Worlds Apart (ThreeCon)

by Carmen Webster Buxton

  Merschachh must have been expecting him. When Prax came through the door to the outer office, the Shuratanian looked up expectantly, one sinuous ear twitching against the other. “Good morning. Mistress Trahn will be with you in a moment.”

  Prax sat down to wait.

  In a few minutes, Hari came through the same door. “Morning, Merschachh. Is she ready?”

  The Shuratanian checked a console on his desk. “Yes, sir. You can both go in now.”

  Prax followed Hari into Rishi’s office.

  Rishi was sitting behind an enormous semicircular desk. She had two terminals, one on either side of her, and there was a large-screen com in the middle of the desk.

  “Good morning, Hari,” she said, smiling warmly.

  “Hello, girl,” Hari said. “How are you this morning?”

  “Fine.” Rishi seemed very happy. Her dimple was showing. “Have you talked to him yet?”

  “No,” Hari said. “I thought you wanted to do it.”

  “Okay, I will,” Rishi said. “Good morning, Praxiteles.”

  “Good morning, lady.” Prax felt rather as if he had come in on the middle of a conversation. What was this all about?

  “Do you remember what we talked about several weeks ago,” Rishi said, “when you told us that you could tell when someone was lying?”

  “Yes, lady.”

  “Well, if you have no objection, I’d like to be able to make use of your talent. I’d like you to sit in on a meeting I’m having this morning, and then let me know later whether the people in the meeting lie to me or tell me the truth.”

  “Certainly, lady,” Prax said, relieved that what she wanted was something so effortless for him. It occurred to him that this might even help him pay his people’s debt. “I could do that easily.”

  “The thing is,” Rishi said, “I don’t want them to realize why you’re in the room. I’m going to tell them that my Chief of Security is paranoid and insists I keep a guard in the room with me all the time.”

  Prax nodded. “Very well, lady.”

  “Do you have to face the person who’s talking to be able to tell if he’s lying?” Rishi asked.

  Prax shook his head. “No, lady. It makes no difference, so long as I’m within six or seven meters.”

  After a short consultation, Hari and Rishi decided on a plan where Prax would stand, as if on guard, at the back of the office. If at any point, someone told a lie, he would raise one hand and brush the back of his head.

  Once the details were clear, Hari got up to leave. “You may as well stay here, Prax. The meeting will start soon, and you should be in place when Rishi’s visitors get here.”

  “Yes, chief.”

  When Hari left, Prax would have taken his place standing on the other side of the office, but Rishi told him not to bother.

  “Don’t be silly, Praxiteles. Sit down and be comfortable until the first one gets here.”

  So Prax sat and watched Rishi work. She turned from one terminal to the other and back to the com set without so much as a pause. She would review screen after screen on a monitor, tap the display with her stylus when she wanted to hear a report, and then make a notation. Sometimes she would call Merschachh or speak directly into her terminal. A mechanical-sounding voice would answer when she did that, and Prax realized she was interacting with a machine. Prax couldn’t follow what she was doing, except that it seemed to involve enormous quantities of various commodities.

  Finally, the com set beeped. It was Merschachh telling Rishi that her visitors were arriving.

  Rishi directed Prax on where to stand while Merschachh went to meet the flyter. The Shuratanian came back in a few minutes, leading a Terran woman into the office. She was a good deal older than Rishi, and a lot fairer-skinned. She had soft white hair, and eyes as pale blue as any Prax had ever seen.

  “Good morning, Citizen Andersen,” Rishi said, shaking the older woman’s hand and directing her to a table set with four chairs. “Have a seat, please,” she said, laying her hand on the chair that gave her the best view of Prax. “The others will be here shortly.”

  “Thank you,” the older woman said. She put her own hand on the opposite chair, but paused before she sat, and looked around the room. Her glance paused when it came to Prax. She sat down, turning back toward Rishi with a comment on the weather.

