Inheritor

And even while he said it he was hedging his bets, telling himself—just get that spacecraft built, get it flying, get atevi up there before politics shuts atevi out of the meaningful decisions.

If he could get help—he’d take it.

But jeopardize that objective? No.

Jase didn’t answer him. He decided that was a relief. He couldn’t debate trust with Jase. It didn’t exist. It might, eventually, but it didn’t, not here, not now. He daren’t debate it with Ilisidi, either, but he did trust her, as far as he could reason what she was doing.

Banichi and Jago—there was his one known quantity, though Tabini never was: believe that those two, who were right now deep in conversation with Cenedi, would bend Tabini’s orders a little to save his neck. He was sure they had done that very significantly at least once. Believe that Tabini valued him andhis objectives? So far he was irreplaceable.

One of Ilisidi’s men came close to him, Haduni, bringing the boy back. He looked in that direction and saw them offloading the baggage from the mechieti.

Are we camping here? he wondered. That didn’t accord with his knowledge of the situation.

No, he thought, seeing men adjusting mechieti harness, we’re going to move.

Harness adjustment was something he didn’t venture to do. There were straps he knew what to do with: mechieti shed a little of their girth after a morning start, especially when they were traveling this hard; and a saddle that slipped more than Nokhada’s had been doing just before the dismount was a problem he didn’t want. Expert handlers moved through the company seeing to any mechieta the rider for one reason or another wasn’t able to see to; and just as the young man was attending to Nokhada’s harness, the discussion the senior security officers had been holding among themselves was breaking up. Banichi had left the group and was leading his mechieta along the edge of the company at a very purposeful stride while Jago and Cenedi went to speak to Ilisidi.

“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 ca

“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.”