They had lived close, had shared, he and the old man; he leaned on that fact desperately, saw offense and a slow yielding in Stavros’ expression. “Between us,” Stavros said.
“Between us.”
Stavros frowned, a tremor of strain in his lips. “I want the mri off Kesrith, immediately. I’m sending Flower up to station, where it can proceed about its work unhindered. The regul are getting nervous about the mri since your visit to Sil’athen. And a regul ship incoming is not an impossibility in the near future. Hulagh says his doch will be getting anxious because he’s failed his schedule with a ship that Was entrusted to him by their central organization: its loss is going to be a heavy blow to Alagn. And he’s worried. He constantly frets on the topic of misunderstandings, demands a way offworld to meet his ships. If we have regul ships incoming, I don’t want any of ours caught on the ground. I think moving Flower aloft will minimize any chance of an incident. Saber and Hannibal together have shields sufficient to protect the station and the probe ships if there should be a problem. But with the mri anywhere accessible to the regul, there could easily be a problem. The regul have a panic reaction where it concerns mri.”
“I’ve seen it at work,” Duncan said bitterly.
“Yes,” said Stavros. “The bai has asked repeatedly about the artifact. I daresay the bai does not sleep easily. If you had at your disposal a ship, the mri, and the egg, Duncan, do you think you could find out the nature of that record?”
Duncan let out his breath slowly. “Alone?”
“You would have the original artifact. The mri would doubtless insist on it; and we have duplicated the object in holos so we wouldn’t be risking more than the museum value of the object, considerable though that may be. Under the circumstances it’s a reasonable risk.” Stavros took a long drink, rested the cup on the desk with a betraying rattle of pottery. His breath came hard. “Well?”
“Tell me plainly,” Duncan said, “what the object of this is. How far. Where. What options?”
“No certainties. No clear promises. If the mri go for Holn assistance, you’ll lose the ship, your life whatever. I’m willing to gamble on your conviction they won’t. You can find out what that tape is and maybe maybe deal with the mri. You tell me. If you think it’s impossible, say so. But going the route of the computers at Haven will take months, a year with the regul-mri question hanging over us here at Kesrith, and ourselves with no idea what we’re facing. We need to know.”
“Andiflrefusedr “Your mri would die. No threat: you know the way of it We can’t let them go; they’d get the regul or the regul would get them. If we keep them as they are, they’ll die. They always have.”
It was, of course, the truth.
“More than that,” said Stavros, “aD of us are sitting on the line here at Kesrith. And there’s the matter of the treaty, that involves rather more than Kesrith. You appreciate that, I’m sure. You say you can reason with them. You’ve said that all along. I’m giving you your chance.”
“This wasn’t in the contract. I didn’t agree to any offworld assignments.”
Stavros remained unmoved. Duncan looked into his eyes, fully aware what the contract was worth in colonial territory that in fact his consent was only a formality.
“It is a SurTac’s operation,” said Stavros finally. “But back out if you don’t think you can do it.”
“A ship,” Duncan said.
“There’s probe Fox. Unarmed. Tight quarters too, if there should be trouble aboard. But one man could handle her.”
“Yes, sir. I know her class.”
“Boaz is finishing up on the holos now. Flower is going up to the station this afternoon, whatever you decide. If you “have to have time to think about it, a shuttle can run you up to the station later, but don’t plan to take too long about a decision.”
“Ill go.”
Stavros nodded slowly, released a long breath. “Good,” he said, and that was all.
Duncan arose, walked across the room to the door, looking back once. Stavros said nothing, and Duncan exited with resentment and regret equally mixed.