“Second point: the longer we sit waiting for an official decision, the more the conspiracy theorists are going to have a run at this, on the island and on the mainland, and even up here among the crew, who ordinarily aren’t disposed to speculate. If you can use your contacts to get a message through, Banichi-ji, I think this is the time to do it.”
Ignorance, ignorance, ignorance. It was widespread—suddenly the most abundant commodity in the universe.
“One will manage,” Banichi said. “Will you compose a message, nandi?”
As if he could come up with a clear, coherent explanation to give Tabini, regarding all the human motives and actions around him, when the last hour hadn’t done it.
But he had to try.
Aiji-ma,
Information has come to light at Ramirez’ death regarding the survival of personnel at the distant station, and agreements the gist of which we now possess. We request your immediate personal assistance. The Mospheiran leaders on the station agree to stand together with myself and lord Geigi. We regard Jase-paidhi as our spokesman and channel of information among the ship-aijiin and have confidence in him.
Regarding these agreements, we are at a critical point of decision and request your personal communication immediately, aiji-ma. I cannot sufficiently stress the urgency of this request.
Your silence has made me question the integrity of the channels through which my messages travel. Please relieve my concern, aiji-ma.
He notified Tano and Algini. They achieved a link through C1 to the big dish down at Mogari-nai.
He sent.
And while he still had a link with that dish, he made a scrambled phone call to his own absentee household within the Bu-javid’s walls.
There he reached an excellent and refined gentleman, Narani’s second cousin, a man who moved very slowly, but who found shepherding a skilled servant staff in a long-vacant, perpetually waiting estate his ideal retirement job.
“Nadi-ji,” he said to this elderly gentleman, “have you noted any unusual circumstances lately in the aiji’s household?”
“No, nandi.” The old man was slow, but he had instincts honed in a very dangerous school. Immediately his tone was all business. “ Shall we take precautions?”
“Rather a small piece of needful intrigue, nadi-ji. Have you been out of the apartment recently?”
“ Not I, nandi, but numerous of the juniors.”
“I wish you personally to carry a message to the aiji’s apartment. Insist to speak to the aiji himself, or to the aiji-consort, or to the chief of security, or to Eidi, in that order, in my name, have you got all that?”
“ Yes, paidhi-ma.”
“Say directly to any of those individuals that I have not received any communications from official channels, nor has lord Geigi. Tell Tabini that I have sent repeatedly and beg him call me immediately to consult on business that absolutely cannot wait. If I don’t hear some response I must send a courier down on the next shuttle, and I’d rather use all my resources here and not expose my staff to hazard—do you have all that, nadi-ji?”
“ Yes, nand’ paidhi.” The good gentleman had never failed him in lesser responsibilities, and was no fool. “ I will go this very instant.”
“I’ll wait on the line.” He had no wish for another of his messages to fall away into silence. And he added, “Be cautious. If your mission can’t be accomplished in safety, come back instead and report the hazard to me immediately. I’ll keep this link open, meanwhile. Put on one of the staff to talk to me.”
“ Yes, nandi!”
Another pebble cast into a pond that thus far showed no ripples. He sat, chatted nicely with a middle-aged servant whose knowledge of the estate was limited to the premises. This involved an inventory of linens and an incursion of worms in the kitchen—dubious flour—while the future of the planet followed an old man’s lengthy trek down the hall, into the lift, down another hall to the aiji’s residence.
“Have you heard any rumors, Dala-ji?” Bren asked the servant. “Any interesting gossip at all?”
Unfortunate question. It involved a bitter, complex intrigue involving the servant staff of lord Tatiseigi and the servant staff of a southern lord, an illicit romance and a threat of invoking the Guild.
It wasn’t what he wanted. But the dramatic recital filled the time, step by step through a disastrous and in fact stupid encounter—an affair between rival staffs had to be potent to convince otherwise rational people to create an absolute imbroglio of rival and irresolvable interests.
“So have they resolved the matter?” he asked.
“ I think they’ll attempt to leave their employ, nand’ paidhi,” Dala said. “ Because their man’chi is confused. But where will they go? Where will these lords that don’t agree allow them to go, since they do know details of the households. Neither will let the other have his servant. Neither will let an ally of the other have his servant. And I don’t think anyone else will wish to employ them with these two lords at odds and not trusting them.”
It wasa royal mess, that was sure, a tragedy for the couple, a disaster for the two lords, who didn’t want to be villains, but who couldn’t have privileged information spread to houses outside the bounds of man’chi: and he was one of a handful on speaking terms with both… one of those cases of a matter chasing up the stream of man’chi until it finally hit someone of ability to absorb it.
Did he want two lust-driven fools on hisstaff?
But at that moment, for good or ill of the fate of the two fools in question, the old man came back, a little out of breath.
“ Paidhi-ma, nandi—” A gasp for breath. “ I delivered my message myself to the aiji’s major domo, who answered that there is no answer at present.”
To Eidi, that was. And Eidi replied that there simply was no answer for him.
Had Eidi delivered the content as he saw it, but not the specific wording?
Had he somehow failed to make himself understood?
He could hardly shout from space, Your conspiracy with the President of Mospheira has come to light, aiji-ma, and the ship-council is in crisis.
Or, Aiji-ma, how am I to do my job when you go past me and keep secrets with unskilled persons?
Am I in disfavor?
It by no means seemed the case when the aiji and the aiji-dowager separately invited him for intimate dinners during his sojourn on the planet.
Nothing made sense to him. Nothing at all.
He signed off with the good gentleman, remembering to say, “Dala-nadi told me a sad story, nadi-ji. It does occur to me that I include the two houses in good relations. If you can tender my offices in mediation, and find a place for two fools, perhaps on the country estate, it would be a good service to both houses.” Meaning he would gain favor with both. That was his recompense for agreeing to support the two fools and make use of their labor. “Surmising that they aren’t of highest clearance, or Guild.”
“ One knows the circumstances the foolish woman gossiped,” the good gentleman said. “ We might solve it. Forgive Dala for bothering you with the matter, paidhi-ji.”