that he had delayed as long as made the point he came alone to the door and into
the custody of the young guards.
Marsh, he could not help thinking. What was their game with Marsh?
They brought him down the corridor in the correct direction for the lift,
through the lift-sequence and halls without marking or designation, into the
conference rooms and offices, which relieved his immediate apprehensions. They
entered a familiar room, and passed through into one of the three interview
rooms they used. Military this time. The silver-haired man at the small circular
table had metal enough studding the pocket-flap of his black uniform to have
made up the ranks of the last several he had talked to combined. Insane pattern
of insignia. No knowing what, precisely, the intricate emblems represented…
amusing on one level, that Union had managed to evolve so complex a system of
medals and insignia, as if all that metal were meant to impress. But it was
authority, and power; and that was not amusing at all.
“Delegate Ayres.” The gray-haired man… gray with rejuv, by the scarcely lined
vigor of the face, a drug entirely common out here… available on Earth only in
inferior substitutes… rose and offered his hand. Ayres took it solemnly. “Seb
Azov,” the man introduced himself. “From the Directorate. Pleasure to meet you,
sir.”
The central government; the Directorate was, he had learned, now a body of three
hundred twelve: whether this related to the number of stations and worlds in
some proportion, he was not aware. It met not only on Cyteen but elsewhere; and
how one got into it, he did not know. This man was, beyond doubt, military.
“I regret,” Ayres said coldly, “to begin our acquaintance with a protest,
citizen Azov, but I refuse to talk until a certain matter is cleared up.”
Azov lifted bland brows, sat down again. “The matter, sir?”
“The harassment to which one of my party is being subjected.”
“Harassment, sir?”
He was, he knew, supposed to lose his composure, give way to nervousness or
anger. He refused either. “Delegate Marsh and your computer seem to find
difficulty locating his room assignments, remarkable, since we are inevitably
lodged together. I rate your technical competency above that. I am unable to
name it anything but harassment that this man is kept waiting hours while
alleged discrepancies are sorted out. I maintain that this is harassment
designed to lessen our efficiency through exhaustion. I complain of other
tactics, such as the inability of your staff to provide us recreational
opportunity or room for exercise, such as the inevitable insistence of your
staff that they lack authorizations, such as the evasive responses of your staff
when we make an inquiry regarding the name of this base. We were promised
Cyteen. How are we to know whether we are speaking to authorized persons or
merely to low-level functionaries of no competency or authority to negotiate the
serious matters on which we have come? We have traveled a far distance, citizen,
to settle a grievous and dangerous situation, and we have received precious
little cooperation from the persons we have met here.”
It was not improvisation. He had prepared the speech for an occasion of
opportunity, and the visible brass presented the target. Clearly, Azov was a
little taken aback by the attack. Ayres maintained a front of anger, the best
miming he had yet done, for he was terrified. His heart hammered against his
ribs and he hoped his color had not changed perceptibly.
“It will be attended,” Azov said after a moment.
“I should prefer,” said Ayres, “stronger assurance.”
Azov sat staring at him a moment. “Take my word,” he said in a tone that
quivered with force, “you will be satisfied. Will you sit, sir? We have some
business at hand. Accept my personal apology for the inconvenience to delegate
Marsh; it will be investigated and remedied.”
He considered walking out, considered further argument, considered the man in
front of him, and took the offered chair. Azov’s eyes fixed on him with, he
thought, some measure of respect
“On your word, sir,” Ayres said.
“I regret the matter; I can say little more at the moment There is a pressing