When the ambassador had disappeared from the display, the spider mech, which had sat still and silent at Ingray’s feet this whole while, said, “Give us Garal Ket.” Not acknowledging the recent presence of the human ambassador at all.
Nuncle Lak said, “Ambassador, please understand, we still can’t just release em to you. There are procedures to follow. And the Omkem demand is still an issue here. You’ll have to make a formal request, and the authorities will have to make an official ruling. The deputy chief will assist you in filing that request, and I’ll be more than happy to make sure myself that the committee knows they need to consider it alongside the Omkem request for custody. It seems likely to me that the committee will rule just as Ambassador Tibanvori has suggested, but these things take time.”
“Delay delay delay,” whispered the spider mech.
“I’m sorry, Ambassador,” said Nuncle Lak. “But there’s really no other way to make this happen.”
“Very well, then,” whispered the spider mech. “But now I will speak with Garal Ket.”
In the prisoner visiting room, Pahlad appeared to be utterly unsurprised at the presence of the Geck ambassador. Though e had no doubt had the walk from wherever he was being held to the meeting room to compose emself. “Ingray,” e said, with a small nod. “Deputy Chief. And Ambassador, I’m honored. What can I do for you?” And before anyone could reply, e added, “I’m afraid, Ambassador, that I have no idea where Captain Uisine is. So I won’t be able to help you with that.”
The spider mech waved a claw, then pointed it at Pahlad. “You are Geck,” it said.
Pahlad blinked, visibly surprised for just a moment, and then the expression was gone. “Am I?”
“You are,” insisted the mech.
“It’s complicated,” said Deputy Chief Veret.
“I remember Captain Uisine saying that,” Pahlad said. “If I remember his remarks correctly, I’m guessing that the fact that my legal status with a human polity is … ambiguous suggests that under the treaty I might be able to claim citizenship with the Geck? Is that what’s happening here?”
“It is,” Ingray said.
Pahlad’s mouth twitched, and e bit eir lip and turned eir head away, as though e was about to smile broadly, or even laugh, and didn’t want anyone to see it. After a few moments e looked at the ambassador again. “I take it you plan to file a petition to have me released into your custody, since because I am a Geck citizen who’s broken no laws Planetary Safety has no authority over me.”
“There’s the false identity,” Deputy Chief Veret said.
“That’s minor, really,” Ingray said. “And the ambassador has already offered to apologize for that and pay a fine.”
“It’s up to the committee,” the deputy chief said, firmly.
“This person called Garal Ket is Geck,” said the spider mech. “Say it, Garal Ket.”
“I am Geck,” said Pahlad. “And it’s true I came into the system with a false identity. I apologize for that. It was wrong, and I shouldn’t have done it. I haven’t broken any other laws.”
“You came back from Compassionate Removal,” pointed out the deputy chief.
“No one comes back from Compassionate Removal.” Pahlad’s voice was bland and even, but Ingray thought she heard just the slightest edge to it. “To enter Compassionate Removal is to die, to lose even the possibility of your name continuing. I can’t possibly be the person you seem to think I am.”
Silence for a moment. Then the deputy chief said, “If you got out, if you came back, who else has?”
“That does appear to be a potential problem for you, Deputy Chief. But since I’m Geck, it doesn’t matter very much to me personally.”
“Delay delay delay,” whispered the spider mech. “Garal Ket is Geck. E has said so emself. I have said so. Now tell this committee, and give me Garal Ket.”
Deputy Chief Veret sighed. “If you’ll come back to my office, Ambassador, I can put you in contact with the committee and get your petition filed with them. As I said I would.” E frowned then. “But I don’t like this. The laws are there for people’s safety. They aren’t meant to be played with, or bent for your convenience.”
“You’re right, Deputy Chief.” Pahlad’s expression didn’t change, but eir voice was almost regretful. “They aren’t meant to be bent for people’s convenience, but they are. It happens all the time, it probably always has and probably always will. And in this case, I imagine it will solve one or two problems facing you right now. It does clear up the question of just what to do with me, doesn’t it.”
“It does,” Deputy Chief Veret admitted. “But I don’t have to like it.”
“No.” Pahlad’s voice was still regretful. “You’re an honest neman. Honest enough, I hope, to keep asking those questions about Compassionate Removal.”
The deputy chief looked at Pahlad for several seconds, silent. Then e said, “Ambassador, if you’ll come with me.” And turned and left the room.
Halfway through the process of composing the petition, Taucris came to Ingray where she sat in a chair in the corner of the deputy chief’s office, handed her a cup of serbat, and whispered, “Ingray, have you eaten?” And Ingray suddenly realized how late in the day it was, nearly suppertime, and she’d barely had even a moment to herself. To just sit still. And yes, to eat.
Deputy Chief Veret, who had been explaining a detail of the petition process to the spider mech, looked up. “We’re going to be a while, Miss Aughskold. And you don’t need to stay for this.”
“Yes, yes,” whispered the spider mech, waving a hairy leg. “I will stay here with Garal Ket. You go.”
Ingray should stay. She should make sure everything happened the way it ought to; she couldn’t just leave Tic here by himself, pretending to be the Geck ambassador.
She really wanted to be by herself somewhere, for just a few minutes. To close her eyes and not do anything in particular. “Call me if you need me.”
The deputy chief gestured assent. The spider mech waved its leg again. Taucris said, half hesitant, “Let’s go get something to eat.”
11
Taucris brought Ingray to a small courtyard, a few plastic benches and tables here and there, black walls relieved by a thick fall of leaves and tiny white flowers cascading down a trellis. “Thank you,” said Ingray as she sat down on the nearest bench.
“You’re welcome,” said Taucris, sitting beside her with a small smile. “You looked like you needed a break. This is all very strange. Why do the Geck want Pahlad so badly?”
“I suppose the ambassador has decided I’m not going to help her find Captain Uisine, so she’s going to see if Pahlad will.”