There were a couple of wooden armchairs in front of the desk, upholstered in a rich fabric printed with burgundy and cream-colored stripes. Though none were visible, the room smelled strongly of cashews and something like spiced gumdrops. Erik was reminded of a candy store, and suspected a hidden cache of snack foods somewhere in the desk’s many drawers.
The man ran his fingers through his thinning hair. “Where shall we begin?”
“I suppose I should tell you about the coalition.”
“Oh, I know about your coalition and your proposed agreement. I think most everyone in the capital does. That isn’t your problem.”
“You’re a facilitator. Is that like a lawyer?”
“Not at all. Lawyers deal with existing law. Facilitators deal in the creation and modification of law.” He grinned. “Think of us as midwives.”
“A treaty being just another flavor of law in your mind?”
Kinston smiled. “Exactly. I’m here to advise you, help you through the process of understanding how we do things.”
“Do facilitators, like lawyers, have a rule of client confidentiality under planetary law?”
“Oh, absolutely!”
“Good, then let’s just make this brief. Who do I have to bribe?”
Kinston blinked. “What?”
“Who do I have to bribe to make this happen? I’m authorized to be quite generous, if necessary. There are also other intangibles I can offer. Preferential contracts with the many Sandoval-held companies, for instance.”
Kinston shook his head sadly. “Commander Sandoval, that is not how we do things here. It’s strictly forbidden for any of our officials to take bribes. There’s a death penalty on the books, and it has been enforced in the last decade.”
“Death penalty? For the official or the person making the bribe?”
“Both,” Kinston said dryly. “I wouldn’t advise trying it. You’ll frighten away far more support than you’ll attract, and while getting caught might only get you deported, rather than executed, I wouldn’t count on it.”
“So, what do we do?”
“I’ll approach certain members of Parliament with close ties to the Legate. I’ll let them suggest various changes and alternate wordings of the proposal. We’ll rewrite it in those terms, and you can take it back to the Governor and the Legate.”
“And if the Legate still doesn’t like it, or the Governor doesn’t like the new version?”
“If there’s a split opinion, then it goes back through the Parliament for another vote.”
“I can’t just rewrite it and take it back to the Governor and Legate directly?”
“Again, Commander, that isn’t how things are done. If they then took action on the proposal, it would offend most of the Parliament and cause them no end of political difficulty. If a proposal doesn’t create immediate consensus between them, then it must go through the Parliament.”
“And if they’re split again?”
He shrugged. “We repeat the process.
“That isn’t unusual. A few years ago I worked on the Mogot slurry pipeline proposal, which made the circuit eleven times.”
“And it passed then?”
He looked sheepish. “Well, no, it didn’t, which I’m now convinced is a good thing. Stupid idea, that pipeline.”
“Has anyone ever told you that your system of government is insane?”
He displayed a pleasantly professional smile. “Your uncle, the Duke, actually.”
Erik frowned. “You know my uncle?”
Kinston looked confused. “Why, yes. It was his company that proposed the pipeline. We talked many times before the HPG network failed, and he actually visited once. I assumed that’s why the Governor chose me to send you to.”
“I imagine it probably was, but I had no idea.”
“Well, that is surprising.”
“Then my uncle has intimate knowledge about how your political system works. Or, from our perspective, how it doesn’t.”
Kinston smiled nervously. “I can’t imagine he’s forgotten it. He bent my ear over it more than once, I can tell you!”
Erik crossed his arms over his chest and leaned back in his chair. What had the Duke been thinking? This wasn’t a negotiation, it was political flypaper. The war could be a decade over before he worked his way through this mess.
Was that the idea? Had Aaron simply sent him here to keep him out of the way? Or had he given Erik what he knew was a particularly difficult assignment as a way of testing him, or as an indication of trust? If he legitimately wanted Erik to succeed, why not at least provide him with some useful intelligence on the situation? Why not send him to Kinston or some other facilitator straight away?
Either way, Erik found himself determined to succeed. He would show his uncle what stuff he was made of—that he could be resourceful and cunning on his own. “Very well, Kinston, how can we make this happen? Not ten cycles through the process, but this time?”
“That’s the spirit, Commander! You can’t beat the system. You must join it. That’s what consensus is all about!” He shuffled through papers on his desk, and picked up a computer pad to examine a calendar. He looked back to Erik. “You could just sit back and let me do what you’re hiring me to do, but I wouldn’t recommend it. You need to make your presence known—mingle with the people in power.”
He flipped the pages of a large schedule book that teetered on a corner of the desk. “There’s a party tonight at Senator Prescott’s estate. All the power players will be there.”
“Including you?”
He smiled. “Why, naturally. I’ll introduce you to some of the key people. Some of them you’ve already met, but in such informal surroundings—well, let’s just say it makes a difference.”
Erik was underwhelmed with the prospect. If he hadn’t been so determined to return with an accord he could rub his uncle’s nose in, he would have refused. He liked to party as much as the next person, but he preferred the raucous celebrations of MechWarriors. Stuffy political gatherings were poison—in the bland and “consensual” environment of Shensi, they sounded even worse.
“I’m looking forward to it,” he lied.
“Good, then. I assume you have appropriate attire?”
“I brought my formal uniforms, if that’s what you mean.”
“A nice civilian suit would be less confrontational.”
“I’ll wear my uniform.”
“Very well, then. You may already have received an invitation. It’s hard to imagine that such an illustrious visitor would have been overlooked.”
“It’s possible. I’ve gotten a large number of social invitations since my arrival. My assistant has been handling them.”
“Have them forwarded to me. I’ll let you know which ones are worth attending. As for tonight, I’ll make a call and ensure that you’re on the guest list.
“There is one other matter: Shall I arrange an escort for you?”
“Escort?”
“Yes—a social companion for the evening.” He saw the look on Erik’s face. “Oh, really, Commander! It’s simply a matter of appearances. It’s easier to make a grand entrance with a lovely woman on your arm. I have a list of women with social ambitions—actresses and models, all women of some breeding and sophistication—who would be happy to accompany a young man such as yourself to an event such as this. It would simply be a matter of convenience for both of you.”
Erik frowned. “It wouldn’t be convenient for me,” he said coldly.
“Well, then. If you change your mind, I’ll see what I can do on such short notice. In any case, I’ll make sure the invitation includes a guest. Just in case.”
He left the office feeling dejected and humiliated. It seemed his uncle had sent him on a fool’s errand after all. Despite his determination, his chances of salvaging the situation—at least in time to do any good against House Liao—seemed remote.