Fallen Star (37 page)

Sobehk glanced at Khan.
Why, so you did.

Fallon frowned.
Must you have your conversation in my head?

Sobehk set his palms on the table and arched his brow smiling.
Whose head?

Not you, too!
Fallon very nearly growled her frustration.

Sobehk frowned at Khan.
Does she need to be fed?

Khan looked over at Sobehk, then focused on Fallon.
Since yesterday. I chose not to feed her so that she will appear to be the unimpressed
upuaht rehkyt s
he is supposed to be.

Sobehk raised his brow at Fallon.
That does explain her temper displays.

Fallon scowled.
What temper displays?

Khan smiled.
Her need to feed coupled with her nose sensitivity should make her less likely to allow anyone to get close enough to touch her.
He pursed his lips and gave Fallon a measuring look.
A little added frustration should keep her nice and aggressive.

Fallon felt the hair on her neck rise.
What do you mean by “added frustration”?

Chapter Thirty-Two

Port Destiny Station

Imperial Space -- Outbound Corridor

Sehnbay’syr
Tah came back into medical and left the door open behind him. “It is time.”

Sobehk moved toward the door and Khan followed with Fallon at his heels.

The sound of marching boot heels and whimpering gasps came from the hall, as did the rank smell of fear sweat.

The hair on Fallon’s neck rose and she stilled. She did
not
want to go out in that.

Sobehk stopped at the door and turned to look at her. “Isabeau?”

Khan turned and caught her gaze. His copper eyes narrowed.
I’m right here
. He set his warm palm on her shoulder.

Under the pressure of Khan’s palm, she walked to the door. Several pairs of armored
mahf’dhyt
marched past the door leading blind, naked, and frightened
rehkyt
between them.

Fallon shivered hard.

Sobehk stepped out into the hall.

Fallon followed, propelled by Khan’s hand. She made an effort to stay within the draft of Sobehk’s scent, but the smell of fear was overpowering. Her skin dampened with sweat.

A’syr
Mohr abruptly stepped out of a side door right at Fallon’s left elbow.

Fallon started so hard she was on the far right side of the hall with her back against the wall and one of Khan’s small knives raised in her fist before she knew what happened. She closed her mouth over her long teeth, shutting off her frightened snarl.

Sobehk turned sharply, his eyes wide. “Sorry about that,
A’syr
.”

Mohr’s startled expression dissolved into a frown. “Still quite feral, I see.”

Sobehk lifted a cool brow at Mohr, his mouth tight. “Very feral and
upuaht
. You’re lucky she didn’t stab you.”

Mohr’s frown deepened to a scowl. “You would think that would have been tempered by now.”

Sobehk snorted. “I’m sure her Master will see to her tempering.”

Khan turned and held his hand out to Fallon while staring pointedly at the dagger in her fist.

Fallon felt her cheeks heat and approached Khan, offering him the dagger. “Sorry,
‘Syr
.”

Khan smiled as he took the dagger from Fallon’s palm.
Good reflexes.
He sheathed it against his heart.

Fallon winced in embarrassment.
Thanks
.

Sobehk nodded at Mohr. “If you will excuse us,
A’syr?
”

Mohr’s scowl deepened. “Of course.”

Sobehk turned and began proceeding down the hall, leaving Mohr behind.

Fallon breathed a sigh of relief.

The hallway opened onto a loading bay that looked familiar. Fallon glanced around and saw Sobehk’s glider, the one she had stolen a very long time ago, fastened against the right wall by two others. This was where she had first come onto the
Vortex
. Dead ahead, the back hatch was wide open and darkness lay beyond it.

Fallon followed Sobehk down the ramp that led off the ship and into the station. Light was sparse, and shadows were everywhere. Ships of every kind and description were docked everywhere she looked. Their landing floods provided the bulk of what little light the dock had. The deeply shadowed dock ceiling was a very distant half-kilometer away and curved slightly downward with gigantic struts ribbing the curve like the exterior of a barrel. A quick glance down showed that the floor was curved slightly, like the bottom of a huge bowl. The floor’s gentle curve matched the ceiling’s distant curve. Apparently the dock was shaped like a hollow ring.

