a faster drive than we do."

Joan's voice was hard: "Then maybe we should do what I said before, so they
can't
come after us. Paul and Ray can override the gravity-sensor failsafes while I pilot us out of here."