Андрэ Нортон - Beast Master's Circus

"Beast master unit? Terran High Command?" Anders's voice was horrified. Storm descended from the harsh emotionless attitude he'd assumed to impress the Under-governor.

"Anders." He leaned forward. "That pair attacked a clan camp twice. They stole some jewelry from the female shaman they'd stunned. The Nitra are leaving it to Tani to sort out—for the moment. She's a clan-friend."

"Isn't that unusual?"

"She's only the second in Arzor's history," Storm said tersely. "But the Nitra want satisfaction. They want the jewelry returned with Tani and the thieves provably punished. They'll settle for the thieves but not the sacred items alone."

"In other words they want satisfaction."

"Yes. As to the other charge, that could become worse. You had a beast master living here. Yes, I know he's dead," he added before Anders could interrupt. "We have reason to think this pair may have been involved with that death, or know who was. Listen." He spoke slowly as the hovercar floated silently along the path toward a series of office buildings. It halted as Storm finished speaking. Anders exited the car and found Logan at his side. The young man spoke very quietly and seriously.

"Anders, you said no complaint from a citizen had been received." He took a breath. "But isn't Tani an honorary citizen of Trastor? I'm sure her Aunt Kady said so once."

The Under-governor eyed him. "That is so. We decreed that Bright Sky was a citizen of our world. It was a posthumous citizenship but you're correct. It descends by law to any child of his living at the time it was granted. It also gives me an unimpeachable reason to act." He waved the others to join them, sweeping them with him to a large office. There he sat and reached for a control panel. Into the speaker above that, he snapped a string of brisk orders as he switched from office to office. Then he looked at the four.

"That will set things in motion. Officer, you have had your people here see to it that the criminals do not depart unexpectedly."

Versha smiled. "Oh, I think they'll still be around."

"So do I," Anders said dryly. "That was a statement, not a question. I've heard something about a complaint against a ship which may or may not be correctly identified. I've also heard about pirates." He leaned to the speaker panel and called for refreshments, then sat back. "Let us wait in comfort while we see if my preliminary endeavors bear fruit." He looked at Tani. "Do I gather two of the stolen beasts are yours? Are you also a beast master?"

"I was never trained. But yes, I have the gifts and the coyotes are part of my team."

"If you are not officially a beast master how do you come to have Terran animals?"

Tani settled back. "I am the niece of Brion and Kady Carraldo." She saw his look of half-recognition and continued. "I grew up on their interstellar ark working with animals and helping the scientists and my kin there."

The Under-governor's memory released the information that had been teasing him and the back of his neck went cold. Lord of Light! The ark was an invaluable resource for every human-settled world. It was run and ruled by scientists, but he guessed that scientific detachment did not apply where it came to this girl if they thought Trastor was ill-treating her. They might continue to assist Trastor, but there were many ways in which they could deny a world what it needed without appearing to flatly reject official requests.

Tani would not have dreamed of using that power, nor would her aunt and uncle have considered it. She did not even see the way Anders might be thinking. Storm did, but said nothing. If a man thought that way you wouldn't change his mind-set by arguing. If Anders believed that helping Tani and laying hands on Baris and Ideena would keep Trastor in credit with the ark, let him. He'd make sure Brion and Kady heard of the man's help. How they reacted was up to them.

Anders stood. "Please excuse me for a time. There are certain things I must do. The burdens of government." He chuckled a little and left.

Versha stared after him. "Not the fool he looks even if he was jumping to a few conclusions there at the end." She dug a small comunit out of her pocket and spun dials. "Jared?"

"Jared here, Versha, where the Hades are you and what have you stirred up? Every peacekeeper, port official, and security beat-walker is out buzzing around. There's a hunt for our two like you wouldn't believe."

"Yes I would. Never mind that right now. Tell me everything you know about a man called 'Under-governor Larash-Ti-Andresson. My friends call me Anders.' Small man. Looks meek and mild, rather harmless. Until you say something important and see his eyes."

She heard a sort of gulp over the com. "Andresson? Oh, he's Under-governor all right. He runs the security for Trastor. Peacekeepers, port police, private guards, spies, anyone at all in those categories. He deals with anything that may imperil Trastor's safety, autonomy, or internal security. He isn't always soft-handed about how he does that either. But he's honest and he's very good at what he does. Particularly if he thinks what he does will help Trastor. He can be ruthless but he's a patriot. To him Trastor is first in importance, and other planets are nothing in comparison."

"Thanks. I think we've convinced him it's in Trastor's interest to help us. Don't go against him. But try to see that Baris and Ideena stay alive if that's possible. Versha out."

She snapped the comunit off and tucked it away again. "You heard that, Anders? You can come back now." The man who returned was the same until you saw his face with the meek mask of minor officialdom removed. His gait was firmly confident. His eyes showed a hard humor and wary intelligence.

"You knew."

"As you intended."

"Only if you were bright enough."

"Take it that I am," Versha requested. "And now that we both know who's who and what's what, how is the hunt going?"

"Mixed. They got to that ship of theirs. They started to lift and at a thousand feet someone hit them with a scramble-laser. Would you know anything about that, Patrol Officer?" Versha out-stared him. "I see." He continued.

"Their navcomp emergency system seems to have been ingeniously programmed. Instead of setting down right where they'd lifted, it swung the ship and landed in the next clear area. That turned out to be a park twenty klicks from the port—that's about fifteen of your Arzoran miles," he added for clarification. "No one was prepared for that trick. By the time my people reached the spot whoever had been in the ship had vanished again. We're questioning everyone in the area but there's no information coming in as yet."

He frowned. "Have they allies here, do you know? Anyone who might help them to hide or escape?"

Versha pursed her lips. "When they hit Arzor they had someone with them. Logan here never saw him, but Tani can verify that there were three people, believed at the time to be innocent tourists, whom the clan permitted to escape. We know three people also fled Arzor on that ship. So yes, they do have a colleague of some kind. Whether he's still here, who he is, or if he'd help, we don't know. But it's possible. Ideena isn't likely to stop at blackmail to get under cover."

Anders smiled dangerously. "We'll keep looking. Sooner or later someone will come trotting in to say that their neighbor is behaving strangely. Until then I'll make it clear to all the usual riffraff that it will not be business as usual. Not until I lay hands on this pair. Set scum to catch scum. The locals won't like having my men poking into every corner of their business. After a while when we don't let up they'll begin hunting for the pair themselves."

"But will they hand them over in shape to talk?" Logan spoke for the first time since they'd arrived in the office.