…”Captain. Captain?”
Facedown on the galley table, fingers in the handle of the cup, and no memory of falling asleep.
“Sorry to wake you,” Tarras said, “but we’re heading in.”
She grunted, disentangled her fingers from the cup and ran her claws through her mane, eyes shut. “Couple of meaningful messages came in,” Tarras said. “Nothing cheerful. The stsho we’re looking for … disappeared.”
“What, disappeared?”
Tarras laid a paper on the table. She blinked her eyes into focus.
Ko’juit, at dock at Kita Station, Me-sheirtajikun captain, to captain Hilfy Chanur, , inbound. Regret inform you not know passenger whereabouts.
Ha’domaren, at dock at Kita Station, Tahaisimandi Ana-kehnandian his hand, to captain Hilfy Chanur, why you so slow? You want know whereabout Atli-lyen-tlas, we find, you no worry.
“I’ll kill him.”
“Nobody’s told our passenger,’‘ Tarras said. “Figured you’d want to do that. It’s not official, though. We can ask station authorities, see if there are any stsho on station at all…”
“Do that,” she murmured, resisted the urge to fall flat on her nose, and got up and wandered back to her quarters.
Should have taken the off-watch in her bed. Meras was asleep and harmless. Kita was going to be a disaster. They’d run as far as they could without rest. The crew had gotten half a watch of sleep before jump, but right now the drawstring waist of her trousers was loose, she’d dropped weight in jump, a pass of her hand across her chest turned up a palmful of loose fur, and if she were sane or fully conscious she would have a bath before she hit the mattress.
Wasn’t near habitual that she slept through dock. But she was no use as she was. She fell into bed, dragged the safety net back over and locked it, and was unconscious for the next while.
* * *
Kita Point Customs Authority to captain Hilfy Chanur, in dock at Kita Point. We recognize Urtur customs seal, same good trade in mahen space. We clear all fine, only need stamp manifest which same you give at dock. All cooperation this office much appreciate.
Ha’domaren, at dock at Kita Station, Tahaisimandi Ana-kehnandian his hand, to captain Hilfy Chanur: You want talk? I got information you want. Make you good deal.
A nap, a shower, and clean clothes didn’t make the message more cheerful. “I’m going to talk to the mahe,” she said to the assembled crew, Meras excepted. “I’m going to find out what he knows. I’m not going to shoot him no matter what the provocation. We can off-load as soon as we get the customs stamp. Tiar, you see to that.”
“The stsho’s calling up to the bridge,” Fala said. “We keep telling gtst you’re asleep and nobody can decide. And ker Pyanfar’s mail … is piling up again. Do you want to see it?”
“I’m not available. Tell gtst honor we’re already aware of gtst request and we’re out seeing to it, it’s our top priority. Don’t let gtst out of gtst quarters. Jam the lock if you have to. Drown gtst in tea.
Tarras, Chihin, I want the cargo out of here. I want the customs stamps clear. I want a list of what’s available for transship to any port whatsoever, don’t make any deals, we don’t know where we’re going…”
Troubled faces stared back at her. Not a one said to her: This contract is a disaster. Not a one said to her: We may end up in debt because of this. Not a one said: You’re a damned fool, captain.
“Take care of it,” she said, on her way to leaving.
“What about the kid?” Chihin asked.
Extraneous subject. It was not what she wanted to think about. She cast a glance about familiar surroundings and familiar jobs and the thousand and one things that regularly wanted doing. And thought about a young man who had worked through pre-jump, stayed through jump, arid was now, given a rest break, shut away again solo in the crew lounge. He wasn’t a can of soup that you could stack on a shelf and forget about. He was an earnest stupid kid trying too hard-that was what she had read in their time together; and that enthusiasm was the biggest danger he posed. “He can have the run of the galley, he can do anything on this level he thinks he can do, but check it behind him and don’t let him do anything stupid. He doesn’t go off this level, he doesn’t go near the lift, if the stsho gets loose … don’t insult anybody, but get Meras under cover if you have to hide him in a locker. All right?”