Part 68 (2/2)
”How am I?” she asked.
”Fine,” he said. ”Tap her once with your heels when she's walking, just a little. Keep the reins firm. That's the next pace. Don't let her get above it yet. Don't ever let her do it if you don't tell her.”
”Right,” she said; and started the Filly up, one tap, then a second.
The Filly liked that. Her ears came up, and she hit a brisk pace that was harder to stay with, but Ari found it. Her body suddenly began to tape-remember what to do with faster moves, found its balance, found everything Florian had given her.
She wanted to cut free, O G.o.d, she wanted to go through the rest of it and so did the Filly, but she kept that pace which the Filly found satisfactory enough and pulled up to a very impressive stop right in front of Andy and Catlin. The Filly was sweating-excitement, that was all; and stamped and s.h.i.+fted after she had gotten down and Andy was holding her.
Everyone was impressed. Uncle Denys was positively pale, but he was doing awfully well, all the same.
Amy and the rest wanted to try top, but Andy said it was best not to have too many new riders all at once: the Filly would get out of sorts. Florian said they could come when he was exercising the Filly and they could do it one at a time, if they wanted to.
Besides, Florian said, the best way to learn about horses was to work with them. The Mare was going to birth again and they were doing two completely different genotypes in the tanks; which would be seven horses in all-no longer Experimentals, but officially Working Animals.
Of which the Filly was the first. Ari patted her-good and solid: the Filly liked to know you were touching her; and got horse smell all over her, but she loved it; she loved everything; she even gave uncle Denys a hug.
”You were very brave,” she said to uncle Denys when she did it, and on impulse, kissed him on the cheek and gave him a wicked smile, getting horse smell on him too. ”Your favorite guinea pig didn't didn't break her neck.” break her neck.”
Uncle Denys looked thoroughly off his balance. But she had whispered it.
”Even her inflections,” he said, putting her off hers. ”G.o.d. Sometimes you're uncanny, young woman.”
ix ”That's it,” Justin said as the Cyteen election results flashed up on the screen, and: ”Vid off,” to the Minder. ”Khalid.”
Grant shook his head, and said nothing for a long while. Then: ”Well, it's a crazy way to do business.”
”Defense contractors in the Trade bureau, in Finance.”
”Reseune has ties there too.”
”It's still going to be interesting.”
Grant bowed his head and pa.s.sed a hand over his neck, just resting there a moment. Thinking, surely-that it was going to be a long while, a long long while before either of them traveled again. while before either of them traveled again.
Or thinking worse thoughts. Like Jordan's safety.
”It's not like-” Justin said, ”they could just ram things through and get that nationalization. The other Territories will come down on Reseune's side in this one. And watch Giraud change footing. He's d.a.m.ned good at it. He is is Defense, for all practical purposes. I never saw a use for the man. But, G.o.d, we may have one.” Defense, for all practical purposes. I never saw a use for the man. But, G.o.d, we may have one.”
x It was one of the private, private private parties, weekend, the gang off from school and homework, and the Rule was, no punch and no cake off the terrazzo areas, and if anybody wanted to do s.e.x they went to the guest room or the sauna, and if they started getting silly-drunk they went to the sauna room and took cold showers until they sobered up. parties, weekend, the gang off from school and homework, and the Rule was, no punch and no cake off the terrazzo areas, and if anybody wanted to do s.e.x they went to the guest room or the sauna, and if they started getting silly-drunk they went to the sauna room and took cold showers until they sobered up.
So far the threat of showers had been enough.
They had Maddy, 'Stasi, Amy, Tommy, Sam, and a handful of new kids, 'Stasi's cousins Dan and Mischa Peterson, only Dan was Peterson-Nye and Mischa was Peterson-which was one brother set, whose maman would have killed killed them if she smelled alcohol on them, but that just made them careful; and two sets of cousins, which was Amy and Tommy Carnath; and 'Stasi and Dan and Mischa. Dan and Mischa were fifteen and fourteen, but that was all right, they got along, and they did everything else but drink. them if she smelled alcohol on them, but that just made them careful; and two sets of cousins, which was Amy and Tommy Carnath; and 'Stasi and Dan and Mischa. Dan and Mischa were fifteen and fourteen, but that was all right, they got along, and they did everything else but drink.
In any case they were even, boys and girls, and Amy and Sam were a set, and Dan and Mischa both got off with Maddy, and 'Stasi and Tommy Carnath were a set; which worked out all right.
