“Good Morning and also Good Day, Contractor,” Avir said, making her own obeisance. “How are matters progressing with you?”
Kelat turned a little to indicate the activity behind him. Now she could see the bulge held something that pulsed and pressed star-shaped filaments against the wall. “Slowly, and with much argument between the committees. There are organic artifacts left here, there is no doubt about that, but defining their relationships and purposes is a struggle.
“And how are matters progressing with you?”
Avir glanced around the room. Nal was unloading equipment from the drone with his Beholden hustling to set up an analysis tank assembly. An Engineering Beholden readjusted a cleaning drone and sent it scuttling up the wall. Over it all rattled the noise from the artifacts outside. She did not invite Kelat to take a better look.
“Rapidly, Kelat, but not very smoothly. There was a great deal of chaos stirred up by the Unifiers and a civil war has been going on for a long time between the established power base and some factions that want to split off. Unfortunately, the factions may be less likely to accept that we hold their names than the main power base is. We are proceeding accordingly.
“Has there been any action on the part of the Unifiers?” she asked, more to keep the conversation going than because she really needed the information. Kelat’s presence, even over the lines, was very calming.
“They are raising protests and publicity with a number of the client governments,” said Kelat, “but so far, nothing important. The Reclamation Assembly assessment is that they are simply delaying the necessity of removing their people.” Kelat’s shoulders sagged minutely. “Has any progress been made in locating their base?”
The wind dropped a note in pitch and sent a draft curling around Avir’s ankles. “No. They appear to be maintaining a communications silence and with the limited number of satellites currently deployed and the pervasiveness of the cloud cover …” she broke her sentence off. She was repeating what Kelat already knew. They were not currently equipped for a full scan of the habitable section of the Home Ground. The Assembly had moved ahead of several committees’ scheduling recommendations but had offered no explanations as to why. But she would not be heard to say that aloud.
“We already have given orders to some of the less confused artifacts to search for ‘Skymen’ and bring them into appropriate custody,” she told Kelat instead. “So far they have had no success, but we will reinforce the orders.” Outside, artifacts’ voices lifted in a new song. Whatever it was, it must have been ancient. Her disk couldn’t make anything out of it. “How soon will you be ready for us to start delivering artifacts to your facilities for classification?” she asked.
Kelat looked over his shoulder at the contending trio of Beholden. “It will be some time,” he admitted. “There are many pieces of the Ancestors’ puzzles to be sorted out. It is my opinion your efforts are best spent in gaining and centralizing control where you are and performing what classifications you can.”
Avir felt a flicker of humor cross her face. “It is glorious work, Kelat, but it is work all the same.”
Kelat lowered his voice. “Is there any assistance we can offer you?”
Pride more than confidence stiffened Avir’s shoulders. “Not yet, I don’t think. At the moment, the Assembly is placing a premium on keeping as many of the artifacts as we can functional, so we can only go slowly in restructuring their social groupings. When control is centralized, then we can coordinate our efforts more closely.”
Kelat glanced around himself to make sure no one was listening. “Avir, how does it feel to be a god?”
She pressed her fingertips against the edge of the comm board. “Kelat, I would rather be a Contractor.”
“Understood,” he said, and she heard genuine sympathy in his voice. “This line is being left open for your reports.” Kelat signed off and the terminal went blank.
The sound of voices and shuffling feet made Avir turn around. One of the Bio-tech Beholden led a gaggle of artifacts with scarred hands through the main threshold. They were all female, Avir saw, some of them juveniles, some of them carrying infants in bundles of rags strapped to their chests.
Ivale followed the cluster of artifacts, spreading his hands to help herd them all inside the Temple. Two juveniles took shelter behind the adults as his hands touched their shoulders.
“All is well,” said Ivale in the round, almost-musical tones he’d been cultivating since he’d received his contract to the Reclamation. “There is only new work that we ask of you.”