“How many kif?”
“Last time, maybe a hundred, maybe more. That I saw in that room. Up and down that dock, you’re talking-oh, maybe four, five thousand. Maybe worse.. You got current stats on Mkks?”
“It’s crazy to go in there,” Rhif Ehrran said.
“Got idea?” Jik asked.
“I had the idea,” Rhif Ehrran said, “that coming into dock with all three ships was crazy in the first place, but you had other opinions.”
“What you want? Shoot up dock? Got cit-i-zen here.”
-“Captain.” Haral spun her chair about. “I got a blip.”
Pyanfar’s eye was already moving, already taking in the scanimage that flashed to main-screen above all the seats.
Every eye was. Crew dived for posts without an order. Pyanfar did, abandoning Jik and Rhif Ehrran and her lot to their own devices.
“Get ID, gods rot it, what’s the output?” She spun her chair about and felt the press of a large weight on the shoulder of her chair. Jik, getting view of the screens: she made no objection, too busy to take account of distractions.
“That’s stsho output!” Hilfy exclaimed.
“We gods-blasted hope it is,” Tirun said. “Kif could’ve-”
“Send to station,” Pyanfar said. “Query.”
A light on com-output lit: confirmation of the outgoing message. “This is The Pride of Chanur,” Khym’s deep voice rumbled, while other lights signaled activity from other crew. “What’s that ship doing out there?”
Not proper com-etiquette, gods knew, but direct.
“Khym, give me the response,” Pyanfar said, and as Rhif Ehrran moved up close and offered some advice: “Get clear. We’re working, rot it.”
“-of the hakkikt, Pride of Chanur, this information is private.”
“Give me output!” Pyanfar said; and it arrived. “Kif compliments of Pyanfar Chanur, you by the gods lay a hand on that stsho we’ll yank loose and take your wall out! What’s going on over there?”
Prolonged silence.
“Give me that contact,” Rhif Ehrran said, and leaned on her chair back.
“Not on my bridge.”
“Stsho’s pulling out,” Haral said. “That’s outbound, vectored nadir. …”
Better news.
-“the hakkikt, Pride of Chanur, the stsho undocked without clearance Or docking assist. This is not an attack. This was not authorized. It was unprovoked.”
“Got station damage, central?”
Silence a moment. “We are authorized to report so.”
“Got a problem, don’t you, kif?”
Silence.
“Don’t provoke it,” Rhif Ehrran said. “Chanur, give me that.”
“Hhhhuh.” From Jik. “Let be. Get ship code. No contact.”
“That’s Nsthenishi,” Hilfy reported. “Comp says Rlen Nle’s its home port.”
“When rain falls up,” Ehrran said. “Stsho never give ports further in than that. Eggs’ll get you pearls it’s Llyene. That ship is straight from the capital.”
“Stsho personnel was on the dock,” Pyanfar said, “when we came in. I don’t know where it came from.”
-“Message from the hakkikt,” the voice from central said. “The situation on this station is already conducive to incidents. Your allies have been permitted contact with you. Are you prepared now to meet and negotiate face to face, or do we expect more delays?”
“No more delays. We’ll come with our weapons, kif.”
Silence. “The hakkikt says: All sides will be armed, hunter Pyanfar.”‘
“We’ll be there,” Pyanfar said. “About a quarter hour.” Rhif Ehrran leaned forward. Pyanfar brushed her aside with a forearm and stayed over the directional mike.
“Rot you-” Ehrran said.
“This is acceptable.” From the kif.
Pyanfar cut it off. “That stsho still headed?” she asked rightward.
“Still,” Haral said.
“Monitor that output.” She swung the chair about, looked up at Jik. “So we try for Tully this time.. We ready?”
“You have no authority to negotiate,” Rhif Ehrran said. “Leave this to us from here on. You got as much as you can get easily. You’d serve us better staying here.”
“Easily, huh?” At the boards the tracking and translating went on. Pyanfar stood up and stared at the backs of her crew. “Shut down to Hilfy and Chur’s posts. Shunt command to Chur, Haral. We’re going on a walk down the docks, we are.” And when Hilfy turned her chair about, mouth open. “Hilfy, niece-you’re a provocation to them, and I think .you know it. You’re staying here.”
“Aunt-” Hilfy got to her feet.