Foreigner - Explorer. Part 30

"That's what your Guild told you? Truthfulness with us hasn't been outstanding."

"Look," Becker said. "Look. Give me contact with my office. I'll call and tell them everything you're saying."

"And what you report won't change their basic opinions in the least, will it? What matters most here, Mr. Becker? Braddock's good opinion? Or people's lives?"

"We're not the sort to make decisions like this!" Becker retorted. "We're not qualified to make decisions!"

"You're not stupid, either. You've been waiting for this s.h.i.+p. It's here. And now you think your Guild wants something else. What could it possibly want? Control Control of this s.h.i.+p? Your Guild's sat here for most of ten years with a hole in the station and now they need to run things? No. Not a chance." of this s.h.i.+p? Your Guild's sat here for most of ten years with a hole in the station and now they need to run things? No. Not a chance."

Becker bit his lip. "Not mine to say."

"If your families don't get aboard, if n.o.body on this station gets aboard, do you want that that on your conscience? Because, being on this s.h.i.+p with us, you will survive, gentlemen. You may be the only ones from the station that do survive, because without refueling here we can't possibly rescue your relatives. But survive on your conscience? Because, being on this s.h.i.+p with us, you will survive, gentlemen. You may be the only ones from the station that do survive, because without refueling here we can't possibly rescue your relatives. But survive you you will, and you can remember that you had a chance. You can will, and you can remember that you had a chance. You can think think about that fact, you can regret that fact for the rest of your lives, in safety, back where we come from." about that fact, you can regret that fact for the rest of your lives, in safety, back where we come from."

"They've got a hostage." The fourth man, who never had spoken, blurted that out. The other three looked appalled, but that one, white-faced, kept going. "That's why the aliens haven't come back. We've got one of them. That s.h.i.+p out there, it's not shooting because we've got one of them alive on the station."

For two heartbeats Bren stood as still as the rest; then, having stored up his wealth of information, he finally remembered to translate. "Aiji-ma, this last man appears to have suffered a crisis of man'chi, and to save his relatives from calamity, he claims the station holds a foreign prisoner... a circ.u.mstance he believes alone has protected them from a second attack."

A very slight s.h.i.+fting of stance among listening atevi. This This was information. was information.

"Interesting," Ilisidi said, leaning on her cane.

"You think you've got a hostage," Bren said to Becker. "And this hostage is still alive?"

"Supposed to be," Becker muttered. Then the inevitable, "That's all we know."

"Mr. Becker, we've we've got a problem." The pieces of information began to add up, logical enough only to the otherwise hopeless, and weren't at all comforting to a man who had to make peace with the pattern they made. "So our arrival disturbed the situation you got a problem." The pieces of information began to add up, logical enough only to the otherwise hopeless, and weren't at all comforting to a man who had to make peace with the pattern they made. "So our arrival disturbed the situation you thought thought you had, and now that the currents are moving, you don't know what else to do. But my people have spent the last several centuries figuring out how to talk outside our own species. Rumor says the aliens won't attack you while you've got this prisoner. I'd say that's an increasingly thin bet, and the more we dither about it, the thinner it gets. Who is this person, you had, and now that the currents are moving, you don't know what else to do. But my people have spent the last several centuries figuring out how to talk outside our own species. Rumor says the aliens won't attack you while you've got this prisoner. I'd say that's an increasingly thin bet, and the more we dither about it, the thinner it gets. Who is this person, where where is this person, and has anyone successfully talked with him?" is this person, and has anyone successfully talked with him?"

That last was his greatest hope, that someone someone had broken the language barrier, that had broken the language barrier, that someone someone knew how to communicate with this species. knew how to communicate with this species.

The listeners in the corridor waited. Ilisidi waited, hand firmly on Cajeiri's shoulder.

"We don't know anything," Becker said, Becker's answer to everything, and that provoked an outcry of absolute frustration from the human listeners. "Listen to Cameron!" somebody yelled, out in the corridor. "Idiots! You don't mess with aliens!"

Becker was nettled. "We don't know anything, dammit!"

"He's supposed to be alive," Coroia said. "But n.o.body knows. We guess he is, if that s.h.i.+p out there is staying where it is, or maybe they just don't know."

"There's supposed to be alien armament," the fourth man said. "They're supposed to be copying it."

"That's a crock," Coroia said. "If they're copying anything, Baumann, is some popgun somebody hand-carried hand-carried aboard the station going to stand off a whole aboard the station going to stand off a whole s.h.i.+p s.h.i.+p?"

That insightful question brought its own small silence.

"You don't know even that much is the truth," Bren said.

