''Silence!'' said beady eyes.
Kris spoke into the sudden quiet. ''You have only two choices. You can profit from the traffic through your jump points in the usual ways, providing reaction mass, food, and cross shipments from a space station you really need to build.''
''Or?'' he asked.
''Or someone else will build a space station above you and see that trade is properly supported.''
''And if we do not want to trade with the rest of you?''
''That really isn't an option,'' Kris said flatly.
''You demand that we join in your king's hundred-and-twelve-planet association,'' the woman guide said.
''Oh no, you totally misunderstand me on that,'' Kris moved quickly to correct. ''No planet may join United Sentients that is not acceptable to all the other members. And no planet without a democratic government has been invited in. There's no question about your joining King Raymond's United Sentients. What we cannot allow you to become is either a rogue state or a resource for fitting out piracy to prey on the rest of humanity.''
''And if we choose to have nothing to do with your humanity?''
''I really don't see how that can happen.''
''I think maybe we should think on this,'' said the guy who had complained about the eighty-year effort to build Xanadu.
''I'd be glad to leave you for a month,'' Kris said.
''Then we will have a message for you in a month,'' the speaker said.
Kris stood, gave him a regal nod, then led her team out. The Marines performed a smooth retrograde, and in only a few minutes Kris was walking down the street she'd just walked up. Somehow, Prometheus detached himself, leaving Kris with more questions than why everyone was running around in bed-sheets.
The pirateship Compton Maru claimed it had just called on Xanadu. Had it? Was that the level of outside contact the Guides were maintaining? This visit had answered none of those, and Kris wasn't interested in hanging around.
* * *
Hercules shushed the other guides as their thrones disappeared below the sacred precincts. They had learned the hard way about the tiny listening devices that were so popular in human space. If they hadn't gotten a spacer drunk, they would have been taken even more advantage of by the last few star-ships through. Now, he and the other guides stripped, turned their robes over to security, and washed themselves thoroughly before submitting themselves for scanning by their own electronics experts.
''Oh Great Guide for our Way, no hidden bugs speak to us.''
''What about the Assembly hall?''
''We found nothing there.''
''I do not like this,'' said Leonides. ''They always use bugs. If we cannot find them, it only means they have again gained an advantage over us.''
''But if this Kris did not bother to bug us, how can we persuade you that you are not bugged, foolish husband of mine?'' Gorgo said, with a curt shake of her wet hair.
''It does not matter,'' Hercules said. ''Bring me a new robe and bring me Lucifer.''
Robed, the ten adjourned to a room where most decisions were made. Here, deep under the mound of the assembly, a warm spring flowed. From a vent in the earth rose the vapors of the future. But today Hercules did not go to smell the vapors or eat the sacred mushroom; instead, he sat on his throne, first among equals.
Lucifer entered and immediately went to one knee before the Guides as they arranged themselves on their thrones. These did not fly through the air and were solid marble, with cushions to soften the seats of all authority over the present and future.
''Young man,'' Hercules said, ''the twelve have a mission for you and your associates.''
''We are ready and worthy of it,'' the youth said.
''It was foretold at your birth you would be the Bringer of Light. I call upon you to bring down the sky on the faithless.''
''How will I do that, O Seer of the Future?''
''In four days, once that interloper is out of our system, you and your companions will go far from Xanadu, but when the Angels of Light greet you, it will be as kings and queens.''
The young man gulped, but stood. ''I will gather my companions. None of those you called will fail you.''
And Lucifer turned on his heels and went from them.
10
''Shall we leave a jump buoy?'' Captain Drago asked, as they halted in front of the jump between Xanadu and Pandemonium.
''We didn't leave buoys at the jumps from Cuzco,'' Kris said. She hadn't wanted to make the Great Guides mad before she talked to them. Fat lot of good that had done. ''We gave them a month. We can wait. Captain, take us through.''
''Aye, aye, Your Highness. Sulwan, make it so.''
With a quick shot of maneuvering jets, they were in another system. Drago put on one gee and boosted sunward even before sensors reported back on what the locals had shortened to Panda.
Passive sensors were the first to hint at trouble.
''I'm not getting any chatter on the communication circuits,'' Chief Beni reported with a frown. ''And I'm getting neutrino emissions from what looks like two ships in orbit over Panda.''
''We've never had more than one freighter show up a year,'' Andy Fronour said from the jump seat he occupied on the bridge. ''How could there be two now?''
''We'll have to wait until we establish communications,'' Kris said. ''At this distance, there's an hour lag time between us saying anything and them answering back.''
Thirty minutes later, the main screen on the bridge opened up with full visuals. Kris knew at first glance things were not good. Staring at her in the impeccable uniform of a merchant captain was Captain William Tacoma Thorpe, former commander of the Patrol Corvette Typhoon, and, given a choice between early retirement and a court-martial, formally of the Wardhaven Navy.
''What is he doing here?'' was Kris's first question.
Nothing good, had to be the first answer.
''Unidentified freighter, there is no business here for you. Sheer off and do not approach Presley's Pride.''
Kris mashed the kill-screen button.
''Presley's Pride?'' Fronour said, leaping from his jump seat. ''I don't think there's anyone on the planet with that name.''
''Apparently there is now,'' Kris said, and filled them in on who was talking to them.
Captain Drago didn't seem surprised. He did want to make sure he got it right ''He was your first skipper in the Navy.'' Kris agreed that he was. ''And he ended up retiring out of the Navy in lieu of a full court-martial.'' Kris agreed he did.
''Explains why I get such interesting looks at the bar when I admit skippering your ship,'' Drago said, rubbing his chin.
''Stay on my good side,'' Kris suggested.
''What happened?'' Drago said, very serious now.
''You're not authorized that information,'' Jack told him.
''But I sure would like to hear the story,'' Abby put in.
''If she told you, I'd have to kill you,'' Jack said.
''You and what army?'' Abby said, with a toothy smile.
''Me and my Marines.''
''Might be interesting to see who'd be the last one standing.''
''Folks,'' Kris cut in, ''I think we have a full to-do list for today. Could we put a rousing good intramural fight off until we have some free time?''
''We never have any free time,'' Abby complained.
''Considering what you do with it, is it any wonder I keep you busy?'' Kris said.
''Ah, folks, what do we tell this former associate of our princess?'' Drago asked. ''In about an hour we'll be getting a new message from him, one showing his surprise at once more crossing paths with his well-remembered subordinate.''
''You're the captain,'' Kris noted.