“No,” Acorna said, trying to keep both the amusement and her own excitement out of her voice. It would be goo() to hear Standard spoken again. “But if you need an interpreter, I’ll be glad to help in any way I can.”
“Very good of you, Khornya,” Grandam said. “I’m sure that’s why the viixaar included you in this group. And I am here as the elder and Maati because if this is indeed Aari in our midst, she should be there to greet her brother. And Thariinye?” The last was a question aimed at Liriili.
“Thariinye also speaks the tongue of Khornyas adopted people and can serve as a second interpreter.”
Acorna made a noise of protest. What Liriili meant was that Thariinye was supposed to report if she was translating truthfully or not.
“I am keeping this party small,” the viizaar continued. “A couple of the other young men will accompany us but there is no need for everyone to know about this until we have determined the nature of the intrusion. I have asked my vice-vit.zaar to be prepared to evacuate the city in the event that we are being invaded again, however. I can only hope we can prepare for our escape in time.”
“How about the ships Khornya and I saw the other day, Liriili?” Thariinye asked. “I am a qualified pilot. I could certainly fly any of them. And I can organize a crew among the elders who have retired from active duty.”
“I hope you will not be called upon to try, but it is a noble thought,” Liriili said.
“Before we go running off in all directions, I think we’d better see what’s coming our ‘way,” Grandam said sensibly. “There’s no need to alarm the Ancestors yet. Besides, even in an emergency, the Ancestors move at a stately pace.”
“Yes,” Thariinye agreed. “So stately a pace that a full invasion could wipe everyone out before we arrived at the spaceport.”
Liriili, with a slight nod to acknowledge the jest-and that only because it came from Thariinye, Acorna thoughtinclined her head in agreement and they set out, the vllzaar, Grandam, Thariinye, Maati, and two young males, presumably as a security presence.
Watching the ship land, Acorna relaxed. The tail looked Federation, but that was a Mythenan toxic waste chute if she ever saw one sticking out the bottom, and the hull itself was composed of a strange patchwork of metals, not to mention the somewhat eccentric structural design of the nose. Where the hatch should have been was what looked like a pocket of some sort. As the ship landed, it caused the ground to quake. The engine sounded as if it was about to fall to pieces. (That is no battleship, Liriili,) she said with a smile, in thought-talk. She was getting much better at it, fortunately, since verbalizations would have been drowned out in the roar of the landing. (It is not any one sort of ship at all. It looks like a junker to me.)
(The alien aboard claims that it is out of fuel,) Liriili replied. (He demands that we refuel it.)
(I’d believe him,) Acorna said. (That vessel looks like it H needs all the help it can get.)
(It could be a trick,) Thariinye said. (To lull us into complacency.)
(It’s working for me,) Grandam said. (And-does no one else feel it? I have a definite impression of a Linyaari aboard.)
(I felt that, too,) Liriili said. (But there is something wrong about it. Something terribly wrong.)
The noise stopped and another series of sounds began, with first a thunk, then a whoosh, and then, slowly, the hydraulic hum of a platform being lowered out of the Mytherian toxic waste chute.
Suddenly, Maati clapped her hands and pointed. “Oh, look!” she cried aloud. “Look at the furry little alien! He must have come so far in that big old ship! I’ll bet he’s hungry, as well as needing fuel.” She ran over to a patch of fairly healthy looking grass and pulled it up, along with some purple flowers Acorna had learned were very tasty.
Tears formed in Grandam’s eyes and her voice choked a little as she said, “The little alien reminds me of a pahaantiyir.” Acorna caught a thought-picture of a furry cat-like being.