Chanur's Homecoming by C. J. Cherryh Page A

Kesurinan's direction, when they reached that gateway: her flesh crawled in that earnest look of Kesurinan's scar-crossed face. "Aye, captain," Kesurinan said, all unknowing.
    And betrayed her own captain into foreign hands.
     
    "Chanur-hakto," the foremost kif said, when they had deposited Jik on his litter in The Pride's airlock. That kif took a packet from within his robes and offered it.
    Skkukuk intercepted it in one smooth move. And waved his hand, dismissing the other kif out the airlock.
    "Seal us up," Pyanfar said to the air and the crew watching on monitor.
    The lock shot closed, hissed and thumped into electronic seal.
    "Power down," Pyanfar said.
    "Aye," Haral's voice came to her. All business, even yet. Pyanfar took the packet Skkukuk offered her officiously, with the stretcher lying on its supports at her feet. Now the shivers wanted to come, but she kept her ears up and looked her own kif in his watery, red-rimmed eyes.
    "Good job," she said to Skkukuk.
    "Kkkkt," the kif said. "You need me, hakt'. Who else of your crew has manners?"
    Her gorge rose. She swallowed and tucked the small packet into her pocket, squatted down by Jik's stretcher and patted his face gently. It was cold and there was no reaction.
    "This is an ally?" Skkukuk asked.
    "This is a complicated situation," she said, trying to tell a kif the truth; and then a second thought ruffled the hair down her back. Gods, this is a killer I'm talking to. With hairtrigger reflexes. "Yes. An ally." She moved her hand down to Jik's neck and felt the pulse there. "Haral. Get Khym down here. We got Jik to move. He's still out."
    "On his way, captain. You all right?"
    "Fine. I'm fine. We got out in good shape. Open that door." She patted Jik's face again. "Hey. Friend. Come out of it. You hear me? You're all right." Friend.
    He was under. Deep. She heard the lift work: Khym had either been on his way or he had run that topside corridor. And The Pride was proceeding with power-down, a series of subtle noises that her ear knew in every nuance. "Skkukuk. You'll help Khym. You'll do what he says."
    "Kkkt. This is your mate."
    She stood up and looked flat-eared at Skkukuk, with the ammonia-stink in her nostrils and the antiallergents drying her mouth. Something about the asking crawled along her nerves. This alien, this unutterable alien, was feeling out who was to consider among the crew, who he could displace, who he could get around and who not.
    That's one job you can't work your way into, you slithering earless bastard. You keep your mouth off my husband's name. You better figure that, fast.
    A thousand thousands of years of hani instinct ran up her spine. And Skkukuk read that look and took on one of his own. Caution.
    Footsteps in the lowerdecks corridor. Rapid ones, more than one set.
    Don't run, Khym. Dignity, Khym. In front of the kif, gods rot it, Khym.
    She was still standing squared off with Skkukuk when Khym showed up in the doorway with Tully close behind.
    "You're all right," Khym said.
    "I'm just fine. Take Jik to sickbay. Get Tirun onto it. Skkukuk-"
    The kif was still waiting. Armed. Their ex-prisoner, possessing a gun that could blow a hole in armor plate. And expecting in his aggressive little kifish soul that he had just won his freedom.
    "You're offduty," she told Skkukuk. "You'll keep that gun in your quarters. You've got a lowerdecks clearance. You understand me."
    "Kkkt. Absolutely."
    "Move."
    Everyone moved. Skkukuk got himself out of her sight, correctly reading her temper. Khym and Tully got to either end of the stretcher, got it lifted with its not inconsiderable dead weight of tall mahendo'sat, and maneuvered it out the hatch.
    "Tirun's on her way to sickbay, captain." That from her niece. While the powerdown proceeded.
    "Understood," Pyanfar said calmly. And stood there a moment staring at the wall. With a kif's orders in her pocket. She fished them out and broke open the brittle seal to look at the written portion.
    "Departure at