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He approached her quietly, and said, "Master Interface Zref, reporting as
ordered, Captain."
She whirled to face him, almost crouching into her species' fighting stance,
then recovered gracefully. "Ah, Master Interface. Welcome aboard. Have you
examined our onboard controlcom yet?"
"No, Captain, but from this" he swept his hand around the bridge "it must be
most impressive."
"This is the newest voidspanner class liner, and some of our systems are
classified, so by order of the Star-Treader Lines, and by my personal order,
you'll refrain from making even superficial acquaintance with our operational
systems unless I so request. You're employed by Lantern Enterprises to attend
to the needs of the students and faculty aboard the Schoolcruise via the
Interstellarcomnet, not my ship's systems. You may verify this with your
Dispatcher."
Under cover of a sigh and a shifting of position, Zref opened, checked
Rodeen's open file and found the new order. "My Dispatcher has indeed informed
me of this new order. As per Guild Contract, I will abide by the Line's
wishes."
The Captain circled Zref, casually examining the working readouts on the
boards around them. Out of earshot of the crew, she said, "Between you and I,
Master Interface, I feel more secure having you to call upon if this
experimental design crashes. You did pronounce a personal name?"
"You may pronounce me, Zref, if you will."
"Then perhaps, now that the unpleasantness is out of the way, I may invite you
and your um bhirhir to sit with me at the Captain's table for the first meal.
It's a delightful old
custom of the human species which the Star-Treader Lines is reviving. The
first and the final meals of the cruise will be formal affairs, and the crew
will eat with the passengers. At other times, socialization will be minimal."
Zref accepted graciously, understanding that he should regard himself as a
passenger and stay away from her crew. Then she assigned him an escort back to
his cabin as if to do him honor, but he suspected it was done to keep him from
exploring.
His "cabin" turned out to be a suite occupying the end of a corridor. The door
opened into a high-ceilinged sitting room dotted with lounges designed for
many species, a dining area and an open hearth fireplace contained in a
forcefield safety net. A mezzanine rimmed the room, and from that level doors
opened into adjacent rooms assigned to Khelin and Ley on one side and Shui and
Iraem on the other.
Straight ahead, a door led to a bedroom containing a sandbed and a
full-immersion pond. An area beyond a walk-in dressing room held sanitary
facilities such as one would encounter in a luxury hotel. The room was
decorated in muted sky tones from many planets, and greenery from Earth, all
clean and new and perfectly flawless.
As Zref came in, he heard Arshel's voice raised in fury. "I don't care what
your orders are, you aren't permitted in here!"
He loped across the sitting room and through the door into the bedroom. Arshel
stood before a giant Theaten woman attired immaculately in ship's uniform and
evincing unruffled proprietary servitude.
"Madame, it is my duty and my pleasure to attend to the personal needs of the
inhabitants of this suite. You will require service in order to uphold your
position aboard "
"One moment," said Zref, as he moved to Arshel's side. Only a slow blink of
the Theaten's green eyes betrayed her surprise. Zref looked calmly up into
those eyes.
She intoned, "Identify yourself! These are private quarters."
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"My private quarters," insisted Zref. "You will identify yourself."
"Suite Steward-in-Chief Linraep, in charge of the staff of these rooms. My
privilege to serve." She bowed.
"And I am Master Interface Zref. This is my bhirhir Arshel. We occupy these
rooms at our pleasure, not at your sufferance. Is that understood?"
"Absolutely, sir." Her eyes were fixed in the distance behind Zref now,
passing at least a handspan over his head.
"Perhaps you'd care to elucidate the difficulty?"
"It is my duty to have this room cleaned and to keep it in repair, as well as
to provide body servants, wardrobe servants and secretarial facilities. So I
must inspect the premises regularly, if discreetly in your absence. The Lady
Arshel has requested that neither I nor my staff enter this room for the
entire length of the voyage. I am personally responsible for this room. I
cannot accept banishment."
"I understand your difficulty," said Zref before Arshel could protest again,
"but our need for absolute privacy takes precedence." The Theaten surely
regarded them as unworthy of these quarters. [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]