Generation Warriors by Anne McCaffrey, Elizabeth Moon Page B
Authors: Anne McCaffrey, Elizabeth Moon
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indulged herself, as she rarely could anymore, and brought the cruiser in herself, easing it to the gantry so gently that no one detected contact until the status lights changed color.
"Nice job!" said the station Dockmaster, a Weft. "We'll have air up in the tubes in a few minutes. Is your passenger ready to transfer?"
"Ready when you are."
Dupaynil would leave by one of the small hatches, an airlock on the second flight deck. Even with a Fleet facility, Sassinak didn't like opening up real interior space to a possible pressure loss. She glanced at Dupaynil, visible on one of the side screens, and flicked a switch to put him on-channel.
"They're airing up the tube. Sure you don't want a pressure suit?"
"No thank you."
He had already explained how he felt about pressure suits. Sassinak was tempted to teach him a lesson about that, but under the circumstances she wanted their parting to be as friendly as possible.
"Fine... we're standing by for your departure signal." She could see, in the monitor, the light above the hatch come on, flick twice, and steady to green,
"On my way," said Dupaynil. Then he paused, and faced the monitor-cam squarely. "Commander? I did not intend to cause you trouble and I have no idea what that initiation code means to you. You may not believe me, but I have no desire to see you hurt."
And I have a great desire to see your back going off my ship, thought Sassinak, but she smiled for his benefit. "I'd like to believe you, and if that's true, I hope we serve together again someday. Have a good trip. Don't let those Seti use you for nest padding."
When the status lights confirmed that Dupaynil was safely off the ship and into the station, Sassinak breathed a sigh of relief. Now she could tell Ford what she was up to—or enough for him to help her with the last of Dupaynil's maneuver. That involved a bit of straight talking to the escort captain, on the need for immediate departure, and the importance of keeping his mouth firmly shut. Sassinak kept the Zaid-Doyan linked to the station until the escort broke away.
* * *
"And just how did you manage that ?" Ford had waited just long enough for her to engage her office's privacy circuits. Sassinak grinned at him. "And don't bother to look innocent," he went on. "I don't know how you did it, but you must have."
"Let's just say that someone who's spent her career on ships knows a bit more about them than a Security office rat."
"And you're not going to explain, eh?"
"Not entirely. Would you trust Dupaynil to have unclipped whatever bugs he's set out on this ship?"
"Mmm. I see."
"And you are smart enough to figure out everything you need to know. You can think about it while looking up your remarkable relative."
"But what about the depositions? I can't leave now!" His face changed expression suddenly. "Oh. The only one who knew about those orders is... Gods above, Captain, what did you do ?"
"Used the resources available to make appropriate dispositions of personnel in a situation of extreme delicacy," said Sassinak crisply. "And that's all I'm going to say about it. Your assignment is to uncover whatever links you can between the suspect merchant families and planet piracy and the slave trade. On my orders, by my assessment that this need overrides any other orders you may have heard about."
"Ummm... yes, ma'am,"
"Good. Dupaynil, meanwhile, is supposed to be investigating the Seti and their connection with all this nastiness. I have heard, from time to time, that the Sett expressed sympathy with the heavyworlders for having been the victims of genetic engineering. You remember that they believe all such activity is wrong and refuse any kind of bioengineering on their own behalf. They're also known to hate Wefts, although no one seems to know why, and the Wefts won't comment."
"I've never understood why the Sett came into the Federation at all," Ford said. He seemed glad enough of a detour.
"Let Dupaynil worry about that," Sassinak
"Nice job!" said the station Dockmaster, a Weft. "We'll have air up in the tubes in a few minutes. Is your passenger ready to transfer?"
"Ready when you are."
Dupaynil would leave by one of the small hatches, an airlock on the second flight deck. Even with a Fleet facility, Sassinak didn't like opening up real interior space to a possible pressure loss. She glanced at Dupaynil, visible on one of the side screens, and flicked a switch to put him on-channel.
"They're airing up the tube. Sure you don't want a pressure suit?"
"No thank you."
He had already explained how he felt about pressure suits. Sassinak was tempted to teach him a lesson about that, but under the circumstances she wanted their parting to be as friendly as possible.
"Fine... we're standing by for your departure signal." She could see, in the monitor, the light above the hatch come on, flick twice, and steady to green,
"On my way," said Dupaynil. Then he paused, and faced the monitor-cam squarely. "Commander? I did not intend to cause you trouble and I have no idea what that initiation code means to you. You may not believe me, but I have no desire to see you hurt."
And I have a great desire to see your back going off my ship, thought Sassinak, but she smiled for his benefit. "I'd like to believe you, and if that's true, I hope we serve together again someday. Have a good trip. Don't let those Seti use you for nest padding."
When the status lights confirmed that Dupaynil was safely off the ship and into the station, Sassinak breathed a sigh of relief. Now she could tell Ford what she was up to—or enough for him to help her with the last of Dupaynil's maneuver. That involved a bit of straight talking to the escort captain, on the need for immediate departure, and the importance of keeping his mouth firmly shut. Sassinak kept the Zaid-Doyan linked to the station until the escort broke away.
* * *
"And just how did you manage that ?" Ford had waited just long enough for her to engage her office's privacy circuits. Sassinak grinned at him. "And don't bother to look innocent," he went on. "I don't know how you did it, but you must have."
"Let's just say that someone who's spent her career on ships knows a bit more about them than a Security office rat."
"And you're not going to explain, eh?"
"Not entirely. Would you trust Dupaynil to have unclipped whatever bugs he's set out on this ship?"
"Mmm. I see."
"And you are smart enough to figure out everything you need to know. You can think about it while looking up your remarkable relative."
"But what about the depositions? I can't leave now!" His face changed expression suddenly. "Oh. The only one who knew about those orders is... Gods above, Captain, what did you do ?"
"Used the resources available to make appropriate dispositions of personnel in a situation of extreme delicacy," said Sassinak crisply. "And that's all I'm going to say about it. Your assignment is to uncover whatever links you can between the suspect merchant families and planet piracy and the slave trade. On my orders, by my assessment that this need overrides any other orders you may have heard about."
"Ummm... yes, ma'am,"
"Good. Dupaynil, meanwhile, is supposed to be investigating the Seti and their connection with all this nastiness. I have heard, from time to time, that the Sett expressed sympathy with the heavyworlders for having been the victims of genetic engineering. You remember that they believe all such activity is wrong and refuse any kind of bioengineering on their own behalf. They're also known to hate Wefts, although no one seems to know why, and the Wefts won't comment."
"I've never understood why the Sett came into the Federation at all," Ford said. He seemed glad enough of a detour.
"Let Dupaynil worry about that," Sassinak
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