Revolution's Shore (14 page)

In the silence following this remark, the shopkeeper approached, looking apprehensive, and after a moment retreated again.

Too shocked to speak, Lily very carefully did not move from underneath his hands, but with deliberation he removed them himself and turned to examine with feigned interest a row of whistle pipes in the shop.

“I trust
you
, Lily,” he replied, a murmur, “and someday we are both going to wish that I didn't.” And he said something else, fluid as a prayer, under his breath, in a language she did not recognize.

Because she could not decide whether his unqualified statement of trust was a blessing or a curse, she began to walk again, as if movement alone would dispel her troubles, or at least hold them at bay.

Was she better than that woman, willing to risk Finch? Doing everything she could think of to protect him—that, yes—but it still put his life at risk. She did not know what to say to herself. She could not possibly think of what to say to Hawk, and she was suddenly afraid to ask any more questions, because they might reveal the selfishness of her own motives as clearly. Had she really thought she could manage Hawk so easily? Obviously, her first duty on returning to the ship must be to request that Finch be transferred—anywhere.

Kyosti followed her, walking alongside her in a silence that was, perhaps, in deference to her taut expression. They simply walked and, casting a glance at his set, serious face, for the first time she
really
wondered what Master Heredes had known about Kyosti's background that had caused him to oppose Kyosti's interest in her so strenuously and yet acquiesce so abruptly once he knew with certainty that they were lovers. And yet, having been one of the League's saboteurs as well, what more had he needed to know?

“Heredes! Hawk!”

The hail interrupted her thoughts so thoroughly that it took her a moment to recall where she was. Then she saw Yehoshua and his cousin Alsayid sitting at a cafe table under a striped awning that jutted out into the hub corridor. Yehoshua motioned them over with a glittering wave, and as she and Kyosti approached the table, Lily realized that Yehoshua had gained an artificial arm since she had last seen him unconscious and injured on Harsh.

He grinned and lifted the arm up for her and Kyosti to admire. It was metal and plastine, and stiff jointed, with a three-pronged hook apparatus where the hand would be.

Kyosti frowned and reached out to examine it more closely. Yehoshua looked on with pride as Kyosti slid a hand up to tickle the straps and down again to test the hook mechanism.

“I thought I'd be left one armed, or with a simple prosthetic,” said Yehoshua with a grin, “but Jehane values his people too highly to leave it at that. I just got back from Halfway itself. The best surgical and rehab center worked on me, and then I got my reassignment at my request back to my original unit.”

Alsayid, who Lily had met on and off the past months in the corridors of
Franklin's Cairn
, grinned at his cousin and ordered two cups of aris for the new arrivals.

“In celebration,” said Yehoshua. “Please sit down.”

Lily and Kyosti sat, but not before Lily caught Kyosti's sharp whisper: “Mother bless us, is that primitive thing the best they can do here?”

However, he dutifully admired the artificial arm and watched Yehoshua demonstrate its facility: awkward writing, picking up both cup and glass, manipulating wire and string and, even, his pistol—which he had unloaded for the demonstration.

“So you were with Callioux's unit to begin with,” said Lily once they had settled in to drink their aris.

“Yes.” His smile was softly amused. “Did you discover that Callioux had planned all along on Harsh to liberate the thirties?”

Lily considered him thoughtfully. “I've thought a lot recently about how easy it was to manipulate me, but I suppose I deserved it for being so sure I was manipulating Jehane.” She grinned. “I won't underestimate him again.”

Alsayid chuckled.

“No,” replied Yehoshua. “It doesn't do to underestimate comrade Jehane. How did you find out?”

“Oh, Jehane himself told me. He thought it was serendipitous that a test came to hand so easily. I've never felt so humiliated in my life. Well, at least not recently.”

Yehoshua still smiled, but gently. “Well, I'm sorry you had to be taken in like that, but frankly it
was
a rather good job.”

“If you were in on it.” She shook her head. “But I must admit, it was brave of you to volunteer to come with us.”

