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Welfare. The lottery prize-Camilla Altworth, the year at Erika's-Far
Corner and Osallin. "... then he found me passage here, to Number One. The
first thing I did here was to find trouble with an egomaniac named dal Nardo.
The second was to come to this place."
Brows lifted, she waited.
Sparline nodded. "A little skimpy in spots, but quick and to the point. Well,
enough for now-our meal's arriving."
\c\b89\b
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\cRissa sampled eggs, smaller than those she knew, a toasted bun and then
another, and slices of grilled meats. She found she had good appetite. Neither
spoke during the meal; then Sparline said, "More coffee?" Rissa nodded. "And I
imagine you have some questions yourself. Ask away; if I'm not free to answer,
I'll say so."
"That is fair. Well-this is only personal curiosity, Ms. Moray, but-you were
born on Earth?"
"First names are correct between us, Rissa. To one of your status, I'm
Sparline and my mother is
Liesel." Rissa laugh ted, not long. "I am not sure what my status is."
"Probational, of course, but tentatively one of \ius.\i If you don't prove
out, you're free to make your own way-on Number One or elsewhere. In that
case, I'd be Ms. Moray."
Rissa had no comment. Sparline said, "Now, your question-yes, I was born on
Earth. Don't imagine that Erika approved-or my grandmother Renalle-when Liese!
departed from Hulzein doctrine. But after two bad tries at parthenogenesis,
she consulted a geneticist. Erika and Renalle both rejected his findings, so
my mother went to manage family holdings on another continent-and there she
chose Hawk-man Moray, my father."
"She fell in love with him?"
"I don't think so-not then. But he stood with her against Erika's forces and
helped bring her here-and now she values him above all other men."
Rissa thought. "And they had you. Why no others?"
"Have some more coffee." Sparline stared down at her cup, then said, "After me
it wasn't possible-complications. But a year before me they also had a son."
"And is he here also?"
Sparline's tone was bitter. "Do you think the Hulzeins -Renalle and
Erika-would accept male inheritance even " partially? Liesel and Hawkman had
to hide him-hide his very existence-or he'd have been killed. But I knew him
until he was thirteen. He was good to me-I wouldn't begrudge him his half of
what I have-or will have."
"But what happened? Do you know where he is?"
"Sometimes-but he won't have anything to do with us, in
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\cperson. Just business sometimes, through others."
"I do not understand."
"It was a bad thing. To protect him, Liesel faked all his records; he was
registered under his middle name, with fictitious parentage. Then when the
showdown came with Erika, my parents had to move fast-they bought his way into
UET's space academy. It's a nightmare, that place, but it was safe from Erika.
Then we had to leave Earth-and there was no time or way to rescue him!"
Rissa saw Sparline shudder. "Horrible life, that-for a young boy with no
protective influence backing him. We didn't know how bad by half until it was
too late. It made him hard. His ship
Escaped not long after he joined it-thank peace for that! But now he's called
pirate and outlaw and mutineer by people who don't even know him!
"Poor Tregare!"
RISSA'S mind began and rejected one sentence after another. Finally; "He-he
did not mutiny against his own people. UET had retaken the ship. He told me."
Sparline's mouth went slack, her face pale. For a moment her lips moved
without sound. Then;
"You were on \iInconnul\i It's here? Liesel didn't-" Her cup struck the table;
coffee slopped over. She rose, took two fast strides, then returned and sat
again. "No. He'll be here a week at least. It's more important now-what you
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can tell me of him." Her color returned. \i"Tellme,\i
Rissa!"
"I rode \iInconnu\i here from Far Corner-I thought you knew."
"Did you see much of Tregare? Did you come to know him well?"
Rissa did not allow the potential smile to move her mouth. "Over a journey of
nine months, a little more? In some ways, quite well."
Sparline leaned forward. "What kind of man is he ... now? Did you like him?"
\c\b" 91 "
\b
\cRissa sipped coffee. "He is-hard, as you said-on the surface, at least. He
is sometimes violent and ruthless-but not so much as he likes to think he is.
He has little regard for the rights or feelings of anyone he does not value
personally. He is very able-but capable of overlooking important factors if
his attention is caught elsewhere.
"Did I like him?" She shrugged. "At first I distrusted and almost feared him.
Now I respect parts of his nature, and certainly his achievements. Between us
there is both antagonism and a certain affection. Perhaps-" She sighed. "Let
us say that I will be disappointed if I do not see him ever again."
Sparline shook her head slowly. "You know more of him than I do-and in less
than a year. I envy you."
"You need not. I shared his quarters, not by my own choice."
Now the other's cheeks flushed; she gripped Rissa's arm. "You say my brother
raped or enslaved you?"
Rissa spoke carefully. "No. He could not have done so-I was trained, remember,
by Erika. To some extent he did coerce me. I accepted that coercion because
the alternative was to kill him and fight my way off the ship. And I needed
the ride."
"You? \iYou\i couldn't kill Tregare!"
"I think I could have. No matter-I did not, and am glad of it."
Sparline scowled at her, then the scowl relaxed. "Yes-you said-a certain
affection. You came to love him, didn't you?"
Rissa shrugged. "Not by my definition, but call it what you like. It is true
that the last time we bedded, I invited him. Because it may have been our
final night together, I let myself be sentimental."
Finally Sparline released her numbing grasp; Rissa flexed the arm. "All
right-so my brother isn't the paragon I'd like to think him. But even though
he first took you against your will-"
"Not against my will-against my inclination. There is a difference."
"Don't pick nits. With all that, I say-still you came to like him, admire him.
Didn't you?"
\c" 92 "
\cRissa nodded. "In our personal dealings, yes-as I have said. But in some
other matters, no."
"What matters?"
"On \iInconnu,\i I was told by one who should know, are women who are called
'property.' Can you like or admire the thought of human property?"
Sparline waved a hand, "A joke-it has to be. My brother wouldn't-"
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