"That is is the point, isn't it? You don't really know why you've been safe for the last half dozen years. The reason you're alive just hasn't made sense, and now that s.h.i.+p sitting out there, with us having stirred the pot, is liable to do n.o.body-knows-what. Can you tell us where this prisoner is, and can you tell us how to get to him?" the point, isn't it? You don't really know why you've been safe for the last half dozen years. The reason you're alive just hasn't made sense, and now that s.h.i.+p sitting out there, with us having stirred the pot, is liable to do n.o.body-knows-what. Can you tell us where this prisoner is, and can you tell us how to get to him?"

"Get families safe aboard," Coroia said. "Get the kids kids all aboard." all aboard."

"That's ma.s.s," Bren said. "Is there fuel fuel to move this s.h.i.+p anywhere if we do board the station population?" to move this s.h.i.+p anywhere if we do board the station population?"

Fearful silence. Then: "The miners went out," Becker said. "Mining went on, six, seven years ago. There's supposed to be fuel."

"And mining hasn't been going on since that s.h.i.+p showed. You were waiting for us with a sign on the fuel tank saying, This will explode. How did you plan to get out of the mess you're in without us?"

"We don't set policy." Becker winced as even his own comrades exclaimed in outrage, and he gave a nervous glance to the patiently waiting atevi present.

"After Phoenix Phoenix left-" Esan had abandoned his braced, surly stance and stuck his hands in his hip pockets. "We mined. They came and poked their noses into our corridors. We left-" Esan had abandoned his braced, surly stance and stuck his hands in his hip pockets. "We mined. They came and poked their noses into our corridors. We caught caught this b.a.s.t.a.r.d. And since then they haven't tried again. That's as much as everybody knows." this b.a.s.t.a.r.d. And since then they haven't tried again. That's as much as everybody knows."

"This second attack," Bren said. But suddenly he was aware of the onlookers parting.

Jase had shown up. had shown up.

"I've been on this," Jase said under his breath, Jase, who hadn't hadn't gotten any sleep, "from my office. What's this gotten any sleep, "from my office. What's this prisoner prisoner goings-on, gentlemen?" goings-on, gentlemen?"

"They say an alien prisoner exists on the station," Bren said, dropping into Ragi, as if he were talking to the atevi present, but it was just as much Jase he intended. "They say they mined fuel. They maintain this prisoner, with whom the station does not communicate, is the reason the foreigners have not attacked a say an alien prisoner exists on the station," Bren said, dropping into Ragi, as if he were talking to the atevi present, but it was just as much Jase he intended. "They say they mined fuel. They maintain this prisoner, with whom the station does not communicate, is the reason the foreigners have not attacked a third third time. Supposedly the station captured some sort of armament. But what potency it has against that s.h.i.+p sitting out there is questionable." time. Supposedly the station captured some sort of armament. But what potency it has against that s.h.i.+p sitting out there is questionable."

"Possession of this prisoner," Ilisidi said, with a thump of her cane against the floor. "This prisoner, and the fuel for the s.h.i.+p. We have disturbed this pond. Ripples are still moving. Shall we sit idle?"

"No, nandi," Jase said on a breath, in Ragi, in full witness of the detainees. "We do not." And in s.h.i.+p-speak: "All right. Where is this prisoner, and what does he breathe?"

Good question, that. Very good question. The planet-born didn't routinely think about the air itself.

"They wore suits when they came in," Becker said. "Shadowy. Big. Straight from h.e.l.l."

Big certainly answered to the silhouettes they'd exchanged with the alien s.h.i.+p.

"You personally saw them?" Jase asked.

"On vid."

Anything could be faked, Bren remembered. Anything could be made up. If it weren't for the missing station section and that s.h.i.+p out there, Becker's shadowy aliens could be an old movie segment from the Archive, and those in charge had shown a previous disposition to make up vid displays.

"Spill," Jase said. "Spill. Now. Location of this prisoner. Location of Guild offices. Everything you know."

Becker didn't answer at once. "Guild wing is D Section," Coroia said in a low voice, in that silence, "and if you give me a handheld and a pen, captain, I'll I'll show you." show you."

"The h.e.l.l," Becker said.

"Beck, I'm buying it. We haven't got got another way to defend this station." another way to defend this station."

"Back off," Becker said to the mutiny in his ranks. "Shut up." Then, to Jase: "I'll show you, myself. But I want my people out of this cage and I want our families boarded, fast as we can get them here."

"In secrecy?" Jase asked. "You want to call your next-ofs and tell them start packing, and this isn't going to trigger questions?"

Guild might eat and breathe secrecy, Bren thought, but he didn't bet on family connections keeping a secret, not in a station where everybody was related. If Becker called his wife, would he fail to call his mother? And if the mother called Becker's sister, where did it stop?

