Family Law 2: The Long Voyage of the Little Fleet (55 page)

"On what basis could we have asked Gordon's aid then?" Talker asked confused, still not getting it.

"I'd have asked him to remove the Biters as a personal favor, for friendship," Lee said.

Talker looked stunned. Silent for long enough for Lee to make progress on her sandwich.

"I'm not saying he would have helped for a hundred percent sure. " Lee was quick to add."But it's the only thing that
might
have motivated him. Especially since the Biters seem to possess an absolute
talent
to piss everybody off, Gordon included. The fleet crews already dislike the Biters so much they'd probably volunteer to fight them on general principles if he just asked. And if he
wanted
to help you it's not like it's all that difficult to get Biters to do something stupid to give him an excuse. All he'd have to do is ask them politely to stand off the station and I can almost guarantee they'd go all crazy on him."

"Ah, I can see the possibilities now, when it's too late to try it. But I thank you for the lesson.

Lee shrugged. "It never hurts just to
ask
."

* * *

Late in their next duty shift the hatch on the alien spacecraft started opening, bringing them all to a sudden and hopeful alert.

"We have radio chatter!" Probity declared when it was only open a few meters. The full opening revealed the
Retribution
fully illuminated, and in the distance the flat plate of the Badger space station.

"Mr. Wong, move us out smartly before they change their mind and think we don't want to leave," Captain Fenton ordered.

Wong had them moving gently while the acceleration alarm was still sounding. "Aye, sir." I've rarely been so happy to see anything as familiar as the
Retribution
hanging there waiting for us."

"As soon as we are well clear see if you can establish contact with the High Hopes, and interrogate the
Retribution
if you can't Mr. Schlemmer."

"We are receiving a hail from the Retribution, sir," Probity told him. "Would you care to reply?"

"Just send -
Is this our stop?
" Mr. Schlemmer. "I used to ride the city bus as a student, but I never had to ride one without windows. It's unnerving. If we ever have to go off with these folks again, I hope we can talk to them enough to ask to ride grappled to their hull instead of like freight."

Captain Fenton was really loosening up to joke over comm.

The only thing worrying them was the alien. It didn't
leave
. Offering no further radio traffic and it's hatch closed now, it was still a looming massive presence.

"Mr. Wong," Probity said in unusually formal tones. "Might I see the note you made about the vase now? Or is it to remain a mystery?"

Wong passed it over. A bit of a stretch but neither had to leave their station.

"The vase will be like new and we won't have any idea how," It said.

Probity looked at him funny. Wong could have rewritten it easily, but he didn't think he'd do that.

"Thank you Mr. Wong," Probity said, and passed it back. Nobody else asked to see it.

* * *

Lee assured Talker she could take him to the bridge without formally asking Gordon's permission. "I
own
two thirds of the ship and offered to buy Gordon out anytime he wants. I guess I can jolly well have a guest on the flight deck if it pleases me."

"A week? Can you really cram enough stuff in two ships that fast to last you a year safely?" Gordon asked on hearing Talker out. "Do you even
have
all the things you'll want to take on Far Away? I know it's been settled a few years but it's still the edge of your frontier in this direction, right?"

"The things for which we'd have to wait are
people
," Talker explained. "Look, I've looked up the words and expressions I need for this conversation very carefully. I spent longer researching this than we'll take to discuss it, because I wanted to express it well. Lee opened my eyes to a lot of the psychology involved."

"Is that why you are here
with
her?" Gordon asked, giving her a bit of a fish eye. "Has she become an unspoken advocate to your interests under your influence?"

Gordon noticed Lee looking at Ha-bob-bob-brie at the com console. He'd have to discuss
that
with her later too.

"Yes, she has a certain, what do you call it? I thought I was ready," he said, exasperated. but stopped and studied his computer. "She has declared friendship not just to me but I see by her actions with my daughter. Also, she has a certain economy of expression," he finally said. "She may also help me express myself clearly. She's getting better at Trade than I am with English," he admitted.

