Free The Cause of Death by Roger MacBride Allen Page A

human, "Allabex released those subcomponents specifically for Moira to play with."
    "Moira shouldn't be disturbing your work by asking you to make games for her, or interfering with components that have other duties."
    "She--she didn't ask," Allabex said. "I released them and prepared the little holding area for them before she arrived."
    Marta opened her mouth--and forced herself to close it again before she said something unwise. There was something so absurd about it all. Her husband arrested, recaptured after escaping, convicted, and condemned. The whole project--and likely the fate of this planet--imperiled. The endless delays in getting their facilities up and running. Labor problems. Contract problems. Technical glitches. All that, and much more, had been stress that she could handle, if only just barely.
    And then she had to go and snap--because she saw her daughter playing with the subs--and it turned out that she , herself, Marta, was in the wrong. It was frustrating, humiliating. She felt like a fool for being so angry--but she was angry all the same.
    She glared at Allabex, then at Cinnabex. Her hands balled into fists. All the waiting, all the fear, all the uncertainty of the past days seemed to bubble up inside her, eager to burst out. "Now I'll have to go apologize to Moira," she said, barely managing to control the frustration in her voice. She turned and walked out of the high-bay, in search of her daughter.
    * * *
    The two Stannlar watched the human female Marta Hertzmann depart, then turned to face each other. They communicated, using a pseudoetheric frequency, rather than by means of anything as awkward as speech centers.
    Cinnabex began: "You are more skilled than I at dealing with humans. You must go to her at once and speak the things that are required."
    Allabex: "That would not be wise. Better to wait a brief time period for her emotional intensity to diminish."
    Cinnabex: "My detectors show that an aircar with an official designation of the type used by couriers is on an approach vector. It is likely we are about to receive an update on Georg's case. We must obtain Marta's consent to send the agreed message before she receives this latest report."
    Allabex: "I confirm the aircar's approach. But you assume that the courier will bring bad news."
    Cinnabex: "Has there been any other sort since we arrived on this benighted planet? I will leave it to your judgment how long to wait until Marta Hertzmann will be rational enough for the needed conversation--but do not delay a moment longer than you must. Obtain her agreement before the courier's news injects additional variables that might alter the case."
    Allabex: "I signal reluctant agreement."
    Allabex summoned in all of her subcomponents--including the playthings she had generated for Moira--and settled in to wait for the length of time she had computed as appropriate.
    * * *
    Shortly thereafter, Allabex found herself moving about the grounds of the lab complex next to a moody and largely silent Marta Hertzmann. "There is no change in his status, then, friend Marta?" Allabex asked, once she judged that the silence had lasted long enough.
    "No! Why should there be? How could there be, when he hasn't changed his mind, and the Pavlats haven't changed theirs?"
    That would appear to be one of the questions that Marta Herztmann asked without expecting an answer. "I see," said Allabex. Her English-language module advised her that this was an appropriate neutral response meaning "I understand," frequently used by humans when they did not understand at all.
    "The situation cannot remain as it is, friend Marta," Allabex went on. "And, I would submit, it is incumbent upon us to change it, as I greatly doubt the Thelm's people will do so."
    "That much is obvious," Marta said. "The next obvious point is that we have precious few options for changing it."
    Georg could fulfill his obligation as the eldest son of the Thelm , Allabex told herself, but she dared not make