'You'd better go,' Chandra said.
Crimson sat back. She picked up the model bone, clenching her fingers around the shaft. Chandra wondered if Crimson would try to hit her with it. That might be interesting.
But instead, Crimson rose slowly, turned, strode across the rich carpet, stooped down and picked up her shoes, and walked out the door without a backward glance.
When Stephen Thomas reached the entrance of the health center, he hesitated. He did not*want to go into the deserted, silent place.
He wished he could go back to Blades's home, push past the silver slugs, drag the chancellor out, and force him to come here and see what he had done. Did he even care that his sabotage had killed an innocent man?
I liked Blades, Stephen Thomas thought. How could I be so wrong about someone? His aura was clear and bright, transparent and guileless. I thought. I stuck up for him, to everybody, even Satoshi and Victoria. Stephen Thomas remembered the chancellor's welcoming party-
It had been several weeks ago. Victoria had been back on Earth, giving a speech at the Houses of Parliament in British Columbia and meeting with the Canadian premier. Everybody thought she was lucky not to have to go to the party, because most of the faculty believed Blades had been forced on the deep space expedition in order to dismantle it. No one had more evidence than campus gossip, but most people believed it anyway. Stephen Thomas believed it. Gerald Hernminge swore it was not true, which was almost enough in itself to make Stephen Thomas believe it. Satoshi did not take much stock in campus gossip.
Stephen Thomas and Satoshi had to go to the party. It would have been an inexcusable breach of academic etiquette not to. It would have been a direct insult.
Gerald, of course, had indulged his prerogatives as assistant chancellor and hosted the welcome party. He had even gone to the expense of importing decent wine from one of the O'Neill colonies. In a few years, Starfarer's vines might produce a drinkable vintage, but for now the homemade brew was beer.
Stephen Thomas went to the party expecting to despise Chancellor Blades. Satoshi went with an open mind. To his surprise, Stephen Thomas found the new chancellor pleasant and interesting and rather shy. But Satoshi took an instant and uncharacteristic dislike to him. Satoshi got along with everybody. Satoshi even got along with Gerald.
When they went home, late, Stephen Thomas was cheerfully drunk. Even drunk, he noticed Satoshi's irritation. He could hardly miss the angry blue sparks.
They lay together in bed. The moonlight reflected through the open French doors of Satoshi's room. Carnations scented the cool breeze.
'You didn't like the chancellor much,' Stephen Thomas said. 'And you were about the only one who didn't arrive intending to hate him.'
'He's a snob,' Satoshi said. 'He stood off in the corner and watched us like we were experimental animais.' 'Not when he was talking to me, he didn't.'
'He didn't talk to you all evening.' Satoshi stroked Stephen Thomas's hip. 'Just most of it.'
'Is that what bothered you?' Stephen Thomas asked, surprised. 'That you thought he was coming on to me?'
Satoshi smiled. 'He was.'
'Yeah, true, but he wasn't obnoxious about it. He can take no for an answer.'
'If it bothered me every time you got involved with somebody,' Satoshi said, 'I'd be bothered all the time. And if it bothered me every time somebody made a pass at you-I'd be nuts. Why would I pick Blades to get jealous oP'
'How should I know? You won't tell me why you don't like him. So I'm making wild guesses.'
'I wasn't jealous,' Satoshi said. 'But Gerald was.'
'Of the pass?' Stephen Thomas asked, skeptical.
'Of the time he spent with you.'
That made more sense. One of Gerald's duties, a duty he relished, was to squire dignitaries around. He would expect to introduce Starfarer to the new chancellor.
,,Great,' Stephen Thomas said. 'One more reason for Gerald to dislike me.' 'Let's forget about Gerald.'
Satoshi kissed Stephen Thomas's lips, his cheek, his throat, nibbling at the thin gold chain around his neck. The crystal slid along the chain and landed against his collarbone, cool as water. Stephen Thomas pulled Satoshi closer, and rubbed the small of his back with one hand. He loved the way Satoshi's muscles moved beneath his fingers.
'You still didn't tell me why you don't like Blades.'
'I don't know why I don't like him. I just don't. Maybe I don't like his aura.'
'Very funny,' Stephen Thomas said. Satoshi did not believe in auras. 'His aura was just fine.'
'Hmm.' Satoshi kept his voice neutral. He knew
when he had teased Stephen Thomas enough. Neither Satoshi nor Victoria would even try to look for auras.
The blue sparks of anger faded from Satoshi's aura. A gold glow of excitement flashed around him, and scarlet contentment shimmered beyond the gold.
Satoshi pushed Stephen Thomas's hair away from his forehead, caressed his face with both hands, and kissed him again, quickly, then harder. He slid his knee up Stephen Thomas's thigh. Stephen Thomas dragged his fingers down Satoshi's belly and ruffled his dark pubic hair with his fingernails. Satoshi's body was like a furnace, blasting out heat, when he was sexually aroused.
'Blades-'
'I don't want to talk about Chancellor Blades anymore,' Satoshi said. He clenched his teeth and his back arched. He drew in a long, shuddering breath. He laid his hand over Stephen Thomas's, guiding him. Stephen Thomas forgot about everything except his partner's pleasure.
-Now, in the health center, Stephen Thomas closed his eyes and brought himself back to the present. Leaning against the doorjamb, he imagined making love to Feral.
Though they had never had a chance to go to bed together, they had made an immediate connection. It would have happened. And they had been well on the way to a close, solid friendship. Stephen Thomas had imagined their making love, and he had imagined inviting Feral to join the partnership. Satoshi and Victoria liked him. The family needed another member, and Feral fit in well. Someday they all had to stop grieving over Merry.
But what Stephen Thomas had done, by making friends with Feral, was put him in danger.
The health center was warm and pleasant and deserted. All the people injured in Arachne's first crash had recovered and gone home. Only one person was hurt in Arachne's second crash, and the one person was Feral.
Stephen Thomas passed through the deserted rooms. No one was around to ask him what he wanted, or whether he needed help. The mobile health Als had been disabled just like the ASes.
He expected the morgue to be cold, but it was the same temperature as the rest of the health center. When he opened the drawer where Feral lay, chill air washed over him.
He drew back the shroud. Feral stared up at him with dull, open eyes. Dry blood smeared his face and streaked in caked rivulets from his nose.
Blood from his ears matted his curly chestnut hair.
Stephen Thomas stepped back, in grief and despair,
Everybody had too much to worry about when Feral died, Stephen Thomas thought. Too much to do, to think about one dead man, to worry about what death would do to his gentle brown eyes.
And what did I do? I shut down, got on the Chi, and flew away.
Stephen Thomas took a ragged breath and returned to Feral's side. He touched his friend's cold cheek, his forehead; he drew his webbed hand down over Feral's eyes. The stiffness of death had passed from Feral's body, and his eyelids closed easily.
Stephen Thomas got a washcloth and cleaned the dry blood from Feral's skin and hair. Feral's expression was somber, but Stephen Thomas could imagine his full, mobile lips ready to smile. His chestnut hair curled around his face.
Stephen Thomas had been telling himself all along that he only planned to come to the health center and say
