`Just forget that asinine suggestion, Prime, and I’ll forget you made it.
Thian shrugged. `As you wish, Commander, but I feel obliged to mention that there would be no risk.
The creatures are purpose-built, as it were, and can do no more than they were designed to do – run those small access ways to make necessary repairs.’ `Repairs are not the problem, Lyon. if’ and the commander’s pause was significant, `and when you come up with any more such bright ideas, use the proper channels.’ The screen went blank.
Flavia then doubled up with a fit of the giggles.
You were marvellous, Thian, she `pathed since she was physically incapable of speaking intelligibly through her laughter. Oh, Roj, that man `5 been impossible since we came on duty. To begin with, he doesn’t like Talents and resents having to work with us. And the stupid things he wanted Clancy to do – – The only one on this watch with any sense is Rome Kloo. She thinks we should make a device like the palps of the queen and see if the board can’t be activated by using those.
Pressure operated? A sequence needed? what? which?
Thian had turned away from the blank screen, his facial expression one of disgust and frustration.
`OK, engineer, you got any ideas? I sure would like us Primes to start up that bloody ship of theirs. Hell, we’ve done all the work on it so far, following it, capturing it, stealing it, and bringing it back. Lighting the whole damn thing up so they could see where they were going. And now we’re supposed to turn it on.
They’re the naval experts. We’re just lousy T&Ts.’ Then Thian let out a long breath and apologized to them for sounding off.
`You got the right, bra, Rojer said and then cocked his head.
`You got the right idea, too. Only putting one of the queen’s scuttle bugs isn’t going to solve anything. If I remember correctly, Grandmother Rowan was under the distinct impression that the queens gave all the orders, so if the scuttle hasn’t any orders, it’ll just sit there.’ Thian regarded his brother, flicked his grey eyes to Flavia and a smile started to curve his lips.
Now, just a minute, Thian, Rojer said with more intensity than he intended, I got in trouble – – You didn’t get in trouble, Roj, Thian said, his eyes sparkling with sudden anger as he corrected his brother.
And you had enough smarts to recognize Big Trouble when you saw it. So did Gil and Kat.
The unexpected reminder brought tears to Rojer’s eyes. This was the first time anyone in his family had spoken so bluntly about the incident. But Thian was wound up and Rojer forced himself to ignore that painful reminder and concentrate on what his brother was saying.
But I think we all have the same idea. Flavia? She nodded. I’ll clear it with Granddad, Thian added. Besides, we’d need his help and Roddie’s at the Observatory. But it could be done.
The navy’d have apoplexy, Rojer began, although the idea was taking firm root as the only way to many objectives, not the least of which was confounding people like Admiral del Falco who fundamentally did not like Talents and made their distrust and hatred as obvious as the commander had. OK, Thian, how would we go about it? Rojer asked.
Thian crossed his ankles, dangling them off the side of his couch, his hands clasped between his thighs. Well, it’d take a fair amount of timing. One, getting Roddie to falsify the recorders in the Observatory so no-one knows the queen is gone. Two, we gotta have the queens’ chambers on the Refugee cleared of people and now technicians are crammed into them, each thinking he or she’ll find the switch-on.
Three, we need the right sort of personnel on duty, both `Dini and human, so no-one panics when the ship turns on.
How can we be sure the queen `11 co-operate even if we could get her there? Flavia asked.
if you’d been locked up away from all that was familiar to you, and you were suddenly in a ship you could operate, wouldn’t you try to escape? Thian asked.