Temporary Duty (75 page)

«Yes,» Dzheenis nodded. «If you attempt to perform this function in the midst of the hurly-burly of an open office, or worse, in your quarters, where a myriad of distractions are available at the whisper of a garment, your plans will be incomplete or faulty, and will not succeed.»

Tullin nodded vigorously. «And if the plans fail, the employees must put themselves to the vexation of finding another way to support their vices. They therefore offer this rationalization of what is in reality simply the natural order of affairs, and I congratulate them on their contrivance. Next they will be striving to concoct closely-reasoned explanations for space being black or stars shining, and you will have your first opportunity to emerge in thunderous rage, demanding that they return to productive labor.» He set his hands on his hips and produced another sly grin. «It is cause for real optimism. If your own formidable powers are coupled to such devoted attention to effective procedure, it is difficult to see how the enterprise can fail to perform prodigies.»

«I hope you are correct,» Peters said amid laughter. After a pause the Grallt began discussing styles of desk and types of filing cabinet, and he shook his head, walked to the door of the inner chamber, and peeked inside. Call it four meters by five… he had never imagined himself with an office. The farthest his ambition had extended was to a desk in a cubby, with himself as Chief directing sailors and signing reports. Almost against his will his imagination began supplying details of decor. Wood paneling, not too dark, and a sideboard with a glass top, upon which the statue of defiant enkheil would sit in splendor…

The two ferassi-Grallt had leaped upon his proposals of employment with enthusiasm. «Ideal,» Khurs had said when the concept was made clear. «An intriguing blend of ferassi and Grallt practices, satisfying the norms of both at once.»

Dzheenis had nodded. «And furthermore,» he had noted, «it precisely fulfills the spirit of Candor Zin’s intentions. With such an inventive and creative spirit at our head, we can fall short of greatness only by failing to contribute our own best efforts. Direct me,
depa’olze
; Peters
pa’ol
will shine like a star.» Peters’s jaw had dropped. The other four had been smiling like the sun coming up.

To the proposal that they move to larger quarters and install Khurs and Dzheenis in their own establishment Peters had issued an unqualified
No
. All four of the ex-residents of
Trader 1049
had voiced protest, but he had been firm, and supported his argument with calm reasoning and details of human and Grallt practice. In the end he had risen, assumed the mantle of
depa’olze
, and issued forceful instructions. The result had been broad smiles and the speedy implementation of his directives; Tullin’s remarks came to mind, and he recalled Dreelig’s comments upon leaving Chief Joshua’s room.

Khurs and Dzheenis now occupied apartments not unlike this one, on the same deck as his own quarters and conveniently nearby. When the office was set up they would begin to order his affairs. Astonishing to have affairs that might require two assistants to order. Prethuvenigis had nodded benignly.

Peters had had somewhat less success in the matter of insignia. «No, no!» Ander and Alper had chorused when he demurred. «Khurs and Dzheenis can’t go around blank forever, and we are no longer privileged to display the devices of
Trader 1049
.» His proposal that they adopt whatever design suited their fancy fell on deaf ears. They wanted, in effect, a uniform that would tell all who saw them that they were part of Peters
pa’ol
.

Ander and Alper had inspected his wardrobe and produced the design. He was wearing the result, as were Khurs and Dzheenis: a blue so dark it was almost black, with white piping at wrists and ankles and a "V" of piping beginning at the center of the breastbone and continuing over the shoulders, to form a rectangle containing two five-pointed stars. «Simple, elegant, and effective,» Khurs had pronounced it. Peters had shaken his head and wondered how he was going to explain that it wasn’t really his fault.

When it came to devices signifying rank and precedence he had been prepared to balk, but encountered no resistance. «We will wear none,» he’d said firmly. «We know who we are. Let strangers wonder.»

Dzheenis had rubbed his jaw at that. «So a stranger meeting a Peters in a casual encounter,» he’d said slowly, «will be unable to determine if this is a filing clerk or the
depa’olze
, and must assume the worst… a stroke of genius. It’s a wonder some of the more arrogant
epa’ol
have not thought of it before.»

