Analog Science Fiction And Fact - June 2014 by Penny Publications
Authors: Penny Publications
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tachibana trees? They aren't fussy. They'll grow in sun or shade, in moist soil or dry, but they don't get as tall as that—not unless they were planted when your great-grandpa was still a zygote. Kroydhun is one of our older neighborhoods."
Baldwin's expression was puzzled. "Why would sightseers want to go there?"
"They wouldn't. It's pleasant enough, but not exactly scenic."
"It seems to have been high on Tumanzu's must-see list. This was the first place that he and Escoli visited."
"Really?" Collins digested this tidbit of information and seemed to consult inwardly. "It might not have been a question of
what
he wanted to see so much as
who,
" he speculated. "If an old acquaintance of his lives there..."
"That's it!" Baldwin seconded Collins' suggestion with a fingersnap. "Escoli told me that Tumanzu intended to pay a call on a sugami."
Collins quirked a dubious eyebrow. "A sugami?" He shook his head in bemusement. "No wonder Escoli wanted to keep company with this guy. How often do you get a chance to hitch a ride on a time machine?"
Baldwin's forehead sprouted extra furrows. "Talk sense. A time machine?"
"You'd need one to find a sugami. You'd also need to be an expert swordsman—an ikumo."
Baldwin wasn't well acquainted with Bukkaran history, but he knew what an ikumo was. Past tense. The
distant
past. Ikuma had been professional duelists—sword masters who fought matches to the death to settle disputes that the courts couldn't.... A time machine. Yes. A Terran who wanted to meet a Roman gladiator and a Bukkaran who wanted to meet an ikumo would be confronted by the same fundamental problem.
Anticipating Baldwin's next question, Collins said: "A sugami was an opponent deemed unworthy of respect. Not a coward. Few ikuma were guilty of outright cowardice. But an ikumo would occasionally resort to a tactic that was considered dishonorable. A defeated adversary who had fought fair was dispatched with a single thrust to the throat. That's assuming, of course, that he hadn't already received a mortal wound. A sugami could expect no such courtesy. The victor would do a little dance around him, taunting him, mocking him, refusing to grant him the dignity of a quick and painless death."
"Adding insult to injury."
"More like heaping humiliation on defeat, but yes—that's the general idea."
Baldwin scratched his head. "Now—in the present day—is the term 'sugami' ever used metaphorically?"
"Tumanzu used it that way, didn't he?" Collins shrugged. "He
must
have done. If he said he was going to pay a call on a sugami, he couldn't have meant it literally."
Baldwin lapsed into a moment of reflection....
Okay,
he thought, trying to put himself in Tumanzu's place.
I'm a Dokharan. I'm visiting my cousin on Izmir. I'm unfamiliar with the island. I want to locate a specific individual—a "sugami." Maybe I already know where to find him, but probably not.I'm relying on my cousin to act as my guide. That being so...
"Minerva," said Baldwin, addressing his comtote by name.
"Yes, Greg."
Baldwin was a fan of classic movies. One his favorites was
Gilda.
He'd given Minerva a voice that was a reasonably good impersonation of Rita Hayworth.
"At any time in the past ten days, did Escoli use the
Herald's
database to conduct an address search?"
"On three occasions, yes."
"Did any of her searches yield an address in the Kroydhun district?"
"Yes. Kroydhun Ankurda 12-16. That is the residence of Tajok."
"The Dokharan war criminal?"
"That is correct."
Baldwin whistled aloud. "Nasty customer," he mused. "A grand slam redoubled in bastards if there ever was one."
3.
The traditional enemies of the Dokharans were the Ambulans.
The bones of contention over which they quarreled were many and varied, but foremost among them was the Chajin Channel—the un-straight strait that linked the Hokata Gulf with the Myoski Ocean. Whoever controlled the Chajin narrows had a stranglehold on a major trade route. It was both a geographical and
Baldwin's expression was puzzled. "Why would sightseers want to go there?"
"They wouldn't. It's pleasant enough, but not exactly scenic."
"It seems to have been high on Tumanzu's must-see list. This was the first place that he and Escoli visited."
"Really?" Collins digested this tidbit of information and seemed to consult inwardly. "It might not have been a question of
what
he wanted to see so much as
who,
" he speculated. "If an old acquaintance of his lives there..."
"That's it!" Baldwin seconded Collins' suggestion with a fingersnap. "Escoli told me that Tumanzu intended to pay a call on a sugami."
Collins quirked a dubious eyebrow. "A sugami?" He shook his head in bemusement. "No wonder Escoli wanted to keep company with this guy. How often do you get a chance to hitch a ride on a time machine?"
Baldwin's forehead sprouted extra furrows. "Talk sense. A time machine?"
"You'd need one to find a sugami. You'd also need to be an expert swordsman—an ikumo."
Baldwin wasn't well acquainted with Bukkaran history, but he knew what an ikumo was. Past tense. The
distant
past. Ikuma had been professional duelists—sword masters who fought matches to the death to settle disputes that the courts couldn't.... A time machine. Yes. A Terran who wanted to meet a Roman gladiator and a Bukkaran who wanted to meet an ikumo would be confronted by the same fundamental problem.
Anticipating Baldwin's next question, Collins said: "A sugami was an opponent deemed unworthy of respect. Not a coward. Few ikuma were guilty of outright cowardice. But an ikumo would occasionally resort to a tactic that was considered dishonorable. A defeated adversary who had fought fair was dispatched with a single thrust to the throat. That's assuming, of course, that he hadn't already received a mortal wound. A sugami could expect no such courtesy. The victor would do a little dance around him, taunting him, mocking him, refusing to grant him the dignity of a quick and painless death."
"Adding insult to injury."
"More like heaping humiliation on defeat, but yes—that's the general idea."
Baldwin scratched his head. "Now—in the present day—is the term 'sugami' ever used metaphorically?"
"Tumanzu used it that way, didn't he?" Collins shrugged. "He
must
have done. If he said he was going to pay a call on a sugami, he couldn't have meant it literally."
Baldwin lapsed into a moment of reflection....
Okay,
he thought, trying to put himself in Tumanzu's place.
I'm a Dokharan. I'm visiting my cousin on Izmir. I'm unfamiliar with the island. I want to locate a specific individual—a "sugami." Maybe I already know where to find him, but probably not.I'm relying on my cousin to act as my guide. That being so...
"Minerva," said Baldwin, addressing his comtote by name.
"Yes, Greg."
Baldwin was a fan of classic movies. One his favorites was
Gilda.
He'd given Minerva a voice that was a reasonably good impersonation of Rita Hayworth.
"At any time in the past ten days, did Escoli use the
Herald's
database to conduct an address search?"
"On three occasions, yes."
"Did any of her searches yield an address in the Kroydhun district?"
"Yes. Kroydhun Ankurda 12-16. That is the residence of Tajok."
"The Dokharan war criminal?"
"That is correct."
Baldwin whistled aloud. "Nasty customer," he mused. "A grand slam redoubled in bastards if there ever was one."
3.
The traditional enemies of the Dokharans were the Ambulans.
The bones of contention over which they quarreled were many and varied, but foremost among them was the Chajin Channel—the un-straight strait that linked the Hokata Gulf with the Myoski Ocean. Whoever controlled the Chajin narrows had a stranglehold on a major trade route. It was both a geographical and
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