“Thank you.” He used his artificial arm to reload his pistol and slip it back in its sling. “Although as much as Alsayid and I would like to take credit for unselfish courage, I must reveal that we had a back-up plan, in case yours went wrong.”

“Hoy,” Lily murmured into her cup. She laughed. “I hope I didn't make too great a fool of myself.”

Under the table, Kyosti patted her reassuringly on the thigh.

“Not at all,” replied Yehoshua. “Why do you think you're with Callioux? And training well, I hear.”

“It's more than I hear,” retorted Lily. “But I do like getting to know the ship and the various specialties in our—ah—line of work. How
did
you two get into Callioux's unit in the first place?”

Yehoshua shrugged. The glare of Station lighting accentuated the fine white scars on his face and arms. “We'd worked in dangerous conditions before. Cable stripping takes cool and calm and the ability not to hesitate or flinch.”

“Exactly the right qualities for a good saboteur,” murmured Kyosti.

“Or a good doctor,” returned Yehoshua, examining Hawk with interest. “How do you get your hair colored blue at the roots like that?”

“It's its natural color,” said Kyosti innocently, and he smiled nonchalantly as Yehoshua and Alsayid laughed at his humor. “I hope,” Kyosti continued smoothly, “that you'll let me look at that arm more closely. Perhaps I can come up with some ideas for modification, and then if we can just find a clever mechanic—”

All four of their wrist-coms lit up at the same moment, followed by a single blended aural alarm, brief but penetrating. “All personnel, report to your stations. Repeat, all—”

Lily, Yehoshua, and Alsayid slapped the “received” command and jumped to their feet immediately, leaving Kyosti relaxed in his chair as the message, softened to one-quarter its previous volume, went on.

“—personnel, report to your stations. Unidentified ship in-system and approaching with evasive maneuvers. Repeat—”

Now Kyosti rose, tapping his com to silence. Through the hub district, white-clad soldiers flooded in groups of twos and threes toward the docking sector: Jehane's people hurrying back.

“Action at last,” said Yehoshua with relish.

Lily felt abruptly quite mixed feelings: excitement tempered by uncertainty and fear. “I think I'd rather meet face-to-face than locked away in a ship,” she said. She had to lengthen her stride as Kyosti broke into an easy lope.

His expression remained neutral. “In the long run, it makes very little difference. In the short”—he smiled—“in the short, you're better off face-to-face.”

At the berth itself, one of Callioux's lieutenants met them personally. “Commander wants you on the bridge,” she said, motioning them to follow while Yehoshua and Alsayid watched this summons with curiosity. When Kyosti turned to head for the medical, the officer gestured at him. “You, too, comrade Hawk,” she added, shrugging to show that she was only the messenger and could not explain this cryptic summons.

The owner of
Franklin's Cairn
had been a prosperous merchanter converted to the cause, and the bridge was spacious and well appointed, even with the obtrusive addition of a large weapons bank in one corner.

Callioux did not look up as Lily and Hawk entered, but spoke immediately after the bridge door shut behind them. “We have the initial specs on this ship. It is
not
a Central military vessel of any design we know. And we have received one cryptic message over comm, while meanwhile they continue to approach with clear evasive tactics. What do you make of this?” Read off the screen lit up on the arm of the captain's chair. “‘There will be advantage in every movement which shall be undertaken.'”

Kyosti laughed. “Where La Belle leads, the rest soon will follow. You've bagged yourself a pirate, comrade.”

“C
OMRADE OFFICER CALLIOUX.” THE
soldier at comm tilted his head back to catch a glimpse of his captain. “We have run the intruder's specs through
all
of our data bases, and we have no vessel answering to the description we have here.”

Callioux examined Lily and Kyosti with a keen eye. “Now. The dossier on you two transferred to me from Jehane's files suggests that you might know something about an unusual sighting like this.” Paused, obviously waiting for their reaction.

Kyosti ran one hand languidly through his hair. “Give me an open line on comm, and I'll guarantee they will consider you for the time being as neutral.”

Callioux shrugged and signed to the man at comm. “I don't need trouble yet. Go ahead, but remember, it's on your head.”

