Winds of darkness - Part Five

		(c) 2001, Wirewolf
		(Rewritten 2/1/99)

Redics stared at the display, not sure what he was feeling.  They had found the docks, but 
not the Ti Phorus.  Now they had found the Ti Phorus, but the ship was out of their reach.  
'We could go back' kept going through his mind, but go back to what?  The way they had 
come was cut off to them.  He wondered if there might be a way through the station to 
that section of the docks.  If there was, they would need someone to guide them.

  Redics looked at Sengual.  The elderly Yrboti looked beaten.  He was leaning against 
the terminal console, his eyes closed.  His thin brown lips moved silently.  Sudden, 
unexpected empathy filled Redics.  To Sengual, this was more than an incident on some 
unremarkable station.  This was a tragedy of soul-rending proportion.

  Sengual opened his eyes and looked directly into Redics'.  To his surprise, he could 
plainly see the pain in those eyes, the unspoken anguish.

  "Will you be all right?"  Even as he asked, Redics knew it to be a foolish question, but 
he had to ask.  Asking, he knew, acknowledged the suffering.

  Sengual's expression clouded, and he turned to Zanth.  The tundra cat was looking 
around at the dirty, oily machinery, his nostrils flaring as he tried to take in the scents 
around him.

  "Zanth," Redics said quietly.  Zanth looked at him.  "Ask him if he will be all right, 
please."  Zephanthus flicked his ears in mild embarrassment and posed the question.

  "It is trying," was the eventual reply.  "I always knew something like this could happen, 
but I never thought..."  He shrugged helplessly.

  Redics understood.  He knew helplessness.  He had his own to deal with even now.  He 
looked around at the service bays and docking platforms, trying to deal with the notion 
that they might have to wait there until- until what?  Until T'yonnosh somehow made 
contact with them?

  No.  That was unacceptable.  Perhaps they had run out of options, but there was no 
reason to behave like it.  Staring at one of the docking platforms again, he began to think 
maybe their options hadn't run out just yet.

  "Sengual, do you think one of those workpod crews might take us to that section of the 
docks?"

  The Yrboti glanced at the pod crews and mechanics, who were mostly staring back.  
"You mean in one of their pods?  Outside the station?"

  "Yes.  It would only take them a few minutes to bring us to an empty berth near ours."

  Sengual considered it.  He looked at the human and the tundra cat as though sizing up 
another Yrboti' s reaction to them.  "I don' t know."  He looked directly at Redics again.  
"We can certainly ask, though."

  Sengual led them over to where a knot of pod crew were talking.  As they neared, the 
talking ceased and the staring resumed.  Sengual asked a question of the group in general.  
At first there was no response, but after further prompting several of them pointed in a 
specific direction.

  As Sengual took them in the indicated direction, Redics asked, "Where are we going 
now?"

  "To where Jadimum has his pod docked.  He is the son of a friend of mine.  If anyone 
can be convinced to help, it's him."

  The area where Sengual took them was obviously a dry-dock for workpods and tugs.  
Mechanics, tools, and machine parts were everywhere, as was the acrid smell of welding 
smoke.  The three of them had to pick their way carefully.  As he glanced briefly at some 
of the mechanics at work, it struck Redics that no one here seemed bothered by the 
explosions or the damage they had caused.  He was going to ask about this when Sengual 
stopped in front of a seemingly abandoned dock platform.  Looking around, Redics 
wondered how Sengual had distinguished it from its neighbors.

  Sengual stood on the platform and shouted down the shaft into the bowels of the 
workpod docked below.  The luxury of elevators was nonexistent here.

  Shortly, a head came over the rim of the shaft.  It was followed by perhaps the largest 
body the Yrboti race could produce.  While the young man that had appeared was at least 
a head shorter than Redics, he was by far the tallest of any Yrboti Redics had yet seen.  
He was dressed in the usual woven metal shirt and kilt.  Over this he sported a heavy 
coldsuit that barely fit him.

  The tall man was followed out by a woman of more average height.  Her skin was a few 
shades darker than the male's, but otherwise she appeared a typical Yrboti woman.  She 
wore a much better-fitting, and newer looking, coldsuit.

  Both the man and the woman stared at Redics and Zanth.  The man dragged his 
attention away only when Sengual began speaking to him.  They talked for a time.  Since 
neither one was addressing the forgotten comm in Sengual's hand, Redics got no 
translation of what was said.  All the while, the woman just stared.

