41:04:02 GrS

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Taz, Lyra, and Kallista waited beside the boarding ramp while the others busied themselves at the forward holds, overseeing the cargo lifters loading new provisions plus the ninety-three tons of rough-hewn navawood logs that Lyra had purchased. Her father's wood-crafting friends had been only too happy to put her in touch with the furniture makers' guild on Avanelle. The fragrant, attractive wood was guaranteed to be a hit with the luxury hostels that hosted well-heeled travelers and retirees on the vacation planet.

"The Chimera's going to smell amazing with all that navawood aboard," Taz opined.

"Well, we're going to be hauling a lot more. Let's hope you don't get sick of it."

"I can't imagine that happening. Inusagi's the most amazing planet I've been to." He gave her hand a squeeze. "I'm glad we came."

"So am I," she agreed, taking a deep breath of the clean air. I was away too long. Now that she'd seen it with him, she felt a sudden sting at having to leave. "We'll come back soon. There's a lot more I want to show you."

"I'm looking forward to it, Lyra."

"Kalli, It's great you were able to find us new charters after the others cancelled. Thank you."

"Oh, it was no trouble, Mistress Lyra. After all, I had plenty of time to post our availability while all of you refreshed yourselves at Ganshea."

Lyra rolled her eyes. "I didn't think hot springs would interest you, Kalli."

"No indeed, Mistress, though a dip in a sonic lubricant bath would be quite invigorating, I think."

Taz laughed. "I'll see what we can do about that when we get back to the CMG depot. What's the background on our passengers?"

"Four research engineers attending a cybernetics symposium on Cerenia, Captain Oktos. The system was only recently liberated from Imperial control and the New Republic is sponsoring the forum to encourage economic activity in the sector."

Lyra tapped her chin. "Hmm. I was going to plot a run up the Duros from here, but we can take the Harrin Corridor instead. It should get us to Cerenia in a day or so." She nodded to Ajakeet docked at the rear of the ship. "I have to admit, she looks good back there, ready for action."

"Yes she does. Can't wait to take her out myself and mix it up with a few pirates!" Taz rubbed his hands like a fighter jock who'd just been assigned his first ship.

"Cool your jets there, Rocket Boy. Let's not go looking for trouble." To Taz's crestfallen look, she added, "The way trouble seems to find you, I expect you'll get your chance soon enough." She felt sadness and warmth all at once. "Uncle Shin would have been proud to see her fight."

"He'd probably have wanted to be the one in the pilot's seat," Taz mused with a melancholy grin. "Speaking of which, Rei's documenting all of the upgrades Senguru Raga made. She said she's thinking of publishing the list to some of the freetech boards she frequents on the 'Net. I guess there are plenty of Syffids out there that could be converted into fighters."

"As long as she doesn't give them any bad ideas. I want to be better than the sketworms I'm fighting."

Taz laughed. "I'll ask her to omit one or two critical items so we keep our advantage!"

A taxi speeder stopped at the edge of the landing pad. Four passengers emerged along with a D9 labor droid managing their luggage. Taz greeted them as they approached.

"I'm Taz Oktos, captain of the Skipjack Chimera."

"Dulam Kurripor," said the man in the lead. "My colleagues from the Lankash College of Cybernetics, Masholo Gula, Aniya Kateesh, and Hari Tokoru."

He shook each of their hands while Kalli logged them into the passenger manifest. "This is our pilot, Lyra Nimor."

"We'll do everything we can to make your trip a pleasant one," added Lyra.

The Abhijin-Tavit engineers began to bow and cross their arms. "My lady!" Kurripor exclaimed as soon as he heard her name and her Sajoku accent, "Forgive —"

"Enough of that," Lyra stopped them with a smile. "There's no bowing on the Skipjack Chimera, professors." She made a point of shaking each of their hands. "You're our guests and we're here to serve you. Now if you'll follow me, Kallista and I will —"

She was interrupted by the arrival of another private zip port, its transparent body panels uncommonly dark. The door slid up and to her utter surprise, a sizable group of Rayeths emerged. The cyberneticists looked even more amazed to see such a large gathering of the reclusive ocean-dwellers.

