Doubled-up as she was, Yana was bundled out of the cabin and, after a very short distance down the corridor (which confirmed her notion that they'd been deliberately toured every deck of the vessel to confuse them), she was pushed into a considerably larger accommodation. Not that spacious but it had bunks along three sides, a narrow table in the centre with benches under it, and two narrow doors that she would later discover led to the sanitary facilities: the shower behind one door and the 'head' behind the other. She half-staggered, half-crawled to the nearest bunk and lay down upon it, coughing, gasping, hacking and wondering if she'd have anything left of normal throat lining.
She was only marginally aware that the panel whooshed open and shut again. Then a cool hand soothed her forehead and someone was urging her to sit up long enough to'drink this'.
The beverage was cold, tart and soothing and she managed to still the cough reflex long enough to take a good swallow.
‘Cookie let me rummage in her stores for the ingredients,' said the rich voice of the astronomer, Namid Mendelsky. 'It's what I think was in my grandmother's recipe, plus a little of the codeine.’
She was panting from the effort of drinking the other liquid she'd been given and trying to suppress the cough long enough to keep from choking on the drink. She took the mug with the cough syrup from Mendelsky and sipped slowly. The liquid seemed to be coating her throat. It didn't taste bad either although there was a bite to it.
‘It might sting going down,' Namid said anxiously, 'because pepper is one of the ingredients.’
‘Oh.' Yana kept sipping. She didn't care if it contained pepper or eye of newt, toe of frog, so long as it stopped her coughing. She got into a more comfortable position, propped against one end of the bunk although she had to crouch or bang her head on the bottom of the upper bunk. 'I think it's helping. Thank you. You're very considerate and kind.’
‘I'm neither of those but I told Dinah I wouldn't co-operate any further if she didn't let me help you.' Namid perched tentatively on the edge of the table and looked around, sighing deeply.
‘What's the matter?' Yana said because there was a quality in his exhalation that sounded'sad' as well as resigned.
He grimaced, shrugged and held out one hand in a helpless gesture. 'Nothing new,' he said in a resigned tone. 'In fact,' and he continued to look around,' this is slightly better than my previous quarters.’
‘Oh?' Yana said encouragingly. He didn't look at all the sort of person to associate with privateers, even one as patently sensual and domineering as Dinah O'Neill.
‘I was married to Dinah O'Neill.' Another sigh, one expressing the folly of such a union. 'She doesn't take the divorce seriously.’
‘In short, you're now permanently on board this ship?’
As he folded his arms across his chest, he had a slight twinkle in his eye and a rueful smile on his face. 'We met under considerably different circumstances. It was a whirlwind romance. I'd never met anyone quite like her before. I'd just returned from a two-year stint studying two new variables and…' He shrugged.
‘Any female would have seemed delightful?' Yana couldn't help twitting him and then went back to sipping his brew.
‘Exactly. And, to give the devil her due, she was everything I'd ever dreamed of. We had a glorious six months, although her business took her away periodically.’
‘Then you discovered what her business was?’
‘Quite by chance. Of course, I filed for divorce immediately as my professional reputation would have been seriously flawed if it became known I'd had any associations with such a…’
‘Unsavoury occupation?’
‘Exactly. I'd received official notice of the termination - and so did she. Only, I failed to recognize how she might take such a step. And the next thing I knew, I was aboard this ship and here I've remained. I must say, since you seem to be incarcerated too, that it's marvellous to have intelligent company again.’
They both heard the noises in the corridor outside and the panel whooshed open. First Bunny was propelled inside, Marmion following in a more dignified entrance, while Diego's limp body was launched from the doorway onto the bunk opposite Yana, his head connecting hard with the wall. The panel closed with a snap and Bunny, crying out in protest, went to Diego.
‘Yana? Are you all right?' Marmion said, going around the table so she would not have to touch Mendelsky.
‘I'm much better for Namid's brew,' Yana said, trying to convey to Marmion that the astronomer deserved her pity, not her censure. 'But what have those bastards done to poor Diego?’
‘One of the men bringing us here goosed Bunny,' Marmion said angrily. 'She hit him, too, but that first mate just clobbered Diego as a lesson.' She was so furious she was shaking and, with a look that could have pierced steel, she glared at Namid. 'Are we to be spied upon every moment we're together in addition to the other indignities?’
‘Come off it, Marmie,' Yana said, 'he's as much a prisoner as we are.’
‘Are you being ransomed, too?' Marmion asked, her manner towards the tall astronomer instantly more amenable.
‘There's no-one to pay one for me,' he said and his statement was not a bid for pity. 'I forgot to block Dinah's access to my credit account.’