“Isn't it always?” murmured Kyosti as he walked forward to lean with apparent carelessness on the board.

Lily watched as a composite of the sensor's description of the unidentified ship took shape on the screen. It did not have the massive, graceful bulk of
La Belle Dame Sans Merci
, but Lily recognized the lines of a superior technology and did not doubt that this ship had followed La Belle over the lost way from League space to Reft space. For what purpose—she could not imagine.

As the man at comm opened a clear line, Kyosti spoke. “‘It will be advantageous even to cross the great stream.'”

Callioux lifted dark eyebrows in surprise, but turned to face Lily as if she could answer his question.

“I don't know,” she said quickly, although the seeming incongruity of the exchange reminded her eerily of Heredes's initial exchange with the
Sans Merci
.

The unknown ship had clearly been waiting for some such reply, because after only a brief pause, a voice crackled out over comm, deeply smooth, and strong as silk.

“Indeed, we hope we are successful in our enterprise and overcome our greatest difficulties.” Humor permeated the speaker's tone.

“Unfortunately,” replied Kyosti, evidently enjoying himself, “I don't possess ten pairs of tortoise shells, although I can't imagine what you would do with them anyway.”

A pause, as the message relayed back, but now the deep voice returned with a sharp tone. “Who is this?”

Kyosti straightened and stepped back from the console, gesturing to Callioux.

“I am Comrade Officer Callioux,” answered Callioux, “Commander of
Franklin's Cairn
and her attendant vessels in the Second Auxiliary Fleet of Alexander Jehane's Provisional Armed Forces. I request that you identify yourself and state your purpose in entering without clearance territory controlled by the PAF.”

“No,” said the deep voice. “The man who spoke first.” A pause. “Send him over.”

Callioux frowned. “I repeat, please identify yourself and state your purpose.”

“I am Yi, of course.” The sheer arrogance of his tone carried easily over the crackle and spit of comm. “I am not interested in this local squabble over territorial and governing rights that you are engaged in. Heavens, Commander, there is so little with which I might increase my personal wealth here in this gods-forsaken corner of space that you cannot seriously believe that
I
entertain any notion of conquest or plunder.”

The sally left Callioux speechless, caught between shock and indignation.

“No.” The deep voice of Yi paused, reflective, on the syllable. “I am merely engaged, on behalf of one of my employees, in a hunt.”

Kyosti stiffened. His reaction was so pointed that, although he quickly controlled himself, forcing himself to relax, most of the crew on the bridge now stared at him.

“Well?” asked Callioux in a low, tense voice. “Shall I send you over, comrade Hawk? Can you guarantee that this—this mountebank is fully able to defend his insolent tone?”

“Fully able,” said Kyosti softly. He had always been, and was still, at pains to avail himself of whatever methods were available to darken his skin to some facsimile of a golden tan, but now Lily saw him pale. He rested a hand on the console, as if steadying himself. “It is better that I go over than for you to test his strength.”

“I have six ships to his one,” exclaimed Callioux. “And three are advantageously deployed even as we speak.”

“That cuts down on his advantage, certainly.” Kyosti's expression cleared as he controlled himself, somehow erasing that initial reaction entirely from his face and posture.

Callioux cursed in a low voice, jabbed out some command onto the keys of the screen on the chair's arm. “Very well. I'll send an escort with you. Comrade Heredes.” Lily saluted. “You will take your robot and go as well. Record as much information as possible. I want every possible detail on that ship. And I will send a ten with you.”

“Leave Yi alone,” said Kyosti in a quiet voice that brooked no disagreement. “He's been a privateer for longer than you've been alive, comrade Callioux, and even if that weren't true, he's called out on a hunt. Don't even attempt to get between a hound and its quarry.”

“All right,” said Lily as she and Kyosti buckled themselves into the shuttle that would ferry them over to Yi's ship. “You wouldn't tell Callioux. For a second there I thought you would be arrested for insubordination. What about me? What is a hound, and a hunt?”

“No.” He did not even look at her. “Don't talk to me now, Lily.” His face bore a set expression that disturbed her far more than his flat tone of voice.