<h2>Planet 5 / Ch. 31: Cooking</h2>


    Post contact report: Evnela / thought-hearing anomaly, update 2


    It is now a week since the return to consciousness of the young woman rescued from mid-ocean, Evnela. She is from the island of Captita, the furthest of the islands upwind from the continent. Her mother died years ago, and the rest of the family — her brother and father — were in the boat with her when the storm struck. She says that she was drifting for longer than she can remember, praying that God would send someone to come and rescue her. She''d heard that there were terrifying big pink aliens trying to talk to people and she''d told God that she''d far rather be rescued by a terrifying big pink alien than die alone or be eaten by the sea monsters she''d heard about, especially if the aliens were actually kind and knew God. Sebastian is thus her answer to prayer, and she''s delighted to be able to discuss God with him.


    She finds it perfectly normal that she should hear his thoughts because he rescued her from certain death, which is, she says, one of the most significant attunements. She has been filling us in on a lot of history about the recent war, and of course she''s willing to be our translator and informant in exchange for food, accommodation and clothes. When she says this, she looks at Sebastian significantly, and he blushes. When pressed he explains that she remembers that she fell into the water when getting off the boat and onto the probe ship, and that Sebastian jumped into the water, gently rescued her and then wrapped her in the blanket she currently insists on wearing sari-style.


    He then goes on to explain that the implication of ''going for a swim with her and offering her a sari'' is that he was asking her to be his wife, and her wearing it means that she''s accepted the betrothal, and that she argues that if he didn''t mean it that way, he ought to have let Sathie — who was co-pilot — wrap her up. Explanations about her urgent need of medical care carry no weight.


    Apparently he''d hoped he could convince Evnela privately to drop the crazy idea, which is why he''d not said anything. Evnela''s wounds — a broken arm and leg — happened when the top of the mast broke off and fell on her, and would have meant permanent disfigurement assuming she didn''t succumb to an infection. Her father had put the splints on her in a lull in the storm, but then the storm had returned and she''d passed out from the pain of being slammed into the side of the boat, and had woken up alone. She looks at the casts she''s in now in wonder and thankfulness and asks why she would want to go back to being part-time local judge and fisherwoman who was constantly afraid that one of the local pirates might get drunk and decide to rape her?


    ''Didn''t Sebastian like her enough to spare her that?'' Sebastian translates that with groans, quite certain of what will come next, having been through this before: if he says anything about friendship she will start emotional blackmail that he''s only saying friendship instead of love because he thinks she''s ugly. Why did young Seb think he could convince her to drop the idea of marriage on his own? He''s putty in her elegant green fingers.


    “How old are you? How long do your people live? Sebastian is only seventeen, not old enough to marry.”


    It turns out that she''s his age, they live about the same length as humans, and that she actually has a suitor back home (of whom her father approved, but whom she despises). She''s been part-time judge for the last two years, which is a hereditary position. We explain that normally our people don''t marry until in their twenties, we''ve no objections to her staying, and can she please stop scaring Sebastian? She is also able to cast some light on the anomaly: a large proportion of young children do hear their mother''s thoughts, in her experience, but sensible mothers tell stories about the tangus and the mangus (mythical worse versions of the thought-duplicating predators), the tangus on land, the mangus at sea, luring children away to eat, so they should only pay attention if they can see her. The real reason was that the doom guard would steal those who showed thought-hearing abilities. By young adulthood there is ''no need'' to hear anyone''s thoughts, and indeed ''it''s really embarrassing''.


    This sparks a discussion about the gift as opposed to the normal thought-hearing power, which prompts her to leap across the room and sit in Sebastian''s lap.


    Eventually he recovers enough to say that now she''s certain she wants to marry him.


    We point out that groups of explorer-missionaries like ours do not normally stay more than five or ten years, that if we stayed too long we might damage their culture too much, and that there were a lot of other planets to explore. That cold hard truth stuns her, and she starts to make a low keening dirge, which Sebastian describes as her pouring out her bottled-up anguish to God. While declarations of future cross-species marriage cause him intense embarrassment, it is clear that this is more than he can stand, and holding her, he says, ''Sometimes it has happened that good friends have left their planets and explored with us. It is complicated and depends on too many things.'' That is how Evnela joined the research team and why she is happily submitting to intensive comparative medical investigations. Her genome is entirely non-earthlike, of course, with entirely different base pairs. Remaining advocates of the prehistoric panspermia theory will gain no support from her cell nuclei. Nor will supporters of the ''same patterns, different materials'' theory find support in her cellular structure. There is clearly no possibility of any genetic compatibility. However, the proteins their cells produce, their skeletal structure and the food they eat are all remarkably similar. None of their food is poisonous to us, none of ours is poisonous to her. Diseases are significantly different, and her cells are as immune to our viruses as we are to hers.


    Physical similarities, internal and external, abound, and the surgeons have stated that basic surgical techniques will carry over almost without modification.


    Clearly the creator intended to show us something, we''re just not sure what. Or maybe he wanted to show them something.


    <hr>


    </a>The kitchens, Embassy of Dahel


    “Bilay, you''re cooking?” Malene asked.


