Power Play - Anne McCaffrey [111]
“Ah, and how is the good Colonel Maddock?”
Louchard paused to indulge in a deep and nasty chuckle. “As you wished, her days are numbered. As to those associates of yours from the Asian Esoteric and Exotic Company—were you aware that they have denuded vast areas of resources that should be used for her ransom? Really, Dr. Luzon, that was not well done. Tsck, tsck. I am not at all pleased to learn that you enticed other companies and individuals to move in where I believed I had been guaranteed a monopoly on such resources, poor and insufficient as they appear to be.” Louchard chidingly waggled lateral tentacles. “Not the way to play the game with Captain Louchard, I assure you.”
“My dear Captain, I implied nothing. Your dealings, I believe, were with Captain Fiske. Any disparity in what you were promised and what you eventually obtain should be discussed with him.”
“You will not attempt to confuse the issue, Luzon. I have spoken to Fiske. He says you encouraged him to employ me to—entertain—Colonel Maddock and Madame Algemeine, misleading both him and myself as to their actual value in order to indulge a personal grudge.”
“I deny that. There was never any personal feeling of animosity on my part toward either lady, despite the physical and professional injuries they caused me. I have simply been using rather unorthodox contacts to force an issue on which I feel the company has prematurely relinquished its rights. You understand, dear captain, that the harvesters from the Asian Esoteric and Exotic Company, the shuttle service, and other fruits of the publicity I have arranged for Terraform B have simply been in the nature of covering my bets, you might say, in case you failed, as you obviously have.”
“That’s a double cross in my book, Luzon. I’m going to have to dispose of my passengers.”
No more interfering Algemeine? No more self-righteous Yanaba Maddock? Matthew couldn’t conceal his smile as he said, “You must do as you see fit, Captain.”
Ending the transmission, Yana switched off the shuttle’s comm unit and the holo image of Louchard. Sean had stationed himself with the other witnesses beyond the viewfield of the screen and now stepped forward. He put his hand on her shoulder, then leaned down to gently kiss her cheek. Marmion Algemeine and Farringer Ball, only just graduated from the hoverchair, looked extremely grim. Even Dr. von Clough appeared vastly upset.
Whittaker Fiske, whom Johnny Greene had summoned from the Intergal Station to witness the transmission, was terribly shaken. Clodagh, uncomfortable in the shuttle’s space-conserving seat, sat between Whit and Farringer Ball. She handed Whit a square of cloth, and he mopped his eyes and blew his nose before speaking in a choked voice.
“I knew Torkel was wrongheaded about Petaybee and had a grudge against Yana, but I would never have believed this of him if I hadn’t heard it for myself.” He turned tormented eyes to Clodagh. “I wish the planet had done to him what it did to those pirates and Metaxos before he debased himself in this fashion. Deliberately contacting a pirate to abduct all of you!” Whittaker shook his head, unable to look the victims in the eye as he waved at the empty comm screen.
Clodagh patted his hand. “Your son’s been a grown man for years, Whit. You can only raise ’em, not straitjacket them. As far as his initiation to Petaybee, Sean and I shielded you both then, because we didn’t want you to be blasted like those others. We were wrong, I guess, but we knew you were offworlders and you didn’t understand. We wanted you to have as gentle a conversation as possible so you’d understand how it could be. We didn’t want you, or him, to get culled. We should have just let Petaybee sort him out.”
“I guess so,” Whit said. “Though that should have been my responsibility. I should have called Torkel on some of his earlier escapades. If he hadn’t got away with them, he’d never have tried something of this magnitude. But I felt there was good stuff in the boy. I never thought . . .” He sighed, resigned, his normal ebullience dead.
The others were