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doing all the work.
Deep down, Roman realized, part of him was trying to spark a reaction any
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Timothy Zahn - Warhorse reaction from the man. He d have done better with a
lump of concrete. I
understand your disbelief, Captain, Demothi said, his face and body language
remaining totally placid. I ve run into the same hostility a thousand times,
from a thousand different people, and my detractors have always come away
silenced. All
I ask is the chance to prove myself.
And unfortunately, Roman had no choice but to give him that chance. The orders
Demothi had brought with him were clear, explicit, and without any latitude
whatsoever. My orders guarantee you that chance, Mr. Demothi, he told the
other, a sour taste in his mouth. But understand this: if I find any reason
to suspect that your contract is endangering the life or well-being of the
calf, that one chance will be all you get. Is that clear?
Demothi pulled himself to his full height, a gesture that would have been a
lot more impressive in a man half again his weight. One chance will be all
I ll need.
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Fine. Roman glanced at Ferrol, who after making the introductions had stayed
carefully out of the conversation. I presume you ve made arrangements for Mr.
Demothi s quarters?
Yes, sir, Ferrol said, his voice and face neutral. He needn t have bothered;
it didn t take any of Demothi s alleged psychic powers to see Ferrol s
anti-Tampy friends moving in this. I ve assigned him to the number four cabin
in D section.
The one vacated when the Starforce shuffled the organizational table and
decided we really didn t need four geologists anymore.
Such convenient timing, Roman commented dryly.
He watched Ferrol s rigid lack of reaction for a moment, then turned back to
Demothi. You ever been on a military spaceship before?
I spent a few days on one during my Starforce tests, Demothi said. I ve
also flown several times on passenger liners. Lately, much of my travel has
been with
Tampy ships.
Well, you re going to be in for some adjustment, then, Roman said, pressing
a button on his desk console. Life aboard
Amity doesn t resemble a passenger cruise much more scheduled and less
private, for starters. We ll be in free-fall a fair amount of the time, too.
Demothi s eyes flicked to the viewport, where the stars were tumbling past in
time to
Amity s axial rotation, and quickly looked away. I understand. I can handle
it.
We ll also probably be in deep space for several months, Roman added. The
door buzzed and slid open to reveal a young crewer. The mean time of our
mission has been ninety-eight days, the longest having been 134.
I understand, Demothi said again.
Roman pursed his lips. He hadn t really expected to scare Demothi off his
ship, but it had still been worth a try. As long as you know what you re
getting into. He gestured to the waiting crewer. Kliment here will escort
you to your quarters and help you stow your gear. We ll be staying in orbit
around Solomon for another five hours.
Demothi ducked his head in an abbreviated bow. Thank you, Captain. I ll do my
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Timothy Zahn - Warhorse best to stay out of everyone s way. Turning, he and
Kliment left, the door sliding shut behind them.
Roman turned his attention to Ferrol. So. Opinion, Commander?
About what, sir? Ferrol asked.
Demothi, of course. You think he has any chance?
Ferrol cocked an eyebrow, The Senate must think he has, he said. I can t
see them going this far out on a limb on wishful thinking alone.
True, Roman agreed. Unless, of course, he s here for some other purpose
entirely.
Ferrol might have twitched. Roman couldn t tell for sure. What other purpose
could there be? the other asked. A secret inspection of some sort?
I d think that highly unlikely, Roman shook his head. The only thing
Amity
does of any real interest these days is to midwife space horse calvings, and
all except that first one have been fully recorded. What would an observer see
that the cameras haven t?
The crew s performance, maybe, Ferrol suggested. Or possibly the Senate s
still interested in human/Tampy interactions. That was the original reason for
putting this ship into space, after all.
It was indeed& and with only four voyages under
Amity s belt, the most optimistic of the pro-Tampies had probably already
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conceded defeat on that point. Not even the excitement of being part of
something as rare and awesome as a space horse calving was enough to dampen
the anti-Tampy feelings that invariably grew among the human crewers; and
despite the prestige and public attention the
Amity was starting to attract, less than thirty percent of any given crew
signed up for the following mission. Aside from the senior officers and the
Tampies themselves, only ten of
Amity s original crew had made it through all four of its voyages. I
seriously doubt that anyone still thinks of us in those terms anymore, Roman
told
Ferrol. No whatever Demothi s here for, it has to involve the calving. If all
he needed was a space horse he could go to the corral at Kialinninni and take
his pick. He eyed the other. And that includes this so-called contact
experiment.
Ferrol shrugged. Perhaps. On the other hand, I can think of at least two
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