Chanur's Venture by C. J. Cherryh Read Free Book Online Page B

small gold ring -- before
    her.
    She snatched it, the circlet caught between her claws.
    "Mistrustful," said Sikkukkut.
    Pyanfar backed a pace. "Chur," she said, and with a back-canted ear heard the
    whisper of Chur's move back.
    Sikkukkut held up his thin, soot-gray palms in token of non-combatancy. His long
    snout tucked under. The red-rimmed eyes looked lambent fire at her.
    "I will see you again," Sikkukkut said. "I will be patient with you, hani fool,
    in hopes you will not be forever a fool."
    She backed up as far as put all the mahen guards between herself and the kif,
    with Chur close by her. "Don't turn your backs," she advised the mahendo'sat.
    "Got order," said the mahe in charge. "You go ship, hani. These fine kif, they
    go other way."
    "There are illicit arms," said another kif in coldest tones. "Ask this hani."
    "Ours legal," said the mahe pointedly, who had heard, perhaps, too much of
    mahendo'sat involvement from this kif. The mahendo'sat stood rock firm: Pyanfar
    turned her shoulder, taking that chance they offered, collected Chur in haste
    and headed across the dock, all the while with a twitch between her
    shoulderblades.
    "They're headed off," said Chur, who ventured a quick look over her shoulder.
    "Gods rot them."
    "Come on." Pyanfar set herself to a jog, not quite a run, coming up to The
    Pride's berth, to the whining noise of the cargo gear. The loader crane had a
    can suspended in midair, stalled, while three hani shouted and waved angry
    argument at her crew beside the machinery.
    "Ayhar!" Pyanfar thundered. "Gods rot you, out." She charged into the midst and
    shoved, hard, and Banny Ayhar backed up with round eyes and a stunned look on
    her broad, scarred face.
    "You earless bastard!" Ayhar howled. "You don't lay hands on me!"
    She knew what she had done. She stood there with the crane whining away with its
    burden in fixed position, with Tirun and Chur and Geran lined up beside her as
    the two Ayhar crew flanked their captain. Thoughts hurtled through her mind, the
    han, alliances, influences brought to bear.
    "Apologies." It choked her. "Apologies, Ayhar. And get off my dock. Hear?"
    "You're up to something, Pyanfar Chanur. You've got your nose in it for sure,
    conniving with the mahendo'sat, gods know what -- I'm telling you, Chanur, Ayhar
    won't put up with it. You know what it cost us? You know what your last lunatic
    foray cost us, while ships of the han were banned at Meetpoint, while our docks
    at Gaohn were shot up and gods be feathered if that mahen indemnity covered
    it--"
    "I'll meet you at Anuurn. We'll talk about this, Banny, over a cup or two."
    "A cup or two! Good gods, Chanur!"
    "Geran, Tirun, get those cans moving."
    "Don't you turn your back on me."
    "Ayhar, I haven't time."
    "What's the hurry?" A new ham voice, silken, from her side: Ayhar crew's
    impudence, she thought, and turned on it with her mouth open and the beginnings
    of an oath.
    Another captain stood there, her red-gold mane and beard in curling wisps of
    elegance; gold arm-band; gold belt; breeches of black silk unrelieved by any
    banding. Immune Clan color. Official of the han. "Rhif Ehrran," that one named
    herself, "captain, Ehrran's Vigilance. What's the trouble, Chanur?"
    Her heart began slow, painful beats. Blood climbed to her ears and sank toward
    her heart. "Private," she said in a quiet, controlled tone. "You'll excuse me,
    captain. I have an internal emergency."
    "I'm in port on other business," the han agent said. "But you've almost topped
    it, ker Chanur. You mind telling me what's going on?"
    She could hand it all to the Ehrran, shove the whole thing over onto the han's
    representative in port.
    Give Tully to her. To this. Young, by the gods young, ears un-nicked, bestowed
    with half a dozen rings. And cold as they came. Gods-rotted walking recorder
    from one of the public service clans, immune to challenging and theoretically
    nonpartisan.
    "I'm on my way home," she said. "I'll take care of