travel from the planet.
And there are Heeyoons on the inner-system space station--I knew there was something else." He snapped his fingers; Bast made a low, grumbling noise, then subsided again. "You remember Silvermuzzle?"
Magdalena nodded. "Graduated last year, went back to Arrrouhl, his homeworld, to write up Professor Grey shine's notes on that dig here."
"Well, he's finished that project and his family's sending him to Arekkhi; in another month or so, he'll be on the station, working on trade agreements."
"And there's always Dana," she reminded him. "You know: Dana Marshall, pilot and tech expert. She's two years older than I but we get on great; I heard from her just before the CLS sent her to the jump point station to get the communications network up."
"I'd forgotten about that."
"She'll be there a while, if I need more human company. But I bet I won't have time to feel lonely. I like Alexis, after all. And I won't feel out of place.
There's Khyriz, and
40
Shiksara's told me so much about her family that I already feel I know them."
"Mmmmm." Rob stared off into the middle distance, over her head; Magdalena found she was holding her breath. If he decides not to let me go ...! When the psychologist cleared his throat, she jumped. "Tell you what,"
he said finally. "I made a couple of FTL calls to Shassiszss Station before you got here--because of the unusual circumstances--and they told me that it's my decision, to send you or not." Another silence.
She slid forward, onto the edge of the chair. "Do you want my input?" I can't believe I'm talking like this! Like--like I could convince him if he's already wavering, or something! But her voice sounded just fine--neither scared nor excited. "My feelings?"
"Sure," he replied, his voice noncommittal, but his eyebrows went up as she drew herself straight and began ticking off points with the fingers of her right hand, the way he had. It wasn't lost on him; he eyed her fingers, then winked.
Magdalena grinned, briefly relaxed. "Well, then. You can send Alexis by herself for the time being, but since it's a new post, that would be an awful lot of extra pressure on her. You could ask the Arekkhi to wait for their team until Ladessa's well enough to travel, maybe let her finish her physical therapy on the ship, but it sounds to me as if the Council would see the delay as an insult, another indication that they're a second-class world. And that would make more problems for the interrelator when she finally arrives."
Rob's eyebrows went up. "Good point," he conceded.
"You could find someone else to send as translator, but there are only so many beings here who speak Arekkhi with fair fluency, and only a handful of us who are fluent in language, gesture, intonation, and movement--dance.
Silvermuzzle was good before he left, but he's been away from it awhile, he'd be rusty. And he's got two left feet, unfortunately. And"--she shrugged--"I suppose you could send someone with a lot of skill at diplomacy and a voder, but a voder isn't good for movement, which is a whole major part of their language. Voders aren't great at the subtler bits of intonation shift, 41
either, not with the Arekkhi language." She considered this; fought the urge to say something else that would probably sound rambling and disorganized at best, and desperate to go at worse. Rob is in charge of a very serious decision here; he won't let you go just because you really want to and Khyriz wants you there.
"Good points," he said finally. "And, of course, we do have Ladessa to send in after her regen, if you feel uncomfortable, or in over your head. At the very worst, it would be a six-month hiatus from classes. Including ballet," he added with a wicked smile. "And David...."
Magdalena cast her eyes up. "Sure, tempt me," she mumbled.
"You're aware Madame intends to send vid of last night's performances to several of the touring dance companies?"
"I--knew that. She told us at the pre-dress rehearsal.
And there are Heeyoons on the inner-system space station--I knew there was something else." He snapped his fingers; Bast made a low, grumbling noise, then subsided again. "You remember Silvermuzzle?"
Magdalena nodded. "Graduated last year, went back to Arrrouhl, his homeworld, to write up Professor Grey shine's notes on that dig here."
"Well, he's finished that project and his family's sending him to Arekkhi; in another month or so, he'll be on the station, working on trade agreements."
"And there's always Dana," she reminded him. "You know: Dana Marshall, pilot and tech expert. She's two years older than I but we get on great; I heard from her just before the CLS sent her to the jump point station to get the communications network up."
"I'd forgotten about that."
"She'll be there a while, if I need more human company. But I bet I won't have time to feel lonely. I like Alexis, after all. And I won't feel out of place.
There's Khyriz, and
40
Shiksara's told me so much about her family that I already feel I know them."
"Mmmmm." Rob stared off into the middle distance, over her head; Magdalena found she was holding her breath. If he decides not to let me go ...! When the psychologist cleared his throat, she jumped. "Tell you what,"
he said finally. "I made a couple of FTL calls to Shassiszss Station before you got here--because of the unusual circumstances--and they told me that it's my decision, to send you or not." Another silence.
She slid forward, onto the edge of the chair. "Do you want my input?" I can't believe I'm talking like this! Like--like I could convince him if he's already wavering, or something! But her voice sounded just fine--neither scared nor excited. "My feelings?"
"Sure," he replied, his voice noncommittal, but his eyebrows went up as she drew herself straight and began ticking off points with the fingers of her right hand, the way he had. It wasn't lost on him; he eyed her fingers, then winked.
Magdalena grinned, briefly relaxed. "Well, then. You can send Alexis by herself for the time being, but since it's a new post, that would be an awful lot of extra pressure on her. You could ask the Arekkhi to wait for their team until Ladessa's well enough to travel, maybe let her finish her physical therapy on the ship, but it sounds to me as if the Council would see the delay as an insult, another indication that they're a second-class world. And that would make more problems for the interrelator when she finally arrives."
Rob's eyebrows went up. "Good point," he conceded.
"You could find someone else to send as translator, but there are only so many beings here who speak Arekkhi with fair fluency, and only a handful of us who are fluent in language, gesture, intonation, and movement--dance.
Silvermuzzle was good before he left, but he's been away from it awhile, he'd be rusty. And he's got two left feet, unfortunately. And"--she shrugged--"I suppose you could send someone with a lot of skill at diplomacy and a voder, but a voder isn't good for movement, which is a whole major part of their language. Voders aren't great at the subtler bits of intonation shift, 41
either, not with the Arekkhi language." She considered this; fought the urge to say something else that would probably sound rambling and disorganized at best, and desperate to go at worse. Rob is in charge of a very serious decision here; he won't let you go just because you really want to and Khyriz wants you there.
"Good points," he said finally. "And, of course, we do have Ladessa to send in after her regen, if you feel uncomfortable, or in over your head. At the very worst, it would be a six-month hiatus from classes. Including ballet," he added with a wicked smile. "And David...."
Magdalena cast her eyes up. "Sure, tempt me," she mumbled.
"You're aware Madame intends to send vid of last night's performances to several of the touring dance companies?"
"I--knew that. She told us at the pre-dress rehearsal.
Similar Books
![Amanda Scott - [Border Trilogy Two 02]](https://fs.collectorofbookboyfriends.com/540299/thumbs/152x264/amanda-scott-border-trilogy-two-02.jpg)
