Of course the Gubru would have to go ahead with the ceremony. It was too late to recall the invitations. But each of the three Suzerains might prefer to see different outcomes.

Fiben …

“So, professor? Where do we start? You can start teaching me how to act like a proper white card now.”

She closed her eyes and shook her head. “Go away,” she said. “Just please go away.”

There were more words, more sarcastic comments. But she blocked them out behind a numbing curtain of pain. Tears, at least, she managed to withhold until she sensed that he was gone. Then she burrowed into the soft bag as if it was her mother’s arms, and wept.

75

Galactics

The other two danced around the pedestal, puffing and cooing. Together they chanted in perfect harmony.

The Suzerain of Propriety shivered, fighting the changes. They were completely united in opposition now. The Suzerain of Cost and Caution had given up hope of achieving the prized position — and was supporting the Suzerain of Beam and Talon in its bid for dominance. Caution’s objective was now second place — the male Molt-status.

Two out of three had agreed then. But in order to achieve their objectives, both sexual and in policy, they had to bring the Suzerain of Propriety down off its perch. They had to force it to step onto the soil of Garth.

The Suzerain of Propriety fought them, squawking well-timed counterpoint to disrupt their rhythm and inserting pronouncements of logic to foil their arguments.

A proper Molt was not supposed to go this way. This was coercion, not true consensus. This was rape.

For this the Roost Masters had not invested so much hope in the.Triumvirate. They needed policy. Wisdom. The other two seemed to have forgotten this. They wanted to take the easy way out with the Uplift Ceremony. They wanted to make a terrible gamble in defiance of the Codes.

If only the first Suzerain of Cost and Caution had lived! The priest mourned. Sometimes one only knew the value of another after that one was gone, gone.

Against their united voice it was only a matter of time, of course. Their unison pierced through the wall of honor and resolve the priest had built around itself and penetrated down to the realm of hormone and instinct. The Molt hung suspended, held back by the recalcitrance of one member, but it would not be forestalled forever. 

 The Suzerain of Propriety shuddered and held on. How much longer it could do so, it did not know.

75

The Caves

“Clennie!” Robert shouted joyfully. When he saw the mounted figures come around a bend in the trail he nearly dropped his end of the missile he and a chim were carrying out of the caves.

“Hey! Watchit with that thing, you… captain.” One of Prathachulthorn’s Marine corporals corrected himself at the last second. In recent weeks they had begun treating Robert with more respect — he’d been earning it — but on occasion the noncoms still showed their fundamental contempt for anyone non-Corps.

Another chim worker hurried up and easily lifted the nose cone out of Robert’s grasp, looking disgusted that a human should even try lifting things.

Robert ignored both insults. He ran to the trailhead just as the band of travelers arrived and caught the halter of Athaclena’s horse. His other hand reached out for her.

“Clennie, I’m glad you …” His voice faltered for an instant. Even as she squeezed his hand he blinked and tried to cover up his discomfiture. “. . . urn, I’m glad you could come.”

Athaclena’s smile was unlike any he remembered her ever wearing before, and there was sadness in her aura that he had never kenned.

“Of course I came, Robert.” She smiled. “Could you ever doubt I would?”

He helped her dismount. Underneath her superficial air of control he could feel her tremble. Love, you have gone through changes. As if she sensed his thought, she reached up and touched the side of his face. “There are a few ideas shared by both Galactic society and yours, Robert. In both, sages have spoken of life as being something like a wheel.”

“A wheel?”

“Yes.” Her eyes glittered. “It turns. It moves forward. And yet it remains the same.”

With a sense of relief he felt her again. Underneath the changes she was still Athaclena. “I missed you,” he said.

“And I, you.” She smiled. “Now tell me about this major and his plans.”

Robert paced the floor of the tiny storage chamber, stacked to the overhead stalactites with supplies. “I can argue with him. I can try persuasion. Hell, he doesn’t even mind if I yell at him, so long as it’s in private, and so long as after all the debate is over I still leap two meters when he says ‘Jump.’ ” Robert shook his head. “But I can’t actively obstruct him, Clennie. Don’t ask me to break my oath.”

Robert obviously felt caught between conflicting loyalties. Athaclena could sense his tension.

His arm still in a sling, Fiben Bolger watched them argue, but he kept his silence for the time being.

Athaclena shook her head. “Robert, I explained to you that what Major Prathachulthorn has planned is likely to prove disastrous.”

“Then tell himl”

Of course she had tried, over dinner that very evening. Prathachulthorn had listened courteously to her careful explanation of the possible consequences of attacking the Gubru ceremonial site. His expression had been indulgent. But when she had finished, he only asked one question. Would the assault be considered one against the Earthlings’ legitimate enemy, or against the Uplift Institute itself.

“After the delegation from the Institute arrives, the site becomes their property,” she had said. “An attack then would be catastrophic for humanity.”

“But before then?” he had asked archly.

Athaclena had shaken her head irritably. “Until then the Gubru still own the site. But it’s not a military site! It was built for what might be called holy purposes. The propriety of the act, without handling it just right …”

It had gone on for some time, until it became clear that all argument would be useless. Prathachulthorn promised to take her opinions into account, ending the matter. They all knew what the Marine officer thought of taking advice from “E.T. children.”

“We’ll send a message to Megan,” Robert suggested.

“I believe you have already done that,” Athaclena answered.

He scowled, confirming her guess. Of course it violated all protocol to go over Prathachulthorn’s head. At minimum it would seem like a spoiled boy crying to mama. It might even be a court-martial offense.

That he had done so proved that it wasn’t out of fear for himself that Robert was reticent about directly opposing his commander, but out of loyalty to his sworn oath.

Indeed, he was right. Athaclena respected his honor.

But I am not ruled by the same duty, she thought. Fiben, who had been silent so far, met her gaze. He rolled his eyes expressively. About Robert they were in complete agreement.

“I already suggested to th’ major that knocking out the ceremonial site might actually be doin’ the enemy a favor. After all, they built it to use it on Garthlings. Whatever their scheme with us chims, it’s probably a last ditch effort to make up some of their losses. But what if th’ site is insured? We blow it up, they blame us and collect?”