    “Is that so very unusual?” Bilay asked.


    “Yes.” she said, matter of factly. “Shocking in fact.”


    “Sorry to shock you,”


    “When did you learn?” she asked, curious.


    “Oh, mother taught me some, and then when my knee was first injured I became camp-cook, pot-stirring being something I could do. Are you looking for Taheela?”


    “Oh, I just came to get a drink, and escape from Saval''s offer of extra language practice. Can I help somehow?”


    “Pealing tubers? That''s what I''ve been doing when not making sure this doesn''t burn. What''s happening in the rest of the embassy? Other than Takeel hearing about her parents, I mean.”


    “Gathal is nervously waiting to talk to her father, your prince and my duchess are keeping up morale, Gahel... as far as I know Gahel has gone shopping or something like that.”


    “Of course, yes. He and Taheela''s husband and boys went to look at some horses to pull the carriage.”


    “That sounds a reasonable idea, as long as I don''t have to muck out the stables.”


    “I think it sounds like an expensive idea, the city isn''t that large. But on the other hand we are representing our country and Dahel is not poor and even Tesk''s ambassador keeps a horse and buggy.”


    “Ah, status.” Malene said.


    “You don''t approve of status?” Bilay asked.


    “I spent a lot of my childhood in Kunga, before all Dahelese traders were told that the policy had changed. A status exercise that I did not appreciate.”


    “Should I practice my Tunganese?”


    “You may, if you wish.” she replied in that language. “Does Saval speak Tunganese, do you know?”


    “As far as I know, he does not,” he replied in the same language.


    “Ah, poor Saval. He will not know know if we talk about the weather or about other things.”


    “Is that a hint, lieutenant?”


    “While I peel tubers and you cook, will you tell me how you learned Tunganese, Bilay? And then about your accident? You speak about yourself less than a guards-woman.”


    “I have a brother, a new ''sis''...”


    “Bilay, do you know what that word means?” Mahel interrupted in Dahelese.


    “I heard it meant a woman friend.”


    “Do not use it, please. It does not refer to the sort of relationship any of God''s people should consider.”


    “I humbly apologise, Malene. I heard it when I was young, and asked my father. It did not occur to me he spoke euphemistically.”


    “You learned from your father?” she prompted.


    “Father was a warrior from Tunga, mother was the youngest daughter of a baron''s grandson. Thus I am technically noble but only of eleventh rank. Such a lowly rank that my children will not be noble, unless my children marry a higher noble or I gain advancement. When I was young and foolish, I had dreams of doing that through extraordinary military service. Ultimately that was the cause of my injury: pride and status-seeking. I took a risk in a training exercise, disabling a siege engine for fame and glory. I didn''t think of what all that weight would do when it fell over, it should have killed me. Instead I escaped with a smashed knee.


    My commanding officer said I was exceptionally brave, honest to the point of stupidity, good at maths, and given the lack of forethought I''d shown in the heat of a mock-battle, totally unsuited to a command position. He recommended that I serve as a bodyguard or quartermaster. Now I serve my prince instead of pride, as accountant-cum-bodyguard-cum-secretary.”


    “And you don''t mind travel?”


    “I was worried for my post when my prince first thought of chasing here after your duchess, with the thought I could not walk so far.” Bilay replied, “I don''t mind travel in principle, and the ship was more comfortable than a horse.”


    “Are your parents still alive? You spoke of them in the past tense.”


    “Father was killed in a raid on a bandit camp when I was fourteen. Mother lives, devotes herself to cleaning the house, tending father''s memorial stone, and lives in a fantasy that one day it will be found that it was a case of a mistaken report, that father wasn''t killed but only injured and he''ll return home as soon as he''s able. Perhaps when my brother has children she will snap out of it, I don''t know.”


    “Sad.”


    “Yes. Your parents?”


    “Are fine. Father is still trading in exotic handcrafts from the outer kingdoms, mother''s parting words to me were that she''d be perfectly happy if I found myself a tattooed barbarian husband with a stone axe, as long as he didn''t slurp his soup, that being a barbarism too far.”


    “Lieutenant Malene, you are a very attractive woman who I respect greatly, both in your military skills and your dedication to God. I''m going to take that as hint that Saval''s eating habits mean he''s not the focus of your attention, and I''d like to formally express my delight in your company and my desire that our friendship deepen past mere attraction into lasting love, once you feel more settled.”


    “Very nicely phrased, Bilay. I acknowledge your expression of interest, and cherish your kind words. I don''t reject your hopes, but...”


    “But you asked for some weeks to settle in, and have not yet had a day. And...”


    “And you need to make sure the food doesn''t burn.”


    He grinned his thanks to her. While stirring he said, “And I think you would not want to embark on the path of love without being sure you were convinced, any more than I would.”


    “What convinced you?”


    “Your first encounter with countess Hayeel, actually.”


    “When I thought it unlikely that she could hear thoughts?”


    “With due respect to the captain, I did not find it at all attractive that she openly questioned the judgement of her superior in regard to information shared with a close ally. You only mentally questioned a surprising claim and immediately apologised.”


