discreet distance. The reception area was absolutely silent, save for their clickety-clack music playing at a low level over the sound system. Public areas in Mute worlds are, of course, routinely quiet. One never hears a voice, and for a human that can be disconcerting. There was nevertheless plenty of communication going on, of course. I could see it as Mute eyes turned in our direction. Their expressions changed, eyes narrowed, and fangs became more prominent. Parents moved closer to kids. I tried to think happy thoughts, but what kept running through my mind was the conviction that maybe their telepathic abilities with regard to us were overrated. I did not get the sense, for example, that they could see that I would have liked very much to be somewhere else, and that as threats went, I was nowhere on the scale. They were disturbed at the sight of the creatures that had suddenly appeared in their midst. With the mayor, yet. Circe tried a smile and a wave. Nobody waved back. It struck me how difficult it must have been for Kassel to come personally to meet us. I gained new respect for him. He might have stayed in his office and sent an escort in his place. Instead, here he was. That meant, in his culture as well as ours, that this was a personal rather than simply a political event. 'This way,' said Kassel, speaking through his voice box. He said something about idiots as we walked through the crowd toward the shuttle launch area. Alex commented that he appreciated Kassel's presence, and Kassel remarked that 'they' should all be locked up somewhere so they wouldn't be a danger to themselves or anyone else. 'They' obviously picked up the thought because they all looked in his direction. 'I'm sorry they brought you all the way in from Provno,' said Alex. Kassel's home was located on that island, in the southern seas. 'It's okay,' he said. 'They thought you would want to see me, and I wouldn't have had it any other way.
Besides, it gives me a chance to educate these morons.' Giambrey asked whether Kassel had heard what was happening on Salud Afar. 'I know about the hypernova. If you mean conditions on the ground, among the people, we haven't heard a whole lot. We don't have a direct connection with the media at Salud Afar the way we do with the Confederates. And the reporting in yours is sparse. Mostly they run reconstructed images of the hypernova and ask people whether they're scared. What kind of answer would they expect? I
THIRTY-SIX
We are each entombed within our skulls, Maria. We never really come to know each other. We do not feel the emotions of others, except superficially. Nor their fears or passions. The reality is that we are alone.
- Midnight and Roses
Giambrey was the only professional diplomat among us. He was accustomed to waiting upon the pleasure of whoever was in power. And of course, to him, Kassel was a representative of that power. Alex also understood the need for patience. As, I assume, did Circe. But to me, he was still simply good old Kassel. So, just as we were preparing to enter our suites, I broke protocol and asked when we'd get to see the Chief Minister. 'Time is critical,' I added. The reader will have understood by now that actually speaking in the presence of an Ashiyyurean was not necessary, save to let other people follow the conversation. Nevertheless, those Mutes who understood how to communicate with us were aware that, even in a one-on-one, it was smart to let us actually give voice to our thoughts. 'For humans,' Selotta had told me once, 'the voice is more significant than the brain. How could it be otherwise?' She'd shown her diplomatic side by observing that I was, of course, an exception. 'We are quite aware of the urgency,' Kassel said, in unusually formal language. 'The Chief Minister has arranged for you to speak to the Secretary of Naval Affairs tomorrow morning.' Giambrey seemed satisfied with the answer, though he glanced my way to signal me to stay out of it. Nothing further of consequence was discussed other than where and when we'd handle dinner. 'It would be best,' Kassel added, 'if I come and collect everyone. You don't really need an escort. But it might save confusion.'
The city was a collection of spires, spheres, pyramids, and polyhedrons laid out with artistic precision. I don't want to imply that it was by any means symmetrical, but rather an exercise in architectural harmony. A dominant tower in the north is set off by a pair of globes to the south. Pyramids are laid out in sets of two and three, the whole connected by a tapestry of illuminated polygons and skyways. We descended through a heavy rainstorm onto a landing pad, took an elevator down a few floors, and were ushered into a private dining room high over the city. Back home, allowing a delegation from a chief executive to dine with only a small-city mayor present, would have been a major insult. And I saw Giambrey's features harden as we sat down at the table that had been prepared for us, and nobody else showed up. 'It's not as you think,' said Kassel, softly. 'We have no need of ceremony. No use for it, in fact.' He put his menu on the table and tried to smile. 'Our communication is more direct.' He kept the voice box volume low. I caught a flicker of amusement in Circe's eyes. She leaned over, and whispered to me, 'Just as well.' 'You're not big on ceremony either?' 'Chase, with these people, you're up there doing a ceremony, and you don't have any clothes.' Kassel bowed in her direction. 'I believe, Doctor,' he said, 'it is one of your own who described the beginning of wisdom as knowing yourself.' 'Ceremonies celebrate achievement,' she said. 'But they also conceal things.' Kassel did his smile. 'Exactly,' he said. He'd found a soul mate. He did a quick translation of the menu. This dish tastes somewhat like fried chicken. That is comparable to a steak salad. Avoid this group here, which your system will find indigestible. On the whole, the food was edible, and some of it actually had an agreeable flavor. It wasn't anything I'd serve to houseguests, but I don't think the Ashiyyur have bread or tomatoes or most of the other delicacies that form an integral part of the human diet. Kassel tried to apologize. 'I understand they've known for two weeks that you were coming,' he said. 'Unfortunately, they turned it over to me at the last minute. There was no time-' 'It's okay, Kassel,' said Giambrey. 'It's the company that matters.' Kassel looked at me with a glint in his eyes. Giambrey had forgotten that his host knew exactly what he was thinking. It was an easy mistake to make.
Afterward, we retired to Giambrey's suite and turned on the omicron. 'Let's see what's going on in the world,' he said. In some aspects, it was not unlike Interworld, carrying newscasts and people-if that term works-discussing current events, and the arts and sciences. We got pictures of panel discussions, saw and heard a hurricane pounding a Mute city, watched what appeared to be a cruise ship putting to sea. One channel carried a swimming competition. Despite their appearance, Mutes love to swim. Undoubtedly because their early ancestors came out of the oceans. The panel discussions, of course, were silent. And the nonverbals that one normally sees in a debate among humans were all but absent. We found nothing like the comedies and dramas that had been staples of human entertainment all the way back to the classical age. I'm not sure why that is. Maybe because drama and comedy so often depend on misunderstanding or deliberate deception, or an inability to grasp someone else's intentions, the concept simply doesn't work among the Ashiyyur. How would you construct a mystery when every character is an open book? It was an odd experience. Pictures without narration. And especially the panels, where the only sound during the course of a thirty-minute debate might be the scraping of a chair. I tried to imagine sitting in a studio somewhere while an omicron broadcast my innermost thoughts to the world. My God, every mean, contemptible, cruel, lascivious notion I'd ever had would surface. 'I've a question,' said Circe. 'Why is there a picture? If this is a mental exercise, why do they need accompanying pictures? Don't the people in the discussion have a picture in their heads of the blowpipe, or the politician, or whatever it is they're discussing?'
Kassel took a moment. 'If you were on a panel talking about various solar types, and you wanted to discuss, say, Rigel, do you have a firm picture of it in your mind?' 'I think so,' she said. 'Bad example. How about a clear image of how the quantum drive works?' 'Nobody could manage that.' 'Or of a given natural preservative. Or a
