Miaree frowned. "My dear Runder. This office, I fear, is a demanding one. It does not lessen the importance of the position you have held when I confess that I know nothing of what you state. Could you brief me?"
"Yes, Lady."
"First, please sit."
"Thank you, Lady. I was appointed to my position by Overlord Bertt these six years past. Since Bertt’s primary interest was in the star fleet, the responsibility of seeing to the administrative duties of the Overlord’s office fell to me. When the honorable Bertt retired to his workshop—"
"Hold, Runder. Would you repeat that?"
"I said, ’When the honorable Bertt retired to his workshop—’ "
"It was my understanding that he was preparing for homecoming." Miaree said.
"I am sorry." Runder’s face was mobile, showing his sorrow. "I did not intend to violate a confidence."
"Then Bertt is not ready for homecoming?"
"He is well, Lady. I’m sorry that I mentioned it. However, since I have... He was tired. Since the population of Five is largely Delanian, he asked that I forego my rights of senority and allow the appointment of a Delanian Overlord. I agreed. However, events of the past days—"
"Forgive me, Runder. I am interested in Bertt. It is not like him to forsake his important duties without reason. Your thinking, please."
"Lady, I fear that the pressure has touched Bertt. For years he has pushed himself too hard. No one can say that he did not do his assigned job well. In fact, it is my opinion, enforced by my personal observations, that Bertt should be named a Hero of the Artonuee for his administration of the building of the fleet. However, during the years of crisis, Bertt pursued his dream in addition to doing his tasks. I fear the toll on his health was too great."
"His dream?"
"As I remember, Lady, you were present when Bertt and the Delanian woman Untell conducted tests of an altered mires expander in conjunction with the electron forces of a soft metal."
"Yes."
"He has never abandoned the idea that he could make it work, Lady, He
spent many hours, sleepless nights, in his private workshop. He is there now, puttering, sleeping little, working on his hopeless task."
"Poor Bertt." She shook her head sadly. "But Runder, your reason for requesting this appointment, please."
"As I said, Lady, I agreed to allow the appointment of a Delanian Overlord in the dual capacity of Five Overlord and Overlord of the Fleet. I continued to handle the administrative duties of the planet. It was only when I questioned the release of Artonuee males from positions of responsibility in the fleet that a coldness developed between my office and the Delanian Overlord. I received no satisfactory explanation of the dismissals, and when I insisted on an inquiry, I was summarily notified on the stationery of your office, Lady, that my services were no longer required."
"This office?" Miaree inquired.
"Yes, Lady."
"I signed no such order," she said.
Runder was silent.
Miaree placed a graceful finger to her nose, mused. Then, with a decisive movement, she pushed a communicator and asked Rei to come into the office.
As he entered, the load of responsibility seemed to Runder to melt from her lovely face. Her smile was a thing of beauty. "This is the worthy Runder," she said, "Assistant Overlord of the Fleet. He has a legitimate inquiry. It seems that I somehow agreed to release him from his duties without justification."
"Not you, Lady," Rei said, returning her smile. "It was I."
Miaree’s brows lifted in question.
Rei turned to Runder. "Your haste in coming to Nirrar prevented you from finding further orders in your slot," he said. "Although I do not remember exactly, I am sure, considering your position of responsibility and your experience, that you are among those who are assigned to
supervise the migration of Artonuee from Five."
Runders brows knit in question. "May I ask, sir, for more details?"
Rei was leafing through a thick process book. "Yes," he said. "Here it is. Runder, Assistant Overlord, transferred to Migration Fleet in the capacity of First Officer."
Miaree, too, was puzzled. However, she kept her silence, knowing that Rei would explain.
"My Lady," Rei said, "this was the subject of the afternoon conference which I had requested. Runder’s problem is connected with the recommendation which we were to discuss. Would you care to hear it in brief at this time?" She nodded. "To facilitate the final loading, in accordance with the joint decision to segregate races aboard the fleet, it is advised by fleet officials that all Artonuee first be moved to the home world, leaving New World, Outworld, and Five as assembly points for the loading of Delanians. Thus, all Artonuee will be in that section of the fleet which contains the juplee ships. Artonuee and their juplee ships will be a unit."
"It is logical," Miaree said.
"Since the population of Artonuee is lowest on Five," Rei continued, "it would be best to begin there."
"I agree," Miaree said. "Does this answer your inquiry, Runder?"
The young male bowed. "Yes, Lady."
"The movement of Artonuee from Five to The World will be a dress rehearsal for the final flight." Rei said. "As you examine your orders, Runder, you will see specific requests for detailed reports covering many subjects. Not one of these subjects is unimportant. The information we can gather during this short movement can be extremely valuable when we begin the final movement."
"I understand," Runder said, standing, backing toward the door. "I beg My Lady’s forgiveness for intruding."
"It was good to see an old friend," Miaree said. "Please feel free to
contact this office at any time." Alone with Rei, she voiced a bright note of love, smiled. He leaned to touch her lips with his. "Since I’m here." he said, "I should broach another subject which, I have been told, will be brought up this afternoon."
"Oh, Rei, I wish it were over." she said. "I wish it would turn out to be a dream and that I’d awaken with the smell of the Bloom in my nostrils and you beside me, back on Outworld."
"Yes, darling," he said. "But the conference."
"Damn the conference," she said.
"The Evacuation Committee is going to make a recommendation to cut the size of the juplee fleet in half," Rei said.
Jolted back to reality, she stiffened. "That, of course, is impossible," she said.
"Lady, remember that some members of the committee, Argun among them, were on the Delanian worlds at the end. They saw thousands of their brothers burned down when, in panic, they tried to storm the ports in an effort to squeeze aboard the already laden ships. They saw the first of our worlds begin to smoulder, and the smoke of the planets was the death pyre of twenty-four billion Delanians. They are not unjust men, but they question the giving over of so much space to trees and a billion and a half ifflings."
"All this has been explained to them," Miaree said. "The transportation of the ifflings and the source of their food is not open to negotiation."
"I know," Rei said softly. "But I merely wanted you to be prepared."
She was prepared. She delayed her entrance to the conference room until all were present and seated. Then she swept in, robed in official purple. They rose, Artonuee and Delanians, bowed their heads in respect. She motioned them to be seated, waited for the shuffling noises to cease.
"Before we begin," she said, standing regally at the head of the large table, "I will comment on one item which appears on the agenda. I am sure that the concern of our Delanian comrades is genuine and without malice. However, the fact is that we have covered all details of the
transportation of our ifflings, and the subject is no longer open for discussion. I will add only this. The best minds of our people have worked for twenty-four years on this problem, and their conclusions cannot be questioned. One hundred star ships are the absolute minimum required to transport the juplee forests. Even with the addition of this one hundred to the number of ships required to transport the entire Artonuee people, the portion of the fleet alloted to the Artonuee is less than one-sixth the size of the entire fleet. Proportionally, according to the relative numbers of our two peoples, we would be entitled to more ships. It is fortunate that the food and air requirements of the Artonuee are measureably less than those of the Delanians. Thus we are able to load more Artonuee per ship. While we have always labored to the utmost to be fair and more than fair, we will not consider cutting the size of the fuplee and iffling reserves." She sat.