    “That sounds like a dismissal of Takeel, not a choosing of me.”


    “Ah, but there was never any doubt in my mind that I would like to marry a woman from the guard, and on our way here I think all four of us were thinking hopeful thoughts about you two.”


    “You and the rest of the crew, almost. That''s just availability, I think.”


    “True. But I also claim some prior involvement in your coming, which is to say, I suggested to her majesty that believers would be better to send to a believing barbarian court, that a wider cultural experience and willingness to adapt to cultural norms would be preferable, a desire to travel rather than merely a desire to escape, and so on. Takeel had already been selected as the most senior officer to indicate willingness to come, but I phrased my suggestions so that you were the best qualified of the others.”


    “But we''d not talked that much.”


    “You don''t remember? I was on duty at the gate and you said, ''I''m thinking of applying to the empress''s guard, but I''ve heard rumours they practice a strange religion. Is that just stupid talk or is there any truth in it?''”


    “And you said ''Most of them follow Christ, like the imperial family have for generations. Have you heard of that?'' And I was utterly shocked and said ''no'' meaning the imperial family following Christ. And then you started to explain the gospel. I didn''t recognise you at all, Bilay!”


    “You weren''t looking at me much, you were looking around, like you were nervous of being spotted, whereas while you were correcting my presentation of the gospel I was noticing you and your earrings, and I thought of them when I saw the book of fashions here. Do you still have them?”


    “Urm. Which ones?”


    “Miniature Tungan daggers, blue and gold.”


    “Oh wow. I wore those to the palace gate?”


    “It seemed appropriate to me. And I thought, yes, a woman who wears Tungan honour-daggers in the central zone could probably cope with cultural changes and strange looks better than most, and I also thought this would be a good chance to get to know you.”


    “I thought this trip would be a good chance to get to know you. I liked the way you analyse the text at studies.”


    “So, we must talk more. When the time comes that you are more settled, would you like me to ask your parents'' approval?”


    “It is not necessary, Bilay. I spoke to my parents about my motivations before I came. They are happy to delegate that responsibility to me. But... is rank truly of no importance to you now? As someone with access to his imperial highness, surely you could find at least a Lady-seventh rank to marry, and so preserve your noble line?”


    “What would be the point? Are nobles truly any better? What point holding on to an empty title? Have you been swayed one way or another by my title?”


    “Rather against, actually.”


    “See? It is an empty thing, pride-feeding with no purpose.”


    “But I''m unusual.”


    “I prefer the adjective special.”


    “Let me ask in a different way. If you learned that I had rank, would it affect how you felt about me?”


    “Of course you have rank, lieutenant,” he said, smiling. “And I expect you will rise higher, and if we marry the I will brim with pride for you when you gain each promotion.”


    “Military rank is not the same as noble rank, Bilay.”


    “No. It''s not.”


    “Some people reject people because of noble rank. Others are so keen for it they will ignore feelings in search of it. You are convincing me that you''re not the latter, at least now. Are you of the former?”


    “I don''t think so.”


    “That''s all right then. I do have a noble rank, Bilay, and one day you might find it out, but I very much doubt you will hear me use it.” She laughed. “For your information, all officers of the Empress''s guard are granted noble rank, a lieutenant is ninth rank, a general is sixth, so if we marry our children''s names could include -eel or -lay if we wanted to, without anyone learning my secret.”


    “I didn''t know that about the guard.”


    “Who would talk about it?” Malene asked.


    “Does my prince know your rank?”


    “Of course. Well... he was told anyway, and he was also told I prefer ''Malene'' without the ''Lady'' in front.”


    “And should I be offering gifts according to the rules of the central zone?”


    “I can play that game if you wish, but I think we see it for the foolishness it is, don''t we?”


    “I think so. But foolishness can be fun. Someone must taste this sauce, and I would be happy if you would accept it.”


    “And what can I give in return? I am not going to waste an hour trying to draw something remotely acceptable.”


    “I would like to see you wearing your earrings, if that is not too much to ask.”


    “Such a bold request! I will if I like the sauce.”


    <hr>


    </a>Heart of the empire


    “Ah, captain Thadlay!” Baneel said, “Takeel sends her greetings and suggests I ask you about churches. I know of precisely none, though I gave my life to Christ some time ago.”


    “None?” Thadlay asked stunned.


    “I understand they exist, and that one can attend, and hear teaching from the Bible in them. But I never felt brave enough to tell my parents I''d turned to Christ, and have never entered a church, I don''t even know what happens in one in detail. Are they all the same?”


    “No, they are not. The one nearest to your parents house, for instance, I''m sure you''d be welcome, but almost everyone is a slave. There is no slave or free, but... the sermons are simple, dealing with the issues that face a slave or the lowest rank of soldier, things like ''Do not cheat or bully or steal. It is better to ask a brother or sister in Christ for food than rebel against your master, and when your brother asks to share your meal, give and God will reward you.''”


    “I had not realised there was such poverty.” Baneel said. “Do other churches offer support, like Paul took the offering to Jerusalem?”


