Galaxy Blues (21 page)

“He was?” That came as a surprise to me.

“Oh, yes.” Ash favored me with a smile. “He had no idea what you were saying, of course, but it helped that you were wearing a
sha
, and that its patterns showed you to be nothing more than a harmless little chucklehead.” He shrugged. “So the
chaaz'braan
just thought you were funny.”

“What a relief,” I said dryly.

“Nonetheless, Fah was satisfied by your performance…and disappointed that the rest of us weren't in the same condition.” Ash turned to the others. “Again, do you think it's a coincidence that each of our chairs had a
gnosh
waiting for us? I can't be sure, but I believe that was Fah's idea as well. Sort of stacking the deck…trying to make sure that everyone would be good and messed up by the time the
chaaz'braan
made his appearance.”

Morgan coughed loudly, and Ash glanced at him. “Yes, Morgan…Fah
does
have a reason to want this mission to fail. Unlike Jas, heshe doesn't like humans very much. I can't tell you why, but what I get from himher is a vague sense of distrust and fear. Heshe would rather see us go away and never return…and that's probably why heshe tried to set things up so that we'd embarrass ourselves in front of the entire Talus.”

“But it didn't work, because no one except Jules had any
saqis
.” Emily nodded. “Makes sense…but why didn't you warn us about Jules?”

“I thought it was just about Jules doing something stupid, that's all.” Ash shook his head. “I didn't really put two and two together until we were in the Great Hall…and by then, it was too late to do anything about it.”

“Well…” Ted scratched the back of his head. “Not a hell of a lot we can do about it now. What's done is done. All we can do is offer apologies, then pack up and go home.”

He stood up, stretched his back, then headed for the stairs. Rain was coming down from the gallery, carrying a tray laden with mugs of hot coffee. “Thanks,” he said as he took one from her. “I'll call Ali, tell him to prepare the ship for departure. Once we hear from Jas, I think we can be out of here in”—he glanced at his watch—“a couple of hours or so. That okay with the rest of you?”

That was the moment Jas chose to show up.

X

Speak of the
hjadd
, and heshe appears.

By that time, we should have become used to aliens suddenly materializing in our midst. All the same, Mahamatasja Jas Sa-Fhadda's arrival was so abrupt that Rain yelped and nearly dropped her tray. A mug toppled over the side and fell to the floor, spilling hot coffee across the carpet. None of us paid attention. If Jas was there, it could only mean trouble.

“I've come to relay a message from the High Council of the Talus,”
Jas said, without so much as a salutation.
“It has convened to discuss the events of last night, and has settled upon what it considers to be an appropriate decision.”

By then, Ted had recovered himself. Stepping closer to the holo, he extended his hands. “We've been talking it over ourselves. First, I'd like to offer our most sincere apologies for our conduct.” He glanced at me, then went on. “Particularly that of my crewman. His behavior was uncouth, and we realize how much it must have insulted the
chaaz'braan
, along with everyone else who was present at the…”

“Be quiet.”
Jas's fin rose to its full height, a clear sign that heshe was irate.
“Captain Harker, we fully comprehend the nature of this situation. Although there is no question that Mr. Truffaut was rude, the Talus also recognizes the fact that he was not totally responsible for his actions.”

“Then you know about the
saqis
?” Despite Jas's demand that he remain quiet, Ted seemed determined to defend me. “If that's the case, then you should also be aware it has a certain narcotic effect upon our people.”

“Yes, we know, just as we have come to learn that Hahatahja Fah Tas-Saatja deliberately included
saqis
with your meal with the intent to subvert the reception.”
Hisher fin slowly lowered itself as Jas's right eye twitched in my direction.
“Fah has been opposed to the
hjadd
negotiating a trade agreement with your race, in the belief that the Talus should not formally recognize a species that has only so recently achieved interstellar travel.”

“Yeah, well, gee,” Emily murmured. “Two hundred and eighty years is such a short time.”

Ted gave his wife a stern look, but Jas appeared not to have noticed her sarcasm.
“As a result, Hahatahja Fah Tas-Saatja has been removed as trade delegate to your people. Heshe will have no further contact with you, and heshe will also be punished in accordance with
hjadd
law. We offer our own apologies for this unfortunate occurrence.”

Morgan coughed again. He seemed to want to say something. From the corner of my eye, I saw Ash nod once in his direction. Apparently that was enough to release Morgan from whatever psychic voodoo spell Ash had put on him, because he stepped forward. “Thank you, Prime Emissary. I hope this incident won't affect any trade agreements our races may…”

“Be quiet.”
Jas's left eye rotated toward him, and Morgan reluctantly shut up again.
“Nonetheless, a grave insult has been made, not only to the dignity of the
chaaz'braan
, but also to the Talus as a whole. Regardless of the causes, there are many within the High Council who have come to believe that humankind is not mature enough to conduct trade or cultural exchanges with other races, and that it may be in our best interests to isolate ourselves from your species.”

Morgan's face went pale. “Prime Emissary, please…”

Jas's throat sacs bulged, hisher eyes becoming narrow as they turned once more toward Morgan.
“Do not interrupt me. I have not finished.”
Ted glared at Morgan, and he went silent.
“I have spoken on your behalf, explaining to the High Council that your party was insufficiently indoctrinated to the customs of the Talus, including proper social protocols within the Great Hall. After great deliberation, the High Council has decided to give humankind another chance…”

“Thank you,” Ted began. “We appreciate…”

“…provided that you make amends.”

