Foreigner - Explorer. Part 35

"Was that that what Tamun found out about, Mr. Jenrette?" Jase asked. "Guild orders?" what Tamun found out about, Mr. Jenrette?" Jase asked. "Guild orders?"

"Nonsense," Jenrette said.

"Your old partners on Ramirez's security team all died. Tamun shot them. People you'd shared duty with for twenty years. Does that mean anything to you? Not a shred of personal regret for your partners?"

"Tamun was a b.a.s.t.a.r.d," Jenrette said, jaw clenched. "No regrets at all he's he's dead. And he's irrelevant to the case at hand." dead. And he's irrelevant to the case at hand."

"Regrets for Ramirez?"

"Regrets for Ramirez," Jenrette said somberly. "He was the Old Man."

"But he wasn't Guild, was he? He didn't take the Guild's orders. He didn't take their orders when it came to poking about in other people's solar systems. The Guild wanted resources. But he was constantly looking for an alternative, not so much for Reunion as for the Guild's leaders.h.i.+p. I rather think you went along with that for a number of years. But he was getting older and no stronger, and when the business blew up and Reunion got hit, then you were going to see to it he carried out Guild orders, if you had to s.h.i.+ft the balance of power on the Council. You were going to stop him from his old-age ambition to settle this mess, because you thought he'd become a fool."

"That's not so."

"You'd spied on him all his life. You'd told the Guild as much as kept the Guild happy. And when Ramirez began to look weak, you jumped over to the Guild's side."

"Ramirez was, longterm, looking for alternatives to the Guild," Bren interjected. "Looking at every likely star in reach. And he finally found his answer at Alpha-a whole planetful of alternatives. And not all human. And that's when he made a choice. And I think that's when you did, Mr. Jenrette."

"He was the Old Man," Jenrette said. "I was with him."

"And when he made an agreement with the atevi," Jase said, "and kept it-did you try to save him from himself, too, Mr. Jenrette? When he was dying, were you the one who let the rumor out, about survivors at Reunion? You knew the truth. You'd known it from the time you went into Reunion."

Hesitation. Hesitation, as if somewhere in the whole equation, there was still a fragment of real loyalty in the man, a desire to justify himself to himself.

"You double-crossed Ramirez when he was dying," Jase said. "d.a.m.n you. And you double-crossed Sabin out there. You didn't bring us her orders. You brought us theirs."

"No."

"The Guild's orders, Mr. Jenrette. You're working for the Guild, and you have been since your visit here. I'd like to have known what went on after the record ended. I'd like to know what they said, or did, to turn you so thoroughly to their side."

"There never was a side," Jenrette said. "I didn't double-cross the Old Man, and I didn't double-cross the Old Lady. I want her back safe. But safe isn't going against the Guild, safe isn't isn't letting atevi run the s.h.i.+p or taking your orders from letting atevi run the s.h.i.+p or taking your orders from him him, sir."

Meaning the paidhi-aiji, quite clearly.

"A b.l.o.o.d.y great hole in the station is safe?" Jase retorted. "A mess with an alien s.h.i.+p out there is safe? You'd better stop and look around you, Mr. Jenrette. You want to say what you think? I'm a jumped-up theoretician? I'm too friendly with the atevi? I'm not really qualified and you're going to save the s.h.i.+p by steering another batch of us into a Guild trap, when they set the captains against them, when they've kept their own population at risk instead of s.h.i.+pping the majority of them out of there? You have have double-crossed Captain Sabin, Mr. Jenrette, in your mistaken conviction that a handful of deskbound fools have any clue how to a.s.sure human beings survive in this universe double-crossed Captain Sabin, Mr. Jenrette, in your mistaken conviction that a handful of deskbound fools have any clue how to a.s.sure human beings survive in this universe with with our culture and our common sense. Rethink, mister. Rethink and tell me I don't have the real picture. our culture and our common sense. Rethink, mister. Rethink and tell me I don't have the real picture. They've They've got a theory. got a theory. We've We've been there and back again. We've dealt with aliens and we're still human, last I looked in a mirror. Not human enough for you, maybe, but that's the reality, and theirs dead-ends. It's going to dead-end completely in not so very long, because we're pulling the population out of here. So where have you ended up, Mr. Jenrette? Doing anything good? I don't think so." been there and back again. We've dealt with aliens and we're still human, last I looked in a mirror. Not human enough for you, maybe, but that's the reality, and theirs dead-ends. It's going to dead-end completely in not so very long, because we're pulling the population out of here. So where have you ended up, Mr. Jenrette? Doing anything good? I don't think so."