  The tall one (Jadimum, Redics assumed) said a single word loud enough for the comm 
to pick up: "Impossible!"  Sengual seemed taken aback, but renewed his argument after a 
beat.  Jadimum, however, appeared unmoved.

  Sengual looked around in frustration, glanced at Redics and Zanth.  He waved for them 
to approach.

  Both Jadimum and the woman stiffened as they got closer, obviously unhappy about 
their new proximity.  Redics turned to Zanth to give him a warning, but the tundra cat 
was paying close attention and had anticipated him.  He laid down on the cold deck and 
closed his eyes sleepily, portraying as little threat as he could.

  "Jadimum says he cannot take you to your ship.  His workpod is in dry-dock for repairs 
to the navigation system."  Sengual glanced briefly at the younger Yrboti.  "I think he is 
also nervous about having an alien with him."

  Redics nodded at the woman.  "What about her?  What does she think?"  The two young 
Yrboti jumped when Zanth quietly started to speak.

  Sengual seemed confused by Redics' question.  "She is the #.  She does not make the 
final decision."

  Redics frowned.  "I missed that one.  She is the what?"

  Sengual thought a moment.  "Balance keeper.  Manager of accounts."

  Redics' frown deepened.  "An accountant?"

  With the new context, Redics' word translated to Sengual without difficulty.  "Yes.  
Accountant."

  Redics looked at her.  "Why does a workpod need its own accountant?"

  "The workpods operate independently from the station.  They compete for contracts," 
Sengual explained.  "Balances must be maintained, even in a workpod."

  "Balances, eh?"  Redics was quiet for a moment.  He reached into his pocket and pulled 
out one of the uniform ornaments the Yrboti guards at the entrance had given him.  He 
held it up between two fingers so they could all see it.  "Would this help change the 
balance in my favor?"

  Sengual held out a wrinkled hand and Redics dropped the ornament into his palm.  All 
three Yrboti studied it closely.  Sengual looked up at Redics and asked, "Where did you 
get this?"

  Redics shrugged.  "I traded my tail for it."

  Zanth's eyes opened and he looked at the human.  "You don't really want me to tell them 
that, do you?"

  Redics sighed.  "No.  Tell them it was given to me as...as a token of respect by one of 
their guards."

  Zephanthus passed the message on.  Sengual shook his head.  "That is unlikely."

  Jadimum took the ornament from him and hefted it in the palm of one hand.  Then he 
held it up to the light.  He said something to Sengual.

  "Jadimum says it's real."  Sengual took the wire-caged stone from Jadimum.  "It is a 
service medal given to people in station security.  It identifies them as such.  No one 
would give one of these away."  He paused.  Redics could feel the suspicion forming in 
the Yrboti's words.  "Where did you get this?"

  Redics knew he had jeopardized his situation by showing the ornament.  The only way 
he could think to keep things from getting worse was to tell the whole story.  He did, 
from the prank with the tail to the trading of 'gifts' with the guards.  He got the impression 
they didn't really understand about the tail.  They did understand the part they were more 
concerned with, the actions of the alleged guards.

  Once he was done explaining to them, the three Yrboti talked among themselves, once 
again forgetting the comm.  Redics did his best to be patient.

  Eventually they fell silent.  They turned to face him.  The terms 'trial' and 'verdict' 
popped into Redics' head.  He wondered briefly what he might do next if Jadimum 
refused to help.

  Jadimum said something to Redics.  He waited for Sengual to translate.  Instead, 
Sengual gave the comm to Jadimum.  Instructions were given, and Jadimum spoke again.

  "Do you have the other service medal?"

  "Yes."

  Jadimum held out his hand.  Reluctantly, since they were the only things of value he had 
to trade for passage, Redics handed over the second medal.  It was examined and 
pronounced authentic.

  "You have given us information that could help determine the identities of those 
responsible for the explosions.  Sengual tells me you work for the ICC, and that he 
believes you to be trustworthy.  I have relied on his judgment many times and seldom 
have I regretted doing so.  I will take you to the dock where your ship is berthed."

  Redics breathed a small sigh of relief.  To Zanth he quietly said, "He'll take us."