Soft sounds from the far right brought Fallon’s attention to the
mahf’dhyt
herding
rehkyt
with swift efficiency into an unmarked bulky gray hover transport.

Sobehk continued away from them toward a hovering steel gray shuttle car at the end of their dock space.

Fallon released a soft breath. She would not have been able to deal with all that fear.

A’syr
Mohr has followed us.
Khan’s thoughts shimmered with annoyance.

Fallon’s heart began trying to hammer its way out of her chest for no apparent reason whatsoever.

Sobehk glanced behind them.
I’ll handle it.
He stopped and sharply turned to face them.

Fallon stopped and Khan stopped at her side. Out of the corner of her eye, she could see that Mohr was only half a length away. He caught up fairly quickly.

Sobehk lifted his chin and smiled. “Why don’t you take that shuttle, we’ll wait for the next?”

Mohr blinked, then frowned. “But ...” He glanced at Fallon. “The shuttle will fit all of us ...?”

Sobehk smiled. “I’m sure it will,
A’syr
, but I wanted to take care of something.” He tiled his head at Fallon. “Privately, if you don’t mind?”

Mohr’s brows shot up and then he smiled thinly. “Oh, of course.” He continued past them and climbed into the small shuttle.

Fallon kept track of Mohr from the corner of her eye. Then she noticed that Sobehk and Khan were watching him indirectly, too. They waited in a small tight knot until the shuttle lifted and moved away.

Fallon exhaled then glanced up at Sobehk. “What in fury was his problem?” She crossed her arms.

Khan lifted his brow and tilted his head at Fallon. “Very likely
A’syr
Mohr didn’t want to ride with the
rehkyt
any more than you did.”

Fallon rolled her eyes.

Sobehk frowned at Fallon. “Do you need a beating?”

Fallon felt a smile tug at the corner of her mouth. “Probably.”

Khan smiled at Sobehk. “Of course she needs a beating, she’s a Prime.”

Fallon bit back a sudden chuckle.

Sobehk rolled his eyes and shook his head. “Come on, you two, there’s a taxi stand not far from here.” He strode off

Fallon followed in her proper place on Khan’s left.

The docking bay was humongous. Fallon had been in spaceports before -- Dyson’s was technically one big spaceport -- but the variety of ships that she strode past -- size, color, shape -- was mindboggling. Dyson’s was technically a backwater station, well off the trade routes but pretty deep in Imperial space. Most of Dyson’s traffic was human. Port Destiny occupied a crossroads. And it showed. There had to be hundreds of sentient species represented in this corner of the dock alone.

Every now and again, a monstrous mechanical noise would fill the bay, followed by an icy breeze, announcing that a new ship had been lifted into the dock.

It was not a short walk to the taxi stand. Sobehk was actually leaning on the white staff he carried as he pointed to the three small bright yellow taxi shuttles parked against a wall. A ramp onto to a two-lane station shuttle-way was only a few meters away from the parked hovercraft.

One of the three drivers, a tall human dressed in rugged gray trousers and a matching padded jacket, tossed his smoldering cigarette and waved a hand toward them. “Need a ride?” His Imperial basic held an odd twang, an accent.

Sobehk lifted his hand. “We do, if you don’t mind.”

The man grinned. “Great!” The driver’s hatch to the first shuttle opened, and the man slid into the seat. The shuttles turbines rumbled and the craft lifted from the steel deck to hover about two hand spans above it. The back doors on the shuttle popped open.

Sobehk moved between the wall and the shuttle and got in on the right. Khan stood by the left door and gestured to Fallon.

Fallon lifted her sword out of the way and slid onto the padded bench seat next to Sobehk. Khan slid in after her. She frowned. She hated sitting in the middle of a vehicle; it was impossible to see anything.

The shuttle interior was heavily cushioned and upholstered in soft black plastic. There was a plas-steel glass window between the driver and the passenger area. Fallon smiled slightly. The safety glass made perfect sense since everyone walked around armed.

Directions were given and the shuttle moved forward on its cushion of air. The craft dove into the right lane of the tubular shuttle-way and ramped upward. Unlike the dock, the two-lane shuttle-way was very well lit. Broad bands of bronze were painted along the walls.

