"The ones who are paid to," Charmion said. "But if you want to join in, no one will object."
"Could I see you a moment, Yana?" Marmion asked, gesturing politely for Yana to join her in her office.
The "social lady" side of Marmion disappeared the moment the panel slid shut behind Yana. Marmion seated herself at a desk that was neatly piled with disks and varicolored flimsies while three screens behind her scrolled detailed reports, graphs, and tables of figures.
"Too many people know I have just returned from Petaybee," she said, rattling her fingers on the intricately inlaid wood of the desktop. "Far, far too many people have been apprised of everything-everything-about Petaybee. Anaciliact holoed in from this emergency mission of his, and when I told him what"s been happening he was livid-if you can imagine that consummate diplomat in such a state." Marmion rose and began pacing the room, head down, one arm across her chest supporting the other as she rubbed her forehead. "I was right to give you that safety disk, and right to a.s.sign you guardians. All of you. I must remember to a.s.sign a few to myself," she added with an impish grin. "Though with the security available on Gal Three, they might end up stumbling over each other while we"re dragged off through a service hatch or something." Her smile indicated how unlikely that was.
"If you"re concerned about Petaybee, Marmion, don"t be," Yana said, hoping to relieve her unusual anxiety.
"I don"t worry about Petaybee at all, Yana," Marmion replied. "It has proved well able to take care of itself. It"s all the-the types types that are homing in on it. There simply aren"t the facilities to cope with them, and I"m sure that"s one of the reasons they"ve been sent." She frowned. that are homing in on it. There simply aren"t the facilities to cope with them, and I"m sure that"s one of the reasons they"ve been sent." She frowned.
"You mean to discredit Sean"s abilities as administrator?"
"Precisely."
"Did you happen to hear how soon the meeting we"re due at is going to convene?" Yana, too, didn"t wish Sean inundated with problems when he had no one trained to help. Even, and especially, Petaybee.
"Not soon enough," Marmion said in what was for her a harsh voice. She flung up her hands in frustration. "I don"t think it"s all delaying tactics, and, of course, Farringer Ball is is quite legitimately ill, some sort of a virus he contracted, so we do have to wait on his return to good health." She made a little moue of concern over that delay. "However, Intergal has conceded-well, CIS has forced them to concede-that the planet quite legitimately ill, some sort of a virus he contracted, so we do have to wait on his return to good health." She made a little moue of concern over that delay. "However, Intergal has conceded-well, CIS has forced them to concede-that the planet has has prior rights to its mineral and metal wealth and anything else that might be valuable. They"re pulling out-as fast as they can." She made a face. "That"s unlike them, too. But then, they"ve never had a planet to face as an opponent. Must make a difference. No bribery will work in this instance." prior rights to its mineral and metal wealth and anything else that might be valuable. They"re pulling out-as fast as they can." She made a face. "That"s unlike them, too. But then, they"ve never had a planet to face as an opponent. Must make a difference. No bribery will work in this instance."
"Must make it very difficult for Intergal to change its modus operandi."
Marmion grinned and chuckled. "If only you knew... But then," she said more briskly, "you probably do." probably do."
"Not on the level you do, Marmion."
"Now, tonight," the financier went on, "there are certain people I"d like you to talk to."
"You mean, show me off to?"
"Well, that, too." Marmion flicked her fingers at Yana"s qualification. "You"re the best spokesperson Petaybee could have."
"Not Bunny? When she"s lived there all her life?"
"Her ingenuousness may be useful, to a degree, but you"re a military person with experience on many planets and situations. Your remarks will carry more weight. Also, these are the people Petaybee should get to know for the clout they have in intergalactic research and development." She added quickly when she saw Yana frown, "The good kind, not the search-and-strip types of operations. It may well const.i.tute a challenge to them, you see, and they need need challenges." challenges."
" "Life gets ted-jus, don"t it?" " Yana asked with a fake yawn.
Marmion grinned. "Precisely. Been there, done that, seen this."
"Care to give me a briefing?"