‘How's Diego?' Yana asked Bunny who had pushed the boy's body into a more comfortable position.
‘He'll come round. Any water?' she asked, looking about her.
Yana pointed to the narrow doors. 'Behind one of them?’
Bunny investigated, found a towel, wet it from the spigot above a miniature hand basin and returned to mop Diego's brow.
‘You know,' Mendelsky began, 'I've never figured out why Dinah bothered to go through a formal marriage ceremony. I mean, she could have contracted a short-term arrangement. Or none at all. But she went to such lengths to get me to marry her.’
‘Really?' Marmion said in some surprise. 'She doesn't seem the marrying type.’
‘That's what I thought, but we got married. Not that I minded…’
‘You're an astronomer?' Marmion said, eyeing him more kindly than she had before. When he nodded, she went on, 'Did she ever get you to talk about your speciality?’
A flush spread across Namid's sallow face and his expression became decidedly chagrined.
‘Constantly. I was, as you can well imagine, quite flattered. Why?’
‘What area of astronomy?’
‘What do you mean?’
‘Types of star systems, planets…’
‘Planets, yes. She was fascinated about the formation of planets.' Marmion, Yana and Bunny exchanged glances. 'And she seemed really interested,' he added, confused.
‘Perhaps sentient planets?' Marmion asked.
He laughed then. 'Really, Madame Algemeine, sentience in a ball of matter thrown out by a cooling primary? Come now, I know you're an intelligent woman.’
‘And intelligent enough to recognize sentience when I see, feel and hear it.’
Namid leaned towards her, his incisive green eyes capturing her gaze as he transferred his arms from his chest to a tight hold on the table edge. Yana could almost see his thought processes trying to catch up with the sincerity of Marmion's tone.
‘You're in earnest, aren't you?’
‘Deadly earnest,' Marmion said in an edged voice.
‘And you were abducted because of a…' he paused, still dubious, 'a sentient planet?’
‘Surely Dinah has made mention of Petaybee in your presence?’
‘The name has come up frequently of late,' he began, frowning. Then he made a little warning gesture of his fingers and looked meaningfully at the corners of the room, apprising them that the room was probably bugged, which Yana had already guessed. 'But I did not realize it was the name of a planet.’
‘It is,' Yana said. 'Planet Terraform B, or Powers That Be or Pee-tay-bee.’
‘I see.' He paused another beat, shook his head. 'No, I don't see.' He placed his fingers on his forehead as if the contact would stimulate understanding.
‘Frankly, nor do I,' Yana said, beginning to feel as if her throat might withstand the effort of conversation. She hadn't had so much as a tickle during the last few minutes. 'The ransom for me seems to be Petaybee.' Marmion and Bunny gasped, Namid looked confused. 'I think your… erstwhile colleagues, Namid, have made a bad tactical error in suggesting…' and Yana paused significantly as she stressed the word,' that Petaybee has untold riches which it has refused to divulge to Intergal. In fact, Namid, an Earth-type planet of its girth and density has only minimal mineral resources which would prove…’
‘Have proved…' Bunny said in a flat angry voice.
‘Impossible to produce due to the intemperate weather conditions on the planet's surface. It does have, and on this basis, we may yet be able to come to some arrangement with one, and only one, drug company, to harvest the renewable valuable plants for their purity and quality. But such an enterprise would not be a snatch-and-strip process: rather one that will accrue profit slowly and only when the planet has paid back to Intergal the expenses the company has already incurred in the Terraforming and maintenance. What Petaybee has is intangible wealth, not readily saleable valuables.’
‘And the planet is… somehow… controlling its future?' Namid asked, still struggling to believe the initial concept.
‘The planet controls its surface rather well,' Marmion said with a wide grin for Namid. 'It counteracts the use of explosives by making volcanoes just where miners wish to dig. It rescinds the use of a flat surface for spacecraft by extruding a ziggurat that covers the exact centre of the landing field and unsettles all the peripheral buildings. It either melts prematurely or conjures up diabolical weather patterns to preserve what resources it has. A formidable opponent, and a desirable friend.’
‘I've lived there all my life,' Bunny added, 'and life is good on Petaybee.’
‘But not to everyone's taste,' Yana added drolly. 'Still, the air's pure and unpolluted, the soil is rich enough to produce food crops in their season - and marvellous herbs and plants which are made into the most efficacious potions and syrups. And while it's a hard life, it's a good one if you accept the planet on its terms. It's willing to accept you on the same grounds.’
‘The only planet in the galaxy to require an entrance exam from inhabitants,’ Marmion said, giggling as much at the expression of total disbelief on Namid's long face as at her choice of expression.
Diego began to groan and twist on the narrow bunk and Bunny instantly was all attention.