Spacers
It was good he'd returned, though, because he had his duty.
Count Klimov bent to massage his right calf while looking at the long line of root-wrapped mummies, the hundreds of Intercessors of previous generations. "Will we never find the Earth Diamond, then?" he said to his wife, his tone peevish with disappointment and the pain of his leg muscles. Which was nothing to what he'd be feeling after climbing back up those 815 steps, the pragmatically human part of Daniel's mind noted.
"Your excellency?" Daniel said. Spacers were crowding about him; he looked through their legs to see the Klimovs ten feet away. "I'll give you the Earth Diamond for a price."
The Count didn't hear him in the general bustle, and the surrounding Sissies didn't pay any attention to his words. Adele understood, though, and said sharply, "Back away from the captain! Give him room! Woetjans, give the captain room!"
"Right, move your asses back!" Woetjans shouted, jerked into action by Adele's command. When Lamsoe didn't straighten quickly enough, she grabbed him by the back of neck like a puppy and deposited him an arm's length away.
"Count Klimov!" Adele said. She didn't shout the way the bosun had, but nobody could ignore the note of aristocratic command in her crisp tones. "If you will come here, Captain Leary is offering to find the Earth Diamond for you."
"What?" said Klimov. "What do you—?"
He
Count Klimov bent to massage his right calf while looking at the long line of root-wrapped mummies, the hundreds of Intercessors of previous generations. "Will we never find the Earth Diamond, then?" he said to his wife, his tone peevish with disappointment and the pain of his leg muscles. Which was nothing to what he'd be feeling after climbing back up those 815 steps, the pragmatically human part of Daniel's mind noted.
"Your excellency?" Daniel said. Spacers were crowding about him; he looked through their legs to see the Klimovs ten feet away. "I'll give you the Earth Diamond for a price."
The Count didn't hear him in the general bustle, and the surrounding Sissies didn't pay any attention to his words. Adele understood, though, and said sharply, "Back away from the captain! Give him room! Woetjans, give the captain room!"
"Right, move your asses back!" Woetjans shouted, jerked into action by Adele's command. When Lamsoe didn't straighten quickly enough, she grabbed him by the back of neck like a puppy and deposited him an arm's length away.
"Count Klimov!" Adele said. She didn't shout the way the bosun had, but nobody could ignore the note of aristocratic command in her crisp tones. "If you will come here, Captain Leary is offering to find the Earth Diamond for you."
"What?" said Klimov. "What do you—?"
He