Part 28 (1/2)

The sphere drifted toward the tube. I got out of the way before I was s.h.i.+fted aside by the pretors and followed the procession from the hold.

When Faceless said expedited, he meant it. Escorted by two destroyers though a lane cleared for us, we sailed at spooky speed for insystem travel straight to a mooring usually reserved for those wealthy beyond my dreams of avarice, where Slancy was put to bed in a section all her own. Shuttles drew up to her flanks and waited there like a ride in an amus.e.m.e.nt park, ready to take the ex-slaves down. k.u.mari had all the paperwork done, she'd taken care of that during the trip in between Xalloor's rehearsals-name, world-of-origin, life history, work status, circ.u.mstances of abduction, fingerprints, bodyprints, retina prints and cell coding with a snippet of freeze-dried skin or flesh or chitin, whatever seemed appropriate, sealed to each statement. I didn't expect any trouble collecting the rewards, not with ti Vnok getting his thirty percent, but k.u.mari was a worrier, it made her the best Mom Slancy'd ever enjoyed. So, no delays. We lined our pa.s.sengers up and hustled them into the shuttles. We rode down in the last of them, Pels, k.u.mari and I along with Adelaar and Aslan, Churi, Xalloor and the Omperiannas, N'Ceegh and the boy.

Now the real tedium began.

Images: Aslan aici Adlaar: Yes, that's the man. He was on Tairanna when Fangulse Tra Yarta interviewed us. Churri the Bard saw him also, as did Parnalee Pagang Tanmairo Proggerd, though he can't testify since he died mad.

Kante Xalloor: Yes, that's the stringman who drugged me. I can't connect him to Bolodo except by the circ.u.mstances that when I woke I was in a Bolodo scout; I knew it was Bolodo by the patches on the pilot's s.h.i.+psuit. Yes, that's the pilot who flew the scout.

Jaunniko: Yes, that's the stringman who came on to me, then drugged me. Yes, that's the pilot who flew the scout that took me to the Cage on Weersyll.

N'Ceegh of Pao-teely: Yes, that's the man who led the raid on my village.

That's the man who boasted to me my blood was ash.

Tom'perianne: Yes, I saw that man and that one also in the Great Chamber of the Palace on Tairanna, when my sisters and I sang for the Huvved Impe-rator.

My sisters can swear to them also. Yes, that's the pilot who flew us to Weersyll. Yes, those are the crewmen who loaded us on the slave transport. My sisters can swear to them also.

Adelaar aici Arash: Yes, those are the flakes I made of lists I discovered in the mainBrain in the Palace on Tairanna. I swear and will pa.s.s through theVerifier on this point, these flakes are not altered or added to in any way. I will also attest and swear this is the data I abstracted from Bolodo's own mainBrain on Spotchals, I will pa.s.s through the Verifier on this point, these flakes are not altered or added to in any way.

Swardheld Quale: Yes, that is the contract I made with Adelaar aici Arash.

Yes, that is the statement I made concerning my activities in the Horgul system. I do swear and attest that what I have said there is truthful, I will pa.s.s through the Verifier on this point and will answer any questions while under the Verifier relating to that statement.

624 days std. since we started this thing. The Nest/Telffer/Home again.