“Banichi-ji?”
“Everything is fine,” Banichi said cheerfully. “Our enemies are being fools.”
“Doing what?”
“Oh, nothing up here. Down the coast. The authorities have caughtone of Direiso’s folk on the Wiigin-Aisinandi line.”
On the train, Banichi meant.
“Illicit radio? Saying what?”
Banichi shot him a guarded, assessing kind of look. “That Tabini-aiji is fortifying Saduri plain and preparing to bomb Mospheiran cities. That he’s seizing Mogari-nai to have absolute control of the radar installations during the aforesaid operation, because he knows a retaliation is coming immediately after he bombs the island and the northern provinces are going to take the brunt of it.”
“That’s absolutely insane!”
“We’re quite sure it is, but it isindicative of Direiso’s objective. She wishes to seize Mogari-nai and the airstrip and say there’s nothing there because she’s thwarted the plot.”
“The plant at Dalaigi.” He had a sudden great fear of harm to Patinandi. “What if it’s a diversion, Banichi-ji? Are we protected there?”
“Oh, we are protecting all such places,” Banichi said. One of the men was adjusting harness, and Bren gave a distracted yank on Nokhada’s rein as she swung her hindquarters and refused cooperation. “We have very heavy security on those plants, especially in facilities where you’ve very diligently pointed out security problems, Bren-ji, and your eye is becoming quite keen in that regard.”
“One is grateful to know so, nadi-ji.”
“Once the report said bombs would fall, we became very much more concerned that the reserve here is a major target—because maintaining that falsehood means controlling this area within a certain number of hours or attacking government facilities within the same time, so they can say we moved the equipment. And Direiso has adherents among Messengers’ Guild officers, but notnecessarily among the membership. That we silenced that radio and were ready with statements laying out Direiso’s plans will at least throw water on the fire. Our press release isbeing routed through Mogari-nai and the local stations arecarrying the official broadcast. It may be significant, however, that Mogari-nai was the last major communication center to pass the aiji’s press release to the broadcast stations.”
It was ominous. Very much so. He made a motion of his eyes toward the heavens. “If theyhave bombs—”
“No, Bren-ji. I assure you, noaircraft will reach us. There are aircraft sitting ready to take action against any craft Direiso can send against us. We learned at Malguri, and we have taken precautions. Not mentioning Tano’s position, which is quiet, but very capable of defending itself. The fortress isancient. But for you alone to know—though possibly Direiso does—even the dust of Saduri is modern. They blow it on. For the casual hiker. This is more than a game reserve. If we’ve kept that secret from Mospheira, numerous people will be surprised.”
He was mildly shocked; and no, his government didn’t tell him everything: particularly the Defense Department with its touchy secrets. His mind raced through memories of dilapidated halls, a row of doors facing their bedrooms that didn’t open and didn’t have windows.
In this vast, open government reserve there were fences, he guessed, that were far more than low stone walls. And he had no idea what other electronic barriers might exist out here, or what those vans he’d seen parked behind the old fortress might contain, but Tano and Algini were surveillance specialists, he had guessed before this, while Banichi and Jago were surely what the Guild so delicately called, with entirely different meaning, technicians.
“We aren’t using the pocket coms to transmit any longer,” Banichi said. “Though I assure you reception is no problem. We listen to a mobile unit up near Wiigin talk to one east of the fortress and know all we need. Thistime, Bren-ji, we are not using a defense heavily infiltrated with the opposition, as we were at Malguri. As for what we need worryabout, there’s one other road that goes up the cliffs from Saduri Township. It supplies Mogari-nai, and tourists use it to tour the cannon fort. The aiji’s forces will keep that road open. Meanwhile—” Banichi’s voice, from rapidfire cataloging of assets, took on an airy quality. “Meanwhile, the dowager will assert her prerogative, as a member of the aiji’s household, to tour the facility. But we have to be careful. To dispossess the Messengers’ Guild of Mogari-nai would tread on Guild prerogatives. Even to save lives, ourGuild will not countenance that kind of operation. Politics, you understand. And in the balance of powers, it iswise to preserve those prerogatives.”
“One understands that much.” A Guild disintegrating would be very dangerous to the peace. As the fall of the Astronomers from credibility after the Landing had been catastrophic for atevi stability: for lords there were successors, but for the Guilds there were not. “Banichi-ji, the aiji does know, I hope, that we can receive data without the earth station. Surely he does know.”
“Yes. But Guild prerogatives demand it go through the Messengers’ Guild no matter where we receive it. The Messengers will bend, nand’ paidhi. Their rebellion will go on precisely as long as that Guild sees other entities defying the aiji with impunity, or until the fist comes down on them. The aiji can no longer ignore Hanks’ challenge to his authority.”
“So we are going to fight, there? The dowager is truly on our side?”
“Fight, nand’ paidhi? Ilisidiis on holiday at Saduri. The television says so quite openly. The television says, during her holiday, she will tour Mogari-nai.” The call was going out to mount up. “Saigimi’s death was a serious blow to Direiso. Tatiseigi’s appearance on television was a second. Badissuni’s attack of heartburn was a third, leaving Ajresi unopposed in the Tasigin Marid, and Badissuni very cooperative with the aiji, if he’s wise. The Messengers’ Guild admitting Ilisidi for a tour is a fourth. Direiso may strike in anydirection, but it’s the business of aijiin to settle their affairs and then the Guilds have no difficulty arranging their policies. Believe me that the Messengers are no different from ourGuild.”
Banichi made his mechieta extend a leg and got up, in that haste the maneuver needed. Others were getting up. Bren had Nokhada kneel and as he rose, turned and landed in the saddle, he saw Jase attempt to do the same.
Attempt. Jase failed, was left clinging to the saddle ring with one foot hung and the other off the ground as the mechieta rose and tried to turn full circle in response to Jase’s unwitting grip on the rein. It was a dangerous halfway, from which a man could fall with his foot still trapped; but Haduni was there instantly to put a hand under Jase and boost him up, disheveled and with his braid loosening, but safe. Jase still pulled, and the mechieta resisted, lifted his head and turned another circle until Jase apparently realized it was his own fault and slacked the grip on the rein.
“It took me a while,” Bren said.
Jase still looked scared. Well a man could be. And dizzy. For a man who had trouble with the unclouded sky and kept taking motion sickness pills, the mechieta turning while he was off balance was not, Bren was sure, a pleasant thing.
“You’re doing fine,” Bren said.
And with no warning but a ripple of motion through the herd Nokhada spun and joined the others in a rush after Ilisidi, who had taken off. Bren looked back, scared for Jase, but he had stayed on. Jago fell back to join him as the herd sorted itself out, Nokhada fought the rein to get forward, and Banichi rode ahead of him.
But the rush settled into a run for a good long while. Ilisidi, damn her, was having the run she’d wanted, a perverse streak she had, a desire to challenge a man’s sense of self-preservation, never mind Jase was fighting to stay on and scared out of good sense.