The Legacy of Lehr Read Online Free

stop.”
    Lutobo blinked, taken aback by Mather’s mild yet unmistakably firm reponse, and folded his hands behind his back, drawing himself up straighter.
    â€œI apologize if I spoke a little hastily, Commodore,” he conceded. “However, I’m afraid there’s nothing you can do to make up for the delay. Aside from the fact that we’ve already lost our chance at the new speed record this time out and my crew will forfeit their bonuses, I cannot risk my passengers’ comfort by making extra jumps, or by making scheduled ones too close together. The Gruening Line’s reputation is built even more on passenger safety and comfort than it is on punctuality. My superiors would not support any action that endangered this reputation.”
    Mather spread his hands in a conciliatory gesture. “I understand perfectly, Captain. However, it may be that I can assist your navigation staff to fine-tune a few of your scheduled jumps. It won’t get you your record, but we might at least make up for some of the lost time that way. I—ah—have some acquaintance with the Margall-Seton drive.”
    â€œI appreciate the offer, Commodore, but—wait a minute! You aren’t that Seton, are you?” Lutobo blurted.
    Mather grinned. “No, but my aunt was. Seriously, Captain, I’d like to help, if you’ll let me.”
    â€œWell, maybe we could manage to—”
    But before he could say just what they might be able to manage, he was interrupted by one of the purser’s yeomen, who came hurrying into his line of sight with a look of concern on her usually controlled face.
    â€œCaptain, there’s been a disturbance up on the observation deck.” She glanced over her shoulder, with both men’s eyes automatically following the direction of her glance. “One of the passengers went into some kind of hysterical fit and started making a scene. He managed to get several other passengers upset in the process, and the deck officer had to close the observation level.”
    â€œWhat about the passenger?” Lutobo asked. “Is he all right?”
    â€œThat I couldn’t tell you, sir. It was one of the Aludran pilgrims. You know how private they are. His mate apparently took him in charge and they went back to their cabin, but someone from Medical Section probably ought to check on him. One of the other passengers said the Aludran was screaming something about demons.”
    â€œDemons?” Lutobo said.
    â€œHe probably saw one of my cats,” Mather muttered under his breath. “As I recall, Aludran demons are green rather than blue, but other than that, they do look rather a lot like Lehr cats.”
    Lutobo sighed. “I could have gone all day without hearing that, Commodore.”
    â€œSorry, Captain.”
    Lutobo shook his head wearily and rubbed at the nape of his neck. “Well, we’ll have to continue our conversation at a later time, I suppose. Will you excuse me?”
    â€œOf course, Captain.”
    As Mather turned to go back up the ramp, where two more Rangers were bringing along the next cage, Lutobo followed the yeoman back to the purser’s desk.
    â€œMister Diaz, how many Aludrans do we have aboard, this trip?”
    The purser pushed a last folder onto the pile he had been building and shook his head. “Only five or six, sir. Did you want a list of names?”
    The captain snorted softly under his breath, then shook his head as well. “Never mind. I’ll have Doctor Shannon do it. I was going to stop by Medical Section anyway. This whole morning has given me a splitting headache.”
    â€œSorry to hear that, sir.” The purser raised a hopeful eyebrow. “But if you’re going to Medical Section anyway, would you take these medical records on the new passengers? Doctor Shannon will want to get them integrated into the files as soon as possible.”
    With a shrug and a gesture of