“Origin of that order?”
“Kontrin licensing, sera.” The answer was a hoarse whisper. “Originally—we appealed for a moderate increase. The order came back quadrupled.”
“In spite of the fact that there existed no Kontrin license to dispose of them when they reached eighteen. The export quota wasn’t changed”
“We . . . trusted, sera, that the license would be granted when the time came. We’ve applied, sera. We’ve even applied for permission to terminate. We can’t do that either. The estates—were all crowded above their limits. They’re supposed to turn them back after a year, for training. But now—now they’re running their operations primarily to feed their own workers . . . and they’re panicked, refusing to give them up, the permanent workers and the temporaries.” Itavvy wiped at his face. “They divert food—to maintain the work force and it doesn’t get to the depots. Our food. The station’s food. ISPAK has threatened a power cutoff if the estates go on holding out, but ITAK has—reasoned with ISPAK. It wouldn’t stop the estate-holders. They have their own collectors, their own power. And they won’t give up the azi.”
“Are the holders organised?”
The beta shook his head. “They’re just outbackers. Blind, hardheaded outbackers. They hold the azi because they’re manpower; and they’re a means to hold out by human labour if ISPAK follows through with its threat. Always . . . always the farms were a part of the process; azi went out there in the finishing of their training and shifted back again, those that would be contracted for specialised work—good for the azi, good for the farms. But now, sera, the estates have been threatening to break out of the corporation.”
“Hardly sounds as if these holders are blind, ser Itavvy . . . if it comes to a fight, they’ve the manpower.”
“Azi.”
“You don’t think they’d fight.”
Beta deference robbed her of an honest answer. Itavvy swallowed whatever he would have said; but he looked as if he would have disputed it.
“It hardly sounds as if they’re without communication on the issue,”‘ Raen said, “since they’re all doing alike. Aren’t they?”
“I wouldn’t know, sera.”
“Only on East, or is West also afflicted?”
Itavvy moistened his lips. “I think it’s general.”
“Without organisation. Without a plan to keep themselves from starving.”
“There’s already been work toward new irrigation. The river . . . that supplies Newhope . . . is threatened. They expand—”
“Unlicensed.”
“Unlicensed, sera. ITAK protests, but again—we can do nothing. They feud among themselves. They fight for land and water. There are—” He mopped at the back of his neck. “Maybe two and three holders get together. And azi . . . muddle up out there. They’re trading, these holders.”
“Trading?”
“With each other. Goods. Azi. Moving them from place to place”
“You know so?”
“Police say so. Azi—are more on some farms than we put there.”
Raen looked over all the cells, as far as the eye could see. “Weapons?”
“Holders-have always had them.”
She walked forward, slowly, the little boxes shifting past. The ceiling weighed upon the senses. There was only grey and black and the white glare of light, no colour but the shades of humanity, all grey-clothed.
“Why,” she asked suddenly, “are they walled off one from the other? Security?”
“Each is specifically trained. Contact at random would make it more difficult to assure specificity.”
“And you get them at six years? Is it different from this, the young ones?”
The beta did not answer. At last he gave a vague shrug.
“Show me,” Raen said.
Itavvy started walking, around the curve. New vistas of cells presented themselves. The complex seemed endless. No walls were discernible, no limits, save a core where many catwalks converged, a vast concrete darkness against the floodlights.
“Do they ever leave this place?” Raen asked as they walked above the cells, provoking occasional curious stares from those below. “Don’t they want for exercise?”
“There are facilities,” the beta said, “by shifts.”
“And factories. They work in the city factories?”
“Those trained for it.” Perhaps Itavvy detected an edge to her voice. His grew defensive. “Six hours in the factories, two at exercise, two at deepstudy, then rest. We do the best we can under crowded circumstances, sera.”