If it hadn’t been that someone on the kitchen staff needed hernia surgery, Merleth might not have been able to check off the surgery-assist requirement less than a tenner after she had complained to Dav that she would never get a chance to satisfy that requirement. She had also been able to assist when a couple of cases of cinder pox were brought into the medicenter, so that covered the last of her infectious-diseases practicums. That left seven “general” practicum hours to complete, but they could be satisfied with trauma care. If only she weren’t needed to interpret so much, she could finish the requirements within another threef. As it was, she wondered when she’d finish.

  She didn’t exactly wish for a major incident with a lot of casualties, but she did wish that when there was an incident, the supervisor would not stick her in triage to translate instead of letting her practice her trauma medicine.

  Merleth was impatient to complete her medical practicums for a lot of reasons--beginning with her desire to be able to move independently outside the base--but the most important reason lately had been the attitude of some of the junior agents she had to work with.

  She understood that they resented that she had been brought to Jaraida before she qualified, but when she was translating or explaining a Jaraidan custom, they should put aside their resentment and let her do her work. She might be no more than a trainee, but she had better credentials in the language and culture than many of the senior agents. She did not deserve the subtle mockery and deliberate lack of cooperation from the junior agents.

  More than once, a request that a Jaraidan made through her was ignored until she posted it on the contact report because the agents she was supposed to work with told her they were busy and she should “find someone else to help her.” They loved to send her on errands that a robo could do, and several times they preventing her from getting some practicum credits out of the way by requesting that she do something that would not count towards her medical credentials.

  It was a strange experience. She was used to working within a group of peers who helped each other. She understood competitiveness when there was a goal that only one person could reach first, but when there was a shared goal, hurting another person’s chances did not make sense. She was not na?ve. She had watched ruthless, petty people in action before. She just had not been in a position to be hurt by the pettiness—or at least, not for a very long time.

  Most of these people had been only two or three years ahead of her at the Academy and the College. She had never known any of them well, but she would never have imagined that they would be as hostile as they had been since she had arrived in Trinar.

  At first it had not seemed any different from the wariness that an established group had towards a newcomer, but it became more noticeable as time passed. Not everyone treated her badly. Ogandg and Lexol had become good friends, but they mostly interacted during the food deliveries, not when Merleth was assigned to the medicenter or one of the research groups that needed an interpreter or cultural expert.

  She supposed the resentment had gotten worse when Ncatl had promoted and praised her orphan shelter idea, and the rejection of the plan by the mission leaders had then encouraged the jealous and resentful junior agents to make their hostility more overt. Once she qualified, they could

  The only thing she could do, she knew, was ignore the pettiness and keep working on her practicums. When she had finished and qualified as an agent, she would no longer be treated as unworthy to be in the same room as other agents.

  *****

  Her work on the food deliveries was the most satisfactory. Even though the proposal for the orphans shelter had fallen through, Senior Ncatl had come up with some protocols to reduce the abuse of those who came for food, even though it made more work. Learning from Merleth’s reports that instead of handing out food, the stoneworks offered the homeless meals which they were expected to consume when they were serve, Ncatl decided that PASS would do the same. There were still packs that people could take home, but the most substantial food was served to the people on long low tables.

  It had been amusing to watch the people’s astonishment the first few times the robos set up the tables, and Merleth and the others had had to do a lot of reassuring of the older people when the robos started serving the food. But it made it possible for them to be sure that no one who came to the PASS food distribution lines left hungry. The children, and many of the older folks too, were visibly happier. It made Merleth realize that not only the children had been victimized by bullies and gangs who wanted to sell the food packs on the black market.

  Ogandg and Lexol remarked on the change that the new protocols had made and gave Merleth credit for them, though all she had done was bring the problem to Ncatl’s attention and report on how the local stoneworks were handling their own distribution of food to the needy. Feeding everyone at the same time—though actually it was more like in two or three different sittings—had been Ncatl’s idea.

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  Dat’éa, who still talked to Merleth frequently even though she knew that PASS was not going to go through with the shelter plan, reported that the change in how the food was served had been a huge relief to the Trinar leadership because it had taken some of the pressure from the Trinar Council to provide for the ones whose food was being stolen.

  “Many stoneworks can barely feed their own people, so having to find enough to give to the homeless is difficult. The morning meals are skimpy because resources are so limited, but then the homeless old folks and children are starving in the evening because someone stole their food. The Council was driven to buy stolen food on the black market to give it back to the neediest—and it was never enough.”

  It was an impressive story, if true, and Merleth believed Dat’éa because things the children and a few of the women who lined up for food corroborated it. The Trinar Council, she was able to report, had made an effort to ensure that the people didn’t starve.

