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Updated: June 29, 2025
"Will you ask your colleague to be so kind as to allow the Cargo-master Kallee to be presented?" The tall, dark young Terran Medic spoke to the priest beside him and together they came across the clearing. Van Rycke and Jellico both arose and inclined their heads in honor to the priests, as did the chief with whom they had been about to deal.
If he had only time to get Van Rycke! The Salarik was inside the corridor now, his nostrils spread, assaying each and every odor in this strange place. Suddenly his head jerked as if tugged by one of his own net ropes. His interest had been riveted by some scent his sensitive senses had detected. His eyes met Dane's in appeal.
Van Rycke stood in the opening, half smiling at them with his customary sleepy benevolence. "Well, well, and here's our missing ones," his purring voice was the most beautiful sound Dane thought he had ever heard.
Seven clans Traxt Cam had recorded divided the sea coast territory and there were seven chieftains here indicative of the importance of this meeting since some of these clans beyond the radius of the shield peace, must be fighting a vicious blood feud at that very moment. Yes, seven were here. Yet there still remained a single stool, directly across the circle from Van Rycke.
Preceded by Paft's son he made the rounds of the assembly pouring a purple liquid from his jug into the goblet before each chieftain, a goblet which Paft's heirs tasted ceremoniously before it was presented to the visiting clan leader. When they paused before Van Rycke the Salarik nobleman touched the side of the plasta flask in token.
Jellico, with Van Rycke at his shoulder, halted before he stepped from the ramp so that the three Inter-Solar men, Captain, Cargo-master and escort, whether they wished or no, were put in the disadvantageous position of having to look up to a Captain whom they, as members of one of the powerful Companies, affected to despise.
Kallee replied: "We'll take up your contract, at a profit to you, and you up-ship before the Salariki are confused over whom they are to deal with " "And the amount of profit?" Van Rycke bored in. "Oh," Kallee shrugged, "say ten percent of Cam's last shipment " Jellico laughed. "Generous, aren't you, Eysie?
Now Jellico brought the heels of his space boots together with an extravagant click and his hand flourished at the fore of his helmet in a gesture which was better suited to the Patrol hero of a slightly out-of-date Video serial. "Jellico, Solar Queen, Free Trader," he identified himself brusquely, and added, "this is Van Rycke, our Cargo-master."
He was cold inside. Why, he might even have poisoned the child! Tau picked up his cap, and after a second's hesitation, his emergency medical kit. He had only one question for Dane. "Any idea of who the cub is what clan he belongs to?" And Dane, chill with real fear, was forced to answer in the negative. What had he done! "Can you find him?" Van Rycke, ignoring Dane, spoke to Tau.
Two or three of the younger warriors got to their feet, their brilliant cloaks flicking out like spreading wings. But when Van Rycke did not even lift an eyelid in their direction, they made no move to block his path. As fighting men, Dane thought, trying to study the specimens before him with a totally impersonal stare, the Salariki were an impressive lot.
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