Araminta Station

by Jack Vance

  “I am not easily affected.”

  Glawen shrugged. “Justice to the side, your interests may best be served by answering my questions.”

  “I am unable to follow your logic.”

  “Our present investigation is focused upon Ogmo Enterprises. If the IPCC becomes involved, the investigation will widen to the seminary, by reason of Sibil’s participation - quite likely to your embarrassment and certainly to your inconvenience, since the hearings will be held at Fexelburg.”

  “And further? I wish to hear the full compendium of threats and horrors.”

  Glawen laughed. “These are neither - only predictable circumstances. But further, since you ask, the six High Ordinaries may well be indicted as accessories, as no doubt they deserve to be. As of now, this aspect of the case exceeds my instructions.”

  Zaa seemed amused. “Let me make sure that I understand you correctly. If I do not answer your questions, the IPCC will enter the case, cause me inconvenience and indict six High Ordinaries. Is that the gist of your statement?”

  Glawen gave another uneasy laugh. “You have cast my remarks into the crudest possible mold. I pointed out some possibilities which you can avoid, if you choose to do so.”

  Zaa came slowly forward, “You are aware that this is Lutwiler Country?”

  “Of course.”

  “The local laws are designed to work for our protection. They concede us the right to deal brusquely with intruders, criminals and pests. Adversaries confront us at their own risk.”

  Glawen spoke with confidence. “I am a police officer performing my routine duties; what should I have to fear?”

  “First of all, the usual penalties meted out to blackmailers.”

  “What!” Glawen jerked up in shock. “How did you come by this idea?”

  Zaa appraised him for a moment, and Glawen thought that she might be enjoying herself. “Today I was warned of your arrival and told of the demands you would make.”

  Glawen’s jaw dropped. “This is absurdity! Who notified you?”

  “Names are not in the least relevant.”

  “They seem so to me - especially since the information is false.”

  Zaa gave her head a slow silken shake. “I think not. You have betrayed your position with your own words.”

  “How so?”

  “Are you truly so ingenuous? Or do you still think to befuddle me with your smirks and artful mannerisms?”

  “Madame, you misinterpret me completely! I attempt nothing of the sort! I assure you of this with all my heart! If you have read such an intent into my conduct, you are mistaken.”

  “Address me as ‘Ordene,’ if you please.”

  Zaa’s voice was colder than ever, and Glawen realized with a pang that he had put his case with tactless fervor. “In any event, I am neither ingenuous nor a blackmailer.”

  “This is demonstrably untrue. With careful malice you threatened me with an IPCC investigation. With obvious satisfaction you described the anguish and humiliation to be visited upon me and recited the harms to be done to the High Ordinaries.”

  “Stop!” cried Glawen. “The longer you talk, the worse these imaginary misdeeds become. Face facts! The crimes were committed! Someone must investigate them. I make no demands upon you. If you decide not to answer my questions, I will bid you good day and you will never see me again.”

  Zaa seemed to come to a decision. “Yes! We shall contract together! The terms shall be these: I will supply in full measure the information you want; in return you will render certain services for me.”

  Glawen rose to his feet. “What kind of services? When, where, why and how?”

  “There will be opportunity to discuss details provided we can agree in principle. If you are favorably inclined I will consult with the other Ordenes.”

  “It is pointless to consult with anyone, because first I must know what you want of me.”

  Zaa said stonily: “I cannot even broach the subject until I reach a consensus.”

  “Can you do so at once? Time presses on me; I must leave here inside an hour or two.”

  “I will act with all haste - if you agree to my proposal in its broad principles. I must have an unqualified answer.”

  Glawen shook his head. “This comes much too suddenly upon me. I can’t agree to terms so vague.”

  Zaa said coldly: “You must decide whether you want the information you came here for, or not.”

  “I want the information, certainly. But what are these services? How much time will be needed? Is travel involved? If so, where? If you want me to injure or threaten someone, or take risks, I decline altogether. In short, I insist upon learning full details before I agree to undertake these services.”