    “It is more individuals who do so, normally, and... it is complicated. There are some who do not work because of the generosity of others and their own laziness. And others who are willing to work but should not, because they are at home so infrequently anyway, and are tempted to idolise their work and money.”


    “And churches that are not so full of those problems?”


    “There are different churches with different problems, yes. Sorry, I am not sounding very optimistic, am I? I just do not want you to be so disappointed when you find that the world affects the churches.”


    “Paul called the church in Corinth saints, I understand, Captain Thadlay. But I am so unfamiliar... would it be inappropriate of me to ask where you go to Church?”


    The tale has been stolen; if detected on Amazon, report the violation.


    “You save me the embarrassment of saying that mine is the next closest, Lady Baneel.”


    “Then you could accompany me there, so I do not get lost?”


    “It would be my honour, Lady Baneel.”


    “I presume I wear neither a ball-gown nor these gardening clothes, is that correct?”


    “I must wear my uniform, but yes.” He thought desperately; trying to gauge ladies'' clothes was not something he was used to. Hesitantly, he said, “Clothes fitting for visiting a relative, perhaps? But towards the simple side.”


    “I shall dress simply, and I can count on you to be a gentleman and excuse me to your friends if I err, yes?”


    “Certainly, Lady Baneel.”


    “When can I expect you to come for me, Captain, and how can I repay such a favour?”


    “I ask for no repayment, Lady Baneel, you honour me by placing yourself in my care.” Then he became acutely embarrassed, “Sorry, Lady Baneel, I didn''t mean to suggest...”


    “So that there will be neither wagging tongues, nor false impressions, Captain, I will think of an appropriate thank you. But you must tell me when I should be ready!”


    “Church starts at half past ten, Lady Baneel. It is perhaps a fifteen or twenty minute walk,” Thadlay said.


    “I am sure I do not walk as fast as you, captain, so I shall be ready at quarter to ten and expect you between then and ten. If you arrive early enough, you can advise me if what I''m wearing is not appropriate. I do not wish to distract people.”


    “They will be surprised in any case that I accompany a beautiful young woman to church. More so if you will do me that same honour next week as well.”


    “Oh, certainly, captain, God willing! I do not expect to give up on your church after only a single meeting.”


    “I was...” he trailed off, blushed and started again “Would you accept my escorting you there when it is no longer strictly necessary?” It came out in a gabble.


    “If no other would object, then who am I to, Captain Thadlay, when you know the shame my mother brings me? My sister tells me you are a good man, if a little shy. If I ever bore of your company or your handsome face, I shall tell you plainly. But if we are to keep company, let me talk of gifts, I appreciate them, of course, but please, let us limit ourselves to tokens that cost nothing or almost nothing.


    A pretty shell from the river bank or a flower found by the wayside, some lines from a poem or a simple sketch.”


    “Your kind and modest words bring such joy to my heart, I cannot express it, lady Baneel.”


    “Some would say it''s not particularly modest of me to agree so speedily, or to speak so plainly, but Takeel said you were shy, and I thought that if I was more hesitant you might take that as a refusal.”


    “Your sister knows me well. But that you do not seek expensive gifts is surely modest?”


    “How could I request expensive gifts, when you have just opened my eyes to the poverty around me? I expect to have deep questions for us to discuss at our next meeting, captain, if you do not mind?”


    “Not at all, Lady Baneel. I cannot promise answers, but I will happily struggle at them with you.”


    <hr>


    </a>The Heart of the Empire, the next day


    “Welcome to today''s throne-room,” the emperor said, in munificent manner. They were on the edge of the small wood in the heart.


    “Imperial majesty, your room is rather lacking walls.” Tangseng said. “Or a ceiling.”


    “We will be shaded from the mid-day sun by the trees, and the afternoon breeze is cooling. The temperature is quite pleasant, is it not?”


    “It is, but I wonder if my fellow ambassadors think you might be teasing them.” Tangseng said.


    “Or a carefully calculated insult, perhaps? Thank you, lady ambassador, for raising the possibility so I can deny it. This is indeed the location of the imperial throne today, unless it starts raining. You may stay the entire day if you choose, and witness the business of the empire at work. At one point we will visit two rooms that do not move, for practical reasons. My beloved wife will be cooking for us, so if you have any particular dietary restrictions, please do let her know.”


    “I am deeply moved to be accorded such honour, imperial majesty,” Tangseng said, “but I am also deeply deeply confused at what has happened to the room or possibly rooms, where I normally meet you.”


    “Ah! The outer throne-rooms? You don''t want to go to one of them do you? Horrible places. And in the central zone, too. I avoid the central zone like the plague. So many rigid traditions and formalities. You are now in the heart of the empire, where things change. The throne room changes, because my great-great grandfather was shown a carefully aimed cannon-ball hitting a hut as far away as we are here from the river-bank, and drew some rather obvious conclusions about it being much harder to hit a mobile target than one that was always in the same place. You may of course inform your monarchs of this, but I expect they know it. It''s not why you''re here. No, you''re here today because of a mistake, and a solution.”


    “The empire of Dahel admits a mistake?” Tangseng asked. “I''m shocked, shocked!”