«No,» Khurs had said, «They wouldn’t. It’s too simple and obvious, and not gaudy enough.» To himself Peters thought that he’d had enough of gauging behavior by nice judgement of stripes and glitters.

Llapaaloapalla
‘s company soon resumed what had become their normal activities during the cruises between stars. Warnocki’s plans for painting the bay had long since been completed, but scars from the pirate attack had to be smoothed and freshly coated. The aircraft mechanics did necessary maintenance, and started on an ambitious project: to combine the rear section of the broken-backed 105 with the forepart of 108, in the hope of making a complete aircraft. A team of electricians and electronics techs, led by Schott and Mannix, worked on the public-address system. It was working in the ops bay and a portion of the public corridors, and they hoped to extend that to the entire center-section living quarters.

The electronics and data-processing types, along with a sizeable contingent of the officers, spent their time in the echoing empty space above the operations bay trying to make sense of the bits and pieces of the pirate ship. They didn’t talk a lot about what they found out, but word got around, and Peters paid close attention; he was in something of a privileged position, because he owned a working, if smaller, version of the same thing, which was useful when some point obscured by the hurried disassembly needed to be clarified. Fundamentally the
dar ptith
ship wasn’t too different from
Llapaaloapalla
, but there were details. Among other things, it had windows across the front, and had no shutters over them for use in high phase, which meant that its
zifthkakik
differed in some unknown way from the standard ones.

One of the ferassi survivors of the pirate ship suicided; the Grallt who had been watching him wouldn’t say how, or even talk about it. The remaining one–they knew his name, Poal Preklit, from what the pirate-Grallt told them–was unresponsive to most stimuli, and spent his time staring at the wall of his cell. The Grallt survivors were in better condition; it looked as if most of them could be integrated into
Llapaaloapalla
‘s company after counseling. The young girls of the
tuwe
were more of a problem. Ander Korwits went to meet them, and reported that the ferassi girls had no better command of their own language than the Grallt did. After that, she and Alper spent what time they could spare with the girls, and began reporting good progress in teaching them the Trade and how to behave.

A remarkable number of working parties included blue-and-white
kathir
suits. The sailors still weren’t fluent in the Trade, but most of them could manage a few words, and a number of the
zerkre
had picked up an equal amount of English. Between that and handwaving they got a lot done. The bay overhead was clean, the elevators ran smoothly and made no noise, all the lights worked, and every hatch and latch in the bay and hangar opened and closed with a solid satisfying thunk and gleamed with polish, fresh paint, and grease.

And of course Kennard set up the impie and resumed the dance-exercise sessions. Alper joined in immediately, and contributed a few moves from ferassi practice. Sailors grinned and made sly remarks, but by now the majority participating were Grallt, who took the situation for granted after the first startled assessment.

Ander was more reluctant. «Alper has an advantage here,» she said, looking down at herself ruefully. «I’m too large and loose; the sensations are unpleasant, and I’m afraid of damaging myself.»

«Don’t speak disparagingly of your own anatomy,» Peters chided. «There are ways to relieve your discomfort. Let’s consult Deela.»

Deela brought the necessary support garment. Ander looked at it critically. «It looks confining.»

Deela laughed out loud. «That’s the whole point! I have the same problem, as you may have noted; this is one solution.»

«If you say so, I’ll try it.» She struggled a bit with it, and Peters discovered the pleasures of helping a pretty woman with brassiere fastenings, but before long she was jumping and twirling with enthusiasm alongside Alper.

The blonde watched Ander don the garment and wrinkled her nose. «The implied comment on my own endowment is not complimentary,» she noted.

Peters grinned. «You’re different from Ander, that’s all. Each of you is perfectly herself; no alteration is desirable in either case.»

«Hmph,» Alper said, and looked at herself, then up with a twisted grin. «In any case, if things go as usual I’ll soon need a similar garment. Smaller, of course.» She looked into his face. «You react. Surely you knew.»

«I had not allowed it to enter my consciousness… how many?»

