Kif Strike Back Read Online Free PDF Page A

took the APs from their clip-holsters, took the safeties off and sent cartridges to the chambers. "We're set. Open us up."
     
    The hatch hissed open. They herded in and stopped, facing the outer door. "Seal us out and let's go," Pyanfar said.
     
    The way behind them closed; the facing hatch shot open on an empty accessway, a yellow-lighted passage, icy cold.
     
    Pyanfar dashed to the last point of cover where the accessway bent; Tirun took the other side with her rifle and the two of them came round the bend together, with three more guns aimed past their backs.
     
    No kif. Empty passage. Pyanfar jogged soft-footed as far as the debouchment, where the yellow access tube gave over to descending rampway, a slope of interlocked gratings leading down to the pressure gates, and down again, a long exposed walk to the dock. People down there. Crowd-noise. A knot of about forty civilian mahendo'sat waited at the bottom of that long ramp, with a handful of mahen guards, dark, tall, primate: black-furred and one conspicuous tasunno, brown. And, gods, an anomaly in the midst of the crowd, a white-skinned stsho in drifting rainbow gossamer. The crowd surged forward with a gibbering outcry at the sight of them.
     
    "Smell it?" Haral muttered, at her side.
     
    Ammonia: kif scent. The dilapidated dockside was in twirl light, and a hundred doorways showed on the anti-dockward side, any one of which might hold a sniper; if the wind had! not been up her back before, that smell would have sent it.
     
    She headed down in haste, a quick thunder of steps on the; old-fashioned steel rampway, Haral at her side. The mahendo'sat below shouted and pushed and shoved among themselves, attempting the ramp while the guards struggled to-hold the line.
     
    One passed, came striding forward right onto the foot of the ramp as they came down to it. "You crazy, crazy!"   The official-looking mahe waved her hands as they came face to face; her howl rose louder than the rest, even the stsho's agitated warble.   "You go back 'board, we negotiate this trouble, not bring guns this dock! You keep back our line, let our guard do, hani captain! Hear? Go back you ship! We arrange talk; come, go between talk, you, kif hakkikt!   No go down, hear! We got accommodations-we fix-"
     
    They had it down smooth, she and Haral: she could deal with the mahe knowing her second in command was watching the crowd; and Geran and Tirun would be watching left and right, with the known space of the ramp at their backs. God knew where Khym's attention was. She ignored the waving hands, the attempt to catch her arm, and brushed the officer aside. "Come on," she said to her crew, and left the ramp, parallel to the line of guards who had their hands full with agitated dignitaries.
     
    "You no go!" the mahe cried, trying to get in front of her again. The black face contorted in anguish. "No go!"
     
    Pyanfar shoved with the rifle, sideways-held, which drew a collective gasp from the crowd. "Private business," she said. "Get your people out of the way, I'm telling you-Go! Get! Get cover!"
     
    "Not bring guns! Go, go you ship, not do, not do!"
     
    And from the stsho, who eluded the guards to rush, up and wave white arms in her face: "You break Compact law. Complaint, we make complaint this barbarous behavior-We witness-"
     
    "Move it!"
     
    A second shove. The stsho recoiled in a wild motion of gtst spindly limbs, retreating in a flood of gtst gossamer robes and a warble of stsho language, headed full-tilt away from the scene. "Ni shoss, ni shoss, knthi mnosith hos!-"
     
    "Maheinsi tosha nai mas!" the mahe cried; and mahendo'sat guards turned from crowd-control to facing hani rifles with their riot-sticks, as the mob discovered they were not at all interested in getting closer. There was a low sound of dismay und the docks grew astoundingly quiet.
     
    "Move them," Pyanfar said, gesturing with rifle barrel still averted from the mahen official. "Hasano-ma. Authorization from your