"Can we not? Consider further," Bury said. "These ships are unarmed. There has been no hint of a threat, but if one of these does not report back..."
"The threat is certainly implied, sir," Chris Blaine said. "Look at the record. The first couple of ships the Crazy Eddie Squadron dealt with were probably unarmed. The rest had any weapon you can think of. Excellency, she knew you'd see the threat. With strangers she would have been more explicit."
Renner said, "We have to let Eudoxus report back, and we learn more if we go with her." He got a confirming nod from Bury. "All right, whether or not Agamemnon is enough, she's all we have, because I don't fancy taking Sinbad into the Mote system without a reliable way to send a message out. That means we take Atropos along. Chris, you agree?"
"Yes, sir. If anyone can get a message out, they can, either Atropos herself or the longboat."
Bury asked, "Dr. Buckman, how big are the Motie ships? Tiny, are they not? Too small to fight Agamemnon, even all together. Yes, and thus unarmed. So, Kevin, what are you thinking?"
"I'm thinking Eudoxus could tell us more about what waits for us on the other side. Then... we can maybe rendezvous with Agamemnon, leave you and Joyce-"
"Hold up, Commodore Renner-"
"My ship, curse your hullmetal-thick hide."
"Okay, okay. Do we want to put the servants off?"
Bury said, "Each lady so lovely, though all in their forties. Did you ever wonder why, Kevin? I test them in lesser positions. I send the weak and timid to other duties. With such companions near me I need never fear my own people. New Levantines would never suspect my harem."
"Good. They can fight? I was always a little afraid of Cynthia."
"With reason."
"We still can't leave. I still can't leave," Renner said. "Not till we know who's where. Not till things settle down." But Bury was shaking his head. "What, Horace? Eudoxus didn't seem to be in any hurry."
"Kevin, in negotiations only a loser reveals that he is under a deadline. Even so, I think Eudoxus flinched when you cut her off. It's hard to tell, of course. But do consider what may next emerge from the I-point if we do not allow Eudoxus to report back."
"Yeah. Well, we'll wait for her to tell us. Now I need a link to Atropos. Dr. Buckman, I hereby appoint you communications officer."
Buckman chuckled. "Navy personality always comes through, doesn't it? All right, Commodore, I'll try. Incidentally, they're nine light-seconds away."
"Commander Rawlins here. Balasingham tells me I'm under your orders, Captain Renner."
"Such is life. What's your status?"
"We're chasing down the largest of the Motie ships."
"How many can you see?"
"Five. One we're chasing. One is quite openly headed for the New Cal exit point at top speed, but Agamemnon will be there first. One's parked near you. Two more are headed off in opposite directions, and we'll lose at least one of those before we catch up to the one we're chasing."
"So we've lost two now. How long until you catch that Motie ship?"
"I'll be in gunnery range in ten minutes or less. Do I fire?"
Renner looked to the others on Sinbad's bridge. "Blaine?"
"Warning shots, sir?"
Renner activated the mike. "Put a low-power laser dot on them and see what they do. If they won't stop, blow ‘em up."
"And if they stop?"
"Stand by," Renner said. "Damnation. Horace, of course they'll stop. And talk, and talk, and delay."
"We have already lost track of two. By Commander Rawlins's own estimation, no matter what he does with the one he chases, he will not be able to intercept all that will remain. Three will have escaped, Kevin. Three."
"Only into this system. That big cruiser can stop their getting out," Joyce said. "Can't it?"
"I remind you, what may come through next could be enough to destroy Sinbad. Then Atropos. Perhaps Agamemnon."
"They'll have plenty of time to recover from Jump shock before engaging," Blaine said. "We've seen ships come through the Crazy Eddie point that could have slagged Agamemnon in single-ship engagement."
"Sinbad, this is Atropos. We are closing in range to Motie ship. We have a beam on her."
"They'll stop," Blaine said.
"I am certain you are correct."
"Eudoxus is signaling," Buckman said genially.
"Everything happens at once!" Joyce said.
"Sinbad, this is Atropos. As soon as we demonstrated that we could hit the Motie ship, it turned off its drive and is now hailing us in Anglic. ‘We come in peace. This is the Motie ship King Peter's Gift. We come in peace. Do you have instructions?' Sir, do we have instructions?"
"God's navel."
"Suggestion," Blaine said. "Talk to me!"
"Have Atropos put a prize crew on that ship and send it to rendezvous with Agamemnon. Then he can see if he can chase down anything else."
"Yeah. Rawlins, put a crew with a bomb onto that Motie ship and send it to Agamemnon. Then see what you can do about the other Motie ships."
"Eudoxus is signaling," Buckman said cheerfully.
"Of course Eudoxus is signaling. Let her wait. Rawlins, I'm wondering about landings. I'll send you design specs for Sinbad. Horace, I'm sorry, but he's got to have those. Rawlins, Sinbad can land on a habitable planet, but we'd have to find fuel to get off. Does Atropos have landers?"
"Three. Two cutters and a longboat. All functional, but one cutter needs work. I'll send you specs. The longboat could carry enough fuel for a cutter to regain orbit from Mote Prime, but can't get back up without refueling. Afropos can scoopdive a gas giant planet for fuel."
What have I forgotten? Oh, I'll get it later. "Buckman, put Eudoxus on. Hello, Eudoxus, sorry I had to cut you off, but your ships have been keeping us fairly busy."
"I was glad of the nap time, Kevin. Have you given further thought to our invitation?"
Glad of the nap time, hnpf hnpf hnpf! "Further thought, sure. Nap time sounds wonderful. We've got to wait anyway. So. Are you short of anything? Air, food, water? We can lob you a package."
"Kevin... no, we have enough to last us."
"Okay. Tell me anything about what we can expect to meet us on the other side of the Jump point."
"Ye-ess. My Keeper is part of the chain of command of-the name would not translate, of course, so I will call us the Medina Traders. We are the largest trading company in our region. We're involved in dominance games with several other groups, all under truce of one depth or another. We expect to meet you in space and lead you to our territory, all in perfect safety. Nevertheless, surprise by a rival becomes more likely the longer we delay."
Bury broke in. "Dominance games. War?"
Renner looked for hesitation, and he saw it. "Nothing so large, Excellency, but Warriors do become involved from time to time."
"Battles, then. For what prize? Ourselves?"
"For resources, thus far. Your existence we have kept to ourselves."
"So. We might have to fight. What would be your status if you returned alone?"
Shrug. "I would have failed. My Keeper and her-superior- would make decisions on that basis, and so would other clans."
Renner said, "I'm putting you on hold."
The picture remained. Buckman said, "We've cut the signal. So?"
"Keepers?" Joyce asked. "Where have I heard that term?"
"Keepers are sterile male Masters," Blaine said. "Possessive but not aggressively expansive. Joyce, the group we dealt with on Mote Prime was headed by a Master calling itself King Peter-you'll recall one of these ships they've sent us is called King Peter's Gift?-and the Moties he sent us included a Keeper ambassador called Ivan... Captain? It feels funny."
"What?" Renner prompted.
"King Peter's Gift. It's too bald and not too accurate. That damn ship isn't a gift, it's a threat. Eudoxus speaks of different factions, different clans. She spoke of Warriors, but was that really a clever ploy? Sir, we have to suspect that they really don't know what all the expedition learned, and may not be part of King Peter's clan at all."