"It"s all here," Marmion said, handing Yana a disk. "I have compiled vital statistics on all my peers. Some of them are even nice." Then she saw Yana"s surprised expression and made a little face. "Well, they have them on me! Must keep track of the compet.i.tion. Have a listen, and then if you"ve any questions-oh, blast it!" she exclaimed as her screen bleeped the Urgent code. Yana waved at her and left the room, a departure she sensed Marmion would appreciate.
Gal Three
When Yana entered with Marmion, she gasped at the splendor of their host"s incredible lounge, with its vaulting roof of clear plasglas opening onto the stars and all "outdoors," as she thought of it. Behind her, she heard Bunny"s reaction, more trenchant disgust than amazement. She smiled to herself, thinking that Bunny would not be easily corrupted by the beauties of her new environment even if she was being more subtly wooed by its gadgetry and mechanicals.
Their hostess, so suavely elegant that Yana was more than relieved to be as well attired, undulated over to them, both hands held out to Marmion. They exchanged pecks to the air over their cheeks, and then Yana was introduced to Pleasaunce Ferrari-Emool.
"You might have heard of Ples"s company, Yana, Nova Bene Drugs..."
"Only you, Marmie, could have stolen the march on that one," cooed Pleasaunce, eyeing Yana, her cold glance taking in every fold of the gown and the single crystal pendant that Marmie had insisted Yana wear. A delicately arched eyebrow twitched, and Yana wondered just how much the bauble was worth. Plenty, to judge by the cold glint in the woman"s eyes. "And how deeevine to welcome you in person, Colonel Maddock-Shongili."
"How gracious of you to include us in your little party, Lady Ferrari-Emool," Yana replied, doing the peck-in-the-air bit as if she had never done anything else to greet friends.
She caught Marmion"s delighted but surprised expression out of the corner of her eye. Yana had felt d.a.m.ned foolish practicing both the salute and the names in front of her mirror ever since Marmion had announced that they were attending this party. But it paid off, as any good briefing did.
The hostess had paid attention to her her social secretary, too, for she got out Diego"s suddenly doubled name of Etheridge-Metaxos and Bunny"s Rourke without a quaver. She did not, of course, greet Sally or Millard as effusively, but did gracefully wave them in the direction of the vast spread of refreshments. social secretary, too, for she got out Diego"s suddenly doubled name of Etheridge-Metaxos and Bunny"s Rourke without a quaver. She did not, of course, greet Sally or Millard as effusively, but did gracefully wave them in the direction of the vast spread of refreshments.
"Now you must meet the guest of honor," Pleasaunce said, linking an arm with Marmion and leading the way into the cl.u.s.ter of gorgeously attired men and women. She pushed her way through the crowd so smoothly that few could have taken offense; there were one or two querulous glances at being displaced-until the displacer was recognized.
"Macci, darling, you simply must meet Marmion de Revers Algemeine and her her guests, Colonel Yanaba Maddock-Shongili, Buneka Rourke, and Diego Etheridge-Metaxos, all from that incredible new world which, it transpires, is sentient. All by itself." guests, Colonel Yanaba Maddock-Shongili, Buneka Rourke, and Diego Etheridge-Metaxos, all from that incredible new world which, it transpires, is sentient. All by itself."
Macci, who hadn"t exactly welcomed his hostess"s interruption-he"d been talking to two adoring young women-now let the full force of a Charm 9 smile break across his sculpted features. When the two girls moved slightly away, Yana could see that he wore one of the very fashionable SecondSkins, a shimmering tight-fitting garment that only the very athletically trim could wear to advantage. And he did-though he wore a discreet-if decorative-loincloth where some of the other guests let everything hang out. He had a body almost as magnificent as Sean"s, a centimeter or two taller and broader through the shoulders: not bad, actually, she had to admit.
"I know Marmie," he said, giving her a paternal kiss on her forehead while his eyes locked on to the other three.
When he took Yana"s hand, she experienced a sort of electric shock in the contact that surprised her, hand-fasted as she was to Sean Shongili and with every intention of staying that way. But the man was unfairly laden with such charisma that Yana reached for the locket under her dress and pressed it hard. Macci-she heard Pleasaunce listing his pedigree-Machiavelli (no less) Sendal-Archer-Klausewitch. And the woman rolled it off her tongue trippingly.
