Intruder

A servant went into the back hall to start a hot bath ru

Oh, that was good. That was very good.

“Work it out,” was all Tabini had given him in the way of instruction, aside from what Ilisidi had told him. “If you can make this mad scheme of my grandmother’s work, do so.”

His job was onlyto bring an eighth of the continent under a central authority it had resisted for centuries.

His job was, besides that, to nudge the very traditional, generally backward Marid into the current century, and get all the Guilds and their regulations accepted in the south, which had no habit of education outside the parents’ trade at all, and no institutions of higher learning except the esoteric college of kabiu.

One step at a time, he told himself. It was miracle enough that they were here and that Machigi had just figured out that he did actually command the Guild, if he only used it creatively within Guild regulations.

First somebody had to educate Machigi in what those regulations were—and that would have to be Tema and his men, once theyfigured out the figurative rule book as it now existed in Shejidan.

All of that was somebody else’s job. Tano and Algini, not to mention the Guild assigned here by the Guild in Shejidan, might have already made a start on it.

Meanwhile, the paidhi-aiji was going to take a long, soaking bath. And go to bed.

Morning came none too soon, in a discreetly solitary bed and with far too much to think about to lie there for long. The servants had arrived—it was an even earlier start to their day—and one was very glad to get moving on what was, however it turned out, going to be a long day’s agenda. One hoped it was going to be a day ending in Shejidan. But that might depend on how breakfast went.

It was at least not the formal dining room for breakfast, with ministers and spouses and all. It was an intimate breakfast room decorated in white porcelain tile and a table set, thank God, only for two.

Machigi came in, which signaled the kitchen, and for a time thereafter it was a conversation confined to the dishes, which were numerous and delicate, though small, and every dish considerate of a human’s dietary restrictions.

One had to do the meal proper courtesy.

“Your remarks about the Guild,” Machigi said at last, over tea.

“Nandi.”

“My aishid reports an encouraging expression from the Guild this morning.”

“Excellent news, nandi. One hopes to see a good outcome. The center of local Guild authority will be here, in this building— in the architecture one hopes to see established. But that will be yours to establish. The Guild, quite naturally, prefers notto see its members set at each other when there is a more reasonable answer.”

“We want to see the final draft of this promised document, nandi. And mind, we shall not tolerate last-moment surprises, especially in public.”

“It will be exactly as you have seen it, nandi. And once that all-important association exists—and this is the best news from Shejidan, which I have particularly wanted to tell you in some privacy, nandi—”

“Say it.”

“Tabini-aiji will recognize the new Marid association as an official region of the aishidi’tat. That will require a realignment of Guild structure and a formal agreement with the new regional structure—that is to say, you,nandi. The various Guilds will each present more papers, which you may or may not sign, but which the dowager will strongly suggest you signc”

“A region.”

“Just so.”

“What do youadvise, paidhi?”

“One advises you sign them as they are crafted. These will be organizational and routine, recognizing you as the aiji of the Marid Association: it is all the same language as the ordinary agreements, nandi, but words in this case that have power to revise reality. As the executive of the Marid, you will be the cha

“Computers. We do not have phonesin the villages, paidhi.”

“You will have both in fairly short order, in fact, as you admit the Messengers’ Guild. They will bring them in.”

Machigi frowned and rested his chin on his hand. “Computers. And who will run these machines?”

“Foreigners, until you educate Taisigi youngsters in their use. Which you can do if you allow the Academicians’ Guild to establish a school.”

“Computers. Schools. Guilds. Are we to becomeShejidan? We are notShejidan, paidhi! Nor are our fishermen going to send their sons to a school! You have no idea!”

“They may, however, send their daughters.”

“You are speaking of the utter overthrow of custom.”

“You will never become Shejidan, nandi, but you willbe the Marid, a modernAssociation within the aishidi’tat, and your people will have hospitals, schools, phones, and, one hesitates to say, television.”

“We have not bargained for the utter overthrow of tradition.”

“You will sign what seems logical to you to sign, and the Guilds must present their case to you for each of these changes. Things will change at whatever pace you decide, and your leadership, nandi, one is quite confident is equal to the task. When your people prosper, you will have their man’chi, one has no question. And your sons anddaughters will, one predicts, be working in space, beside Ragi and Maschi, Edi, Easterners—and humans. One would be dishonest to claim things will stay the same. But you will not have people dying of sickness a local hospital could cure with a single dose of medicine or of injuries a surgeon could heal. You will not have villages festering in situations one single phone call to your offices could relieve. That is power,nandi. That is power no lord in the Marid has ever wielded. Computers. Phones. Satellites to warn your ships of weather. Within the Marid, you will have the same authority the aiji-dowager has over the East and Tabini has over the Ragi and Lord Geigi has on the space station; and when you visit Shejidan, you will do so with the ceremony and respect of a regional lord. But, nandi, one first needs the guilds to make these things happen. And one needs at least a few schoolscnot for everyone. But schools there must be. Your urging can populate them.”

“You will get me assassinated.”

“You will need Guild protection, I have no doubt, but you have it. I have been threatened by persons claiming the shuttles pierce the sky and may let the planet’s atmosphere leak away into the ether. I have been personally attacked by an individual claiming his telephones are spying on him at nightcthese things will happen. You will not find it advisable to walk on quayside without your bodyguard, I regret to say. You will not find it advisable at any time to ignore your bodyguard’s warnings. That I can promise you, from personal experience. There are dangers. Not everyone will be pleased at every step of the way. But there are compensations.”

Machigi gave a long sigh. “You need not tell me about threats. But to have them coming from my own people—”

“The perception that I am harming the atmosphere is now confined to a very few of limited education or unstable mind, and the Guild will not accept a Filing on such grounds. I understand your hesitation, nandi. I understand it very well. At times I have caused great distress, and I have suffered from it. In my worst fears, Iam responsible for the disturbance that led to Murini’s rise. But I feel—I feel very strongly—that I have done what had to be done for people to live good lives—and long lives, safe from hazards that come from above the earth as well as on it. Baji-naji, it is terrifying to bethe flex in the universe. A very few cando it. The aiji-dowager has wagered heavily on your having the intelligence and the courage to be one of the few. You are far too intelligent to keep your people at a technological disadvantage. And I think your nerve will not fail you.”