Serpent's Gift (40 page)

"Discovering a theft so early will give us a greatly improved chance at recovery," the Professor told him. "After all, 'The colder the trail, the less chance of tasting fresh meat.' " The Heeyoon thought for a moment. "But, Serge . .. how will you get into the caverns? You told me that they had changed the access code to our airlock."

Serge smiled smugly. "They did, but unless they changed it again, I memorized Lynch's code when she used it."

"Clever lad!" the Heeyoon yipped, panting slightly with excitement. "In that case, as your so-fascinating human author Arthur Conan Doyle's hero, Sherlock Holmes, would put it, the game is most definitely- afoot!"

As soon as the doctors released her from the infirmary, Heather headed straight for the Simiu section of StarBridge, her chubby features set in a look of determination that made her, had she known it, greatly resemble her mother.

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When she reached the Simiu section, the girl stood in the corridor for a long time, hovering, screwing up her courage.

Ha! What courage?
her inner voice taunted.

She rubbed her pale, freckled forehead.
Go away,
she told the voices, especially her survivor-self. I
don't need you anymore. I can think for myself,
now.
But it was hard, ignoring the voices, in some ways as hard as it was to ignore the thoughts of others.

But she was determined to succeed; after all, it was the impulsive, mean parts of her that had gotten her into trouble, nearly gotten her killed. Dr. Rob promised that if she worked with him,
really
worked with him, he'd teach her ways to control those parts. Make sure
she
was running things, not them."

Make sure nothing like what had happened to her in the AI would ever happen again. She shivered, remembering.

Shutting her eyes, she reached out, searched for Doctor Blanket.

the telepath responded, and she relaxed and smiled. Mom hadn't lied. There
were
guardian angels.

She'd never known another telepath as powerful as herself, never mind as powerful as the Avernian. But seloz didn't use that power against her, didn't try to beat her into submission with it, though seloz could have--with barely a thought, seloz could have reduced any being on StarBridge to a quivering mass, and Heather knew that now. But instead seloz was kind, gentle, and wanted to help others. Just like a real guardian angel.

And during the past couple of days, seloz had worked hard, showing Heather a better way to handle her skills constructively instead of to hurt, or steal. Along with Rob, seloz was teaching her how to handle her powerful talent in ways that wouldn't get her into trouble. Between the two of them, they were threatening to turn her into a respectable human being.
A regular
correctoid,
she thought wryly.

Which was why she was standing here, before this door, in the Simiu living section. There was this loose end she had to tie up, and she didn't feel that she could concentrate on anything else until she took care of it.

Heather swallowed, reached a hand out to ring the buzzer, then jerked it back.
This ain't gonna work,
she thought to herself.
I'm not ready.

Damn right you're not,
said her survivor-self.
You'll never be ready to do
something so stupid as this, I hope! What the hell is wrong with you? Make
tracks in the other direction!

The girl didn't move.
Doctor Blanket?
she thought.

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the gentle reassurance came again, steady,] loving, full of strength.

She nodded. Suddenly three male Simiu came loping up the hallway, barking and coughing at each other in their own language. They looked so much like a pride of lions charging her, Heather felt her knees go weak.

Blanket whispered gently in her mind. She stood her ground, as they ran on by, manes bristling, teeth flashing, never pausing in their conversation. Each nodded at her out of courtesy, flashed a hand signal to excuse themselves as they brushed by.

Remembering what Hing had taught her, Heather kept her eyes to the ground as she exchanged the nod and returned their signal. Then they were gone. They'd treated her like anyone else. They didn't know her. They had no argument with her. She thought of it their bristling manes, their huge teeth, then she looked at the door again, and her legs trembled, wanting to run.

Raising her hand, Heather touched the door signal lightly. Without hesitation, the portal slid open, startling her. She found herself almost face-to-face with Khuharkk', and hastily lowered her eyes.

