As soon as the banquet was finished, they made their apologies and took off again. Dr. Hoa smuggling himself aboard with the crew to avoid embarrassing confrontations-or good-byes.
None of them were aware that the detectors used to find homing transmitters were unable to separate the signals given from the transmitter from those emitted by another similar device-such as a replicator.
Rocky Reamer and his children, shepherded by Khetala, arrived on Manganos moon base. Khetala had been concerned when she saw the children that they were leaving their home she was very big on children having a home, since she hadn’t had one.
But Turi and Deeter fielded her careful questions about what they were leaving behind with questions about what lay ahead. They were tired of the nano-bug market, and had knocked around the planet with Rocky since they were babies, living in a motley collection of used recreational vehicles tastefully outfitted as combination bedrooms and merchandise warehouses for the jewelry and rocks. They each brought with them their few changes of clothes, a couple of their favorite stones, and, for Rocky, his tool kit, and left the rest for the other traders to scavenge.
Rocky didn’t care. Possessions came and went. His family was with him and they were going to be safe, and that was what mattered. Not only that, but he had been able to help Becker and was helping the Lady Acorna and her extended family, and he was sure that was the right thing. To be able to be safe am) do the right thing was a terrific combination, as far as he was concerned. He breathed a lot easier once Kheti’s little craft left the planet, and he and the kids got a big kick out of taking the trip offplanet, the first they could remember, together.
Jana, Chiura, and the other children Kheti had protected while in the mines had heard from the communications officer of the day that their friend was returning to the base. They rushed forward to meet her. Reamer’s kids jumped up and down in excitement to see so many other children jumping up and down, even though they weren’t quite sure what all the fuss was about.
Close on the heels of the former child slaves were Acorna’s “uncles,” Calum Baird and Declan Giloglie, accompanied by Judit Kendoro.
Giloglie and Reamer exchanged cautious nods, acknowledging their long-ago acquaintance in a geology class, and Khetala made introductions and explained the situation, then asked Reamer to produce the horn.
Reamer hesitated for a moment. “Do you really thinkin front of all these kids-I mean, it’s pretty serious and from what I’ve heard they look at Lady Acorna as some sort of goddess.”
Kheti’s hard brown face turned up at him and she said, “These kids, as you call them, have already lost most of their illusions. If Acorna is truly in danger, they will -want to know and they will want to help in any way they can. If this horn belongs to her or any of the other Linyaari, someone is going to find that we’re plenty adult enough to make them pay dearly for harming our friends.”
So Reamer showed the horn and everyone looked. Some wanted to touch it and some put their hands behind their backs and looked frightened. One girl, Jana, began to cry softly.
“I remember when I’d been beaten in the mines so badly I could hardly move and Acorna touched my wounds with her horn and healed me -it was the first comfort I had had in years and years. This just can’t be hers, Kheti. It just can’t.”
Calum Baird regarded Reamer suspiciously. “Did you bring this straight to Khetala for her to bring it here?”
“Yes, sir, I did. Becker was having trouble with a lady who seemed to want to rob him or kill him, so he and the cat took off.”
“I guess that would explain why he didn’t come to us himself. That and the fact that if he thought the horns were valuable he’d want to secure his source,” Baird said. “Who was the lady? Did your friend say anything about going to see Hafiz Harakamian by any chance?”