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capacities you do not know. It is a fine move, hakt'. But I have faith in
you."
"Faith."
"Inappropriate word? Sgotkkis."
"Call it faith." She laid her ears back and stared at her private curse with
coldest, clearest threat. "Since you don't have an idea in a mahen hell what
I'm likely to do about it. But / am still here. And my resources have not
diminished."
"Kkkkt, kkkt, skthot skku-nak'haktu."
Your slave, captain.
"Captain," Hilfy said. "Communication from Harukk. Quote: You have made a
proposal to hani ships.
You will gather these captains for my inspection on-station. End message."
Second move. It's going too fast. 0 gods.
"Acknowledge," she said, cold as routine. While they slogged their way at a
sedate pace through a system laced with kif, toward a station which was going
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to be under kifish occupation.
"Sikkukkut's going into dock. Cocky son's going to bring that ship in."
If Goldtooth and the humans have stopped short and the kif pass them by in
hyperspace, we could get hit here.
Hilfy and Haral have got it figured. All of us do.
If Akkhtimakt's set up to dive in here again-an attack could be poised at
system's edge right now.
Or already inbound. Not saying whether the kif are onto that trick of stopping
a jump. They could well have it. Maybe and maybe. It's not saying all their
ships can do it.
"Transmit," she said. "Honor to the hakkikt: beware system edges. I fear more
than spotters."
"Done," Hilfy said.
We help the bastard we're with. While we're with him.
We take whatever they want to do. And maintain our options. Ehrran's lost all
hers. We got hani on that station and gods know how many fluttering stsho.
Keep a cool head, Pyanfar Chanur. It's by the gods all the chance you've got.
"We're getting docking instructions," Hilfy murmured finally. They turned up
on screen, where kifish ships were already well toward touch with station.
And from Chur, plaintively over com:
"What in a mahen hell's going on?"
"Easy," Geran said. "It's all all right."
"Got crew falling on their noses tired," Pyanfar muttered. "Haral, keep it
steady, standard dock.
Tirun, get yourself below, take the rest of your break."
"Aye," Tirun said. Old spacer. And falling-down tired. A belt snicked. Tirun
went away in silence, to food, sleep, anything she could get.
"Jik's requesting to be out," Khym said. So that voice had vanished off com.
Khym had silenced him. A mahen hunter captain, locked in a lowerdecks cabin
and probably trying to think how to shortcircuit the latch or take the door
apart.
"Jik," she said, cutting in on that blinking light on her com section. "We're
all right.
F'godssakes, be patient, get some rest, we've got our hands full, you got our
scan image. We're moving in on dock and that's all that's going on for a
while."
"Pyanfar." The voice was calm, quiet, reasoning. "/ understand. I make
problem, a? You got protect you crew. I make 'pology. I lot embarrass',
Pyanfar. Long time with kif make me crazy. Now I got time think-I know what
you do. We be long time ally. We befriends, Pyanfar. Same interest. You unlock
door, a?"
"I tell you there's nothing you can do up here. You got awhile to rest, Jik.
Take it. You may need it."
"Pyanfar." Thump. Impact of a hand near the pickup. Hard. So much for
patience. "You in damn deep water. Hear? Deep water!''
"We got another expression." She flattened her ears, lifted them again. "Told
you. After we dock.
We got enough troubles, friend. I want your advice, but I got enough to deal
with right now."
"It be war," Jik said, and sent a chill up her back. War was a groundling
word. "Fool hani! The ships go, they go ever' damn place, not got stop, not
got stop!"
"F'godssake, this is open space! This is the Compact, we're not talking about
some backwater land-
quarrel!"
'No. No hanis. New kind thing. Not with rule. We talk 'bout make fight all
kif, all hani, all mahendo'sat, make ally, make strike here, strike there.
This new kind word. Not like clan and clan. Not like go council. Here we got
no council. War, Pyanfar, all devils in hell got no word this thing I see."
file:///G|/rah/Alan%20Dean%20Foster/Alan%20Dean%20Foster%20-%20Wolfstroker.txt
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