The screen reverted to lists of figures. In the last two years she had become well acquainted with the needs of many disciplines, how their smooth functioning depended upon seemingly innocuous items such as suture reels, case 12x 20or cable clips, heavy, Cu and Al, sheathed. The little things always ran out first.
She looked carefully at the medical supplies. The one‑shot subdermal diffusion injectors were low. Allergy shots accounted for much of that. She tapped in a request, nodded thoughtfully. There were hypodermic syringes available, but they too were disposable. The medics would have to find a way to reuse their injectors, or stop giving allergy shots. Sophisticated antibacterial and painkilling drugs were no use without the means to inject them. Lu Wai was a medic, wasn’t she? She made a note to talk to her about it.
The hour passed quickly. She rubbed at her eyes, turned off the screen. Her back ached. She was spending too much time in this damn chair.
Vincio tapped on the door, brought in a tray. Danner could not help glancing at the time display on the corner of her desk.
“I scheduled them twenty minutes late,” Vincio said. “You need lunch.” She put the tray on the small table near the door.
Danner ate potato soup, crackers, and salad, beautifully presented on matching china. She accepted the service that went with her rank because it was efficient use of her time, but some times she thought she would not keep either long enough to become accustomed to it.
The farthest Danner had ever been from Port Central was during the first week they had been on Jeep, when she was still a lieutenant. Captain Huroo had taken her and a squad to fight the burn that lay halfway between here and what they now knew as Holme Valley. He was dead now, of course. It was at the burn that she had met Jink, the one who had saved Officer Day. The skinny native had been half‑dead with concussion, burns, and loss of blood, but she had still escaped, then recovered well enough to come back into Port Central to find Danner weeks later. Had anyone been sick by that time? She could not remember. She wondered what had happened to Day–another name on the missing list.
When the virus began to kill, everyone had been confined to base, and she had been here more or less ever since, first taking captain’s rank, then acting deputy, then commander as they died, one by one. Hell of a way to get promoted. Just like a war. And now she was stuck. Her job was to protect the welfare of her personnel; that could best be done from Port Central. From right here, her office. Sometimes she longed for a change of scene.
Nights were the worst, spring nights, when the air was soft and blew in from across the grasslands full of alien promise. At those times she ached to be Out There, walking through strange country, seeing a new world for herself, meeting challenges that were not administrative. Once in all this time she had toured the area surrounding Port Central, riding a sled accompanied by a score of officers. It was not enough. What she wanted was to be headed somewhere definite, with a purpose, toward a situation only she could handle. She wanted to do the job she had trained for, not stare at damn screens all day and make notes on whom to speak to about what. She was bored.
And so when the sergeant and technician were shown into her office, Danner gestured to the low table on one side of the office. “Please, sit.”
The sergeant hesitated before complying. Danner came round from behind her desk and joined them. She thought about asking for tea, but that would probably only make Lu Wai more uncomfortable. Sergeants did not usually take tea with commanders.
“I hope you’ve both eaten, because we might be here some time. You have some news to impart, I believe, and I have curiosities of my own to satisfy.”
Tell me what it smells like out there, she wanted to say, and how the sky looks, what the air feels like. She could not quite bring herself to ask, but some of her hunger must have been apparent. Lu Wai’s face smoothed into the bland look Danner remembered well from her own days as a cadet, the expression assumed by junior officers when one suspected the commander was about to say or do something particularly bizarre.
Danner sighed, and Letitia flashed her an amused glance. Danner was momentarily disconcerted. Dogias was an odd one.
“You traveled in the company of Representative Taishan for several days,” she said briskly. “I want as accurate a description of the journey as possible–what you talked about, how she responded, what she was particularly interested in. I would also like your general impressions.”
“General impression of everything in general?” Letitia Dogias asked.
The woman was teasing her. “Yes,” Danner said firmly. “Try not to edit. I need to know how she responds to things here. Whether or not she likes it, and us.”
Us. The word hung in the air between them. Us. Danner wondered what was the matter with her today. She felt restless, insecure, shaken loose from all her normal patterns. Us. She tasted the word again: Us. It felt right. Perhaps she should talk to these two again sometime. And others. Perhaps it was time to start breaking down her isolation.
Unexpectedly, Dogias smiled. Danner smiled back, allowing herself, just for a moment, to feel part of a group. Us. She noticed Lu Wai had relaxed enough to let her fatigue show. Dap might be a good idea, now. She had Vincio bring it in.
It was Dogias who did most of the talking at first: about Marghe’s discovery of the web that was the spider, the kris flies, the storm. Danner did not miss Lu Wai’s tight expression while Dogias talked about the storm, or the way her hand almost reached out for the technician’s. It must have happened again.
She wondered what it was like to love someone like that, and found herself enjoying being near them.
“How was her attitude to Company in general, and to you, as a Mirror, in particular?” she asked the sergeant.
“Reserved,” Lu Wai said slowly, “like she was withholding a decision. I’d say she was fair‑minded.”
Danner waited, but the Mirror did not explain why she thought so. “And how does she feel about the vaccine, the virus?”
