He disliked dissecting Jase’s private feelings. He truly disliked it. But he tried to be clinical, for the information of the one man—and the woman—who most needed to understand how well Jase had actually performed: Jase had occasionally upset the serving staff, who had witnessed prior explosions and must wonder what was the difference in the paidhi they knew and the one who came from the ship.
But staff storms settled, once staff was reassured that it was not their fault. Even in that, Jase was doing a very good job. Atevi had never seen the temper-storms even the most well-trained paidhi-candidates threw when language-deprivation set in, back in the university on Mospheira; and they didn’t see it in Jase—Jase’s were mere verbal explosions, restrained perhaps because of Jase’s own upbringing, or because the atevi world around him was so very quiet and void of anger.
But he did hope that Tabini’s good opinion would affect Damiri’s, and that Damiri’s would in turn become the staff’s judgment of Jason Graham. It would certainly make life easier in this apartment. He hoped, too, that it might ease the strain on Jase if he could, through Damiri, encourage the staff to understanding. He knew that information flowed in and out by the servants. And one wanted a good reputation.
Aiji-ma, I should add that he had exhausted himself in study to please me and to meet my schedule, unknowing to what extent news about to fall on him would challenge his self-control.
I should advise you of the normal course of human reaction to such a loss—first to think about past time and missed opportunities regarding his relative. In such a time the future has no map for him; his present is full of responsibilities to relatives which, in his situation, he cannot satisfy. Frustration may well manifest, which may lead to anger with himself or with me, or even with the dead. But this anger will in no wise threaten harm to me or to the staff…
God save us if he threatens the premises, he thought. He had only to look up and about him to see the contents of a veritable museum, the possession and the heritage of the Atageini clan, one of the most critical and dangerous alliances Tabini had forged, expressed in needlepoint draperies, in priceless carvings and fragile porcelain, in carpets which servants cleaned on hands and knees with dust-cloths.
He wishes to visit familiar places. He does not believe in ghosts and he does not believe in their intervention as far as I understand his religious opinions. He is brave and strong-minded or he would not have come down here. I request and hope for answers to my inquiries so that I can provide him some measure of assurance and rapid contact with his mother and other relatives on the ship. I will monitor such conversations and be sure of the content of messages passed.
I stand ready to report to you far better news regarding progress on the ship. Lord Geigi, who treated me as a very honored guest, and the manager of Patinandi in his district have shown me very encouraging progress; and likewise the laboratory at Gioli is making progress on the design of the engines and likewise on the test site. I have some concerns on the recent change of management at Ladisiri.
That was the computer design. The Determinists and the Absolutists were all but going at each other with knives, and the two most talented designers had been literally having tea with each other as two of their aides met in the hall in a set-to that other aides had had to break up by main force.
I have personnel recommendations which may separate and isolate members of the development teams at two sites rather than having discordant persons within the same facility. I do suggest that you assign persons to look into the issues involved, which are beyond my grasp, but which seem bitter and divisive and which are not, by advisements I have received, following the design specifications.
Freely translated, intervene in Ladisiri, aiji-ma, before someone gets killed.
And considering the province was dualistic in philosophy, with no felicitous third, the aiji might threaten to move the research to a rival institution. Thatmight get the attention of the two staffs. Certainly the two senior directors were oblivious to the quarrels, being lost in a probably productive debate on a design that, God save them, might be useful in advanced theory but was not going to fly on this ship.
I also urge, aiji-ma, that the needs of the aeronautical engineers should have precedence over further theoretical research at this time.
I consider this a matter of great delicacy and great urgency, which I shall manage according to your orders or leave to more tactful persons at your discretion.
It was the one truly unmanageable problem they had with the project, give or take a few operational difficulties which were not at that level. This one—the aiji might have to straighten out by calling in the lord of the province and having an urgent discussion with him.
He was, however, finished with letters. He rolled the missive, slipped it into his message cylinder, and sealed it.
And chose to get up and walk the darkened hall to the lighted foyer and security station at the other end of that hall in search of a messenger rather than calling staff to carry it to security. He had no desire to have them disturb Tabini’s evening with it, and he could advise the junior staff to advise Tabini’s staff to that effect. As much as anything, he wanted to see whether the light was showing from under Jase‘’sdoor, to know whether Jase was asleep or awake, and by that—
Well, he didn’t know, entirely, but he wanted to know Jase’s state of mind, whether he was still awake, which might indicate he was still debating matters with himself; and that might indicate he shouldtry to speak to him.
He’d looked in that direction, seeing no light. He looked where he was going and found a towering pair of shadows between himself and the distant foyer light, one very broad-shouldered and notthe willowy silhouette of one of his staff.
He spun and ran for his lighted bedroom and slammed his door. And shot the bolt.
And kept himself from standing in front of the door in doing so. He had a gun. He had it in the bureau drawer. He wasn’t supposed to have it. Surely staff had heard the disturbance. If they were alive.
Came a footstep on the carpet outside. A gentle tap.
“Bren-ji?”
A deep and resonant voice. A familiar voice.
“ Banichi?”
“One is impressed with all your actions, Bren-ji. If you have the gun in hand, kindly put it back in the drawer.”
He had no doubt then it was Banichi. And the other would be Jago.
“Have you been well, nadi?”
“My life has been dull and commonplace.” He said it as a joke, while his heart resumed a normal rate. He thought in the next breath it was true. He was firmly convinced that the day’s events in the peninsula and Banichi’s return weren’t without relationship. And here they were, back with him, and just in shooting the bolt back to let them in he found his hands trembling.
He wanted so much to throw his arms around both of them.
But that would appall Banichi and Jago would be puzzled, and the most wonderful sight in the world to him was as he looked up—considerably—at two atevi in the silver-studded black of the aiji’s personal security.
“One hadn’t meant to alarm the house,” Jago said earnestly.
“Although it would have been better for you to call out an alarm,” Banichi added, “since you were behind the wall—not, one trusts, against the paneled door, paidhi-ji.”
Light had come on in the hall. Servants arrived in nightclothes and robes from the rear halls, along with Algini and a couple of the junior security staff from the other direction in far calmer, knew-about-it attitude. Tano arrived from the same direction as the recently sleeping servants, in a bath towel and carrying his pistoclass="underline" Tano hadn’tknown.