  They didn't leave immediately.  Jadimum had to shut down his repair work and ready 
the pod for the run.  Redics and Zanth watched from the platform.  As he watched, 
Redics grew concerned.  He turned to Zanth and asked him to find out how many 
passengers the pod would hold.

  "No passengers.  Just three crew: pilot, navigator, accountant.  My navigator went core-
ward to check on his family after the explosions.  You will take his place."

  Redics looked briefly at Sengual, then back down the shaft.  "Where will Zanth go?"

  Jadimum's face lifted.  "Who?"

  Redics pointed to the tundra cat.  "Him.  Where will he go?"

  The young Yrboti's expression clouded.  "I do not carry animals.  It will stay here."

  Redics sighed, having expected as much.  "Sengual, will you please explain about my 
friend here?"

  There was another disagreement between Sengual and Jadimum.  Redics got the feeling 
the arrangement was about to come apart.  The argument ended abruptly.  Jadimum was 
scowling up at Redics.

  "I am the pilot.  I need Weshoa to run navigation.  You will take the last seat.  If you can 
find room for it, then it can come.  But I cannot make any provisions for its safety.  And 
you must keep it out of our way."

  "Agreed."

  While Jadimum went back to his preparations, Redics spoke to Zanth.  "It's going to be 
an unpleasant ride.  Cramped, no gravity, no safety harness.  I'm sorry you have to go 
through this."

  Zanth's whiskers twitched.  "Better than staying here."

  When it was time to go, Redics climbed down into the pod.  It was like immersing 
himself in ice water.  The air in the workpod was even colder than the air in the docks.  
Condensation froze on every surface.  He looked around to see if there were any spare 
coldsuits laying about, but he was out of luck.

  Eventually, the four of them were packed into the tiny pod.  Jadimum and Weshoa were 
at their stations.  Redics sat in the last too-small seat with a restraining harness around 
him.  After struggling to get Zanth down the shaft and into the pod, Redics had him lay 
across his lap.  The tundra cat suffered the indignities quietly, his head pressed against a 
cold, oily bulkhead and his hindquarters wedged into a small recess where some dead 
controls were.  He had managed to squirm into a position that had the least amount of 
knobs and switches poking him.  Redics put his arms around his large chest to help 
steady him when the shift to weightlessness hit.  He ran his fingers through the thick fur 
to give what comfort he could to his friend.

  Sengual closed the upper portion of the docking shaft.  Redics had thanked him for all 
the help he had given, and now he wondered what the old Yrboti would do.

  Jadimum closed the pod's seals and separated the umbilicals.  He made quick check of 
the key systems.  He then turned his attention to the communicator Sengual had handed 
him.  He put it into a clip mounted on the control panel.  One of the most important rules 
of operating a space vehicle without artificial gravity or inertial dampers was to secure all 
loose items inside.  Anything floating around during high speed maneuvers would 
become a high speed projectile.

  Redics noticed where Jadimum had put the comm and was satisfied.  From where it was 
positioned he would get a translation for both Jadimum and Weshoa.  He thought he 
might even get what came over the pod's comm system.

  Jadimum switched on the comm and addressed some kind of traffic control personnel, 
announcing his intention to launch.  A buzzing, metallic voice came back to advise him 
against it because of the debris field still being spread by the open wounds of the station.

  Jadimum glanced at Weshoa, then at Redics.  He thanked the control personnel for the 
advice, then pushed the button to disconnect the pod.  A thundering clang made Redics 
wonder if they had already been hit by some debris.  All at once, Redics and Zanth were 
pressed briefly against the seat.  Then the laws of gravity seemed to vanish.  They were 
weightless.  Redics had to tighten his grip on Zanth to keep him from floating around 
when he moved a foreleg.

  "Maneuvering", Jadimum said loudly, and a tremendous 'woosh' was accompanied by a 
sudden reappearance of gravity.  They were slammed to starboard, Zanth's head being 
pressed against his own chest as the pod reoriented itself.

  "Kill velocity", the Yrboti said.  The jets fired again, and they shifted violently forward.  
Redics seriously wondered if velocity was the only thing Jadimum was trying to kill.

  Jadimum turned his head.  Looking over his shoulder at the human, he asked, "So where 
are we going?"

  The jets stopped firing and they were weightless again.  Stifling a groan, Redics gave 
the Ti Phorus' berth number.  After moving his head around as much as he could to 
reassure himself that his neck wasn't broken, Zanth repeated their destination.  Jadimum 
turned back to his controls.  "Firing!" he shouted.  Once again, they were thumped against 
the bulkhead.  Zephanthus hissed in annoyance.

