Finishing the story, he laid out the nutrient bars on an ordinary table, then had dancing girls in tinkling costumes cover the unappetizing fare with roast swan and hummingbird tongues. Discerning from the puzzled silence that met him, even through the holo-disguises he had cast upon the children, he tapped the computer pad and replaced the swans and hummingbird tongues with burgers, fries, onion rings, milkshakes, soft drinks, and ice cream treats.
The children lunged for the table.
The lights went out.
The burgers, fries, rings, and banana splits and sundaes turned back into nutrient bars and the sloe-eyed houns and slyfaced thieves turned into disappointed children suddenly shivering in the dark.
Soon another light appeared on the circular metal stairway no one used because the lift was more convenient. “Come on back upstairs, everybody,” Calum said, “while I get the computer back up. Don’t worry. Even if it proves to be difficult, the Haven will be here soon and we’ll have help.
Unfortunately, the Haven was not the next ship to reach the stranded AcaSecki.
“What do you mean, you lost them?” Rafik demanded of an uncharacteristically flushed and flustered Johnny Greene.
“Just what I said,” Greene replied. “After we got the allclear to return to MOO, we agreed to rendezvous at the AcaSecki’s coordinates. But by the time we arrived, there was nothing there but empty space. We hailed them over and over but didn’t get a blip. They just disappeared.”
Rafik held his breath for a long moment before he replied. “Johnny, you folks turn the Haven around and get back to Federation space on the double. We know the Khieevi left the vine world, but we don’t know where they went from there.”
“You think they got the Accufeckil” Johnny asked. “But-we talked to them just a few hours ago.”
“I don’t know what happened. But one vessel full of kids has disappeared with Calum and my uncle. We can’t risk the rest of you. Go back. Get the posse if you can-after all, Hafiz’s baksheesh provides a lot of private schools and widow’s and orphan’s pensions for Federation forces, and even though this isn’t their turf, we are under their protection. I hope.”
“Gotcha,” Johnny said. “But get word to us the minute you know something, okay?”
“We’ll try,” Rafik said grimly.
“Saltwater?” Acorna asked. “Is that all?”
Miiri nodded. “Simple saline solution. It breaks down the sap enough for it to liquefy but it doesn’t seem to harm the sap’s ability to alter to its fungoid form and destroy insectoid tissue. We replicated some of the remaining carapace tissue and the liquefied sap was if anything more virulent than in its original form, just as an acid’s potency may be increased by mixing it with water.”
“That makes sense,” Acorna said. “Though it wouldn’t be as tenacious as the sap.”
“No,” Becker said, scratching his mustache, “but you know if we could have had some in aerosol torpedoes to shoot into the orbiting Khieevi ships, we could have taken out more of them.”
Miiri shuddered. “How horrible,” and looked at her work as if she had given no thought as to how it would be used.
But Aari said gently, “Mother, these are Khieevi we’re talking about, remember. You’ve seen them. You say you felt what they did to me.”
“Your mother knows, Son,” his father said. “It’s just not the Linyaari way.”
“Which is why you need people like Hafiz and Nadhari and me,” Becker said. “There are still Khieevi out there. I think it’s a good idea, in our copious leisure time, to whomp up a batch of sap and sea water. I can scrounge around here and see if I can find the makings of some aerosol torpedoes. You Just never know when that kind of thing will come in handy.”
Acorna frowned. “Maybe it would also be wise to return to the vine world and collect more sap there. The plants not only buried the Khieevi in their sap, but also submerged themselves. I’d like to make sure the plants are regenerating properly too. If they need any special climactic conditions to help them grow, perhaps Dr. Hoa could be of assistance.”