Part 6 (1/2)

”I'd like to have your help, Vermillion. But the pardon isn't contingent on it. Incidentally, I was taken off Aglaya as a slave and freed myself, uh, bloodily, and I've been a pirate, too. I freed myself of that, too. The best friend I've ever had is named Cinnabar. We changed its name from Raunchy. And I don't lie much.”

Vermillion put its head cautiously on one side. ”Did 85.86.you just say 'Some of my best friends are Jarps'?”

”Neg. I said that my one best friend is a person named Cinnabar. It is also a Jarp.”

”I believe you, and that isn't con-that big word you said. I'm with you, Janja. What do you want me to do?”

Janja nodded, looking gingerly at the Jarp who was here in Seera's cabin because Janja had advised that Manjanungo required its presence. It was a step, the first step toward the impossible goal of trying to seize two s.h.i.+ps and their crew, as well as the prisoners on Starwolf. She had felt very alone. She still did, but here was a step. She was going to trust Vermillion. She pretty much had to. (Seera was in the cabin's private sitter, getting herself together. Her efforts and her cleansing were audible. Hurriedly, Janja had told Vermillion all that had taken place here.) ”I want you to sound out Vampy and Serendip, and either convert them-one by one-or let me know if we'll have to treat them as enemies. That's after we've released Boroboodhi.”

”Rel-via! How are we going to do that?”

”We go to that little chamber and open the door and explain, to stop that behemoth from bursting out on a rampage.”

They did that. Despite Janja's anxiety and Vermil-lion's fearfulness, it was easy. Janja escorted Seera at stopper-point to her former prison. That proved unnecessary; no one saw them. Seera opened the feeding-panel and said a few words to Boroboodhi. They opened the door and she said a few more. Out came the man-mountain, Seera's man and ready for anything. Hoping we have a fight, Janja thought.

Since they still saw no one and had not been seen, Janja changed the plan, subst.i.tuting a new Step Three.

87.After a quick explanation, the three of them headed for the con-cabin. No one saw them; they saw no one. The first mate of Lewuvul entered Lewuvul's con-cabin to find Pak and Serendip. After both glanced around at her, she motioned the negligee'd Seera in and drew her stopper. From behind the pair minding the con, she introduced herself, ”Oh s.h.i.+t,” Karmal Pak said. He glanced around again, faced the con again, elevated both hands, and rose from the first chair. He turned slowly to face the leveled stoppers of Lady Seerava and Janjaglaya Wye, TGO.

Serendip was less intelligent. It rose and tried turning, fast, with stopper in six-fingered hand. Janja's ability to cherm, to ”hear” emotions and intents mentally, had already warned her. Serendip turned and Janja squeezed the grip of her stopper. Serendip Danced. At her order, Pak gingerly knocked the weapon from the Jarp's hand. Janja ceased squeezing the weapon she had kept tucked inside her tunic until Manjanungo's timely demise, told Serendip it was a dumb fobber, and gestured.

The two moved past her. They showed surprise at the pistole in Seera's fist, and more than surprise at seeing Boroboodhi. He showed just how much he would love to rearrange various parts of their anatomies.

”Vermillion and Vampy to the con, please,” Janja was saying into the ins.h.i.+p commsender, as the four departed for Boroboodhi's former quarters. Now it would be Serendip's and Karmal Pak's. Janja would wait.

Before Vampy and Vermillion arrived, Captain Lor-tice did.

”What the b.l.o.o.d.y vug's going on on my s.h.i.+p, Mate?”

88.Janja spun in the captain's chair. ”To be truthful, Captain, I'm not sure, ” she lied, noting his deshabille and knowing that he had lost no time in disporting himself with Manjanungo's gift, Topaz. ”First Manjan-ungo sent me up here to send him Pak and Serendip, and I did. Next he comms just now that he wants me back in Lady S's cabin.” She shrugged. ”So, I called for V and V, to mind the store.”

In an instant she was looking into the bore of a stopper. ”You're lying, Mate. I've been monitoring calls from my cabin on captain's override. Nothing from Seera's cabin, since you called for Vermillion, in the Admiral's name. Mate . . . where is the Admiral!”