  Glancing out the forced crystal porthole not far from his head, Redics watched the stars 
wheel in a dizzying avalanche of motion.  He could not keep himself from moaning as his 
stomach searched in vain for 'up'.

  Hearing his passenger's sounds of discomfort, Jadimum looked over at Redics again.  
He made a sound that was suspiciously similar to laughter and said, "You Alliance 
people are too dependent on those artificial gravity generators.  You always want to feel 
like you're on some nice stable planet."  Redics looked at him, his expression sour.  "The 
truth is," Jadimum continued, "the world dances differently out here.  You should 
remember that."

  Jadimum cut the thrusters.  The pod drifted across the curved horizon of the docking 
ring.  While Redics tried to help Zanth resettle after the last burn, the tundra cat met his 
eyes.  Facial expressions were not something Zanth relied on to communicate, but this 
time the message was clear.  He was very unhappy about being bounced around inside a 
primitive flying cargo can.  "I know," Redics said quietly.

  "Look," said Weshoa.  She was pointing at a section of the docking ring.

  Redics could barely make out the area she was pointing to, but as it rolled by it became 
clearer.  One of the dock seals was open, debris occasionally tumbling from the hole.  
Bent and broken struts flapped uselessly in the vacuum of space.  One of the support 
cables was waving about like a snake caught by the tail.  The severed end of it flashed 
sporadically, showing that it was the power feed for that seal.

  "Some idiot panics, pulls out and breaches an entire section of the docks," Jadimum 
muttered.  "Some outworlder, no doubt."

  Before Redics could respond, Weshoa gave a sharp retort.  The translator stumbled, 
having run up against an idiom that had no direct counterpart in English.  The effect was 
obvious though.  Jadimum said nothing more on the subject.  He even managed to look 
slightly abashed.

  A few minutes later, Jadimum spoke up again.  "At which berth did you say you were 
docked?"

  Redics told him the number again.  The Yrboti looked at him.

  "There's nothing there."

  For a time, Redics was silent.  Then he looked out the port at the docking ring.  There 
were several empty berths in the section they were now over.  Redics didn't know which 
of them the Ti Phorus was supposed to be in, but the distinctive blue and white of her 
flanks was nowhere to be seen.

  "The ship is gone from our berth," he told Zanth.  His companion became excited.  
"That means he got back to it!  He's alive!"

  Redics nodded, his expression neutral.  "Maybe."

  Zanth' s excitement dimmed.  "Maybe?"

  "Do you want to go back," Jadimum interjected, "or do you want to be left at these 
docks?"

  "No, wait."  Twisting in his seat as much as the tight restraints would allow, Redics 
looked over at the controls the others were using.  "If you let me use the comm system, I 
can call my ship and find out where it went."  Jadimum and Weshoa looked at him in 
silence.  "If my partner is aboard, he can pick us up."

  Jadimum opened his mouth to answer, but didn't get the opportunity.  A powerful thump 
shuddered through the pod's frame.  The pod reeled from the impact, slamming everyone 
around and setting off alarms.  Jadimum worked frantically to stabilize it, firing the 
thrusters at maximum.  Redics and Zanth fought as best they could against the opposing 
forces that tossed them around.

  When the pod was no longer tumbling Jadimum asked Weshoa for a damage report.  
"None," she replied.  "Whatever it was, I think it hit the port engine shield plates.

  Jadimum was quiet for a moment.  Then he looked at Redics and said, "Call your ship.  
I want to get back to the docks as soon as possible."

**************************

Outreach station spun silently on its axis twice over four minutes.  During that time 
T'yonnosh sat watching the sensor readings intently.  There was still no sign of Redics or 
Zanth.

  He leaned back in his seat, closed his eyes, laced his fingers over the bridge of his snout 
and muttered, "They simply aren't there."

  Astazhia watched him a moment before gently asking, "You searched the debris field 
thoroughly?"

  "Yes."  T'yonnosh let his hands fall to the console with a thump.  "Where are they?" he 
asked the sensor display in frustration.

  "There's only one place they could be," Astazhia told him.

  T'yonnosh looked at her, hope and doubt mingling freely within him.

