Galaxy Blues (17 page)

“What in the world?” Rain gazed around the room, her eyes wide. “How could they…I mean…?”

“It is very simple to explain,”
a familiar voice replied, and I nearly jumped a foot in the air when the
hjadd
we'd met in the reception area materialized beside me. Heshe regarded me with hisher usual stoicism, yet hisher fin rose slightly.
“I apologize. Did I startle you?”

“Yes…yes, you did.” My heart hammered against my chest, and I took a deep breath. “A little warning next time, please, um…what did you say your name was?”

“I did not say.”
A short hiss of amusement.
“Since you have asked, though, I am Hahatahja Fah Tas-Saatja. I have been delegated to be your liaison while you are here.”

“Hahatafahjasat…” It was a mouthful of a name; when I stumbled over the syllables, sacs on either side of hisher throat puffed outward. “Sorry. No offense…is it Fah for short? Or Haha?”

“Fah. Please do not attempt to pronounce the rest…it would only be an insult.”
The throat sacs deflated, and heshe raised a hand before I could go on.
“Your names, of course, are known. Jas Sa-Fhadda has already relayed that information to us.”

“Yeah, sure.” Maybe heshe preferred to be addressed as Fah, but I couldn't help but think of himher as Haha; heshe was definitely one for practical jokes. “We met aboard our ship. Nice guy.”

“Jas said the same about you.”
Fah's head rose upon hisher neck, as if to inspect me more closely.
“In fact, heshe said you expressed an interest in our cuisine. Perhaps you will have that opportunity next evening, before the reception we plan to hold in your honor.”

Reception? This was news to me. I wondered if Ted knew about it yet. “We would be delighted,” I replied, trying my hand at diplomacy. “And I'm sure…”

“Excuse me,” Rain said, interrupting us, “but you still haven't answered my question.” She waved a hand at the room in which we stood. “How did you know what…I mean, how did you build all this?”

“Ah, yes…”
Fah's eyes rotated to take in the library.
“It is a replica of the crew lounge of the
Galileo
. We duplicated it from images we found in the data banks of the
Maria Celeste
after we recovered it from Spindrift, and used it to help the surviving members of the expedition acclimate themselves once they were revived from biostasis. Since then, we have expanded it to serve as living quarters for human visitors.”
Heshe pointed to the gallery.
“Your bedrooms are located up there, along with hygiene facilities. I hope the accommodations are suitable for your needs.”

“It's…very nice, thank you.” Rain's voice was low; I could tell she was still trying to wrap her head around finding a Victorian library in an alien space colony. “I'm sure the others will…um, find it interesting.”

As they spoke, I wandered over toward the hearth. As I suspected, the fire was just another holo; it cast no warmth, and the logs remained unconsumed. I picked up a book from a side table, only to discover that I was unable to open its cover. Stage props, nothing more. I hoped that the bathroom toilets were functional, or otherwise we'd be in big trouble.

“I'm pleased that you're satisfied with the arrangements.”
Fah cocked hisher head to one side, listened for a moment, then went on.
“Your companions are on the way. They will be joining you shortly. If there is nothing else I can do for you…”

Before either of us could say anything, heshe vanished, winking out of existence as suddenly as heshe had appeared.

III

Rain stared at the place where Fah had stood, then let out her breath. “Just for once, I'd like to see himher use the door.” An irate scowl. “And you're a big help…can't you learn to say their names correctly?”

“Sure, I can. Fah. Jas. Can't wait till we meet the one named Duh.”

“Hush. They might be listening.” Self-conscious, she wrapped her arms around herself. “Come to think of it,” she added, glancing up at the ceiling, “we'd better watch what we say.”

“Yeah. Easily offended, aren't they?” I sauntered over to the nearest bookcase and opened its cage but wasn't able to remove any of the books upon its shelves. More props. “Next time we come here, we'll have to bring our own…”

The door leading to the tram opened just then, and we turned to see Ted walk in. “Ah, there you are,” he said, giving us a wry grin. “Serves you right for getting ahead of us.”