Long silence. Jenrette shook. He outright trembled, in the shock of a real injury, but Bren didn't find himself in the least sorry for the man who'd been a long-term traitor to three captains, his own comrades, and the s.h.i.+p's whole crew.

"Well," Jase said, "so what you wanted, Mr. Jenrette, isn't happening. We're undertaking the steps to let us board pa.s.sengers. We're shutting Reunion down. And if you want to find a way out of your situation, you'd better start trying. Mr. Cameron, do you have any questions for him?"

Bren had not the remotest idea what questions Jase wanted asked of the man, but Jase, sitting on his well-known temper, probably didn't trust himself to find all the requisite threads at the moment. He didn't have specifics, but he had keys, and if he could only open a door to information, he hoped Jase might find a wedge to keep it flowing.

"Mr. Jenrette," Bren said quietly. "Mr. Jenrette, I'm relatively sure you're quite adept at leaking information. Maybe you dropped just enough hints to provoke Tamun to turn on Ramirez; and Tamun killed your partners, which was why you swerved about and turned on Tamun. I've no doubt you were at Ramirez's ear for years. I'm relatively sure if anything aboard this s.h.i.+p for the last twenty years has skewed off course, your fingers are somewhere in it. All these things I believe are the truth, but they're all past. What is important is that we're going to get the fuel we need, we're going to get everyone off the station that we can persuade aboard, and then we're going to have to blow up the station with everyone that's left aboard-your Guild, foremost. Probably our senior captain and your latest colleagues in her bodyguard, but she knew the risk she ran, and I'm sure you did. After we blow it up, we're going to take our alien guest over to his people, and take what agreement we can get and go back where we came from. That's what we're going to do, Mr. Jenrette. But you know what we came here to do. And I'm sure you've told the Guild. Why of all things did you think you could walk back in here and be believed, with me, and with Captain Graham? Or was that the job Guild leaders.h.i.+p gave you? You'd lost your usefulness with Sabin: she was onto you. So they just made a last-ditch try and sent you here-because if you've hired a traitor, you don't go on using him. You find someplace to send him where he'll be taken care of. Unhappily, we're the only other place there is. You're supposed to do some sabotage. Use your skills on their side. Never mind what you contain. What you know. You'll be a good follower, and die trying. Then Braddock won't have to meet you again."

Jenrette stared him, jaw set, full of anger, and said not a word.

"If you'd stuck with Sabin," Bren said, "you'd have had her ear. But you've thrown away your influence. Sabin did have reservations, exactly as you do. The dowager respects the senior captain: atevi atevi would have listened to her as a strong voice for her point of view. But you've silenced her. You've silenced would have listened to her as a strong voice for her point of view. But you've silenced her. You've silenced all all the voices of human dissent. Thanks to their own mismanagement, the Guild likely will fall; Ramirez is dead, and Sabin may not survive. Tamun, in his rebellion-he didn't do what you wanted. He decided Ramirez was lying, when most of the lies were yours. Between you, you and Sabin and Tamun, I suspect you kept Ramirez from ever trusting us with the whole truth. How am I doing?" the voices of human dissent. Thanks to their own mismanagement, the Guild likely will fall; Ramirez is dead, and Sabin may not survive. Tamun, in his rebellion-he didn't do what you wanted. He decided Ramirez was lying, when most of the lies were yours. Between you, you and Sabin and Tamun, I suspect you kept Ramirez from ever trusting us with the whole truth. How am I doing?"

"Go to h.e.l.l."

"Pretty well, I'll imagine."

"Listen to me," Jenrette said. "Listen to me! All we have to do to get out of here is for him him to answer Guild rules. Then we're to answer Guild rules. Then we're all all away free, with no trouble." away free, with no trouble."

For Jase-to surrender Phoenix Phoenix and come under Guild command. and come under Guild command.

"Meaning Sabin's also refused the Guild's orders," Jase said. "Interesting."

"It's your choice." Jenrette swung round toward Jase. "In a post you don't remotely qualify for. You're no captain of this s.h.i.+p. You have no right."

Jase shook his head with amazing patience. "The stakes are too high, Mr. Jenrette. And trust me, your hand isn't nearly high enough. Sabin tried to help you-maybe knowing all the while you're a Guild agent. And look what she got for her trouble. It's d.a.m.ned lonely being your friend, Mr. Jenrette."

"Shut up."

"You know, Braddock himself may have figured you're always on your own agenda, and that's not a wholly useful agent: Bren nailed that, didn't he? You're a total fool, but you always know better than your captains, than the Guildmaster, than everybody. Consequently you're no use to anyone. So Braddock sent you here. Best use for you."

