"Alternatively, I"m sure Earth Prime can find you another posting, where your charismatic personality will work in your favor."
As Laria stepped to one side before turning to mount the stairs, she heard Lionasha"s gasp, and was aware of Vanteer gawking in surprise. She caught Kincaid by the arm and urged him up to the Tower.
"Prime, I was posted here," Vagrian said, the wave of his hand taking in all of Clarf Tower, his voice edged with a barely concealed and increasing anger. "By Earth Prime himself. Your grandfather."
Laria turned on the top step, staring down at him, her body rigid with her rejection of him, and his effect on her Tower personnel. She started to tremble and felt Kincaid"s sudden support as she drew herself up.
"I am Prime. I was not informed of this posting and I do not need an additional T-2. Kincaid is more than adequate for any merging I need. You have a choice, Vagrian Beliakin: Sef Tower, which does need a third T-2, or back to Blundell Tower."
"But I was chosen for you," he said, allowing disappointment to show in his face as he lifted one hand in appeal. His emphasis informed her all too succinctly of why he had been posted here. Her fury at such tactics now included her grandfather.
"For me?" Laria said softly. Never! She turned back, sliding into her couch and leaning into the generators. If you do not walf^straight out of this Tower and into the personnel carrier, I will "port you there myself, Vagrian Beliafyn. You have exactly five seconds. And I have decided that you will cause just as much trouble with the excellent team at Sef as you would here, so you are going bact( to Blundell, MOVE!
He is moving, Vanteer said, and there was deep satisfaction in the engineer"s voice. Wise decision, Laria.
I don"t understand you, Laria, Lionasha said, baffled. He"s in the carrier, Van reported.
Earth Prime! This is Clarf Prime. I am returning that man undamaged, but only because I wouldn"t waste the time or soil my hands with him. She acted with such alacrity that the carrier was back in the cradle on Earth hefore she finished speaking.
Laria! You can"t have given Beliafyn time to present his credentials. Nor did Laria have any doubts that her grandfather was considerably annoyed by her rejection.
What did you tell him about me? Or was he Grandmother"s idea? Because he is the most repellent personality I have ever encountered: self-centered, aggressive, domineering, worse than a "Dint days late for hibernation! He had Lionasha drooling life a teenager. If was all Van could do to f^eep from punching him, and he had the effrontery to decide he could displace Kincaid in the first merge we made. Nor will I permit Kincaid to be exposed to such bigotry! I would sooner mind-merge with twelve Hiver queens than that odious man.
There was silence from her grandfather. A silence that meant he was digesting her polemic. You have stated your case, Prime. I was attempting to arrange for a relief team to allow your entire Tower some well-earned rest. Vagrian was the first candidate Golleefelt capable.
Laria gave a bark of laughter. Not him. Send him to a squadron where his. . . peculiar personality will be controlled by naval discipline. Wemaybe tired but we haven"t shirked a single responsibility yet.
No, you have not. Jeff Raven"s tone commended their efforts.
If you will forgive me, Earth Prime, we have two-score message tubes to "port to their recipients.
Do so, then. This time the silence was his absence.
Battered by the encounters with her grandfather and Beliakin, she covered her face and started to weep. Kincaid gathered her into his arms, stroking her hair and laving her troubled mind with rea.s.surances.
"Try this," said Lionasha. The expediter had a cup of steaming coffee in her hand, eyes and face anxious. Vanteer stood beside Lio, looking both concerned and amazed.
"We heard," Vanteer said. "Couldn"t help it, Laria." He blinked and gave her a little rueful grin. "Never heard you speak to anyone like that before. Especially not to your grandfather." Vanteer was awed. Just be- yond him, on the step below the Tower level, his Dig and Nim and Lionasha"s Fig and Sil were ranged, poll eyes startled and wide.
Laria took several quick sips of coffee, then the tissue Lionasha offered, and dried her eyes and cheeks.
"Kincaid, you knew that man, didn"t you?"
