The Kif Strike Back

VIII

The lift worked, down-bound, two hani kif-hunting in the lowerdeck; and soon enough, one kif coming up topside, near sensitive controls. Unease crawled up and down Pyanfar's spine. She flicked switches at her board, taking some of the Pride's automatic reflexes under her own hand while Tirun and Khym, where that lift let out, entered corridors that could become a four story plunge straight down if The Pride's thrust cut in for some unexpected reason—like an avoid-alert.

They were perhaps cavalier about such scramblings-about while The Pride was inbound at some commercial port, with safe lanes and the prospect of a long, sedate voyage under inertia.

Kefk lacked all such guarantees.

"You stay course." Jik's voice sputtered into the complug in Pyanfar's left ear: Haral had relayed it, on slight delay, Pyanfar flicked her ears back, looked at the time-differential ; of several situations ticking away on the upper margin of the number four monitor. Not enough time for her query to have gotten Jik's direct response: half that. He had anticipated the question, she reckoned, when he himself had acquired beacon image from some source, maybe one from Kefk station itself. "Sikkukkut's transmitting," Hilfy said. "Same sort of thing."

If anything short-flashed between Harukk and Aja Jin or Vigilance, close as they were riding within their own little band of kif, Jik gave no clue to this. ' 'We got system scan now, got Kefk output, they not want trouble, a? Nice friendly port.''

Gods. "We stay it," Pyanfar said to the crew about her. She twitched in misery; fatigue settled like a hot iron between her shoulderblades and into that shoulder and elbow locked into the brace above the control board. She sweated and stank and shed hair; crew were no better. The hunter-ships would likely have had a shift to backup crew now and again, all crew seated in a touchy situation like this, but taking the shunt to give main-crew a chance to stretch and eat and take the kinks out of their backs. The hunter-ships would have that luxury; so would the kif incoming at their backs and up ahead; and gods only knew if the multibrained tc'a even needed relief. She left shed fur on what she touched. And the aches—gods.

"Jik says they've asked for a ship list over and over again. No response from station."

"That's not good," Haral said.

"Not at all friendly of them," Chur said.

"Hope that tc'a stays real close," said Pyanfar.

"The tc'a's still transmitting," Hilfy said. "Same stuff."

"How are you doing, Chur?" Pyanfar asked.

"Uhhhn. Lost a bit of weight. Gods-be concentrates . . . we got to get a hot-box on the bridge if we keep this up. Nice warm food."

"Food?" Tully asked.

"He has a hard time biting through the packets," Geran said. "Here . . . now. You got to have the teeth for it, friend . . . He's catching on with the equipment. Knows what he's looking at, just fine."

"Math," Tully said.

"Help if he could read," Pyanfar said.

"Sure might."

No knowing whether human instrumentation was anything like their own. And his blunt-nailed hands had no hope of hani recessed buttons. Thank the gods. There was nothing he could push.

But a kif's retractable claws were quite another matter.

She should, she thought, have gone down to the lower deck herself and left the ship in Haral's capable hands. Not called a kif to the bridge.

It was too late to do otherwise. She saw the flash from the optional-telltale that was presently linked to lift operation and withdrew her arm from the brace. "Haral. You've got it."

"Aye."

"We got a kif coming up. All of you—" Pyanfar rotated her chair crew-ward. "All of you keep your minds on you work, huh? Is this going to be a problem for anyone?"

Silence.

"Even if it gets interesting."

"Aye." From multiple throats.

Tully turned a bewildered look her way. Hilfy never budged.

"Geran, take over com for now. Hilfy wants a relief."

"Aye, captain."

Hilfy swung her chair half about. Her ears were back. "I didn't say—"

"I know you didn't. I want you on guard. Something wrong with that?"

"No, aunt," Hilfy said, a quiet voice. She spun back td the board and looked up as Geran released restraints and prepared to shift.

Pyanfar spun her chair the other way and undid her own restraints.

"Is this a test?" Hilfy asked.

"No," Pyanfar said. "It isn't. It's the real thing. I figure you know the kif well enough. Don't you? Maybe your considered opinion's worth something."

Hilfy's ears slanted back. Her adolescent mustaches drew down in a look of distress. "Putting it on me, are you?"

"Yes."

"Don't by-the-rods patronize me."

"Don't by-the-gods foul up."

Hilfy's mouth opened; she shut it definitively. The ears struggled erect. There was a nick in one. A gold ring swung from the sweep of the other.

"All right?"

Ears twitched. "All right." Hilfy's voice shed its edge. The eyes stayed black.

