Long View - Zelde M'Tana Part 36

"Of course." She's p.i.s.sed some, though. "Well, when you're ready to move groundside, call Port Control and ask for a car to take you to River House."

Again, Zelde thanked her. Then Dopples turned the talk. "Going from personal concerns to general," he said, "when can you fill us in on things we need to know?

Such as coordinates of other Hidden Worlds, and news of Escaped ships we might be able to make rendezvous with?"

"Ha!" It was Captain Cannes and now he laughed. "Always in a hurry, you people. But it doesn't come that easy, Mr. Adopolous. Because although your bona fides appear sound, you still might be a UET plant. So you get your information in small doses, as you need them to carry out your next trade mission. Then after a time . . . you understand?"

281.

Dopples looked fl.u.s.tered; then he got his face working again. "I hadn't thought of that aspect. But I see your point. AH right; you're saying you'll tell us where to go, and what cargo to carry. So let's get to that."

Startled at first, Zelde didn't stay that way long; Dopples would work it out and she was off the ship anyway. Its trade with the Port was none of her business so she didn't listen close. But when it was all over, and the others left, Dopples motioned her to stay.

He handed her two envelopes, and touched the top one. "Letter of recommendation-remember? Three copies. Read it, if you like."

She did, and was interested. ". . . joined the ship at Earth . . ." and the date. ". . .

chosen for training . . ." with a list of her learned skills-communications, navigation, weapons and other combat work, the power suit-and her test marks as scored by Dopples or Parnell. "Appointed Third Hat, then Acting Second; a.s.sumed command in emergency and so functioned for the duration of the trip. Under trying circ.u.mstances, performed all duties effectively."

She looked up from the paper. "You didn't say I was cargo first. Or that 1 got to be trouble, on here. Nothing about making my way in bed, either."

He shook his head. "The first doesn't apply to what you are now. I was wrong about the last, I've told you that before-and I regret ever saying it. The trouble-it wasn't your fault; we both know that." He paused. "Aren't you going to look at your shares certificates?"

"All right." The fancy paper looked good, but all she understood of it was the numbers. There was a packet of plastic wafers, too, stamped as yea-many Weltmarks each. "That's a lot of Weltmarks." As if she knew what a Welt-mark was worth. . . .

"Yes." Briefly, Dopples grinned. "Some might begrudge you, taking so much of the ship's wealth groundside. I don't." She waited, and he said, "Twice, Zelde-twice, if not for you, UET had this ship back. And I know-a little, anyway-how much you meant to Ragir Parnell. And he was my friend, too."

However it came about, she was hugging Cyras Adopo-lous. Who'd of thought it?

Then, stepping back, she said, "I 282.

better go now-groundside, I mean. Two-three people to say good-bye first, and then- ".

"A few more than that, Zelde." He smiled. "There's a party at Turk and Rooster's, and you're late for it."

She blinked. "Then aren't you, too?"

"No. This was our party. Good luck, Zelde."

"You too, Dopples-good landings."

He walked beside her to the door. "We'll be here a few weeks. Come visit." She thanked him-but she didn't figure to be back.

The party wasn't all that big, but it crowded the place some. Turk and Rooster, Lera and Gil and Torra-some rating holding down the watch, must be. And Fesler, and Henty Monteil, and Juvier from Engineering. Zelde looked around, and nodded to people.

Jash and trair were the drinks-she took jash. After shaking hands a lot, she had time to drink some of it. Between Fesler and Juvier she found a place to sit. She saw Torra looking at her-but that was done with.

She said to Fesler, "You got a spare contraceptive implant handy? I think mine's about due to run out."

The medic gave a chuckle. "Do you have someone in mind already, groundside?"

"h.e.l.l, no-but there could be."

Turk was halfway drunk, singing a song Zelde hadn't heard-something about ". . .

only one latrine in all of U!E!T!" Stopping on a hiccup, she said, "Underground fight song, from the Slaughterhouse-the s.p.a.ce Academy."

Zelde nodded. "I know. Parnell said about it, once. Couldn't remember the words, though."

"Rooster did. Heard it-aw, that doesn't matter." Turk shook her head, hard.

"Want to say, Zelde-s.h.i.tty d.a.m.n shame, b.u.mping you off the ship. For two centum I'd shuck it and go with you. Rooster, too-right?" And Rooster nodded.

"Just say the word, Zelde-just say it."

No. This shouldn't happen. "Thanks for how you feel, Turk-but it's right, I go groundside. Didn't seem like it, at first, but-oh, well. You and Rooster, though-you got your places, here on the ship. And good ones. So you stay." As she said it, she watched Torra-and after a pause the woman nodded.

283.

Good-then I don't have to tell her, special.