"What did your parents ever have in mind when they saddled you with that mess?" Yana heard herself saying. She knew she was being terribly gauche, but she resented the effect his magnetism had on her.
"Trying to win relative favor," Macci said. He squeezed her hand in a very practiced and s.e.xy manner, but let her have it back the moment she pulled away. "We were the cadet branch, you see."
"Ah! Still?"
"The family motto is "We Shall Contrive," " he replied, and his deep blue eyes danced down at her.
"I"d say you"re a practiced hand at that," she said, wanting to laugh because she couldn"t believe she was playing this sort of game. Then she realized that it was was a game, and even if he was a much more versatile and accomplished player than she"d ever be, it could be fun! a game, and even if he was a much more versatile and accomplished player than she"d ever be, it could be fun!
"I do my possible." And he laughed with her.
"Oh, dear Macci, we won"t detain you further," Pleasaunce said archly, and importunately drew both Yana and Marmion away from his enchanted circle. "There are so many many other people who"re dying to meet you." other people who"re dying to meet you."
They might have been dying to meet her, but she d.a.m.ned near died of the boredom of repeating herself: Yes, she came from Petaybee; yes, the planet was sentient; no, the planet did not ask or answer questions; no, she hadn"t had vile nightmares and been visited by strange thoughts; yes, the planet was cold and had very little in the way of technology because the cold banjaxed equipment; yes, everyone was healthy there and lived long lives; yes, it was possible it was the healthy diet; and no, she wouldn"t recommend it as a holiday resort-in the summer the insects ate you alive and in the winter you could easily freeze to death. No, that didn"t sound like a friendly place but it was, and yes, the planet really was friendly, too, despite its weather, which wasn"t precisely the planet"s fault. No, the Planetary Terraform B process was not at fault. Petaybee was unique as far as planets went.
It went on all night, until the smile on her face felt pasted on and she was glad when Marmion signaled that they could leave.
7.
The next morning Yana couldn"t remember the names of any of the people she had met, with the exception of the flirtatious and flamboyant Macci: they had all blended into such an identical blur. Their faces, their voices, their apparel had had a sameness that made identifying one from the other very difficult. Yana did remember the things she had eaten and the wines she had drunk, but the people? And those had been the ones who were important on Gal Three? It seemed strange to her that no one had appeared to want to talk about anything remotely "significant," considering they were persons whom Marmion had said were important for her to meet. When not avidly questioning her, they had gossiped about the people who hadn"t been invited. Yana hoped that she"d never hear what was said about her or anyone else in Marmion"s group. Petaybee was coming up more and more golden and real! real!
She was not the only one silent this morning. Bunny was slouched over her morning meal, and the measure of her discomfort was registered by the fact that she was wearing one of the outfits that Marmion had originally provided for her, rather than some of the Gal Three finery Charmion had urged her to purchase. She was moodily staring out the lounge window at the comings and goings of station vehicles, tugs, and the incoming traffic of all kinds.
Yana decided not to show Bunny the comm message from Sean, which asked Yana to see if Marmion could check out a firm trading as PTS, Petaybee Tourist Service, which was so busily landing new problems in his lap. People were being dumped back of beyond, wanting hotel facilities, of all things, and he was running out of places to stash them and food to feed them. Could this influx of unwanted and generally useless self-seekers please be stopped, he wanted to know. To which Johnny Greene, who had sent the message from the s.p.a.ce station on Whit Fiske"s credit, had added a devout "amen."
"Can we find out about these yabos, Millard?" Yana asked as soon as she had read the message. But she took the tone of the message as 1) amused, 2) coping, and 3) asking why she was staying away so long.
Millard glanced at the message, made a note on his wrist pad, and smiled down at her. "Sure thing."
"Hey, looka that," Diego said suddenly, pointing to a line of drones that were being shepherded by little s.p.a.ce tugs.
Millard smiled. "Ah, the collies at work."
"Why"re they called that?" Bunny asked.
"Watch how they herd the ships in," Millard said. "Their names are actually the Megabite Megabite and the and the Maggie Lauder, Maggie Lauder, but we call them Meggie and Maggie." but we call them Meggie and Maggie."