  "They must be on one of the other ships in orbit around the station.  They were probably 
taken off by that transporting device you Alliance people have."

  T'yonnosh nodded, then smiled tiredly.  "You're right, of course."  He stared at the main 
viewscreen, which was showing the station and some of the larger ships in orbit.  "I can 
scan each of them until I find their ID signatures."

  He was about to move the ship closer to the Alvarado, the largest ship in orbit, when a 
sound caught his attention.  It was one of the emergency recognition signals, the 
computer's way of drawing the pilot's attention to priority information from one of the 
ship's key systems.

  For a heartbeat, T'yonnosh froze.  Flashing on his main data display was the emergency 
communications icon.  That meant an incoming message tagged with one of the priority 
passwords that only he, Redics, and Zanth knew.

  "It's them," he breathed.  He fumbled a bit with the comm controls.  The incoming 
signal was on an extremely low frequency.  It took him a moment to locate it and bring 
the receivers down to catch the distorted, static laced signal.

  "- is here, too.  We have injuries, but they're minor.  Please respond."

  Even through the distortion, he could identify Redics' voice.  "This is Redics Mlkosni, 
code priority, password is ketch."  Once again the recognition signal sounded in response 
to the password.  T'yonnosh cut into the transmission.

  "Ti Phorus responds," he said, letting some of his relief slip into his voice.  "Where are 
you, Redics?"

  "T'yonnosh?"  There was a pause followed by an audible sigh.  "Thank God.  Uh, we're 
in an Yrboti workpod orbiting the station.  How are you?"

  "Fine, considering.  Zanth is with you?"

  "Yes.  He's eager to..."  A soft, garbled voice could be heard in the background.  Redics' 
voice came back.  "Listen, we need to arrange a rendezvous as soon as possible.  This pod 
and its crew are at risk from the debris field."

  "I understand," T'yonnosh said.  He checked the sensors and got what he wanted.  "I 
have a fix on you.  I'll be there in a few minutes."

  "Fine, but don't make final approach.  Bring her to within twenty meters and go to 
station-keeping.  My benefactor here doesn't, uhh, feel comfortable letting other ships 
handle such a delicate task.  Especially larger ships."

  "I see."  T'yonnosh felt his ears perk slightly, his version of a small grin.  "Do you 
expect any trouble with the docking?"

  "Not really."  Redics' distorted voice softened so T'yonnosh had to strain to hear him.  
"The Phorus' docking collar can handle just about anything.  Even this museum piece."

  "See you soon."  T'yonnosh broke the connection and set about joining the workpod.

  "You are feeling better now?" Astazhia asked.

  T'yonnosh paused, letting the feeling of tension drain from him.  He took a few deep 
breaths, felt his pulse wind down.  He put his relief aside.  Work to do, after all.  He 
looked at her.  "Yes.  I do feel better."

  They're both alive!  The flash caught him off guard, and an almost feral grin lifted his 
lips.  He let it stay a moment, then turned back to his work.

  T'yonnosh worked the maneuvering thrusters with patient skill.  The Ti Phorus slid 
easily between the larger pieces of debris, nudged the smaller ones out of her way.  
Before long, a small canister with a chemical engine pack and a brace of tiny thrusters 
port and starboard could be seen on the viewscreen.

  T'yonnosh frowned.  He knew Yrboti space technology was barely interplanetary, but 
this so-called workpod wouldn't even have passed basic inspection for lifepods on 
Alliance ships.  He could understand why its pilot wanted to make the final approach.  
Careless contact between it and anything larger might well be fatal for the pod.

  At twenty meters, he set the thruster controls for station-keeping.  He watched the pod 
until it began its approach.  He got up from his seat and limped to the lounge.  Astazhia 
followed him.

  As he reached the doorway the sound of an argument rose up.  The principle voice was 
easy to recognize: Vages.  There were several voices, the other humans by the sound of it.  
T'yonnosh stopped in the doorway, Astazhia beside him, and watched for a minute.

  "But it's our heritage," Vages was saying vehemently.  "Humans have done better 
without the interference of aliens.  They're trying to corrupt us!"

  An exasperated Lt. Criess shook his head.  "Why would another race want to change 
humans?"

  "Because they can't conquer us."  Vages lifted his head in arrogant pride.  "We're too 
powerful, too numerous."

  "That's the kind of close-minded, one track thinking that kept the human race in the 
dark ages for thousands of years," Criess retorted.

