presence of Starwolf carriers in the skies above this
world helped to insure that the Union maintained an attitude of polite
indifference. And with every ship in the Wolf fleet calling here for brief
vacations, as well as the regular patrols of the Methryn, Kanis was the best
protected independent world in Union space.
It seemed like a good place for Keflyn to find a Free Trader that would take
her to Vannkarn for her meeting with the Thermopylae . It seemed unlikely
that Union spies would observe her transfer from the Methryn, at least as long
as they were discreet. Kanis was by no means immune to Union spies. Velmeran
had once faced both a Union operative and an assassin in the port of Kalennes,
on the same day.
In order to maintain the necessary discretion, the Methryn had settled
quietly into orbit and immediately began putting packs and transports down to
the surface as she would during any other port leave. Keflyn followed several
hours later, after nearly half of the Methryn’s crew had already been
down and spread out through the town for some time.
Keflyn had to wonder if she was doing the right thing. A large part of the
strength of the Starwolves lay in their numbers and organization. A Starwolf
was never alone, yet she would be completely alone for several weeks. If she
got into trouble, she would be on her own. She would be without the defense of
her armor, or the very important cooling it provided to protect her from the
oppressive heat of human environments. Above all else, her safety would be
completely dependent upon the trust she had to give to a great many people who
would help her along the way, aliens all.
“Your contact on the surface will be Iyan Makayen, Lenna’s older
half-brother,” Velmeran told her as he helped to carry her bags to the
transport that would take her down. She was dressed in human manner, in clothes
of dark, heavy cloth, and a cape to hide her Kelvessan form and lower set of
arms; her hair was worn in two loose braids to hide her pointed ears.
“Is he anything like Lenna?” Keflyn asked as she began tossing
her bags into the open hatch of the transport.
“I have not seen him in over twenty years,” Velmeran said.
“He is not of Trader stock, as Lenna’s mother was. I remember that
he was a quiet, practical man, more cautious than Lenna, but one to be trusted.
He has made arrangements for you to travel on the Free Trader Karabyn ,
which will take you through two scheduled stops before she leaves you in
Vannkarn. The Karabyn’s captain will put you in touch with the
underground in Vannkarn, and they should be able to get you on the Thermopylae .”
On the way down, Keflyn had a few minutes to think hard about her own
future. She looked upon the role of a pilot, even a pack leader, as dull and
repetitive. She certainly did not want to give up her command status as a pilot
to become an officer like her mother, but centuries could pass before she might
have a ship of her own. The only answer for her seemed to be special tactics,
and she was contemplating stepping into the role that Lenna Makayen would
be forced to vacate in only a few years. Although Keflyn did not know it, she
was cursed with her father’s leadership abilities. She possessed a quick
wit and insatiable curiosity that could never be satisfied in any role short of
the one making the rules, and if she could not be the leader then she was much
better off working on her own. She did not know that Velmeran had himself
nearly left the Methryn for special tactics, only that he had acquired such a
team in addition to his own pack in some manner that she had never considered.
She knew only that things had apparently been handed to Velmeran to
comfortably fill up the limits of his considerable abilities, not that he had
sometimes paid a bitter price for his accomplishments.
The transport landed in the small port field outside the town of Kalennes.
It was night, and they planned to use the darkness combined with
world helped to insure that the Union maintained an attitude of polite
indifference. And with every ship in the Wolf fleet calling here for brief
vacations, as well as the regular patrols of the Methryn, Kanis was the best
protected independent world in Union space.
It seemed like a good place for Keflyn to find a Free Trader that would take
her to Vannkarn for her meeting with the Thermopylae . It seemed unlikely
that Union spies would observe her transfer from the Methryn, at least as long
as they were discreet. Kanis was by no means immune to Union spies. Velmeran
had once faced both a Union operative and an assassin in the port of Kalennes,
on the same day.
In order to maintain the necessary discretion, the Methryn had settled
quietly into orbit and immediately began putting packs and transports down to
the surface as she would during any other port leave. Keflyn followed several
hours later, after nearly half of the Methryn’s crew had already been
down and spread out through the town for some time.
Keflyn had to wonder if she was doing the right thing. A large part of the
strength of the Starwolves lay in their numbers and organization. A Starwolf
was never alone, yet she would be completely alone for several weeks. If she
got into trouble, she would be on her own. She would be without the defense of
her armor, or the very important cooling it provided to protect her from the
oppressive heat of human environments. Above all else, her safety would be
completely dependent upon the trust she had to give to a great many people who
would help her along the way, aliens all.
“Your contact on the surface will be Iyan Makayen, Lenna’s older
half-brother,” Velmeran told her as he helped to carry her bags to the
transport that would take her down. She was dressed in human manner, in clothes
of dark, heavy cloth, and a cape to hide her Kelvessan form and lower set of
arms; her hair was worn in two loose braids to hide her pointed ears.
“Is he anything like Lenna?” Keflyn asked as she began tossing
her bags into the open hatch of the transport.
“I have not seen him in over twenty years,” Velmeran said.
“He is not of Trader stock, as Lenna’s mother was. I remember that
he was a quiet, practical man, more cautious than Lenna, but one to be trusted.
He has made arrangements for you to travel on the Free Trader Karabyn ,
which will take you through two scheduled stops before she leaves you in
Vannkarn. The Karabyn’s captain will put you in touch with the
underground in Vannkarn, and they should be able to get you on the Thermopylae .”
On the way down, Keflyn had a few minutes to think hard about her own
future. She looked upon the role of a pilot, even a pack leader, as dull and
repetitive. She certainly did not want to give up her command status as a pilot
to become an officer like her mother, but centuries could pass before she might
have a ship of her own. The only answer for her seemed to be special tactics,
and she was contemplating stepping into the role that Lenna Makayen would
be forced to vacate in only a few years. Although Keflyn did not know it, she
was cursed with her father’s leadership abilities. She possessed a quick
wit and insatiable curiosity that could never be satisfied in any role short of
the one making the rules, and if she could not be the leader then she was much
better off working on her own. She did not know that Velmeran had himself
nearly left the Methryn for special tactics, only that he had acquired such a
team in addition to his own pack in some manner that she had never considered.
She knew only that things had apparently been handed to Velmeran to
comfortably fill up the limits of his considerable abilities, not that he had
sometimes paid a bitter price for his accomplishments.
The transport landed in the small port field outside the town of Kalennes.
It was night, and they planned to use the darkness combined with
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