Lyon's Pride (21 page)

Hey, Granddad, that's a low blow
, Thian said, chuckling.

Hit 'em again, harder
, Rojer suggested, delighted.

Admiral del Falco glared and his impassive face settled into an even more threatening blandness. “They may change their minds when they see the report I shall insist be attached to their NE-440 forms.”

“Really? That they prevented serious injury by rescuing seventy-five crew members, Human and Mrdini, during the course of your exploration of Refugee which was completed in less than the scheduled time? That they were also able to discover and turn on the ship's independent power
system? That, by the way, was not in their assignment's parameters but Talents pride themselves on doing
more
than they are required to do. Part of the dedication of our personnel, Admiral. And don't go filling out NE-440 forms on FT&T personnel: a waste of time as they're not under your jurisdiction. Thank you for your perceptions on this mission and good luck with your operational enemy ship.” With a peremptory wave of his hand, Jeff blanked the screen. “And that makes the Phobos Moon Base low man on FT&T job priorities.” He rose from his chair, still taller than his grandsons, vigorous and obviously amused by recent events. “I don't think they gave you anything to eat during that three-hour grilling, did they? Name your pleasure,” he added, gesturing for them to take seats in the lounge area of his spacious office.

“My guts wouldn't've let me eat any more of their food anyhow,” Rojer said and, turning his head to the dispenser, called out the elements of a sustaining meal. Jeff chuckled at the choice, then urged Flavia to send her order.

Thian realized that his stomach was unknotting as well and shortly had as comprehensive a spread of dishes as his brother.

“Hope you haven't taken a dislike to Navy life, Flavia,” Jeff said when he had ordered a salad and all were sitting about the beautiful Altairian fruitwood table, now laden with succulent comestibles.

“No, sir. I had no trouble with the lifestyle, sir. Both Thian and Rojer have told me a little bit…” She shot Rojer an anxious glance until she realized he was applying himself diligently to his meal and only half listening. “…about the services they performed. I'd have no apprehensions of serving as a Talent on a ship. Taking an objective viewpoint, I did feel that Admiral del Falco's internal
conflicts and ambitions were the source of much of his behavioral pattern.”

“Well said,” Jeff muttered with a laugh and roguish grin at his grandsons.

“Were you considering another naval assignment for me, sir?” she asked.

Watching Flavia delicately consuming a pasta dish, managing a neat twine of strands of hot cheese around her fork, Thian could well imagine the impression she'd make on any crew. Maybe he'd read more into Granddad's choice of her as a mission member than existed. Except he knew Jeff Raven wanted his grandchildren to marry into Talented families to produce yet another generation of gifted children.

“Several situations have come up for T-1s so I'll spread the lot of them on the table,” Jeff said. “Squadron C's been brought back for refitting and resupply, as well as a change of personnel. C's been out longer than D.”

“Then they're going to follow the other Hive ships to their destination?” Thian was excited as well as relieved. He hadn't liked the idea of that ship loose and preying on an unsuspecting planet.

“That's what I hear,” and implicit in Jeff Raven's voice was the caution that what he had heard might be altered. “Squadron A replaces elements of C and D and will continue the search with augmentation and would very much like you back, Thian, especially Captain Spktm. Squadron B will now consist of four human and four 'Dini ships; if you'd consider that assignment, Rojer, you'd have no prejudice, believe me.” Jeff glanced reassuringly at Rojer. “The
KTTS is
one of them but the ship has a new captain, officers and crew. Captain Quacho's finally been relieved at Xh-33, but the
Arapahoe
will need refitting. There's to be some other reshuffling of units in B, but I don't know
what. The Squadron's been ordered on a mission to survey the M-5 planets the Hiver ships bypassed. The xenobiologist lobby is rabid to get to those damaged planets, as much to see what went wrong as to see if anything can be salvaged from Hiver occupation. I'm also not sending any T-1 on these long cruises without a personal support team, and with such augmented squadrons, I'd be happier to have two T-1s, or a T-1 and a good T-2 as backup. There are also some shorter-term exploratory cruises in the Xh-33 quadrant of space, if you don't care for the longer journeys. Having Talents aboard has been of great assistance. Don't know why I didn't think of it before, except that FT&T has been mainly planet-based. Think about your options. And there are always dirtside openings if you want a complete change.” Then Jeff grinned. “One more matter, just before del Falco got on to me, I had word from Heinlein Base that the queen's been energized.” He grinned, cocking one eyebrow, his deep blue eyes twinkling. “I don't know if it's the food you sent over from the Refugee or what, but Roddie reports that she's minutely re-examined every single one of the Great Sphere larvae that were sent there and she's done something to more of the eggs she herself laid—in between having a good munch-out on three of the nine containers. The others she hasn't opened.”

