Lady Lure (35 page)

In response to that grave insult to her
dignity Perri had bounced off the bed, and since by ship’s time it
was now early morning, she had pulled on the pale green robe.
However, she neglected to button it and Halvo’s eyes frequently
strayed to the enticing slit in the neckline. Noticing his interest
Perri returned to sit on the edge of the bed with one bare foot
tucked up beneath her. Perhaps they would make love again before it
was time for him to leave her. She hoped so. There was nothing else
quite like the pleasure, or the sense of security, she found in
Halvo’s arms.

“I would like to see more of the
Krontar,”
she said in answer to his question. “Are prisoners
ever allowed on the bridge?”

“If you were captain, would you let a
prisoner walk onto your bridge?” Halvo took a bite of bread.

“I just thought it would be an interesting
place from which to observe our exit from the Empty Sector and our
return to Jurisdiction space.”

“You can see that from here.” Halvo was
watching her with a gleam in his eye that suggested he knew what
she was trying to do.

“Then I would also like a tour of the galley
where our delicious dinner was prepared.”

“Um-hmm.” He never took his eyes off her,
though he swallowed two large gulps of qahf.

“Is there an observation deck on the
ship?”

“Of course.” Halvo popped the last of the
bread into his mouth.

“Dysia mentioned a recreation area for the
crew. Did you know she is a swordswoman?”

“She won the Jurisdiction championship two
years ago.” Halvo paused, then said, “You forgot to mention the
cargo bays.”

“Did I?” To Pern’s own ears her voice sounded
too bright, too surprised, too falsely innocent. “I suppose I did.
I do want to see all of the ship.”

“You may not visit the cargo bay where Rolli
is stored.” Halvo spoke in his admiral’s voice rather than in a
lover’s tone.

“But I miss her! Rolli has been with me every
day since I was nine years old.”

“I would be jealous of that robot if I did
not know there are things I can do for you that Rolli cannot.”
Halvo moved swiftly to kneel on the mattress next to Perri. “You
are afraid the technicians at Capital will uncover Melri’s
memories, aren’t you? And you fear that, as a result, Rolli will be
destroyed and a heavier punishment laid on you.”

“I can think of enough reasons for your
mother to hate me, and for your father to punish me, without them
learning about those implanted memories.”

“I can tell you this much,” Halvo said.
“While we were on Dulan’s Planet, Tarik, who knows far more than
you or I about such mechanisms, and probably more than any
technician at Capital, took great care to disguise that portion of
Rolli’s circuitry.”

“Tarik did?”

“My brother derives enormous pleasure from
bending Jurisdiction rules that he considers unreasonable,” Halvo
said. “Tarik has been known to break a few laws on occasion, too.
He was all too happy to work on Rolli.”

“Thank you for telling me, but I still want
to see Rolli.”

“It can’t be done. Not on this trip. Rolli
and the
Space Dragon
are under heavy guard. However, there
may be something I can do to alleviate your loneliness. I believe
there is just enough time before I am scheduled to meet with
Captain Jyrit.” Halvo lifted Perri, settling her across his thighs.
One of his hands slipped inside the open neckline of her robe to
stroke and caress her breast. His mouth quickly followed his
fingers. With her own emotional temperature rising, Perri could
feel Halvo hardening against her. She pulled at her robe, lifting
it up until it was bunched at her waist and she and Halvo were
flesh to flesh. Her arms stole around his neck just as Halvo pulled
her nearer still.

“You really are the most inventive man,” she
whispered.

* * * * *

“Do you still want to leave this guest cabin
that you regard as a jail?” It was almost noon by ship’s time and
Halvo had been with Captain Jyrit for several hours. He had just
returned and now stood lounging in the doorway of Perri’s cabin,
looking incredibly handsome in his fresh Jurisdiction uniform.

