There was a slight pause. Possibly command hadn’t known rumors were flying. He had the impression that, wherever Jase was, he had just stopped dead in his tracks.
“Is the rumor true, Jase?”
“ Bren—” A short pause. Desperation in the tone. “ Bren, I can’t talk about this here.”
He lapsed straight into Ragi. “You’d better know it’s not secret. It’s being talked about among the workers. My staff knows. It’s being reported on the planet.”
“ Thecrew doesn’t know, Bren. We don’t know. Don’t let it out.”
“It is out. I understand what you’re telling me…” That… God, the crew had not a clue and the captains had lied to them. That possibly Jase had had no clue either, and that was why Ramirez had told him: he could believe that Jase was innocent. “Is that the truth, Jase-ji?”
“ He said so,” Jase admitted. “ I was afraid the techs had heard.”
“I don’t know if a tech heard, but a worker in for treatment overheard. It leaked to the Mospheirans, Jase, and there’s no stopping it.”
“ I can’t say more than I have right now. Bren, I’m asking you, don’t call Tabini yet.”
“I haveto call Tabini. Every Mospheiran with a phone link, every corporate officer and the communications techs—they’ve already been talking. If you don’t want a bigger crisis than we already have at this point, Jase, don’t cut me off from Tabini. If merchants know it on the North Shore waterfront, damned sureI’d better advise the aiji very soon that we have a problem.”
“ Bren, I can’t say— I don’t know— I think Ogun has something to say about this. I have to get to the meeting. Wait. I ask you. Wait.”
All over the station-ship hookup, communications that shouldn’t get out of a security folder were flying back and forth like mad. “Jase, you know where my loyalties are. Tabini ignorant is far more dangerous than Tabini informed.” Jase, damn it all, hadn’t given an official order in all the years he’d warmed that fourth seat. And didn’t want to start now. “You were fourth seat and maybe it didn’t matter. But now you’re third. Like it or not, somebody who knows had better make a decision. You keep channels open for me to Mogari-nai. You know Tabini. You know the consequences, dammit, if he should be surprised, especially now, especially now, with critical meetings going on. You know that.”
“ I know. I know. I’ll hold your channel open. I can do that. But that’s all I can do— I can’t go rushing around giving orders right now, I can’t, under these circumstances. Tabini misinformed isn’t damned good either, Bren, is it?”
“Somebody in command knows the truth. Somebody in ship-command damned well betterknow, Jase, and—hear me on this—there had better not be any surprises.”
“ There won’t be. Bren. Trust me. We’re about to address the crew on intercom. Get everybody out of the corridors. Secure all stations. We’re asking the same of crew. Wait for Ogun. That’s all I ask. One favor. Communication silence until then. One favor. Please.”
“You know what you’re dealing with. You know. We’re secure out there as we’re likely to be. But don’t lie. Absolute truth to these people. They deserve it. Once in several centuries, they deserve it. Hear me?”
A small pause. There was desperation on the other end of the link. “ I didn’t know, Bren. I didn’t know. Crew didn’t know. I’m not even sure Sabin knew. Now I think we’re going to find out. Be patient. I’ll talk to you tonight.”
Historically, it wasn’t only the colonists the Pilots’ Guild had lied to, and lied to habitually, as if the truth was the automatic last recourse of any situation, the one commodity always to be kept in reserve.
“Tonight,” Bren said. He at least believed Jase—whose mangled Ragi had contained half a dozen egregious and inflammatory mistakes. He filled in the blanks, filled them in with knowledge of Jase, where nothing else would serve.
And Jase punched out to go to his meeting.
He sank back in the chair, dumbfounded—speechless for the moment.
We’re going to find out, Jase said.
Hell, Jase, worse for the crew this time than for Mospheirans. They set up the station out there. Wasn’t it their ancestors who crewed it?
And assuringus the aliens couldn’t have gotten any clue to let them track the origin of that station back to this star— oh, well, again, just a little cosmetic exaggeration. Don’t worry. It’s notthat likely.
Likely they won’t come here and blow the planet up.
Bloody hell, what excuse isPhoenix command going to tell us all this time, Jase?
He couldn’t let the distress reach his face—first lesson of diplomacy among atevi: never look upset. He looked at the ceiling a moment, away into white-tiled space, drew a deep breath, then faced solemn atevi stares with as much calm as he could muster.
“Well, Jase and I have had a lively discussion. As you heard.”
“One heard,” Banichi said.
“Jase says the captains will soon address the crew, nadiin-ji. Jase says he didn’t already know what Ramirez is alleged to have told him, so I suppose if we’re patient we may hear at least as much truth as the other captains have to admit. I’m notpleased, I may say, and I’m doubtful how much truth we may yet hear. Jase says we’ll have Mogari-nai available.”
“What measures shall we take?” Banichi asked him—Banichi had to ask, in matters involving humans. On the planet, among atevi, Banichi was inclined to know.
This one, unhappily, was up to the paidhi to figure out.
But once lied to— wheredid people start believing again?
“One wishes one knew, Banichi-ji. One waits to see what issaid, one supposes, and then one tries to determine whether we’ve now returned to the truth… or whether there’s only a new lie.”
“Does this entail a quarrel among the human associations?”
“One isn’t sure where the lines are,” he said. “One isn’t sure whose side certain individuals may be supporting.”
“The ship being refueled,” Algini said, “they can choose to leave.”
It wasn’t the first time his staff had raised that point. The last time had been in deep concern when Tabini had agreed to the refueling in the first place.
“There would seem to be very little we can do about it,” Bren said.
“We have studied the matter,” Banichi said, “and there might be something we can do about it, if we take certain key points within the ship.”
Why was he not surprised his staff, independently and quietly, had come up with a theory of how to do it?
And he had to decide, quickly, whether to let them try.
But what was next on Ramirez’ agenda? Or what might Ramirez have known? What might be coming in?
Dared they risk damage to the only ship they had—when they couldn’t, themselves, operate it?
“We know more than we did, nadiin-ji, but we don’t know what Ramirez knew. Before we make such a move, I hope I have time to talk to Jase. And I hope Jase comes to visit us with answers.”