“It might indeed be wise,” Ilisidi said, “to have the Guild receive an accurate interpretation regarding the human administration. And one wishes to be sure this new leadership in the Guild develops the proper sources of information regarding affairs in Geigi’s lordship, as well. The Guild may seek information by clandestine means as a check, but they need guidance. Ah, well, well, one trusts you will find a satisfactory conclusion to all this business.” Ilisidi waved the servants away. “We are relieved, paidhi. We shall see our great-grandson settled in peace and quiet in his household. Then we shall fly back to Malguri to enjoy the rest of the summer and threaten a few fools. Lord Tatiseigi may even join us there for a few days. We have absolutely no doubt Lord Topari will keep you entertained in our absence.”
That was a joke. He was expected to take it as such. To hand it back.
“I shall conclude an agreement as quickly as I can, aiji-ma, and one trusts an escape to the space station will be far enough once I am done.”
Ilisidi laughed quietly. She had said what she wanted to say, and the paidhi-aiji had received his priorities, one of them handling a very scary situation, where it regarded the Guild’s arrival on the station. And another—on which he still had no idea what she knew.
In his immediate path, then, he had the groundbound problems, which the travel schedule made a priority. He might serve the aiji, but the aiji-dowager borrowed his services as often as she pleased. The railroad matter was the most urgent, in terms of the dowager’s objectives. He was not exactly working on Tabini-aiji’s orders in devoting so much time to the dowager’s affairs. But between the railroad and Ilisidi’s eastern port, they were about to conclude a peace that had eluded the mainland for two hundred years, a state of affairs definitely in Tabini’s interests.
Tabini clearly thought that move convenient, too, or he would have put roadblocks in its path, including finding occasion to send the paidhi-aiji somewhere remote, and out of the aiji-dowager’s reach.
The space station was about as remote as one could get. And he would have to work both situations up there with what diplomacy he could manage: human politics and the Assassins’ Guild were both headed for Geigi’s doorstep.
Maybe if Tillington were compelled to explain the human problems to the Guild it would make Tillington think twice about what he was stirring up.
If only that were likely.
He had a delicate letter to write to Mospheira, and best he get that entire business underway at the soonest. Along with that, he needed to phone Shawn and ask for a courier to be flown in on the next commercial flight. He wasn’t willing to trust the Messengers’ Guild with such a communication, even in Mosphei’: they were the other problem among the guilds, one that no side ever trusted that far.
So he had to ask Mospheira for a courier to come pick up the letter, since despite all the improvements in relations, it still wasn’t politic to send a unit of the Assassins’ Guild to call on the Mospheiran President.
· · ·
Dear Mr. President:
He didn’t use Dear Shawn on official correspondence. And this was, above all else, official, designed to be quotable—useable as far as Shawn wanted to take it.
I hope my writing finds you well. I can assure you that the situation is vastly improved on the mainland. Tabini-aiji has very recently revised the leadership of the Assassins’ Guild. This has corrected a long-standing problem.
He has invested Cajeiri as his official heir, which as you know must be approved by the legislature, but there will be no problem with that when the day comes, and there is general happiness to have that matter settled.
The young gentleman, on the occasion of his birthday, received a visit from three of the Reunioner children he met aboard the ship, as you are surely aware. A relationship has formed which may mature well.
The children also fared very well medically in their visit. There were no complaints of illness in the adjustment, and this is a situation that has acquired immense political implications, as you may imagine, considering the situation aboard the space station.
The presence of the Reunioners aboard the station, as you may have heard, is stressing station capacity. They are, I am informed, closely confined, have less than comfortable living arrangements, very few gain passes for special purposes, and fewer still have jobs. Mospheiran officials are reluctant to fill posts with Reunioner applicants.
This unhappy situation cannot continue indefinitely. I had a chance to speak frankly and at length with Captain Jason Graham, who accompanied the children in their visit, and I am now convinced that finding a solution for the Reunioner problem is beyond urgent.
Coupled with that, I received troubling news yesterday from Captain Graham regarding statements made by Stationmaster Tillington, who, as I am sure you know, favors the removal of the Reunioners to a new station at Maudit.
He has vehemently opposed the children’s visit here as signaling a change in policy regarding the Reunioners.
As a statement of opinion and policy, this might have been tolerable, but it has now been joined to the explicit charge, as reported to me by Captain Graham, that Sabin engineered the original meeting of the aiji’s son with these children aboard the ship, and that Sabin is pursuing a private agenda with the deposed Reunioner Stationmaster, Louis Baynes Braddock.
There is, first, no truth in this. I witnessed what happened on the voyage between the aiji’s son and the Reunioner children. I also was in a position to observe the state of affairs aboard the ship and can attest there was no love lost between Sabin and Braddock.
Stationmaster Tillington’s statement is a reckless attack on the integrity of two of the four captains, Graham and Sabin; it also touches me and my office, but far more seriously, it touches on the honor of the aiji-dowager, who was supervising the aiji’s son. The repercussions of that must be dire, if this is ever known.
The implication of the statement translated into an atevi context is extremely serious and damaging—and while Tillington himself may not have understood how it would translate to atevi, it exists: he has said it. And while it has not been publicized as yet, I am extremely worried that the statement will find a way to the atevi side of the station before some action can be taken on the human side absolutely to disown it.
I have not relayed the statement in question to the aiji-dowager or to the aiji and I hope it will not be repeated on the station. I hope to settle this quietly and quickly and head off any consequences, but I have some reason to fear the dowager may privately be aware of it. If this is the case, her patience is extremely limited—and must be. Should such charges reach other ears—a situation very likely, given that Stationmaster Geigi understands more Mosphei’ than he speaks; and so do some of his staff—there must be severe repercussions, including the bringing of capital charges against Tillington. The dignity and integrity of the aijinate is at issue.
I have no choice now but to urge that Stationmaster Tillington be relieved of duty and replaced with all possible speed and that his successor be strongly cautioned against any statement which, whether intentionally or otherwise, could be interpreted to question the integrity of the aijinate or the ship’s officers.
Should the current statement become public with Tillington still in office, the aijinate would be forced to demand the delivery of Tillington and his aides to the mainland, with no likelihood of their return. The damage to relations and agreements between Mospheira and the aishidi’tat at that point would be extreme.