Mostly they were real polite, very quiet parties. They had a little punch or a little wine, the rowdiest they ever got was watching E-tapes, mostly the ones the kids' mothers would kill them for, and when they got a little drunk they sat around in the half-dark while the tapes were running and did whatever came to mind until they had to make a choice between the Rule and finis.h.i.+ng the tape.
”Oh, h.e.l.l,” Ari said finally, this time when Maddy asked, ”do it on the landing, who cares?”
She was a little drunk herself. A lot tranked. She had her blouse open, she felt the draft and finally she settled against Florian to watch the tape. Sam and Amy came back, very prim and sober, and gawked at what was going on next to the bar. While 'Stasi and Tommy were still in the sauna room.
Mostly she just watched-the tapes or what the other kids were doing; which kept Florian and Catlin out of it.
”You have a message,” the Minder said over the tape soundtrack and the music. the Minder said over the tape soundtrack and the music.
”Oh, h.e.l.l.” She got up again, shrugged the blouse back together and walked up the steps barefooted, down the hall rug and into her office as steadily as she could.
”Base One,” she said, when she had the door shut and proof against the noise outside in the den. ”Message.”
”Message from Denys Nye: Khalid won election. Meet with me tomorrow first thing in my office.”
Oh, s.h.i.+t.
She leaned against the back of the chair.
”Message for Denys Nye,” she said. ”I'll be there.”
The Minder took it. ”Log-off,” she said, and walked back outside and into her party.
”What was it?” Catlin asked.
”Tell you later,” she said, and settled down again, leaning back in Florian's lap.
She showed up in Denys' office, 0900 sharp, no frills and no nonsense, took a cup of Denys' coffee, with cream, no sugar, and listened to Denys tell her what she had already figured out, with the Silencer jarring the roots of her teeth.
”Khalid is a.s.suming office this afternoon,” Denys said. ”Naturally-since he's Cyteen based, there's no such thing as a grace period. He moves in with all his baggage. And his secret files.”
Uncle Denys had already explained to her-what Khalid was. What the situation could be.
”Don't you think I'd better have vid access?” she asked. ”Uncle Denys, I don't care what what you think I'm not ready to find out. Ignorant is no help at all, is it?” you think I'm not ready to find out. Ignorant is no help at all, is it?”
Uncle Denys rested his chins on his hand and looked at her a long time as if he was considering that. ”Eventually. Eventually you'll have to. You're going to get a current events condensation, daily, the same as I get. You'd better keep up with it. It looks very much as if we're going to get a challenge before this session is out. They'll probably release some things on your predecessor-as damaging as they can find. This is going to be dirty politics, Ari. Real dirty. I want you to start studying up on things. Additionally-I want you to be d.a.m.ned careful. I know you've been doing a lot of-” He gave a little cough. ”-entertaining. Of kids none of whom is over fifteen, at hours that tell me you're not not playing Starchase. Housekeeping says my suspicions are-” Another clearing of the throat. ”-probably well-founded.” playing Starchase. Housekeeping says my suspicions are-” Another clearing of the throat. ”-probably well-founded.”
”G.o.d. You're stooping, uncle Denys.”
”Security investigates all sources. And my clearance still outranks yours. But let's not quibble. That's not my point. My point is-ordinary fourteen-and fifteen-year-olds don't have your-independence, your maturity, or your budget; and Novgorod in particular isn't going to understand your-mmmn, parties, your language-in short, we're all being very circ.u.mspect. You know that word?” fourteen-and fifteen-year-olds don't have your-independence, your maturity, or your budget; and Novgorod in particular isn't going to understand your-mmmn, parties, your language-in short, we're all being very circ.u.mspect. You know that word?”
”I'm up on circ.u.mspect, circ.u.mspect, uncle Denys, right along with uncle Denys, right along with security risk. security risk. I don't have any. If their mothers know, they're not going to object, because they want their offspring to have careers when I don't have any. If their mothers know, they're not going to object, because they want their offspring to have careers when I'm I'm running Reseune. There are probably a lot of mothers who'd like to shove their kids right running Reseune. There are probably a lot of mothers who'd like to shove their kids right into into my apartment. And my bed.” my apartment. And my bed.”
”G.o.d. Don't Don't say that in Novgorod.” say that in Novgorod.”
”Am I going?”
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