" Sellthem?"
"Sell out. A Mosphei' proverb. One sells melons in a market. That's proper. But one doesn't sell one's duty to people who aren't qualified to have it."
"Sell one's duty. A curious notion."
"I said — for us it's not biological. Because it isn't, it can be sold, aiji-ma, for money, for other considerations. But good humans will neversell it."
"What then do they do with it?"
"They give it away, very much — but not quite — as atevi do."
"These not-quites are the very devil."
"They always are, aiji-ma."
"Indeed." Tabini set aside his empty cup and rested his chin on his fist. "Indeed. For this very reason I demanded you back, Bren-ji. You are a treasure. And yet you want me not to shoot Deana Hanks. Why?"
Pale, pale and oh-so-sober eyes. Tabini was calling him a fool, by atevi lights. And asking an honest question. There was everything at risk. And it was time to take the debate aside.
"Well, for one thing, Tabini-ma, — it would make one hell of a mess with the State Department."
Tabini gave one of his rare, silent laughs. "Don't divert me, clever man. You've given me nightmares of death rays. Let me spoil yoursleep. Grandmother is in residence."
"God, I'd have thought she'd want to get straight home."
"Oh, this is home, Bren-ji. As much homeas Malguri, at least in title."
"Is the situation in Malguri Province then quiet, aiji-ma?"
"If you mean have my forces stopped the gunfire, yes. If you mean have all the rebels come around to my way of thinking, and is there absolutely no likelihood that certain folk both noble and common would gladly assassinate you and me with one bullet, I fear the answer is no. Doubtless my grandmother will want to talk to you. Bear in mind her associations with the rebels. You have such a generous, unsuspicious nature."
"I'll remember that."
"Beware of her. I tell you, there are far too many people in the world who would wish to silence you."
"Has anyone filed Intent?"
"No. But I tell you this, nadi, I may be utterly mistaken, but I fear some of those individuals may reside on Mospheira. And do I understand, on Mospheira they don't have a law requiring a filing?"
He'd believe in betrayals of other kinds, perhaps, but not in physical danger from Mospheira.
Though silencing him need not be physical. He had sufficient reason for misgivings in his successor's presence on the mainland.
"Tabini-ma, I honestly — honestly don't think even my dedicated detractors would want to give up the only means they have of talking to you, now that they know you won't talk to Hanks. Not when —" He didn't know what happened to him. There was a black space. He wasn't holding the cup all of a sudden, and made a grab for it as it fell on the priceless carpet. It rolled — unbroken, but tea stood on the immaculate designs. He was appalled — he seized his napkin and flung it down on the spill, trying to bend to see to it himself.
But Eidi was there instantly, to recover the cup and to mop up the damage.
"Forgive me," Bren said, intensely embarrassed. "I've had terrible luck with teacups."
"Bren-ji, it's only carpet." Tabini made a furious wave of the hand, dismissing Eidi, dismissing the whole fuss. "Listen just this moment more. I need you as soon as you can possibly bring yourself up to date with this crisis, to go before the joint legislatures, explain these strangers in our sky and translate the dialogue between Mospheira and this ship. End the speculation. More — tell this ship the things atevi have to say to them. Thatis what I need of you, Bren-ji. Do you agree?"
"I — have no authorization to contact them, aiji-ma, not even to translate, and I would prefer —"
"You have myauthorization, Bren-ji. The Treaty document said, did it not, there shall be one translator between humans and the atevi? Did it not say, the paidhi shall interpret humans to the atevi and atevi to the humans? I take this as the basis of the Treaty, Bren-ji. No matter the division in your Department that sends me twopaidhiin, no matter they're in violation of the Treaty — youwill make this contact and render our words honestly to these strangers."
"Tabini-ma, I need to think. I can't think tonight. I can't promise —"
"I requested Mospheira to send you back. Surely they aren't so simple-minded as to believe I wouldn't use your abilities, Bren-ji. Can you place any other interpretation on it?"
"But it may not be straightforward. That we do use audio records is going to slow linguistic drift, but the vastly different experience of our populations is going to accelerate it. I can't be sure I'll understand all the nuances. Meanings change far more than syntax, and I've no wish to —"
"Bren-ji, linguistics is yourconcern. The Association is in crisis. There must be some action, some assertion of the legitimate human authority. Every day you spend preparing — we may lose lives. Don't tell me about your problems. Mine generate casualty figures."
It was true. He knew what delay cost. He tried not to think too much on it — when worry only slowed the process. The human brain could only take so much. "Tabini-ma," he said. "Give me tomorrow to get my wits about me. Get me the transmissions."
"Bren-ji, understand, there's nothing in the world more dangerous than politics running without information. I have heads of security, heads of committees, clamoring at my doors. There's a meeting of committee heads going on right now —"
"Aiji-ma," he began.
"Bren-ji, tonight, before this can go further in rumor-making conjecture, at least go down and address that meeting, only briefly. This woman — this Deana Hanks — has created speculations, panic, angers, suspicion. Be patient, I say, wait for Bren-paidhi. And they're waiting, but the rumors are already running the corridors. I know you're in pain. But tonight, if at all possible, at least assure these people I haven't deceived them."
He'd thought he'd finished his duty. He thought he was going within the next few moments to his borrowed apartment and to his borrowed bed. The arm hurt. The tape around his ribs was its own special, knife-edged misery, growing more acute by the minute, and he couldn't do what Tabini wanted of him. He couldn't face it.
But Tabini was right about people dying while experts split semantic hairs; and God knew what rumors could be loose, or what Hanks could have said.
"Paidhi-ji, lives are at issue. The stability of the Association is at issue. The aiji of Shejidan can't askhelp of his associates. It would insult them. But so the paidhi understands, across the difficulty of our association —" Tabini couldn't imply his associates didn't share his needs — without implying they were traitors; Tabini was doing the paidhi's job again.
"I understand that," he said. "But I don't think I can walk far, aiji-ma." His voice wobbled. He felt irrationally close to tears. The shock of bombs in Malguri was still jolting through his nerves, the spatter of a close hit: not just dirt and rock chips, but fragments of a decent man he'd grown to like —
"It's just downstairs," Tabini said. "Just down the lift."
"I'll try," he said. He didn't even know how he was going to get to his feet. But Tabini stood up, and ignoring the pinch of tape around his ribs, Bren made it.
To do a job. To make sense of the incomprehensible, when the paidhi hardly conceived of the situation himself.