Power Play - Anne McCaffrey [7]
“No, their bracelets should be adequate. As I’m sure you noticed, Bunny’s unsettled enough about venturing forth. I don’t want to upset her further. She’s naturally shrewd anyway, and what she doesn’t know about human nature, Diego knows about spacefaring ways.”
“This trip will do her understanding of the galaxy a world of good,” Yana remarked, and when Marmion gave her a startled look and started to laugh at her choice of words, she joined in. “Where’s the galley on this boat? You’d think the way I eat, I hadn’t seen food since Breakup!”
“You go with Sally to see your wardrobe, and I’ll just fix a little something to tide you over to dinnertime,” Marmion said.
“You? Cook?” Yana asked in surprise.
Marmion smiled a trifle archly. “Actually I’m rather good, aren’t I, Sally?” And when her aide nodded affirmatively, the elegant diplomat added, “But I only do it for very special people.”
“So you get to bear-lead me, huh, Sally?” Yana commented as she followed Sally to her cabin.
They passed the one assigned to Diego and Bunny and heard the spirited discussion within.
“And people wear things like this? I’d freeze!”
“You’re not going to be on Petaybee, and it’s a great color for you, gatita.”
“Well, I dunno about the way it clings . . .”
“Trust me,” Diego said, “it’s terrific.”
Yana grinned to Sally as they passed.
The selections made for Yana quite took her breath away. She’d never had many occasions to dress up, and the extent of the apparel displayed for her approval ranged from severely tailored to rich formal attire.
“Whenever would I wear something like this?” she asked Sally, holding out a gore of the garnet, synthi-silk full skirt, even as she was mentally trying it on. Then she noticed the decorations—copying Petaybean designs—on the neck and sleeve bands.
“There will be one or two formal occasions when you’ll need to be extra elegant,” Sally said, taking another fold and holding it up to Yana’s face. “Yes, I thought this would be a good color for you.”
“I’ve never had anything so . . . so soft and . . .” Yana couldn’t resist stroking the fine fabric against her cheek.
“Feminine?” Sally asked. “About time then.” Then she went to the more tailored semi-uniform garments. “You’ll have more use of these.”
“Oh . . .” Yana’s wondering fingers caught at the Petaybean designs discreetly worked into the pocket flaps.
“Marmion was so taken with the Petaybean designs when we first arrived on the planet that we asked Aisling to do us some treatments. Subtle but noticeable, and definitely smart. That woman has an excellent clothes sense. Too bad it’s been limited to rabbit skins and handwovens—not that,” Sally hastily put in, “those haven’t been handsome fabrics. Just more . . . ah . . . practical than you’d need onstation.”
“Which are we going to, by the way? Marmion didn’t say.”
“Oh,” Sally said, tossing out this bombshell as nonchalantly as she could, “Gal Three, of course.”
Yana gulped and her mind raced from one consideration to another: Gal Three was the largest of the Space Cities, certainly in this sector of inhabited space, the headquarters of half a dozen of the more massive and prominent diversified enterprises, as well as CIS, Gal-legal, Gal-naval, and other galactic agencies. It was immense and was constantly updating its facilities with state-of-the-art technologies. Bunny would be totally overwhelmed, and Yana understood why Marmion was going to such lengths to dress them—clothes could give one confidence, just as uniforms could bestow anonymity at times—and why they would need hidden alert devices and “assistants.” Yana hoped that Diego knew something about Gal Three—at least its reputation.
“Baptism into civilization by total immersion?” she quipped at Sally to cover her uneasiness.
“Bunny will be well protected, Yana.” Sally was deadly serious.
“Then who’ve you got riding herd on her?”
“Riding herd? Oh, yes. Good term.” Sally grinned. “Marmion has roped a pair of her young relatives—not too young, though, and very knowledgeable—to help out. And a very competent