"I beg your pardon, professors. We'll join you aboard shortly. Kalli, will you please show our guests to their cabins?"

"Right away, Mistress Lyra." The droid extended her hand gracefully toward the freighter. «Please follow me, honored guests,» she said in lively, slightly sultry Inusago. She led them toward the boarding ramp, intoning her customary description of the crew, and bragging about the Chimera.

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Lyra walked toward the amphibians with Taz at her shoulder. Sera and Reiko joined them a moment later. She recognized Brondvin, the Revered Mother in the lead, flanked by Gan and another male. Nearly a dozen others came behind, their white nictitating membranes fixed firmly over their dark eyes to ward against the bright sun.

«Greetings, Revered Mother,» she began, taking the Rayeth's slender hand. «I'm surprised to see you here.»

Brondvin responded, "I wished to express satisfaction for the aid you provided."

"I'm so sorry we couldn't do more," Taz said, suddenly sober and downcast. He'd boarded the Misery to rescue their young. Instead, he'd prolonged their torture and failed to save even one.

"You exposed traitors among us and helped to deliver us from a great evil. You did what you could." Brondvin's tone held the slightest dismissive edge. "And you are land-dwellers, after all. From those who cannot dance among the waters, we expected nothing more."

Taz scrunched his brows. The Rayeth's lack of gratitude didn't surprise him, but the Revered Mother's casual dismissal felt like a snub, if not an outright insult. "Do you... mourn for your lost young?"

"We do."

"I mourn their loss as well."

Brondvin's eyes stared into his, her smooth face unreadable. "It is no matter, Inusagasa."

She is nothing. Crush her.

Taz ignored the tacit provocateur in his head. Still, her rudeness wore on him. Taz was about to tell her what she could do with her attitude when he felt Lyra's hand over his. He realized with a start that she was covering his fist. He let out the breath he didn't know he'd been holding and unclenched his hand.

"We appreciate your visit," Lyra began in an austere tone, "but we're about to leave the planet. Why have you come?"

She indicated Sera and Taz. "You suffered grave injuries on our behalf. Our government is prepared to offer compensation." Two Rayeths stepped forward, holding shallow, smooth bowls made of stony something that reminded Taz of Thrymenoly-riv. Piled inside were silvery spheres, perhaps a centimeter in diameter, and similarly sized pearls with dark, prismatic surfaces. The nearest one handed the bowl to the Revered Mother, who extended it to Sera.

Sera raised her hands. "That's not necessary, really."

The Revered Mother looked back and forth between the Humans.

"Nimor?" Sera prodded.

Lyra didn't have any idea. "Revered Mother, we're unfamiliar with the protocol in these situations."

The Rayeth beside her bowed briefly to them, seeming much more at ease than Brondvin and the others. "I am Dareed, the director of cultural affairs at the embassy, Lady Lyra."

Sera chuckled. "Someone didn't get the memo."

Lyra scowled at her. "Greetings, Dareed. Please just call me Lyra; I've left Clan Nimor."

He tilted his smooth head and blinked. "I understand." Dareed indicated the bowl. "These are items of great value to Rayeths, offered as compensation. We do this with utmost solemnity and import."

Lyra leaned over and mumbled, "Sounds like it would be an insult not to accept."

"Yeah, I got that," Sera seconded and took the offered bowl. The Rayeth handed the other bowl to Taz. Both he and Sera accepted them with deep nods.

The Revered Mother continued, "For your deeds, you may come among the Rayeths, Inusagasa."

Dareed indicated crates of the same vaguely stony material that had been unloaded from the zip port. "These avorts and pekluus will facilitate your arrival, should you wish it. They sleep now, but placing them into the sea will awaken them." He motioned and the Rayeths walked forward with him.

