While Retrieval Two, under Surit, managed the administration work and did Tennal the totally undeserved favor of making him look competent, Tennal started to get social invitations.

“I see you’re settling in,” Captain Fari said cheerfully, dropping by one afternoon at the end of the week. Tennal had seen quite a lot of Fari since he’d escorted Tennal to the governor’s office that first time. Fari had taken it on himself to show Tennal the ropes. They both had the same job, after all: a young military officer thrown into managing a civilian district they absolutely weren’t qualified to run. Fari seemed to think this was a good thing.

The office was full. People’s personal decorations had gone back up as they trickled back in under Surit’s encouragement, and the office walls were a jaunty blaze of color. Surit had judiciously hung several Archer banners and then stubbornly put up a Cavalry one. Tennal had bought a striped banner from Zin’s favorite nonaffiliated debate team and hung it up, because it felt good to have something around that had nothing to do with the army.

Tennal had met all of Oma’s aides now. They were the same type: bright, well-educated young officers who clearly thought Archer Division was a great place for their careers. In another world, Tennal could have met them in Exana’s nightclubs. “We’re having a get-together in a couple of days,” Captain Fari said. “Dinner. Just our crowd. You’ll join us, won’t you?”

“Your crowd?” Tennal said, leaning back in his chair. He and Surit ate all their meals from food stalls or dispensers, but he knew there were exclusive restaurants patronized by the officers and rich civilians. Captain Fari hadn’t even looked at Surit. “If it’s for officers, then what about Lieutenant Yeni?”

Captain Fari looked surprised, as if Surit had only just winked into existence. “Oh, well—you can bring who you like,” he said. “But not the wrong sort, you know?” He grinned, glanced around Tennal’s brightly colored hive of operations, and left.

After he was gone, Surit said, “I’m not much good at parties.”

“You do surprise me,” Tennal said. “Anyway, I’m not going, so you don’t have to.”

“If you want to make connections—”

“Not with that crowd,” Tennal said irritably. “Can’t stand them.” That probably wasn’t fair to Captain Fari: there was something about his knowing gaze that Tennal didn’t like, and Tennal had just enough self-awareness to realize it was something he saw in his own mirror. “Besides, if I ask them for a fake travel permit, they’ll report me straight to Oma. They talk about her like there’s a Guidance sitting on her shoulder.”