Thank the Balance for some efficiency! murmured the Controller. He took up the Key that hung round his neck from his chain of office and plugged it into the little-used slot at the side of his console. The code signal vanished from his screen and words took its place. The Secretary of course did not look, but he saw that there were only a couple of lines on the screen. He saw that the Controller was reacting with considerable dismay. Not very informative, Borasus murmured. He leant forward and checked the line of symbols which came up after the words in the smaller screen of his manual. Hm. Giraldus, he said to his Secretary.
Sir?
One of these is a need-to-know. Since Im going to be away tomorrow, Id better tell you what this says. This W. Madden seems to have his facts right. A Bannus is some sort of archaic decision-maker. It makes use of a field of theta-space to give you live-action scenarios of any set of facts and people you care to feed into it. Acts little plays for you, until you find the right one and tell it to stop.
Giraldus laughed. You mean the clerk and the maintenance team have been playing football all this month?
Its no laughing matter. Controller Borasus nervously snatched his Key from its slot. The second code symbol is the one for extreme danger.
Oh. Giraldus stopped laughing. But, sir, I thought theta-space
was a new thing the central worlds were playing with? the Controller finished for him. So did I. But it looks as if someone knew about it all along. He shivered slightly. If I remember rightly, the danger with theta-space is that it can expand indefinitely if its not controlled. Im the Controller, he added with a nervous laugh. I have the Key. He looked down at the Key, hanging from its chain. Its possible that this is what the Key is really for. He pulled himself together and stood up. I can see its no use trusting that idiot Bedford. It will be extremely inconvenient, but I had better get to Earth now and turn the wretched machine off. Notify America, will you? Say Ill be flying on from London after Ive been to Hexwood.
Yes, sir. Giraldus made notes, murmuring. Official robes, air tickets, passport, standard Earth documentation-pack. Is that why I need to know, sir? he asked, turning to flick switches. So that I can tell everyone youve gone to deal with a classified machine and may be a little late getting to the conference?
No, no! Borasus said. Dont tell anyone. Make some other excuse. You need to know in case Homeworld gets back to you after Ive left. The first symbol means I have to send a report top priority to the House of Balance.
Giraldus was a pale and beaky man, but this news made him turn a curious yellow. To the Reigners? he whispered, looking like an alarmed vulture.
Controller Borasus found himself clutching his Key as if it was his hope of salvation. Yes, he said, trying to sound firm and confident. Anything involving this machine has to go straight to the Reigners themselves. dont worry. No one can possibly blame you.
But they can blame me, Borasus thought, as he used his Key on the private emergency link to Homeworld, which no Sector Controller ever used unless he could help it. Whatever this is, it happened in my sector.
The emergency screen blinked and lit with the symbol of the Balance, showing that his report was now on its way to the heart of the galaxy, to the almost legendary world that was supposed to be the original home of the human race, where even the ordinary inhabitants were said to be gifted in ways that people in the colony worlds could hardly guess at. It was out of his hands now.
He swallowed as he turned away. There were supposed to be five Reigners. Borasus had worried, double thoughts about them. On one hand, he believed almost mystically in these distant beings who controlled the Balance and infused order into the Organisation. On the other hand, as he was accustomed to say drily to those in the Organisation who doubted that the Reigners existed at all, there had to be someone in control of such a vast combine, and whether there were five, or less, or more, these High Controllers did
not appreciate blunders. He hoped with all his heart that this business with the Bannus did not strike them as a blunder. What he told himself he emphatically did not believe were all these tales of the Reigners Servant.
When the Reigners were displeased, it was said, they were liable to dispatch their Servant. The Servant, who had the face of death and dressed always in scarlet, came softly stalking down the stars to deal with the one who was at fault. It was said he could kill with one touch of his bone-cold finger, or at a distance, just with his mind. It did no good to conceal your fault, because the Servant could read minds, and no matter how far you ran and how many barriers you put between, the Servant could detect you and come softly walking through anything you put in his way. You could not kill him, because he deflected all weapons. And the Servant would never swerve from any task the Reigners appointed him to.