rather forget."
"I suppose I must have some relatives on Earth," she said, "but there's no point in trying to contact them. I can just imagine it. 'Greetings, I'm Hong Te-yu. You don't know me, but I'm a relative, even though I've become a Habber.' That's just what they'd need to hear. Well, I never knew them, so I'm under no feeling of obligation. It must be worse for you, being here."
"I chose to come."
"Do you ever regret it — what we did?" Te-yu asked.
She had not asked that question in a long time. "No," Benzi replied, "I don't regret it. I'm sorry I didn't know what it might cost, and sometimes I think I might have made another choice if I had known, but that's probably just a way of dealing with some of my guilt."
Te-yu was one of the pilots who had fled from Venus with him almost forty years ago. Her parents had left the Islands shortly after she became an apprentice, and her few close friends had been among other pilots. There had been nothing to keep her on the Islands, no family who might think of her act as a betrayal.
Two Guardians had left the tower; Benzi could sense them watching him. He slipped his arm around Te-yu's small waist as she glanced at the Guardians for a moment. "I wonder which bothers them more," she said, "when we seem inhuman or when they see we can be human after all."
They walked toward the camp. "A group arrived last night," she continued. "I got into the lift before they started bringing them inside." Her mouth twitched. "I don't know what they gain by humiliating the new arrivals, but it's probably the only entertainment they have. I did hear an odd piece of news later, something about one man in the group being a former Linker."
"Strange that any Linker would come here."
They halted several paces from the nearest post. He and Te-yu had been warned not to enter the camp alone. They would be either shunned or besieged with pleas from desperate people whom they were powerless to help; the Guardians wanted no incidents. "I wish the Council would make its selections," he said, "so that we could be on our way."
"Maybe they think the officer here will find out more about us if we're kept here for a while." She leaned against him. "At least we've had a chance to see a little of Earth."
"This isn't the Earth I knew." He looked down at the still youthful face under her cap of short black hair. Te-yu had come here with him only so that he would not have to face Earth alone. Even after decades with the Habbers, his closest bonds were still with those who had fled from the Islands with him.
They could not keep him here too much longer. His ship was waiting for him up in the Wheel, one of the space stations where freighters, torchships, and other craft were docked. The two Habber pilots who had accompanied him and Te-yu that far would be getting impatient while trying to prevent the Wheel's personnel from examining the ship too extensively. Benzi's ship, with its passengers, would later dock at Anwara, and perhaps there he would be able to get a message to his father and the sister he had never seen.
He had sent a message before, just after Iris's death, through a Habber on the Islands who had known her. "Tell him," his father Chen had replied, "that his mother will always be alive in me." He had said nothing more, and Benzi had wondered if Chen was blaming him in part for her death or trying to console him.
Tents had been pitched near the yurts at this end of the camp. A dark-haired man was standing outside one tent, gazing in Benzi's direction. Benzi turned and led Te-yu back to the tower.
Three
The camp's mosque was a rambling structure of wood, where Muslims could gather for their prayers. Malik was kneeling, his hands on his knees; he raised his head. It had been much easier to recall an appropriate sura from the Koran with his Link to prompt him.
"God hears those who praise Him," Malik recited as he glanced at his fellow worshippers. Several of them seemed as
"I suppose I must have some relatives on Earth," she said, "but there's no point in trying to contact them. I can just imagine it. 'Greetings, I'm Hong Te-yu. You don't know me, but I'm a relative, even though I've become a Habber.' That's just what they'd need to hear. Well, I never knew them, so I'm under no feeling of obligation. It must be worse for you, being here."
"I chose to come."
"Do you ever regret it — what we did?" Te-yu asked.
She had not asked that question in a long time. "No," Benzi replied, "I don't regret it. I'm sorry I didn't know what it might cost, and sometimes I think I might have made another choice if I had known, but that's probably just a way of dealing with some of my guilt."
Te-yu was one of the pilots who had fled from Venus with him almost forty years ago. Her parents had left the Islands shortly after she became an apprentice, and her few close friends had been among other pilots. There had been nothing to keep her on the Islands, no family who might think of her act as a betrayal.
Two Guardians had left the tower; Benzi could sense them watching him. He slipped his arm around Te-yu's small waist as she glanced at the Guardians for a moment. "I wonder which bothers them more," she said, "when we seem inhuman or when they see we can be human after all."
They walked toward the camp. "A group arrived last night," she continued. "I got into the lift before they started bringing them inside." Her mouth twitched. "I don't know what they gain by humiliating the new arrivals, but it's probably the only entertainment they have. I did hear an odd piece of news later, something about one man in the group being a former Linker."
"Strange that any Linker would come here."
They halted several paces from the nearest post. He and Te-yu had been warned not to enter the camp alone. They would be either shunned or besieged with pleas from desperate people whom they were powerless to help; the Guardians wanted no incidents. "I wish the Council would make its selections," he said, "so that we could be on our way."
"Maybe they think the officer here will find out more about us if we're kept here for a while." She leaned against him. "At least we've had a chance to see a little of Earth."
"This isn't the Earth I knew." He looked down at the still youthful face under her cap of short black hair. Te-yu had come here with him only so that he would not have to face Earth alone. Even after decades with the Habbers, his closest bonds were still with those who had fled from the Islands with him.
They could not keep him here too much longer. His ship was waiting for him up in the Wheel, one of the space stations where freighters, torchships, and other craft were docked. The two Habber pilots who had accompanied him and Te-yu that far would be getting impatient while trying to prevent the Wheel's personnel from examining the ship too extensively. Benzi's ship, with its passengers, would later dock at Anwara, and perhaps there he would be able to get a message to his father and the sister he had never seen.
He had sent a message before, just after Iris's death, through a Habber on the Islands who had known her. "Tell him," his father Chen had replied, "that his mother will always be alive in me." He had said nothing more, and Benzi had wondered if Chen was blaming him in part for her death or trying to console him.
Tents had been pitched near the yurts at this end of the camp. A dark-haired man was standing outside one tent, gazing in Benzi's direction. Benzi turned and led Te-yu back to the tower.
Three
The camp's mosque was a rambling structure of wood, where Muslims could gather for their prayers. Malik was kneeling, his hands on his knees; he raised his head. It had been much easier to recall an appropriate sura from the Koran with his Link to prompt him.
"God hears those who praise Him," Malik recited as he glanced at his fellow worshippers. Several of them seemed as
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