The crudity stunned Martin and made Ariel's neck muscles stand out, but they did not answer.
"Not me," Rex Live Oak said casually.
"Just as I thought. I'll have to bell and feed the cat. Part of the old burden, am I right?"
"The libraries are open, the food's getting better, and the moms tell us we can use remotes to expand our baseline," Rex Live Oak said, looking around the cafeteria. "I think we're ready to meet our new comrades. Any comments, before I let the search team report?"
The crew moved restlessly for a few seconds, as if reluctant to push forward a questioner. Paola Birdsong raised her hand.
"The Pan is supposed to give us the report," she said. "Why isn't Hans here?"
"Hans is doing research now," Rex said.
"Then why not Harpal?" Erin Eire asked.
"I don't know," Rex answered flippantly. "Harpal?"
Harpal shrugged, refusing to be stung. "Rank hath its privileges. Hans can pick anybody he wants as a speaker."
"We don't need a speaker. We need the Pan himself," Erin persisted.
"I'll take your questions directly to Hans," Rex said.
Martin looked around the room. There were two conspicuous absences: Hans, of course, and Rosa Sequoia.
"Think he's giving Rosa her medicine?" Ariel whispered in Martin's ear. Martin didn't answer; if Hans was with Rosa, he must know their absence together would be noticed. If Rosa was giving in to Hans' "medicine," she was at risk of losing her unusual status, and perhaps that was Hans' intent.
Hakim cleared his throat and came forward as Rex cleared the way magnanimously with a sweep of his arm. "We are at least a half a trillion kilometers from the other ship," Hakim said. "We'll drop our camouflage in a few days. The moms think it's very doubtful anyone can detect us out here. We should be able to establish noach a few hours before rendezvous."
"Are we looking at the Cornflower?" Alexis Baikal asked.
Hakim affirmed that the Leviathan system was being studied.
"Anything new?" Bonita Imperial Valley asked.
"There are ten planets around Leviathan," Hakim said. "We have few details on the planets other than their mass and size: five rocky worlds less than twenty thousand kilometers in diameter. The sixth through the tenth planets are gas giants. They emit very little or nothing in radio frequencies. There has been no reaction to the destruction of Wormwood; no armoring, nothing. That is about all we can say for now."
"Are there other orbiting structures?" Erin Eire asked.
"Not that we can detect."
"Any explanation why they've changed since the death ship was there?" Rex asked.
Hakim shook his head. "Perhaps there has been massive engineering, as there was around Wormwood. That would be my guess. Two planets might have been broken down for raw materials."
"Are the planets inhabited?" Paola asked.
"No signs of habitation, but that is expected. We presume they are," Hakim said, averting his eyes. "For now, there is not really much more to say."
"All right," Rex said, standing again, arms folded. "Comments? Anything for me to take to Hans?"
"We're tired of wrestling," Jack Sand said.
"I'll let him know," Rex said, smiling broadly.
Harpal came to Martin's quarters an hour after the meeting, Ariel following. "I'm going to resign as Christopher Robin," he said, stalking through the door, arms swinging loosely, fists clenched.
"I suppose I don't need to ask why," Martin said. Ariel sat with hands between her knees, lost in thought.
"I hope not. You're too smart," Harpal said. "He picks me, then he lights on Rex, and Rex does everything I should be doing… and I do nothing. Does that make sense? "
"He's feeling his way," Ariel said. Harpal turned on her.
"And where do you stand, Mademoiselle Critical?"
Ariel lifted her hands.
"Jesus," Harpal said. "When Martin was Pan, you were so full of bolsh we could grow mushrooms in your mouth!"
"Harpal," Martin said.
"I mean it! What's with the sudden quiet?"
"I trusted Martin," Ariel said. "He wouldn't hold things against me. Not enough to hurt me. I'm not an idiot."
This stopped Harpal cold. He simply stared at her, then at Martin, and threw his hands up in the air. "None of this makes sense."
Martin gestured with his fingers to her: Come on, let it out.
"Martin was sincere. He didn't calculate for effect."
"Thank you very much," Martin said with some bite.
"I mean it. You didn't measure everybody for his coffin. Hans hasn't changed… he's just grown into the job. Everything is weighed according to political advantage."
"Even when he blew up after the neutrino storm?" Harpal asked.
"That was genuine," she admitted, "but it put people in their place. Where he wanted them to be—a little afraid of him. He's big. He hits when he's angry. He's not exactly predictable. So people are more wary and they don't speak up. Big, smart bully. Or didn't you notice?" She looked at Harpal accusingly.
"I don't see how he could plan such outbursts," Martin said.
"You can't tell me you haven't noticed his skills," she said, eyes glittering. Martin saw the former Ariel again, saw she was keeping her anger and dismay tightly wrapped, and felt a fresh surge of concern.
"He's a better Pan than I was."
"Maybe better at manipulating. He knows what he wants."
"He pulled us out of a pit," Martin said, realizing his Devil's advocacy. He wanted to see how much Ariel's views coincided with his—all unvoiced, even unconfirmed in his own mind.
"He put us there in the first place," she countered.
Harpal sat and crossed his legs. Martin and Ariel both looked to him for comment. "Good Pan, bad Pan," he said softly, in wonder.
"The crew puts a lot of faith in the Pan. Martin was good—if a little gullible—because everybody knew they could talk to him, and he wouldn't hurt them, wouldn't even think of it," Ariel said. "I spoke up because I thought I could argue him into seeing certain important things…"
"You went at it pretty forcefully," Martin said.
"I've never claimed to be subtle. When will you resign?"
Harpal squinted. "When the time's right," he said. "Can anybody tell me why he's courting Rosa?"
"He's doing more than courting her," Ariel said. "Rosa's still in his room. You know she hasn't had a real friend for years?"
Martin nodded. "He thinks she's on to something."
"What?" Harpal asked.
"Something we need," Martin said, and Ariel nodded.
"What?" Harpal asked again, genuinely puzzled.
"Faith," Martin said.
Harpal drew back as if bitten. "You're kidding."
"Not at all," Martin said. "She's getting closer and closer to the mark. I've felt it myself." He tapped his chest.
"I'm completely lost now," Harpal said. "I don't deserve to be second. I'm out of touch."
"Things are going to get a lot more complicated very soon," Martin said. "Let's see how he handles the situation."
Ariel surprised him by agreeing completely. "He's made mistakes… But he's still in charge, and we're still ready to do the Job."