Keflyn declared suddenly.
When everyone turned to stare at her in mystification, she made a vague
shrugging gesture and sat down self-consciously.
Velmeran thought he understood what she was talking about. “Yes, your
premonition that you have some important task to perform. You assume that I
should send you to this colony, to find out what you can.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, that does sound like a good
idea.”
Velmeran turned to Venn Keflyn, sitting back on her tail to one side of the
table. “Have you had anything to do with this?”
“We had discussed the nature of premonitions earlier,” she
agreed. “Since my people are not subject to such admonitions, it is not
my problem.”
That left Velmeran to contemplate what he had’accomplished by having
this Valtrytian on his ship for the past twenty years. They were full of
advice, but they never seemed to give any of it.
He glanced at his daughter. “Could you give me one good reason why I
should agree to such a thing?”
“I can give you five,” Keflyn answered. “First, you have a
ship to care for and cannot go yourself. The same is true for Consherra, and
for Commander Tregloran. And Lenna Makayen is previously occupied. And it was
my idea in the first place.”
“And give me one good reason why I should send you instead of one of
the experienced members of my special tactics team like Baress?”
“Because I want to go?”
Velmeran considered that for a moment, watching her closely. “I
suppose you can go, if you are smart enough to figure out a way to get yourself
on that planet undetected.”
Keflyn thought about that for a long moment. “Well, there is a colony
on that planet, and that means a supply ship of some type. The Feldenneh have
always been supportive of the Starwolves. A colony that small might not be
served by a regular freight line or a company ship, and that would mean a
small, independent freighter. The independents have always been on our side as
well, since we protect their shipping from Union monopolies. I suppose that we
could work something out.”
“Now that is an interesting suggestion,” Tregloran remarked.
“Theralda, would you happen to know anything about that?”
“Oh, I just might,” the ship replied, as pleased with herself as
her Commander was that they had anticipated this. “The ship that services
the colony is the Thermopylae , a small, very old, and slightly
impoverished Free Trader under the command of a Jon Addesin. She makes this run
every six weeks, since the Feldenneh colony is presently exporting a fair
amount of specialty wood products back to their own worlds. If arrangements can
be made quickly, you can be on that next run.”
“Are you still interested in going?” Velmeran asked.
“Oh, certainly,” Keflyn insisted. “I mean, it could hardly
be dangerous, compared to Lenna’s expeditions. And it would be nice to
see other worlds outside the Methryn for once.”
- 3 -
Kanis was a neutral world, at least in theory. A cold, mountainous planet of
dark forests, it supported only a small population that thrived on the export
of one luxury item, the immense, soft pelts and downy wool of the native
langies, beasts of small wits and large tempers. Being independent of Union
rule, there was no trade monopoly for that one product, and Free Traders shared
the market with smaller Company ships. Since it was now late summer in the
north and late winter in the south, the second of the biannual export of wool
and pelts was still weeks away. There would be no Company ships down in the
port of Kalennes or orbiting the planet itself, nor had there been in several
months.
Kanis was a favorite world of the Starwolves, both because of its cool
climate and its relative unimportance to the Union. It was one of the rare
worlds where they could come for port leave and not have to wear their heavy
armor, or fear attack from fanatics and assassins. Of course, the benefits were
mutual. The constant
When everyone turned to stare at her in mystification, she made a vague
shrugging gesture and sat down self-consciously.
Velmeran thought he understood what she was talking about. “Yes, your
premonition that you have some important task to perform. You assume that I
should send you to this colony, to find out what you can.”
She nodded thoughtfully. “Yes, that does sound like a good
idea.”
Velmeran turned to Venn Keflyn, sitting back on her tail to one side of the
table. “Have you had anything to do with this?”
“We had discussed the nature of premonitions earlier,” she
agreed. “Since my people are not subject to such admonitions, it is not
my problem.”
That left Velmeran to contemplate what he had’accomplished by having
this Valtrytian on his ship for the past twenty years. They were full of
advice, but they never seemed to give any of it.
He glanced at his daughter. “Could you give me one good reason why I
should agree to such a thing?”
“I can give you five,” Keflyn answered. “First, you have a
ship to care for and cannot go yourself. The same is true for Consherra, and
for Commander Tregloran. And Lenna Makayen is previously occupied. And it was
my idea in the first place.”
“And give me one good reason why I should send you instead of one of
the experienced members of my special tactics team like Baress?”
“Because I want to go?”
Velmeran considered that for a moment, watching her closely. “I
suppose you can go, if you are smart enough to figure out a way to get yourself
on that planet undetected.”
Keflyn thought about that for a long moment. “Well, there is a colony
on that planet, and that means a supply ship of some type. The Feldenneh have
always been supportive of the Starwolves. A colony that small might not be
served by a regular freight line or a company ship, and that would mean a
small, independent freighter. The independents have always been on our side as
well, since we protect their shipping from Union monopolies. I suppose that we
could work something out.”
“Now that is an interesting suggestion,” Tregloran remarked.
“Theralda, would you happen to know anything about that?”
“Oh, I just might,” the ship replied, as pleased with herself as
her Commander was that they had anticipated this. “The ship that services
the colony is the Thermopylae , a small, very old, and slightly
impoverished Free Trader under the command of a Jon Addesin. She makes this run
every six weeks, since the Feldenneh colony is presently exporting a fair
amount of specialty wood products back to their own worlds. If arrangements can
be made quickly, you can be on that next run.”
“Are you still interested in going?” Velmeran asked.
“Oh, certainly,” Keflyn insisted. “I mean, it could hardly
be dangerous, compared to Lenna’s expeditions. And it would be nice to
see other worlds outside the Methryn for once.”
- 3 -
Kanis was a neutral world, at least in theory. A cold, mountainous planet of
dark forests, it supported only a small population that thrived on the export
of one luxury item, the immense, soft pelts and downy wool of the native
langies, beasts of small wits and large tempers. Being independent of Union
rule, there was no trade monopoly for that one product, and Free Traders shared
the market with smaller Company ships. Since it was now late summer in the
north and late winter in the south, the second of the biannual export of wool
and pelts was still weeks away. There would be no Company ships down in the
port of Kalennes or orbiting the planet itself, nor had there been in several
months.
Kanis was a favorite world of the Starwolves, both because of its cool
climate and its relative unimportance to the Union. It was one of the rare
worlds where they could come for port leave and not have to wear their heavy
armor, or fear attack from fanatics and assassins. Of course, the benefits were
mutual. The constant
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