to learn spoken Sandhi. The force used the speech of the place where
they were stationed as a linguistic common ground.
Gundhalinu cleared
his throat, swallowed again. “Begging your pardon, ma’am, the bastard said ...
“If you’re what the Hegemony sends to represent itself, it must be short on
balls these days.”“
“Is that
all?” Jerusha made a sound that was almost a laugh. “Hell, that’s a compliment
... I’m surprised the Queen thought it was funny. Wonder if she really
understood. Or maybe she understood that it only reflected on us.”
“Besides,”
Gundhalinu mumbled viciously, “she’s got his.”
She did
laugh this time. “Yeah. And welcome to them. So Star buck is from Kharemough.”
Another
nod.
“What did
he say to you?”
He shook
his head.
“There’s
nothing you could possibly say that I haven’t heard by now,
BZ.”
“I know,
Inspector.” He looked back at her finally, away again with his freckles reddening.
“That is, I can’t tell you. It wouldn’t mean anything, unless you’d been raised
on Kharemough. A matter of Honor.”
“I see.”
She had heard him speak of Honor before, heard the capital H, the peculiar
emphasis.
“I—thank
you for taking my part against Starbuck. I could not have responded on my own
to his insults without further losing face.” The ceremony of the words and the
sudden gratitude in his voice caught her by surprise.
She looked
out at the nobility and servants gaping back at them through the shattered
windshield as they drifted past the mansions of the upper city. “There’s no
honor lost in being insulted by a man who never knew the meaning of the word.”
“Thank
you.” He swerved upward to avoid a child floating golden hoops in their path.
“But I brought it on myself; I know that. And I caused trouble for you, and
embarrassment to the force. If you want to dismiss me as your assistant, I’ll
understand.”
She leaned
back in the padded concavity of the seat, flexed the hand that Starbuck had
bruised. “Maybe it would be just as well if you didn’t go with me to pay any
more calls on the Queen, BZ. Not because I really disapprove of what you did.
Simply because Star buck has a weapon he can use against you now; and that will
only make it hard on you, and harder on me by association, and harder to keep
them from dragging the Hedge’s good name in the mud. Other than that—frankly, I
like you, BZ, and I’d be damned disappointed if you were that eager to get away
from me.” Though you
probably wouldn’t be the first .
A feeble
smile of relief stirred on his face. “No, ma’am. I’m content . more than
content. As for staying behind when you visit the Queen—that’s just cream.” The
smile spread, infectious.
She nodded.
“If I could get away with sending you instead of going myself, don’t think I
wouldn’t do it.” She grinned; felt it pull down again. She unfastened her heavy
cloak and shrugged it off, re moved her helmet, looking at the gold-painted
eggshell curve. “Somebody ought to hang that on a tree. Gods, I’m fed up with
this! I’d give anything to be doing an honest job, somewhere where they want a
real police force and not a laughingstock.”
Gundhalinu
glanced back, not smiling now. “Why don’t you get a transfer?”
“Do you
have any idea how long it takes to get a transfer?” She shook her head, resting
the helmet across her knees as she loosened the high collar of her uniform
jacket. She sighed. “Besides, I’ve tried. No luck. They ‘need me here.”“ The
bitterness in her voice burned like acid.
“Why don’t
you quit?”
“Why don’t
you shut up?”
Gundhalinu
looked back at the controls dutifully. They were in the Maze now, moving more
slowly along the congested street. Evening stained the sky beyond the storm
walls already. Jerusha watched the tatterdemalion alleyways, the garish hells
along the street front, pass by like a mockery of her own dreams and
ambitions.. And