  The com set beeped again. Merschachh advised Rishi that he was bringing two more visitors. In a few minutes, he showed in two men, one Terran and one Shuratanian. The Terran was tall and slender, and appeared to be only a decade or so older than Rishi. With the Shuratanian, age was impossible to say, at least for Prax. He was short, of course, and he had the emerald green eyes so common among Shuratanians.

  “Good morning, Citizen Dribachh,” Rishi said, rising to greet the Shuratanian. “It’s nice to see you again, Citizen Romanov,” she said to the Terran. “I believe you both know Citizen Andersen?”

  They all shook hands, and the two men took the remaining seats at the table. The Shuratanian gave no sign that he had noticed Prax, but he was the one who leaned over and spoke to Rishi. “Are we considered dangerous, Mistress Trahn?”

  “Of course not,” Rishi said, smiling at him. “It’s just my security chief’s paranoia.”

  “My dear.” Andersen spoke so softly Prax could barely hear her. “Are you sure it’s a good idea? This is very confidential information. Can you trust him?”

  Rishi raised one eyebrow. “Oh, yes,” she said in a perfectly audible tone. “I trust him unequivocally.”

  Prax was surprised. It was as obvious to him that she was speaking the truth now as it had been when she had lied about Hari being paranoid.

  Rishi offered coffee, but no one was interested.

  “Now then,” Rishi said, “let’s get down to business. Citizen Andersen, will you present your proposal?”

  “Thank you, my dear.” The white-haired woman began speaking. Prax was soon lost in the details. She appeared to be suggesting that the four of them form a business partnership. Romanov would provide raw materials from his mining and other colony world enterprises. Dribachh would provide manufacturing expertise. Rishi would transport the goods to Terra, Milora, and Shuratan, where Andersen had extensive outlets for sales of manufactured goods.

  “The homeworlds are worn out,” Andersen said. “They each have an incredible level of technology, but much of their natural resources have been depleted. Goods made of genuine minerals, wood, and other natural materials have become luxury items. If we create a low-cost way to bring well-made exotic goods to the homeworlds, there’s an enormous profit awaiting all of us.”

  Apprehension grew in Prax’s mind at her words. She wasn’t lying exactly, but there was something not right about what she said.

  Dribachh and Romanov asked some questions about the types of goods she had in mind. Finally, Rishi spoke up.

  “It’s an interesting proposal, Citizen Andersen, but I’m wondering why you want me. If you have Romanov and Dribachh as suppliers, and you have the markets, why do you need the House of Trahn?”

  “But Mistress Trahn,” Andersen said, “you have not only the ships we need, you have the expertise to deal with the various colony worlds, and all the legal complications of trading in different sectors, across different zones of influence.”

  “But once you had all that worked out,” Rishi persisted, “wouldn’t you just need ships? Any ships would do; they wouldn’t need to be Trahn ships.”

  “But you bring to the table the value of your experience and your reputation, my dear, and your father’s, of course. No matter how well established the business is, we would still want the House of Trahn as a trading partner.”

  There! That was a clear lie. Prax almost sweated with anxiety as he raised one hand and smoothed back his hair. Rishi gave no sign that she had seen him. She continued to as
k questions about the details, as did both Romanov and Dribachh. Eventually, they seemed to have talked it all out.

  “Well,” Rishi said, “it’s a very interesting proposal, Citizen Andersen, and very tempting, too. I’m sure that both Citizen Dribachh and Citizen Romanov will, like me, want to think it over.”

  “Certainly, my dear.” Andersen said in a friendly tone. “Take your time.”

  Rishi suggested they adjourn for some refreshments. When they all accepted her invitation, she buzzed Merschachh on the com set. “Will you show our guests to the atrium, please? I’ll be along in a moment.”

  After the others had gone, Rishi walked over to Prax.

  “Well?” she said. “I saw you lift your hand. Andersen was lying?”

  “Yes, lady. She was telling the truth earlier, but when she spoke of always needing the House of Trahn, she lied.” Prax was so anxious he laid one hand on Rishi’s arm. “Be careful of her, lady. She mixes truth and lies in a dangerous way.”