  Zaa seemed pleased rather than otherwise. “So shall it be! It is a prudent posture to take and I commend you for it. I accede to your wishes, and the contract shall be on your terms.”

  Zaa turned and made a gesture. From a shadowed passage came Mutis. Zaa gave him a terse order, which Glawen failed to hear. Mutis turned away and disappeared into the gloom of the passage.

  Glawen found the episode disquieting. “What is the reason for that?”

  “You have insisted - wisely so - upon full knowledge of what we want of you. In this regard, the indispensable first step is an understanding of our order and our basic precepts, which you will find not only fascinating but helpful and a source of strength. I have sent for someone who will instruct you, at least in basic principles.”

  Glawen forced himself to speak quietly and in mild tones. “Ordene Zaa, with all due respect, your program is neither feasible, nor practical, nor at all to my liking. As a matter of fact, last night I looked through a book, a primer of Monomantics, and I already know something of your ideas: enough to last me for quite a while.”

  Zaa nodded and smiled. “I know the book. It is, let us say, an introduction to an introduction. It definitely will not serve the purpose.”

  Glawen spoke with resolution: “Ordene Zaa, I have neither time nor inclination for your studies. Give me my information, then explain what you want me to do for you. If at all feasible, I will do it. But I want no instruction nor any demands upon my time. In fact I must catch the evening bus back to Fexelburg, or my colleague will be worried and notify the IPCC.”

  “Really? In that case, there will be a telephone call and you will be allowed to reassure them that all is well.”

  “Haven’t I made myself clear?” asked Glawen.

  Zaa paid no heed. “Instruction is essential. Otherwise, your understanding will not be complete, and this is a term of our contract.”

  Into the chamber came Mutis with two others: the first as burly as Mutis himself, the second a person of distinctly slighter physique: a youth or a young woman.

  Zaa spoke to the three: “This is Glawen, who will be taking instruction with us for a period. Lilo, you will bring him through the Primers and probably the first Compendium.” To Glawen Zaa said: “Lilo is an excellent instructor, perceptive and patient. Mutis and Funo are both High Ordinaries, and House Monitors. Both are wise and dutiful, and you must heed their advice at all times.”

  Glawen cried out angrily: “Once and for all, I want no instruction in Monomantics, or anything else. Since you apparently do not plan to give me the information I came for, I will leave.”

  “Do not be discouraged,” said Zaa. “If you study diligently, we shall not think the trouble in vain. You will now be prepared for study.”

  Mutis and Funo moved forward. “Come!” said Mutis. “We will show you your chamber.”

  Glawen looked at Zaa and again sensed the emotion on her face. She took pleasure in his humiliation. He spoke soberly: “So you seriously plan to keep me here against my will?”

  Zaa had once again masked herself. “It is not a frivolous decision,” she said. “The terms of our contract are explicit.”

  Glawen moved toward the passage. “I am leaving. Interfere with me at your own risk.”

 
Mutis and Funo stepped slowly forward; Glawen pushed them aside and strode through the passage into the vestibule. Mutis and Funo followed without haste. Glawen went to the door, but could find no latch or release. He shoved and tugged, but it refused to swing open.

  Mutis and Funo came slowly forward. Glawen stood with his back to the door, prepared to fight as best he could. Lilo intervened. “Do not struggle; they will hurt you badly, and make you meek through pain. Do not give them the chance!”

  “How do I get out of here?”

  “You cannot. Do as you are told. Come with me. I assure you it is the best way.”

  Glawen assessed the two House Monitors. He was clearly outmatched. Why embroil himself; when he failed to return, Kirdy would transmit his message to Plock at the IPCC office, who would take such steps as were necessary.

  “Come,” said Lilo. “They need not so much as touch you.”

  “Lucky Glawen,” said Mutis.

  Glawen spoke between clenched teeth: “This is intolerable! I have important business elsewhere!”

  “It must wait!” said Funo in a voice oddly shrill for a person so large and muscular. “You heard the Ordene. Now, hurry along with you before we lose our patience!”