    The emperor laughed. “Lady Tangseng, have you been nominated as spokesperson?”


    “I do not actually know these good ladies.” Tangseng said, “No, but I have spoken to your good wife on a number of occasions. She said that you hated the formality of the central zone, and I take her at her word.”


    “Good. Yes, Dahel admits a mistake, and we have made another one. Please, ladies, introduce yourselves to each other.”


    “I am Tangseng, trader of Kanuga, and message bearer from Her Majesty, now named in a most irregular manner, lady ambassador, and equivalent rank to a duchess of Dahel.”


    “I am Ginthel of Kunga, my sister Kunthel bears the crown, long may God keep her there. His happy majesty has sprung the same surprise on me.”


    “I am Ungana of Azunga, second daughter of the queen, shocked at this change from unchanging Dahel, and hoping the result is not that I must return to our independent swamps.”


    “You could always beg his majesty to allow you to stay.” Tangseng said, “or perhaps your mother would send you further away to negotiate with the that warmonger in Tew.”


    “Tew is now ruled by Queen Yalisa, who follows Christ,” the Emperor said, “Caneth''s de-facto ruler is princess-regent Esmetherelda, likewise. The Three Isles are still ruled by king Val, but his son is married to Esmetherelda, so Caneth and the Isles will become a new entity. They reject the name Windward Empire, but in effect they will be an empire of two countries and are inviting Tesk to join them, and Tew also.”


    “And what happens in Tesk, other than arguments and starvation?” Tangseng asked.


    “Tesk has a high council of thought-hearers once again. All trust in Christ. They purge themselves of dum-semb, the death-cult of the doom-guard, which had almost regained total control of the army and the committee they call parliament. Oh, I forgot to say, Esmetherelda is also a thought-hearer, as is duchess Hayeel of Repink, made lady ambassador to Caneth by Esmetherelda. My son intends to marry Hayeel, and she is quite happy about the idea. Hayeel intends to employ other thought-hearers from Tesk to help confirm that there are no dum-semb believers in the civil service or military. It seems likely that there are.”


    “This is the mistake of the empire? That you do not check the backs of civil servants?”


    “There are many following dum-semb who have no markings. No, the mistake we admit is failing to stop an academician from Tesk from leaving before he had spoken to representatives of all the leeward monarchies.”


    “Ah.” Tangseng said. “He told you about dum-semb?”


    “No. Most of the political news has come to us since he left. The other part of the mistake is that we expected you to hear from the other messengers what he said. The academician said that the world will end unless the aliens come back. He was convincing. And even if they come back, they might not be able to help. We should all pray.”


    “Mother will not turn to Christ,” Ungana said. “She sees it as a plot of the empire.”


    “Sometimes it seems your mother sees the tide as a plot of the empire,” Ginthel said.


    “Not particularly polite, ambassador Ginthel.” Tangseng said.


    “I do not need to be polite, we are relatives.” Expanding, when Ungana raised an eyebrow, she added “She is my husband''s brother-in-law''s daughter-in-law''s godmother''s neighbour. We send each other insults on birthdays.”


    “Mother does not agree with this as a valid use for the word ''relative'',” Ungana said “But she does indeed send Ginthel insults. And jars of swamp mosquitoes and leaches.”


    “Do I dare ask why?” Tangseng asked.


    “It is to prove if I have any royal blood in my veins.” the older woman said, in a bored tone. “The crazy bat thinks that these blood-suckers will die if they drink royal blood.”


    “It is true, they do.” Ungana replied. “To suck royal blood is a terrible personal insult, for which the penalty is death. If you were of royal blood you would know this and destroy any that dared to try in horrible ways.”


    “Why do I need to get eaten to prove I can kill a swamp mosquito?”


    “The true royal will only kill the guilty,” Ungana replied. “That you burn all says you are a merciless tool of the uncaring empire.”


    “As you see, imperial majesty, we love each other dearly,” Ginthel summarised, “who but relatives would invent such ways to tease one another.”


    “Deadly enemies, perhaps?” Tangseng guessed. “I am glad that peace-loving Kanuga is a long way from Azunga.”


    “I am glad I am a long way from Azunga. Uncaring and powerful emperor, could you perhaps build some canals in Tunga to divert the rivers from the swamps and straight into the sea? Mother would hate you for it of course, but she hates you anyway, and the cattle farmers would rise up and call you blessed.”


    “Until the peat dried up, and burned in the summer heat, and the land turned to desert, as happened in the Azu-Tunga.”


    “Better a burned and lifeless desert than a mosquito-infested swamp, I feel, but oh well, I can tell mother I tried.” Ungana said.


    Tangseng looked at Ungana and asked, “You tried, as in this was your mother''s request?”


    “No! To ask the empire to turn Azunga into a desert is my plan to become exiled from there. Mother keeps refusing to exile me.”


    “Ungana, do you feel unable to represent your mother?” the emperor asked.


    “I can very easily pretend to hate you and scorn our neighbours, Imperial Majesty. Please forgive any forlorn attempt I make at ensuring I never have to return.”


    “All right, Ungana,” Ginthel said, “now pretend you are an adult, and answer reasonably.”


