Part 36 (1/2)
That didn't quite scan, but he was tired, and his head ached, and his leg did, and if he did not fly out ofthe Terran hall, who else on all of Casiaport would hire him? He inclined his head
”I accept the terms,” he said, as formally as one could, in Terran
”Do you?” The boss seemed inclined to find that humorous as well ”OK, then Report back here tomorrow Port-noon and we'll have you take the tests Oh-one ”
”Yes”
The man's voice was stern ”No politics I mean that I don't want any Liaden Balances or vendettas or whateverthehell you do for fun co any of that here and you're out, no ood a pilot you are Scan that?”
Very nearly, Ren Zel laughed Balance Who would seek Balance with a dead man?
He took a shaky breath ”I understand There is no one whoowesht Keep it that way” He paused, then sighed
”You got a place to sleep?”
Ren Zel pushed away frohed in his turn, sharply, frustrated with his ineptitude ”Forgive , sir”
”Huh” The boss extended a long arm and hooked a key off the board by his coot here is a cot for the willfly Happens the willfly is already in the air, so you can use the cot” He threw the key and Ren Zel caught it between both palot it?”
Not entirely, no But comprehension could want upon the morrow
”Yes, sir,” Ren Zel said respectfully, then spent two long seconds groping for the proper Terran phrase
”Thank you, sir”
The man's eyebrows rose in apparent surprise ”You're welcome,” he said, then jerked his head to the left ”Second door down that hall Get some sleep, kid You're out on your feet”
”Yes,” Ren Zel whispered, and ratitude before turning and li down the hall He slid the key into the slot and the second door whisked open
The rooer than it needed to be to hold a Terran-sized cot Ren Zel half-fell across it, his head hitting the pillow le to a sitting position and pulled off his boots, setting the habit where he would find theht, he removed his jacket and folded it under the pillow, then lay down for a second tihts off
ON ITS FACE, THE case had been sih: A catastrophe had overtaken two first class pilots
First board was dead; second nearly so, and Guild law required that such ed by a Master Pilot So the Guild had called upon Master Pilot Shan yos'Galan Clan Korval, Master Trader and Captain of the tradeshi+p Dutiful Passage
Shan had, he ad several ti the last three Standards been in precisely the wrong place to be called upon to serve as Master of Judgeh his name had been next on the roster
This time he was the only Master Pilot near, and in fact had already filed a flight plan calling for him to be en, the planet on which the fatal incident had occurred Thus the Guild snared hiet should he need to study as left of the shi+p, or convene a board to do so
A budget was all very good, but it did nothing to lessen Shan's dislike of this particular duty Still, he had read the file, reviewed the raw data fro disbelief, flew the si fatals is-unpleasant It was not unknown that Master Pilots eed fro the Casia fatal in an all-but-incandescent fury
First board was dead because she was a fool-and so he stated in his report More-she had allowed her stupidity to endanger not only the fine and able pilot who had for some reason found it necessary to sit second to her, but unnamed and innocent civilians That the shi+p had finally crashed in an e second board, who round entirely, had only the secondary back-up board required by Guild regulations been in place
Shaking with rage, Shan pulled the shi+p's maintenance records
The pilot-owner had not even seen fit to keep to a regular schedule of routine maintenance Several systems were marked weak in the last recorded mechanic's review-three Standard years past!-at which time it was also noted that the co-pilot's back-up board was non-operational
Typing at white heat, Shan finished his report with praise for the co-pilot, de to be held at Casiaport Guildhall within a day of his arrival on-Port, and shunted the scalding entirety to the Tower to be pinbeamed to Guild Headquarters, copy to Casiaport Guildmaster
He had then done his best to put Casia out of hispilot
Ren Zel dea'Judan Clan Obrelt There was a pilot Korval ht do well to employ
”REN ZEL, GET YOUR ass over here” Christopher's voice was stern
Ren Zel checked, saw the flicker of anger on his co-pilot's face and waved her on toward the gate ”Run system checks I will be with you quickly”
”Yah,” she said, grumpily ”Don't let Chris push you around, Pilot”
”The schedule is tight,” Ren Zel returned, which effectively clinched the arguate Ren Zel altered course for the counter and looked up at the roster boss
”Christopher?”
The big man crossed his arms on top his computer and frowned down at hined on? Eh? About what I didn't want none of in this hall?”
”You wished no vendettas, Balance or whateverthehell I ht do for fun to disturb the peace of the hall,”
Ren Zel recited pro of the puzzlee of Christopher's mouth ”Remember that, do you? Then you re like that here”
”Yes” What was this? Ren Zel wondered Half-a-relu out of the Terran hall
And now- ”Guy co for you,” the boss said now ”Fancy leather jacket, earrings, uptown clothes Blonde hair going gray; one of thes, like the House bosses wear Talked Trade, and I wouldn't call him polite Seemed proud of his accent Reeled off your license nuistered here” Christopher shrugged ”Might've told him no-ain't any business of his who flies outta this hail-but your nuht schedule He didn't talk Terran, but he could read nuht-a thought he shook away, forcefully There was no reason for Jabun to seek him; he was dead and it itnessed by the Eyes, surely Jabun, of all the Clans on Casia, knew that
In thean explanation, and his co-pilot aiting him at the shi+p they were contracted to lift in a very short while