Part 16 (1/2)

”Masquerading as a member of the crew.”

The beard twitched slightly. ”I think that very unlikely,” he said, ”since all of them are currently in custody on Meima.”

I felt like the floor had just been pulled out from under me. ”All of them?

You're sure?”

”Quite sure,” he said, holding up another sheet. ”Everyone involved was picked up in that one single night, even the crew of the private s.h.i.+p Cameron flew in on a few days before this all started. Cameron himself is the only one still at large, and the Meima authorities say it's only a matter of time before they run him to ground. They think they spotted him at a Vyssiluyan taverno last night, in fact, but he gave them the slip.”

”Wait a minute,” I said, frowning. ”If they've already got the whole team, why don't they know what the cargo is? For that matter, why don't they have an accurate description of the s.h.i.+p? And they don't, because otherwise the fake IDs Ixil and I keep churning out sure wouldn't fool them.”

”Good-you're using fake IDs,” Uncle Arthur said. ”I'd hoped you were being at least that clever.”

”Yes, but why are they working?” I persisted, pa.s.sing over the question of whether or not there was an insult buried in there. ”I trust you're not going to tell me that a bunch of plunder artists like the Patth are squeamish about the cla.s.sic forms of information gathering, are you?”

”In point of fact, the archaeologists are still in Ihmis hands,” Uncle Arthur said. ”The Patth are trying to get them, but so far the Ihmisits are resisting the pressure.” He grimaced. ”But at this point it hardly matters who has them.

Cameron took the precaution of having hypnotic blocks put on everyone's memory of certain aspects of the operation. Including, naturally, the Icarus's description and details of its cargo.”

I nodded. Obvious, of course, once it was pointed out. Not especially ethical, and probably illegal on Meima to boot, but it was exactly the sort of thing Cameron would have done. ”And without the release key, all they can do is batter at the blocks and hope they crack.”

”Which I'm sure they're already doing,” Uncle Arthur said darkly. ”Not a pleasant thing to dwell on; but the point is that the maneuver has bought you some time.”

”Yes, sir.” So much for my embryonic theory that it was one of Cameron's people who had been trying so hard to keep us out of the Icarus's cargo hold.

”Unfortunately, it's also bought someone else some time, too.”

”Explain.”

I gave him a quick summary of the jinx that had been d.o.g.g.i.ng us ever since leaving Meima. Or since before our exit, actually, if you counted Cameron'sfailure to make it to the s.h.i.+p. ”The incident with Chort and Jones might conceivably have been an accident,” I concluded. ”But not the cutting torch or the lad skulking between hulls with the handy eavesdroppers' kit. Having the Patth on our tail would have been plenty; but having this added in is way too much of a good thing.”

”Indeed,” Uncle Arthur said thoughtfully. ”You have a theory, of course?”

”I have one,” I said. ”But I don't think you're going to like it. You said the Ihmisits thought they spotted Cameron on Meima yesterday. How certain are they of that?”

”As certain as any of these things ever are,” he said, his eyes narrowing.

”Which is to say, not very. Why, do you think you know where Cameron is?”

”Yes, sir,” I said. ”I think there's a good chance he's dead.”

There was another twitch of the beard. I was right; he didn't like it at all.

”Explain.”

”It's clear that someone doesn't want us getting a look at the cargo,” I said.

”I thought that that someone must be one of the archaeologists, but you've now told me that's impossible. So it's someone else. Someone who does know what's in there, and who furthermore has decided that having sole proprietors.h.i.+p of that knowledge will be valuable to him.”

”It couldn't be Cameron himself?”

”I don't see how,” I said, shaking my head. ”When I first arrived at the Icarus there was a time lock on the hatch, which didn't release until after most of the crew had already a.s.sembled. I examined the lock later, and it had definitely been set the previous afternoon, well before the Ihmisits threw everyone out of the s.p.a.ceport and locked it down for the night. There was no way for Cameron to have gotten aboard before the gates opened again, and he certainly didn't get on after we were there.”

”And you think that was because he was already dead?”

”Yes,” I said. ”One of the people he hired to crew the Icarus either knew something about it already or was sufficiently intrigued to take Cameron into a dark alley somewhere and find out exactly what was aboard.”

”That would have taken some severe persuasion,” Uncle Arthur murmured.

”Which is why I suspect he's dead,” I said. ”An interrogation that would have gotten him to talk would have left him either dead or incapacitated or drug-comatose. In either of the latter two cases, the Ihmisits or Patth would certainly have found him by now. In the first case...” I didn't bother to finish.

”You may be right,” Uncle Arthur said heavily. ”You will identify this person, of course.”

”I certainly intend to try,” I said. ”It would help if I had some more information on this crew I've been saddled with.”

”Undoubtedly. Their names?”

”Almont Nicabar, drive specialist, onetime EarthGuard Marine. Geoff Shawn, electronics. Has Cole's disease and a resulting borandis addiction. Any chance you can get some borandis to me, by the way?”

”Possibly. Next?”

”Hayden Everett, medic. Former professional throw-boxer twenty-odd years ago, though I don't know if it was under his own name or not. Chort, Craea, s.p.a.cewalker. Nothing else known.”

”With a Craea almost nothing else needs to be known,” Uncle Arthur put in.”Possibly,” I said. ”I'd like him checked out anyway. And finally Tera, last name unknown. She may be a member of one of those religious sects who don't give their full names to strangers, but I haven't yet seen her do anything particularly religious.”

”The practice of one's beliefs is not always blatant and obvious,” Uncle Arthur reminded me. ”A quiet look into her cabin for religious paraphernalia at some point might be enlightening.”

”I intend to take a quiet look into all their cabins when I get the chance,” I a.s.sured him. ”Now: descriptions...”

I ran through everyone's physical description as quickly as I could, knowing that it was all being recorded. ”How fast can you get this to me?” I asked when I was finished.

”It will take a few hours,” he said. ”Where are you now?”

”Potosi, but I have no intention of staying here any longer than I have to,” I told him. ”I don't know where we'll be heading next. Someplace quiet and peaceful and anonymous would be a nice change of pace.”

”You may have to settle for anonymous,” he said, his eyes s.h.i.+fting to the side and his shoulders s.h.i.+fting with the subtle movements of someone typing on a keyboard. ”Is there anything else?”

”Actually, yes,” I said. ”We also seem to have a new group of players in the game.” I described the incident with the Lumpy Brothers on Xathru, and the coronal-discharge weapons they'd been carrying. ”Have you heard of either this species or the weapons?” I asked when I finished.

”A qualified yes to both,” he said, his eyes still busy off camera. ”You may recall hearing rumors about a failed covert operation a few years ago in which an elite EarthGuard task force tried to steal data on the Talariac Drive.

Weapons very similar to those you describe were used against them, by guards who also match your description.”

I sighed. ”Which makes the Lumpy Clan some kind of Patth client race.”

”Very likely,” he agreed. ”Don't sound so surprised. Certainly their first efforts to find the Icarus would be made quietly, through their own people and agents. It was only after that failed that they began to approach first the Spiral's criminals and now legitimate governments.”