Kincaid nodded slowly, his eyes echoing the sadness that had carved lines in his face in the s.p.a.ce of a few minutes. "Once." Then, with a noticeable effort, Kincaid forced his taut body to relax. "Slightly longer than just now. And that was before his Talent a.s.serted itself. But I was just as happy to see him leave without making the kind of trouble he"s often caused."
"He was trouble, all right, and all too ready to do what he intended here," Van said. "I"m only a T-6, but he was coming over loud and clear." His hands were still clenched into fists.
"I"ve never met anyone like him before," Lionasha said, shaking herself as if to dispel an unwanted burden. "He was . . . overwhelming." And she let out a self-conscious little laugh, then shook her head again more vigorously.
"Too f.e.c.king sure of himself," Vanteer said.
GLAD YOU KNOW THAT, Dig said, and the other three "Dinis nodded. BAD DREAMING WITH THAT HUMAN. BAD DREAMING.
Laria regarded the "Dinis with surprise, and a certain gratification that they concurred with her own instinctive and almost unreasonable rejection of a person in such a short s.p.a.ce of time. She gulped down most of the coffee and handed the cup back to Lionasha.
"We do have work to do, team. Let"s get to it. Day"s heating up."
The tubes were duly "ported to various locations on Clarf.
"Most of "em are from that bunch we just sent out," Lionasha said. "How could they report back so quickly?"
"Whaddya wanna bet they forgot half the stuff they now find they urgently need," was Van"s suggestion.
He was proved correct, for small and large drones made up the rest of the morning"s imports to Clarf Tower and exports to Talavera. By lunchtime, Lionasha announced with some surprise that the Tower had cleared all cradles and nothing else had come in for the afternoon.
"May I respectfully suggest that we enjoy a siesta until something does turn up?" Kincaid said as he made his way to the kitchen. "What can I get you, Laria?"
"Salad, sandwich," she answered from the Tower. Vanteer had left the generators idling, but she didn"t need a.s.sistance for the quick call she felt she should make.
Yoshuk?
Laria? There was pleased surprise in the man"s voice. Sometimes there was little resemblance between siblings of the same parents.
Your brother, Vagrian, was here.
Oh no! Yoshuk didn"t sound pleased. Ah! You used the past tense? My congratulations on your perception and immediate dismissal of Trouble on Two Feet.
Yes. I sent him bacf^to Blunddl. I nearly sent him to you two to help with your workload.
Merciful heaven, I thank, you from the bottom of my heart for that show of common sense.
Is he as . . . difficult as I read him, Yoshuk? You"re not.
Most emphatically I am not my brother Vagrian. Whyever was he sent to you of all people?
I thinly my grandfather had dynastic notions.
Ha! Earth Prime"s slipping, or his initial screening has developed serious flaws. Not that Grian couldn"t-without half trying, I might add-give the right answers. Unless someone thought to deep-probe him. Did you? So that you found out how poisonous he is? Accept my profound apology for being related to him. That might have had something to do with your grandfather"s momentary lapse of good sense. Or he was taken in by circ.u.mstances of Grian"s sudden emergence as a Talent. Chagrin colored Yoshuk"s tone.
You"ve relieved my mind, Yoshuk^ I didn"t thinly my judgment had failed me. Especially when Kincaid"s reaction was total rejection and abhorrence.
Kincaid was right on line, and the first thing my dear brother would have done is to displace Kincaid.
That isn"t possible.
Oh yes, it would be if Vagrian desired to . . . Yoshuk paused. There was a smile in his tone as he continued. Kincaid deserves your loyalty, Laria, and I"m glad it"s in such deep measure for him. You will never regret it.
Are you peeking, Yoshuk? Laria was surprised and clamped her thoughts down.
Me? You"re the Prime! I do suggest that you stop broadcasting quite so loudly, or both Vanteer and Lionasha"II hear.
Thanks, Yoshu^.
On the contrary, than^y ou, Laria, for sending that bad package right back^ where it can be dealt with.
"Laria?" Kincaid called at the base of the Tower steps.
