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“Tell me ssomething exciting tonight, Flinx-friend. Enlighten me with ssomething new.”

Kiijeem made virtually the same request every evening, and Flinx had been happy to respond accordingly. He would do so again on this night—though on this occasion to a degree his youthful host could not possibly imagine. But first…

“I have to ask you a question, Kiijeem AVMd.” At Flinx's uncommon use of the AAnn's full family name, Kiijeem tensed slightly. Ceasing its usual flicking back and forth, his tail stiffened into a balancing rod held straight out behind him. Both nictating membranes retracted, allowing the single moon overhead to shine more brightly than ever in his reptilian eyes.

“Ssomething iss wrong?” The young AAnn's tone reflected his uncertainty.

“The question first.” Flinx exhaled slowly as he stared hard at the scaly biped. “Have you given any thought to terminating our contact and turning me over to the authorities in expectation of the status it would gain you?”

Kiijeem paused. His four-fingered right hand swayed slowly back and forth, a clear indication of distress. Confused, he could not decide on the proper gesture to employ to express his feelings. He did not need to. Flinx perceived them as clearly as if the youth was writing them down. Taken by surprise and feeling cornered by Flinx's unexpected question, the youngster was struggling to formulate a suitable reply. Finally he looked over at the silent, waiting human.

“Of coursse I have. But I have, demonsstrably, not acted on it.”

An honest answer. It was what Flinx had hoped for. For Kiijeem to have declared that he had never experienced such thoughts would have been for him to deny his very self. The assertion of one lie would have led Flinx to suspect the existence of others. If not completely reassured, he felt that he could at least proceed with a certain degree of confidence that he was hearing the truth. He continued the penetrating line of questioning.

“Have you thought of killing me?”

“Truly.” Kiijeem's tone remained muted, but his emotions were boiling. “How could I not wonder what you would tasste like?”

“I am told by other AAnn with whom I've spoken that the flavor lies somewhere between fresh ilathk and salted cuurconn.”

Finally gaining control of his troubled fingers, Kiijeem hastened to gesture second-degree bewilderment accentuated by third-degree curiosity. “I do not undersstand why you purssue thiss jarring line of quesstioning.”

“I need to be sure of your mind-set regarding me before I tell you what I have to say next.” Glancing out of the corner of his left eye he saw that the seriously overfed Pip was in no condition to come to his aid if the conversation should take an unpleasant turn. He had already lost the support of the Teacher for the time being. Now it appeared that the same was true of his childhood companion as well. However proceedings developed, he was going to have to deal with them on his own.

Well, it wouldn't be the first time.

“I'm going to have to remain here on Blasusarr and in Krrassin for longer than I anticipated.”

Kiijeem relaxed visibly. Sinking lower into his crouch, his tail resumed its normal healthy side-to-side switching. “I feared you were going to ssay that you had to depart. I cannot tell you how deeply I have come to value thesse nocturnal exchangess. I feel that I learn more in a night here than in a teverravak'ss worth of formal daytime sstudiess.”

Flinx was flattered, but that did not alter what he had to tell his enthusiastic and impressionable young host. “I'm glad I've been able to further your education.” With a start he realized, not for the first time, the uncannily perceptive rationale that lay behind the name the Ulru-Ujurrians had given to the ship they had constructed for him.

“But I don't feel that I can stay in this spot much longer. I was almost discovered yesterday.”

“Yess, you sspoke to me of the near encounter.” With hand and tail Kiijeem gestured back through the night in the direction of the residence. “The