Juvier tapped her knee. "Wanted to say-Harger's sniping-he was talking just for himself, not for me."

"I hadn't thought any different. Why you need to say it?"

When the man smiled, his bony face looked better. Holding a bottle of jash, he poured Zelde's gla.s.s full again. "My boss-a good engineer but h.e.l.l to work for. Gets on me a lot-wants everyone to agree with him. Well, I don't."

He set the bottle down, stood, and offered a handshake. Then he left, not walking too steady, drunker than he'd seemed. Still, Zelde thought, not tracking so bad!

With all of them she talked and listened. She saw that Torra wanted to see her alone-but how many times can you say good-bye? She joked with Henty about the leftover gold ring, and with Turk about having to paint up a third new insigne- "And Rooster, you got to go out again and put it on. But this time you won't need a suit-just a good strong line on you." He laughed, and explained to her what Strike Three meant.

When Fesler left, she went with him. To his own digs, not his working s.p.a.ce. "For reasons of my own," he said, "I keep a few implants on hand here." She knew he didn't mean anything personal right now, so she pulled her lower clothes down around her knees and waited while he swabbed her bare thigh and jabbed the thing in. It never hurt much, and not this time, either.

She tugged the clothes back up in place. "Thanks, Fesler." She turned to go, but he had a hand on her shoulder. "What . . . ?"

When she looked at him, he was serious. "Zelde. You're going."

"Sure am. Got to. I guess you heard."

"Yes. But-" His face changed; she couldn't tell what he felt. He said, "All that happened on here. Zelde-"

Now she knew what he meant. Her hands on his shoulders now, she moved like to shake him, but just a little, so she really didn't. "Fesler, you don't got to say nothing; not to me. All that first stuff, it don't mean s.h.i.t anymore. After the good you done for Parnell. Up to you, I mean, and Ragir'd be living. I know that."

Never thought to see that pale man cry, but he was. Never thought to kiss him, either, but she did. Then she went to the galley, to pick up her things.

284.

Dopples was there, and a tall man-thin, with a tawny beard. "Zelde? Come meet Pell Quinlan. He's Captain of Red Dog."

She got a cup of coffee first, then shook hands and sat down. Quinlan said, "Looking for a ship, I hear. Well, I have all my Hats, and satisfied with them.

Supercargo s.p.a.ce, now-I charge reasonably, and if you fill in some watches now and then when we need it, I'll credit that against your fare." He spread his arms and stretched. "I'm here another week or so-you don't have to make your mind up immediately."

A new idea, this. "Where you headed, captain?"

Grinning, he shook his head. "Oh, no-except for those of us who voted on it, not even my own crew knows that, until we lift. No offense, I hope."

" 'Course not." But she didn't like it-was this how Escaped ships treated each other? She said, "I'll think on it."

As if something was important, Quinlan squinted at her. "Not too long, I hope. I have one really good cabin open. A lady thinks maybe she'll take pa.s.sage or maybe not. Speak up fast and it's yours."

Zelde drained her cup. "Thanks, but I'll have to take my chances. Haven't seen groundside yet, and I want to do that."

She stood; so did Dopples. Quinlan said, "When you decide, let me know." She nodded and picked up her luggage; when she turned toward the door, Dopples was following her.

Outside, he said, "I have nothing against Quinlan, but-"

She touched his arm. "Don't worry, Dopps-I pick my own; they don't pick me."

His knuckles tapped her shoulder; then he went back inside.

At the airlock Torra waited. "Zelde, don't you have any time for me at all?"

Only one answer to that. "Not now. You're set up-and I need to start me all over again, off this ship. Give me a couple days-then, if you want, come see me at River House." And not waiting to hear what Torra might say, Zelde walked down the ramp and stood, groundside, on Fair Ball.

285.

She'd forgot to call the Port about a car, so she started walking. Ahead, a fair- sized building looked like it might be Admin. The warm air smelled good-whatever the trees or brush was, growing green to the left of her, upwind, she liked it. Heavy, though, that air-took some getting used to. Like before-when? Yeah-real little, she'd been, not long with the Kids, and two nights they hid deep in the ground. A dead mine, and climbing down at least an hour-coming back up, maybe twice that.

This air here- even heavier, but sure smelled better. She felt her face making a smile. What's so wrong with starting fresh again!

Pale sky, hazed over, only a hint of blue. Bright, though-glare narrowed her eyes.

Good, to walk outside again. On ships was where she belonged-but not all the time.

And right now, her business at the Port could wait; getting settled, in town, came first.

The first building she came to-wood and stone, three levels-wasn't Admin, but a woman there made a call for. her, and a car came. Zelde said, "Thanks," and went out to it. She told the young driver that she wanted to go to River House, then put her things in back and sat beside him.