"Coming." She ran down the flight, taking the plate of sandwiches from Kincaid"s hand, smiling as she did so. "Yoshuk is not enthralled with his younger brother either," she said, joining the others at the table. "Good thing I didn"t send him there. We could probably have heard the roar of rejection all the way from Sef."
"A bit of a sharne, though," Lionasha said, casting a sideways glance at Vanteer. "He"d"ve cut a fascinating swath through the compound here."
"Not if he intended to make a handfast arrangement with Laria, he wouldn"t," Van said in a low growl of dislike. "I wouldn"t"ve liked that for you, Laria. Or for you, Kincaid," he added. "What I"d like to know is how he pa.s.sed Gollee"s screening?" He directed that query to Laria.
"Oh, that one could pa.s.s any screening he"d a mind to," Lionasha replied. When the others regarded her with surprise, remembering her reaction to Vagrian"s charm, she grimaced. "I may have been susceptible to all that masculinity, and the smarmy way he came on to you, Laria, but I"d"ve come to my senses pretty quick. Especially after I caught that shaft he aimed at you, Kincaid."
"I appreciate that, Lio," Kincaid said with a wry grin as he regained his equilibrium. "I thank you too, Van."
"We haven"t worked this Tower so long that I"d let you down when someone like that piece of ego threatened you," Van said staunchly. "You"re a h.e.l.luva lot more man than that one can ever be."
Kincaid looked slightly bemused and surprised.
"Well, tt takes all kinds to make this universe, you know," Van went on, a little abashed.
"The devil you know?" Laria said teasingly.
"Better than that one, that"s for sure," Van said, one hand unconsciously closing into a fist again. Then he rose. "Dig, Nim, would you clear this away for us so we can get that siesta while it"s quiet?"
SURE, SURE, SURE. The chorus came from all four "Dims.
"When are yours due back?" Lionasha asked. "I"ve missed them."
"We all have."
YES, YES, YES, was the unison reply as the four TJinis began to pile dishes and take them to the recycling unit.
The Humans were all smiling as they dispersed to their quarters. When Laria heard the last door close, she "ported into Kincaid"s room. He had his back to her, pulling down the top sheet of his bed.
Kincaid, she began, not quite knowing exactly how to break her news to him.
He turned, eyebrows rising in surprise at her obvious hesitation.
She walked up to him, took his hand and laid it on her stomach. We started a child last night.
How can you be so sure? he demanded, astonished.
It"s one thing a Prime knows almost instantly: that a new life has started. I wasn"t positive . . . because this hasn"t happened to me before. She reached up to stroke his hair with an affectionate hand. * fyieu> when Vagrian threatened you . . . because he threatened me as well. If you do not object, I shall nurture the embryo. If you do object, I can remove - He pulled her into his arms, embracing her as tightly as he could, as if warding off any possible harm to her or his seed in her womb. No, no, no. Please. To father your child? More lucf( than I ever dreamed would happen. As much as I can, and in spite of my orientation, I love you, Laria, as much as it is possible for me to love a woman. As tightly as he already held her, the pressure of his arms increased. Did you know how terrified I was when Vagrian appeared? Terrified to lose the gift of friendship you gave me when I arrived here sicf( and desperate and wanting far more to die than live?
I knew you were in very bad shape. . . And she let him see that she had not known how close to suicide he had been.
He held her away from him and she saw the tears in his eyes. You healed me then with such a simple acceptance of what I was. What lam now is all your doing.
She put her fingers on his mouth. "No more regrets, my friend. No more looking back. I don"t require any promises from you, Kincaid Dano. I do, however, require a father for the child."
He folded her tightly against him again and, with a shaky laugh that was almost a sob, said, "That would give me the greatest possible joy."
"Even if I should require more children from you?" she said, her lips against his ear. "We Lyons tend to be prolific, you know."
