Kif Strike Back (16 page)

"Huh."

"No do, a? Maybe you turn him out naked on dock."

"So they kill him."

"He same kill few, maybe."

"I've traded up and down docks from Jininsai to Meetpoint, and I've never heard the like. You understand it? What's Sikkukkut up to?"

"I fight kif long time. Long time, Pyanfar. Kif at Meetpoint, they quiet kif. This be border. Dis-pu-ted Zone. This space no one got. Where we go next, this be true kif space. You not see before. Not see before these thing. No hani see-'cept maybe Tahar. And she lot crazy."

"You've seen Tahar?"

"I talk with her, one time, two. She strange. Lot strange-" He touched his brow.

"She was strange before she ditched us and turned tail at Gaohn; and took kif money-"

"Hani law."

"You gods-rotted right, hani law. A lot of hani'd like to get a piece of that ship."

"Maybe do."

"Maybe do. Rhif Ehrran was already headed for Kefk when we picked her up at Kshshti. You know why?"

"Maybe you know."

"I don't. That worries me, Jik."

"Worry me too."

"What's an honest hani doing going Kefk way? What's an honest hani know about a kifish system?"

Jik ducked his head and rubbed his nose. "Tell you, hani, few ship I know sometime maybe got rig turn off ID squeal. Sure you not know such thing. Maybe ship also got rig make fake ID to beacon. Vigilance hunter-ship, a? Got lot stuff. Lot stuff. Also maybe know Kefk pretty good."

"Been there?"

"Stsho been there. Come, go. Stsho know lot stuff. Maybe sell in-for-mation."

"I'll believe that. But what's she doing there?"

"Kefk be Tahar port," Jik said. "She hunt Tahar. Also- maybe-maybe she got stsho interest. Stsho business. You think, hani: stsho don't fight. Stsho always hire guard. Who they hire?"

"Mahendo'-" The suspicion got through. She looked up into mahen brown eyes, murkier and darker than any hani's. "Good gods, they count us barbarians. They wouldn't hire hani for anything but-"

"Who else they got hire when got falling-out with mahendo'sat? Hire kif? They not fools. No, maybe all sudden they got idea hani not bad neighbor-maybe all sudden want make good friend with the han. Maybe one day there be hani

guard at Meetpoint, not mahendo'sat. Big advantage to hani. To some hani. Lot money. Lot stsho money-and they plenty rich. I tell you truth, friend. I tell you truth. Ehrran want stop all hani make problem this deal. Moon Rising. You." "You put us in the same-"

"Ehrran do."

"Gods." She flung a gesture up, put distance between herself and Jik. Stared at him.
 
"I tell you, you got lot enemy, hani."

She stood there a long moment. Jik made his mouth a thin, inturned line, as if more might get out. "What you do?" he asked finally.

"What do I do? What do I do? I ought to gods-be head out of here and leave you and Ehrran to the kif." "You not do."

"Try me."

"No, you not do. Where go? Maing Tol? Han got 'nough suspicion already. Also-you not stsho. Chanur don't go hide in fight, wait for thing be better, let friend die. ..."

"Friend!"

"I save you neck."

"For politics, for-"

"-same good reason, a?"

"Gods rot you, Jik."

"I try save you now. Want you at Kefk. Need you. Need you stay 'live, hani."

She looked off across the corridor. Anywhere else. Jik's voice was dim. Her ears lay flat against her skull. "So what do I do with the gods-be kif in my washroom, huh?"

"You keep. I want you keep. He yours. He got nowhere to go, a? You got plenty sfik he fight like devil kill you enemy."

"And if he decides I don't have?"

"You kill him quick. He offer you weapons, a?"

"Huh."

"He tell truth. Kif truth." Jik laid a careful hand on her shoulder. "You keep him lock up tight. A? Later I take. I got reason."

"I'm sure you do." Her nose wrinkled. She endured the hand, that was no small weight, and turned and stared up into his face. "So what's the game at Kefk? What's Sikkukkut want? He wanted me. Before you ever got into it. He got me to Mkks. What's he want, dragging me into this Kefk business?"

"You got damn lot sfik."

"You're crazy." She shook the hand off. "He's crazy."

"You got think like kif."

"I'm sure you're good at it."

"You friend."

"Friend, my-"

"Maybe kif play same game like Ehrran." He shrugged, hands in the back of his belt. "He kif. Kif mind got twists. One, he hate Akkhtimakt. Two, he want take opposite from Akkhtimakt. Three, he got no heart. Got no way understand you not all time mad like kif. You add all up, think like kif. He give you kif advisor-he number one smart: you take kif advice, he hope know what you do. You got lot sfik with him. Also you got tame human."

"What's that got to do with it?"

"Kif all time got disadvantage, try predict what outsider do, Sikkukkut lot curious 'bout hu-man-ity. Same way stsho not understand kif: stsho want make deal with Akkhtimakt, want make same deal with Sikkukkut, same with Ehrran hani, a? Someone eat they heart someday. Maybe Sikkukkut. Meanwhile, Sikkukkut want get me, a? Want also get human. Human be big problem soon. Same tc'a. Stsho-they nothing without make alliance with hani, if they not more trust mahendo'sat. Anuurn hani damn fool get involve in this politic."

"They're not the only ones."

"You born involve, Pyanfar. You spacer hani. You too smart."

"Then why am I here?"

"You got stake. We all got stake."

"Like what, like hani do all the fighting and mahendo'sat pick up all the eggs? Same as you and your partner did to me at Gaohn? Same as get me barred from Meetpoint- same as-"

"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.