Oh, crap,
I thought,
here it comes.
I found myself remembering the dire fate that I'd imagined awaited me within the Great Hall. The rack, the cat-o'-nine-tails, the iron maiden…the
hjadd
must have some way of dealing with heretics.

“The Talus has a task we wish for you to perform,”
Jas continued.
“One of great importance that, if successfully completed, will be of great benefit to all the races of the galaxy.”
Heshe turned toward Ted.
“Captain Harker, you are already familiar with one aspect of this assignment, from your earlier encounter with my kind. I am sure that you will remember Kasimasta…what you'd call the Annihilator.”

Ted's mouth dropped open. He stared at Jas in shock, stunned by what heshe had just said. “Yes, I remember. What about it?”

“We want you to rendezvous with it, with the purpose of undertaking a scientific survey. Your vessel will be provided with the proper coordinates for a hyperspace jaunt that will take you to a system Kasimasta has recently entered, along with an automatic probe that you will deploy within its estimated trajectory. Once this probe is in place…”

“I'm sorry, but the answer is no.” Ted shook his head. “I'm sorry, Jas, but I can't do that. My ship is a freighter, not an exploration vessel, and my crew hasn't been trained for that sort of mission. The risk is much too great.”

Jas peered at him.
“Captain Harker, I believe you do not fully understand your situation. If you refuse to accept this mission, the High Council will have no choice but to sever all contact between the Talus and your race. That includes diplomatic ties with the
hjadd
.”

“I understand the situation completely…and the answer is still no.” He hesitated. “If you wish to return to Coyote, you're more than welcome to join us. No doubt you'll want to break the news to your staff, perhaps even close down your embassy. But I'm not about to put my people in harm's way simply for the sake of atonement.”

“You can't do that.” Morgan's voice quivered with fury; for a moment, I thought he was going to stamp his feet on the floor. “The
Pride
belongs to me. If I tell you…”

“Mr. Goldstein, you may be the ship's owner, but I'm still its captain. When I say we're returning to Coyote, that's exactly where we're going to go. You're just going to have find another way to make money.” Ted looked at Jas again. “My decision is final. Sorry, but that's just the way it is.”

Jas didn't respond for a moment, although hisher throat sacs throbbed and hisher fin stood fully erect.
“As you will, Captain,”
heshe said at last.
“I trust that you still intend to depart
Talus qua'spah
today?”

“As soon as possible, yes.”

“Very well. We have already taken the liberty of refueling your ship and its shuttle.”

“Thank you. I…”

“I will meet you at your ship in an hour.”
Without another word, Jas vanished.

“Harker…” Morgan began.

“Don't start.” Ted held up a hand. “If you want to fire me, I understand perfectly. Perhaps you'll be able to find another captain and crew willing to undertake this mission. But I'm not risking our lives just so that you can corner the market on alien knickknacks.”

Morgan was livid. Hands balled into fists, he took a menacing step toward Ted…and stopped when he apparently realized that Harker could paste him across the carpet. “You're making the biggest mistake of your life,” he muttered instead. “Better hope you've made plans for early retirement.”

“If that means I'll get in a little more fishing,” Ted replied, “it beats the hell out of working for you.”

Morgan started to say something, but seemed to think better of it. Or maybe he just decided that any further argument was pointless. In any case, as a cold silence fell between them, I took the opportunity to ask a burning question: “Pardon me, but would someone mind explaining what Kasimasta is?”

Ted let out his breath. “I'll tell you later…but believe me, it's something we don't want to mess with.” He looked at the others. “Right, then. Back to your rooms and pack up your gear. I want us out of here within the hour. Less if possible.”

I was about to pull myself off the sofa when a door slammed upstairs. Looking up at the gallery, we saw Doc standing at the railing, peering down at us.

“'Scuse me”—he stifled a yawn with his hand—“did I miss something?”

XI

There wasn't much left for any of us to do except stuff our clothes into our duffel bags, so only a half hour later we were ready to go. One last look around the library to see if we'd forgotten anything, then Ted led us down the corridor to the tram station. The ride back to the saucer was made in silence; no one spoke as our car hurtled through the tubes, but I found myself regretting the way things had gone. I would've liked to see more of this place, perhaps on a return trip. But it appeared that we'd be the last humans ever to lay eyes upon
Talus qua'spah
…and soon, the rest of the galaxy would be closed to us as well.

And it was all my fault.

When we arrived at the gangway, we found Jas waiting for us. Once again, the Prime Emissary was wearing hisher environment suit. I'd become so used to seeing himher in the flesh, it was startling to find myself staring at an opaque faceplate. Perhaps it was just as well. Jas said little to any of us, but instead followed us down the tunnel to the
Pride
's airlock. If heshe was disappointed or angry, it was impossible to tell.

Ali was already on the bridge. He'd been asleep in his cabin when Ted called to tell him that we were making an early departure, so he had gone up to Deck One and initiated the prelaunch countdown. After everyone was aboard, Rain and I sealed the outer hatches, and once they all stowed their belongings in their cabins, the crew and passengers gathered in the command center. Seating herself at her station, Emily opened a comlink and, in Anglo, requested permission to depart; Jas repeated the same message in hisher tongue, and a minute later we felt a slight jar as the
Pride
was released from its cradle.