Double solitaire

Chapter Thirteen

Jay felt like a curmudgeon, but after only a few days he decided just one thing could be said for space travel – it was achingly, stultifyingly boring. At least on an airplane there was the occasional burst of turbulence, but the Milky Way was behaving with perfect gentility – not a single asteroid field to dodge, unknown space anomaly to elude, space pirate to defeat.

Tachyon’s face had been a study in disgust, amazement, and condescension when Jay had offered this opinion. “Asteroid fields? We’re light-years from the nearest system. And do you have any comprehension of how big space really is? As for pirates… we’re traveling with the closest thing to them.”

“Then I guess I’ll go looking for some captive princesses. Maybe they’ll be more appreciative than the humorless bitch I’m stuck guarding.

“I should hope Nesfa would have better taste!” Tach shot back.

Another problem with spaceships – you can’t slam the doors when you’re pissed. Jay grumbled to himself, Dumb-ass Takisian. Couldn’t she recognize sarcasm when she heard it? and went wandering again.

Tachyon had been sticking tight to the stateroom. Scared of Zabb, wary of Nesfa and her people. As for Zabb, he’d been notable only by his absence. Trips insisted that someone be with Tachyon all the time, and since Jay wanted to spend time with the amazing Nesfa, that put most of the burden on the hippie. Jay knew he was shirking, and that only added to his lousy mood.

As planned, he ran across Nesfa. She was hurrying down a corridor carrying a potted plant. It looked like attenuated bamboo, but of a startling purple hue. “I’m prettying the lounge. Come and help.”

“Sure.”

This was a new room for Jay. A few low sofas, a clear table. Multicolored lights crawled randomly through the piece. Jay couldn’t decide if it was the Network version of a lava lamp, or a video game. Nesfa crossed to a corner and deposited the purple bamboo. Then Jay spotted the most exciting feature yet – a port.

“Hot damn, the observation car” Jay laughed for the sheer relief of it. A weight of claustrophobia he hadn’t known he was carrying suddenly blew off his shoulders. “So how do we get a view?”

Nesfa’s white brow furrowed. Her hair swept forward, scanning the wall. She then crossed and pressed a section. The black rolled away, and Jay frowned as roiling gray, like dirty cotton wool being torn by hurricane winds, showed beyond the port.

“What the hell is this? No stars!” Jay yelped, feeling cheated.

“Of course there are no stars,” Tach snapped from the doorway. “We’re not in reality as you know it.” She was in one of those moods, her mouth drawn down, gray eyes dark with a secret pain.

Jay had never liked being lectured by Tachyon when the little shit was a man. Now the soft girl’s voice made it doubly hard to take – memories of a finger-wagging mother or sister.

“Gee, so sorry you finally decided to crawl out of your cave.”

“You… fight?” Nesfa asked hesitantly. Damn, the girl was quick, picking up human emotional nuances that well.

Mark stepped hurriedly in. “But, Doc, I could see stars when we were aboard Baby.”

“We weren’t traveling at light-speed, Mark.”

Why did Tachyon have that sharp tone only when she addressed him? Jay wondered. Talking with Mark she fairly cooed.

Tachyon continued, “That was just a little high-speed chase around the solar system.”

“Which you would never have won if my ’Cat hadn’t been damaged from our earlier encounter with the Swarm,” said Zabb conversationally from another doorway.

Mark’s hand was in his pocket. Jay was willing his to stay there. But the Takisian made no move even to enter the room, and Jay felt the hair on the back of his neck start to lie down again. There was something predatory in the way Zabb was eyeing Tachyon, and Jay began to think that maybe Meadows wasn’t totally paranoid. Maybe this smiling man really did intend to kill Tachyon.

“Forgive my laxity as a host. I’ve had a ship to run.

Zabb said something to Nesfa in an unknown language. She responded in the same clicks and pops. He crossed to her and ran a hand softly across her belt and gently cupped the hip pouch. The familiarity made Jay want to hit him.

“I didn’t want your society, Zabb, just your efforts as a carter,” replied Tachyon with a fine hauteur that set oddly on her very youthful features.

