“Inn your speech,” Neeva said easily, “I believe I would be knownn as Enyvoy Extraordinyari. My companyaan Melireenya is our Senior Communyications Officer, and Khaari is our Navighation Officer.”
Gill nodded stiffly; Rafik bowed; Pal took the envoy’s hand and bowed over it, touching his lips to the back of the blunt fingers so like his Acorna’s. The pupils of Neeva’s eyes narrowed briefly to silver slits, then widened again. The fleeting expression was so like Acorna’s that Judit felt tears spring to her eyes.
“We are honored to make your acquaintance,” she murmured for Mr. Li, unaware that he was already speaking to the newcomers in their own private manner.
(Is indeed great honor to be the first of our race to greet others of Acorna’s kind.)
(Not exactly the first. But that first lot wouldn’t even-)
(Thariinye!)
Delszaki Li glanced at Judit, and she moved closer to him, the better to hear his labored whisper. “Can they understand languages other than Basic?” he whispered in his mother’s native tongue, which was a first language for more than half the people of Kezdet.
“Delighted to make your acquaintance,” Judit said promptly in the same language. Neeva’s eyes narrowed to silver slits again.
(Honored Li, I apologize. We thought we had learned your tongue already, but I cannot follow what this person is saying.)
(Not to be concerned. Takes some time to understand obscure idioms of Basic,) Li responded. He quickly called up the image of the Jade Palace to shield his mind once again, lest the Linyaari pick up some hint of his innermost thoughts. “Judit, be polite to our guests,” he reprimanded her, “speak Basic, and slowly.”
Judit blushed and apologized for her carelessness and gave no sign that she had acted under Mr. Li’s orders to begin with.
Delszaki Li was severely embarrassed to confess to the Linyaari that he had lost track ofAcorna only shortly before her own people came for her, and he made no effort to conceal his feelings from them. (My house is shamed. I will tell you that we took all possible care for Acorna from day of her finding, but how will you believe this when now she is lost? Descendants of Li will be mourning this day through centuries to come.)
When this was said aloud, Rafik interpolated, “Excuse me, Mr. Li, but let us not say yet that Acorna is lost. We know her intended destination – “
“But not the route,” Gill put in.
Rafik’s lips twitched. “More than you might think can be deduced from intelligent study of the star maps, Declan Giloglie. Given what we know of the accident to the hydroponics section of the Aca^ecki- “
“On’t-day ee-bay inay uch-say ay uny-hay oo-tay ell-tay em-thay allay ou-yay ow-knay,” Gill interrupted. Lacking the multilingual background shared by Li and the Kendoros, he had independently come to his own conclusion about how best to converse privately in front of beings who could learn Basic overnight.
“Why not?” Rafik demanded.
Gill glanced at the envoys. “Ee-way on’t-day ow-knay oowhay ey-thay eally-ray are-ay,” he said. “Ey-thay ight-may eebay ee-thay eople-pay oo-whay arooned-may Corna-Ay.”
Rafik put his hand on Gill’s arm and drew the larger man into the antechamber.
“Stop making a bloody fool of yourself with that pig Latin,” he whispered. “We’ve got no reason to mistrust them.”
“We’ve got no reason to trust them, either,” Gill returned in a furious whisper. “SOMEBODY set Acorna adrift to die in space; until we find out who and why, we’re not turning her over to the first funny-looking strangers to waltz in and demand her!”
Rafik’s lips twitched. “At the moment,” he murmured, “we can’t turn her over, can we? So while I’m studying the star maps, why don’t you sit down with the Linyaari and find out what they have to say about Acorna? “
By that time the tea Mr. Li had requested was ready, and the small social ceremony helped to alleviate the strain all parties were feeling. Knowing Acorna’s tastes, he had ordered a blend of herbal tea with alfalfa for the envoys, served in the handleless cups favored by Acorna, while the humans, with their more slender and more flexible digits, drank smoky Kilumbemba Oolong from cups with delicate porcelain handles. Melireenya took pains to tell Judit aloud that she had noticed and did very much appreciate this evidence of attention to their tastes.