"This might take hundreds of thousands," warns Davidge.
Jeriba Zammis leans forward in its chair and assumes the expression of one attempting to explain something to a retarded child. "Uncle, it is this frustrating attitude of yours regarding money. Every time any of us attempt to talk to you about it, you make jokes or grow impatient and cut us short. I have tried to explain this to you before―"
Davidge holds up a hand. "Can we have the short version?"
"See?" says Zammis. It shakes its head and lets out a breath it seems to have been holding for all of its sixteen years. "The short version, Uncle, is that there are sufficient assets in your name to purchase a small planet."
Now it is Davidge who looks stunned. "I know the translation went into its sixteenth printing, but―"
Ty reaches out a hand and places it on Davidge’s arm. "Jeriba Gothig, your friend Jerry’s parent, when it moved the line to Friendship to settle here, put a quarter of every new Jeriba enterprise in your name, a practice that all of us have continued. The port in First Colony, hotels, stores, hospitals, apartment complexes, ski resorts, toll roads, farms, airlines, spacelines, shipping, flyers, investments in more things than I could possibly recall. The businesses, investments, and properties have been managed, and you spend very little."
"Here," interrupts Zammis holding up its pocket computer. "Uncle, your assets right now amount to just under two hundred million credits. Your only liabilities involve bills for almost ninety-five credits in overdue lift tickets and ski tuneups that you haven’t paid." Zammis lowers its little computer and looks at the human.
Davidge scratches his head, looks around the chamber, and shrugs. "Yazi Ro, I guess we’re going to Timan." He looks at Jeriba Zammis, a guilty note in his voice. "I’ll take care of those skiing bills." He purses his lips, thinks a moment, and we watch as his eyes glisten. "I remember Gothig saying something about taking care of me before it died. I wonder how far into the future Gothig could see." He glances at me, frowns, then faces Zammis. "Am I invested in Timan Nisak?"
Zammis nods as it picks at its pocket computer. "Forty-nine percent of the stock is open for investors other than Timan citizens, and you hold half a percent of that. Almost forty million." Zammis raises his brows and looks over its computer at Davidge. "Between your holdings and those of the Jeriba estate’s, we are the largest single alien investor in Nisak."
"Why such a high percentage of all his holdings?" I ask.
Zammis raises an eyebrow and swings its gaze in my direction. "A steady twenty-two percent annual dividend."
Davidge stares at the floor for a moment, then turns to Zammis’s child. "Ty, I need somebody who knows about money. Zammis can’t be spared from its business interests, and it’s getting a little long in the tooth anyway. Would you come with us to Timan?"
Ty sits silently for a moment, then nods. "I will come, Uncle. Thank you for inviting me to be a part of your talma."
"I would come, as well," says Falna as it moves to stand at my side.
Davidge frowns and looks at Estone Falna. "Do you want to go?"
"I do, Uncle."
"Why?"
The young Drac’s eyebrows rise and then lower. "Uncle, I have gone to considerable trouble and expense to acquire the skills to treat humans. My primary motive for this was and is your continued good health."
"I’m fine."
"Yes, and I insist on keeping you that way."
"Uncle," Ty interjects, "besides its medical knowledge, remember that Falna has been to Timan, when it attended the Ri Mou Tavii."
Zammis nods in agreement and says, "As a deputy of the Jetai Diea, Falna’s presence can add a lot of clout to your investigation. It would cut the paper wizards down to size."
"Please include me," begs Falna. "Give me the chance to make up for what a terrible child I was in the cave."
Davidge laughs, holds up his hands, and grins at Falna. "I’d be pleased to have you. Pack your bags. And you were not such a terrible child, Falna. I was, and am, very proud of you."
Falna grins, places a hand on my shoulder, and squeezes it. "Thank you, Uncle."
Davidge nods toward the door and looks at me. "Ask the two investigators to come in." After I call them in, Davidge faces Yamagata and Sanda in turn. "It, appears that I have sufficient funds to go to Timan. I think we are after different ends of the same rope. Will you combine your investigation with our expedition?"
Sanda raises its head and says, "I’ll have to clear this with Aakva Lua and with JACHE, but I can see no objection. I think it is an excellent thought."
Davidge gets to his feet and faces Jeriba Ty. "I want to get cleaned up and get something to eat. Then we’ll get together and start getting this trip to Timan on the road." He stops in front of Kita Yamagata, still self-conscious about his appearance. "Do you ski?" he asks.
She smiles and nods. "I see you every now and then at Hidden Valley."
He says, then she says, they laugh, and he says some more and I leave, a strange touch of jealousy filling me. I am confused by it. I am not one of those who couples with humans, male or female, and I have no secret desire to try. Even if I did have such an inclination, it wouldn’t be with an ultra-hairy sixty-three-year-old male with a sour disposition who lives in a cave on an ice planet. Neither would it be with a tiny woman who jumps around on rocks like she cared nothing about her life. The feeling, though, is jealousy.
In my rooms I think on it and find my jealousy standing before me as clear as the desert sun. I am jealous of Davidge and Yamagata. They can desire, they can, perhaps, even love. Give love, accept it, risk it, trust it, perhaps even act on it. They possess emotional parts I am missing. They are complete beings and I am only part alive.
The few I desired, the fewer I loved, all dead. Over the years I turned my desire and love into staying alive, killing, and hardening my heart against everyone. Never before have I seen this as I do now: cowardice. Yazi Ro will not be hurt. All I can do now is look at someone like Falna and ache. I place my hand on the shoulder Falna touched and fight to recall the feeling.
My armor is only a shell and never before did it seem so thin, so empty.
"My apologies, Yazi Ro, but your doors were open." I look and Estone Falna is standing just inside my greeting room door. My heart beats so hard I fear it might tear itself to pieces.
"What is it, Falna?"
"Could you come to Haesni’s rooms? I believe the child is frightened. I tried to help, but Uncle is with Haesni and he suggested you might help."
"I?" I feel my heart slowing, disappointment settling in.
"I believe, Yazi Ro, that he said you are something of a fear expert. Haesni urged me to ask you."
I nod my assent and follow Falna out of my rooms, trying to ascertain whether I have been insulted or complimented. Compliment or insult, it is suddenly very threatening to me. To observe either Davidge must see past my emotional armor, which means the armor is worthless. Soon those thoughts subside as I notice the grace with which Falna walks. There is a piece of my mind that would dare to imagine us making love, while the rest of me laughs at the thought of this brilliant deputy of the Jetai Diea degrading itself to rut with a piece of Amadeen trash. At the north wing of the guest floor, Falna pauses before an open greeting room door and guides me in. At the sleeping room door, it pauses and waits.
The sleeping room door is open. I enter and Haesni is in its bed, a man seated in a chair beside it. The human is in cloth clothing, tan trousers and a dark green jacket. He has no facial hair and his other hair is well trimmed. The only way I recognize Davidge is that his feet are still in those same old snakeskin boots. Saying nothing, Davidge stands, nods his thanks to me, and leaves. I walk over to the bed. Ty’s child is frowning, its gaze focused on some point past its feet. I glance at the door. Falna smiles at me, bows it head, and leaves me alone with the child. I face Haesni.