“We can use you right now,” Melody said, surprised and grateful for his gesture. “But the work is dangerous.”
“I am aware of that. However, it would be more dangerous to allow hostages to take control of a ship in this fleet whose weapons bear on my own ship.”
“Irrefutable logic,” Melody agreed.
“Doubtless. I got it from your mind.”
They swam back to the Captain’s office, where he gave orders concerning the disposition of the hostages, and made new assignments to fill the vacated positions, including his own. “I would have been killed soon by the hostages,” he explained. “It is fitting that I employ the life I have recovered in an attempt to save the lives of my companion captains.”
Then they swam into a shuttlecraft for the trip to the Ace of Swords The craft was of course filled with water, and was very heavy, so acceleration was slow. As the water cushioned even that thrust, Melody was hardly aware of their motion. Llono piloted it expertly, allowing Melody her thoughts. They were not happy ones.
“You seem despondent, my recent mate,” Llono observed.
“Its not a matter of galactic importance,” Melody said. “I simply haven’t gotten used to the notion of being male.”
“Why should you have to?”
“I had thought you understood. When Mintakan buds—”
“I understand the convention. But this does not apply.”
“You of all entities should certainly be aware that—”
“Do you feel male?”
“No,” she admitted uncertainly.
“Then you have not changed. It is only your self-image that modifies, since your Mintakan body has not participated.”
“But we merged! There was offspring!”
“True, we merged. But you were neither Parent nor Sire.”
Melody’s flippers wiggled. “I was the catalyst!” she exclaimed, realizing. “I caused it to happen—without giving of myself. I have not budded!”
“I had supposed you understood,” Llono said. “That was a clever maneuver, retreating and returning, so as to assume the catalytic role. Had you not done so, you would have become the sire, and I the parent, a decidedly less convenient arrangement for us. I would not have been free to transfer, had I borne the child.”
“I remain female…” Melody said, and somehow it seemed the most wonderful thing possible.
12. Drone of Scepters
COUNCIL INITIATED PARTICIPATING * — / :: oo
*issue of new leadership*
—if this must be, I propose slash—
:: slash betrayed us to the enemy in the prior war! quadpoint will assume leadership concurrence? ::
SILENCE
*slash proposed for leadership concurrence?*
CONCURRENCE
/grant me a period to orient my lasers and sharpen my blades there will be another council soon/
*POWER*
— / oo CIVILIZATION oo / —
:: (fools!) ::
There were a series of minor problems, such as identifying themselves to Skot of Kade and getting their water-borne bodies into the transfer unit without suffering damage. Skot was being ably assisted by Yael, who seemed to be enjoying her tour as a self-determined adventuress. The two of them and Slammer got the transfer unit set up at the edge of the temporary pool in the hold, and helped first Llono and then Melody flop into the unit. Gravity was so slight that the maneuvers were not as hard as anticipated. In fact their main concern was preventing the water from vaporizing every time the air pressure was reduced by their travels.
Llono went to another Spican ship whose captain he knew personally; he expected to have all the Cups washed in due course.
Melody tried for another Polarian Disk, expecting to bounce again. But this time she got through—and found herself in the body of the hostage Polarian captain. This was a marvelous break. She was able without fuss to arrest the three other hostages her memory identified, and to explain things to the ranking Polarian, whom she installed as new captain. The Andromedans here were all from Sphere *, of interest to Melody because of the Lot of *, but she did not try to comprehend the nuances of their five sexes. In their natural state they were serpentine entities that twisted into complex convolutions, every knot having significance; perhaps this made it easier for them to occupy the tailed Polarians. Melody was beginning to recognize certain broad families of Andromedans corresponding to those of the Milky Way. Some were foot walkers, some borers, some fliers, some swimmers. As with families of auras, they fell naturally into functional categories.
She returned to the flagship to discover that Llono the Undulant had already completed his first mission and gone out again. That was one efficient entity! Their nucleus of “safe” ships was now four. Given enough time and luck, the whole Fleet might be redeemed bloodlessly! Skot and Yael were working so well together that Melody began to wonder whether her return to her human host would be welcome.
She had freed the Ace of Swords, the Four of Cups, and the Three of Disks. Time to try a Canopian Wand, or Scepter. The particular term did not matter in Tarot; it was the concept that counted.
Skot activated the unit—and Melody bounced right back. “All right… try another Wand,” she said, vibrating her Polarian-host ball against the floor. This was a nice body! “I want to be sure of at least one of each kind of ship.”
But the second Wand bounced also, and the third. “Either they’re all loyal,” she said, “or they have no moderate-Kirlian female hostages.” She considered a moment. “Let’s try a straight transfer instead of a hostage takeover; they just might have a vacant female host. Canopians are smart about things like that” So Skot adjusted the setting and tried it again.
This time she found herself in a humanoid host. For a moment she was confused; then she remembered that the Canopian insectoid Masters used humanoid slaves. Naturally any hosts they reserved would be of this type!
She explored her new mind. No… this was not a prepared host. This was $fe of Y◊jr. Y◊jr was, or had once been, a warrior planet/tribe, with fierce people and primitive customs, $fe was a Slave, but she was fiercely loyal to her Master. The ferocity of independence in her genetic makeup had converted nicely to the ferocity of dependence. Her Master’s fall from power had created such stress in her that her aura had vacated.
Melody rechecked that, dubious. It was true: $fe’s Master was her life, and evil to his person was evil to her soul. The concept of his loss of power was literally unthinkable to her. So here she sat in a state of collapse—and because she was merely a slave, and not even an important one, no one had even noticed her demise.
Melody held her position while she worked out more of her current situation, $fe of Y◊jr was body-Slave to Drone. Drone? Melody had to plumb a welter of concepts here. Canopian Masters were known by combinations of letters and numbers, such as A:::5, F:::3. They were essentially neuter, or neutered females, like the worker-bees of Sphere Sol. This explained why Melody had bounced on her previous attempts., She was also a neuter female, but the direction differed. She had proceeded from neuter to female, while Canopians went from female to neuter, becoming essentially male in their final evolution. She could not identify with that! The slave, in contrast, was a full female humanoid like Yael of Dragon, capable of reproduction, but virginal. Much better associations, there!