Timidly, she attempted the Simiu greeting gesture that Hing had taught her this morning, touching her mouth, eyes, then chest, then extending her curled hand. It had taken her many tries to get it right, so it flowed, but now she did it almost as well as in this morning's rehearsal with Hing. When Heather had called her, the Cambodian student had been glad to stop by the infirmary and spend some time with her, before heading to her next class and then to the inevitable play rehearsal.

Hing was another one who wanted her to succeed, Heather knew. With all these people pulling for her, she felt as though they made a safety net that would catch her if she fell, like the trapeze artists she'd seen once.

It was good to have friends.

After a moment of silent regard, the Simiu slowly returned her greeting gesture, then the ball was back in Heather's court.

"Greetings, Honored Khuharkk'," she said awkwardly, her throat protesting against the Simiu syllables that Hing had so painstakingly taught her, writing them down phonetically

[ when Heather had told her what she wanted to say. "I have

something I wish to discuss with you, if you will do me the honor."

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She stopped, breathing hard, her throat muscles protesting and her mouth full of spit from the strain of speaking even those few words. Heather knew her pronunciation hadn't been perfect, but she thought that the other student had understood her.

Silence. Heather's heart pounded with anxiety--and she felt her temper rising.
He's doing this on purpose. To make me uncomfortable. To make
sure I realize who's got the upper hand. Whose territory we're on.
Anger warred with embarrassment.

Heather swallowed, and waited.

After a few more seconds Khuharkk' stepped aside, waving her through the door. "Enter," he growled in Mizari (to Heather's vast relief). "By all means, enter my home."

When she'd discussed her plans with Hing, the older student had given her a rundown of possible responses to her request, and thus Heather

recognized this one. It was a standard civil greeting, indicating his ownership of the territory, but that, for the moment, it should be considered neutral space. It was as good a start as she could've hoped.

She came inside, was immediately struck by the humid warmth, the

heaviness, the spicy-musky Simiu scent.

"May I offer you some refreshment? A drink, perhaps," he offered graciously.

He was being the perfect host, since his people rarely considered food consumption part of socializing, however, he knew that humans did. "Would you like me to change the environment for your comfort?"

"The environment is fine," she assured him, her throat constricting, "but something cool to drink would be wonderful."

He went immediately, bringing her back a short, squat glass filled with a clear liquid, ice, and herbs. She was startled to find it tasted just like lemonade. Perfect lemonade.

"Is it acceptable?" he asked, his voice carefully neutral. "Dr. Rob introduced me to it. It's become my favorite beverage."

"Perfect. Wonderful," she admitted honestly, taking a bigger gulp. The tart flavor seemed to open her throat.

"There is something you wish to discuss," he asked politely.

She put down the glass. "Yes. Honored Hing Own has tutored me in your customs and traditions, but my knowledge is far from perfect, so I ask pardon in advance if I err, and I humbly request your patience."

He nodded graciously.

She took another sip of the lemonade and plunged ahead. "Honored Khuharkk', we met under the worst conditions. I was

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rude
and ignorant...
I
dishonored you in front of others, and was
too
stupid to understand what I'd done. In my immaturity and ignorance, I blamed
you
for what happened and vowed vengeance against you. It was childish, and wrong."

The Simiu's glance was half-patronizing, half-suspicious. "Vengeance is best left to adults. How could a child like
you,
weak and toothless, hope to challenge and vanquish
me?"

Heather focused her eyes on a tiny spot on the floor. "I didn't just hope," she whispered. "I did it. I wanted," she was stammering now, as she tried to make her mouth form the Mizari words, "I thought that.. . that is ... I
did .. .

cause the ... the malfunction ... of your toilet! I'm sorry!" A shudder of real fear passed through her body.

He didn't move for a moment, then to her surprise she saw a twinkle of amusement in the violet eyes.
"You,
little one?" He gave the barking Simiu version of a laugh. "Small one, you have an excellent imagination! You may have
wished
that such a disgusting disaster befall me, but--"

"No," she blurted, knowing it was rude to interrupt him, but afraid that she'd lose her nerve altogether, give in, let him think what he wanted. "I
did
do it.

