Crystal Heat

1

In the screen Aleytys had called into existence, blanking out one wall of the library, the world at destination code 87950 KLD MLYD 3 was a cold, stony planet roughly equivalent to Pillory in size and surface gravity, but colder and harsher. The sun had a greenish cast and was smaller and paler than Pillory’s crimson star.

Shadith raised her brows as she examined the star chart displayed at one side of the screen. The xenobi’s choice was only two systems over from Hutsarte.

Lylunda sighed. “I thought that was deliciously ironic the first few days after I got back home. If they only knew, I thought. Not so funny now.”

With a flick of her hand Aleytys banished the screen. “Shadow, why don’t you get Lylunda settled in. Tigatri’s Belle is waiting in your quarters, Lylunda; she’s been assigned to you as serviteur and will show you how to move about the ship. The public areas have been programmed to accept you.” The room rippled around Aleytys; an instant later she was gone.

Lylunda brushed her hand across her eyes. “That is

. weird!”

“Come on, our slide flat is disguised as that throwrug over there. It’s Lee’s ship, so she doesn’t need one, but Tigatri doesn’t sublimn to us like she does to her, so we ride the slides. Actually, it’s rather fun. Like a magic carpet in its sly way.”

Shadith watched Lylunda’s eyes widen as she looked around the cabin and widen again as the mobile Belle rippled into existence beside the communications complex set into a desk of dark rich wood.

Belle was another of the elfin serviteurs. Her face was triangular, her smile three-cornered, freckles were dotted across her nose and the tops of rosy cheeks. Like the rest of Tigates mobiles, her substance was more energy than matter; despite that she was a warm, friendly presence. Her voice was a deep contralto, absurdly big for one so tiny. “Anything you want, Lylunda Elang, if I can get it for you, I will.”

Lylunda glanced at Shadith, caught her nod, said, “Well, first thing, call me Luna.”

“Of course, Luna. Whatever you wish.”

“Do you have anything like a shipsuit available?” She smoothed her hand along her sleeve. “This is lovely, but I don’t feel comfortable lounging around in something worth a couple months of ship fuel.”

“We can do that, Luna.” Belle’s green eyes glazed for an instant, then brightened again. “It will be here in a few moments.”

Shadith leaned against the wall, thumbs hooked over the belt to her robe. “You needn’t worry about cost, Luna. Lee has connections and gets the stuff straight from the loom.”

“Even so, Shadow, I’d rather play in cutoffs or something like that. Um, Belle. Do you have a drum around? Or could you make one to my specifications?”

“One could be-made simply enough. Metal or wood?”

“Wood, if possible.”

“Would you indicate dimensions and shape? If you could give us a plan…” Belle waved a hand at the communications complex. “There’s a light stylo you could use.”

Shadith watched as Lylunda sketched the drum, the program turning the crude drawing into a professional plot; Lylunda made a few final adjustments, then turned to the mobile. “Belle, how long?”

“We can have it for you by tomorrow, mid diurne. Enough to let you try it and see if it needs adjustment.”

Belle flickered out. When she returned an instant later with three shipsuits draped over her arm, Shadith stepped onto the slideboard. “Luna, you’ll want food, a bath, and some time to recover. When you’re ready, have Belle bring you to the garden. You’ll like that, 1 promise you.”

“Do all Vryyh ships have places like this?” Lylunda settled herself on Aleytys’ boulder and gazed at the stream flowing past her feet, disbelief written in every line of her face.

“Lee tells me each ship is different. I’ve only seen this one so I wouldn’t know. It’s not quite as odd as you think because the garden looks bigger than it is. If you wandered around off the paths, you’d hit walls rather quickly, but what’s the point of that? Might as well enjoy the illusion. You willing to talk about the Taalav?”

Lylunda shrugged. “Why not, seeing I’ve sold them out already.”

“What’s his name, your friend the xenobi, and how did he get them on your ship?”

“Prangarris. No friend of mine. I did the job for three Taalav crystals, not for any fondness I had for him. I’d done transport for him before. Pharmaceuticals. He pays prompt and doesn’t argue. Not a nice man. For all that he was a political and not on Pillory for mass murder or the like, he was a first-order zorrit and probably ought to be squashed. As to how he got the two arrays on board, I was too busy watching screen and holding camou fields in place to pay attention to anything but the time it took.”

“Who chose that planet?”

“He did. And got out a list of things he wanted me to provide. Food supplements for the Taalav, a year’s food supply for him, a split corn, a flikit adapted to heavy world flying, a spare exo and a survival pod with an argrav field powered by rechargeable light cells. The pod was the hardest to get hold of. I picked it up through Marrat’s. Took a hefty prepayment before the broker would even look at my offer. What gripes me most about this is seeing the Kliu win.”

“Way it goes, Luna. If you want them off your back, this is what’ll do it. Hm. Something to cheer you. When I decided to skip from Hutsarte without Grinder noticing, I hot-wired your ship and took off in it. Lee’s got it in tow now, topped up-with fuel and completely resupplied. So you can go your way anytime you feel like it.”

“You mean I just say Ta, folks, it’s been fun-and that’s it?” ’

“Mm hm. Though you might want to hang about till Digby’s made his report and the Kliu are satisfied. Lee’s offered her house as sanctuary if you feel like accepting her invitation.”

“Huh! Think I’d refuse?” Lylunda grinned. “It’ll. feature in my Pit conversation for a decade at least.”

“Did you know you had one of my recordings on your ship?”

“Yours?”

“Harp music and some songs I wrote.”

“Shadowsongs?”

“Mm hm.”

“Why you doing this sort of work, then?”

“Everybody asks me that, Luna. Just restless, that’s all.”

“I know the feeling. I was about to go crazy back there. Lovely place, nice people. Peaceful. Plenty of food. Work enough to keep you from rotting away, but no heavy labor. I mean, it’s the kind of place folks dream of. And I’d go through that mess getting clear a dozen times a day, if that’s what it took to get away.”

Shadith blinked. “Paradise is none… hm… gives me an idea…”