Becker surely saw the disaster looming. He didn't entirely leap at the chance.

"We've got to tell the people," Coroia said desperately.

"And start a panic," Becker said. "There's got to be orders. Central's got to give orders, Manny."

"They have to," Jase said, "but they're not doing that. We've warned them. But our senior captain's disappeared on station. You had orders to come in here and scope us for whatever you could find. For what what, gentlemen?"

"For irregularities," Becker said.

"For a head count. For a check on who's in command."

"Yes, sir," Becker said.

"So you've got that information, plain and clear. And then then what was Guild going to do?" what was Guild going to do?"

"We don't know, sir."

"Well, I'll tell you what we're going to do." Jase thumbed four or five b.u.t.tons on his handheld. "And we're not going to try to maintain this station up with an alien s.h.i.+p breathing down our necks. You wonder what that s.h.i.+p's sitting out there for? It's sitting out there because you've got one of its people and it claims this s.p.a.ce, if you want my interpretation. It claims this solar system, it's sitting there, probably taking notes on what comes and goes here, possibly communicating with others, and we're not disposed to argue with its sense of possession. We're getting the lot of you out of here, we're establis.h.i.+ng defenses back at Alpha, and we're drawing the line there. This station is written off, to be vacated, best gesture we can make to calm this situation down. If we can get fueled and negotiate our way past that alien craft, we're getting you, your families, and Chairman Braddock out of here." He showed Becker and crew the handheld. "This is your own station schematic, gentlemen, straight out of Archive. With the damage marked. Right now, give me specifics, where this prisoner is, where the primary citizen residence areas are, where Guild command is, and where our senior captain's likely to be, if she's been arrested. If you want your kids safe-give us facts."

Curious sight-Jase's machine, Becker and the detainees vying to figure out the diagram through the thick plastic grid, nudging one another for a better view, and to point out this and that feature, suddenly a case of Guild loyalty be d.a.m.ned. Atevi observers were curious, too, more about the human doings than about the image-not least, Ilisidi, Bren was well sure, who kept her great-grandson protectively by her side as her security kept hands very near weapons, all of them sensing what they would call the s.h.i.+fting of man'chiin. Atevi would understand all the impulses to betrayal, all the emotional upheaval Becker and his men might suffer... and would not understand what pushed matters over the edge.

"Becker-nadi has seen the threat to his household, aiji-ma," Bren said quietly. "He and his a.s.sociates conclude their Guild has failed them and failed to deal honestly with them."

The dreadful cane thumped down. "Observe, great-grandson. Mercy encourages a s.h.i.+ft in man'chiin. Does it not? If it also encourages fools to think us weak, then we do not lose the advantage of surprise."

"Yes, mani-ma. Shall we now attack the station?"

A thwack of Ilisidi's finger against a boyish skull. "Learn! These are humans. These are your allies. Observe what they do. One may a.s.sume either reasons or actions will be different."

Jase's attention was momentarily for the schematic Becker had in hand, the things Becker was saying... the paidhiin both knew, however, the urges percolating through atevi blood and bone, potent as a force of nature: the ais.h.i.+-prejid ais.h.i.+-prejid, the essential strength of civilized a.s.sociation, had to be upheld, had had to be supported by all partic.i.p.ants, and would survive, while the opposition's command structure was tottering, its supporters seeking shelter. Translation: a weakness had to be invaded and fixed quickly, for the common good, even across battlelines. Among atevi, the web of a.s.sociation, once fractured, was impractically hard to repair. to be supported by all partic.i.p.ants, and would survive, while the opposition's command structure was tottering, its supporters seeking shelter. Translation: a weakness had to be invaded and fixed quickly, for the common good, even across battlelines. Among atevi, the web of a.s.sociation, once fractured, was impractically hard to repair.

War? That word only vaguely translated out of Ragi, and at certain times, not accurately at all; but as applied to the fragile systems of a s.p.a.ce station utterly dependent on its technicians, the atevi view might be the more applicable.

"If we we move," Bren added in the lowest of tones, only for keen atevi hearing, "one fears atevi intervention will rouse fear and resentment among local humans. They will see you as dangerous invaders. If we are to go in to use force, it may be best humans do it." move," Bren added in the lowest of tones, only for keen atevi hearing, "one fears atevi intervention will rouse fear and resentment among local humans. They will see you as dangerous invaders. If we are to go in to use force, it may be best humans do it."

"Kaplan-nadi and his team are insufficient," Banichi mut tered under his breath. "How can they improve on Sabin-aiji's fate?"