Down the corridor the lift-door had opened. "We've got company."

Silence then. Pyanfar stood up, facing that oncoming set, in the center of which was a tall, robed darkness that set her teeth on edge.

So a kif arrived on the bridge, in the doorway, Tirun and Khym on either side. Hilfy stood up and Geran switched seats. .

"Tirun. Take scan one."

Tirun took the indicated post without question. Khym stayed still at Skkukuk's side, tall as the kif, twice its size in other ways. Tirun could have cracked its bones barehanded. Khym could take it apart. Its hands were bound before it: kif limbs did not flex back conveniently.

"Captain," Skkukuk said.

Tully had turned in his seat, just once and briefly. Something had touched his face—wariness, surely. Maybe something else. But he was eyes-to-the-scope again, his back turned to the kif. Pyanfar noted it, and her estimation of the human went up another notch with that.

"You all right, Skkukuk?" Politely posed.

Skkukuk lifted his bound hands and let them fall. His dark, red-rimmed eyes wept tears of eyestrain in the light. "This is stupidity," Skkukuk said. "Behind the neck, hani, is far more effective. We can bite through wire."

"Thanks. We'll remember that next time. Do you know where we are?"

"Kefk, I suppose."

"Why do you suppose that?"

Yet another shrug. "It was the hakkikt's intent."

"Sikkukkut's."

"That hakkikt. Yes."

"He took you into confidence, did he?"

"It was well known among his ships."

"Were you—among his ships?"

Skkukuk ducked his head.

"You were Akkhtimakt's, huh?"

"I am yours now." The dark head lifted, the jaws worked. "I lend you my sfik. I am formidable, even now."

"You lend me confidence. Tell me, Skkukuk. Do you know Kefk?"

"Yes. Thoroughly."

"Why do you suppose Kefk hasn't launched a defense?"

"You want my assistance."

"I'm asking you, kif."

Skkukuk gave a kifish shrug and lifted his hands toward the scan posts, miming request. "Show me the situation."

"Haral, put the scan image up on main."

It arrived. The kif’s face lifted to the overhead, where the big screen was.

"What we've got here," Pyanfar said, "is Vigilance and Aja Jin and Harukk out in front, headed into Kefk with several other ships. Kefk guard ship've gone inertial now. No great hurry on them. Beyond that interval, ourselves. A tc'a beside us. The rest of the kif with a ship named Ikkiktk in charge of the rest."

"A tc'a."

"That ship's named So'oa'ai."

Another small gesture of joined hands. "This is ominous."

"Why?"

Skkukuk's eyes went to her and Hilfy. The stink of unwashed hani and human was already on the bridge. Now there was a strong ammonia scent. "The methane folk are unpredictable."

"Have you got reason to say that? They've been stirred up. Haven't they?"

"Yes." The ammonia reek was very strong. Kif sweat. "I advise caution. Don't offend this thing. Don't speak to it. Let it dock."

"That's what the station seems to be doing."

"That's the wisest thing."

"We conduct our little disagreement in a crowded house, is that it?"

"Kkkt. That's adequate. Yes. We do. There are always the methane folk."

"What were you—before you offended Sikkukkut?"

"Skku to him. Subordinate."

Her ears went back. She pricked them up again. "Friend of Akkhtimakt's, huh?"

"Skku to him also."

"You have one chance, kif, to tell all the truth in terms I understand. You play games with me and I'll serve you back to Sikkukkut for dinner. After I give you to the human and my niece for their amusement. Hear?"

The kif’s head drew subtly lower between his shoulders. The hands lifted and fell. "I hear, hani."

"Then tell the gods-be truth!"

"I've offered you my weapons. I will give you your enemies. Name them to me. Or let me hunt them out. I will lend you sfik. Hani can be fools."

"So can kif, friend. What about that invitation from Kefk? Those ahead of us are going in. Sikkukkut says come in. Is it a trap, kif?"

"Of course it's a trap!"

"Whose?"

"Sikkukkut's. And theirs. No one is to be trusted. Keep your speed, blast all and run." Thin hands spread as best they could. "Perhaps the station and its defenses would take out the rest. But strike Aja Jin and cripple him; Nomesteturjai would pursue you to the death. Harukk would be the lesser danger in those circumstances. Kif would desert the hakkikt in such an attack. But strike him if you have time, the same with Vigilance. Still—" The hands fell, the shoulders hunched. "Your ship lacks weapons; and hani would not respect your sfik. Do these things and go to the hakkikt Akkhtimakt. Bring him your weapons and he will welcome you."

