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Then he set the bottle down carefully on the table. "You're the guest, Russ, so you can pour. That tea ready yet, Memi?" "Coming right up," said his wife gratefully. "Coming right up." Anketam watched Russat carefully pour brandy into the cups of hot, spicy tea that Memi set before them. Then he looked up, grinned at his wife, and said: "Pour yourself a cup, honey. This is an occasion.
Xedii was and still is the most backward planet in the galaxy. Your Council of Chiefs steadfastly refused to allow the" he glanced at Anketam "workers of Xedii to govern their own lives. They have lived and died without proper education, without the medical care that would save and lengthen their lives, and without the comforts of life that any human being deserves.
He'd been retired a long time back, and his only duties now were little odd jobs that were easy enough, even for an old man. Not that there was anything feeble about old Blejjo; he still looked and acted spry enough. He was sitting on his front porch, talking to young Basom, when Anketam came up. The old man grinned. "Hello, Ank. You figure on getting a few more fish today?" "Why not?
For the first time, Anketam felt a touch of apprehension. He got his crew together, and they walked to the castle in silence, wondering what it was that The Chief had to say. All the men of the barony, except those who couldn't be spared from their jobs, were assembled in front of Chief Samas' baronial castle. The castle itself was not a single building.
The spring planting did well. The rains didn't come until after the seedlings had taken root and anchored themselves well into the soil, and the rows showed no signs of heavy bruising. Anketam had been watching one section in particular, where young Basom had planted.
He had worked hard all his life for the security of retirement, and now all that was gone. What was he to do? Where was he to go? If he had to be paid in money, who would do it? Lady Samas? She had nothing. Besides, Anketam knew nothing about the handling of money. He knew nothing about how to get along in a society like that. He stood there in silence as his world dissolved around him.
Pour us something hot and get that bottle out of the cupboard!" Anketam pushed his brother back towards the chair and made him sit down, but Russat was protesting: "Now, wait a minute! Now, just you hold on, Ank! Don't be getting out your bottle just yet. I brought some real stuff! I mean, expensive stuff you can't get very easy.
But he was careful with his information; he didn't go spreading it around for all to hear, and he made it a point to verify his information before he passed it on. Anketam respected the old man. He was the only one in the village who called him "Ank," outside of Memi. "Do you think The Chief will give her to Kevenoe?" he asked. Blejjo nodded. "Looks like it. He thinks a great deal of Kevenoe."
"Yeah," he said, walking toward the kitchen. "It's me." "We've got company," she said. "Guess who." "I don't claim to be much good at guessing," said Anketam. "I'll have to peek." He stopped at the door of the kitchen and grinned widely when he saw who the man was. "Russat! Well, by heaven, it's good to see you!"
Her eyes watched him searchingly; she had been aware of the subtleties of the exchange between her rough, hard-working, farmer husband and his younger, brighter, better-educated brother. Anketam said: "If this is a present, I guess I'd better open it." He peeled off the seal, then carefully removed the glass stopper and sniffed at the open mouth of the beautiful bottle. "Hm-m-m! Say!"
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