I... can telepathically link with the computer ... I changed a few things in the environmental system. I did it."

There was a long, uncomfortable silence, but Heather realized Khuharkk'

was still just trying to believe her.
Believe it, hairball!
one part of her mind whispered, but she pushed her irritation down, controlling her feelings.

Doctor Blanket says I'm the only one that gets to tell me how I should feel,
she thought defiantly.

"Why the toilet?" Khuharkk' said finally. "Not that I necessarily believe you, but. .. why that way?"

"Because," Heather said, nakedly honest, "when you roared at me, I was so scared that I had... an accident. I wet myself," she amplified, seeing that he did not comprehend at first. "I was ashamed, and I wanted to make you feel the same way." She took a deep breath, "So I linked my mind with the computer, and I told the environmental system to make your toilet go backward."

"Who else have you admitted this to?" he asked finally, and Heather knew then that he now believed her.

"Dr. Rob. Janet Rodriguez." She wondered if that woman would ever trust her after all this. In some ways, that relationship would be harder to mend than this one.

"And they made you come to me, to apologize?"

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She shook her head, then remembered to say, "No. I came on my own. They don't even know that I'm here."

"Who does know?" he asked quietly.

She didn't want to admit that Doctor Blanket was only a thought away, so she said, "No one. No one knows I'm here."

Slowly, he advanced on her, but she stood her ground. "You come here, alone, to my quarters. You invade my home. To gloat again over my humiliation.
You
have done this terrible thing to me, this degradation I will never forget! You, you tiny, insignificant, little human!"

"No!" she whispered, not looking at him, her face paling, her blood chilling in her veins. "Not to gloat. To ask for forgiveness. I know you probably
can'(
forgive me, after what I did, but if your honor would be helped by it, I offer to do whatever you demand in the way of restitution. For your honor.

Whatever it is, I'll do it." Her voice was quavering, choking on the syllables, and even her command of Mizari was faltering.

"Why should I allow
you
restitution?" the Simiu barked, making her jump. "I could kill you now, like a parasite, and stuff you in the recycler. No one would ever know."

He advanced another step, his mane bristling menacingly, but Heather suddenly felt a soothing calm settle over her. She met his eyes for the first time. "You would never do that, Honored Khuharkk'. Rob has told me about you. So has Hing. She told me how courageous you were in the face of danger, the honor you displayed during Greyshine's rescue. I know about your honor code. Only a completely honorless person would kill an ignorant, helpless child. I deserve the threat. But you would never dishonor yourself by such an action."

Khuharkk' looked stunned by her words, and eased back down on his haunches. "You have discussed me with Honored Healer Gable, and with Honored Hing Own?"

"I needed to learn .. . about you . . . about your people .. ." Heather stammered. "To try and make up for what I'd done, I had to know . .." She gulped air. "I'm sorry if I didn't say it right. I'm sorry if I made you mad, offering you restitution. But I had to try!"

"You have learned much, young one," he growled softly, and his violet eyes were suddenly soft. His crest was half-raised, indicating neither arousal nor depression. "And I must admit that your manners in coming here have been perfectly correct."

"They have?" Heather said dazedly.

"Yes. You have performed the proper greetings, behaved as a supplicant asking forgiveness. It takes time to learn these

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things... ways not native to your own. And you are right, too, in that I could never have harmed you as I threatened. I only did it to frighten the truth out of you. But I sense you have been telling the truth the entire time."

Heather dropped her eyes back down, tried to still her racing heart. 'Then tell me how I can make restitution for the wrong I've done against you, and we can begin our relationship again, Honored Khuharkk'."

There was another pause and the Simiu asked softly, "Have you ever had an uncle, young one?"

Uncle Fred?
her survivor-self sneered.
Yeah, tell him about Uncle Fred!

Heather tensed, wondering how he could know, then realized he couldn't know. He'd asked the question innocently, and maybe this was the first step in establishing genuine communication between them. "Yes, I had one," she admitted. "He was an evil man. He used to beat me up. I
hate
him."