Alarm sounded in Kenmuir. She shouldn’t have spoken so. It made the matter seem important.
Packer smiled, a white flash against brown skin. “My pleasure, seflorita.” His look upon her was frankly appreciative. She gave it back with an interest that Kenmuir told himself should not annoy him.
Parker’s glance turned his way. The man went serious. “Troth,” he added, almost too low to hear through the hubbub.
Filled, the coach decoupled from the gangtube and slipped forward, swiftly out of sight. Its twin came after, to halt and accept the rest of the party.
Impulse overwhelmed Kenmuir. “You’ve gone above and beyond the call, Sam.”
“Nan. We’re Fireball, aren’t we?”
Wistfulness dwelt in the words. Packer’s father was only a public relations agent for the Space Service, and the son had found a career only as a live musician
half a career, as infrequent as engagements were, although added to his credit the earnings let him live rather well. But Packers had been in Fireball and of it since Enterprises days.
Luck, getting hold of him and the loyalty in him. Or, no, not really. It was chance that the first airbus out of St. Louis had been to Twincity, a fairly quick groundway ride from Winnipeg. However, Fireball folk were scattered around the planet, and Kenmuir knew several of them well enough to believe they’d take him and his companion in and give help without asking questions. He could have tried someplace else, hoping not to be caught in transit.
Packer shrugged. “And, what the Q, I enjoyed your visit,” he added. “The tickets are nothing. Pay me back whenever it’s convenient, or stand me dinner the next time we meet.”
He had declined immediate cash compensation, remarking shrewdly, “I’ve a hunch you may be a tad low in that department right now.” What counted was his debiting the fares to himself, leaving no trace of Kenmuir and Aleka for the system to smell out. At the previous two stages of the journey the machines had accepted bills, of course, but Venator might order every transaction of that unusual sort reported to him.
If it led him here and he decided on an intensive investigation, it might well point him to Packer.
“Someday, Sam, if things go as they should, I’ll explain this to you,” Kenmuir mumbled.
“When they have gone that way, I’ll be interested,” Packer answered. He was intelligent, he knew something was damnably amiss, and that counted most of all.
“Maybe I’d better say adios,” he suggested. “I’ve been thinking about a vacation trip, just me alone to wherever I take a notion.”
Kenmuir caught his hand. “Clear orbit.” Packer squeezed hard. Tears stood forth in the dark eyes. The men let go. Aleka threw her arms about him and kissed him.
He responded heartily and departed with a smile.
“Wonderful kanaka,” she breathed.
“Fireball the whole way through,” Kenmuir said.
She cocked her head and regarded him for a second. “Then you do understand the Lahui Kuikawa. Don’t you?”
He could merely nod.
The second coach drew away. A lesser carrier arrived and stopped. Being empty, it must have been shunted in from a local cylinder to accommodate the assorted sovre who now boarded. Aleka and Kenmuir could have been among them.
A mini came and took on a man, woman, child, doubtless a family who wanted to travel by themselves.
Three more minis let their riders off. Aleka’s hand stole into Kenmuir’s.
Another appeared. “Number 7” stood on the side and sounded melodiously from a speaker. Alekastarted to run, curbed it, and walked step by step alongside Kenmuir. Ahead of them, the gangtube made ‘ connection to the carrier’s airlock. Valves opened at either end. They passed their cards through the gatepost and went on in. Valves shut. The gangtube withdrew. The mini accelerated, smoothly but gaining speed moment by moment. In the windows, the station fell from view. A glimpse of handsome old buildings went by, then the prairie lay open everywhere around.
Aleka let out her breath in a gust. “Free!”
“For now,” Kenmuir said.
She laughed. “Don’t be such a glumbum. How long to Pacific Northwest, ten hours? If they haven’t figured out where we got to, they’ll scarcely be waiting at the other end. And from there it’s a hop on the hydrofoil to Victoria, no?”