  "That's when we were the most potent.  We were pure then."  Vages glared at the Pashii.  
"Untainted by unnatural ideas and foreign ways of behaving."

  "A species that does not grow and adapt to changes is bound to perish.  It has been seen 
to happen in other races."  Kalu regarded Vages with patience.  Benjamin Poll, the quiet 
man, stood and said, "She's right.  If we stayed to ourselves, we'd never survive."  Vages 
gave him a withering stare, and Benjamin sat down again, looking uncomfortable.

  "He's got you there," Criess told the Golimunite.

  "What?  Are you joking?  The human race would survive alone, and flourish!"

  "Oh, really?"  Criess locked eyes with him and said nastily, "Then why are you here 
instead of on Golimun Prime?"

  "I am an emissary-"

  "Yes," the lieutenant interrupted.  "An emissary to an independent colony of humans 
that has driven itself to the brink of disaster.  You fight among yourselves, you trade with 
no one and your population suffers for it.  Disease, poverty, hunger-"

  "We don' t have any problems we can' t fix by ourselves.  And we're still pure humans!"

  Keidu laughed at Vages' exclamation.  "If you have no unconquerable problems, then 
why are you an emissary?"

  "We wanted to share the benefit of our vision with other humans who could understand 
our natural superiority."

  "Humans are far better off without your 'vision'.  Keep it to yourself," Kalu told him.

  "You're betraying your own race!" Vages shouted.

  "I've heard enough," Benjamin shouted back.  "Shut up!  Just shut up! You're a 
misguided fool!"

  Advancing menacingly on him, Vages shouted even louder.  "You're the one who's 
misguided, listening to aliens-"

  "Tovash ' chetd !"

  Silence settled over the lounge like a blanket.  Everyone turned toward the genemorph.

  T'yonnosh had learned that most humanoids responded to threat sounds the same.  The 
military command he had bellowed in Demri actually meant to take cover from falling 
artillery rounds.  Nonetheless, it had the desired effect.

  In the quiet, T'yonnosh's calm voice was easily heard.  "I've made contact with my 
partner.  He's arranged to board in a few minutes.  You'll hear the docking seals 
operating.  I didn't want you to be alarmed when it happened."  He looked at the 
Thurnockt, who was still using one of the workstations.  "Any progress?"

  "I think I've located some kind of declaration of emergency.  It's being broadcast by the 
station at intervals.  Nothing else of use."

  The lieutenant spoke up.  "I'll try raising my ship.  They may have heard something."

  T'yonnosh nodded, then slowly left the lounge.  He was thankful that Vages remained 
quiet.

  Standing by the airlock to await Redics, he let his mind drift.  He was still a bit numb 
from the events that had taken place.  A simple party, a little celebration that turned into 
a sharp-edged nightmare.  He would be glad when it ended.  He needed rest.

  The Ti Phorus' grapples whined with the effort of trying to match the workpod's docking 
seal.  When the whining stopped, there was the soft hiss of air filling the space between 
the ship's outer door and the pod's seal frame.  Then, announced by a gentle chime, the 
seal was declared safe and the airlock doors opened.

  T'yonnosh blinked as an almost physical wall of cold pushed against him.  He pinched 
his nostrils closed, keeping the super-cold air from burning sensitive nasal linings.  As 
the colder air pooled around his ankles, the warm, moist air of the Ti Phorus began 
coating the pod's exposed hatch with frozen condensation.  He could hear it hiss and 
crackle as it spread.

  From within the pod came the dull thump of hatch safeties retracting.  Then, with a low 
groan, the pod's hatch swung out into the Ti Phorus' docking seal.  It stopped about 
halfway, its outer edge striking against one of the Ti Phorus' exposed grapple arms.  A 
definite clash of technologies, T'yonnosh thought with amusement.

  Through the open hatch, he could see the pod's occupants: two Yrboti in protective 
clothing and a miserable looking human hugging an equally miserable looking tundra cat 
for warmth.  He had an odd perspective of them, for the hatch was on top of the pod.  
Being outside of the Phorus' gravity field, the people inside were weightless and therefore 
oriented at a 90 degree angle to T'yonnosh's horizon.  Redics and the two Yrboti looked 
'up' at him.

