Tracker by C. J. Cherryh Read Free Book Online Page A

aiji’s son, in her care—at his age—and to take—” Neither ship-speak nor Mosphei’ had a word for it. He changed to Ragi. “—to institute a new aijinate aboard that ship, far from the aishidi’tat, to involve herself and the aiji’s son in foreign politics and foreign ambition— No.” He dropped back into ship-speak, for another logic. “First, you and I know it didn’t in fact happen. The aiji-dowager deals from her own hand. No one else’s. And certainly she wouldn’t use her great-grandson as anybody’s ally in some human power game. No. First, it’s false. She allowed the association with the Reunioner children for her great-grandson’s sake—a boy who’d scarcely
seen
another child—of any sort. And secondly, if word of this accusation reached her, she might well File Intent on Tillington. Mind, she
does
have Guild personnel on the station. He’d better not repeat this theory, anywhere outside Ogun’s office.”
    â€œWe have no way to stop him. It’s not mutiny. It’s opinion, and, all said, he’s
your
official. In the
Mospheiran
sense.”
    â€œNo question he’s Mospheiran,” Bren said. “But he’s not on Mospheira.”
    â€œHe’s opened a wide gulf with Sabin. I don’t know how he can retreat from this.”
    â€œI don’t know how he can retreat from it either, given the situation. I’m serious about the dowager’s position. She will be serious, if she takes notice of it. If Geigi hears it, Geigi won’t work with him.”
    â€œGeigi already won’t work with him. I
know
Geigi can speak a little Mosphei’. It doesn’t happen.”
    True. Basically true, during all their absence from the solar system and all the troubles, with all the building, Geigi had been communicating using the supply system codes they’d developed for that interface in the space program, in shuttle guidance, in all the places where numbers and codes could carry a meaning.
    â€œSo he’s become a liability. A serious liability, driving a program that’s going to divert materials for years. And the Reunioners remain a problem driving every decision we make. If we propose moving the Reunioners down, that process is going to take time, and new construction, with politics all the way. If we remove Tillington now, he’ll have an opinion. If it’s political power he’s courting, I can foresee which party will back him. Damn. Is
nothing
ever simple?”
    â€œWe’ve got Tillington on one side, Braddock on the other, up there, and theoretically we’re not in charge of Braddock, Tillington is. Tell the President this: when you chose the crews to come up to the station, you
screened
people you sent. They’re all certified
sane.
The Reunioners were all born on Reunion. They’ve been through hell in the last ten years. And we took all the survivors. There was nothing like screening. There still hasn’t been. We’ve got theft we never had to deal with. We have a shadow market we never had to deal with. You wouldn’t believe what you can turn into alcohol. We’ve likely got some seriously confused head cases in that population. And we’ve got Braddock, who thinks the Pilots’ Guild is in charge of the universe. We’re one psych problem short of a security nightmare. And
we’re
fragile.
Phoenix
is. Tillington’s politicking between Sabin and Ogun is bringing live
our
old issues. My people
still
haven’t answered all the questions about
why
Ramirez pulled us away from Reunion and stranded those people out there in the first place. It’s
not
a dead issue with the crew
or
with the Reunioners. It may never be. Damned sure nobody in the crew is on the side of the old Pilots’ Guild, and Braddock’s claims to speak for that ancient organization get no handhold with us. But now Tillington’s