Hebo rose. The other ignored his proffered hand, though a shake was customary on Asborg, and gave him a nod. “Esker Harolsson?” Hebo blurted. “The physicist who—observed those black holes? But I thought you were a Windholm.”
He never had been much good at tact, he realized, and doubtless never would be.
“I changed my patrons,” Esker snapped. Evidently he hadn’t [172] wanted that publicized. They could have arranged it.
“House Seafell was honored to adopt him,” Romon said, as if to gloss over the surliness.
“And I’m, uh, honored to meet you,” Hebo said. The honor didn’t feel overwhelming.
They sat down. Romon ordered a martini, Esker a whiskey over ice. Hebo decided to bull ahead. “Why’ve you come along, if I may ask? What you did, what you’re working on, is way beyond me.”
“I thought you might have questions you’d like authoritative answers to,” Romon made reply. His manner intensified. “Inasmuch as you’ve been retrieving not just popular accounts of the matter, but everything, including new interpretations and theories as they appear.”
“How do you know that?”
The drinks slid up from the table port. Romon sipped his before replying, “You didn’t request an anonymous address.” Esker took a pretty deep swallow of his.
“No, why should I?” Hebo countered. “And why should you keep watch for everybody who wants full reports?”
“Everybody who has no clear reason to do so,” growled Esker.
Romon frowned at him, obviously not liking even this slight giveaway. “You were from offplanet, and not in any registry of scientists known to us. Don’t you agree, that’s interesting?”
“Why?”
Romon shrugged. “A natural curiosity, reinforced by having previous acquaintance.”
“You said ‘everybody.’ ”
Esker leaned forward, tumbler gripped tight in a hairy hand. “The potentialities of this phenomenon are unpredictable,” he stated. “Revolutionary new technologies may well spring from it. Dangerous, in ignorant or irresponsible possession.”
“Those Susaians didn’t go there from a disinterested love of pure science,” Romon added.
And parts of the story are still untold, Hebo thought, not for [173] the first time. And these two aren’t about to share them with me.
He forced a laugh. “I don’t qualify,” he said. “Anyhow, that particular cat is long since out of the bag.”
“Too many cats are.”
The old saw had escaped Hebo without forethought, as old saws were apt to do. It surprised him that Romon knew this one. The man must be a reader. What more was there to him that didn’t show on the surface?
“Even the discovery at Jonna should not have been broadcast to any and every world,” Romon continued. “We should at least have released the data gradually and discreetly. House Seafell urged it. But no, the other Houses knew better.”
The bitterness in his tone made Hebo wonder aloud: “Who’re you afraid would benefit, besides us? The Susaians?”
Romon’s manner turned thoughtful. “I suppose you mean the Dominance. No, not that per se. I don’t share the paranoia of too many people about it. We may not much approve of the regime, but we have no military or political conflict with it worth worrying over, and, as a matter of fact, it’s having internal problems.”
Hebo had likewise heard such news, leaking out across light-years, economic troubles and unrest which refused to stay repressed. Susaians as a race seemed to fare no better under totalitarianism than humans. Nevertheless, he didn’t quite agree with Romon’s assessment. That interstellar violence made no sense and hadn’t happened didn’t mean it never could.
He realized fleetingly that once upon a time he had had a different opinion. His revised mind didn’t think in quite the same way as before.
Romon was saying, “I simply have in mind whatever technology may be gotten from the knowledge. And, no, we’d not be able to monopolize it for long. But a head start, a competitive advantage—”
Better return to our muttons, Hebo thought. Aloud: “Well, amongst all those big astropolitical questions, why such a concern over me?”
[174] Romon lifted a palm. “Please. It’s entirely friendly. I recognized your name when I was most recently checking the list of retrievals. Naturally, I was surprised, but also glad of a chance to meet you again.”