“You’re speaking purely hypothetically, of course?” Faust tested.

“Of course.” There is a tendency to hide normal expressions around the Master Brillist, fearing they give away too much, but Sniper had long since outgrown such paranoia, and gave the Headmaster the dark wink he was fishing for. “The Censor can’t change the numbers, they just read them. I imagine the CFB is about the same.”

“So you’re not concerned at all?” Faust tested, winking at the knot of researchers (for all spectators in Ingolstadt are researchers) which had gathered, taking notes on the encounter, and whispering in the clinical German their great founder had judged to be the best language for a researcher to think in.

“Of course I’m concerned,” Sniper answered, “I’m concerned what damage these rumors will do to the Cousins.”

“Oh?” Faust glanced to his watching students, an arched brow promising to quiz them on their notes and readings after the encounter.

Sniper never minds an audience. “The CFB is the heart of the Cousins. All the other major Hives are run by political types, power brokers, from Mitsubishi directors to President Ganymede. They’re vokers, too. They like power, it’s their play as well as their work, and what they do in office is at least partly dictated by what will make the people keep them there. But the Cousins don’t have elections, don’t compete, they just get suggestions filtered by the CFB, and they put into office whatever generous soul is willing to take on something so onerous. That’s what makes the Cousins a family, instead of a corporation or an empire. If people start doubting the CFB, they’re doubting what makes the Cousins cousins.”

As Chagatai, on those rare evenings when Ἄναξ Jehovah dines at home, savors afterward the leftovers and remnant dinner wine whose brilliant pairing the chef best appreciates, so Faust savored the thousand subtleties of Sniper’s answer.

“Do you agree, Headmaster?” Sniper pressed.

“No,” Faust answered thoughtfully, “if I were an evil conspirator I would definitely bribe the Censor, especially the current one, since you get the Cousin Chair’s spouse in your pocket at no extra cost.”

Sniper frowned. “That’s not an answer. You’re the one who quizzed me about the CFB, so you may as well return the courtesy. Do you agree the CFB is the core of what separates the Cousins from other major Hives?” Did you catch it, reader? Faust did: ‘major Hives’—how elegantly we exclude Utopia and Gordian.

The Headmaster’s eyes sparkled. “There, dear Sniper, you have hit one nail on the head. There are other traits most Cousins share, of course, I’m doing a seminar on that if you’re interested, but you’re right, if I wanted to weaken the Cousins—still speaking hypothetically—undermining the CFB would be a fine course. The Cousins don’t have many weak spots, but the CFB is very like a jugular.”

Sniper’s black eyes flashed as it homed in on its prey. “I hear Chair Kosala’s so worried they called an emergency meeting of admins and experts.”