Shae no longer had her jade senses, but she did have instincts honed from decades of reading the clouds. “Ambassador. Colonel. It seems our countries are closer than ever, since our relationship is based on so many old secrets.” Shae stood. Niko stood with her. “The No Peak clan won’t send Fists to break up the Euman Standoff,” she told the foreigners. “It’s true what you said earlier. Green Bones aren’t paragons of the Divine Virtues. For all our abilities, we’re only human, and often fail to live up to our own ideals. But we aren’t vassals who would break aisho for Espenian convenience.
“I propose a different bargain. We’ll let go of our old grievances over your treatment of Kekon during the Slow War. We’ll keep your secrets about the Janloon bombing, and Molovni, and Operation Firebreak—so long as you don’t hinder the jade decriminalization bill in the National Assembly. Consider it an alliance of inaction.”
Colonel Basso glowered without answering, but Ambassador Lonard rose stiffly. “I had hoped,” she said, “that given No Peak’s economic ties to Espenia, you would be more cooperative than your rivals or the Kekonese government. If the Green Bone clans won’t intervene on Euman Island to control the populace, then my government won’t be held responsible if Kekonese lives are lost.”
Shae turned to leave. “Ambassador, when it comes to Kekon and its jade, responsibility is the last thing I expect from your people.”
_______
When they were back in the car, Shae instructed the driver to take them to Tia’s school. There was still half an hour before classes were done for the day, so they sat in the car under the shade of a tree, windows rolled down to let in a breeze.
Niko broke the awkward silence. “I’m sorry for my rudeness during the meeting, Aunt Shae. I thought it was important that I speak up in that moment, but I should’ve told you everything I knew beforehand.”
“Yes, you should have,” Shae rebuked him. “If your knowledge of Operation Firebreak might’ve been important in any way during the discussion, then you were wrong not to bring it up with your Weather Man well in advance.”
“I understand my mistake.” Niko hunched forward. After a minute of castigated silence, he explained, “Operation Firebreak is what I was sent to carry out when I worked for GSI. Years ago, the Espenian government began reducing its military use of jade and drawing down its involvement in overseas conflicts. Secretly, though, it hired Jim Sunto’s company to fight wars against Deliverantism and Ygutanian influence around the world.”
“Sunto told you this?” Shae asked.
Niko shook his head. “Not directly. We had to sign a lot of nondisclosure forms and we weren’t allowed to talk about assignments to anyone outside of GSI, but many of us figured it out piecemeal from things we heard. I spent some time digging into it afterward.” Niko avoided meeting her gaze. “I’m not proud of what I was involved in.”
“That’s no excuse,” Shae replied, although her annoyance was already fading. Seeing the guilt in her nephew’s curled shoulders, she wanted to reach across the seat, to hug him tightly the way she used to when he was a little boy and would come to her for comfort. She wanted to tell him that she understood what it took to leave, and to come back. There was pride and shame in both of those decisions. Niko’s reasons and experiences had been different from hers, and so were his regrets, but she wished she could offer him something that would smooth the premature lines on his young face.
“Niko-se,” she said, “there’re a lot of things I’ve done in my life that I don’t want to talk about. Every week, I ask the gods for their understanding and forgiveness. And yet, when I walk out of the temple, I still have to make decisions that might stack up even more against me. I’m not sure there’s any other way to be a leader in a Green Bone clan.”
Niko looked out the window toward the school building. Two years ago, Shae and Woon had come to the obvious but nonetheless difficult conclusion that Tia would not do well in Kaul Du Academy, that they should honor their daughter’s wishes and allow her to continue on a scholastic track instead of training her to become a Green Bone. It had been the right choice, Shae told herself. Tia loved Janloon North Hills Primary, the school Ru had also attended.
A shadow passed over Niko’s face as he gazed across the parking lot to the entrance. Shae wondered if he was thinking of Ru, imagining him coming out of the front doors so the brothers could bike home together. She could see the white scar down the front of Niko’s left ear, where the cartilage had been stitched back into place.