A Matter of Oaths (8 page)

Rallya pressed her lips together, irritated by the sour
taste in her mouth. A pity if the son felt compelled to be identity-wiped, but
the welfare of the Guild came before the welfare of any individual member; Rafe
had acknowledged as much when he took his Oath. If he wanted to complain that
he had been badly treated
—
and he
would have to work out for himself what had happened; Rallya would not help him
—
let him complain to his father.

Or to the Emperors, Rallya corrected herself savagely. The
Immortal Emperors, who would only be content when they had drawn the Guild
fully into the endless and aimless war between them. When they measured their
losses in the Zone in maimed and dead bodies, not transferred Oaths. When the
Guild
’
s autonomy was shattered and
the fleet permanently divided between the Empires. When they were released from
the Oaths that bound them to the Guild as tightly as the Guild was bound to
them, the only constraint that had ever been placed upon them and held. One
webber subjected to identity-wipe would not trouble
their
consciences; the Guild could not afford to be less ruthless
in its fight to survive. If Rafe had a complaint to make, let him make it to
the Emperors.

“
Let
’
s find that drink,
”
Rallya told Sajan abruptly.
“
I
want to know everything you noticed about those Outsider ships.
”

* * *

 
“Commander back?”
Joshim asked, finding Rafe grabbing a very late lunch alone in the web-room.

“
No, sir. I left
her talking with one of the cargoship Captains. Gathering information on
Outsider capabilities.
”

“
Conference go
well?
”

“
Yes, sir. Or, I
assume so,
”
Rafe said lightly.
“
There was no violence done during the
debate, and everybody seemed to leave it with their expectations met.
”
He stood up and slid his empty plate
into the cleanser.
“
Do you want me to
take the training session with the apprentices this afternoon?
”

“
Vidar is taking
it.
”
Joshim looked at Rafe narrowly.
It was odd that Rallya had not kept him with her.
“
You can supervise Churi and Magred in the web, if you would.
Signalling practice. Wet-web with them, if you like.
”
He glanced at the web schedule.
“
They
’
re down for three
hours, but cut it to two. We
’
ve a new
junior arriving this afternoon and I want him in the web as soon as possible.
”

“
I thought we had
our full complement,
”
Rafe commented.

“
So did I, but I
’
ve just received notification that it
’
s been increased by one and he
’
s arriving this afternoon.
”

Joshim tried to keep the irritation out of his voice and
failed. It was not that he objected to the increase, only to the timing of it,
the day before they were due to leave with the convoy. A newcomer always
disturbed the established patterns in a web; it had taken several days to
assimilate even somebody as skilled as Rafe, and that had been on the milk-run
from Achil to Aramas.

“
Stay in the web
when you
’
ve finished with Churi and
Magred,
”
he decided.
“
You can help me evaluate him. If he isn
’
t good enough, we aren
’
t taking him.
”
He checked the time.
“
Go
and have a look at his record. It
’
s
on the table in the rest-room. Shall I bring you some alcad through? I
’
m making some for myself anyway.
”

“
Thanks, yes.
”

Rafe had finished reading when Joshim set his alcad down in front
of him.

“
You haven
’
t read this yourself yet, sir?
”
he queried.

“
No. Why?
”

“
I know him. He
was with
Avannya
.
”

“
And?
”
Joshim prompted.

Rafe leaned back in his seat and crossed his ankles.
“
Elanis is competent, but lazy. He never
gives one hundred percent when he thinks fifty will be enough.
”
He wrinkled his nose.
“
It wouldn
’
t matter except that his judgement is poor. He always thinks fifty
will be enough.
”

Joshim leafed through the record.
“
He was with
Avannya
for
six years,
”
he noted.
“
Could you afford to carry him?
”

“
We couldn
’
t get rid of him.
”
Rafe shrugged.
“
He
’
s got influence somewhere. The Three
tried twice to get him reassigned but he clung like a limpet. It was a surprise
when he moved on voluntarily.
”
He
scowled.
“
Two days before our last
trip, into a cushy berth on a passenger carrier. I
’
m surprised he left it.
”

“
Maybe he found
somebody with more influence than he has,
”
Joshim suggested.
“
You recommend we
don
’
t take him?
”

“
Not if you can
avoid it.
”
Rafe leaned forward and
picked up his alcad.
“
If you can
’
t avoid it, you can always put him in
the Commander
’
s team. That would
encourage him to move on again.
”

“
I heard that,
”
Rallya said from the doorway behind
Joshim.

“
You were meant
to, ma
’
am.
”
Rafe stood up with his alcad.
“
If
you
’
ll excuse me, I have some work to
do.
”

“
The apprentices
’
training session?
”
Rallya asked.

“
No, ma
’
am.
”

“
You surprise me.
”
Rallya stepped out of Rafe
’
s way.
“
You should have come with us for that drink. Captain Sajan was
full of useful information.
”

“
Be careful, ma
’
am,
”
Rafe warned.
“
Much sharper and you
’
ll cut yourself.
”

“
I
’
ll bear it in mind, son,
”
Rallya promised.

Rafe turned in the doorway to stare at her.
“
I may not know whose son I am, ma
’
am, but I do know whose son I
’
m not.
”

The anger in his voice was plain and unexpected; until that
moment Joshim had thought this was just another of the mock battles that gave
the web-room such pleasure. Rallya too was taken aback; she paused for a
fraction of a second before responding.

