Claire nodded, and hugged her hard.

Silver turned last to Leo, who was gazing doubtfully at the flex tube through which the crew he’d drafted had gone.

“I thought the quaddies were going to be the weak link in this hijacking operation,” jittered Leo, “now I’m not so sure. Don’t let Ti cave on you, eh, Silver? Don’t let him bring you down. You have to succeed.”

“I know. I’ll try. Leo… why did you think Ti was in love with me?”

“I don’t know… You were intimate—the power of suggestion, maybe. All those romances.”

“Ti doesn’t read romances, he reads Ninja of the Twin Stars.”

“Weren’t you in love with him? At first, anyway?”

She frowned. “It was exciting, to be beating the rules with him. But Ti is… well, is Ti. Love like in the books—I always knew it wasn’t really real. When I got to looking around, at our own downsiders, nobody was like that. I guess I was stupid, to like those stories so much.”

“I suppose they’re not realistic—I haven’t read them either, to tell you the truth. But it’s not stupid to want something more, Silver.”

“More than what?”

More than to be worked over by a lot of self-centered legged louts, that’s what. We’re not all like that… are we? Why, after all, was he being moved now to lay a load of his own on her, when she needed all her concentration for the task ahead? Leo shook his head. “Anyway, don’t let Ti get confused between his Ninja-whatsit and what you’re trying to do, either.”

“I don’t think even Ti could mistake a company Jumpship crew for the Black League of Eridani,” said Silver.

Leo could have wished for more certainty in her tone. “Well…”he cleared his throat, inexplicably blocked, “take care. Don’t get hurt.”

“You be careful too.” She did not hug him, as she had Pramod and Claire.

“Right.”

And don’t ever believe, his mind cried after her as she vanished into the flex tube, that nobody could love you, Silver… But it was too late to call the words aloud. The airseal doors shut with a sigh like regret.

Chapter 10

The freight shuttle docking bay was chilly, and Claire rubbed all her hands together to warm them. Only her hands seemed cold, her heart beat hot with anticipation and dread. She looked sideways at Leo, floating as seeming-stolid as ever by the airseal doors with her.

“Thanks, for pulling me off my work shift for this,” Claire said. “Are you sure you won’t get into trouble, when Mr. Van Atta finds out?”

“Who’s to tell him?” said Leo. “Besides, I think Bruce is losing interest in tormenting you. Everything’s so obviously futile. All the better for us. Anyway, I want to talk to Tony too, and I figure I’ll have a better chance of getting his undivided attention after you’ve got the reunion-bit over with.” He smiled reassuringly.

“I wonder what condition he’ll be in?”

“You may be sure he’s much better, or Dr. Minchenko wouldn’t be subjecting him to the stresses of travel, even to keep him close under his eye.”

A thump, and the whir and grind of machinery, told Claire that the shuttle had arrived in its clamps. Her hands reached out, drew in self-consciously. The quaddie manning the control booth waved to two others in the bay, and they locked the flex tubes into position and sealed them. The personnel tube opened first, and the shuttle’s engineer stuck his head through to double check everything, then whipped back out of sight. Claire’s heart lurched in her chest, and her throat constricted dryly.

Dr. Minchenko emerged at last and hovered a moment, one hand anchored to a grip by the hatch. A leathery-faced, vigorous man, his hair was as white as the GalacTech medical service coveralls he wore. He had been a big man, now shrunken to his frame like a withered apricot, but, like a withered apricot, still sound. Claire had the impression he only needed to be re-hydrated and he’d pop back to like-new condition.

Dr. Minchenko shoved off from the hatchway and crossed the bay toward them, landing accurately by the grips around the airseal doors. “Why, hullo, Claire,” he said in a surprised voice. “And, ah—Graf,” he added less cordially. “You’re the one. Let me tell you, I don’t appreciate being leaned on to authorize violation of sound medical protocol. You are to spend double time in the gym for the duration of your extension, you hear?”

“Yes, Dr. Minchenko, thank you,” said Leo promptly, who was not, as far as Claire knew, spending any time in the gym at all these days. “Where’s Tony? Can we help you get him to the infirmary?”

“Ah,” he looked more closely at Claire. “I see. Tony’s not with me, dear, he’s still in hospital downside.”

Claire stifled a gasp. “Oh, no—is he worse?”

“Not at all. I had fully intended to bring him with me. In my opinion, he needs free fall to complete his recovery. The problem is, um, administrative, not medical. And I’m on my way right now to resolve it.”

“Did Brace order him kept downside?” asked Leo.

“That’s right.” He frowned at Leo. “And I’m not pleased to have my medical responsibilities interfered with, either. He’d better have a mighty convincing explanation. Daryl Cay wouldn’t have permitted a screw-up like this.”

“You, um… haven’t heard the new orders yet, then?” said Leo carefully, with a warning glance at Claire—hush…

“What new orders? I’m on my way to see the little schmuck—that is, the man right now. Get to the bottom of this…” He turned to Claire, switching firmly to a kinder tone. “It’s all right, we’ll get it straightened out. All Tony’s internal bleeding is stopped, and there’s no further sign of infection. You quaddies are tough. You hold your health much better in gravity than we downsiders do in free fall. Well, we explicitly designed you not to undergo de-conditioning. I could only wish the confirming experiment hadn’t happened under such distressing conditions. Of course,” he sighed, “youth has something to do with it.… Speaking of youth, how’s little Andy? Sleeping better for you now?”

Claire almost burst into tears. “I don’t know,” she squeaked, and swallowed hard.

“What?”

“They won’t let me see him.”

“What?”

Leo, studying his fingernails distantly, put in, “Andy was removed from Claire’s care. On charges of child-endangering, or some such thing. Didn’t Bruce tell you that either?”

Dr. Minchenko’s face was darkening to a brick-red hue. “Removed? From a breast-feeding mother—obscene!” His eyes swept back over Claire.

“They gave me some medicine to dry me up,” explained Claire.

“Well, that’s something…” his mollification was slight. “Who did?”

“Dr. Curry.”

“He didn’t report it to me.”

“You were on leave.”

“ ‘On leave’ doesn’t mean ‘incommunicado.’ You, Graf! Spit it out. What the hell’s going on around here? Has that pocket-martinet lost his mind?”

“You really haven’t heard. Well, you’d better ask Bruce. I’m under direct orders not to discuss it.”

Minchenko gave Leo a stabbing glare. “I shall.” He pushed off and entered the corridor through the airseal doors, muttering under his breath.

Claire and Leo were left looking at each other in dismay.

“How are we going to get Tony back now?” cried Claire. “It’s less than twenty-four hours till Silver’s signal!”

“I don’t know—but don’t cave now! Remember Andy. He’s going to need you.”

“I’m not going to cave,” Claire denied. She took a steadying gulp of air. “Not ever again. What can we do?”

“Well, I’ll see what strings I can pull, to try and have Tony brought up—bullshit Bruce, tell him I have to have Tony to supervise his welding gang or something—I’m not sure. Maybe Minchenko and I together can work something, though I don’t want to risk rousing Minchenko’s suspicions. If I can’t,” Leo inhaled carefully, “we’ll have to work out something else.”