  “Come,” said Mutis, inching forward, his loose pink mouth open and pulsing like a polyp.

  Glawen stepped warily around him. Lilo took his arm and led him along the passage.

  * * *

  Chapter VIII, Part 3

  Glawen sullenly followed Lilo up a flight of dank stone steps to the second floor, then along a corridor. Watching the swing of Lilo’s hips, Glawen decided that Lilo was female. Behind padded Mutis.

  Lilo halted at the bottom of a second staircase and waited while Mutis stepped ahead and by some means set aglow a line of dim lamps to illuminate the stairs. Lilo told Glawen: “We will now climb these steps, but be careful, as they are very dangerous, especially when the lights are not shining.”

  “Let him find out for himself,” said Mutis with a small hard smile. “He’s in line for a bump or two.”

  Lilo started up the stairs. Glawen stopped short, quivering with a sudden surge of panic. Lilo, paused, looked over her shoulder. “Come.”

  Glawen still hesitated. Mutis and Funo stood watching him, round white faces impassive. Glawen tensed, thinking to leap upon them, take them by surprise, and somehow make his escape.

  Rationality prevailed. Mutis and Funo were not to be surprised so easily, and in any event, Kirdy would be notifying the IPCC of his absence before the evening was out.

  Lilo spoke again: “Come, Glawen.”

  Glawen swung about and marched grimly up the staircase, two steps behind Lilo. An odd staircase for so massive a structure, he thought. It was steep, irregular, devoid of railings, and twice changed direction at eccentric angles. Lilo had described it as dangerous, especially in the dark. It might well be so.

  Lilo led him out into a long bleak hall and took him to a chamber lined with bins and racks. “This is a small preliminary step, but it is essential. You must be cleansed and dressed in a proper garment, that you may conform to the standards. You may now remove and discard your alien wear, which is not suitable for the seminary. You will not be using it again.”

  “Of course I will be using it again,” said Glawen between clenched teeth. “This is sheer madness! Has the world gone insane? I don’t want to be here, and I don’t intend to stay here!”

  “As to that, Glawen, I cannot say. I can only obey the Ordene. You will find that it is the easiest way.”

  “But I don’t want to obey the Ordene.”

  “So it may be, but seminary rules are exact. And who knows? When you discover the excellence of Syntoraxis, your attitude may change! Consider that!”

  “It is a most remote possibility. What I have seen so far I abominate.”

  Lilo said coldly: “For now, you may use that booth for your privacy.”

  Glawen stepped into the booth, removed his outer garments and emerged, to find Mutis waiting for him.

  Mutis pointed to a stool. “Sit!”

  “What for?”

  “So that I can remove that septic louse-mat from your head. Here we live in a state of civilized cleanliness.”

  “Never mind the haircut,” said Glawen, restraining his outrage with an effort. “When I leave here I don’t want to look a freak.”

  “Sit.” Mutis and Funo seized his arms and thrust him down upon the stool. “Now, then!” said Mutis. “Sit quiet and give us no trouble or it’s the owl-trap for you, and the wind blows cold of nights.”

  Lilo said tonelessly: “Do as he orders. It will be for the best.”

  Silently vowing a dozen revenges, Glawen sat like a stone while Mutis, with rude efficiency, clipped away his hair.

  “Now, then!” said Mutis. “Off with your breechclout, or whatever you call it, and into the bath!”

  Glawen was forced to wash in acrid “decontaminant fluid,” then shower in cold water, and at last was allowed to dress in standard seminary garments which he selected for himself from bins.

  Mutis had now gone off about his affairs. Lilo told Glawen: “I will now take you to your chamber, for a period of meditation.”

  “One moment.” Glawen made a bundle of his old clothes, which he tucked under his arm. Lilo watched without comment. “Come.”

  She led him along the corridor, meanwhile reciting a list of admonitions for Glawen’s guidance. “For a certain period, you must refrain from visiting the town or walking about the countryside. Dismiss all such inclinations; they will be strongly disapproved.”

  “I won’t be here long enough to feel the need. Or so I hope.”

