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With a graceful gesture Sisree conceded his position as a near equal in
status. Hoo-seh instantly responded with a respectful gesture that
acknowledged the inherent superiority of the queen s second.
 It is excellent to see you looking so well, Sisree said.
 And a great joy to be able to say the same to you, my lady.
Hoo-seh positioned his pedipalps in the first degree of respect. Not mere
flattery, either. He did indeed respect the lady for her political acumen as
well as her general attractivness. Also he was well aware of the esteem in
which the queen held her second. Consummate politician that he was, Hoo-seh
cultivated the second s good will.
 I find I must request an audience with her majesty, Sisree told him.  It is
a matter of some urgency, and also some secrecy. She indicated a subtle
apology for not saying more with the tilt of her head.
Hoo-seh froze momentarily in a position of intense and respectful curiosity.
 If it is her will, you must, of course, listen to what I have to tell her
majesty. I will tell her of your intense interest, First Assistant. But I
must, given the sensitive nature of my news, tell her majesty in privacy
first.
Hoo-seh bowed.  You have made contact at an opportune moment, Lady Sisree. The
queen is just finishing with her last appointment and has nothing scheduled
for another stansis.
 I will await contact, Sisree said, giving him a nod of thanks. With a click
she was once again alone with her thoughts. After a moment the lady began to
gather together all of the information the huntmaster had sent to her, as well
as her brief interview with him, and arranged it in some order, so that the
queen s questions might be answered expeditiously.
Although there wasn t, at present, any answer to the most pressing question of
all.
Were these indeed aliens?
 Well, ladies and gentlemen, Raeder said to his senior officers,  we find
ourselves in a most interesting situation. He tapped his stylus on the table
before him.  I d like to say it s unique, but unfortunately the Mollies beat
us to that.
 Sir? Booth raised his hand.
 Yes, Mr. Booth? Raeder supressed a grimace.
I knew what I was in for when I invited him to this meeting, he thought.
So I ll just have to bite the bullet and put up with him.
 Exactly what sort of threat are we operating under? The security officer
looked subdued and very serious.
 Well . . . Peter looked around the table. Everyone wore much the same
expression as the security officer. The commander cleared his throat.  We are
in fact operating under threat.
But they are very reasonable threats, he said, lifting his hands as though to
stave off objections.
 I might have known, Booth muttered.
 Mr. Booth, Raeder said, looking hard at him.  I m answering your question.
Peter waited a moment longer, until Booth s eyes reluctantly fell.
 They are escorting us to their clan home, the commander continued.  We ve
been warned that if our weapons go hot, they will assume that we intend to
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fire them and we will be fired upon. He gave Sarah a grin.  I think you
seriously impressed them out there.
The lieutenant commander smiled and blushed; around the table officers tapped
their
Academy rings in approbation. All but Booth, who didn t take his eyes from
Raeder.
 Sir, he said,  what do the Fibians intend to do with us, once they ve taken
us to their planet?
Raeder just looked at him for a moment.  Fair question, he said at last.
 Especially if one assumes that we are being taken somewhere. In fact, we re
not. We ve been invited to accompany them. Had we wanted to we would have been
permitted to leave after the battle.
 Hunh! That s what they tell us now. Sir. Now that we re doing what they want
us to do.
How do you think they d react if we just stopped right now and said we d
changed our mind?
 I honestly think they d let us go, Mr. Booth. I also think they d consider us
boors and that they might not be so welcoming next time someone from the
Commonwealth dropped in.
Peter tapped his stylus in a steady beat. He took the quiet way his officers
allowed this conversation to go on without their input to be an indication
that they, too, had reservations.
 Here s the situation, people, he said leaning forward.  We have one transit
engine down, we have one in desperate need of repair. Not to mention the
repairs needed to the hull. And we have wounded to tend. Peter looked around [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]