"She can cut right to the heart of a matter," Gordon agreed. "Did she however
advise
you to have her present?" he asked.

"Gordon! Would I do that and not just say so right up front?" Lee said, indignantly.

He considered it briefly. "Probably not. You just plow straight ahead and have no patience for
sneaky
, but you may need to learn how some day. On occasion it does have value.

"You haven't discussed this with Prosperity?" he asked Talker.

"I lack trust in Prosperity at this level. Prosperity might have divided loyalties outside your fleet. I'm afraid I'm the one who wants to be sneaky today," Talker admitted. If ever Gordon was certain a Badger looked embarrassed, Talker was now.

"Indeed? And why do you look so upset over it? Is it so foreign to Badger culture to be a little – circumspect?" That word made Talker go back to his computer.

"So
many
synonyms," he sighed. "If I were dictator I think I'd make it a law that there can't be more than six words for a thing. Surely that would be enough?" he asked.

Gordon just waited for him to get to the point. Obviously he was avoiding doing so.

"Are you recording this?" Talker asked abruptly.

Oh-ho. That was a shift. Gordon lifted an eyebrow theatrically. A learned human gesture but very effective.

"I'd like to speak... "

"Off the record?" Gordon asked.

"Exactly!"

"For
whom
are you speaking off the record?" Lee asked. Talker looked a bit stricken.

"See what I mean?" Gordon asked. "I bet you didn't even ask yourself that yet, did you?"

Talker shook his head no as he'd learned. Saying nothing aloud.

"We are recording it because we put
all
our conversations with you into the data base to be processed and improve the translation program. Would you like to disconnect for a bit?" Gordon asked.

Talker nodded his head yes.

"Thor, we'll be going to my cabin to have an intimate little conversation," Gordon informed him. "You have the watch. If the star goes nova or the Biters attack with a massive fleet you may disturb us."

Thor looked at each of them in turn with a sour look, unhappy to be cut out of the loop. "I'm glad you are taking a chaperone," he said, nodding at Lee. Talker was checking his computer as they left.

* * *

Gordon's cabin was luxurious for a star ship. That meant it was about enough room to park a ground car and a private bath just big enough for a Derf to turn around to use the shower although he kept banging his elbows on the walls. About a half meter smaller and he'd have to back out and turn around to get the other side wet. He called for a steward to bring coffee and some Badger safe snacks and they waited until that was left before starting a conversation that would have just been interrupted.

After the steward left Gordon got in his clothing drawer and got a shallow tin, and a small case.

"
High Hopes
, disable all recording of this cabin until notified from the bridge I wish it to resume."

"All recording terminated," the generated voice said.

"Computer, we wish no sensor output from this cabin whether recorded or not," Lee added.

"I must advise you that creates an unsafe condition for fire and requests for help," the AI said.

"See? It still had a mic feed out even if it doesn't archive it in records," Lee said. "Computer, verify instructions. This is Lee Anderson, password delta, delta, bingo, top."

"Verified and processed," it acknowledged.

"Computer, send emergency medical aid to the captain's cabin," Lee said.

There was no response.

"Just to make sure... I don't think it is smart enough to lie to us by omission. But still... " Gordon said. He dug a wad of silicone putty from the tin. One small blob he pinched off and stuck over a mic hole on his comm console. The larger part left he squashed over the camera lens above. Then he unfolded the little case and pressed a power button. A grid of nine lights blinked yellow until one by one they all turned green.

"OK, I'm pretty confident we have privacy," Gordon told them. "Would you pour?" he asked Lee.

"I
like
coffee," Talker said after a sip. "But this is so good it doesn't even need syrup."

"This is my private stock, not ship's instant," Gordon informed him. It's upland estate Fargone beans, ground right before they're brewed. It was twenty eight Fargone silver dollars a kilo when we left, so it damn well better be better than instant."

"Those are the fifty gram coins you had?" Talker asked Lee.

"Yep. Fine silver too. Not nine tenths like Earth coins."

