The end of the last post here just in case you don't feel like going back to remind yourself where we were...
the Icky Chichin speaking to Beka, addressing her questions as to Tyr's presence...
"Yes, that solely her crew would be involved. All I'm asking is that just for the duration of this mission, you… take on this one extra crewmate. He will prove invaluable when the time comes to extract the Duchess."
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Author's Note: As I typed this, I had to look up a synonym for the word suspicious or suspiciously in my thesaurus... and as I was talking to myself, I realized "suspicious in the thesaurus" could make quite a tongue-twister. Say it ten times fast and tell me how it goes.
Well, I'm well into the next part already, though I really can't say when to expect it. I think, boys and girls, this actually may finish sometime... relatively soon! You know, before the next millenium rolls around, at least.
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The pieces began clicking together in Beka's head. "Tell me again just how voluntary you're planning for this extraction to be?"
Her employer hastened to assure her the operation would proceed exactly as he had told them.
By this time, Harper had decided he too objected to the new change of plans. He pushed past Beka and placed himself square in the Chichin's sickly green face. "Yeah, so you think we can't handle a voluntary extraction on our own, is that it? That we kludges don't know what to do with ourselves without our genetic superiors holding our hands? Huh? Or are you afraid we'll two-time you--take the money and run? Well, I got news for you, you scaly--"
"Harper." Beka didn't quite have the heart to yell at him. The situation definitely felt more than little off to her, and she wasn't even the one who had been raised on Nietzschean cruelty and manipulation.
Irritation flared briefly in mud-colored eyes but quickly died away. "Of course not, Mister Harper. My only concern is that her subjects may not be eager to let Aricia off the planet. Many of them have fallen into a state of abject poverty since she took control of the duchy, and although she has already suffered tremendously at the hands of her people, they will likely wish to exact even greater revenge upon her."
Beka stifled a groan as Harper burst into another tirade. "So we're rescuing some incompetent high-and-mighty who only got the job because daddy died and left it to her, and then found out she couldn't hack it, so now maybe her subjects just want to get a little of what she stole back to them?" Beka suspected there was no right answer to that one.
At this, Trance dashed forward and, to the astonishment of everyone present, began mercilessly scolding Harper. It was quite the picture, this elf-like sprite backing the spiky-haired engineer up against the doorjamb, her eyes narrowed and his as wide as saucers. The three uninvolved could only stare.
"Did you ever stop and think that maybe she tried her best, that maybe she didn't ask for that responsibility but did as much as she could when it was forced upon her? You know, she could be a really great person, Harper, and you would condemn her just like everyone else has done instead of listening to her side and maybe even feeling a little compassion for her."
Nothing but absolute silence could follow that diatribe, but someone eventually would have to say something.
"Um, all right, then. We're agreed that we are going ahead with this job?" Beka looked to her crewmaters, Trance looked to Harper, and Harper looked abashed. "Good." She eyed the Chichin warily but realized she'd just given her final agreement to the job. Damn. She furrowed her brow and glanced over at Trance, calm and content once more. She blinked at a strange thought that passed through her head, and shook it briefly.
"Excellent, Captain Valentine." Ha. No more wheedling and 'celestial angel' now that he had what we wanted. "I shall leave you and Mr. Anasazi to become more closely acquainted... though not too closely, I hope, my alluring Amazon." Ugh.
"Lovely. Now go." And go he did, leaving the party of four a bit awkward for a few moments.
"Re-Captain Valentine, please believe me," Tyr finally said, "I had no idea you were the woman Mr. Eron spoke of when he hired me. I did suspect it might be you, when he prattled unceasingly of your..." He had the decency not to finish that sentence, Beka noted, his circumspection a welcome relief from the Chichin's sickening flattery. "But it was only this morning that he came to me, and I hope you will acquit me of any notions of duplicity."
Beka waited a second for Harper to break in with a typical anti-Nietzschean invective, but as he opened his mouth and began to step forward, Trance cleared her throat and shot him a razor-sharp look. Almost timidly, he took up a casually lounging position on the doorframe.
This time, Trance smiled widely, seemingly at nothing, and the only person to catch the pleased expression was Tyr, who made it a top priority to figure out just what the girl's agenda was. It was clear to him that she had engineered that little rant to distract both Beka and Harper from his presence and their mingled surprise and apprehension long enough for the former to agree to letting him on board. And she had known his name.