Tabini himself understood more Mosphei’ than he let on. Threads that went under the aiji’s door—or the hypersecret establishment of Mogari-nai—might cross and recross multiple times.
But an information slowdown could allow a critical situation to become a disaster. It also could signal a situation of man’chi; and that had to be fixed.
“That’s all I need,” he said. “And don’t scant your own rest, nadiin-ji. Have some junior person begin the inquiry tonight. Pursue it tomorrow.”
“Yes,” Tano said, accepting orders which Bren feared he would not follow, nor would Algini. They slept on questions no better than he did.
The question was always— howdid atevi interpret what humans asked, and how well did they forecast human actions? The War of the Landing hadn’t happened because both sides had meantto go to war.
So he sat, in the sitting room, in his robe, at a small, fragile desk, writing by hand in the formal court script, for Tabini:
Aiji-ma, Mercheson-daja has informed nand’ Jase of his father’s unexpected death, causes unknown.
Bearing in mind your other imminent concerns—
No, that wouldn’t do. He struck that last line: one left the aiji to the aiji’s concerns and didn’t express opinions on paper regarding Saigimi’s death being anyconcern to the aiji at all.
I have informed my staff regarding nand’ Jase’s normal behavior in such instances and inform you, aiji-ma, that I foresee a time of tension in the household. I am also concerned for meanings behind the failure of that message to get through to him or to me in a timely fashion. It seems to have come to Mercheson-paidhi first, which should not have happened, as Mercheson is not Jase’s superior, as the ship authorities well know. It was embarrassing and distressing to him to have heard such news from a source who should have been less well-informed than he was. If this was the choice of the ship’s officers, there may be implications in their behavior regarding this matter: this could have benign causes, in either too great a zeal to protect Jase from knowledge of his family’s distress or knowledge that I was absent from the premises and therefore that nand’ Jase was alone. Not benign, however, would be the determination of the officers of the ship that nand’ Mercheson should obtain quicker and more up-to-date briefings than they allow to nand’ Jase. These negative implications are certainly possible conclusions he might draw, and I am concerned.
Seeing, however, a third choice, that the withholding of information might be action emanating from your office, I have set my staff to learn the facts so that I may be accurate and prudent in assessments I present to you.
That, to pave the way for Algini and Tano.
Lest you concern yourself regarding nand’ Jase,—
Beyond any doubt, Damiri’s staff reported to her regularly, and Damiri reported what seemed useful to Tabini, right next door: so it was inconceivable she didn’t know by now everything the staff knew; Tabini probably knew, and he was sure both Jase’s behavior and his plus the fact he had called his two chiefs of security in for a conference had been amply reported.
— his behavior considering the extreme stress and my absence has been restrained and circumspect. Laboring under what may be a serious blow, he has nevertheless held himself for days from displaying feelings extremely difficult for a human to repress under far less strenuous conditions, all to obey my order not to display inexplicable emotion near atevi. I am greatly distressed that I was absent at the time and unable to provide advice or assistance to him, but he behaved very well indeed.
He disliked dissecting Jase’s private feelings. He truly disliked it. But he tried to be clinical, for the information of the one man—and the woman—who most needed to understand how well Jase had actually performed: Jase had occasionally upset the serving staff, who had witnessed prior explosions and must wonder what was the difference in the paidhi they knew and the one who came from the ship.
But staff storms settled, once staff was reassured that it was not their fault. Even in that, Jase was doing a very good job. Atevi had never seen the temper-storms even the most well-trained paidhi-candidates threw when language-deprivation set in, back in the university on Mospheira; and they didn’t see it in Jase—Jase’s were mere verbal explosions, restrained perhaps because of Jase’s own upbringing, or because the atevi world around him was so very quiet and void of anger.
But he did hope that Tabini’s good opinion would affect Damiri’s, and that Damiri’s would in turn become the staff’s judgment of Jason Graham. It would certainly make life easier in this apartment. He hoped, too, that it might ease the strain on Jase if he could, through Damiri, encourage the staff to understanding. He knew that information flowed in and out by the servants. And one wanted a good reputation.
Aiji-ma, I should add that he had exhausted himself in study to please me and to meet my schedule, unknowing to what extent news about to fall on him would challenge his self-control.
I should advise you of the normal course of human reaction to such a loss—first to think about past time and missed opportunities regarding his relative. In such a time the future has no map for him; his present is full of responsibilities to relatives which, in his situation, he cannot satisfy. Frustration may well manifest, which may lead to anger with himself or with me, or even with the dead. But this anger will in no wise threaten harm to me or to the staff…
God save us if he threatens the premises, he thought. He had only to look up and about him to see the contents of a veritable museum, the possession and the heritage of the Atageini clan, one of the most critical and dangerous alliances Tabini had forged, expressed in needlepoint draperies, in priceless carvings and fragile porcelain, in carpets which servants cleaned on hands and knees with dust-cloths.
He wishes to visit familiar places. He does not believe in ghosts and he does not believe in their intervention as far as I understand his religious opinions. He is brave and strong-minded or he would not have come down here. I request and hope for answers to my inquiries so that I can provide him some measure of assurance and rapid contact with his mother and other relatives on the ship. I will monitor such conversations and be sure of the content of messages passed.
I stand ready to report to you far better news regarding progress on the ship. Lord Geigi, who treated me as a very honored guest, and the manager of Patinandi in his district have shown me very encouraging progress; and likewise the laboratory at Gioli is making progress on the design of the engines and likewise on the test site. I have some concerns on the recent change of management at Ladisiri.
That was the computer design. The Determinists and the Absolutists were all but going at each other with knives, and the two most talented designers had been literally having tea with each other as two of their aides met in the hall in a set-to that other aides had had to break up by main force.
I have personnel recommendations which may separate and isolate members of the development teams at two sites rather than having discordant persons within the same facility. I do suggest that you assign persons to look into the issues involved, which are beyond my grasp, but which seem bitter and divisive and which are not, by advisements I have received, following the design specifications.