Children of the Mind (Ender, Book 4) (Ender Quartet)

because you did it for your family's sake."
    "And this that you ask of me now -- this is perfectly simple?"
    "I have taken the most direct action -- I have spoken plainly to the most powerful representative of the richest of the Japanese trading families that I could reach on this day. And what I ask of you is the minimum action required to do what is necessary."
    "In this case the minimum puts my career at great risk," said Yasujiro thoughtfully.
    Aimaina said nothing.
    "My greatest teacher once told me," said Yasujiro, "that a man who has risked his life knows that careers are worthless, and a man who will not risk his career has a worthless life."
    "So you will do it?"
    "I will prepare my messages to make your case to all the Tsutsumi family. When the ansibles are linked again, I will send them."
    "I knew you would not disappoint me."
    "Better than that," said Yasujiro. "When I am thrown out of my job, I will come and live with you."
    Aimaina bowed. "I would be honored to have you dwell in my house."
     
     
    The lives of all people flow through time, and, regardless of how brutal one moment may be, how filled with grief or pain or fear, time flows through all lives equally. Minutes passed in which Val-Jane held the weeping Miro, and then time dried his tears, time loosened her embrace, and time, finally, ended Ela's patience.
    "Let's get back to work," said Ela. "I'm not unfeeling, but our predicament is unchanged."
    Quara was surprised. "But Jane's not dead. Doesn't that mean we can get back home?"
    Val-Jane at once got up and moved back to her computer terminal. Every movement was easy because of the reflexes and habits the Val-brain had developed; but the Jane-mind found each movement fresh and new; she marveled at the dance of her fingers pressing the keys to control the display. "I don't know," Jane said, answering the question that Quara had voiced, but all were asking. "I'm still uncertain in this flesh. The ansibles haven't been restored. I do have a handful of allies who will relink some of my old programs to the network once it is restored -- some Samoans on Pacifica, Han Fei-tzu on Path, the Abo university on Outback. Will those programs be enough? Will the new networking software allow me to tap the resources I need to hold all the information of a starship and so many people in my mind? Will having this body interfere? Will my new link to the mothertrees be a help or a distraction?" And then the most important question: "Do we wish to be my first test flight?"
    "Somebody has to," said Ela.
    "I think I'll try one of the starships on Lusitania, if I can reestablish contact with them," said Jane. "With only a single hive queen worker on board. That way if it is lost, it will not be missed." Jane turned to nod to the worker who was with them. "Begging your pardon, of course."
    "You don't have to apologize to the worker," said Quara. "It's really just the Hive Queen anyway."
    Jane looked over at Miro and winked. Miro did not wink back, but the look of sadness in his eyes was answer enough. He knew that the workers were not quite what everyone thought. The hive queens sometimes had to tame them, because not all of them were utterly subjected to their mother's will. But the was-it-or-wasn't-it-slavery of the workers was a matter for another generation to work out.
    "Languages," said Jane. "Carried by genetic molecules. What kind of grammar must they have? Are they linked to sounds, smells, sights? Let's see how smart we all are without me inside the computers helping." That struck her as so amazingly funny that she laughed aloud. Ah, how marvelous it was to have her own laughter sounding in her ears, bubbling upward from her lungs, spasming her diaphragm, bringing tears to her eyes!
    Only when her laughter ended did she realize how leaden the sound of it must have been to Miro, to the others. "I'm sorry," she said, abashed, and felt a blush rising up her neck into her cheeks. Who could have believed it could burn so hot! It almost made her laugh again. "I'm not used to being alive like this. I know I'm rejoicing when the rest of you are grim, but don't you see? Even if we all die when the air runs out in a few weeks, I can't help but marvel at how it feels to me!"
    "We understand," said Firequencher. "You have passed into your Second Life. It's a joyful time for us, as well."
    "I spent time among your trees, you know," said Jane. "Your mothertrees made space for me. Took me in and nurtured me. Does that