VII - Frailties

It was late. Most of the Council offices were empty. Casio heard footsteps in the hallway, then a door slamming. He jumped up and hurried next door, moving directly to Kamon's personal office. Casio opened the door just wide enough to stick his head in. "Are we both excommunicated or just you?"

Kamon was slumped in his leather chair looking out the window at the city and its many lights. He did not respond to the question.

"I take it that your meeting with her Almightyness did not go well," Casio finally said.

"She is not going to let them cut any more trees," Kamon finally said, still staring out the window. "At least for now."

"Well, that explains everything," Casio said in his best light sarcasm. "Do you always celebrate like this after a major victory? Come on, Hawk; let's have it; all the details."

Casio seated himself. Kamon finally turned his gaze from the window, and then proceeded to relate everything that had happened during his meeting with the Delphi.

"Heathen burial, huh?" Casio reacted to the story. "It's amazing what we uneducated folks can pick up by coming out east. What do you suppose is going to happen?"

"Eventually, she's going to ask someone to move the bodies of my parents because I'm certainly not going to do it. And who will be able to refuse her?"

"And who will want to confront the grieving son?" Casio added. "Namely, one very big and quite angry mountain man. It's a standoff for the moment, big guy."

"For the moment." Kamon nodded in agreement. "The Delphi is the head of the state religion, but I do have somewhat of a following myself. And to move the bodies of a man's parents against his will.....the sympathies of many might be on my side. It will be in all the newspapers. It will be.....messy."

"Messy won't stop her in the long run," Casio commented.

"I know," Kamon conceded. "I have gained some time but that's all. If I am to truly save my trees and preserve my parents' grave, I'm going to have to think of something."

"In the meantime," Casio spoke, "let's go get some chow. I'm starving! All this waiting has given me a huge appetite."

But before Casio could rise from his chair, a knock sounded on the outer office door. It was a light knock, and short, indicating uncertainty. Casio had left both the outer office door and the one to Kamon's personal office ajar. The Capitol offices were very quiet at this time of night. Both men clearly heard the knock.

Casio looked at Kamon in puzzlement. "A knock! Someone has actually knocked on our door! Obviously, a stranger who does not know that such social niceties are beyond the ken of we two lowly and uneducated males from the west!"

"Cut the circus act, would you, and see who it is," Kamon responded with a wave of his hand.

"Come on in!" Casio shouted. "But we don't take bribes after hours!"

Kamon frowned at Casio.

"What?!" Casio asked none too innocently in response.

Seconds passed. They could hear footsteps in the outer office, tentative footsteps coming from subdued lighting. These were the sounds of someone who was undecided. Finally, a face emerged into Kamon's office.

Casio's eyebrows shot up in surprise. He looked quickly at Kamon

to see his reaction. It was much the same. However, a dark cloud of disdain soon crossed the big man's face to supplant the one of astonishment. The woman standing in their doorway was Chief Councilwoman Mavox Pro.

"Excuse me," the Chief Councilwoman began. "I -- uh -- I was walking through the hallways and I heard voices. Saw your light on. So I thought -- I thought might stop in and say hello." Mavox Pro ended by attempting a weak smile with a self-conscious wave of her hand. Neither was really accomplished. Finally, she stood there, uncomfortable, her hands clasped in front of her.

It was a strange beginning for the leader of the Marmot Council. Kamon had never seen her in a situation where she was not in complete command. She was the funnel through which all legislation passed in the Council. Nothing got done without her approval. She was always in charge. The consummate politician. The deal maker. The broker. Mavox Pro was a tall woman. But she appeared much shorter now, ill at ease, not in command at all -- and troubled.

This was also the woman to which he owed much of his troubles in the Council, and now his personal life, Kamon reminded himself. The 'Minot Preservation Bill' would not have passed without her approval. He stared at her coldly. In the attack on his home, she was the enemy.

Casio was the first to break the tense silence. He abruptly rose from his chair and offered it to the Chief Councilwoman. "Chief, sit down! Take a load off your feet!"

She looked at Casio. He was being unusually gracious. She did not know if he was being sincere at the moment or not. But then, she had always had great difficulty in ascertaining the little man's intentions. His manner was usually irreverent, yet sociable. And his speech was sometimes akin to a foreign language.

Kamon's speech, on the other hand, was much easier to understand. He had strong feelings and usually did not hesitate to express them.

Mavox Pro sat in the proffered chair.

"So, Chief," Casio continued cheerfully. "You don't mind if I call you 'Chief', do you? It seems so much more sociable than Chief Councilwoman Mavox Pro." Casio was obviously enjoying this unexpected visit. He also understood the situation. At this time, Mavox Pro could not afford to alienate any sitting Council member.