    “I will attempt to represent my sister imperial majesty. Mother reserves the right to scream invective in this general direction, but Azuna handles detailed policy matters these days.”


    “Ah! A development I was not aware of.”


    “Azuna is also in favour of some hydrological engineering. Geographically the only place to put a bypass canal is within Tunga, between the top of the cataracts that lead into the Azunga plateau and the where it leaves. A total diversion would lead to the Azu-Tunga situation, a partial diversion, with carefully control of water flow could turn Azunga into a green and fertile land of excellent quality fields, like the semi-drained battle-marshes of Kanuga.” Ungana said, “Obviously, that''s not going to happen while that part of Tunga is the empire''s and Azunga is not. This is why it has been Azunga''s desire to claim that small piece of land for centuries, and the potential productivity of a semi-drained Azunga is why the Tunganese have steadfastly classed that rocky near-desert as of vital economic interest and prime arable land, claiming such untruths as ''it was a harsh summer'' or ''we just harvested'' whenever official observers queried it. If the empire ceded that strip of land to Azunga as part of a treaty to become a vassal state, then even mother might sign it. Your majesty should expect Tunganese protestations that I have been able to speak so freely without them around to monitor my words and slip a poisoned knife into me for daring to say them, as has happened to a number of previous spokespeople from Azunga, if you remember, imperial majesty. If you present digging the canal to the Tunganese as a way to threaten Azunga with economic and environmental blackmail unless we enter the empire, then they might not try to kill all the canal workers, I don''t know. But whatever happens, I''d like to see the control sluices or whatever guarded by imperial troops from outside Tunga, because there''s too much bad blood between us and our Tungan neighbours, and they''d love to see us as a new Azu-Tunga.”


    “You know the geography better than I, how long a channel are you talking about?”


    “I would not risk going there, imperial majesty. But I have heard it was two days walk. But there are different options. The fast one would be what was done in Azu-Tunga: cause a blockage so the water cannot enter the cataracts, and flows over the banks. But that risks the water all going that way. The slower way is to build a canal, as I said, with control gates that allow some to pass. The problem with everything is the spring floods. They roll stones larger than a house around. If the canal is dug too deeply, one flood could turn it into the main river bed.”


    “I told Esmetherelda that nothing I could offer would bring any of the leeward kingdoms into the empire. You are certain that Azunga would like to prove me a liar?”


    Bowing low, she said, “Imperial majesty, if that question, in the context of what I have said, is the message you ask me to deliver to mother, I will take it now.”


    “Do not leave yet, please. We have other things to discuss.”


    “Truly the world must be ending,” Ginthel said, “If Ungana is eager to return home.”


    “I wish to reach home before any Tungans hear. I would not dare to travel through Tunga in a week.”


    “I say two things to you, lady ambassador. Firstly, my son travelled to Caneth on a ship from Tesk. He has arrived safely, and you will be able to question him later today if you stay. The other is that a lord or lady forth-rank can demand military escort on any trip, commensurate to the danger he or she perceives.”


    “Coastal trade routes to the leeward nations are strictly forbidden, imperial majesty,” Ginthel said.


    “Your queens like to surprise the empire, I have noticed. I like to surprise my neighbours from time to time. In recognition of your high status and importance to the empire, the risks of winter travel across the mountains, and the importance of good communications, I present you with these.”


    Tangseng looked at what the emperor had presented to her, and sat down. Then she read it again. “Imperial majesty...”


    “I highly recommend you only consider a vessel from the Windward Isles or Tesk, with a captain of good repute. It will be unfamiliar waters, to them, of course. Unless it so happens that they''ve been blown too far by a storm, as happens to some young captains before they learn the risks of such imprudence.”


    “You grant us rights of any cargo to and from any port?”


    “As long as you are travelling with the vessel, and as long as you are undertaking the trip in your roles as ambassadors. Yes. That limit requires that you are carrying diplomatic messages from me to your monarch or replies, or authorisation to visit a certain destination for a tour of inspection.”


    “The certification is made to me personally.” Tangseng said.


    “Yes. You will notice that if you are without trade goods, you personally may travel freely, along with your travelling companions and the crew of the ship you are on. That does not depend on your being ambassador, lady Tangseng, and is intended to protect you from being stranded if your monarch names another ambassador. But that is why I do not know if I will issue a similar one to your successors, it has to do with personal trust.”


    “And so we may have paperwork to enable escaped prisoners or slaves to evade justice, but you do not promise to trust that our successors will not use it in that way. I thank you for the confidence you show, imperial majesty.”


    “Oh, I will not mind as long as you restrict yourselves to a few escaped slaves you trust as travel companions per trip, ladies, as long as you think they have a reasonable chance of living freely and contributing to your native lands and you do not charge for the service. You will have to supply them with official looking documentation showing their new citizenship, of course.”


    “Official-looking?” Ungana asked.


