“Because you need to back off. Because you have no idea of the depths you swim in. Seventeen this time. Double that next time. Hell, keep it up and I’ll detain your whole damned township. And next time my men will have orders to shoot the animals of every detainee.”

“You have no authority in Lhadrung.”

“From Colonel Tan? I don’t need to consult that old dinosaur. His signature is obsolete. Your authority is obsolete. Five Claws is under national jurisdiction. If Tan tries to interfere, he will get a very unpleasant call from Beijing. He’ll end his days in one of those pathetic homes for cast-off soldiers.”

“Those people were miles from the dam site.”

“Indigenous people have been seen secretly observing the construction. There have been disturbing incidents that might be interpreted as disloyal, even sabotage. Religious Affairs has long suspected illegal anti-cultural activity in the area.”

“Anti-cultural?”

“From a new policy directive: ‘conduct of unauthorized indigenous cultural activity.’”

“They call it praying.”

“Praying! Exactly! The term reeks of reactionary conspiracy. Just a bunch of annoying whispers, as far as I can tell.” Huan raised a chastising finger and wagged it at Shan. “You let them leave one of those statues of their bald-headed god on your square. Have you heard of the marvelous discovery made by Religious Affairs recently? The bald-headed god is really a symbol of the Dalai Lama!”

“More like the other way around,” Shan said, looking down at the photos. Huan seemed not to hear him.

“So a statue of that old god is really a statue of the Dalai Lama. Such is the insidious personality cult that inflicts grave damage on our effort to transform the Tibetan people.” Shan cocked his head at Huan. The knob officer shrugged. “I attended a Religious Affairs seminar last month. Personality cults are like poison injected into the heart of our socialist paradigm. It was written right on the chalkboard. You are empowering the Tibetans’ personality cult.”

“We have a bust of the Great Helmsman at the other end of the square,” Shan observed. “And how surprising for you to invoke Religious Affairs. They probably need you in Lhasa. I hear they suffered a terrible arson fire last night.”

The words caused Huan to falter, but only for a moment. A cool gleam soon returned to his eyes. “Steady, Constable. I’m not sure there is a lower posting in law enforcement to which you could be demoted to, but Lhadrung is probably always in need of more garbage haulers.”

“And janitors,” Shan added.

Huan grinned again, then stood. “Stay away from Five Claws, Constable. Stay away from anyone working on the dam. Stay away from janitors and old men carrying secret messages. You’re a bug that someone might step on. Go find a distant corner and curl up in your shell.”