The speedy work vessels did indeed seem to be nipping at the skids of the drones, angling them into the correct alignment with their ultimate destination on the lower docking circle. But he was specifically pointing to the sleek, taper-ended vessel, clearly no drone, nearly the last one on the long drone tether. "I wonder what holed that."
"Meteor, probably," Millard replied, looking up and frowning slightly at the company the obvious s.p.a.cecraft was keeping.
"Looks big enough to have been holed by a shuttle craft," Diego said. "And a big one at that."
"Would the crew have survived such a holing?" Bunny asked, coming out of her slump long enough to peer about.
"Depends on the speed with which the crew reacted to the disaster," Millard said.
"Cost a pretty pile of credits to fix it, I"ll bet," Diego said.
"Someone who can afford a craft that size has the credit," Sally said. "This is the biggest repair facility in the quadrant, so they"d have to come here for that sort of major restoration."
The collies bracketed the nose of the vessel now, maneuvering it carefully down half a degree, to port another fraction, and then forward slowly until it moved out of sight from their viewpoint.
"Wonder what happened to it," Bunny said.
"We could go see," Diego suggested.
"Could we?" she asked, brightening and turning to Millard.
"Bailey has some cronies down in the ship dock," Millard said. Their faces fell. "You really will have to wait until Bailey and Charmion are available," he said, and then his wrist set bleeped. "Excuse me."
He read the message that came in, then turned to Yana. "This is interesting. The PTS is newly registered as a tourist transport in the civilian section of the Intergal Station. A "B. Makem" is listed as owner."
"B. Makem?" Yana blinked. The name was somehow familiar, but after last night"s inundation of names, she couldn"t put the name to a face.
"Braddock Makem?" Sally asked in a startled tone as she looked up from the report she was working on.
"One of Matthew"s little men?"
"He isn"t one of Dr. Luzon"s men anymore," Sally said. "Luzon fired him. Scuttleb.u.t.t is that when Luzon woke up with broken legs, loss of pride, and that ma.s.sive deflation of ambition, he fired the lot of them."
Yana grinned. "Anything else, Millard?"
"Funding"s low, but it"s got a waiting list and paid pa.s.sages for twenty on each of three weekly scheduled flights from Intergal Station."
Yana gasped "There isn"t room at Kilcoole for twenty extra bodies, much less a hundred and twenty. What is Makem up to?"
"I"d hazard Makem isn"t up to anything," Millard said, his eyes narrowing, "but I"d suspect Matthew Luzon is. Does Sean say who"s been landed?"
Just then Marmion came into the room, a flimsy in her hand and a look of total exasperation on her face.
"Once again, there can be no meeting," she said, waving the sheet.
"But Phon Tho was coming back this morning. He said we"d hear today," Yana said in protest.
"We did," Marmion said grimly, with another crisp flutter of the message. "But not at all what we hoped to hear. Really, I think we are just going to have to do do something." She tapped her index finger across her lips and then brightened. "Of course! We will put it about that you"re leaving!" something." She tapped her index finger across her lips and then brightened. "Of course! We will put it about that you"re leaving!"
"But-but what good will that do?" Yana asked, almost wailing with disappointment. Of course, she wanted to be back with Sean, to help him with these unexpected visitors-if only to shove them off-planet as fast as they arrived. She was feeling deprived. She hadn"t finally married herself again to spend her time away away from the man of her heart and the father of her child. But she didn"t want to have to come back here again whenever the CIS Council finally got its act together and all its members in attendance, just so she, Bunny, and Diego could say their piece and have it done with. from the man of her heart and the father of her child. But she didn"t want to have to come back here again whenever the CIS Council finally got its act together and all its members in attendance, just so she, Bunny, and Diego could say their piece and have it done with.
"Well, as long as they think you"ll just sit about and wait wait for them to organize themselves, that"s what they"ll do," Marmion said, then paused thoughtfully, regarding the flimsy as if there were unseen lines there that required decoding. "Though for them to organize themselves, that"s what they"ll do," Marmion said, then paused thoughtfully, regarding the flimsy as if there were unseen lines there that required decoding. "Though why why this delay when they were so b.l.o.o.d.y eager to get you here in the first place... And we came as fast as anyone can... Hmmm. Well, they do have the depositions to work from..." this delay when they were so b.l.o.o.d.y eager to get you here in the first place... And we came as fast as anyone can... Hmmm. Well, they do have the depositions to work from..."