“Your idea, skipper.” Rain smiled back at him. “You just missed our host. He was here a second ago.”

“Fah? Met him while we were going through decontamination.” The captain gazed around the library, apparently unsurprised by our surroundings. “Yeah, same place,” he murmured. “Looks like they've fixed it up a little, though.”

“Maybe they finally got some real books.” Emily followed him through the door, followed by Ali, Goldstein, and Ash. The others were as startled by our surroundings as Rain and I had been, but Emily accepted it as a place where she'd been once before. Seeing the two of us, she chuckled. “Nice pajamas.”

“Thanks.” I couldn't help but notice that they were all wearing their own clothes. Well, that made sense; they hadn't had to put on EVA gear before leaving the ship. “They're comfortable enough, but I wouldn't mind going back to fetch my stuff. Think they'll let me do that?”

“I don't see why not if you don't mind taking the roller-coaster ride again.” Emily sat down on a nearby sofa. “Doc's still on the
Pride
. We decided that we should follow protocol and leave someone aboard.”

“Where's Jas?”

“Left us as soon as we came down the gangway. Guess his pals don't think he poses any sort of contamination threat.” Ted sat down next to his wife. “All right, we're here,” he said to Morgan. “So now what?”

Goldstein was still staring at the library. Hearing Ted, he glanced back at the captain. “Tomorrow we'll unload the cargo, and I'll begin trade negotiations…with Mr. Ash, of course. For now, though, we should make ourselves at home.”

Ash had walked over to the hearth; he quietly gazed at the fake fire, trying to ignore the rest of us. No telling how long it had been since he'd last had a drink. Once again, I had to wonder what it must be like, to be able to hear everyone else's thoughts whether you wanted to or not. Nor was he the only one ill at ease; Ali kept glancing at the door, as if wishing that he, too, had remained aboard ship.

“Sounds like good advice.” Ted yawned, stretched out his legs. “Been a long day. Going to be a long one tomorrow, too.” He looked at Emily. “Should've brought some food over from the ship. I could use dinner.”

“Fah said that a reception is going to be held for us tomorrow.” I ran a fingertip across the back of an armchair. The upholstery wasn't real leather, but whatever it was, it felt like cowhide all the same. “We should get a good meal then.”

“I wouldn't recommend it.” Morgan peered up at a chandelier, almost as if speculating about how much it was worth. “I've tried
hjadd
food. Rather disgusting.”

“I'm with you,” Emily said. “Besides, our systems may not be able to digest whatever they give us. I'll head back to the ship later, gather some provisions. Won't be much…sandwiches and coffee…but it'll get us through.”

“Thank you.” Ted stifled another yawn, then stood up. “Right. So let's rest up and get ready to go to work tomorrow.”

He headed for the stairs, apparently interested in checking out the guest quarters. Ali followed him, while Rain went over to Emily and quietly conferred with her. Morgan continued to stroll around the room, inspecting every artifact in the library with a trader's curiosity.

That left me with Ash. I walked over to join him at the fireplace. “So…penny for your thoughts?” He didn't respond, nor did he look away from the holoprojected flames. Apparently he wasn't in a talkative mood. “Well, look,” I went on, “I'm going back to the ship in a little bit to fetch my clothes. If you'd like me to bring anything to you…”

“My bottle, you mean.” It wasn't a question; he and I both knew better. Ash glanced over his shoulder at Morgan, who was out of earshot and not paying any attention to us. “It's in my cabin, in the locker,” he added, keeping his voice low. “Morgan wants to keep me dry, but if you can get it for me…”

“Sure.” I had little doubt that he'd relax a bit if he could shut out everyone, if only for a little while. “And your…?”

“My guitar, too, yes. Please.” He favored me with a conspiratorial smile. “You're all right, Jules. You're easy to be around.”

“Thanks…I guess.”

“I meant that as a compliment. You should take it as such.” Ash sighed, his gaze traveling to the fox-hunting scene above the mantel. “God, this is hard. My people should've never let Morgan talk them into sending me.”

“Your people.” I hesitated. “The Order of the Eye?”

