Tenacious

69

Kris remembered all too well from her days following Father around on the campaign stump that the meeting was never over when it finished.

There were interviews to give.

Kris promised Straight Tongue that the heavy people would fight for the Alwans like a son hunted with his father, like a younger brother hunted at his older brother’s side. She was none too sure the analogy was going in the right direction, but it pleased the Alwans around her.

Zarra introduced her admiral to the Sharp Eye Viewers and, in a way, introduced her to Kris. “Admiral Furzah says we will fight beside you to the last drop of our blood.”

So saying, the admiral raised her right fist to the camera and used a claw on her left hand to draw blood.

The Alwans seemed half-impressed, half-startled by the gesture. Kris was in dress whites with long sleeves, so sharing blood was out. None of the Roosters stepped forward to offer their arm.

Finally, one of the Ostriches offer his arm. He pecked it until blood flowed and held it out so the two species could mingle their blood.

“I didn’t see that one coming,” Granny Rita said, coming up beside Kris.

“You weren’t the only one,” Kris agreed.

Doc Meade came forward to slap a bandage on both cuts. She had a carefully neutral look on her face, but Kris could almost hear the mother’s voice scolding. “Children.”

The doc did get close to Kris’s ear. “You’re going to have to quit sleepy-darting that old woman. Especially after I’ve just woken her from a sedated nap. Her heart can’t take much more of this.”

“She gave the performance I expected,” Kris said. “We shouldn’t need that again.”

Which turned out not to be quite so.

With bandaged arm, the Ostrich they had flown up on a transport plane for the show presented himself with his spouse. “We wish to speak for our association of the Slow Flowing River Valley. We all wish to invite you to come to speak to us about this war. We have a range we would like to talk about settling some of your heavy people on to live among us. We can offer you the entire river valley. We can hunt farther away. If you grow crops there, we can help you.”

And, no doubt, they’d love to get some of the consumer items that working for the humans brought.

KRIS, THAT VALLEY THEY ARE TALKING ABOUT IS JUST A COUPLE OF RIDGELINES OVER FROM THE VALLEY WITH THE PLANTS, FISH, AND BATS WE’RE NOT SUPPOSED TO TALK A LOT ABOUT, Granny Rita put in on Nelly Net. IT’S JUST A BIT SHORT OF THE ISLANDS FULL OF BIRD GUANO THAT WE’RE SHIPPING UP HERE. IF FOLKS DON’T MIND RIDING DOWN THERE ON THOSE BOATS, WE COULD GET A TRIANGLE TRADE STARTED.

Kris offered to come address their association. She asked if she needed to bring the alien. The Ostriches glanced over at where she slept fitfully and declined. “Everyone saw what we just saw, or will see it on tonight’s news,” the one with the bandaged arm said.

“Once is enough,” the female beside him assured her.

Kris would have loved to escape to the beach with Jack, but the fleet was ready for another sortie. This time, it needed its admiral present.

Kris excused herself and followed the Marines with the sleeping alien back to the longboat.