  T'yonnosh got down on one knee, for the pod hatch was small and only occupied the 
bottom half of the dock seal.  The top half of the airlock door was covered by the pliant 
material of the seal itself.

  "Hello there," he said amiably.

  "Hello back," Redics said through chattering teeth.

  Zanth started to move.  He had to reorient himself because, laying across Redics' lap as 
he was, he was practically upside down to the Ti Phorus.  In the cramped interior of the 
pod, his anxious flailing drew complaints from the two Yrboti.  It took a moment for 
Redics to convince his companion to hold still a few seconds longer.  Once Zanth had 
quieted, Redics moved him around effortlessly so he was facing the open hatch.

  "Launching," he warned, and gave a sharp push against the tundra cat's rump.

  Zephanthus literally flew out of the pod and stumbled over the threshold of the Ti 
Phorus' gravity field.  His injured foreleg gave under the sudden stress and his chin met 
the carpeted deck.  He growled in irritation as he pulled himself back up into a dignified 
stance.

  Redics paused to thank the two Yrboti for their invaluable help.  T'yonnosh got the 
impression they were as glad to be rid of their company as Zanth was to leave theirs.

  Pulling himself to the threshold, Redics extended his right arm.  He had no illusions 
about the difficulties of moving into a gravity field, especially with an injury.  T'yonnosh 
took his hand and gently pulled his partner into the airlock.

  As he slid across the threshold, Redics moaned.  Moving in and out of gravity fields was 
hard on his stomach.  Once T'yonnosh had him in the airlock, he rolled onto his side, 
clutched his stomach and waited for the nausea to end.

  T'yonnosh looked him over carefully, glancing up only when he heard the hatch being 
closed.  He moved Redics' legs out of the airlock doorway and shut the outer doors.  The 
grapples and seal retracted almost immediately.

  Recovering quickly from his short bout of 'G-drop', Redics sat up.  A convulsive shudder 
gripped him briefly.  "It wasn't bad on the docks," he mumbled, as much to himself as to 
T'yonnosh.   "Even in the pod, it was bearable with Zanth against me.  But the last ten 
minutes before we docked..."  He looked up at his friend.  "It just started to eat into me."

  "Do you want a robe or a blanket until you warm up?"

  Redics just stared at him, grinning.  He put his hand on T'yonnosh's shoulder.  "Damn, 
it's good to see you."

  T'yonnosh grasped Redics' arm.  "You too."  He smiled, his ears canted outward.  More 
things were said between them, silently.

  A forceful nudge of Zanth's head into T'yonnosh's ribs got the caniform laughing.  He 
rubbed a knuckle behind the tundra cat's left ear.  "I'm glad to see you, too," he said.  His 
browline dipped in puzzlement.  He leaned closer and sniffed.  "You smell like machine 
oil."

  Feeling better, Redics stood up.  The three of them compared injuries and decided they 
had been lucky.  Redics leaned his head against the airlock wall.  Looking down his nose 
at T'yonnosh, he muttered, "Some party, huh?"

  T'yonnosh grunted, then remembered.  He lowered his voice.  "Sesh's aid, Ceetesh, was 
killed."

  Redics closed his eyes, remembering his own news.  He swallowed.  "There's a strong 
chance that... that Kitress..."  He found he couldn't say the words, but T'yonnosh 
understood.  The caniform's ears sank as Redics' head fell to his chest.

  "Poor Sesh and Dalthia," T'yonnosh said hoarsely.  "I wonder if they know."

  They stood there a while, silently replaying the events in their minds.

  "Are you the owner of this ship?"  The sound of Vages' voice startled Redics and 
angered T'yonnosh.

  "Who's this?" Redics asked quietly.

  "There were ten of us who made it out of the meeting hall and out onto the docks," 
T'yonnosh explained.  "We stumbled across an open airlock.  As luck would have it, it 
was ours."  He shrugged, then nodded at Vages' approach.  "This one is Vages Setul."

  Before he could explain further, Vages pressed close to Redics and asked again, "Are 
you the real owner of this ship?"

  Redics hesitated, not understanding what Vages meant by 'real owner' "T'yonnosh and I 
are co-owners," he replied slowly.  "You are.. ?"

  "I'm Vages Setul from Golimun Prime."  He grabbed Redics' hand and vigorously shook 
it.  His right hand, luckily.

  Having been caught off guard, it took Redics a moment to understand the significance 
of what the other man had said.  Then it hit him.

