Timothy Zahn - The Icarus Hunt

"Though maybe that doesn't mean all that much to you. You haven't been at thissort of thing very long, have you?"

His feathery scales fluttered slightly. "Is it so very obvious?"

I shrugged. "Maybe a little," I said. "I wouldn't worry about it, though.

You're a Craea; and somehow you people have space travel in your blood."

"Perhaps." His beak clicked softly twice, the first time I'd heard him makethat sound. "Or perhaps that is merely a myth."

"If it is, there are an awful lot of people who've swallowed it," I told him, taking a bite of my sandwich. "There's a terrific demand out there for Craeanspacewalkers."

"Perhaps the demand is justifiable," he said, eyeing me closely. "But perhapsit is not. Tell me, what did Ship Master Borodin tell you about this mission?"

"What do you mean?" I asked, frowning. Mission, he'd said. Not trip or voyage.

Mission. "I was hired to fly the Icarus from Meima to Earth. Why, did he tellyou something else?"

"Not something else, exactly," he said, those pure white eyes still studyingme with a discomfiting intensity. "But he said there was something more involvedhere."

He stopped. "Go on," I encouraged him, taking another bite of sandwich so asnot to look too eager.

He gave it another couple of heartbeats before he finally went on. "Twelveothers were trying to hire me at the Craean employment site on Meima," hesaid.

"Ship Master Borodin drew me aside and told me that while he could not pay asmuch as the others were offering, he could instead offer me a chance to dosomething for my people that would never be forgotten."

"Really," I said, fighting to keep my voice casual as I took another bite tohide the sudden shiver running through me. Idiot that I was, not until thatmoment had Tera's revelation of the Icarus's true nature made even the slightestconnection in my mind with the data Uncle Arthur had sent regarding the boomthe Craean economy had been enjoying since the Talariac had hit the space lanes.

"What else did he say?"

Faced with a nonhuman audience, I'd apparently overplayed my casual act. "Youdon't believe me," Chort said, starting for the door. "I'm sorry to havebothered you."

"No, no—please," I said, gathering my feet beneath me, ready to jump out of mychair if I needed to in order to stop him. Suddenly there were a whole newraft of possibilities opening up here, possibilities I very much wanted to explore.

"I didn't mean it that way. Of course I believe you. Did he say anythingmore?"

He stood there another moment, then slowly retraced his steps. "You do notunderstand," he said. "You humans. You greatly dislike the Patth—I hear youtalking. But you do not understand."

"Help me understand, then," I invited, gesturing at the seat across the tablefrom me. "Why shouldn't we dislike the Patth?"

He hesitated again, then slowly sat down in the indicated seat. "You spoke ofspace travel being in Craean blood," he said. "Perhaps in some ways it is. Welove free fall, and thrive in space habitats. We have five in our home system; did you know that?"

I nodded. "I hear they're beautiful inside. I wish your government allowednon-Crooea to visit them."

"They are indeed beautiful," he said, the white eyes unfocusing oddly. "And itis in such places, or on our homeworld itself, that most Crooea would prefer to live if that was possible."

His eyes came back to focus on my face. "But such is not the case. We havenothing in the fields of science or technology that can compete with theproducts of Earth or Basni or J'kayrr. Yet we must continue to create wealthif we are to have the benefits of that technology, or if we are to build morespacehabitats for our people."

"You have your food exports," I reminded him. "I understand they're very muchsought after."

"But they can travel only a limited distance before spoiling," he said. "Inthe face of such a dilemma, what can the Crooea do?"

I sighed. I saw where he was headed now, all right. "They hire themselves outacross the Spiral, of course," I said. "Tell me, how much of your pay goesdirectly to the Craean government?" His beak snapped hard. "Seven-tenths," hesaid. A seventy percent tax bracket. Indentured servitude, with the twist thatthe servitude was to their own government and people. "I've never heardanythingabout this before," I said. "Why have you kept it such a secret?"

His feathers fluffed briefly. "Why would we tell it?" he countered. "It is notsomething we are proud of. To sell ourselves into service to aliens is not apleasant thing."

"Though it's really no different from what the rest of us do," I pointed out.

"None of us are selling ourselves, exactly, just hiring our services and ourexpertise out to others. It's what's called a job."

"It was never the Craean way," he said firmly. "But it is our way now."

He cocked his head to one side, a quick gesture that was very bird-like. "Buteven now that way may be changing. The Patth merchants have given us thechance to sell our foodstuffs in more markets than ever before. In only a few shortdecades, perhaps we will have the resources necessary for the habitats we yetwish to build. When that happens, we will once again be able to withdraw backto our homes, and our families, and our kind."

I shook my head. "We'll miss you," I said. I meant it, too, even as I wincedat how utterly banal the words sounded. "Why are you telling me this?"

He laid his delicate hands on the table, rubbing the fingertips gentlytogether.

"Once, it was thought that only our future freedom depended on the Patth andtheir stardrive," he said, dropping his gaze to his hands. "But now, many fearthat our very lives are solidly in their hands. In the cycles since Talariacbegan service, more and more of our resources have been devoted to the growingof foodstuffs for export. If the Patth should suddenly refuse to carry them, our economy could collapse in a single sunrise."

I felt a hard knot form in the center of my stomach. I had warned Ixil thatthe Crooea might be susceptible to Patth pressure; but I hadn't realized just howbig the economic stick the Patth were threatening them with was. "I think Iunderstand the situation," I said. "What is it you want from me?"

He seemed to draw himself up. "I want you to not aggravate the Patth."

I suppressed a grimace. Lord knew the last thing I wanted to do was upset thePatth; the Patth or their lumpy friends with the handheld crematoria.

Unfortunately, as far as that crowd was concerned, even my continued breathing probably constituted aggravation at this point. "What makes you think I wouldwant to do something like that?" I hedged.

"You dislike the Patth," he said again. "And it is the Patth who are seekingyouand this ship."

The hard knot in the center of my stomach tightened a couple more turns. "Whotold you that?"

His feathers fluttered. "No one told me. The beings whom the young humanfemale pointed out to us at the Baker's Dozen taverno were members of a Patth clientrace."

"How do you know?"

"It is common knowledge among the Crooea," he said, sounding surprised that Ieven needed to ask. "All Patth merchant starships carry Craean spacewalkers.

The Iykams also always travel with them as guardians and protectors. Unlike thePatth, they are crude and not very polite."

"As well as sometimes violent," I added, nodding. At least the Lumpy Clan hada name now. Uncle Arthur would be pleased about that. "Still, just because theIykams are mad at me doesn't mean the Patth themselves are involved."

The feathers fluttered again, this time fluffing out from his body. "Do notlie to me, Captain," he said quietly. "The Iykams do not act without Patthpermission. They do not move through these areas of space without Patthpresenceand guidance."

"I'm not lying to you, Chort," I assured him quickly, a creepy feeling runningthrough me. If he was right, that meant the two Iykams I'd killed on Xathrumust have had a Patth overseer somewhere in the vicinity. A Patth who had justmissed capturing the Icarus right off the blocks.