He sat looking at her, so she looked back. A cap hid his hair; what she saw, mostly, was wide grin and snub nose and a lot of freckles. He said, "You're off the ship there?"

"That's right."

"Welcome to Fair Ball. Uh-is it all right to ask where you've come from?"

"I guess so. What you say we move it, though? We can talk on the way." And as the car turned past a larger building-Administration, the sign read, so that's where she should have gone in the first place-she said, "Terranova, most lately. Before that, Earth."

The car veered, but he didn't look around to her. "Earth? Really? What's it like there? Tell me about it."

"I can't."

"They won't let you? I thought-"

He was so young. Her own age, likely, but still. . . . She said, "That's not it." The thing was, what he was asking, wasn't anything she knew. How to say it? "I left there real young, is all."

He swallowed. "All your life in s.p.a.ce. What's that like?"

286.

She didn't want to talk, really; her mind was on her own purposes; but this kid was so friendly-like the puppies, sometimes, at camps with the Kids. "What's it like, living here? Y'see-what's your name?-if I could, I'd tell you. But to know how it is, you got to live it."

The car hit a rough stretch-b.u.mpy, and a tight corner. Past that, he said, "Sure-I see it. My name's Casey Rohrvach. What's yours, and what did you do on the ship?"

"Zelde M'tana. At the last, I was Captain. They bought me out." As soon as she said it, she knew he didn't believe her. The h.e.l.l with it-until they came to River House she didn't talk again. Then she thanked him and got out.

The inn was wood-built, with heavy beams showing. The owner, a small elderly woman named Lynne, took Zelde to see one of the separate cabins, but Zelde settled for a two-room setup-plus bath-in the main building. The larger room looked north, toward the mountains. Snow on them, whatever time of year this was-and they were mostly rounded, with only two sharp peaks she could see. The land between-rising toward foothills-was hazed over, but in and past the town she saw groves of trees.

The rooms weren't fancy but they were clean; the lights and plumbing worked, and she didn't need a lot of furniture, anyway. She followed Lynne downstairs and signed the book. The woman said, "In the dining room, have them put your meals on the tab. Residents eat cheaper than if you came in off the street." Street? Well, if that's what she wanted to call the unpaved road. . . .

Which reminded Zelde-"What's the name of the town? And how many people does it have?"

The question brought her almost the total history of Fair Ball, from the time a UET ship discovered it but became an Escaped ship just after landing. Before Lynne's time here, that was; she'd come most lately from Number One, the first and best-populated Hidden World. And before that, from Earth, by way of the Twin Worlds.

Finally Zelde got her answers. The city of First Base- not town, mind you-had about ten thousand people, and the planet several times that. "Hidden Worlders breed fast-a matter of need. I had two kids myself, though I was past the best age for it, on Number One." Boys, she said, 287.

and nearly grown now-one working a fishing barge on Main River and the other herding highland cattle in the foothills. Not Earth-type cattle-Fair Ball's "buffhides"

weren't mammals, even, and the "fish" weren't especially fishlike, either. "But,"

said Lynne, "they're both good eating."

Thanking the woman, Zelde got loose from the talk and went up-two flights of stairs-to her room. She started to unpack, but suddenly didn't feel like making this place so permanent. She looked out at the mountains, and at the town-buildings of wood, red brick, or tan stone, all three levels or less except for a tower rising from a building she couldn't see.

In five minutes she was bored. She had a shower-there were plenty of towels, at least. Then, though it was early yet, she went down to the dining room.

The menu, most of it, didn't mean much to her; she ordered the roast buffhide special. At first she didn't like it; she expected it to taste like beef and it didn't, quite. But after a few bites she got used to it, and enjoyed the green, tart fruit and a mix of pan-fried vegetables she couldn't recognize at all. She finished off with coffee and a deep pink liqueur; it looked to be sweet, but had a heavy, smoky aroma and a taste to match.

Lynne was on the pay-desk when Zelde signed her dinner tab. "How far is it, about, to the middle of town-I mean, the city?"

"A little over a kilo. You're going in to have a look around?" Lynne squinted out the window. "You have about an hour until sunset, and then another or two of twi- light, this time of year."

"Fine. I think I'll walk over, then."

She was turning away. Lynne said, "You're new; I should tell you-people here, we're friendly. If you make a mistake, not knowing customs, just be polite about it and n.o.body'll call you out. But don't expect any leeway for being a woman-it doesn't work that way."

Zelde grinned. "It don't on the ship, either." Then: "How's it after dark, here?"

She fingered the scar where her earlobe had been. "In Parleyvoo-that's on Terra- nova-walking around alone could get you knifed for what you carried."