"I've never found Goldtooth forthcoming on his plans." Exhaustion threatened her with shivers; or it was the cold; or a sick dread of the narrow path .they walked, and where it might turn next. The gun stayed at Jik's head; and there was ice in her stomach and her nose ran. "He left Jik here. So he didn't tell Jik anything. Same as me. Didn't trust me with what he was up to."
"But he trusted—I do dislike that concept—trusted this Rhif Ehrran."
"That isn't necessarily so, hakkikt. I don't think he trusts anyone."
"But Ehrran has a ship on her tail and at last report, she isn't firing. Is this characteristic of Ehrran?"
"It is if she's got a hunter-ship on her back. She's only brave on docksides. I haven't seen her style in space. But I know she's no match for Goldtooth in a fight. Couldn't be, if he's got position on her. Fancy ship, fancy computers, lot of programmed stuff. Programs for everything. But I wouldn't bet Vigilance's arms systems against Mahijiru and I sure wouldn't bet her crew. Evidently she thinks the same."
"There's another possibility. Ismehanan-min boarded Vigilance during his time in port."
Her ears pricked up. It took no acting. "After or before he came to me, hakkikt?"
"After. Does it suggest something to you?"
"It might still have been on our business." The sweat stung in her wounds. Across the chamber, against the wall, Canfy Tahar slowly slumped to the deck, not fainting, but at her limit. Tav knelt by her; and kifish guns angled toward them. They still had their own weapons: kifish etiquette. But theirs were not out of holsters; and the kif s were.
And the gun never left Jik's temple. He sipped carefully at his drink and ignored it. But that was calculated and dangerous too.
"I doubt it was," Sikkukkut said. "If they are not acquaintances, who sleep in one bed, they will be by morning. Is that not a hani proverb?"
She blinked. "A hundred year child. That's a mahen proverb. Longtime trouble from a single act. Goldtooth's either making a serious mistake, hakkikt, or he's still acting in your interest. He'll be at Meetpoint. Where he's useful. And it's not his style to consult with his partners."
"What of that, Keia?"
"/ like that smoke now, hakkikt."
''Answer."
Jik's eyes came slowly to Sikkukkut's. "She right. I think maybe Ana got idea put self where make lot trouble."
Sikkukkut's long nose drew down somewhat. It was not a pleasant expression. He folded his long fingers beneath his outthrust jaw. "Kkkkt. Shall I observe, Keia, that your position is uncomfortable? That I presently have ships proceeding toward jump, to warn my enemies. That this whole diversion on the docks—diversion, Keia!—was perhaps created to give those two ships time to get away."
"They be kif who fight, hakkikt."
"They are worms who lacked initiative until someone moved! Don't tell me kifish motives! Don't play the innocent with me, mahe, or you will find me other than civil!"
Pyanfar flexed claws and tried to think past the pounding of her heart. Hunter-vision tried to take over. She forced the black edges back. "She was in port with him."
"Him," Sikkukkut said sharply. The kif turned his attention in her direction, went off one hunter-fix and onto her. "Who?"
"Goldtooth was at Meetpoint at the same time as Rhif Ehrran; same time as you, hakkikt. I'm wondering who was talking to whom back then. You talked to Goldtooth. He intimated that much. But who met with the stsho? And who met with whom in stsho offices?"
"No," Sikkukkut said, as if he had turned a thing over in his mouth and decided to eject it, delicately, his eyes burning and full of estimations. "No. I don't credit the stsho with that much nerve."
"Then," said Pyanfar, "the stsho at least thought they were on the inside of this business. They thought they were ahead of the hunt. Or leading the hunters where they liked."
"Suppositions are a shaky bridge, ker Pyanfar. Particularly when the waters are deep. You wish to distract me. You see—I know friendship. I put it with martyrdom—in the category of terms useful to know. Friendship—is also subject to rearrangement of loyalties. At the most disadvantageous moments. Believe me that I understand the exigencies of allegiance-trading and advantage. Let's operate within them. Shall we? Let's consider what prompted this attempt on my life . . . since that's surely what it was. Let's consider how it incidentally created the timing for escape—Vigilance uses its guns as it parts our company and breaches an entire dock to hard vacuum, a dock conveniently free of mahen or hani casualties. Not of kif. But remarkably your crew and the crews of Mahijiru, Aja Jin—Keia; and of course Vigilance— were not on that dock when it decompressed."
"We weren't in a favorable situation ourselves, hakkikt!"
"Be still, ker Pyanfar, and let my old friend Keia do this explaining. Let him tell me how Aja Jin was so fortunate in its timing. Do you want your smoke, Keia?—Take it. Perhaps it will facilitate your thinking."
"A." Jik reached again into the pouch, kept his movements measured: I am not in a hurry, they said. You do not force me.
And that sudden patience on Sikkukkut's part raised the hair on Pyanfar's nape. Stalk and circle. Take it. Have what you want at my hand. When I choose. If I choose. Your addiction is your vulnerability and I control it, I demonstrate it to these others and you must bear with that.
And soon with other things.
See, hunter Pyanfar, how easy and how perilous the fall from my favor.
Friendship and kinship is your addiction. I can twist that knife too.
Godssakes—as Hilfy let go a long, careful breath—sit still, niece.
The smoke rose, gray wisp against the orange sodium-glow; and swirled above Jik's head, taken by the ventilation. "I tell you," Jik said easily, and gods, there was only the faintest fear-smelclass="underline" he was that steady. The strong smoke subdued other olfactory cues, deliberate stratagem, perhaps. "I tell you, I not happy. Ana be old friend. But politic make different. We be mahendo'sat, hakkikt. I know what he do. He hedge bet." He made a gesture with the smokestick and put the lighter away. "He call me fool. Maybe I be. We not trust Ehrran either one. I know damn sure when Ehrran crew make fast withdraw from dock we got trouble. Mahijiru already got close up tight hatch. I send all crew aboard, tell get hell off dock, try get damn fool hani—" He gestured Pyanfar's direction, and over his shoulder at the others. "They going find captain. Damn sure / got no way stop. Damn good idea anyhow. Pyanfar be val-u-able ally. Maybe do favor to hakkikt, a? Rescue Pyanfar." Another large drag at the smoke.
It leaked slowly from his nostrils. "I not like whole ship company go out from The Pride—but they go quick get off dock. This number one good idea. I don't trust Ehrran. I run like hell, try catch these hani. No good. We get pin down. We got no hakkikt permission be on dock, a? Every damn fool out there want shoot us. Hani go through. We stuck. So got one job then—hold way open for hani, back to ship. We do. We hope Ana take care Ehrran. I think he do. He follow her. I still got hope he got good idea. Maybe help. He not like tell what he do. This maybe make friend lot nervous. Make me damn nervous now, a? I be like you, hakkikt. I always like know what my friend do."