Insider

excuse to build garbage processing plants. Why don't we ask the sovereign to ban this construction? Almost in the center of the capital!'

Shavash pressed his thumb in the armchair and looked thoughtfully at Kissur. It looked like he was pondering something.

'Don't be afraid,' Shavash said suddenly, 'Kaminski will not built his garbage plant.'

'How so?'

'As you mentioned, this is almost downtown. The status of the land will be reconsidered; industrial construction will be prohibited; the business and industrial land committee will submit a complaint; the sovereign will sign it and the garbage plant construction will be cancelled.'

'But the foundation is already there.'

'Mr. Kaminski will receive a compensation for the foundation — two million.'

'And then?'

'Then, Mr. Kaminski will built a new business center instead of a garbage plant on the business zoned land.'

'I am probably very stupid,' Kissur remarked, 'but I don't understand what's going on.'

'Lands of the Empire that are sold to foreign investors as a private property,' Shavash patiently explained, 'can be divided in four categories — agrarian, residential, industrial and business lands. Industrial zoned land costs twelve times less than business zoned one. If Mr. Kaminsky had bought the land for a business center, it would have been too expensive for him.'

'And what about the foundation?' Shavash spread his hands.

'I am not an engineer, of course, and they don't allow outsiders to visit the construction. If however, I was an engineer and I was allowed there, I would probably notice that the foundation and the underground communications confirm to a business center specifications and not to a garbage processing facility specifications.'

Kissur's face froze.

'So,' he said, 'that's what Kaminsky will get two million compensation for?'

'Kaminsky,' Shavash responded, 'will not get the compensation. The compensation will be procured by a Weian official who affirms the complaint and transfer land from one zoning category into another.'

'Hold on, this deal must have passed through your prefecture!'

'In this case, the contract did not pass via the prefecture. It passed through Mr. Khanida's department.'

'I see. You can't forgive Khamida that it was him and not you to receive the money.'

'This money wouldn't hurt me'

Kissur stood up and started pacing in the pavilion.

'Mutual profit,' Shavash talked, 'is the basis of cooperation. Kaminsky will save four hundred million; Khamida will receive two million. Weian officials cost cheap.'

'What if everything falls through? If the sovereign fires Khamida before he changes the land zoning?'

'Well, Kaminsky gave Khamida only a little bit, less than seven hundred thousand. The rest Khamida will get only upon a successful completion of the deal and he will not get it from the Earthman — he will get it from the state. Khamida is not the one who invented it, it's a well known setup.'

'What other setups are there?' Kissur asked quickly.

The official spread his hands smiling like a porcelain cat. He evidently didn't want to tell Kissur about all the different ways of selling his own country, even though he was much more nimble than Khanida in this business.

'Kissur, you haven't seen my watch collection in a while. Let's go and look at it.' Standing up unhurriedly, Shavash approached a fifth dynasty cabinet that stood in the living room. Shavash' s collection of Weian pocket watches was filling the sparkling malachite shelves in the cabinet. The collection had indeed improved. A tiny sand watch in a tumbler braided with gold knots was added. Also new were three mechanical pocket watches that just started to appear in the Empire before the catastrophe and were luxury and therefore art, with fanciful ornament and decorations, with mother-of-pearl hands made in the image of the eternity god, hence they had nothing to do with this flat crap that even women now worn on their wrists. Other new additions were present: a tiny watch embedded in a lid of a jade powder box — it didn't have a glass cover, it had a twined filigree lattice and a single hour hand languished behind it as if in prison cell; an oval watch strewn with pearls had two faces — one face for the minute and another for the hour hand — and a long chain with jade pendants that high officials used to wear personal seals. A seal was at the botton and the watch covered with tiny jewels at the top.

Kissur suddenly grabbed Shavash by his right hand — a homely watch with a simple platinum face was there and twenty six hours of Weian time were marked with Earthern numerals.

'Yes,' Shavash said thickly, 'there are no more Weian numerals. Our time has been severed. Let my hand go now or you will break it again.'

Grinning Kissur released Shavash's hand, turned to the shelf and picked up an onion shaped watch with a crystal top. Agitation briefly ran over Shavash's face — he loved this onion more than any of his concubines and Kissur knew that. Kissur squeezed the onion in his fist and waved it in front of Shavash's face.

'So,' Kissur asked, 'what other ways are there? How many of your monthly salaries did this onion cost?'

Shavash suddenly twisted like a cat protecting its kittens.

'Put it back now,' he hissed.

Nobody knows how Kissur woud have answered if a brass gong had not banged at the hall entrance and an incoming servant announced,

'Mr. Bemish begs forgiveness for being late.'

'Let him in,' Shavash cried desperately.

Kissur's lips twitched; he put the onion back in place and for a second longer looked at the numerals in the hands of the eternity god twisted around the dial.

Isn't it strange? A while ago this fashion for watches was started by this scoundrel, minister Nan, who later appeared to be a barbarian from the stars, — Kissur couldn't stand this fashion — how could it be that a watch hand commanded a Man like an owner his slave. And now his heart hurt when he saw the Weian numerals and a Weian device.

When Kissur turned around, the official was already standing at the entrance and bowing ceremoniously to the Earthman.

'Please,' Shavash said, 'let me introduce you to each other. Terence Bemish, the general director of ADO company and Mr. Kissur, an Emperor's personal friend….'

The Earthman and Kissur looked at each other.

Kissur's eyes popped out; it was the same man he had a fight with only two hours ago. Great Wei! Kissur thought the Earthman had died and the guy even managed to change his shirt!

'We have met already,' the Earthman reported in an even voice and added, 'Mr. Kissur, I was just going to hand you over a letter.' He stepped closer to Kissur and put a white envelope in his hand. Kissur felt a wad of crimpled money under the plastic paper.

Kissur guffawed and slapped Bemish on the shoulder. Bemish bit his lips for a second, pondering if he should punch the guy in the face, but Kissur was laughing so merrily that Bemish couldn't help but join him.

Shavash batted his eyelids apprehensively. The official had to solve several problems quickly and the most pressing one was where to receive the guests and what language to use. It was a very important question due to this strange quality of Shavash's soul; as we have discussed, a conversation in a different language seemingly transferred it to a different world. We have mentioned, that when somebody asked Shavash in

Interenglish about the reasons for pauperism in the Empire, Shavash denounced passionately unbearable state expenses and the state budget that half of the country's banks made fortunes on. However, when somebody asked him the same question in Weian, he castigated the gluttony of the people from the stars who were buying the country for a wine jar. Hence, Shavash avoided speaking Interenglish next to a Weian and speaking Weian next to a person from the stars. His brain got muddled otherwise.

Shavash carefully pulled a window curtain away and looked outside. A taxi stood far outside, behind the white wall. Oh, the Earthman flew in yesterday and rented a car — a grey Daiquiri. Hmm, to change a car is more