  Rishi looked down at his hand. “Thank you. I’ll be careful.” She studied him as if she were curious about something. “Were did you go last night, Praxiteles?”

  Prax felt his face flush. “Go, lady?”

  “Yes. Merschachh gave me the message that you were going out and wouldn’t be here for dinner. Where did you go?”

  He had to tell the truth. “We went into the city, to a bar called The Twin Moons.”

  “Did you have a good time?”

  Prax tried to maintain his composure but didn’t completely succeed. “Yes, lady.”

  Rishi raised an eyebrow. “What was her name?”

  Prax made himself meet her gaze. “Danitra.”

  “Don’t look so worried,” Rishi said, brushing his hand away from her arm. “I’m not angry. I have no right to be angry.”

  “But you are angry, lady,” Prax said gently.

  Rishi said a word that Prax didn’t recognize. “Your ability is as annoying as it is useful. I’ll have to remember it in future. Meanwhile, concentrate on the fact that I have no right to be angry. I expect you can tell that that’s the truth?”

  Prax nodded.

  “Good.” She spoke firmly, all business again. “You’d better come along to the atrium. Having portrayed Hari as totally paranoid, I’d better have you there to lend verisimilitude to the story.”

  The atrium was a room in the middle of the house furnished like a garden, with plants growing by the benches and chairs. The ceiling looked as if it were open to the sky, when, in fact, it was just a room like any other. When Prax followed Rishi there, her guests had made themselves comfortable and were already partaking of the food and drink that had been laid out.

  “This is delicious, Mistress,” Dribachh said, nibbling on one of Thulan’s tiny fritters made from fish paste and ground vegetables. “You must have a wonderful cook.”

  “I do,” Rishi said. “I try always to be nice to her so she won’t want to leave me. It would be very hard to settle for anything less than her cooking.”

  They made small talk for some time. Prax stood in a corner and listened, but he heard no more overt lies. He was conscious of being very hungry, as he hadn’t eaten since lunchtime of the previous day.

  After a while, Andersen said goodbye and took her leave, followed shortly thereafter by Romanov. Dribachh remained at his seat, unashamedly still eating. Prax knew Shuratanians could eat a lot for their size, but he was impressed by how much food Dribachh had consumed.

  Rishi sat down beside him. “I appreciate your coming in person, Citizen Dribachh. Citizen Andersen wanted us to meet nearer to her home, but I had recently returned from a rather long journey.”

  “Yes, I heard that.” The Shuratanian flicked a glance at Prax. “I see you’ve enlarged your staff, too?”

  Rishi’s face reflected surprise. “Are you familiar with all the members of my security staff?”

  “Pretty much. I’ve been here several times, and I’m very good at faces. Even Terran faces.” He studied Prax more intently, making Prax feel rather like he was on display. “Is he from a sleeper world, by any chance?”

  “Praxiteles isn’t part of the furniture,” Rishi said, a hint of indignation in her voice. “If you want to know something about him, why don’t you ask him?”

  “All right,” Dribachh said. “Where are you from, young man?”

  Unsure whether Rishi wanted to reveal this information, Prax waited for a nod from her before he answered. “I’m from Celadon, sir.”

  “And is that a sleeper world?”

  “Yes, sir.”

  “Ah, Celadon,” Dribachh said, as if he had just remembered where he had heard the name. “I heard an interesting story about your adventures on Celadon, Mistress Trahn. I heard that you had gotten into trouble with ThreeCon for interfering with the local political situation.”

  “I would hardly describe a massacre as a political situation,” Rishi said, her back stiffening as if she were angry. “I doubt you would either if the weapons were pointed at you.”

  Dribachh’s eyes crinkled in a smile. “You’re very like your father, sometimes.”

  Rishi’s eyes opened wide. “Did you know my father?”

  “I had the honor to meet him on several occasions,” Dribachh said. “I was introduced to him by my jaruscha, Parnochh shu Trohr.”

  Rishi gave him an odd glance. Was she merely surprised or actively suspicious? “I didn’t know you knew Parnochh.”