Perri had used her time alone to invent new
clothing for herself. She could tell from the way Halvo was
regarding her that he approved of the costume she and the helpful
computer had created. Her hair was pulled behind her ears, securely
fastened there with a pair of mock tortoiseshell combs, which,
nonetheless, allowed the dark red waves to flow loosely down her
back. Her dress was a soft, pale beige, the neckline wide and just
low enough to reveal her collarbones. The sleeves were long and
tight and the body of the dress was designed to cling, but the
skirt flared out from hip to mid-calf. Her tights matched the dress
exactly, as did her plain, low-heeled shoes. It was a simple
outfit, yet the mirror had revealed to Perri how well the color and
the cut of the dress showed off her lithe figure and the startling
combination of her hair and eyes.

She had dumped her Regulan clothes into the
recycling slot. Ridding herself of them and putting on the new
garments of her own choice marked for Perri the beginning of her
life as a real adult. No longer a girl in any sense, she was
determined to accept whatever fate and Jurisdiction justice might
deal to her. As an adult she would take full responsibility for
what she had done. And she would never stop loving Halvo.

“I have learned so much from you,” she said
to him. “I never laughed before I met you. I never made up my own
mind on any subject.”

“It hasn’t been one-sided, you know.” He came
to her to lift her chin and kiss her lightly. “I had become
remarkably stuffy. I had forgotten how to have fun.”

“While I had never learned how.” Perri
touched his cheek. “If it is permitted, I would like to see as much
of the ship as possible. I have a lot to learn, and it seems that
most of my schooling must be completed before we reach Capital.”
She did not finish the thought, which was that once she was in a
Capital jail cell or, later, on a prison planet, she would not have
the opportunity to study the cultures of the many Races of the
Jurisdiction or their history and various sciences. Her education
would be brief, limited to the days she spent on the
Krontar
and the facilities the ship had to offer.

“I have Jyrit’s permission to show you
around,” Halvo said.

“Then let us not waste time.” Perri was out
of her cabin and into the corridor before she finished speaking.
She indicated the guards standing on either side of her door. “Do
they have to come with us?”

“Gentlemen, I believe I can handle the
prisoner on my own,” Halvo said to the guards. “On my authority,
you are dismissed. Check with security and your chief will tell you
when to begin your next watch at this post.”

“Aye, sir.” Outwardly the guards appeared to
be serious, but Perri thought they were secretly amused.

With Halvo as a guide to explain why the ship
was arranged as it was, the layout of the
Krontar
soon
became clear to Perri. It was not only a warship. Arrangements were
necessary to house, feed, clothe and, at least occasionally, to
entertain the several hundred souls who served on her. Nor could
the care of personnel who were ill or injured by accident or in
battle be neglected. Perri met the chief cook, the ship’s three
doctors, the head nurse, and the recreation director. She even met
the Chief of Security, who, as she expected, regarded her with cold
disdain.

“You already know Lieutenant Dysia, the Chief
Armaments Officer,” Halvo said as they walked along a corridor on
one of the upper decks.

“It is amazing to me that a woman could be
given so great a responsibility,” Perri said.

Then she stopped in her tracks, because a
cabin door had just opened and Kalina stepped into the corridor.
She looked as surprised to see Perri as Perri was to see her. One
swift glance took in Pern’s new clothing and the fact that she was
with Halvo. A longer look assessed the quick upward tilt of Perri’s
chin and the way she met Kalina’s eyes without faltering.

“Where are you going?” Kalina asked.

“With Captain Jyrit’s permission,” Perri
answered, “Halvo has been showing me over the ship.”

“I see.” Again Kalina looked from Perri to
her son and then back to Perri. “Your appearance is much
improved.”

“I hope so,” Perri said. “It is my intention
to improve all of my life.”

“Indeed?” Kalina almost smiled. “Why are
there no guards with you?”

“Perri will not misbehave while she is in my
custody,” her son said.

“Let us hope you are not mistaken. Halvo,
would you care to join me? My aides and I have been invited to the
bridge to observe our reentry into Jurisdiction space.”

“Thank you, Mother. Perri and I would be
delighted.”

Perri could tell that Kalina was taken aback.
She had meant her invitation only for her son. But Halvo laid a
hand on Pern’s arm, keeping her close to him when he took his place
at his mother’s side and began to walk down the corridor with her.
Kalina’s two aides fell in behind them. Kalina said nothing, either
to protest or to agree with Perri’s inclusion in the party.

