A Big Shiny Blue Marble Ch. 56

"Might be so," he nodded, "and then maybe not. Anyway, it was true love, honey. She had me on the line right to my tail. We were gonna leave; me getting out of the service and her getting out of the trade. That was our plan, but she got herself killed before we could go."

He sat back and sighed, "I can say that I've never been the same since. Guess that's why I stick around here instead of retiring. These kids are just that to me. They're like my whelps and I keep them in line and watch out for them if I can, Xhan included."

He leaned in again, "So, do you know or not?"

Jerrthi looked over and thought about it briefly. What she was about to tell this old war dog was something that not even Bronn knew about her. His family had some of the trade in the past, but it was nothing to what hers had done.

"I still train, but I've never worked. It's something that I sort of nod to while I use it to keep fit. I used to have a trainer in my clan and he worked in his day. He always said that I'd have been able to work the dark trade, as we call it."

Ter'l smiled then, "Good to know."

He reached over to a compartment under the bench seat and pulled out a long bag.

"This is something that I've kept around forever -- or so. It was a gift to me from my girl a long time ago. I want you to have it. Don't open it here. I can see by your eyes that you can guess what's in here. Just sling it over your shoulder and look later. Make like it's a part of your gear.

You might even find that you'll need them for more than just to keep your hand in," he said, his smile disappearing.

"I don't know what you mean," Jerrthi said, "but thank you for this, Ter'l. If it's what I think it might be, this bag is illegal, you know."

He waved his hand as though at a fly, "This ship is illegal as it is right here. All of the attack craft are illegal as hell for what we carry. The sidearm on my hip is illegal, and the megs on those landing craft out there are illegal here too.

What's in there is nothing more than what Grotto Dwellers always used to carry in the dark trade. You're right about the legality, though. The Merren are idiots. They'd ban a paring knife. But what's in there would get you time on Xer.

What's in there is about the only thing that'll get through a Xer's hide when we're on four feet, other than about a half a magazine through a meg. Just keep it out of sight, Jerrthi.

You only had to impress three people when you showed up here. You've got Xhan in the bag and that's a no-brainer since I can see from here how he feels about you."

He smiled very softly for an old soldier then, "You charmed this old dog even before today.

But ... has he said anything you about the one he's supposed to pair with if we go down and can't get back?"

Jerrthi smirked, "Yes. He told me that it doesn't mean anything unless that happens, why Ter'l?"

Oh, nothing -- unless that happens. Think about it a second. If you were one of us and had been selected to be the, I dunno, paper bitch of the commander, and when you saw him, he turned out to look not too bad, how would you feel about an attachment of his to somebody else, even if there was nothing going between the two of you?"

"I dunno," she said, considering, "I probably wouldn't care much, unless that person was suddenly around a hell of a lot. Maybe I would then, but even so, I doubt it. As I understand it all, it's not like I'd have any sort of hold on him, is it?"

He leaned forward then and Jerrthi was startled to hear him speak in the proper language of the people from out of her past -- even the correct dialect was her own.

"Think like a Xer. That one has been unhappy since she came to us and she had her reasons, I guess. It helps her standing to be the one selected for Xhan in the emergency procedures. She could have expectations. I've seen ot before. Your arrival and Xhan's interest in you have helped nothing for her, and she's standing right over there, looking at you."

He finished the last of his drink and took her cup to bring them away. He was still speaking in her dialect as he turned to go.

"She didn't see what I handed you, but while we've been talking, she must have figured out who you are, I'd guess.

She's been boring holes in you with her eyes for the past two minutes.

You have a friend in me, Grotto," he smiled over his shoulder, "But my job is to dry tears and kick asses and keep fighters from shooting their feet or each other. I try to watch a little over seventy people. I just can't be everywhere.

She's a veteran Xer killer and you're not. Think about it."

Jerrthi tried not to be obvious about it when she turned her head as though just looking at everything which was going on in the command module there.

Through the thin crowd of many specialists, each one there to perform his or her tasking for this effort, her eye fell on a person who gave her a rather haughty look for one--half second before she turned away, looking at nothing as her hand reached up to adjust the tiny controls for the volume of the chatter which passed through her helmet and she began to speak as part of her tasking there.

Jerrthi saw the standard Xer aircrew helmet with the name "Cerrith" emblazoned on it just under the Death hound patch.

For just an instant, Jerrthi saw one blue eye just as the girl turned toward her station.