know that you and they were sold because you were Silent, but-'
'That's not quite right,' Kendi interjected. 'My family and I were colonists on a ship that was captured by slavers. I was twelve. A woman named Giselle Blanc bought me and my mother, but someone else bought my dad and my sister and brother. I never saw them again. Three years later, Blanc found out that Mom and I were both Silent, and she decided to sell us for a hefty profit. My mom was sold, and I never saw her again, either. Then Ara bought me and set me free. After the Children of Irfan taught me how to use my Silence, I looked for my family everywhere in the Dream but no luck. Then the Despair hit, and Sejal touched almost every Silent mind in the universe. He told me he felt a man and a woman who are sure to be my relatives-though I don't know which relatives-and that he felt Bedj-ka, too. That's why we're here.'
'This is not what I am asking, Kendi. You are a hero of the-'
'Stop saying that,' Kendi said. Traffic cleared and he sped up.
'— of the Despair, and it is true whether you deny it or not. Padric Sufur's twisted children failed to destroy the Dream because of you-'
'And because of Ben and because of Sejal and Katsu and Vidya and Prasad and a whole mess of other people,' Kendi pointed out.
'But you are the only one who took advantage of your status,' Harenn continued, ruthlessly pursuing the point. 'Vidya and Prasad and Katsu and Sejal were content to become a family again and settle among the Children of Irfan. Ben seems to be happy following you wherever you go. But you-well, I do have to say that I have never thought of you as a modest person-'
'Thanks.'
'— but you went beyond mere immodesty. You bullied the Council of Irfan into giving you an expensive ship-'
' Loaning me an expensive ship.'
'— something which usually only a Father Adept is granted, and then you staffed it with not one but two so very priceless Silent who can still reach the Dream-'
'Yeah, well Ben threatened to quit his consulting job, and the Council didn't want to lose him, especially since he's Silent now and they're hoping he'll become a Brother one day.'
'— and then you took this expensive ship off to find not your family, but mine. So I am asking-why are you doing this?'
Kendi drove in silence for several moments. Then he said, 'It's because of Ben.'
'This you need to explain.'
'When I go home at night-or back to my quarters, anyway-Ben is there. I have somebody, and you-' He stopped and felt his face turn hot.
'I have no one?'
Kendi cursed himself. There were a hundred other things he could have said, but he had to choose the one that would throw Harenn's broken family into her face.
'It's not just that,' he hastened to add. 'It's also because Bedj-ka is still a little kid. He isn't even ten years old yet. My brother would be over thirty now, and my sister's in her mid-twenties. They're adults. They don't… they don't need their family like Bedj-ka does. So I decided we should find him first.'
Harenn looked at him. 'That sounds like something Mother Ara would have said.'
Kendi stiffened and stared straight ahead at the green road unwinding before him. Trees, fields, and scattered houses rushed quietly past the groundcar. Harenn's remark had pierced him like an arrow, and he didn't know how to feel. Pride mixed with sorrow mixed with… relief? To Kendi's horror, his eyes teared up. He firmed his jaw. Not in front of Harenn, not while he was in charge of the expedition and she was under his command, however casual that command might be.
Harenn lightly touched his hand. 'Whatever the reason, I am glad you made this choice.' Then she turned to stare out her own window, leaving Kendi free to rub his eyes without being observed.
They traveled for some time in companionable silence until the computer said, 'Your destination is one hundred meters ahead of you on the right.' Harenn sat up straight. Kendi turned down a short gravel driveway that ended in front of a tall, barred gate. From this vantage point, Kendi could see that the trees and brush lining the road actually concealed a high concrete wall that presumably ran around the perimeter of the farm. A sign on the gate read,
Sunnytree Farm
A Division of the L.L. Venus Corporation
Douglas J. Markovi, Manager
'L.L. Venus,' Harenn said. 'The chocolate company?'
'We carried a whole bunch of their stuff when we posed as merchants back on Rust,' Kendi said, re-reading the sign. 'All life-they use slaves?'
'So it would seem.' Harenn's voice was tight, and her hands were clasped in her lap.
'But they're a candy company,' Kendi said almost plaintively. 'They buy children to work their farms?'
'It does not matter what a corporation produces,' Harenn said. 'It will always seek the cheapest method of production.'
Kendi tried to estimate out how many pounds of L.L. Venus chocolate he had eaten over the years. The best answer he could come up with was 'a lot.' He felt slightly sick.
The dashboard screen chimed. He tapped it, and a smartly-dressed woman appeared.
'Welcome to Sunnytree Farm,' she said. Her voice was impossibly low and smooth, and Kendi figured she was computer-generated. 'How may I help you?'
'My name is Kendi Weaver. We need to talk to your manager, please,' Kendi said, politely, just in case the woman was real.
'Do you have an appointment?'
'I'm afraid we don't, but it's very important. It's a personal matter about one of his-the farm's-slaves. Is Mr. Markovi available?' Always go straight to the top, Ara had taught.
The woman paused blankly, probably to let her program access a database. 'Please drive through the gates to our main office. Please do not leave your vehicle. Please keep your vehicle on the road at all times. Thank you for visiting Sunnytree Farm.'
The screen went blank and the gate swung open. Kendi guided the car through the opening and into what felt like another world-a dark and gloomy one. Slowly Kendi's eyes adjusted to the dim light. The gloom came from the oppressive shade of a forest of strange trees, each about twice as tall as a human. The trunks were thin, less than half a meter in diameter, and covered with star-shaped flowers that ranged from white to pink to yellow to red. Amid the flowers were clumps of lumpy seed pods that reminded Kendi of rugby balls. They were almost as varied in color as the flowers, appearing in green, orange, and brown. Large, flat leaves at the tops of the trees rustled in a faint breeze. Moss hung from everything, and the ground between the trees was covered in some kind of mulch. Water dripped from leaves and branches. Kendi cracked a window and sniffed. The air was thick and smelled heavily organic.
The screen beeped again. Harenn tapped it and the computer-generated woman re-appeared.
'Welcome to Sunnytree Farms,' she said in an overly-friendly voice. 'If you would like guided information about our family-owned operation, just touch the green button on your screen. Otherwise please proceed with caution to the main office building. Thank you!'
Harenn reached down to tap the screen's off button, but Kendi grabbed her wrist.
'Wait,' he said. ' 'The greater your knowledge, the lesser your risk,' remember?'
'Irfan Qasad,' Harenn muttered. 'Very well.' She touched the green button. Kendi continued to drive. Among the trees, he could now make out people. They wore simple clothing, with silver bands around their left wrists and ankles. Slave bands. Memories welled again, and Kendi resisted the impulse to rub his own wrist in sympathy.
'The L.L. Venus Corporation was founded on Earth over a eleven hundred years ago, when Lawrence Venus opened a single candy kitchen in the city of Milwaukee,' burbled the computer lady. 'He eventually expanded this small family business into a global operation. When the chance came, his heirs took the Venus Corporation to the stars. The company has spanned two millennia and operates on twenty-eight different planets, creating delicious chocolates and candies for billions of consumers-the delight of children everywhere.'
The workers-slaves-were engaged in a variety of tasks, and they scarcely glanced at the passing groundcar.
