She looked him up and down. The Bethelite never seemed to change; still as fit and muscular as when she'd met him ten years ago, his blue eyes mild and calm between the squint-wrinkles of a man who spent much time in the desert. Perhaps a few strands of silver hair among the gold. He had been born in Keriss before the Kolnari came, a child of the dock-side slums, and right-hand man to Amos ben Sierra Nueva when the future Prophet had been a radical and half an outcast.
Now he was Deacon of the Right Hand-head of the Bethelite police and counter-espionage forces.
"What are you doing here? Is Amos here too?"
He shook his head.
"No, I am here alone." He cast a meaningful glance back and forth. "Look, I have a gift."
He reached into the hand-luggage at his feet and tossed a heavy bottle of green ceramic in her direction. Joat caught it with a yelp of protest at the risk; she recognized the brand. The surface was pebbled and cool, the fastener held in with twisted copper wire and sealed with wax. Despite herself she felt her eyes mist a little. Joe was always a good osco, she thought. And he'd taught her a great deal, some of it things that Simeon and Channa never suspected.
"Bethel-brewed Arrack," he said and kissed the tips of his ringers, dropping into the singsong of a bazari merchant for a moment. "From the Prophet's private store. Blessed with the heat of Saffron's golden sun."
She grinned.
"C'mon aboard, I've got someone I want you to meet."
Joat led the way up into Wyal's berth and spoke:
"Knock, knock?"
"Who's there?" The cybernetic voice sounded as if it would wince if it could.
"Jo."
"Jo who?"
"Jo'at the door."
Joseph did wince, in sympathy. "Among Simeon's many crimes, not the least was teaching you his depraved sense of humor."
"Tell me the news from Bethel, tell me about Rachel," Joat said. She cycled the lock closed and stood while the sensor field swept them for unauthorized sticktights. "And tell me what's wrong."
"Rachel is well, the children are well… and what should be wrong, my young friend?" The blue eyes blinked guilelessly at her.
"Joe, unlike Amos, you're no great traveler. If you've left Bethel and Rachel and it wasn't with Amos, there's a reason. What is it?"
"All in good time," he said.
Joat smiled wryly, restraining an impulse to grind her teeth. From Joseph she could take the odd mystery.
"Joat, I am most impressed by the quality of this AI, but it is a machine, nothing more." He looked at her with a frown of worry. "You know the difference, between a person and a machine?"
Joat sipped her Arrack. The liquid slid down her throat like a living fire with velvet fur, leaving a ghost-taste of ripe dates.
"Joe, I'm a programming expert. If I don't know the difference, who does? And if you say, Joat you are alone too much, I'll punch you in the nose, I swear I will."
"I taught you better than that," he said, mock-offended.
"If you are naked and your feet are nailed to the floor, you may hit an enemy in the face with your fist. Short of that, use something more effective," Joat quoted in a sing-song voice. "I remember."
She leaned forward: "Look, if Simeon can turn his AI into his dog-to be precise, an Irish Setter-why can't I go a step further and turn mine into a friend?" She lowered her voice confidentially. "We're not romantically involved if that's your worry."
He laughed and shook his head at her.
"You, little rebel, should be married, with a husband to fix your wayward thoughts upon. Look at how my Rachel has prospered by my side."
Joat pulled a judicious expression and nodded solemnly.
"You're right, Joe, she's quite a gal."
Yup, she's not a demented, murderous, traitorous bitch any more.
Now she was Joseph's executive assistant in the Bethelite Security Forces, handling the technical end of things. She also ran their rancho, a sun drenched spread at Twin Springs, and was a devoted mother to their two children, Simeon Amos and Channa Joat.
"Marriage would make a new woman of you, you should try it. I know!" He flung his hands up as if struck by inspiration-but did not, she noted, spill a single drop of the Arrack.
"Marry me, Joat! Become my second wife and you can live on the rancho and ride to your heart's content. You can take care of the children. Think how restful your life would be! And I swear that I would be as faithful to you as to my beloved Rachel."
"Joe! How can you claim to be faithful to Rachel while you're asking another woman to marry you?"
"Because I am asking you to marry me. If I were asking you to be my mistress, then I would be unfaithful. There is a tremendous difference, you must agree."
Joat blinked. He was joking-but to a Bethelite, that made perfect sense. There were times when she forgot Joseph was from the deep backwoods of the universe.
"Hunh! If I ever do hitch up with someone, I'm not gonna be anyone's second anything." She took a sip of Arrack. "I want a virgin, myself."
A discreet cough from behind brought her to her feet, spinning around, knife in her hand again, ready for throwing.
Her eyes widened at the sight of Bros Sperin, arms crossed over his broad chest, leaning casually against the hatchway.
"How did you get in here?" Wait a minute. Not only was the hatch locked and dogged, but Rand should have warned me-and the motion sensors should have gone off-and…
He shrugged.
"The lock was open, I knew you were expecting me, so I came in. Is that a problem?"
"It was not open. I do take some rudimentary precautions."
"It wasn't locked down. Not," he added with an annoying smile, "locked down very securely, that is."
"Yes, it was," she said through clenched teeth.
He shrugged again, and spread his hands. He was there. Joat felt an overwhelming urge to kick him.
"Joat," Joseph said before she could speak. "You asked me what had happened to bring me here. Now is the time to discuss the matter."
"Maybe I should make sure my hatch is locked," she said sullenly.
"No problem," Bros said, walking around her to swing his lean body into the pilot's chair with authoritative ease. "I took care of it." It was the first time he'd gotten a spontaneous reaction from her and he was feeling a bit smug about it. Then he glanced at the Bethelite seated beside him and grew serious again. To Joseph he said, "You asked for my presence here, excellent sir. I'm most anxious to hear why."
Joseph took a deep breath; Joat saw that his fingers were white from the pressure of his clasp. Joe was not a man who put his feelings on display like this. Her irritation fell away-not forgotten, but filed.
"Our prophet, Amos ben Sierra Nueva, left Bethel ten days ago aboard a merchanter ship bound for the SSS-900-C. He did not arrive and the ship has not been heard from or found." Joseph rubbed his chin and looked at Bros. "I think you know why I asked to see you."
Joat shaped a silent whistle. No wonder Joe had seemed tense under his usual banter.
Bros nodded. "The Kolnari," he said.
"You are CenSec's resident expert on… them. And this will be an offworld affair. We… I am desperate for any help that you can offer. This is our prophet; and he is my brother-of-the-spirit, a bond closer than blood. They have taken him, I am sure. I must find him."
After a moment Bros leaned forward. "My superiors think I'm paranoid about the Kolnari. You understand me? They think that my information is unreliable, that every time a bandit hijacks a ship I see the Divine Seed. You take my advice, you're taking the risk that evaluation will rub off on you."