Kahn leaned back to look over at Sobehk. “We’re going to the Garden District?”

Sobehk smiled. “Trees.”

Khan frowned and his mouth opened.

“Trees?” Fallon looked over at Sobehk “As in real ones? Living ones?”

Sobehk smiled. “As in bigger than a four-story house ones.”

Fallon’s mind blanked briefly. She simply could not picture a plant that large. “I know it’s possible, but ...”

Khan touched her shoulder. “You mean you’ve never seen a tree?”

Fallon looked over at him. “Sure, a few times. But not up close.” Only the very wealthy could afford the space for a real tree, and they were jealously guarded. “I saw a huge one once. It was inside one of the bigger corporate buildings. You could see it through the building’s glass walls. It was a whole story and a half tall.”

Khan’s brows shot up and then he smiled. “I think you’re going to find the Garden District quite ... interesting.”

The taxi merged onto a four-lane shuttle-way painted with broad green bands then turned and exited the lighted tunnel, diving into a darkness that shimmered with lights and oddly shaped moving shadows.

Fallon frowned at the passing scenery. Darkness meant it had to be station night, but what was with all the odd shadows? She couldn’t quite figure out what the heck she was seeing. There wasn’t a straight line anywhere.

The shuttle scooted along a lighted shopping area teaming with pedestrians.

Fallon suddenly realized that she was looking at plants with branches and leaves that spread wider than Khan’s whole chamber. Trees. They were trees. She sucked in a sharp breath and lunged across Sobehk’s lap to press her face against the window. “Great Maker ... how many are there?”

Sobehk laughed and caught her hips. “Mother Night, sit down!” He pulled her down onto his thighs. “The station is about eight kilometers long and a full two-thirds of the interior surface is forested. The rest is lakes and cropland.”

“Lakes?” Fallon stared at the passing shadows, trying to get an idea of what she was seeing. “Can I see one?”

Sobehk choked. “A lake?”

Fallon rolled her eyes and smiled. “I’ll settle for a tree. Can we stop and look?”

Khan snorted. “You’ll have plenty of time to touch a tree and any number of weeds when we get to the enclave.”

Fallon looked over her shoulder at him. “We will?”

Khan smiled. “There are about a dozen trees including a rather large Terran oak in the garden attached to our suite.”

“Oh ...” A real live tree. She was going to see one up close, and possibly touch it. The whole idea was ... shocking.

The shuttle stopped at the very end of the shopping district near a pair of lifts. The doors popped open.

Fallon crawled over Sobehk to get out and look. Tall ornate cast-iron posts shed light on the walkways, illuminating shop fronts and brilliantly garbed people of every species. Potted trees and plants were everywhere. People were actually sitting under them on small white benches.

There was so much space ... everything looked so far away. And green, even in the dark of station night, everything looked and smelled green and alive. And healthy. There was not one touch of mold or rot or rust in the air anywhere.

She looked up and saw stars. No ... not stars, lights. They were lights shining from buildings very, very far away directly over her head and far into the distance.

Dyson’s was a biosphere, a city wrapped in a bubble. Up was up and down was down. This station was something completely different. The whole station was shaped like a barrel and turned to generate gravity. Directly overhead, people were walking around and doing things, and she was the one upside down.

Khan cleared his throat. “Can we go now?”

Fallon looked back. The shuttle had left and both men were hovering by the lift. “Oh ... sorry.”

Khan shook his head and rolled his eyes, but amusement shimmered across their link.

Sobehk stood by the lift door leaning on his staff. He was smiling and clearly amused, too, but he also had dark smudges under his eyes.

Fallon walked over to stand by Sobehk, but her eyes hungrily devoured the unguarded trees that were only a short walk away.

The lift door opened behind them, and they stepped within the lighted and windowless space large enough for six.

As the doors closed, Fallon leaned up on her toes to catch the last little bit of view until it was sealed away completely.

Chapter Thirty-Three

The lift doors sealed closed with a soft sigh.

Fallon dropped onto her heels and straightened.

Sobehk leaned against the left lift wall and smiled.