Free A Passage of Stars by Kate Elliott Page A

unimportant. Or maybe they couldn’t. Or—” Her speculations failed her. “But it explains why they recognized Bach, if he’s from back over the long road.”
    Bach sang, in corroboration, that he was.
    “But what kind of threat are you to them?”
    It appeareth to me that since I have never met any of their kind before, I must therefore be no threat at all.
    “Never?” She frowned. “Then why did they try to shoot you? And in Station, when everyone knows that to shoot in Station—”
    “Five terms,” Paisley supplied, and at Lily’s inquiring look, “It be ya sentence, for lockup, for using ya guns.” There was a pause. “Min Ransome,” Paisley began again, hesitant now, “be you thinking they mean to kill us?”
    “I don’t know. Though if they’d meant to you’d think they would have done it by now.”
    “Reckon they be curious why we be here?” asked Paisley. “Sure, and you did say before that—” She faltered. Lily had suddenly gone very still. Her body mirrored her thoughts, poised, alert, ready to spring. She stared at the opposite wall, as if looking through it to something veiled beyond.
    “Heredes,” Lily said. “They must know we’re after Heredes.”
    “Who be Heredes?” said Paisley promptly.
    “My teacher,” Lily replied mechanically. “My sensei. The man we came for.”
    The watch rang out above them, four short chimes, two long, the alien voice.
    Docking procedure. Shall I transpose? sang Bach. Docking procedures shall commence in twenty-nine minutes. Therefore, according to thine information, we have achieved Dairy system.
    “They came in fast,” Lily said. “From window to docking.”
    Affirmative, What plans dost thou have for our removal from this vessel?
    “Sure,” said Paisley, “and glory. I never been nowhere but Station. And I told them I’d go over ya highroad someday. They all laughed.”
    Lily was still staring at the wall, an unrevealing expanse of grey. “If they’re from over the way, why do they want Heredes?” she repeated.

6 Chance on Remote
    P AISLEY HAD NOT EXAGGERATED in calling the docking noisy. For some reason known only to the aliens, the entire sequence of grappling and coming to, in-ship bells and commands, and ship-station communications went on over the intercom. Loudly. When the noise ceased, as abruptly as if a knife had cut it off, the silence felt like a muffling cloth had been thrown down around them.
    “I be hungry,” said Paisley softly.
    “I’m thirsty,” said Lily. She dropped into a crouch beside Bach. Can we see that plan of the ship again? It appeared on the floor. “Show me again,” she said to Paisley, “how we got here. By what route.”
    The girl traced it out, and again, until Lily had memorized it.
    “No doors or locks to go through? Except this one and the station lock? No lifts? This one here, Bach—it had the other human?” Lily settled on to the floor, legs crossed. “We either have to break for it and hope we’re not seen, or grab one for hostage for a safe conduct. Hoy.” She whistled, Bach. Can you get into their com system? Open the door that way?
    Negative. I have not the relevant information on Kapellan computation networks. However, I am in their spoken tongue forty-seven percent fluent according to the specifications of the Habir-Xu xenographic language index. Dost thou desire its compilation figures?
    “I believe you,” said Lily.
    “How we going to run ya scam?”
    “I don’t know.” Lily inspected the thin seam of the door. “Dairy downside is supposed to be a great place to take the holidays, but Dairy Station—I don’t know. It’s an orbiter, I guess. Like Remote’s. But at least I’ve been on Remote Station before. I have an idea of the layout, where we can run for.”
    “You bin on Remote?”
    “Just Remote Station. About ten years ago.”
    “And this couldna be ya Remote?”
    Lily smiled slightly. “Not unless they have much more energy and the best pilot in Reft