Free Visitor: A Foreigner Novel by C. J. Cherryh Page A

place now or just concluded. I proposed to the Presidenta a need to bring the Reunioners down to Mospheiran territory, and he was most receptive, but logistics remained a problem. Fortunately, Gin has arrived with a possible means of freeing shuttle seats for passage to Earth with far less expense and delay than seemed likely.”
    “We are interested,” Ilisidi said, and he explained Gin’s notion of one-way landers:
    “The landers themselves can be salvaged, aiji-ma, and a failure or two with those will not involve loss of life. We have always concentrated on fragile loads going
up
to the station, but grouping our cargoes differently, and using the petal sails as we can . . . we can provide many more seats in much less time, at much less cost.”
    Ilisidi thought on the question, eyes flickering. “Indeed. And shall we provide transport? And a landing for these loads flung recklessly down from on high?”
    “Where safe, aiji-ma, and any human passengers on atevi shuttles would be flown to Mospheira immediately on landing . . . with the assistance of the aishidi’tat. No large mass of people at once. Easily carried on one of the smallest jets.”
    “And where would these people be settled, and under whose guidance?”
    “By my will, aiji-ma, a scattered resettlement. Widely scattered, inconvenient for association, but with fair treatment and workable prospects.”
    There were analogous situations with atevi, the necessity for a disgraced clan to be broken up, divided, absorbed by rivals. That was the
resettlement
he used. And it
was
fully apt.
    “We leave such details to the Presidenta,” Ilisidi said. “What will these people think when they know their future, and when
will
they know?”
    “One cannot say. I have cautioned Gin-nandi to wait until we have dealt with our visitors, at least until we’ve determined their intentions, but whether she will regard it, or whether circumstance will force her to tell them, one cannot know. Mospheirans and Reunioners are not quite the same in their thinking; and one foresees difficulties. Will there come a day when there is no difference? Or will five thousand Reunioners change Mospheiran thinking? I do not know. I do not know how that will develop. But sending them apart—that was never a good answer.”
    “There will be politics.” Ilisidi gave a wave of her hand. “There is always politics. Let it be as it may. It will flow about these children. Let it
not
flow onto the mainland. The parents, particularly, should be cautioned.”
    “One will convey that, aiji-ma.”
    “We understand you
have
cautioned them.”
    “Strictly and firmly, aiji-ma.”
    “And Irene-nadi’s mother?”
    “One does not yet know, aiji-ma.”
    “The child will be wiser than the mother, we strongly suspect. We can keep the girl for a time. But when she goes down with the others, what part will her mother have with her?”
    “Aiji-ma, that remains to be seen. We do not know what our choices may be.”
    “The child may
not
reside in our household permanently.”
    “Yes,” he said, with no question about it. “I shall take the matter in hand, aiji-ma. There will be a solution.”
    A second wave of the hand. “You will not distract yourself with this child, paidhi. Nor with the vexations of the parents.”
    “No, aiji-ma.” He was very glad not to discuss that matter. “I shall not distract myself even with a thought of them.”
    “So,” Ilisidi said. “Go find us a solution for these foreign visitors. Advise them we shall speak to them. Arrange it so we shall speak to them inside the station, if you can. The ship poses inconveniences. But we shall bear them if we must.
Their
ship poses still more. We prefer to avoid that.”
    “Yes, aiji-ma.”
    “What is this agreement? You are most valuable when you argue, paidhi! Do not say yes to me!”
    “I shall most strenuously object when you are wrong, aiji-ma. You have been infallibly right at least this last hour.”
    “Ha.”