“Aye.”
“Run it. That and the one with Sikkukkut.–We’ve been getting a lot of offers, cousins. On all sides.”
It was a long, long silence on the bridge, except for that thread of sound. Operations interrupted it. Pyanfar listened with one ear and winced now and again, kept The Pride running, tried not to think what Hilfy was going to say. Or what the translator was doing with it in Tully’s ear.
Tc’a. Tc’a. Methane-breathers were upset, Jik had said.
Jik had been out in the station at large. In secret. Conniving with gods knew what agencies; and tc’a were high on the list of possibilities.
Right along with Sikkukkut.
The tape finished. There was silence after, too.
“I’ve got us into a mess,” Pyanfar said. “One gods-be mess. I thought you’d like to know just what kind.”
“Sounds like-” Tirun said, “sounds like Jik’s right. We were born involved. Being Chanur. When we get home-I’m betting we won’t find the han what we left.”
“I’m betting we won’t,” Pyanfar said. “But what is, nowadays?”
Another long silence.
“Well, I’m with you,” Tirun said.
“Same,” Chur said; and: “Same,” her sister said.
“Aunt, I-”
“Maybe you want to think about it, niece.”
The beep and tick of instruments went on. Tc’a matrix came up as comp sorted it, but it was all the same.
“Tully,” Pyanfar said, “you understand even half of it?”
“I hear some.”
Pyanfar could not see his face, saw only a shadowy reflection in a monitor, one un-hani silhouette.
“I hani,” he said. “I hani.”
She blinked, thinking that through. But it made a warm spot all the same. “Khym,” she said.
“My opinion?” he said. A great sigh gusted into com, a low rumbling. “Pity Ehrran’s Immune.”
“But they are,” Hilfy said. “They’ll go at father. They’ll go for him at home. We may not have Chanur any more.”
“I figure,” said Pyanfar, “I figure Kohan Chanur’s still no easy mark, niece. My brother and your father’s no fool. Neither’s any of our sisters, to let the bastards maneuver them out of the house. They’ll be holding on. Long as we’re in space, long as there’s Chanur ships loose to worry about- Naur and her pets’ll use some caution about dirty tricks. Kohan can still take anything that I know about, if the fight’s fair.”
And she thought of Khym when she said it, and felt an old pang of guilt: If I’d been home when Kara challenged him, if I’d been there to prevent hangers-on from interfering-
Khym might still be lord in Mahn if she had been home-if she had come blasting in for him the way Chanur clan had rallied for Kohan Chanur against her son Kara Mahn. Khym might not be in exile now if she had been there-even alone. Even when the rest of his wives and sisters and daughters deserted him. She might have stood by him against their son and their blackguard daughter. Chanur might then have had its best ally intact, in Khym lord Mahn. And the likes of Ehrran would not have risen and the world would not have changed.
“Nav fix positive,” said Haral.
“Wonder if that tc’a up there understands the flight plan,” Tirun said.
“We’ll find out, I guess,” said Geran. “Want to lay bets against, na Khym?”
“She’s cheating again,” Tirun said. “She always collects.”
“We got formation behind us,” Haral said. “The kif are making mark. Looks like we’re really going.”
“Looks like,” Pyanfar said. Her nerves tingled. Her forearm shed fur on the panel-edge. Sheer terror. Doubtless the rest of them were flutter-nerved as well.
“I’m with you,” Hilfy said hoarsely.
“Thanks, niece.-Stand by, everybody. We’re coming up on jump. Tully. You better use the drugs. Help him, Chur. Make sure he’s out.”
“Aye,” Chur said.
She punched in all-ship. “Kif-Skkukuk. Get ready: we’re going for jump.”
“I offer you your enemies.
“Fine, that’s real fine, kif.” She broke the contact quickly. A vague guilt still gnawed at her. For a kif.
As well talk to the walls. It talked good hani; they talked good hani back to it; and nothing intelligible got said to either mind.
I offer you your enemies.