L Modesitt - Empress of Eternity

The screen indicator showed more than a hundred pages of supplemental documents. Those would have to wait until later that day, perhaps until evening, although that would require him to remain at the Ministry. He wasn?t about to study figures with people and messages coming and going, especially not with the political implications behind every account.

He?d barely leaned back in the desk chair when Marcent spoke, his words projected from his console outside the office. "Assistant Comptroller Amirella, sir."

Maertyn couldn?t say that he was surprised. Amirella hadn?t stopped by the subministry to see him the week before just on a whim, and he?d been wondering just how long before he heard from her again.

"Have her come in." He stood and moved away from the desk toward the conference table. With Amirella, sitting behind the desk would only make matters harder.

The dark-haired accountant stepped into the office. She closed the door herself.

"It?s early for lunch," he offered with a smile, gesturing toward the small conference table, where he seated himself at the same time as she did.

"Two lunches in a week? Come now, Maertyn." She shifted her weight and well-formed curves in the chair, then smiled. "Sorry. Habit. That doesn?t work with you. It never has."

Maertyn laughed softly. "And you know that, but still did it to make a point, and, yes, you are attractive, and, as always…no." He paused for just an instant. "Are you here in your official capacity as a senior comptroller?"

"Why else? You?ve been away for over a year. Times have changed."

"Don?t they always?"

"The draft excess funds reallocations are due in a little more than a week."

"I?ve been informed that they?ll be my responsibility. You knew, didn?t you?"

"No one told me, but it had to be that way."

"Why? Because Josef wouldn?t reallocate the way Hlaansk wants? What difference does that make? The minister always has the final say." Maertyn had a good general idea why, but he wanted to see what Amirella would tell him.

"Josef is very close to Minister Tauzn. Josef really wanted to work in Protective Services, but Tauzn persuaded him to accept the research position here."

"I?d heard that Josef wanted to head up Military Research, or at least be the principal deputy assistant minister."

Amirella nodded. "D?Onfrio stalled matters so that the other positions were filled first, and then had Hlaansk offer Josef the Environment Research Subministry, where he could do less damage."

Not for the first time, Maertyn considered that Amirella knew far too much to be just an assistant comptroller. "From Hlaansk?s point of view, then, it almost doesn?t matter what I do, so long as I don?t reallocate in the way Josef did?"

"The minister appointed you because if any deputy assistant minister would have a different view from Minister Josef, it would be you."

"Exactly what?s his problem?"

"It?s not his, Maertyn. He?s making it yours. If anything happens to you, the minister will either have to make the reallocations himself or appoint Olason Tedor. Olason?s the next senior deputy assistant minister. He?s also married to Tauzn?s youngest niece."

"Olason?s been here longer, much longer."

"You?re a lord, remember. The charter gives lords seniority-"

"That hasn?t been invoked in decades."

"It?s never been repealed."

"So I make the draft reallocations, presumably to every other subministry but Military Research…"

"It is called Protective Services Research, Maertyn."

"…and Minister Tauzn arranges an accident for me, and then Hlaansk and the EA reaffirm what I do, and block Tauzn to some degree, and Maarlyna has to return to Caelaarn for my state funeral. I can?t say that I find that terribly appealing."

"You?re less likely to have an accident than anyone else. People look harder when things happen to lords, especially after they?ve happened to other officials."

Maertyn didn?t find her words reassuring in the slightest, particularly the mention of accidents to other officials. Still…he smiled. "This will bear some thought. It may take me a while to address the draft redirection of funds." He paused, then mused, "Protective Services Research…I?ve never seen their expense ledgers."

"You wouldn?t have. Even Josef hasn?t. He only sees the environmental research for Protective Services. The other Protective Services research is eyes only for the Executive Administrator, the Minister of Science, and the Minister of Protective Services. Three months ago, the Unity?s comptroller inspector had a fatal vehicle crash. That was right after he began looking into the use of funds by the Minister of Protective Services…"

Maertyn thought of Ashauer. "Which ministries are behind the EA, and which support Tauzn?"

A faint smile crossed Amirella?s lips. "You always have a surprise or two, Maertyn."

He waited.

"No one knows. It?s getting too dangerous to express opinions publicly. The Assistant Minister for Weapons Improvement suffered a fatal allergenic reaction to shellfish two weeks ago, and an assistant minister in Finance will be hospitalized for months while they regrow most of his lower body."

"Why does Tauzn think he needs better security weapons? The reports I?ve seen don?t show that much of an advance of the ice. Or is it the shorter growing season and the lost of high-and low-latitude fertile land? Things can?t have gotten that bad in a year."

"There?s an election coming up in a year. Tauzn is likely to be the candidate to succeed the EA." She paused. "You tell me how bad things will be in ten years. Crop yields are falling, and biofoods production is more expensive. The numbers of those resettled from the ice-lands keep growing, and they?re less and less happy with the Unity. Tauzn is trying to strengthen Protective Services, especially the Gaerda, to deal with civic unrest. Saenblaed is always a problem, and there are already demonstrations on the out-continents."

"Galawon and Occidenta? I do hope something doesn?t happen to dear Josef."

"That kind of sarcasm doesn?t become you…" Amirella broke off. "You were serious, weren?t you?"

"Indeed. With what you?ve described, if anything did happen, I?d likely be acting assistant minister for far longer than I?d prefer. I might never get to finish my research project."

"Is it a real research project?"

What she was asking was whether it was merely an excuse for him to help Maarlyna recover. "Actually, it is."

"That does make matters more interesting. It might make your position stronger."

"With Tauzn, perhaps, or Hlaansk, but not necessarily with others."

"I?m confident you can deal with the others, Maertyn." She eased her chair back, as if preparing to rise and depart.

"Does the Comptroller of the Ministry of Science have any recommendations for reallocations for this subministry?"

"Comptrollers are only interested in making sure that proper procedures are followed, Maertyn." Amirella stood.

So did Maertyn. "It was good to see you again."

"It was good to be here." There was the slightest emphasis on the word "here," and her eyes flicked in the direction of Marcent.

Maertyn smiled. "You do deliver messages well, dear lady."

"Only one of my many talents, Maertyn."

After the door closed behind her, he walked to the window and looked out at the gray sky that threatened snow. Ashauer and the EA certainly opposed any more funding or power-or even anything that Maertyn might discover about the canal-going to Tauzn…or his tacit minions. So did whoever Amirella was acting for, as did Hlaansk.

Even so, Maertyn didn?t see that being a lord or even an acting assistant minister was likely to dissuade Tauzn and the Gaerda if he gave any indication of blocking their access to anything they wanted.