“I’m sorry, I—”
“No need to worry yourself. There is plenty of time to get you acclimated to your position on Kantenan, now that you’re in Courtship with my son.”
She nodded again, and behind her back, she fidgeted with her hands, clasping and unclasping them.
"Do not let her intimidate you," he said to Janae, but loud enough that his mother could hear. "She acts very intensely, but inside, she is quite compassionate."
Janae smiled. "She seems nice."
Khalzin chuckled. Because a lot could be said about his mother, butnicewas not one of those things.
"Thank you. Child, we shall get you acclimated to Kantenan soon enough."
"Yes, Ma'am." Janae stepped a little closer to Khalzin, and he put his hand on her arm. Then he cleared his throat. “What do you know about the incidents?"
His mother's expression shifted again to the formal mode. "Not enough, I fear. Barely as much as you do."
“No inklings of the attack in any of your networks?” he asked. "Has the Coalition expressed any sort of disdain?"
She shook her head. “If it’s connected to the Coalition, it’s being kept extremely well hidden. I don’t believe that it is.”
“Why? The Coalition has been known to do very despicable things when they want to.”
“Yes, but this is horrific, even for those who would. I think this is some sort of independent group.”
“An independent group should not get this kind of access, though.”
“If a person is determined enough, they can get access to anything,” Janae said. “I know. I saw it all the time.”
“Explain,” the priestess said.
“I, uh…” She stepped back again and looked away. "I'm sorry, I just couldn't help myself."
"No need to apologize," Khalzin said.
“Please, child. Tell me your insights. They may prove helpful," his mother said.
"I just, um. I lived on the streets for a while. When people got something in their head, they could be very determined to achieve it. And guards don't look for servants and service workers to be responsible for things or participate. All you'd need, really, is a determined group with a member who had access. If they all believed in what they were doing, then there was no way to keep them from sneaking into a place." She glanced at the guards. "Sometimes, even below suspicion."
"What do you mean?" the Priestess asked.
"Would you consider your servant to be untrustworthy?"
"No, of course not."
"Exactly. You would not consider them to be a danger when they very much could be. But you overlook them. Because you assume that they do your bidding without question."
"And if they are caught betraying an employer, they are killed," Khalzin added.
She blinked. "Then they are risking everything to prove their point. Which, to me, means two things. Either they are very determined to prevent any connections with us off-worlders, or they're being organized by someone who has no regard for them beyond what they can do in the grander scheme of the situation."
"And the idea of bringing in off-worlders, to some, is the deepest rejection and attack on the Kantenan way of life."
Janae tapped her brow but then pulled her hand back. "I'm no expert in your culture, but if I represent the worst possible outcome to your way of life, then all my companions and I are a kind of threat. Your people are based here. Your power and strength in the galaxy come from the citricite. And the fact that you're intimidating, just on your general builds and appearance. You are strong. Your existence is strong. And I am here, diluting that strength. Turning your hard work and strong genome into a science experiment."
"That is not true," Khalzin said.
"Some may think so."