  “My people don’t always reveal everything right at the start,” Dribachh said. “If you doubt me, you can always ask Parnochh—or perhaps you have other ways to tell if I’m lying?”

  Prax wondered how the man had figured out his gift. He didn’t think he had given himself away.

  Rishi smiled. Her amusement seemed genuine. “My people don’t reveal everything all at once, either.”

  “Very like your father,” Dribachh said, brushing crumbs from his lap. He stood up and took her hand. “Thank you very much for your hospitality, my dear. I’m sure we’ll see more of each other in the future.” After he let go of her hand and started for the door, he paused to look back at her. “And I’m sure I don’t need to remind Ilya Trahn’s daughter that just because Margaret Andersen looks like her dear old grandmother, it doesn’t mean she’s as sweet as she looks.”

  “No,” Rishi said. “I don’t need reminding.”

  Rishi waited until Dribachh had followed Merschachh out. Then she turned to Prax. “Well? How about him?”

  “He was telling the truth, lady,” Prax said.

  “About everything?”

  Prax nodded.

  She seemed to draw herself up as if she were preparing for something. “All right. Thank you very much, Praxiteles. You’ve been very helpful.”

  Prax left her sitting there, glad to have his peculiar duty over with.

  “HOW did it go?” Hari’s voice said.

  Rishi jumped and looked up, surprised he had managed to sneak up on her. “Oh, Hari, you startled me.”

  He grinned. “How did it go with the potential cartel?”

  Rishi picked up a piece of fruit and began to peel it. She had held off from doing any more than nibbling at the food while her company was present. “It was interesting. Praxiteles says Andersen is lying through her teeth. It sounds to me like she wants to use Trahn ships to start with, taking advantage of our reputation and know-how to get everything set up. Then when I’ve spent a lot of money getting extra ships to handle the load, and working out the legal details, she’ll dump me for a transporter she doesn’t have to cut in on the profits.”

  “Sounds like a truly heartwarming scheme.” Hari sat down and took a bite of one of Thulan’s cookies. “Would you have caught on without Prax?”

  Rishi pondered as she chewed. “Not at this stage.” Fruit juice dribbled down her chin
. She dabbed at it with a napkin. “Later it would depend on how she managed to wangle the contracts. Either way, he saved me time and money, and possibly even my reputation.”

  “So how much time and money does he have to save you before the Elliniká debt is paid?”

  She looked him over. His face was set in grim lines that told her he was serious. “What do you mean by that?”

  He gave her a disgusted look as he took another cookie. “You know very well what I mean. You can’t keep Prax here forever. The longer you wait, the harder it is on him. I know I said give it a few months, but this is the perfect opportunity to convince him the debt is truly paid.”

  “He seems to be doing well enough to me,” Rishi said, trying not to sound bitter. “Fitting in, as you put it. He went to town last night, met a woman, and slept with her. I don’t think he’s suffering any.”

  Hari’s eyes opened wide. “So that’s what the sly grins were for in the common room? I wondered.” He studied her for a moment and then his mouth opened in surprise. “You’re jealous! What the hell for, girl? You can have him anytime you want him. All you have to do is say the word.”

  “No, Hari,” Rishi said, unsure if she were cross with him or with herself. “That’s exactly why I can’t have him. I can’t ask someone to go to bed with me if they haven’t got a choice about it. I just can’t do that.”

  Hari made a face. “Well, it seems to me you’ve got mixed-up scruples. You won’t use his gratitude to get him into your bed for a few hours, but you will use it to make him into some kind of lapdog for the rest of his life.”

  “I am not making him into a lapdog,” Rishi said heatedly, deciding to make Hari the object of her annoyance. “I gave him the option to leave, and he didn’t want to take it. This Andersen deal is going to take months. Now that I know what she’s up to, the House of Trahn can still come out ahead in this deal. I need him.”

  “All right,” Hari said, rising to go. “But I’m not going to let this drop. We’ll talk about this again.”

  Rishi didn’t answer; after Hari left, she sat in the atrium and wondered whether Praxiteles would go back to the Twin Moons anytime soon.