I got to be, Tully, poor Tully, I got no choice. You warned me, and I see it clear, I see everything down that way with no trouble at all, and I’m going to do you hurt, I can’t turn back from that.
You gods-be knew it, didn’t you? Knew it from the time you came to us. Always thinking, never talking. Afraid of me and not afraid. For two good reasons.
What’ll they do to you when I’m through? Where’ll you go?
My friend.
“Hilfy. Get me Banny.”
“I got Prosperity right now. You want Banny in person?”
“I want her.” She turned the chair back square to the board and punched in. “Banny. Banny, you hear me?”
“Such as it is, Chanur. It looks like we got help out there.”
“I don’t know how much the mahendo’sat told you, Banny, but we got some other visitors out there and I can’t talk about it real clear just now: we got politics here. I’m asking hani ships to form up; I’m going to ask the kif to do the same and they’re going to do it, Banny, they’re going to do it. Then we’re going to have to do some talking-you want to take charge of the hani ships for me, just keep it kind of quiet and trust me. We’re not out of this yet. We got a real problem here. A real problem. Banny.”
There was prolonged silence.
“Banny. Haurosa naimur ffhain’haur murannarrhm’ha chaihen.” Ambush in the trees, Banny. . . .
More of the long silence. “Accepted.”
That was the first thing.
The next was harder.
“Message, Hilfy: tell the kifish ships to put themselves in order and stand by for instruction. Stop all forward drift.”
“Aye.”
“Chur: transmission to Mahijiru. Quote: This is Pyanfar Chanur. Hold your ships where they are. Your Personage is aware of the kifish advance; mahen ships were in position to prevent escape by the Ajir corridor. Ajir corridor, repeat, is secure. We ask you dump all V and wait. This situation insystem is still extremely volatile. The kif remaining here are under my personal direction and within han jurisdiction. I ask you instruct your allies to total dump and recall all other mahen ships to your group immediately. Cease all hostile operations. All ships are in han jurisdiction. Repeat, request immediate total dump and hold pattern. Endit and repeat at intervals. Transmission to Nekkekt: This is the mekt-hakkikt in person. Permit withdrawal of mahen ships from center system. Continue to reduce all V: cease all drift toward mahen position. Take no action against mahendo’sat. Wait orders. Endit.” She slumped back in the chair. Waited with her claws clenched.
“That’s a dump,” Geran said finally. And she began to breathe freely again. More when they saw the second one.
But attacking ships might do as much.
Then Mahijiru took the third dump, coming down to insystem velocities.
“Thank gods, thank gods,” she muttered. And over com: “Banny, we’re gaining on it. We got it stopped.” Out on that channel. “Hilfy. Get me Goldtooth.”
“Working. Lagtime 10.9.”
Twenty-two on the roundtrip of messages. Far out in the range still. But Goldtooth had to be AOS on the initial message now. Ten minutes ago. Other ships incoming were observing the same sequence; and that was all but certain to be pre-arrangement.
Humans, migods, humans drug themselves senseless. We got doped-up pilots out there. Robotics. Gods know what.
They have to stop with the mahendo’sat. Stop and get their bearings. Or plan to blow the system to a mahen hell.
They wouldn’t. Couldn’t. Gods save us. They have to take Goldtooth’s lead till they figure things out.
It’s not over.
She drew a shaky breath. “We’re going stable,” she said
on bridgecom. “Free to move about, arrange your own covers, five minutes, maybe longer: maybe ten, fifteen gods-be days out here, I dunno.” She lifted shaking hands to her face, just shut out the sight of things if not the sound, and rested. Quietly some of the crew saw to themselves. “I’m all right,” she heard Khym’s low complaint. “Gods rot it, I can get to the gods-be head.”
From her husband. Who had a hole in his leg and a plasm patch, a deep wound that had to be swollen and hurting if it was not worse than that. She wanted a trip to the head. Desperately. She decided to take the chance and unbuckled.