That was the truth: if Kaplan and crew could get directly to the ordinary workers, they would have the advantage of persuasion-but getting to the common folk wasn't at all likely. was the truth: if Kaplan and crew could get directly to the ordinary workers, they would have the advantage of persuasion-but getting to the common folk wasn't at all likely. Sabin Sabin had tried walking aboard into Guild hands, and that hadn't gone well at all. s.h.i.+p-folk had no skill at infiltration. had tried walking aboard into Guild hands, and that hadn't gone well at all. s.h.i.+p-folk had no skill at infiltration.

Becker and crew, evidently the best the station had, hadn't moved with great subtlety. The very concept of subtle force seemed, in this human population, lost in the Archive-along with the notion of how to deal with outsiders.

But to risk Banichi and Jago... even if fifth-deck atevi were were the s.h.i.+p's remaining skilled operators... the s.h.i.+p's remaining skilled operators...

"We can move very quietly," Jago said. "We can find this a.s.set." can move very quietly," Jago said. "We can find this a.s.set."

"If you go aboard, nadiin-ji," Bren muttered back, "you can't go without a translator."

"We know certain words," Jago objected in a low voice.

"You know certain words, but not enough," Bren said. "If you go, I shall go, nadiin. Add my numbers with yours. I can rea.s.sure those we meet. I can meet certain ones without provoking alarm and devastation, which cannot serve us in securing a peaceful evacuation."

Banichi listened, then moved closer to Cenedi, and there was a sudden, steady undertone of Ragi debate under the human negotiations.

"Nadi," Bren said to Jago, who had stayed close by him. "Are we prepared for this move?"

"Always," Jago said.

Oh, there was a plan. He'd personally authorized them to form a plan, but he had a slithering suspicion that, in another sense, plans plans had existed, involving the same station diagrams, from the first moment the aiji-dowager had arrived in the mix. had existed, involving the same station diagrams, from the first moment the aiji-dowager had arrived in the mix.

And meanwhile they had a handful of Guild operatives now crowding one another at the grid to point out the architecture of their own offices, pointing and arguing about the location of a prisoner none of them claimed to have seen-while crew who'd become spectators took mental notes for gossip on two-and three-deck. Openness? An open door for the crew? Jase certainly came through on that notion, and crew listened, wide-eyed, occasionally offering advice.

Jase had to be hearing everything, two-sided jumble, atevi and human. His skin had a decided pallor, exhaustion, if not the situation itself.

He listened.

And took his handheld and pocketed it. "Mr. Kaplan. Mr. Polano."

"Sir," came from both.

"Reasonable comforts for these men. Unauthorized personnel, clear the area. Nand' dowager." A little bow to Ilisidi, who, with Cajeiri, had been listening to Banichi and Cenedi with considerable interest. "Mr. Cameron. Same request. I'll see you in my office, Mr. Cameron, if you will."

Jase looked white as the proverbial sheet. Crew didn't argue any point of it. Bren translated the request: "One believes the s.h.i.+p-aiji has reached a point of extreme fatigue, nandi, and wishes to withdraw."

"With great appreciation for the dowager's intervention," Jase said with a little bow. Weary as he was, court etiquette came back to him. But he retained the awareness simply to walk away, not ceding priority to Ilisidi, a ruler in his own domain.

"Go," Ilisidi said to Bren, with a little motion of her fingers.

While several Guild officers, having vied with one another in spilling what might be their station's inner secrets, hung at the gridwork watching Jase's departure. With alien presence and crew resentment both in their vicinity, their stares and their thoughts, too, following the s.h.i.+p's captain who went away in possession of all they'd said.

They looked worried. And that lent the most credibility to the information they'd given.

Chapter Fourteen.

MY PICTURE'S MISSING," Jase said indignantly, when Bren walked into his upstairs office. "Of all d.a.m.ned things for them to take."

"Galley," Bren said. And dropped into a chair. "I nabbed it."

Jase gave a shaky sigh. "I'll want it back."

"You're done in, Jase. Get some rest. Turn things over at least for two hours, while we a.n.a.lyze what we've got."

"I can't let the dowager take independent action."

"You've dissuaded her. s.h.i.+p-aiji, she says. She accepts that notion. But in the way of things, if you have atevi allies, they're going to act where it seems logical. We have to face the possibility we won't get Sabin back. We dissuaded her. s.h.i.+p-aiji, she says. She accepts that notion. But in the way of things, if you have atevi allies, they're going to act where it seems logical. We have to face the possibility we won't get Sabin back. We might might even have a worse scenario, that Sabin completely levels with the Guild and sells us out. The dowager wanted to know whether you can lead. I think she's satisfied." even have a worse scenario, that Sabin completely levels with the Guild and sells us out. The dowager wanted to know whether you can lead. I think she's satisfied."