Under the Eye of God by David Gerrold Page B

Khallanin.
    The Prefect sipped from his goblet, appearing unconcerned. He had ignored the Lady’s insult. What else could he do? He met her angry glare with equanimity. “The work proceeds. The task carries many complications.”
    â€œYour answer lacks certainty,” the Lady replied.
    d’Vashti put aside his own wine, untasted. He spoke up aggressively. “We have several historians in custody. Before many more days pass, we shall have the TimeBinder as well.”
    â€œOh?” The Lady raised her eyebrow skeptically. “And from where does all this confidence arise?” She exchanged a laughing glance with Lord Drydel. Drydel’s eyes flashed with merriment as well as a suggestion of unashamed lust. But targeted at whom? Did Zillabar see it too? d’Vashti wondered again at Drydel’s occupations.
    Annoyed, he pushed the thought aside and turned his attention back to the Lady’s question. “We have implemented an absolute security net. I believe you encountered it on your final approach. The forces of our most powerful ally—” Here, d’Vashti nodded gracefully to the Dragon Lord. The Lord of All Things Black and Beautiful merely grunted in response. d’Vashti continued, “—have done an excellent job of establishing and maintaining a global containment. Nothing goes up or down that they do not control it. In addition, we have authorized a generous bounty. I doubt that you shall have to wait much longer, my Lady.”
    â€œI should not have to wait at all,” she said, furiously standing. d’Vashti expected her to confront him, but instead she advanced directly on the highest law of the land, the Prefect of Thoska-Roole. “I expected that you would have captured the eye-damned TimeBinder by now, Lord Khallanin. You’ve had more than long enough. How do you waste my resources?”
    Suddenly, d’Vashti understood the elegance of the Lady’s mind. She knew that d’Vashti’s maneuvers had brought them all to this point, but instead of attacking d’Vashti directly, she would destroy his protector and leave the real architect naked, humiliated, and powerless to do more. d’Vashti realized with horror that if she dared to assault the Prefect directly, then she must have progressed much farther in her own ambitions than he had believed possible. d’Vashti had privately regarded the Lady’s goals as unrealistic and unreachable. Now he wondered just what else she had accomplished on Burihatin.
    Lord Khallanin refused to accept the Lady’s anger as his own. He spoke calmly and with quiet resolve. “The wilderness of Thoska-Roole covers most of the planet. We could have scoured every square meter, but I felt a more intelligent use of our resources would please you more.”
    â€œYou may still have to scour every square meter. We cannot proceed without the TimeBinder’s headband. You have wasted valuable days.”
    Inwardly, d’Vashti stiffened. Her impoliteness had a distinct taste of menace; but Lord Khallanin continued to ignore her bad manners. “The days have not ended yet,” he said with cold strength. The Lady sniffed distastefully.
    d’Vashti knew he couldn’t let this argument cascade. He had to do something to deflect the Lady’s wrath. He stepped forward briskly and offered an additional thought. “If we began the kind of search and seizure operations that you suggest, my Lady, we might trigger a renewed rebellion on this world. May I remind you that we have only too recently pacified this population.”
    â€œWe—?” The Lady Zillabar regarded this last remark with deliberate contempt. “I don’t remember seeing your Marauder squadrons engaged in the battle to secure the peace on Thoska-Roole. Indeed, if I remember correctly, during the days of the hardest fighting, you had not yet even announced your intention to base your squadrons here.