"No, not at all," the Chief Councilwoman responded eagerly, grateful that Casio was choosing to be gracious. She glanced quickly at Kamon. A dark scowl was locked on his face. She looked back at Casio, suddenly thinking of a rejoinder. "I've heard that you have quite a few other names for me." She laughed nervously at her own attempt at humor. The laugh died weakly on her lips.

Casio, however, was very much at ease. "All in good fun, right, Chief?" he beamed proudly. "Nice try at humor there. See that glare on the big guy's face?" he said, pointing at Kamon. "I think it softened just a little. Still looks pretty mean though, doesn't he? Not to worry. He's never been known to attack anybody unless he gets really hungry, and we do try to feed him regularly."

The Chief Councilwoman smiled slightly. Casio was joking with her. His pleasure was evident. A broad smile covered his face. Kamon, however, continued to stare icily at her. Her smile faded.

Mavox Pro had never realized how disconcerting Kamon could be. He seemed bigger at this moment -- and extremely intimidating. Such a huge frame! Mammoth hands! The cold, unblinking eyes continued to gaze at her. She shuddered involuntarily.

In an instant, Mavox Pro had concluded that this man was a force to be reckoned with......and also a man that she barely knew. For almost three years, she had served with him in the Council, and she knew almost nothing about him. His interests, his likes -- she knew none of this. Having her life turned upside down made everything around her seem so different. As Chief Councilwoman she had brushed Kamon aside dozens of times. He was an impudent upstart with which she shared no common ground. She was so used to dismissing him that she was not sure how to talk to him. The simplest of relationships seemed suddenly alien. How could power slip away so quickly?

"No doubt you two have been talking about me lately," Mavox Pro finally said, breaking the momentary silence.

"As a matter of fact, we have been," Casio offered. He looked at Kamon. "Hawk, you can move now. If you don't speak pretty soon, she's going to think you're a stone carving."

"What do you want?" Kamon at last asked the Chief Councilwoman coldly.

"Direct and to the point," Mavox Pro responded soberly. "I can understand that. Very well, I am going to be looking for some support in the Council in two weeks. I ask that you objectively view the evidence. I know that we have had our differences in the past, but I would hope that would not cloud your good judgement. It is true that I was caught outdoors during Raman, on the plaza across from the Domus grounds. I do not intend to deny that. Nor do I deny that my actions were a technical violation of the sanctity of Raman. However, I must point out that I was not outside for long, and it was a grave emergency. As you no doubt will recall, Councilwoman Quartz Lok had been very ill in the days leading up to Raman. She had contracted the Torman flu. It is extremely rare for it to turn into grand Torman, but on the afternoon of Raman, the doctor informed me that such had happened. Recovery from grand Torman is almost unheard of. I immediately decided to summon a -- friend of hers -- someone close to her who would have wanted to be with her in her last hours."

Casio was intensely interested in this story. For one thing, he had not heard it among all the rumors that had been floating around the Capitol. That meant it was fresh news. Indeed, it seemed likely that Mavox Pro had yet to tell anyone this tale, and Casio always relished being the first to hear the news around the Capitol.

The other aspect of the situation which intrigued Casio was the nervous nature of Mavox Pro. Her voice was shaky. Her hands actually trembled. She clasped them tightly in an attempt to stop them from quivering. This was a most uncharacteristic display by the Chief Councilwoman. And her story did not fit the facts as he knew them.

"Why such a special interest?" Casio finally asked her. "I don't mean to sound callous when it comes to the impending death of Quartz Lok -- I really like the woman -- but you two have never been close friends, at least not that I've ever noticed."

"I know," she nodded quickly in agreement. "But I take an interest in all my Council members. It is my duty as Chief Councilwoman. And my moral obligation in such extreme circumstances," she added.

"I think there is a mountain man sitting across from you right now who might take issue with you on that," Casio pointed out. "He doesn't think you've taken much interest in him."

Mavox Pro simply nodded in silent acknowledgment and looked down at her hands, nervously wringing them.

Casio frowned. Her attitude was perplexing and startling. He had never seen her like this before. In fact, if he was not seeing it with his own eyes he would have argued that it never could happen. Something was missing from this story, and it involved more than her current religious predicament, of that much he was sure. He was also determined to find out exactly what it was.

"Chief," Casio began, "you gotta admit, this story sounds pretty shaky. For one, nobody simply gets caught in 'a technical violation of the sanctity of Raman'. That's a political death wish and you know it! Number two, why didn't you just call this friend of Quartz Lok's on the phone? It certainly would have saved time. What if Quartz had died while you were physically fetching this person? If it was that urgent, your story makes no sense!"

"I--I was unable to reach him by phone," she answered. "I had to go in person. It was a matter of life and death. Scripture provides for such exceptions on Raman. That's all I'm asking -- to be granted one of those exceptions!" the woman fairly pleaded.