Looking away from the lithograph, he stared straight at me. Once again, I felt a door open within my mind. “So…Jas knows,” he whispered. “Heshe is aware of why I'm here.”

All of a sudden, I found myself wishing that I'd kept my mouth shut. “I…yeah, I think so. Heshe asked if you belonged to…”

“I understand.” Ash shook his head. “Don't worry. You're not involved in this…but I advise you to keep your distance. Things might get…strange.”

“Aren't you the one who told me I should get used to strangeness?”

The smile returned. “Yes, I did, didn't I?” Then his face became solemn. “But there are degrees of strangeness, and just now”—a moment of hesitation—“I don't know what to believe.”

And then he turned and walked away, leaving me to wonder what he'd meant by that.

IV

Next morning, Rain and I returned to the
Pride of Cucamonga
to unload the cargo. There were no quarrels this time around; in fact, you could've almost sworn we'd been working together for years. Of course, things were made easier by the fact that we had an unexpected bit of help.

Since the last time I'd visited the
Pride
, a second gangway had been extended from the saucer, this one leading to the primary airlock. Made it a little easier for us to get back aboard. Once Rain and I suited up and exited the ship through the docking port, we discovered a half dozen things that resembled bowling balls with two arms waiting just outside. Doc informed us that, according to Jas, these were Talus 'bots tasked to carry away the cargo. A small, sledlike craft hovered nearby, piloted by a
hjadd
who never spoke to us but instead waited patiently while we opened the cargo modules. I suppose heshe was the one named Duh, although I was careful not to say as much over the comlink.

The gravity field within the saucer was temporarily switched off; since I didn't need to operate the pod, I helped Rain untie the bales and move them to the lateral hatches, where the 'bots captured them and, in turn, carried the massive rolls over to the sled. Once its bed was full, the sled would glide away, disappearing through a hatch on the other side of the hangar and returning a few minutes later to take on another load.

It didn't take long for us to get used to working with the 'bots, and although Duh remained quiet the entire time, heshe seemed to understand exactly what we were doing. At one point, though, while waiting for the sled to return, I happened to notice four figures—two humans, along with a pair of
hjadds
in environment suits—watching us from a cupola overlooking the bay. I had little doubt who they were: Morgan, Jas, and Fah, with Ash quietly standing nearby, making sure that all the merchandise had arrived safely.

It took about four hours for us to empty both modules. Once Rain and I were done, Duh disappeared without so much as a thank-you, the 'bots trailing hisher sled as it returned to its hatch. Rain and I cycled back through the airlock. Much to my surprise, Rain allowed me to share the ready room with her, so long as I promised to keep my back turned. Even so, we ended up helping each other remove our gear; she blushed a few times, but otherwise didn't object to my presence. One more sign that she was getting used to working with me.

After we put on our civvies, we went back to the saucer. At least we didn't have to endure decontamination again. Just as well; we were bone-tired, and all we wanted was to get a bite to eat and perhaps a nap.

Ted, Emily, and Ali were waiting for us in the library. While Rain and I were busting our humps, they'd had little to do except listen in on the comlink, but Emily had made lunch for us from the provisions she'd brought over from the ship. The five of us were working our way through a plate of turkey and cheese sandwiches when the door opened, and Morgan stormed in, trailed by Ash.

“We've been robbed.” His face was dark with anger, and beneath his left arm he carried a small, oblong object wrapped in silky white fabric.

“Come again?” Ted stared at him, then glanced at Rain and me. “Was anything missing?”

“No, damn it,” Morgan snarled. “I didn't mean it that way. Everything's accounted for, down to the last pound. It's just that…” Inarticulate with rage, he jabbed a finger at Ash. “A fat lot of good you were! I was looking for an inside lead, and all you could do was…”

“Don't blame me.” Beneath his robe's hood, Ash's expression was neutral. “I've told you what I can do and what I can't, and I can't—”

“Like hell! I've seen you do it dozens of times.” Morgan glared at him. “So help me, if you've been drinking…”

“No, but after putting up with you all morning, I need a stiff one.” Ash headed for the stairs leading to the gallery, no doubt to retrieve the jug of bearshine from his bedroom. I hoped that no one would wonder how it had made its way from the
Pride
to our quarters.

