A Matter of Oaths (7 page)

“
Thank you, sir.
”
Rafe sat up and hugged his knees.
“
That was good of you.
”

“
It was also the
one and only time I will do that for you,
”
Joshim said grimly.
“
The next time
you try to kill yourself with a bottle of jack, I
’
ll leave you to it.
”

“
I wasn
’
t trying to kill myself,
”
Rafe said flatly.
“
I can
’
t. That
’
s part of the conditioning that goes
with identity-wipe. There isn
’
t any
way I can voluntarily deprive the Guild of my services. I have to wait to be
thrown out.
”
He shivered and started
to remove the blood monitor from his arm.

“
Leave that,
”
Joshim ordered.
“
I
’
m going to give you a
pain-killer.
”

“
You wouldn
’
t have a sleeper to spare?
”
Rafe asked hopefully.

“
You can
’
t take one tonight. Your system can
’
t handle it.
”

“
It can. Another
effect of my near-human blood.
”
Rafe
grimaced.
“
Though I can
’
t prove it.
”

“
Your medical
record…
”

“
Is incomplete,
for obvious reasons. It notes that I
’
m
a hybrid, without giving details.
”
Rafe shrugged.
“
Forget I asked. I
’
ll have to sleep without help sooner or
later. Why not tonight?
”

“
If you
’
re going to be
Bhattya’
s First, I shall want a full metabolic work up for you,
”
Joshim commented.
“
Until then, I
’
ll take
your word about the sleeper.
”

“
Is the offer
still open?
”
Rafe asked
disbelievingly.

“
Yes. On the
condition that this does not happen again.
”
Joshim handed him a small cup of liquid.
“
Drink
that.
”
He took the cup away when Rafe
had finished, rinsed it out and shut it in the drug-pack.
“
Lie flat.
”

Rafe obeyed, feeling the drug starting to work.
“
How in hell did you persuade Commander
Rallya to accept me?
”
he asked
sleepily.

Joshim laughed.
“
One
day I may answer that. Go to sleep.
”

In Aramas zone, ship losses to the
unidentified Outsiders continue. Convoys are being instituted on the routes of
greatest risk, and extra patrolships assigned to the zone. At the request of
the Guild Council, the Emperor Julur has dismissed Drevir Lord Rhamar as head
of the team of diplomats and historians attempting to make contact with the
Outsiders, and appointed Madjaya Lady Gremor, noted for her successful contact
with the Lam-ti-ranog system (now Dasnar zone).

In the matter of your particular
interest, personnel changes in the Aramas zone will take effect shortly; a
preliminary report on the new situation is attached. Investigations into recent
events are continuing.

“Glad to be back, Rallya?” As he spoke, Noromi, Commander
of
Meremir
, looked around the
conference room in disgust.
“
Emperors,
we
’
ll never get this lot sorted out.
I doubt one of them has run in a convoy before.
”

“
They
’
ll learn,
”
Rallya told him. She did not envy Noromi his task as Convoy
Commander, in spite of the apparent authority it gave him over the other
patrolships. He was welcome to the tiresome business of keeping the cargoships
in some semblance of order and mediating between cargoship Threes who all
thought they deserved special treatment at each other
’
s expense. Far better to have
Bhattya’
s
role, only loosely attached to the convoy and free to pursue Outsiders while
Noromi chivvied the convoy to safety.

“
They won
’
t learn. Not until we
’
ve lost one of them,
”
Noromi predicted sourly. He glowered
at the group of cargoship reps, congregated for mutual protection on the side
of the room nearest the door.
“
Pity
we can
’
t pick which one.
”

“
I don
’
t see Jomisa here,
”
Rallya commented, changing the subject before Noromi could tell
her which of the cargoships had the distinction of being the first to annoy
him.

“
She got promoted
into a Second
’
s berth on
Sarasya
. Just before they went for a
refit. The blond is her replacement.
”
Noromi pointed carelessly towards the back of the room, where the patrolship
seniors, brought along to gain experience of strategy conferences, had
gathered.
“
Talking to the half-sized
First.
”

“
Rafe,
”
Rallya informed him.

“
Yours?
”
Noromi turned for a longer look.
“
Much experience?
”

“
Enough,
”
Rallya said vaguely. Enough to force
her to a draw in the web twice since their initial encounter, but she was not
going to admit that to Noromi. Enough to cope with the heavy load of tactical
case studies that she had set him and to come back with unexpectedly perceptive
analyses of them. He had served in a patrolship before he was identity-wiped,
that was certain, and a patrolship with a Commander who had singled him out for
special training.

“
You must
introduce me,
”
Noromi decided.

“
I
’
ll add you to the list.
”

Noromi grunted and turned to watch the door again.
“
Here
’
s
Maisa at last,
”
he grumbled.
“
You
’
d
think she
’
d be on time for her own
conference.
”

Maisa looked understandably harried. She was the wrong
person to be Zone Commander in a zone where Outsider incursions were a serious
threat to shipping; she should be sitting out the last few years of her career
in a backwater. Rallya scowled. There were enough Commanders whose webs had
failed for whom the Guild could not find any job. She wondered whose favours
Maisa had called in. And whether she was regretting it now.

It was a big convoy – four patrolships and eleven cargo –
and it took a while for Maisa to get the silence she was waiting for. Rallya
glanced back at Rafe, lounging against the back wall with his hands in his
pockets and every appearance of having seen it all before. He acknowledged her
glance with a tiny tilt of his head: still here, ma
’
am. It would be a waste of time to question him later, she decided
sourly; he was not missing a thing that was going on around him.