When they reached the bridge they all paused
at the entrance. Deferring to his mother, Halvo stepped aside to
let her go first. The double door slid open and Kalina moved to the
exact middle of the threshold.

“Permission to enter the bridge, Captain
Jyrit?” Kalina spoke the formal request.

Jyrit was standing in front of his captain’s
chair, his gaze intent upon a giant viewscreen across which swirled
the image of the pink, gaseous outer boundary of the Empty
Sector.

“Permission granted, Lady Kalina.” Jyrit did
not turn to look at his guests until all five members of Kalina’s
party had entered and the doors had closed. Then with perfect
Jugarian formality he bowed to Kalina and to Halvo. He paused for
only an instant before bowing to Perri, too. Halvo had told her
that good manners and a sense of formality were important to
Jugarians. Still, Perri marveled at Jyrit’s unshakable poise at
finding a prisoner on his bridge. Halvo made no explanation of her
presence, so Perri decided she was not obliged to make one either.
She simply bowed to Jyrit as the others were doing.

“Where would you like us to stand, Captain?”
Kalina asked. “We do not want to be in your way.”

“Only the raised area immediately around my
chair is off-limits,” Jyrit said.

“Then we will remain behind that area and
disturb you no further.”

Again there were polite bows all around,
after which Jyrit resumed his survey of the view-screen. Dysia, who
was sitting at a console off to one side of the bridge, looked over
at Perri, took in her new clothes with a nod of approval, and sent
a friendly smile her way.

As the
Krontar
drew nearer to the
boundary the streaky, illuminated gas clouds through which they
were passing became more dense and more frequent until they filled
the view-screen. The light from the clouds was reflected onto the
bridge, turning the dull gray metal bulkheads and the businesslike
consoles to glowing rose. The very air of the bridge seemed
pink.

“It wasn’t like this when we came into the
Empty Sector,” Perri whispered to Halvo.

“This is a better viewscreen than we had on
the
Space Dragon,”
Halvo replied. “It registers every
particle of light to produce a more detailed picture. Nor are we
traveling at Star-thruster speed. This exit should be far smoother
than our entrance.”

It was. Instead of the rocking jolt and the
heart-stopping sliding sensation that had nearly shaken the
Space Dragon
apart, Perri felt only a few mild bumps. With
the Empty Sector behind them, the gas clouds cleared, the glow
disappeared from the bridge, and the view of space shown on the
large screen once more became a velvet black interrupted only by
the light of distant stars.

“Lovely,” Kalina murmured. “Thank you for
allowing us to be here, Captain Jyrit. This was a memorable
experience.”

“As always, Lady Kalina, your presence is a
great pleasure to me.” Jyrit bowed to Kalina as she and her company
moved toward the doors, preparing to leave the bridge.

“Captain,” said the communications officer,
“a ship is approaching.”

“What markings?” Jyrit demanded. “Did one of
those Regulan ships that followed us into the Empty Sector wait to
be sure we would come out again?”

“No, sir, it’s not one of those two ships,”
the communications officer replied.

“Sir, it is a warship, and it’s heavily
armed,” Dysia said. “It bears no identifying markings at all, not
even a number.”

“That is against Jurisdiction law.”

“Perhaps it isn’t a Jurisdiction ship,” Dysia
said. “It might be a pirate vessel.”

By then the approaching ship was visible on
the viewscreen as a shadow only slightly less black than the space
around it.

“Magnify that image.” Jyrit’s order was
obeyed at once. The strange ship grew larger and more menacing
looking.

“It displays no running lights,” Jyrit noted.
“I take that as a sure sign of aggressive intentions.”

“Mother,” Halvo said to Kalina, “you and your
aides ought to leave. A warship bridge is no place for you if there
is trouble.”

“Go back to my cabin and wait for me there,”
Kalina said to her aides. “I shall remain here until we discover
what the appearance of this ship portends. There may be something I
can do to help avert a problem.”

“Mother, I wish you would go. If they prove
to be pirates,” Halvo said with a nod toward the viewscreen, “then
it’s better if they don’t know you are aboard. You would be a great
prize to a pirate captain.”