Chapter Text
Sergeant Hain tul Larro felt his heart beating very fast. He was going to have a private meeting with Admiral Naismith. He had no idea why Admiral Naismith wanted to talk to him, alone.
"Please sit," Admiral Naismith said. "Is there anything you would like to drink?"
"No, sir," Hain said.
"Not even some hot cider?" Admiral Naismith held up his mug. It was fragrant.
"I would not dare."
"Fine, I'll just pour some hot cider into this mug, and put it next to you. You can drink it if you want, and you can ignore it if you want."
Hain hesitated before he finally picked up the mug and took a sip.
"I've looked at your file, Sergeant Larro -"
"Tul Larro."
"Ah yes, Sergeant tul Larro, forgive me, I do not have much practice with using Cetagandan names correctly. By the way, what does 'tul' mean? Are you some kind of ghem?"
"Not at all," Hain replied. "The ghem are the shield between Cetaganda and the rest of humanity."
"By that, you mean they are your military caste."
"No, the ghem are much more than that. They are also diplomats, and interplanetary traders. They are the ones who can maintain relations with the worlds outside without endangering the Imperium."
"By that, you mean that they protect Cetaganda from invasion by others?"
"Yes. Military invasion. Economic invasion. Cultural invasion. Biological invasion. The role of the ghem is the protect us from every kind of foreign invasion."
"I understand how they protect you from military invasion. What about 'cultural invasion'?"
"They study foreign cultures, and carefully screen for elements which can enrich our own cultures, while keeping out elements which would degenerate our cultures."
"Cultures? The Cetagandan empire has more than one culture?"
"Of course! If we did not have multiple cultures, the Imperium would just be a giant monoculture, and monocultures are prone to weakness."
"I see. And what culture are you from?"
"I am an Iffimio. Iffimio culture is based in the northeastern corner of Serafir, which is one of the nine continents of Xi Ceta."
"Hmmm. And what makes Iffimio different from other Cetagandan cultures?"
"We have our own language, our own literature, our own music, our own dances, our own manners."
"I get the idea," Admiral Naismith said. "Yet you have the same caste system as the rest of the Cetaganda?"
"It is how the Imperium functions," Hain said.
"And the ghem control the various different cultures."
"No," Hain said. "Officially, it is the haut who guide cultural development, but in practice, it is mostly the rek who supervise cultural development and cultural exchange within the Imperium, and the ghem who supervise cultural exchange with those outside the Imperium, though in the last hundred the ghem have also served as cultural intermediaries between the rek and the haut."
"So what you're saying is that the ghem's role is to be a condom that protects Cetaganda from foreign contact while it has intercourse with the rest of the Nexus?"
Hain's cheeks went red. "That is a very Betan metaphor."
"If you couldn't handle a Betan metaphor or two, you wouldn't work so well with Captain Bel Thorne."
Hain made no comment.
"You say that the ghem are supposed to protect Cetaganda from foreign invasion, yet they also invade other planets."
"Naturally," Hain said. "When invading a foreign planet serves the interests of Cetaganda, it is their duty to invade."
"And what about when, say, Barrayar invaded Komarr?"
"It was in Barrayar's interests to invade Komarr, and they obviously were able to pull it off, so of course they invaded. That is what empires do."
"Hmmm. What you have told me certainly explains why every other Cetagandan I've met is ghem. Yet you're not ghem, and you're here. How did that happen?"
"It's a long story, Admiral Naismith."
"I bet it is. I'm sure it's a interesting story too."
"I am, of course, tul."
"I know that you are tul. I don't know what that means."
"We tul operate and maintain non-living things, such as machines. We do not work with living material, nor do we create. We do not even practice refined social behavior. Therefore, we are one of the lowest castes."
"Surely there is an even lower caste - where do Cetagandan prostitutes come from?"
"Oh, we tul would not dare work as prostitutes."
"Ah, so you are not the lowest caste."
"No, we are below prostitutes. Prostitutes work intensely with human bodies, and develop highly refined social manners. It is a profession worthy of the rek and ghem. Members of some of the mid-level castes are also permitted to become prostitutes, but it is too noble for us tul."
Admiral Naismith raised his eyebrows. "Does Cetaganda have a manual labor class? Farmworkers?"