Zabb laughed. “Oh, cousin, you do that very well, but you chastise me for becoming a laborer while you have spent the past forty years ministering to filth?” He propped his shoulders against a wall and included Mark and Jay in the conversation. “On my world saints are suspect. Only the mad act without a hefty dose of self-interest. So I think my cousin is mad. Or hopelessly tainted. After all, he has become an Earth-woman.” Again that laugh.

“I think we ought to get back to our room,” said Mark.

Jay agreed, but another, less wise, part of himself hated to be routed by this supercilious, smiling bastard.

“An excellent idea, but leave my kinswoman. We have need of private conversation,” Zabb said.

“Now, you didn’t strike me as stupid,” said Jay conversationally. “Arrogant, and maybe a little too inclined to lead with your chin – most of you military types have that problem – but not stupid. Why do you think we’re along on this little party? It sure ain’t for the great view or the superb accommodations.”

“You’re not seeing the Doc alone.” It lacked the wit and panache of Jay’s remarks, but it got the point across.

Zabb sighed, a heavy, studied sound of noblesse oblige oppressed by gaucherie. “How very tiresome you humans are.” He turned to Tachyon. “Cousin, are you afraid?”

Jay squeezed his eyes shut. Praying, but doubting that Tach had the self-control to ignore that red flag.

“Afraid of you?”

Here it comes, Jay almost moaned aloud.

“Of course I am.” The ace’s eyes snapped open, and he stared in amazement at that queenly little figure with its rampantly out-thrust belly. “But I repose my faith in my friends and the strength of your word. My friends I’m sure about, your word… “ Her voice trailed off significantly, and she gave a little shrug of the shoulders that said a book-full.

Zabb may have tossed a flag, but Tach had jabbed in a poniard. A dark flush rose in his cheeks. The Takisian spun on his heel and exited. Tach slumped suddenly.

“I shouldn’t have come out. I shouldn’t give him a chance at me.”

“Yeah, that’s what I’ve said all along. Come on, baby, I’ll take you back,” Mark said softly. “Jay?”

“I… uh, think I’ll stay here and help Nesfa with the planting.”

Mark’s blue eyes were very knowing behind the thick lenses of his glasses. Jay flushed and wondered if his growing sexual need was apparent to everyone.

“So, here we are. Just the two of us.”

Nesfa looked up from the bamboo. “Yes.”

“So, are you married?”

“Excuse?”

“Married. Got a husband? Mate?” The concept didn’t seem to be penetrating.

“I don’t… understand.”

Jay decided words were getting in the way. He bent and kissed Nesfa lightly on the lips. Her face brightened. “Ah, you wish to exchange.”

“Yeah, yeah, that’s it.” God, what an ambassador he’d make.

Nesfa stood and led Jay to a sofa. This was becoming more promising by the minute. She ran her hands around his waist and frowned in perplexity.

“Where is your #@$** amp;#**?”

Jay leered. “A little lower.” He unzipped, and, by damn, she was a fast learner. Her hand had him out in a second, caressing and exploring his penis.

Jay began kissing her. Nesfa seemed to like that. So did he, once he got used to the strangeness of her taste, sort of pepper and lemon. Her hair was twining and coiling around his head, tickling his face. There was a new, moist weight on his arm. Jay opened his eyes and looked down. A wormlike thing was oozing out of the jewel-encrusted pouch, wrapping itself about his arm, climbing. Its torpedolike head was dripping gore.

Jay screamed hoarsely and threw himself backward off the couch. Nesfa was sitting like a sack of abandoned laundry. The lovely face had gone slack and empty. The worm was quivering, casting its head in small circles, searching for Jay.

It began to undulate its way back into the pouch. Jay jumped to his feet, gripped the top of the shift in both hands, and ripped. It fell away to hang like tattered seaweed over the heavy belt. There was a hole in the pouch. A hole in the shift. A hole in Nesfa. The worm thrust its head back into the woman’s body. The light and animation came back into her face.

“Jay, what is wrong? You do not wish to exchange?”

Jay stared down at his now-limp penis hanging through his fly. He shuddered as he remembered another crawling parasite: Ti Malice. With shaking hands Jay stuffed himself back in his pants and ran.