He looked around the compartment, satisfied himself that he had everything he wanted, and snapped the kit shut. He opened the door to the passageway.
“Do you seriously believe,” Sittas asked, rising to join him, “that the Empire will refuse our modest request?”
Vorgens grinned. “I think they’ll listen to Clanthas and agree with him. If they’re wise, old friend, you have nothing to fear.”
“Yes,” the priest agreed. “Sooner or later, wisdom wins through.”
“Sooner or later,” Vorgens agreed. “But in the meantime a terrible toll of bloodshed can take place. A lot of men—good men—can be sacrificed.”
“The violent ones have had their day on Shinar,” Sittas said. “Now it is time for a wiser man, a better man, to hold sway.”
“I hope so,” the Watchman said.
They reached the outer hatch and swung it open. The bright, yellow sun sent a shaft of warmth into the passageway. Outside, Vorgens could see the landing ship waiting to take him up to an orbiting starship and then back to Earth. Clanthas and several others were clustered by the base of the ship.
Vorgens clambered down the ladder to the ground, then helped Sittas navigate the metal rungs. He turned around to pick up his travel Idt, and found Altai standing beside him. For the first time since he had met her, she was wearing a dress—simple, feminine, beautiful.
“I—I was wondering if I’d—get to see you,” Vorgens said.
Sittas cleared his throat and announced, “I believe I’ll chat with Clanthas for a moment. You two can join me there.”
“Did you think I wouldn’t come to see you off?” Altai asked, with a touch of mischief in the comers of her mouth.