    “I think it will be hard to issue official papers before you are confirmed in your roles. Lady ambassador Hayeel says that the embassies of Caneth and the Isles issue protective citizenship to slaves from Tew under certain circumstances, such as marriage to one of their citizens. By all means do the same. I despise slave ownership as an institution, but am yet to convince myself that outlawing it would not result in wide-scale riots, rape and murder. So it will change step by step. In a few days there will be new laws that increase the punishments for officials who do not apply the laws on the protection of slaves, and declaring that any person entering the empire without documentation is to be issued papers declaring them free, and making an attempt to register or re-register someone foreign-born or foreign-speaking as a slave evidence that they have been kidnapped and traded illegally. Hopefully, this will ruin the latest tricks of slave-traders.”


    “''Foreign-speaking''?” Tangseng asked.


    “It is rather vague, isn''t it? I think that in a month or so I should clarify that it should be taken to say if they speak Tunganese with, say, an Azungan or Kanugan accent they cannot be registered or re-registered. We cannot have people born free traded as slaves, can we? This is not a social change, just an administrative change on the rules of evidence.”


    “Imperial majesty,” Ungana said, “There is some difficulty in distinguishing an Azungan accent from that of our neighbours. Especially that spoken among the slaves.”


    “Yes. The clarification will have to be very clear, will it not? I am thinking it should say that a slave who makes a reasonable claim to be from Azunga and speaks appropriately must be freed and allowed to return home without penalty and with sufficient supplies for the journey. And of course that such interviews may happen in the presence of foreign delegates but the self-proclaimed owner may not be present. I trust your governments will be very discreet in offering any pronunciation lessons.”


    “I will tell mother she is wrong about you, Imperial Majesty.” Ungana said.


    “Then I will have to be the sceptic and ask why the sudden change of heart?” said Ginthel.


    “Father called slavery an unavoidable evil that stained the soul of Dahel. I have long considered the balance of whether it was necessary or not to depend on a single thread, known as the prophecy of the final kingdom. I think it is better described as the prophecy of the next empress, but never mind. The unedited version is here. Its author was my father''s grandmother.


    ''Grandson of my grandson,'' — Salay — ''do not reject the noble virgin born of the slave.'' Duchess Hayeel''s grandmother was falsely accused of a crime and reduced to slavery. ''Is the law''s mistake her fault?'' The miscarriage of justice was discovered just after the old duchess''s death and the internal affairs department didn''t bother making restitution in such cases unless a request was made, by a slave ignorant of the procedure and unable to travel; an inhuman, stupid policy I was ignorant of until Salay investigated Hayeel''s past a few months ago and triggered restitution of the title. A further stupid administrative error meant that Hayeel''s mother could not be freed by her husband because she came to him as an inheritance. If you accuse this empire of having an idiotic and heartless bureaucracy I will agree. There needs to be reform. ''Why must those freed by Jesus'' blood still lie in bondage?'' Great-great grandma didn''t like slavery either, and the answer is, they don''t. ''The sky shall be fire'' Yes. I''m sure you''ve noticed that. ''and there shall be two rulers over kings, one last kingdom over all.'' That is why you''re here. What does that look like? The current suggestion is a committee of nations. I plan to nominate prince Hal and princess Esmetherelda, as chairs since it''s their idea and they didn''t know about the prophecy until... actually they might not know about this bit at all. ''The learned will call'' — this is to do with the so-called challenge of Tesk. The aliens asked that when we had managed to stop fighting and had something like a united government, had totally ended human sacrifice and weren''t going to worship them as gods or try to sacrifice our daughters to them, then could we please send a certain signal from both extremes of the continent at the same time and they''d come back and say hi again.'' We''ve almost got the technology now, but we''re not ready. Two months ago, Tesk had more dum-semb believers than when the aliens left, and they surely won''t have just stayed on Tesk, and a united government of the Windward nations looks vaguely possible in a decade, maybe, but a global empire seems impossible within the next generation. The closest we have is the committee of nations. ''And the faithful will pray,'' We need to pray that the aliens do decide to visit, and that they come quickly enough for it to not be too late. ''And the King of kings and Lord of Lords will send help from the skies to the earthly rulers over kings, and so the sun shall not destroy.'' May God be blessed for that promise!'' ''What does it matter who has the crown over all, when all earthly rulers bow as one to the King of Kings?'' Your mother is a problem there, lady Ungana, but maybe if she will agree to what you say, it ceases to be one. ''But my child, you will not sit on your father''s throne long without the teacher whose gift is like mine beside you, because the sun will destroy. You must be one in faith, one in hope, one in flesh, replacing unthinking laws and traditions of desolation, united in thought and tongue.'' More qualifications that point to Hayeel: thought-hearer, and teacher, a native speaker of Dahelese. There are not many thought-hearing speakers of Dahelese, and only duchess Hayeel was born to a slave. It looks like they need to be married before the aliens are called, but I don''t know why that might be important. Unthinking laws and traditions of desolation... Hayeel thought that might be the stupid law on Tesk that prevented the king of the Isles visiting and allowed dum-semb to flourish. I''m not so sure. I suspect that social change will need to become a feature of the central zone. I''m allowed to say that here, in the heart of the empire. But there are a lot of unthinking traditionalists out there in the central zone who disagree. Please convey my apologies to your respective monarchs for Dahel not being more open before now about scary things that could lead to riots in the streets, but we''re traditionally rather scared of those things. Probably that''s something to do with the relative size of our army to the populace. Any questions?”


