pointed out. "I mean, look what happened with the Na-Dina! The way that combine just moved in before the CLS could even establish a contact! If the Arekkhi heard anything about that..."
"Oh, I agree with you. And, of course, it's good sense for the CLS to really regulate trade here--the way the Arekkhi go for personal possessions,"
Alexis said. "The black market in rare things like Rigellan sculpture would be--well, incredible, wouldn't it? Your argument--the Arekkhi argument--is just fine. If only I didn't feel there was more involved. Arekkhi politics," she added with a faint sigh.
Magdalena grinned wickedly. "One good twist behind the first one, and two more behind that. But they can't use the same argument on us. After all, we're here to help them set
70
up this trade they supposedly want so badly, and besides--" The door hissed behind them; Bhelan, his ears canted sideways as if he'd just finished a monumental argument, was with them once more. "We can go now, if you like. On foot," he said. "The luggage cart will go on ahead to my shuttle.
Unless you would rather remain here to be certain of your goods?"
"No, that's fine. Let's go, now," Alexis replied promptly. She walked into the backup lock next to the pilot; Magdalena fell in behind them and a little to one side, her eyes moving constantly, one ear half-tuned to the conversation just ahead of her.
The station itself was a wonder to look at--surprisingly like old Earth renderings she'd seen of space colonies. Given physics as a constant, what would you expect? she asked herself. The vast station was an enormous tube, mostly open space, occupied by buildings and parklike spaces all the way around. Floors looked and felt flat underfoot, but curved to right and left, meeting overhead. Since their ship had landed near one end, only the closest kilometers--including a vast lake that apparently wrapped all the way around the tube--were visible. Beyond that, things were fuzzy with distance and atmosphere, and dwindled to a point. After her first, dizzying glance overhead, Magdalena swore she wouldn't look higher than the shrubs and low structures around them. It looks flat--stick with that, all right, Perez?
A broad avenue led away from the banks of docking bays and plunged into tall yellow-green vegetation--bushes, trees, and flowering plants, all contributing to a breathable atmosphere, Magdalena knew. Long row-buildings with evenly spaced doors made five-sided figures with gardens in the centers--the Heeyoons had sent vid of that, and she could see as much in a single, unnerving glance overhead. They were all single-story buildings; Arekkhi knees weren't constructed for climbing stairs, elevators were nonexistent, and there wasn't enough room up here for ramps.
Some of the pentacles of buildings looked like living space, others might be shops or businesses---a few they passed had signs on the outer walls or goods piled on both sides of a door clearly marking them as specialty shops.
The Arekkhi don't
71
know any other kind of business, she reminded herself. Yet. Their tech might have moved into space, but their merchantile processes hadn't moved beyond the Earth Renaissance model.
There were only a very few Arekkhi in sight and none close by--just as Alexis had predicted--but she could sense eyes on the other sides of those doors: They were being watched. She glanced ahead where Alexis and Bhelan were talking animatedly--discussing Earth baseball and a similar Arekkhi sport. She crossed her eyes. Baseball. Poor David had been an ardent baseball fan; she'd never understood the thrill of watching team sports if you weren't part of the team. Still--good for Alexis, coming up with a subject she and the pilot could enjoy: Bhelan no longer had that slightly haunted look about his ears and whiskers. He's good, she thought appraisingly as they crossed a small square of yellow-green vegetation separating one avenue from another. The stuff was springy underfoot and
"Oh, I agree with you. And, of course, it's good sense for the CLS to really regulate trade here--the way the Arekkhi go for personal possessions,"
Alexis said. "The black market in rare things like Rigellan sculpture would be--well, incredible, wouldn't it? Your argument--the Arekkhi argument--is just fine. If only I didn't feel there was more involved. Arekkhi politics," she added with a faint sigh.
Magdalena grinned wickedly. "One good twist behind the first one, and two more behind that. But they can't use the same argument on us. After all, we're here to help them set
70
up this trade they supposedly want so badly, and besides--" The door hissed behind them; Bhelan, his ears canted sideways as if he'd just finished a monumental argument, was with them once more. "We can go now, if you like. On foot," he said. "The luggage cart will go on ahead to my shuttle.
Unless you would rather remain here to be certain of your goods?"
"No, that's fine. Let's go, now," Alexis replied promptly. She walked into the backup lock next to the pilot; Magdalena fell in behind them and a little to one side, her eyes moving constantly, one ear half-tuned to the conversation just ahead of her.
The station itself was a wonder to look at--surprisingly like old Earth renderings she'd seen of space colonies. Given physics as a constant, what would you expect? she asked herself. The vast station was an enormous tube, mostly open space, occupied by buildings and parklike spaces all the way around. Floors looked and felt flat underfoot, but curved to right and left, meeting overhead. Since their ship had landed near one end, only the closest kilometers--including a vast lake that apparently wrapped all the way around the tube--were visible. Beyond that, things were fuzzy with distance and atmosphere, and dwindled to a point. After her first, dizzying glance overhead, Magdalena swore she wouldn't look higher than the shrubs and low structures around them. It looks flat--stick with that, all right, Perez?
A broad avenue led away from the banks of docking bays and plunged into tall yellow-green vegetation--bushes, trees, and flowering plants, all contributing to a breathable atmosphere, Magdalena knew. Long row-buildings with evenly spaced doors made five-sided figures with gardens in the centers--the Heeyoons had sent vid of that, and she could see as much in a single, unnerving glance overhead. They were all single-story buildings; Arekkhi knees weren't constructed for climbing stairs, elevators were nonexistent, and there wasn't enough room up here for ramps.
Some of the pentacles of buildings looked like living space, others might be shops or businesses---a few they passed had signs on the outer walls or goods piled on both sides of a door clearly marking them as specialty shops.
The Arekkhi don't
71
know any other kind of business, she reminded herself. Yet. Their tech might have moved into space, but their merchantile processes hadn't moved beyond the Earth Renaissance model.
There were only a very few Arekkhi in sight and none close by--just as Alexis had predicted--but she could sense eyes on the other sides of those doors: They were being watched. She glanced ahead where Alexis and Bhelan were talking animatedly--discussing Earth baseball and a similar Arekkhi sport. She crossed her eyes. Baseball. Poor David had been an ardent baseball fan; she'd never understood the thrill of watching team sports if you weren't part of the team. Still--good for Alexis, coming up with a subject she and the pilot could enjoy: Bhelan no longer had that slightly haunted look about his ears and whiskers. He's good, she thought appraisingly as they crossed a small square of yellow-green vegetation separating one avenue from another. The stuff was springy underfoot and
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