“That’s a damned interesting theory, Mr. Cameron. Not correct in all points, but interesting.”
Ogun. The man who’d posed heated objection to Sabin taking a mission back to Reunion to recover the human library—objecting that Reunion would have no living survivors.
Sabin had gone back after the library. And Ogun’s reason for anger at her was, according to reports, her coming straight back here to Earth once she’d encountered the kyo.
But was it the real reason?
Was there guilt involved in that anger? A secret that had eaten Ogun alive and poisoned relations among the captains for more than a decade, now?
“The kyo sat there for ten years, sir, just waiting for that situation to play out. But at some point they went inside the station, perhaps to explore the architecture, perhaps to capture someone for interrogation. The Reunioners snatched a member of their investigating team, and the kyo immediately backed off. Still with no communication. No further interference. And finally we came back. When we did, they signaled us. We responded. They let us contact the Reunioners. They let us remove them. We retrieved their crew member, we talked with him, we returned him to his people, and through him, we were able to meet and talk with them. We may have talked with kyo fairly high up in authority. But the point is—they tested the situation. They waited. They have patience in ten-year packages. So, no, I don’t want to rush the communications. And if you do know anything bearing on what I’ve just outlined, sir, without prejudice, without judgment, without any opinion of the rightness or wrongness of what happened—I just want to know. I need information. Correct information.”
Small silence. “Was Sabin part of this meeting with the kyo?”
“The participants in the conference with the kyo, sir, were myself, the aiji-dowager, and the young aiji—both of whom have come with me to reprise the contact we had going.”
Ogun’s jaw worked. He said nothing.
“We have a moderately good record with them, sir: we respected their territorial claim, we retrieved their crewman, returned him to them. We were allowed to take the Reunioners off, we left the area, and there were no shots exchanged. I suspect they may have some key concepts in common with atevi—maybe more so than they have with humans. And I will use that, if applicable.”
Eyebrows lifted, carefully. A question.
“Association, sir. Aishi. For one thing, since it was the atevi the kyo contacted, it’s become the atevi language that gives us our bridge to understanding kyo. For another, the word association is one abstract concept they seemed to reach for. I think it is an emotional word with them. If I can assign emotion to people who can wait ten years. I don’t know.”
“People.” That concept seemed itself challenging—to Ogun’s thinking. And not in a welcome way.
“Whatever they are, they seem to be motivated to ask questions instead of shooting at us. I have no clue what their concepts are of nations or politics, I don’t know how their decisions are made. But as long as we are talking instead of resorting to weapons or laying claim to each other’s property, we can figure how to maneuver with them.”
“Where do you propose to meet them?”
“Likely they’ll come much closer. I’m personally prepared to meet them on their deck or on the station, and the aiji-dowager and the boy will be with me—hoping we do know who we’re dealing with. It’s far more dangerous to let our fear feed theirs or to hang back and let their imaginations and ours work. We need your support, on all fronts.”
Long silence.
“You come in here to take over from Tillington. You’re prepared to do that.”
That explained a bit.
“Is that his official assessment of my mission?”
“That’s his concern. He says you’ve gone atevi.”
“In point of fact, a paidhi works both sides of a situation. My job is to ‘go atevi’—or human—alternately. And completely. My last conversation with Tabini-aiji was the day before launch and my last conversation with the President was a call en route, so I’m up to date with their wishes, which are to do what I can to communicate with the kyo and prevent any misunderstanding. But as regards Stationmaster Tillington’s fears about me—that’s not my mission. The President is sending a special envoy to assume command during the emergency, to manage the Mospheiran workforce, and likewise to assure that Mr. Braddock doesn’t cause problems, now or in the future.”
“So we get one more side in this mess? One more finger on the buttons up here is no damned help, Mr. Cameron.”
“The Presidential envoy will consult with you, sir, and your approval will rule all matters with the ship and weigh heavily with the envoy. Presidential authority, however, will end the discussion between Mr. Tillington and Mr. Braddock.”
“And if the Reunioners don’t give a damn about your President?”
“The President is seeking to cooperate with you personally, sir, in finding a resolution to the Reunioner problem after the kyo have departed the system. So will Tabini-aiji. The President does not back Tillington’s proposal. Mospheira doesn’t need a separate human population with separate interests. Atevi object to that, and to their presence here. The composition of the station population is half Mospheiran and half atevi, by treaty, in cooperation with the ship. Creating a separate station under Mr. Braddock’s authority? No, sir. That’s definitely not acceptable.”
Ogun shoved his chair further back and canted it. “So we’re completely reversing position.”
“The President never approved the plan. If Stationmaster Tillington represented that it had the President’s approval, this is not the case. The President is also distancing himself from a statement Stationmaster Tillington made, and which, if the aiji-dowager needs to become aware of it, will bring extremely unpleasant consequences with the aijinate.”
“Is that a threat, Mr. Cameron?”
“No, sir, a warning. You may not be aware, sir—I assume you are not. Mr. Tillington suggested, before witnesses, that the meeting of the aiji’s son with the human children was politically motivated, and Captain Sabin’s doing. I assure you that does not translate into the atevi language in any fashion which could exempt the aiji-dowager from his accusation. She would be within her rights to File Intent on the man.”
“Is that this mass of security arriving with you?”
“This is the aiji-dowager’s usual escort. I haven’t officially informed her about the statement, but there is no guarantee she is not privately aware of the incident. If she should choose to be informed—there would have to be diplomatic consequences, and this is the worst possible time to have that happen. The President does know about it. And for this and other matters of policy and failure to consult, his envoy will replace Stationmaster Tillington, I hope gracefully and privately, without any reference to the aiji’s son, so we can get on with the business at hand and never mention it happened.”
He saw Ogun draw a breath to retort, scowling, and he kept going. “You will have, on those terms, sir, the full support of the President, and the envoy will stay on the station until a permanent appointment can be made. I can say with fair assurance that it will be someone you can work with.”