"The most respectable of the tul operate agricultural equipment."
"The most respectable?"
"At least they work with living things as well as non-living things."
"What about you?"
"My parents operate mining equipment. I did well enough in school to be accepted at an information technology training program."
"Yes, I know you started with the Dendarii as an IT tech."
"I got a job at the Yovarr Examination Center."
"What does 'Yovarr' mean?"
"It is the second largest city on Xi Ceta. It is one of the few officially multicultural cities where people of any cultural background may live if they wish, even people from different continents. I lived in the Iffimio district of Yovarr, of course."
"Go on."
"One of the examinations held was the entrance examination to the Imperial Military Service Academy for Xi Ceta residents."
Admiral Naismith blinked. "You mean for Cetaganda's Imperial Military Service Academy."
"Yes."
"Who is qualified to apply?"
"Ghem."
"Anyone else?"
"Not really."
"Isn't there a way to change castes - for a non-ghem to become a ghem?"
"In some circumstances it is possible to change castes. Two hundred years ago, the ghem were a fairly open caste - anyone who showed aptitude as a military officer had some hope of becoming ghem."
"And now?"
"It is practically impossible to be in a position to show aptitude as a military officer if one was not born as a ghem in the first place."
"Hmmm. I see. That is unfortunate, Sergeant Hain tul Larro. Captain Bel Thorne says that you most certainly do have that aptitude."
"I dare not accept such praise."
"Anyway, there were the exams for the military academy. What next?"
"Well, when I was a little boy, I was obsessed with war dramas. And I've always had this fantasy about becoming a military officer. That is why I was curious about how I would do, if I could take the examinations. And I learned that one of the candidates had an accident and would not be able to come so I ... I hacked the system, and took his place."
"Were you caught?"
"Of course I was caught! I knew I had no hope of actually entering the academy, I just wanted to see I how compared to the ghem candidates."
"And how did you do?"
"Out of over five hundred candidates ... Admiral Naismith, I dare not say it."
"Go ahead, you can say it. I don't care how low you scores were."
"No, the problem was that my score wasn't low. I had the 11th highest score."
Admiral Naismith whistled. "I would ask if that qualified you to become ghem, or at least to enter the academy, but since you're sitting here, I am guessing the answer was no."
"You are correct, Admiral Naismith. I was permanently assigned to space duty."
"Well, that was some kind of reward," Admiral Naismith said.
"No, it is a punishment. Space duty is one of the lowest forms of work for a tul."
"But you get to go into space."
"Space is lifeless and lonely. Even my parents, as miners, live on a living planet, in a living community with a rich culture. They do not have to live on spaceships or space stations, surrounded mostly by lifeless machinery, with the lifeless vacuum always near, and thriving eco-systems always far."
"Aw come on, we Dendarii practically live in space, and some of us wouldn't have it any other way."
"It took me a long time to understand why people would want to live in space. It is something which does not make much sense to Cetagandans."
"Well, at least as a space worker, you got to see places outside of Xi Ceta."
"Not really. Only the ghem are permitted to engage in foreign contact. Outside of the Imperium, tul workers must stay aboard the ship at all times except during emergencies. Even within the Imperium, we need a permit from the local rek-lords to visit a planet other than our native one. When I took that exam - that is when I learned, on some level, that the ghem..."
"Don't deserve their high status?" Admiral Naimisth suggested.
"That it one way to put it. Yet I was always under their command, stuck inside a spaceship, without even much contact with my native community to console me. I was the only Iffimio on the ship. The on-board psychologist said that she was not qualified to treat me, and recommended that I be sent to Xi Ceta planetside for therapy, but because being in space was my punishment, the ghem commanders would not let me return."
"So, how did you get out of that?" Admiral Naismith asked.
"I was working on a merchant vessel. Our regular route was a loop, Xi Ceta - Marilac - Zoave Twilight - Vega Station - Sigma Ceta - Eta Ceta - Xi Ceta. I had lost hope of ever going back to Xi Ceta planetside, and I could not stand it any more. Going to any planet seemed better than being in space forever. I knew my odds of escape were best at Marilac. So I - just did it."
"And that is where Captain Bel Thorne recruited you," Admiral Naismith said. "I know the rest of the story from there. Though I am still wondering why they put a proven hacker on a ship which travelled outside of the Cetagandan Empire. Wouldn't it have been better to at least put you on a ship which had a strictly domestic route?"
