Chuck arrived with Gino and Sally Stoffers, having been sum-moned back from the marketplace by Ferris. Eric came, too, looking as concerned as everyone else, though he went back to his current pa-tient, whom he had left in the chair with Tavis in attendance.
There was freshly made coffee and Floss sliced bananas, deciding that the last of the ripe fruit would be easy to digest as well as good for them.
Kris and Kathy both finished the snack, grateful for Floss's care and solicitude. Then they decided they would feel better after a shower and clean clothes and excused themselves.
"Well?" Chuck asked Zainal, cocking a bushy eyebrow. "Kapash, your people took off with the rest of the coffee." Then leaning close to Zainal, he asked in a lower tone, "Was that the price of their freedom?"
"It was," Zainal admitted.
"Well, they're worth it. They don't look as if they suffered any great harm."
"Fortunately, no," Zainal said with such an edge to his voice that Chuck grinned. "Do you care to inspect our holds, Kapash, to be sure the bargain has been kept?"
Kapash flicked away such a consideration. "You are an honorable man, Zainal."
"There were only two full bags left," Chuck said, "and what bagged beans we brought back from the market while we awaited your return." Heavy in Chuck's eyes was the suspicion that Kapash might have trumped up the charges just to get the beans.
"Shall I give you a refund on your stall rental, Zainal, now that you have no reason to remain?" Kapash asked with studious po-liteness.
"We still have tradable goods, Market Manager," Zainal said with equal courtesy and showed the man to the main exit.
"He did rig it, didn't he, Zainal?"
"It's a possibility," Zainal admitted, knowing how devious the mar-ket manager was. Greed was Kapash's main motive, which, of course, meant that he had seen how popular the coffee was. Zainal left the galley to go to the control room. Curious, Chuck followed and found him lighting up the main computer screens. Zainal entered four let-ters and sat back, watching the unit deal with the code.
When a menu appeared, Zainal typed in another series and sud-denly the screen scrolled down line after line of what Chuck thought were ship IDs.
"And what have you got here, Zainal lad?" Chuck asked, taking another seat.
"I met our beloved space station commander and he very kindly accessed some files for me, updating me though I'm sure he didn't mean to." A smile wreathed Zainal's usually bland expression. "He gave me the chance to see two of his codes. One, this"-here he struck a save button and then an order to print the entire file "is a list of all ship activity in and out of the station for: oh, probably ten years. That's as much as it's necessary to save."
"And what was the other code, Zainal?"
Zainal went back to the menu and tapped another code. "This one will take more time and effort," said Zainal. "But it might be worth it. It will give us the movements of all Eosi ships in and out of Barevi. I have also learned that the Eosi did not keep their share of earnings in any holding establishment, but secreted their treasures where only they could access them. If we examine their flights and destinations, we might discover where they stopped along the way."
"Well, a good day's work for all the anxiety. You got Kris and Kathy back, and also found what you've been looking for."
Paper was spewing out of the printer now. "Yes," said Zainal with satisfaction, "we'll know considerably more about the ins and outs of all shipments of slave labor following the Catteni invasion. I might even find out how much Ladade earned from his cut of the cap-tains' loot."
"I heard that Ladade is pretty honorable." The end of that sen-tence posed a question.
"Depends on your standards of honor," Zainal replied. He reached over and removed a wad of the hard copy from the basket, riffling through the pages. "We must get back to Botany and then return to Jarth. Did you get any more automotive parts?"
"We got some truck tires from Nilink, the man you were sup-posed to deal with earlier, and he was right annoyed when Kapash's men cut him off at the pass, as it were."
"Did he deliver to us or did you collect from his warehouse?" "We collected but he has that place well secured."
"Full?"
"What you got is only a single column of the hoard he has. What-ever did he have in mind when he stocked up on tires? You can't use them on any Catteni vehicle, and there's nothing you can do with tire rubber. It's not something you could melt down like metals. By the way, he has batteries, too."
"You know, Chuck, I think we've gone about this the wrong way round."
"If you're thinking what I'm thinking, Zainal, indeed we have." He smiled and chuckled, rubbing his hands together. "And that'll show Kapash."
"Speaking of whom, let me just see:" And going back to the original menu, Zainal picked another file and opened it. "This is ex-actly what I need: the prison duty roster." He scrolled backward and stopped at a date. By now, Kapash's name was familiar to Chuck in Cat-teni script. Zainal finally highlighted the name "Kapash" and a date.
"Now that wouldn't just happen to be the date we got launched to Botany, would it? With Kapash on duty?"
"Perceptive of you, Chuck. That's exactly what it is." Now it was Zainal who rubbed his hands together.
"Wish I had access to Kapash's office files," he muttered, though he was well enough pleased to discover that Kapash had, indeed, con-nived in his being dropped. For he now had proof that Kapash had been on duty the day he and Kris and the others were sent off to Botany on a slave ship. Kapash's "duty" should have included the res-cue of an obvious Catteni from such a shipment. "And now I have proof and cause." An odd smile played on Zainal's lips but, with a shake of his head, he changed to his customary bland expression.
"Speaking of greed:" Zainal paused, jiggling his fingers on the worktop. "Where would one least expect to find treasure?"
"Right out in the open?" Chuck suggested.
"Quite likely. Pe was an odd personality, even for an Eosi." Zainal chuckled softly. "It's worth a look on our way out."
"Our way out?"
"We would be less noticeable then and we can always come back. Meanwhile, I intend to reduce Kapash's greed. A thief should not be allowed to enjoy it."
"But you gave him the beans for the women's safety."
Zainal gave Chuck an odd smile. "As market manager, Kapash is not only allowed to punish thieves, but he also has to indemnify the merchants for any losses they may incur while their products are un-der his protection."
Chuck's jaw dropped open. "Zainal?"
"He owes me a debt, as one Catteni to another, for unlawful im-prisonment, and I shall take no more than is legal to acquit that debt and the several insults to my women." or the evening meal, celebrating the safe return of the women, Natchi, Erbri, and Tavis were included among the guests. Erbri had brought in a roast of a beef-like animal that was hunted in the forests of Barevi. As the hunters were usually Catteni enjoying shore leave, they often sold their kills to local merchants, though occasion-ally they had the beasts butchered and took the best cuts back to their ship for better food than their captain would supply. The roast was tender and juicy, and everyone had second servings.
"I have one more task to complete," Zainal said when everyone, even Ferris, said they had eaten enough. He glanced at Peran and Bazil. "Then we will lift for Botany."
"Oh no, I can't do that," Eric said, looking astonished. "I have too many clients waiting for crowns and bridges to leave right now" "Oh, we'll be back, I assure you," Zainal said.
"Look, Dr. Eric," Tavis said, "you can stay here. My family will be glad to have you as a guest, and I have so much to learn from you." "And I will stay, too. Can't I, Dr. Eric? You know how helpful I can be. Please, Zainal, please?" Ferris begged.