“The High-born is quite right,” said Adok I. He had a deep, flat, emotionless voice. “Award Commissions are usually given to those who are not Starkien by birth and training. In such cases a substitute is always provided.”
“A substitute is, is he?” said Jim. “In that case, what do they call you officially, in the records?”
“Officially, as I said, I’m you,” answered Adok I.
“Officially, my name is James Keil. I am a Wolfling from a world that calls itself”—the Starkien’s tongue stumbled a little with the pronunciation of the unknown word—“Earth.”
“I thought you told me that you were Adok I,” Jim said. The extreme seriousness of the Starkien was tempting him to smile, but an instinct kept the smile hidden within him and off his face.
“Unofficially, to you, Jim,” said the other man, “I am Adok I. Your intimates, like the High-born lady here, may call me either Adok I or Jim Keil—it makes no difference.”
“I’ll call you Adok I,” said Ro. “And you can call me Ro.”
“I’ll do that, Ro,” said Adok I in a tone of voice as if he were repeating an order he had just been given, and affirming his willingness and ability to execute it.
Jim shook his head, amused and intrigued by the combination of characteristics the Starkien was exhibiting. The man seemed humorless to the point of woodenness, obedient to the point of servility, and in conjunction with these things, evidently considered it the best possible manners to address Jim by the familiar short form of Jim’s first name. Moreover, beyond this, Adok I seemed to assume a strange mixture of superiority and inferiority toward Jim at the same time. Clearly the Starkien did not for a moment appear to consider that Jim had the capabilities to perform the tasks that Adok I was himself fitted to perform. On the other hand, plainly he considered himself completely a creature of Jim’s will—at Jim’s beck and call. However, thought Jim abruptly, investigation of Adok’s character could come later. There was a more immediate question.
“Well,” Jim said, “now that I’ve got you, what am I supposed to do with you?”
“We should begin with my doing things with you, Jim,” said Adok I. He looked over at Ro. “If Ro will excuse us, I should immediately begin instructing you in the necessities and duties of being a unit officer—over and above those in which I can substitute for you.”
“I’ve got to get back to my pets anyway,” said Ro. “I’ll come and find you later, Jim.”
She touched him lightly on the arm and disappeared.
“All right, Adok,” said Jim, turning back to the Starkien, “what do we do first?”
“We should begin with a visit to the quarters of your unit,” Adok said. “If you will allow me to show you the way, Jim—”
“Go ahead,” said Jim, and immediately found himself with Adok in what seemed to be an enormous, windowless, high-ceilinged room. In spite of all that space, however, something within Jim felt the sensation of closeness, an oppression as of confinement.
“Where are we?” he asked Adok, for the polished floor stretching away from them was empty in all directions for large distances, except for a few distant moving figures almost lost in the dimness and distance.
“We’re at the parade ground.” Adok’s head came around to gaze at Jim with the first faint sign of emotion the Starkien had yet shown. After a second Jim realized Adok was registering surprise. “We are also below ground.” Adok gave their depth in Empire terms, which translated to something like half a mile down from the surface of the planet. “Does it disturb you? It disturbs the High-born, but only a few of the servants are disturbed by it.”
“No, I’m not disturbed,” Jim said. “I felt something, though.”
“If you are disturbed, you should admit it to me,” said Adok. “If you are ever afraid or disturbed, you should tell me, even if you tell no one else. No one else but I need to know. But it is necessary for me to know when you are emotionally weakened, so that I can take measures to protect you from such weakness and hide the fact from others.”
Jim chuckled, and the sound echoed eerily away into the distances around them. It was an odd moment and place for humor, but Jim was finding Adok I strangely likeable.
“Don’t worry,” he told the Starkien. “I don’t usually feel emotionally weakened. But if I ever do, I promise to let you know.”
“Good,” said Adok seriously. “Now I brought you first to this point on the parade ground because one of the things I cannot do for you is stand certain parades with the unit. At some parades we both must be present. Now that you have been brought to this spot, you can instantly return to it on your own in case something may have made you a little late in showing up for the parade. Now, let’s go to the armory, and we’ll draw your weapons and accouterments while you memorize that destination also.”
The next room they appeared in was more brightly lit and a very great deal smaller than the parade ground. It was a long narrow room, both long walls of which seemed to be divided into compartments holding the leather straps and the bands of silver stuff such as those which encircled the legs, arms, and body of Adok, as well as those of the Starkiens in the room with the Emperor and Vhotan. Adok led Jim directly to several of the compartments and collected an assortment of the straps and silver bands. He did not, however, suggest that Jim put them on at this time. Instead, Adok himself carried them, while he transported Jim in quick succession to the barracks, or living quarters, of the Starkiens in Jim’s unit—these were suites of rooms not unlike those that Jim himself had been given, except that they were smaller and in this below-ground location; a gymnasium; a dining hall; a sort of underground park, with grass and trees flourishing under an artificial sun; and finally to a sort of amusement and shopping center, where many Starkiens mingled with many times more their own number of other servants of the lesser races.
Finally Adok concluded the quick shift about these various locations by bringing Jim to a large room fitted out somewhat like the room in which Jim had encountered the Emperor and Vhotan. Not only was it large and well furnished, but Jim instantly felt a lightening of the sensation within him that had warned him before that he was below ground. Apparently this room, whatever it was, was above ground.
“Who—” he began to Adok, and then found his question answered before he could enunciate it. The olive-skinned man called Melness materialized in front of them and looked, not at Jim, but at Adok.
“I have taken him around the places concerned with his unit,” Adok said to the Master Servant of the Throne World, “and brought him here finally to you, as you asked, Melness.”
“Good,” said Melness in his sharp tenor. His black eyes flicked to Jim’s face. “The sponsorship for your adoption has been accepted by the Emperor.”
“Thanks for telling me,” said Jim.
“I’m not telling you for your benefit,” said Melness, “but because it’s necessary for me to make your situation clear to you. As a candidate for adoption, you are in theory a probationary High-born, who is superior to me, as to all servants. On the other hand, as an officer of the Starkiens below the rank of a Ten-unit Commander, as well as because you were born among one of the lesser races of man, you are under my orders.”
Jim nodded.
“I see,” he said.
“I hope you do!” said Melness sharply. “We have a contradiction; and the way such contradictions are resolved is to accord you with two official personalities. That is, any activity, occupation, or duty which you deal with in your capacity as a candidate for adoption invokes your personality as a probationary High-born, and my personal superior. On the other hand, any activity which deals with your duties as an officer of the Starkiens invokes your servant personality; and you are my inferior in everything connected with that. In any activities that deal with neither personality officially, you can choose which position you want to occupy—High-born or servant. I don’t imagine you’ll want to choose the servant often.”