Kralik's eyes narrowed, but he was able to suppress any other reaction. The Subcommandant did not seem to realize other Jao did not want humans on their personal staff, that the idea would no more occur to them than it would occur to a human to hire a chicken as an accountant. These Pluthrak were indeed horses of a different color. "Yes, sir, I'll see to it immediately."
Caitlin Stockwell would probably have to take that overbearing Jao bodyguard along with her, he thought, mentally calculating the number of seats he needed to reserve. And maybe the professor who had appeared to be her traveling companion, perhaps even a chaperone of sorts. He wrote out an official order, then summoned Hawkins to drive over to the palace and fetch the Stockwell woman and her entourage. With any luck, they could lift in less than two hours.
* * *
Aille had just settled into a private compartment aboard the suborbital transport when Kralik looked in.
"Subcommandant?" he said, then fell silent.
Aille read hesitation in the human's downward gaze, underlain by . . . dread? "What is it?" he asked patiently.
"Miss Stockwell won't be joining us."
Tully dropped into an oversized seat meant for Jao, dwarfed by its proportions like a child. Aguilera sat in the one next to him.
Aille let question seep into the lay of his ears. Kralik's manner hinted he had more information to impart.
"She—" Kralik entered, his steps seeming reluctant. "It seems Miss Stockwell has gone on ahead to Oregon with Governor Oppuk. I imagine we'll be seeing her when we reach the coast, unless the Governor has other plans."
"Has the Governor added her to his service then?" If so, Aille thought, he could hardly be surprised.
"I don't know, sir," Kralik said.
"It does not matter," Aille said, reaching for his personal board in order to make a few notes. "Either she will be there or she will not."
"Yes, sir." Kralik straightened. "Entirely right."
The human was clearly reading some subtext into this situation that Aille could not perceive. He debated whether he should quiz Kralik on it, then decided against it. Not in front of Tully, who had been so disrespectful this morning that another incident might induce Yaut to put him down, then seek permission retroactively.
And, if he hadn't suspected that was exactly what Tully wanted, he might have been tempted to render approval beforehand. Tully could be . . . wearisome.
The door opened again and a black-haired human female glanced in. "We'll be taking off in five minutes, sir," she said. "I just wanted to be sure everyone was buckled in."
Sturdy and broad-shouldered, she reminded him a bit of his Pluthrak dam, who served on faraway reconnaissance so that he had only seen her thrice so far in his entire life. "You are the pilot?" he said.
"Yes, sir." She met his gaze without flinching, as many humans did. "Is there anything you want before we lift?"
"I wish to come forward and observe," Aille said. "I have worked hard to develop my own piloting skills, but have never had an opportunity to fly this sort of a ship."
"I'm afraid there's no room forward for observers," she said, the muscles in her face tightening. "If you could sit second, though, I . . . well, I could maybe give you the copilot's seat."
He noted the sudden whiteness of her knuckles as she gripped the doorframe, her thinned lips. Most likely, she thought it would endanger the ship to have an inexperienced backup, but for some reason was reluctant to say so.
"Not this time, then," he said, "But I would like to sit second on a training flight at some point. An experienced officer should know the strengths and limitations of all the vehicles under his command."
"Yes, sir. I'll let you know the next time a training flight is scheduled." She closed the door and Aille could hear the clank of the outer hatch.
He looked at Tully and Aguilera. "I did not fully understand that exchange. She clearly did not want me to sit second, so why then did she hesitate to express her true opinion?"
Aguilera looked uncomfortable. "You put her on the spot, sir. She was afraid to say no."
"It was her duty to refuse, then," Yaut said. "By hesitating, she endangered the ship."
Tully punched the back of the seat in front of him. "Don't you get it? No one on this world tells a Jao he can't have or do something. It's not good for your health!"
Yaut raised his hand, about to cuff him. But Aille, moving still more quickly, restrained him.
There was something . . .
Could it be that this was not simply sullenness and disrespect?