"Let"s see how we do with this one first, shall we?" he asked, but his voice rippled with amus.e.m.e.nt. Then he picked her up in his arms and, carrying her to the bed, laid her down, settling beside her and "porting the cover over them both. "It"s more important than ever that you take a siesta," he said in a stern voice, turning his head to frown at her. "And if your grandfather will talk to you again in the next few weeks, d"you think we can get a more congenial T-2? Or even a couple of3"s?"
She put her fingers on his lips. "Shhhh. Morag"s just about old enough for some Tower training. I"ll ask Mother first."
"Good idea. Now close your eyes and sleep."
I don"t thin f{ I can, I"m so wired. . .
I"ll help . . . Gently he put his hand over her heart.
As if you could overcome a ... T. . .
"I"ve a few tricks you don"t know about, dear heart," he said softly, as her face relaxed and her breathing slowed to the rhythm of a natural sleep.
"How could we possibly have missed Beliakin"s overweening self-importance, Gollee?" Jeff Raven asked, rattling his fingers on his desk with aggravation.
"Because he"s an exceedingly clever young man," Gollee said, and tossed over a folder of hard copy. "With good shields that only you, the Rowan and perhaps Damia could have penetrated. I certainly caught nothing more than an intense pleasure at activating a Talent he was sure he had, since his only brother is a T-2, and the hope that he would get a "good a.s.signment." No harm in such thoughts and aspirations. However, if you run down the names of those who pa.s.sed him through the testing process, there"s only one male. To be quite candid . . ." Gollee sighed briefly. "With the workload in my department, I was delighted to find a T-2 proving out. I reviewed the a.s.sessments and had no reason to doubt them, since he most certainly possessed a strong kinetic T-2 when I put him through his paces. With a sibling as capable as Yoshuk already working as Talent, I made the mistake of a.s.suming more familial integrity and rect.i.tude than he appears to have." Gollee thrust the file into the reader, scrolling down to nearly the end. "I just looked over these comments from acquaintances again. I should have paid more attention to them. While he doesn"t appear to have made close personal friends, that is not uncommon for the Talented. I originally dismissed the references as malice or understandable envy. On a closer perusal, all of them were men and women of sound judgment and personal integrity. They were attempting to warn us."
"And I, like a d.a.m.ned fool, was so delighted to find a splendid young fellow for Lana, I didn"t question those careful comments either." Jeff flipped the folder shut. He sighed. "Well, no one"s perfect."
Gollee chuckled. "So you figured he"d suit Laria?"
"If he hadn"t had this serious personality flaw, as a T-2 he"d"ve been ideal. I think we"ll give him to the Navy as Laria suggested. G.o.d knows we"re hard pressed to provide kinetic T"s to keep the distant elements of Hive Search supplied."
"Good idea. He can hardly take over a ship as he evidently planned to take over Clarf Tower. Send him out on the Strongbow." Gollee"sgrin was definitely malicious. "That should pay them back for the gauntlet they ran Kincaid through."
"You"re not the vindictive sort, Gollee," Jeff remarked, raising his eyebrows in surprise.
"Only in particular cases," Gollee said with a droll grimace. "I just don"t like manipulative Talents when they"re as strong as Beliakin and can so easily inhibit lesser Talents. We can at least employ his unquestionable abilities where they will do the least damage."
"I believe I concur with that. Which brings us back to the original problem: Who do we have to a.s.sist Laria"s team? They"re overloaded right now and the traffic is not likely to ease off for several more months."
"Morag"s how old now?"
Jeff regarded Gollee with surprise and chuckled. "With all those complaints about nepotism coloring the political scene? Do we dare augment Clarf with yet another Lyon?"
"She won"t be in charge. And why shouldn"t she visit her sister and get some on-the-job training?"
"I"ll ask Damia. Morag is close to seventeen now and has been merging with her parents on a regular basis. She"d know the procedures- that would be a decided advantage. Afra says the four local Talents they discovered after that mine collapse are fitting in very well as support staff. Xexo"s snagged one as an engineering prospect... a T-5. Nothing like a brush with calamity to stimulate resources."
"Which," Gollee said, rising to his feet, "is exactly what brought Vagrian Beliakin to our notice."