in terms of paying their way and earning the benefits they hoped to get.
Kleippur’s understanding was that if the robeings cooperated, followed Lumian
orders, and worked hard at taming the forests to produce the kinds of things
that were evidently valued highly on Lumia, eventually they would acquire
understanding. But, naturally, the benefits to the robeings could not be
expected to materialize instantly—the Lumians had taken a long time to reach
their current state of knowledge from a level comparable to Robia’s. To
Kleippur, the promise of salvation in the hereafter in return for patience,
obedience, diligence, and sacrifice in the herenow sounded suspiciously
familiar. Little further progress was made, and Kleippur began to feel that the
Lumians were growing impatient.
Then Lyokanor, the chief of Carthogian intelligence, reported that Skerilliane
the Kroaxian spy, had reentered Carthogia in the company of a one-armed robeing
tentatively identified as Horazzorgio, previously presumed killed in the
Meracasine. Curious as to Kroaxian intentions, Kleippur ordered the pair to be
watched but left unmolested. Unfortunately, the small group of soldiers
shadowing them from the border lost contact when it was attacked by Waskorians.
Later, Skerilliane was seen in the outskirts of Menassim not far from the Lumian
dragon-camp, and again a short while afterward with a party of Lumians out in
the forest. Before the Carthogians could do anything to prevent it, the two
Kroaxians were seen being brought back to the camp by Lumian vehicles and
admitted inside. The breakdown in surveillance over the spies at such a critical
moment was galling, but nothing could be done about it. In an effort to keep
himself aware as much as possible of what was taking place, Kleippur informed
the Wearer of what had happened, at the same time describing the differences
between Kroaxia and Carthogia, and explaining the recent history of the two
states.
Zambendorf wondered why nothing was being said officially about the contact that
had been made with the two Taloids—dubbed James Bond and Lord Nelson by the
Terrans, the team discovered—who had appeared from Genoa’s enemy state, Padua.
Then Joe Fellburg learned from Dave Crookes that their aid was being enlisted at
Genoa Base to program the transmogrifier to respond to the Paduan version of
Taloid speech as well as Genoese. A junior clerk on Giraud’s staff confided to
Abaquaan that plans were being made to suspend the discussions in Genoa, and
that the political deputation was to descend to another part of the surface. The
clerk didn’t know the exact location of the proposed landing site, but Thelma
found out from her dashing NASO captain that Bond and Nelson were to be flown
secretly to somewhere near another Taloid city just under three hundred miles
across the desert from Genoa, and sent to alert their rulers to the Terran
presence. Arthur and Leonardo, who seemed to be the Genoese mapmaking and
geographic expert, confirmed via Zambendorf’s private line to Camelot that the
city was Padua. Presumably, therefore, whatever had transpired between Giraud &
Co. and the two Paduans had proved sufficiently interesting for Giraud to break
off his negotiations with Arthur and begin again elsewhere.
Giraud and the diplomats made three visits to Padua, landing each time at a
remote spot to which the Paduan leaders traveled overland, presumably to keep
the fact of the meetings secret from the general Paduan populace. At the same
time no public announcement of these developments was made aboard the Orion; the
bulletins and news updates continued to focus on the activities of the
scientific teams in and around Genoa, who were left to carry on their work with
no indication being given that the political leadership had, at least
temporarily, pulled out.
Zambendorf honored his promise to keep Arthur fully informed despite the further
misgivings that the news he reported was bound to arouse among the Genoese. He
wondered if he did it in a subconscious attempt to compensate for his inability
to do anything else. Zambendorf was discovering that it was important to him to
be able to show the Taloids something that might reassure them that their hopes
and expectations of him were not misplaced. For the first time in his life he