The tail tip was making slow circles again. A sign of the dragon thinking? 'Very well,' Draycos said at last. 'You know that our ships were attacked and destroyed. What you do not know is that we were only an advance team.'
The skin at the back of Jack's neck prickled. 'Advance team for what?' he asked carefully.
'For the K'da and Shontine peoples,' Draycos said. 'Refugees from our war with the Valahgua.'
It took Jack three tries to get any words out. 'Did anyone know about this?' he asked, trying to sound casual. 'I mean, anyone official?'
'In any Orion Arm government, Internes or otherwise?' Uncle Virge added.
'We dealt with representatives of a people called the Chitac Nomads,' Draycos said. 'They assured us that world was not being used, and would be available for purchase.'
'Uh-huh,' Jack muttered under his breath. 'Uncle Virge?'
'I don't know, lad,' the other said hesitantly. 'On official records, Iota Klestis belongs to the Triost Mining Group. Still, they don't seem to have done anything with it for thirty years or more. I'm afraid I'm not up on current land-use law, so I can't tell you when a claim like that lapses.'
'Either way, I doubt the Chitac Nomads had the rights to sell it,' Jack concluded. 'Typical Chitac stunt.'
Draycos had gone rigid, his green eyes shimmering. 'Do you say we were cheated?' he demanded, his voice suddenly an octave lower.
'Easy, easy,' Jack cautioned, holding out a calming hand as he pushed himself further back in his chair. He hadn't yet seen the dragon get really mad, and he didn't want to start in a cramped dayroom. 'The Chitac aren't swindlers, really. They're just a bit... uh...'
'A bit casual concerning matters of law and regulation?' Uncle Virge offered.
'Yeah, that's it,' Jack agreed. 'They probably knew about the planet, knew it wasn't being developed, and figured no one wanted it anymore. I'm sure it was all in good faith.'
'Their faith is of no value to us,' Draycos growled.
'I'm sure something can be worked out,' Uncle Virge assured him hastily. 'Really. Iota Klestis is in human- claimed space, and the Internes government has always had a soft spot for refugees. How many of you are coming?'
Draycos hesitated, then dipped his head slightly. 'Four million K'da and fifteen million Shontine,' he said.
Jack whistled softly. 'That's a lot of refugees.'
Draycos's eyes bored into him. 'No,' he said quietly. 'Not when you consider that there were once a billion K'da and ten billion Shontine.'
'Wait a minute,' Uncle Virge said. 'Are you saying they're all coming?'
'All that remain, yes,' Draycos said. 'Rather than let the Valahgua destroy us, we made the decision to flee from the lands we loved.'
His mouth opened slightly, his sharp teeth glittering in the subdued light. 'The world where my comrades died was to be our new home.'
Jack swallowed hard. No wonder Draycos was scared. 'Except that the Valahgua know they're coming.'
Draycos's tail twitched. 'Yes,' he said. 'And despite our caution, they have somehow learned our precise destination.'
'And now that the advance team has been eliminated?' Uncle Virge asked.
'There is a meeting arranged before the fleet reaches their new home,' Draycos said. 'I do not know the location. If the advance team does not send an escort to meet them, the refugee leaders will know something is wrong.'
An unpleasant chill ran up Jack's back. 'But the Valahgua and their allies have three of your ships now,' he said.
'Yes,' Draycos said quietly, his eyes looking oddly haunted. 'And from the ships, they surely have learned the location of the meeting. They need only mount the Death aboard one of them, and they will be among the refugee ships before the leaders realize their danger.'
He lifted his head up again. 'And almost within sight of the world where they had hoped to find peace, the K'da and Shontine races will be destroyed.'
Jack took a deep breath. 'How long before they get here?'
The dragon's tail twitched. 'Six Earth months.'
For a long minute the dayroom was silent, with only the distant rumbling of the drive in the background. 'Okay, I'm convinced,' Jack said at last. 'As soon as we get to Vagran, we'll go to the Internes liaison office. Someone there can take you to Earth and StarForce headquarters.'
Draycos cocked his head. 'You will not take me yourself?'
Jack frowned. 'I thought you were all hot to get this to someone official,' he said. 'Riding a government or StarForce agent is the fastest way to do that. Trust me.'
'I do trust you,' Draycos said. 'That is the point.'
Jack blinked. 'You've lost me.'
'I trust you, Jack Morgan,' the dragon said. 'You have proven yourself to be a friend and ally. I do not yet trust anyone else in this region of space.'
Jack opened his mouth; closed it again. 'Look, Draycos, I appreciate the vote of confidence,' he said. 'Really I
