shirt again, and the encryptor, back in its place in her bra, dug a little into her skin.
It calmed her, and she was able to let her hands relax at her sides.
It wasn't a silver bullet, but it was a small grab at control. A tiny weight that helped to balance the scales a little.
Hadri cleared his throat, and she realized she and the captain had been sizing each other up for longer than was probably socially appropriate. She lowered her gaze to his broad chest.
Vakeri frowned, pushing off from the wall and dropping his arms. He seemed less daunting, all of a sudden, as if she'd befuddled him.
“What's wrong?” Jasa stepped into the room, making the med chamber feel truly crowded, her voice rough with concern.
Fee thought everyone relaxed, as if Jasa had diffused a tense situation. It underscored to Fee that she was running blind, with no idea of the social dos and don'ts in Grih society. She needed a manual or something.
“Nothing's wrong. I have been honored with a human birthday song.” Mun was still lying back on her pillows, and Fee thought she was pretending to be more comfortable than she was.
“You've gone off the pain meds?” Jasa obviously wasn't fooled for a moment. “I told you, tomorrow. You'll end up here a day extra because you'll tire yourself out more if you can't sleep comfortably.”
It seemed the signal for everyone to leave.
Pila stepped up to Mun's bed. “Listen to the doc.” His voice was gruff and he didn't touch her, but he wanted to. Fee could see it in the way his hands rubbed the sides of his pants.
“Get better, Mun. And happy birthday again.” Fee nodded a goodbye to Hadri, too, and stepped out the room with Carmain to give Jasa more room to bustle.
They waited for Pila, and when he emerged, he looked like a man whose lover was badly hurt, and all he wanted to do was sit by her side.
“Jasa seems a good doctor,” Fee said, to comfort him. “She did wonders for me, and I'm not even Grihan.”
Pila grunted in reply, and Carmain sent her a smile, eyes alight with mischief. “It isn't widely known how eloquent Pila is. You're seeing a side of him others rarely experience.”
Fee grinned back. “Well, he may speak mostly in monosyllables, but he organized a happy birthday song for his lover that made her very happy. That's better than eloquent, in my mind.”
Pila stopped, stared at her, and then turned on his heel and strode ahead to take point.
Carmain made a comical face at his back and then took up the rear.
As she walked, sandwiched between them, Fee was suddenly very aware of the encryptor. For the first time, it didn't feel as vital as it had before.
12
“ W e can dock in three hours.” Gerbardi looked up from his screen, ending his conversation with Larga Ways control, and Hal nodded.
Larga Ways' ability to dock a ship the size of the Illium was something that impressed him every time he visited.
Of course, battleships, no matter the size, usually weren't allowed to dock, but Larga Ways was in Grihan airspace, and the price the planet Balco paid for being a border planet with a way station just slightly on the Grihan side, was that Grih Battle Center ships were always welcome.
Balco itself was as neutral as a planet in the Grihan system could be. The Balcoans were content to pay nominal tax to the Grih for some services and Battle Center security, and to be left alone to trade in peace. They voted every fifty years or so on whether to become Grih's fifth planet, but every time, only about ten percent of the population was in favor, and Hal guessed all of the pro-votes were Grihan ex-pats.
“Larga Ways' station chief would like a meeting with you.” Gerbardi turned to Hal, hand hovering over his earpiece.
As Hal had been about to ask Gerbardi to set up a meeting with Tean Lee anyway, he nodded. “I have to hand Vilk over to his people, then I'll head straight to Lee's office.”
Hal had a strict schedule. For himself and his crew.
He wanted them away
It calmed her, and she was able to let her hands relax at her sides.
It wasn't a silver bullet, but it was a small grab at control. A tiny weight that helped to balance the scales a little.
Hadri cleared his throat, and she realized she and the captain had been sizing each other up for longer than was probably socially appropriate. She lowered her gaze to his broad chest.
Vakeri frowned, pushing off from the wall and dropping his arms. He seemed less daunting, all of a sudden, as if she'd befuddled him.
“What's wrong?” Jasa stepped into the room, making the med chamber feel truly crowded, her voice rough with concern.
Fee thought everyone relaxed, as if Jasa had diffused a tense situation. It underscored to Fee that she was running blind, with no idea of the social dos and don'ts in Grih society. She needed a manual or something.
“Nothing's wrong. I have been honored with a human birthday song.” Mun was still lying back on her pillows, and Fee thought she was pretending to be more comfortable than she was.
“You've gone off the pain meds?” Jasa obviously wasn't fooled for a moment. “I told you, tomorrow. You'll end up here a day extra because you'll tire yourself out more if you can't sleep comfortably.”
It seemed the signal for everyone to leave.
Pila stepped up to Mun's bed. “Listen to the doc.” His voice was gruff and he didn't touch her, but he wanted to. Fee could see it in the way his hands rubbed the sides of his pants.
“Get better, Mun. And happy birthday again.” Fee nodded a goodbye to Hadri, too, and stepped out the room with Carmain to give Jasa more room to bustle.
They waited for Pila, and when he emerged, he looked like a man whose lover was badly hurt, and all he wanted to do was sit by her side.
“Jasa seems a good doctor,” Fee said, to comfort him. “She did wonders for me, and I'm not even Grihan.”
Pila grunted in reply, and Carmain sent her a smile, eyes alight with mischief. “It isn't widely known how eloquent Pila is. You're seeing a side of him others rarely experience.”
Fee grinned back. “Well, he may speak mostly in monosyllables, but he organized a happy birthday song for his lover that made her very happy. That's better than eloquent, in my mind.”
Pila stopped, stared at her, and then turned on his heel and strode ahead to take point.
Carmain made a comical face at his back and then took up the rear.
As she walked, sandwiched between them, Fee was suddenly very aware of the encryptor. For the first time, it didn't feel as vital as it had before.
12
“ W e can dock in three hours.” Gerbardi looked up from his screen, ending his conversation with Larga Ways control, and Hal nodded.
Larga Ways' ability to dock a ship the size of the Illium was something that impressed him every time he visited.
Of course, battleships, no matter the size, usually weren't allowed to dock, but Larga Ways was in Grihan airspace, and the price the planet Balco paid for being a border planet with a way station just slightly on the Grihan side, was that Grih Battle Center ships were always welcome.
Balco itself was as neutral as a planet in the Grihan system could be. The Balcoans were content to pay nominal tax to the Grih for some services and Battle Center security, and to be left alone to trade in peace. They voted every fifty years or so on whether to become Grih's fifth planet, but every time, only about ten percent of the population was in favor, and Hal guessed all of the pro-votes were Grihan ex-pats.
“Larga Ways' station chief would like a meeting with you.” Gerbardi turned to Hal, hand hovering over his earpiece.
As Hal had been about to ask Gerbardi to set up a meeting with Tean Lee anyway, he nodded. “I have to hand Vilk over to his people, then I'll head straight to Lee's office.”
Hal had a strict schedule. For himself and his crew.
He wanted them away
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