The Better Part of Valor by Tanya Huff Page A

was a slow way to get to the truth, and a quick way. Torin chose the latter.
    Katrien were small, barely a meter high. They were, like all of the Elder Races, noncombatants. They were also very fast, but they had to know they were supposed to start running.
    Torin dropped to one knee and leaned forward until her nose was almost touching the damp black tip of Presit a Tur durValintrisy’s muzzle. Reaching up, she pulled off the dark glasses and locked eyes with the Katrien. “Please, explain,” she said softly in a tone that had once caused a new recruit to piss himself in fear.
    A wave rippled down the soft gray fur of the reporter’s throat as she swallowed. “We are interviewing Captain Travik, and he are saying he are leaving on a top secret mission with General Morris. We are knowing General Morris are using you, Staff Sergeant Kerr, on his previous secret mission, so we are watching all shuttles from OutSector for Marines of your rank. Once we are finding you, we follow and find out you are going to
Berganitan
, then we are following
Berganitan.
You are not giving away the secret mission. We are not intending to cause you trouble.”
    “Thank you.”
    Pupils constricted to pinpricks, she put her hand on Torin’s wrist. “Glasses?”
    “Of course.” Torin returned them and straightened.
    Presit a Tur durValintrisy shook herself and spun around to face the Katrien who was recording. “Are you getting that? I are threatened!”
    Ears flipped up and then down, the Katrien equivalent of a shrug. “Staff Sergeant are saying ‘please’ and ‘thank you.’”
    Torin got the distinct impression that Presit a Tur durValintrisy was less than popular with her crew. Hardly surprising if the near fatal trip had been her idea.
    “Right. Well. Looks like you’re in the clear, Staff Sergeant.” The commander signaled her security team to fall in around the news team. “If you’ll all come this way, Captain Carveg and General Morris would like to speak with you.”
    Torin stepped back as Presit a Tur durValintrisy swept forward and fell into step beside the commander, who wasshortening her stride considerably. She found herself walking beside the third Katrien. Probably a male, but she didn’t make assumptions. When she glanced down, it held up a hand.
    “Durgin a Tar canSalvais. Call me Durgin.”
    She stroked her palm across his—a Tar, male. The skin was so soft it felt as though it had been dusted with powder.
    “Nice you’re not holding a grudge at least.”
    His ears flipped. “Hey, I are just her pilot. What are I caring if you are intimidating the
aururist
?”
    The way the hair lifted off Presit a Tur durValintrisy’s spine, Torin figured that had to be a very bad word. Now that she was getting a better look at it, that black triangle was too regular to be natural. It had to be dyed.
    “Actually,” Durgin continued, “I are thinking you are going to pick her up by the throat and shake her.”
    Torin’s eyes narrowed as she watched the reporter mincing up the corridor. “Yeah. So was she.”

F IVE
    “G eneral, General.” The reporter raised a gently protesting hand, silvered claws glittering. “Protests are beside the point. Under laws of full disclosure if media are present, media must not be denied. If Marines are going into ship, we are going in with them.”
    “All three of you?”
    “No. Durgin are pilot only. He are staying with my ship. I, Presit a Tur durValintrisy, and my crew, Cirvan a Tar palRentskik, are going in.”
    Her crew didn’t look too happy about it.
    “We don’t know what’s in there, Presit a Tur durValintrisy…”
    She smiled winningly, showing many tiny points of teeth under the black line of her lip. “Call me Presit.”
    “…but it will be dangerous. You’ll be putting yourself and your crew in danger.”
    “I are not going in, in front, General Morris.” The tiny points of teeth reappeared, and a purple tongue swept lightly over them. “But I are going