Gods rot the creature for taking it on gtstself to wander about the ship.
“Your honor, do you hear me? This is a civilized and well-mannered young person who was assisting a member of the crew in maintenance.”
“An immature male person? This ship has immature male persons performing life-critical maintenance? This ship has entrusted vital junctions to persons known for irrational behaviors and distasteful tendencies toward violence toward uninvolved bystanders?”
“This young male person was disposing of refuse. Kindly bring the car back to this deck.”
“We have been betrayed by all pertinent interests. How do we know if anyone is telling the truth regarding anything? How should we have anticipated this desertion ? How can we survive this devastation ? We are the prey of strangers and persons without discrimination! “
“Your honor, as the captain of this ship I require you to come to the lower level, for your own protection, your honor, as if there should be an emergency on-station the lift is not a safe place to be.”
There was no response. But stsho were not a valorous species where it came to bodily injury.
“Broken bones are possible,” she said, “should this station encounter some emergency.”
The lift thumped and whirred into motion.
“I think we got the son,” Chihin said.
“Don’t push our luck,” she said.
The lift reached lowerdecks. The door opened. Hilfy pushed the hold button, and bowed to the pale, tremulous creature at the back wall of the lift.
Gtstbowed. She bowed.
Gtstedged outward. And peered past her, cautiously.
“Will your honor view the quarters? Your honor certainly will not want to leave the oji unattended.”
A slippered toe edged across the line and into the corridor. Hilfy stood well back as gtst honor looked over the corridor.
And retreated.
“Your honor …”
And advanced again, with a fluttering of gtst long fingers about the vicinity of gtst heart. Moonstone eyes looked toward the corridor, under feathery brows, and gtst honor advanced a pace.
“We are not certain, we are far from certain we can bear this stress. We have been affronted, we have been transported far from tasteful and familiar places, our presence has been assaulted by strange persons of male and violent gender—“
“If your honor please. You will be most favorably impressed by the tastefulness of your quarters. And the Preciousness is absolutely inviolate. Have we not promised?”
Step after step. Chihin backed aside. Hilfy gestured the stsho further and further and around the corner into the appropriate corridor, which gtst was willing to enter only after an advance look.
As far as the doorway at least, gtst advanced. Gtst craned gtst long neck around the doorframe to look left and right, and took a step inside.
And another.
“Spare,” gtst said. And advanced another pace, into a white, white, white cabin with white treelike shapes and the Preciousness enthroned in its case.
“Elegant,” gtst said, and sighed and walked further, from object to object, fluttering gtst hands and sighing and sighing again.
“A success,” Chihin muttered at Hilfy’s shoulder.
“A triumph,” gtst breathed. “How can a colored species have achieved it?”
One hardly knew whether to be complimented or not.
“Is your honor then comfortable?” Hilfy asked.
Gtstturned full about, staring at all of it, no little of which was gotten at bid, from an abandoned stsho embassy and abandoned stsho apartments. And two mixed lots of white paneling, the only white paneling they had been able to find.
“Does this … male person share nearby quarters?”
“By no means,” Hilfy said.
“Moderately acceptable,” gtst said. “Our sensibilities are relieved.”
The door shut.
“Put him in the lounge,” Hilfy said.
“Captain?” Chihin said.
“I said put Meras in the crew lounge! The crew can socialize in the galley! We can’t afford another incident!”
“Aye,” Chihin said quietly. And went.
“No question now,” Hilfy muttered, over gfi, at supper. “Hoas. Narn’s not happy about taking him, but they will. Leaving him here’s not a good idea. Let them think about it and somebody’II think up a lawsuit.”
Faces weren’t happy. “I’m against it,” Tiar said, foremost. “We have a responsibility, captain, we didn’t exactly ask for it, but this isn’t an experienced spacer we’re talking about. …”