"Man?" Casio was quick to ask. She had at least provided him with the gender of the individual, either inadvertently or intentionally. "What's his name?"

"I can't tell you that," she replied tersely.

Casio's eyes rolled upward. Kamon's gaze remained rock-hard. He had not altered it since the conversation had begun. Casio knew that he was likely to remain that way for a while longer.

"Of course," Casio said, "someone only happened to see you on your way to get this man; no one saw you return with him."

"Apparently," she responded simply.

No one said anything. Casio shifted on his feet, considering the matter. A fly buzzed near his face. He brushed it away. The insect served to make him aware how quiet it had become in the room. He studied the face of the seated woman. He imagined the silence was suffocating her.

"Chief," Casio said at last, "I'll be honest with you. That story of yours has more holes in it than an apple in a Wedon ant farm. If you're getting ready to take this act on the road, you might as well save yourself some time and call the unemployment office right now. You're toast!"

"I appreciate your candor, Casio, but I intend to submit this story as my defense. It is the truth," Mavox Pro finished determinedly, straightening her shoulders and holding her head high.

"That may be," Casio countered, "but just remember, sometimes what you don't say is a lot more important than what you do say, and there's a whole lot not being said here! That's the part I'm interested in."

Casio waited for a response but got none. Mavox Pro glanced quickly at him, then looked away, her gaze coming to rest on the wall opposite her.

"Technically, Chief," Casio finally continued, "the holy Limon has very little to say about the observation of Raman. A long succession of Delphis came up with this 'don't venture out on the day of Raman' stuff. I think you would be wiser to pursue that line of reasoning in preparing your defense."

Ordinarily, it was not a statement Casio would have made in the presence of anyone but Kamon. For one, it bordered on blasphemy. However, in this case, he knew the Chief Councilwoman was unlikely to repeat it. She had a dilemma of her own to manage. Moreover, he truly believed his advice was sound -- and perhaps he felt a touch of pity for her. She sat before him, a woman reduced in rank, her aura gone, pleading for help.

"I appreciate your advice, Casio, but I intend to proceed with this as my defense. What about you, Kamon?" she asked, addressing the still stoic man across the desk from her. "I know we have not been the best of friends. Far from it. Still..." She paused, uncertain if this was such a good idea after all. "...I would ask for your consideration in the matter."

Kamon's eyes did not soften. If anything, they grew darker. "You knew they planned to cut down my trees," he finally stated flatly. It was not a question.

A few silent seconds passed. "Yes," she replied with a steady gaze. "I knew." No sense in denying it. This was not a man who would take kindly to lies or half-truths. She had at least concluded that much during the short time in his office.

"And now you have the gall to come here and ask for my support," Kamon remarked with disgust.

"This was a mistake," Mavox Pro concluded aloud, rising from her chair. "I should never have come. Quartz somehow convinced me that you are a man of reason, that you could be dealt with rationally."

"You have never given me any consideration during my entire time in the Council," Kamon replied levelly. "You were a willing participant in a scheme to take my home. I don't expect you to understand what it means to me; you've never cared. I find your sense of rationality to be strangely skewed."

"I won't bother you again," she said tersely, turning and heading for the door.

"I wish I could depend on that," Kamon remarked coolly as she left. After she had exited the big man turned his attention to Casio. "Why were you being so helpful to her anyway? Suggesting what her defense should be! She's never done anything for us!"

"I know that!" Casio defended himself. "I just felt a little sorry for her, that's all. You did, too! Just a little bit. I saw your eye twitch once. Besides, don't you find her story a little lame? It's too stupid to be anything but the truth! But she's leaving something out! And it's B - I - G BIG!! It has to be! She loves her position. She'd never risk losing it without a damn good reason! And she wasn't at Quartz's death bed just because she's 'interested in all the Councilwomen'!" Casio rambled on. "That's a load of manure if ever I heard it! I can count on my fingers the number of times I've seen those two together for anything but official business! They barely talk to one another! In fact, it's almost as if they deliberately avoid one another! Then the Big Chief suddenly shows up at the woman's last roll call and jeopardizes her chief-ship to boot?!?! I don't buy it! There's something very weird about all this and I aim to find out what it is! Mark my words on that!"

Kamon shrugged his shoulders. "Let's go eat," he suggested.

"Good idea," Casio agreed. "I'm starving!"

The pair headed out the door and into the hallway.

"Oh, by the way," Casio suddenly announced as he reached into his pocket, fishing for something. "Someone named Gobie called while you out hobnobbing with Her Almightyness. Left a message for you. Elbe gave it to me to give to you. 'No tracks'," Casio distinctly read the two words from the little slip of paper in his hand. "What the hell does that mean?"

"It means there were no little blue women," Kamon answered flatly.

"Huh?!?" Casio's quizzical face followed Kamon into the elevator.

END OF CHAPTER