Stardogs by Dave Freer Page A

No one would be allowed into the docking area. Well, no-one who did not have his father’s access codes. And the main airlock would be well guarded.
    Which was why he would not go near it. In fact he wouldn’t even be at dock level. The airlock was underneath, out of sight. He could be waiting in the refuel area. That was such high security… once you were in, and if you were good at hacking…

CHAPTER 7
FLEAS

As wanton flies to boys are we to the Gods. We sport with them, bringing ourselves to their attention, and they kill us . It is wiser to leave them strictly alone .
From the collected sayings of Saint Sugahata the Reviled.
    The League-watcher had an ornately carved throne in the front of the cockpit. The rider was accorded a low plastic chair at the League-watcher’s feet.
    Liton looked around cautiously. Since he had been brought forward from the riders’ cabin in which he had been locked before the barge had left the space station, he hadn’t dared raise his eyes. Now he risked a glance. The royal party sat about the foredeck, talking cheerfully while watching the tugs pull them toward the sun-grazing Stardogs. The cockpit was plainly a familiar locale for the royals, who treated the stunning space-view with the disregard that one accords to the everyday.
    Shahjah knew he was coming. She was already jetting slowly away from the other dogs towards them. His heart leapt as it always did when he beheld his beloved. He didn’t understand how people could possibly say that all Stardogs looked alike. She was larger than most, and she also was more silvered. To an uninformed person that was beautiful. To the rider it was tragic. She was silvered because many of her filaments had lost their ability to absorb and transport light. She was getting very old… Still, he could already feel her love, and suddenly the room full of rich and powerful people no longer frightened him. He had stopped being a half-person. And they had stopped being of anything but trivial importance.
    Several members of the Imperial party had greeted the Wienan League Watcher. They ignored the rider, which was hardly surprising. He would have been alarmed to be greeted people by such as these. The girl rider was missing, doubtless tranquillized and locked up, but her League escort was already there. He stood on the far side of the cockpit, an uneasily held drink in hand, looking uncomfortable. Liton avoided his eyes and stared out into the blackness once again, watching Shahjah.
    He was startled to find himself being tapped on the shoulder by a stocky lady who wore ultra fashionable garments with total disregard for their appropriateness to coloring or figure. She also had a terrifyingly white face behind the glasses. Apparently she had got as far as putting on a make-up foundation, but had been distracted into looking up a few peripheral matters and forgotten to proceed. “I say, do you hear me?”
    Liton stood up hastily. Bobbed his head servilely. Of course he hadn’t heard her. He was in a quandary. Riders were forbidden to speak to Non-League people. In Human built ships their quarters were segregated and the situation had never arisen in his previous experience. On the other hand not to reply would be construed as an insult.
    “He is deaf, M’lady.” The Wienan smoothly interposed. This young soft man did not look at all out of place here, sipping a cocktail from a tall glass.
    “Yes, I’d heard you did that to them, but it had slipped my mind.” The scholar suddenly peered over the edge of her glasses at Johannes. It was an alarming sight, and he started back slightly. She continued. “I have some questions to ask. Use your sign-language to pass them on to him.”
    The young Leaguesman was at something of a loss. He cast an anguished eye across at his League colleague. “I cannot ask him about certain matters. They are League secrets, you understand…”
    The dumpy woman snorted. “I’m not interested in the League. You are