Dushau

Rndeel trod on her heels, and under cover of apology whispered, "In the sickbay! They were in a cargo hold."

They arrived at an open hatch with two tall pillars flanking it. Between the pillars, a golden haze sizzled. "You're using a snapfield?" asked Krinata. She'd only seen them in fictional adventures. "Isn't that dangerous?"

"Contrary," said Grassman. "We've rigged an independent power source so the ship's Sentient can't turn it off. She might obey one of the prisoners despite reprogramming."

Krinata replied. "Admirable initiative, Captain. Now, I would inspect the cargo."

The captain moved to a jury-rigged console next to one of the pillars and ordered the guard on duty there to show the interior of the sickbay. There were four rooms, each with four beds—the low platform arrangements favored by Dushau. The screen quartered to show all four rooms. Three of the Dushau were apparently asleep. One was ordering food from a console, another was in the head, and the third wakeful one was watching them through a screen.

The watcher called, and within moments, all six Dushau were gathered like a clump of indigo shadow before the snap-field barrier. Not a flicker of recognition or excitement passed among them. Yet Krinata felt they weren't so drugged or beaten that they no longer cared. There were four males and two females, dressed in infirmary smocks, barefoot. There were no obvious physical injuries she could point to and demand an explanation.

She glanced skeptically at the captain. Then she shot a ringer out toward one of the Dushau, a male so dark his velvet skin seemed deep purple. "You! Who are you?"

The man stood straighter, not slender but skeletal—with extreme age, she judged, not starvation. He had to be the oldest Dushau she'd ever seen. The captain began to answer, but Krinata cut him off. She asked the old Dushau, "Has this man mistreated you?"

"Only to the extent of his Duke's orders," he answered.

"There were seven of you," challenged Krinata. "Where's the missing one?"

"We wish we knew." It was an indictment.

She glanced at Rndeel, but he didn't so much as twitch Skhe-fashion. "Captain," she said, "tell them what's become of the other one."

"But you know what happened."

"Never mind what I know! Tell them."

"For what purpose.." the man started. Then his eyes met Rndeel's, and he drew breath and said, "The escaped prisoner was killed before he could reach any sensitive area of the ship. His body's in a deepsleep bay, and should be perfectly usable."

Krinata felt the electrical shock of the six Dushau, and to distract attention from them to let them recover, she said, "No.. that they understand, perhaps they'll be less eager to escape.

Captain, turn that snapfield off and let us in there. I wish to speak with the prisoners alone."

The captain drew breath as if to protest, but Krinata whirled to face him—looking up at the hulking Lehiroh—and scowled, as if daring him to argue. Discipline barely covered a sullen resentment as the captain ordered five men to aim their leptolizers set to emit the warning gray haze and high-pitched whine of weapons functions. He drove the prisoners back from the hatch, then ordered another guard at a console far down the shaftway to kill the snapfield.

The gold haze died. Krinata preceded Rndeel into the sickbay, then ordered the field on and the guards away. "You, too, Captain. My discussion will be in private."

The irritated captain gathered his men and left the immediate vicinity. Krinata led the way into an i

Rndeel played the controls with a familiar touch. Thirlein, her simulacrum a strikingly handsome Dushau female, came onscreen. "You have privacy. Grisnilter, this lady and her companion are friends. Arlai has—"

"Arlai!" The elder spokesman's deep violet eyes widened, and he raked Krinata and Rndeel with a glance that should have penetrated Rndeel's disguise, but didn't. "That's Jindigar's Sentient! Where is he?"

Rndeel cupped both hands over his mouth, and they came away with a large dental appliance that had distorted his features into Skhe norms. He said in Jindigar's voice, rendering a sincerely respectful bow, "I'm here, Grisnilter. Oddly dressed, but for a reason. We got your distress call and came to rescue you."

Krinata had never considered Dushau features expressive, but she saw shocked gratitude, relief and joy clear on all the faces but Grisnilter's. He raked Jindigar with a glance so full of bitter censure and repulsed indignation that she took an instant dislike to the frail old Dushau. And in the wake of that dislike came a fury she couldn't name, but had to shove aside to deal with immediate dangers. "Getting you all out of here is not going to be easy."

The relief and joy weren't tarnished by her remark. "Do you have any plan?" asked one of the women.

"Of a sort, Rinperee," answered Jindigar. He paced with a Dushau gait, briefing them in a Dushauni dialect. "So I hope you'll forgive Thirlein for taking Arlai's reprogramming."

"Absolutely," answered Grisnilter. "You did right, Jindigar. I've known this was coming for decades, but I misjudged how near it was." Even his approval and contrition were tinged with a disappointed parent's attitude.

Jindigar faced Grisnilter, unawed but reverential. "Thirlein has now been returned to your control. It is for you to order her to make the ship unlivable for the Lehiroh."

Grisnilter's expression clouded, and one of the others protested in the modem Dushau dialect Krinata knew. "We can't ask her to turn on an incarnate; she'd never survive."

"There will be none harmed," assured Jindigar. "I want only mischief such as a malfunction might cause: a ridge of high gravity rippling under someone's feet, a beam of light in their eyes, a local concentration of carbon dioxide, a shower run ice cold, food burned, bad smells; anything she can think of to vex and distract them. Krinata here—a most capable human—will accuse the captain of incompetence, unable to keep his ship safe. On that pretext, we'll remove you to Truth, which is now called Roving Bettina."

Grisnilter considered, then asked, "Thirlein, can you do that without disturbing your equilibrium?"

"I believe so. And Arlai is willing to help with some inventive ideas. When do I start?"

"As soon as we're out of the sickbay," said Jindigar. Turning to Krinata, he said, "Do you think it will work?"

"I wish I'd thought of it! It'll work if I can keep from giggling. Captains don't giggle." But she knew why she'd never considered it. Sentients weren't supposed to be able to play such games.

They all eyed her with puzzlement, then Jindigar replaced the dental appliance and instantly became Rndeel again, right down to the Skhe gait. Grisnilter favored him with a prim shudder, and turned away as Rndeel said serenely, "My Lady-Commodore, I'll be signaling to get us out of here?" "Please do, Rndeel," she answered.