Long View - Zelde M'Tana Part 13

Tzane nodded. "Surely. There's no need for you to go back, just because 1 do.

You can get rides with the others."

Zelde chuckled. "Or walk it, if we had to." She put a hand to her belt. "Yeah, my handlight's here."

Rooster shook his head. "Not me. Hard day on watch, I had. Harger found what was wrong with the adjustments on the Nielson cube. Little dent in a waveguide elbow- 114 probably what knocked the old one out of balance. Anyway, we had to take loose half the fixtures to get it out- and then put 'em all back." He shrugged. "But at least now it's fixed. Anyway-you two go raise all the h.e.l.l you want, but I'm going back to the ship."

He and Turk kissed, and he got into the car with Lera. Turk and Zelde waved after them as the woman drove away. Then they turned and walked downslope.

Turk said, "Zelde? Remember what I said before, about this contacting thing being all mine?"

Zelde nodded. "Sure. Why?"

"Because with just the two of us, it's even more important. You mustn't notice where I'm looking, or who at, or what little moves I might make, or they might.

Because if you notice, somebody else may spot you doing it. The wrong somebody else."

It took Zelde a minute to figure how this had to work; then she grinned. "I think I got it. It's not I don't know you, woman; it's just, I don't pay you much heed."

Turk squeezed Zelde's arm. "That's close. Closer is, you don't heed anything that might strike you as unusual, if you did." Another squeeze. "Try not to forget that. Zelde."

She nodded; fair enough. Now she thought about it, this wasn't much different from one time, early days with Hon-cho's Kids, he'd had her sit decoy. It had worked, too.

And anything she'd done before, Zelde figured, she could do again.

They found the two cars parked in front of a bar; the place looked a little better than Ba.r.s.e's. Turk nodded toward it. "Want to go in, say h.e.l.lo?"

Zelde was thinking about it when someone hailed them. "Hey, Zelde-Turk!

Come on in." Carlo Mauragin, holding a gla.s.s of jash, stood at the door.

Zelde shrugged. "Might as well, Turk." They joined him, and all three went inside. Carlo got a load on fast, Zelde thought; he drained his gla.s.s and put an arm around each woman. Heading for a table toward the rear, he called, "Hey, team! Look who I found."

Looking up, Adopolous didn't seem too pleased-but then he smiled and said, "Pull up some chairs and sit down." Young Mauragin took two chairs from a vacant table and fussed until everyone had seats.

115.

Zelde looked. Drinks scattered all around the table, with a big pitcher of beer and a smaller one of jash. Several extra gla.s.ses; she took one. Mauragin poured her beer, and Turk's.

After a quick scan of the place-it was clean, well lit, not really crowded-Zelde paid more attention to the group. Of the Engineering people she knew Harger and his first, Juvier, who called himself black but had light tan skin. The young redhaired Chief rating, she didn't know.

Dopples had his arm around another redhead, this one female and slim, probably in her bio-thirties. Zelde remembered her from the hold, but hadn't known her to talk to. She wondered what the First Hat's two blondes would say. Well, that was none of her business-and as though he read minds. Dopples was staring at her.

"Where's Tzane?" Now he looked at Turk. "And your man? I thought you all came in town together."

Was he drunk already? No-just being feisty. Zelde said, "They went back to the ship. We all were, but when you came past, Turk and I decided to stay a while.

Figured we could ride up with you, if that's okay."

After a moment the man nodded. "Sure. Sure, M'tana. If it's all right with Parnell, it is with me, too."

"With Ragir?" Zelde frowned. " 'Course it is." Parnell, as a matter of fact, had told her he was going to bed early- and for her not to wake him if she got back and found him asleep. She thought for a moment, and decided she'd said enough.

A waitress brought more drinks-trair, mostly. The woman's black dress, skin-tight, covered her from chin to ankles-except for a cutout that exposed most of her left breast. From the pierced nipple hung a tiny bell that tinkled when she moved. Her face was made up in dead white; her pale hair, cut all around exactly at the hairline, was lacquered flat to her scalp.

When she left. Zelde said, "They go in for fancy getups here, don't they?" Then she turned to Dopples and told him, quoting Rooster, what she knew about trair.

He raised one eyebrow; then he grinned. "Far Corner, sure-I remember now. They called it something else there-something-vine I think. I barely tasted it, myself, but my buddy went ape-rape on the stuff. No fun getting 116.

him back to the ship." Dopples nodded. "Right. Let's all watch it with the trair."

The redhead blinked and looked at him. "How 'bout me?"

His hand moved on her thigh-then out of sight, under the table's edge. ''Don't worry about a thing, Darlene- you, I'll be watching." Again Zelde wondered about the twin blondes. Coming on like a real stud, Dopples is!

The place got noisier. Feeling her own drinks some, Zekle looked around to see how the others were doing. Well, Darlene was getting soggy and didn't care, but she was Dopples' problem. And Carlo Mauragin was flying with one wing over his head, for svire. But she noticed he'd pushed his gla.s.s of trair away and was back to beer; he'd make it, probably. No one else seemed out of shape. She nodded; it was going along all right.

