"Ah, flattery, now, Bren-ji. Not your usual standard."

"Honesty, Tabini-ma, is my only value. I stand between. I'll carry your messages to Mospheira. I'll tell you what responsible authorities answer after they've had time to think. But I won't inform on debates in progress, theirs or yours. Or the ship's. And, Tabini-ma, consider that I've been out of the information loop for days, I've been hours under anesthetic, I've had a pain pill and I'm not clear-headed at the moment. In such circumstances I can only — only stand by the strict interpretation of the Treaty. I would be ashamed to give you less than my best advice or, worse, to misinform you."

Atevi so rarely showed inner feelings. Tabini's face was an absolute mask, but it became a gentler one.

And, oh, Tabini could use the charm when he wanted to.

"I'm aware of your injuries. I asked for you back, Bren-ji, because I'm convinced of your good will, I rely on your candor, and I urgently need to know, before making any policy decisions, what this ship is saying and what Mospheira is saying to it. I need some warning what Mospheira will decide to do so that I'm not caught by surprise. I know that this may violate the language of the Treaty, but the collapse of the Association will abrogate the Treaty entirely and put everything in question. Believe me: we are in the midst of a crisis and, Bren-ji, let me urge upon you that I'm not the only one playing games with the Treaty when Mospheira sends me twopaidhiin."

"It's ordinary when I'm not on duty. And I'd been out of touch for days. Surely you can't fault —"

"I'm aware of the scene downstairs. She claimed she was going to the airport, when in fact she had no travel pass and no clearance. Her intention was plainly to accost you publicly and create gossip."

"If it was to make dissent in the paidhi's office evident, I fear she succeeded."

"One fears so, yes. Bren-ji, I'd gladly have taken her to the airport under guard; I'd gladly set her adrift in a row-boat, if I didn't feel such a dismissal would not better relations with Mospheira."

"I ask you to give her the travel pass, aiji-ma."

"Is this so? The Treaty says there shall be a paidhi. So since you won't answer my questions about their intent, at least tell me who are you? Do you still have the office, or does this woman hold it? Does her arrival have more to do with your absence from Shejidan — or with the appearance of that ship in our sky? Do you see the drift of my thoughts, Bren-ji? Who is in charge, now, in your government, and whom does this woman represent?"

He felt himself short of breath, putting together the threads — and not certain he had all of them. "There's no change in government or policy that I'm aware of. But I went straight from here to hospital. And my mind isn't clear, aiji-ma. Someone may have told me about Hanks' whereabouts. I — just — can't remember. I — can't — bring that back."

"The day you left for Malguri, your government requested you to answer a message sent to your office. You weren't here, obviously. More messages followed. One can guess their sudden urgency had somewhat to do with the apparition in our heavens."

"One would — indeed — think so, aiji-ma."

"On the third day an aircraft requested landing with this woman aboard. We saw the likelihood of close questions regarding your whereabouts, so we asked for the television interview with you, for —"

"For tape of me?" One didn't interrupt the aiji when he was talking. "Forgive me, aiji-ma."

"It was useful," Tabini said. "One learns about television, among other blasphemous possibilities, that it plays very interesting games with time, with scale, with numbers in general. An impious device. A box of illusions. But it did quiet some general questions about your good health. And it maintained the idea in the public mind that you'd never ceased in office. — But you keep evading my very serious question, Bren-ji. Have they sent you back merely to quiet my demands — or are you back with real authority?"

"The most of my authority, aiji-ma, is the plain fact that I speak the language of the chief atevi Association, and the equally plain fact that I'm here by your invitation and that you choose to deal with me. I assume that you deal with me."

"True."

"Have you dealt at all with Hanks? Is there an agreement? Are there negotiations in progress? Are there proposals on the table?"

"With the likes of Taigi and Naijo. With every damned potential conspirator in the Association — possibly. With me — no."

Appalling information. "Surely she's sought meetings with you."

"Shall I empower this interloper? I dealt with this woman once and only once, when I told her to tell Mospheira send you back immediately or I would have her shot. By the result, I believe she transmitted my message faithfully."

God — was the gut-level, Mospheiran reaction. But this wasn't Mospheira. Indeed Tabini could have had her shot. And if Tabini had threatened it — Tabini absolutely would have had to do it if Hanks hadn't complied.

"I have to ask for her safety," he said quietly. "Please, aiji-ma."

"Does the paidhi ask? Do you have the support of the Treaty?"

"I trust," he said, light-headed with the awareness he was hedging on a breach of Department rules andthe Treaty, "that if persons in authority on Mospheira did send me, they sent me by the terms of your request, and by that, if they receive messages from me they'll know they're your messages faithfully and accurately rendered. I don't believe they consider me corrupt, or incompetent. Logically speaking, aiji-ma, if you choose to deal with me rather than with her, what can they do, if they wish to continue to receive your communications?"

"They can ignore my communications."

"No, aiji-ma. They can't. What atevi do and think is vastly important."

"Then why send this Deana Hanks in the first place? And why is she listening to unacceptable people?"

He temporized. "She is my legitimate successor. If I was gone —"

"She's a fool."

"Aiji-ma, the presumption on Mospheira clearly was that I wasn't on the job, for whatever reason, in what they knew was a very touchy situation. Possibly they sent her with absolute good will to you, as the best stopgap they could manage if some accident had befallen me — such as assassination at the hands of some opposition movement —"

"They needed to select a fool?"

"There are very, very few humans who speak the language, only three who can think in it."

"There are two. You and Wilson-paidhi. This woman does not think."

Tabini was damned mad. Clearly. And there was far more at issue than Hanks' life. Or his.

"Possibly — possibly, aiji-ma, once the State Department is sure I'm well enough to carry on my office, they may indeed recall her. And if they don't, I'll urge they do. I assure you."

"This woman is interfering in our politics. Where is their intelligence, nand' paidhi? Is this a deliberate act to violate the Treaty? Or is some other, perhaps ignorant, party now directing human affairs?"

It was a very frightening question, at depth — even confining the implications of that question to the State Department, which he knew wasn't Tabini's entire concern, considering that ship in the heavens.

More, the paidhi didn't have the definitive answer to give. The Foreign Office called talks with the ship touchy. "I'll make your displeasure very clear to the responsible parties, aiji-ma. In the meantime, please, no move to remove her by force. Let me arrange it, in my own way. I believe I can do it without disturbance."