For a moment, Sean just stared. The purposeful echo, the purposeful line of the phosphorescence, neither of these had ever been manifested by Petaybee before. But after all, Petaybee was a young planet, still discovering its own abilities, and it had recently been exposed to new stimuli. Its responses were becoming more and more interesting.
He followed the phosphorescent track, trying to keep up with it, until he was back in the river and found himself in the midst of a vast school offish - every kind of fish - all swimming with purpose and determination in a single direction.
Aboard the pirate ship
Yana was fast asleep in her bunk when she was awakened by the sensation of warmth and vibration at the base of her throat. It emanated from the little bag of dirt around her neck as if it held some tiny animal instead of merely dirt. She clutched it, comforted, and as she did so a picture sprang into her mind of Sean, calling for her, so that her own name rang in her mind as clearly as if someone in the same room was speaking to her. The voice sounded so anguished that she wished she could offer some comfort but before she could form any sort of reply she felt the tickle that prefaced a coughing fit.
She clutched harder at her talismanic morsel, as Petaybee and Sean continued calling her, a voice in her mind yelling her name. The cats talked to other cats and Clodagh, the dogs to their humans, and everyone talked to the planet. Why shouldn't the mighty voice of a planet be able to call across the cosmos if it set its mind to it? Interesting thought, one that tumbled around and around as the image of Sean and the tickle evaporated, while the voice faded.
She lay awake for a long time, fondling the bag, wondering if she had just dreamt the warmth and the powerful mind-echo. Because it was tremendously reassuring to think, even for a moment, that Petaybee was somehow on her psychic wavelength, she wanted it to be true. Usually when she dreamt someone was yelling her name, they were and it was the captain or the drill sergeant or the corps commander. This time she was alone in the bowels of wherever they were, and the only sound was the restless sleep of her fellow prisoners.
Then they were all abruptly roused as the door of their prison burst open to be filled at once with a brawny crewman, the ever-ominous Megenda, and Dinah O'Neill, who seemed to be using all of the strength in her petite frame to restrain Megenda. Megenda clanged something hard against the metal of the door-frame: a laser pistol. 'Get off your butts, you lazy lot of worthless harlots.’
Part of Yana thought, Uh-huh, I was right. He does fancy himself as an old-style pirate. Who used the word 'harlot' any more, really?
But he looked very fierce indeed, and Dinah O'Neill appeared to be all that stood between them and his wrath. When the other sleepers woke, looking about them in dismay and disorientation, he planted fists at the ammo belt slung around his hips and glared at them.
‘Megenda, stop! Not yet! We have to give them a chance,' Dinah O'Neill cried, tugging at him.
‘Quiet, woman. I say we start sending them home in pieces now.’
Yana cocked an eyebrow at Dinah, as if Megenda needed an interpreter. 'What's he on about?’
‘Please, please don't antagonize him any more. The Captain reprimanded him and Megenda's extremely sensitive. And it was so unfair. Calm down, Megenda! Everyone knows it isn't your fault. It isn't anybody's fault but that of those callous and uncaring people in your company, Madame Algemeine, and on your planet, Colonel Maddock. I admit, I'm as surprised as anyone. I thought with all of Madame Algemeine's credits and you newly wedded to your planet's co-administrator, Colonel, that surely everyone would have been tripping over themselves to pay the ransom. I even sent a little follow-up note, just as a reminder. But so far, we haven't even had the courtesy of a reply, much less a payment. The Captain is so annoyed there's no living on the same ship with him. Down, Megenda!’
‘I didn't know', Yana heard herself remarking,' that his species was capable of annoyance.’
Megenda swung on her, his eyes glinting malevolently and Dinah O'Neill gave a small squeak as she was dragged forward on his massive arm.
‘Colonel Maddock, please. This is no laughing matter,' Dinah cried.
‘I know it isn't,' Yana said quite soberly, 'but when the good Captain asked me to request the planet for my ransom, he couldn't know that I have absolutely no control over the planet’
‘Now, now, you're being much too modest. We've been told that if you really want to, if you're really motivated, you and your new groom have the power to assign its mineral and ore deposits’
‘I can't assign anything for an entity I don't own, possess, dominate, order,' Yana snapped back. 'Nobody even knows what there is to assign.' Megenda made a move towards her.
‘Megenda, just let me talk to these people, please,' Dinah O'Neill said. 'They're reasonable and they don't want to be hurt. I know it's been months since you've seen real action but please be patient.’
Megenda glowered and loomed.
Dinah O'Neill continued. 'I hope you aren't making the mistake of underestimating our organization, Colonel. We have had agents on your planet before and we know very well that there are deposits of valuable ores available. We also have a good idea how you could obtain them. Nothing makes Megenda more cross than having someone lie to him.’
Yana shook her head carefully, keeping the cough at bay. Now was not a good time to be rendered inarticulate. 'If you mean Satok and those other sham shamen, they never were able to mine enough ore to be able to buy their way off the planet, much less provide booty of the magnitude that would really interest Louchard. Of course, I don't think they had the time, nor the opportunity,' and Yana was very sure of that since the demise of the fake shamen had been precipitously effected by the coo-berries, 'for the planet evolved some unusual natural defences to their mining methods. Sounds to me like your captain is just trying to recoup a bad investment since he's lost their services as illegal miners. Even the Company had to see that it's no use trying to mine Petaybee for something it's not willing to give up.’
‘Let go of me, woman,' Megenda said, trying to shake off Dinah's tiny beringed hand. 'She's useless. Might as well make her walk the plank.’
‘We don't have planks any more, Megenda.’
‘Yah, but space is a lot bigger than any puny puddle. We could put her in a suit so she'd have hours to float around and think about what she could have done to make the Cap'n happy.’
Yana's arguments had obviously gone over Megenda's head but his attitude only reinforced her feeling that he wasn't the only one who didn't understand the nature of the entity he was dealing with. If even the Company, who developed Petaybee, had been unable to grasp the situation without a great deal of persuasion, Louchard was no doubt as confused as everyone else on what could, or could not, be extorted from a whole sentient planet.
‘Belay that, Megenda,' Dinah said with a little slap which didn't seem to affect the large muscle of Megenda's forearm at all. 'You and the Colonel are both being irrational.’
‘Irrational? Lady, I'm not sure if I'm going to live through this. I'm not sure if any of us are. I'm sick. And I hesitate to mention this in the presence of your "sensitive" first mate for fear of giving him sadistic ideas, but I'm also pregnant. Everyone on Petaybee was worried about letting me go on this mission to begin with because my kid, like these kids, is bonded with the planet. It needs, through me, the same things we're all lacking here: fresh air, real food, not the plascene cubes you have here. I'd've thought a pirate of Louchard's calibre and resourcefulness would have a replicator that can produce proper "food" instead of all that pulverized dust!' Yana was well and truly launched and, though she knew she shouldn't take such a strong line, she was fed up. There was no way she could do anything and the sooner Louchard realized that, the better. Maybe not the better for her, but any resolution was more acceptable than this confinement. 'I want proper meals, I want exercise facilities, I want…’