“She’s scared,” Lu Wai said simply. “I don’t think she’s entirely convinced the vaccine will work.”
“Are any of us?” Dogias asked.
Danner thought about that. Was she convinced? “I think it might work, yes.”
“But do you want it to?” Dogias asked softly.
The question reached right inside Danner, but she was not ready for it, and pretended not to hear.
“Tell me about Holme Valley.”
They described the lodges made of skelter trees, the slow‑moving river, the preparation for the arrival of the women and herds from Singing Pastures. Dogias told her how she and Ude Neuyen had laid the northern relay, and Danner once again wished her job felt more constructive. Most of what she achieved could only be measured in negatives: less sick leave, fewer emergencies due to good planning, no sag in morale. It was hard not to feel jealous of the satisfaction in Dogias’s voice as she talked about solving one practical difficulty after another.
“… and we might have been back a day early if we hadn’t had to take the time to witness the pattern singing. And the agreement.”
This, then, was what they wanted to talk about. Or at least part of it. She gestured for them to continue.
“The storm we ran into,” Letitia said, “it destroyed Marghe’s–Representative Taishan’s–rations. She had to bargain with the natives for more food to take with her. They gave us some, too, though that wasn’t strictly necessary. The bargain she made was something called trata.”
The term was unfamiliar. “Go on.”
“As I understand it, Marghe told them that we”–Letitia made an all‑inclusive gesture–“are all part of one social unit, a family. A family for which she is empowered to speak. She offered them the everlasting favor of her family in return for food and clothes.”
Danner found that she had been holding her breath. She let it out. “That doesn’t sound so bad.” She looked at Lu Wai. “Or is it?”
Letitia shrugged. “We’re not sure. I think what sh
e offered is an alliance of some kind.”
“An alliance.” Danner steepled her fingers, looked at the ceiling. The last thing she needed: worry over a group of people who might look to her in situations she knew nothing about. In her peripheral vision she saw Lu Wai sit up straighter and realized she had shifted back into commanding officer mode.“And you, Sergeant, you witnessed it, not Marghe?”
“Yes, ma’am. My orders were to offer any reasonable assistance to the representative, to obey her instructions as long as they did not conflict with our task. As this seemed to be the only way for Representative Taishan to continue her mission, and as she requested that we undertake the witnessing so that she could be on her way, in my judgment it was appropriate to comply.”
Danner nodded; she had done the right thing. “How formal do you judge the agreement?”
“It was witnessed in the presence of a viajera, ma’am.”
Not a spur‑of‑the‑moment thing, then. “Marghe left a report?”
“Yes, ma’am.” She gestured at Dogias, who pulled a chip from her belt and set it on the table.
Danner picked it up. Such a tiny thing. ‘ “I need to take a look at this. Go get some rest. If I have further questions, I’ll call you later.”
At the door, Lu Wai half turned, hesitating.
“Yes?” It came out sharper than Danner intended.
“Nothing, ma’am. Sorry.” They left.
Now what had that been about? Perhaps she should not have been so sharp. Well, done was done. If it was important, Lu Wai would get around to telling her. She dismissed the matter from her mind.
Two hours later, she levered herself up from her chair and paced, trying to think. Trata. She could still hear Marghe’s voice: “Trata is a serious matter. For a complete reference, see Eagan’s field notes, file K17‑9a I think, but I can give you the essential idea. The most important thing is that, to the women of Holme Valley, we are no longer strangers. This means that if something terrible happened, for example the microwave relay failed, or we ran out of food, Holme Valley would be bound to help us. Of course, it also means we have to help them, but the major point is we are no longer alone on this planet. We have allies. The alliance cannot be dissolved until there’s been some trading–that’s a loose definition, see Eagan’s notes for more detail–by both parties. What will probably interest you most is this: we are now involved in this world. We have a stake in the culture. Because of that, we will be considered when and if the journey women make any changes that could affect us. Danner, do you understand this? It’s important. We’ve become part of the social network, here, like… oh, part of the cultural food chain. We’re linked with these people. From now on, what they do–all of them, any of them, because the trata network is woven right through these communities, linking each with another–will affect us, so they’ll consider us and our needs before they do anything. They won’t consult us, no, but they’ll be careful not to incur our outright wrath. It was a risk, but it seemed a good one: we have a base here of sorts, if we need it.”
Part of the cultural food chain. Damn that woman. She paced harder. Her bootheels made no sound on the restful, absorbent tile, which irritated her further. They already had a base. Did Marghe think Port Central wasn’t good enough? Obviously. Part of the cultural food chain… Didn’t that damned woman realize Company personnel were not supposed to get involved at all with the indigenous population?
Of course she knew. It was her job to know.
Danner dropped into the chair Dogias had been sitting on just two hours ago. What was Marghe saying to her? She played back the last sentence. “We have a base here of sorts, if we need it.”
Why would they need it? If the vaccine did not work. But the vaccine would work.
But do you want it to?
She shoved Dogias’s question aside, began to pace again. The vaccine had to work. It was their only chance.
She stopped, stood very still.
