She gentled her voice. “I’m sorry. Don’t want to play games with you. Go on, ask what you want. I’ll answer anything that’s not too personal,”
He flushed. “I … wouldn’t dream of intruding on your privacy.” So he valued his own. “But as for your background and, and your motivation—”
Time lost itself in memories. He had a gift of evoking them from her, she couldn’t quite tell how, the shy smile or the questions that could be awkwardly phrased but were always intelligent or the bits of his years and dreams that he offered in return. She believed that little by little he came to some knowledge of her Lahui Kuikawa, the two races of it that she both loved, small dear homes enfolded by immensities of sea and weather, ancient usages and youthful joys, a life with a meaning and purpose that went beyond itself, which no machine could share butwhich the world of the machines and their followers was going to confine and make over … “Oh, I can admit the necessity, even the justice of it,” she said, and blinked furiously at her tears, “but give us a while yet, give us a chance to find a new way for ourselves!” … She wasn’t sure whether she would ever fully imagine his feelings. Though he had gone in pride among splendors, the faring seemed harsh and lonely. But he held her to him, briefly and tenderly, when grief was about to overwhelm her, and it receded.
He deserved better than Lilisaire.
The time came when they sat quiet, until he asked, “And what did she promise you, if somehow this crazy venture succeeds?” His tone was calm, with a hint of the academic style that he often fell into. His mouth creased slightly upward.
Doubts shivered away to naught. She straightened in her chair and cried, “A home!”
“Where? How?”
“Nauru.” His glance inquired. Words spilled from her. “No, I don’t expect you’ve heard of it. An island in mid-Pacific, barely south of the equator, northeast of the Solomons. It was a nation once, tiny but rich, because it had plenty of phosphate to export. But that got used up,” before molecular technology had bridled the voracity of global industry. “The population, ten thousand or so, tried to build a new economic foundation, but didn’t really succeed and became poorer and poorer. When Fireball offered to buy them out at a good price, they were happy to accept and move away. Guthrie had an idea of building another spaceport there. But things went to wrack and ruin on Earth, what with the Renewal and the Grand Jihad and all; and when they were starting to make sense again, Guthrie died, and it was a while before his download had full control over the company; and by then, so much space activity was based in space itself that a new Earthside port wouldn’t pay. Eventually Fireball sold Nauru to Brandir of Zamok Vysoki. That was in the early days of Lunar independence.
Several Selenarchs had gotten superwealthy and were looking for investments. They picked up a fair amount of property on Earth, including real estate. Some of it is still in their families.”
“This island being Lilisaire’s, eh?” Kenmuir murmured. “What has she done with it?”
“Nothing much. Fishery and aquaculture, maintained by robots and a few resident Terrans. Not especially profitable. But you see, it was always important to have people there, if only a handful. Because technically, Nauru is still a distinct country.”
Keninuir’s eyes widened. “I think I do see.” He chuckled. “I’d love to know what maneuvers Guthrie went through to arrange it. Wily old deyil.”
Aleka nodded vigorously. “That was the idea. The Ecuadoran and Australian governments were cooperative with Fireball, but if he could have his very own—Bueno, as I said, it didn’t work out. The Selenarch owners used it as a way of getting a kept politician into the Federation Assembly, but it never did them any noticeable good. And now—“ She caught her breath.
“A-a-ah. You shall have it for your people.”
“Yes. An atoll, with a couple of big float platforms to add some area. But more than a quarter million square kilometers of territorial waters. And the neighbor states, they long since granted rights in theirs to Nauru, on a basis of mutuality that they don’t take advantage of any more.