Flinx Transcendent by Alan Dean Foster Page A

host decided that he had learned as much as he could from his secretive human visitor? What if fear of discoverymade him decide to turn Flinx over to the authorities? Would he not gain considerable status from doing so? How far, and for how long, could Flinx continue to trust him?
    Among his own species there were those comparable in age to Kiijeem who would happily turn him in for monetary reward. Flinx had recently met several examples of them on Visaria. Could he reasonably expect the youthful representative of an entirely different species, an antagonistic one at that, to exhibit a greater degree of altruism?
    There was no avoiding the reality: his present situation was terribly fragile. So be it: he would have to find a way to strengthen it. If the one young nye with whom he had established a relationship was tentative, then he must somehow find a way to engage with others made of sterner stuff. But how to make contact with other AAnn, preferably adults, who would not reflexively turn him over to Krrassin Security? How could he tell whom to trust? Even assuming that his Talent remained functional, reading their emotions could only reveal how a sentient was feeling at a particular moment. He had no way of predicting how a prospective friend might feel about him the next day, or even the next hour.
    He had filled the eager Kiijeem with knowledge, and the young nye had appeared to thrive on the flow of information. Dare he entrust similar knowledge and his true identity to some adult? The
Teacher
could not help him now. He needed local allies. AAnn with access to greater resources than Kiijeem could command. To acquire such while simultaneously avoiding incarceration and accompanying unpleasant interrogation presented him with by far the most difficult undertaking he had contemplated since setting down on Blasusarr.
    Among the several constants that transcended species there was one he knew from his study of and time spent among the AAnn that he could count on. Power invariably attracts additional power. To acquire the kind of freedom of movement he sought, he needed clout of a kind the admirably candid Kiijeem self-admittedly could not muster.
    Perhaps, Flinx told himself, his young friend knew someone who could.
    It had rained earlier in the evening. For an industrialized capital city the air of Krrassin was unusually clean. No doubt extra effort was made toensure that the atmosphere of the Imperial capital reflected its importance. Even so, a certain amount of pollution was unavoidable. The rain had cleared that away, so that the alien atmosphere smelled fresh and clean.
    Sucking down positive ions, Flinx felt physically buoyant but mentally hesitant. The food Kiijeem had smuggled out that afternoon for his guest's late-night meal was not only edible but delicious, further adding to Flinx's sense of well-being. As carnivorous at heart as the AAnn, Pip had gorged herself on one particular sausage-like victual. Now her usually aerodynamic shape flaunted an unmistakable bulge in the region of her lower-middle, just behind her last wing-rib.
    The attentive Kiijeem had settled into his customary listening crouch nearby. He always chose the same spot between Flinx and the distant residence so that if anyone approached unexpectedly from the buildings the young AAnn would block their view of the softskin.
    “Tell me ssomething exciting tonight, Flinx-friend. Enlighten me with ssomething new.”
    Kiijeem made virtually the same request every evening, and Flinx had been happy to respond accordingly. He would do so again on this night—though on this occasion to a degree his youthful host could not possibly imagine. But first…
    “I have to ask you a question, Kiijeem AVMd.” At Flinx's uncommon use of the AAnn's full family name, Kiijeem tensed slightly. Ceasing its usual flicking back and forth, his tail stiffened into a balancing rod held straight out behind him. Both nictating membranes retracted, allowing the single moon