Flavia gave a little sigh of regret. “Maybe it was truly unkind to raise her hopes when we never intended to let her escape.”

“I don't think the Hive psyche has evolved sufficiently to recognize kindness,” Jeff said gently to Flavia.

“They've sure shown none,” Rojer said, remembering the destruction of the queen pods by their own species at Xh-33.

“Isn't it a good thing that she's active?” Thian said to Flavia. “Better for her.”

“Samples of what's in those food containers have been sent to the Heinlein Labs for analysis, haven't they?” Jeff asked.

“Sure have,” Rojer said. “There were more than enough containers with the same markings to allow us to 'port one of each to every biology and xenob group active in Hiver study. That didn't even make a noticeable dint in the amount still in store in the cargo holds.”

“Good thinking,” Jeff said, nodding approvingly.

“Wasn't me, sir. Roddie suggested it. He thought her own sort of food might contain basic elements she isn't getting in the diet they've provided her.”

Thian grinned broadly. “Now wouldn't the right food cause the queen to activate?”

Jeff's grin was just as broad, with just the slightest hint of malicious delight about it. “I think that will certainly be the official position and supported by the resident xenobs.”

“Granddad,” Rojer began, “backtrack a bit, would you? You mentioned M-5 type planets where the Hivers didn't make colonies work?”

“Ah yes, you wouldn't be up to date on that, would you?” Jeff said, tossing his napkin to the table before pushing his chair away. Cocking his knee against the edge of the table, he leaned back. “We'd a T-2, Kincaid Dano. Name's not familiar? No matter. It was fortunate that he was with Squadron C. I'd only just initiated the program of Talents on long-cruise missions. When the Hive ship C was chasing didn't investigate any of the M-5 systems they were passing, the High Council asked me if probes similar to the ones Rojer used couldn't be deployed to investigate. Clearly those two Spheres were looking for a place to colonize, so why did they keep passing likely systems
by? We shipped Dano probes. He'd enough other low Talents on board to help him 'port them on a parabolic course. In and out. Rather interesting details emerged. Of the four planets investigated, two had obviously been colonized by Hivers because there were the ruins of the sort of installations the Xh-33 has.”

“Ruins?” Thian asked.

“Ruins. Hive ruins. Including the same sort of space garbage as around Xh-33 and, in one case, an orbiting sphere ship. Another planet is ecologically on the point of ruin, presumably because the Hiver extermination policy eliminated something vital to its ecosystem. The point is that there are more M-5 type worlds out there that the Hivers never bothered with. Why? is one of the questions asked. Do they have records of all the systems their species have colonized? Another question is, obviously, can one of the Alliance species use any of these abandoned worlds? And there're more out there—as we've always known there were—to be investigated. C Squadron is being recalled. While the expanded Squadron A picks up where they left off, Squadron B will do evaluations of the abandoned colony worlds…”

“And knock out the inhabited one the way we did the Xh-33?” asked Thian, with a certain eagerness in his voice.

Jeff gave him a long look. “I've no specific directions as yet. I'd rather one of us didn't start another battle. The Navy feels that that's
its
prerogative.” Then he grinned. “Even if certain Talents do seem to lend a helping hand when least expected. However, I've had my wrists slapped by the High Council, so orders are to be followed this time.”

Each one felt him gently prod their minds.

“Granddad,” and Thian waggled a finger at Earth Prime.