"Taylor's b.a.s.t.a.r.d," Jenrette spat. "You don't have the answers. You weren't born with any answers. You aren't G.o.d. Just existing doesn't make you anybody anybody, Graham. Not anybody!"

"Take your pick," Jase said. "I'm sure, if your devotion to the Guild is that strong, Mr. Jenrette, we'll let you go join Mr. Braddock. He may even remember your name, and he might even keep his promises to you-even if he hasn't kept them with his own station population."

"On the other hand," Bren said, "if your convictions aren't strong enough to die with the Guild-maybe you aren't so convinced that's the best course."

Jenrette wouldn't look at him. Not at either of them.

"Make your decision," Jase said.

"What kind of deal?" Jenrette asked. Not, one noted: I see the light. I change my ways, but: What kind of deal? It was possibly a glimmer of truth.

"You want a pardon?" Jase said.

Jenrette looked at Jase-interested for about a quarter of a heartbeat; then very, very wary. That face he saw wasn't genial Jase Graham, usually silent second to Sabin. It was Jase Graham who'd stood in the aiji's court and held his own with the lords of the a.s.sociation.

"I'm putting you outside," Jase said quietly. "And there's only one way you'll get back aboard. And that's if you bring the senior captain, alive and well, with every one of her escort."

"I can't do that," Jenrette said.

"Because she's dead?"

"No. I don't think she's dead. But look at this." Jenrette demonstrated his wounded arm. "You're sending me out there to get me killed."

"Mr. Jenrette, I'm not sending a station shopkeeper to do this job. I'm sending a covert professional, who's managed throughout his life to be secretive. You'll find a chance to get to her. You'll have a wider chance as the panic spreads and as the station loses its personnel-wider still, as Braddock's trusted people get the notion their only hope is this s.h.i.+p. And let me make it very clear. I will let Mr. Braddock aboard. I will not not let you aboard unless you satisfy my condition. If we don't get Sabin, you'll stay on this station. You'll be on it, all alone, in the dark, when we blow the remnant of this station to cold s.p.a.ce." Jase had leaned on a chair back nearest Jenrette. Now he stood back. "Mr. Polano." let you aboard unless you satisfy my condition. If we don't get Sabin, you'll stay on this station. You'll be on it, all alone, in the dark, when we blow the remnant of this station to cold s.p.a.ce." Jase had leaned on a chair back nearest Jenrette. Now he stood back. "Mr. Polano."

"Sir."

"Are your reinforcements outside?"

Polano cross-checked on his com-set. "Yes, sir, they are."

"Then take him out of here. Get the arm treated. Then put him out into the mast where you found him."

"Free, sir?"

"He doesn't come back aboard unless he's in Captain Sabin's company."

"Yes, sir," Polano said with satisfaction. "Yes, sir sir."

"Mr. Jenrette," Jase said nicely, with a little wave of his hand. "Go with Mr. Polano and company. Goodbye and good luck."

"d.a.m.n you," Jenrette said, and got to his feet. And clearly thought about a move.

Polano showed him the door. And after a self-preserving second thought, Jenrette turned and walked to the door.

There were half a dozen men outside, ordinary crew, armed, and backing up Polano.

The door stayed open a second or two after Polano and Jenrette left, and shut.

"He may do one thing," Bren said, "or the other. Fifty-fifty he reports to Braddock."

"I put it sixty-forty against," Jase said. "Jenrette's not atevi. He's a survivor. And I think he's not found the chaos he hoped to find aboard. He doesn't like what he'd have to tell Braddock. Eighty-twenty he'll lie to Braddock. Question is, can he make Sabin believe him?"

"You're lucky Sabin took him out of here. G.o.d knows what he'd have done."

"I don't think luck had anything to do with it. I think she knew what he was. I don't think she knew how far he'd misinformed Tamun. But she didn't trust me, with him aboard, to keep this s.h.i.+p out of Guild hands. I think she thought I'd let my guard down."

"And if he comes back?"

"If he comes back with Sabin-he'll have his chance to convince her he's a hero."

They were committed to the hilt.

And Bren shakily pocketed the gun.

"Our alien's alive and well?" Jase re-asked him.

"In good condition. Tolerates our air, clearly hasn't died of our food in six years-a lot of problems short-cut by those two items..."

"Shortcut by the plain fact the Old Man was poking around among planets with our life requirements," Jase said. "So the Guild had an alien hostage. And they don't, now. We do. We've got Jenrette. We're short a robot, but the word is out. We've papered the mast with our fliers. They'll have h.e.l.l's own time rounding those up."

