Andre Norton - Derelict For Trade

Out in the hatchway, Jellico said quietly, "Yes?"

Rael smiled at him. "This news needs the appropriate setting." She watched him, saw his eyes narrow in abstraction. She was beginning to read his moods—as he was hers. "Tell you what," she said. "You’re obviously busy there. Meet me at the Movable Feast in—an hour?"

"The Movable Feast?" One of his straight brows soared. "Think they’ll let us in?"

"We just today received a special invitation from Gabby. I strongly suspect that business has been better than ever."

Jellico smiled, then gave a decisive nod. "An hour."

She smiled, and impulse prompted her to hold out her hand, to touch, to reaffirm what she felt but had not yet been spoken. But she stilled the impulse, sensing that it was yet too early. Miceal Jellico would have to be brought by degrees to break those barriers he had set around himself.

Until then, public caresses would only embarrass him.

So she just smiled, and saw her own smile reflected in his eyes; but then he surprised her by catching hold of her hand and, with an air of gallantry, kissing it.

Then he was gone.

She made her way to the maglev for what she suspected would be the last time, reflecting on how delightful it was to be surprised by him. He would always surprise her, and they could spend a lifetime discovering one another.

As the pod sped toward the North Pole, she leaned back and watched the other passengers, and when she debarked, the business of the habitat. Everything appeared much as usual. She knew that the authorities were working in the background, that some changes would have to make their way through the elaborately sedate, polite labyrinths of Kanddoyd negotiation. But she was satisfied with what she had done. Individuals had been helped, from mere tissue repair to the possibility of a real life, for Nunku. It was Ross who had unexpectedly proved to be her biggest help in getting at least amnesty for those Spinnerites who wished to come out and seek a better life. He appeared to have shaken off the lethargy with which he’d cocooned himself—she knew, though they hadn’t discussed it, that the inspiration behind his sudden energy was the realization he’d soon be going home.

Rael smiled as she entered the restaurant. Home for her had become the Solar Queen . Wherever it went, that was home. Its crew were now her family.

The Kanddoyd who greeted her led her up to one of the private booths, and Gabby himself soon appeared.

"I delight! The doctor, the captain? You luxuriate, exquisite foods I select meself!" He bowed and went away.

She looked out the window at the magical lighting winking along the Kanddoyd towers. When Jellico slid in next to her, she had champagne in fluted glasses.

"Crystal?" Miceal said, indicating the champagne.

"We’re at point-eight grav—you can manage that," she said.

"We’ll essay it," he said.

She felt the double impact of his words, and her carefully prepared speech fled.

"The Ariadne is ours," she said.

Jellico’s hand tightened, and a drop of champagne spilled, sparkling, to his fingers.

"I asked Teague to give me my share of our inheritance early. He did, but for a wedding present, he went himself to the heirs, used my money to buy title to the ship, and I have the deed here. Now. Got it today. All we need to do is rename her, and put our names on the title."

"Wedding present?" He looked stunned.

She smiled, her heart pounding. "Is it too soon? Or do you find you can’t bear after all to take the risk?"

For a long moment he was silent, and she felt the universe darken. Then he looked up and said, "This kind of talk—I don’t really know how. I thought I’d cut this side of me out. You’re right about risk. I never wanted to go through the grief I’d seen—" He shook his head.

"Go on," she said gently. "I think I follow."

"Why should you?" he retorted with slightly acidic humor. "I was a fool. I saw it in that instant when Flindyk threw the wine in your face. He was a cagey devil, Flindyk. He must have seen that that was the quickest way to hurt me the most. It’ll always be that way—that people who want to be my enemy will seek to destroy what I love most."

"Yes," she said, gripping her hands tightly in her lap.

"But I also saw. well, if you had died, then I’d have all the grief anyway, and no good memories to look back on." He looked up, his emotions, for once, clear in his eyes. "Let’s go and make those good memories, Rael. Soon. Now."

He held both hands out, and she brought hers up and gripped them.

"As long as I live," she promised. "As long as we both shall live."

"What?" Ali gasped. "You mean—that’s it? They’ve gone to Ross to marry them? And we’re not invited?" He flung down the tools he’d been carrying; unfortunately the micrograv kept them from making a satisfying crash. "I’m devastated. Hear me?"

Dane sighed. Van Ryke had just given him the word—first the captain and Cofort would get the red tape out of the way on both their marriage and the new ship, and then they’d blast off for the world that came with the ship. Apparently there were still nine months left on that charter, and the cargo the Ariadne had found had been worth killing the crew for, so it seemed that, at last, they were heading straight for prosperity.

"Shut up," Rip said, laughing.

"They’re just doing the legal stuff with Ross," Jasper said, giving them all his shy smile. "They’ll do the actual vow exchange with us—after we blast off. They want to be married in space, with only the stars around, and not this place."

"Well, I can see that," Ali said. "But they might have told us."

"Telling you now," Dane said. "We’ve got to get our stuff together and shuttle over to the Starv —the Ariadne ."

"Marriage, ship, promotion," Ali said, snapping his fingers. "What’s next? I can handle it!"

"Don’t tempt fate," Rip said, groaning. "Just get your kit together, and shut up."

"Wait," Dane said. "Before you go, we’ve got to name our ship."

The other three stared at him for a long moment.

"Name—" Jasper said.

"Our ship," Ali repeated, his brilliant eyes intense with emotions Dane couldn’t name. His lips curved in a pensive smile and he said, "That’s right. Ariadne is gone—her soul went with her old crew. And she never was the Starvenger . So. ?"

They looked at each other helplessly.

"We have to think of something," Dane said, feeling uncomfortable. "Then send a message to the captain. They’ll register the name after they do the marriage legalities. So we can’t take all day."

"We need a name that sounds well flying next to the Solar Queen ."

"Something terrestrial?" Jasper asked. He winced. " Lunar Duke or Venusian Viscount sounds kind of—"

"Idiotic," Rip said. "I think we’re on the wrong starlane with the royalty. The Queen's the Queen , and always will be, but we don’t need any kings or dukes or any of that."

Dane shut his eyes, seeing an image of the heavens above Terra, remembered from his youth. And suddenly he had it. "Celestial," he said. "What did our ancestors use to guide their ships by?"

Ali sighed with satisfaction. "The North Star . That’s it, Viking." He looked at the others, and saw Jasper nod with decided approval.

"North Star," Rip repeated, and he shoved himself toward the hatchway. "I’ll send the message, then get my gear."

"Just a moment," Ali said, catching his arm. "How about the cats?" he asked, pausing.

"Tau’s got them already," Dane replied. "He’s gone over with them and his lab stuff."

"Tau?" Rip asked.

Dane shrugged.

Jasper said, "He had his choice, for he’s senior medic. And Cofort said as long as the ships were flying together, she didn’t mind duty on the North Star . But Tau wants to be with us—some project going on, apparently."