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Hoddan relaxed. Then he tensed again. He had not been in a city since he stopped briefly in this on the way to Darth. The traffic was abominable. And he, who'd been in various pitched battles on Darth and had only lately captured a ship in space Hoddan grew apprehensive as his ground-car charged into the thick of hooting, rushing, squealing vehicles. When the car came to a stop he was relieved.
Walden is in a bad way. You are the most encouraging thing that has happened here in a long time. And you're not a native." "No-o-o," agreed Hoddan. "I come from Zan." "Never mind." The ambassador turned to a stellar atlas. "Consider yourself a good symptom, and valued as such. If you could start a contagion, you'd deserve well of your fellow citizens. Savages can always invent themselves.
Why doesn't Don Loris simply give you so much a year, or week, or whatnot?" Thal made a shocked sound. "That would be pay! A Darthian gentleman does not serve for pay! To offer it would be insult!" Then he said, "Listen!" He reined in. Hoddan clumsily followed his example. After a moment or two Thal clucked to his horse and started off again. "It was nothing," he said regretfully.
Fani regarded him enigmatically. Thal squirmed. "Thal will show you." Then Fani said deliberately, "Bron Hoddan, will you fight for me?" Thal plucked anxiously at his arm. Hoddan said politely: "If at all desirable, yes. But now I must get some sleep." "Thank you," said Fani. "I am troubled by the Lord Ghek." She watched him move away.
Of course, his grandfather was head of the most notorious gang of pirates on the disreputable planet Zan, but Hoddan found himself increasingly respecting the old gentleman as he gained experience of various worlds. He went briskly back to his spaceboat. On the way he made verbal arrangements for the enterprise he'd envisioned so swiftly.
This was not a direct move toward the realization of his personal ambitions. But on the other hand, it wasn't a movement away from them. Hoddan suddenly remembered an oration he'd heard his grandfather give many, many times in the past. "Straight thinkin'," the old man had said obstinately, "is a delusion.
The sun set, and the sky twinkled with darting lights which flew toward the west and vanished. Twilight followed, and more lights flashed across the heavens as if pursuing the sun. Fani had learned to associate three and then nine such lights with spacecraft, but she could not dream of a fleet of hundreds. She dismissed the lights from her mind, being much more concerned with Hoddan.
Hoddan stood up. "I'll take him to the ship now." He was mildly surprised at the smoothness with which matters proceeded. He took a young clerk to the ship. He showed him the ship's papers as edited by himself. He took him through the cargo holds. He discussed in some detail what he wished to buy. When the clerk left, Thal came to complain again.
"She'd persuaded her father out of putting us in a dungeon until he thought of us again. You should at least have shown good manners! You should have said that you came here across deserts and flaming oceans because of the fame of her beauty. You might have said you heard songs of her sweetness beside campfires half a world away. She might not have believed you, but " "Hold it!" said Hoddan.
There were novelties hydroponic fruit, for instance and they'd gloomily stuffed themselves. They were almost resigned, now. Memory of the loot he'd led other men to at Ghek's castle inclined them to be hopeful. But they looked uneasy when he stopped where they were gathered. "Well?" he said sharply. Thal swallowed. "We have been companions, Bron Hoddan," he said unhappily.