"Gods be," Pyanfar said. Her fur bristled down her back. Her ears had lain down.. She got them up again. By the kif’s shoulder, Khym stood with ears still flat. And Hilfy—

"He would," Hilfy said. "Our kifish ally would do that. What's he waiting for?"

"Shall I answer this person?"

"Answer her," Pyanfar said, "and respect my crew, rot your guts. You belong to all of us."

Again a hunch of the shoulders, a sinking of the hooded head. "I answer. Sikkukkut thinks he has sfik enough to lure Akkhtimakt to a place of his choosing. He thinks he has sfik enough that Kefk will offer him its weapons—"

"—meaning what?"

"—that. They will be part of his sfik. He will hold Kefk temporarily, beyond doubt. Possibly he will take it completely."

"Make sense," said Khym.

"It's truth." Skkukuk turned that way and theirs again, opening his narrow hands before him. "Am I to blame that Sikkukkut is a fool? And you lend him sfik. I nourish hope this is a stratagem."

"You hate Sikkukkut, huh?"

"I would spit him from my mouth."

Her stomach turned. "How are we doing, Haral?"

"Steady on. Transmission from our lead still says come ahead. Other situations unchanged."

Maybe there was time to put this atrocity safely back in its confinement. Maybe not. "Get him to a seat," Pyanfar said to Khym and Hilfy: "Move. We don't know what we're into. Belt it in real tight."

"There is no need. I tell you I could free myself."

"See he doesn't."

"Don't be a fool," Skkukuk said, straightening as Khym took him by one arm and Hilfy moved to take the other.

"One moment," Pyanfar said.

Motion stopped.

"Question," Pyanfar said. "Is there a hani ship named Moon Rising with Akkhtimakt?"

"I've met them. Several times. Kif know this ship. They are—kthok kakatk kthi nankkhi sfikun—of diminishing sfik. They brought some of the sfik of Akkukkak to Akkhtimakt, but it wasn't much by then. They've been of use. Ktoht-sfik. A good knife has that. But without ornateness. One values it. One can take another."

Gods, the logic. "Go sit down. Trust me, kif."

"The captain jokes. Further, I am hungry. I protest this treatment."

Pyanfar hissed and sank into her chair.

"I wish to tell the captain—"

"Sit it down. And hurry it up." Her back was still bristled; she looked back again, to see Hilfy and Khym drop the kif into observer four and jerk the restraints tight over his arms.

Tully looked her way. There was stark fear in his eyes. . Observer four was a non-working post one* seat removed from him—much too close, by Tully's evident reckoning.

"I don't blame you," Pyanfar muttered. "Me too—" And louder: "You've got a job, Tully. Do it, huh? Work."

"Aye," Tully said, and swung about and glued himself to the scope. Chur muttered something to him. He muttered something back.

Pyanfar spun her chair about.

"Kif says it's a trap," Haral said.

"Figured that," Pyanfar said. "From the start, didn't we?"

"Sounded like good kifish advice."

"I'm sure it is."

A moment's silence. "Wonder what Jik's got in mind," Haral said. And after a moment more: "Captain—That business about Vigilance I've got no trouble believing. I know Jik's saved our necks before."

"But?"

"But coming in here like this— Captain, you ever remotely wonder if Jik's been working the dark spots—a bit too long?"

"It occurs to me." Pyanfar drew a deep, deep breath. "Occurs to me real strong lately. It's going to be a lot stronger feeling on that dock."

There was quiet on the bridge, except for the occasional beep from a system needing the crew's attention. "Revert to posts?" Tirun queried.

"When you're covered," Haral said. -Seats whispered and hummed, Hilfy and Khym settling in. Ready-lights came live in the sorting-out of crew.

"Kkkk-kkt." From the kif.

"Shut it down." (Tirun's voice.)

"Jik's response," Hilfy said. "He says to our query, just stay it. Vigilance says, quote: Follow orders."

"No reply," Pyanfar said.

So what's Vigilance up to, huh? Ehrran was still going along with it—at this range.

And Jik with that ship at his side—

Strike first, the kif advised, knowing his own kind. Kif would.

A dire, ugly thought offered itself in the wake of that musing: that all chaos might break out just about the time those ships came in; among all those kif, with projectiles loosed, accidents might happen, ships losing track of where fire had been laid down—

—if things went wrong, if they were betrayed and shooting started—

A very easy accident. Like one hani ship running into the other's fire.

—blast Vigilance's vanes and leave them for the kif. Take out the witnesses and all those records—

It was not Chanur's style. It was, gods help them, Sikkukkut's own simple way.

