He hadn’t had so much experience that he was confident of his ability to perform but Gravy made it all easy, natural and rather special.
`How long are your friends away?’ she asked at one point.
`Two months.’ He suppressed a speculative spurt as to where he’d be in two months’ time.
`what did they have to go for?’ she asked and he realized that she honestly didn’t know. `I mean, all crew have been recalled, haven’t they?’ “Dinis in need of hibernation would be no good in an attack. No blame is attached to their absence … at least from `Dinis.’ `I’d heard about this hibernation business. what exactly happens?’ Thian chuckled, stroking her fine blonde hair. It was softer and silkier than a `Dini pelt. `Something like this.’ `You don’t know?’ She was surprised.
`There are some things species should do for themselves to themselves in absolute privacy.’ `I couldn’t agree more,’ she sighed with a mischievous glint in her eyes as she pulled his head down to her again.
The intercom buzz roused them and, for a split second, Thian was disoriented by the feel of a body against his.
`Mr Lyon?’ wa the query `Here,’ Thian said quickly.
`Captain’s compliments and can you come to the ready room?’ was the voice message.
`whoops!’ Gravy murmured into her hand, instantly awake and rather charmingly rumpled by sleep, her fair hair standing out in wisps from her head while one errant curl pressed into her cheek.
He smoothed it back, not quite wishing to relinquish their physical contact. `And look at the time!’ She drew her breath in a hiss, at the same time smoothing her hair back.
`You don’t share a cabin do you?’ `Thank the gods, no,’ she said.
`I’ll just put you back unseen then,’ he said.
`Hey, that’d be tops!’ she said, hurriedly pulling on her exercise gear and swinging her legs off the bunk to stand up. `This right?’ `Thanks, Alison,’ he said.
`Catch me any al’ time, Thian love, she said, her grin mischievous, her eyes dancing, and her mind exuding the genuine pleasure she had received and given. And the position of her cabin, two decks below.
Thian `ported her there and then took time to use the dry shower and dress appropriately for the day.
* `We’ve more information on that object, Mr Lyon,’ Captain Ashiant said. Tikele, the security chief and the com duty officer, this time, Steena Blaz, were also present.
Thian seated himself comfortably, ready to `path messages but the captain continued to pace the length of the conference table.
`We have first established that there are no emissions of any space drive known to exist, human, `Dini or Hive,’ he said.
That was a surprise and Thian restrained his amusement. No glory at all to grab. And no lives to be wasted in an attack to the death.
But he maintained an alert interest as the captain continued.
`It would appear to be a derelict of some sort.
`An unusually large derelict,’ the com officer said softly, evidently not comfortable with what she’d seen on the sensors.
`That’s a pity,’ Thian said, since that was their feeling. Odd how brave people could feel after an emergency had passed.
The captain flicked one heavy eyebrow in dismissal. `If our readings are correct. And I’d like you to check with the `Dinis on this. There’s been enough time for them to have analyzed the same readings.
Captain Pir agreed with Ashiant but Captain Spktm, who was the senior naval commander, was not totally convinced.
`It says that the lack of emissions is not conclusive evidence that this is a derelict. It advises great caution.’ `Hmmm.’ Ashiant paced one more length. `The KLTS has had more contact with Hive vessels than anyone else in this squadron. Hmmm.’ `It wants to send a probe.’ `Of course,’ and Ashiant paused, fingers over the terminal station. `Theirs or ours?’ Thian enquired and replied that the `Dinis believed human probes to be more efficient. Thian did not add the `Dini qualification that human probes were more efficient because they employed gadgets to do what personal observations could do better.
The `Dinis were not precisely calling humans cowards, but certainly overcautious.