Free Warhorse by Timothy Zahn

wasn’t so bad the second time. “I’d like to take a closer look at the amplifier helmet, if it wouldn’t disturb him.”
    â€œDo not approach.”
    Roman paused, halfway into a step. “Why not?”
    â€œHe speaks with Pegasunninni,” Rrin-saa said.
    â€œAnd…?”
    â€œYou are a predator,” Sso-ngii said.
    Roman started; he hadn’t realized the Handler was paying any attention to the conversation. “Is that why we haven’t been able to control space horses? Or even to keep them alive in captivity?”
    â€œI do not know,” Sso-ngii said. “I know that humans sometimes have bothered space horses; that is all.”
    Roman pursed his lips. “Um.”
    For a moment he hesitated, at a loss for something to say or do. He turned away from Sso-ngii; and as he did so, the repeater instruments caught his eye, and he stepped over for a closer look. They were labeled in Tampy script, of course, but his crash course in things Tamplisstan had included some of that, and it took only a minute to locate the ones he was interested in. “I’d better be getting back to the bridge,” he told Rrin-saa. “We’re getting close to our scheduled Jump point.”
    â€œI understand,” Rrin-saa said. “Rro-maa…this voyage is of great importance to the Tamplissta. We understand you; you do not understand us. This failing of harmony cannot continue.”
    Roman nodded. “I agree,” he said. “We’ll work together on this, Rrin-saa. With luck…maybe we can find some of that understanding for my people.”
    â€œThat is the Tamplisstan hope. For if not…” He touched fingers to ear, and left the sentence unfinished.
    â€œI understand,” Roman said.
    If not, Ferrol would likely get the war he wanted.
    They still had nearly half an hour to the scheduled Jump position when the captain finally returned to the bridge. “Captain,” Ferrol nodded, unstrapping from the command chair and standing up. “Still running on schedule; twenty-seven minutes to Jump. I gather from Kennedy’s course plan that we weren’t going to decelerate to zero vee before the Jump.”
    â€œCorrect, Commander,” Roman said. “Space horses routinely Jump while in motion, sometimes with rather high velocities relative to their departure star.”
    A fact which Ferrol had probably had a lot more experience with than the captain. He’d lost several space horses that way before he’d figured out how to sneak up without spooking them. “Yes, sir. I presume you’ll want to at least kill our acceleration first?”
    Roman started to speak; paused. “That’s a good point,” he said thoughtfully. “Any idea whether or not space horses can Jump while accelerating?”
    Ferrol frowned, searching his memory. He remembered at least one out in the Tampies’ yishyar who’d been going damned fast when it Jumped away from his net. But whether it had actually been accelerating when he lost it… “I’m not sure,” he told Roman. “I don’t remember reading anything about it one way or the other. I don’t know why they couldn’t, though.”
    â€œNeither do I. Let’s try it and see.”
    And if the Tampies would rather we didn’t find out for sure? Ferrol wondered sardonically. But there was no point in asking the question aloud. The official line was that the Tampies were honest and open and eager to share all knowledge with their beloved human brothers; and if there was one thing guaranteed about this voyage it was that the captain would be an expert at tracking along the official line. “Yes, sir,” Ferrol said. “Shall I inform the Tampies?”
    For a moment he thought Roman would take him up on his offer. But—“Thank you, Commander; I’ll do it.” He seated himself in the command chair, made a quick