under guidance but misheard the instructions –’
‘As you will,’ the officer replied. ‘In any event, he was too effective. When Orion rises, we don’t want our people full of self-doubt, do we? They’ll be stunned as is. Better they first spend a few years under a less likable Maurai High Commissioner.’
He seemed to feel the shock in his listeners, for he went on deftly: ‘This agent of theirs, then, insisted on going north to poke around. As per doctrine, his principal guide, allegedly civilian, was from my corps, and happened to be me. I must say that Terai Lohannaso
is
an impressive fellow. Middle-aged but bull-strong, bull-sized; possessed of an adequate if perhaps not exactly scintillating mind; withal, a disarmingly soft-spoken and friendly sort.’
Ronica’s own mind stirred. That name – No, she couldn’t lay hand on whatever the memory was.
‘Like the rest of us, most of whom were entirely sincere, I told him I knew of nothing illicit, but he was welcome to look wherever he chose, and I’d make the trip as easy as possible for him and his staff,’ Mikli continued. ‘Oh, that became quite a trip!
‘I took him to a Tlingit settlement, hoping their well-known festiveness would distract him. Instead, he ate and drank
them
to the ground, and was champing to be off next morning. Not far from Kenai, he noticed faint signs, broke out his instruments, dug down, and found a buried power cable – a monstrously thick thing, but helifted it in his bare hands, seeing the current: was off. I did my best to convince him it was ancient – who’d be that lavish with copper nowadays? – but well preserved by its insulation, and used by a hydroelectric station serving the locality. I took him to the station, but plainly he was skeptical, and I decided best he and his party suffer a regrettable accident. He was climbing a mountain, carrying an infrared detector, to make sure a heat source he’d spotted was not artificial. My assistant triggered an avalanche in the snowfield above. Nobody else with him escaped alive, but he did. Incredible! It was as if he
swam
in that roaring mass.… He was injured, though, besides having lost most of his group, and must needs give up and go back to recuperate.’
Mikli scowled. ‘He’ll return, or colleagues of his will,’ he finished. ‘Communications may be thin and transportation slow, compared to the past before the Doom; likewise, intelligence corps are naive; but brains are as functional as ever. We shall have to improve our cover, to the point where we can safely receive Maurai inspectors right in Kenai.’
‘Can we?’ Benyo asked, a small tremor of age in his voice.
The visitor gestured expansively. ‘Oh, yes. I and my colleagues have given the matter a heap of thought. Our organization is ready to move; I’m only here to survey the area in detail and make specific recommendations. For example, in this vicinity – not hard by, but in this general vicinity – we can start work on what appears to be a clandestine nuclear powerplant that a syndicate supposedly is building to produce synthetic fuels. We can let the Maurai discover it, with enough difficulty to make them believe they’ve cracked the secret. Less elaborate arrangements might suffice, to be sure. We’ll see. Don’t worry, Master Smith. Orion shall rise. The safeguards will be directed by a highly competent troublemaker, namely me.’
Benyo did not look altogether happy.
Mikli switched his jaybird glance to Ronica. ‘You’ve made a magnificent contribution, my lady,’ he said. I’m not sure but what you’re being wasted in Laska. How would you like to see the rest of the world? I go to and fro in it.’
Taken aback, she could merely reply, ‘You’re moving a little fast, aren’t you, Captain?’
He laughed. ‘The offer is honest, or presumably will be after I’ve had a chance to learn more about you. We might make a first-chop team. If you also choose to explore how we might
‘As you will,’ the officer replied. ‘In any event, he was too effective. When Orion rises, we don’t want our people full of self-doubt, do we? They’ll be stunned as is. Better they first spend a few years under a less likable Maurai High Commissioner.’
He seemed to feel the shock in his listeners, for he went on deftly: ‘This agent of theirs, then, insisted on going north to poke around. As per doctrine, his principal guide, allegedly civilian, was from my corps, and happened to be me. I must say that Terai Lohannaso
is
an impressive fellow. Middle-aged but bull-strong, bull-sized; possessed of an adequate if perhaps not exactly scintillating mind; withal, a disarmingly soft-spoken and friendly sort.’
Ronica’s own mind stirred. That name – No, she couldn’t lay hand on whatever the memory was.
‘Like the rest of us, most of whom were entirely sincere, I told him I knew of nothing illicit, but he was welcome to look wherever he chose, and I’d make the trip as easy as possible for him and his staff,’ Mikli continued. ‘Oh, that became quite a trip!
‘I took him to a Tlingit settlement, hoping their well-known festiveness would distract him. Instead, he ate and drank
them
to the ground, and was champing to be off next morning. Not far from Kenai, he noticed faint signs, broke out his instruments, dug down, and found a buried power cable – a monstrously thick thing, but helifted it in his bare hands, seeing the current: was off. I did my best to convince him it was ancient – who’d be that lavish with copper nowadays? – but well preserved by its insulation, and used by a hydroelectric station serving the locality. I took him to the station, but plainly he was skeptical, and I decided best he and his party suffer a regrettable accident. He was climbing a mountain, carrying an infrared detector, to make sure a heat source he’d spotted was not artificial. My assistant triggered an avalanche in the snowfield above. Nobody else with him escaped alive, but he did. Incredible! It was as if he
swam
in that roaring mass.… He was injured, though, besides having lost most of his group, and must needs give up and go back to recuperate.’
Mikli scowled. ‘He’ll return, or colleagues of his will,’ he finished. ‘Communications may be thin and transportation slow, compared to the past before the Doom; likewise, intelligence corps are naive; but brains are as functional as ever. We shall have to improve our cover, to the point where we can safely receive Maurai inspectors right in Kenai.’
‘Can we?’ Benyo asked, a small tremor of age in his voice.
The visitor gestured expansively. ‘Oh, yes. I and my colleagues have given the matter a heap of thought. Our organization is ready to move; I’m only here to survey the area in detail and make specific recommendations. For example, in this vicinity – not hard by, but in this general vicinity – we can start work on what appears to be a clandestine nuclear powerplant that a syndicate supposedly is building to produce synthetic fuels. We can let the Maurai discover it, with enough difficulty to make them believe they’ve cracked the secret. Less elaborate arrangements might suffice, to be sure. We’ll see. Don’t worry, Master Smith. Orion shall rise. The safeguards will be directed by a highly competent troublemaker, namely me.’
Benyo did not look altogether happy.
Mikli switched his jaybird glance to Ronica. ‘You’ve made a magnificent contribution, my lady,’ he said. I’m not sure but what you’re being wasted in Laska. How would you like to see the rest of the world? I go to and fro in it.’
Taken aback, she could merely reply, ‘You’re moving a little fast, aren’t you, Captain?’
He laughed. ‘The offer is honest, or presumably will be after I’ve had a chance to learn more about you. We might make a first-chop team. If you also choose to explore how we might
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