Janja'blinked. ”Why ... in Lady Seera's cabin, Captain. She said something that made him go all to pieces, and-”

He twitched the stopper. ”Something is going on, on my s.h.i.+p. Comm him, NajendraP'

”Cap-tain . . . disturb the Admiral!”

”Yes, by-uhl”

The final non-word erupted from Lortice's throat as a result of the stopper thrust into the center of his back. He went quite erect and quite wide of eye.

”Your stopper wouldn't be on Three, Captain, and mine isn't either. Pa.s.s yours back and I won't squeeze this one.”

”How'd you get a-Serendip?”

”Neg. Vermillion. But all us Jarps look and sound just alike, right? I got this stopper from the mate, who got it from Manjanungo. Pa.s.s yours back.”

”This-this is mutiny!”

Janja chuckled. ”Hardly, mutineer. We heroes are merely returning this s.h.i.+p to its rightful owner. Your s.h.i.+p's mate is TGO, Captain Lortice, and you are in 89.trouble. Pa.s.s your stopper back to agent Vermillion.”

Lortice did, and was taken.

”Shall I give his stopper to Vampy, Janja?”

”What makes you think we can trust Vampy with it?”

Beside Vermillion, Vampy stared at her. ”Are you blind, TGO agent? I love Vermillion.”

”Oh. Vermillion-give Vampy its stopper.”

As that was done, Seera had Boroboodhi returned. Janja apologized to the juggernaut for not affording him the opportunity to break a head or two. He looked sullen, and at Seera. She looked astonis.h.i.+ngly piratic now, and even competent, in green s.p.a.cefarer's baggies with the pra.s.s-handled pistole thrust into her belt- white leather, from her next-to-best dress.

Once he had heard the fate of his late admiralish employer, Lortice went very weak in both knees and resolve. He agreed to try to save a portion of his a.s.s by comming Janja's instructions to Manjanungo's s.h.i.+p: ”The Admiral is sending over my mate and one crew-member, Able s.p.a.cefarer Vermillion. He wishes Jenk to a.s.sist them in transferring his special guest to this s.h.i.+p, along with the man he recently picked out of s.p.a.ce. Says his name is Vettering?”

”Why isn 't the Admiral telling me himself, Lortice?”

”Captain,” Janja said from the mate's chair, ”may I?”

Naturally Lortice acquiesced, and she leaned forward to the outs.h.i.+p comm.

”I am First Mate of Lewuvul. I did not choose to question the orders of the Admiral. Shall I comm him and tell him you did?”

After a rather tense period of time, the voice of Starwolfs mate came back: ”Come ahead, First Mate 90.and crewmember of Lewuvul.”

Janja off-commed. ”Well done, Lortice. Come along now to durance vile.”

”No one seems to be calling him 'captain' anymore,” Vermillion said.

”And no one will,” Lortice said morosely, knowing that his Master's papers were forfeit, among other things. He went into the small hold-hole with Serendip and Pak.

”Vampy, mind the con, please. Lady Seera-would you go to Lortice's cabin and learn the feelings of that girl Manjanungo gave him? She's called Topaz. Very young. Withhold information until you learn how she feels-she may love Manjanungo, somehow! Perhaps let her know you're a prisoner too, and have been mistreated.”

”I understand, Janja. Chances are she only fears him, and Lortice, but needs taking care of. Maybe she has a functioning mind, maybe not.”

Janja shrugged. Lewuvul secured, she and Vermillion went over to Starwolf.

The first thing they noticed was Skive, Manjanungo's first mate. The second was crewmember Jenk. The third was that Starwolf was no less luxuriously and opulently appointed than Lewuvul. Ah, the clans of Jorinne!

Jenk was a genuinely ugly swine with eyes that would have looked a lot better behind a blindfold. First Mate Skive, Manjanungo's third in a month, was genuinely handsome.

”Wonder why he wants those two over on Lewuvul,” he said, while Jenk stared openly at Janja, and at Ver-million's b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and at Janja. . . . Her hair was now a medium brown, on its way to its natural very pale blond; she had popped a capsule to negate the dye, but that took awhile.

91.”Didn't ask,” she said. ”I can tell you though, I think-the former owner of that yacht is his cousin, the Lady Seerava. He wants to show off his acquisitions. Where are they?”