Their only chance? What did she mean by that? The vaccine might be the last chance for Company to profitably exploit Jeep, of course, but it was not herlast chance, or that of her staff. If the vaccine did not work, Company would lift them off. Marghe, and Sara Hiam on the Estrade, were civilians… bound to lose faith now and again. But Company would not abandon them.
Thinking of Sara Hiam reminded her that she should let Estradeknow that the relay at Holme Valley was up and running. No doubt the doctor would have more to say about Company, and the Kurst, which she referred to openly as “that engine of death,” but it would be good to talk to someone who did not have to call her ma’am.
What time would it be now up on the Estrade? Late. But not too late.
After a moment, a woman Danner recognized as Nyo filled her screen. She smiled at her. “Hello, Nyo.”
Nyo did not smile back. “Good evening, Commander.”
Maybe the woman was just having a bad day. “I’d like to speak to Dr. Hiam.”
The screen blanked, then flared again. Sara Hiam’s face was set and unwelcoming. “Yes?”
Danner wondered what was wrong. “It’s me,” she said.
“I can see that.”
“Is anything wrong?”
“You tell me.” Her voice was flat, hostile.
There was no excuse for this kind of rudeness. Muscles along Danner’s jaw bunched. “I didn’t call to spar with you, Doctor. If there is some problem up there, I’m unaware of it. Perhaps you could apprise me of the situation.”
“No.” Sara Hiam’s face was taut with anger. “You should tell uswhat the hell the situation is, Commander; you should explain to uswhat all this crap with codes is about.”
“Codes? I don’t understand.”
“You should.”
“Obviously. But the fact remains that I don’t.” She was’too tired, too confused to stay angry. She rubbed her face. “Look, Sara, I honestly have no idea what you’re talking about. I’m sorry you’re angry, but unless you tell me what you think I’ve done wrong, we can’t clear up this misunderstanding.” She hesitated. “I thought we had each other’s trust.”
“That’s what I thought, that’s why I’m so angry. So you explain why you’re sending tight, coded messages up to the Kurstand not telling me or anybody else what the hell is going on.”
“Coded messages? From Port Central?” It did not make sense. “You’re sure?”
“I’m sure.”
Danner frowned. “I didn’t send any messages.”
“Somebody did.”
“What did they say?”
“They were coded, remember?”
“Did you record them?”
Sara Hiam shook her head. “It was pure chance Sigrid caught them, and we weren’t set up to record.”
“I don’t understand.” What was going on? “Messages, you said. There was more than one?”
Sara tilted her head. “You really don’t know anything about it, do you?” Danner shook her head. Hiam was suddenly businesslike. “Sigrid said they were multibursts. Or something. Apparently it’s something the military does: send several communiques in one compressed burst.”
Military. “And they went to the Kurst?”
“That’s right. From Port Central.”
“When?”
“Eight days ago.”
Eight days, eight days. Nothing unusual had happened then. Someone was sending messages in code, military code, from Port Central to the Kurst, and she knew nothing about it. Her head began to thump. “I assume that this is the first time you’ve intercepted this kind of communication.”
“Yes.”
“Why now?” Danner muttered half to herself.
“It might have been going on for some time,” Hiam offered. “Sigrid was trying some new frequencies for the satellite, ones we haven’t used before. For all we know, the spy could have been sending information up for months. Or years.”
“Spy?” The thumping in Danner’s head became a hot ache.
“Why else w
ould someone send transmissions without your knowledge?”
There was no other reason. None at all. Danner felt as though someone was pushing a hand inside her stomach and squeezing.
“Who would want to spy on Port Central–on me?”
“Company,” Hiam said gently.
“Company?” Banner was bewildered. “But I’m Company.”
“Perhaps they don’t think you’re Company enough.”
She tried to think, and her confusion slowly heated to anger.
Hiam was right. It had to be Company spying on her. Company going behind her back after seven years of faithful service. But it still did not make sense: if the people on Kurstwanted to know something, why not just ask her? She would tell them. She had nothing to hide. Nothing. She had always been loyal, aboveboard. Always. Only now they seemed to think she was not, that she could not be trusted, that she needed to be watched. Who, who the hell, was doing this?
“Can Sigrid find that frequency again?” She was breathing hard.
“I’ll check with her. Hold for a moment.” Hiam paused, finger poised above a key. “You might like this,”–she smiled wryly–“or you might not. It’s one of Nyo’s.” The hold screen was a cartoon: a knight in medieval armor balanced on the hull of the Kurst, aiming a catapult at the planet below. In other circumstances, it might have been funny.
The cartoon flicked out and Hiam’s face reappeared. “Sigrid says yes. Apparently she’s already monitoring it, just in case.”
Banner’s anger was mounting, but she kept her voice steady. “Please convey my gratitude and ask her to continue to do so. When our spy uses that frequency again, I want it recorded.” The code could come later. First, catch whoever it was. Then find out why. “Another thing. Tell her that finding the originating locus of this signal takes priority over its information content.”
“What if there isn’t a next time?”
“There will be,” Danner said grimly. That damn spy would want frequent reassurance from the powers above. She would need it. The muscles in her face felt tight.
“I wouldn’t like to be in her shoes when you catch her,” Hiam said dryly.
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