Intruder

That envelope was aboutGene and Artur and Irene and Bjorn. It could be fromthem. But if he asked for it, his father would probably say no, and that would be the end of the discussion for years. So he fought to think straight, and not to panic, and not to lose his words. (Lose your words, his great-grandmother would say, after thwacking him on the ear, and you lose your argument. Lose your argument, and you lose what you dearly want. Think, boy! Whatare your words?)

“Humans form their associations differently.” He answered his father with his father’s own words. “They do not have to be the sons and daughters of aijiin. I makethem important.”

His father blinked, at least a sign that he was impressed. “And they have good qualities, you say. What are these qualities?”

“They are clever. They are forward. They know things.”

“And their man’chi?”

He saw that trap and stepped right across it. “Their man’chi is like nand’ Bren’s.”

“One doubts it is that extraordinary,” Father said. “But it has impressed you.”

“They are strong,” he said. “They are quick. They have protected me.”

“Protected you.”

“They have taken the blame for me, honored Father, when I was stupid.”

“An impressive gift. So.” Father was quiet for a moment. “And you were ordered, strictly, to forego this association.”

“I was ordered. But I have learned it would be improper for me, honored Father, to disrespect their man’chi.”

“That is how you read them, in particular. All of them.”

Another trap. It was a test.

“Gene, and Artur, and Irene, honored Father. And Bjorn. Bjorn is a year older. One does not believe the rest have such man’chi, but these four. These four.”

“A fortunate number for an aishid. Was that your thought?”

“I have an aishid, honored Father, and they shall be. But Gene, and Artur, and Irene—they are the three I would most rely on. Bjorn I would rely on to help me and to fight for me. But Gene, and Artur, and Irene, honored Father, these three would be with me through anything. Bjorn has man’chi to them most. But to me, too. I am older, now, and much wiser.”

Father nodded. “And you think it unjust that we have severed you from these persons.”

He could get angry if he let himself. Anger, mani would say, is your enemy’s servant.

“I know why you have ordered it, honored Father. I need to be with atevi. I shall live here and not in space. I shall need to know things I could not learn in space. I need to know atevi and not to be confused about what I am. I need to learn man’chi. I need to learn from atevi.” It was a recital, of things all the adults around him had said, over and over. “Now I know what everybody was telling me about grown-up feelings. Now I know what you and mani wanted to teach me about that. Now I am ready.”

His father leaned back in his chair, as he would do when he was taking a view of something, and ending a conversation. “You are almost fortunate nine. And extraordinarily precocious.”

“One hopes to be respectful.” He had learned to say that under the threat of a thwack on the ear. “Honored Father.”

“Are you? Respectful?”

His heart ticked up. “One wishes always to be respectful, honored Father.”

“Yet you send secret messages by a lord who may in the future wish your favor.”

“Nand’ Bren says Lord Geigi is honest and I should rely on him. But nand’ Bren has man’chi to you, and so does Lord Geigi. So I know he would have told you. But I suppose he might have forgotten to tell you. Things were very confused at Najida.”

“Oh, do not be elusive, son of mine. It hardly becomes an aiji. Speak your mind.”

“Then you should not be angry at Lord Geigi for sending my message. I am the one. I was not proper to him, to ask him to carry a message you would not approve. I did not expect him to send it. He may not have known you disapproved.”

His father’s face was quite grim. “He is no fool. Do you think he is?”

“Not at all. But he may be busy.”

“It was quite clever. He did come to me. I told him to send the message. And all the rest.”

“All my other letters?”

“I saved them.”

He drew a deep, slow breath. Bowed, which was always a good idea when the conversation was getting tense.

“Honored Father.”

“So here is your answer,” Father said, nudging the glassy envelope closer. “A letter carried down on the shuttle. One inquired of Jase-aiji as to the propriety of the exchange.”

“Jase-aiji.” Jase-aiji was one of nand’ Bren’s associates. Jase-aiji had been good to him, on the ship.

“I asked him, through the ship-paidhi, how your association with these persons stands. He responded that they often ask about you and often wish their good will sent to you. You are right. The association has not broken, though strongly encouraged to break.”

A second deep breath. A second bow. He did not trust his voice. His heart was beating for all he was worth.

“These three,” his father said, “and the fourth, are an inconvenient symmetry in ages. There will be comment on that, among the ’counters. And much as we belittle the ’counters for folly, there is reason in this. There is something missing. One does not think it is this Bjorn person, who wrote only briefly and formally and has entered technical preparation on the ship. He will not come.”

“One—has no idea, honored Father.”

“There will be someone,” his father said. “A fourth. Everyone will say so. But you are approaching your ninth and felicitous year, and one has asked oneself what sort of celebration there should be. Your grandfather and your great-uncle will of course have their plans, andtheir regional ambitions, about which you know something.”

“I know, honored Father. But—”

“Do not interrupt me.”

“Forgive me.”

“I am having a generous moment. I am having an extremely generous moment—and perhaps a moment of far less charity toward these pestilential regional ambitions. I shall not have a civil war breaking out between your grandfather and your great-uncle, or between your mother and me, or between me and my grandmother. Each will deplore the other’s influence. Half will deplore the association with nand’ Bren, half will support it. And it is in my mind to give everyone something else to deplore, if I can prevail upon Jase-aiji to move the parents of these three young people to permit them to attend you on your birthday—down and back up to the station again on the same shuttle cycle. Would that please you, son of mine?”

“Honored Father.” He found himself all but speechless. “Indeed.” He remembered to bow. “One would be extremely pleased.”

“One had little doubt of that. Your mother is anxious. I am not. One will expect extraordinarily good behavior before, during, and after this event. You understand the word ‘incident,’ do you not?”

“Yes, honored Father. One does understand it.”

“Do you understand my desire not to have one surrounding this event?”

“One understands very, very well, honored Father. One will be on absolutely the best behavior. And likewise my associates.”

“This entails the consent of their parents. Jase-aiji can strongly suggest they give it. He ca

He bowed, and bowed again for good measure. “One would be ever so grateful, ever so well-behaved, ever so polite—”

His father lifted a hand for silence.

“Go,” his father said. “Go begin behaving well, today. Let us have another good report from your tutor.”

“You shall have, honored Father! Thank you!”

“Out.”

He left. He left with a look back at the doorway to see whether his father was still serious. He was. He ducked out and shut the door and went straight down the hall to his own door, and inside.