Serpent's Gift by A. C. Crispin, Deborah A. Marshall Page B
Authors: A. C. Crispin, Deborah A. Marshall
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62
"What are the new kids like?"
"Great, most of them. It's a real boost to see their enthusiasm, their idealism.
Almost makes me feel young again," he said wryly.
Morrow snorted. "You're the biggest kid down there, Rob, don't think you can bullshit me." He balanced a California roll between his chopsticks. "You said 'most' of them. You've got a problem child?"
Rob nibbled thoughtfully on a tamago. "I don't know yet. I've got a kid who's a helluva hard case. I just hope we'll be able to reach her. .. because if we don't she could wind up in real trouble."
'Trouble how?"
"Drugs, maybe, or promiscuity . . . she craves affection and approval, though she doesn't realize it. I can picture her as a drugged-out joygirl in some spaceport." He shook his head. "But it's even more likely that she'd get into computer crime. She's one of the cleverest hackers, by all reports, ever to attend StarBridge." He grinned at his friend. "Since you, at least."
"Sounds like she's quite a risk. Why take it?"
"Because she's one of the most powerful telepaths we've ever discovered."
Jeff blinked. "Really? Projector or receiver?"
"Both."
"No wonder you're sticking your neck out."
"I just hope I've done the right thing .. ." Rob said, smearing a blob of green horseradish over the end of another cucumber roll, then popping the whole thing into his mouth. Moments later, his eyes widened. Swallowing hastily, he reached for his tea, drained the mug, poured another, and emptied that.
"Whew!"
Jeff chuckled at his expression. "Cleared your sinuses, eh, Doc?"
"I'll remember that the next time I get a cold," Rob gasped. Just then their waiter arrived, with the miso soup. Both men raised the bowls to their mouths, sipping appreciatively.
"So how are the nonhumans doing . .. Esteemed Ssoriszs, Kkintha, Hrasheekk', and that new one, the Heeyoon archaeologist you mentioned the other day . .." Jeff's brow wrinkled as he groped for the name.
"Greyshine," Rob supplied. "They're all fine. I saw Hrasheekk' today and mentioned I was seeing you, and he said to tell you he sends you greetings."
Jeff smiled. "Is he still making the kids hustle through their workouts, screaming like he's possessed when they slack off?"
63
Rob chuckled, nodding. "When Tesa Wakandagi was here, she gave him a name that, in sign, meant 'Dr. Noisy.' It fits so well that I have to bite my tongue to keep from using it to his face!"
"Tesa . .. just one of your graduates who has made the news," Morrow said.
"Gaining Earth full membership in the CLS practically single-handed. She still on Trinity?"
"You bet." Rob smiled reminiscently. "It would take a null- grav booster to get Tesa off her adopted world. She loves being an interrelator."
"What about Mark Kenner, the one who got the hostages free? What's he doing?"
"Serving as the interim interrelator to Elseemar. He'll be back at school in another six months. I don't know whether he'll decide to go back to Elseemar, or go on with his original major, Mizari. I'm also getting another celebrity on the next ship--Cara Hendricks. She and Mark were together on Elseemar."
"You mean the journalist? The one who won the Pulitzer for her coverage of that hijacking?"
'The very same," Rob said proudly. "She's decided she wants to be an interstellar journalist, and a CLS internship as a translator would be a good starting point."
"She's right about that!" Jeff pounced on the last futomaki. "And then there was that young Chhhh-kk-tu who conducted the arbitration between those two Simiu clans that had declared death-challenge on each other."
"Partha kel'chon," Rob supplied. "Yeah, he did a fantastic job."
"Rob, that's an impressive success rate. You have every right to be proud."
Rob nodded. "Yeah, but--" he broke off, not wanting to get into a sensitive subject.
Jeff knew him too well to let him off the hook. "Yeah, but what?" he prodded.
"What were you going to say?"
The doctor sighed, realizing that he'd been backed into a
62
"What are the new kids like?"
"Great, most of them. It's a real boost to see their enthusiasm, their idealism.
Almost makes me feel young again," he said wryly.
Morrow snorted. "You're the biggest kid down there, Rob, don't think you can bullshit me." He balanced a California roll between his chopsticks. "You said 'most' of them. You've got a problem child?"
Rob nibbled thoughtfully on a tamago. "I don't know yet. I've got a kid who's a helluva hard case. I just hope we'll be able to reach her. .. because if we don't she could wind up in real trouble."
'Trouble how?"
"Drugs, maybe, or promiscuity . . . she craves affection and approval, though she doesn't realize it. I can picture her as a drugged-out joygirl in some spaceport." He shook his head. "But it's even more likely that she'd get into computer crime. She's one of the cleverest hackers, by all reports, ever to attend StarBridge." He grinned at his friend. "Since you, at least."
"Sounds like she's quite a risk. Why take it?"
"Because she's one of the most powerful telepaths we've ever discovered."
Jeff blinked. "Really? Projector or receiver?"
"Both."
"No wonder you're sticking your neck out."
"I just hope I've done the right thing .. ." Rob said, smearing a blob of green horseradish over the end of another cucumber roll, then popping the whole thing into his mouth. Moments later, his eyes widened. Swallowing hastily, he reached for his tea, drained the mug, poured another, and emptied that.
"Whew!"
Jeff chuckled at his expression. "Cleared your sinuses, eh, Doc?"
"I'll remember that the next time I get a cold," Rob gasped. Just then their waiter arrived, with the miso soup. Both men raised the bowls to their mouths, sipping appreciatively.
"So how are the nonhumans doing . .. Esteemed Ssoriszs, Kkintha, Hrasheekk', and that new one, the Heeyoon archaeologist you mentioned the other day . .." Jeff's brow wrinkled as he groped for the name.
"Greyshine," Rob supplied. "They're all fine. I saw Hrasheekk' today and mentioned I was seeing you, and he said to tell you he sends you greetings."
Jeff smiled. "Is he still making the kids hustle through their workouts, screaming like he's possessed when they slack off?"
63
Rob chuckled, nodding. "When Tesa Wakandagi was here, she gave him a name that, in sign, meant 'Dr. Noisy.' It fits so well that I have to bite my tongue to keep from using it to his face!"
"Tesa . .. just one of your graduates who has made the news," Morrow said.
"Gaining Earth full membership in the CLS practically single-handed. She still on Trinity?"
"You bet." Rob smiled reminiscently. "It would take a null- grav booster to get Tesa off her adopted world. She loves being an interrelator."
"What about Mark Kenner, the one who got the hostages free? What's he doing?"
"Serving as the interim interrelator to Elseemar. He'll be back at school in another six months. I don't know whether he'll decide to go back to Elseemar, or go on with his original major, Mizari. I'm also getting another celebrity on the next ship--Cara Hendricks. She and Mark were together on Elseemar."
"You mean the journalist? The one who won the Pulitzer for her coverage of that hijacking?"
'The very same," Rob said proudly. "She's decided she wants to be an interstellar journalist, and a CLS internship as a translator would be a good starting point."
"She's right about that!" Jeff pounced on the last futomaki. "And then there was that young Chhhh-kk-tu who conducted the arbitration between those two Simiu clans that had declared death-challenge on each other."
"Partha kel'chon," Rob supplied. "Yeah, he did a fantastic job."
"Rob, that's an impressive success rate. You have every right to be proud."
Rob nodded. "Yeah, but--" he broke off, not wanting to get into a sensitive subject.
Jeff knew him too well to let him off the hook. "Yeah, but what?" he prodded.
"What were you going to say?"
The doctor sighed, realizing that he'd been backed into a
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