"The ships on domestic routes have much laxer security. Quite frankly, it would have been easier to escape from a ship which always stayed inside the Imperium."
"Hmmm."
"I don't know why you are so interested in me," Hain said.
"We have been offered a certain contract," Admiral Naismith said. "I am not sure whether the Dendarii Mercenaries will accept it or not. If we do accept, your skills and knowledge will be essential to the success of the mission."
"What kind of contract?"
"An extraction job."
"Extraction? Of a person?"
"Indeed."
"Are they ... willing?"
"The client's representatives claim that they are willing, but the contract has a clause which says that, if they resist extraction, we are to extract them anyway, and we will be financially compensated for our additional troubles. In other words, this might turn into a kidnapping job."
"Since you have been asking me about Cetaganda, I am guessing that the person to be extracted is Cetagandan."
"Bingo!" Admiral Naismith said. "A Cetagandan who resides in the Cetagandan Empire to be specific."
"Surely you are not suggesting that we kidnap someone from within the Cetagandan Empire itself!"
"I am suggesting that," Admiral Naismith said.
Hain's jaw dropped.
"Awww come on, we just openly fought against the Nuovo Brasilians. There is no way that secretly pulling one person out of Cetaganda is more dangerous than that."
"The ghem-lords will not let you get away with this."
"What if I said that our client is ghem?"
"I would think this is one of their internal disputes, and urge you not to do this. Even if one ghem faction is hiring us, all of the other factions will oppose us simply because we are foreigners interfering with their business.
"What if I said that our client is haut?" Admiral Naismith asked.
"If ... no, that is not possible. The haut would never deal directly with foreign mercenaries."
"Let's say that, hypothetically, our client is a haut who wants to teach the ghem a lesson."
"That would be even worse," Hain said solemnly, but his tone of voice had changed. "However, Admiral Naismith, if you command me to extract a ghem on the behalf of a haut client, I will obey."
"And let's say - hypothetically - that our client is a ghem who wants to extract a haut?" Miles asked.
"Absolutely not!" Hain replied. "I would resign before I do that."
"Interesting," Miles said. "I already figured that dealing with the haut would be riskier than dealing with just the ghem, but I'm wondering why you seem so much more willing to serve the haut than the ghem. Aside from the fact that, as far as I know, the haut have never screwed you over."
"The ghem outrank us tul, but in the end, both the ghem and the tul are tools. The haut are our purpose."
"Your purpose?"
"The purpose of Cetaganda is to improve humanity itself. Some of us serve this purpose in very humble and indirect ways, but it is our purpose nonetheless. The haut are the fruits of our labors. They are ours."
"Here I was thinking that the haut believe that they own the lower castes," Admiral Naismith said. "I never imagined that the lower castes believe that they own the haut."
"We don't own them. They are - it is because we can help them and the improvement of humanity that our lives matter."
"I've always wondered why the militaristic ghem-lords did not just overthrow the haut..."
"If the ghem dared to turn against the haut, the lower castes would revolt."
"Yes, that does help explain things."
"Admiral Naismith, who is involved in this potential contract?"
"I cannot tell you who we are to extract unless we actually accept the contract. If we decline the contract, you'll never know, and if we do accept the contract, you will find out soon enough."
"And the client?"
"Hah, even I don't know who the client is. Whoever they are, they have a good set of proxies to cover their identity. For all I know, our client is Emperor Fletchir Giaja himself."
"If the emperor wants to extract someone from within his own empire, he would not need to hire foreign mercenaries to do it."
"Maybe he does have reasons to hire foreign mercenaries. Or maybe our client is Emperor Gregor Vorbarra of Barrayar, or some Jacksonian Baron, or even Steady Freddy. Just because we're supposed to extract someone from the Cetagandan Empire doesn't mean our client is Cetagandan, you know. Actually, it might really be Steady Freddy - I think this mission would be right up his alley. I do know that, whoever they are, they have a lot of money."
"Admiral Naismith - I cannot stress strongly enough how dangerous this contract could be."
"I never got far in life by playing it safe," Admiral Naismith replied. "Thank you for having this chat with me. It was very educational. And I hope you liked the cider."