«Two.» She stared into space. «The first was lost at first culling. The second was male, and went to
Trader 821
.» Her face broke, and she came to his arms. «If this one must be culled I believe I will cull myself,» she said into his shoulder.

«Hush. The possibility does not exist.» He looked up. «Ander, I suppose your experience must have been much the same.»

She joined to form their triple embrace, and said against his chest. «Yes… I have borne three. Two were culled; one joined the tuwe two uzul ago.»

Peters’s jaw worked. «Listen to me, both of you,» he said, in a voice of suppessed savagery. «I make a declaration, as inalterable as the glowing of stars: none of our children will be culled, none will be traded away to strangers, and none will be impressed into service for the pleasure of whoever may ask for them! Our children will be treasured and cared for, and will grow up healthy and loved.»

«But what if they are imperfect?» Alper wailed.

«Then we will treasure their imperfections. The matter is fixed and beyond argument. No trading, no impression into a
tuwe
, and certainly no culling! Do you understand?»

Ander shook her head. «Like Alper I had been dreading the inspection. If any doubt of my allegiance existed, it has now vanished. You are my
depa’olze
; more important, you are John Peters, and I will go where you go forever… I cannot speak further.»

«Hush, hush. You needn’t speak.» Both women were crying, great gulping sobs. «Let’s go lie down. We can ignore any duties for something of this importance.»

* * *

"We’ve not seen much of you of late," was Mannix’s comment as the exercise session broke up.

Peters flushed. "Yeah. I been almighty busy, but I reckon that ain’t much excuse."

Mannix flashed a smile. "We’ll let you off with a mere keelhauling this time, won’t we, Greg?"

Tollison grinned and murmured assent, eyeing Ander and Alper as they came up, and the slight First Class spared the girls a glance as he continued, "The most remarkable rumors about your exploits are circulating. One might be tempted to describe them as ‘incredible’ were it not for the fact that you seem to have brought back some rather extraordinary souvenirs of the experience. I must confess myself vastly interested in any little anecdotes you might care to recount, strictly as a matter of artistic appreciation, of course. You do tell such good stories."

It would have been impossible for Peters not to grin in response. "This ain’t the place to be tellin’ stories. What schedule are you folks on now?"

"We’re still on a five-
ande
cycle. It’s about middle of the first
ande
."

"Same for me… tell you what: why don’t you and Greg show up for dinner in my new quarters, end of third
ande
? We can have a few beers and catch up with one another."

"I do believe you may count upon us to attend."

The occasion was a success, marred only by the girls’ inability to keep up with the conversation. Peters was a good storyteller but not a mesmerizing one, and his account came in fits and episodes, interrupted by questions and observations from the other two. They shot the bull and laughed far into their sleep period, and consumed a fair amount of the cool clear pilsner-analog served aboard
Llapaaloapalla
, and the two sailors left, walking a little unsteadily, when De’el and his crew were coming down the corridors with carts and baskets for the next meal.

«You didn’t offer us to your friends,» Alper noted as they were getting ready for sleep. «I suppose we’re too old to be considered attractive.»

Peters regarded her owlishly. "That ain’t the way it works," he growled, and the blonde girl flinched away from his tone rather than his words. «My apologies,» he said more quietly. «If you wish to consort with another it is your place to make the arrangements. I have no authority in the matter.»

«I think I understand the customs,» Ander interjected. «Go to bed, John. Alper and I should discuss this among ourselves.»

«Yes,» said Peters, and wobbled off to his quarters.

Dinner at Peters’s place became a regular feature. Mannix and Tollison came most often, but most of the hundred or so sailors Peters and Todd had had contact with showed up at least once or twice, including all the Chiefs but Joshua. At Warnocki’s suggestion Peters posted a sign outside his quarters door:

This is a civilian establishment First or friend-names only Rank will not be used or recognized

Ander and Alper joined in the discussions, first tentatively, then, as they learned more English, with enthusiasm. Peters had declined to teach them, citing his experiment with Gell; they spent several
tle
with Znereda each
llor
, and with that and the practice over meals gained fluency rapidly. The question of their being assigned for the pleasure of visitors wasn’t raised again.