"Something"s rotten in Denmark?" Sally asked.
"If it were on Denmark, I wouldn"t give it a second thought. But this is Gal Three... And it was was presented to me as an in-and-out appearance." Giving her shoulders a ma.s.sive shrug, Marmion returned to her office. presented to me as an in-and-out appearance." Giving her shoulders a ma.s.sive shrug, Marmion returned to her office.
"Why," Yana asked the room, "would B. Makem want to start trouble for us on Petaybee? I thought we"d opened his eyes to that erstwhile employer of his." Yana asked the room, "would B. Makem want to start trouble for us on Petaybee? I thought we"d opened his eyes to that erstwhile employer of his."
"Yes," Millard said thoughtfully, and began to tap out codes on his terminal. "We"ll just see."
Yana began pacing restlessly, fretting about Sean. He"d have so much more to do now, with who knows how many people foisted off on Petaybee. She reread the communique, her free hand going automatically to the little bag of Petaybean dirt that generally provided her with comfort as she tried to get more of Sean than the words were conveying. Even if Johnny Greene had sent the message, it was from Sean and by Sean, and therefore it was was Sean, and she gathered what comfort she could out of that contact. It was stupid of her, at her age, to Sean, and she gathered what comfort she could out of that contact. It was stupid of her, at her age, to need need the man so desperately, and yet she did. Here she was in the lap of luxury, being scrupulously cared for and pampered and wined and dined, and not liking it a bit simply because Sean wasn"t there to share the absurdities with her-like Macci and his SecondSkin and loin clout. Sean would have looked just as well in such attire-probably better, since he had a second skin of his own, if it came to that. The memories that thought provoked made her smile, and she nibbled at the edge of the message, until she realized what she was doing. She really was being ungrateful, especially when Marmion was going out of her way to be so accommodating and helpful. Not that she didn"t appreciate it all-but she had managed to get accustomed to the discomforts of Petaybee! Now she"d have to learn to love them all over again. It would be snowing soon, and she"d miss it, and freeze-up and all the other wonders of Petaybee that she hadn"t yet experienced firsthand. She resented her absence terribly, and that reminded her of who might be responsible for all the delays. the man so desperately, and yet she did. Here she was in the lap of luxury, being scrupulously cared for and pampered and wined and dined, and not liking it a bit simply because Sean wasn"t there to share the absurdities with her-like Macci and his SecondSkin and loin clout. Sean would have looked just as well in such attire-probably better, since he had a second skin of his own, if it came to that. The memories that thought provoked made her smile, and she nibbled at the edge of the message, until she realized what she was doing. She really was being ungrateful, especially when Marmion was going out of her way to be so accommodating and helpful. Not that she didn"t appreciate it all-but she had managed to get accustomed to the discomforts of Petaybee! Now she"d have to learn to love them all over again. It would be snowing soon, and she"d miss it, and freeze-up and all the other wonders of Petaybee that she hadn"t yet experienced firsthand. She resented her absence terribly, and that reminded her of who might be responsible for all the delays.
"Do you know where Matthew Luzon is right now?" she asked, stopping and turning to survey those in the lounge. "And where are Diego and Bunny, for that matter?" she asked Sally and Millard, and asked the same question of Bailey and Charmion, who entered at that critical moment.
"Must be around here somewhere," Millard said, swiveling about as if the two had to be in the lounge, visible or invisible.
At that precise moment, there was a request for entry, and a resonant voice announced, "Macci Sendal."
Sally and Millard exchanged astonished glances.
"You made a conquest, Yana," Sally said, grinning. "Shall I admit him?"
Yana was fl.u.s.tered. "Whatever would he want with me?"
"I suspect business," Sally said. "After all, Rothschild"s has always diversified. I don"t recall them having any pharmaceuticals, though."
"Yes, they do," Millard replied. "They have recently acquired a major holding in SpayDe."
"You"re quite right." Sally hurried to press the door release. "I"ll just replicate some refreshments."