Maisa shuffled her notes for the last time and plunged into
her prepared speech. Rallya leaned back in her seat. There was nothing new to
her in what Maisa was saying, only a rehash of the current situation. Outsiders
of unknown origin… historians making every effort at identification… diplomats
attempting peaceful contact… convoy system for your protection… Rallya yawned
ostentatiously. If there was one thing Maisa could do, it was take a blatant
hint. She skipped hurriedly to the end of her notes, introduced Noromi and
excused herself, duty done.

Noromi took the cargoship reps through a rapid review of the
convoy rules and running order before allowing them the pretense of debating
the decisions already taken. No cargoship carried a trained Commander;
whichever member of a Three came closest to the necessary skills was deputized
to fill the role when needed. Rallya could see equal numbers of Webmasters,
Cargomasters and Captains, and every one of them convinced that they had
something useful to say. At least it was an opportunity to identify the
troublemakers and the steady few who would not panic in an Outsider attack.

There was one Captain to whom it would be worth talking; she
had survived Outsider attacks on her last two runs along the convoy
’
s route. When the conference had
straggled to an end, Rallya rose with the intention of intercepting her but was
delayed by a Webmaster hoping for an apprentice
’
s berth with
Bhattya
for
a protégé of hers. By the time Rallya had extricated herself, she expected to
find her quarry gone and was surprised to see the woman lingering near Rafe,
waiting for an opportunity to talk to him when Noromi moved on.

“
Captain Sajan, I
’
m Commander Rallya. Can we talk? I
’
d like more details about the Outsider
ships that attacked you.
”

“
Gladly, if you
’
ll wait for me…
”
She gestured at Rafe, who had disposed of Noromi and was waiting
for Rallya.

“
Rafe is with me.
Is it a private matter, or will you join both of us for a drink?
”

“
A drink will be
welcome, after this waste of time.
”
Sajan waved a hand around the emptying room.

“
Not a complete
waste, surely, ma
’
am,
”
Rafe commented.
“
Commander Maisa
’
s
summary of the situation here was very informative.
”

Rallya looked at him suspiciously. Sajan gave a short laugh.

“
With your looks,
and a sense of humour like that, you must be related to Yuellin,
”
she snorted.

“
I
’
m afraid the name isn
’
t familiar, ma
’
am.
”
Rafe did not change
expression. Never play cards with him for money, Rallya cautioned herself,
watching with interest to see how he dealt with this.

“
You were born in
the New Empire?
”
Sajan pointed to the
twin Oath markers on Rafe
’
s sleeve
and to a similar pair on her own tunic breast.

“
Yes, ma
’
am.
”
Rafe smiled apologetically.
“
But I
’
m a chance-child. I don
’
t know my parentage.
”

“
You could be his
brother, the resemblance is so close. Or his son. You
’
re young enough, and he could have fathered you before he got his
web.
”
Sajan snorted again.
“
Although he isn
’
t a man for women. I should know. I tried hard enough when we were
serving together, before he made Commander on
Janasayan
. That was fifteen years ago, of course. Surprised he isn
’
t on the Guild Council by now. One of
the youngest Commanders ever. Didn
’
t
look old enough to have a web, let alone a Commander
’
s berth.
”

“
Sounds like you
have a lot in common with him, Rafe,
”
Rallya suggested slyly.
“
Is it
impossible that you
’
re his son?
”

“
Not impossible,
ma
’
am, merely improbable.
”
There was an hard edge of anger on his
voice, unmissable evidence of a temper; Rallya wondered what it would take to
make him lose it.

“
If you ever cross
the Zone again, ask him,
”
Sajan
suggested.
“
Yuellin Lord Buhklir.
Tell him I sent you.
”
She squeezed
Rafe
’
s shoulder and Rallya found
herself holding her breath.
“
Who
knows? You might turn out to be the Buhklir heir. Wouldn
’
t that be something for a chance-child?
”

“
Yes, ma
’
am, it would.
”
Rafe removed himself from Sajan
’
s grip as if by accident and turned to Rallya.
“
Will you excuse me? I promised the
Webmaster I
’
d take the afternoon
training session with the apprentices today.
”

A lie, and he knew that Rallya knew it. Rallya nodded
permission and Rafe bowed his farewell. Captain Sajan looked disappointed; she
had obviously hoped to reminisce with him at length about her aristo
acquaintance in the New Empire. Rafe would have to be careful to avoid her in
future, Rallya thought. There would be few webbers as intolerant of an
Oath-breaker
—
aristo
’
s son or not
—
as one who had themselves crossed the Disputed Zone.

Still, she had answered the obvious questions about Rafe
’
s past. Chance-child, hell; he was the
beloved son and heir of Yuellin Lord Buhklir, and the recipient of all the care
and attention that an aristo could arrange. Buhklir had probably supervised the
lad
’
s apprenticeship himself, then
made sure that he was assigned to a ship with a Commander who could be relied
upon to continue his special treatment. Rallya grinned nastily. Relied upon to
continue his special treatment, but not to keep him safe in the right Empire.

Or was Rafe
’
s
crossing of the Disputed Zone not the result of a mistake by his Commander but
arranged as a deliberate curb on his father? It had happened before: an aristo
who put loyalty to Empire before loyalty to Guild, rising to a high position
and needing to be reminded of the full meaning of the Oath. The only thing that
an aristo put before Empire was family; what better reminder than a son in the
other Empire? No aristo would argue so eagerly for lethal combat in the Zone if
their own son was facing them across it.