—want make sure you not come 'cross bow with Vigilance at Kefk—

Take out the witnesses.

With The Pride lost—there were piles of evidence and charges in Vigilance's databanks. And Vigilance could go back to the han and offer it all uncontested, how Chanur betrayed hani and the han. Take The Pride out and accuse Chanur, and let Kohan Chanur fall; then the carrion-lovers-moved in and homeworld took the course Ehrran and her ilk longed for.

But accidents could go either direction—if the shooting started.

A gods-cursed kif put such thoughts into her head. Vigilance had no kif to advise them: could an Anuurn hani ever think of such a vile thing unhelped?

—Out in the dark spots too long, Haral said of Jik.

Maybe, she thought, it described an aging hani captain all too well.

"We're getting dock assignment," Haral said at last, as if they were approaching any port in all the Compact. "Number 2. That's Jik beyond Ehrran, Harukk way down the row."

"Methane-side's transmitting," Tirun said, "docking for the tc'a."

"Looks like a Compact standard setup," Haral said while Pyanfar kept her attention on business. "Give or take the guns and the guardstations. No ship-names, rot their eyes. But we got a knnn in there, along with six tc'a."

"I don't like that," Pyanfar said. "Gods, I don't like that."

A handful of tc'a in port and two more insystem, busy, doubtless, with tc'a/chi affairs, which was mostly mining and some cultivation, in their side of the station, of the cultures which methane-breathers relished, part furniture, part food. No threat there.

But anomalous behavior around a knnn—drew attention. Undoubtedly they had its notice. It was sitting still. Minding its own business. Watching, maybe, the curious madness of oxy breathers.

"Acknowledge the instruction," Pyanfar said.

"Kkkkt." From the kif.

They were far past the mark when they should have started realspace braking in any friendly system. Lagtime between themselves and Jik stayed constant. Between them and station collectively it had decreased.

Suddenly Jik's number started ticking down.

"Jik's group is braking," Chur said in the same moment.

"We get a confirm on com," Tirun said.

"Looks like here we go."

"Transmission from Harukk," Tirun said. "They want— get that!—Orders to the kif to brake."

"Priority: Aja Jin: Quote: Stay with the tc'a."

" 'Stay with the tc'a'," Haral muttered, switch-flicking. "Match moves with a polybrained gods-be snake—Good gods. What's he think we are?"

"A prime target," Pyanfar said. "That's what. He's next

to Sikkukkut. He wants us in the old snake's shadow, right up to station. Like we were real cozy. I'm willing if it is." She reached and snapped the restraints in place, chest-belt and arm-brace. "Snug in. Gods, Chur—you fit for this? Straight answer."

"I'm fit. Soon be in this chair as walking that corridor back to quarters, I'll tell you."

"You play hero I'll send you for a walk." The tc'a-blip stayed steady on, ghosting along inertial as if it knew it served as shield. She reached for another concentrates packet, solids, this time. It tasted horrid. Her stomach rebelled and she shuddered. Beside her, Haral took the same opportunity, trying to keep reactions quick and brain functioning. By this time the hunter-ships were surely on their second shift of well-rested crews.

"The tc'a's being real reasonable so far," Haral said.

"Does it understand?" Khym asked from com. "Are those things ever friendly?"

"Those things do what they want and gods forbid it zigs or zags. It will when it gets to approach V."

"Knnn, now," Haral said, "have fewer rules."

Vid came up on last-monitor, a collection of spheres and drivepack with five vanes irregularly spaced about it.

"That tc'a?" Tully asked.

"Closest you'll ever want to see one in motion," Haral said. "Yes, it's tc'a."

"Kkkt." From Skkukuk. "Kkkkt. Kkkkt," a soft droning, talking to himself.

Gods-rotted kif. Skkukuk's advice was what Skkukuk would do. If he had the guts. The sfik. The self-assurance. Shoot anything that moved.

Loyalty was measured on that status-scale. Skku, the kifish word was . . . which meant vassal.

What's Skkukuk mean, then? Faithful servant?

Slave?

"Skkukuk. Were you born with that name?"

A silence. "Kkkkt. No." From across the bridge, out of its furthest corner. "I've had it seven years."

"How old are you?"

"Thirty-six. Captain, I am in discomfort."

Mysteries and mysteries.

Doubtless hani puzzled Skkukuk too. "Kkkkt," it said. "Kkkkt."

"Kif, shut up."

There was silence then.

