“You not forgive her for that, a?”
“Maybe not. What’s it to do with anything?”
“Just lot people know you pret’ damn good.”
“Good for them. I’m so pleased.”
A laugh and a puff of smoke. A lot of smoke. Hilfy wrinkled her nose.
“You a lot like the Personage. You same bastard like her.”
“Family resemblance. Family temper. You want a demonstration?”
Another grin. Mahendo’sat and humans did that. Bad habit. Could get you killed, on Anuurn.
“You nice. No bad temper. Just hani.”
“You’re a prejudiced son, aren’t you. You want a deal? You tell me what difference it makes what we’re carrying. You tell me what difference it makes to the stsho and what’s at stake.”
“You not know.”
“We haul cargo. We’re being paid. The stsho didn’t hire mahendo’sat to do what we’re doing. Don’t you think if they’d trusted you very much they’d have let Ha’domaren carry it?”
“Maybe they look for damn fool.”
Point. “So you know so much: what is it? What significance does it have? Convince me you’re our friend.”
“Lot status. Lot status with stsho.” Puff and puff. Sip of fruit drink. “No’shto-shti-stlen number one bastard, want run whole Compact. Stsho all same lot disturb by give this thing.”
“So what does it matter what it is?’’
“Same make difference what kind oji. Some got big presence. Some got histor-icity. Some got art.
Some make suicide.”
“Make suicide.”
“You get oji, you got respond or you lose big. Number one dirty trick.”
“You mean they have to equal the item.”
“Or lose status big.”
“And Atli-lyen-tlas doesn’t want to receive it?”
“Maybe.” Another sip. “What kind oji?”
“Sorry. Not enough information. Why should I help your Personage? She might not be my friend.”
“We good friend! We number one good friend! Whereby you get idea? Long time mahendo’sat been friend hani. Who get you into space? Who bring ships to you world? Who give you number one help make ships and trade? You damn hani fight each other with sharp sticks two hundred year gone. Now so smart you tell mahendo’sat goodbye, no need help.”
“Well, that’s not a question you ask a merchant captain. Go tell my aunt what she owes you. Tell my aunt tell me tell you what I know, no trouble.”
“You say you don’t speak.”
“Haven’t had a reason. If we had a reason we’d speak.”
“How much you want tell me what is?”
“You can’t buy me.”
“You want know where gone Atli-lyen-tlas?”
She was really tempted. Not to trust this Haisi person. But to trust him more than the stsho. Historically, the mahendo’sat had been more allied with hani than not. But not all mahendo’sat were on the same side. “Not many choices out of here. If it’s Urtur I’ll have your ears. Suppose I said it was a piece of art.”
“Need know more than that, hani.”
She took a sip of tea. Her last. And got up. “I give you something, you give me nothing. Wrong game, mahe. I’m not playing anymore.”
“Kshshti.”
“With the kif.”
“They hire kif. Sit, sit, talk.”
She sank back into the chair, leaned her elbows on the scarred table and gazed at the mahe’s eyes. Green neon didn’t improve his complexion. Green shone on his dark fur, on his uncommunicative, flat-nosed face-on the smoke he puffed out of his nostrils.
“So talk. What kif ship?”
“Maybe . , . Nogkokktik.”
“Why?”
“No’shto-shti-stlen got lot enemy. Plenty old, plenty smart. Enemy want gtst come home, give up be governor. That enough?”
“No’shto-shti-stlen is an old friend of my aunt. Why should I betray gtst interests?”
“No’shto-shti-stlen nobody friend. You know how long live stsho?”
It wasn’t a known fact. There were guesses … in what she’d read.
“How long?”
“Maybe two hundred year. Hard make figure. Stsho change sex, change person, change everything, not remember. How you know when born, when change? Nobody sure. But what make stsho care? You Phase, same you dead. You don’t got memory who you were. Same like dead.”
“Who knows whether they remember who they were?”
“They say don’t remember. You don’t believe stsho?”
“I believe I got paid. And I get real nervous when people start asking questions about my business or about passengers on my ship.”