    “You have been so honest and open, imperial majesty.” Tangseng said, “May I speak of these things to my husband as well as my government?”


    “The man you introduced to us as your body-guard is your husband?”


    “He is now, yes, finally!”


    “That sounds like a story that needs telling.”


    “I saw Tuga at a slave market, as a five year voluntary debt-slave. I liked the look of him and of the testimonials he had and asked him if he''d like to travel and work as my body guard for five years. He smiled and said that sounded like just the sort of honest work he''d hoped for to save his family farm, so I bought his contract. I gave him his liberty before we got to the border, and he said he''d agreed to be my body-guard for five years and he was going to keep the bargain. He then convinced me to trust Jesus, and this summer I finally convinced him that I really did want to meet his mum and sister. They were doing well, and while he was cutting some firewood I flat out told his sister that he''d been serving me voluntarily for two years, I thought he liked me and I had been dropping hints but he''d ignored them, and could she please find out what he really thought? I added that if he thought he needed to wait the full five years to propose then he was infuriatingly wrong. She took the blunt approach and at the next meal asked when he was planning to ask me to marry him, and that sparked our first significant argument, him saying it wasn''t his place to ask, since he was my slave, I said he''d had his liberty papers for two years, and him saying that was just because there weren''t slaves in Kanuga, I said no, — and I probably called him some names — it was because I didn''t agree with slavery and if he was only staying with me because he thought he had to then he should stay here and stop playing with my emotions. He said fine, he would, and I admit I actually burst into uncontrollable tears and fled to my room.”


    “You can''t stop the story there, Tangseng!” Ungana protested.


    “Tuga''s mum came, found me me packing and weeping and told me not to leave until morning, because it wasn''t safe. I probably said something like I didn''t mind being eaten, and so she stayed and got me to talk about myself and so on for a few hours, then she dragged Tuga in by the ear, quite literally, and told him to apologise for breaking my heart like that, and if he didn''t say what he really thought about me then she''d not have him in the house. He admitted that he did like me, and he thought it might even be love, but he was getting confusing messages from me. I''d said that I was setting him free, but apparently I''d forgotten to sign that I was releasing him from all obligations to me and I had thought I didn''t need to put a reason in for why, and so he thought I''d been teasing him about it, and giving him incomplete paperwork. And he had also thought I was just teasing when I''d been dropping hints, and that his sister asking had been yet another nasty tease, and so on. I signed the bit that I''d missed, and added ''slavery is evil, and I want his love, not his obedience.'' for the reason for release. The next day we got his papers properly registered and sorted out, and then he asked me to go for a walk, which just happened to go past his pastor''s house. We haggled with the pastor about the date and compromised on the following weekend. I also found out that half the village was in debt to a certain man who was charging illegal interest, and got him to agree before the village judge that in exchange for people not pressing charges, and me buying the debt at the initial sum minus any repayments, he''d leave, never come back and work honestly.”


    “So now half the village are in debt to you?” the emperor asked.


    “I told the pastor and the judge about community credit schemes like we have at home and signed the debt over to one of those. We set it up so if, after writing off debts due to deaths or disasters, there''s profit at the end of the year, then half stays in the fund, and the other half is split equally between Tuga''s sister who''ll be keeping the accounts and the church who''ll be approving or denying loans. We calculate the year from harvest-to-harvest which makes sense to everyone, and it means that Tuga''s sister ought to get paid at harvest time, which ought to help avoid bad feelings when people forget how much I paid to provide that little income for her.”


    “What happens if his sister can''t do the accounts?”


    “Then that ''seeder''s claim'' as it''s called, goes to her or her descendants and she pays someone else to do them, or the church does.”


    “And what does the church do with its portion?”


    “Ensures that the needy don''t starve and uses it to benefit the community, for instance paying an extra teacher.”


    “You have done a great deal of good to that village, Lady Tangseng,” the emperor said, “But I am saddened that the baron or baroness could not take such an interest as you have.”


    “I understand that there is no baron, imperial majesty, only an official tax collector. It makes sense to me to hear that the duchess of Repink has only just received back her title, it is in that duchy.”


    “Ah. Then I am sure she will not mind me asking you to consider accepting the role of baroness.”


    “I am a trader, imperial majesty. I move around. And you have made me an ambassador also.”


    “Many barons and baronesses only visit their domains occasionally.”


    “And does that please you, imperial majesty?” Tangseng asked.


    “Of course not. But I expect you would visit regularly, despite your other duties.”


    “Do you try to corrupt my allegiance to my queen, Imperial Majesty? I think I must refuse.”


    “You may discuss it with your queen. Until then, please tell my secretary the name of the barony if you know it, or the village if not. Ah, here comes Hayeela, perfect timing! After we''ve discussed lunch, I will show you the technology that means we can learn about events in Caneth and Tesk faster than even a duchy as close as Repink. At least at the moment. There may be changes to the convention on social change.”