“Sorry,” Jeff said, lifting his hands in a gesture of compliance, “force of habit.” His grin had not a vestige of apology in it.

“That means, sir, that the Squadrons will continue to hunt down the remaining Hive ships?” Flavia asked.

“I repeat, that's the current,” and he lightly emphasized the word, “plan. These chasings off into unexplored regions of space keep lasting longer than anyone anticipated…”

“A lot that's happened couldn't be anticipated,” Thian said, thinking of the Great Sphere and the dead star that had once shone on the Hive homeworld.

“You can say that again,” Rojer murmured, remembering the unexpected events in which he had taken part. “Where are your 'Dinis, Thian?” he asked suddenly.

Thian shot him a glance, adding a mental touch blended of compassion, affection, pride and relief that the question had been asked. “Hibernation. They should be out in another week.”

“Oh!”

“Mur and Dip would like a chance to see you, if that's all right with you, Roj.” Thian turned to the Earth Prime. “That is, if Granddad hasn't shipped us off to the different ends of the galaxy.”

“Not in the next two weeks,” Jeff said affably. “Your parents have expressed a wish for your company,” and his eyes twinkled as his mobile face suggested he couldn't understand why they would, “and you all require leave after running those naval hazards.” He turned to Flavia. “My wife and I would be delighted to have you stay with us at Callisto, Flavia. Damia has also extended an invitation to you to return to Aurigae with the boys if you'd prefer.”

“Old home week's fun on Aurigae,” Rojer said. “Do you ride? We've great ponies and good hunting.”

At that prospect, Flavia brightened. “I haven't had a decent hunt in ever so long. What sort of game do you go after? I'm afraid that I don't know much about Iota Aurigae.”

“Any chance of Laria getting home leave, too?” Thian asked his grandfather.

Jeff smiled and nodded before he folded his hands behind his head, leaning back in his chair at an almost dangerous angle. Relaxing with his young relatives around him was a good way to get perspective on completely different problems.

“Give a think to the various assignments, Squadrons A and B, or a dirtside assignment, or one of the shorter exploratories. Talents don't have to ship out from a dock.” He grinned. “Those who want you will welcome you all the more when you do get…wherever you choose to go.” He set his chair back down on all four legs. “I may have to make the final decisions but your preferences will be taken into consideration. I owe you that much, Talents.”

Thian and Rojer exchanged surprised glances at his deference.

*   *   *

In line with that generosity, Jeff Raven managed, in a manner as near to coercion as he ever came, to get the Raven-Lyons all home at the same time. He got David of Betelgeuse to release his T-1 son, Perry, to take charge of Clarf Tower, borrowing Yeshuk from the Sef Tower until Perry became comfortable with the peculiarities of the planet.

Perry hasn't dealt with enough Mrdini yet and he'll need to
, Jeff told the Betelgeuse T-1.
You won't let him have your damned Tower until you're moldy so he might as well have some variety in his life
.

Jeff then made extravagant use of pressure to get Clancy
Sparrow and Rhodri Eagle leaves of absence and had Damia invite them to Aurigae. He also suggested to his daughter that Asia Eagle could use some Tower engineering work experience with Xexo and wasn't it time for Zara to get a break from her arduous training under the T-1 Healer Elizara? Damia was so eager to have all her children home again at once, especially Rojer, that she would have struck a deal with a Hiver.

You're matchmaking again, Jeff Raven
, his wife accused him.

How can you say that when all these young people will be 'porting off to distant star systems and not see each other for years
.

That doesn't matter if they are only a thought away from each other, does it, Jeff Raven!

Jeff grinned and firmed up all the private arrangements before he called in his administrative assistant, Gollee Gren, to see exactly which Talents suited which of the many other assignments he had to fill. At least, he thought gratefully, he had more available options than Peter Reidinger, his predecessor, had ever had, with all the new generation of kith and kin growing splendidly and strongly into their Talents. Now, if the High Council would get its joint act together, he'd know where he needed the heavyweights of his corps. Once again he thanked the ghosts of all the Earth Primes who had managed to keep Federated Teleport and Telepath autonomous and apolitical.