Each Rayeth held something like a necklace. It was a stiff wire, strung with smaller varieties of the same silvery spheres and pearls in the bowls. The pearls were more numerous, and of many colors, arrayed in a specific pattern. Reaching up, Dareed placed it around Lyra's neck. The other Rayeths faced Rei, Sera, and Taz, and did the same.

When they stepped back the Revered Mother said, "These are a sign of your home colony, Thrymenoly-Riv, but any Rayeth will recognize them and admit you." She bowed at the waist and the Rayeths did the same.

Lyra reciprocated the bow and the others followed. Despite Brondvin's deprecating attitude, Lyra found herself at a loss, stunned by the gifts. In a solemn voice, she said, "You honor us greatly, Revered Mother."

"We thank you for your efforts on our behalf."

After another round of bowing, they exchanged farewells. Then the Rayeths boarded the zip port and it floated away on its magnetic track.

Reiko dug her cupped her hand into Sera's bowl to examine the silvery spheres. "Unless I miss my guess, these are rhodium. And the pearls are huge." She gave Sera a wide-eyed look. "They're worth a small fortune."

"How much, do you think?"

Reiko shrugged. "No idea on the pearls. I'd have to check current commodity rates for rhodium, but maybe eighty, ninety thousand credits?"

Sera let out a long whistle. "That's some compensation."

"I don't understand." Taz's expression hovered somewhere between wonder and anger. "She gave us these but she acted like we weren't capable of saving their children."

"Well, we didn't."

"I know that," he answered more sharply than he wanted to.

Lyra gave him a dour look but she touched his arm. "I know it seems like a slight —"

"It was a slight," Sera interjected.

Lyra threw a scowl at her. "It's their way. They think Humans are crippled. We can't thrive under the water like they can. We're an inferior race, clinging precariously to the twenty percent of the planet that's above water. To them, it's no surprise that we failed. It's probably why they were so reluctant when we offered our help."

"I'm not sure what to make of that," Sera answered. "Feels like a back-handed compliment."

Lyra shrugged. "Given their distrust of us it's remarkable that we got any recognition at all. I've never heard of Humans receiving gifts like these, much less being welcomed by the Rayeths."

"It didn't sound like much of a welcome," Taz grumbled.

"Humans are almost never admitted to a Rayeth colony." She fingered her neck ring and indicated the crates. "With these, we could go there at will. All in all, I think we've been given a rare, valuable honor."

"I'll... try to look at it that way," Taz answered, casting a skeptical look at Sera. "In any case, let's get back to our guests and prep the Chimera."

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Forty minutes later Lyra had them in the air. She watched the ground recede as they gained altitude and headed for an equatorial orbit. Her mind raced with a thousand thoughts and a million feelings, every memory from seventeen years of life on Inusagi seared into her consciousness, all bubbling up at once.

Sitting beside her, Taz reached for her hand. "Sad to be leaving?"

"Yes. And no."

"Sad you came?" he asked carefully.

She was quiet for a while before finally shaking her head. "I'm sad for the things that happened, but not for coming home." She smiled, feeling a little forlorn, and looked behind her at her newfound sisters. "Thank you, all of you, for letting me see Inusagi with new eyes. You made this trip... amazing."

Rei patted her shoulder and Taz squeezed her hand.

Sera leaned back in her seat and crossed her legs. "Well I don't know about the rest of you, but I'm going to miss all the genuflecting now that you've renounced your crown."

"Keep running your mouth, Rebel. See how much study advice you get from me on that Ship Master's exam."

Sera waved away the threat. "No problem, Imp, I'll just look up your old flight instructor. He seemed competent and I liked his attitude."

"Shut up, Rendix," she fired back over Rei and Taz's laughter, but she couldn't stop smiling as they left the swirling white clouds of Inusagi and hurtled toward the stars.