Morgan started to go after him, then seemed to think better of it. Instead, he placed the cloth-wrapped object on the lunch table, then slumped in an armchair. Putting his face in his hands, he let out a long, depressed sigh. “I'm ruined,” he muttered. “God, I'm ruined…”

“Calm down.” Emily poured a cup of coffee and carried it over to him. “Just tell us what happened. Did the negotiations go bad?”

“Hell, yes, they went bad! You think I'm happy about this?” Raising his head, he regarded her as if she was an idiot. “Worst goddamn deal I ever made! We were screwed the minute we walked in there, all because that alcoholic son of a…”

“It's not my fault!” Ash's voice came as an angry shout from the gallery above us. Looking up, we saw him standing at the railing. He'd pulled back his hood, and there was an uncorked jug in his hand. “I did the best I could, but I can't…”

“Back off, both of you.” Ted rose to his feet. “Mr. Goldstein, get a grip. And you”—he glared at Ash—“put that thing away, or so help me I'll put it under lock and key and you'll be dry until we get back home.”

Ash stared back at the captain. Apparently realizing this wasn't an empty threat, he reluctantly jammed the cork back in the jug. “That's better,” Ted said, then turned to Morgan. “Right…now how about telling us what happened, without any accusations.”

Morgan let out his breath. Before he could begin, though, my curiosity got the better of me. “What's this thing?” I asked, reaching across the table toward the wrapped object he'd brought in with him.

“Don't touch that!” Morgan snatched it away from me, then seemed to reconsider. With a resigned shrug, he put it back on the table. “Aw, what's the point? Go ahead, open it up. Doesn't matter…you'll be seeing plenty more like it soon enough.”

I picked up the object. For something little more than twelve inches tall, it was fairly heavy. Carefully unwrapping the cloth, I found myself holding what appeared to be a small black obelisk. Carved from opaque, unreflective stone and attached to a matching square base, it resembled a rectangular pylon that had been given a ninety-degree twist at its center.

“What is this?” Vaguely amused, I hefted it in my hand. About ten pounds or so, I reckoned. “Some sort of paperweight?”

“It's called a
gnosh
.” Morgan studied me. “Do you like it?”

“Well…yeah, I guess so.” Actually, I did like it. A lot. The
gnosh
fit smoothly within my palm, its surface warm to the touch. A small thrill raced down my back that was pleasant, almost sexual. “Can I have it?”

Morgan shook his head. “That's my sample. I've give you one later…Lord knows I'll have plenty to spare.” Another sigh of dejection. “Two thousand, to be exact.”

“Two thousand of…” Ali stared at the
gnosh
. “These things? In exchange for…?”

“That's right.” Morgan picked up the cloth in which the
gnosh
had been wrapped. “This is what we're getting in trade for our cargo.” Carefully draping the cloth over his hand, he reached for the obelisk. “Jules, if you'll please…?”

I found myself reluctant to give it up. Morgan was insistent, though, so I surrendered the
gnosh
to him. The moment it left my hand, the ecstasy I'd felt left me. “Wow,” I mumbled. “That was interesting.”

“What in the world are you talking about?” Rain looked first at me, then at the
gnosh
. “Let me see that.”

“Oh, no you don't.” Ted shook his head, then turned to Morgan. “What is this thing? What does it do?”

“So far as I can tell, it's an emotion enhancer.” Morgan swaddled the
gnosh
within the cloth, then placed it on the table. “Touch it, and it gives you pleasure…or at least if you're in a neutral frame of mind, as Mr. Truffaut was. Since I'm rather pissed off just now, I'm being cautious about handling it. Otherwise, I might be tempted to strangle Drunko the Clown up there.”

“Keep it up, and I'll show you my next trick.” Ash was making his way down the stairs. At least he'd put away the jug, but not before he'd sneaked one last slug of bearshine; I noticed that he carefully held the banister as he descended.

