Josh settled into place by him. One of the Neiharts took com, another one
settled into another comp post. Damon keyed through to com. “Norway,” he said,
“you’ve got first release. I trust you’ll ease out without provocations. We
don’t need complications.”
“Thank you, Pell,” Mallory’s dry voice came back. “I like your priorities.”
“Hurry it down there. Have your own troops undock you. You can come in again
when we’re stable and pick them up. Agreed? They’ll be safe.”
“Pell station,” another voice cut in: Azov’s. “Agreements specified no welcome
for Mazianni, This one is ours.”
Damon smiled. “No, Captain Azov. This ship is ours. We’re a world and a station,
a sovereign community, and apart from the merchanters who are not residents
here, we maintain a militia. Norway constitutes the fleet of Downbelow. I’ll
thank you to respect our neutrality.”
“Konstantin,” Mallory’s voice warned him, on the edge of anger.
“Undock and stand off, Captain Mallory. You’ll stay put until the Union fleet
has vacated our space. You’re in our traffic pattern and you take our orders.”
“Orders received,” she answered finally. “Stand by. We’re going to pull back and
deploy riders. Unity, see that you lay a straight course out of here. And give
my regards to Mazian.”
“Your own merchanters,” Azov said, “are going to be the ones to suffer from this
decision, Pell station. You’re harboring a vessel that has to prey on shipping
to live. Merchanter ships.”
“Get your tail out of here, Union,” Mallory shot back. “Trust at least that
Mazian can’t double back on you. He won’t dock at Pell while I’m in the area. Go
attend your own business.“
“Quiet,” Damon said. “Captain, move out.” There was a flurry of lights. Norway
was loose.
iii
Pell System
“You too?” Blass asked wryly.
Vittorio adjusted his hold on his meager sackful of belongings, awkwardly
hand-over-handed his way in the narrow access, null G, in line with the rest of
the crew which had held Hammer. It was cold down here, and dimly lit. There was
a vibration, the action of a shuttle tube grappling to their lock. “Don’t see
that I have much choice,” he said. “I’m not staying to talk to the merchanters.
Sir.”
Blass gave a twisted smile, addressed himself to the lock, which opened to take
them out a narrow tube and into the waiting warship. The dark gaped for them.
Unity moved, a steady acceleration. Ayres sat in the cushioned comfort of the
Unity’s top-level main room, carpeted, severely modern, with Jacoby beside him.
Screens apprised them of their course, a whole array of screens showing numbers
and images. They made it clear through an avenue opened by merchanter vessels, a
narrow tunnel through the surrounding horde, and finally Azov spared time to
look in on them by vid link, occupying one of the screens. “All right?” Azov
asked of them.
“Going home,” Ayres said softly, self-satisfied. “I’ll propose something to you,
captain; that at this moment Sol and Union have more in common than not. That
while you’re sending that inevitable courier back to Cyteen, you include a
proposal from my side: cooperation for the duration.”
“Your side has no interest in the Beyond,” Azov said.
“Captain, I suggest to you that that interest may be on the verge of awakening.
And that it would be far from Union’s advantage… for Union to be less forward in
offering Earth its protection—than the merchanter’s alliance is going to be.
After all, the alliance has already sent Earth its messenger. So Sol can pick
and choose, can’t it? The merchanters’ alliance. Union. Or—Mazian. I suggest a
discussion of the matter. A renegotiation. It seems that neither of us has the
authority to cede Pell. And I hope that I can give my government favorable
recommendations toward yours.”
Elene came, with a great crowd of merchanters, stood in the doorway of
battle-scarred central, while Downers scampered aside in mild alarm. But
Bluetooth and Satin knew her, and danced and touched her for joy. Damon rose
from his place, took her hand, gave her a place to sit near him and Josh. “I
don’t feel much like long climbs,” she said, breathing hard, “We’ve got to get