  "Golimun!" he exclaimed, pulling his hand away.

  "Yes," Vages beamed.  "I see you've heard of our colony."

  Redics looked at T'yonnosh.  The genemorph's expression was absolutely neutral, 
conveying a message which he could easily read:  See what I've been putting up with?

  He shook his head.  A Golimunite aboard their ship!  "Talk about adding insult to 
injury," he mumbled.

  "Excuse me?" said Vages.

  "No, I won't," Redics quipped, staring at him.  The other's expression darkened.  "Look," 
he added, "we'll get you safely back aboard the station, or your ship, or whatever.  In the 
meantime, I don't want you talking to me or anyone else."  When Vages tried to protest, 
he cut him off sharply.  "Not a word!  If you do, he's going to have something to say 
about it."  He pointed to Zephanthus, who had been listening intently since the first angry 
tones in Redics' voice caught his attention.  To carry off the warning, Zanth growled, 
lifting his lips enough to show his means of enforcement.

  Redics stalked off toward the lounge, T'yonnosh following.  As they rounded the 
corner, Vages heard the human say something quietly.  He missed most of what was said 
except for the word 'fumigation'.  Vages watched them go, feeling very put out.  He was 
used to being shunned by aliens who were below him and obviously jealous.  But it 
continually amazed him how blindly ignorant most of the humans he met really were.  He 
turned to stare at Zanth, not certain he believed the threat.  "How about if I talk to you 
instead, you nasty hairball?"

  Taking his cue from Redics and T'yonnosh, Zanth decided to make his opinion known 
in no uncertain terms.  He quickly reared up and planted a forepaw on each of Vages' 
shoulders.  He flexed his claws so the tips grazed that thin skin ever so lightly.  Looking 
the human directly in the eyes, he slowly shook his head 'no.'  Vages' eyes got very, very 
large.

  Back in the lounge, things had gotten quiet.  T'yonnosh made a quick round of 
introductions for Redics.  Afterward, he asked those around him if they had any idea 
where to take the wounded.

  "Sir, I think I have the answer to that problem."  The lieutenant indicated the screen of 
his workstation.  He said a few quiet words to the image on the screen, then got up to 
make room for the partners.

  As he sat down at the workstation, Redics had another flash of recognition.  The face on 
the screen was naggingly familiar, although he was fairly certain he hadn't seen the 
person before.  It was a middle aged human male with dark hair and eyes and a well-
trimmed beard lightly frosted with gray.  His expression was intense, yet his voice hinted 
at the troubles that had recently beleaguered him.

  "I'm chief engineer Joshua Roman of the ICCN Alvarado.  To whom am I speaking?"

  "I'm Redics Mlkosni."  He hesitated.  "Forgive me for asking, but where are the other 
command officers?"

  The engineer took a breath.  "The captain is injured.  He's in sick bay.  The first officer 
is missing.  The lieutenant told me you have wounded from the station aboard your 
vessel.  Do you have the means to treat them?"

  For a moment, Redics didn't answer.  The man's voice projected strength.  This was 
obviously someone used to dealing with problems head-on.  The sense of familiarity, of 
recognition, grew.

  "No," he finally said.  "We have only emergency medikits aboard.  Do you know where 
I can take these people for help?"

  "We are accepting victims in our emergency treatment ward here on the Alvarado.  We 
can transport you immediately."

  Redics looked at the people around him.  "Is that acceptable?"

  The agreement was unanimous.  He made arrangements for everyone except himself, 
T'yonnosh and Zanth to be piped over.  Leaving the Ti Phorus unattended in orbit of the 
station required some safeguards be implemented first.

  Once the others had been piped out, Redics turned to T'yonnosh.

  "Did that engineer seem familiar to you?"

  T'yonnosh cocked an ear.  "Familiar how?"

  Redics shook his head.  "I'm not entirely sure.  It just seems like I've met him before."

  "You mean like you thought you knew Ria?"

  "Yeah."  He thought a moment.  "Maybe."  He frowned slightly.

  "I've never seen him before," T'yonnosh said, "and I've never heard you mention anyone 
like him."

  "Ahh."  He waved his hands in resignation.  "Maybe I'll remember later.  Right now we 
need to set up the security programs."  He and T'yonnosh headed for the cockpit.


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This text is (c) 2001, Wirewolf
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