"We dispersed others on the far side of the station."

"Any shooting?"

"We made a fair amount of racket-Jago tossed a few grenades, but n.o.body got killed, n.o.body hurt on our side. About the brochures-I confess I told certain people they were first-boarding tickets."

Not much had struck Jase as funny in the last number of hours. The laugh was startled, quickly gone. "We urgently need to talk to this alien. Any possibility?"

"Six years in confinement... if he hasn't learned at least yes, no yes, no, and go to h.e.l.l to h.e.l.l I'll be surprised." I'll be surprised."

"But that's not guaranteed by anything you've heard."

"No. It's not guaranteed. I've sent him to five-deck. Furniture that fits his size. Personnel with the physical strength to hold him. He's large. He's far too strong for human guards. He's almost too strong for Banichi."

"I trust you know what you're doing." Jase tapped a stylus on his desk. "We've made a fair stir here. Observers on that s.h.i.+p out there are going to start wondering. I don't want to back this s.h.i.+p out and take them the hostage, for several reasons. I don't want to panic the station. And I don't want to get involved in negotiations with the aliens out there before we board our people. I want it a fait accompli. But if we take all that ma.s.s on, we've got to chase the fuel situation to a conclusion, next number one priority. We lost a robot. We did get some pictures. And we know where the guns are."

Risky venture. But so was everything.

"If we could get a long-distance understanding with that s.h.i.+p out there," Bren said, "if we knew we could gain time..."

"That would be very useful, if we knew that for certain," Jase said. "I'd really like that-if you can figure how."

"I'll find a way," he said to Jase. "I don't know yet what our guest may know. Hold off on attempting the fuel for at least six hours. I'll see if I can learn anything."

"Six hours," Jase said. "Six hours, if nothing else happens. Don't bet too heavily it won't. The stationers you met have seen atevi-not to mention Jenrette's almost certainly told what he knows. So that secret's out. Becker's out and away, armed with more of your travel brochures. He and his men say they're going to get their families and relatives packed and ready-or they could could to run straight to the Guild, if any one of them thinks what they've learned is that valuable to Braddock."

"You can judge their intentions better than I can."

"I don't know," Jase said. "Likely they themselves didn't know what they were going to do when they left. In their line of work, they're cautious. They don't trust things. They'll try to verify what's been going on before they make any decision. And my bet is they'll go immediately to their closest contacts. They'll take a look at their wives and their kids. I think they'll come back. The way I half way figure Jenrette is adding up the odds and thinking how to get Sabin back here in one piece."

"One hopes so," Bren murmured in Ragi, and reached in his pocket and handed Jase the builder's key. "This was useful, nadi-ji."

"So nothing's changed."

"One new door not on the system. That was all we found that failed to answer it."

Jase pocketed the key himself. "Useful to know. I'll advise Gin of that."

"I'm going," Bren said, switching languages without thinking. "I'll call when I know something."

Scary business. A change of clothing was in order, at very least, a change of clothing, a quick wash, a change of direction, a change of mind and mental state away from fight-flight and panic, and toward orderly problem-solving.

Among first things, the gun went back into storage. He was as glad to shed that as he had been to turn the key back to Jase's keeping.

"One is grateful, Rani-ji. It was extremely useful."

"Nandi." Narani absorbed the compliment as graciously as Bindanda would accept praise for a fine dinner. The gun had not been fired-a condition that pleased them both.

"One wishes also," Bren said, "Rani-ji, a change of clothing for our guest, somehow. One observes a very great girth."

"One has already provided him an adequate bathrobe and estimated his measurements, nandi. One hopes this was proper."

"Indeed. Thank you, Rani-ji. And food and drink?" Without knowing his preferences, one might think bland food close to its natural state might be a safe choice, but there were hazards in atevi cuisine, a fondness for alkaloids humans had found quite distressing. Even fruits were not without difficulties, for some individuals. "Bland fruit juice. Abi Abi, I think, and cold water. Unleavened breads."

"At once, nandi. We have only awaited your order."

"Perhaps sweets as well." Food must be one of those very basic things to species which didn't live on moonbeams, sugars were fairly simple, as best he could recall, and a cool drink, a meal, and a change to comfortable clothing improved any disposition.

Narani accordingly went off to inform Bindanda, and he went for a shower that might relieve the stinging in his eyes-a discomfort worsened since he had rubbed them on the way down. Red-eyed, he was sure. Slightly smoky. But generally undamaged, except for seeing that clerk's frightened face every time he shut his eyes... G.o.d, he was not cut out for Banichi's and Jago's line of work.