Tam nodded. He should have known this was coming. Aleph would have alerted Father Mihran and Liate. Technically, Athena Station was under Liate’s jurisdiction. Tam, however, was head of the Administrators’ Committee, and anyone who had business with an administrator was allowed to appeal to him.
“Yes,” he said, positioning himself so he could face both screens. “And I should have alerted you immediately, Liate. My apologies.”
Liate looked down for a moment, the tip of her tongue protruding between her full lips. “I’m asking only to be kept fully apprised of the matters in my territory.”
“Of course. I will inform Director Shontio and Commader Poulos that you are the one they should contact in the future.”
“They did not seem to listen to such matters of protocol.”
“Which is not anything Tam can help,” interrupted Father Mihran smoothly. “But I would suggest that you both meet and be sure that your strategies regarding communication with Athena Station are well matched.” Father Mihran looked directly at him, and Tam knew what he meant to say. We need to be sure that you are not giving them any concessions. That you are not promising to authorize expanded immigration.
“Aleph is checking the administrators’ schedules right now to find out how soon we can meet.”
The image of Father Mihran looked toward the image of Liate with his eyebrows raised in silent inquiry.
“I am receiving responses that say this afternoon will be convenient,” said Aleph. “There is much concern over the new arrivals at Athena.”
Yes, thought Tam. Everyone knows the station is already under pressure, and to their credit, they all understand that things kept under pressure too long have a tendency to explode.
And maybe, just maybe, he could work with that understanding. He could make a case for increased food shipments to help ease the station’s discomfort, at the very least. Begin there, and work his way outward. The trick was going to be to placate Liate. Conscience or no, she was quite aware that her authority as Athena’s administrator was being usurped and she resented it. He could not blame her, but he also could not refuse to hear the petitions from Beleraja and Shontio, and once heard, he could not leave them unanswered.
Of course, he could always offer a swap of jurisdictions with Liate, but that would mean that Offshoot, Stem, and his other villages would be left to her strict interpretation of family regulation and privilege, and he could not bring himself to do that either.
While all these thoughts flickered though his mind, he watched the lines of frustration ease on Liate’s face. He wondered what she was thinking, or what her Conscience was telling her. “This is good,” she said. “We obviously need to talk.”
“You’ll let me know the result of this talk as soon as possible,” said Father Mihran. He bowed to them both, and his image cleared from the screen, leaving Liate and Tam watching each other uneasily.
“I know you are trying to assist with a difficult situation,” said Liate. “And I know it is not your fault that the station’s leaders insist on talking directly to you.”
Actually, it is. Because they know I will listen. “Our communication has not been as open as it should be between a brother and sister of the same family branch,” said Tam quickly. “I’m sorry for this, and I hope we can improve the situation.”
The answer was pat, but it seemed to satisfy Liate. “We’ll speak more this afternoon.” She bowed in farewell and let her image fade from the screen. Tam once again faced two panels of empty glass.
Then a new image appeared. This one was a plump, middle-aged woman in a white dress with a long black vest. She did not exist anywhere inside the dome. This was how Aleph showed herself to Tam.
“Is there any way I can help you, Tam?” the city-mind asked.
“I need to know more about the history of the dealings between Athena Station and the family,” said Tam. “In particular, I need to tell about any judgments and rulings made between the two.” The cityminds were keepers of the family’s history, as well as advisers to the family members. They had all the facts stored in their inorganic subsystems, but their living brains could interpret those facts with all the wisdom gained from thousands of years of life. Perhaps Aleph could help him find a compromise somewhere in the past that would open a door to the future.
“I’m already working on it.” Aleph smiled. “I’ll let you know what I find.”
“Thank you.” Aleph lifted her hand to Tam and let the image fade away.
Tam stayed where he was for a moment, his head slightly bowed. All is well, he tried to tell himself. With Aleph’s help, he would be able to persuade the committee that Athena Station needed help, not more sanctions. But four hundred more people? Four hundred more people to help take care of? How many more would there be before Athena split at the seams? Or worse, before some of them decided to try to land on Pandora and found out what kind of greeting the Guardians had been preparing for them?