"Tc'a," Khym said in distress. "Hilfy, tc'a—"

Communications matrix came up on-screen. "Priority. It's going to—"

The Pride yawed, and power slammed in. "Gods and thunders!'' Pyanfar swore.

"—maneuver," Hilfy said.

Stable again. Gods-be earless gods-be lunatic—A stream of profanity, holding the concentrates that wanted to crawl back up her throat.

Pyanfar shook. Steadied her arm. Heard Khym's deep gasp. The Pride kept up the braking thrust.

Clang!

"Rock," Haral said.

"No alarms," Tirun said.

Two more rang off the hull. Ping. Boom.

"Daughter of a—!" Pyanfar kicked in the braking full.

"We're sound," Tirun said.

"Kif back there aren't happy," Geran said.

"Neither am I," Pyanfar muttered. "Gods rot—"

The tc'a left them, rolled and slewed off in an approach maneuver that made sense to a multibrained snake.

She held course. "No following that. We're on our own."

"The tc'a's transmitting," Hilfy said. "We're getting Aja Jin—"

Scan image crossed to main monitor. The lead ships were moving in on docking approach.

"Guard ship's braking," Haral said.

"Message from Harukk: Sikkukkut's compliments and he invites our docking. Says Kefk has surrendered."

"Tc'a—" said Khym.

"I've got it—" Hilfy's voice, weak and strained. "That's station, docking instructions for the tc'a."

"Kkkkt."

"Skkukuk." Pyanfar shifted her eyes to look up at a reflection of the bridge. "What's your opinion, huh?"

"The station has surrendered."

"Where's the trap now?"

"Kkkt. They will let you dock. Beware Sikkukkut. Beware your allies. Return my weapons, hani. Arm me with the best you have. I will be an advantage."

"To which side?"

"Kkkt. To the side of advantage. Sikkukkut has none for me. Kkkotok kto ufikki Sikkukkutik nifikekk nok Akkhtimaktok kektkhikt nok nokktokme—kkkkt."

Something about Akkhtimakt and meals and unique objects.

Her screen lit with a transcription, mute, from Hilfy's post: Sikkukkut having derived service from me would find it a twice unique treasure to feast on me in the face of Akkhtimakt.

"Sounds like he's got a problem," Haral muttered, "if one could believe the son. Which I don't, not half."

"That's confirmed from Jik," Hilfy said. "Jik's committing himself to dock. Harukk's transmitting."

"Gods rot it." Pyanfar flexed her hand in the brace and laid her ears back. The pulse kept on hammering in her ears. "We're fools. Gods-be kif station, gods-be lunatic mane—" Where's our shiplist, Jik?

"What's he up to?" Haral asked. So Haral had thought much the same, in the secrecy of her old and wily heart, that at the last moment Jik might pull something.

"I don't know. Hilfy; feed the schema down to Skkukuk's screen."

"Aye."

"Does that look normal, kif?"

"The traffic is heavy here, but it often is. They give you no ship names."

"No." .

"That is alarming."

"Vigilance going in," Khym said.

"That's the one," Haral said, "I wonder about."

"Sure thought that son would bolt," Tirun said.

"Skkukuk. What will they do?"

"They will surrender. Slowly. Testing sfik against sfik.

Withholding the shiplist may be the station's test of the hakkikt."

"Or Sikkukkut's order?"

"He has no motive to withhold it. The ships about us obey him. No, it's a test of him. It will be an expensive test if the are not careful. Kukottki-skki pukkuk. Sikkukkut may interest himself to find the one who withstood him. Do you wish to gain sfik at Sikkukkut's expense? Discover this fool on tin station and kill him before Sikkukkut does. Captain, I id you, it is a waste—'"

"Priority!" Chur yelled, simultaneously with Tully. "Sys tern entry, ecliptic 23-45, V z-70-aught factor 9—"

Pyanfar's heart stopped. A lurking ship was on a nine-C startup and headed in; a kifish beacon carried its image t< them, and relayed as it came—"Relay on!" she ordered, am Hilfy already had the system set: the message went, calmly "This is The Pride. We've got an incoming, Aja Jin. Take- "

And over-riding her own message: "Priority," Hilfy said "Aunt, it's Mahijiru! That's Goldtooth coming in! The kif-Harukk's sending. Don't fire, he's telling his ships, don’t fire, it's allied."

Keep your speed, blast all and run, the kif advised. No one is to be trusted.

They were hani. Not kif. "Send," Pyanfar said past the nausea in her throat. "Pride to Mahijiru. Gods fry you, Goldtooth, it's about time you showed up!"