“Steady, gents.” Ted bent down to study the
gnosh
. Although it was safely wrapped again, he was prudent enough not to touch it. “So what else has Fah offered us?”

“What else?” A short, humorless laugh. “That's it! Two thousand of these stupid things.” Again, Morgan shook his head. “Oh, did I get screwed…”

“What did you expect?” Ali picked up the
gnosh
, gave it a casual inspection. “We just brought them two and a half tons of weed, for heaven's sake. What did you think you were going to get for them? The key to the galaxy?”

“Yup…that's exactly what he thought.” Ash was visibly swaying as he reached the bottom of the stairs. He shuffled toward us, his breath reeking of booze. “Morgan believed that he could get something for nothing…faster-than-light drive, advanced nanotech, some other kind of miracle technology, all for just a few bales of hemp.” He grinned and shook his head. “Manhattan for a handful of beads and trinkets…but this time, the injuns outfoxed the white men.”

“Ash…” Morgan's eyes were cold. “I'm warning you, don't…”

“Don't what? Disclose the details of your sleazy little deal?” Ash reached beneath his robe, pulled out the squeezebulb I'd given him. It was half-full of bearshine; apparently he'd filled it before leaving the jug in his room. “Give up already,” he went on as he unsealed the nipple. “There's nothing you can do about it now.”

He took a drink, then turned to look at me. “Get this,” he said, as if none of the others were around. “Morgan brought me aboard…brought me along, that is…'cause he thought I might give him an inside edge. I mean, what could be better than to have a telepath at your side when you're doing business? That way, you can tell what the other guy is thinking when you're trying to drive a bargain. Great idea, really…except there's just one catch.” A pause. “C'mon, Jules, you're a smart lad…what do you think it is?”

He was clearly waiting for an answer. I thought about it for a moment. “Umm…you don't know
hjadd
?”

“Bingo!” Ash almost tripped over the hem of his robe as he wheeled away from me. “I can read their minds, all right…but it doesn't mean a goddamn thing if I don't know
what
they're thinking!”

“That's not what you told me.” Morgan's face was red. “You said you could…”

“No. I told you that I could pick up their emotions. No problem there.” Snickering beneath his breath, he sauntered over to Rain and flung an arm around her shoulders. “In fact, you wanna know how they feel about your boss?” Ash confided to her in a stage whisper. “They think…well, not think exactly, but y'know what I mean…he's a fool for even trying to pull something like this.”

“Look who's talking.” Rain irritably peeled his arm from her.

Ash didn't seem to notice. He sailed away once more, taking another mighty swig of corn liquor. “But what they actually
think
…well, damn if I know! They don't know Anglo, really…they just use those…those whatchamacallits…to translate our language into their own, and vice versa. Their coga…congi…cognitive processes are in their own tongue. And believe me, Fah and Jas were real careful not to even think about any of the few words of our language that they actually understand.”

“So you couldn't read their minds.” Ted had raised a hand to his face, and he was trying to hide his smile behind it.

“You got it, Cap'n.” Ash propped himself up against the back of a chair. “Y'know, just between you and me…I think they've dealt with telepaths before. 'Cause as soon as Fah saw me comin', he…heshe, I mean…put up a mental wall, and the only thing I could make out was the vague impression that heshe needed to pee.”

“The Order of the Eye.” I hadn't meant to blurt that out, but at that moment it seemed pointless to keep it a secret any longer.

Morgan stared at me. “How did you know about that?”

“Jas asked me if Ash belonged to them. When I visited himher in hisher quarters.” I hesitated, realizing that I'd said more than I should. “They knew about him already. How, I don't…”

“So why didn't you…?” Morgan stopped himself and shook his head. “Never mind. Doesn't matter anyway.” He picked up the
gnosh
from where Ali had left it on the table, turned it over in his hands. “Two thousand tchotchkes,” he said quietly. “Well, maybe it's not a total loss. If I sell them wholesale at two hundred colonials per unit, perhaps I can recoup the overhead costs.”