"Thank you, it's an experience." He sighed. "I want to ask a favor," he directed at Gordon.

"Really? And it has to be a secret?"

"Yes, for several reasons. One is selfish. If I did it on my own I'd be 'ruined' as you said, Far Away
is
the frontier. Bluntly, I'm Speaker, but in the larger picture I'm a minor official in the boondocks. Do I have that usage right?"

"Yeah, boondocks, sticks, country. You have the sense of it."

"So, knowing all sorts of high powered politicians are scrambling to cut each other out and get here to go back with you or at least send their handpicked deputy... If
I
managed to make us leave early, and leave them behind, can you see it would be a problem? My career would be over. I'm sure my father's reputation and estate would be harmed even though I hate to admit to you that Badgers can be that petty and vindictive. Not to mention it would confirm Lee's worst expectations about any government. That's the selfish part."

"Wanting Lee's good opinion is selfish?" Gordon asked.

"Yes, in..." he made a big sweeping gesture.

"Ah, the grand scheme of things, we'd say."

"Thank you. I like that expression. But I feel it also serves both my species and our associated species. Or races in the vernacular."

"Yes, I've given up fighting that usage too," Gordon agreed. "By associated species do you mean the ones you knew before we arrived or all of us now?"

"I meant the old ones, but I was about to expand it to include you too. I think the people we have now to send are practical people who will get the job done to protect us from the Biters and blend our cultures without serving their egos first. The people coming from the home world... I'm afraid they are more like what Lee described as the norm for Earth. I mean, why do you think we are out here on the frontier? We had our fill of the crowded home world and regulations and the rigid mentality. How do you think things would be working out between us if instead of you – Fargoers and Derf mostly – we were dealing with Earth Humans?"

"Slowly, at best," Gordon admitted. "My own clan Mothers had to negotiate an end to the war we had with them recently. Instead of addressing issues they mostly want to engage in ritual... " He stopped and looked at Lee. "Well the usual terms a sailor would use are so vulgar I don't even want to say them in front of Lee."

"Why Gordon. You're always trying to expand my vocabulary," she objected.

"There are better directions to expand it," he assured her. "Your point is well taken," he told Talker. "We are probably more like each other on the literal fringes of our cultures. But if it will be so damaging to send the expedition off without the bureaucrats isn't it just putting off the damage until later when they'll try to dismantle it and put their own imprint on it?"

"If I do it yes. But if the crazy aliens who they have never met and are probably afraid of dictate it, what can they do? What can
I
do? Just make the best of the situation. After all they are terrifying huge carnivores with devastating weapons. I'd just have to make nice-nice as best I can." He made a gesture of both hands thrown up in frustration that had to have been learned.

"Rrrrright," Gordon growled halfheartedly, and made a pathetic little mincing claw swipe in the air. Nice-nice is in our data base?" Gordon wondered.

"Lee used it actually. The Bills use a double word for emphasis so it had a familiar ring."

"So basically you want me to be the bad guy so it doesn't fall on you?"

"That sounds so harshly judgmental... but yes, please."

"They'd be smarter to be afraid of Lee, but I can see I'd be an easier sell. I've seen misdirected blame work well on other occasions. Fine, I'll do it."

"It's really," Talker started to say, and then stopped at Lee's single index finger held up.

"Once you've sold something – shut up – all you can do is mess it up and undo what you have accomplished," she advised him.

Talker nodded mute agreement and re-booted his thoughts.

"I'll issue a note to you and the station authorities saying we leave in seven of your standard days, and get your butts in gear or be left behind," Gordon told him. "Blunt enough?"

"That will work. I'll try to get them to commit a third ship to go with the idea in mind it can be sent right back within a week or two to carry news of how our early negotiations and deals go," Talker said.

"Send the
Dart
if you can," Lee suggested. "I was told they have fuel mining gear just like our ships and she is fast. The sooner they get back here with word things are progressing, the less chance they will send a follow on expedition that might mess things up."