`Why?’ `Doctor, that requires a very long explanation.’ And a yawn surprised him.
`I’ll catch you later,’ the medic said with a chuckle.
Thian was almost asleep before his head hit the holster.
Dinner at the captain’s mess was not an obvious ordeal. Drinks were offered as well as hot finger-foods which Thian decided were not the standard fare to judge by the pleasure of their reception.
The captain cleared his throat and the wardroom had his immediate attention.
`In case you haven’t guessed, the extras served tonight are thanks to the supply drones brought in by Prime Thian Lyon,’ and Thian tried to demur as he’d been as much a passenger as the food.
`Whatever, Prime,’ the captain went on, `we have it and intend to enjoy it and it came with you. As most of you already know,’ now Ashiant grinned as he glanced about, `the Prime has demonstrated some of his potential use to the Fleet by what I hear-‘ he cleared his throat, `are termed his antics today.
“Antics” if you will, but they saved the life of one of our allies and have given us the opportunity to forge stronger links with them.
So welcome aboard, Prime Thian Lyon.’ He held his glass up, looking about to see that his toast was being recognized by everyone, and drank to Thian.
Thian cleared his throat several times, bombarded by far too many reactions emanating from all sides of him: one outright black thrust of suspicion and distaste, several sceptical ones, but more were curious, with tinges of amusement and slightly malicious `zo anticipation. To counteract the negative feelings, Thian began to project serenity and compassion.
`Considering the havoc I played today with navy protocol, sir,’ he said, grinning sheepishly, `I can only say I’m infinitely relieved to be here and not in the brig or sent back where I came from.’ That reply generated a few honest laughs but also a second shaft of malicious amusement at his self-deprecation.
Cloudhead’s smarming the audience, is he? was the verbalized thought.
On the pretext of lifting his own glass to toast his company, Thian looked around, trying to spot the source.
Oho! Could he have heard me?
The thought was all too ephemeral and there were too many people who could have thought it.
Thian hadn’t been quick enough to catch that second unexpected lapse. He let his glance slide quickly from Commander Tikele to the chunky sallowskinned woman beside him: a security officer by her shoulder-tabs – Vander-something – and around the immediate circle.
The com officer, Eki Wasiq, a very gaunt man with soft brown eyes that made him the least likely suspect of the group; the exe, JaskellGermys, a few centimetres shorter than Thian, with a carefully controlled face that gave away nothing of his thoughts. Lieutenant Sedallia, the only one he already knew by name, exhibited polite attention, while the gunnery officer, an older man Fordo Ah Min with the squint that had become a programmer’s trait, had been so abstracted that he was late lifting his glass and morS irritated by that lapse than shooting snide thoughts at the newcomer. The two juniors present, because it was their off-duty time, were laughably easy to read: they hadn’t expected the chance to dine well tonight.
Thian tipped his glass to his lips and drank. The malevolence was as startling in its absence as in its brief flare.
As he was seated opposite the security officer, Lieutenant-Commander Ailsah Vandermeer, he had a chance to put her to the most adroit mental probe he could summon: the kind he got away with using on his cousin Roddie. He could read no more than her public mind without breaching the most stringent injunction of his training but, if she was dissembling, she was making an extremely skilful job of it.
Her thoughts were clearly centred on enjoyment of the excellent meal: such comments as she directed at him were about learning Mrdini.
He was astonished at how many were willing to learn Mrdini, including Lieutenant Sedallia. In answer to a direct query from Commander Tikele, Thian – again sensing only genuine interest – agreed to produce `Dini engineering terms and their phonetic equivalents for the engineering officer to study.