She sat, not talking much or noticing what was said, watching folks at other tables and the odd getups of the women who brought drinks-and now and then, food also.

She felt the stay-sober part of earlier trair wearing off, and decided the remaining booze load wasn't all that bad. She took one of two neglected gla.s.ses of trair to sip along with her mug of beer.

Over at the far side, a fight started, and they all watched while the bartender sent three heavies to break it up.

Two beers later, Zelde admitted to herself that she. was bored to h.e.l.l and gone.

"Whyn't we blow out somewheres else?" Only Turk noticed; she nudged Zelde's elbow and nodded toward the entrance. Zelde grinned. "Sure. Let's go." But when the two worked their way between crowded tables and stood just outside the door, the others had followed. Darlene, with Dopples' arm around her, sagged a little.

And n.o.body was saying anything. Without any special purpose, Zelde pointed to a side street. "Let's go that way."

Dopples said, "Taking charge, M'tana?"

She felt her face go hot. "No. Just suggesting, was all."

After a moment he said, "All right. Why not?" And the group, not walking very fast, set out along the graveled street.

On the main road, a lamp hung above each street corner. Here, there was only light from buildings. Terranova's 117.

biggest moon, smaller than Earth's and not as bright, wasn't up yet. Zelde tried to remember when it should be rising, and couldn't. In the dark, on the rough footing, one or another sometimes stumbled.

Here the buildings were separate, not making a solid front. They came to a vacant area to their right; just past it, light came from an open doorway. As they got closer, sounds came, also. "Drink stop, everybody!" said Carlo Mauragin. He stepped forward and led the way inside.

Peering in, Zelde said to Turk, "This makes Ba.r.s.e's place look good." But she shrugged and followed the rest into the dingy room. The low ceiling trapped smoke, which didn't help what lighting there was. Spread out at four of the room's tables, less than a dozen people sat.

Mauragin moved to the far right corner, and found a table larger than most. The others followed, and now Zelde noticed that there were only six of them; Dopples and his redhead were missing.

She looked back to the door, then to the others-and saw Carlo Mauragin grinning. "The First Hat? He and Darlene took a little detour, back alongside the building. I expect they'll be along after a while."

Not my idea of a good place for it, Zelde thought, but none of my business, either.

A woman-beefy, red-faced, with dark hair hanging in a greasy braid-brought drinks. In this place Zelde ordered beer in a sealed container and ignored the streaked gla.s.s set beside it. Most of the others did the same, but Carlo drank jash.

The original customers didn't talk much; the noise Zelde had heard from outside was absent now. She looked at the occupied tables more closely.

Everybody in old clothes, for one thing. Work outfits, mostly-worn a lot and not too clean, either. Except for the couple at the far left-clean and neat, with the wom- an's hair in fussy little curls, they looked out of place. And as Zelde thought this, the two stood and left.

The three men and one woman at the table nearest the bar-they could have been sitting there for a week. And the rest-the other two tables-well, the light was too dim to see much. Zelde got another beer, and wondered when Dopples would come in, so that maybe she could suggest leaving this pigpen.

118.

Carlo Mauragin stood, weaving a little, and wandered across the room and out a door. After a while he came back and sat again. "Anybody has to go," he said, "it's outside."

Not really needing to, Zelde decided to take care of the ch.o.r.e anyway. She went out the door and found that when Carlo said "outside," that was exactly what he meant. And a light over the door-she could see all around for maybe ten meters.

Back over that way, though-past the corner of an unlit shack. . . .

Once around that corner, she couldn't see a thing. She took two more steps, heard something behind her, started to turn-and from both sides, unseen hands grabbed and held her. A heavy body against her on the right-no clue how big the other was, but the grip was strong.

She braced to move; anger drove out the haze from drink. A shadow moved in front of her; something caught at the wig and pulled it, to the left and over her eyes.

She shook her head and kicked to the right, raking her heel down the shin to stomp the instep. Impact and gasp told her she'd guessed the stance right; the hands loosened.

Now, then-but before she could follow through and break the other's hold, something tore at her right ear. Pain! She moved with the brutal tug and tried to shake free; she heard another gasp, but more like surprise than hurt.

The pull wrenched her ear again; she slammed an elbow into the one at her left and tried to-No! At her ear, sharp stinging pain-then again, and the terrible pull was gone. Warmth wet the side of her neck, and she knew she bled. With her right arm free, she pulled the wig off and threw it down-and now, only a little in the dim light, she could see.

The bearded figure ahead of her held a knife-and in the other hand, her severed earlobe, gold ring and all. He came at her again, reaching. Still held from the left, she braced against that hold and kicked out-both feet-the knife flew loose and the man bent double.

The one to her right still pawed at her-the left-hand one was only hanging on.

Why, these can't fight! And with a shout-half scream, half roar-Zelde attacked.