  Lilo spoke more quickly. “In that case, you will find no reason to attempt the stairs, since they are extremely dangerous.”

  “They sound not only dangerous but ominous,” said Glawen.

  “You are perceptive! So, be guided! Remember, the earnest student finds life easier than one who frets and shirks. Plainly, you are not one of this latter sort; am I correct?”

  “I am a Clattuc of Clattuc House! Does that answer your question?”

  Lilo glanced at him sidewise. “What is a ‘Clattuc’?”

  “This will be made clear: sooner, I hope, than later.”

  Lilo was silent for a period, then asked, almost wistfully: “You have traveled far and wide across the Reach?”

  “Not as far as I might like. In fact, I have visited only a few worlds along the Wisp.”

  “It must be interesting to travel,” said Lilo. “I have only a few memories of the crèche at Strock, and then the seminary.” She halted before a door. “This is to be your chamber.” She opened the door, and waited. Glawen stood back obstinately. Lilo said: “Truly, you gain nothing by inflexibility. Mutis loves nothing more than intransigence.”

  Glawen sighed and entered the room. Lilo said: “We shall talk more later. I am pleased that the Ordene selected me to be your instructor; usually the task falls to Bayant or Hylas. Meanwhile, for your convenience and protection, I will lock the door.”

  “Protection against what?”

  Lilo made a vague gesture. “Sometimes, when students finish their work they hope to gossip with others who might prefer to rest or meditate. By locking the door I will spare you this nuisance.”

  The door closed. Seething with fury all the more poignant for his feeling that he had been swindled and fuddled and fooled, Glawen took stock of the chamber. The dimensions were adequate: twenty feet to the far wall and a width of about twelve feet. The chill of the stone floor was relieved by a mat of woven withe; the walls were washed a nondescript buff. A wooden table and chair stood against the far wall under a high window. To the left was a crude cot, to the right a tall wardrobe and storage case. A door opened into an austere bathroom.

  Glawen threw his bundle of clothes upon the cot and went to sit in the chair.

  The room was chill; Glawen still felt half numb from the shower. His teeth began to chatter,
which caused him new annoyance. He rose to his feet, swung his arms, walked back and forth, jumped up and down and presently felt more comfortable.

  Glawen looked up at the window. A center vertical post divided the opening into halves, each too small for egress. Each segment of glass could be swung open to provide ventilation if need be; both segments were now closed against the vertical center post.

  Glawen climbed up on the table and looked out the window. He was provided a view across the steppe and down along the eastern fringe of the town, where stood a scattering of ramshackle cottages. Zonk’s Star could not be seen, but judging from the dim light and the length of the black shadows, the time was close upon sunset. The omnibus might already have left for Fexelburg, and to his sorrow he was not aboard.

  Glawen stood on tiptoes and looked down. The wall dropped a hundred feet sheer to the rocky hillside. Glawen opened one of the windows and tested the rigidity of the center post. He pushed, pulled; the post failed so much as to quiver. He closed the window against the cold wind. What had been Mutis’ remark? Something about the “owl-trap”? Glawen shivered at the thought. He jumped down from the table and resumed his seat in the chair. Assuming that Kirdy followed instructions promptly and efficiently, Glawen could expect rescue as early as this very evening - though a more realistic hope would be tomorrow.

  Glawen stretched out his legs and tried to take a balanced view of the circumstances. It was an adventure he surely would never forget. He managed a wry chuckle. The effrontery of Zaa and her cohorts was so brazen as to transcend ordinary logic or even reality. They were using the techniques of mind control: first, destroy the victim’s confidence in what he considered the proper patterns of existence, then substitute an alternate system which functioned well. Whether purposeful or not, these seemed to be Zaa’s tactics. “It will not be one of my proudest cases,” Glawen told himself.

  Another matter came to mind: if Zaa were to be believed – and why not? - she had been notified by telephone of his coming. Who had been aware of his plans? Kirdy, Inspectors Barch and Tanaquil, the Adjudicant Plock. Why would any of these persons betray him? The mystery was profound.