Kuei Jen nodded, then, unembarrassed by the breasts that distinguished him from other men, he embraced his brother for the first time. "If s for the best, brother. Really, if s for the best..."
"Gregor?"
Chen sat on the fence, forty ch'i from the hatchery, watching as his old friend stepped from the long, low building, having almost to crouch to get out under the low lintel. Straightening, Karr grinned. That old, familiar grin. "It's good to see you again, Chen." "It's wonderful to see you, Gregor." They stood, facing each other a moment, the afternoon sun shining down on the two old friends. It was almost two hours now since the cruisers had left, and while Gregor and his family had been settling in, Chen had held a meeting of the villagers.
"So what was decided?" Karr asked. "Oh, you can stay. Provided you keep to quarters the next three days. I hope you don't mind, Gregor, but I've posted guards. For their peace of mind . . ."
Karr smiled and nodded. "I understand. Three days, eh?" He scratched his chin and looked about him at the huge open fields that stretched away on every side. "You wouldn't have any playing cards, would you, Chen?"
Chen laughed. "I'll send Jyan over with some. But tell me, what's happening in there. I mean, why are you here? I've been trying to work that one out ever since I first saw you."
Karr shrugged, then looked away, a momentary bleakness in his eyes. "It's gone, Kao Chen. All of it. The government is in ruins. The people . . . well, what people there are left... are in shock. The generals wanted me to take over ... to become Emperor in Li Yuan's place."
"Emperor?' Chen stared at him, astonished. Karr laughed quietly. "Yes. Me." He shook his head. "But 1 wanted to see you. Wanted to talk to you first." Chen stared back at him, puzzled. "Why?" Karr met his eyes. "Because you got out. Because . .. well, because you are the last honest man I know, Kao Chen, and I value your opinion."
Chen whistled. "Things are that bad, eh?" Both men laughed. Then Karr spoke again. "It strikes me I have three options."
"Three?"
Karr nodded. "One, I go back and become Emperor. I take charge and try to make the best of a very bad job."
"And two?"
"I stay here. In retirement, if you'd like to call it that. My friends in Security promise they'll protect this place if I do. Providing I give them guarantees."
Chen frowned, not liking the sound of that. "And the final option?"
"We join Ward, on Ganymede. Leave the System and seek our fortune elsewhere."
"Like where?"
Karr laughed. "You haven't heard, Kao Chen?"
Chen put out his arms and shrugged. "We hear little out here. Look about you, Gregor. Fields. Everywhere you look, fields. What do we know of the great world's events?"
"Then listen. Kim Ward has built a great fleet of starships, among them the New Hope."
"The ship you blew up that time?"
Karr nodded. "The same, but better. Not only that, but he plans to take four of Jupiter's moons with him on his journey. Four fleets, sailing to four different stars."
Chen stared, then shook his head. "Now I know you must be ill, Gregor Karr. Moons? He's taking moons?"
Karr nodded. "And he's offered us a place. At least, Jelka has. You too, if you want to come."
Chen frowned. "But why should I come? What's there that we haven't got here?"
"A future." Karr looked down. "Ifs ended here, Chen. Right now it might not seem like it, but things have broken down irrevocably. One day soon - not now but months from now -the sickness will get to you. Or a raiding party will succeed. Something, anyway. And then if 11 all be gone." Karr sighed heavily. "You're living on a sandbank here, old friend, and the tide is coming in."
"So you say . . ."
"So I know." Karr pressed his hands together. "How many of you are there here?"
"Villagers?"
"Yes. How many, all included?"
Chen shrugged and thought, then. "One hundred and fifty.
One eighty at most."
"Then we can do it. I'll send a message through to Ward. We could arrange a rendezvous four days from now. We could be off planet by . . ."
Chen raised his hands. "Now hold on ... What you're talking about . . ." He swallowed. "Well, it is not a decision to be made in an instant. To leave here. To leave Chung Kuo. To go.. ." He laughed, then shook his head, incredulous. "Are you serious, Gregor? Moons? He's taking moons?"
Karr nodded and grinned. "And the New Hope, Kao Chen. Don't forget the New Hope!
They set up trestle tables in the main yard of the Mansion and, as the golden-eyed survivors slowly gathered, adding to those who had followed the cart home, so the long benches filled up. Though they ate ravenously, there was a strange, almost eerie silence at the tables. Where once small talk had been enough for such an occasion, now there were no words for ordinary things, for nothing was ordinary any longer. Those who had come through had found themselves profoundly changed and exhibited a curious aversion to speech - those, that was, who had not discovered themselves mad or driven suicidal from grief.
Emily and the boys went among them, filling and refilling their earthenware bowls, while Michael stood on his balcony above, looking on. He had no family now but her; no friends, either, now that the plague had done its worst. Even his old friend and personal assistant, Dan Johnson, had been taken by it. So many good people gone. So much misery. He shivered, then turned, hearing a noise in the rooms behind him. Stepping across to the open doorway, he drew the curtain back and looked inside.
The man stood there silently beside his bed, staring at the book he'd picked up from the bedside table. Then, setting the book back, he turned and walked across, opening one of the sliding doors to the wall-length wardrobe and looking inside. Michael stared, astonished, then stepped inside. "Excuse me . . ."
The man turned, his golden eyes fixing on Michael's. For a moment or two he stared at him, then he turned back, beginning to flick through the silken pau hanging on the rail.
"I said, excuse me," Michael said, a note of anger in his voice now, "but what the hell are you doing in my room?"
The man ignored him. He went on looking through the gowns as if Michael were not there.
Michael strode across and pulled the man round, pushing his own face into the stranger's, shouting at him angrily. "I think you'd better leave, before I throw you out." The man reached up and, gently, unfussily, removed Michael's hand from his shoulder, then turned back, reaching out to take one of the pau.
Michael grabbed him, shoved him back against the wall. "MichaeP"
He stepped back as Emily quickly crossed the room. Moving past Michael, she took an armful of the silken gowns and, handing them to the man, gently ushered him from the room. Closing the door, she turned and looked to Michael.
"The nerve!" Michael said, shaking his head, his anger unassuaged. "The fucking nerve of these people! You feed them and they think suddenly they own you! Yes, and everything you've worked for!" "Michael?"
"Well, can you believe that? Bold as fucking brass! Like I wasn't even there!" "Michael?"
He looked to her. "What?" "Listen to yourself. Listen a moment, then think." "Think?"
She nodded. "About what's happened to our world. About what you saw today. Haven't you realised yet?" "Realised?"
"It's over, Michael. The days of owning things have ended. We must learn now how to share all we own."
"Share..." He laughed bitterly, then turned away from her, his whole body tense. "That's easy for you to say. You had nothing!"
For a moment she was silent, then. "If that's how you feel."
"How I feel?" He turned, meaning to continue the argument, then saw the disappointment in her face.