Within seconds, two were down and not moving. But the third, the one with her flesh and her gold ring, was up now 119.

and scuttling away. Panting, she scrambled for the dropped knife and threw it. She heard a thunk and no clatter, so she knew she hadn't missed, but the figure reached the corner of a shed and disappeared around it. From the darkness at her right a new shape came, running, and followed the first. Pulling out her own knife, she ran after. But rounding the corner she saw only darkness-and, stifling her own panting to listen, heard no sound of movement. Belatedly she reached for her handlight, but it was gone-knocked loose in the scuffle, likely.

Well, the sumbidge had got away clean-but who had followed him? One of the other two? But she'd thought- she went back to see.

No-she hadn't botched the jobs, either of them. One man's clutching hands hid his crushed throat. The other lay face down, so she couldn't see the ruined eye that had shocked him out of whatever defense he knew. The sound of her chop to his nape had told her he was dead, and he was. AH right-but that didn't give her back the ear. She sheathed her knife.

Now, pulse calming, she had to take stock. Her ear throbbed, pain burning. Blood still ran down her neck. She wadded a piece of cloth and held it to the wound, then found the wig and pulled it on, so that it held the dressing in place. Nothing more, for now, she could do about that part.

She looked at the two dead men. Robbers-maybe she wasn't their first pigeon, tonight. Then she shrugged-any loot they might have, she didn't want it.

She started back toward the tavern, then realized she hadn't done what she'd come out for. So, first on one man's head and then on the other's, she did it.

A light flashed at her; against it, she squinted. "Now what's this?" She knew the voice but couldn't place it. Standing, she shaded her eyes and tried to see past the light.

"Who . . . ?"

"We met this afternoon. Your Second Officer vouched for you, but now I'm not so sure. I asked you once-what's this all about?"

The Policeb.i.t.c.h! Now Zelde regretted her moment of 120.

petty spite against dead men. What to say-what could she say? At least she hadn't been found looting the bodies!

She wet her lips, and winced; somewhere during the fight, she'd bitten the lower one badly. "I-they jumped me. Three of them. The one that cut me, got away." She turned the b.l.o.o.d.y side of her neck to the other's handlight, then gestured toward the ground. "These two didn't, though."

She took a step forward; the light jerked. "No-don't move, you. I'll have a look."

The light came closer. "You're cut, all right." Then the light and its holder moved to the corpses. A hand turned one over, to show the face. Yes-she'd got that eye good and proper, Zelde had.

The Policeb.i.t.c.h straightened, and stood a pace from Zelde. "You were alone in this?" Zelde nodded. "In this part of town, by yourself?"

"No." She pointed to the tavern. "We were in there. I came outside for a minute, to-"

The other's comment was part snort, part chuckle. "Yes. I saw. Couldn't figure out what you were up to. What's your name again?"

"Zelde M'tana. Third Officer-promoted after the drive room accident, behind Lera Tzane. I-these robbers-am I . . . ?"

"In trouble? For those two-and you ship's personnel?" The voice dropped to a lower pitch. "I know those men- who they are, I mean, and who their gang is. The one with the eye-there's a reward on him. Not big, but I'll see you get half of it. Just come to Police Headquarters and ask for Torra Defose."

Half? But 1-and then Zelde remembered; it was UET she was dealing with. And, go to Police base? "I don't expect I'll get leave again, Ms. Defose. So you better keep all the reward." Compliments-that was how to go, here. "The hours you work, you earn it."

"What? Oh, I see. No, I'm off duty now, since mid-evening. I was walking home and heard someone yell, and it sounded bad, so I came to see what was happening."

"That was me, I guess-when I got cut."

"I'd forgotten! We'd better get that seen to. Let's go in the tavern first, and then I'll call-"

"It's all right. Thanks, but ship's medics can handle it.

121.

No hurry." The pain was dull now, and she felt no new blood trickling along her neck. "Time we all got back to the ship, probably. Thanks for your help, though."

But when Zelde walked back toward the bar, the other followed.

Inside, she saw that one table had emptied and a new quartet sat at another. Not much change-they all looked like the bottom of the bin. The ship's party, now- Mauragin was close to pa.s.sing out, and the young Engineering rating wasn't much better off. He had one arm around a woman, nuzzling her neck, and to all seeming, she was pa.s.sed out. And the woman was Darlene-so where was Dopples?

She walked to the table. Turk stared at her; Zelde spoke first, low and in a hurry.

"The Police one-she's not trouble. Not yet, anyway. I was jumped, robbed. She got there later." Behind her, the woman approached. "Tell you when I can."

Plump Harger spoke, "Should be getting back, I think. There's three here who can't walk too well, and-"

Do it fast-get it moving. "You and Juvier bring the cars." She saw him look- startled, as if asking who had the rank here. "I haven't driven one of those things, or I'd do it. All right?" And Harger, and then Juvier, stood and walked out, each nodding at Torra Defose but not stopping.

The woman said, "Is this all of you, then? From the Great Khan?"