  “Why don’t they just stop the bullies?” Lexol had asked when she had repeated what Dat’éa had said. “Don’t they have some kind of police force?”

  “They probably don’t,” suggested Ogandg. “The children say that most of the men are either dead or ‘gone’ somewhere else—to fight, perhaps?”

  Merleth did not know about this, but she had asked Dat’éa enough questions that she was able to report not only about the humanitarian activities of the local council but its composition. According to Dat’éa, Trinar, and all other communities with at least three stoneworks, would have a local council composed of one or two representatives from each stonework. They made all the major decisions for the community. Each stonework had its own leadership, and how it was selected would differ according to the families involved, Dat’éa said.

  When she presented her report, with the suggestion that this was a good argument against the claim that Trinar, at least, was in anarchy, Ncatl had agreed, but reminded that they needed more proof. Merleth should ask Dat’éa more specific questions.

  Who was the city council leader? What were some of the recent decisions from the council? Did they have police or peacekeeping force? Why were thugs able to steal from children and old folks?

  He had also offered to provide regular issues of “emergency relief” food to either the Council or the individual stoneworks to supplement what they were able to give their people. But he would need the name of whom he would be dealing with. A clever strategy, Merleth admitted, wondering if the Trinar leadership would be willing to trade anonymity for food.

  Dat’éa, when asked, said that she didn’t think so, but that she would pass on the message. She could not give the names of the leadership, she explained. It would violate the “no unnecessary contact” rule.

  *****

  Not long after this, Merleth was called in by Ncatl to let her know that she was going to be reassigned to Kyeros. She had mixed feelings about the news. On the one hand, she felt that she was doing useful work and would hate to have to start over befriending locals and developing contacts. On the other hand, she had not been finding Trinar a supportive work environment, nor did she feel she could do what PASS wanted her to do—to get to know people who would talk to her—so long as she hadn’t finished her practicums and couldn’t go off-base on her own.

  In Kyeros, she explained to her mother, who had contacted her to see how she felt about the news, she would be able to visit the stonework that was open to off-worlders, and she might find it easier to get companions from the base to go with her because agents always liked to visit local shops and eateries. Trinar had no local area open to off-worlders.

  ?Maybe,? she joked. ?That’s why all of them are so cranky.?

  Her mother had laughed a little and granted that being trapped with no off-base amusement could make some people sour.

  ?It would be good to be able to see local people behaving normally,? Merleth added.

  ?Here we mostly encounter people in need, and usually the least fortunate among them. Dav Arteyn reports that he has met interesting people and has a couple of good informants in the Omik stonework.?

  ?Could you work well with Agent Arteyn? ? her mother asked.

  ?Sure, ? she said. ?Unless he starts treating me like a lowly worm because I am ‘only a trainee,’ ? she added with a chuckle.

  But she knew he would not do that. They were old friends, and he was consistently supportive. Working with Dav might be one of the advantages of being assigned to Kyeros.

  ?So, on the whole, you would be happy to go to Kyeros? ? her mom asked. ?You don’t feel that you need to complete any of your work in Trinar first? ?

  Merleth wondered if her mother was asking about using her influence to delay the transfer. She wished they were face to face in person rather than on the two-dimensional vitalk. Her mother would not mind if she sensed out to find out what her mother was really thinking, but it was impossible with distance communication. Even holo made it impossible to sense others.

  ?The only thing I will regret, ? she said honestly. ?Is not being able to stay in touch with Da’téa. I had been developing her as a contact, and she seems promising. On the other hand, she isn’t very forthcoming about the things PASS most wants to know, so there is no reason for me to stay here longer. ?

  ? Good,? said her mother. ? I was worried that even though you have had some difficulties, you might not want to be uprooted so suddenly.?

  It had been kind of sudden, Merleth thought.

  ? Do you know why it’s been so sudden?? she asked. It would be interesting to know, though the reason would make no difference.

  ? It’s what you might guess,? her mother said slowly. ?You were sent to Trinar to see if it stimulated Gin’va Adeni to contact you. It was believed that she was there. But now it has been found that she hasn’t been in Trinar for at least four threefs. She was probably gone before you arrived.?

  ? And they think she is in Kyeros? ? she asked hoping that was the case.

  ? We don’t know where she is. The reason you’re being sent to Kyeros now is that there is no use for you in Trinar, and they now suspect that she might be there.

  ? But even if she isn’t,? her mother went on. ?They think you will be more useful in Kyeros. We need more data about Mehland, and you worked very well with Nadaly Rionan on the Arand project, so they will be assigning you to work on the Mehland project with her and Dav Arteyn. That’s why I wanted to make sure that you can work with him. ?

  ? Oh yeah,? Merleth said. ? We worked well before ?

  She was looking forward to working with Dav, actually.