RED KNIGHT
a STAR FRONTIERS Novel
by Layne K. Saltern
Someone entered, but it wasn't either of the commodores.
"Katrina. . .ur, Lieutenant Z'ungheure," I stammered, pulling a bathrobe around my shoulders.
"Katrina is fine," she said. Her tone had thawed considerably since the last time I spoke with her.
I realized my robe was inside-out, so I changed it hastily. "I wasn't expecting you."
"Oh, I'm sorry if I caught you at a bad--"
"No." I didn't mean to cut her off. "It's--it's fine. What can I help you with?"
I looked at her directly for the first time. She was wearing a shimmering pink jumpsuit with matching headband and wristbands. The pink brought some nice color out of her dark facial features.
"It's just something routine, Mister Zek'et."
"Kro'khan will do just fine," I said, returning her courtesy.
"Very well, Kro'khan. I need to get some more personal data on the conference attendees. If you could just answer a few questions. . ."
"My pleasure," I said, smiling. "Have a seat."
Her questions were ordinary. At each response she carefully made notes with a hand-held information pad.
"Your place of birth?" This was probably the tenth question.
"Terledrom."
That brought a hint of sparkle to her eyes. She set down her pad. "You're from Terledrom?"
"Yeah." My response showed I didn't think there was anything special about it.
"You've lost the accent," she noted. "But I wondered."
"Well, then, let me guess. You must be from Ken'zah Kit in the Kaken Kar system."
This both surprised and amused her. "How did you know that?"
"It's not difficult. The dark blue exoskeleton. The high cheeks."
She started to smile, but then brought the conversation to an end. "Okay, I'd better be going."
She got up and almost left, but stopped to ask one more thing.
"Kro'khan, can you speak the local Terledrom language?"
The language was rarely used, and even so only among Terledrom natives. Most Terledrom citizens looked down on it as something used only by the uneducated, so I hesitated before answering.
"I've had some exposure to it."
"I don't want to trouble you, but I have some Terledrom poetry that I haven't been able to translate. I was wondering if on your free time. . ."
"I'd be happy to translate it for you."
"I really appreciate that," she said. With that she left the room.
I barely noticed the half hour pass before Commodore Xid'kit came back.
"Commodore," I said, "did Lieutenant Z'ungheure stop you to ask about personal information for her file?"
"No. Why would she do that?"
"Oh, no reason," I said.
After the commodore had returned to his computer terminal, I leaned back, putting my arms behind my head and smiling.