“What other choices,” Ilisidi said, “do we tell that ship up there we have?”

Sharp woman, Ilisidi.

“What choice? The future of relations between atevi and humans. Cooperation and association and trade. The word is ‘treaty,’ nand’ dowager. They’ll listen. They have to listen.”

“Rest,” Jago said, behind him, and brushed his hair back from his forehead. “Bren-ji.”

Didn’t want to move for the moment. It hurt enough getting up here to the cockpit.

Figure that Tabini probably knew everything they’d just said—give or take the computer codes; and don’t bet heavily on that, once the experts got after it. Anything you used, numerically speaking, to get past atevi, you couldn’t go on using.

But peace was in everyone’s interests. Certainly it was in Tabini’s. And in the interest of humans, ship’s crew and planet-bound colonists a long, long way from the homeworld.

He’d told Djinana they might walk on the moon. Lay bets on it, now, he would. Granted Malguri was still standing.

He made an effort to fold up the computer. Jago shut the case for him, and disconnected the cord. After that—the necessity of getting up.

He made it that far. Ended up with Banichi’s arm around him, Banichi standing on one leg. The dowager aiji said something rude about young men falling at her feet, and go sit down, shewas in command of the plane.

“Let me,” Jago said, and got an arm about his middle, which stabilized the aisle considerably.

Banichi limped after them. Sat down beside him.

“Long distance, is it?” Banichi said. “If you go up there, we go, nadi.”

He couldn’t say he understood Jago orBanichi, orTabini.

Couldn’t say they understood him.

Scary thought, Banichi had. But he suddenly saw it as possible, even likely, when negotiations happened, when Mospheira got that lift vehicle, or the ship up there built one in order to deal with them. Atevi were going into space. No question. In his lifetime.

Baji-naji, The lots came down, Fortune and Chance made their pick. You weren’t born with your associates. You found man’chisomewhere, and you entered into something humans didn’t quite fathom with an altogether atevi understanding.

But in the way of such things, maybe atevi hadn’t found the exact words for it, either.

Pronunciation

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A=ah after most sounds; =ay after j; e=eh or =ay; i varies between ee(hh) (nearly a hiss) if final, and ee if not; o=oh and u=oo. Choose what sounds best.

-J is a sound between ch and zh; -ch=tch as in itch; -t should be almost indistinguishable from -d and vice versa. G as in go. -H after a consonant is a palatal (tongue on roof of mouth), as: paidhi=pait’-(h)ee.

The symbol ’ indicates a stop: a’e is thus two separate syllables, ah-ay; but ai is not; ai=English long i; ei=ay.

The word accent falls on the second syllable from the last if the vowel in that syllable is long or is followed by two consonants; third from end if otherwise: Ba’nichi (ch is a single letter in atevi script and does not count as two consonants); Tabi’ni (long by nature)—all words ending in -ini are -i’ni; Brominan’di (-nd=two consonants); mechei’ti (because two vowels sounded as one vowel) count as a long vowel. If confused, do what sounds best: you have a better than fifty percent chance of being right by that method, and the difference between an accented and unaccented syllable should be very slight, anyway.

Also, a foreign accent if at least intelligible can sound quite sexy.

Plurality: There are pluralities more specific than simply singular and more-than-one, such as a set of three, a thing taken by tens, and so on, which are indicated by endings on a word. The imprecise more-than-one is particularly chosen when dealing in diplomacy, speaking to children, or, for whichever reason, to the paidhi. In the non-specific plural, words ending in -a usually go to -i; words ending in -i usually go to -iin. Ateva is, for instance, the singular, atevi the plural, and the adjectival or descriptive form.

Suffixes: -ji indicates intimacy when added to a name or good will when added to a title; -mai or -ma is far more reverential, with the same distinctions.

Terms of respect: nadi (sir/madam) attaches to a statement or request to be sure politeness is understood at all moments; nandi is added to a title to show respect for the dignity of the office. Respectful terms such as nadior the title or personal name with -jishould be inserted at each separate address or request of a person unless there is an established intimacy or unless continued respect is clear within the conversation. Nadior its equivalent should always be injected in any but the mildest objection; otherwise the statement should be taken as, at the least, brusque or abrupt, and possibly insulting. Pronunciation varies between nan’-dee (statement) and nah-dee’? (as the final word in a question.)

There are pronouns that show gender. They are used for nouns which show gender, such as mother, father; or in situations of intimacy. The paidhi is advised to use the genderless pronouns as a general precaution.

Declension of sample noun

Singular

aiji Nominative

aijiia Genitive

aiji Accusative

aijiu Ablative

Non-specific plural

aijiin Nom pl. Subject The aiji

aijiian Gen pl. Possession’s, The aiji’s

aijiin Acc. Pl. Object of action (to/ against) the aiji

aijiiu Abl. Pl. From, origins, specific preposition often omitted: (emanating from, by) the aiji

Glossary

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Adjaiwaio—a remote atevi population

Algini—glum servant’s name, security agent

Alujis—river Brominani disputes re water rights

agingi’ai—felicitous numerical harmony

aiji—lord of central association

aijiia—aiji’s

ateva, pl. atevi—name of species

Babsidi—“Lethal”; a mecheita

Banichi—security agent

Barjida—aiji of Shejidan during the War

Bergid—mountain range visible from Shejidan

Brominandi—provincial governor, long-winded

baji—Fortune

bihawa—impulse to test newcomers

biichi-gi—finesse in removing obstacles

bloodfeud—principal means of social adjustment

bowing—done, if deep, with hands on knees

Dajoshu—township of Banichi’s origin

dahemidei—a believer in the midei heresy

Didaini—a province visible from Malguri

Dimagi—an intoxicant

dajdi—an alkaloid stimulant

haronniin—systems under stress, needing adjustment

hasdrawad—lower house of atevi legislature

hei—of course

Ilisidi—grandmother of Tabini

insheibi—indiscreet, provoking attention

Intent, filing of—legal notification to the victim of Feud

Jago—security agent

kabiu—‘in the spirit of good traditional example’

Maidingi—Lake Maidingi

Maiguri—estate at Lake Maidingi

Matiawa—breed of Ilisidi’s horse

Moni—servant of Bren

Mospheira—human enclave on island; also name of island

Mosphei’—human language

machimi—historical drama with humor and revenge

man’chi—primary loyalty to association or leader

man’china—grammatical form of man’chi

man’chini—grammatical form of man’chi

mecheita—riding animal

midarga—an alkaloid stimulant, noxious to humans

midedeni—a supporter of the midei heresy

midei—a heresy regarding association

mishidi—awkward, regarding others’ position

Nisebi—province that allows processed meat

nadi—mister