“
I
’
ll bear that in mind too, Rafe.
”

He turned on his heel and left. Rallya watched him leave,
then gave a little nod as if she had learned something worth knowing.
“
Who am I going to encourage to leave?
”
she asked.

“
What in hell was
that about?
”
Joshim demanded.
Emperors, if Rallya had not backed down…

“
Answer my
question and I
’
ll answer yours.
”

“
A new junior.
Elanis. Used to be on
Avannya
.
”
He held out the record to her.
“
Arriving this afternoon.
”

“
Another ghost
from Rafe
’
s past,
”
Rallya mused.
“
Must be
his day for them.
”

“
Another?
”

“
There was a
Captain at the conference who knew his father. Apparently the likeness is
startling.
”
She chuckled.
“
Yes, I know. I shouldn
’
t have pushed him so hard. But the
results were interesting, weren
’
t
they?
”

You old fraud. You were as surprised as I was, Joshim
accused her silently.
“
It would have
been even more interesting if he
’
d
hit you,
”
he growled.

“
Shall I call him
back? You can hold his tunic.
”
Rallya
took the record that Joshim was still holding and dropped it on the table.
“
What
’
s
wrong with him? Besides the fact that Rafe doesn
’
t like him?
”

Joshim made himself swallow his first answer. Rallya had
never made him lose his temper and she would not do so now.
“
He
’
s
lazy. And he relies on influence instead of ability,
”
he said levelly.

“
Aristo?
”
Rallya demanded.

“
Look for
yourself.
”
Joshim stood up.
“
Rafe will be working with me for the
rest of the day.
”

“
To protect him
from me?
”
Rallya asked in amusement.

“
To protect you
from him,
”
Joshim flung back, and
walked out leaving Rallya still looking for a response.

* * *

Rafe sat on the rim of his web-position, listening to
Churi and Magred talking in the changing-room about him. They had already
agreed that he was a darling in the web-room but a stickler in the web; now
they were discussing whose lover he would become and when. Magred
’
s opinion was that it had already
happened, with Joshim, and Churi favoured the Commander, at some indeterminate
point in the future. Very indeterminate and far future, Rafe felt like telling
him; he contented himself with a yelled reminder that the Webmaster would be
arriving soon. There was a sudden silence, followed shortly afterwards by the
fully clothed emergence of two very junior juniors wondering how much, if
anything, he had overheard. He smiled at them, sphinx-like, and let them go
still wondering.

The shub beneath his feet was warm and inviting. He wished
he could slip back in, to wait for Joshim and Elanis, but it would be a bad
example to set: apparently webbing alone. He swung around through ninety
degrees and stretched out along the edge of the web, closing his eyes and
relying on his ears to warn him of somebody coming up the riser.

Yuellin Lord Buhklir. The name woke no echo, nor did he
expect it to; if it had, he would have distrusted it as wishful thinking. His
father, or brother, or merely somebody who shared his particular genetic mix:
it did not matter. As Rafell, he had no connection with the man and he never
would. If some belly-kick of fate took him back into the New Empire, he would
not have any memory of the encounter with Sajan; he would be identity-wiped
again. Insurance against an Oath-breaker deliberately recrossing the Disputed
Zone. Effective insurance.

He sighed, wondering what the Commander had learned from
Sajan, and when he would find out. Not about the Outsiders: the safety of
Bhattya
might depend on his, or somebody
else
’
s, correct interpretation of
that information; Rallya was too good a Commander not to know that. But
anything she had learned about Buhklir, she would keep to herself until she
found a use for it, and that use would be against Rafe. Emperors knew how she
had amused herself before he had joined
Bhattya
.
Was there a forty-year-long succession of webbers with whom she had played like
a cat with small prey, or was he unique, because she thought he was uniquely
vulnerable?

He had given her reason to question that earlier, and it was
too late to doubt the wisdom or otherwise of that moment of anger. He smiled,
briefly amused that she might think he had been upset by what Sajan had
revealed, angered by her method rather than her intent. She would learn
eventually. I will not lie down to be walked over, he promised her silently.
Because others saw fit to play god with my life, that does not give you the right.
I am not your toy, nor a pawn to prove your power. Push me too hard and it will
become very clear. Did you think I was angry today? You have never seen me
angry, Commander.

He took a deep breath. In ten years he had never lost his
temper any further than he had with Rallya, and that only rarely. How then did
he know that he could, and that it was something for others to fear? Nothing
but skills and impersonal knowledge survived identity-wipe; it could not be
personal memory that told him. More wishful thinking? Or a near-human
race-memory? He shrugged. Another thing he would never know, and he could not
fret over every one of those, or even over any of them. If he did, he would
spend his life in a bottle of jack.

A whisper of air blowing across his damp skin told him the
riser was in use. He sat up as Joshim stepped out, smiling a greeting which
Rafe returned.

“
Sorry to keep you
waiting.
”
Joshim moved aside for
Elanis.
“
You two know each other.
”

“
Yes, it
’
s a reunion.
”
Elanis looked around avidly.
“
I
’
m impressed. It makes
Avannya
look tiny, doesn
’
t it, Rafe?
”
he commented.

“
The changing room
is through here.
”
Joshim steered him
in the right direction and out of sight. Rafe got to his feet and moved to
prepare one of the dry-web positions; Joshim would want a calibration sequence
first. He had just finished when Elanis reappeared.

“
The Webmaster
said you
’
re to do a calibration
sequence,
”
the junior announced.